Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

71: Section 71It turned out to be Little Lion and Qing Lin. These two little girls couldn’t stay idle for a moment. They rummaged through Yue Mei’s tent and actually found some... well, rather private “little toys.”

It was an oddly shaped object of unknown material that seemed to... vibrate. “?! This... where did you two find this thing?!”

Yue Mei, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted the “little toy” in Little Lion’s hand that made her blush. In an instant, her pretty face turned as red as a ripe apple!

She almost instantly “slid” over to the two little girls, fumbling to snatch the toy from their hands and stuffing it into her embrace like a thief.

“You children! Don’t play with things like this!” Yue Mei reprimanded in a low, exasperated voice.

“Oh.” Little Lion blinked her innocent big eyes, tilting her head curiously as she asked, “But why is this thing cylindrical? It’s slippery and it makes noise.”

She paused, then continued to press with an innocent, yet mischievous tone, “Snake-People Sister, what do you usually... play with this?”

“Pfft—!”

Yue Mei felt a rush of blood to her head, almost fainting on the spot.

This little girl! Was she really ignorant or just pretending?! She asked so directly!

“Uh... ahem... this... this is... it’s for auxiliary cultivation! Yes! For cultivation!” Yue Mei stammered, making up a clumsy excuse, trying to gloss over it.

Little did she know, in this small tent, when it came to true “purity,” the Chief of the Charming Snake Tribe was probably the highest... “Alright, stop messing around.” Just as Yue Mei was feeling cornered, Yun Xiancheng timely opened his eyes, breaking the awkward situation.

He glanced at the snake girl whose face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed, then at the two little rascals whose faces were full of curiosity mixed with mischievous smiles. Yue Mei, hearing this, felt as if she had received a great pardon and gratefully looked at Yun Xiancheng, thanking him for helping her out.

She quickly composed herself, tucked the troublesome “little toy” into her intimate clothing to hide it, then took a deep breath and “slid” back to the sand table, resuming the war game with Yun Xiancheng.

This time, Yue Mei clearly felt that Yun Xiancheng’s command seemed... to be taking shape?

Although still a bit unpolished, he was no longer as flustered and disorganized as before. His troop deployment began to show some basic logic and strategy, and occasionally he even executed some maneuvers that made her eyes light up.

For instance, just now, Yun Xiancheng actually seized an oversight on her part and successfully encircled one of her flank detachments! Such rapid progress!

Yue Mei was secretly astonished, but the battle situation changed rapidly, so she had no time to ponder too much. She immediately focused her attention on how to break the current predicament and organize a counterattack.

This sand table exercise lasted a full half an hour. In the end, Yun Xiancheng still concluded with a defeat.

However, compared to the first utter rout, this time, Yue Mei did not win easily. She even lost nearly half of her “troops” before finally achieving a difficult victory.

When the exercise ended, Yue Mei looked at Yun Xiancheng, who, despite being “defeated” again, had a thoughtful and satisfied expression on his face. The despair and confusion in her heart had quietly dissipated.

In its place was an indescribable excitement and... hope! Perhaps... perhaps their Snake-People Clan truly wouldn’t be doomed this time!

Although this seemingly excessively young Young Master was indeed a novice in war command, his terrifying learning ability and speed of progress gave her a glimmer of hope to turn the tide of the war!

142 What does a snake girl taste like?

Yun Xiancheng and Yue Mei stayed up all night, analyzing the war situation.

The other Young ladies gathered to cultivate together. Although without Yun Xiancheng as the central supplier for all the Young ladies, they couldn’t achieve seven, eight, or even ten times the cultivation speed, it was still much faster than cultivating alone.

This is the power of many.

How can one person cultivating compare to all of us cultivating together?

As the first hint of dawn appeared in the eastern sky, the final sand table exercise finally came to a close.

“Phew.” Yue Mei let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the sand table, which showed her side suffering significant losses but ultimately successfully crushing the enemy, a profound sense of relief finally appeared on her weary face.

She nodded, her voice a bit hoarse, but full of affirmation:

“Without a Dou Huang expert directly intervening on the battlefield, Young Master, your command just now would be enough to lead our main forces to defeat the invading enemy.”

“Moreover, the casualty ratio... was also controlled within an acceptable range.”

She looked up at Yun Xiancheng, who also appeared tired but whose eyes were still clear, and said with admiration, “You... learned really fast. In just one night, you are like a completely different person.”

This proud Chief of the Charming Snake Tribe was now completely convinced of Yun Xiancheng’s talent and learning ability in military command. “Talking about war on paper feels shallow, one must truly practice to understand it.”

Yun Xiancheng rubbed his throbbing temples, but there was not much joy of victory on his face. He knew that there was a huge gap between sand table exercises and a real battlefield.

On the sand table, the pieces representing thousands of soldiers and horses would execute his every command perfectly, without deviation. But once on a real battlefield, the situation would become a hundred times more complex.

Morale, terrain, weather, the personal abilities of generals, the execution power of soldiers, and even various unexpected incidents on the battlefield... every link could affect the direction of the war.

It was by no means easy to make tens of thousands of troops execute tactical intentions as precisely as an arm directing a finger. Especially...

Yun Xiancheng secretly pondered.

Although the eight major tribes of the Snake-People Clan nominally honored Queen Medusa, the chiefs of each tribe were all unruly and powerful Dou King Experts.

To make these “mountain kings,” who were accustomed to acting independently, completely obey his command—a mere six-star Great Dou Master and a human “outsider”—this was definitely not a simple task.

Indeed, having Yun Ziyi, a Dou Huang expert, step forward to intimidate them with absolute strength was the simplest and most direct method. But in that case, the Snake-People Clan Chiefs would only revere Yun Ziyi, not him, Yun Xiancheng.

Moreover... if he wanted the proud Queen Medusa to truly look at him in a new light, or even... develop different feelings, it would undoubtedly be best to rely on his own strength and wisdom to honorably earn respect and recognition.

If he couldn’t rely on absolute strength to crush them, then... perhaps the “on-paper military knowledge” he had diligently practiced all night could still give him a fighting chance?

After all, in history, that Zhao Kuo, despite only talking about war on paper, could still organize hundreds of thousands of people for a charge. Although he met Bai Qi and died miserably, becoming a laughingstock, it’s unlikely he’d encounter an enemy of that caliber himself.

Hmm, as long as he wasn’t as rigid and dogmatic as Zhao Kuo, and could adapt flexibly, there should... still be room for maneuver!

With a decision made, Yun Xiancheng looked up at Yue Mei and asked, “According to our previous agreement, the chiefs of the other seven major tribes should also be arriving at the Holy City successively today, right?”

“Yes, Young Master.” Yue Mei nodded, confirming, “According to the Queen’s order, all eight tribal chiefs must arrive before noon today to discuss the grand plan to resist the enemy.”

“Very good.” Yun Xiancheng stood up, stretched, and loosened his somewhat stiff muscles. “Then I’ll trouble Chief Yue Mei to make some arrangements. I’d like to... go to the military camp and personally see the military might of our Snake-People Clan.”

Outside the Snake-People Holy City, vast military camps stretched, with banners fluttering.

Stationed here was Queen Medusa’s direct tribal core guard, the most elite and formidable force of the entire Snake-People Clan. In the human empire’s military structure, this would definitely be considered a royal guard-level ace troop.

Accompanied by Yue Mei, Yun Xiancheng slowly walked through the military camp, his gaze carefully sweeping over the Snake-People warriors who were drilling.

These warriors were all agile, their scales gleaming, and their eyes exuded ferocity and wildness. Wielding scimitars or long spears, their movements were swift and deadly, and their coordination was quite good. Most of them were low-star Dou Masters, already possessing the demeanor of a strong army in the Northwest Continent.

“Hmm.” Yun Xiancheng watched for a moment, then nodded slightly, evaluating, “Their individual quality is indeed good, they’re fearless in death. But...” He changed his tone, “Their foundation is still a bit lacking.”

After all, it is a tribal alliance, not a highly centralized imperial system. It’s normal that our core military strength cannot compare to that of an empire’s core forces. ”However, it doesn’t matter.” Yun Xiancheng showed a slight smile, ”Once Her Majesty the Queen successfully breaks through to the Dou Zong realm, all these disparities will no longer be a problem.”

longer be an issue.

The laws of the Fighting Qi Continent are this simple and brutal: the strongest experts at the very top are enough to decide everything. The deterrent power and influence of a Dou Zong far surpass what a massive army can achieve.

Of course, war itself is also a crucible that catalyzes growth.

In the ordinary world, fighting a war, regardless of victory or defeat, is extremely painful. But here...

The baptism of iron and blood can temper true elites the fastest.

If, after a major battle, one can avoid being annihilated by the enemy or suffering devastating casualties, then the warriors who survive the brink of death often achieve breakthroughs, sometimes even several stars in succession.

At that time, the overall combat power of this army will not only not be weakened by battle losses but might even become stronger.

Just as Yun Xiancheng was pondering, a slightly petite Snake-Woman, covered entirely in fine gray scales, swayed her slender waist and approached him.

She respectfully cupped her hands and bowed to Yun Xiancheng, saying in a clear voice, ”Reporting to Young Master Yun, I am Hua She Er, the Queen’s Personal Guard Captain.”

”Her Majesty the Queen has commanded me to wait here for the Young Master’s orders and fully cooperate with all your actions.” Yun Xiancheng sized up the Snake-Woman who called herself ”Hua She Er.”

Hmm, Peak Dou Wang cultivation? It seems the high-end combat strength of the Snake-People Clan truly cannot be underestimated. It’s just... her name is ”Hua She Er” (Flower Snake Child), but her appearance doesn’t seem to match the word ”Flower” at all.

The Snake-Woman before him had delicate features and a simple demeanor; one might even call her... a modest, demure Beauty? She was completely different from Yue Mei’s seductive and enchanting style.

”You’ve worked hard.” Yun Xiancheng nodded, casually patted her shoulder, and encouraged her, ”Peak Dou Wang is only one step away from Dou Huang. Commander Hua She Er, you must work harder and strive to break through soon to become another Dou Huang expert of the Snake-People Clan, which will also help alleviate the burdens of Her Majesty the Queen.”

Hua She Er was slightly stunned by his words, then a look of gratitude and determination appeared on her face, and she nodded vigorously: ”I will certainly do my utmost and live up to the high expectations of Her Majesty the Queen and the Young Master!”

Watching her earnest little demeanor, a thought secretly flashed through Yun Xiancheng’s mind:

”Hmm... this Commander Hua She Er, although her name and appearance have a bit of a contrasting cuteness, she’s still quite good.”

”If I consume Medusa later, a little Beauty like this could serve as a dessert after the main course.” I just wonder, compared to humans... what do Snake-Women taste like?

(143) The Hun Clan’s KPI is a bit strict.

”How could the Queen give military authority to this pretty boy? What kind of joke is this?”

As expected, a hot-tempered Snake-People Clan Chief, a sturdy man, began to question Yun Xiancheng.

Since they were unimportant minor characters and male, Yun Xiancheng filtered out the irrelevant information when they introduced themselves—for example, their names.

Yun Xiancheng didn’t waste time arguing. He looked at the remaining Seven Kings and set up the sandbox model.

”The way of military strategy naturally revolves around commanding the army. If any Clan Chiefs are unconvinced, they are welcome to test me.” After three rounds.

The two Snake-People Clan Chiefs at the Dou King stage still showed slight displeasure, but mostly expressions of obedience. They had lost the Military Simulation three days ago terribly—so terribly they didn’t want to recall it.

They were now completely convinced by Yun Xiancheng, this ”pretty boy.” At this moment, they had arrived at the pass between the Meteorite Empire and the Great Desert.

”Is it necessary for two Dou Kings like us to act together just to deal with one pass?”

”This isn’t just one pass; the two of us have a much bigger mission,” said another somewhat elderly Snake-People Clan Chief.

”In short, first cut off their retreat. Kill all the Auxiliary Troops along the way, making things as chaotic as possible, forcing one or two of their legions to scramble frantically and prevent them from participating in the main battlefield.”

The two stopped talking and activated their Killing Intent Mode.

In the Northwest Continent, main legions are supplied with storage rings to transport supplies. The Meteorite Empire has been fighting for many years, and while main legions naturally use storage rings extensively to hold food, medicine, Pills, and other supplies for legions exceeding ten thousand people, the long-term consumption still feels like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.

Under normal circumstances, they still hire small Mercenary Groups as Auxiliary Troops or directly conscript Conscripts to transport provisions, with the contents of the storage rings usually reserved as hidden backup resources.

Facing a Dou King, these civilian Auxiliary Troops and Conscripts, who are mostly Dou Zhi Qi and Dou Practitioners, suffered heavy losses. This forced one legion to halt its advance and start guarding the supply route.

Post-war statistics showed that due to the mobility of the two Dou Masters, this legion was completely unable to establish an effective food transport pipeline.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Meteorite Empire, after several days of arduous marching, finally reached the heart of the Tagor Desert, with their military might aimed directly at the Snake-People Holy City.

Inside the main military tent.

A general, clad in heavy armor and possessing a stern face, was carefully studying a detailed desert map.

”Hmm... at the current marching speed, we can reach the city gates in two more days.” He traced an arc on the map with his finger and slowly said, ”As long as we breach the Snake-People Holy City, the ’Collection Objective’ His Majesty assigned this time will be mostly complete.”

He seemed to think of something, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, and he muttered:

”I don’t know what those ’Big Figures above’ need such massive quantities of souls for... The Empire has already paid a significant price to procure these things for them.”

”If we continue to exhaust our military strength like this... even a great nation, if fond of war, is bound to perish.”

He was not ignorant of this principle.

But... those entities were ultimately Colossal Beings standing high above, and generals of the Empire like himself were merely sharp claws and teeth in their hands.

How could the schemes of those Superiors be casually guessed or criticized by pawns like them? He shook his head, casting these inappropriate thoughts aside.

This general, whose cultivation had reached the Dou Huang realm, lifted the tent flap and walked out of the camp.

He looked up at the Snake-People Holy City, which was faintly visible in the yellow sand, radiating an ancient and mysterious aura, and curled his lip into a cold, disdainful smile.

”It seems these Snake-People intend to rely on geographical advantages to desperately stall for time.” The Deputy General beside him, who was also the Legion Commander of this army, chimed in:

”The General speaks correctly. Queen Medusa’s attempt to evolve using the power of the Heavenly Flame was originally an act with only one chance in ten thousand. These Snake-People surely don’t believe their Queen can successfully break through, do they?”

”Just a death throe.” The Dou Huang General snorted, his tone full of contempt. He was highly dismissive of the Snake-People’s seemingly safe but actually passive defensive strategy.

However... facing the dense, layered complex of fortresses, which resembled a spiderweb, it would indeed be unwise to forcibly order soldiers to fill the gaps with their lives. After all, their primary objective on this trip was twofold: disrupting Medusa’s advancement was one thing, but completing that mysterious ”Collection Mission” was equally important.

War was the best way to collect souls. If he performed poorly, perhaps his own soul would be taken... the Dou Huang General thought to himself.

Why did the higher-ups have to collude with those terrifying existences? Was this kind of expansion truly useful? Inside the main combat camp of the Snake-People Holy City.

Yue Mei ”slid” in with a grim expression and urgently spoke to Yun Xiancheng, who was intently pondering over the sandbox model: ”Young Master Yun! The enemy has done something we didn’t expect.”

outside of our prediction.”

”Oh?” Yun Xiancheng raised his head, his gaze sharp. ”Are they trying to find a weak point in our defense line for a concentrated breakthrough?” This was within his expectations and a conventional method for dealing with fortress cluster tactics.

However, Yue Mei’s expression grew even uglier. She shook her head, her voice carrying a hint of disbelief, fury, and... confusion. ”No.”

She spoke slowly, her tone strained: ”According to the Scouts, they split off a unit that bypassed our main defense line. Their target is... the unarmed Snake-People civilian settlements scattered throughout the desert!”