……

For the Third Prince, as long as he himself wasn't embarrassed, then it was others who would be.

Fortunately, although Princess Suiyun was puzzled, she still remembered the goodwill of those who had come from afar to support them, and remained polite: "What His Highness the Third Prince says is very true. Our two human factions are now gradually moving towards a new stage of cooperation and mutual benefit, and we should indeed communicate well."

"Brother Yinghao, you will handle the follow-up matters of the Red Gorge battlefield," Princess Suiyun said, turning to instruct Wu Yinghao behind her, "All the wounded must receive effective treatment, and the fallen soldiers should be properly compensated."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After saluting, Wu Yinghao immediately took some people to handle the aftermath.

The Third Prince watched Wu Yinghao's back, thinking to himself, is this the future Mansion Master of Princess Suiyun's Mansion? He does seem quite heroic and extraordinary, but unfortunately, compared to his Ruobing, it's still worlds apart.

Princess Suiyun had come this time for rescue, and now that the crisis at Red Gorge Pass had been resolved, she naturally didn't need to stay here any longer.

After making some arrangements and leaving enough garrison at Red Gorge Pass, Princess Suiyun took Third Prince Shentu Jingming and Princess Zhaoyu to the Eastern Line Command.

……

Meanwhile.

In the direction of the Redstone Demon King Fortress in the Eastern Line Defense Area, there was a human stronghold in a strategically important location, named [Shattered Stone Fortress].

The name was chosen firstly because of its rough structure, mostly built with various locally sourced stones for the camp, walls, and other structures. Secondly, its main purpose was to remotely block the attack routes of the Redstone Demon King Fortress, hence the name "Shattered Stone" was also meant to target the Redstone Demon King Fortress.

For a defensive fortress to be effective, its location must be chosen at a strategic point, so as to have a chokehold effect.

Apart from the route guarded by Shattered Stone Fortress, the surrounding area was rugged with steep mountains, suitable for small elite forces to traverse, but if a large army attempted to bypass, it would not only be extremely difficult to march, but the logistics supply line would also be impossible to maintain.

Most importantly, if the demon army couldn't take Shattered Stone Fortress, even if they managed to bypass it and enter the hinterland of the Eastern Line Defense Area, they would easily be attacked from two or more sides. If encircled, the outcome would be predictable.

Therefore, for the Redstone Demon King's army to enter the hinterland of the Eastern Line Defense Area, they first had to break through [Shattered Stone Fortress].

The Seventh Corps of the now [famous] Eastern Line Corps was the one long stationed at Shattered Stone Fortress, controlling the surrounding defense area.

Originally, the Seventh Corps was not well-known, considered a second-rate corps within the entire Eastern Line Defense Area, just slightly higher in status than the [Cook Corps]. Their performance on the battlefield and the merits they earned were naturally not high, and in terms of resource allocation, their priority was not as high as the three main corps of the Eastern Line Corps, often having to wait for leftovers.

However, with the arrival of Wang Yingxuan, the Seventh Corps suddenly "rose to fame," with all sorts of bizarre things happening one after another, and the other brother corps secretly laughed at them, saying they were completely taken over by a second-generation wealthy young lady.

A group of big men in the corps was actually subdued by a little girl.

But there were also those who envied the Seventh Corps, after all, Wang Yingxuan was very adept at acquiring resources, fully embodying Zhao Tingjian's spirit of crying, making trouble, and threatening suicide, always managing to make the logistics department prioritize the Seventh Corps' supplies, bringing their treatment close to the top three elite corps.

Past events aside.

This time, the [Shattered Stone Fortress] guarded by the Seventh Corps encountered a major problem.

The Redstone Demon King launched an attack on Shattered Stone Fortress, with three demon lord units as the vanguard.

The units under the demon lords were trained and raised by themselves, naturally varying in strength, and these three vanguard lords were old adversaries of Shattered Stone Fortress, with small-scale skirmishes never ceasing over the years, and many grudges had been formed.

At this moment.

In the meeting room of Shattered Stone Fortress, the leaders of the various battalions under the Seventh Corps were gathered, listening to the compiled intelligence, each with a solemn expression.

The spirit stone lamps in the meeting room hadn't had their stones replaced for who knows how long, casting a dim light that seemed to cover everyone's face with a shadow, making the atmosphere particularly solemn and oppressive.

"Blood Eagle Lord, Wild Bear Lord, and Mighty Lord are leading their troops from their territories, converging on [Shattered Stone Fortress] from three directions," the scout leader reported, "We estimate they plan to take advantage of our Eastern Line Defense Area's various strongholds being mired in war and unable to provide support, to capture our Shattered Stone Fortress and pave the way for their main forces."

Any one of these three demon lord units was not to be trifled with. The Seventh Corps, relying on the terrain advantage of Shattered Stone Fortress, could defend against one, but defending against two would be challenging. If faced with an attack from three, without reinforcements, holding the fortress would be nearly impossible.

"What about reinforcements?"

Deputy Corps Leader Liao Yingjun was polishing a long knife in his hand, and upon hearing this, looked up at Corps Leader Yan Hongtian.

The knife had a dark luster, with a cold light flowing along the blade, exuding an unmatched sharpness, clearly a Divine Spirit Artifact.

This was something Wang Yingxuan helped him exchange for, without even requiring him to repay contribution points in the future. Of course, Yingxuan had also prepared a Divine Spirit Artifact spear for Corps Leader Yan Hongtian, but seeing that he already had one, she temporarily held off.

This made Liao Yingjun so happy that he slept with the Divine Spirit Artifact every day, while Yan Hongtian often woke up in the middle of the night, secretly shedding tears. If he had known Yingxuan would distribute Divine Spirit Artifacts, he wouldn't have gone bankrupt to exchange for [Flying Swallow].

"I just received a message from the corps command," Yan Hongtian said heavily, "Right now, battles are breaking out all over the defense area, and the command is busy firefighting everywhere, unable to guarantee reinforcements will arrive. The command's instructions are for us to hold on as long as possible..."

This bad news plunged all the leaders of the Seventh Corps into silence.

The entire Eastern Line Defense Area was a joint defense system, where normally, any stronghold under attack would receive reinforcements immediately. But now, with battles erupting across the Eastern Line Defense Area, all strongholds were severely understaffed, and the headquarters was tied up, unable to deploy troops.

Anyone with a bit of military knowledge could see that this defensive battle for the Seventh Corps would be particularly difficult and dangerous, with each additional day of defense costing dearly.

If things went wrong, the entire Seventh Corps could be wiped out!

This crisis was not just for the Seventh Corps but for the entire Eastern Line Defense Area, and even the Immortal No. 3 Base. The Shattered Stone Fortress they were guarding was just one of the many insignificant points in the vast defense area of the Immortal No. 3 Base.

After a moment of silence, all eyes turned to Wang Yingxuan.

Although her position was only Deputy Corps Leader of the Seventh Corps, she was already the de facto leader. Thanks to her, the Seventh Corps, from the lowest soldier to the battalion leaders, had upgraded their weapons and equipment.

The new black armor produced by the Immortal Armament Division had just been distributed to the headquarters, and she had already snatched a batch for full armament.

"Defend? Defend what?" Wang Yingxuan finally spoke after a long silence, "If we passively defend [Shattered Stone Fortress], we will face the encirclement of three demon lords. While defending the city gives us a terrain advantage, it also puts us in a dilemma."

"No way?" Yan Hongtian's eyes widened, "Does Yingxuan mean we should take the initiative to fight in the field? That's too dangerous. Even if we've upgraded our equipment, at best we can fight one demon lord army to a draw."

"A draw? Who said that?" Wang Yingxuan glared at him, "Are you underestimating my Wang Yingxuan's resources?"

With that, she touched her storage ring, and a seemingly ordinary, wooden middle-aged man appeared before everyone.

"Let me introduce you all to one of our clan's guardian puppets—[Wang Dinghu]. Ancestor Dinghu, please greet the brothers."

Wang Dinghu nodded and greeted everyone warmly, "Hello, everyone. I am Wang Dinghu, a guardian puppet with early Lingxu Realm combat power."

The Wang Clan had obtained three early Lingxu Realm puppets and one peak Lingxu Realm puppet from the officer training camp, and Wang Dinghu was one of them.

Unlike the lower-level puppets, Wang Dinghu's appearance was almost indistinguishable from a human, with a high degree of anthropomorphism, except for a slightly expressionless face, which made him seem a bit stiff. But considering there are similar people among humans, this difference wasn't very noticeable.

Without being told, most people would mistake him for a human. However, on the battlefield, he was a formidable weapon.

Early Lingxu Realm combat power!

Yan Hongtian, Liao Yingjun, and all the battalion leaders were shocked, standing up in unison, swallowing hard, and looking at Wang Dinghu with awe.

Puppets with Lingxu Realm combat power were extremely rare, and with the current level of craftsmanship in the Immortal and Demon Dynasties, they couldn't be made. Therefore, in the human world today, puppets with Lingxu Realm combat power only had one source: the Shenwu relics.

Families with Lingxu puppets were all top-tier families, usually keeping them at the main residence for protection.

These things, in terms of value and importance, were even above semi-immortal artifacts. After all, semi-immortal artifacts could be exchanged for with contribution points, but Lingxu Realm puppets were out of the question.

What kind of background does Yingxuan's family have? How come she joins the army and brings both semi-immortal artifacts and Lingxu puppets?

According to her, she was just from a mere fourth-grade family in a remote country.

Damn fourth-grade!

If fourth-grade families of the human race had such resources, the outer region demons would have been wiped out long ago.

But even though the Wang Clan now had four Lingxu puppets, they were hard-earned. The hero mode of the Shenwu Army Officer Training Academy was not easy to conquer.

Imagine, just scoring sixty points to pass the hero mode meant having the potential to be a Shenwu Corps Leader. How high were the requirements?

In the Shenwu period, Corps Leaders weren't just barely reaching the early Lingxu Realm like Zhao Tingjian and Emperor Longchang, but had at least mid to late Lingxu Realm combat power!

Even so, if you didn't score eighty points, you'd only be forced to take a [semi-immortal artifact], with no choice of subsequent treasures.

That's why, although the rules forced semi-immortal artifacts, and they were supposed to be the most numerous, the Wang Clan didn't receive many. Because while semi-immortal artifacts were the most numerous, they were also the most taken.

Instead, more intermediate codices and other higher-scoring treasures were left.

No wonder, achieving eighty points in hero mode to get a second prize was too difficult. Those who achieved it basically had the potential of a True Immortal, a rarity even in the Shenwu period, and having the qualification to choose a precious Lingxu puppet guardian was very reasonable.

The Wang Clan, firstly, had clan members with immense potential, raised by resources from the relics, and secondly, exploited a bug, which is why they acquired so many rewards. It doesn't mean Lingxu puppets aren't valuable or are common.

A Heavenly Daughter like Wang Yingxuan, even in the Shenwu Royal Dynasty, would be top-tier talent. If the Holy Emperor were alive, he would surely cherish her.

That's why Wang Shouzhe was concerned about his granddaughter Wang Yingxuan's safety on the battlefield and arranged for a Lingxu puppet to guard her.

However, this Lingxu puppet was available to both Yingxuan and Lici, but was temporarily with Yingxuan.

"Alright, alright." Wang Yingxuan waved her hand calmly, "It's not a big deal, everyone sit down. Let's continue the tactical meeting and not waste time."

Not a big deal?

A Lingxu puppet isn't a big deal? It's something that could crush them with a slap.

Yan Hongtian and the others looked at Wang Dinghu with reverence, then at Wang Yingxuan, hesitating for a while before sitting down with trepidation, secretly pondering Yingxuan's family background.

Fourth-grade is impossible, they wouldn't believe a fourth-grade family could have such resources.

After adjusting his mood slightly, Yan Hongtian reorganized his thoughts and said worriedly, "Yingxuan, even with Ancestor Dinghu's help, we can't handle three demon lords, can we?"

"Why handle three? Can't we handle them one by one?" Wang Yingxuan looked at him in surprise, then criticized, "Hongtian, fighting is like being a person, you can't aim too high."

"No, that's not what I meant..." Yan Hongtian said aggrievedly, drawing circles on the map, "Look, this is the position of the [Blood Eagle Lord]'s unit, here is the [Wild Bear Lord], and here is the [Mighty Lord]. Although they are converging on us from three directions, their marching distance is less than two days apart."

"If we attack any lord unit, the other two will come to aid, and if entangled, our Seventh Corps will be annihilated. Unless we can completely defeat and eliminate a lord unit before the others arrive, and retreat quickly. But that's too difficult..."

"The most troublesome part is that as time passes, their encirclement will tighten, and their distances will shorten. We also need time to march for an attack."

Yan Hongtian's analysis was very reasonable, showing that he wasn't just a figurehead as the corps leader. Before Wang Yingxuan arrived, he had defended Shattered Stone Fortress for many years with his own ability, so his basic tactical vision and judgment were naturally sound.

The other battalion leaders nodded in agreement.

However, Wang Yingxuan was clearly prepared, marking a location on the map: "This area is called [Ancient Demon Forest], a must-pass route for the [Blood Eagle Lord]'s unit. I've checked the terrain, and it's very suitable for an ambush."

"Yingxuan, it takes us two days to march to Ancient Demon Forest, and based on previous intelligence on the Blood Eagle Lord's unit, they are not far from Ancient Demon Forest, definitely less than two days away," Deputy Corps Leader Liao Yingjun also raised doubts, "Based on the distance, we can't set up an ambush before the Blood Eagle Lord reaches Ancient Demon Forest. Besides, ambushing isn't that simple, they have scouts, and will surely scout carefully before passing through."

Although they followed Wang Yingxuan's lead, they weren't mindless puppets and naturally had their own judgments.

The other leaders also felt Liao Yingjun made a valid point.

Some classic ambush cases are well-known and widely spread because under normal circumstances, completing an ambush is very difficult.

There are no real fools among military leaders, and even if a leader is reckless, there are usually advisors around.

Moreover, when troops march through dangerous areas, scouting carefully before passing is standard procedure. After all, if you can see a place is suitable for an ambush, can't the enemy see it too?

Everyone is a regular army, not a bandit group, even bandits know to send scouts to check the situation.

"You all know I've inherited the Lingxu Codex, right?" Wang Yingxuan glanced at them, asking a seemingly unrelated question.

Yan Hongtian and Liao Yingjun were about to nod when they suddenly realized, eyes widening: "What? Yingxuan, you've already inherited the Lingxu Codex?"

Damn, comparing people is infuriating, they're not even in the same world~

Yan Hongtian and Liao Yingjun's families are third-grade families, far from the Lingxu Codex.

In fact, forget the Lingxu Codex, their families even struggle with the number of Divine Realm inheritance grounds. That's why their families sent them to the army, hoping they could earn a Divine Realm inheritance through military merit. Yan Hongtian is a successful example.

"Didn't I mention it?" Wang Yingxuan frowned, trying to recall if she had said it.

"You didn't!"

Everyone nodded in unison.

They were completely speechless with Yingxuan, no wonder she dared to confront Old Marshal Zhao, she was on the path to becoming a Lingxu "Marshal," starting much higher than Old Marshal Zhao.

With her displayed talent, potential, and command ability, she might become a base commander in the future. Following Yingxuan, they felt their future was limitless~~

"Alright~" Wang Yingxuan was also helpless, "It's a bit complicated. Let me introduce my codex first."

With that, her eyes focused, and a golden light shot from her Purple Mansion, transforming into an ancient, heavy codex that floated above her head.

The pages of the codex flipped with a rustling sound, and a strong killing intent spread throughout the meeting room, cold and domineering, with a faint scent of blood, making everyone feel as if they were on a battlefield.

At the same time, a cold female voice came from the codex: "Hello, everyone. I am Junwu, the spirit artifact of Yingxuan's [War Manual]."

Many were seeing a codex for the first time, and were extremely excited, looking at it with admiration and longing.

The codex was too far out of reach for them.

Many had never even seen one, let alone inherited one. It was so far beyond them that they didn't even feel jealousy or envy.

"Everyone, take note, my codex is called [War Manual], and it doesn't significantly enhance my personal combat power," Wang Yingxuan said with a confident expression, "But it's still a very powerful codex. The reason is simple, as its name suggests, it's a codex centered around the [Laws of War], not the [Laws of Combat]."

The inheritance requirements for the War Manual were extremely strict, not without reason. She only understood its uniqueness after inheriting it.

The marshal who created this codex was truly a remarkable genius.

"Laws of War?"

Everyone was puzzled.

What kind of heavenly law is this? They've never heard of it.

However, even if they hadn't heard of it, it didn't stop them from instinctively feeling it was impressive.

"I am Junwu, I will assist Miss Yingxuan in leading you to one victory after another. Time is short, everyone gather. We can immediately activate one of the laws of war—[Speed is of the Essence], and strive to reach [Ancient Demon Forest] within eight hours, giving us more time to prepare for a hidden ambush."

Laws of War, Speed is of the Essence?

Everyone was even more confused.

This was something they had never heard of.

But they would soon experience the wonders of this heavenly law and be deeply impressed.

……

As Wang Yingxuan led the Seventh Corps to break convention and take the initiative, Princess Suiyun and the Third Prince temporarily bid farewell to the main force and headed to the Eastern Line Defense Area Command.

With the Immortal Emperor's projection stationed in the Eastern Line Defense Area, and the Third Prince coming from afar to support the Immortal Dynasty, etiquette dictated that the Immortal Emperor should meet the Third Prince and offer some words of comfort, and the Third Prince should pay his respects.

However, this was a battlefield, and with urgent matters at hand, the meeting was kept simple.

The Immortal Emperor's projection directly met with the Third Prince's group in the command room, accompanied only by Wang Fugui and Princess Yun Mengyu of Chuanan.

"Foreign ministers Anyao and Zhaoyu, pay respects to the Immortal Emperor."

The Third Prince and Princess Zhaoyu, one large and one small, stepped forward to formally greet the Immortal Emperor.

The Third Prince had changed into formal court attire to show respect for the Immortal Emperor, and even the young Princess Zhaoyu wore a specially tailored mini princess court dress, looking serious and particularly adorable.

The others simply saluted, as they were considered "accompanying personnel," not required to register, even Zhuo Lao and Tianqin, two Lingxu Realm experts, were the same.

After all, their purpose was to protect the two young princes, so they remained low-key.

"Rise, speak while seated."

The Immortal Emperor waved a hand, very kind and courteous.

Because it was a projection, although stationed in the Eastern Line Defense Area, the main responsibilities were coordinating supplies, directing emergency reinforcements, and stabilizing morale, not frequently entering battle.

Therefore, unlike Princess Suiyun, who was travel-worn and battle-hardened, the Immortal Emperor still wore a majestic and dignified imperial crown, appearing very authoritative.

However, this didn't mean the Immortal Emperor was relaxed.

As the ruler of the Immortal Dynasty, the pressure on her was greater than anyone else's. This projection was like an important pillar, and if she had to enter battle, the situation would be extremely dire, possibly sacrificing the projection to salvage the crisis.

After all, sacrificing a projection was better than losing a Lingxu True Lord of the Immortal Dynasty.

"Prince Anyao, Princess Zhaoyu, for you to come from afar to aid us in our time of crisis, this favor will not be forgotten. Please convey my regards to the Demon Emperor."

The Immortal Emperor looked at the two, a hint of appreciation on her bright face.

That old Demon Emperor, though usually cunning and shameless, even somewhat brazen, was reliable in critical moments, not acting foolishly.

Just unsure why he sent a five or six-year-old child over.

As the Immortal Emperor, she knew about the new little princess in the Demon Dynasty. But even if it's for gaining experience, five or six years old is too young.

With the outer region battlefield in chaos, even with Tianqin, a Lingxu Realm expert, protecting her, absolute safety wasn't guaranteed. That old man in Red Prison had a lot of nerve, not fearing any mishaps.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Third Prince and Zhaoyu straightened up, gently sitting in the seats given to them, both with solemn expressions, their etiquette impeccable. Even the five or six-year-old Princess Zhaoyu stretched her chubby little hands, earnestly performing the salute with a serious and earnest expression.

Clearly, they held great respect for the Immortal Emperor.

"Don't be so formal." The Immortal Emperor smiled, "Since you're here to support us, you are honored guests of our Han Yue Immortal Dynasty. But I am busy with affairs and have no time to entertain you. Let me introduce some of our dynasty's young talents and princesses to you. During your stay, they will accompany you. Fugui, Mengyu, go accompany our guests, make sure they feel at ease."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wang Fugui and Yun Mengyu saluted and then approached the Third Prince and Princess Zhaoyu.

Knowing he would meet guests, Wang Fugui had changed into formal attire. At nearly twenty years old, with a bit of grooming, he appeared as a graceful young gentleman, only his slightly chubby cheeks remained as round as ever.

He saluted the two according to etiquette, introducing himself: "Your Highness Anyao, Your Highness Zhaoyu, I am Wang Fugui, and during these days, Princess Chunnan and I will accompany you."

"Wang Fugui!"

Princess Zhaoyu, upon hearing the name, jumped up, her eyes wide as she looked at Wang Fugui: "You, you, you, you're Wang Fugui?"

"This..." Wang Fugui was slightly taken aback, looking at the five or six-year-old doll-like child, he saluted again, "I am indeed Wang Fugui, does Princess Zhaoyu know me?"

"Wow~~"

Princess Zhaoyu, being so young, couldn't hold back and burst into tears: "I'm doomed, I'm doomed, my future husband looks like this, and his face is so round! Wow~"

The cry was earth-shattering, full of grievance.

"What?"

Wang Fugui's face froze.

……

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