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Soldiers cannot materialize out of thin air. That white eagle must be a test for us. From the looks of it now, Chen Qing seems unlikely to deploy the North Sea Army easily.

The North Sea Army is far from Jiangnan; even with Jiangnan’s best ships, it would take two days. Adding the time needed for redeployment to the Southeast and subsequent adjustments, achieving a surprise attack is impossible.

By any calculation, it seems Chen Qing shouldn’t have any available forces left...

"Notify the Three-Eyed God General to take the Three Southern Barbarian Territories at any cost! First, seize the Vermilion Bird Sealed City!"

"Launch a direct strike against Vermilion Bird City?" Ziwei froze momentarily, startled. Father rarely takes such reckless actions.

Vermilion Bird City was once the sanctuary of the Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Spirits, a place worshipped by all the demons of the Southern Wilderness.

Ever since their eradication in the past, the Land of Four Spirits has remained sealed.

Even after several Eras of Reincarnation, the major factions have been cautious to avoid disturbing it, lest those four creatures return in some unfathomable way.

Back then, removing them had demanded a significant toll.

And now, reopening Vermilion Bird City after three whole Eras without any action—the unknown number of demons inside makes it impossible to predict what level of Great Demon might reside there.

The city is saturated with Fire Element; following generations of accumulation, seizing it forcibly could yield an abundance of Fire Element essence but would also lead to unprecedented casualties.

Risking initial resources in this way is undeniably reckless.

"Now is the only chance to act!" The Heavenly Emperor’s eyes became frosty. "Several factions are keeping a close watch. Old Liu, that scheming bastard, has locked down his strength and is clearly trying to solidify his base in Yundu. The Demon Realm, despite its matron being suppressed, hasn’t stirred—most likely because they’re vying for her territory and resources.

Chen Qing lacks the ability to advance southward, making now the perfect moment! "

"Timing is paramount in warfare. Some opportunities, if let slip, won’t come again. We can no longer afford to remain conservative." The Heavenly Emperor stood up; his icy words left no room for negotiation.

Ziwei and the divine generals could only bow their heads.

After all these years, Elder Long showing such boldness might not be a bad thing.

Once Vermilion Bird City is captured, the countless Fire Element essences could be refined into the Essence of the Sun, greatly enhancing Heaven’s Court weaponry—a strategic resource critical to the upcoming confrontations.

"Your Majesty is wise!" All the divine generals could only voice their approval in unison.

"Maintain constant surveillance on activities below, especially Chen Qing’s Warrior Army stationed at the Northern Sea; they are likely the greatest obstacle!"

"Understood...."

"Hmm...." After a brief pause, the Heavenly Emperor added, "Use White Tiger’s recovery as an excuse to replace her with Vermilion Bird."

"Huh?" The crowd was momentarily stunned, while Ziwei furrowed her brows.

White Tiger has always been the most ostracized among the Four Spirit Star Officials. Assigning her to execute missions was already excessive; now, after successfully capturing Southeast County, they’re pulling her back.

This is practically handing her hard-fought spoils to someone else.

Do they truly believe White Tiger won’t retaliate?

The Heavenly Emperor looked down at their silence, slightly lowering his voice as he said, "White Tiger’s position is too critical.

Although she seems unlikely to cooperate with Chen Qing, certain risks cannot be ignored.

Tell her that when she returns, the credit will still be hers.

If she later succeeds in taking White Tiger City, she will become the Lord of White Tiger City, inheriting the full White Tiger legacy! "

"Understood..." Ziwei hesitated slightly as she replied. As far as she was concerned, White Tiger was unlikely to trust the promises of the court.

Too many grand promises had been made to her in the past, and pushing her too hard under such circumstances seemed inadvisable!

"Send Azure Dragon alongside; avoid any unexpected developments. If she refuses to comply..." The Heavenly Emperor’s gaze turned icy. "Kill her!"

The crowd: "......"

The divine generals of Heaven’s Court exchanged uneasy glances.

The traditional divine generals dismissed the matter indifferently—some were even delighted.

If White Tiger perished, it would free up a position; since Heaven’s Court operated on fixed appointments, removing one meant creating an opening below.

However, native-born demons, on the other hand, exhibited peculiar expressions. After the Heavenly Pond incident, they had been living in fear, and now the Heavenly Emperor’s actions seemed aimed at finding excuses to eliminate dissent.

Sensing the rising tension, Ziwei quickly replied, "Yes, Father. Do you have any other commands?"

"Go...." The Heavenly Emperor scanned the divine generals without the slightest hint of reassurance, waving them away until all had departed.

After the dispersal, Ziwei hurriedly asked, "Father, why are you..."

"Deliberately driving them to revolt!" The Heavenly Emperor responded coldly.

"In the past, our toleration of the native demons within our ranks was a strategic concession. But these natives are inherently unreliable. Their fundamental nature differs from ours—this truth is unchanging. Having already taken action at Heavenly Pond, those natives will undoubtedly harbor mistrust. Rather than leave things ambiguous, it’s better to. .."

"But... they still possess considerable combat strength. Wasting that through infighting..." Ziwei tried to caution.

"If left unaddressed now, it will be even harder to resolve once war begins. Old Liu foresaw this dynamic—this is why he wasted no time orchestrating the downfall of Past Buddha. This is the final battle for supremacy; it’s either survival or destruction.

We cannot afford even the slightest misstep.

Consolidating stable forces is far better than squandering resources on uncontrollable elements. "

"This...." Although Ziwei still found the strategy questionable, she ultimately said, "Father, since you’re sending me personally alongside Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon, with the Three-Eyed God General absent, won’t some factions within Heaven’s Court harbor rebellious intent?"

"Which is precisely why you must go. To lure the snakes from their holes, you must offer ample bait.

.." The Heavenly Emperor smirked coldly.

"After descending to the mortal realm, collaborate with Vermilion Bird and Azure Dragon to fabricate a pretext and directly move against White Tiger.

Remember—she cannot be allowed to escape.

Her head must be severed and delivered back via Heavenly Eagle. Only then can the message strike deep!"

"Understood..." Ziwei looked at Elder Long’s killing intent, realizing that not even she could dissuade him now.

All she could hope for was that Father’s methods would prove effective....

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"Hmm?"

At that moment, a Divine General stationed at Yunzhou’s borders suddenly glanced toward the sky with astonishment.

The Divine General had a human-like body and a beautiful humanoid appearance, but her wings were bird-like, and her feet resembled chicken talons—she appeared to be a demon failing in transformation.

Everyone knew, however, that she was one of Heaven’s Court’s most formal Divine Generals, the Rooster Star Officer among the Twenty-Eight Constellations, Xiao Ri Ji!

As she gazed at the sky, her pupils suddenly contracted, as though sensing something. Without hesitation, she darted toward the mountains: "Maintain your posts. I have urgent matters to report."

"Understood...."

Her subordinates answered as Xiao Ri Ji sped off toward Southeast Pass, covering mountain after mountain in barely half an hour.

The scorching force from her rapid movement nearly charred her back feathers to blackened crisps, leaving her external appearance blistered and ghastly.

"What’s the situation?" White Tiger Star Officer’s gaze sharpened. Among the Western Constellations, she had nurtured loyal confidants over the years—Xiao Ri Ji was certainly one of them.

And for her to rush over, even depleting Essence Blood—there was no doubt this brought grave news!