Chapter 1013 (Preparations)
"You can leave!" Huang Fei said in a cold voice.
Ye Shen sighed in relief, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The father and sons quickly expressed their gratitude and left the palace, narrowly escaping another potential threat from Ye Hua.
"Cheng Tian!" Huang Fei shouted in a stern voice.
Cheng Tian walked in and respectfully said, "Your Majesty."
"Take people to the Sapphire Continent! The one called the Voidless Empire! Capture the royal family there for me! Then listen to my orders!" Huang Fei also wanted to keep a contingency plan in case something went wrong with the crow. What if the crow failed, and Ye Hua returned triumphant? All possibilities had to be considered!
"Understood!" Cheng Tian respectfully accepted the order. Capturing someone there was relatively easy. After all, there weren't many Overlords in that world. However, Cheng Tian didn't dare to be careless this time and brought an assistant with him for added security.
However, Cheng Tian might not be aware that no matter how many precautions he took, they would be futile because the palace of the Voidless Empire was like a purgatory, a purgatory manifested in the mortal realm.While Ye Hua was deep in thought, a family guard ran over and respectfully handed him a note.
Ye Hua glanced at it and then accepted the note.
The family guard swallowed hard; the aura of the Eldest Young Master was overpowering. Even standing here, there was a sense of intimidation, stronger than the family head. It was truly terrifying.
Ye Hua opened the note, slightly furrowing his brow, a hint of a smile appearing on his lips. He scattered the feed in his hand, then walked out of the Ye family compound with his hands behind his back.
Interesting.
Walking the streets, Ye Hua felt people's admiration. Occasionally waving his hand, he seemed just one step away from shouting, "Comrades, you've worked hard."
Seeing this down-to-earth side of Ye Hua, the public's favour toward him continued to rise.
The old Ye Hua wouldn't even bother pretending, but the current Ye Hua would occasionally put on an act, like the smile just now.
The former Ye Hua was version 1.0, and the current one was at least version 9.0, and still upgrading.
Soon, Ye Hua arrived at a Cloud Virtue Society, where opera was performed. It had a flavour reminiscent of Beijing opera, a surprising cultural activity in the Spirit City.
The audience seemed to be enjoying the opera with closed eyes, and due to the dim lighting, they didn't notice Ye Hua entering.
Ye Hua walked towards a table on the second floor's bottom end and took a seat.
Of course, another man was sitting at the table.
As Ye Hua sat down, the man respectfully stood up and greeted, "Prince Ye."
Ye Hua chuckled lightly, "Crown Prince."
Indeed, the one who invited Ye Hua was Crown Prince Li.
"Prince Ye, you can just call me Huang Li," facing the currently influential Ye Hua, Huang Li also dropped his formalities. This time, if he wanted to win against his younger brother, he definitely needed Ye Hua's help.
If Ye Hua couldn't assist him, then the Crown Prince position would undoubtedly go to Huang Yun!
He was unwilling!
Of course, Ye Hua understood Huang Li's intentions, so he came with the intention of cooperation. After all, it would be quite interesting to watch them fight among themselves.
But thinking about it, his own children wouldn't act like this, right? If they dared, their bottoms would be thoroughly spanked!
"Well then, I won't stand on ceremony, Huang Li," Ye Hua said casually.
Huang Li felt a sense of joy; seeing Ye Hua's attitude, it seemed like he was ready to form an alliance!
Moreover, Ye Hua could only ally with him at this point, giving them an advantage. Helping himself was also helping Ye Hua.
"Prince Ye, we will set out for the expedition tomorrow. Do you have any good plans?" Huang asked as he poured wine for Ye Hua.
Ye Hua, holding the wine glass, looked at the performance below and replied, "Huang Li, you should have planned everything already."
Huang Li chuckled lightly and then said, "Prince Ye, it's like this. This time, we have a total of 4 million troops. I have only one million, and Huang Yun has three million. But, Prince Ye, your sister still has a million."
Huang Li was hoping that Prince Ye would invite Ye Yuanqing to join their alliance! This was the main purpose, as it would increase their chances of winning.
"Oh? Yuanqing has a million soldiers under her command?" Ye Hua seemed to underestimate his sister a bit. She actually led a million troops, seemingly more powerful than himself.
"Yes, the main force defending the borders is under Prince Ye's sister. This time, Father Emperor appointed Huang Yun as the main commander, and I am just a deputy. I am worried that Huang Yun will use me as cannon fodder, taking advantage in the end." Huang Li expressed his concerns. If it were him, he would definitely let Huang Yun be the cannon fodder, ideally dying in the hands of the enemy with minimal effort.
"Huang Yun is the main commander this time?" Ye Hua was not aware of it, but it was expected. With Huang Yun being so favoured, it was normal for him to become the main commander.
"Yes, Father Emperor announced it this morning," Huang Li sighed lightly.
Speaking of the morning, Huang Li suddenly spoke softly, "Prince Ye, I saw your father and brothers being summoned into the palace for questioning today, and then Cheng Tian left."
"Speak clearly," Ye Hua said indifferently.
"Prince Ye, I don't know if you have family members on the Sapphire Continent."
With these words, Ye Hua understood. It seemed that the Emperor intended to use his family to blackmail him, "So, Cheng Tian is probably sending people to capture someone."
"Yes, so Prince Ye, you need to be careful. You should send someone to protect them," Huang Li expressed his worries. If Ye Hua messed up at a critical moment, it would be a severe headache.
Ye Hua nodded. Send people to the Voidless Empire?
'Hehe... the Emperor is indeed thoughtful, quite clever. I have to give credit where it's due.'
'Of course, this kind of cleverness can only be attributed to ordinary opponents. If the opponent is this deity, it's just a small trick, more like lifting a stone to hit one's own foot.'
"Prince Ye, this is a map of Shanhai Pass!" Huang Li presented a piece of parchment with a map. [Fun fact: It's a famous pass located in northeastern China, historically known as the easternmost end of the Great Wall of China. This pass was a crucial strategic point, serving as a vital gateway between the northeastern region of China and the Mongolian steppes.]
The entire map was covered with continuous mountain peaks, as if thrust into the sky.
However, amidst these massive mountain peaks, there was a gap!
As if the Overlords crafted this gap specially. Without this gap, the two sides might never see each other.
Ye Hua looked at the map. The defensive layout formed a Y shape!
To be precise, the terrain formed a Y shape. Therefore, there were two areas that needed defence in the front section. This could be quite troublesome.