Upon entering the main hall, the first thing one saw was an old man. This old man looked extremely old. His hair was completely white, even his beard and eyebrows were white. He was hunched over, and held a cane in his hand.
"Ahem, the High Priest greets the Holy Maiden," the old man said respectfully.
"High Priest, there's no need for such formalities. Throughout history, the position of High Priest has always been above that of the Holy Maiden. Although I have been reincarnated, to avoid premature exposure, please treat me as an ordinary Holy Maiden," the woman in red said calmly.
Then, glancing at the incredibly conspicuous bright red robe, the high priest shook his head helplessly. "You're already so eye-catching, and you still expect to stay hidden? Where in this world do you find so many good things?"
"Holy Maiden, the plan is progressing smoothly. Duke Wu has arrived in Lujiang County and is preparing for a decisive battle with Lord Zhongshan in seven days," the High Priest said.
"A decisive battle in seven days? So, he plans to just openly and fairly sweep through? It seems this Duke of Wu is quite confident," the woman in red said casually.
"Yes, according to the intelligence, the Duke of Wu is indeed superior. If we don't take direct action," the High Priest replied after thinking for a moment.
"After all, the five thousand veteran soldiers of the state level are far stronger than the ten thousand undisciplined demon soldiers. And the title of Duke of Wu can borrow the fortune of the Han Dynasty at any time, so even if he confronts Lord Zhongshan head-on, he can not be at a disadvantage."
"So, it's very likely that Lord Zhongshan can only delay for another seven days?" the woman in red said with some dissatisfaction.
"No, no, no, seven days is just a possibility. On the battlefield, who dares to speak lightly of victory or defeat? Even if we lose, we can hide in the mountains," the high priest explained.
"So, that still exists, right?"
“Yes, after all, this is the Central Plains, and the dragon's aura is too powerful. Just in case, it's best if we don't make a move, otherwise, we might inadvertently attract the attention of the imperial court,” the high priest nodded.
"In that case, let's calculate based on the worst-case scenario, say only seven days. That leaves two months. After two months, everything will be much better. So, we absolutely cannot afford any mistakes within these two months."
"Besides, Jiangdong has been established for so many years, and our people are everywhere. At worst, we can just kill him when we cross the river. As long as we delay for two months, even if we have to abandon this base, it won't be a big deal," the woman in red said expressionlessly.
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Chapter Eleven: Brother Xiang?
"Killed the Duke of Wu while crossing the river?" Upon hearing this, the High Priest couldn't help but gasp. This was a serious matter.
The court conferred the title of Duke, and they just killed him like that? Aren't they afraid of an investigation? What if they find out? And was it even necessary?
Even if Lin Yang really did arrive in Jiangdong, how could he possibly investigate everything in just two months? Did he really think that the past 20,000 years had been wasted?
"Is this senior taking things a bit too seriously? Has his IQ declined over time?" the High Priest thought to himself.
"Why be so intense this time? We could have used all sorts of tricks and schemes. For example, we could have secretly destroyed all of the Lu family's ships during the final battle. Even if we won, we could have delayed the battle for several more days."
"For example, after arriving in Jiangdong, he used various means to sow discord and at the same time mobilized the Mao God and monsters to destroy his territory. In addition, he could also..." Then, the high priest listed a variety of methods at length.
Using these methods is generally very easy and effortless. In the past, those who explored Jiangdong all perished in this way.
Those who were lucky lost everything but escaped unharmed. Those who were unlucky, however, turned into a pile of bones.
“Ah, that was in the past. These methods might work on ordinary people, but is this Duke of Wu an ordinary person? He is the ancestor of the divine path and also a chosen one. I directly suspect that this person is one of the many chosen ones of this era.”
"With such great fortune upon him, all schemes and traps are useless. Only by going all out before his luck fully blossoms can we have even the slightest chance of eliminating him," the woman in red said, her tone carrying an undeniable confidence.
However, the high priest standing to the side found this quite perplexing. If they did this for every threat, the Temple of War would have been exposed long ago. Besides, just because you say he's the chosen one of the times doesn't mean he is! Impossible!
Seeing this, the woman knew that she had just been reincarnated and her power had not yet fully recovered. Therefore, her authority was not very strong. Although she appeared to be in charge, many troubles would inevitably arise if this person was not persuaded.
"Alas, it's normal that the High Priest doesn't understand. Now that the third cycle has begun, it is actually the beginning of a great era of contention. In the future, there will be countless chosen ones, or rather, chosen ones of the times. There will be countless geniuses of all kinds. For us, this will be an unprecedented era."
"Therefore, the common sense accumulated over the years is almost useless. Take this Duke of Wu for example, I suspect he is one of the chosen ones of today."
"Once they reach Jiangdong, they will definitely notice something amiss within half a month, and trace it back to our War God Temple within a month. Moreover, they will certainly appear at the perfect moment when the Overlord is resurrected. This is the will of Heaven."
"Besides, don't you think this boy's appearance is too coincidental? It just so happens that he arrived in Jiangdong during the most crucial two or three months," the woman in the red robe sighed.
“But we can still use various underhanded methods. There’s no need to kill him; that would likely be discovered by the court,” the High Priest insisted. The Holy Maiden’s words weren’t entirely without merit, but the High Priest simply disagreed. In his view, it was still too risky.
Upon hearing this, the woman in the red robe shook her head. Her former advisor had held the same view. Therefore, he exiled Liu Bang to Hanzhong and then to Shu. Afterwards, he employed a series of other methods, but were these methods effective against Liu Bang? Absolutely none!
Great fortune smiles upon him, and all evil is warded off. Guys like Lin Yang are all destined for greatness. Moreover, perhaps this young man's destiny is specifically designed to deal with the tyrant.
"Alright then," the woman in red insisted, "let's see what happens to Zhongshan Jun in seven days. If he fails on the spot, then we'll do as I say. We'll try to kill him when he crosses the river. If Zhongshan Jun can hold out for a long time, that would be even better."
Upon hearing this, the High Priest pondered for a long time. Then, holding his cane, he tapped the ground heavily and said, "Very well, this old man also wants to see the power of the so-called Chosen One. If it is really as the Holy Maiden said, that it can turn misfortune into good fortune, avert disaster, and bring about all things going smoothly, then perhaps this old body will have to get moving."
After speaking, the high priest left the area. The woman in red robes then returned to the statue.
With a sigh, the woman in red robes formed a hand seal, and then the statue shone brightly, illuminating the entire room. When the light faded, the saintess had vanished.
Then, the woman found herself in a magnificent and beautiful world, filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. At first glance, the surrounding scenery was quite lovely.
"Phew, it's still not enough. I can't stay here for long on my own. The level of the divine kingdom is still too low." As he spoke, an identical woman in red robes detached herself from his physical body.
This is the Temple of the God of War, a divine kingdom established using the faith of the God of War. Overall, it is still very weak. Currently, it can only store the souls of the dead. As for actual physical objects, that remains very difficult.
Of course, in the end, the divine kingdom can still be materialized. At that time, it will be the day when the divine kingdom is exalted and transformed into stars. Then, faith will be disregarded, and it will exist eternally. It can be said that as long as the stars exist, the divine kingdom will never fall.
Immediately afterwards, the woman in the red robe took a few steps to the east, then a few steps to the west. Before long, she arrived before a colossal statue. She stamped her foot and entered the statue, arriving before an exquisitely crafted box.
Endless offerings, good fortune, and merits, transmitted through layers of arrays, ultimately arrived in this box. Upon the arrival of the woman in red, as if seeing a familiar face, the box immediately began to move.
The box looked quite exquisite, neither too big nor too small, only about a foot square. Its surface was covered with various delicate patterns, and complex Daoist charms were clearly revealed on the surface.
These Daoist principles are incredibly profound, but for Daoists, they are unparalleled treasures. A single glance can allow a second-tier Yin Spirit Mage to break through to a third-tier Yang Spirit True Person. Even a fourth-tier Human Immortal might not be able to fully comprehend them.
What's even more astonishing is that this box emanated an extremely powerful aura of destruction. The surrounding space was completely shattered, appearing dark and gloomy, as if a black hole had enveloped the box.
Meanwhile, under the influence of the boundless blessings of incense offerings, the seal on the surface of the box is gradually weakening.
Seeing the constantly vibrating box, the woman in red couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Xiang, don't worry, in a while, the seal set up by Zhang Liang will be completely erased..."
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