Chapter 805: Secret Plot

Situ Yao had found Niu Youdao's earlier words rather vague, so he probed, "Brother, you sent everyone else away and called me over alone. Surely you didn't bring me here just to make idle conversation?"

"Of course not," Niu Youdao said. "I wanted to discuss our next step with Sect Leader Situ and hear what insight you might have."

Situ Yao hurriedly waved him off. "Don't discuss it with me. The way you play this game leaves me with no confidence at all, and I don't have any brilliant ideas. You probably already know what you intend to do, so I'll just listen."

"Since Sect Leader Situ is being so modest, I won't stand on ceremony. For the next step, I plan to expose our whereabouts and have the forces of the various states join together to encircle and annihilate us. What do you think?"

"What?" Situ Yao quickly looked left and right. "Brother, that's taking the joke a little too far. There's no need to go looking for trouble like that."

"I'm not looking for trouble. I'm trying to solve it. I need to put an end to the various states' search for Spirit Seeds. What we've done to them, together with the enormous number of Spirit Seeds in our hands, will be enough to draw them here."

Situ Yao could not follow his thinking. "Why?"

"The reason is simple. We've already seized the Spirit Seeds of four factions. Add what the overseas group had collected themselves, and the number in our hands should already exceed what any one state has. We have the advantage now, so we can't allow the various states to keep collecting. If the amount in each state's hands continues to grow, then once one side swallows another, our numerical advantage in Spirit Seeds may disappear. We have to ensure that even if they begin swallowing one another, we still retain a certain lead. Only then will it be easier to deal with whatever comes later. So we have to find a way to stop them from continuing their search."

Situ Yao was even more puzzled. "Aren't you still planning to lure them out and seize what's in their hands? If they collect more, you'll gain more when you take it from them. You'd still keep your lead."

"The overall objective hasn't changed, but the specific execution has to adapt to circumstances. It can't remain fixed." Niu Youdao lifted his chin toward the demons and monsters cleaning the battlefield. "How many have died? After several battles, we've already lost close to five hundred people. Only around a thousand remain. Plans can't keep up with changes. The situation isn't as favorable as I expected at the beginning, so the operational plan has to be adjusted in time. If we don't preserve enough strength to deal with whatever changes may come later, it'll be very difficult to leave the Tiandu Secret Realm safely while holding first place."

Situ Yao nodded slightly, his expression turning grave as he looked toward the demons and monsters busily stripping the corpses. "They don't seem to have realized it yet."

"It's not that they haven't realized it. They've been dazzled by one enormous haul after another. They think the huge reward for taking first place is within reach. Lose a few more people and they'll come to their senses. At that point, it'll become my plan that was wrong, and they won't listen to me anymore."

"What do you want to do?"

"Stop the various states from searching for Spirit Seeds by using ourselves as bait and drawing all their forces here. Once they arrive, we immediately disengage. After they lose their target and find themselves face-to-face with one another, fighting over the spoils will be unavoidable. We'll force them into the stage of consuming one another ahead of schedule."

Situ Yao understood. Once the various states had worn each other down enough while their own side still retained considerable strength, they would have many options and a much better chance of victory. Even so, he still had doubts. "Once the various states latch onto us, can we really shake them off?"

"Don't worry. If I weren't certain, I wouldn't gamble my own life on a risk this large. I have a way to get everyone out."

"If you have a way, why not explain it to those demons and monsters?"

"You don't really think that just because I became sworn brothers with them, they'll listen to me in everything, do you? It's useless. They're highly vigilant. If I asked them to use themselves as bait and take this sort of risk, they would never agree. They'll do profitable things like what we're doing now because the odds favor us. Ask them to risk the annihilation of the entire force, and not only will they refuse, they'll suspect I'm trying to get them killed. So they can't know. We set the board first. Once the situation has taken shape, we can naturally have them move with the momentum."

"I understand what you mean. But drawing the scattered forces of all the states here without making them suspicious won't be easy."

"That's exactly why I called you over. There are many things I can't accomplish by myself. I need people I can deploy." As he spoke, Niu Youdao handed him a piece of cloth.

Situ Yao opened it and saw that several names from among the forces of the various states had been written on it.

Niu Youdao explained, "These are people I secretly planted among the various states. I need to activate them to carry out my plan, and I now need reliable people to contact them separately. Sect Leader Situ, the thirty Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples on the Yan side can disengage now."

In doing this, he was undoubtedly exposing Xiaoyue Pavilion's people to outsiders. Clearly, his options really were limited.

Situ Yao was secretly alarmed. Good heavens. This fellow actually had spies planted among the personnel the various states had sent into the Tiandu Secret Realm. He had looked perfectly steady in Nanzhou, yet had made so many arrangements beneath the surface.

Situ Yao could imagine that this layout had not been put in place after they entered the Tiandu Secret Realm.

He also understood now that the thirty Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples on Yan's side were to be used as runners.

Understanding was one thing, but he still had concerns. "If Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples go over to the various states, and those same people later see my disciples here with you, won't Elder Li and the others be in danger?"

"You're overthinking it. Once the operation succeeds, the Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion disciples will withdraw immediately. That includes all of you who are here with me. You'll leave first as well. I won't let the people from the various states see you together with me, or the whole thing will be exposed."

Situ Yao let out a long breath and nodded, agreeing.

What followed was straightforward. Niu Youdao secretly explained the operational details at length: how to coordinate between the inside and outside using the locations of the various states' forces that this side had already identified, what contact methods to use to win the trust of the spies he had planted inside them, and so on.

Whenever Situ Yao found something unclear, he asked about it carefully.

By the time Niu Youdao had finished explaining everything, Situ Yao was still mentally sorting through the details when Fuhua and the others came over.

"You two plotting something in secret?" Fuhua teased as soon as she arrived.

It was obvious that these sworn siblings were all in good spirits.

Niu Youdao, who had risked himself to lure out the enemy, had not taken a single coin from the seized spoils and had left all of it for them to divide. After plundering the wealth of several factions in succession, how could they not be pleased?

Niu Youdao casually teased back, "Looks like the haul this time wasn't bad."

Grinning, Hong Gaitian held up two fingers. "Another two million-plus Spirit Seeds in hand. There's a good chance we're already in first place now. Looks like we've got real hope of taking the final top spot!"

Fuhua smiled as well. "I kept worrying that something unexpected would happen. Instead, every faction turned out to have the same nature. Every one of them wanted to keep the feast for themselves, and every one of them fell for the same trap. Heh. The human heart really is terrifying."

Lang Jingkong asked Niu Youdao, "Next, should we go after the Myriad Beasts Sect, Ling Sect, or Tianxing Sect? Each of those three only has about a hundred people. They should be easy to take down."

Situ Yao instinctively glanced toward Niu Youdao. Those three had not been included in the arrangements Niu Youdao had just made.

Niu Youdao had other plans in reserve for the three neutral factions and did not want to touch them unless necessary. He shook his head. "Those three may have few people, but every one of them is extremely wealthy. They probably have plenty of talismans in hand. Going after them now could easily cause us excessive casualties. Leave them alone for the moment and see whether the various states move against them first."

Duan Wuchang said, "We've basically gone around the whole circuit already. You refuse to touch Zhao, so who's next?"

"Yan. It's about time to coordinate with Zijin Cave from inside and outside and make a move against Yan. We'll take the Spirit Seeds in Yan's hands first. But there's no rush. Let's see how the various states react before we do anything. We don't fight battles we aren't confident of winning. We've been rushing around and seizing Spirit Seeds day after day lately, and everyone's worked hard. We can use the opportunity to rest and recover."

Chu Fengping, meanwhile, was in a very poor mood. The people he had sent to search found the site of the battle and the bodies left behind. Cai Jinqi and the others appeared to have been attacked by a large force. This was obviously not something Niu Youdao could have done alone, but Chu Fengping could not yet determine exactly what had happened or who was responsible.

As the sky gradually darkened, those who had gone out searching for Spirit Seeds returned to regroup.

Li Wuhua, who had been glancing around from time to time, approached Yan Li. Pretending to hand over the Spirit Seeds collected that day, he casually dropped a branch on the ground and murmured to Yan Li, "Niu Youdao asked me to pass a letter to you."

Yan Li gave him a sidelong glance without changing expression. After Li Wuhua left, he casually picked up the branch. Using spiritual power to inspect it, he discovered something hidden inside. He snapped the branch open and found a rolled piece of cloth. Unfolding it, he saw several operational instructions from Niu Youdao.

He waited for a while, then used the excuse of making rounds to go over to Li Wuhua and pretended to ask about the day's situation.

Li Wuhua quietly said, "Niu Youdao wants you to arrange for all of us to leave the Yan group."

"I understand. Tomorrow, your people can leave from my side."

"Good." Li Wuhua agreed. There was no need to ask anything further. Zijin Cave would naturally arrange matters on its end.

The next day, Li Wuhua first arranged for the other members of his sect to withdraw. As the representative of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion accompanying Yan's central contingent, he himself slipped away last.

After successfully shaking off Yan's people, the thirty members of Myriad Caves Heavenly Mansion gradually regrouped at the designated location.

As soon as Li Wuhua arrived, he secretly assigned tasks to his fellow disciples. Once the instructions were settled, the thirty split up and headed for different destinations to carry out the secret missions Sect Leader Situ Yao had given them.

[End of Chapter 805]