Chapter 027: Martial Uncle! Unmatched in His Realm!

Lu Wu thus acquired a legitimate identity, and was even granted the rights of a guest elder. This was simply unnatural.

Even Lu Wu himself found it odd.

It was akin to a man entering a country illegally, only to be discovered and then told, “Ah, why not become a parliamentarian?”

Unnatural as it was, this was a world of mysteries, where all things were governed by the Heavenly Way; therefore, what defied logic was accepted as normal.

The only thing that truly puzzled Lu Wu was Li Daoyun’s attitude.

Li Daoyun seemed far too amiable.

Indeed, choosing the side of humanity had been the right move.

The first thing Li Daoyun did after lifting the barrier was to seek out Yi Ya.

Yi Ya, immersed in tactical studies, looked up at Li Daoyun. “Master, what brings you here?”

Li Daoyun replied, “I’ve come to understand the thoughts of the second-generation disciples.”

“This time, we can challenge the Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain and strive to seize their entire territory.”

Yi Ya was astonished. “Master, the elders actually chose the most perilous plan?”

Li Daoyun laughed. “You’re still too young.”

“Do you know why your junior brothers and sisters proposed these strategies?”

Was it not simply a reflection of their masters’ intentions?

Without their own masters’ approval, how could they dare suggest such bold tactics?

Among the current generation of Tai Xu Palace elders, the war faction held absolute sway, with many madmen among them.

Thus, the madness naturally seeped down to the second generation.

Li Daoyun whispered, “But courage alone cannot achieve our goals—we must use our minds.”

“From today onward, you are to remain stationed here. Do not move. Ten days from now, strike with full force. Remember, no matter how the enemy provokes you, do not react.”

Yi Ya, though youthful and passionate, was sharp-minded. He quickly grasped the essence. “A feint to confuse the enemy?”

Li Daoyun nodded. “Our army’s immobility will make the Jiao Demon Lake and the Land of Chaos increasingly hesitant to act.”

It was a simple truth: so many Tai Xu Palace disciples, from Foundation Establishment to Qi Gathering, were stationed just a hundred miles from the core Tai Xu Peak. How could the surrounding forces dare to make a move?

The longer the army remained, the more the others would suspect a collusion between Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain and Tai Xu Palace.

Let it not be forgotten—if Tai Xu Palace conquers Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain, they border the Lu Clan.

But if they take Jiao Demon Lake or the Land of Chaos, they border Tianning City and the General’s Tower.

After enough time, Jiao Demon Lake and the Land of Chaos will believe it’s truly a ruse, and will be glad they didn’t act.

Yet at that precise moment, Tai Xu Palace’s army will launch a swift counterattack against Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain. Before Jiao Demon Lake and the Land of Chaos can respond, the strategic goal will be achieved; by then, their chance to act will have passed.

Li Daoyun continued, “Over the past six years, we’ve exhausted nearly all our resources to build this army. Someone must bear the cost.”

Each year, five thousand disciples were recruited, four thousand of whom were kept hidden.

Among these, the top inner disciples had never set foot in the Tai Xu Sword Tomb.

Their core sword embryos were all forged privately by the elders over the years.

Even defective sword embryos required a terrifying amount of resources.

Ordinary sword embryos needed vast quantities of materials.

But spirit-grade sword embryos demanded not just resources, but the painstaking effort of the elders.

Among the ten thousand troops, three thousand disciples possessed sword embryos.

From the Sword Tomb, many of the finest sword embryos accumulated over countless years were taken and bestowed upon the most outstanding inner disciples of recent years.

This loss nearly crippled Tai Xu Palace.

Yet, if Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain could be taken, it would not be a mere wound—it would be a supremely lucrative investment.

Li Daoyun patted Yi Ya’s shoulder. “Remember, Tai Xu Palace was once a force as mighty as the Holy Capital. Now we’ve dwindled to this.”

“Such as Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain, daring to oppose us, repeatedly encroaching on our borders.”

“Old enmities from untold ages—the day of blood vengeance is today.”

“Do you know what to do?”

Yi Ya nodded, “I understand, Master!”

Li Daoyun added, “By the way, the exotic beast in the camp—its species is mosquito, named Lu Wu. He is a guest elder of Tai Xu Palace.”

“This time, all cards are on the table. No need to conceal it; it can be made public.”

Yi Ya raised his brows, “Understood.”

...

The Young Peng King presided over the camp, seated atop the mountain in a grand chair, overlooking the Tai Xu Palace army below.

“This battle will not be easy,” he mused.

“My elder brother’s worries are justified,” the Young Jiao King nodded. “Tai Xu Palace has hidden their strength for so long; this army must be well-trained, while we only have numbers. In actual combat, we are at a disadvantage.”

Beside them, the Bear Demon, Xiong Yu, said, “We won’t know if we can win until we fight.”

The Young Peng King asked, “Any movement in their camp?”

The Ape Demon, who had remained silent, finally spoke. “Since noon, there’s been word spreading in their camp: a new insect-type exotic beast has appeared in the Tai Xu Mountains, named Lu Wu. Practicing the Way of Ten Thousand Beasts, his strength is unparalleled. He has become a guest elder of Tai Xu Palace at the Qi Gathering level.”

“Master Uncle! Invincible at Qi Gathering!”

Yi Ya, after all, was a dramatic youth.

When spreading the news, he habitually used all sorts of flamboyant descriptions.

Upon hearing this, the Tai Xu Palace disciples were convinced that this insect beast, Lu Wu, must possess monstrous strength, and the rumors grew ever more exaggerated.

Eventually, it was even said that Lu Wu could use his beastly talents to defeat experts of the Airborne Realm across boundaries.

At that moment, the ground atop the mountain churned. A wolf demon dug its way up and prostrated itself. “Young Peng King!”

“Subordinate reports: a small team from the Tai Xu Palace army has set out, heading for our Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain.”

Bear, Jiao, and Ape exchanged glances.

“What could this mean?”

The Young Peng King reminded them, “Don’t forget, we have the Moon-Chasing operation, and they have their Tai Xu squad.”

With this prompt, Xiong Yu frowned, “Elder brother, are you saying Tai Xu Palace has now initiated their Tai Xu operation?”

“Could it be that they have no intention of a decisive battle, but are instead holding us in place while their elite squad crosses Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain to complete the Tai Xu task that comes once every six years?”

The Ape Demon’s body instantly swelled into a giant ape. “Elder brother, give me ten thousand little demons, and I’ll intercept them!”

The Young Peng King frowned in thought. “No need.”

“Our task now is to confront the Tai Xu Palace army.”

“They’ve launched the Tai Xu task and deliberately let us know—it’s definitely a scheme. We must not split our forces.”

“Form a batch of cannon fodder teams to hold the front, have the other squads stay vigilant. We’ll wait for the Tai Xu Palace army to attack.”

In truth, the Tai Xu task squad was not a covert plot, but an open one.

They knew full well that the Young Peng King dared not divide his forces now, so they immediately launched the Tai Xu task.

Their sole aim: to cross Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain and then rally the predecessors who had completed the Tai Xu task in the Lu Clan over the past century.

They intended to attack Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain from both sides.

And they had to accomplish all this within ten days.

That meant they needed to traverse Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain within seven days, then relay the message.

This squad, led by Zhuoya and Cang Yukun, consisted of ten members.

Yi Ya, meanwhile, remained in the central command, looking every bit ready to begin corps operations.

But the true battle would commence ten days later.

As guest elder, Lu Wu was among the few whom Yi Ya had informed of the real plan.

Lu Wu was dumbfounded.

If Tai Xu Palace truly swept through and eradicated Ten-Thousand Demon Mountain so swiftly, he would scarcely have time to undergo many evolutions during such a brief war.

How could he manage?

“Yi Ya nephew, I’ve decided to spend these days hunting and scouting in the demon camps alone.”

Yi Ya’s eyes lit up. “Master Uncle’s strength is formidable. Going alone to harass the demons, making them nervous and on edge—that is indeed a clever strategy.”

He bowed deeply. “I leave it in your hands, Master Uncle.”

As an elder, albeit a guest, Lu Wu was equivalent to a first-generation disciple—thus, Yi Ya as senior brother had to address him as “Master Uncle.”

Lu Wu was satisfied. “Very well, I’ll set out at night.”

On the first evening, the Young Peng King waited anxiously for Yi Ya to launch the attack.

But the Tai Xu army remained utterly still.

Xiong Yu muttered, “Something’s off.”

The Young Peng King said, “Use your brains. When masters duel, it’s like playing a game of chess among humans—the one who moves first loses. This Yi Ya is truly formidable; he’s waiting for us to lose patience and attack first. In our current state, attacking would be suicide.”

“We must keep our composure.”