After a long silence, sound finally returned to the quiet main hall.
The Sect Leader, who had just moved, slowly sat back in his seat. His jagged hand pressed down on the armrest, and several sizzling sounds followed, as if something was being scorched and destroyed. The thick wooden armrest under his palm turned pitch black from the toxin and quickly crumbled into powder.
The Gu Masters all shrank back slightly, knowing this meant the Sect Leader was furious.
"Master Qu is dead..."
"Two grain depots have also been burned..."
"A force of one hundred thousand troops is pressing close. Plumera dared to strike first, even though our Puppet Sect and the Duchy of Youtan have not even crossed their borders."
The frightening sound of toxins burning things returned. Another wooden armrest was instantly scorched and destroyed.
No one dared to make a sound. They all waited quietly for the Sect Leader's anger to pass. Finally, a hoarse and strange voice came from the main seat.
"Poison Frog, Poison Snake, take your deadliest methods and go immediately to where Master Qu's body is. If you find any foreign rat, kill it with poison no matter what it takes."
Poison Frog and Poison Snake were the two remaining hall leaders of the Puppet Sect, besides Poison Spider and Master Qu. All four used the word "Poison" in their names.
Poison Frog and Poison Snake were not present. The Sect Leader gave this order directly using the main Gu.
The two of them were in their own lairs training Gu insects when they received the command. They quickly put their Gu away, grabbed their strongest weapons, and rushed toward the place where Master Qu had just died.
After giving the orders, the Sect Leader looked at the Gu Masters who were watching him carefully.
"Go tell the Emperor of Youtan to reorganize the army. Issue an imperial command and force the full two hundred thousand troops of Youtan to push back at the border with Plumera."
"Our Puppet Sect's army of one hundred thousand puppets must all be stationed near the sect. Especially around our main grain depot."
"Yes."
"Also, assign thirty Gu Masters of earth level or higher to follow the two hundred thousand troops in the counterattack against Plumera. Use all living puppets under their control. Do whatever it takes to assist the army."
"Yes."
"The remaining Gu Masters in the sect must release all their puppets. Search every corner of Youtan for any secretly invading rats. If any are found, use any means necessary. Turn them into living puppets. Extract their military secrets and orders. Then make them wish they were dead."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
General Qi led an army of one hundred thousand troops under the reason of "Youdan's Puppet Sect using living puppets to invade Plumera territory," pressing toward the Youdan border.
Inside Youdan, after two major granaries were suddenly robbed, even without Elara continuing her operations inside the Puppet Sect's base, the furious Youdan puppet army directly sent two hundred thousand soldiers to launch a counterattack.
Thirty high-level Gu Masters accompanied the troops. The Youdan army, with great force, advanced directly toward General Qi's army. It seemed they intended to crush the Qi army with their double advantage in numbers to vent their rage.
But although General Qi's forces appeared grand, they didn't confront the enemy directly. Instead, once they confirmed the Youdan army had taken the bait, they dispatched elite teams to lure and harass them, stirring the anger of the Youdan forces. The enraged army chased the Qi army nonstop and followed them straight into the borders of Marigold.
General Qi led his troops to enter Marigold, maintaining a five-kilometer lead ahead of the Youdan forces.
As soon as the last Qi army unit returned inside the city, the gates shut immediately. The guards stationed on the walls shouted, and the drawbridges over the surrounding moats were quickly raised.
After entering, General Qi dismounted and went up the city wall. He ordered the soldiers, who had trained for over half a month and were skilled in various weapons, to take their positions at newly built shooting points along the wall. They gripped their bows and crossbows and got ready.
Not long after, the two hundred thousand Youdan troops that had been chasing them appeared faintly from within the distant shrub forest.
General Qi stood on the city wall, looking at the dense mass of soldiers far away. He frowned and looked even further toward the direction of Youdan.
"The main Youdan force of two hundred thousand has been lured away from their territory as planned. But there are still puppet troops left behind in Youdan. Your Highness... you must have already entered the Puppet Sect's base by now. I only hope everything goes well for you inside Youdan, that you eliminate the poison cult soon and return safely."
The Youdan army moved fast. Thirty Gu Masters controlled various living puppets to clear and guide the path for them. Just after General Qi entered the city, the Youdan army had already arrived roughly six kilometers from the city walls.
Although it had been a long time since they had entered Plumera, Plumera's chaos and ruin were well known in the surrounding nations.
But when they saw Marigold standing tall in the distance, the Youdan general frowned immediately.
Because it looked nothing like the "ruined" and "chaotic" place they remembered.
When did Marigold suddenly get a moat? There were even drawbridges over the moat. Was the city always this tall? The bricks on the walls looked so new. And what were those large wooden contraptions stationed above the wall?
Plumera was stronger overall than Youdan, but its strongest military force was in the hands of Commander Shu in the northern region.
Yet Commander Shu had taken control of the north and ignored the south. The current rulers in Plumera were corrupt and greedy like Francis. The remaining two royal bloodlines were ridiculous and decadent.
Among this messy crowd, only General Qi and his one hundred thousand Qi army were truly feared.
But no matter how powerful, the Qi army still only had one hundred thousand troops. Plus, the Qi family had long been targeted and suppressed by the royal court and men like Francis. In court, they could barely protect themselves.
With all this considered, Youdan dared to make plans to invade Plumera.
They intended to use Gu poison to slowly infiltrate from the border and eventually gain control. Once the internal structure of Plumera was thoroughly understood, they would invade all at once, capture the two royal bloodlines with sacred spirit blood, and use their flesh and blood to empower the Puppet Sect.
But now, the Qi army, which they thought could barely protect itself, had taken the initiative to invade Youdan with a force of one hundred thousand.
Although the Qi army had kept retreating since the start of the conflict, the Youdan general sensed something was off.
They didn't retreat because they were afraid. They never even fought before pulling back. And when they saw the Youdan army pause, the Qi army sent elite troops to harass them again. That was clearly a strategy to lure them in.
The Youdan general had tried several times to halt and observe what the Qi army was planning. But the thirty Gu Masters with him only obeyed orders from the Sect Leader. They forced the general to keep advancing and pursue the Plumera army. No one was allowed to stop unless the Sect Leader gave the order. Disobeying would be seen as disrespect and betrayal and would result in becoming a living puppet.
In Youdan, the Puppet Sect's authority was higher than the royal court. The general had no choice but to keep chasing with his army.
But now, as they finally reached the base of Marigold and looked at the city that was completely different from memory, the general felt a growing sense of unease.
He stared grimly at the towering city gate, which was unlike anything he had seen before. He was about to ignore the Gu Masters and order the central army to stop and set up camp, when suddenly, the head Gu Master stepped forward and said coldly:
"The Sect Leader just sent an order. Our third granary outside the Puppet Sect was just burned. It was exactly like the first two in the military camp. This was clearly another sneak attack by the Plumera rats."