Chapter 157 Ye Feng's Deep-Rooted Schemes
After breakfast, Ye Feng, sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Hong Qingyan, arrived at the main hall of the Southern Territory Base Camp, only to find that the meeting hall was already filled with people.
Following the orders of Southern King Dugu Ming, the Grand Commanders of the Southern Territory and even the Four Great Protectors had arrived early to wait.
From this, it was clear that Southern King Dugu Ming's authority had risen, at least it had increased significantly with Ye Feng stationed there.
"Greetings to Northern King!" Everyone in the hall immediately clasped their fists and bowed.
Ye Feng waved his hand and proceeded to the center. Southern King Dugu Ming had also arrived, and he gestured, "Summoning all of you early in the morning was Northern King's intention. The Northern King has urgent matters to discuss with everyone!"
"Please, take your seats!"
Ye Feng gestured slightly. After everyone was seated, he began, "I presume some of you have guessed the matter for discussion today. Indeed, it concerns the Gu&Poison Sect. After consultation with the Southern King, we have decided to take this opportunity to eradicate the Gu&Poison Sect from the Southern Border."
In the room, apart from a few commanders from the Southern Territory and both Xiao Chuanqi and Sima Zhantian, Ye Feng had not invited the several Lords of the Southern Territory, fearing that some among them might be secretly communicating with the Gu&Poison Sect and potentially spoil the plan.
Zhuge Yu, holding a fan, stood up and said, "May I inquire about something, Northern King?"
"Please, speak!" Ye Feng waved his hand.
Zhuge Yu was reputed as the young military strategist of the Southern Territory, indicating his high intellect and strategic acumen; naturally, Ye Feng was pleased to hear his opinions.
After a brief contemplation, Zhuge Yu said, "I feel unsure about something. Just yesterday, the Southern Territory dealt with the three Lords of Nan Dong, Hengling, and Hundred Herbs, who were guarding the gates to the Northwest of the Southern Territory.
The Ancient Yue Kingdom has always coveted those Northwest gates, and I believe their informants have already received the news of last night's events."
He paused before continuing, "Therefore, I'm concerned that if we deploy our troops to eliminate the Gu&Poison Sect today, the Ancient Yue Kingdom, upon learning this, might seize the opportunity to threaten our Northwest gates."
Hearing this, Ye Feng smiled faintly, "Your concern is not unreasonable. However, this time, I do not intend to mobilize a large army."
"Not mobilizing a large army? You mean to rely on just a small number of people?" Zhuge Yu was somewhat incredulous.
"Correct, just a small contingent is sufficient!"
Ye Feng, with a calm and composed expression, slowly explained, "Firstly, the Southern Territory has not yet fully stabilized, so it isn't appropriate to mobilize a large army; secondly, the Gu&Poison Sect is nestled deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Southern Territory, which, as you all may know, has a terrain too complex for a large army to traverse."
With this statement, the commanders of the Southern Territory had all too much experience, and they unconsciously nodded in agreement.
Ye Feng continued, "The third point is due to the particular nature of the Gu&Poison Sect. We only need to deploy a few elites to carry out a decapitation strike. Eliminate the high-ranking members of the Gu&Poison Sect, and this sect will be finished, unlikely to rise again for at least a hundred years."
"Indeed, I deeply concur with Northern King's viewpoint. Previously we opted for large-scale mobilization out of ignorance and ended up returning without success each time!" Southern King Dugu Ming nodded in agreement.
Grand Commander Lan, the chief, also spoke, "I agree with Northern King's strategy as well, to send a few elites to strike directly with thunderclap force, catching the Gu&Poison Sect off guard. However, there is a difficulty at hand; we do not know where the Gu&Poison Sect's stronghold is located!"
Ye Feng smiled faintly, "There is no need for you to worry about that. I have already made arrangements."
Seeing the Northern King so confident, everyone was slightly surprised, and many wanted to ask what the specific arrangements were, but after some thought, they restrained themselves, as it would be inappropriate to question in this setting.
Ye Feng suddenly said in a loud voice, "Since no one has any objections, then it's decided. We'll depart this afternoon; everyone go back and get ready. Dismissed!"
After finishing his declaration, Ye Feng left. He was always decisive and swift in his actions, and besides, he had many more things to prepare for.
After all, they were facing the Gu&Poison Sect. The sect housed numerous experts, some even at the level of Martial Kings. Although his side also had several top-notch masters, the enemy was not only skilled in using poison but also experts in it, a fact that could not be overlooked.
All having left the Base Camp, Ye Feng went straight to the Hundred Herbs Garden.
Although the core of the Hundred Herbs Garden was in the Hundred Herbs Realm, there was also a branch at the Base Camp. Ye Feng only needed a few herbs, and he thought the branch should have enough supplies.
Even though their Vice Director Wu Zhong had been killed, in large part due to Ye Feng's arrival, the Northern King's reputation was well-known throughout the Southern Territory by now; hence, the Divine Doctor Sect dared not hinder him in the least.
Ye Feng entered directly, and then he even went straight into their Treasure Pavilion, home to hundreds of years of the garden's precious herbs. It took him half a day to emerge, by which time he had prepared everything he needed.
In the afternoon, Ye Feng led his group out. The number of people was not large; apart from Sima Zhantian and Xiao Chuanqi, two high-level experts from the Northern Border, the rest were a few commanders from the Southern Territory and the Four Great Protectors, making up a total of just over ten people.
In fact, everyone only knew on the surface that they were going to eliminate the Gu&Poison Sect, but for Ye Feng, there was a deeper plot at play, a plan he had been scheming since his time in Sky Sand City.
"This time, if my speculation is correct, I should be able to uncover the person behind the scenes, right?" Ye Feng thought to himself.
Two SUVs sped out of the Base Camp and then rushed further south.
By the time it was completely dark, there was no road ahead. Even if there were, the vehicles could no longer proceed forward, as what lay ahead were narrow trails leading into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
"Northern King, ahead lies the Hundred Thousand Mountains, spanning thousands of miles. The headquarters of the Gu&Poison Sect is deep within these mountains, but we have no knowledge of its exact location," Xia Lengchan reported as she stepped forward.
Ye Feng looked ahead into the night, the mountains before him sprawled out like a giant dragon lying across the land, and he frowned slightly, "Let's first visit the place where Commander Fu Tian had his accident."
By that time, everyone had already learned that Fu Tian, the former Seventh Commander of the Southern Origin Territory, was Ye Feng's sworn brother. Xia Lengchan immediately saluted and said, "As you command, Northern King!"
The party ventured into the mountains, all dressed in sturdy clothes. Yet at this time, Ye Feng was still sitting in his chair, carried by two men. If it weren't for the recent witnessing of his martial prowess, the few remaining commanders might have struggled to hold back their questions.
For a man with a broken leg, insisting on exterminating the Gu&Poison Sect—wasn't that a suicide mission?
Of course, among those present, many doubted whether this expedition, led by Northern King Ye Feng to eradicate the Gu&Poison Sect, could end in success. After all, the Southern Territory's rulers had attempted to destroy the sect countless times over the past decades, each time to no avail.
In the latter half of the night, the group finally arrived at a cliff. It was precipitous, the bottom unfathomable. Above the cliff stretched a narrow plateau, which is where Commander Fu Tian had been knocked down by members of the Gu&Poison Sect.
"We'll camp here for the night," Ye Feng announced. Then he slowly approached the edge of the cliff, looking down into the abyss, his thoughts transported back in time. He remained lost in reminiscences for the whole night.
The next day, the group continued on their way, but after turning the fourth mountain head, Xia Lengchan, Zhuge Yu, and the others had become lost. They had never been to this area before. At that moment, everyone turned their eyes to Ye Feng.