Ao Lie’s identity was more than just a member of the Dragon Clan, he was also the Bodhisattva of the Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons with Great Power from Mount Ling. His return to the Dragon Palace at this time of year must surely carry with it the intentions of Buddha.

Ao Run lightly shook his head and said, "Lie’er didn’t say much, only that Buddha asked him to return home for a family visit. However, he did mention some things that gave me ideas."

After finishing, he relayed exactly what Ao Lie had said at the time.

Upon hearing this, Ao Guang laughed and said, "Nine out of ten, it’s that person’s handiwork. It seems the Buddhist Sect wants us to trip up the Heavenly Court."

After all, the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Sect are allies in principle, and it’s impossible for them to openly come to blows. Therefore, these kinds of underhand tactics are most effective.

Even if the Heavenly Court were to find some clues, we could simply deny them outright. Since the Heavenly Court made the first move, as long as we don’t tear our faces apart, everything is manageable.

"But if we were caught between these two great forces, I fear we wouldn’t have easy days ahead," Ao Qin said with a sigh. "Neither the Buddhist Sect nor the Heavenly Court is someone we can afford to offend."

Being on good terms with both sides is easy to talk about but incredibly difficult to achieve. A single misstep could lead to disaster.

"The Heavenly Court holds itself above all others. If it could successfully swallow Luzhou in the North, I fear that no one in the Three Realms could stop them. Then, our Dragon Clan would not be spared; even if we acted submissively, we couldn’t entrust the fate of the Dragon Clan solely to the mercy of the Jade Emperor," Ao Guang said somberly.

In this moment, Ao Guang, unlike his usual timidity, was shining with the light of wisdom in his eyes. This was a Dragon Clan Leader’s keen grasp of the situation in the Three Realms, and the reason why Ao Guang was able to maintain his position as Clan Leader.

Looking around at his brothers, Ao Guang was clearly aware of the worry in their eyes— they were afraid of reprisal from the Heavenly Court.

"Rest assured, of course we can’t be too blatant about it," he said. "The Heavenly Court wants us to deal with the Demon Clan, and to wash away the disgrace of the Dragon Clan we will certainly give the Demon Clan a good fight. However, we will control the extent ourselves."

"But the command authority on the front lines now!" Ao Run hinted at something gravely.

They were no fools. With more and more news coming from the front lines, it was clear that those youngsters were all aggressive in nature, only usually concealing it well. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"That works perfectly; let them cause a stir. If the Heavenly Court seeks to place blame, it will naturally fall on them," Ao Guang said with a light laugh.

"But, after all, they are also the youth of our Dragon Clan!" Ao Run said in a low voice.

Ao Run knew very well that his elder brother was treating these youngsters as expendable pieces, though he disapproved of their methods. He still believed, deep down, that these kids were ambitious young people with ideals, bearing the future of the Dragon Clan.

"Do I not know that they are the outstanding youth of our Dragon Clan? But faced with the great situation, even you and I are expendable, let alone them. I believe if their sacrifice can be exchanged for a better future for the Dragon Clan, these kids would do it without a second thought. Remember, no mercy in war; we cannot afford the slightest compassion," Ao Guang said.

Ao Guang’s words, though cold, were the hard truth—this was the cruelest aspect of the world. There are things that we all consider wrong, but ultimately, we choose to do them. It is a flaw deeply embedded in the soul of every intelligent being.

"Sigh!" Ao Run could only let out a heavy sigh upon hearing this.

In the distant Luzhou in the North, a group of Dragon Sons solemnly opened the letters in their hands, which were from the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, followed by reinforcements for this battle.

Ao Xing carefully read the letter in his hand, then solemnly passed it to Ao Ming and the others beside him.

"What exactly do the old folks mean by this?" Ao Ming looked at Ao Xing.

"They give us support while warning us not to take military action lightly."

Ao Xing, however, spoke softly, "Their Majesties’ intentions are quite clear, they agree with us engaging in battle with the Demon Clan, but they remind us not to be pawns for the Heavenly Court."

"Advancing by land and water is the Heavenly Court’s current policy against the Demon Clan; our existence is to distract the Demon Clan, deplete their resources, until the day of victory in the war."

"However, for our Dragon Clan, is victory in this war truly a good thing?" Ao Xing murmured to himself.

"How can it not be a good thing? When the time comes, we will be able to hold our heads high in the Three Realms, and those who looked down on us in the past will be shivering in fear," Ao Ming said loudly.

He seemed to have already envisioned that day arriving, his expression becoming somewhat excited.

"And then what? We will face an even stronger Heavenly Court. What shall our Dragon Clan do then?" Ao Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up sharply.

With these words, the smile on Ao Ming’s face instantly solidified.

He suddenly realized that, facing a Heavenly Court that had swallowed the Demon Clan, the Dragon Clan would probably have to keep a low profile as before, or even worse, without a formidable enemy, the Heavenly Court might act even more recklessly, and the living conditions of the Dragon Clan wouldn’t improve in the slightest.

Thinking this, cold sweat slowly trickled down his cheeks.

"So what do we do, do we still fight this war?" he asked with a tinge of bitterness in his voice.

It was only now that he realized how naive he had been before, thinking that a major victory would reverse the decline of the Dragon Clan, completely forgetting that the ever-changing tides of the Three Realms also weighed heavily on the Dragon Clan.

"Fight, of course we must fight, but how and when we fight this war should be up to us to decide," Ao Xing said with a smile.

Being extremely intelligent, he could naturally guess the thoughts of his brother, Ao Guang, through this letter.

When everyone heard his laughter, they immediately felt reassured and looked at Ao Xing with hopeful eyes, waiting for his next words.

"The Heavenly Court’s idea is simple: they want us to constantly wear down the Demon Clan’s strength, aiming to rapidly advance at the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range and end this war as soon as possible."

"As for us, naturally, we hope that this war can be dragged out as long as possible, preferably to the point where both the Demon Clan and the Heavenly Court suffer, so we must measure our actions carefully when we strike."

"When it’s time to win, we win a battle or two to satisfy the Heavenly Court; when it’s not time to win, we absolutely do not fight, preserve our strength, and wait for the situation to change."

"However, we do need to fight a good fight soon, otherwise, people in the Three Realms will really underestimate our Dragon Clan."

"Good!" Ao Ming was the first to cheer in agreement.

He desperately needed a victory to turn things around, especially since the previous battle had been so humiliating, making him the laughingstock of the Dragon Clan.

"Don’t be too hasty, seize the right moment, we should also learn from the Demon Clan and fight smartly," Ao Xing advised.

Thus, the Dragon Clan’s front-line army began to prepare vigorously, and their movements immediately attracted the attention of several parties.