"Whoosh!"
In his dream, Lin Zhao rolled out of bed and stood in the moonlight. He cupped his fists in a deep bow towards the ethereal figure standing atop the lotus pond in the distance, just as the young man who had commanded the three armies on the Snow Region Heavenly Lake had done back then.
The next moment, without further pleasantries, Lin Zhao stated his deductions.
"This catastrophe originates from the Upper Realm."
Lin Zhao spoke softly, "Specifically, it comes from Mount Wuwang of the Demon Race in the Upper Realm. The roots of Mount Wuwang have been extensively corroded. Once the time is right, Mount Wuwang will directly fall from the Upper Realm to the Lower Realm. The Demon Race is one of the schemers, aiming for the destruction of a divine mountain."
"..."
The ethereal sage in the figure seemed to pause for a moment and asked, "What leads you to this conclusion?"
"My sword hilt seals three inches of flowing time. While cultivating, I glimpsed some heavenly secrets. From various fragments, I can discern a part of their plan and machinations."
Lin Zhao gently patted his sword hilt, "They began corroding the roots of Mount Wuwang a long time ago. I also saw another floating divine mountain in my dream, which should be the Void Mountain of the Upper Realm. Much of the spiritual essence of Mount Kong Shan's mountains and waters has been plundered, presumably to utilize its power to breach the realms and facilitate the fall of Mount Wuwang."
He gritted his teeth, "Elder Wang of the Vertical and Horizontal School died fighting in the Demonic Abyss, sacrificing himself to protect the realm. I heard that a million umbrella-wielding heart demons have infiltrated the Three Realms. The whereabouts of these million umbrella-wielding heart demons in the Upper Realm have not yet been discovered. If I am not mistaken, they are hidden deep within Mount Wuwang."
"On what basis do you deduce that the million umbrella-wielding heart demons are targeting the Lower Realm?"
"Because..."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath, "Umbrella-wielding heart demons have appeared in both the territories of the Demon Race and the Human Race. These creatures have never appeared in the Lower Realm before. Everyone understands that before a torrential downpour, a few drops always fall first. Therefore, I can assert that their true scheme targets the Lower Realm."
He paused, then continued, "Mount Wuwang, carrying a million umbrella-wielding heart demons, descending from the heavens, can easily shatter the entire Lower Realm. Once the Lower Realm is devastated, the Three Realms will likely be reshuffled. The beneficiaries would undoubtedly be the ambitious Demon Race. The battleground will be Mount Panyun, otherwise, the Demon Race wouldn't have inexplicably withdrawn troops from five military camps and ceded vast territories."
In the air, the ethereal sage said, "Explain more clearly."
"Yes!"
Lin Zhao nodded gently and then elaborated –
"The ultimate goal of the Demon Race is still to move south, merely using the power of Mount Wuwang and the million umbrella-wielding heart demons. Not long ago, Yu Zhi extensively enfeoffed deities of mountains, rivers, wind, and rain in the Northern Region, which was actually to stabilize the landscape of the Demon Realm after Mount Wuwang's impact."
"The Neon Silk Realm also shows activity. After descending south from Gu Xiao Pass, instead of the pillaging and plundering of the past, they have lived peacefully with the local populace, extensively purchasing grain and fodder. In the area from Copper Mirror Lake to the former site of Dong Wu Kingdom, they are storing large quantities of grain and fodder in scattered locations."
"Therefore, in this grand scheme, the elites of the Demon Realm and the Neon Silk Realm will all march south. With sufficient grain and logistics, millions of demonic cavalry will be a nightmare for the Human Realm."
"If I were a strategist for the Demon Race, after Mount Wuwang falls, my first move would naturally be to flatten the Snow Region Heavenly Lake and then advance unimpeded southward, directly striking Xi Jian River."
"I heard from General Han Xin, the God of War, that the Demon Race dispatched a Thirteenth Realm Fire Kui, who moved all the mountain ranges in the Western Wilderness to the lower reaches of Xi Jian River. The Demon Race's intention is likely to use these mountains to fill and dam Xi Jian River, thereby disrupting its water transport and rendering my aunt completely incapable of fighting."
"In recent days, the northern three prefectures of the Human Realm have been constantly receiving orders for bronze urns. I had Huang Tingyu investigate them. These bronze urns are very similar to the jars used by Ghost Path sects to seal souls. And many things cannot be exposed to the light, such as umbrella-wielding heart demons, which can only remain in the human world with the protection of oil-paper umbrellas."
"Therefore, I surmise that once the Snow Region Heavenly Lake is breached, a large number of Demon and Ghost cultivators will descend south carrying numerous bronze urns filled with umbrella-wielding heart demons. This will allow these heart demons to bypass the extermination efforts at Xi Jian River and Fusu Great Wall, and rampage through the southern territories of the Human Realm."
"With the assistance of the umbrella-wielding heart demons, the armies of the Demon and Ghost races will be invincible. The Human Race, in addition to facing immense offensive pressure, will also have their morale disrupted by the heart demons, possibly leading to an unresisted defeat, or even surrender, without a fight."
He frowned, "I am merely a fifth-realm sword cultivator in the Lower Realm. My understanding of the Upper Realm comes from hearsay, and I know little of the power struggles there. However, based on the fragments I have gathered, even if my deductions are not entirely accurate, they are likely not far from the truth."
"Lin Zhao."
The sage's figure in the wind said calmly, "If you were to strategize for the Human Race, how would you resolve this catastrophe?"
"The game is already set; a complete resolution is unlikely."
Lin Zhao bowed respectfully, his eyes clear, "But if I were truly to devise a strategy, I would trade space for time. I would not seek to shatter the enemy's plans in a single decisive battle. I would abandon large swathes of territory in the Northern Region, and perhaps even forgo defending Fusu Great Wall, preserving the vital forces of human cultivators. Through a series of strategies like holding key strongholds, scorched earth tactics, and attrition, I would gradually wear down the Demon and Ghost races. After the fall of the divine mountain, the fate of the Upper and Lower Realms would be intertwined. Lower Realm cultivators would need time to familiarize themselves and integrate those Upper Realm rules, after which they would have the means to deal with the umbrella-wielding heart demons, and perhaps even eradicate them all!"
"Good, I understand."
In the wind, the sage's figure slowly disappeared, "Lin Zhao, you are excellent. You are truly a worthy disciple of Sui Han."
With that, the dream faded.
...
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao jolted awake from his dream. Everything felt so real, and his impassioned speech in the dream was so vivid. He was covered in sweat and gritted his teeth.
Could it be true?
If it were true, who was that sage?
In truth, Lin Zhao had been collecting fragments and clues all along, aiming to deduce the truth. But as he drew closer to the truth, he found himself wishing it wasn't so, because no matter the scheme, this catastrophe, once it arrived, would be a disaster.
The Snow Region Heavenly Lake, being the foremost human sect, was the primary target.
But after this catastrophe, many people in the Snow Region Heavenly Lake might perish, possibly even the entire sect. By then, Lin Zhao, Huang Tingyu, Zuo Zhi, Chen Ben, Yu Wanling, Chu Yu, Liu Liying, Dong Zang, and others would all die, and even little Jiuer, far away on Changming Mountain, would perish.
A hundred years ago, everything Lin Zhao cherished had turned to dust once before. He did not want to experience it again.
But if the catastrophe truly arrived, could he escape it?
If Lin Zhao truly avoided it, his master and teacher would surely be immensely disappointed. What would be the meaning of his life then? It would likely be more agonizing than death.
He sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at the moonlight outside his window. Tonight, sleep would surely elude him.
...
In the Upper Realm, before the old grinding stone.
Several sages smiled kindly.
"How was it?"
The Supreme Sage Master smiled, "My disciple Sui Han, can he be considered a strategist, don't you think?"
The Ancestor of War couldn't help but chuckle, "He is Lin Baiyi, so this is expected. However... I truly didn't expect this young fellow to deduce the truth so thoroughly from the Lower Realm. It's quite astonishing."
Mozi said, "This debate on the grinding stone is nearing its end. Among the deductions of over thirty outstanding talents and prodigies from the mortal realm, Lin Zhao's is the closest to the truth, far surpassing others. His reasoning is particularly brilliant, complete and meticulous, even providing a strategy for response."
"For the role of strategist, Lin Zhao is indeed the best."
The Ancestor of Dao smiled, "However, matters as significant as the strategist's proposal cannot be decided by a few old men like us. Moreover, Lin Zhao is a direct descendant of the Supreme Sage Master; we cannot allow others to point fingers and accuse us of favoritism, giving such a meritorious position of Human Realm Strategist to one of our own."
"Indeed."
The Supreme Sage Master nodded and smiled, "I will bestow a blank scroll upon Lin Zhao, asking him to write down his proposed strategy in full. Afterward, we shall summon the talented individuals from the hundred schools of the Upper Realm and hold a 'Hall of Public Opinion' in our Confucian literary circles. Everyone can voice their opinions freely and critique Lin Zhao's strategy until everyone agrees. Only then will the bestowal of the Human Realm Strategist title upon Lin Zhao be legitimate. What do you all think?"
"Agreed."
The Ancestors of Dao, War, and Mozi all nodded.
"This is the best course of action."
The Supreme Sage Master smiled faintly and waved his sleeve. Immediately, a golden blank scroll transformed into a golden light, piercing the realm barrier and heading straight for a certain location in the mortal world.
...
Jiyun Du, Imperial Water Pavilion.
A figure descended gracefully in the wind. It was a woman in a long dress, holding a sword with a white jade scabbard – Zhao Shutong, the eldest princess of the Great Shang Dynasty.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Wen Shuoyang emerged from the room and bowed respectfully.
No matter how meritorious Wen Shuoyang was in the past, after Lin Baiyi devised the strategy, it was Wen Shuoyang who commanded the actual battles and won them. He was an absolute authority in the Great Shang Dynasty, but in the end, he was still a subject, while Zhao Shutong bore the royal bloodline and was the sovereign.
"Marquis Wen need not be so formal."
Zhao Shutong pursed her red lips, "I heard that someone from Bailu Academy entered a dream and dreamt of a sage inquiring about world affairs. Did Marquis Wen also enter such a dream?"
"Yes."
Wen Shuoyang replied, "We entered the dream around the same time. In the dream, I saw an immortal and recounted everything I knew and deduced. However, there was no follow-up. If nothing unexpected happens, someone in the mortal realm has deduced the truth more closely than I, Wen Shuoyang."
"Ah?"
Zhao Shutong's delicate body trembled, and she turned to look north, "Could it be him?"
"Indeed."
Wen Shuoyang smiled with carefree elegance, "A hundred years ago, he surpassed me, Wen Shuoyang, once. It's not surprising he has surpassed me again."
He stretched his arms lazily and said, "Your Highness, I must return to my nap. I shall not escort you further."
"..."
Zhao Shutong said, "Is Marquis truly so leisurely?"
"Naturally."
Wen Shuoyang chuckled, "With Lin Baiyi in charge of the world, I, Wen Shuoyang, have every reason to be lazy."