Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 648
"After the last survivors of the Far East Demon Kingdom died in the Blood Demon Sector, their plan became quite well known.
"But nobody knew anything about it in the Heaven's Origin Sector. All the federal citizens thought that the Far East Demon Kingdom was completely shattered!
"It is based on the secret channel and the 'counterattack bases' that my father drafted the Red Tide Plan!
"The Red Tide Plan can be divided into two parts. Firstly, an expedition army will march into the Grand Desolate Plateau and threaten the Giant Blade Pass at the south of it, attracting the attention of all the experts and the main force of the Star Glory Federation.
"But the expedition army will be carrying out a suicidal mission. The soldiers will mostly be fakes, made by a tiny proportion of regular soldiers and a huge amount of cannon fodder. Or rather, to make the army more intimidating, they will even drive a large batch of civilians into the Heaven's Origin Sector.
"After all—"
Jin Xinyue smiled bitterly and said, "In the eyes of most human beings, demons are demons. Is there any difference between 'civilians' and 'soldiers'? At the very least, they will not be able to notice anything wrong in a week or two.
"When the elites and experts of the federal army are stalled at the Grand Desolate Plateau and the Giant Blade Pass in the north, the real main force of the Blood Demon Sector will be teleported to the east of the Star Glory Federation through the secret channel left by the Far East Demon Kingdom. Then, they will march to the coast and stab into the heartland of the federation!"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and said, "We've talked about the Red Tide Plan before, but I still think that it is too risky and radical."
"It is indeed an extraordinary plan," Jin Xinyue agreed. "But that's my father. For 99% of the time, he is the calmest politician and general, if not an emotionless machine. But for 1% of the time, he has a style that is very close to the style of an insane poet. Perhaps for him, the 'Red Tide Plan' is just a 'poem' that he wrote when he was totally drunk.
"There are a lot of hinderances for the plan to be implemented.
"First of all, the troops to attract the federal army in the north, to achieve the purpose of strategical deception, can't be all false. The few most famous troops of the Blood Demon Sector may have to be sent to the Giant Blade Pass for the Star Glory Federation to believe that they are the main force.
"Whether the Red Tide Plan works out or not, the ace troops will certainly be obliterated!
"Secondly, the secret channel left by the Far East Demon Kingdom must be highly unstable after hundreds of years have passed. There is no telling if anything will go wrong during the teleportation. The situation of the 'counterattack bases' is unclear, too. Otherwise, somebody would've implemented a similar plan hundreds of years ago!
"Thirdly, the success of the Red Tide Plan depends on confidentiality. Once the elites of the coalition army of demons really invade the heartland of the Star Glory Federation, the expedition army will barely have any backup. They will be marching all by themselves with an uncertain future.
"If so much as a message is leaked out in advance and the Star Glory Federation is prepared for them, the entire expedition army will likely be wiped out!
"In short, the implementation of the Red Tide Plan requires unity and the willingness to sacrifice. No kingdom, city, or tribe should care about their own gains or losses. Unbelievable luck is mandatory, too!
"Hehe. How was it possible in the past?"
"But right now, the Flying Star Sector changed everything," Li Yao said calmly.
"Exactly." Jin Xinyue combed her hair and said, "The arrival of the Flying Star Sector forced the Blood Demon Sector into a corner. Once the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector join their hands, the Blood Demon Sector will be dragged into the abyss of doom. Then, what's the point of the internal strife among the major demon kingdoms?
"Therefore, it may sound absurd, but the arrival of the Flying Star Sector has increased the capability of the Blood Demon Sector first instead of that of the Heaven's Origin Sector. Starting from the moment when the citizens of the Flying Star Sector appeared, all the demons of the Blood Demon Sector have become more unified and willing to sacrifice than ever, which is the greatest foundation for the implementation of the Red Tide Plan!
"What matters most is no longer the success rate of the plan.
"Even in the best case-scenario, all the demon emperors are very clear that the chance of success of the Red Tide Plan is no higher than 30%!
"But none of that is important right now. What they need is no longer a strategy whose success is guaranteed but a plan that is most fatal despite its low odds of success, one that will certainly destroy the Star Glory Federation should it miraculously work out!
"Then, this is their only choice now. The Red Tide Plan!"
Listening to Jin Xinyue's analysis, Li Yao was breathing rapidly.
Floating Spear City, his hometown, was on the eastern coast of the Star Glory Federation.
He remembered the 'Distant Expanse', known as 'federal army's eternal flagship', that he saw in the sky of the Devil Dragon Island as well as the enormous Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag made of the red glow.
If all the experts of the Blood Demon Sector really showed up from the bottom of the ocean, leading the elite troops, and marched into the most prosperous and the least guarded heartland of the federation directly…
The consequences would be too dire to imagine!
"Do you know the specific location of the secret channel?" Li Yao asked solemnly.
Jin Xinyue shook her head. "My father is the only one who knows the details of the Red Tide Plan. The general picture of it, which I talked about just now, was found out at a great cost, too. Perhaps it is also the reason my father abandoned me. He attaches more importance to the Red Tide Plan than any of his children."
Li Yao frowned in silence.
Jin Xinyue's eyes glittered. She suddenly said, "However, I think that what Master should focus on is not my father's 'Red Tide Plan' but Elder Nether Spring's Spore Stratagem, or even the connection between them."
"Huh?"
Li Yao glanced at her, vaguely feeling that she might be onto something.
"As you said just now, Master, although you destroyed Elder Nether Spring's research base, he'd already produced a hundred spores in secret, which are the 'carriers of the Demon God Virus' and dangerous genetic bombs, right?"
"Precisely," Li Yao replied.
"But the Demon God Virus is still deeply flawed right now in that it is vulnerable to flame and frost. It is impossible to spread to the entire continent and can only destroy a few cities where the population is highly concentrated at best. Therefore, Elder Nether Spring must select a perfect time and location to detonate the bombs."
"What have you thought of?"
Deep in thought, Jin Xinyue mumbled, "I am merely thinking that, if I were Elder Nether Spring, and my purpose was to infect as many people, preferably experts, as possible with the hundred spores, what should I do?
"I would certainly pick a highly-populated area. Also, it would be best if those gathered in the area consist of strong soldiers, fighters, Cultivators, and great demons!
"It will be even better if there is a great number of demon emperors and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators among them!"
Li Yao stared at her and suddenly gasped.
Jin Xinyue managed a smile and said, "You seem to have figured it out, too, Master. If the Red Tide Plan is really activated, millions of demons will charge into the most populated area in the east of the federation and even reach the capital city!
"Whether the Heaven's Origin Sector is prepared or not, the greatest number of experts and the strongest crystal suit legions will certainly be gathered around the capital city to defend it!
"Also, when news spreads that the capital city is under attack, the federal army stationed in the Giant Blade Pass may not be able to retreat easily, but the Core Formation Stage Cultivators and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators will certainly return to the capital city for the battle, using vehicles such as super shuttles or teleportation arrays, in a couple of days!
"Think about it. What will the capital city of the Star Glory Federation be like by then?
"It will be an ultimate war of an unprecedented scale, with dozens of demon emperors and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, hundreds of Core Formation Stage Cultivators and demon kings, and countless more experts of lower levels on the two sides!
"At that time, the capital city of the Star Glory Federation will be the area where the density of unparalleled experts is highest in both the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector. All the participants will be the toughest, strongest, most well-trained soldiers of the two Sectors even if they are not the unparalleled experts, right?
"Right when the best forces of the two worlds are engaged in a head-on, blood-draining battle, the spores that have been lurking in the coalition army of demons will suddenly break out. The Demon God Virus will speed across the capital city of the Star Glory Federation and swiftly contaminate all the soldiers and experts!
"Most of the victims will be killed instantly or turned into 'uncontrollable mutants'. However, the few 'lucky dogs' will become even stronger than before, and they will be Elder Nether Spring's loyal slaves!
"The capital city of the Star Glory Federation and the satellite cities around are the most populated and prosperous regions. As the 'uncontrollable mutants' spread out, carrying the 'Demon God Virus', it is possible that the few metropolises near the capital city will be plagued, too. There is no way that the Star Glory Federation will demolish the capital city and the surrounding metropolises, which would be like crushing its own heart. The only thing that they can do is to send more soldiers to the infected area to control the situation.
"On the coalition army of demons' side, having marched into the heartland of the Star Glory Federation by themselves, they will be harassed by the uncontrollable mutants. It will be impossible for them to retreat to the ocean in the east!
"As a result, everybody will seem to be attracted by an invisible magnet and trapped in the infected area, unable to move, until there are no survivors left!
"We must note that the strongest Cultivators and demons and the best troops of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector will all have gathered there! When everybody there is infected, killed, or turned into Elder Nether Spring's slaves, will there be any other forces who are capable of competing with Elder Nether Spring?"
Chapter 980: For Peace! |
Li Yao's powerful computational ability quickly painted a calamitous scene for him.
If the Red Tide Plan was really activated, the super experts and best soldiers of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector would be gathered in the prosperous, populated area in the east of the federation.
Once the virus broke out, most of the participants of the battle would be infected and turn into Elder Nether Spring's slaves or 'uncontrollable mutants'. The troops deployed out of the capital ring of the city would not be able to resist the tide of destruction, either. Important cities would fall one after another. Elder Nether Spring's army of death would snowball and grow larger and larger!
In a chill, Li Yao mumbled, "Elder Nether Spring is too voracious. He is trying to fish up all the experts of the two Sectors together! But the experts in and above the Core Formation Stage and the demon king level are highly immune to viruses in the first place. They can also release flames or frost to cleanse the viruses. They will not be infected so easily."
"It might be true under normal circumstances," Jin Xinyue said, "but what if they are already exhausted, heavily wounded, and surrounded by countless 'uncontrollable mutants'?
"They will have nowhere to run!
"The 'Red Tide Plan', as a strategy for the ultimate war, is extremely risky. Even if everything goes well, the odds of success will be no higher than thirty percent. The most likely outcome is that the elites of the coalition army of demons will be annihilated somewhere in the capital ring of the Star Glory Federation.
"But the Spore Stratagem is different—the only requirement of the plan is to push the main force of the coalition army of demons into the capital ring of the federation!
"After the virus breaks out, the federal soldiers will think that it is a new biochemical weapon that the demon race invented. They will hate demons even more and surround the coalition army without letting anyone through. Driven by their ideology of protecting the ordinary people, the Cultivators will only charge in incessantly like moths to a flame. How will the coalition army escape?
"The coalition army will be there for a last battle. There will be no reason for them to retreat, either. Besides, they will be marching by themselves without support. They will have no choice but to fight!
"Even if a few guys in the coalition army are smart enough to realize that it is a scheme, what can they do? Will they still have a chance to negotiate with the federal army and explain that everything is just a misunderstanding?
"Therefore, even if some of them know the truth, it will be impossible for them to stop the mutual destruction of the coalition army of demons and the federal army. All the experts will be heavily wounded and infected by the 'uncontrollable mutants'. They will either turn into the 'super uncontrollable mutants' that are even tougher or end up being Elder Nether Spring's slaves!
"Since they are in the level of Nascent Soul Stage or demon emperor, they are standing at the peak of evolution in the first place, and their odds of surviving the mutations will be much higher than the odds of ordinary people. Of the hundred Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and demon emperors, as long as one tenth of them, which means around ten super experts, are controlled by the Elder Nether Spring, and the other experts are turned into 'uncontrollable mutants', it will be an extremely terrifying force!
"With the help of the terrifying force, Elder Nether Spring will establish his new order that will shake the very foundations of the world!
"It is a plan that is barely stoppable.
"Even if the leadership of the Heaven's Origin Sector learns of the 'Red Tide Plan', so what? Maybe, they will secretly deploy all the elites in the east of the federation and prepare to wipe out the main force of the Blood Demon Sector. But it will fit Elder Nether Spring's need even better. He does not need a victory, and he is not scared of failure. All he needs is an unprecedented war where all the elites of the two worlds will be gathered!
"The bottom line is, once the main force of the coalition army invades the Star Glory Federation, everything will be doomed whether the federation is prepared or not!"
Li Yao took multiple deep breaths to calm himself down. "The Red Tide Plan is likely to break out at any moment. We have to meet your father and explain everything to him. We must convince him that the Spore Stratagem exists and that the 'Red Tide Plan' has to be aborted!
"Are you confident to persuade your father? Or rather, is he rational enough for communication and willing to concede?"
Jin Xinyue thought carefully and replied, "99% of the time, he is a shrewd guy who will concede for his interest. But what is odd is that, whenever you think that he is conceding, you are actually falling into his trap! I've seen him concede countless times since childhood, both in the Gold Crow Kingdom and in the Pantheon of Demons. He has conceded, retreated, and even yielded dozens of times. But after dozens of times of compromises, all his enemies are dead, and he is now the leader of the Feather Clan and the master of sky. He has even turned into the commander-in-chief of the coalition army and the most powerful being in the Blood Demon Sector in name!"
There was fear in Jin Xinyue's eyes. "In the demon race, the forces on the ground have always been most valued. The Horn Clan and the Claw Clan that govern the earth and the Insect Clan that governs the underground are the strongest clans. In comparison, the Sea Clan that dominates the ocean and the Feather Clan that commands the sky are relatively weaker.
"Over the past hundreds of years, the commander-in-chief of the coalition army has always been from the Horn Clan, the Claw Clan, or the Insect Clan. The ideology of the demon race has been focused on continentalism, too. Beast tides are everything!
"My father is the first commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons from the Feather Clan in two hundred years. He has even successfully altered the guiding principle that prevailed for hundreds of years and changed from 'continentalism' to the 'unification of the sky, the ocean, and the land'. It is not hard to imagine how many interest groups he has confronted and dealt with during the process!
"Therefore, he seems to be someone who is rational enough to communication and willing to compromise when offered with undeniable proof and calculation.
"However, that is never a real concession. It is just the beginning of a new plan.
"That's only in 99% of the cases.
"There are still 1% of cases, where he behaves like an 'insane poet'. I don't know how I can comment on him in such cases.
"In such cases, he is a lunatic that is even crazier than Elder Nether Spring. Nobody can predict him. Nobody can control him. Nobody can sway him!
"Besides, we don't know yet whether or not Elder Nether Spring's spies are around him."
Li Yao narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Jin Xinyue frowned. "I've been suspicious about if my father knew that I was attacked by the troop of Mirage Falcons. If he knew, how much did he know? Considering the sordidness of Elder Nether Spring's Spore Stratagem, is it possible that he has sent a lot of spies to my father?
"It must be noted that, although my father has been elected as the commander-in-chief of the coalition army now, the majority of the coalition army is still made of the Claw Clan, the Horn Clan, and the Insect Clan because of the 'continentalism' that has prevailed for hundreds of years. The Feather Clan does not have much control. Most of the elite troops and the intelligence network are under the command of the Insect Clan, the Claw Clan, and the Horn Clan.
