Chapter 141: I'll Pass for Now

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In the military camp, urgent bugle calls rang out without pause.

The commanders of each battalion led their troops toward the front-line battlefield with all haste.

A tense and solemn atmosphere enveloped the entire Third Defense Line.

Xu Zhe pushed open his door and found Chu Xiaotong already dressed and ready to depart. She stood before the neighboring room, watching the busy soldiers ahead with a grave expression.

“Did it go smoothly?”

Only when Xu Zhe emerged did the look on Chu Xiaotong’s face ease slightly.

“Of course.” Xu Zhe smiled faintly.

Chu Xiaotong nodded. She was not surprised by his answer; she had apparently expected it all along.

As always, she trusted the companion she had grown up with. If he said he could do something, then he certainly could.

After all, this fellow had not become such a prodigy only after arriving in the cultivation world.

Ever since he was old enough to remember things, Xu Zhe had already been the “other people’s child” in the mouths of every parent for miles around. He was good at everything he did, allowing parents to lecture their own children every day with a different comparison and never repeat themselves.

The only reason Xu Zhe had managed to grow up safely without being killed by the other children was that Chu Xiaotong had protected him.

“Uncle Xu!”

At that moment, Qu Hongxiu came running from the other side, with Gu Jia’er beside her.

The two had arrived in the Third Defense Line several days earlier and had been staying there ever since. This was the first time they had seen Xu Zhe.

Yet when Xu Zhe saw Qu Hongxiu’s expression, he was faintly startled.

Why did this girl look so aggrieved, as though she had been bullied?

“Uncle Xu, please talk to my master and ask her to let me join the Fifty-First Battalion on the battlefield.” After approaching, Qu Hongxiu tugged at Xu Zhe’s sleeve and spoke in a low voice. At the same time, she secretly glanced at Chu Xiaotong from the corner of her eye, her lips pursed.

Xu Zhe understood the situation at once. Chu Xiaotong clearly refused to let Qu Hongxiu participate in a battle of this level. Qu Hongxiu had probably made quite a fuss and had eventually been given a thorough scolding.

Yet she still dared to ask him for help. Perhaps she had not been scolded enough.

“What’s there to discuss? Don’t you know your own situation?” Xu Zhe immediately put on a stern expression and reprimanded her like an elder.

“I… What situation?” Qu Hongxiu froze, seemingly not expecting such an attitude from him.

“I’ve told you to cultivate diligently and study hard, but you never listened. Now you’re only at the Golden Core stage, and you still want to go to the battlefield? Not a chance.” Xu Zhe rejected her without hesitation.

That was the truth. He knew exactly how strong Qu Hongxiu was. With her current ability, going to the battlefield would not be training—it would be suicide.

“Uncle Xu, I really have been cultivating diligently! If you don’t believe me, ask my master.” Qu Hongxiu looked even more aggrieved. To avoid being overtaken by Xu Zhe in cultivation, she had genuinely worked herself to the bone.

“Really?” Xu Zhe asked skeptically.

Chu Xiaotong, standing nearby, nodded at Xu Zhe, confirming that Qu Hongxiu had indeed been cultivating more diligently than before.

Unfortunately, hard work was worthless in the face of someone who had cheat-like abilities.

“See? Even my master has proven that it’s true.” Qu Hongxiu brightened with delight.

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Well, then!

Xu Zhe fell silent. He felt that Qu Hongxiu had successfully demonstrated exactly what it meant to have poor aptitude.

“Since you already have diligence and effort, perhaps what you lack is simply time. It’s fine—just keep at it.” Xu Zhe had learned how to offer encouragement.

“Then can I…” A glimmer appeared in Qu Hongxiu’s eyes.

“No. Don’t even think about it. This battle is complicated. If you run into danger, no one will have the time to look after you. So listen to your master and stay out of it.” Xu Zhe rejected her sternly.

Qu Hongxiu’s lips immediately drooped again. Dejected, she asked, “Then can we only stay in camp and watch the battle?”

“What do you mean, ‘we’? Please remove the ‘we.’” Xu Zhe corrected her.

“Huh?” Qu Hongxiu paused, then continued, “Uncle Xu, my master said I’m supposed to stay in camp with you.”

“?”

Xu Zhe’s head filled with question marks. He turned to look at Chu Xiaotong.

What did she mean?

It was perfectly reasonable that Qu Hongxiu was too weak to go.

But why couldn’t he go either?

He was, after all, a mighty Immortal Emperor…

Never mind. There was no need to bring that up.

“Little Zhe.” Chu Xiaotong revealed a charming smile. “You understand the reasoning yourself. To use your own words, this battle is complicated. If you run into danger, no one will have time to look after you. So be obedient and stay out of it as well.”

“I have to deploy the battle formations.” Xu Zhe shook his head and took out several formation disks.

For the moment, he was indeed the only person on the Vermilion Bird Army’s side capable of deploying mid-level battle formations.

“Didn’t you say that the coverage of a mid-level battle formation is extremely wide? And that it identifies and empowers its targets through their aura? I calculated the distance between the battlefield and the camp. They both fall within its effective range, so you can stay here. There’s no need for you to go to the battlefield,” Chu Xiaotong said.

She knew Xu Zhe’s strength was not weak. But on a battlefield facing an army of demons as vast as a beast tide, even a Body Integration cultivator could die at any moment, let alone Xu Zhe.

As the Vermilion Bird Army’s supreme commander, she could not possibly treat everyone equally and send her own disciple, relatives, and friends into the fray without distinction.

The original purpose behind founding the Vermilion Bird Army had been to protect those she wished to protect. Naturally, those closest to her came first, followed by the people of the Southern Sky Continent, and finally the entire human race. There was an order of priority to everything.

“Actually, I can protect myself. But… if the demon army targets me on the battlefield, it could indeed interfere with my deployment of the battle formations.”

Xu Zhe thought for a moment, then nodded. “All right, I’ll listen to you. I won’t go to the battlefield for now. The larger picture comes first.”

“Good.” Chu Xiaotong immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It was rare for this fellow to heed advice.

However, she had still been careless. She had overlooked the word “for now” in Xu Zhe’s statement.

Not going to the battlefield for now and never going to the battlefield were two entirely different things.

Qu Hongxiu had also failed to notice the implication. Seeing that even Uncle Xu had “compromised,” she knew there was even less hope for her of reaching the battlefield. Her spirits sank, and she hung her head miserably.

Gu Jia’er, however, said nothing. After greeting Xu Zhe, she left ahead of them.

She would not be entering the main battlefield either. Instead, she was responsible for leading a rescue team. While helping coordinate the battle from behind the army, they would also do their best to save wounded soldiers.

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“They’re almost ready. I have to go as well. We’ll follow the plan we agreed upon that day. I’ll be waiting for your battle formations.”

Chu Xiaotong patted Xu Zhe on the shoulder, then transformed into a streak of crimson light and shot toward the front.

“Don’t worry.” Xu Zhe nodded and answered her.

He then turned to Qu Hongxiu and said with a faint smile, “Hurry up and cultivate. There’s no use standing around here. I need a quiet environment to deploy the mid-level battle formations.”

“No. I’m staying here to watch. I promise I won’t disturb you.” Qu Hongxiu was resolute.

“The battle formations are extremely powerful. If you stay here, you’ll interfere with their proper deployment.” Xu Zhe shook his head.

Qu Hongxiu furrowed her delicate brows and stared at Xu Zhe for quite some time. Suspicion filled her eyes.

“Uncle Xu, you’re not trying to send me away so you can sneak off to the battlefield, are you?”

“Huh? No. How could you think that?” Xu Zhe looked utterly astonished.

What kind of person did Qu Hongxiu take him for?

How could he possibly sneak off to the battlefield?

He was going openly.

“Really?” Qu Hongxiu was stunned, secretly wondering whether she had overthought things.

Xu Zhe looked at her strangely, then turned and returned to his room, where he began arranging the several mid-level battle formations.

According to the plan, these formations would not be deployed immediately once the battle began. They would be held back until the moment the Vermilion Bird Army fell into a disadvantage, when the ultimate weapons could be unleashed to reverse the tide and achieve the best possible effect.

There was also one newly developed formation that had never been tested, so he had no idea whether it would work well.

Moreover, Xu Zhe was curious about the person from the demon race who could deploy mid-level battle formations. He decided to go to the battlefield himself and take a look.

After packing up all the formations, Xu Zhe opened the door again.

Qu Hongxiu was already gone. There was no one outside.

Xu Zhe did not linger. With a flicker of his figure, he transformed into a phantom and sped forward.

When he passed the logistical tents, Xu Zhe spread out his divine sense and searched the area. After confirming that no one was inside, he bypassed the guards, took a brand-new suit of red armor, and put it on.

A problem soon appeared.

Once the armor covered his body and the heavy helmet was placed upon his head, Xu Zhe discovered that none of it could conceal his looks or his bearing.

In fact, it made him even more conspicuous. His presence alone made it obvious that he was no ordinary soldier of the Vermilion Bird Army.

This was troublesome.

“I wonder whether Lan Zhen has left. Perhaps I should quietly slit his throat, take his identity, and go to the battlefield in his place?”

The idea suddenly occurred to Xu Zhe, and a new plan formed in his mind.

To his surprise, it seemed like an excellent idea. Perhaps he could even use Lan Zhen’s identity as a traitor to infiltrate the enemy camp directly.

…