The half-million miscellaneous troops are easy enough to deal with—they're really just here for show. If you actually forced them to fight to the death on the front lines, neither the Frostbane Dynasty nor the troops themselves would be willing.
Honestly, they're just here to make an appearance and signal their 'full support' for the Frostbane Grand Army in suppressing the rebels—there's no deeper meaning to it at all.
So, Dragon‑Chen only needs to focus all its energy on the Frostbane Dynasty's vanguard. But that's easier said than done—after all, even their vanguard numbers 1.3 million! And these aren't weaklings; they're all elite survivors from the former seven great legions, veterans who've fought and bled for Frostbane and lived to tell the tale.
Plus, they're led by two early-stage Holy Emperor powerhouses—not exactly easy targets.
What's even trickier is that these 1.3 million aren't so easy to deal with, because in a sense, they're Frostbane's old guard—the former seven legions, not part of Holden Hong's secretly cultivated forces.
Calling them a 'vanguard' is generous—really, they're a cannon fodder unit. This is one of Holden Hong's ways to purge dissent: let the Four Temple Masters and Seven Thrones end up completely isolated, with all their old subordinates dying at Evan Chu's hands.
That way, not only would any old bonds with Evan Chu be wiped out—they'd actually turn into bitter enemies!
"What do we do? The Frostbane Dynasty's vanguard has already surrounded the base star-region. Soon they'll set up attack formations. They can't break the great defensive array just with this force, but they can drain our power—and once Holden Hong arrives, we'll be in real danger..."
"And if we just sit here while 1.3 million troops besiege us, our soldiers' morale will definitely start to waver!"
"We've already lost a lot of our patrol squads to ambushes. We can't just sit on our hands! If this keeps up, we won't have any eyes or ears left on the star-region's perimeter, and we'll lose the initiative in this battle!"
Nathan Yates, Lance Li, and Liam Savage all spoke up angrily, but Desmond Mansfield just stayed silent. What could he say? Right now, even he had no solution!
Just then, a voice rang out: "Why not let me give it a shot?"
"You?"
Everyone, including Elder Warren Wu and all the Flowing‑Light Dynasty elites, turned to look at Violet Thunder.
"Uh, alright, actually this isn't much of a secret, but since we're all on the same side now, you guys deserve to know.
Hall Master Chu—that is, Evan Chu—is actually the top trialist to emerge from the Frostbane Dynasty's Trial World, the strongest trialist! I’m sure you’re all familiar with what that means, right? And for Frostbane, the identity of a trialist from the Frostbane Trial World carries huge weight; I don’t need to spell it out.
As for me—why do you think I know about Evan Chu’s true identity?
Desmond Mansfield’s eyes flickered, then he spoke: "Destiny Guardian!"
"That’s right. Back in the Frostbane Trial World, Evan Chu was my senior brother, and I was his Destiny Guardian. But before I ever followed him, I served as a Destiny Guardian in several Frostbane Dynasty legions, and got to know quite a few people there.
Besides that, my senior brother has a few little brothers stationed in other legions. Even though they’ve been pulled out now, they’re still useful.
I believe the soldiers of the seven great legions are nothing like the current face of the Frostbane Dynasty—they’re just blinded to the truth.
I think as soon as we confirm my senior brother’s identity as a trialist, and verify that the Four Temple Masters and Seven Thrones have been imprisoned, this 1.3-million-strong vanguard won’t just collapse—they might even defect on the spot!
After Violet Thunder finished speaking, he immediately summoned one of Evan Chu’s former little brothers—Black Haze. But Black Haze isn’t the weakling who was once instantly defeated by Evan Chu anymore.
After undergoing energy baptism in Evan Chu’s Seven-Star Golden Tower, he’s now a peak late-stage Saint Lord expert. Although still far from Evan Chu’s level, he’s considered a senior powerhouse by many and now commands high respect.
Of course, this is also closely related to Black Haze’s own hard work.
"Do you have confidence you can pull this off?" Desmond finally confirmed—if so, it’s huge news.
If Frostbane’s 1.3-million vanguard defects, even Holden Hong’s most carefully cultivated forces will have their morale shaken.
And if things go badly from the start, I’m sure the smaller dynasties will start thinking differently too.
Right, but there’s one condition: the two Holy Emperor leaders must be dealt with first. They’re here to supervise the cannon fodder and send them to die. If those two aren’t killed, I can’t do anything.
No problem! That’s easy—leave it to Red Lark and Lena Lin. They’re now the strongest in the Dark Legion’s assassination squad, and don’t forget, they’re currently undergoing the most intense energy baptism and star fusion.
Them? Can they really do it? And what if the Frostbane army attacks in the next moment—won’t waiting for them to finish take too long?" Violet Thunder said urgently, watching as Frostbane’s army was about to attack.
We have to wait—there’s no other choice. I believe you, and I believe you can do it, but how many people will believe you? What we do now could affect the future of the entire Star-River Dominion. So it’s not enough for just a few to believe—we need everyone to believe!
So what does the Vice Hall Master mean?
Wait for one more person—he’ll go with you. You’ll persuade the Frostbane vanguard, and he’ll convince the spies from the other dynasties in the Star-River Dominion.
The Vice Hall Master means?
The branch master of Star-Treasure Pavilion, the neutral faction—Horace Hong.
After Desmond said this, everyone suddenly understood—no wonder he’s Desmond! No one else can compare. That level of thought and temperament is terrifying! This is a truly perfect plan.
Of course, Desmond has calculated everything. First, the old legions’ morale is already shaky, so they can be persuaded. If they were all brainwashed, the plan would be useless. So after the order to attack comes down, these soldiers won’t attack right away, and that’ll show if they’re wavering.
Even if they don’t know the truth and are blinded, at least they know who they’re attacking—Evan Chu? He used to be their Thrones’ good brother! Their friend!
So if there’s a window of time, that’s enough for Horace Hong to get the message and come, and enough for Evan Chu, Red Lark, Lena Lin and the others to come out of seclusion.