444: Substituting one thing for another

“Why don’t we leave it at that for now? A complete occupation doesn’t seem realistic,” Hu said, frowning.

After all, fully occupying this city presented many difficulties and uncertainties.

They currently had an inside informant and control over the city’s core, which was already a significant gain.

However, Lin Ye’s ambition continued to swell.

“There aren’t many opportunities to thoroughly occupy Bafang City now, but later…” Lin Ye trailed off, a profound glint in his eyes.

Hu immediately understood his intent. Although a full occupation of Bafang City seemed unlikely at present, the future situation was unpredictable, and no one could foresee what would happen next.

With an insider on hand, various resources, his God Kingdom growing, and his combat power reaching Dominator Eight-star, Lin Ye was confident he could even go head-to-head with Phoenix.

“Hmm, that’s certainly possible,” Hu praised, affirming Lin Ye’s ambition.

The road ahead was long, but hope was already visible.

..........

Bafang City was fully opened.

The protective formations that could be closed had been, and those that couldn’t were broken.

After all formations were dispelled, the city’s core finally revealed its true appearance. It was a massive structure, entirely composed of a strange metal, its surface shimmering with mysterious runes and light.

“Sophia, you go,” Phoenix said, his voice calm and gentle, as if he had long anticipated this moment.

Sophia nodded, a flicker of something unusual in her eyes, but it quickly returned to calm. She took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the city’s core.

The city’s core was the lifeline of the city, connecting its energy supply, defense systems, and other important facilities.

Once this core was refined and reactivated, its master would gain complete control over the entire city.

In a place like the Battlefield of the Gods, controlling a city was undoubtedly a very attractive prospect. It was rich in resources, with endless business opportunities, and could bring infinite wealth and power.

Sophia stood before the city’s core, her hands gently caressing its cold metal surface.

Mysterious runes flew from her hands, merging into the city’s core.

As time passed, the city’s core began to emit a low hum, seemingly responding to Sophia.

This process was destined to be long; for one individual to control an entire city, prolonged refinement was necessary.

Phoenix gestured, and a demon god pillar traversed through the void.

With the fiery demon god pillar as its core, a powerful protective barrier was created.

With Phoenix’s ability and the demon god pillar, it would likely take several beings of the same level to even harm Sophia.

........

“It’s appeared,” Simback said, excitement in his eyes.

The feeling of fooling the high and mighty Demon Gods gave him an immediate cranial orgasm.

He was already impatient to see Phoenix’s expression when he learned of Sophia’s betrayal.

“That will be truly spectacular, truly spectacular. For that moment, I must cooperate well with my master’s actions.”

Simback laughed, a somewhat deranged laugh.

But everyone was focused on the demon god pillar, not noticing him handling logistics in the background.

........

“It has begun.”

When everything had settled.

Lin Ye finally felt completely at ease.

“To scheme for the entire city, you still need your own forces. Otherwise, daily maintenance and defense aren’t things an individual can handle, even with clones,” Hu said.

Lin Ye nodded.

He was considering whether to bring Vega over.

Vega hadn’t come to the Battlefield of the Gods. He had taken advantage of the void in hell to greatly expand, enjoying himself immensely.

His subordinate forces had rapidly swelled, their numbers exploding.

However, their quality was somewhat poor, far inferior to the legions of ordinary Demon Gods, and not very suitable for guarding a city.

But besides Vega, Lin Ye truly couldn’t find a suitable candidate.

Go to the universe for reinforcements?

What a joke. If they dared to come, the Heavenly Realm and Hell, eyeing them covetously, would definitely swarm in.

Lin Ye didn’t want to escalate the War.

Dragon Race?

Lin Ye considered this possibility.

Unfortunately, his relationship with the Dragon Race wasn’t close enough.

Lin Ye didn’t want to make a wedding dress for some Dragon Emperor of the Dragon Race after obtaining it.

“Hu, what do you think of Vega’s subordinates?” Lin Ye asked.

If his clones cooperated with Vega’s forces, they might even be able to fight Phoenix.

By leveraging the city’s home advantage and ambushing part of his legion, Phoenix, no matter how strong he was, could only rage impotently.

“Vega’s troops are good, but are you willing to risk exposing Vega to seize this city?” Hu asked.

Lin Ye shook his head.

The priority of Sacrifice Power was, after all, above that of a Bafang City.

Exposing Vega for Bafang City? It wasn’t worth it.

Not even increasing the risk of exposure was acceptable.

“Re-establishing forces isn’t very feasible. Now, we can only rely on the Soul Reaper. I didn’t expect the Soul Reaper to be so useful,” Lin Ye said.

The only viable path now was to scheme for a team using the Soul Reaper.

The Soul Reaper finally displayed its terrifying power on this Battlefield of the Gods.

If not for the Soul Reaper, acquiring the city’s core would have been a fantasy.

No wonder Hell suppressed the slave cultivation inheritance so severely.

To control a team, the most important thing was to control the leader.

For example, Phoenix’s legion.

Even if Lin Ye controlled all the legion commanders under Phoenix, he still couldn’t control the entire legion.

Those soldiers pledged allegiance to Phoenix, and the legion’s soul was also the Phoenix.

Making them defy the Phoenix’s will was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

To gain complete control, he would need to control Phoenix.

But Phoenix, as one of the strongest beings below a Venerable, who would dare speak of controlling him?

Furthermore, with the protection of a top-tier artifact like the demon god pillar, even a Venerable might not be able to influence his will.

So, if Lin Ye wanted to build a team, he could only start with demons who were not among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods.

“It’s very difficult for demons who aren’t among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods to form a substantial force,” Lin Ye murmured, carefully reviewing the information Vega had sent.

Besides advantages like the demon god pillar, the Seventy-Two Demon Gods also had functions and authority granted by the Abyss, making it much easier for them to develop their forces.

Other Demon Gods, even if their strength was not inferior to theirs, developed forces that were far less significant.

“Let’s search for a while first. Vega’s information isn’t very comprehensive. He’s only recently started dealing with these things, and he knows very little about those not among the Seventy-Two Demon Gods,” Hu said.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way, Lin Ye thought to himself, no longer dwelling on the issue.

He gazed at Bafang City in the distance, then opened a Wormhole and vanished from the area.

Who would have thought that this trip to the Battlefield of the Gods would evolve from a treasure hunt into a struggle to scheme for demonic forces?