Chapter 680 - 210: Great Victory, Shen Bai’s Stratagem

Lingyun Dao.

Outside, about ten li away.

There were no commoners here; the people had long been evacuated by the Observatory.

Wang Teng, along with the numerous members of the Jianghu Influences and the remaining Observatory personnel, was surveying the battlefield.

He had received the news ahead of time and led his men here to set up an ambush.

Ordinarily, with the limited men he had left, it would have been difficult to fend off the invasion of the Jianghu Demons.

However, Lord Shen had recently managed to win over the Jianghu Influences to the Observatory’s side, so this battle was a gratifying one for Wang Teng.

Leading the men from the Observatory and the Jianghu Influences, he had killed all the invading Demonic Forces.

The few who weren’t killed chose to commit suicide without hesitation after learning of the Observatory’s methods for dealing with prisoners. As a result, not a single one was captured alive.

But as far as Wang Teng was concerned, failing to capture anyone alive was no great loss.

This operation had already inflicted fundamental damage on those three Demonic Forces.

Wang Teng glanced around, thinking, ’It’s all thanks to Lord Shen’s god-like foresight, and his ability to mobilize these Jianghu Influences.’

At this moment, the members of the five major influences were resting and meditating under the leadership of their Sect Leaders.

The five Sect Leaders exchanged a look. The two influences already close to the Observatory saw nothing unusual in this; after all, they were already allies. Helping the Observatory eliminate the Demonic Forces was something they were expected to do.

The other three, however, were secretly wiping away cold sweat.

After some deliberation, they had decided it was better to come and help.

Every time they recalled Shen Bai’s arrogant display at the Marquis of Ren De’s banquet, they couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts.

Shen Bai hadn’t hesitated to strike even when facing the Marquis of Ren De, so what chance did they have?

It was precisely because Shen Bai had acted so forcefully and decisively at the Marquis of Ren De’s banquet that they had come to help.

The three of them had a simple rationale for offering their help this time.

If they had bet correctly, they would win Shen Bai’s favor. If they had bet wrong, they would simply deal with the consequences as they arose.

Now, it seemed they had bet correctly.

After all, this group of Demonic Forces had appeared, and they had been completely annihilated.

This was a great boon for the Lingyun Dao Observatory.

If Shen Bai mentioned them in his report to his superiors, they would be recognized.

At that time, the Emperor of the Great Zhou Country would also look upon them favorably.

While it might not lead to a meteoric rise, it would at least make their lives in Lingyun Dao more comfortable.

Everyone present had their own thoughts and calculations.

Just then, a series of whooshing sounds suddenly echoed through the air.

Everyone raised their heads and looked toward the sky.

In the sky, Shen Bai was descending with a large number of Observatory members, having already rendezvoused with Ma Yuan.

As soon as Shen Bai appeared, Wang Teng immediately led the Observatory members forward to greet him.

As for the other Jianghu Influences, aside from those already allied with the Observatory, they all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Shen Bai’s gaze.

For in the hands of every Observatory member were several severed heads, among them Wen Jing’s.

Shen Bai still needed to use the appearance of these heads to find further clues.

"Not bad."

Shen Bai surveyed his surroundings, looked at the members of the three major influences, and nodded. "You all did very well."

The three Sect Leaders glanced at each other.

Elder Tianyi quickly cupped his hands in respect and said, "It is our honor to serve Lord Shen and the Observatory."

This time, as they spoke these words, there was not a trace of resistance in them.

Didn’t they see the trace of terror frozen on each of the severed heads?

If that had been them, they couldn’t even bear to imagine it.

Thus, after tonight’s battle, these three influences, who had not been close to the Observatory, finally expressed their submission to Shen Bai.

Shen Bai nodded. "Very good. Wang Teng, let’s return to the Observatory now."

Wang Teng cupped his hands. "Lord Shen, although I don’t know the details of this battle, is it related to the Marquis of Ren De?"

Shen Bai shook his head. "Now is not the time to think about that. Also, leave some of your men here to wait. Someone else will be arriving shortly."

"As for everyone else, including the Jianghu Influences, they are all dismissed."

With this command from Shen Bai, no one present dared to disobey.

So, Wang Teng left a portion of his men behind while the rest headed back toward Lingyun Dao.

As for the members of the Jianghu Influences, they didn’t dare to linger either and quickly scattered in all directions.

Soon, the wilderness was empty, save for the dozen or so Observatory members who remained.

Although the Observatory members who stayed behind were confused, their reverence for Lord Shen had already reached its peak.

After all, ever since he had arrived in Lingyun Dao, there had been one piece of good news after another. They couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

Therefore, they patiently carried out these arrangements, even without understanding the reason behind them.

After waiting for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick,

a group of Observatory members arrived in the wilderness, escorting heavily wounded soldiers and officers.

The waiting Observatory members looked at each other, and then a leader stepped forward and asked,

"Lord Ding, why have you brought them here?"

Ding Quan’s expression was grim. "These are officers from the Gale Camp. They were pierced by the Heart Inquiry Technique and suffered grave injuries. Fortunately, Lord Shen intervened in time, and they didn’t lose their lives. They are still useful."

"Take them with you and give them new, secret identities. As for the Gale Camp, you are to announce publicly that all its officers and soldiers were killed in action, their bodies annihilated without a trace."

Hearing this, the leading Observatory member didn’t dare ask any more questions and hastily nodded in agreement.