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"Lord Xu Hu, a letter has arrived from Jiangnan!"

At the location of Beihai City, a white Celestial Eagle descended from the sky, bringing with it a letter clearly marked with Jiangnan’s technique seal.

The soldier did not hesitate and immediately ran, passing the letter through layers of delivery, until it finally landed in Xu Hu’s hands via a Deputy General.

"Sir, it seems Jiangnan can no longer hold on..." The Deputy General looked worried.

Recently, Buddhist Light began to shine in Jiangnan, shocking the whole world.

Though Beihai City is remote, even here there was a trace of Buddha Light, which caused substantial effort to extinguish.

The kind of Buddha Light appearing in Jiangnan, however, suggested an adversary that was ten times more troublesome than anything they themselves had faced!

For days now, they had been fretting over their homeland. After all, none of the warriors feared death—at worst, they would return to Hell Ruler as Shadow Soldiers.

But if their homeland were gone, then even the chance to become a Shadow Soldier might be lost.

Moreover, all their wives and children were in Jiangnan. What they feared most was the danger striking their rear flank!

"No need to worry..." Xu Hu remained as steady as a towering tree, his tone calm yet carrying depth. After years as the military’s head, he had cultivated the presence of a true leader.

Taking the letter, he opened it, and his brows furrowed deeply.

The letter’s content was detailed: a Buddha Kingdom attack, the Western Sea Army greatly weakened due to the use of Taoist Sect elixirs, now with their vital energy severely diminished.

Heaven’s Court had unexpectedly seized Southeast County and was about to establish a foothold in the Southern Barbarians.

If Heaven’s Court secured a foundation, it would become extremely troublesome.

Jiangnan would undoubtedly be their first target.

To avoid future disadvantage, Southeast County must be reclaimed, and Southern Barbarians must not be lost!

A decisive move was necessary—no hesitation. They must immediately abandon Beihai City, withdraw Northern Wolf Hell Ruler, and lead troops back in support!

"Boss, this letter—is it legitimate?" The Deputy General and others looked at Xu Hu’s changing expression with apprehension.

"See for yourselves..." Xu Hu handed the letter over.

A few Deputy Generals took the letter and instantly grew anxious.

"Boss, then... we mustn’t delay. Shall we prepare to depart quickly?"

"No..." Xu Hu shook his head.

"But..." The Deputy Generals hesitated. Xu Hu cared most about Jiangnan. Back when troops were divided, Xu Hu was the first to oppose the plan. Now, surprisingly, faced with Jiangnan’s request for aid, why would he say no?

"This is not from our Lord."

"How could that be?" A nearby Deputy General frowned. "The handwriting matches the Lord’s, the Dharma Seal is from Jiangnan, and the White Eagle is a unique bird from Jiangnan. What could be wrong?"

"All of this can be faked!" Xu Hu said coldly. "If our Lord was truly so urgent, why wouldn’t he transmit the message directly to me? Even with the current preciousness of the Power of Faith, abandoning Northern Wolf City and so many citizens devoted to our Lord’s belief—does he lack even this small amount of faith?

A direct transmission would allow us to depart earlier and not waste time or risk missing the moment in battle. "

"Why send a letter via the Eagle?"

"This..." The Deputy Generals exchanged uncertain glances.

True, for such an important matter, why not contact Xu Hu directly?

"Then Sir... this letter is?"

"The situation is very perilous now." Xu Hu frowned. "Our letter can be copied, the Dharma Seal can be duplicated, even the messenger Eagle can be replicated. It’s extremely troublesome. At this moment, we cannot act recklessly. Jiangnan’s strongest elite troops, its final reserves—must not face even the slightest risk, do you understand? "

"Understood!"

The group responded immediately. Xu Hu slowly closed his eyes, forcing his mind to calm down.

Indeed, the letter was fake, but the events it described might not necessarily be false.

Lies, after all, are most effective when they contain seven parts truth and three parts falsehood. If investigation confirmed any of the letter’s claims, Xu Hu would normally dispatch troops without hesitation.

This meant Jiangnan was likely just as disadvantaged as described in the letter.

In Southeast County, there was also the Warrior Army.

Xu Hu had already sensed recently that the Warrior Army there had suffered heavy casualties, with few survivors remaining.

The letter’s claim that Southeast County had fallen and Heaven’s Court would attack the Southern Wilderness was probably true.

Yet in this situation, why hadn’t the Lord deployed the Warrior Army? What was the plan?

Xu Hu didn’t doubt Chen Qing. Chen Qing had created far too many miracles, always defying the odds to achieve victory. Since his rise, he had never lost a single confrontation!

Considering the scale of the enemies Chen Qing faced, a single loss could result in irreversible ruin. Even now, it seemed the Lord was opting for a risky move.

He remembered the Lord telling him once: unless the Lord personally transmitted the command, even if Ziyue appeared, the Warrior Army must not act lightly!

The Lord hadn’t transmitted any command. How, then, did he intend to reclaim Jiangnan?

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"The Warrior Army hasn’t moved?"

Within the Hall of Celestial Dome, the Heavenly Emperor stood adorned in a golden imperial robe brighter than the sun.

The Four Heavenly Kings guarded the four gates of Heaven’s Court, while countless Divine Generals kneeled below.

The strong energy and vitality revealed that Heaven’s Court had recovered significantly—this ancient beast was baring its fangs once more!

"They haven’t moved!" The responder was a bizarre humanoid figure with unusually large eyes. His exposed upper torso was covered in eyeballs, creating an unsettling appearance.

Yet nobody dared show any sign of disdain. The Thousand-eyed Divine General, Heaven’s Court’s only native-born official, was a figure none would dare to offend. He was Heaven’s Court’s most trusted confidant, and none would choose to provoke someone like him.

"The Warrior Army hasn’t shown the slightest intention of mobilizing. I saw a Snow Eagle carrying a letter into Beihai City, but an entire afternoon has passed, and there’s been no sign of troop movements."

Elder Long nodded faintly upon hearing this.

Mobilizing troops creates significant commotion, especially for a massive army like the Warrior Army.

With their advanced equipment and top-tier vessels, any attempt to return to Jiangnan would make their actions visible, and it could not escape the Thousand-eyed Divine General’s observation.

This meant Jiangnan truly wasn’t planning to send reinforcements.

"Father..." Ziwei spoke up. "In truth, this is quite logical. Jiangnan is currently constrained. Their efforts in the North required immense investment of resources and energy. Chen Qing’s clear goal is the frozen demons of the Northern Wasteland. He won’t easily pull troops from there.

Compared to opposing us, securing resources is likely more important to him. "

All the Divine Generals nodded in agreement.

Chen Qing and Heaven’s Court did not have deep animosity toward each other.

Abandoning Beihai City would be equivalent to surrendering the carefully cultivated Northern Wolf City and resources of the Northern Wasteland to the demons of the North—a costly loss.

Sacrificing such prime territory to confront Heaven’s Court—what benefit would that bring?

A scenario of mutual destruction would only result in other factions claiming those resources.

That would be sheer foolishness!

"Indeed, that’s one way to see it..." Elder Long narrowed his eyes, still feeling it wasn’t quite so simple.

Chen Qing’s methods, he’d experienced firsthand before. As unpredictable as a Celestial Horse darting through the skies, it was hard to anticipate his intentions. If not for Old Liu’s last-minute betrayal, the coordinated attack with the Demon Realm might never have succeeded against him.

Now, facing him once more, Elder Long continued to regard Chen Qing cautiously—even if he was merely dealing with a clone.

But... as Ziwei said, Jiangnan truly appeared to lack troops. What could they possibly use to stop Heaven’s Court?