The royal prison wasn't a filthy, dark dungeon. It was a clean, quiet chamber located deep underground, carved from solid white stone. The room was secured by a heavy wooden door, made from a Rank 6 Material.
Mo Tiancheng sat cross-legged in the center of the room, his wrists and ankles secured by thick, heavy chains that pulsed with a dull light, keeping his demonic arts completely locked down.
Wei Han walked into the chamber alone. He didn't bring any guards.
Mo Tiancheng opened his eyes and looked at the king. He didn't look angry, just calculating. "I assume Ren Ying hasn't returned to the capital," he said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have kept me in these chains. You captured me the exact moment he left, and our collaboration stopped being politically useful to you. So, what is it now? You wouldn't come down here yourself unless you needed something."
Wei Han didn't bother justifying his past betrayal. In their world, alliances were built on benefits, and betrayals were just a shift in circumstances. Besides, Mo Tiancheng was a Demon, for whom he had no compassion.
He got straight to the point. "I am going to release you," Wei Han said in a flat tone. "I need you to create a disaster in my outer territories, without causing any casualties."
Mo Tiancheng tilted his head, processing the information quickly. He didn't suspect a trap or a cheap assassination attempt; a king wouldn't come down to a sealed cell to negotiate a fake prison break when he could just order an execution. Instead, he looked for the political angle. "You want me to attack your own territory. Why? Who are you trying to trick?"
"The Wu Dynasty," Wei Han answered plainly. "I recently realized their king isn't just trying to secure his borders. He is preparing a campaign to conquer the entire continent. Right now, a large portion of my best troops are stationed in his territory as reinforcements from our previous alliance. If I suddenly demand my army back, he will know I've figured out his ambition. He will likely refuse, or worse, wipe out my men before they can leave."
Wei Han stepped closer to the edge of the glowing symbols on the floor. "I need a massive, undeniable crisis at home. A threat so severe that I have no choice but to recall my entire army immediately. If a notorious demonic cultivator like you breaks out and starts tearing through my outer provinces, the Wu king will have no political excuse to keep my soldiers. He will have to let them march home or risk looking like an open enemy to the rest of the world."
Mo Tiancheng nodded slowly, completely understanding the logic. It was a smart, ruthless move. Wei Han was using his terrible reputation as a demonic Warrior to create a perfect excuse.
"It's a clean strategy," he admitted. "Since I am already despised, no one will ever suspect a 'righteous' king like you orchestrated the attacks. You get your army back to defend against Wu's future invasion, and I get out of this cell."
Wei Han said, "You destroy the outer military posts, make a lot of noise, and cause a panic—without causing harm to a single person. In exchange, you'll get your freedom and an opportunity to re-establish our cooperation."
Mo Tiancheng looked at his chains, then back to the king. He wasn't offended by Wei Han's previous betrayal, nor did he feel grateful for this current rescue. It was simply a transaction of mutual survival.
"You threw me in here for political convenience, and now you are letting me out for the same reason," Mo Tiancheng said with a faint smile on his face.
Mo Tiancheng shook his head and chuckled. "Fair enough."
On the night of 17th March.
Guo Chen received an emergency report regarding the Wei Dynasty's predicament. He immediately frowned.
He instantly suspected a major problem hidden within the outcome of this predicament. If you ignored the stated reason and the emergency situation itself, Wei Han was basically just trying to withdraw his troops.
Not only this, if his real goal was actually withdrawing the troops, then it also meant he had collaborated with the Demons. It wasn't impossible, since Wei Han had worked together with them before, providing them with a foothold.
The main issue was that it was impossible not to respond to this request in a positive way. One of Wei's high-ranking ministers was currently in their dynasty, and he should have already received specific instructions. If Guo Chen deliberately tried to make things difficult, the Wei minister could spread rumors and create disputes.
Besides, this was just Guo Chen's suspicion, and he needed to confirm whether his guess was correct or not. If he was suspecting a gentleman, that wouldn't do him any good. And according to his calculations, Wei Han should have no way of knowing about his plans, nor should he be willing to harm his own subjects.
He immediately considered the possibilities. The only way Wei Han's mind could be swayed was through the Shu Dynasty. In order to confirm the situation surrounding Guo Chen's instructions, Wei Han could have contacted the Shu Dynasty. But what could Shu Wang offer that would change his mind?
He thought of the situation at their northern border. He thought, 'They probably figured out how I got those Warriors. Did they reveal it to Wei Han? But with Wei Han's shrewdness, he wouldn't trust baseless claims, and Shu Wang can't provide any evidence. With Shu Wang's personality, he would never give up his dynasty, even if it were on the brink of destruction, and he has nothing to offer to Wei Han either.'
Guo Chen did consider the possibility of Shu Wang offering his own kingdom to sway Wei Han, but he immediately rejected the idea, since it didn't make sense for Shu Wang.
Deceiving someone is easier compared to seeing through another's deception. Right now, Wei Han was on the deceiving end, and even if Guo Chen could guess his conspiracy, he had no proof to confirm it.
He discussed this matter with Wu Xiang, and they decided to return half of the Wei Warriors, while keeping the other half in the Wu Dynasty. This would ensure that their cooperation wouldn't break with the Wei Dynasty. At the same time, if Wei Han had any intention of betrayal, what could he even do with only the remaining half? Even if Wei began cooperating with Shu, which was about to fall, it wouldn't matter much. The Shu Dynasty already lacked manpower.
It should be noted that Guo Chen didn't have the authority to mobilize the Wei Dynasty Warriors without Wei Han's permission, but he could at least stop them from becoming a thorn in the Wu Dynasty's side.
22nd March.
Wei Han received the news that their Warriors were marching toward the Wei Dynasty and would soon return. Guo Chen mentioned in his letter that there was an important task for which he needed the remaining Warriors, so he was only sending back half of them.
Wei Han sighed. 'Half is half.'
He suddenly recalled the battle with the Shu Dynasty and murmured inwardly, "Luckily, Ren Ying only used 10,000 Warriors in that battle, or we might not have had even a shred of hope to stop Wu's advances!"
Wei Han finalized his collaboration with Mo Tiancheng and sent him to the Shu Dynasty.
He also sent his general, Gu Zhen, to lead the Warriors stationed at the southern part of the Shu Dynasty, and also to keep an eye on Mo Tiancheng. Additionally, Gu Zhen was capable enough to escape in the event of a betrayal.
He believed that the Shu Dynasty didn't have a Warrior strong enough to trap them. Even if Mo Tiancheng wished to betray them by siding with the Shu Dynasty, all of the Demons were under Wei Han's control. Without the help of the Wei Dynasty, Mo Tiancheng alone wasn't enough to create any deterrence, and trying to do so would only force Wei Han to side with the Wu Dynasty.
So, there was no benefit involved for any betrayal from either the Shu Dynasty or Mo Tiancheng. Even Mo Tiancheng couldn't launch a betrayal from within the Shu Dynasty, since Shu Wang would rather side with Gu Zhen.
It was around this time that Huang also began getting access to Li Gang's memories, entering the second phase of possession. Unfortunately, he was still unconscious.
24th March.
Lei did a thorough check on the name of every person who had appeared at the Dongfang port in the past few days.
He found two familiar names: Lei Zhenyu and Huang Haoran.
Lei's pupils shrank, and his hands wavered. "Is he really alive?"
He immediately went around asking for details and used his perception to find any trace of them.
Soon, he felt a familiar aura. Lei frowned, because this aura was similar to Huang's. He immediately guessed who it was.
He rushed to one of the inns and silently entered a room. He found Huang Haoran sleeping peacefully.
Lei immediately took him away. At the same time, he realized a major issue: why was Huang Haoran here, and not Lei Zhenyu?
He realized the key role of Huang's son. Huang Haoran could be used to coerce Huang, and this was something that would be highly beneficial to Li Gang!
Lei Zhenyu had already been transferred elsewhere!
Li Gang wanted him to capture Huang Haoran and threaten Huang's life. In this way, Lei would be able to force Huang out.
Lei murmured inwardly, 'He is a ruthless person. He would rather protect his own life than save his son's!'
Lei frowned, then thought, 'There is only one way to save him! It's to strike at the very last moment. Is this what he wants me to do?'
He asked Huang Haoran why he had appeared in the Northern Continent, and the answer he got was shocking.
Huang Haoran replied, "There was a person named Lin Fan who found me. I was being targeted by some Warriors, and he helped me escape to the Northern Continent."
Lei also asked if he had met Lei Zhenyu, but the response was negative. Huang Haoran was surprised to even know that he was still alive.
After hearing the details from Huang Haoran, Lei felt that his appearance in the Northern Continent was pure coincidence. This subverted his entire understanding. 'I was sure that Li Gang was the one who brought him here. However, based on the information I have, Lin Fan is an enemy of Li Gang. If Li Gang brought him here, then it means Lin Fan is his helper! Why did he help him, then?'