Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Everyone present knew the gap in strength between their side and the Spirit Hall, but most people only had a vague idea of ​​how big that gap was.

Now that Ning Fengzhi has laid them out one by one, the sense of oppression has become exceptionally clear.

In the silence, a cold snort came from the Haotian Sect camp.

The Fifth Elder stood up from his seat, his white beard twitching twice. He had been cooped up in the mountains for decades, almost to the point of growing mushrooms. He had finally managed to come out of the mountains, only to hear that the Spirit Hall had swallowed up the Heaven Dou Empire.

What the hell is going on? He hasn't even left the mountain yet, and the Spirit Hall has already overturned the table.

"Sect Leader Ning is right. The Spirit Hall is indeed powerful, and it does have a large number of Title Douluos. But so what?"

"It's not like we can't produce a Title Douluo. The Clear Sky Sect has brought several elders at the Title Douluo level this time." The Fifth Elder's voice echoed confidently in the council hall.

As the number one weapon spirit in the world, the Clear Sky Hammer is a formidable weapon for every Title Douluo.

Yu Yuanzhen nodded slightly: "Although the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan only has one Title Douluo, it also has several Soul Douluos."

Ning Fengzhi continued, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has two Title Douluo, Uncle Jian and Uncle Gu."

Chapter 496 Alliance

The Fifth Elder became more and more confident as he spoke, and he simply poured out all his thoughts at once.

"If we combine the three of us, we can produce several Title Douluos, which is no less than the Spirit Hall. Moreover, we have countless core members at the Soul Douluo and Soul Saint levels."

Although the Spirit Hall has many Title Douluos, they have just swallowed up the Heaven Dou Empire, and their territory is so vast that they need to send people to guard every important city, inevitably dispersing their high-end combat power. If we concentrate our superior forces and find a suitable opportunity, we might just be able to decide the fate of the world in one battle!

His words were so impassioned that many of the generals and noble representatives present felt a surge of fighting spirit in their eyes.

After the Fifth Elder sat down, he continued, "Moreover, the Spirit Hall acts so domineeringly that there are many forces on the continent who are dissatisfied with them. As long as we raise our banner and call to action, there will surely be many who respond. The longer we drag this out, the more firmly the Spirit Hall will establish its foundation in the Heaven Dou Empire. It will only be more difficult to fight them then."

No sooner had the Fifth Elder finished speaking than someone on the other side spoke up.

The one who spoke was Duke Qi Luo, a noble representative from the Heaven Dou United City-State. The Qi Luo family was not considered a top-tier aristocratic family in the Heaven Dou Empire, but they had commanded troops for generations and enjoyed considerable prestige in the military.

On the day of the Tiandou coup, he happened to be away from Tiandou City, stationed with his private army at a manor outside the city, which is how he narrowly escaped disaster.

He still has several thousand private soldiers under his command, and with the Tian Dou defeated soldiers he has gathered along the way, he can barely put together a force of more than ten thousand men.

Duke Zilloy had spent half his life in the military, fighting more battles than most of the people present had ever walked roads. He knew all too well that the size of an army was never the sole factor in determining victory or defeat; morale, logistics, intelligence, terrain, and weather were all more important than numbers.

The Martial Soul Empire is currently at its zenith, and while their allied forces appear formidable, they are riddled with internal factions, each independent of the others. In the event of a real battle, no one knows whether the other side might suddenly falter. Under these circumstances, he absolutely cannot agree to a hasty war.

"The Fifth Elder spoke with such great spirit that I admire him."

He stood up, cupped his hands in the direction of the Fifth Elder, and wore a polite smile, but his tone turned bluntly, "But war is not a martial arts contest. I have spent most of my life in the army and I know one thing well: a battle without preparation will be lost nine times out of ten."

He turned to face the other representatives present, raising his voice slightly.

"The Martial Soul Empire's high-end combat forces are indeed dispersed, but their armies are under unified command and deployment. What about our side? The combined number of private armies from various factions may seem large, but who commands whom? Where do the allied forces get their supplies, and which routes do they take? Who will lead the vanguard and who will cover the rear? After a battle, how will the credit be divided, and who will take responsibility?"

He withdrew his gaze, his voice turning somber: "To send troops rashly before these problems are resolved is tantamount to suicide."

The atmosphere in the council chamber instantly became delicate. Every word Duke Zilo spoke hit the nail on the head; the allied forces did indeed have these problems, and each one was more troublesome than the last.

Especially when it comes to the distribution of credit, it may sound unpleasant, but everyone present has their own opinion. If the battle goes well, everyone wants to claim credit, but if the battle goes badly, no one wants to take the blame.

The Fifth Elder was somewhat annoyed by the rebuttal, but couldn't find any strong arguments to refute it. He could only snort coldly, sit back in his chair, cross his arms, and look rather unpleasant.

The meeting room fell into a stalemate for a moment.

Yu Yuanzhen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them. He glanced at the Fifth Elder's face, which was full of resentment, and then at Duke Qi Luo's expression that seemed to say, "I've seen more dead people than any of you have ever seen," before slowly speaking:

"Duke Qiluo's words make sense. It's true that we're not united. But I'd also like to ask, according to you, should we fight or not? If we're not going to fight, what are we all sitting here discussing?"

Duke Qi Luo met Yu Yuanzhen's gaze and cupped his hands in a respectful but not arrogant manner: "Sect Master Yu, of course we must fight. But not now. In my opinion, the most important thing right now is to sort out the relationships within the allied forces. Who will have command, how many troops will each side contribute, where will the provisions come from, and how will the logistics be guaranteed? If these issues are not resolved, everything else is just empty talk."

Ning Fengzhi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.

He put down his teacup, stood up, and his voice, though still gentle, instantly silenced the entire council chamber.

"The Fifth Elder is right. The Spirit Hall can't give us much time. The longer it drags on, the more stable their foundation in the Heaven Dou will become, and those forces that are still observing will be gradually eroded by them. But Duke Qi Luo is also right. The allied forces are indeed not ready yet. A hasty attack could very well result in a crushing defeat."

His gaze swept over every face present, his voice unhurried, each word as if carefully considered before uttering.

"Therefore, the coalition needs to buy time, whether it is to reorganize internally, train new recruits, allocate supplies, or wait for reinforcements from all sides to arrive one after another, all of which will take time."

The best way to buy time is to find a sufficiently powerful ally. This ally must possess enough strength to force the Spirit Empire to consider the risk of being attacked from both sides before deciding to take action against us. Looking across the entire continent, there is only one force that qualifies for this.

The same name simultaneously came to everyone's mind.

"The Star Luo Empire." Ning Fengzhi spoke for everyone.

These words immediately sparked a low murmur of discussion in the council chamber.

Some say that the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire are sworn enemies of a thousand years, and it would be a loss of face to ask their sworn enemy for help now.

Some say that the Star Luo Empire is currently struggling to survive and may not be willing to send troops to help.

Some people worry that Xingluo will take the opportunity to annex the Tiandou United City-State, leaving the front door open to keep out the tigers while letting the wolves in through the back.

Ning Fengzhi and the others' discussions subsided slightly before they continued speaking.

"What you are worried about is nothing more than the Star Luo Empire taking advantage of our misfortune. But as everyone can see, the current situation is clear: the Martial Soul Empire poses no less of a threat to Star Luo than it does to us."

Dai Tianfeng was not a shortsighted person; he knew what the primary contradiction was. "Our conflict with Xingluo is an old grudge, but our conflict with the Martial Soul Empire is a mortal enmity. With the mortal enmity at hand, the old grudges can be put aside for now."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiao nodded slightly, but then asked another question.

"Even if Dai Tianfeng is willing to form an alliance, who will be in charge and who will be subordinate after the alliance? Who will command the allied forces? Xingluo will not allow their troops to be under our command, and we will not hand over our troops to Xingluo as cannon fodder. If this problem is not resolved, the alliance will be nothing but empty talk."

Ning Fengzhi's lips curled up slightly, a faint curve that conveyed a sense of composure as if everything was under control.

"Joint operations and unified command are certainly the most efficient methods. However, under the current circumstances, it is almost impossible for the two allied forces to achieve completely unified command. Therefore, it is better to settle for the next best option: maintaining strategic coordination while each side operates independently."

Yu Yuanzhen timely took over the conversation and asked the most crucial question on behalf of everyone present.

"Strategic synergy, how exactly does it work?"

“It’s very simple.” Ning Fengzhi raised his hand and drew a line in the air. “The territory currently occupied by the Spirit Empire stretches from Spirit City in the west to Heaven Dou City in the east, spanning the entire central part of the continent.”

"If we and Xingluo launch simultaneous attacks from the north and south respectively, the Spirit Empire will be caught in a pincer movement. No matter how many Title Douluos they have, they will have to divide their forces to deal with the situation."

He paused, then added, "More importantly, the Martial Soul Empire has just swallowed up the Heavenly Dou Empire, and most of its territory is newly occupied, so its foundation of rule is not stable."

If we can gain the upper hand on several battlefields at the same time, those duchies and city-states that have just submitted to the Martial Soul Empire may very well be shaken again.

They submitted initially because they had no other choice. If they were to see that the Spirit Hall is not invincible, the balance could tip again at any moment.

A long silence followed in the council chamber. Everyone present was processing the information contained in Ning Fengzhi's words.

Yu Yuanzhen nodded first. This strategy was indeed the most pragmatic solution at present. It would not hurt feelings and could support each other. Dai Tianfeng had no reason to refuse.

Tang Xiao also agreed.

Ning Fengzhi smiled gently: "Then it's settled. I will immediately write a letter of invitation to Emperor Dai Tianfeng of the Star Luo Empire, making our intentions clear and transparent. Of course, to show our sincerity and to demonstrate our determination, I have decided to personally go to the Star Luo Empire to ask His Majesty Dai Tianfeng to send troops to assist us."

The council chamber fell silent instantly upon hearing this. No one had expected Ning Fengzhi to personally go to Xingluo City.

It's important to understand that the journey from the Heaven Dou United City-State to Star Luo City involves traversing the territory controlled by the Spirit Empire. The risks along the way are self-evident.

As the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and a core figure of the resistance faction, if Ning Fengzhi were to encounter any accident on the way, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Gu Rong frowned immediately: "Feng Zhi, this is too risky. We have to pass through the Spirit Hall's controlled area. What if we're discovered?"

“That’s why we need someone of sufficient stature to go.” Ning Fengzhi interrupted him, his tone calm but unquestionable. “Only if I go in person will Dai Tianfeng believe in our sincerity.”

"So who are you planning to bring?" Gu Rong asked again.

Ning Fengzhi already had an answer to this question and blurted out, "Uncle Gu can come with me. Uncle Jian, you stay in the sect to oversee things. When I'm not there, you, Sect Master Yu, and Sect Master Tang will jointly manage the allied forces."

Yu Yuanzhen and Tang Xiao exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.

Looking at Ning Fengzhi's calm face, which showed no sign of tension, Gu Rong ultimately swallowed all her words of dissuasion.

He couldn't argue with the sect leader, so he could only sigh heavily, which was considered an admission of his guilt.

The others in the council chamber also stood up, each expressing their respect for Ning Fengzhi, who was about to embark on a perilous journey, in their own way.

Some people solemnly cupped their hands and said, "Take care, Sect Master," while others nodded silently in acknowledgment. Duke Qi Luo walked up to Ning Fengzhi, said nothing, and simply patted him on the shoulder forcefully.

After the meeting, Ning Fengzhi returned to his residence and began writing visiting cards.

The visiting card was addressed to Dai Tianfeng, and the wording had been carefully considered.

The strategic significance of the alliance, the specific methods of joint operations between the two sides, and the initial division of spheres of influence after the war are all clearly stated.

At the end of his visiting card, he added a sentence, not as a polite formality or a perfunctory remark, but as a conclusion he had reached after repeated reflection over the past few days.

"If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. The calamity of Tian Dou today will be the calamity of Xing Luo tomorrow. I hope Your Majesty will think deeply about this."

After writing the last word, Ning Fengzhi picked up the letter, gently blew on the ink to dry it, folded it, put it in an envelope, and sealed it with sealing wax. His movements were as composed as ever, as if he were handling a perfectly ordinary sect matter.

Gu Rong stood to the side, watching his nonchalant demeanor, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had followed Ning Fengzhi for most of his life and knew this man all too well.

The more critical the moment, the calmer Ning Fengzhi became. His calmness was unbelievable, so calm it sent chills down one's spine.

"When do we set off?" Gu Rong asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Ning Fengzhi put the letter away and looked up. "We can't delay. The Spirit Hall may make new moves at any time. The sooner we get to Xingluo, the sooner we can finalize the alliance, and the sooner the allied forces can prepare their military equipment."

Gu Rong nodded and didn't ask any more questions. It was pointless to ask anyway; once Ning Fengzhi made up his mind, no one could change it.

……

Meanwhile, in the Starry Sky Forest.

The changing winds on the mainland did not disturb the tranquility of this vast forest.

The rise and fall of those human empires, the life-and-death battles of those titled Douluo, are nothing but farces in the face of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Humans fight and die, but the forests remain the same forests, and the lakes remain the same lakes.

The surface of the Lake of Life is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky above, which is fragmented by the tree canopy.

On the dark green boulder by the lake, the Nine-Colored Deer lay quietly, its nine-colored radiance blending with the misty air over the lake, enveloping the entire core area in a peaceful atmosphere.

The nine-colored deer had its eyes closed and was breathing steadily, appearing as if it were dozing.

But at this moment, it is cultivating, and its cultivation level has already touched the threshold of 99,999 years. It is only a hair's breadth away from 100,000 years.

Deep within the core area, Di Tian had already given his orders.

All spirit beasts know that the Lake of Life has now been designated a forbidden zone. No spirit beast may approach, make noise, or disturb the auspicious beasts' peaceful cultivation.

Those who disobey orders...