They had plundered two major powers in succession, and both of those powers possessed half-god ancestors.
Sacred Mistress Ningyan's spirits were high as well, the initial restraint she had shown completely gone — she had truly let loose. It turned out this unconventional style of operation could be so satisfying.
An experience like never before.
According to the battle plan they had devised, attacking the rebel main force head-on was obviously out of the question. After all, including the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast and Long Xiaoxuan, they only had two humans and two beasts. Confronting the rebel main force directly was clearly unrealistic.
Therefore, the core of their strategy boiled down to four characters: "Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao."
First, attack the factions that possessed half-god ancestors, forcing those ancestors to lose their composure. As long as the enemy returned to provide aid, Jiang Chen and Sacred Mistress Ningyan would gain far more options.
They could ambush Ancestor Meng Qianqiu of the Menglan Sect along the way, or they could ambush the half-god ancestor of the Yuchi family.
They could even block both at once.
After all, by that point, they would be in the shadows while the enemy would be in the open — whom to strike and when to strike would naturally be their call.
Now, Sacred Mistress Ningyan placed complete trust in Jiang Chen.
Near a passage several hundred li from the Yuchi family's territory, Jiang Chen and Sacred Mistress Ningyan chose this location as their ambush site.
Although Sacred Mistress Ningyan had great confidence in Jiang Chen, she was still somewhat puzzled at this moment.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, this area is wide open — it's not some treacherous terrain at all, and it's not advantageous for an ambush. Why didn't we pick a few dangerous spots? For instance, about three hundred li ahead, there's a location that would be extremely suitable for an ambush."
Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively. "If I were Ancestor Yuchi and learned that my family had been attacked, I would rush back with all my might. But on the way back, I would certainly consider whether all of this might be a ruse — whether it was luring the snake from its hole, whether someone might be lying in ambush."
"If he takes all of those factors into account, then whenever he passes through dangerous terrain, he will be extremely cautious and vigilant."
Sacred Mistress Ningyan considered this carefully, and slowly began to grasp the underlying logic.
"You mean that in dangerous terrain, he would naturally be on high guard, and we might not get the chance to strike. But here, in this wide-open space with nothing obstructing movement, he's more likely to let his guard down — is that it?"
"It's not absolute, but relatively speaking, that's correct."
Sacred Mistress Ningyan was lost in thought, then suddenly asked, "Then why not ambush Meng Qianqiu instead? Logically, we raided the Menglan Sect earlier."
"The Menglan Sect only had their treasury plundered — we didn't kill anyone. It's entirely possible that up to this point, the Menglan Sect hasn't even realized their treasury was raided or that Meng Tianxing was captured by us. But when the Yuchi family is attacked, the news will spread at the fastest possible speed."
"Besides, with Meng Tianxing in our hands, isn't Meng Qianqiu essentially a puppet on our strings? We can make him go wherever we want."
Jiang Chen was quite confident about this. With Meng Tianxing in his grasp, Meng Qianqiu would have to proceed with extreme caution and would absolutely pose no real threat.
The four great half-god ancestors — Ancestor Jinzhong had already been eliminated.
If they now took out the half-god ancestor of the Yuchi family, then the four great half-god ancestors would be reduced by half.
Add to that Meng Qianqiu, who would, if he was smart enough, at least voluntarily withdraw from the rebellion.
In that case, the four great half-god ancestors might be reduced to just one remaining.
If that happened, it would be a fatal blow to the rebel forces. It was entirely possible that the situation at True Martial Sacred Land could be reversed in one fell swoop.
After all, the rebel forces were powerful precisely because the half-god ancestors held them together. Without such prestigious ancestors commanding the larger picture, the rebel coalition could collapse in an instant — this was not impossible.
Jiang Chen had experienced the Eternal God Kingdom's rebellion and understood the peculiar nature of rebel alliances. If the rebels held the upper hand and strong leaders were directing affairs, everything would flow smoothly, and their combat strength would be formidable. Of course, the prerequisite was unity, without too many hidden agendas.
But once cracks appeared in the rebel forces, or once their momentum was suppressed, the possibility of their collapse was very real.
Especially when facing a devastating blow, the speed at which the rebels would disintegrate would be truly astonishing.
So Jiang Chen was gambling.
With conventional methods, destroying the rebel forces was absolutely impossible. Even with the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast deployed, when the three great half-god ancestors stood together, bolstered by the rebel forces' overwhelming momentum, the chances of the Vermilion Bird Divine Beast breaking through and eliminating all three ancestors were virtually zero.
Only by defeating them one by one was the correct path.
Sacred Mistress Ningyan's anxiety was mounting. As the Sacred Mistress of True Martial Sacred Land, she naturally cared even more about the situation there than Jiang Chen did.
Although she fully approved of Jiang Chen's strategy, from her standpoint, she still worried — what if the rebels launched an assault on True Martial Sacred Land's headquarters and entered a final decisive battle while they simply sat here waiting? What then?
What if the half-god ancestor of the Yuchi family, upon receiving the news, didn't return to his family at all? What if he chose to prioritize the greater situation?
These possibilities could not be entirely ruled out.
And so, Sacred Mistress Ningyan's heart was full of anxiety, caught between hope and dread.
Jiang Chen seemed to sense Sacred Mistress Ningyan's concerns and offered reassurance: "Success depends on human effort, but outcomes are governed by Heaven. There is no need for the Sacred Mistress to worry. The Yuchi family's foundation has been destroyed — there is no reason for him to remain composed. He will certainly return. There is no need for concern."
Jiang Chen, it seemed, was more confident than Sacred Mistress Ningyan herself.