Chapter 703

So this choice before his eyes was no problem at all for Long Xiang Seng.

"Good! Since Master Long Xiang has chosen thus, then let us go to war with Xuanxinzheng Sect!"

Once the plan was settled, although Mu Huali knew Long Xiang Seng's little scheme, Wang Si was after all a sect that protected the nation; even Tie Muzhen would choose the same—what could a mere general like him say?

"If we are to go to war with Xuanxinzheng Sect, then we must plan for every contingency.

How about this! I shall go invite Master Changsheng here. With him present, the so-called powerful expert Yan Chixia you mentioned will be held in check, and may even be defeated!"

"Excellent! That is exactly what we intended as well…"

General Zhebie immediately nodded in agreement.

In truth, Long Xiang Seng had already discussed with him and settled on choosing Yin Susu long ago.

But to go to war with Xuanxinzheng Sect, the two of them alone were not enough.

Mu Huali, and even the Immortal Master Changsheng, had to be involved.

But Master Changsheng held the post of Left State Preceptor, his cultivation reaching the heavens; aside from Tie Muzhen, he could refuse to listen to anyone.

Fortunately, Mu Huali was the commander-in-chief of the Central Route Army, and Master Changsheng would heed his words somewhat.

Therefore the two had sent a battle report to lure Mu Huali here, hoping he would speak and summon Master Changsheng.

"Good! Then I shall go notify Master Changsheng now."

Mu Huali also saw through the two men's thoughts, but did not expose them.

Instead, he wrote a letter and ordered a man to deliver it to Master Changsheng with all haste.

Afterwards he realized that now nearly all the elite forces of the Central Route Army were tied down at Ruosida Sect.

In this way, the Great Yuan's campaign this time could almost be considered a failure.

By his estimation, the Great Tang must by now have already prepared to begin, or even already launched an offensive against the Great Yuan.

Immediately he wrote another letter, ordering a messenger to rush it back to the Great Yuan Imperial Court, to be opened personally by Tie Muzhen.

Because of the matter at Ruosida Sect, the Great Yuan's southern main force was pinned down.

Then the Great Yuan's southern region was practically undefended.

All Mu Huali could do was let Tie Muzhen know as quickly as possible, to transfer a large army from other positions to garrison it.

With the two letters sent off, Mu Huali let out a long breath.

Now that he knew the enemy's scheme, he instead felt it no longer mattered.

From here on, then let there be war!

The success of any stratagem ultimately rests upon strength.

As long as the Great Yuan could capture Ruosida Sect in a short time and unseal Yin Susu,

not only could he lead the southern elite forces back swiftly to reinforce, and together with the Great Yuan garrison, deal a heavy blow to the invading Tang Army,

but more critically, he could also gain Yin Susu's aid.

With Yin Susu's help, after crushing the Tang Army, he might even lead Yin Susu's forces and Yuan elite troops south, watering their horses directly at the Wei River, and invading Changancheng.

The key to victory or defeat truly lay in the time taken to capture Ruosida Sect.

After sorting out his thoughts, Mu Huali felt he must first have one final talk with Xuanxinzheng Sect.

He immediately had General Zhebie lead him toward Ruosida Sect.

The Yuan army camp was set up at the foot of Ruosida Sect's mountain.

Yet Ruosida Sect lay within the mountain.

The two brought no other attendants or guards, just the two of them climbing the mountain path step by step.

Before long, they arrived outside a secluded ancient temple.

Seeing the plaque above inscribed with the three ancient seal characters for Ruosida Sect, Mu Huali pushed open Ruosida Sect's gate.

He saw in the courtyard a man holding a gourd, drinking on his own accord.

General Zhebie immediately whispered that this man was precisely the top-tier expert Yan Chixia.

"Senior Yan, greetings. I am Mu Huali, Governor-General of Pingzhou of the Great Yuan. I have matters today and have come specifically to pay my respects to you, Senior."

Mu Huali observed the rites with great respect, his tone exceedingly humble.

510 Could it be him?

Gulp…

Yan Chixia lay in the courtyard, countless fallen leaves scattered all around him.

With his legs crossed, as Mu Huali spoke, another mouthful of fine wine poured from the gourd into his mouth.

"Burp…"

After letting out a wine burp, Yan Chixia, eyes bleary from drink, slowly said,

"This place is a haunt of demons and evil; common folk must not approach. Begone, begone…"

Saying so, he actually closed his eyes, looking as though he was savoring the aftertaste of fine wine.

"Senior, I come on behalf of the Great Yuan to discuss matters with you.

If Senior is willing to introduce the Great Yuan to Xuanxinzheng Sect, so that Xuanxinzheng Sect submits to our Great Yuan,

then this Ruosida Sect shall henceforth be jointly administered by the Great Yuan and Xuanxinzheng Sect.

With the Great Yuan's strength, we shall surely aid Xuanxinzheng Sect in permanently sealing Yin Susu, preventing these demons and evils from wreaking havoc upon the mortal world.

What does Senior think?"

Though Yan Chixia's attitude was so arrogant, Mu Huali still stated the request for which he had come.

Although he had already drawn up the plan to prioritize Yin Susu with Long Xiang Seng and General Zhebie,

Yin Susu was after all sealed away, and Xuanxinzheng Sect was no easy foe either.

The Great Tang was at this very moment eyeing the Great Yuan like a tiger watching its prey, and had even already taken action.

Considering the bigger picture, being able to induce the Xuanxinzheng Sect to surrender is currently the best option.

"The mortal affairs of the red dust—what have they to do with me?

I only want fine wine for company, to sink and be lost within this stretch of heaven and earth."

Yan Chixia opened his eyes; a streak of divine light flashed past, then he returned to his hazy, drunken-eyed state.

Mu Huali was about to continue his persuasion when Yan Chixia spoke again,

"Moreover, you common mortals truly know nothing of the Yin Moon Dynasty.

Nor do you know what influence the emergence of this Yin Moon Dynasty will have upon the mortal world?

You took it upon yourselves to contact Jing Wuyuan—do you really think he told you the truth?"

The first two sentences did carry a somewhat overbearing air.

The last sentence, however, exposed that General Zhebie had already had contact with Jing Wuyuan of the Yin Moon Dynasty.

Mu Huali and General Zhebie were left speechless for a moment, at a loss as to how to continue their persuasion.

"Senior, the Great Yuan has come with full courtesy, wishing only to turn the weapons of war into jade and silk with the Xuanxinzheng Sect and with you, Senior—not…"

General Zhebie, seeing this, could not help but fly into a rage and said directly,

"The Xuanxinzheng Sect is the Xuanxinzheng Sect, Yan Chixia is Yan Chixia. If you're looking for the Xuanxinzheng Sect, then get lost to one side."

Yan Chixia suddenly flared up in fury. Though he was a master who had come from the Xuanxinzheng Sect,

and had long been stationed at Lanruo Temple, watching over the Yin Moon Dynasty on behalf of the Xuanxinzheng Sect,

once the Xuanxinzheng Sect was mentioned, he instead seemed to grow especially angry.

The moment he grew angry, the aura of a top-tier powerhouse burst forth from him in an instant.

Layer upon layer, it surged toward Mu Huali and General Zhebie, enveloping them.

The two of them, though they had obtained the Great Yuan's secret arts and become one of the Great Yuan's Thirteen Wings, ranked among the experts of the Heavenly Dao Golden List,

and had been forged in the crucible of battle, their temperaments honed to the utmost—surpassing even ordinary powerhouses by no small margin—

yet before this aura, vast as the great ocean and unfathomably deep, both of them turned pale.

Only then did they realize just how enormous the gap between themselves and a top-tier powerhouse truly was.

"Whence comes this madman, daring to so despise the Great Yuan!"

Just as Mu Huali and General Zhebie were enveloped by Yan Chixia's aura—sticky as a mire—immobilized, their faces turning white,

a voice came from afar, and then a heaven-shocking aura, like a sharp sword, directly sliced through Yan Chixia's aura.

"Eh? This aura…"

Yan Chixia had originally been three parts anger and seven parts wanting to send these two grassland men packing.

That was why his aura looked so vast and unmatched.