The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 1189 - 640: Zhao Douan’s Despicable Tactics—Infiltrating La Garden (5k)_3
"What do we do next?" The group looked at Zhao Douan, the "leader."
Zhao Douan fell into thought.
Bad news: The Liao Clan is serious, they have indeed attacked Yunfu.
Good news: The rear is empty, making it easier for him to infiltrate.
However, his purpose this time was not to work behind enemy lines, but to find the key that Xu hid here.
But the Great Territory is vast, where could the key be hidden?
"Stay calm... Xu went through great effort to guide me here with clues, so he definitely wouldn’t want me running around like a headless fly."
"Thinking from a different perspective, if I were Xu, where would I hide the key? First, it must be hidden... No, hiding might not be the key, the key is safety. It shouldn’t be taken away randomly within six hundred years."
"Second, it must be noticeable, definitely not in some inconspicuous corner, otherwise it’d be impossible to find."
"Third, obtaining it must be difficult, otherwise there would be no need for Heavenly Human power to escort..."
Combining these factors, the answer is obvious.
Zhao Douan looked silently at Yu Xiu and asked, "What’s the most dangerous place in the entire Great Territory?"
Yu Xiu hesitated for a moment and replied, "Two places: one is the altar where the Liao Clan worships the Divine. The other is the ’Dazhai,’ similar to the palace where successive clan leaders reside, guarded by numerous experts."
Zhang Yan Yi, with his hands in his sleeves and an old godly demeanor, suddenly said, "Are you suspecting that the key is hidden in one of these places?"
Zhao Douan nodded, then suddenly smiled, "Aren’t you good at divination, Heavenly Master? Can you calculate it?"
Zhang Yan Yi glanced at him and said speechlessly, "If I could calculate it, would I need you to lead the way?"
Useless old Zhang, what’s the use of you!
Zhao Douan rubbed his chin and suddenly asked, "Is the Liao Clan’s Dazhai always the same? Has it changed locations?"
Yu Xiu, being incredibly smart, instantly understood his intention, her eyes lit up: "In the Liao Clan tradition, the Dazhai has indeed moved, but the location of the altar has never changed."
Zhao Douan laughed, "Then most likely, our target is near the altar. By the way, what’s dangerous about that place? I remember you telling me last time that you had infiltrated the altar?"
Yu Xiu’s face showed unusual fear: "I indeed had infiltrated it, but it was during the Liao Clan’s ritual celebration, I mingled with the ritual team to get in. Since I was with the celebration team, I didn’t face the dangers directly, it was luck. As for the location, it’s called ’La Garden,’ situated in a valley. La Garden, as the Liao Clan’s core ritual site, is locked down year-round, forbidding Liao people to enter or exit. Most Liao people get a chance to enter La Garden only in the ritual that occurs every few years. The location isn’t far from here."
He squatted down and drew a simple map on the ground with a stick, marking a circle toward the south for everyone to see.
He said, "However, one certain danger is the Great Laba God’s slumber here. According to legend, any intruder will be cursed to death by the Divine."
"..."
Zhao Douan and Jin Jian exchanged glances, bewildered.
A "La Garden" guarded by the Divine?
How do they even approach that?
The next moment, Zhao Douan, Yu Xiu, and Jin Jian simultaneously lifted their heads, eagerly looking at the Old Heavenly Master, akin to seeing the hope of the village.
Zhang Yan Yi, noticing their gaze, sighed lightly and shook his head: "At my peak, I might have been able to force my way into La Garden, even if it’s not against the Divine’s true form, I could protect myself. But now, having lost layers of mana, if I were in La Garden, the Divine’s slumbering ground, I might find it hard to escape..."
Just as the three showed disappointment.
The Old Heavenly Master shifted his tone, "However..."
"If that Laba God can be lured out of La Garden, away from its altar, I could contend with it for a while."
Lure out of La Garden?!
Zhao Douan was startled, his disappointed expression suddenly cleared.
Indeed, who says the Divine can’t be lured away?
In his understanding, the Divine’s power also has limits, similar to the Empress.
The Empress gains strength from Emperor Dragon Qi while on the throne, but it has boundaries.
She’s strongest in the Imperial Palace, but the further away she is from it, the weaker she becomes.
If the Empress hadn’t hurried to the Luoshan Sealing and left the Capital, Wu Xiankui wouldn’t have succeeded, at worst, it would have been evenly matched.
The Western Regions Dharma King follows a similar logic, so he cannot leave the Western Regions.
Even Zhang Yan Yi, when he left Heavenly Dao-rich Yu Country, wasn’t he weakened?
So, when the Laba God leaves La Garden, it’s akin to the Empress leaving the capital for the outskirts?
The decline might not be substantial, but every small difference can influence the outcome in a fight of experts.
"How do we lure out the Laba God?" Zhao Douan frowned, then suddenly realized: "Old Zhang... Heavenly Master, are you planning..."
Zhang Yan Yi’s smile spread: "Exactly, as long as I make some noise and get its attention, it can be lured out. However, it won’t be drawn far."
Zhao Douan said, "So, while the Heavenly Master draws away the Laba God, I can seize the chance to infiltrate La Garden and search for the key?"
Zhang Yan Yi nodded, smiling: "Yu Xiu, having entered La Garden, can guide you. Jin Jianer can cloak your presence, and if there’s an accident, she can use her teleportation skill to escape."
Great... Zhao Douan’s eyes were unusual, thinking Old Zhang, did you plan everything in advance?
Yu Xiu and Jin Jian also seemed delighted, as long as the Divine is absent, the three’s cultivation, plus the emptiest rear of the Liao Clan now, could minimize danger.
Zhang Yan Yi observed them and then poured cold water on them: "However... The Great Laba God is unlike those Evil Gods suppressed and crushed in Yu Country. Here, the Laba God is equivalent to Yu Country’s True God, its power is incomparable, hence the space for maneuvering is limited, the time available won’t be long, you must act quickly, and if an accident occurs, the Evil God returns and you fail to escape in time, you may risk losing your lives!"
——
The update is a bit late, but it’s a long overdue 5,000 words.
