Protect Our Patriarch
Chapter 50: Is Wang Shouzhe the main villain?

……

At the border between the two countries.

In a small valley near Youmen Ridge, countless soldiers were stationed, densely packed like worker ants in an anthill.

The moon and stars were sparse in the sky, and the land was silent. Apart from the rustling sounds of soldiers on night patrol, the only sounds were the howling wind and the occasional cries of fierce beasts.

In the center of the camp, a rock-armored giant elephant, resembling a small hill, was kneeling on the ground, dozing quietly.

Inside the spacious elephant house on its back, Murong Kaifeng was, as usual, studying strategy and tactics over a newly drawn map.

The faint light of the spirit stone lamps illuminated his face, accentuating the "川" shaped wrinkle on his forehead.

"Grand Marshal."

At this moment, the voice of Prince Beimin sounded from outside the house.

Murong Kaifeng returned to his senses and saw Prince Beimin push open the wooden door and enter.

After exchanging a formal greeting, Prince Beimin said, "The scouts we sent out have all returned. The entire area around Youmen Ridge is very quiet, with no signs of unusual activity."

"No signs of unusual activity..." Murong Kaifeng's eyes darkened, and his expression remained tense. "Even though our movements were discreet, it's impossible to completely hide from the Eastern Qian Kingdom."

"Logically, they shouldn't be unprepared. According to past practices, they should have already set up defenses near Youmen Ridge, ready to strike while we're still establishing our position... There must be some trickery involved."

"It does seem unusual," Prince Beimin nodded in agreement. "The scouts in the army are well-trained veterans with rich experience. If there really is a trick, it must be something beyond ordinary means to escape their detection."

After pondering for a moment, he decisively said, "How about this, I'll personally take a trip to see what the Eastern Qian Kingdom is up to."

Murong Kaifeng was slightly taken aback, then overjoyed, and solemnly thanked him, "I would be grateful for Your Highness's assistance."

"No need for formalities, Grand Marshal."

Prince Beimin didn't waste any more words. After discussing a few key locations to investigate with Murong Kaifeng, he left the elephant house and disappeared into the night.

Basalt cultivators have many techniques, including ways to conceal their presence and avoid detection. Although the scouts have some detection tools and artifacts, their overall strength is relatively low, making it possible for them to be deceived.

But with Prince Beimin personally taking action, it's different.

There aren't many means in the world that can fool a Divine Realm cultivator. As long as the opponent doesn't deploy a Lingxu Realm expert, there's a high chance he can uncover the truth.

Under the cover of night, Prince Beimin silently approached Youmen Ridge.

His vast divine sense spread out like ripples, silently covering the complex mountain range below. Hidden in the darkness, he flew while carefully sensing, not missing the slightest detail.

Suddenly.

In the hazy night, he sensed a very subtle energy fluctuation, almost imperceptible unless one paid close attention.

It's a formation!

Prince Beimin's heart tightened, immediately becoming alert.

Even he, a Divine Realm expert, almost missed it, no wonder the scouts below couldn't detect anything wrong. This was not something of the same level.

However, even though he discovered the formation, what exactly was hidden behind it remained to be seen.

As his thoughts flickered, a vast yellow river quietly appeared behind him.

The enormous river spanned the heavens and the earth, emitting a faint cold light in the night.

Black mist floated above the river, with distorted human-like shadows appearing and disappearing, resembling a river leading to the underworld.

But under Prince Beimin's control, it made no sound, silently transforming into countless water vapors, spreading in all directions, merging with the pervasive mist within Youmen Ridge.

In an instant, everything within a radius of hundreds of miles was reflected in his mind.

Unlike minor divine abilities with relatively singular capabilities, the major divine abilities of Divine Realm experts are not only more powerful but also more versatile, often producing astonishing effects.

Prince Beimin's major divine ability, "Nether River," is a rather unique one.

Within the Nether River domain, all spiritual beings are within his range of perception. Moreover, this divine ability senses not energy fluctuations but soul fluctuations, making it difficult to completely isolate its perception even with concealment formations or treasures.

As the Nether River domain unfolded, Prince Beimin's expression changed drastically: "There really is an ambush?"

In the perception of the Nether River, in several distant valleys, countless soul fluctuations were gathering together. Even though the formation made the perception somewhat blurry and the exact number was unclear, the density alone made the situation obvious.

An army!

The ambush in those valleys was clearly an army!

Judging by the scale and distribution, there were quite a few ambushed troops, at least two or three!

Prince Beimin dared not delay and immediately returned to the camp to report his findings to Murong Kaifeng.

"The Eastern Qian Kingdom is indeed cunning, sparing no expense to use a concealment formation to hide the presence of their battle groups, deceiving our scouts. The Grand Marshal is truly farsighted," he remarked to Murong Kaifeng, suggesting, "Now that we've discovered the ambush, why not take this opportunity to heavily damage those battle groups and cut off one of the Eastern Qian Kingdom's arms!"

Murong Kaifeng, however, was not as optimistic.

He felt that things might not be so simple.

Although Southern Qin and Eastern Qian hadn't engaged in a national war for nearly a thousand years, minor skirmishes were never-ending. He had dealt with the generals on the Eastern Qian side many times and had some understanding of their strategies and tactics. But this approach didn't seem like their style.

While it couldn't be ruled out that they suddenly changed their style, it was more likely that the commander had changed, or the person in charge of the campaign had changed.

If that were the case, the possibilities behind it were numerous.

There was a chance that this whole thing was a trap...

It would be safer to investigate further.

Just as Murong Kaifeng was considering this and preparing to discuss it with Prince Beimin, a vast and overwhelming pressure suddenly appeared on the distant horizon, rapidly approaching the direction of their camp.

Murong Kaifeng and Prince Beimin's expressions changed simultaneously, and they disappeared from their original positions almost instantly.

The next moment.

Their figures appeared in the sky, and a majestic aura spread out, enveloping the entire army.

Below, the soldiers who had been resting were awakened by this aura and quickly donned their armor, grabbed their weapons, and entered a state of readiness.

At the same time, the terrifying pressure from the horizon rapidly approached.

A fierce and explosive fiery breath, mixed with intense killing intent, swept in, and the terrifying aura permeated the air, even staining the silent starry night with a red-black glow.

In the blazing light, a vague figure could be seen, exuding an overwhelming aura of menace.

"Gong Gong?"

Murong Kaifeng sensed the familiar aura within the firelight and frowned slightly. This aura clearly belonged to the Divine Realm eunuch, Gong Chang'an, who served by the emperor's side.

But Gong Chang'an, who should have been in the capital, appearing here was not a good sign.

"Grand Marshal, long time no see~"

A sharp, duck-like voice came from the firelight, grating on the ears.

As the voice fell, the firelight approached rapidly. As the firelight dissipated, a pale, beardless, and emaciated old man appeared before Murong Kaifeng and Prince Beimin.

It was clear that this old man was the chief eunuch, Gong Chang'an.

"By the emperor's decree, I am here to deliver an imperial edict to Grand Marshal Murong," Gong Chang'an, evidently in a foul mood, flicked his horsetail whisk and glanced impatiently at Murong Kaifeng with his triangular eyes. "Grand Marshal Murong, prepare to receive the edict~"

Murong Kaifeng and Prince Beimin, sensing something ominous, could only follow protocol and prepare to receive the edict.

"The emperor decrees," Gong Gong unfolded a scroll of dark black silk and read word by word, "Grand Marshal Murong Kaifeng is ordered to launch an immediate attack. Chief Eunuch Gong Chang'an will accompany the army to supervise and assist, capturing Jianling Pass as quickly as possible. Thus decreed."

"I accept the decree. Thank you for the emperor's grace."

Murong Kaifeng accepted the decree with Prince Beimin, but his expression was not pleasant.

"Grand Marshal, don't be so gloomy. The emperor had no choice," Gong Chang'an glanced at him and said in a sharp voice, "If it weren't for the emperor's repeated orders urging you to attack, and you still showed no movement, the emperor wouldn't have sent me here."

"You know, that person is waiting in the palace, and this matter cannot be delayed."

"I understand, Gong Gong. Rest assured."

Murong Kaifeng took a deep breath, knowing that with this decree, he could no longer proceed as planned.

For now, he could only take it one step at a time.

He announced in a deep voice, "Pass the order, the entire army will set off at dawn tomorrow. Have the corpse puppet army ready to lead the charge."

After giving the orders, he summoned the logistics officer to arrange accommodations for Gong Chang'an and then returned to his elephant house to continue studying strategy and tactics.

Early the next morning, the army stationed in the valley set off again, advancing steadily towards Youmen Ridge.

Out of caution, Murong Kaifeng did not attempt to engage the three battle groups of the Eastern Qian Kingdom. Instead, the puppet army led the way, with other troops following behind, steadily advancing towards Jianling Pass.

Along the way, they slaughtered any beasts or humans that stood in their path.

……

Almost simultaneously.

Deep within Youmen Ridge, at the camp of the Canglong Third Regiment.

In one of the many ordinary tents, a group of bigwigs was holding a meeting.

Thanks to his wealth, although Prince Yongheng had only recently advanced to the Divine Realm, he had already equipped himself with a set of ornate, talking Divine Spirit Artifact armor.

At this moment, he sat at the head of the table, wearing his armor and looking majestic, laughing heartily, "Haha, Shouzhe was right, Murong Kaifeng couldn't hold back and is advancing his army into Youmen Ridge."

Commandery Prince Ning, the leader of the Canglong Third Regiment, looked incredulous, "This doesn't align with Murong Kaifeng's usual combat style. Advancing such a large army is too reckless."

"It's not exactly reckless," Wang Shizhao said calmly. "Murong Kaifeng has his reasons for advancing. He didn't recklessly try to take down our three elite battle groups, which shows his restraint. Unfortunately, as the Grand Marshal, he can't fully control the battlefield situation and is sometimes forced to act."

"Could it be that Master Wang Shouzhe used some external means?" Commandery Prince Ning's expression gradually showed admiration, "Impressive, Master Wang Shouzhe can indirectly 'control' Murong Kaifeng's actions from thousands of miles away. Such strategy is truly brilliant."

"Thank you for the compliment, Commandery Prince Ning. However, my grandfather always believed that war is just a means to an end. So-called strategies are merely a necessity when one's strength is insufficient," Wang Shizhao said. "He often says that the best way to prevent war is to become so strong that the enemy doesn't dare to provoke us. And being strong is for the sake of the nation's people and family to live more peacefully."

Commandery Prince Ning admired, "Master Wang Shouzhe's foresight is impressive. In any case, I, Wu Yingjun, will follow your arrangements from now on, Shizhao."

After a pause, he added, "However, although Murong Kaifeng is advancing, he ignored our three battle groups used as bait and is instead leading with the slow-moving corpse puppet army, advancing cautiously."

"Such tactics are like a turtle, making it difficult to attack. If we get trapped by the corpse puppet army, it will be hard to break free."

Listening to Commandery Prince Ning's complaints, Wang Shizhao remained calm, "This also proves Murong Kaifeng's experience in warfare. However, our three battle groups, besides serving as bait, also have the role of 'creating confusion,' attracting Murong Kaifeng's attention."

"Since we can no longer ambush Southern Qin's vanguard, let's retreat."

"Alright," Commandery Prince Ning said seriously, "Should we make a big commotion when retreating?"

"No. Just like when we were lurking, be professional and leave some traces unintentionally," Wang Shizhao commanded confidently, "Make sure Murong Kaifeng doesn't see through our act."

"Alright. Then we'll order a covert retreat," Commandery Prince Ning responded, "As for some flaws, let trusted aides handle them."

Time quietly slipped by for several days.

As the Southern Qin army advanced cautiously, more than half of the corpse puppet army had entered Youmen Ridge.

In one of the elephant houses carried by the giant armored elephants, Prince Beimin slipped in like a wisp of smoke to report to Southern Qin's Grand Marshal Murong Kaifeng, "Grand Marshal, the Eastern Qian battle groups responsible for the ambush withdrew two days ago. They left very discreetly, and if my men hadn't been vigilant, they might have slipped past us."

Murong Kaifeng pondered heavily, "Having lost the ambush opportunity, and with our army no longer concealed, their retreat is a wise choice. Otherwise, if trapped by the corpse puppet army, escape would be impossible."

"Grand Marshal Murong," the supervising eunuch, Gong Chang'an, urged in his sharp voice, "Now that the ambush danger is gone, shouldn't we accelerate our march and strive to reach Eastern Qian's Jianling Pass as soon as possible?"

"Gong Gong," Murong Kaifeng's expression hardened, "The terrain of Youmen Ridge is treacherous. If we accelerate the march, the distance between the front and rear troops will inevitably stretch, potentially leading to unforeseen dangers. Eastern Qian might still have other ambush tactics, and we must proceed cautiously."

"Oh my, Grand Marshal, the greatest danger now is your continued hesitation," Gong Chang'an's eyes rolled, and he lowered his voice, "I heard that the big figure has lost patience, and the emperor is under immense pressure in the palace. If it weren't inconvenient for that person to appear, they might have come to the front line to replace you."

"Marching and fighting can't be done like this..."

Murong Kaifeng wanted to say more, but Gong Gong's expression had already turned cold, "Grand Marshal, do you really want to force me to use the emperor's imperial sword?"

This matter concerned his life, and Murong Kaifeng couldn't afford to delay any longer.

"Grand Marshal, my men have swept through Youmen Ridge several times, and I personally patrolled twice," Prince Beimin added, "Apart from the ambush battle groups, there are no other anomalies. Eastern Qian shouldn't have any other tricks."

"In that case, accelerate the march, break through Youmen Ridge as quickly as possible, and then head for Jianling Pass."

Under pressure from all sides, Murong Kaifeng finally made up his mind.

With the Grand Marshal's order, the speed of the Southern Qin army suddenly increased, and the reconnaissance teams, including Prince Beimin, operated at full capacity to prevent any further ambushes from Eastern Qian.

However.

What they didn't expect was that the real trump card of the Great Qian wasn't on the ground. No matter how carefully they scouted or how cautiously they marched, it was meaningless.

As the entire Southern Qin army entered Youmen Ridge, deep underground, at the critical nodes of the intricate network of underground lava tunnels.

Some black-clothed individuals received a signal and began to activate the formation with hand seals.

They worked in groups of six, and beneath each group was a concealed formation.

These formations, called "Delayed Explosion Formations," were specially developed by the formation master Ji Wuchen at Wang Shouzhe's request.

After decades of setup, these formations had almost merged with the surrounding environment. Being deep underground, even specialized detection methods would find it difficult to detect their presence.

Now, as the hand seals were completed, the formations began to operate slowly. The faint light flowed, resembling fierce beasts lurking in the dark, exuding a dangerous aura.

"Retreat!"

Sensing the increasingly terrifying aura emanating from the formations, all the black-clothed individuals turned grim, and as soon as they finished the hand seals, they turned and ran without hesitation.

Once the formations were activated, they had only a quarter of an hour to escape.

A moment's delay, and they would be buried with the Southern Qin army.

Fortunately, they had rehearsed this route countless times, and even with their eyes closed, they knew how to run.

As they skillfully navigated the complex underground tunnels and emerged, a "boom" echoed behind them, and Youmen Ridge began to shake violently, as if a colossal beast had turned over underground.

The ground trembled, magma erupted, and the sky was filled with fire and volcanic ash forming a thick fog!

The apocalyptic force was like a natural disaster descending.

"How is this possible?!"

The experts in the army couldn't have anticipated such a change, and their expressions changed drastically as they roared like beasts, "Retreat, retreat quickly!"

"Form up, activate the protective formations."

"Impossible!"

Murong Kaifeng's pupils trembled violently as he let out an ancient beast-like roar.

However, at this point, no matter what they did, it was futile. Even if the Emperor himself came, he couldn't stop a natural disaster of this magnitude.

Meanwhile, the instigators had already fled far away. Covered in volcanic ash, they looked disheveled, but their spirits were high, and they were practically ecstatic.

Success, a great achievement!

"Shouzhe's plan is truly ingenious, gifting us a tremendous merit," said Wang Zhouhui, a newly advanced Divine Realm ancestor of the Daqian Wang's Clan.

The other two were Wang Dingxin, a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator from the Monan Wang's Clan, and Wang Zhoubai, a late-stage Celestial Realm cultivator from the Longzuo Wang's Clan, all important members of the Changning Wang's Clan's affiliated families.

It's no wonder that such a significant task, after Wang Shouzhe's hint and Wang Shizhao's arrangements, was naturally left to their own people to execute.

However, this disaster wasn't limited to Youmen Ridge.

Almost simultaneously.

In the buffer zone between the Western Jin and the Great Qian, a vast expanse of saline-alkali land near the Western Sea, the Western Jin army, which was accelerating its march, also encountered a massive flood.

The flood seemed to descend from the heavens, scattering the Western Jin army in disarray, causing severe losses.

Such battle conditions spread like wildfire to the important departments of Southern Qin, Western Jin, and the Great Qian.

Shouzhe's Small Courtyard also received frontline intelligence at the first moment.

Emperor Longchang, Jiang Zhencang, and Wang Shouzhe gathered in the small courtyard for a meeting.

"Shouzhe, your small courtyard seems to gather intelligence faster than the cabinet," Emperor Longchang remarked sourly, "It seems your small courtyard is the true power hub of our Great Qian. Even we two Lingxu Realm experts come and go at your beck and call."

"Your Majesty, please take a look at the battle reports first." Wang Shouzhe, having heard such sour remarks many times, was too lazy to respond, handing two battle reports to Longchang and Jiang Zhencang.

The two glanced over them briefly.

"What? A great victory at Jianling Pass! The Southern Qin army suffered heavy losses, with almost all the corpse puppets destroyed, and the regular army lost thirty percent?"

"Also a great victory at Xiya Pass? The corpse puppets were all destroyed? The Western Jin regular army suffered heavy losses."

The two Lingxu big shots were shocked by the battle reports, and after exchanging glances, they stared at Wang Shouzhe, "Shouzhe, is this true? I remember there were over thirty battle groups of corpse puppets on both battlefields."

"Your Majesty, Holy Master. On the front lines, the corpse puppet army is fearless and difficult to deal with. However, their intelligence is too low, and they are slow, making their survival rate much lower than that of agile humans in catastrophic events," Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "I've confirmed through other intelligence channels that the battle reports are accurate."

"Good, good, good!" Emperor Longchang was overjoyed, "Shouzhe, your plan has succeeded completely, a great victory, a true great victory. We should immediately counterattack and march to the capitals of Western Jin and Southern Qin. Old Jiang, Western Jin is yours, Southern Qin is mine."

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Wang Shouzhe gestured for calm, "Now is not the time for a counterattack."

"Nonsense." Emperor Longchang raised his eyebrows and scolded, "The main forces of the two countries have suffered heavy losses. If not now, when should we counterattack? I am confident we can reach their capitals."

"And then?" Wang Shouzhe glanced at him, "Would the Demon Dynasty sit idly by as we truly conquer Southern Qin and Western Jin? They would certainly intervene."

"So what if they intervene? They can rely on the Demon Dynasty, and we can rely on the Immortal Dynasty," Emperor Longchang said spiritedly, "These days, who doesn't have a backer?"

"Heh, the Demon Dynasty and the Immortal Dynasty are evenly matched, neither can do anything to the other. If they use our Great Qian, Western Jin, and Southern Qin as battlegrounds, it will inevitably lead to devastation and ruin our hard-won situation," Wang Shouzhe said sternly, "If Your Majesty insists on acting recklessly, my Changning Wang's Clan will immediately sell all assets at a low price and move to the Immortal Dynasty to live a peaceful life."

"Oh, oh, Shouzhe, are you threatening me?" Emperor Longchang trembled with anger, "I won't allow your Wang's Clan to leave, nor will I allow you to move your assets."

"Your Majesty, my Wang's Clan is your subject, not your slave," Wang Shouzhe said calmly, "All our assets are legal and protected by the Great Qian's laws. As the legitimate head of the Wang's Clan, according to our ancestral rules and national laws, I can sell them if I wish, and move if I wish. You are the emperor of the Great Qian, not the law itself!"

"Heh, Shouzhe, you're challenging me? I'll be unreasonable and bully you with my power," Emperor Longchang said angrily, "I have a bad temper too."

"Holy Master," Wang Shouzhe cupped his hands to Jiang Zhencang, "Your Holy Land has the duty to supervise the Great Qian on behalf of the Immortal Palace and protect the human race. Shouldn't you intervene when the emperor is about to bully a small fifth-grade family? I suggest listing him as one of the Immortal Dynasty's Top Ten Wanted Criminals."

"Hey, you brat... If I don't get angry, you won't know how many eyes the King of Hell has..."

"Alright, alright, Longchang, shut up, and Shouzhe, stop provoking Longchang," Jiang Zhencang said helplessly, looking at the two incompatible individuals, "Longchang, I think Shouzhe has a point. Now that our Great Qian is finally gaining momentum, if we become the center of a power struggle between the Immortal Dynasty and the Demon Dynasty, it won't end well."

"Do we just watch the great opportunity slip away?" Emperor Longchang grumbled, "I remember Shouzhe once said that wars must yield benefits. At worst, Old Jiang and I will lead the army into enemy territory, burn, kill, and loot, and return."

"You go if you want, but this Holy Master won't do such things," Jiang Zhencang glared at him, "You'd better listen to Shouzhe's next plan."

"Your Majesty, is this all you aspire to?" Wang Shouzhe sighed.

"This is all I aspire to, hmph! Not satisfied?" Emperor Longchang grumbled, "Hurry up and tell me your plan, I'm hungry and want to eat Immortal Spirit Rice today."

"Delay tactics," Wang Shouzhe said succinctly, "We will resist Western Jin to the west and block Southern Qin to the south, using defense as offense, and engage in a long-term war of attrition. While taking advantage of the favorable conditions, we will continue to weaken Southern Qin and Western Jin, while following our economic development plan, carefully managing the Great Qian, training the army, and constantly strengthening ourselves. Over time, as Western Jin and Southern Qin grow weaker, our Great Qian will become stronger."

"By then, our Great Qian's comprehensive strength will be several times theirs, and we'll have plenty of means to deal with Southern Qin and Western Jin."

"The plan is good," Jiang Zhencang said, "But the rulers of Southern Qin and Western Jin aren't fools, and they'll keep attacking our defensive lines."

"Hope! Hope is a magical force," Wang Shouzhe said, "We need to give Southern Qin and Western Jin hope, making them believe that with a little more effort, they can break through our defenses. This will require acting skills."

"Meanwhile, we also need to lure the Blood Child Demon Lord, who covets the Blood Venerable's relics, by giving him hope and a sense of crisis, such as breaking our intelligence into parts: the Wang's Clan is about to crack the relic's protective formation, oh no, the Wang's Clan has reached the relic's entrance but is temporarily blocked, oh no, the Wang's Clan has broken through the first barrier, and so on...""When the time comes, the Blood Venerable, in a state of urgency, will undoubtedly use all his power to coerce and entice the Southern Qin and Western Jin."

After Wang Shouzhe finished speaking, Emperor Longchang slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "I understand now! The Blood Child Demon Lord treats the Blood Venerable's relic as his forbidden treasure, like his bride."

"Due to the information blockade, he has no idea that the bride he considers in his grasp has long been taken by Wang Shouzhe. And that rascal Shouzhe is quite mischievous, constantly sneaking messages to the Blood Venerable, saying, 'I'm going to pull the bride's clothes off, and she's resisting with all her might.' Then he adds, 'The bride's clothes are torn, I'm going to...' " Emperor Longchang became more animated as he spoke, his eyebrows dancing with excitement.

"Ahem!" Wang Shouzhe hurriedly interrupted him, "Your Majesty, could you use a different metaphor? It doesn't sound good if word gets out."

"What, are you scared?" Emperor Longchang snorted, "In any case, Shouzhe, you're an outright villain, and if one isn't careful, they'll fall into your trap. Both I and Old Jiang have unwittingly become your accomplices and henchmen!"

Even Jiang Zhencang couldn't help but marvel, "Shouzhe truly has unparalleled wit. The crisis of the Blood Venerable spying on the relic and the joint attack by the Western Jin and Southern Qin has been completely turned around by you into a deadly trap."

"Alright, alright, I admit you have some cunning," Emperor Longchang said, "Anyway, I'm just waiting to continue watching the show. Is today's meeting over? We should at least have a working meal, right? It's been five days since I've had Immortal Spirit Rice."

At the mention of Immortal Spirit Rice, even Jiang Zhencang's throat involuntarily gulped. He realized that Longchang had one advantage: he was thick-skinned enough.

Holy Master Jiang never dreamed that one day he would be mooching off someone else's Immortal Spirit Rice with Longchang.

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