A few generals’ faces darkened, knowing full well that what Ao Xing had said was no lie; the Dragon King was indeed timid and would certainly not want to get involved in these matters.

However, for them, only war could showcase their value, and they had waited a long time for this day.

Just then, Ao Xing laughed again and said, "But there’s not no way out."

"Please enlighten us, Your Highness," the men hurriedly bowed, their eyes eagerly fixed on Ao Xing.

"My father had once promised the Heavenly Court two months to prepare, then to send troops to Luzhou in the North, and now the time is nearly due."

"But His Majesty had once hinted that this time doesn’t count," the Crab General said softly.

If it weren’t for this reason, why else would he have come to plead for battle?

"Is there an order?" Ao Xing countered.

The Crab General shook his head. How could there be an order in such a matter, that would be giving others leverage.

"Then that settles it, a soldier’s duty is to obey orders, and since Father hasn’t seen you, how could you know the truth of this matter?" Ao Xing said matter-of-factly.

At these words, the few generals were enlightened, suddenly feeling as if they had been provided a solution. As the saying goes, a general in the field is not bound by the orders of his sovereign; once they launched a massive army, it would be impossible to recall, and then His Majesty could not explain to the Heavenly Court. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

At that moment, they could simply excuse themselves, claiming ambiguity in orders, and unable to meet His Majesty and seeing the time of deployment drawing near, they had no choice but to proceed.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness!" The few generals bowed excitedly to Ao Xing.

The smile on Ao Xing’s face remained unchanged as he continued softly, "I hope you can keep this secret for me. If my father learns that this idea was mine, then..."

"Rest assured, Your Highness, we know what to speak and what not to speak of. We will not make things difficult for you."

"Then, I here wish you, Generals, a victorious campaign and to enhance your fame in the Three Realms," Ao Xing said.

Upon hearing this, the faces of the few generals displayed joy, and the Crab General even waved his hand with a smile, "Thanks to Your Highness for your auspicious words, this expedition will definitely bolster the esteem of the Dragon Palace and make all living beings in the Three Realms look up to us."

The men left excitedly, while Ao Xing, watching their departing figures, revealed a meaningful smile.

Meanwhile, still indulging in fine wine within the Dragon Palace, Ao Guang was surprised to find that the noise outside had quieted down, curiously setting down his wine glass and asking the Prime Minister Turtle, "What happened, why is there no noise from those rough men anymore?"

The Prime Minister Turtle replied with a smile, "Perhaps they saw that Your Majesty’s decision is final and withdrew."

Ao Guang nodded and said, "Most likely. How could those brutes understand my pains, if Luzhou in the North were easy to handle, why would the Heavenly Court seek us out? Going there would be tantamount to suicide."

Having said that, he continued drinking his fine wine, resolute not to get involved in this mess.

A few days later, those generals mobilized a massive army of the Aquatic Races towards Luzhou in the North, immediately drawing the attention of many.

Still leisurely spending his days in the Dragon Palace, Ao Guang, upon hearing the news, immediately stood up, his face showing shock as he exclaimed, "How could they deploy troops without my orders?"

At this moment, Ao Guang felt his authority had been infringed; without the command of their Dragon King, how could these generals mobilize the army? He suddenly felt that things might be beyond his expectation.

The Prime Minister Turtle, seeing Ao Guang in such a state, hesitantly spoke up, "Your Majesty, you might have forgotten that they do have orders to deploy."

Perhaps these people had only received the order to deploy troops.

"This was just a temporary measure!" Ao Guang said with a bitter smile.

Who would have thought these rough men would take it seriously? At this moment, Ao Guang deeply regretted indulging in drinking these past few days, thinking that perhaps he could have stopped these men from acting.

"Immediately send someone to catch up with them and convey my intentions."

Ao Guang thought for a moment, then whispered instructions to Prime Minister Turtle.

However, just then, a voice that Ao Guang least wanted to hear outside came.

"The Old Dragon King truly is a man of his word. Deploying troops for two months means two months, no wonder His Majesty is very pleased, and specially commanded me to bring a flask of Jadescent Nectar."

The Divine Exorcist Great Saint walked into the Dragon Palace gracefully, a smile on his face that, to the uninformed, might suggest he had a good relationship with Ao Guang.

Ao Guang saw the Divine Exorcist Great Saint walk in, his expression subtly changing, knowing that he and Prime Minister Turtle were not going to be able to leave the Crystal Palace for a while.

"Why has the Great Saint come?" Ao Guang’s face suddenly filled with smiles.

The situation was stronger than people, and Ao Guang’s change in expression was indeed very natural.

Of course, the Divine Exorcist Great Saint saw all these actions but didn’t show any intention of exposing them. Instead, he smiled and said, "As one who enjoys the imperial salary, it is my duty to serve loyally, so I only had to make this trip myself."

"Of course, of course, the loyalty of the Great Saint is clear as day and night."

"Haha, no more idle talk. His Majesty heard that you enjoy fine wines and specially sent me to deliver this Jadescent Nectar, hoping that the Dragon King would like it." Upon finishing his sentence, he lightly waved his right hand, and a flask of beautiful wine appeared on the ground, immediately filling the Crystal Palace with a rich aroma of wine.

Ao Guang enjoyed his wine and naturally recognized this as one of the finest wines. On a usual day, he would have been overjoyed, but though his face was filled with smiles now, his eyes had turned dull.

"Many thanks to His Majesty for this gracious gift, your humble servant can’t repay you!" Ao Guang immediately started to express his loyalty.

The Divine Exorcist Great Saint then said, "His Majesty naturally knows your loyalty, as long as the Dragon Clan can alleviate the Heavenly Court’s worries, glory and riches will naturally not be scarce."

Having said this, the Great Saint didn’t leave but rather relaxedly sat down in the Crystal Palace.

At this moment, Ao Guang’s face paled with urgency, but since the Divine Exorcist Great Saint showed no intention of leaving, he couldn’t even send a message.

"Old Dragon King, I’ve finally come to the Dragon Palace, won’t you throw a banquet to entertain me?" The Divine Exorcist Great Saint’s face showed a hint of a playful smile.

"It is only right, only right, someone come and quickly start the banquet, I want to entertain the honored guest."

With one order, countless delicious dishes were served, and the Divine Exorcist Great Saint helped himself, eating and drinking without seeing himself as an outsider.

As time passed, the Dragon Clan’s army deployed further and further away, and the Divine Exorcist Great Saint eventually stood up and said, "The Old Dragon King truly is His Majesty’s most loyal servant. If you can severely defeat the Demon Clan this time, I will personally plead for your merits."

"How dare I, how dare I, this is all what Old Dragon should do."

Though he spoke in this manner, in his heart, Ao Guang was bleeding. If he couldn’t catch up with the deploying troops, his Aquatic Races would likely suffer heavy casualties and deaths.