Longzang

Chapter 926 Ten-Year Plan
After Cui Chengxiao left, Zhang Sheng looked up at the sky, sensed the integrity of the heavens, and then said, "Come out, everyone."

So the cultivators of Taichu Palace walked out from under the corridor and entered the main hall. They had been observing and eavesdropping the whole time, but protected by the power of the Azure Netherworld Domain, Cui Chengxiao hadn't noticed anything at all.

Cui Yu's expression was naturally not good at this moment. Zhang Sheng could be said to have stood up for him, but Cui Chengxiao's behavior made him see the true colors of Song and Cui. He did not want the two sides to escalate to this point, but being caught in the middle, he found it difficult to express his opinion.

Once all the cultivators had arrived, several dozen more entered from outside the hall. Some were dressed in Daoist robes, while others were scholars. Most of this group were at the Foundation Establishment stage, with a few at the Dharma Aspect stage. They were all cultivators from outside the Primordial Palace who had risen through the ranks in the Azure Netherworld. They had already proven their loyalty, which was why Wei Yuan had promoted them so vigorously; they had all reached the point where they could hear confidential matters.

As for how to determine loyalty, it was not a problem for Wei Yuan at all; he only needed to see if anyone had the fortune to offer up.

Once everyone had arrived and the hall was quiet, Zhang Sheng said, "Some people from Song and Cui in Qinghe have broken their promises, acted arrogantly and domineeringly, and even moved the boundary stone without permission, encroaching on my Qingming territory. This matter is intolerable, and I have resolved to punish them. However, my Taichu Palace is a prestigious and righteous sect, and we must act with a just cause. Song and Cui in Qinghe are also an old and established family of cultivators, with an immortal ancestor still alive, and they cannot be treated lightly."

Therefore, I need a capable envoy to the Song-Cui 'Mujia' border region to rebuke their crimes. This journey is extremely dangerous. Whoever is willing to go will be granted the rank of a seventh-grade official in the Great Tang Dynasty. If he dies, his father's estate will be inherited by his son, extending to three generations. After three generations, the inheritance will be reduced in rank.

Just as the cultivators were exchanging bewildered glances, still pondering the meaning behind Zhang Sheng's words, a scholar standing on the outermost edge suddenly rushed forward, knelt down, and loudly proclaimed, "Your subject, Su Qian, is willing to go! I will certainly not fail the Realm Lord's trust!"

Zhang Sheng nodded and asked gently, "Do you know the purpose of this trip?"

"Rest assured, Lord of the Realm, I have already figured it out! You may send someone to the Wood Armor Realm to find me in seven days," Su Qian said loudly.

“Very well! If that’s the case, then you will be the envoy. I will definitely fulfill my promise,” Zhang Sheng said.

Su Qian stood up, bowed deeply to Zhang Sheng, and then left the hall without uttering a single unnecessary word.

After Su Qian's figure disappeared, Zhang Shengfang said, "Send fifty daredevils to accompany Su Qian on his mission."

Zhang Sheng then ordered the troop deployment, and one by one, the cultivators obeyed and departed. Half a day later, the large contingent of soldiers left the camp, departed Qingming, and disappeared into the vast Western Regions.

With everything arranged, Zhang Sheng walked out of the main hall and looked up at the sky once more.

Ji Liuli appeared beside her and said, "Within the Qingming range, the world is almost complete. This is a good thing, but the enemy Yujing can also exert his full combat power. If Cui Chengxiao puts aside his pride and launches a sneak attack alone, you may be in some danger."

Zhang Sheng said, "It's alright. Once he enters Qingming, I'll know he can't ambush me at all. If I'm leading troops outside, as long as I'm in the army and the morale doesn't dissipate, he can't kill me either. Besides, I suspect that someone from the Cui family is trying to cover things up and has withheld the reward intended for Cui Yu. Therefore, Cui Chengxiao certainly doesn't want to make a big fuss, because if the immortals find out, it will be very embarrassing for him."

"Then you should be careful too."

Zhang Sheng now held a woven doll in his hand and said, "I now possess this item. It is extremely yin and evil, incredibly vicious, and still intricately connected to the Heavenly Witch. With this item in hand, ordinary Yu Jing cannot possibly predict my whereabouts. Even if an immortal intervenes, he will have to pay a price. My sending envoy was precisely to give the immortal a way out. However, if he refuses, that's another story."

Ji Liuli was relieved and asked, "How far are you prepared to fight this battle?"

"I've heard that Song and Cui haven't fought a major battle in hundreds of years, making them a good whetstone. I plan to have each unit take turns fighting and hone their skills. A batch of newly promoted generals will also need to be tested. Once Song and Cui are exhausted, I'll remove their boundary markers," Zhang Sheng said casually.

Ji Liuli replied, "Those were minor matters before, but if we were to remove the Boundary Stone, the enmity would be much greater. Now there is another method, which may be better than removing the Boundary Stone. However, I need to know how you mobilize the power of the Boundary?"

After saying that, Ji Liuli looked intently at Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng said, "The Qingming Immortal Stone has long since developed sentience. I use the sentience of the boundary stone to mobilize the power of the boundary and suppress powerful enemies."

Ji Liuli's gaze shifted, and he said, "Just as I expected, if you can suppress a powerful enemy, you can suppress other realms. Some time ago, I observed the Azure Water Realm and noticed that its boundary towards the Azure Netherworld was ten miles shorter than the other side, which gave me some clues. Now, the Azure Netherworld is still growing and far from being mature. Song Cui has placed the boundary stone nine thousand miles away, and it will naturally be surrounded by the Azure Netherworld. That will be a battle between the two boundary stones."

A glint flashed in Zhang Sheng's eyes as he said, "This is an excellent idea. I will immediately communicate with Shi Ling to see if it is feasible. Let's use Bishui as an example first."

Ji Liuli said, "That's not all. There's another secret method that can assimilate the opponent's boundary stone, turning it into a sub-stone of your own boundary stone!"

Zhang Sheng was taken aback: "There's such a method? If the boundary stones of the world assimilate with each other, wouldn't they eventually become just one boundary stone?" Ji Liuli shook his head: "This method comes at a very high cost, essentially consuming a high-grade boundary stone. So if the opponent's boundary stone isn't of sufficient quality, it would be a losing proposition."

Zhang Sheng pondered, "This is the first time in hundreds of years that Song and Cui have established an enclave, and they attach great importance to it. In less than three months, they have sent nearly 300,000 people, and most of the materials were transported from Song. Therefore, this boundary stone must be of high quality and must be compatible with the Western Regions."

“However, our reserves for nurturing might not be enough. But the Cui family must have secret methods or precious medicines to enhance the level of nurturing. These things are extremely valuable, and we could never have them. It all depends on how we get them to produce them.” Ji Liuli also seemed to be deep in thought.

Suddenly, hundreds of tiny points of light appeared around Zhang Sheng, flickering intermittently. Upon seeing this, Ji Liuli immediately became angry: "How did you manage to bring the port out? Do you have any more? Give me one!"

"This is the only one given by Shi Ling. Let's not argue, let me think about it."

In a short while, the hundreds of lights went out one by one. Zhang Sheng said, "There is a way, but it's not something that can be done overnight. We need to proceed slowly. The first step is to hurt the Cui family's enclave and damage their territory so that they can feel the danger of annihilation and desperately increase the strength of their boundary stones."

The next step is to train troops and continuously harass them, ensuring they can defend themselves even after exhausting all their resources, while still having some spare capacity for development. This forces them to continue investing in the effort. This phase will likely take about ten years.

Ten years later, the Azure Netherworld expanded, and the two realms bordered each other, marking the third stage. At this point, pressure was first applied to continue forcing the Cui family to invest. Once they had invested most of their resources, then all-out suppression would be launched!

Now it all depends on whether the Cui family immortal will step forward. If he does, and his sincerity is sufficient, he'll be granted five hundred li. If his sincerity is insufficient, he'll be granted one hundred li. If he turns against them, then they'll be assimilated.

Upon hearing this, Ji Liuli could only sigh and say, "When it comes to fishing, you're still the best. You've been fishing for ten years straight, and you've even caught immortals!"

Zhang Sheng smiled slightly and said, "I will lead the expedition against the Cui family myself, but I'll leave the task to you on the Bishui side."

Ji Liuli said, "The Zhenshan Realm has been developing quite well recently. Should we go and find out what they're up to, and maybe give them a warning?"

“Send Bao Yun along; she’s a master of disguise. Also, send Xiao Yu with a contingent of soldiers to gain experience and broaden her horizons.”

Ji Liuli nodded: "Indeed, Xiaoyu is a bit silly and needs some training."

Zhang Sheng asked, "Are there still enemies around?"

Ji Liuli pondered, "It seems there aren't any left, but we can create some. The Xu family has been very cooperative lately, and the Shi family is too far away, so only the Prince of Jin is left. I heard that he has been favoring the Prince of Chu lately, which is a bit strange."

Zhang Sheng seemed to be pondering: "Purge the court of corrupt officials?"

"That's the palace side."

"Too blunt, it won't be well-received in historical records. Still the emperor's confidant."

After thinking it over, Ji Liuli agreed and said, "It's just that it's not easy to find a pretext yet. We need to find a way to lay the groundwork first. We should cleanse the court of corrupt officials and take Hanyang Pass while we're at it."

Zhang Sheng shook his head: "That pass is now a trading base, and the fortified city is of little use. Taking it directly would be unseemly and could easily provoke a backlash from the Xu family. We can't afford to make enemies of the whole world. In my opinion, we should just rent it, for ninety-nine years at a time."

"can."

The two discussed it in this way, and gradually the details of the ten-year plan came to light.

At the Yong'an City Lord's Mansion, Xiao Yu received a new mission document. She was taken aback and read it twice before she was sure she hadn't misread it.

Lord Shaoyang sighed and said, "I told you to stay away from those who cultivate the Heart of Invincibility. Now you see? Even a passing dog will get bitten."

(End of this chapter)