The passionate battle intent stirred by Tang Xiaoqi's earth-shaking declaration hadn't yet settled in the Thorn Wall command center. The air carried resolve like breaking urns and sinking boats. The demonic lord's "breeding parasite" calculation was like a poisoned thorn, deeply embedded in everyone's hearts. But precisely this poisoned thorn thoroughly ignited the allied forces' bone-deep unyielding spirit.
Since retreat was impossible, evasion impossible, then the only path was—take the initiative!
Tang Xiaoqi stood before the sand table, posture straight as a pine. His slightly pale complexion from serious wounds and emotional turmoil was now replaced by firm steadiness. His gaze was clear and sharp, as if penetrating the dense black flags on the sand table to directly see the demonic lord's true body hidden behind.
"Distinguished elders, fellow cultivators," Xiao Qi's voice was steady and powerful, clearly echoing in the command center, "The demonic lord's intention is clear. It views us asflesh, views my father as a prison petri dish. If we continue hiding here, passively defending via the Thorn Wall, the ending is merely two possibilities: either bleeding dry in the demonic army's endless war of attrition, or... watching the demonic lord complete its preparations and devouring me and my father together with irresistible force, forging its perfect demonic body."
He paused. His gaze swept across True Lord Xuanxuan, Mu Qingfeng, Liu Yun, and leaders of various tribes. His tone strengthened: "Either ending serves the demonic lord's designs perfectly! It wants us huddled inside, waiting for its harvest!"
"Xiao Qi, your meaning is?" True Lord Xuanxuan asked gravely, eyes already enlightened yet needing Xiao Qi to speak it aloud.
Xiao Qi took a deep breath. His finger sharply pointed to the most core position of the demonic army camp on the sand table—that marking of intense demonic energy, representing Demon Marshal Xu Zhan and where the demonic lord's true body was suspected to be hiding.
"My meaning is—we cannot wait for death! Must change strategy, shift from passive defense to—taking the initiative!"
"Taking the initiative?" A human general's brow furrowed tightly. "The demonic army is powerful, the Demon Marshal's might is overwhelming. We can barely hold the defensive line. How can we take the initiative? Isn't this courting destruction?"
"Not a full-scale frontal assault with massive forces." Xiao Qi shook his head. His eyes flashed with wisdom and adventure: "That would be suicide. I'm referring to organizing an extremely small but absolutely elite special task force for a beheading mission!"
"Beheading?" Everyone's hearts shocked.
"Correct!" Xiao Qi's voice was resolute: "The target is neither killing the Demon Marshal nor directly attacking the demonic lord's true body—that exceeds our current capabilities. Our target is infiltrating the demonic army's core area, finding opportunities, to complete two tasks!"
He raised two fingers:
"First, find ways to separate or greatly weaken the demonic lord's control over my father Xu Zhan! Father's soul is not extinguished. He's our greatest internal asset. If we can awaken his partial autonomous consciousness, attacking from both inside and outside, the demonic lord's control over the demonic army will greatly diminish. Its perfect demonic body fusion process will certainly be obstructed!"
"Second, find and destroy the 'perfect demonic body' the demonic lord is currently condensing! The demonic lord's plan to devour and fuse certainly requires a body capable of carrying its perfect power. This body's condensation is by no means easy. It must be at a critical stage and extremely vulnerable. If we can find and destroy it, we sever its foundation, at least delay its ultimate plan, buy us more time, or even force it into premature imperfect fusion, increasing variables!"
This strategic concept was bold, risky, yet precisely captured key nodes in the demonic lord's plan! It avoided the disadvantage of head-on collision with the massive demonic army, instead leveraging Xiao Qi's and Xu Zhan's unique bloodline connection and intelligence advantage to stab directly into the enemy's most core, possibly most vulnerable heart!
The command center fell into silence. Everyone was rapidly digesting Xiao Qi's strategy. This was undoubtedly a huge gamble, placing the allied forces' final hope on one small squad's infiltration. Once failed, not only would this elite squad never return, but it would thoroughly enrage the demonic lord, possibly causing the defensive line's instant collapse.
But... this seemed to be the only method to possibly break the deadlock, even reverse the battle situation!
"Risks are enormous." Mu Qingfeng. As the allied forces' actual commander, he had to weigh pros and cons. "How are squad members selected? What's the infiltration route? How to avoid the Demon Marshal's perception and countless demon patrols? Even if we successfully infiltrate, how do we approach the core? And how, in such demonic energy dense territory, complete the tasks of separating control and destroying the body?"
His string of questions directly pointed to the operation's core difficulties.
"Risks and opportunities coexist." Xiao Qi faced the doubts. "Squad members: quality over quantity. Requirements: at minimum Nascent Soul cultivation, extremely strong hiding, survival, or special auxiliary abilities. Most importantly—absolutely reliable, with some adaptability or resistance to purification power."
His gaze swept the room: "Eldest Senior Brother must command the center, coordinate overall situation, cannot act rashly. Third Senior Sister's sword dao is outstanding, decisive in killing. She can be one member. I personally must go. Only I can sense Father's condition and invoke lotus seed vitality. Additionally..."
He looked toward several silently standing figures in the corner: "Crown Prince Ao Qin. Dragons are naturally sensitive to evil filth. Water system divine abilities may have unexpected effects in specific environments. His true dragon body is strong, can handle unexpected situations. Zhao Tiezhu, peak body cultivator, his qi and blood like a furnace, highly resistant to demonic energy erosion. He can be the vanguard. And... Second Senior Brother."
Everyone's gazes turned to that slightly ethereal soul body of Second Senior Brother floating above a specially made magical artifact.
Second Senior Brother's phantom swayed, his unique voice carrying a trace of excitement: "Heh heh, how could this kind of sabotage and infiltrating job leave me out? Don't look at me like this. My understanding of energy flow and formation structures, plus my little gadgets, might be quite useful! Just prepare me a suitable puppet body!"
Xiao Qi nodded, continuing: "As for infiltration routes, Aunt Su once provided a secret passage leading to the original Shadow Serpent Pavilion headquarters. Although later corrupted by demonic energy, the passage may have changed or be dangerous. It's still the known most probable path to bypass the front-line demonic army and stab directly to the core area. We can use this as a basis for exploration and modification."
"As for how to approach the core and complete the mission..." Xiao Qi gripped the jade pendant in his hand, feeling its lotus seed vitality's faint resonance with that distant. "It will rely on this, and... all of our power, and some luck."
He raised his head, gazing firmly at True Lord Xuanxuan: "Temple Master, although this strategy is dangerous, it's our only chance to break destiny and seize initiative. Continuing to defend means slow death. Taking the initiative still has a sliver of hope! I request the alliance approve this plan and give full support!"
True Lord Xuanxuan was silent for a long while. His aged gaze swept the sand table, swept the mixed worry, resolve, and anticipation on every general's face. Finally, he heavily slapped the table:
"Approved!"
"Strategic change: Allied main forces hold the Thorn Wall, conducting flexible defense, attracting the demonic army's main attention!"
"Simultaneously, immediately organize the 'Dawn' Special Task Force, commanded by True Lord Tang Xiaoqi. Members include True Lord Liu Yun, Crown Prince Ao Qin, Zhao Tiezhu, and Luo Feng (Second Senior Brother)! All alliance resources, prioritize the 'Dawn' squad. Must complete preparations in the shortest time, execute the infiltration mission!"
The order descended. The entire allied war machine began rotating at unprecedented efficiency around this new strategy.
The gloom of passive defense was swept clean. Replacing it was sharpness and resolve focused on the blade's tip.
The horn for taking the initiative had sounded!