“I have reached an agreement with the Fu organization,” the Green Flood Dragon King stepped forward and said. “If not for this cooperation with Fu, Huanling’s barrier wouldn’t be on the outskirts of our Demonic Beast Great Forest.”

The Dragon Ape King was deeply conflicted. On one hand, he was tempted by the benefits Fu offered, but on the other, he feared the Empire and Dragon Island… Although Fu claimed Dragon Island supported them, it wasn’t the first or second time Dragon Island had turned on its allies at the last minute. However, in the end, he was swayed by the generous rewards Fu promised. “I have also reached a cooperative agreement with the Fu organization.”

After all, Fu had not only promised them dragon’s essence blood but also dragon bones and remains as payment. The talent of mixed-blood demonic beasts like them had a ceiling; it was said that their cultivation stopped at the Star Emperor realm for a reason. Cultivating had already become extremely difficult for them, and they needed external help.

After they spoke, the Lynx King stroked his chin and smiled. “I’m more interested in the Huanling Continent. I’ll probably cooperate with them for a while.”

The Rainbow Phoenix King had always been on good terms with the Celestial Fox King and didn’t particularly enjoy conflict. He had originally intended to remain neutral, but seeing that the Celestial Fox King was siding with the Empire… he thought of Xiao Shi’er and decided to approach the Empire as well.

Seeing that the other sovereigns had made their decisions, the Black Tortoise King sighed. “This old man is getting on in years and can’t move much anymore. I’ll probably slumber beneath the Black Water Pool for a hundred years.” The Black Tortoise clan had a unique hibernation technique; even if someone came near the Black Water Pool, it would be very difficult to detect the slumbering Black Tortoise King.

“Since everyone has made their decision, settle your clansmen in your territories before you leave,” the Black Abyss King said in a deep voice. “I will also slumber here.”

The destruction of the fortress in the Demonic Beast Great Forest warzone was a surprise not only to the Huanling Continent but to the Empire as well. Both sides had planned to drag things out and maintain a stalemate. The Empire needed time to research and gather information on Huanling, to probe their general strength and potential forces, to test Dragon Island’s attitude, and to study the planar passages they had previously ignored. However, for the Empire, it was a pleasant surprise. With one less warzone to hold, they could better allocate their currently exposed forces.

As for Huanling… they were furious.

They never imagined that a young person, who was practically no different from a common soldier, could actually blow up their fortress. So what if she was an elite trained by the Starry Sky Continent? Her age and strength were plain to see. …More importantly, the methods she used were completely different from the normal combat techniques of the Starry Sky Continent’s people as described in their intelligence reports!

When this news reached the “Fu” organization, its upper echelons were left speechless. They couldn’t believe it. Wen Yuncheng used to just harass their Fu strongholds, but now she had directly blown up a specially made Huanling fortress.

“Ha, you all said to lie low, to ignore that young woman… I told you we should have nipped her in the bud!”

“This was an accident. The Huanling people were too arrogant.” Another person’s expression was a bit grim, but he still said, “If they had taken the battle seriously, they wouldn’t have only reacted after their fortress was blown up.”

Another dispute arose within the Fu organization, but it didn’t escalate into a major argument. After all, what was done was done. They were also speechless in the face of Huanling’s displaced anger but ultimately endured it… as they still needed the Huanling Continent to overthrow the Empire. The Fu organization quickly handed over all the information they had previously collected on Wen Yuncheng, including all the skills they knew she possessed. As for the “Mechanical Throne” and “Airstrike Support” she had displayed in this battle, they weren’t very clear on them either, and since they hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, they simply reported them as abilities Wen Yuncheng had recently learned.

“Wen Yuncheng… that girl, is she a Star King now?” one of the higher-ups couldn’t help but wonder while organizing the data.

“Probably not. The reports say she’s still a third-layer Star Spirit,” another member replied. “But to be safe, we should send someone to check.”

Although Wen Yuncheng didn’t know what Huanling and Fu’s next moves were, she knew that after blowing up their fortress, it wouldn’t be so easy to do it again. She would definitely be targeted by both Huanling and Fu once more.

Being flashy always came at a price. Her machinery was too conspicuous; ever since she started using the Star Cannon, the Air Wing, and the Mechanical Throne, it had become very difficult for her to keep a low profile.

Several Star Emperors temporarily remained in the Demonic Beast Great Forest to deal with the aftermath of the war and to protect the scholars sent by the Empire to the former location of the planar passage to collect data for further research and analysis.

While they were at it, these Star Emperors could also pay a visit to the depths of the Demonic Beast Great Forest.

Wen Yuncheng and Lin Jinyu rested in the town for a day before returning to the Imperial Capital. On the way, Xiao Shi’er was a little listless. She had clearly sensed the Celestial Fox King’s aura, but he hadn’t come to see her at all. Xiao Shi’er curled into a large ball, convinced that the old fox must have secretly had a new cub behind her back, and that the most favored one was no longer Xiao Shi’er, but Xiao Shisan.

Noticing Xiao Shi’er’s low spirits, Wen Yuncheng picked up the little furball, rubbed her chubby belly, and comforted her, “Maybe it’s not convenient for the Celestial Fox King to show himself? After all, the Demonic Beast Great Forest hasn’t officially taken a side yet. If he came to see you rashly, it might cause a misunderstanding.”

Xiao Shi’er heaved a deep sigh, still unhappy.

Wen Yuncheng took out a box of braised chicken feet she had bought, held it with both hands above Xiao Shi’er, and opened it. Xiao Shi’er, who was on her lap, twitched her nose and immediately perked up.

Indeed, for a foodie, a thousand words of comfort were no match for a delicious meal.

“Are you going somewhere else next?” Lin Jinyu asked. “But you were so conspicuous this time, they’ll definitely recognize you next time.” They wouldn’t give Wen Yuncheng another chance to blow up a fortress, would they?

“It’s fine, I still have a few locations in mind.” Wen Yuncheng actually felt a little regretful. During the bombing, she had assumed all the soldiers would die, so she hadn’t wasted a monitor. But later, the situation became too tense, and in the heat of the life-or-death moment, she forgot about it. Otherwise, she would have liked to see if a monitor could follow them through the planar passage to the other continent.

She couldn’t go flaunting herself near Huanling’s territory anymore, but Fu still had many strongholds within the Empire. Some of the smaller strongholds the Empire knew about were no longer of much use, so Wen Yuncheng could request a map from the First Princess and lead a team to take them down herself.

The members in these small strongholds weren’t very strong; the most powerful were probably just two or three Star Kings, which wasn’t a big problem for the current Wen Yuncheng. However, even with Lin Jinyu, if those people tried their best to flee, they might not be able to catch them all. So, it would be safer to find a few helpers.

Unfortunately, all her friends were so busy…

Due to the Huanling Continent’s invasion, Cheng Jiangliu and the others had joined the self-defense forces organized in their respective hometowns, which were essentially volunteer armies within the Empire’s cities. As for that kid Yao Mu, he had defied his family’s objections and applied for the Empire’s Dragon Tiger Guard assessment, so he was also tied up. Wen Yuncheng stroked her chin, hesitating. Should she ask for people from the Flowing Cloud Sect?

She wondered if she could hire those two seniors from the auction house. Speaking of which, wasn’t Teacher Yan close to becoming a Star Venerate now? Teacher Qiu was also a Star King… Why not try recruiting their two teachers? For something like wiping out Fu, what she wanted was experience and points. She didn’t really need the spirit treasures and resources inside the strongholds, so she could split them with the teachers. It wouldn’t be asking them to work for free.

Huanling’s invasion had thrown the Empire into chaos. For Fu’s less important small strongholds, wasn’t it just as chaotic?

Moreover, Wen Yuncheng had a new idea. But she couldn’t share this one with Lin Jinyu just yet; she was still mulling it over herself. The battles in the fortress warzones weren’t continuous; there were short rest periods for both sides. The only ones who couldn’t relax for a moment were the commanders, because any lapse, any move by a high-level expert, would result in devastating losses.

After destroying one fortress, Wen Yuncheng began to ponder. If she kept her disguise skill and the enhanced Illusion Dream (Modified) active, she could ruthlessly use energy cores as bombs, in groups of ten. She would detonate them the moment they were released while simultaneously calling an Airstrike Support. Just those two actions. Then, she would immediately swap positions, and after swapping, she would run without any hesitation—after all, Wen Yuncheng felt that the enraged Huanling commanders might chase her down regardless of the consequences. Of course, this kind of operation would require the cooperation of the Star Emperors, and the specific execution would need careful planning.

Wen Yuncheng had just gotten several maps from the First Princess. Although her eyes were on the strongholds marked on the map, her mind had already flown back to the fortresses.

“What are you thinking about?” Lin Jinyu took a map from Wen Yuncheng’s hand and glanced at it. The Fu organization’s strongholds were truly everywhere…

“I… I was thinking about some half-baked ideas.” Wen Yuncheng felt a little flustered for some reason. The moment she uttered the word “I,” she noticed her voice was off and immediately corrected it.

“If they’re half-baked, then don’t think about them.” Lin Jinyu glanced at Wen Yuncheng. Seeing her grinning foolishly, Lin Jinyu tilted her head, her fingers tightening slightly on the map. She was sure Wen Yuncheng was thinking about something dangerous again. That girl… Lin Jinyu recalled how Wen Yuncheng had told her to keep a low profile and stay safe on the battlefield in the Demonic Beast warzone, yet Wen Yuncheng herself had been the most conspicuous person there. “We agreed. We’re destroying Fu’s strongholds first.”

“Mhm, of course.” Wen Yuncheng nodded obediently. That glance from Lin Jinyu made Wen Yuncheng suspect she had guessed her thoughts. Not daring to say anything more, she focused on studying the map. These strongholds weren’t very difficult or dangerous, but they would provide a nice chunk of experience, probably enough to get her to level 63. “About the strongholds, I was thinking of inviting Teacher Yan and Teacher Qiu to join us. What do you think?”

“We can ask.” Lin Jinyu thought for a moment and agreed. Although she felt it might be a bit of a blow to their two teachers’ pride in some ways, since Wen Yuncheng had suggested it, it was worth a try. After all, wiping out Fu strongholds was an honor. With the Fu organization now mixed up with the Huanling Continent, striking their strongholds at this time could also inspire those who were currently fighting and resisting.