Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1544 - 1537: The Mental Nexus

Chapter 1544: Chapter 1537: The Mental Nexus

"So," Cheng Ziang continued, "we should maintain the mystique of the saints and conceptualize this Nascent Soul-like power as divine power. Only then can we create a sense of the unknown and instill fear in the people of the East Continent. Otherwise, having a Nascent Soul realm expert with us is essentially as dangerous as possessing a valuable gem—there will always be people lusting for power and specifically targeting us."

Indeed, according to this theory, the Advance Team has two individuals with Nascent Soul, but Fulajie’er does not kill. The real threat is Liseya, brought by Cheng Ziang, who is truly a god of death in every sense of the word.

Of course, nothing can be said with absolute certainty since Fulajie’er’s nonviolence is merely Luo’er’s decree and not because she’s incapable. In times of dire emergency, especially when Luo’er can no longer restrain her, who can say for certain whether she will lose control?

"It seems we must proceed with caution," Luo’er said with narrowed eyes, listening intently before suddenly speaking up.

"Yes, we will all be careful," Cheng Ziang nodded and respectfully replied.

"As for what you said about the Wuyun Sect..." Luo’er asked slowly.

"Oh, as far as I observe..." Cheng Ziang was briefly startled before hastily explaining, "Of course, I’m not sure if it’s just an illusion, but I always feel that the Wuyun Sect isn’t quite like a true Sect; it’s more like an institution, an institution lodged between West Outer Heaven and the Fengyu Dynasty."

"An institution?" Tangmo frowned.

"Yes," confirmed Cheng Ziang with a nod, "Normally, once a Sect gains control over a region, they can levy taxes for their use, without having to make contributions to the Imperial Court. But the Wuyun Sect is peculiar; they dutifully make contributions to the Imperial Court. The amount of their contributions roughly equals what the Imperial Court would collect itself. In other words, the Wuyun Sect essentially acts as a tax collector for the Fengyu Dynasty."

"Moreover, the Wuyun Sect focuses on taxing merchants and even provides agricultural subsidies to the people under its rule, which is the most puzzling part for me. They seem to be intentionally controlling the scale of trade routes from West Outer Heaven to Kyushu."

"They are outsiders in the Fengyu Dynasty, paying tribute to the Imperial Court to show goodwill. Shouldn’t that be fine?" Tangmo asked with a shrug.

"No, it’s not like that," Cheng Ziang shook his head, "It’s not that the Fengyu Dynasty doesn’t care about them, but rather the Fengyu Dynasty simply has no control over them. Before the Wuyun Sect, the region was almost entirely autonomous; the Imperial Court neither interfered nor could it collect taxes from there. Think about it, if the Wuyun Sect controls the area, why would they need to show goodwill to the Imperial Court? Even if they were to take complete control, the Fengyu Dynasty wouldn’t be able to govern them because if they could, this region would have already been under Dynasty’s administration."

Analyzing from various pieces of intelligence, despite the contradictory nature of the reports, there is a consensus: the ruling power of the Fengyu Dynasty is so weak it’s hard to believe it’s an Imperial Court.

Since becoming a vassal state of the Dongsheng Empire, the Fengyu Dynasty has been languishing as if waiting for death, with an air of imminent collapse pervading its rank from top to bottom, and no one caring for state affairs as court officials are caught up in their power struggles.

"Can a Sect really stand against an Imperial Court?" Tangmo said, puzzled.

"Perhaps it really can," Cheng Ziang said, "Although I don’t know the condition of their inner disciples, the quality of their outer disciples indicates they are not to be taken lightly. They might not all be one-in-a-hundred warriors, but they are certainly not mediocre. In this regard, Feng has a lot to say."

"Yep, they sure can fight," Feng nodded firmly in agreement.

Although her moves are swift, accurate, and ruthless, she too acknowledges that these disciples of the Wuyun Sect are skilled. Especially the two disciples who fought with her today—their coordination was nearly flawless. If it were just based on swordsmanship, it wouldn’t be easy for her to win.

As for the ordinary disciples, a significant reason they were defeated so quickly is that they were not adapted to Feng’s unique swordsmanship from the Western Continent.

Feng’s school of swordsmanship from the Western Continent favors defensive counterattacks. When the opponent attacks, she strives to dodge and looks for an opening to deliver a fatal blow. In combat, there’s rarely direct clashing of weapons, but whenever Feng makes a move, someone is bound to be unlucky.

So in reality, if these disciples were to get used to this opportunistic style of swordsmanship from the Western Continent, dealing with them wouldn’t be difficult. They would just need to avoid exposing their weaknesses while attacking or opt for defense and wait for a counterattack.

"In my chat with Dongliang Yu, I always felt like he was intentionally and subtly probing the origins and intentions of our visit," Cheng Ziang continued.

"Could he know that we have helped the Demon Clan?" Tangmo felt a shock in his heart and quickly asked.

"It’s hard to say, but I emphasized that they are our kin, and that we come directly from the Western Continent. We embark on a mission to Kyushu in the East, seeking a path to peace," Cheng Ziang shook his head as he spoke.

Luo’er fiddled with the letter in his hands, his eyelids lowered, lost in deep thought. Eventually, he looked up slowly and said, "Since the other party bears no ill will, let’s leave it at that. We set out today."

"Yes!" Cheng Ziang answered with his head bowed.

"Gather some intelligence before you leave, to aid us on the journey ahead," Luo’er cautioned.

"Understood," Cheng Ziang nodded and replied once again.

"You may go," Luo’er stopped short of saying more, ultimately letting out a sigh and waving his hand to dismiss Cheng Ziang and the others.

Hearing Luo’er’s sigh, Cheng Ziang understood his thoughts. Luo’er habitually took charge and did things himself; letting go and directing others to undertake tasks was inevitably making him restless and anxious.

But it wasn’t just Cheng Ziang—the entire Advance Team believed that Luo’er’s current state was exactly what they needed. They really didn’t want Luo’er to risk himself alone; their past adventures had taught them a fact: if Luo’er wasn’t held back, he would only get hurt more and more severely.

Therefore, Cheng Ziang felt sympathy for Luo’er, who now could only give orders and was unable to do anything else. However, he preferred to maintain this situation because keeping Luo’er out of danger had almost become a consensus among all the members of the Advance Team.

Luo’er was the spiritual nexus of the entire Advance Team; his role had long surpassed that of merely a Captain. With him present, no matter how many times the Advance Team was scattered, they would always regroup. But if something happened to him, even if the Advance Team could still gather, they would in essence be divided in spirit.

Although Luo’er was the Captain, except in battle, he rarely commanded his team directly. In daily life, it was even more the case, with him often taking care of many things himself. Rather than a Captain, he was more like a nanny of the team, overseeing almost everything.

It was precisely because of these traits of Luo’er that the members found it even harder to let go of him. Perhaps Luo’er himself had never imagined that once, the person who wished to use the Advance Team to find his mother in the Otherworld, had now become the psychological support for many.

After sending Cheng Ziang and Feng away, Tangmo closed the door and let out a deep sigh of relief. It was always tiring to keep up appearances in front of Cheng Ziang. Although he stressed maintaining composure even in private, Tangmo could never get used to it and would inadvertently seek contact with Luo’er.

"Saint, would you like some tea?" Tangmo asked with a teasing tone as she poured the tea.

"Hehe." Hearing her words, Luo’er’s taut face couldn’t help but reveal a smile.

Tangmo walked up to him, handed him the tea cup, then knelt down on her knees, supporting his legs with her hands and looking up at him quietly.

"Do you feel powerless, that you can only arrange for your subordinates to do things?" Tangmo asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah," Luo’er put down his tea cup and sighed, "I always feel uneasy doing nothing. Seems like I need to get more exercise."

"Being active is simple," Tangmo looked at him with a dreamy gaze, then slowly climbed up his body like a snake, eventually draping her arms around Luo’er’s neck and gently breathing hot air into his ear.

"Don’t do this..." Feeling this suffocating breath, Luo’er’s face instantly turned red.