Chapter 704

Hougang, as many senior officials of the Human Fire faction, analyzed the slickness between the Dragon and Bird factions.

The Dongyi faction mobilized troops, forming a sweeping momentum; the Dragon faction's system collapsed into disarray, seemingly losing all leadership……

There is indeed some tacit understanding here!

The Bird faction wants to expand.

The Dragon faction does not want an appointed leader sent from the central court, yet despite being supervised by emissaries from the central court, it still wishes to enjoy autonomous privileges.

Thus, after they hit it off, Yinglong's expedition fared poorly, and returning in a sorry state was only natural.

Of course.

Among the reasons is that the Human Sovereign's strength is no longer at its peak; central hegemony has weakened and can no longer perfectly suppress the various vassal overlords, dispelling the ambitions of the opportunists.

To put it more vividly——

The Shennong clan declined, the feudal lords attacked each other, and Shennong could no longer launch campaigns.

The feudal lords no longer submit to the Fire faction's hegemony, stirring up small moves, which are both probes and provocations.

——On what grounds are you the orthodox of humanity?

——I think I'm quite capable too!

This does seem to make some sense.

After all, the forces that most supported the Fire faction as orthodoxy were depleted too much during the process of the three thousand sacred unions and the era of suppression.

These forces, with the Sacred Empress Nüwa and numerous ancestral witches at their core, are the strongest, capable of overturning the table.

However, with the update of the era, as the transition from the ancient demon era to the later demon era occurred, this force essentially suffered a devastating blow.

Houtu is imprisoned in the cycle of rebirth, Nüwa lost outside the situation…… the ancestral witches and the Human Sovereign still exist, but their peak combat power has been reduced by ninety percent!

Unbeknownst to many, the background of the Fire faction has faded, no longer making the various feudal lords feel hopeless and powerless to contend.

At such a moment, the Bird faction pulls some shady maneuvers, while the Dragon faction tacitly cooperates…… though unexpected to many, it is still reasonable.

Moreover.

Now the leader of the Dongyi faction's human lord has a truly mysterious identity; not making some big moves would truly be a waste of his intellect and methods.

The Human Sovereign lowered his gaze, looking at the scroll of Mountains and Rivers before him—a treasure stored in Nüwa's secret vault, the most complete current map of rivers, mountains, and tribal distributions, with real-time tracking reports; it is indeed mysterious.

Fengxi gazed at the territories of the Dragon and Bird factions, his eyes flickering slightly; deep within, he seemed half-smiling, mixed with teasing and ridicule.

【One hard labor, for whom is it toiling?】

【Heh……】

The Human Sovereign's thoughts are deep as an abyss, silently calculating a terrifying layout.

While one side simulates, on the other Hougang speaks freely, revealing the evil delusions of the ambitious and, in passing, making a prophecy——

Someone who invites a wolf into the house will eventually reap what they sow!

What is being said refers to the Dragon faction, namely Dan Zhu!

「This poor child, perhaps by then he will still be played with by others, achieving fame for them. 」

Behind Strategist Hougang stands an experienced hand who clearly knows the routines of putting on a show; indeed, back then he actually presided over similar work, colluding with someone, and had a great time.

「When he seeks to reclaim authority and prestige, the Dongyi faction feigns magnanimity, conducting 'humble yielding,' allowing him to become the joint lord. 」

「But meanwhile, they secretly pull the strings, causing all ministers, generals, and tribal chieftains to turn a blind eye, only to go pay homage to the Dongyi's Hua! 」

Hougang chuckled, "Play it like this for two or three years, and the Dragon faction's prestige will be thoroughly trampled underfoot, so that one can no longer speak of commanding subordinates…… Hua will then naturally proclaim 'Mandate of Heaven,' 'follow' the heavenly will, and with the people's voices, openly ascend the throne, exile Dan Zhu, thereby completely eroding the Dragon faction's last foundation."

He gave a detailed explanation of this combined-fist operation; it was practiced, a seasoned offender.

「So I say, inviting deities is easy for the Dragon faction, but when it comes time to send them off, they might end up dumbfounded." Hougang shook his head, "They too are blinded by power, not thinking…… the current leader of the Dongyi—Hua, in terms of prestige background, could match Dan Zhu's father in a showdown. 」

Faxian——reborn as the red dragon, brows split into eight colors.

Hua——sensing the heavenly stars, eyes with double pupils!

Blowing so boastfully, at a glance one sees a powerful figure pulling the strings behind!

——Not a powerful figure, and it would be impossible to retain the birth omen; it was destroyed long ago!

——Many of us start from a blank slate; what gives you the right to come with your own skin?

Just one person adding a little obstruction can make even a mighty divine adept feel nauseated enough to retch.

「"The Dragon faction has no choice but to drink poison to quench thirst." Yinglong sighed, "Facing the Bird faction's invasion, they can in the future use the excuse of being non‑our‑kind to resist and expel. 」

「"What if it were me? 」」

「"Hey! 」」

「"In terms of bloodline orthodoxy and nobility, I am on par with their ancestors! 」」

「"In terms of legal orthodoxy, it is enough to devour them completely, slowly erode and replace them, after which the dragon clan will no longer belong to 'Cang' but to 'Ji'! 」」

「"Choosing the lesser of two evils…… Dan Zhu and company making such a choice is hardly surprising. 」」

Perhaps it is not that the Dragon faction fails to see the Bird faction's difficulty.

But sometimes there is no room for choice.

「"That's also true." Hougang nodded, indicating agreement. 」

Afterward, he gazed at Yinglong's eyes, with a hint of probing.

——This child's origin is quite problematic!

——At first, he seemed to appear beside Nüwa?

——Yet he carries the purest true‑dragon origin, an ancestral‑level source!

【Nüwa Emperor……】

Hougang reckoned in his heart, 【At that time, did the preparations already begin?】

【If that is so, in the past we truly underestimated her far too much……】

【But……】

Hougang felt another doubt rise in his heart.

"I usually observe her, and she doesn't seem particularly smart, does she?"

Hougang was doubting Nüwa's intelligence.

If the Empress Nüwa were to know these thoughts, tearing apart Báizé would be inevitable.

"What a puzzle..."

"If you say she's not smart, she actually started preparing back then, disguising herself as Yandi to trap and kill the Yao Marshal."

"If you say she's smart, after the version 1 update, she herself got optimized away!"

Hougang was very troubled.

He doesn't fear smart people, because ordinary smart people actually follow a pattern.

He also doesn't fear fools, because fools pose no threat to him.

And as for true sages… Mr. Hougang likewise doesn't fear them, because fearing them is useless; if they really set their sights on him, he might as well lie flat, letting those several hundred pounds of his just lie there, letting the big shots arrange him as a tool however they like.

—This is a bloody and tearful history that has just been staged, letting Mr. Hougang see through and awaken; after all, besides cursing old friends behind their backs—which is hardly decent—and even screwing over his die‑hard comrades, this era has already laid out his fate plainly from the start… what else can he do?

True sages need not be feared; fearing them is useless.

Hougang originally thought he feared nothing.

But now he feels he has encountered a bug.

Nüwa… he really can't figure her out, always feeling that she is shrouded in too much mist, her wisdom and schemes wavering between extremely high and extremely low.

—She doesn't play by the rules!

Not following a pattern makes it impossible to counter with a pattern… yet somehow a strange move always pops out, crippling a person halfway, making you dare not underestimate her.

"Sigh…"

"It's really hard to make heads or tails of…"

Hougang sighed in his heart, thinking this era is truly too difficult.

While Strategist Hougang was torn over how to arrange a counter‑move for Yinglong against Nüwa, Emperor Yandi Fengxi paused the deduction of the military situation, his expression calm and indifferent.

"A single word from the Strategist, if it were like nectar poured on the head, would let Xi suddenly understand."

"Then… since we already know the situation is perilous, do you have any good plan? Please, Strategist, do not hesitate to instruct me."

The Yandi asked earnestly.

Of course.

Hougang glanced at Fengxi and knew that this Human Sovereign actually didn't need his teaching; most likely he had already formed his own opinion.

But still!

Democratic discussion should still exist; it cannot become the Sovereign's solo lecture hall—at the very least, the worthy ministers and capable generals present should feel they have a say, right?

Hougang read these subtleties from Fengxi's expression, realizing he had once again been reduced to a tool.

But he didn't mind.

—This is indeed a great opportunity to mix in some private interests!

After a painful education, Mr. Hougang felt he had figured things out.

In this age where liches run rampant, there are plenty of old‑yin types; every fellow probably hides ill intent in his heart, selling people out and then making others count the money for him!

Mr. Hou looked left and right, thinking there was no one reliable… from now on he would plan for himself!

Otherwise, the pies those fellows draw for him would probably only be lookable, not edible.

"Little Nüwa said she would arrange some demon script for me."

"Taiyi also said he would arrange a History Sovereign for me."

"But I think none of these fellows are reliable!"

"I might as well strive for it myself!"

Hougang harbored many worries in his belly, but his face showed none; he was very composed, and under the gaze of numerous Fire Sect heavyweights and divine generals, he discussed strategy with the Human Sovereign.

"That depends on what goal His Majesty the Yandi seeks to pursue."

Hougang spoke carefully and clearly: "It depends on what kind of 'big picture' one wants to safeguard—put that first!"

"Oh? The big picture… does it have distinctions?" Fengxi asked with a smile.

"Naturally." Hougang said in a low voice, "The big picture of the Fire Sect!"

"The big picture of humanity!"

"Even the big picture of the human way!"

"Please elaborate." Yandi adjusted his posture, signaling Hougang to speak freely.

"If we take the Fire Sect's supremacy as the primary big picture, and wish to repel external threats after pacifying internal ones, then the present conduct of the Dragon and Bird Sects amounts to rebellion against superiors, naturally requiring action." Hougang replied, "But after all, there are still external enemies, so our methods need some distinction and emphasis."

"The Dragon Sect employs passive means to do harm, having entrapped the Divine General Yinglong, yet on the surface they reveal no handle; the Fire Sect is not suited to pursue blame on that account."

"On the contrary, we should instead show a posture of pacification and sympathy, using the earlier crisis when humans and dragons aided each other as an entry point to guide the Dragon Sect's grassroots."

"After all, the Human Sovereign previously righteouslly supported the Dragon Ancestor, affirming the Dragon Totem as the path of human thought—this is the greatest diplomatic achievement… moreover, he later exerted tremendous effort to pull things back from the brink, saving billions of dragon beings, which is boundless virtue."

"Ordinary dragons and the Dragon Sect feel gratitude toward humanity and the Fire Sect… in this, only the Dragon Sect's high‑ranking officials harbor ill intent."

"We should split open the Dragon Sect, win over its base, and strike at its ambitious elements."

"There are many such methods… for instance, releasing some black‑mail material from the Eastern Barbarians to help the Dragon Sect's populace see the true face of the Bird Sect; or guiding public opinion to be shocked by the Bird Sect's power grab, sending envoys from the Fire Sect into the Dragon Sect to steer forces so they naturally form units to oppose 'invasion'; furthermore, exposing the truth—Dragon Sect high‑ranking officials selling out their clan's interests, becoming lackeys and compradors for the Bird Sect… and so on."

"Ideological guidance first, a spark that starts a prairie fire… this is how we handle the Dragon Sect."

"And toward the Eastern Barbarians… it is an attack from both inside and outside!"

As Hougang spoke, his sharpness shone fully, his vigor evident: "Externally, the Fire Sect should raise heavy troops, positioned behind the Eastern Barbarians' line, so they cannot fully control the Dragon Sect… as for the reason, whether it's a pretense or part of the strategic layout against the Demon Race, everyone here can find an excuse."

"And internally, we should carry out division, sowing discord… the Eastern Barbarians' lineage has tangled origins: it inherits the Dao lineage of the Green Emperor Fuxi, it has the transmission source of the Phoenix line, and later the White Emperor Shaohou personally took charge—this gives the Eastern Barbarians their foundation, yet also brings the hidden danger of division."

Hougang enumerated the foundations of the Eastern Barbarians, laid out their great war potential, and at the same time pointed out where we could intervene.

East Yi is enormous.

Even strictly speaking, the Dragon Masters could once be counted among them… but later they parted ways, letting the Bird Masters become mainstream.

However, it is precisely because of its intricate complexity that there are many subtleties, which Hougang identified as an entry point.

"The Green Emperor's Majesty passes down the orthodoxy, the White Emperor's Majesty personally takes charge…… These two are cut from the same cloth, their source lies in the Feng clan, which is the ancestral line."

"I suppose there must be some backup plans!"

Hougang gazed at Yandi.

Fengxi fell silent for a moment, then nodded, "That is indeed true."

"East Yi could rise; in its early days, the human realm offered much aid, countless threads of origin still remain."

"Several powerful clans, great clans, still maintain ties with the central royal court…… such as the Tushan clan……."

"Good." Hougang nodded, "Having someone is good…… the Fire Masters can lend support, to act as a counterweight to the Bird Masters."

"However, just having them is still not enough…… ideally, we need East Yi's current heavyweight members, dwelling in darkness but heart toward light, willing to consider the human realm's big picture, so that the stray East Yi lineage can be set right."

"As assistance, our Fire Masters can make introductions, letting this aspirant gain the tribes' support, secure a solid foundation, accomplish something, and contend with the forces under Chonghua's rule."

Hougang spoke, pausing between each word.

"Now the Fire Masters are weak, while the Bird Masters seek to seize the throne."

"Then, with East Yi divided, the capable can take hold…… this is not impossible!"

"We'll help build momentum and hype, lift up a leader inclined toward us…… I think this is a viable path!"

Hougang's words were decisive.

Fengxi raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, an amusing image surfaced in his mind.

A Tushan fox cried out at midnight——

Great Xia rises, King Wenming!

(End of chapter)