At the sa ti, in Wine City, inside the City Lord’s Mansion.
A group of Gu Kings gathered in a grand hall. One of them slamd the table heavily, his voice filled with anger:
“Damn it! We were so close to success, but the Ten Demon Kings suddenly appeared and rescued the Artifact Fanatic, causing our entire operation to fail at the last mont.”
The atmosphere in the conference hall was heavy, and all the Gu Kings present wore grim expressions.
“A report just arrived—To rescue the Artifact Fanatic, the Ten Great Demon Kings unleashed an unprecedented beast tide. Countless spirit beasts sward out of the Red Moon Forest, instantly breaking through the Radiant Moon Empire’s defensive lines. This allowed a massive wave of fourth-stage spirit beasts to flood into the empire’s heartland, ultimately rescuing the Artifact Fanatic.”
“This battle cost us dearly. However, it was also due to the limited ti we had to prepare. The reinforcents we received were far too few. If we had just one more year to prepare, even with the Ten Demon Kings aiding him, the Artifact Fanatic would still have been dood.”
The one speaking was Jiu Kang, the City Lord of Wine City—a burly middle-aged man. If Long Xuan were present, he would have been shocked to see that this was the very sa Gu King who had bought his distilled wine at the Western Lands Auction.
“One more year? You must be dreaming! With the Artifact Fanatic’s terrifying speed in refining weapons, in just one month, the Ten Demon Kings will each have a divine weapon in their hands. How are we supposed to fight then?”
“If both the Ten Demon Kings and an army of fourth-stage spirit beasts are fully ard with spiritual weapons, we won’t stand a chance. The longer we delay, the worse it gets for us.”
“We don’t have ti to gather more Gu Kings—this battle cannot be prolonged any further.” Deputy City Lord Cha Shan spoke in a deep voice.
“With the Red Moon Forest’s endless spirit beasts pouring out, even protecting ourselves is difficult, let alone assassinating the Artifact Fanatic in such a short ti.” Clan Head He Jiong sighed bitterly.
Soon, the conference hall was filled with noisy argunts.
One faction refused to rush in recklessly, insisting on waiting for more reinforcents.
Another faction argued that no matter the cost, the Artifact Fanatic had to be eliminated as quickly as possible to prevent him from forging more spiritual weapons for the spirit beasts.
Both sides were deadlocked in their heated debate.
Finally, Shui Wuqing slamd the table heavily and shouted, “Enough!”
The hall fell silent instantly.
In the Central Lands, Shui Wuqing was considered one of the top ten strongest fighters. His words carried weight, and the others did not dare to challenge him.
Seeing that order was restored, Shui Wuqing continued:
“That Monkey King—each of his hairs is equivalent to a clone. When a hair falls to the ground, it transforms into a monkey identical to him.”
“Although these clones are much weaker than the original body, their sheer numbers make them a serious threat. Furthermore, each clone has excellent artifact refining abilities. In a short ti, these monkeys could forge enough weapons to equip an army of a hundred thousand. That is what makes this situation truly terrifying.”
“We cannot allow them any breathing room, or the consequences will be unimaginable.”
“But our forces are weaker than theirs. We cannot simply charge in recklessly. Who among us is willing to throw away their life for the sake of humanity?”
His sharp gaze swept across the room before he continued:
“This must be solved through strategy, not brute force. If it becos clear that eliminating the Artifact Fanatic is impossible, then holding back our troops is the only logical choice.”
“Now, does anyone have a good plan to kill the Artifact Fanatic? Speak freely—humans are the most intelligent species, and I believe our wisdom can overco any obstacle.”
His words sparked a wave of hushed discussions.
However, after a long period of debate, no one could co up with a viable plan. Intelligence could solve many problems, but in the face of overwhelming strength, no sche would be enough.
Even if they set a trap, killing an Artifact Fanatic ard with divine weapons was no easy task.
Growing impatient, Jiu Kang suddenly turned his gaze to a thin man in the crowd and said:
“Brother Zhuge, your Zhuge Clan is renowned for its cunning and strategic brilliance.”
“Every Gu Master of the Zhuge Clan is known for their unparalleled intellect, full of devious sches. So why don’t you tell us your plan? I trust that you can co up with a strategy to kill the Artifact Fanatic.”
Seated in his chair, Zhuge Yuan leisurely fanned himself, looking entirely at ease. When the City Lord called his na, he finally put down his fan and smiled confidently:
“It’s just a foolish spirit beast with no intelligence. No matter how powerful it is, how could it possibly outwit us humans? I have a hundred ways to kill it!”
“Oh?” Jiu Kang’s eyes lit up with anticipation. “Brother Zhuge, please share. If your strategy truly eliminates the Artifact Fanatic, you will be the greatest hero of this campaign.”
Zhuge Yuan resud fanning himself, a sly glint in his eyes as he smirked.
“Killing it is easy.”
“Spirit beasts and humans are different. While they are brutal, they are also deeply loyal and honorable.”
“I have investigated the Artifact Fanatic’s past. His bond with his master and senior sister was incredibly deep. Their deaths were the reason he led a hundred thousand monkeys to massacre Radiant Moon City in vengeance.”
“Since he values loyalty so much, this makes things simple.”
“I heard that the River God’s Secret Realm is about to open, correct? The timing couldn’t be more perfect.”
“If I recall correctly, within the River God’s Secret Realm, one of the Eight Divine Flowers—the Resurrection Flower—is hidden. When it blooms, it can bring soone back to life. However, the cost is the life of the one who plucks the flower—a life for a life.”
“The only way to resurrect a loved one is to sacrifice one’s own life. Using soone else’s life won’t work.”
“All we need to do is leak the news of the Resurrection Flower—but conveniently omit the part about its deadly cost.”
“When the Artifact Fanatic hears about the Resurrection Flower, he will undoubtedly rush into the River God’s Secret Realm to retrieve it and resurrect his master and senior sister.”
“He will kill himself for us.”
Zhuge Yuan closed his fan, a cruel smirk appearing on his lips as his eyes glead with sinister intent.
Hearing this, all the Gu Kings fell into deep thought. The more they considered it, the more their eyes glead with excitent.
Finally, soone clapped their hands and exclaid, “Brilliant! This plan is simply brilliant! I refuse to believe that the Artifact Fanatic won’t take the bait. As expected of the Zhuge Clan, this is a truly ruthless sche. That Artifact Fanatic is dood!”
The others also began to smile, nodding in agreent.
However, one person hesitated and asked, “But what if the Artifact Fanatic knows about the cost of plucking the Resurrection Flower?”
“Humph!” Zhuge Yuan sneered.
“So what if he knows?”
“If it were a human, no one would be foolish enough to trade their life for another.”
“But spirit beasts are different. They value loyalty above all else.”
“With the Artifact Fanatic’s deep love for his master and senior sister, even if he knows he will die, he will still pick the flower.”
“This is an open conspiracy. Even if he realizes it’s a trap, he won’t be able to resist walking into it…”
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