I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1453 - Chapter 1453 Chapter 713 The Overwhelming Trend_2

Chapter 1453: Chapter 713: The Overwhelming Trend_2 Chapter 1453: Chapter 713: The Overwhelming Trend_2 “This is the most important task before the battle, I entrust it to all of you.”

…

For the confident Longxi Alliance, they really didn’t see any reason to be nervous about facing the Evil King Palace.

Since last time under the leadership of the First Heads of the Martial Hall and the Fire-Stealing Grandmaster they managed to force the Evil King Palace to negotiate, why should this time be any different?

Although it seemed that the Evil King Palace was angry, if anger were useful, what would be the need for strength?

Thus, even if the high leadership of the Tang Clan was tense, the members beneath them who didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and the blindly worshipping populace were extremely confident.

Without any battle tension, they drank and ate as usual; the taverns were full of groups of idlers, who seemed to be experts in their discussions.

“All empires fall eventually–the Evil King Palace has been in decline since the Immortal Evil King fell, and encountering the thriving Longxi Alliance is just their bad luck.”

“That’s a bit too much, brother; after all, it is an ancient sect, and even without the Human King, it still has its legacy.”

“Pah, what legacy? Nowadays, everyone knows that the strongest in Longzhou is our Longxi Alliance’s Fire-Stealing Grandmaster; not to mention fighting a hundred, even fighting a thousand by himself would be no problem. And the heads of the Lingjiang Seven Cities, each could rival a grandmaster, what basis does the Evil King Palace have to declare war?”

“Brother, martial arts competitions aren’t just simple matchups…”

“Huh? You always seem to belittle the alliance, could it be you’re a spy sent by the Evil King Palace!?”

“Not at all, I am a native of Lanshan City…”

Such half-informed arguments were common in all pubs and teahouses across the Lingjiang Seven Cities, resulting in the following:

Even the most honest residents learned about the upcoming great battle and were infected by the idlers’ unwarranted confidence, thinking little of the Evil King Palace and continuing their simple lives.

People are just that way, so simple it’s heartrending; as long as you dare to deceive, they dare to believe.

But there are always those full of reason, who simply could not believe that the Evil King Palace, famed for its abundance of grandmasters, would really have no way to handle the Longxi Alliance, which only has one grandmaster.

Yet in this environment of blind zeal, these doubts and anxieties were only expressed among their closest confidants, and more often than not, they consciously avoided pondering the worst outcome.

What would happen to them if the Longxi Alliance were defeated?

…

Zhongzhou Buddha’s Country

Having completed the final leg of his visit, Cao Daochen rode the Yinglong War Chariot back towards Long Valley.

Accompanying him were Cao Changqing and Cao Ziqi–both bearing significant weariness and confusion on their faces.

If initially they did not understand their mission, after listening to Cao Daochen’s explanations along the way, they had some understanding.

However, what they could not grasp was why their elder brother, Cao Daochen, during his visits to those sects, never mentioned the major sins committed by the Longxi Alliance.

“Big brother, I don’t understand,”

Cao Changqing asked directly upon leaving the borders of Buddha’s Country, “Given the evil deeds of the Longxi Alliance, with just one call from you, everyone would condemn them. Why then did you only hint at it during the visits and not speak out directly?”

“Yes, big brother, since we are already in Zhongzhou, why not visit the Divine Court?”

Cao Ziqi also chimed in timely, “Tang Luo shattered An Yushu’s Dharma Body with the Primordial Sword Command, even if other divine palaces couldn’t be bothered to act, this one would surely send help.”

Looking ahead at the rolling sea of clouds, Cao Daochen quietly said, “If you stand out on the shore, the river becomes turbulent; if you tower above others, the crowd will scorn you. Standing out invites visibility, but have you considered the consequences?”

“Consequences? What consequences could there be from attacking an evil clan?”

Cao Changqing curled his lips, showing disdain for Cao Daochen’s prudence, “Brother is just too cautious. Under the name of the Saint Child of the Beast Taming Sect, revealing the deceitful pretenses of a hypocritical noble family has drawn the world to crusade against the Tang Clan, and the overwhelming momentum will utterly destroy the villains. What a great story that is.”

Shaking his head, Cao Daochen chuckled, “The first lesson in the art of power and manipulation is to learn how to preserve oneself. Inciting a great wave with a mere shout might seem spectacular in the eyes of Yuanzhou’s Xu Clan, but it’s just a small ripple raised in a stream. Standing atop, calling out might seem glorious, but are you truly prepared to face the retribution of the Human King or even the Saint King in the future?”

“Bro… Brother, what are you talking about? We’re just crushing the Longxi Alliance, would they even dare retaliate?” Cao Changqing asked in disbelief.

“The more advantageous the position, the more one must maintain a clear and rational mind.” Cao Daochen replied lightly.

“Do you really think Xu Changfeng used the once-in-a-lifetime Divine Sword Decree to have Tang Sen’s family plaque installed in the ancestral hall just because he adores his sister?”

“Would the Xu Clan dare to protect a criminal?” Cao Changqing angrily questioned, “As a sacred land of the Heaven Sect, a clan as revered as the Xu’s, have they no shame?”

“The vast Longxi Alliance isn’t sufficient for atonement?” Cao Daochen smiled, “Xiehe’s sacred land of Heaven Sect’s many members, who doesn’t have unmentionable secrets? If we truly start digging deeply and discerning right from wrong, no one would look good. Xu Changfeng is very clever, he only had Tang Sen’s lineage’s family plaque sent to the ancestral hall, even if the affair with Longxi Alliance truly gets exposed, they only need to save a few relatives, and no one would criticize.”

All of a sudden, Cao Changqing deflated, recognizing that the great momentum they had gathered to crush the Longxi Alliance was actually to block Tang Luo’s path forward, to topple this figure destined for kingship.

However, he now heard that revealing the Tang Clan’s crimes would still result in the Xu Clan taking him away, which was vexing.

But, thinking about it, nothing seemed overly wrong. Tang Luo was only a few years old, neither the crimes of the Ghost Weeping Warship nor the alteration of waterways was his fault, how much blame could the Xu Clan face for protecting them?

In other words, who would dare confront the Heavenly Phoenix Sword Saint and Changfeng Sword Saint, insisting on Tang Luo paying with his life?

How uninteresting, no wonder the eldest brother was unwilling to make himself conspicuous.

In this game, those who lead would be the ones resented by Tang Luo.

Originally very confident in his own strength, Cao Changqing, upon hearing Tang Luo’s recent achievements, also didn’t want to confront such a monstrous being.

Unlike Cao Changqing’s simplicity, Cao Ziqi heard something different from Cao Daochen’s words.

“Since the eldest brother already knew that the male members of Tang Sen’s family had their plaques placed in the ancestral hall of Ying City, why expend so much effort to plan otherwise?” Cao Ziqi suddenly said, “Since the eldest brother is giving us a lesson in the art of power and manipulation, he wouldn’t end things in an unresolved manner, but regardless of how I think about it, having the Xu Clan’s hall backing Tang Sen’s lineage has already put them in an invincible position. Even if the Longxi Alliance is ultimately crushed, Tang Luo can’t be taken down, isn’t all this planning meaningless then?”

“Qi has its Yin and Yang, and so does planning.” Cao Daochen, driving the Yinglong war chariot against the wind, said lightly, “Intrigue is deceit, it’s leading, it’s creating something out of nothing. And open strategy is about leveraging, creating momentum, and forcing others to make choices. The harmony between Yin and Yang forms the stratagem, merely differing in the subtlety of their application.”

“To design against the enemy, one must first understand them, think what they think, and guess what they fear.”

“So the design against the Longxi Alliance was to force Tang Luo to make a choice, do you understand now?” On being enlightened by Cao Daochen’s remark, Cao Ziqi responded, becoming immensely excited.

As for Cao Changqing, he was utterly confused, not understanding how it was forcing or clarifying anything for he didn’t understand anything at all.

The Yinglong war chariot landed in Long Valley, Cao Daochen turned around and said to Cao Ziqi, “The stage is set, the rest is now up to you.”

With that, he didn’t wait for Cao Ziqi’s response, but soared into the air, flying towards a mid-mountain dragon nest, apparently heading for a retreat.

Cao Ziqi gazed at the direction Cao Daochen left, smacked his right chest fiercely a few times, then turned and departed.

Only Cao Changqing remained, looking around confusedly, then scratching his head as he returned to Lin Clan, murmuring, “No explanation, just loafing around in Zhongzhou, wasting my time!”

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