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"My lord..."

Inside the Lyuzhou City Lord’s Mansion, significant figures once again gathered under the same roof.

The Shen Family members and Wei Gongcheng, who had seemingly been plotted against before, now sat here unscathed.

To deceive others and for the sake of this elaborate performance, every detail was made incredibly realistic, including the White Drawing Miraculous Power.

That the King of Qin was willing to trade the White Drawing Miraculous Power had even surprised Chen Qing. He had no idea what Old Liu had promised him, but it must have been substantial.

However, this was no longer something he needed to contemplate.

The situation was now clear; the time for the final showdown had arrived.

According to the information disclosed by Old Liu, nature’s spiritual energy would erupt explosively this time.

The three major forces were expected to mobilize collectively.

This time, a decisive victory must be achieved before the Demon Statue descended, and resources had to be consolidated.

This was the will of heaven and earth; its tolerance for all forces had reached its limit!

Wei Gongzhan was also present in the room, feeling a mix of complicated emotions as he looked around at the people in the hall.

He still felt that there was a great distance between himself and these prominent figures. His elder cousin was indeed a skilled actor.

From the journey through Daqing Mountain, that feeling of life-and-death crisis had been so intense and vivid, coupled with the sense of his cousin’s irreversible demise. He hadn’t doubted it in the slightest.

Whether from the attitude of Mr. Shen Er or the situational performance at the time, Jiangnan had seemed on the brink of collapse.

Tian Heng was also experiencing complex emotions, as he had been completely kept in the dark.

But precisely because of this, a sense of powerlessness rose within him.

All his actions were evidently within Chen Qing’s calculations, from his ambition to annex the Imperial Army, to his maneuvers after obtaining Ao Zhen’s power, and even to being forced into collaborating with Shen Er to destroy the Buddha sect in Nanyang City.

Everything, absolutely everything, had followed a meticulous plan, without the slightest deviation.

The feeling of being reduced to a mere pawn was unpleasant, yet it also gave rise to a touch of reverence deep within him.

Previously, he had only thought of Chen Qing as highly capable and surrounded by great destiny. But now, he finally realized the true disparity between them.

Unknowingly, at some point, he had become a pawn, entirely unaware of when it had happened.

Perhaps... he should simply stop struggling?

Yet at this point, he could no longer muster the will to struggle.

The Tian Family Army was in shambles, and the cards in his hand had been completely played out.

The campaign to destroy the Buddha sect was incomplete; the Buddhas had all surrendered.

Over 80% of the Western Sea Army under his command had been turned into Shadow Soldiers under the Shen Family’s control due to consuming the Taoist Sect’s elixirs.

Now, all he had left was less than 20% of the elite Western Sea Army, with no affiliated noble families supporting him.

In his current state, if Chen Qing decided to replace him, he could easily be removed at any moment.

"Let us first discuss the current situation." Chen Qing directed Shen San to draw the latest map, then continued, "With the surge in nature’s spiritual energy, the entire world’s landscape will undergo significant changes. It’s conservatively estimated that the world will expand by more than threefold.

Many previously sealed hidden lands will emerge entirely, and the ancient forces therein will be fully exposed.

The creatures within will awaken far sooner than anticipated. "

"This is our final opportunity to build up our strength. At most, we have half a month. If we fail to gather sufficient forces within that time frame, we will be defenseless against the mightiest ancient forces. All that will await us is death."

"My lord... Didn’t you say that the revival of those most ancient forces required massive resources? Only half a month?" Shen San frowned deeply. This time frame... was far too tight.

"The oldest ancient forces have methods for rapid revival. If they ignore all costs, they can return to their peak within ten days once nature’s spiritual energy fully activates."

"Take the forces from Heaven, for example. Historically, they’ve drawn extraterrestrial demons to willingly sacrifice their blood essence, thereby reviving their slumbering Divine Generals.

But this time, because it’s the final era of heaven and earth, many of the old rules can now be broken.

If my predictions are correct, they will resort to desperate measures, slaughtering all demons who have submitted to them from outer space, using their essence blood to fuel their revival.

Their mobilization might be swifter than we’ve anticipated. "

The room fell into a heavy silence, especially among the Shen Family.

The Heaven Court?

Within the Dragon Palace’s heritage, there existed a mural that depicted one of the most humiliating episodes in history—the fate of the previous generation’s Dragon King and Dragon Mother. They had ultimately become dishes served at a banquet for the Divine Generals of the Heaven Court.

The mighty Dragon King, reduced to nothing but food upon a table.

What an unparalleled tragedy!

At the same time, it underscored just how domineering and tyrannical that heavenly palace truly was!

"So, what should we do now?"

Everyone looked to Chen Qing, as they had no intelligence of their own and could only rely on him as their guiding figure.

"First, consolidate the surrendered Buddha forces..." Chen Qing glanced at Tian Heng and said, "The Western Sea Army has suffered significant losses. Allocate fifty percent of the surrendered Arhats to your ranks."

Tian Heng was stunned, then immediately stood up in exhilaration. "Thank you, my lord!"

At this point, Chen Qing could have easily sidelined Tian Heng because he no longer held any strong cards. Chen Qing could have taken this opportunity to cultivate forces he trusted more, such as the newly-appointed God of Battle, Ghost Doll, and Weichi Feihong.

He could have also further bolstered Xuu Hu’s faction.

Yet Chen Qing still chose to support him.

This time, it wasn’t just about pacifying Tian Heng’s faction; it was a genuine affirmation of his value and recognition of his abilities.

"General Tian’s capabilities are well known to all. There are tough battles ahead, and I ask that General Tian remain prepared at all times!" Chen Qing said solemnly.

Truthfully, Chen Qing was reluctant to allocate so much of the surrendered forces to Tian Heng, but he had no better choice.

While his faction was filled with talented individuals, there were few who could assume the role of a primary commander.

Xuu Hu could barely be considered one, but Xuu Hu’s true strength lay in training troops rather than leading large-scale campaigns. When it came to command, Tian Heng was still unparalleled.

The Shen Family excelled in strategy, and Weichi Feihong operated as a precision strike force.

However, there were very few who could oversee the broader battlefield.

Renowned generals were in short supply. Back in the day, Tian Heng had managed to rise to the position of Duke Qi on his own merits.

While his abilities might not match those of the Princess Royale or the Duke of Qin back then, they were certainly close.

During his confrontation with the Siao Family and the Princess Royale, he had demonstrated exceptional strategic prowess, particularly in large-scale military formations. He had held his own against two formidable opponents from the Siao Family, an extraordinary feat in itself.

In this current state of affairs, there were not many alternatives left for Chen Qing.

"The fallen Western Sea Army troops must be immediately conscripted into the Shadow Soldiers. They must undergo intensive training, and Tian Heng, you’ll assist Shen Er in ensuring these soldiers are battle-ready within ten days. At most, we have half a month before we must take action!"

"Take action?"

Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat.

Was this... a pre-emptive strike?

"The spiritual energy in newly emerged lands is the most abundant, and they house countless slumbering ancient demons. We must act swiftly to claim these areas. In the days to come, whoever seizes the most territory and resources will hold the upper hand!"