The trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain

Wanren City is home to thousands of powerful forces, intricately intertwined!

Dao Sheng Tang is Dao Sheng Zong's branch in Wanren City.

Perhaps not many people know about Dao Sheng Tang, but Dao Sheng Zong is a hegemon-level force with a formidable reputation throughout the Southern Wilderness.

At this moment!

In a grand hall within Dao Sheng Tang, eight figures were gathered.

Each of these individuals exuded an Aura as deep and vast as an abyss, truly extraordinary.

If someone with extensive knowledge of the Southern Wilderness were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly be shocked.

This was because all the people gathered here were the leaders of the various top-tier forces in the Southern Wilderness.

They were either Sect Masters, Family Patriarchs, or Old Ancestors of their respective factions.

Their Realm was all at the Saint-Grade level.

In the splendid and naturally ancient hall, the atmosphere was solemn.

At the head of the hall sat a middle-aged man dressed in a dark Xuan-colored robe.

He was Zhao Feng, the Sect Master of Dao Sheng Zong, with a cultivation of Saint-Grade Sixfold Heaven.

He was also recognized as the strongest cultivator in the entire Southern Wilderness.

He slowly scanned the crowd with his gaze, then said in a deep voice, “Everyone, the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan has amassed a large number of troops in the Wanren Mountains, and their intention to attack the Human Race is quite clear.”

“What do you think we should do to respond?”

Zhao Feng had received the news when the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan entered the Wan Ren Mountain Range.

This time, he had summoned the leaders of the eight hegemon-level forces.

As his solemn voice fell, the already heavy hearts of those present became even more clouded with gloom.

They had been in Wanren City for some time.

In recent days, through observation, they had noticed that more and more Golden-Winged Red Eagles were gathering outside the Wanren Mountains, indicating that the opposing side was preparing for a large-scale invasion of the Southern Wilderness.

And the Old Ancestor of the Golden-Winged Scarlet Eagle clan, just the faint emanation of his Saint-Grade Seventh Heaven Aura, caused those who felt it from afar to be greatly alarmed.

The fortunate thing in their misfortune was that, after their investigation, they did not find any other Yao Race figures in the Wanren Mountains besides the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan.

This suggested that the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan was unilaterally attempting to conquer Human Race territory.

It had not escalated to a conflict on another level.

But even so, the situation remained grim for them.

The strength of the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan's Old Ancestor was simply too great.

Although they had many Saint-Grade experts, eight in total.

However, the strongest among them only had a Saint-Grade Sixfold Heaven cultivation, and the others were mostly at Saint-Grade Fourth Heaven or Five Heavens.

At the Saint-Grade Realm, even a small difference in a minor Realm represented a vast disparity in strength.

This was not something that could be compensated for by sheer numbers alone.

In the momentarily silent hall, the Zhou Family Patriarch pondered for a moment before speaking, “Sect Master Zhao, can we request aid from the Three Great Holy Lands?”

If the forces present were the strongest in the Southern Wilderness.

Then the Three Great Holy Lands were the pillars of the Human Race in the entire Eastern Continent of the Profound Domain.

They were transcendent existences with Great Saint Realm experts guarding them.

If any one of the Three Great Holy Lands could be persuaded to help, this crisis would surely be overcome safely.

As the Zhou Family Patriarch's words fell, Dao Sheng Zong Sect Master Zhao Feng shook his head with a bitter smile, “It’s useless.”

“The Three Great Holy Lands each guard a side of the Eastern Continent; they will only take action if the Yao Race invades beyond the Southern Wilderness border and clearly shows signs of intending to occupy the Eastern Continent.”

“Looking at the movements of this Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan, they probably just want to plunder the Southern Wilderness and then leave. The Three Great Holy Lands will not interfere in such matters.”

“Everyone, this crisis can only be resolved by ourselves!”

“After all, our roots are in the Southern Wilderness, and our foundations are also in the Southern Wilderness. Others can retreat, but we, these people, cannot.”

“If we retreat and are then defeated one by one by the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan, then our tens of thousands of years of accumulated heritage could very likely be plundered clean.”

Upon hearing this, everyone’s hearts grew even heavier.

“Can we win this war with the strength of our eight families?”

The Sect Master of the Sword Saint Gate, a sect as renowned as Dao Sheng Zong, murmured softly.

He looked up at the sky with a hint of confusion and profound solemnity.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the rafters, looking towards the vast Wanren Mountains.

Although his words were soft, with the cultivation and keen hearing of everyone present, they naturally heard him clearly.

That single sentence also expressed the inner thoughts of everyone present.

Everyone was considering this question.

Could they achieve ultimate victory in their war against the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan?

The eight families had stood in the Southern Wilderness for tens of thousands of years, and their foundations were all extraordinary. If they were to stake all their respective foundations, they might not be without a chance against the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan.

However, a definitive conclusion about victory or defeat was truly difficult to make.

Everyone felt completely uncertain in their hearts.

Seeing the spirits of the crowd at their lowest point, Zhao Feng said in a deep voice, “Everyone, a true man knows what to do and what not to do.”

“I don’t know if this battle will be won or lost, but I know that if we don’t stand up, the entire Southern Wilderness will be finished!”

“We seem to have a choice, but whether for public or private reasons, the situation does not allow us to retreat a single step!”

His words made everyone feel a little dazed.

That’s right!

They seemed to have a choice, but in reality, they had no retreat whatsoever.

At this moment, the only thing they could do was fight to the death.

To gather the strength of all their families, to protect their homeland, to defend their native soil.

Next, everyone began to arrange and deploy the front lines of defense.

Everyone in their hearts had prepared for the worst-case scenario.

When the leaders of the eight top-tier forces gathered, it was naturally impossible for only the eight of them to come.

Along with the eight individuals, the elites from the eight top-tier forces also arrived.

Just as everyone finished their discussion and prepared to deploy their defenses.

A figure came whistling from the distant horizon.

This was a Dao Sheng Zong messenger, and also the leader of the secret scouts Zhao Feng had left to monitor the movements of the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan.

Before the person arrived, their voice preceded them.

“Report!”

“Sect Master, the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan has made a move; their entire army has withdrawn from the Wanren Mountains.”

“Looking at the direction they are heading, it seems they are preparing to return home.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng and the other seven were all taken aback.

“What trick is this Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan playing now?”

The Zhou Family Patriarch was puzzled, his eyes filled with doubt.

Zhao Feng looked into the distance, pondered for a moment, and then said, “The Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan came with such a large force; there’s absolutely no way they would retreat without reason.”

“They might be playing a trick to lure the tiger away from its mountain.”

“By retreating their entire clan, they might be trying to confuse us and make us lower our guard.”

“So they can catch us off guard.”

“We must not be fooled by such a trick.”

“The defensive lines will be deployed as planned, and everyone, during this time, try to contact all possible forces.”

“I have a premonition that the Southern Wilderness might face an extremely difficult and bitter battle next!”

Upon hearing this, everyone felt it made sense.

They had some understanding of the Golden-Winged Red Eagle Clan’s temperament; they were the kind that wouldn’t give up until their objective was achieved. To think they could deceive them with such a trick was to underestimate them too much.

...