In such a critical battle, it would be quite embarrassing if both sides couldn’t muster at least five or six Heavenly Kings and Great Lords. Any planner must consider the movements of these powerful figures. However, in Song Zining’s plan, there is no sign of any influence from the Heavenly Kings and Great Lords, which is somewhat peculiar.
Song Zining sighed, as if explaining to himself, “Indeed, where are the Heavenly Kings and Great Lords?”
He turned to Qian Ye, asking, “Tell me, how can I predict the actions of the Heavenly Kings and Great Lords?”
Qian Ye thought seriously for a moment and then shook his head, “Impossible.”
Song Zining looked back at the map, saying, “Indeed, the Heavenly Kings and Great Lords are not my chess pieces. On the contrary, we are their pawns. If we can’t even predict their moves, how could we possibly arrange their actions?”
Qian Ye still shook his head, “Arrange their actions? You’re overthinking it.”
Song Zining tapped the map before him, saying, “I’ve reached a dead end here. At this stage of the battle, the Evernight Great Lords will definitely get involved. Once they act, the Heavenly Kings cannot sit idly by. So, at this point, further calculations are meaningless because their actions cannot be predicted. This is what a normal battle plan should look like.”
Qian Ye nodded.
He didn’t know much about the Evernight Great Lords, but the Imperial Heavenly Kings acted on their own accord. Of course, their primary duty was to guard the Imperial mainland, but they also acted based on their own judgment, and even the Emperor couldn’t truly constrain them.
By common sense, it was clear that no plan could cover all possibilities, and unexpected situations would inevitably arise. At such times, it was up to the frontline commanders to demonstrate their abilities. Only a fool who read too many books would think that a brilliant battle plan alone could win a war.
Song Zining took a deep breath and asked, “But, how did Marshal Lin create his plan?”
Qian Ye had seen that plan as well and hadn’t noticed anything odd at the time. Now, upon careful reflection, he suddenly realized something strange: that battle plan also made no mention of the Heavenly Kings and Great Lords!
Song Zining stared intently at the map, as if trying to see through all the hidden secrets. After a long while, he said, “So, where have the Heavenly Kings and Great Lords gone?”
Deep in the void, a small boat gently bobbed, carried by the fluctuations of the void force into the distance.
The Finger Pole King sat in the boat, intently watching a red flame, above which a clay teapot was continuously emitting white steam. Just as the water was about to boil, the Finger Pole King moved with ghostly speed, lifting the teapot and pouring the water into a tea cup, swirling it slightly before setting it down and pouring two streams of greenish water into teacups.
“The temperature is just right, don’t miss it,” the Finger Pole King raised a cup in invitation and drank one himself.
Zhang Boqian stood at the bow, and without any visible movement, another teacup flew to him, the tea water forming a stream that fell into his mouth, then the cup returned to its place.
Zhang Boqian swirled the tea in his mouth and swallowed, causing the Finger Pole King to sigh, “It’s cold. This tea is best enjoyed from the cup, you shouldn’t just gulp it down. Only then can you savor it. Ah, such good tea, what a waste to give it to you!”
Zhang Boqian ignored the criticism and said, “If you don’t give this good tea to me, who else will drink it?”
The Finger Pole King sighed and shook his head, “In the entire Empire, only you, this stubborn youngster, are somewhat tolerable. Those young ones are still too green, far from being mature.”
Zhang Boqian, without turning around, said, “I don’t deserve that. The court and the people all speak highly of Xitang.”
“That young one is too scheming; talking to him is exhausting. He’s not one of us.”
Zhang Boqian nodded and slowly turned, saying, “Old King, you brought me here to intercept someone, but we’ve been drifting in the void for days. The fighting on the floating land must have started by now. We’re not on the battlefield, so who is balancing the Evernight forces?”
The Finger Pole King smiled slightly, saying, “No need to rush. Since we’re here, those guys will follow. As for the person we’re intercepting, they’re almost here. Let’s wait patiently.”
Zhang Boqian looked into the distance and saw several broken land masses. He was slightly startled, “We’ve already reached the neutral zone?”
“Near the edge, not inside yet. If we go further, the Blood Throne will be displeased. I don’t want to face the Shattered Eons in the neutral zone,” the Finger Pole King slowly packed away the tea set.
Zhang Boqian frowned slightly, “Old King, since we’re here, you should tell me who we’re intercepting, right?”
“No rush to intercept; let’s first deal with those coming to meet us.”
“Meet us?” Zhang Boqian’s expression became serious, and he turned to look deeper into the void, where several massive shadows were emerging.
These were colossal ships, hundreds of meters long, each unique in design. Seeing these ships, names like Medanzo, Lusa, and Eternal Flame flashed in Zhang Boqian’s mind.
The simultaneous appearance of three Evernight Great Lords was extraordinary, especially given that Medanzo had been badly injured last time. With his self-serving nature, why would he return to the battlefield? Behind the three Great Lord flagship ships, there were more, smaller but still massive warships. A quick count revealed three Prince flagships and five Duke flagships.
Such a formation was rarely seen, even during full-scale national wars. Who were they meeting, that the Evernight forces would mobilize en masse?
Zhang Boqian glanced at the Finger Pole King, who remained calm and unsurprised. He asked, “You expected this?”
The Finger Pole King smiled slightly, “I’m older, so I naturally have more information channels.”
Zhang Boqian didn’t press further, instead looking at the Evernight fleet, his gaze sharpening and lingering on a Vampire Prince’s flagship. “How shall we divide our efforts?”
The Finger Pole King laughed, “We’re not fighting to the death, just blocking them from receiving the person. Our old friends over there won’t fight to the death either. So, let’s see how it goes.”
What kind of tactic was this? Wasn’t it like a street brawl?
However, Zhang Boqian had his own ideas and began surveying the Prince and Duke flagships. His gaze made the actions of the great ships seem awkward, except for the Vampire Prince’s ship, which continued steadily.
As the Eternal Flame’s ship stopped, the entire fleet halted in the distance.
The black-robed Eternal Flame appeared silently, drifting towards the Finger Pole King’s small boat. Behind him, Medanzo and Lusa lagged slightly, followed by the Princes and Dukes. In this level of battlefield, even Dukes were cannon fodder, and no one below a Duke had the right to approach.
The Eternal Flame stopped a kilometer away, but his voice sounded as if he were right next to them, “Ji Wentian, you know this is destiny; you can’t stop us.”
The Finger Pole King slowly stood up, his aura rising until he seemed like a giant standing tall, overpowering the Eternal Flame.
He flicked his sleeve and said calmly, “The name Ji Wentian hasn’t been used by me for a long time. Call me Finger Pole, or Finger Pole Elder if you insist.”
The Eternal Flame chuckled darkly, “Finger Pole, you dare to boast about your age in front of me?”
The Finger Pole King said, “Age is irrelevant when knowledge is shared. You’ve always been at a disadvantage against me. Even by Evernight standards, you can’t call me Finger Pole Boy.”
The Eternal Flame was momentarily speechless, harrumphing, “Stop this nonsense. I don’t care where you got your information, but even if you came, it’s futile. Stand aside!”
The Finger Pole King laughed, “Now that I’m here, do you think I’ll let you pass so easily?”
“Even if we fight, do you think we can’t push through?”
“Even if you do, you’re still going to receive the person. Once you enter the neutral zone, the Blood Throne will stand with us. Do you still think you can get the person out?”
The Eternal Flame sneered, “Of course, I can!”
“I’m not here to stop you, just to prevent you from taking the person, or at least not alive.”
Hearing this, the flames around the Eternal Flame fluctuated noticeably. He was silent for a long time, then said, “If that’s the case, we must first fight and drive you off.”
“Try it,” the Finger Pole King smiled, stroking his beard.
Suddenly, the void around his small boat transformed into a sea of black flames! This was the Eternal Flame’s magic fire, fueled by origin power, a cold fire capable of burning most rare materials. Any fireproof material was useless against it.
The Finger Pole King stamped his foot, and the small boat vanished, reappearing thousands of meters away, escaping the black flames. He stepped off the boat, rolled up his sleeves, and said, “This is my only boat. If it breaks, I’ll have to walk back. Do you really want that?”
The Eternal Flame said nothing, appearing instantly in front of the Finger Pole King, grabbing at his chest. The Finger Pole King blocked with his arm and counterattacked with a finger aimed at the Eternal Flame’s brow.
They fought like ordinary warriors, exchanging blows in the void. Yet, while ordinary fighters might exchange a few hits, the Finger Pole King and the Eternal Flame exchanged hundreds, every move clear to the eye.
On the distant warships, crew members watched the fight, fearing they’d miss a single move. But after a short while, they felt a splitting headache and collapsed, screaming.
In the warships, one after another, people fell, the stronger ones more severely. The captains and top fighters were alarmed, running around, shouting, “Don’t look! No one is to watch the battle!”
The duel between the Eternal Flame and the Finger Pole King was too profound to casually observe. Weak observers would be drawn into their rhythm, their origin power running amok, making them unable to withstand the strain, essentially attacking themselves.
At the captain level, they knew the true danger and dared not glance again.
While the Evernight fleet was in chaos, the Finger Pole King and the Eternal Flame continued their close combat, exchanging countless blows. Neither was in a hurry, fighting methodically, as if they could continue forever.
At their level, no matter how dazzling the area attacks or domain powers, they could be easily broken, and any weakening abilities or environmental effects were wasted. The simplest attack was the deadliest. The Eternal Flame chose hand-to-hand combat, showing his determination to fight to the end.
On the other side, Zhang Boqian ignored Medanzo and Lusa, striding like sliding on ice, instantly reaching behind the two Great Lords and heading for the Princes and Dukes.
This sudden attack caught Medanzo and Lusa off guard, unable to intercept him in time. Enraged, they chased after him, but couldn’t close the gap.
The Princes and Dukes behind them never expected the two Great Lords to fail, allowing Zhang Boqian to charge straight at them. They scattered instinctively, even the Princes and Dukes, not thinking, reacting purely out of fear.
Though the Green Sun King had a short career, his reputation was well-known, terrifying. His strikes were ruthless and powerful, aiming for instant death. Weaker opponents had no chance against him. While in the eyes of the top Evernight powerhouses, Zhang Boqian wasn’t the strongest human, he was the most feared opponent.
Zhang Boqian’s sudden appearance was like a tiger entering a pack of wolves. The Princes were manageable, but the Dukes scattered at their fastest speed, forgetting their dignity.
They knew that if they couldn’t block the Green Sun King’s strike, they were likely dead. If it was a desperate fight, that was one thing, but with Great Lords and Princes present, why would the Dukes risk their lives? If they died in a single exchange, it would be a disgrace.
Thus, the scene became extremely chaotic, with one figure slowly retreating, not entirely losing face.
But this minor grace couldn’t erase the collective shame. Medanzo and Lusa, chasing from behind, were furious, their faces pale.
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