Chapter 1783 - 1768: The Unorthodox Maneuver

"What’s going on, are you all idle here? At this critical moment, what are you all doing gathered here? Or have you already located the invading Demon Clan army?"

At this urgent moment, Ye Zhen found that all his trusted aides were gathered inside the North Sea County government office, not a single one out on duty, and it made him quite angry.

To Ye Zhen’s surprise, his cold snort seemed to have little effect, instead making Liuu Feng, Gu Tieqi, Tang Biao, and others appear even more perplexed and odd.

Even stranger, none of them answered Ye Zhen.

"What’s wrong, have you all been enchanted or struck dumb? Not speaking?" Ye Zhen raised his voice eightfold.

This angry shout made the many trusted aides present finally show some expression, but most still remained silent, only Gu Tieqi seemed about to speak but stopped.

"Tieqi, what exactly is going on, speak!" Ye Zhen pointedly asked.

Upon hearing this, Gu Tieqi gave a bitter smile, "Sir, most of us were initially searching hard for the whereabouts of the invading Demon Clan army, but the Special Envoy sent by the Grand Celestial Official ordered us to return immediately, so we had to come back."

With Gu Tieqi’s explanation, everyone’s gaze focused on the corner of the hall.

Only then did Ye Zhen notice a middle-aged martial artist dressed in Heavenly Patrol Department attire, with a stern face, sitting in the corner of the hall.

"The Special Envoy of the Grand Celestial Official? Isn’t there still one day left until the end of the three-day military order from the Grand Celestial Official? May I ask, what is the envoy’s purpose here?"

Ye Zhen dared to ascertain that the issue must stem from this Special Envoy.

This envoy seemed quite taken aback by Ye Zhen’s appearance.

After pondering for a few moments, the envoy slowly stood up, "Under the command of the Grand Celestial Official, I am a Command Messenger. I am here to convey the Grand Celestial Officials’ intentions to the various officials of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy."

After saying this, the Command Messenger’s cold eyes suddenly swept over the trusted aides present, "I have clearly explained the matter and the stakes to you all.

You still have one day to complete these tasks, I hope you won’t harm yourselves."

"Farewell!"

The last two words were directed at Ye Zhen; after saying them, he strode out the door, and soared into the sky in an instant.

This situation is increasingly baffling and confusing.

What exactly are these matters and stakes?

"What exactly is going on here? What does this Command Messenger want you to do that has you all looking so strange? Gu Tieqi, tell me, what’s happening?"

Pressed by Ye Zhen’s sharp demand, Gu Tieqi’s expression turned stern, and then he bitterly laughed, "Sir, don’t you know?"

"Know what?" Ye Zhen was full of confusion.

"This Command Messenger wants us to... forge a commission for you, acknowledging that since a few days before you closed the retreat, all affairs of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy have been under our total responsibility.

Moreover, he wants the County Captain, County Governor, and several Military Commanders to act as witnesses...."

"Absurd!"

Ye Zhen’s face suddenly turned red.

At this moment, Ye Zhen immediately understood why all these trusted aides looked so odd.

Even those of them whose Divine Souls were under his control appeared extremely strange.

It’s because they thought Ye Zhen had sacrificed them for his own survival, leaving them as scapegoats, as decoys.

This is what caused the eerie situation just now.

Ye Zhen realized this must be Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu’s arrangement.

"Do you think I’m such a person?"

"Or do you think my lack of contact over the past few days was a deliberate attempt to shirk responsibility?"

"If I really wanted to do that, I absolutely wouldn’t be here in North Sea County right now."

"Open your eyes and see—I have been cloistered, breaking through my Cultivation!" Amidst the roar, Ye Zhen suddenly released the aura of his First Stage Early Stage Dark Palace Realm cultivation.

"Sir, you’ve made a breakthrough?" Gu Tieqi was initially joyful.

Liuu Feng was also stunned, "Sir, you’ve broken through so quickly?"

However, some still retained a degree of wariness in their expressions.

With Wu Yu’s maneuver, the chill was felt not just within the ranks of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy Office, but also among the North Sea County’s civil and military officials, exhibiting the fragility between lips and teeth.

No one wished for their loyal leader to be someone who would disregard their subordinate’s lives and send them out as scapegoats at whim.

"I understand your feelings and thoughts at this moment!" Seeing the distrust and caution in the eyes of many officials, Ye Zhen felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

"No matter who it is, being betrayed by one’s own kind feels terrible. But I want to say, I, Ye Zhen, will never make you scapegoats, nor will I abandon you to take responsibility while I escape."

"Regarding this matter, regardless of the final outcome, I, Ye Zhen, will bear all responsibility!" Ye Zhen vowed solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Gu Tieqi, Liuu Feng, and others appeared ashamed, while those like Governor Qiao Fu, County Captain Tang Biao, as well as several Military Commanders, Niu Er, and Fengg Jiumo looked deeply moved.

Clearly, they were taken aback by Ye Zhen’s last statement.

"Alright, it’s pointless to make grand statements now. If we truly reach the ultimate moment, you will see that my words aren’t empty; but now, we’re not at the ultimate moment yet, we still need to strive to protect our lives.

"Now, gather all the information you’ve investigated for me," Ye Zhen said.

"My lord, we misunderstood you. Your presence here shows that you are definitely not that kind of person," Liu Feng said with a face full of shame.

"Hey, I just asked the Command Messenger if this was your intention, and he refused to answer directly. It turns out my suspicion was correct," Gu Tieqi also laughed.

"Subordinates are ashamed, my lord!"

"Subordinates are ashamed!"

......

For a moment, everyone present apologized for misunderstanding Ye Zhen.

After all, none present were fools. As Liu Feng said, as long as Ye Zhen appears here before the military order deadline, the plan of sacrificing the carriage to protect the commander cannot be implemented.

Ye Zhen could not possibly sacrifice them for self-preservation.

Watching this scene, Ye Zhen was secretly angry.

He knew that the Grand Celestial Official wanted to save him and help him, but it almost caused a rift between the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy and North Sea County.

However, as the saying goes, "a blessing in disguise." If their officers and the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy can overcome this obstacle, the small group around Ye Zhen will become more united, loyal, and efficient in the future!

"Enough, less talking, introduce the situation one by one," Ye Zhen said again.

"My lord, the current situation is like this...."

Liu Feng reported the current search results to Ye Zhen on the opened large Military Spiritual Map. Moreover, they had already begun coordinating with the Void Hunting King and another large group of mysterious personnel who had arrived half a day ago.

In other words, Liu Feng also knew the search results of those Void Hunting Kings and large groups of mysterious personnel.

The problem is, these troops, especially those Void Hunting Kings, have thoroughly searched the twenty-thousand-mile radius around the last crime location of the Demon Clan’s army, the area around Warm Spring Town.

The mysterious personnel and the large army sent by North Sea County stationed there later, searched the area as if digging three feet into the ground, but found no traces.

The Void Hunting Kings even expanded the search area to three hundred thousand miles.

It should be known that according to Liu Feng’s previous judgment, the marching speed of that Demon Clan army is about twenty thousand miles per two hours.

And this search result was from eight hours after the incident at Warm Spring Town.

In other words, under normal circumstances, the Demon Clan army could have moved a maximum of one hundred sixty thousand miles.

But even after the Void Hunting Kings searched three hundred thousand miles, they still did not find a trace of the Demon Clan’s Qi.

This result perfectly matched the inference Grand Celestial Official Wu Yu passed on to Ye Zhen through Princess Changle earlier.

Ye Zhen’s Sacrificial Guard had been to Warm Spring Town, where there had been an incredibly intense spiritual power explosion that could instantly wipe out hundreds of Realm King Realm experts.

All signs indicate that after being used by Xio Qiangu, the invading Demon Clan army had completely disappeared from the world, its bodies destroyed and traces erased.

Basically, this inference erased any last chance Ye Zhen had to turn the situation around.

Moreover, among Ye Zhen’s trusted officers, Governor Qiao Fu, County Captain Tang Biao, Liu Feng, Niu Er, and several Military Commanders present, there were also smart individuals.

The conclusion was clear that any chance for the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy to find the invading Demon Clan army was gone.

They no longer had a chance.

All they could do was wait for military law to be executed.

"Is there really no other way?" Ye Zhen asked, frowning deeply.

County Captain Tang Biao hesitated, "My lord, there is a way, but it depends on luck."

"What do you mean?"

"If..." County Captain Tang Biao’s voice turned stammering and hesitant, "If another Demon Clan army invaded in formation, we could encircle and annihilate them, and then...."

Saying this, County Captain Tang Biao himself smiled bitterly, "However, this kind of thing is basically wishful thinking and impossible for us..."

"Impossible is impossible, but...." Ye Zhen’s eyes suddenly brightened at this point, as he thought of a clever strategy.

A clever strategy that could pass through this difficulty.

At the same time, in Lingzhou Prefecture City, the West Patrol Xio Qiangu, who had personally arrived to oversee operations in Lingzhou Prefecture City, slowly got up to bid farewell to Lingzhou Governor Bai Jinjiang after reviewing many pieces of intercepted information he was already aware of or found useless.

"Weis Gang, the Grand Celestial Official’s military order for the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy, Ye Zhen, is about to expire. Gather our men, and let’s head to the County City of North Sea County to arrest him,

to prevent Ye Zhen of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy, and his subordinates, the condemned, from escaping from conviction and letting us West Patrol officials suffer disgrace," Xio Qiangu said in front of Governor Bai Jinjiang.

"I obey, my lord!" Weis Gang nodded, pretending to offer a suggestion, "To prevent their escape, I suggest bringing more men."

"Agree!"

Responding in unison, West Patrol Xio Qiangu and his capable right-hand man Weis Gang exchanged glances, both seeing the amusement in each other’s eyes.

Finally, they would get rid of Ye Zhen, the thorn in their side!