Chapter 472: War Horn

Above Ding'an City, Bao Yun and Ji Weiwei Yuan stood in midair, watching the last squad of reconnaissance riders depart the city and gallop into the distance.

In the reconnaissance unit, fewer than ten men now remained to guard the storage depots and key areas.

Bao Yun said: "Is it too early to make such a heavy bet?"

Ji Weiwei Yuan replied: "Compared to the reconnaissance unit we've painstakingly built, yes. But compared to the entire Qingming, no. For the Wu tribe, the stakes we've placed are still far too low."

Bao Yun looked at Ji Weiwei Yuan and said: "Perhaps I should go instead—just like before."

Ji Weiwei Yuan shook his head without hesitation. "I won't risk you. This time, the Wu tribe will likely go all out—there will certainly be Shadow Witches lurking, though we don't know how many. With your current cultivation base, if you're discovered, even a single Great Witch with military aura backing him could kill you, let alone a Shadow Witch."

"If I'm in danger, are you not?"

"I'm different. Even with a hundred thousand units of military aura supporting me, a Great Witch still couldn't kill me. I can't defeat a Shadow Witch, but I can escape."

Ji Weiwei Yuan then turned to Bao Yun, his expression solemn. "No matter how far this war goes, you must not step beyond the boundary. This isn't up for discussion."

Bao Yun stuck out her tongue—just as Ji Weiwei Yuan thought her dazzlingly adorable—she lightly curled it and brushed it across her upper lip.

Ji Weiwei Yuan drew a deep breath, feeling the urge to slap her… on the body.

"You seem unusually concerned about me now, yet you do nothing. Why?"

Ji Weiwei Yuan fell silent for a moment, then said: "I brought you here, but I can't give you what you want—I've already been irresponsible enough. So I can't let anything happen to you."

Bao Yun smiled faintly. "This time, the Wu tribe's mobilization is extraordinary. Aren't you afraid that by the time the war ends, even if you want to give me what I want, I won't be able to take it anymore?"

Ji Weiwei Yuan frowned sharply. "Don't talk nonsense!"

"Hahaha, I was just joking!"

"Even a joke isn't allowed!"

Ji Weiwei Yuan's seriousness startled Bao Yun. After a pause, she said: "Why so serious?"

Ji Weiwei Yuan couldn't tell her that her remark had made him sense a drop in her fortune. After weighing his words, he said: "Any action that affects fortune or feng shui must be handled with care now—the war has already begun."

Bao Yun's expression turned solemn, and she nodded.

Ji Weiwei Yuan said: "Time's up. I must go. You and your Master will handle the follow-up."

Ji Weiwei Yuan's figure flickered as he flew toward where the reconnaissance riders had vanished.

Bao Yun flew directly to the main peak, where the Grand Beginning Palace's cultivators and Li Zhi were already waiting in the Council Hall.

Bao Yun entered the Council Hall and announced to all: "Ji Weiwei Yuan just said the war has begun."

Li Zhi frowned slightly. "I feel nothing. Damn it—my cultivation is still far too weak!"

Li Zhi's Dao foundation was uniquely sensitive to fortune, especially national fortune—he often sensed danger before it struck and avoided calamity through sudden intuition. But somehow, whenever he was in Qingming, his foresight grew sluggish and frequently wrong.

Zhang Sheng stood beside the map, frowning slightly, and tapped several points with his finger. "We can't fight alone—we need reinforcements. First, the Western Jin court: we must secure the garrisons of Bianning and Anzhao prefectures, though they're useless. Then, Zhao Guo…"

As Zhang Sheng pointed at the map, many in the room grew momentarily dazed—his hand seemed to glow. His voice continued echoing through the hall: "... Send messengers to the Marquis of Xiang immediately. Ji Weiwei Yuan bears the title of imperial in-law, so they must contribute. Oh, and don't forget the eunuch faction—the old eunuchs are still formidable fighters…"

Zhang Sheng then rapidly laid out preparations for war, speaking so fast that even Cui Yu and Master Chuhe True Person, both with Manifestation bodies, struggled to keep up. In the blink of an eye, she assigned nearly a hundred mobilization tasks—all within the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

When she finished, Zhang Sheng tapped the table. "That's all. Get to work!"

The cultivators dispersed. Bao Yun stayed behind. When only she and Zhang Sheng remained, she asked: "How many reinforcements will come?"

Zhang Sheng replied coolly: "No reinforcements."

"None at all?"

"Unless the palace can summon troops from the Northern Shanmen—but the Wu tribe will never give us that chance. All they need to do is withdraw a few units from the Liao border and redeploy them here. The Liao will understand their intent and intensify their attacks on the Northern Shanmen." Zhang Sheng said.

Bao Yun said: "Then I'll call my grandfathers here."

Zhang Sheng said: "We can use the same strategy the Wu tribe used last time. This is the Shattered Realm—if we summon creatures from beyond the heavens, all the Yu Jing will dare not move. But those who draw their attention will pay a price."

Zhang Sheng glanced at Bao Yun. "But I don't think your grandfathers will be willing to pay that price."

=9+ Shu _ Ba

Bao Yun fell silent, her radiance instantly dimming.

Zhang Sheng sighed softly. "I meant to tell you this the last time you came to see me. But it's not too late now—eventually, you'd have to know anyway."

Bao Yun forced a smile. "Don't worry—I'm easygoing. My Dao heart won't crack. I need to go check the city defenses."

After Bao Yun left, Zhang Sheng returned to her quarters, lay down on her bed, and immediately began processing military reports.

Deep within the Wu Domain, atop the massive tree stump spanning hundreds of zhang, dozens of thousands of Wu tribesmen now stood—not just a few Shadow Witches. Among them, a Wu in a white robe stood out sharply, his aura utterly alien to the surroundings.

The white-robed Wu sat beside another Wu with a deeply lined face. Strangely, though this Wu's aura was only that of a Great Witch, every Shadow Witch treated him with deep respect.

One by one, Wu commanders approached their seats to report the latest military developments.

"Our warriors are ready, having trained extensively in the new assault formation."

"We have ample new divine-arm crossbows and have trained ten thousand archers—each with twice the range of before."

"All war beasts are prepared. Three newly bred varieties have been integrated, and the existing ones have been adjusted by our shamans to withstand their gunshots."

…

Thus, dozens of Wu commanders reported their progress, leaving the two Wu leaders seated high above thoroughly satisfied.

The Wu clad in a crimson cloak and with a deeply lined face rose and declared loudly: "Excellent! Our warriors are assembled, our preparations complete! The heavens' breach must be sealed, and the thieves must be punished!"

"In past wars, we faced minor setbacks—but this time, the vermin and thieves will have no chance! We will erase these parasites of heaven from this world…"

"Using their own methods!"

(End of Chapter)