Long Xiaoxuan was feeling a bit depressed and deflated at having his suggestion rejected.
He had recently undergone another power-up and was desperate to join the fray — to fight wildly, to absorb the essence of battle at a feverish pace, and to stimulate yet another breakthrough.
Though Long Xiaoxuan was only at the sixth level of Heavenly Domain, his combat power was absolutely enough to hold his own against a ninth-level opponent.
After all, the combat prowess of the True Dragon clan became more and more dominant the higher one's cultivation realm.
With the continuous awakening of his inherited memories, the True Dragon clan's combat power would only keep climbing, and his martial dao insights would keep generating fresh inspiration.
Most importantly, the advancement of his realm was constantly evolving and sublimating his physical body.
Ever since entering the Heavenly Domain realm, Long Xiaoxuan had clearly felt that the various factors within his body were undergoing positive transformations.
Inherited memories awakened almost daily, and all manner of insights arrived in rapid succession. His Dharma Idol, too, was being elevated steadily.
This almost visibly perceptible growth made Long Xiaoxuan eager to test it all in real combat.
Jiang Chen noticed Long Xiaoxuan's expression and suddenly smiled. "Brother Long, you look positively brimming with fighting spirit. As it happens, I do have a stratagem in mind."
"What? Spit it out, stop keeping me in suspense." Long Xiaoxuan's curiosity was thoroughly hooked.
"Admittedly, this plan requires you to serve as bait, and there's a certain element of danger involved."
"Danger? What danger? I'm of the True Dragon clan — I'm not so easy to deal with. What you consider dangerous might not even pose a threat to me." Long Xiaoxuan's tone was brimming with pride, looking supremely smug about it.
"Brother Vermilion Bird, this plan will need your cooperation as well. Otherwise it's meaningless." Jiang Chen laid on the flattery with the Vermilion Bird divine beast.
"Chen Shao, just lay out whatever scheme you have. Since I'm already here, of course I'll cooperate with you to the fullest." The Vermilion Bird was quite amenable.
"Here's the thing…" Jiang Chen began explaining with eloquent confidence. "Right now, the situation at our Eternal Sacred Ground has probably reached the ears of every major divine kingdom. Myself, Jiang Chen, along with Brother Vermilion Bird here, are hardly secret weapons anymore. However, very few people know about Brother Long — only a handful of upper echelon members at the Eternal Sacred Ground. Now imagine, if the bloodline of a True Dragon were to appear somewhere in these surrounding territories, would the rebel leaders be tempted?"
Once Jiang Chen reached this point, Long Xiaoxuan understood immediately. He was to be the bait.
The Vermilion Bird declared with firm conviction: "Among the Four Great Divine Beasts, in terms of the sheer attraction of one's bloodline, the True Dragon clan is absolutely number one. I'm certain that if a True Dragon bloodline is used as bait, it will work."
The Vermilion Bird was not being falsely modest on this point.
Each of the Four Great Divine Beasts had their own strengths, but when it came to the bloodline with the greatest potential and the most magnetic appeal, the True Dragon bloodline truly stood above the rest.
"Chen Shao, tell us the specifics and we'll do this." The Vermilion Bird was getting fired up too — in truth, the Vermilion Bird also craved battle.
Growth achieved through combat was the most tangible. The Vermilion Bird was now only a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the Divine Dao — just that final sliver of inspiration, that last accumulation before eruption.
Once the inspiration arrived and quantitative change reached its tipping point, that final step would be crossed naturally.
And how to trigger that spark of inspiration was precisely what the Vermilion Bird cared about most right now.
Perhaps seeking that inspiration in the heat of battle was the most practical approach.
Jiang Chen saw that his proposal had earned the enthusiastic endorsement of both the Vermilion Bird and Long Xiaoxuan, and he grew eager as well. The three of them began to discuss the details.
Half a shi-chen later, a plan that all three parties fully endorsed had taken shape.
"It's set for tomorrow. Whether it succeeds or not will depend on your acting skills, Brother Long." Jiang Chen grinned.
That night, Jiang Chen and his companions began laying their preparations.
Jiang Chen's task was to set traps and arrange formations.
Truth be told, the plan was not particularly ingenious. Under ordinary circumstances, it wouldn't guarantee a hundred percent success.
But right now, with morale among the enemy in turmoil, the probability of success was considerably higher.
As long as the rebel leaders took the bait and stepped into their trap, Jiang Chen was confident he could round them all up in one fell swoop.
Once those key leaders were eliminated, the rebel forces would be left without heads to follow and would surely collapse. When that happened, the three of them — one human and two beasts — could carve through the enemy ranks at will, as if marching through empty territory.
…
The morning sun spilled into this remote, tranquil valley, lending a touch of brightness to its depths.
But this stretch of valley had now been saturated with an aura of killing intent.
The rebel forces had been massing continuously, and they had sealed off the area so thoroughly that not even water could trickle through.