Chapter 206
by fanqienovelChapter 206: The Thirty-Six Stratagems System in Operation
"Just you wait." Lady Xidi roared angrily at Trilobite. After hurling those three words that perfectly embodied "powerless rage," she turned and strode away without looking back.
"Wait…"
"Lady Xidi!"
"Don’t go!"
The Azure Emperor cried out urgently.
Though the Azure Emperor possessed genuine strength as a council member, his rank was too low and his powers too limited; the Outer Gods from the Void had no obligation to explain events to him.
He could dominate within the Bubble World, but beyond it, the so-called "Azure Emperor" amounted to nothing.
Even the Outer Gods ignored him.
As a distinguished Twelfth Seat of the Core Twelve Council, Lady Xidi naturally paid no heed to the little bug’s wails.
She departed swiftly and urgently.
Soon, the Azure Emperor sensed Lady Xidi had withdrawn from the Bubble World.
"What on earth was happening…?"
"You left—what about me!?"
Trembling, the Azure Emperor peered downward. He saw the terrifying Giant God rise again on its tail and hind legs, big claws gripping the Fantasy Tree of Subspace’s crumbling trunk…
"Whoosh…"
The Giant God lifted its head, hollow calcite compound eyes fixed on the Azure Emperor, who clung shivering to the Fantasy Tree’s sapling.
The Azure Emperor no longer saw those "mineral eyes" as dull or lifeless.
Cruel, emotionless, utterly pitiless!
"Rumble… Rumble…"
Violent shaking erupted once more!
"Ah—!"
"Stop!"
"Stay away!"
The Azure Emperor plunged into true despair.
"At last…"
"Whoosh…"
"Boom—!"
The Fantasy Tree snapped and crashed down.
And falling alongside the trunk came…
"Ah—!"
The Azure Emperor screamed in agony, thrashing his four legs as if trying to grasp something.
But no matter how he struggled in mid-air, it was all in vain.
Because…
“Ah—ooh—!”
Trilobite had been looking up with his mouth wide open, waiting below and ready!
“Bang!”
“Pshhh—!”
The sound of jaws snapping shut and saber teeth sinking into flesh rang out!
The Azure Emperor fell!
He did not fall in battle, but like a discarded piece, he was abandoned along with the entire Bubble World "Tritium" by Lady Xidi’s chaos deities.
He became…
“Om… om…”
“Delicious! Delicious!”
Trilobite’s food.
Of course, Trilobite was a bit of a food lover.
Not only was he chewing on the meaty flesh of the Scything Dragon, but he also searched through the fallen sapling and found a few sour fruits.
Although they didn’t look good, Trilobite followed the idea of "since I’m here, I might as well try."
The result…
“Mmm!”
“Delicious!”
Trilobite felt the berry-like things burst in his mouth.
Tart, sweet liquid sprayed all over inside his mouth.
The feel was very like "grapes" he had tasted before, but it seemed even sweeter!
With the tasty Scything Dragon meat…
Great!
Finally, after eating his fill of seeds from the “sapling” and gnawing all the flesh off the Scything Dragon, only a skeleton was left…
“Burp!”
“I’m full. Now I’ll dig a hole for the toilet, then go sleep.”
“Maybe a nice dream… never mind, I’m too tired lately.”
“Hope I get deep sleep.”
Trilobite dragged his very tired body as he slowly crawled toward the “lake.”
Though there was no customer service young lady and he had some troubles, this “lake” was friendly; it not only gave him a big fish feast but also offered a great feast of Scything Dragon and sweet seeds.
As for customer service,
no demands were made.
"But…"
"Hmm!?"
The System’s abrupt change jolted Trilobite’s drowsy mind awake.
"What’s happening!?"
"Why is my Chaos Energy surging so fast!?"
The Chaos Energy displayed on the System kept rapidly climbing, skyrocketing at nearly hundreds per minute!
Soon, the cause was discovered.
【The client submitted an early lease renewal request for "Thirty-Six Stratagems."】
【Accept?】
—-
"Boom—!"
"Crunch—!"
Within the Heavenly Fire Prison—the main trunk of the Fantasy Tree of Subspace—Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons trampled gleefully over heaps of demon corpses in celebration.
They had won.
A crushing victory!
The initial scattered skirmishes and retreats were all diversions to split the Chaos Demon Gods’ attention, luring the arrogant demon gods into complacency.
Then Ye’s Foolish Act swiftly rallied every available clan and follower, storming Heavenly Fire Prison—a central trunk of the Fantasy Tree of Subspace—with overwhelming force dozens of times the enemy’s strength.
Pretend weakness, strike to kill!
This unprecedented triumph elevated the Star-Eater Plutonium Dragon clan’s standing.
Ye’s Foolish Act’s renown soared from this victory.
His kin reveled wildly.
They crushed through Subspace with hundreds of walking legs, hunting demons who fled or resisted.
The demons stood no chance.
Their defenders—including three core councilors and five "honorary core councilors"—were shattered by the dragons’ concentrated might.
One core councilor and two honorary councilors perished; the rest fled.
Demons alone couldn’t oppose the Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons, beings rivaling Chaos Demon Gods.
The revelers were mostly impulsive young dragons. Older ones focused on "farming."
They carried globs of slime-like mold to spread over Subspace’s wounds.
The mold eagerly multiplied, devouring exposed tissue.
Once gnawed and corroded, the Fantasy Tree of Subspace’s tough "law substance" and "space vascular system"—indigestible to dragons—softened completely.
The Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons could feast happily.
More Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons fiercely squeezed the branches of the Fantasy Tree reaching into the void.
“Creak—Creak—!”
“Boom—!”
“Bang—!”
With each thunderous crash, branches snapped.
“Splash…”
“Splash!”
Huge waves erupted across the Sea of Ether as Fantasy Tree branches—along with Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons clinging to them—plunged into the depths.
Yet those dragons didn’t howl in pain. Instead, they nudged the branches joyfully and dashed off.
After piling the branches in a chosen spot, they lured the “slime mold-like” creatures multiplying wildly in the Sea of Ether. These molds rotted the tough branches into tasty decay.
But more Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons, led by Ye’s Foolish Act, undertook a terrifying task!
They heaped millions of demon corpses into a massive hill, building a colossal tomb inside the Fantasy Tree of Subspace.
“Blood sacrifice for the Giant God.”
“Skull offering to the Divine Throne.”
“Blood sacrifice for the Giant God.”
“Skull offering to the Divine Throne.”
“Leave that ‘avatar’ for me!”
Even Ye’s Foolish Act, one of the shrewdest Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons, couldn’t explain what the “autonomous warfare decision support system based on deep learning technology and military theory” truly was.
But Ye’s Foolish Act sensed this was an immensely wise “avatar.”
Only through its emotionless commands, maneuvers, bluff, and multi-pronged strikes had victory been possible.
Without it, the Star-Eater Plutonium Dragon clan wouldn’t just have lost—they’d have been crushed.
So despite the “rental period not ending,” Ye’s Foolish Act rushed to renew the contract.
“I must keep him!”
“Hurry!”
“Kill every demon here!”
“Rip out their souls for that… ‘Giant God’!”
“Blood sacrifice for the Giant God!”
“Skull offering to the Divine Throne!”
“Buzz—!”
Ye’s Foolish Act and Sprout’s Thin Clothing watched blood-red energy strands shoot skyward, weaving into threads that vanished into the distance.
The sacrifice succeeded!
But at that moment…
“Creak—Roar—!”
The sound of an angry roar echoed loudly from afar.
“An ambush?”
“What… what should we do?!”
A quick response followed.
A series of strange “block letters” appeared in Ye’s Foolish Act’s mind.
[I heard that if one is distracted while wielding blades, it can lead to injury; if one is not focused enough when moving stones, it could result in getting hurt.]
[In battle, if soldiers are uncertain and lack focus, do they not risk failure?]
[I also heard that if you fish during a dry riverbed, you will end up with nothing; if you plant wheat during a flood, you will certainly harvest none.]
[This is the truth behind bad timing – failure is bound to happen.]
[Is the current disarray the right time for battle? Can victory be achieved this way?]
[These truths are understood by the most humble of mortals; as a king, do you not understand?]
[I advise you to recall the troops quickly, lest you end up in a situation ridiculed even by mortals.]
“Hiss…”
Every time Ye’s Foolish Act interpreted these peculiar letters, a headache struck.
The overwhelming influx of information felt unpleasant.
However, Ye’s Foolish Act endured the pain.
After a moment, it grasped their meaning.
“Quick, immediately notify the frantic kin to retreat.”
But Ye’s Foolish Act’s order was not well executed.
Many Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons were unwilling to heed Ye’s Foolish Act’s command to withdraw; most of them were rebels with conflicts against the "Three Kings."
They were lost in looting and refused to listen.
“What should I do?”
Ye’s Foolish Act asked the “avatar” that had always assisted it.
The avatar remained silent for a moment, as if calculating.
Then, it provided an answer that filled Ye’s Foolish Act with fear.