The teahouse.
Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu also took their seats, sipping tea while their eyes remained fixed on the illusory scene before them—the seventh struggle of the Wild Bull Demon.
At this moment, it was rampaging through the outpost camp, attempting to alter its predetermined fate.
Unfortunately, within the dream, it seemed to have been diagnosed with madness. Before long, it was captured and bound.
It appeared that this struggle, once again, had been futile.
Li Yingling sat listlessly in her seat, absentmindedly drinking the tea poured by Chen Baiqing.
This could be considered her first time leading and planning an operation.
Her master, Chu Xingchen, had not uttered a single word about the plan, leaving everything to her discretion.
She had hoped to make a strong impression…
Yet in the end, not only did she have to ask her master for help with the interrogation, but the results were also far from impressive.
Chu Xingchen cracked sunflower seeds as he personally debriefed his disciple: "It’s normal to feel excited when leading a team for the first time, but you acted a bit too impulsively."
"Handling affairs isn’t the same as cultivating immortality. Not everything is best done by yourself. If you just want to be an enforcer, then forget what I just said."
Li Yingling was intelligent, but she was still too young and inexperienced.
Even after reaching the Golden Core stage, she had mostly followed Chu Xingchen around, doing whatever tasks he assigned.
Though she had learned much, she still lacked the ability to stand on her own.
Someone like Li Xingtian, with ample experience, would have handled things far more steadily, offering advice that prioritized caution.
Though even he made occasional mistakes—after all, who didn’t?
Li Yingling nodded softly. "Understood. Yingling will remember."
"If you remember, then this trip wasn’t wasted."
Chu Xingchen nodded in satisfaction before glancing at Cui Hao and Lin Luoyu, raising his brows slightly as if asking if they had grasped the lesson.
Cui Hao mirrored the expression, flashing a knowing smile. "Master, I get it!"
Lin Luoyu silently glanced at the scheming grin on Cui Hao’s face beside her and suddenly felt… that perhaps she didn’t quite understand.
Still, she nodded along.
Seeing that the two had caught on, Chu Xingchen nodded approvingly and took a sip of tea.
Chen Baiqing waited briefly, only to realize her master hadn’t looked her way.
Her gaze drifted toward Chu Xingchen—why wasn’t he asking if she understood?
"Your comprehension is excellent. I trust you’ve got it."
Chu Xingchen gave a slight nod of affirmation, even flashing her a thumbs-up.
The sect’s tea-house discussion concluded with this summary.
The next phase of the operation would still be led by Li Yingling.
Even the fate of the three captured little demons would be left to her decision.
Three days later.
Yuzhou City.
The alliance’s meeting hall was set up within the local Demon Suppression Bureau’s government office.
The location had ready-made maps of the surrounding area, and many of its structures and layouts were well-suited for wartime operations.
Many procedures could even be directly adapted, and there were plenty of backup terrain maps available.
Given the urgency of the situation, it was indeed the best choice.
The alliance leader was a royal elder from the Xuanwu Kingdom, a peak late-stage Golden Core cultivator.
He introduced himself as—Zhao Chun.
In appearance, he was a white-haired elder who still exuded vigor, his gaze sharp and his words always measured.
Every discussion he led resulted in some degree of compromise among the parties.
No wonder the Xuanwu Kingdom had specially selected him for this role.
After all, consolidating resources wasn’t something that could be accomplished just by having high cultivation.
It required precise control over human relations and the flow of events.
Of course, even such a man wasn’t flawless in every situation.
Like right now…
A very young girl sat coldly in the seat below him.
The dozen or so alliance members present weren’t looking at Zhao Chun—their attention was fixed on this girl, Li Yingling.
This seat belonged to a sect from Yuzhou City, one that Zhao Chun had been explicitly warned to treat with the utmost respect before setting out.
And so, he had complied.
As for Chu Xingchen, Zhao Chun naturally held him in high regard.
This wasn’t just due to the emperor’s orders—Chu Xingchen himself commanded respect.
Though he rarely attended alliance meetings, every time he did, his suggestions struck at the heart of the matter.
Such unique insight into affairs wasn’t something one could gain simply through high cultivation.
And… his cultivation was extraordinary in its own right.
When Zhao Chun looked at Chu Xingchen, it was as if the man had merged with heaven and earth—a sensation no other Nascent Soul cultivator could evoke.
If possible, he would have preferred Chu Xingchen to attend this meeting and offer more advice.
But alas, this young girl represented Chu Xingchen’s stance in full.
Chu Xingchen himself hadn’t even shown up.
That wouldn’t have been an issue originally.
Except…
Behind her stood three others—a young girl at the Foundation Establishment stage and two Qi Refining cultivators.
Truth be told, the alliance members were already a somewhat ragtag bunch, hastily cobbled together.
But at the very least, they couldn’t appear too disorganized.
These high-level meetings determined the attack strategies for countless cultivators—plans that were supposed to be highly confidential.
Having only one representative per faction was an unspoken rule.
Yet here was this entourage, and that young man’s expression made it clear he was just here for the spectacle, his eyes darting around the room.
Zhao Chun took a deep breath and stood, drawing everyone’s attention.
Ignoring the questioning looks from below, he spoke firmly:
"By now, we’ve gathered most of the intelligence. Based on the reports, there’s an 80% chance only one Nascent Soul-level demon king is aiding this Tiger Demon."
"However, as a precaution, aside from the two Nascent Soul elders from the Xuanwu Kingdom, we still need three more Nascent Soul elders to serve as the final safeguard."
"Which sect’s grand elder is willing to step forward and rescue the common people from the clutches of evil?"
"The Xuanwu Kingdom will repay this favor handsomely!"
Silence followed his words.
Li Yingling said nothing, lightly stirring the tea bowl before her.
The only sound in the meeting hall was the faint clinking of porcelain.
Since no one volunteered, it was time to call on them directly.
Zhao Chun’s gaze shifted to a man on the left. "Brother Li, might I trouble your sect’s grand elder to oversee this operation?"
The man referred to as "Brother Li" was middle-aged.
He glanced briefly at Li Yingling before replying calmly:
"It’s not that we’re unwilling to contribute, but why should the Xuanwu Kingdom seek help from afar when there’s a solution close at hand?"
Li Yingling turned slightly, her eyes resting on the man.
The passive-aggressiveness in his words was too crude—nowhere near her master’s level.
But she wasn’t in the mood to engage in their bickering.
As her master often said, arguing with these people would only lower her own standing.
Li Yingling rose slowly and, under the gaze of all present, placed a jade token on the table.
Engraved upon it were the characters "Tianyan" (Heaven's Decree).
Her brows furrowed slightly as she asked softly:
"What did you just say?"