Chapter 353 - - 351 While others are in turmoil, Duge is increasing his strength_1

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The three giants of Chongming Country were locked in a struggle.

No matter who won or lost, it wasn’t good news for the others.

On the Alien Battlefield, it was a matter of you die or I live; there was simply no such luck as sitting by and profiting from the fishermen’s net.

After all,

defeating an opponent meant inheriting their attributes.

Moreover, this time was different from past Alien Battlefields. It had been made clear that group battles were expected, and no one dared to let the others’ teams grow unchecked.

Everyone understood this principle.

In the last Alien Battlefield, Wang Chong had single-handedly ended the war in six months.

This time, Leng Shi was showing signs of a similar trend.

It could be said that, except for Duge and some Alien Warriors from Qiyuan Star, all other surviving Alien Warriors were panicking.

In this Alien Battlefield with entirely changed rules, it was impossible for anyone to sit still.

…

The Alien Warriors of Dachu Country hadn’t experienced a purge. Princess Consort Wu Tong, luckier than Pei Maer, had effortlessly recruited six companions. Their keywords were generous, honest, enthusiastic, graceful, sorrowful, and imitative.

These keywords weren’t particularly outstanding, but on the whole, they weren’t bad either.

After explaining to King Chu the seriousness of the conflict with the Heavenly Demon, Wu Tong successfully recommended her companions to him through pillow talk.

And she managed to convince King Chu to take advantage of the chaos to wage war on Chongming Country.

Her reasoning was simple: nip the danger in the bud, and if possible, seize the opportunity to carve up Chongming Country’s territory.

Seizing opportunity amidst chaos was a strength of every monarch. With a chance to snatch territory from Chongming Country, King Chu was naturally happy to send troops. Great General Guan Qiong of Chu Country led thirty thousand elite troops with the six Alien Warriors the princess consort inserted into his army, charging towards the border of Chongming Country…

…

The newly enthroned emperor of Qingwu Country, Duke Dingguo, was constantly monitoring Luo Shuang and naturally knew what was happening in Chongming Country.

Luo Shuang raised an army to reclaim her country but caused trouble in Chongming Country instead, which he found both amusing and exasperating. He dearly wished that Emperor Chongming and Luo Shuang would beat each other senseless, and in the end, both suffer defeat, allowing him to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

However, Luo Shuang’s lightning-fast development also caused him panic. Every day brought a report, each more alarming than the last. In just over a month, she had taken three passes of Chongming Country and amassed over one hundred thousand soldiers under her command…

Duke Dingguo, having led troops before and successfully usurped the throne, knew all too well that over a hundred thousand soldiers and several cities were not enough to take down a country.

But it was the unexpected that he feared.

The Heavenly Demon by the princess’ side was too unpredictable. Duke Dingguo was worried not only about the possibility of Luo Shuang actually taking down Chongming Country and then turning her army on him but also the chance that Luo Shuang, cornered in Chongming Country, might turn and strike Qingwu Country in a desperate, unforeseen attack.

After all,

he had come to power through dubious means, and it was a time when Qingwu Country needed to stabilize the hearts of its people.

If Luo Shuang were to wage war in Qingwu Country, it would certainly deal a crippling blow to the nation’s strength.

So when he learned that Emperor Chongming had mobilized three hundred thousand troops to eradicate Luo Shuang, the thought of taking advantage of the situation to aid Emperor Chongming and encircle Luo Shuang from the rear, nipping the danger in the bud, also crossed his mind.

Luo Shuang was based in Linyang City and had captured three passes adjacent to Qingwu Country.

Luo Shuang’s forces were not numerous; facing Lin Qing’s hundreds of thousands of troops, they were powerless to defend the three passes. Sending his troops to attack should not be difficult.

But as soon as Duke Dingguo broached the subject in court, it was vetoed by his newly appointed Great General, Wei Jiuchu.

Then,

Wei Jiuchu put forward a new suggestion: to secure the periphery, the interior must first be pacified.

Apart from himself in Qingwu Country, the Gang Leader Qu Liangdong of the Beggar’s Gang was also among the top ten Heavenly Demons, with the gang’s numbers vast. Should he lead his troops to the border,

it was very likely that Gang Leader Qu Liangdong would stir up trouble and cause chaos in Qingwu Country.

So,

even if Qingwu Country were to send out troops, they must first clear out the influence of other Heavenly Demons within the country. A nation could truly exert force only when one Heavenly Demon power remained.

If there were several factions, the result would be like present-day Chongming Country, where three tigers fought for dominance, creating a chaotic mess.

Before,

When the Heavenly Demon list was released, Wei Jiuchu personally went to the capital to show his abilities to Duke Dingguo and explain the origins of the Heavenly Demon, earning the trust of Duke Dingguo and being appointed as the Great General.

Duke Dingguo naturally agreed to his proposal.

That very day.

Wei Jiuchu led his troops under the pretext of reinforcing the border defenses and headed straight for the headquarters of the Beggar’s Gang. His forces also gathered five Alien Warriors who, with his assistance, had awakened their first advancement skill.

Therefore, even though Qu Liangdong ranked higher than he did, Wei Jiuchu was confident he could take him down.

Wei Jiuchu was ranked ninth, and he had his own plans. Rashly getting involved in the battlefield of the top three, he might not be able to reap any benefits.

But.

If he took down Qu Liangdong, who was ranked fifth, he would be promoted to fifth place, and by combining the attributes of two people, venturing into Chongming Country’s battlefield would become even more assured.

…

Hu Luxian, who was ranked eighth, had conquered the surrounding tribes and also learned of Chongming Country’s situation.

But with his current strength and power, he was absolutely unable to get involved in the war of Chongming Country.

He could only suppress his eagerness, accelerate his pace of unifying West Tibet, and released a large number of spies. He issued announcements calling for the people of his planet to rally to him.

…

Cats have their own paths, and dogs have their ways.

Ranger Miao Buqi, ranked seventh, had the keyword carefree. He didn’t have his own power, but his advanced skill—Carefree Like an Immortal—gave him an exceptional ability to make friends.

There were hardly any people from the rivers and lakes that he met who were not charmed by his unrestrained demeanor and charisma.

In just over a month, Miao Buqi’s footprints covered the Three Mountains and Five Lakes, and his name was well-known in the rivers and lakes.

Moreover, using the attribute of carefree, he realized his own path to becoming a Grandmaster, becoming the first among the many Alien Warriors to enter the Grandmaster Realm.

Otherwise, with his status as a lone individual, how could he possibly have broken into the top ten rankings.

The movements in Chongming Country were always under his watch, and he even personally observed the Grandmaster battle between Duge and Cao Lin.

However, at that time he didn’t feel confident enough to take down Duge, so he quietly retreated.

But this time, with the Earth Tease Army and Earth Alien Army making their mark in battle and stirring up the various nations, Miao Buqi could no longer sit idly by. He invited two Grandmaster friends and made a beeline into Chongming Country, looking for opportunities to take down others in the top ten.

Miao Buqi’s keyword, carefree, meant that he was destined not to serve any force.

So he chose the way of advancement that suited him best.

And, he felt that his way of advancement might not be weaker than that of others.

…

Ma Shichun, the prefect of North Sea Country, ranked fourth, was also paying attention to the battles in Chongming Country.

However, he had no intention of joining the battlefield, and he continued to manage his jurisdiction methodically and unhurriedly.

Helping agriculture and silkworm farming, handling cases, managing schools… diligently serving the people as if while others were playing a war game, he seemed to be engaged in a simulation management game.

Of course, Ma Shichun also issued a recruitment order.

Alien Warriors who came to him and had innovative, infrastructure-building skills beneficial to the people’s livelihood, he would keep as his assistants; if they were of other sorts, he would recommend them directly to the Emperor of North Sea Country to arrange suitable official positions.

Feeling no shame before both the emperor above and the common people below, Ma Shichun’s actions, more native than the natives, firmly secured him the fourth place in these chaotic times.

…

In short.

In the ten or so days after Duge took over the cities of Linjiang and Jiangbei, all of the Alien Warriors from the various countries were set into motion.

All the nations were in turmoil.

The entire world went from peace to upheaval in just over a month.

In these chaotic days, when the world was upturned, Duge’s attributes surged at an unimaginable pace, at least doubling.

Feeling the rapid surge in strength, Duge thought it through but couldn’t figure out how his attributes had increased so much. In the end, he could only attribute it to the effect of “a stitch in time saves nine.”

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