Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 592 The troops are approaching the city
Ten minutes later, Xiao Jie met Xiaoyue Zhenren in Xiaoyue Palace.

The palace still stood majestically, but the tense atmosphere in the air was quite different from usual. The number of guards patrolling back and forth had doubled, each with a solemn expression, their armor still stained with wet mud and dark red bloodstains.

Inside the main hall, most of the rare treasures that were originally displayed have been put away, and in their place are military maps and sand tables hanging on the walls, densely covered with small flags representing the troop deployments of both sides.

Master Xiaoyue was dressed in a silver-white military uniform, with exquisite moon patterns carved on her armor. She wore a dark blue cloak and looked more tired than when they last met. Her stunning beauty was still captivating, but there was a lingering worry and anger between her brows, the marks left by days of fierce battles and exhaustion.

Seeing Xiao Jie and An Ran walk in led by the guards, she was slightly taken aback at first, then an incredulous look flashed in her eyes, followed by genuine joy.

"Hahahaha, Hidden Moon with the Wind, it really is you!" Immortal Xiaoyue strode forward, his laughter hearty but unable to hide a hint of hoarseness. "I've heard a lot about you lately, and I thought it was just hearsay and nonsense, but I didn't expect it to be true! You really have become an immortal! Just now, the guards reported that they saw auspicious clouds descending from the sky, with the demeanor of an immortal on them. I was still skeptical, but now I know it's true!"

Facing this old acquaintance, Xiao Jie smiled slightly and bowed gently, his movements exuding an extraordinary air. "Master Xiaoyue's information network is quite impressive. It's been many days since we last met. You still retain your charm, but Canglin Prefecture... seems to be quite turbulent."

"Alas, it's not just not peaceful, it's practically on the verge of collapse!" Master Xiaoyue sighed, led the two to their seats, and waved for the servants to serve spiritual tea. "Now the Demon Star Tower's forces are rampant, attacking Giant Wood City day and night. My men are suffering increasing casualties every day, and our defenses are already on the verge of collapse."

As for being well-informed… it was truly a last resort. I have a Xuan Turtle sorcerer under my command, most skilled in divination and deduction. I ordered him to help me calculate a way to break the deadlock, but he told me that the solution lies not within Canglin Prefecture, but outside of it. The divination was vague, pointing only to the north, indicating that a noble person would arrive riding auspicious clouds… Now it seems that it has come true for you.”

As she spoke, her gaze swept over Xiao Jie, sensing his unfathomable yet ethereal aura. Her tone carried a hint of emotion and a subtle respect: "Speaking of which, according to etiquette, I should also address you as 'Immortal Master'."

“Why joke, Master?” Xiao Jie waved his hand, looking relaxed. “The difference between immortals and mortals is nothing but an empty title. We are old acquaintances, so we can address each other as fellow Daoists. Why be bound by such worldly formalities?”

"Oh dear, I dare not accept such praise." While saying she dared not, a relieved smile appeared on her face; clearly, Xiao Jie's attitude reassured her considerably. The two exchanged pleasantries and jokes for a while, quickly regaining some of their former familiarity. Xiao Yue Zhenren was cheerful and open-minded; even facing Xiao Jie, who had become an immortal, her attitude remained largely unchanged, still sincere and straightforward, making Xiao Jie feel quite comfortable.

Her gaze shifted between Xiao Jie and An Ran, a hint of inquiry in her eyes, before she chuckled, "Speaking of which, seeing you two so inseparable and so intimate... could it be that you two—"

Upon hearing this, An Ran blushed slightly, but she chuckled generously and hugged Xiao Jie's arm even tighter, her meaning clear.

The Immortal Xiaoyue's face showed a complex mix of emotions. She looked at Xiao Jie, her tone becoming more serious: "Yinyue Suifeng, you have now become an immortal, so I am not qualified to say such things. However, as a friend, I still have to say something. You must not let down Miss Anran. Such a good person is hard to find. The path to immortality is long, and to have a confidante by your side is a great blessing."

Xiao Jie immediately understood her thoughts. The ill-fated love story between Immortal Xiaoyue and Star Lord Kaiyang was no secret in Canglin Prefecture. Her words of advice at this moment were most likely triggered by the scene, reminding her of the Star Lord who ultimately left her and whom she would never see again.

“Of course,” Xiao Jie said solemnly, his tone firm. “Am I, Yin Yue Sui Feng, such a heartless and ungrateful person who would abandon someone after starting a relationship?” As he spoke, he turned and hugged An Ran tightly, giving her a deep kiss that was both affectionate and somewhat declarative.

This sudden display of affection left Master Xiaoyue speechless, waving his hand with a wry smile, "Hey, hey, you're just talking, why are you kissing? Never mind, you immortals are all lawless and powerful, I can't control you. Let's get back to the main topic and talk about how to deal with this urgent situation. Your sudden arrival, could it be to fulfill your promise and help me deal with that monstrous bastard from the Demon Star Tower?"

“Of course.” Xiao Jie’s smile faded, and his expression turned serious. “I, Yin Yue Sui Feng, keep my word. Since I promised you, I will naturally fulfill my promise now. However…” He changed the subject, his brows furrowing slightly. “I have observed the situation carefully on my way here, and it is indeed not easy to handle.”

Upon hearing this, Master Xiaoyue's eyes flashed with urgency, and he couldn't help but provoke her, saying, "You are a dignified immortal, capable of flying and escaping into the earth, with great supernatural powers. What could possibly be difficult for you? Do you think the waters of my Canglin Prefecture are too shallow for you to use your skills?"

Xiao Jie, however, was not buying it and shook his head, saying, "Master, you are mistaken. If immortals were truly so omnipotent, why would the immortals of Guyun hide in Guyun Prefecture and refuse to emerge easily? The Way of Heaven has its balance, and cause and effect are intertwined. Immortals are not omnipotent either. From what I have observed, I am afraid that I alone would be unable to deal with this chaotic situation."

He pointed towards the outside of the hall and said in a deep voice, "Just the countless, fearless demons outside the city, layer upon layer, like locusts passing through, are too many for me to eliminate by myself. Even the most powerful immortal arts have their limits. Facing hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, I will be exhausted by the long wait."

“Not to mention,” Xiao Jie’s tone grew increasingly serious, “I still don’t know the extent of the master’s strength. When I explored the Demon Star Tower, I vaguely sensed an extremely strange will filled with distortion and malice. Now that I think about it, that must have been the aura emanating from the true master of the Demon Star Tower. His strength is probably not inferior to mine.”

This wasn't just an excuse. Xiao Jie recalled his experience; the whispers from the depths of the earth seemed to erode his mind and distort reality, a memory that still sent shivers down his spine. This thing was incredibly sinister; even the ancient texts of immortals contained only sparse and vague accounts of it. All that was known was that in ancient times, immortals joined forces to destroy the Demon Star Tower, but they couldn't truly eliminate it completely, only severely damaging and sealing it away. Now that it had returned, its difficulty and bizarre power were evident. Even now, it wasn't certain what this Demon Star Tower actually was—was it some kind of living, ancient evil entity? Or some kind of otherworldly evil god from beyond the heavens?
However, based on his past gaming experience and the inspiration he gained from browsing various fantasy literature, Xiao Jie vaguely felt that the Demon Star Tower seemed to resemble an ancient god from a famous game in his memory. It was also good at bewitching and controlling people's hearts, could also distort creatures and modify their life characteristics, and seemed to be rooted in the ground and difficult to completely destroy, possessing a certain near-immortal characteristic.

Faced with such a mysterious and powerful opponent, Xiao Jie really wasn't entirely confident that he could handle it alone. The success rate of a solo attempt was quite worrying, and the risk was rather high.

Ultimately, it would probably be more prudent to seek help from a few fellow Daoists and work together to deal with the situation.

On the other hand, his emphasis on the difficulties was naturally a prelude to the negotiations to come. How could he make Master Xiaoyue face reality and accept his proposed conditions without exaggerating the severity of the problems?
Master Xiaoyue, finding his words reasonable, relaxed his anxious expression and frowned, asking, "Then... in your opinion, what should be done? What is your plan?"

Xiao Jie was confident and held up three fingers: "We need to take a three-pronged approach to have any chance of winning. To break this deadlock, we need to advance on three fronts and attack from both inside and outside to achieve victory in one battle."

"Oh? Please explain in detail." Master Xiaoyue leaned forward slightly, revealing a focused expression.

"First and foremost, the most important point is dealing with the master of the Demon Star Tower," Xiao Jie analyzed. "I have several fellow Daoists who are currently living in seclusion in Fengyin Prefecture. They are all enlightened immortals with profound magical powers. When the master of the Demon Star Tower is forced to reveal himself, or when we find its core location, we can ask them for help. With the combined power of several of us immortals, we should have a good chance of suppressing or even destroying it."

"However," he changed the subject, "we must guard against that monstrous army that is like a tidal wave. They are numerous, and if we do not contain them, even if we can defeat the master of the Demon Star Tower, Giant Wood City will probably have already been razed to the ground, and Canglin Prefecture will be devastated. Therefore, we must also deal with them with a large army, confront them head-on, advance step by step, and encircle and annihilate them."

"I have a friend, Long Xingtianxia, ​​the ruler of Longxiang Kingdom. He currently dominates the three states of Beiming, Fengyin, and Longhua, with well-trained troops and ample supplies. He is powerful and ambitious, and even aspires to conquer the eight wastelands and unify the nine provinces. He commands hundreds of thousands of battle-hardened soldiers, with countless fierce generals and brilliant strategists." Xiao Jie finally offered his proposal. "Why don't I step forward and ask him to send troops to help us? We can send the Longxiang army into Canglin Prefecture to confront the Demon Star Tower's army head-on and stabilize the battle line. You can lead the Canglin Prefecture troops to provide support from within, attacking from both sides and defeating the demon army."

At the same time, I invited several of my fellow Daoists to seize the opportunity to deal with the master of the Demon Star Tower. When the demon army is defeated and the master of the Demon Star Tower has no choice but to show himself, we will all attack together and kill him.

Only by employing this two-pronged approach can we solve this predicament once and for all, and resolve this dire situation.

"Excellent!" Master Xiaoyue's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, saying, "With such strong reinforcements, how can we not defeat this monster? Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it!"

Xiao Jie chuckled and looked at Master Xiaoyue meaningfully: "Why pretend to be confused, Master Xiaoyue? As the saying goes, 'An emperor does not send an army to starve.' When an army goes on a long expedition, crossing prefectures and counties, the cost of food for men and horses, provisions, supplies, weapons and rewards will be in the hundreds of millions. How can it be obtained so easily with just a few words? If my friend wants to send troops to help, there must be some... plausible reasons and benefits."

"This—" Xiaoyue Zhenren's joy froze slightly, her eyes flickered, and she slowly leaned back in her chair. "But I wonder... what benefits he wants?" She already had a guess in her heart.

Xiao Jie stopped beating around the bush and said bluntly, "It's very simple. Canglin Prefecture will henceforth be incorporated into the territory of Longxiang Kingdom, with Zunlong Xingtianxia as its sovereign. You, Xiaoyue Zhenren, will remain the governor of Canglin Prefecture, governing this region, but you must obey the orders of Longxiang Kingdom."

"Hehe," Master Xiaoyue chuckled, but his eyes sharpened. "You've asked for quite a lot in return. Just one sentence and you want me to relinquish this ancestral legacy, this thousand-year-old legacy of autonomy?"

Xiao Jie's expression suddenly turned solemn and dignified, a faint, clear light seeming to flow around him, and an invisible pressure naturally emanated from him, causing the atmosphere in the entire hall to freeze. "Master, you are mistaken. My fellow Daoists and I came from Lonely Cloud Continent and descended to the mortal world not to fight for power and profit, but to unite our forces and save this world before the apocalyptic calamity arrives, and to turn the tide!"

His voice was not loud, but it carried a power that reached straight to the heart: "A great calamity is imminent, and the Nine Provinces are in grave danger. Only by breaking down the barriers, unifying the world, and gathering the fortune, resources, and hearts of humanity across the Nine Provinces can we seize a chance to survive the great catastrophe to come. This is the will of Heaven and the inevitable trend of the times, which cannot be stopped by the selfish desires of one person or one province. The Dragon Soaring Kingdom is currently at the height of its military might and its fortune has risen, making it the best choice to bear this destiny."

He looked intently at Master Xiaoyue: "If Master Xiaoyue can discern the times and follow the will of Heaven, he can not only use the power of the Dragon Soaring to defeat the Demon Star Tower and save countless lives in Canglin from disaster, but also add an indispensable force to the survival of humanity in this impending great calamity and accumulate immense merit. In this way, he can fulfill his duty as a friend, protect all living beings, and conform to the cycle of Heaven. Isn't this far better than being trapped in a lonely city and waiting to perish with his foundation? Master Xiaoyue is wise enough to clearly see the advantages and disadvantages."

Master Xiaoyue remained silent for a moment, the only sound in the hall the occasional crackling of the lamp wicks. Her fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest of her chair. After a long while, she slowly raised her head, her gaze deep and probing, and asked, word by word, "What if...what if I don't accept?"

Xiao Jie met her gaze without flinching, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable resolve: "Then, for the sake of the Nine Provinces, to deal with that apocalyptic catastrophe from which no one can remain uninvolved, as an immortal, even with many things I cannot bear, I must... take some extraordinary measures to ensure that the unification cause is not hindered here." He didn't elaborate, but his resoluteness and the implications behind it were crystal clear. He believed that True Person Xiaoyue was a wise man and should understand.

(End of this chapter)