Chapter 189: Returning to the Nest after the Rain, the Empty City Strategy

"The Da Ye Empire is mobilizing its entire forces to exterminate all sects? Not leaving a single one?" Princess Qianyou asked after some thought.

"They're indeed wiping out all sects, but it's not about leaving none. Anyone who surrenders or is captured will be imprisoned," Suifeng frowned and said.

"Imprisoned?" Princess Qianyou looked puzzled.

"Yes, imprisoned. No one knows what the Da Ye Empire is up to. According to Elder's words, it's for the Imperial Seal of Tianchao, but there's no need for such slaughter. They could just drive away the people from the various sects," Suifeng furrowed his brows, pondering.

"Hmm," Just then, a figure suddenly appeared outside the Jade Balance Hall.

An apparently ordinary old man.

"Guardian, I've seen the Elder," the old man who entered the hall immediately said.

The guardian of the Yuheng Sect?

"Guardian? Where did you come from?" Princess Qianyou asked.

In the sect, when an important matter required the Elder's judgment, both the Mountain Guardian and the Sect Guardian would appear together. Now, only the Sect Guardian appeared alone, indicating that the Sect Guardian had just returned from outside.

"When the Guardian returned, he happened to see the retreat of the Ten Thousand Wolves. Thanks to the Elder, the Guardian has just returned from near the Baji Sect to the north," the Sect Guardian said immediately.

"Guardian, did you go to find out about the movements of the Da Ye Empire?" Suifeng immediately explained.

Hearing Suifeng's explanation, Princess Qianyou nodded.

"How's it outside?" Princess Qianyou asked.

"The Da Ye Empire has now cleared the southern, western, and northern parts of the Great Yin Mountains. Now, they are systematically clearing the various sects to the east of the Great Yin Mountains. Eight hours ago, the Baji Sect resisted desperately, but their entire sect was wiped out. The Da Ye Empire collected their bodies and froze them all," the Sect Guardian said.

"Collecting bodies? Freezing? What does the Da Ye Empire want?" Suifeng asked in astonishment.

"Sixteen hours ago, the Da Ye Empire's army flattened the Ningyou Temple. Three hundred disciples of the Ningyou Temple died, and their bodies were collected and frozen. Another two hundred disciples were sealed with their true essence and detained. I don't know what they're up to, but the momentum... In less than three days, they will definitely be at our Yuheng Sect," the Sect Guardian said solemnly.

"Three days? They'll be here in three days?" Suifeng said with great concern.

"Yes, at most three days," the Sect Guardian said solemnly.

"Sixteen hours ago at the Ningyou Temple, eight hours ago at the Baji Sect. Does this mean that the Da Ye Empire's army is only capturing and massacring disciples of various sects and not doing anything else?" Master Shuijing, shaking his feather fan, asked in confusion.

"Yes, they're not doing anything else, just capturing people and corpses," the Sect Guardian said.

"What about the strength of their army?" Princess Qianyou asked after some thought.

"The Da Ye Empire has a history of a thousand years. Although it's just an empire, its strength is exceptionally terrifying. Since the three major sects have been wiped out and only the east of the Great Yin Mountains is left, they have gathered their forces. The Da Ye Empire has mobilized five major army corps, with the elite troops of four of them dispatched. The commanders of the four army corps are all experts at the Combined Dao Realm, with many Yuan Infant stage experts under their command, nearly thirty thousand Golden Core stage experts, rapidly annihilating the various sects," the Sect Guardian said.

"Thirty thousand?" Gu Lin sneered, showing a disdainful look.

Seeing Gu Lin, Zhongshan was speechless. This person is too ignorant!

"With such elite troops, it's indeed like no one can stop them around here. Even if the various sects join forces to resist, it's difficult to resist. Moreover, they are now systematically exterminating them one by one," Princess Qianyou frowned.

"Yes, with such a huge army lineup, once they arrive at the Yuheng Sect, it will be more terrifying than the previous wolf disaster," Master Shuijing nodded.

"Heh, don't be afraid. Since Qianyou and I are here, what's the Da Ye Empire? Naturally, they won't dare to mess with the Yuheng Sect,"

"Qianyou is the princess of the Da Luo Tian Dynasty. Even I, they wouldn't dare to offend," Gu Lin said confidently.

However, Zhongshan, Master Shuijing, and Princess Qianyou looked at Gu Lin in astonishment. Using their status to oppress them?

"Prince, the Da Ye Empire is not subordinate to our Da Luo Tian Dynasty. Using our status may not work, especially since their actions this time are very strange. They won't care about our identities, and they might even kill to cover their tracks," Master Shuijing shook his head.

"What? Then what should we do? Shuijing, you need to think of a solution quickly," Gu Lin said, first surprised, then immediately worried upon hearing Master Shuijing's words.

Looking at Gu Lin, Master Shuijing sighed with a bitter smile.

"The calamity of war is no less than the wolf disaster. Master, can you negotiate with them?" Princess Qianyou looked at Zhongshan.

This time, Princess Qianyou directly addressed Zhongshan as "Master," without any mention of concealing their identities before. Master Shuijing felt it was natural, while Gu Lin looked at her with confusion.

Zhongshan smiled bitterly and said, "Negotiating with beasts may work. If negotiation fails, we can find another way. However, this time, there's only one chance. The Da Ye Empire's momentum is unstoppable. They're bent on annihilating sects, capturing and killing. If negotiation were effective, the many sects wouldn't have been wiped out. Obviously, the Da Ye Empire has its own schemes, hidden in the shadows, unlike the directness of the wolf disaster. Negotiation is difficult and almost futile."

Taking a deep breath, Princess Qianyou nodded, understanding the severity of the situation.

"So we'll have to find another way," Princess Qianyou said.

At this point, everyone fell silent, continuously pondering the current situation and thinking about how to face it. Three days later, the Da Ye Empire would arrive at the Yuheng Sect, and it would undoubtedly be a bloody massacre. Surrendering was not feasible either, as it would only lead to more restrictions on their freedom.

What should they do?

Zhongshan, Master Shuijing, and Princess Qianyou thought for a while, and the others didn't dare to interrupt, waiting for the replies of these three exceptionally intelligent individuals.

Gu Lin looked at Princess Qianyou, then cast a cold glance at Zhongshan, and finally looked at Master Shuijing expectantly.

The three of them seemed to have figured something out and jumped out of their own contemplative state, looking at the others.

"Shuijing, what's your plan? Speak up," Gu Lin immediately urged, as if afraid that Zhongshan would speak first.

Princess Qianyou glanced at Gu Lin, her brows slightly furrowed, while Zhongshan showed a faint smile. This Gu Lin was indeed charmingly foolish.

Master Shuijing shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Master Shuijing, since Gu Lin asked, what's your plan? Speak up," Princess Qianyou smiled at Master Shuijing.

"Yeah, if you have a plan, just say it," Gu Lin frowned, complaining.

With a wry smile, Master Shuijing said, "The Da Ye Empire will arrive in three days, and the Yuheng Sect is in a hopeless situation. To resolve the current dilemma, we can only break free from this hopeless situation and abandon the sect."

"Abandon the sect?" Suifeng furrowed his brows.

In Suifeng's heart, the Yuheng Sect was his roots, how could he just abandon it? Moreover, the location of the Yuheng Sect was not simple; it was an extremely important point set by the Seven Star Hall, a point falling on the land of God Zhou.

"After the rain, return home; the empty city strategy?" Princess Qianyou smiled. Zhongshan nodded beside her.

"Are we all leaving the Yuheng Sect?" Suifeng frowned.

"Not only leave, but also dismantle all the major formations of the Yuheng Sect. Take everything with us, or better yet, make it look messy. Let the people of the Da Ye Empire think that the disciples of the Yuheng Sect were scared away," Master Shuijing said confidently.

"But there are rules in the sect, and the Yuheng Sect must not be lost," Suifeng said with a hint of difficulty.

"Who said we would lose the Yuheng Sect? The Da Ye Empire is only capturing and killing people now. Once the people are gone, what else will they capture? Won't they just quickly wipe out the next sect? When things settle down here, we can come back. As long as the people are still here, the Yuheng Sect will still exist," Master Shuijing said confidently.

"Exactly. As long as the mountain stands, and the people are here, it's just a temporary separation. What's wrong with that?" Princess Qianyou nodded.

"Then where will the people of our Yuheng Sect go?" Suifeng sighed softly, nodding in agreement. Since the elder agreed, he had nothing more to say. Besides, there was no other option at the moment.

"The world is vast. Where can't we hide? Head east. When things settle down here, we can come back," Master Shuijing said.

"Okay," Suifeng nodded.

On the side, Gu Lin looked triumphant, as if he had come up with the solution himself, and provocatively looked at Zhongshan.

Seeing Gu Lin's expression, Zhongshan almost rolled his eyes. What a fool, a complete fool!

"Master, what do you think?" Princess Qianyou immediately turned to Zhongshan.

"I think what Master Shuijing said is very good. After the rain, return home; the empty city strategy. However, I have a little something to add. To alleviate the spiritual trauma of the disciples of the Yuheng Sect after leaving the sect," Zhongshan said after some thought.

Alleviate the spiritual trauma of the disciples of the Yuheng Sect? Everyone looked at Zhongshan strangely. Spiritual trauma? Indeed, the Yuheng Sect was the root of many disciples. Once they had to leave to avoid the disaster of war, they would definitely feel disappointed and sad, just like a mortal being driven out of their home and unable to return. Who wouldn't feel sad? Although they didn't say it out loud, there was always a bitter feeling in their hearts.

Everyone looked at Zhongshan strangely.

"With the Da Ye Empire rapidly exterminating sects, relentlessly moving forward, won't the sects they've destroyed be left deserted? Most of the valuables inside have been looted, but there's one thing they can't take away for a while: the spiritual stone mine. During this time, if any courageous disciples dare to go to the sites of the destroyed sects while they're empty and dig up more spiritual stones, they can turn their grief into strength. The more effort they put in, the more they'll gain," Zhongshan said bluntly.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at Zhongshan in confusion.

This seemed like taking advantage of the situation, but coming from Zhongshan's mouth, it sounded like a noble cause. Suifeng couldn't accept it for a while, and even Gu Lin was stunned.

Only Princess Qianyou and Master Shuijing nodded, with a hint of admiration in their eyes.

Master Shuijing had thought of this during the election for the Unmatched City. Indeed, shamelessness made one invincible!

Princess Qianyou sighed at Zhongshan's ability to turn the tables, turning adversity into advantage. This way, the Yuheng Sect not only suffered no losses but also gained a lot of benefits. At least for those low-generation disciples, as long as they had the courage, they could go and explore. It wasn't just about the spiritual stone mine; there might even be other hidden treasures to be found.

"Alright, it's settled then," Princess Qianyou nodded.