Chapter 887: Control

On the surface, Tang Zhao played the role of stirring up trouble in this game, seemingly playing a game of driving the tiger to swallow the wolf, but his secret plan to strike directly at the heart was the fundamental goal.

It is just that what he did in this plan is not easy to talk about externally, because it involves his deepest secrets.

At the beginning, when he came to the Shenjie side to cultivate, he was of course holding the hope of using all his power to attack and kill that monster head-on. But he knew from the start that the monster's strength was truly formidable, and the speed at which its strength expanded was very abnormal; the further it went, the more it expanded exponentially. Tang Zhao's cultivation speed was already very "cheating," but compared to a monster that lived by devouring, it was still far inferior.

Therefore, he had prepared two courses of action. If he could win head-on, that would naturally be best; if not, he would have to use the method from last time—using the Glasses' forced upgrade function to completely materialize and subdue this monster.

It is just that he was already extremely exhausted after subduing one tentacle on the Gaota last time, and it would likely be difficult to directly exert an effect on the monster's main body. To take it down precisely, he had to make some preliminary preparations. The first was naturally to improve his own strength; the second was to use the subdued tentacle as a lure to get close enough to the monster and launch a sneak attack when it was unaware. The third was naturally to make precise research directions on the Glasses, and then there was one more point: to borrow external forces to weaken this monster as much as possible.

If it can be said that he spent these three years preparing for the first three points, then these half a month of flexible maneuvering, dancing with long sleeves, and using all his strength to scrape together two major camps was all to prepare for the last point.

To borrow external forces, his own people—that is, the power from the Human World—could not be counted on. Firstly, they were too far away; secondly... it was too dangerous. He was biased toward his own people and unwilling to put them in danger. Thus, he could only borrow the power from the Tianmo side. Although Tang Zhao did write a letter asking a few Sword Saints to come and see the situation when the time came, it was actually just to have a backup—in case he failed, he would still have one last chip—but the main thing was still to exhaust the power of the Tianmo.

Is there any power in the Tianmo Jie stronger than the Left and Right Upper Gods?

Not to mention that even the dead Main God was pulled out to be used again.

The external forces that could be borrowed had been borrowed to the extreme; Tang Zhao already looked very much like a conspirator jumping up and down. Then, like a conspirator, he hid among the crowd of gods. When the Bear God cut that monster into two halves and the larger half fell to the ground and turned into a vast ocean, he took the opportunity to slip into it.

Other minor gods covered by the green sea had long since been instantly controlled, losing their physical reactions and being devoured bit by bit, but Tang Zhao did not. Because he had that tiny tentacle.

That tentacle could be considered a part of that monster, but it could also be considered "a part" of him; he used this to obtain the authority to devour.

It just so happened that the monster was focused on fighting the Left and Right Upper Gods above and did not divide its attention to manage the body it had dropped, because that was originally the "Imperial Body" it had accumulated bit by bit—it was matter completely controlled by it. It just let a part of its body out to devour those minor gods, and it could take it back whenever it wanted.

How could it know that while it was fighting desperately outside, there was already "internal strife" at home? A minor god it had never looked at directly was waving a stolen scepter and digging at its foundations.

By the time it finally managed to suppress the counterattack of the Left and Right Upper Gods while bearing the weight of a Main God's finger, most of its Imperial Body was already completely someone else's.

At the time when it was cut into two halves, the section connected to the water bubble was only the smaller half, not to mention that it was still outputting while injured—only spending and not gaining, becoming smaller and smaller—while the larger half of the body underground had devoured so much divine power and bodies, becoming even stronger. The power Tang Zhao mastered at this time was already above it.

At this time, the monster was almost cut to its center and urgently needed a supplement, but that wave in the Shenjie had been ruined by it, so it had to go to the Waijie to forage. Thus, without waiting to take back that part of its body, it hurriedly descended to the Lingjie, preparing to manipulate the green body to devour those believers and have a big meal.

At this moment, Tang Zhao finally revealed his fangs... and his Glasses.

He manipulated the power that had the upper hand in all aspects and pounced over, first suppressing that monster, using the green body to suppress the green body, stripping away its external power, and taking advantage of the fact that its water bubble had not fully healed to confront its main body with the Glasses he carried.

Then, it was the plot of him subduing the tentacle from before being staged again. The previous subduing was extremely close to the limit, but this time he had made all preparations, and the difficulty had even decreased. Before everyone and the Tianmo could react, he had already finished the operation.

Now, the monster was not dead; not only was it not dead, it had even "upgraded." It was just that it had upgraded under the framework of the Glasses—that is, under the intrusion of the Sovereign's power—and it now "mutually recognized its main body" with Tang Zhao.

Of course, it cannot be said that it had completely become Tang Zhao's puppet; it is now in a very subtle state. It is a part of Tang Zhao, and it also believes that Tang Zhao is a part of it; both sides can issue orders to each other.

However, after years of research, Tang Zhao had already made some distinctions in the direction of his research compared to the beginning. Now, the relationship between the two is not just one of equal mutual recognition; Tang Zhao is higher than it. Tang Zhao can issue clear instructions, and he can also interfere secretly, letting it act according to the trajectory he laid out.

At the same time, the last time it was just an organ without wisdom, but this time the main body had complete wisdom, so the Glasses did not erase its intelligence. In fact, this is also very difficult to do; it requires paying a higher price and might not even succeed, instead potentially inciting changes. After careful consideration, Tang Zhao finally did not take the risk, so the main body now retains its intelligence, memories, and the vast majority of its self-awareness.

It is just that its intelligence inevitably underwent a series of distortions after the Glasses' upgrade; it can be said that it is like two different "monsters" compared to before.

Even if Tang Zhao does not interfere, that evil god will make different choices in its future actions than before—it might not necessarily be for the better; it is more likely that the direction of the distortion is different from before, and it is completely uncontrollable. That will undoubtedly give the Tianmo of the Lingjie a big surprise.

Regardless, Tang Zhao's plan was successful, and it was a double blessing. The subduing of the monster was certainly a happy event, but were the deaths of the Left and Right Upper Gods and a bunch of minor gods not a happy event?

Although the Left and Right Upper Gods both showed their heroic side in the end, worthy of their status, they were heroes to them but enemies to me, so it was better that they died.

Now, the Holy God is ruined, the gods are dead, and the Tianmo are weakened to an epic degree; this is the most perfect result.

Of course, Tang Zhao would not think that the Tianmo Jie is finished just because the gods are all dead.

Although the Tianmo Jie has always been a faith-based civilization, it does not mean that gods are indispensable; the civilization of the Tianmo Jie is still created by the people of the Lingjie, that is, the Tianmo. Apart from using the rules to borrow a little power, gods actually have no positive effect.

Even if we only talk about strength, there are strong individuals like Haotian who are not inferior to gods.

Whether the death of all the gods is a good thing or a bad thing for the remaining Tianmo is really hard to say. The Tianmo are used to the existence of gods and will certainly feel very lost for a time, but this ecological niche of gods is also very easy to fill; it can be filled by strong individuals below, or even filled in the name of gods.

For example, the Fire Spirit Clan: before Tang Zhao took over, they did not have a real "God." They just believed there was a god, and so there was a god. Hasn't it been running well for so many years? As long as there are clear-headed high-level figures to smooth this over, it is actually not difficult at all.

Not to mention that because of the existence of the Holy God, a large group of strong individuals like Hutian were forced to become rebels, and a civil war was imminent. Now that the obstacles have disappeared and there are no internal enemies, if Haotian and the others do a good job of uniting, they might even be able to make themselves stronger.

In the long run, the Tianmo might even gain strength.

Of course, that is if the Human side allows it.

Tang Zhao understands the joints of this best. After saying everything that could be said, he briefly explained that the monster is now in a controllable state and immediately said: "The Tianmo Jie is currently in a state of chaotic brains; this is a combat opportunity. This combat opportunity will not last forever. If a capable strong individual uses the opportunity to integrate all the Tianmo, then the window period will be fleeting. So... we must prepare to attack!"

Zhen Jian is also well-versed in strategy and pondered: "Well said. Now is the perfect time to attack. It just so happens that we came and watched the whole process, so the news can be spread naturally, and they will never suspect that you leaked it. It is just that 'a grieving army will win'; if we attack too urgently, we might incite their spirit of sharing a common hatred. By then, once they are incited, they might integrate rapidly."

Qian Jian said: "I am familiar with that old guy Haotian; he may not have this ability, but there are hundreds of millions of Tianmo. Who knows if there are heroes of the times?"

Tang Zhao said: "Yes, we must also use a two-pronged approach. Deterrence on the front battlefield is one aspect, and disrupting hearts behind enemy lines is another. We must make their backyards catch fire one after another so they cannot be integrated and can only be defeated by us one by one."

Qian Jian nodded and smiled: "We never considered this before, only allowing them to ravage the Human World as a Yin Calamity; now it is time to let them taste the distress of being unable to attend to both ends."

Zhen Jian said: "It just so happens that we have cultivated many young people, and they have already infiltrated. This was originally your plan. It seems you have long been confident. If we need someone to take charge behind enemy lines, then who else but you?"

Tang Zhao smiled. Just as he said, Tang Zhao now has a unique status in the Tianmo Jie: on the surface, he is a god, and in secret, he is the Holy God. If he doesn't stir up trouble, he would be doing a disservice to the management he has been doing all along.

Of course, it is not that he cannot go to the front battlefield; he is a top-tier combat force even if he goes now. It is just that he is not as indispensable there as he is here.

He said solemnly: "I think so too. After explaining the matters to the two of you, I will stay behind to continue working. I cannot return to my hometown for the time being... please give my regards to everyone for me."

Both Sword Saints were very moved. Although it would only take a few days to return with Tang Zhao's speed, he was doing the most confidential work. Every extra person who knows is an extra point of risk, even if the companions in his hometown are just minor characters who have nothing to do with the Tianmo, it is not appropriate to take risks.

Qian Jian did not say anything sentimental and sighed: "In that case, thank you for your hard work. With talents like you, I think the war will not drag on for too long. We are all waiting for the news of your triumphant return."