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"Cultivate this life?"

Chen Qing and her brother looked at each other.

The current situation was extremely unfavorable to them: their army was stationed outside, blocked in Jiangnan by that King Level Giant Python, and the leading general might betray them at any time.

Meanwhile, the loyalty of the civil and military officials in the Capital City toward the Siao Family was feeble at best and was easily swayed.

The imperial power heavily relied on the support of the nobility. If they were all swayed to leave, then the Emperor would merely become a figurehead, rendering his position meaningless.

The immediate priority was to stabilize the Capital City and use the Imperial Army stationed there to create another force. Then, find a way to retrieve the Ghost Army from Jiangnan. This was the only viable strategy.

"Yes..." Zhang Zhengyuan replied, "The four major ancient forces mainly consist of Buddha, Dao, Demon, and the Heaven’s Court. Among them, Heaven’s Court has the largest Regular Army but also the most disorganized force. The other three factions are relatively purer in nature. The Taoist Sect pursues the dual cultivation of life and spirit, emphasizing both spiritual cultivation and physical tempering. Those Taoist Masters’ Golden Bodies do not decay for millions of years.

Buried within the various sacred lands, once their Divine Souls return, they can gradually regain their former peak strength. "

"As for the Taoist Sect, I actually don’t have much intelligence on it..." Zhang Zhengyuan racked his brain, trying to recall all the information he knew.

Regarding the game data of this world, very little was retained.

While Old Liu and his people possessed more insights, they were reluctant to share any, especially about the apex ancient forces from the third version.

Since all the nobility were involved, they naturally feared others might exploit any loopholes, so they kept the intelligence exclusively to themselves.

"I only know that these Taoist cultivators command a lot of protector Taoist soldiers.

Generally, a Taoist Master only needs to use Divine Sense to control them.

If they are willing to collaborate, and with Your Majesty already having many skilled soldiers and warriors, it might still be possible to form an alliance. "

"Oh?" The Emperor frowned. "But didn’t you mention that the Taoist Sect already has its own protector Taoist soldiers? Why would they need my cooperation then?"

"No..." Zhang Zhengyuan shook his head. "The protector Taoist soldiers of the Taoist Sect are not living beings..."

"Not living beings?" Both the Emperor and his Imperial Sister’s eyes lit up, as if some realization had dawned upon them.

"Indeed, the Taoist Sect excels at mechanical techniques and arithmetic. Their so-called Taoist soldiers are mostly puppets. But puppet soldiers require a powerful Divine Sense to control. If one wishes to control them with precision, they could rely on Magicians, using their Divine Sense for control. However, such efficiency is not ideal. In large-scale battlefield maneuvers, Magicians, who aren’t versed in military strategy, are ill-suited.

Moreover, it wastes their unique capabilities.

The best method remains manual control.. ."

"They can be manually controlled?" The Emperor eagerly asked.

"Most of them can. Manual control is more flexible and can maximize the capabilities of those puppets. However, it requires the activation of one’s blood vitality.

Your Majesty’s Ghost Soldiers are currently the most formidable army under heaven.

They are highly compatible with the Taoist Sect’s techniques.

If a collaboration were possible, it could quickly form a powerful force—enough to at least rival the Buddha Kingdom. "

"The only issue is..."

"What is it?"

"They are hard to locate..."

"Hard to locate?" The Emperor was momentarily stunned, but he quickly understood. Given the Taoist Sect’s formidable puppets, it was natural for them to guard against being exploited by others.

Moreover, the Golden Bodies of those so-called Taoist Masters also required secretive locations for protection, making them incredibly hard to find.

"Do you have any leads?"

"Very few..." Zhang Zhengyuan shook his head. "The Taoist Sect is extremely enigmatic. No one truly knows who stands behind them. Regarding their intelligence, not even those ancient monsters who’ve lived for countless years probably know."

For many years, Old Liu had been secretly investigating the Taoist Sect, as it was difficult to imagine how such a massive force could compete without the presence of super-intelligent entities.

But the composition of the nobility had already been allocated long ago.

The Central Federation’s noble faction, led by Elder Long, relied on the ancient force of the Heaven’s Court.

The Western ancient nobles parasitized on the Demon Sect.

Old Liu, as a latecomer, utilized the Buddha Kingdom’s power to counterbalance them.

Only the Taoist Sect remained; none of the other three factions even knew who stood behind it. It was the most mysterious.

But one thing was certain: it was definitely run by some of the elders from Digital City. Most of the information about the Taoist Sect had been meticulously wiped out back in the day.

This was one reason why Old Liu had mobilized a group of designers—because those who designed the ancient game were the ones who knew the most about it...

"If that’s the case... how should we cooperate?" The Emperor frowned.

"The Taoist Sect’s situation is unique. They can afford to wait until the complete revival of Spiritual Energy before reemerging.

With their puppet soldiers, even without an external Controller, they can still establish a significant foothold.

Apparently, this is exactly what happened in the previous Era.

However, I believe they won’t remain passive forever.

Your Majesty is the perfect collaborator for them.

Surely, they won’t resist reaching out to you.

Perhaps... they’ve already been observing you for some time. "

"For a long time?"

The Emperor frowned. He hadn’t sensed anything. To be under observation... wait...

Suddenly, a memory stirred within him.

------------------------------------------

"I didn’t expect you to save me."

In the Far South Land, where the weather was harsher and colder than even the Far North, Ziyue stood, her thin frame braving the freezing winds. She skillfully activated her Spiritual Power, manipulating the intricate Laws of Space.

To teleport from the Far South Land to the Far North while ensuring safe coordinates demanded extremely complex calculations.

It was fortunate that Ziyue had wandered all over the Central Plains in her earlier years, marking down all the spatial coordinates.

This made her exceptionally adept with the geography of the Central Plains.

Even so, teleporting to a secure location without attracting attention while estimating Chen Qing’s approximate position proved to be an overwhelmingly challenging task.

In the midst of these arduous calculations, a grating voice disrupted Ziyue’s thoughts, irritating her immensely.

"Shut up!" Ziyue’s voice was icy. "If you speak again, I’ll rip out your tongue."

The speaker was none other than the Guard Commander, now reduced to just a severed head.

A distinct Spatial Seal could be seen around the Guard Commander’s neck, restraining his immensely powerful blood vitality and preventing his body from regenerating.

Clearly, he was entirely under Ziyue’s control at the moment.

"You already have me in your hands. What could I possibly do to resist you now?" The Guard Commander chuckled faintly. "Can’t I at least die knowing what’s happening?"

"Why should I let you?" Ziyue sneered. "When I was being tortured by you people, did you ever answer my questions?"

"Because you already knew..." The Guard Commander smirked. "It was nothing more than the intoxication of power."

"That was them. And you?" Ziyue turned her head, her cold gaze locking onto him.

"You, a member of the Four Major Guilds, someone who enjoys the privilege of Longevity—are you telling me you betrayed your Guild simply because you fell in love with the Queen of the Ancient Demon Clan?

If you were so sentimental, would you have allowed her bloodline to suffer such humiliation? "

The Guard Commander: "..."

"Even if you hated me and wanted me dead, you shouldn’t have subjected me to such grotesque treatment. Something’s wrong with you. Your alliance with the Ancient Demon Clan—there’s definitely another motive behind it."

"Oh?" The Guard Commander grinned even wider. "Then tell me, what’s my reason?"

"The Taoist Sect!"

The moment those two words left her lips, the Guard Commander’s smile froze.

"As expected..." Ziyue smirked coldly, staring at him. "That sinister Ancient Force—is it your true master?"