Chapter 1850: Two-p.r.o.nged Approach
When Li Xunhua heard Zhao Hai, his expression immediately changed. Then he showed an ugly smile on his face as he asked, “Mister, the Hundred Flowers Alliance have always been friendly with the Freedom Alliance. Why would you want to deal with us?”
Zhao Hai looked at Li Xunhua and said, “Friendly? Hahaha. You really dared to say that? When we first met, you proposed that we should work together. I accepted your proposal at that time. After all, we have a common enemy. But Mister Li, let me ask you, what about the wine that you gave me?”
Hearing Zhao Hai, Li Xunhua paled. He knew what wine Zhao Hai was referring to. However, the Hundred Flowers Wine is very rare, which made the seductress wine even more rare. Moreover, it has only been used on very few people. He didn’t believe that Zhao Hai would know about it. Therefore, he could only grit his teeth as he denied, “Mister, what wine are you talking about? Is it the hundred flowers wine that I gave you? That was a very rare wine. Even the disciples of the Hundred Flowers Valley have to pay a steep price to acquire it.”
Zhao Hai sneered and said, “It seems like Mister Li is still acting innocent. That wine isn’t the hundred flower wine at all, its name should be seductress, right? It’s a new poison that couldn’t be detected. Upon drinking, the person wouldn’t be able to live without it. Am I correct? You gave me such a sinister poison and you still want to call me a friend? I already knew about your sinister intentions. You even hid your strength and asked the Black Tiger Gang for help. You really think I don’t know? But that’s fine, we also have our own plans, so I brought over some cultivators to help you out. Speaking of which, I need to thank you. This allowed the nine super sects to let go of any suspicions towards us. Unfortunately for you, your sect wouldn’t survive in the future. Now that you’ve become our enemy, the Black Tiger Gang would no longer be polite.”
Listening to Zhao Hai’s words, Li Xunhua couldn’t help but stare blankly at Zhao Hai. He didn’t think Zhao Hai would know all about their plans. Moreover, it was terrifyingly accurate.
After some time, Li Xunhua recovered his senses. His face was pale. He was also aware that the two sides had already torn each other’s mask. Li Xunhua looked at Zhao Hai and then said, “You shouldn’t be so proud just because you gained a few immortal-level Undead. If the Heavenly Demons really want to deal with you, you would be gone in a blink of an eye.”
Zhao Hai laughed and said, “Deal with me? The Heavenly Demons? I already know that they’re going to attack more than a year ago. You really think I didn’t make any preparations? You think I’m not aware of the experts in the Soaring Dragon Realm? If I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have shown my Undead army. I was just waiting for an opportunity. Now, the conditions are ripe. The Great Realm of Cultivation and the Heavenly Demons have shown their forces and fought against each other. Let’s see who gets the last laugh.”
Li Xunhua’s mood was darker than black. He didn’t expect Zhao Hai to be so prepared. But he coldly snorted and said, “Zhao Hai, I didn’t think that you would be a despicable villain. The Great World of Cultivation has fallen into your trap.”
Zhao Hai sneered and said, “So what, the nine super sects have been living well for a long time. The Soaring Dragon realm is for everyone in the Great Realm of Cultivation, but the nine super sects monopolized it for themselves. The Black Tiger Gang has been quietly developing, but the Myriad Demons Sect suppressed us. It’s time for the wheels of fate to turn. They had enjoyed their position for long enough. It’s the time for the Black Tiger Gang to replace them.”
“Li Xunhua, I will allow you to return. Make sure that my words reach the Myriad Demons Sect. Let me tell you, even if the nine super sects and the Heavenly Demons unite against me, I won’t be afraid. Alright, it’s time for you to return. Rather than gritting your teeth here, you might as well think about how you should deal with the Heavenly Demons.”
When he heard Zhao Hai, Li Xunhua was stunned once more. He thought that Zhao Hai wouldn’t let him go with how much he found out. He looked at Zhao Hai and said, “Are you really letting me go?”
Zhao Hai sneered and said, “You think I won’t let you leave? What, you want me to feed you? Or do you want to leave the Hundred Flowers Valley and join the Black Tiger Gang? If that’s the case, then I would welcome you. We’ll find a way to pick your family up from the Hundred Flowers Valley.”
Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Li Xunhua’s heart couldn’t help but move. But in the end he steeled his resolve as he looked at Zhao Hai then said, “Good, Zhao Hai. I didn’t expect to be caught in your tricks. You have this Li Xunhua’s admiration.” After he said that, he stood up and walked out.
Looking at Li Xunhua’s back, Zhao Hai smiled. Then he vanished from the meeting room. The next moment, he appeared inside Zhang Feng’s study.
Zhang Feng was currently looking at a jade sword message when Zhao Hai arrived. Zhang Feng put the jade sword message down and said, “Did you have a good talk with Li Xunhua? This way, they would no longer bother us. Also, take a look at this.” Then he handed the jade sword to Zhao Hai.
After receiving the jade sword message, Zhao Hai scanned it with his spiritual force. Before long, Zhao Hai was stunned. The jade sword message was sent by a small sect from the Hundred Flowers Alliance. They want to leave the Hundred Flowers Alliance and join the Freedom Alliance.
Zhao Hai raised his head and looked at Zhang Feng, “This is good. Didn’t we plan on poaching sects from the Hundred Flowers Alliance? This would save us a lot of trouble.”
Zhang Feng nodded, “This would spare us a lot of effort. I want to use this news to bring in more sects. What do you think?”
Zhao Hai thought about it and said, “I think that’s a good idea. But there’s one thing we need to pay attention to, and that’s the next move of the Hundred Flowers Valley. There’s still a possibility that they would surrender to the Heavenly Demons.”
Zhang Feng stared, then he frowned and said, “Surrender to the Heavenly Demons? Will the Heavenly Demons accept them?”
Zhao Hai shook his head and said, “It’s hard to say. Although the Heavenly Demons had been killing cultivators, it was to shock everyone and cause the nine super sects to recall their experts in the Soaring Dragon Realm. But if the Hundred Flowers Valley wanted to surrender as a collective, the Heavenly Demons might think about it. Moreover, the nine super sects already showed their cards and revealed that they were as strong as the Heavenly Demon Realm.”
“There’s also the sudden increase in the Freedom Alliance’s strength. With this, the Heavenly Demons might change their att.i.tude towards cultivators. If they accept the Hundred Flowers Valley, not only would they reduce the strength of the Great Realm of Cultivation, they could also bolster their numbers. Additionally, this would give the smaller sects another path to follow besides joining the alliances. Because of this, the small sects might not resist as hard as before. This was pure benefits for the Heavenly Demons with almost no repercussions. Therefore, I reckon the Heavenly Demons would accept if the Hundred Flowers Alliance decides to surrender. Now that we rejected their plea for help, the Hundred Flowers Valley has no other choice. If they want to preserve their legacy, the only possible way is to take refuge with the Heavenly Demons.”
Zhang Feng nodded, then he frowned and said, “That might really be possible. If they surrendered to the Heavenly Demons, then things would be more troublesome.”
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, “Then we might as well make the first move. Senior Brother, let’s spread word that the Hundred Flowers Valley has surrendered to the Heavenly Demons. Make sure that it reaches the ears of the nine super sects. The nine super sects would definitely not allow this to happen. When the time comes, we can watch the fun from the sidelines.”
Hearing Zhao Hai, Zhang Feng couldn’t help but stare. Then he laughed as he slapped Zhao Hai’s shoulder and said, “Little Hai, you’re really a ruthless kid. Hahaha. Good. This will be our two-p.r.o.nged attack. On one hand, we would poach small sects to our side. On the other hand, we would release news. I want to see how people from the super sects would react when they hear the news.”
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, “Now that the Freedom Alliance is under our control, we don’t have to worry about what other people would think. The most important thing for now is to win over as many small sects from the Hundred Flowers Alliance as possible. The stronger the Freedom Alliance is, the more confident we would be in facing the nine super sects in the future. Once the nine super sects could no longer touch us, we would become a true major force in the Great Realm of Cultivation.”
Zhang Feng’s eyes flashed brightly. Becoming a major force in the realm meant that they would be on an equal footing with the nine super sects. This was something that previous Gang Leaders of the Black Tiger Gang would never even imagine. But now, it would be realized under Zhang Feng’s term. Be believed that if they succeed, his name would certainly be recorded in history.
Zhang Feng calmed himself down and said, “Alright, I will take care of this. Now that the Freedom Alliance no longer faces an army, what do you think we should do to the first and second armies?”
Zhao Hai replied, “If possible, we should disband the second army. The first army can stay as it is. After all, the Great World of Cultivation isn’t a peaceful place. We need to ensure that we have a proper military to face any threats. Although the second army will be disbanded, its troops will be placed in reserves. This will give them time to take a rest. Then when the time comes, they would subst.i.tute people in the first army to take turns in taking a break.”
Zhang Feng nodded, “Alright, good. The Great Realm of Cultivation is even more dangerous than before. The nine super sects have recalled their people in the Soaring Dragon Realm to fight against the Heavenly Demon. The nine super sects want to drive away the Heavenly Demons before the inspection happens. If they didn’t drive the Heavenly Demons back with enough time, then the Great Realm of Cultivation might lose its qualifications to enter the Soaring Dragon Realm. The nine super sects didn’t want this to happen. It’s necessary for us to keep a strong army in hand.”
Zhao Hai nodded, “I also noticed how stressed the second army was compared to the first army. Let’s have them rest for a while and then shuffle some troops with the first army so that everyone can take a break. At the same time, this would improve the combat strength of the troops in the second army.”
Zhang Feng agreed, “You’re better at military matters than I am, so I’ll leave it to you. The first army will remain while the second army will be disbanded. However, we need to expand the first army. The Black Tiger Gang should also reveal some of our strength. How about we increase the first army to 200 large artifacts and 4 million troops?”
Zhao Hai nodded, “There’s no problem. I can manage. I’ll head to the first army first. We should also change the location of the base.”
Zhang Feng asked, “Where do you plan it to be?”
Zhao Hai thought about it before answering, “It shouldn’t be hard to find a place to house 200 large artifacts and 4 million people. I’m planning to move the army forward to the direction of the Hundred Flowers Valley. Firstly, it would guard against the Heavenly Demons. Secondly, it would make it better for us to connect with the small sects who want to join the Freedom Alliance. As long as these sects are willing to join, they can directly go to the first army and be protected.”
Zhang Feng nodded, “Alright. Is 200 large artifacts enough? If it’s not, we can transfer some from the gang.”
Zhao Hai shook his head and said, “There’s no need. Keep the large artifacts to protect the base. There’s no need to worry about me. Besides the h.e.l.l King’s s.h.i.+p, I also have several large artifacts from the lower realm. I wasn’t able to use them before, but after refining them once more, they should be enough to be used.”
Hearing Zhao Hai, Zhang Feng nodded. After exchanging a few more words, Zhao Hai turned around and left.