Chapter 215: The Clown and the Performance (4)
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Time flows quickly, and before we know it, there are only 50 days left until the arrival of the Mad Lord.
"Then, let's summarize the plan we have devised so far."
In front of Yu Hwa and Gyu-baek, I begin to outline the plan we had devised, detailing everyone's roles and what each of us wants to achieve.
"First, Yu Hwa wants to confirm the status of Baek Nyeong and rescue him. And if possible, she also wants to rescue the White Goat Race and escape. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And Miss Gyu-baek, you need time to meet with Seo Hweol and talk, correct?"
"Yes."
"In that case, we must first isolate Seo Hweol from the Sea Dragon Palace and others to eliminate the possibility of him receiving any support. Once we separate Seo Hweol from the Sea Dragon Palace, Yu Hwa will infiltrate to find Baek Nyeong and the White Goat Race, and Miss Gyu-baek and I will go to find Seo Hweol. That's the essence of our plan."
Now, to execute the plan.
"Once the Mad Lord appears in 50 days, Seo Hweol will want to be as far away from the Mad Lord as possible. At this point, the Mad Lord is, frankly, a being that even Hyeon Eum, the Black Dragon King at the Grand Perfection Integration stage, would struggle to defeat."
In a past life.
Although Kim Yeon struggled against the Black Dragon King Hyeon Eum with the Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and puppets, that was only because of the foot of the Star Shattering stage Esteemed One.
Even the Black Dragon King, with extensive combat experience at the pinnacle of the Integration stage, was pushed back by the puppets controlled by Kim Yeon.
Then, even more so, then puppets controlled by the Mad Lord who has extensive experience as a puppeteer can definitely face four or more cultivators at the Integration stage.
In short, the moment Seo Hweol catches the Mad Lord's eye, Seo Hweol will be well on his way to becoming a [Grand Prince].
Seo Hweol is very aware of that fact and will try to stay as far away from the Mad Lord as possible.
Knowing Seo Hweol, he will also know that the Black Dragon King's residence will not be safe from the Mad Lord. Hence, he will try to hide in a place where many other Earth Tribe Grand Cultivators of the Integration stage gather.
If there's such a place near Cloud Heart Lake, there's only one.
'Serving Command Ark!'
Seo Hweol will try to hide inside the Serving Command Ark.
Then, we just need to execute our respective plans during that opportunity.
Yu Hwa will go to the Sea Dragon Palace to check on the White Goat Race and Baek Nyeong's situation. Miss Gyu-baek and I will head to the Serving Command Ark to find Seo Hweol.
Yu Hwa also said she wants to give Seo Hweol a piece of her mind, so she will probably come back to join us after rescuing Baek Nyeong.
Then, together with Yu Hwa, we'll strike Seo Hweol with her third stage Manifestation.
By doing so, Seo Hweol will inevitably have to face Yu Hwa's Heavenly Tribulation when he reaches the next stage.
'And I, too, will show Seo Hweol something interesting.'
I've prepared a secret technique that can smack the back of Seo Hweol's head hard.
All we need to do is get Seo Hweol to a place where he cannot receive any help.
How can we lead Seo Hweol into such a place?
'It's impossible to lure Seo Hweol with bait.'
Seo Hweol will definitely not move alone.
Probably even if he hides in the Serving Command Ark, he will move with at least dozens of peers or higher-stage demon beasts.
'But even if Seo Hweol cannot be moved, others can be made to move.'
This is where Yu Hwa is needed.
She will reveal her presence on the lowest floor of the Serving Command Ark.
If the other Earth Tribe members notice the presence of Yu Hwa, a Manifestation third stage expert of the Heart Tribe, they will be enraged and head to the lowest floor of the Serving Command Ark to capture her.
Yu Hwa, with the Record of Transcending Cultivation and Exhausting Martial Arts, will hide her presence on the lowest floor of the Serving Command Ark and escape smoothly.
Of course, Seo Hweol, sensing something amiss, might leave some behind, but I have prepared Yuan Yu for them.
Yuan Li, the original body of Yuan Yu, was originally a devilish cultivator prepared to ascend to the Blood Yin Realm.
In short, the devilish arts Yuan Yu mastered, such as the Blood Demon Suppressing Sea Light and Blood Chain Binding Forest, are very similar to the energy of the Heavenly Fiends of the Blood Yin Realm.
That means other cultivators remaining with Seo Hweol can be sent off with a Heavenly Fiend of the Blood Yin Realm as bait.
Of course, Seo Hweol might follow the decoy Yuan Yu, but I have prepared a secret move to ensure Seo Hweol cannot move.
'If this measure is activated, Seo Hweol will definitely have to stay in place.'
And when Seo Hweol is completely alone.
Yu Hwa, Gyu-baek, and I will surround Seo Hweol, leaving him no chance to escape.
After giving Miss Gyu-baek and Seo Hweol a chance to talk, Yu Hwa and I will inflict a fatal wound on Seo Hweol.
"...This is the strategy we've devised. Is there anything else you think we should add or remove?"
"There's nothing more on a large scale. Now let's move into the details, like how to figure out which floor of the Serving Command Ark Seo Hweol will hide in, and so on..."
We thus delve into the finer details, organizing the branches of the plan.
Fwoosh!
After today's meeting ended.
I returned to my residence, briefly restrained Kim Yeon so she couldn't struggle, and then used Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace.
Swoosh!
A galaxy sword seems to fly towards her, then enters into her heart essence.
The strike containing my Nascent Soul enters into her mental world, traveling within her inner self.
Moving in and out of her inner self, my goal is to gradually awaken her with my call.
Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace seem to be effective, as Yeon's eyes, which had been cloudy, began to clear.
Her condition is improving.
At this rate, it seems possible to reunite with her before the ceremonial day arrives.
'I hope, before this life ends, I can meet you again.'
I sigh softly to myself as I look at my right arm, now vanished up to the elbow.
At this pace, I might not have any limbs remaining by the ceremony day.
'My death is drawing near.'
After using the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace, I tiredly look up at the sky.
Whirring
A swarm of tiny fly puppets are flying through the air.
Literally, they are fly-shaped General Seos.
I mass-produced these miniature General Seos and sent them all around the Serving Command Ark.
Since the Serving Command Ark is vast, spreading a surveillance network with these puppets in advance will allow us to quickly ascertain where Seo Hweol moves when executing the plan.
The small mass-produced General Seos spread out all around the Serving Command Ark.
As the ceremony day approaches, Gyu-baek's expression becomes more complicated, and Yu Hwa spends even more time gnashing her teeth.
Every day until the ceremony day, I use the Sea of Righteousness and Mountain of Grace on Kim Yeon to bring her consciousness to the surface.
Hong Fan, saying he will make something helpful for me, continues to gather various herbs, spiritual herbs, and poisonous herbs to concoct something.
Now, the mini General Seos are scattered all around the Serving Command Ark, settled into many of the structures within.
In this way, they will become my faithful eyes and ears, guiding me to wherever Seo Hweol might flee.
Whirring
I move the small generals to scout the Serving Command Ark, investigating any terrain that might aid or conversely harm Seo Hweol.
I also gather information by eavesdropping on the Earth Tribe's rumors with the mini generals.
After several days.
Wiiiiing
While controlling the small generals, I hear through rumors that there are 'hidden spaces' throughout the Serving Command Ark.
'Hidden spaces...'
If such places exist, they will be perfect for Seo Hweol to hide.
'It's best if I find them quickly.'
I begin to lay the Mad Lord's circuits remotely through the small generals in places within the Serving Command Ark suspected to contain hidden spaces.
As the circuits are laid out, areas with hidden spaces block the connection of the circuits because there is no space for the circuits to pass.
Where there is no space, there are many paths for the circuits to pass, smoothly laying out the Mad Lord's circuits.
In this way, I discover over 20,000 hidden spaces on each floor of the Serving Command Ark.
'It's astonishing.'
Luckily, I have the miniature General Seos.
If I didn't have the ability to create General Seos, I would have had to suffer, searching through the enormous 120,000 hidden spaces by hand.
Although it isn't possible to discover all spaces at once with the miniature generals, I sequentially send the mini General Seos deeper a little at a time, entering into the spaces to identify the hidden ones.
As everyone makes their efforts, the ceremony day gradually approaches.
"Master, please take this."
"Hm?"
I take what Hong Fan is offering.
"What is this?"
What Hong Fan handed over is a bottle containing a blue liquid.
I slightly sniff the liquid and frown.
"It's poison."
"Yes, it's made from poisonous herbs."
"What kind of poison is it?"
"It's a poison that amplifies pain. It doesn't just affect the nerves. The spiritual power within the poison stimulates the soul, causing the consciousness to also feel pain. A single drop can amplify the sensitivity to pain by more than 60,000 times for a brief period. I mobilized all my talent to create this poison."
"...I see. Did you make this for me to use?"
"Yes. Anyone who gets even a drop of this poison on their skin will be in so much pain that they would rather die, their mind almost leaving them."
"But what about its lethality?"
"It has almost no lethality. It's made solely to inflict pain."
"Good, this will be very helpful to me."
I realize that this poison is the answer Hong Fan had come up with after hearing about our last operation, deducing a plan to deal with Seo Hweol after he has been isolated.
'With this poison, even Seo Hweol's soul will be momentarily shaken...'
I carefully store the poison that Hong Fan had mixed in my pocket.
This poison will be handy when needed.
And so, the day before the Mad Lord arrives to carry out the operation.
Pssht...
By now, both of my arms have vaporized into electricity, and my lower half has disappeared.
Soon, my whole body will vaporize, and I will die.
Of course, since the Formless Sword is moving inside my clothes in place of my arms and legs, it appears as though there is no issue outwardly.
'Just one day left.'
Finally, tomorrow,
My minor counterattack against Seo Hweol begins.
Just as I think so.
Wiiiiing
"...Wait."
While checking the hidden spaces in the Serving Command Ark through the mass-produced miniature General Seos, I stop one in a particular hidden space and make it illuminate the interior.
"...Wait, wait...!"
I stand up abruptly from my seat.
The vision technique attached to the general's eye transmits its sight to me, illuminating the inside of the hidden space.
Ignoring everything else, I hurriedly fly to the Serving Command Ark.
Since my face can be recognized, I reverse the Blood Body Skin Armor and change my appearance using a technique unique to Yuan Yu, then quickly head to the space discovered by the mini General Seo.
That place is on the 7th floor of the Serving Command Ark.
Directly below the deck of Serving Command Ark, the Life Floor that handles the administration of the entire True Dragon Alliance, I reveal the aura of the Dragon Race after covering my skin with scales so that others don't find me strange.
Thump!
It's a familiar place.
The 7th floor of the Serving Command Ark.
The place I first visited in the Serving Command Ark with Seo Hweol after my regression.
That day, in front of the administrative building, I had explored the market while trying to avoid Seo Hweol's eyes.
"So, it was like this..."
Standing in front of the administrative building, I feel the hidden space inside and let out a hollow laugh.
Oh Hye-seo is inside there.
On my first day at the True Dragon Alliance.
While I went to the market to look at the demon beast market, Seo Hweol pretended to work in the administrative area and hid Oh Hye-seo in a hidden space on the Life Floor inside the Serving Command Ark.
"That's why she couldn't be found no matter how much I searched the Sea Dragon Palace..."
I step into the administrative district to check whether Oh Hye-seo is still alive.
***
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