"A defeat, you say? That is indeed a possibility. In seventy thousand years, our Night Demon Race has made countless enemies, but the Great Qian nation currently poses no immediate threat on our flank. If we continue to delay, it will mostly be our race that suffers—"

Ran Long sneered, derision plain on his face: "Since we cannot conquer it, why not make a firm resolution and simply destroy this Tianfang World altogether?"

"We tried that just a few days ago. With a Supreme Realm Saint Venerable suppressing everything, aided by the Twelve Nation-Guarding Bronze Men, all spiritual arts and techniques are reduced in rank within the Tianfang Realm. Are you suggesting we let all our strong practitioners perish here?"

Chaye remained neither angry nor annoyed, his gaze distant and unfocused: "The Cloud Realm has over ten Saint Venerables. Though they are mutually antagonistic and constantly fighting, if our Night Demon Race attempts to meddle, we will instantly become a target for all. Furthermore, there is that one—what their next move will be remains unknown to both you and me. In my view, while the Tianfang World is valuable, staking our claim on this domain is not worth sacrificing twelve of our Dark Night Demon Court's military governorates and tens of millions of troops."

When State Preceptor Mo Meng heard this, his hands trembled slightly before he lowered his eyelids. Chaye's words had been laid bare, brutally honest.

Even Night Wheel King Ran Long dropped his cold sarcasm. Though there were minor frictions between them due to the competition for the throne, Chaye’s statement aligned perfectly with his own thoughts.

However, concerning the Dark World Demon Court and the two Imperial Venerables, some actions could be taken, but not spoken of.

"So, direct assaults like today’s should be avoided if possible, minimizing casualties?"

Night Wheel King Ran Long’s tone shifted abruptly: "Then why not simply bypass it?"

Everyone present was startled, and Chaye immediately frowned: "Bypass it? If we bypass the Tianfang World, our tens of millions of troops will be like rootless duckweed. Though the Dark Night Demon Court is powerful, its influence does not extend this far into the Tianfang World. Once our path home is cut off, our army stranded outside, our race will truly be balanced on a knife's edge."

With the Tianfang World acting as an isolating barrier, the army could no longer draw upon the vast national power of the Dark Night Demon Court. The strength of practitioners from the twelve governorates would be reduced by more than half.

At that point, even Chaye himself would only be an ordinary Saint Realm Venerable, stripped of the power to rival a Supreme Realm expert.

"I hear that Zong Shou, within the Tianfang World, is a Holy Monarch recognized by Heaven and all its people?"

Ran Long chuckled, his meaning profound: "If that is truly the case, perhaps there is a way forward."

"You mean, lay siege to draw out reinforcements?"

Chaye suddenly understood, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The term 'lay siege to draw out reinforcements' originated in the Cloud Realm’s Desolate Era. At that time, the Night Demon Race had not completely withdrawn from the Cloud Realm, still maintaining footholds in the north. A famous general from the Human Race’s Qi State once led his massive army straight toward Wei State, besieging the Wei capital. This not only saved the allied Zhao State from the threat of annihilation but also crushed over a million Wei soldiers, establishing Great Qi as the hegemon among the states. That was 'Besieging Wei to rescue Zhao,' which is a form of 'laying siege to draw out reinforcements.'

In the current context, it meant attacking what the enemy must save. Luring the Great Qian’s millions of elite forces out of the Tianfang World, thereby avoiding the heavy casualties of a direct assault on the Tianfang Realm.

After just a moment of contemplation, Chaye narrowed his eyes.

"This method is slightly risky, but why not give it a try?"

If successful, it would secure victory in one stroke. If it failed, no great harm would come of it—they could still advance or retreat freely, merely consuming more time.

Just then, in his peripheral vision, Chaye noticed Mo Meng’s expression was unusually solemn.

At first, he assumed the Dark Night Demon Court's First Priest disagreed with such a gamble.

But Chaye quickly realized something was amiss. Gazing out, he saw strands of light shining in the dark void, emanating from a great distance away.

It seemed to be arriving from several worlds away, having broken through the restrictions of spatial law to penetrate this interstice.

Bathed in that scorching light, nearly all the low-level Night Demons still outside the massive ancient wood vessel cried out in agony. Fine wisps of smoke rose from their skin.

Chaye’s expression instantly changed. He was intimately familiar with this pervasive golden radiance; he had experienced it countless times over the last few years.

Zong Shou, currently hidden within the Tianfang World, possessed a similar divine ability, perhaps even higher in rank. However, when it came to sheer boundless magical power, he was difficult to match!

"Boundless Light—that is the Great Sun Tathagata!"

A third eye opened between Mo Meng’s brows, using the Night Demon Heavenly Eye to observe several worlds away.

He saw that the area was currently suffused with blinding golden light. A Buddha figure, twenty thousand feet tall, sat cross-legged on a lotus pedestal.

Beneath that pedestal lay an uncountable, dense mass of Buddhist disciples.

As the golden light struck, Mo Meng’s pupils began to show signs of melting. With a muffled groan, he tightly shut the third eye.

"Tens of millions of Buddhists—he has moved his Buddha Kingdom here!"

At this moment, both Chaye and Night Wheel King Ran Long looked utterly grim.

One Tianfang World, with Great Qian’s millions of troops, was already a profound headache. Adding the Great Sun Tathagata holding the line outside—was the war to conquer the Cloud Realm destined to end in failure?

Chaye sank into deep thought, his brow furrowed. The plan to attack what the enemy must save was bankrupt before it even began. With the Great Sun Wheel King positioned outside, executing that strategy was not impossible, but it would require an immense sacrifice.

To defeat the enemy, they would clearly need to find an entirely new approach.

※※※※

"Finally, they have arrived!"

Inside the Artifact Inquiring Tower, Zong Shou was completely relaxed, breathing a sigh of immense relief. In his hand, he held a Buddhist Jade Edict.

In truth, transmitting messages via this Jade Edict was unnecessary. Just observing the vast golden light illuminating the void outside the Tianfang World was enough to know that the Buddhist Great Sun Tathagata, Vairocana, had personally moved his Buddha Kingdom here!

It had become another barrier beyond the Cloud Realm.

Shen Yuexuan also seemed enlightened, his tension easing: "So the Great Sun Tathagata has come personally. I knew Your Majesty would have anticipated this. But this means Your Majesty now owes the Buddhist Sect another immense favor."

Great Qian’s rise had been too swift, and its military forces too thin, resulting in a situation where they were stretched thin, unable to attend to all concerns. If they concentrated heavy troops to defend the Tianfang World, the Cloud Realm would surely be left exposed.

Any marginally intelligent individual within the Night Demon Army would notice this. And with the wisdom of Zong Shou and Kong Yao, they certainly would have prepared for it.

And indeed, the Great Sun Tathagata, a near-Supreme Realm figure within the Buddhist Sect, was now intercepting and containing them with his own Buddha Kingdom. This meant that they no longer needed to worry about their old lair in the Cloud Realm being sacked.

Zong Shou, however, felt indifferent, letting out a dry laugh: "You are mistaken! What favor do I owe? My Great Qian encompasses dozens of worlds, home to countless Buddhist faithful. In the Cloud Realm, the world is divided, with seven parts belonging to the Dao Sect and two to Buddhism. Now that Great Qian and the Cloud Realm face a mortal crisis, shouldn't they contribute?"