Chapter 549: Dealing with the Threat (Patreon)

Immortal Path Space : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Wang Hong hadn't anticipated that the Demon Clan's offensive would be so fierce. All eighteen routes of the Demon Clan from West Zhou had mobilized, and this wasn't characteristic of the Demon Clan's usual style.

"Where is the Demon Clan now, and when do you expect them to arrive?" Wang Hong inquired.

"The Demon Clan is still in the process of mobilization. This process will take at least a month or more. Once the Demon Clan is fully gathered, some of them are closer to us, while others are quite far away. The ones closer will take at least three to four months to arrive, while some of the more distant Demonic Beasts might take up to a year to reach us. We still don't know the manner in which the Demon Clan will launch their attack. If they advance together, we'll have to wait for the distant Demonic Beasts. It might take up to a year for them to arrive in the Great Chu Immortal Nation."

"So, we have at most one year to prepare," Wang Hong remarked solemnly.

"Yes," came the reply.

Wang Hong's expression grew serious. Even these eighteen fourth-tier Demonic Beasts were not something he could handle. The Demon Clan seemed to have high expectations of him.

"I command you to temporarily release all the Golden Core Cultivators from the Immortal Way Trading Company. Infiltrate behind the Demon Clan lines. As soon as that faction of the Demon Clan starts deploying its forces, concentrate your efforts on harassing their base. It doesn't necessarily have to be taken down. As long as you can disrupt them and make their rear uneasy, the goal is to delay their assembly time, restrain the Demon Clan, and prevent them from going all out. This will buy more preparation time for the Great Chu Immortal Nation."

Wang Hong quickly formulated a corresponding plan. He and his subordinates were already well-versed in the art of infiltrating and disrupting, but this time their objective was different. Their main focus was on containment, and Wang Hong provided some additional guidance on the specifics.

The Cultivators of the Immortal Way Trading Company excelled in covert assassination, but they were not as adept at strategy as the military officers.

"You've been in the Golden Core Late Stage for some time now, and the Nascent Soul Realm breakthrough is not far off. I have some pills here and a bottle of Profound Spirit Elixir. Take them and strive to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm before the Demon Clan arrives."

Wang Hong handed two bottles of pills and the Profound Spirit Elixir to Liu Changsheng.

He had added some Ten Thousand-Year Spiritual Herbs to the pills, making them much more effective than third-tier pills.

Liu Changsheng was a seasoned individual who had been with Wang Hong for many years, helping him manage the Immortal Way Trading Company and training a batch of valuable talents. Wang Hong always provided him with good resources.

"Thank you for Your Majesty's nurturing!" Liu Changsheng couldn't believe that he would have the opportunity to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm someday.

Wang Hong didn't linger and returned to the Royal Palace to gather his officials to discuss the strategy for dealing with the imminent threat.

First, Wang Hong informed everyone about the Demon Clan's preparations for an attack on all eighteen fronts.

Upon hearing this news, everyone was shocked. The Demon Clan's strength this time was exceptionally formidable, surpassing Great Chu Immortal Nation's by two or three times. The odds of victory seemed slim.

Seeing that no one spoke for a long time, Wang Hong said, "Currently, we only have two options: a fight to the death or withdrawal to avoid their edge."

These were the only two paths available to them; surrendering to the Demon Clan was not an option.

However, these two paths didn't seem promising either. In a direct confrontation, the power gap was insurmountable, and no strategy could change that. There was no chance of victory. As for withdrawal, where could they go?

The Southern Region? The Southern Region was already densely populated, and with the influx of Cultivators from East Zhou, even the smallest Spiritual Site there became precious.

The Northern Region was not a better choice either. Taihao Sect in the Northern Region was also struggling.

In such a dire situation, no one dared to speak lightly. It was like dancing on the edge of a knife. Any misstep could lead to disaster.

Seeing that nobody had come up with a suitable plan, Wang Hong said, "Think carefully about the specific strategy for dealing with this situation."

"Chen Xiaofeng!"

Chen Xiaofeng heard Wang Hong's call and quickly stepped forward.

"What would you like, Your Majesty?" he inquired.

"How many Flying Boats does the Ministry of Works currently have?" Wang Hong asked.

"The Ministry of Works currently has eighty Medium-sized Flying Boats, three hundred Transport Flying Boats, and ten Large-sized Flying Boats," Chen Xiaofeng reported.

Wang Hong contemplated this for a moment, then looked down below.

"Xu Lun!" he called.

Xu Lun responded and stepped forward.

"How much weaponry is in the arsenal, and how many people can it equip?" Wang Hong inquired.

Xu Lun thought for a moment and then provided a specific figure.

"Your Majesty, the national treasury still has enough weapons and armor to equip approximately thirty thousand people. Additionally, there are some materials from Demonic Beasts that haven't been refined yet."

"Very well," Wang Hong replied. He then turned to Luo Zhongjie and said, "Luo Zhongjie, I want you to recruit thirty thousand people from the Mortal realm. The recruitment criteria for these thirty thousand can be relaxed, as long as they are young and able-bodied. You will have one year to train them into capable soldiers."

"Chen Xiaofeng, you should increase the workforce at the Ministry of Works as much as possible."

Wang Hong had finally realized the importance of the Ministry of Works, which was even more critical than the military. The processes of refining tools and alchemy both required the Ministry of Works, and during times of war, the consumption of these resources was enormous.

"Furthermore, the Ministry of Works should continue to produce Flying Boats. I need a large quantity of Flying Boats. The newly recruited personnel can be assigned to work on refining tools, focusing on creating weapons suitable for low-tier warriors."

"Xu Lun, for the time being, I want all of Great Chu Immortal Nation to pull back completely. Except for King's City, we should abandon all other areas and concentrate the population within King's City."

Great Chu Immortal Nation's population was already quite small, just over a million. If they were dispersed across various regions, they wouldn't be able to form a fighting force.

After issuing a series of orders, Wang Hong dismissed the meeting, and everyone went about their respective tasks.

After the court session, Wang Hong visited the Imperial Dragon Army's camp. The current Imperial Dragon Army had only a thousand soldiers, but they were all elite.

The commander, Skinny Monkey, saw Wang Hong's arrival and hurried out of the camp to welcome him, leading Wang Hong into a tent.

"What brings Your Majesty here?" Skinny Monkey asked.

"How many people in the Imperial Dragon Army have reached the peak of Foundation Building?" Wang Hong inquired.

"Your Majesty, there are approximately eighty soldiers in the Imperial Dragon Army who have reached the peak of Foundation Building," Skinny Monkey reported.

"Good. Prepare the profiles of these eighty individuals and have them take turns meeting me," Wang Hong instructed.

Skinny Monkey took out a Jade Scroll and imprinted some information into it using Divine Sense. After handing it to Wang Hong, he sent a Transmission Talisman.

After a while, a somewhat simple-looking young man entered the tent. He was startled to see Wang Hong sitting in the main seat, not expecting the king to personally summon him.

"Xiao Xi, greetings to Your Majesty," he said respectfully.

"No need to be so formal, Xiao Xi. You were recruited at the age of ten, and now you're thirty. You've performed exceptionally well in these thirty years. You achieved a feat at twenty-five, personally killing a Tier-1 Ironclad Beast and saving three comrades. At twenty-eight, you achieved another..."

Wang Hong went on to recount the soldier's accomplishments. Hearing this, Xiao Xi was deeply moved, realizing that even the king remembered all he had done.

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 550: Beyond Hezhou