Ning Fengzhi reviewed intelligence on the various battlefields.
"It's time for Tuoba Xi's hidden line to be exposed. If we keep fighting like this, he'll be wiped out. To hold out for a year against 700,000 troops is already remarkable, but that's his limit."
"Fengzhi, if we do this, we'll be formally entering the continental war. Isn't it better to sit back and reap the benefits while the Spirit Empire is attacking Heaven Dou with full force?" Yin Yang hesitated.
"We'll have to get involved in the war eventually. Now that Rongrong and the others have returned, each with near-Title Douluo strength, if not now, then when? We can't wait until the Spirit Empire completely defeats Heaven Dou before stepping in. Uncle Ying, I know what you're worried about, but don't worry. We won't be everyone's target at first," Ning Fengzhi said solemnly.
"While it's common sense to eliminate the neutral third party when two sides are fighting, that only holds if the two sides are evenly matched. Right now, the Spirit Empire is far stronger than Heaven Dou and is clearly the continent's number one. Heaven Dou is only fourth. We can count as second. If the fourth and first join forces to eliminate the only force that can rival the first, what will Heaven Dou do against Spirit Hall afterward?"
"So Heaven Dou will have no choice but to seek an alliance with us. Tuoba Xi's defection won't happen overnight. I've already sent people to assist him in secret. He should be able to hold out another month. Now it all depends on when Heaven Dou acts."
Gu Rong nodded. "What you say makes sense. But I'm a bit dissatisfied. Why is our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect always second? I can't wait to see us become number one."
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "You'll see it. Before everything settles, being second is easier than being first. And I'm not interested in being the temporary number one. Just wait, Uncle Bone, within three years, we'll become the lasting number one. Xiao Tian and Rongrong will finally be able to do what they want."
Ning Fengzhi said "lasting," not "forever." He understood that nothing lasts forever. In this generation, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would reach its peak under him and Tianlin.
But as time passed—ten thousand, a hundred thousand years—the sect would eventually decline, and new powerful clans would rise. That's the law of change; no one can alter it. So, like Skydream Iceworm, Ning Fengzhi kept reminding Tianlin that after he became a god, unless other gods bullied the sect, he shouldn't interfere in the continent's affairs anymore.
All they could do was create a smooth path for the next generation of the sect to live, cultivate, and develop. Whether the next generation would walk that path, and how, was up to them.
Ning Fengzhi saw Tianlin's potential. He didn't want Tianlin to spend his life obsessed with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Doing his best for a few decades on the continent would make him a qualified vice sect master.
After that, with endless life, he should live for himself.
…
Meanwhile, after losing Jialing Pass, Heaven Dou's General Ge Long had considered retaking it, but they simply didn't have enough strength. Forget retaking it—just preventing further losses was hard enough.
Compared to the two empires, Spirit Empire had a major weakness: insufficient troops. They had only 800,000 soldiers—100,000 stationed at Spirit Hall City, 200,000 at Gengxin City, and the remaining 500,000 all deployed to the Heaven Dou front.
To take Jialing Pass, the army suffered heavy losses. Although they wiped out 300,000 Heaven Dou troops, Spirit Hall also lost 100,000, most before Bibi Dong emerged and during the direct attacks on the pass.
And every time they seized new territory, some forces had to remain to garrison it. Now, with the army nearly at Heaven Dou's capital, only about 300,000 troops and 30,000 soul masters remained available.
According to Bibi Dong's original strategy, she would have slaughtered her way through, making progress much faster. But Qian Renxue strongly opposed this.
Not only had she promised Tianlin never to massacre cities, but her eighth trial was to punish evil and promote good. If Bibi Dong slaughtered cities, the first person the Angel God trial would require her to kill would probably be Bibi Dong herself.
Moreover, Bibi Dong's revenge was aimed at the Clear Sky Sect and the Heaven Dou royal family that sheltered them, not innocent civilians. Hu Liena also advised her. Bibi Dong heeded their words, slowed her vengeance, and stretched out the front lines.
This gave the Heaven Dou royal family a chance to catch their breath.
At the same time, Spirit Hall generals Luo Hengji and Luo Fujii breathed easier. If Bibi Dong really insisted on massacring cities, they could only contact the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and rebel early.
Fortunately, Bibi Dong wasn't as crazy as before. At least she listened to Qian Renxue and Hu Liena.
In the Heaven Dou imperial capital, Emperor Xue Ye and Xue Beng hurried back to the palace—not in triumph, but forced back in defeat.
With the loss of Jialing Pass, Spirit Hall seized the entire Limaping Plain, and now their forces pointed straight at Heaven Dou's capital. At this rate, in less than three months, Heaven Dou would be destroyed.
Xue Ye quickly summoned his ministers, Tang Xiao, and others to discuss the next steps.
"Your Majesty, the Spirit Hall army is overwhelming, especially Empress Bibi Dong. It's said that with a single sixth soul skill, she wiped out tens of thousands of our troops. She's invincible. We shouldn't confront her head-on. I suggest we avoid the main force and retreat to Binghai City," one official advised.
"You want me to move the capital? And to the continent's edge, near the far north?" Emperor Xue Ye said coldly. "The Heaven Dou Empire has stood on this continent for a thousand years, and now you want me to move just because of the Spirit Empire and a false empress Bibi Dong?"
"Please, Your Majesty, I also believe this is the only way. Spirit Hall is far too strong. We still have 700,000 troops, but if Bibi Dong wants to kill, she only needs time—because she's an Ultimate Douluo," Tang Yuehua advised.
Her words carried more weight than any official. After the Grandmaster died, she became the empire's chief strategist. It was she who ordered the retreat when Jialing Pass was about to fall—otherwise, not just 300,000, but a million troops would have died.
Previously, her deployments had repelled Spirit Hall several times. In terms of command, she was far ahead of Bibi Dong and no less than Ge Long. But when Bibi Dong stopped playing games and attacked with overwhelming power, Tang Yuehua's wisdom became useless in the absence of anyone who could resist her.