Hong Yi's perception was acute.
She sensed spatial fluctuations and had already detected Zheng Dong.
Knowing Zheng Dong's infiltration meant ill intentions.
However, she was unable to act against him.
Her current state was awkward; the Flames of Desire held her captive, compelling her to continue her exertions.
Her only recourse was to hope the guards beneath her would fall quickly.
This would allow her to set her sights on Zheng Dong as her next target.
She believed she needed at least a dozen more such Emperor-level guards to help her refine and master the Flames of Desire.
Unfortunately, Zheng Dong did not grant her that time.
The Overlord-level Dark Elemental Spirit was released by Ling'er from the Elemental Dimensional Sea.
Immediately, the Dark Elemental Spirit attacked, taking Hong Yi and the nearly incinerated guards into the Mythic-level relic space.
This ensured that too much commotion would not be caused.
Following this, the Overlord-level Light Elemental Spirit was also released.
The Light and Dark Elemental Spirits acted in concert, swiftly dispatching Hong Yi.
After Hong Yi fell, her body, along with that of the guard, was reduced to ashes by the Flames of Desire.
To Zheng Dong's surprise, besides the pink Flames of Desire, Hong Yi had also mastered a blue exotic flame, the Flames of Wrath.
Neither flame extinguished with Hong Yi's demise.
Instead, they continued to burn within the Mythic-level relic space.
If left unchecked, they would also affect the Mythic-level relic space.
Zheng Dong considered having Ling'er or You You refine them.
Yet, he feared they might become like Hong Yi.
That would be troublesome.
What to do?
Ultimately, Zheng Dong decided to have Ling'er's Fire Elemental Spirit, the Solar Titan, refine them.
Should an accident occur, Ling'er could still condense more Fire Elemental Spirits.
If the refinement was successful, the Fire Elemental Spirit's strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.
Currently, the Fire Elemental Dimensional Sea had also expanded considerably.
The Fire Elemental Spirit's strength had reached the Monarch level.
Furthermore, possessing some of the Solar Titan's abilities, its strength was considerable.
As for how much its strength would increase after refinement, it was difficult to say.
Next, the challenge was to control the Nine-Tailed Fox Legion stationed at this fortress.
This Nine-Tailed Fox Legion was not numerous, numbering around ten thousand.
In addition to Hong Yi, an Overlord, there were twelve Emperor-level generals and numerous Monarch-level commanders.
As for the lowest-ranking Nine-Tailed Fox soldiers, they were all General-level.
Dealing with them was not difficult.
However, it was crucial to avoid causing too much disturbance. If someone were to notify the Yin Xuan Totem in Fox Moon City, it would be troublesome.
Thus, Zheng Dong planned to lure the Emperor-level generals one by one into the relic space and deal with them slowly.
He continued to disguise himself as a soldier of the Nine-Tailed Fox Legion and quickly found an Emperor-level general.
"My lord, Overlord Hong Yi requests your presence!"
This Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox immediately became suspicious of Zheng Dong.
After all, Hong Yi's confidantes were all Emperor-level, and she had never sent a General-level soldier to relay messages.
Yet, he could not see through Zheng Dong's disguise.
He was unable to determine if it was genuine.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to follow to assess the situation.
However, after only a few steps, he was captured by the Overlord-level Dark Elemental Spirit hidden beside Zheng Dong and sent into the relic space.
Before he could react, the Overlord-level Light Elemental Spirit appeared before him.
The Light Elemental Spirit did not attack him directly, merely suppressing him.
At this moment, Yin Xue appeared.
Seeing Yin Xue, the Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox was startled.
"Princess Yin Xue! Didn't you go to another world?"
"That was merely my substitute. How could mother bear to send me to another world? Now, do you wish to live or die?" Yin Xue said.
Zheng Dong had asked her to find a way to subdue these Nine-Tailed Foxes.
She also wished to possess her own forces.
Therefore, she decided to give it a try.
If it failed, the Light Elemental Spirit would not hesitate to kill this Nine-Tailed Fox general.
Instantly, the Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox hurriedly kowtowed:
"Of course, I wish to live. Your Highness Princess, what are your orders?"
"You are quite sensible. I don't mind telling you that the Yin Xuan Totem intends to collude with the Fox Demon tribe from another world, aiming to become the new Nine-Tailed Empress. My mother has asked me to take control of this defensive fortress. Are you willing to assist me?" Yin Xue said.
The Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox was shocked.
He had no time to think, nor the leisure to process Yin Xue's words, and nodded vigorously.
"Your subordinate is willing."
Outside the relic space, Zheng Dong repeated his tactic, capturing another Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox and throwing it into the relic space.
Under Yin Xue's coercion and enticement, they all agreed to assist Yin Xue.
After all, Yin Xue was a princess of the Qing Qiu Kingdom, and her claim was legitimate.
Subsequently, they were released from the relic space and accompanied Zheng Dong and Yin Xue to find the remaining Emperor-level generals.
They dared not escape; any slight anomaly would result in them being captured and returned to the relic space by the hidden Dark Elemental Spirit.
The remaining Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox generals were also shocked to see Yin Xue.
Before they could react individually, they were all controlled by the Dark Elemental Spirit.
Of course, they were dealt with one by one and thrown into the relic space.
At most, they encountered two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Foxes engaging in deep discussion.
However, even with the combined efforts of two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Foxes, they were no match for the Overlord-level Dark Elemental Spirit.
Next, it was time to persuade the Monarch-level Nine-Tailed Foxes.
This was much easier.
With the assistance of two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Foxes, they were gathered together and all sent into the relic space.
Subsequently, Yin Xue, through the two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Foxes, controlled all the General-level Nine-Tailed Fox soldiers.
This also ignited Yin Xue's desire for power.
She suddenly felt that being the Nine-Tailed Empress was quite good; she could do as she pleased without anyone restricting her.
Of course, she had not forgotten that the two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Foxes were willing to assist her only under the suppression of the Light and Dark Elemental Spirits.
In other words, all of this was provided by Zheng Dong.
If Zheng Dong left, it would be difficult for her to control this Nine-Tailed Fox Legion.
Indeed, her fate calculation was not wrong; he could change her destiny.
Yin Xue's gaze towards Zheng Dong became more fervent.
Zheng Dong then informed Jin Heng Chuan Qi about the situation at the fortress.
"What? You're not joking! You've single-handedly secured the defensive fortress at the secret realm's entrance?" Jin Heng Chuan Qi exclaimed in disbelief.
"Does this count as merit? What kind of reward can I apply for?" Zheng Dong asked.
"Nonsense, of course, it's merit. As for the reward, I'll help you apply to Long Zhen Chuan Qi later. It should at least be a few Level 8 resources!" Jin Heng Chuan Qi said.
Zheng Dong frowned, losing interest without Legendary-level resources.
He quickly hung up the phone and went with Yin Xue to the fortress's resource depot.
The resources prepared here were for the cultivation of this Nine-Tailed Fox Legion.
There were also many good items prepared for Hong Yi and other Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Foxes.
These resources were primarily fire, metal, and earth elemental.
Zheng Dong did not stand on ceremony and threw them all into the relic space.
The metal and earth elemental resources could be used by Xiao Zi for daily cultivation.
The fire elemental resources were again given to the Fire Elemental Spirit.
To Zheng Dong's surprise, the Fire Elemental Spirit in its Solar Titan form quickly merged with the Flames of Wrath.
Its growth level consequently increased to Emperor-level.
The Fire Elemental Dimensional Sea further expanded.
Ling'er condensed more Fire Elemental Spirits.
Afterward, the Emperor-level Fire Elemental Spirit continued to merge with the Flames of Desire.
If successful, with the vast amount of resources recently acquired, it should be able to grow to Overlord-level.
With this, Zheng Dong's continued presence at this defensive fortress held no further meaning.
He decided to leave.
Three days later, with the assistance of two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox generals, this Nine-Tailed Fox Legion had come to recognize Yin Xue.
Yin Xue was also clever, reorganizing this Nine-Tailed Fox Legion and promoting many Nine-Tailed Fox soldiers.
She also assigned new positions to the two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox generals.
This made the two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Foxes allies with Yin Xue, with no turning back.
Zheng Dong had Yin Xue find a reason to have this Nine-Tailed Fox Legion enter the relic space, preparing to travel to Qing Qiu Mountain.
Thus, Yin Xue gathered this Nine-Tailed Fox Legion.
"We will now be carrying out a top-secret mission. No one is allowed to ask or say anything. Follow me into the relic space!" Yin Xue declared imperiously.
Her demeanor was somewhat imitative of her mother, the Nine-Tailed Empress.
This also made the Nine-Tailed Fox Legion believe her.
After all, military orders were absolute. With the two Emperor-level Nine-Tailed Fox generals obeying Yin Xue's commands, they had no reason not to.
Seeing the Nine-Tailed Fox Legion enter the relic space, Zheng Dong was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected to actually manage to abduct a Nine-Tailed Fox Legion.
Afterward, Zheng Dong left a clone to await Jin Heng Chuan Qi and others.
He himself disguised as a mixed-blood and headed towards Qing Qiu Mountain.
Now, Zheng Dong had more confidence than when he first arrived in the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom.
This was because Xiao Zi's clone had planted Ling'er's split bodies in various locations throughout the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom.
This meant Ling'er could use spatial teleportation to transport Zheng Dong all the way to Yan Huang.
In addition, the Fire Elemental Spirit had also grown to Overlord-level.
With three Overlord-level combat powers, coupled with Yin Xue as a guide, he might actually be able to enter the treasury of Qing Qiu City.
Not long after Zheng Dong left.
Jin Heng Chuan Qi arrived at the fortress with his men.
They could have arrived earlier.
However, they were discovered while infiltrating the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom.
They had no choice but to return and infiltrate again.
After all, if they had gone directly to the defensive fortress built at the secret realm's entrance, they would have inevitably faced strong resistance from the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom.
Furthermore, it would have brought unnecessary trouble to Zheng Dong, who was stationed at the defensive fortress.
But this detour caused delays.
When they arrived at the defensive fortress, they discovered that Zheng Dong had not lied.
Jin Heng Chuan Qi found Zheng Dong's clone and said with annoyance:
"You little brat, you're really bold. Why are you running around instead of staying put? Let me tell you, the primary objective of our operation this time is to capture this defensive fortress and secure the secret realm's entrance. Occupying the surrounding cities and opening a passage to Yan Huang is secondary."
"Don't we occupy the entire Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom?" Zheng Dong's clone asked in confusion.
"Under normal circumstances, we will not occupy the entire Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom. After all, we do not have enough Beast Tamers to garrison it. Secondly, we cannot disrupt the balance with the Totem Kingdoms. You should know how many Totem Kingdoms surround us. If they join forces, although our chances of winning are higher, we will suffer greatly. If the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom had not gone too far this time, we would not have struck with such force. Of course, the final decision depends on the Elder Council and the outcome of the battle," Jin Heng Chuan Qi explained.
Then, Jin Heng Chuan Qi reported the situation to his superiors.
Long Zhen Chuan Qi was also surprised.
He hadn't expected Zheng Dong to have already captured their objective before they even made a move.
However, this did not diminish his intention to punish the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom.
More secret realms might appear in the future, and if other Totem Kingdoms acted like the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom, it would be troublesome.
Only by striking with thunderous force could these Totem Kingdoms be deterred from colluding with Totem Kingdoms from other worlds.
To this end, Long Zhen Chuan Qi was prepared to deploy several God-Forbidden-level bombs.
These things could injure quasi-divine transcendent beings, and one could annihilate a city.
"Zheng Dong has done an excellent job. On behalf of the Elder Council, I will reward him with one Legendary-level resource. He can collect it in the imperial capital later. Also, tell him to be careful not to be accidentally injured by our own God-Forbidden bombs. Furthermore, you will temporarily garrison the defensive fortress and carry out other missions after our Beast Tamer legions have moved in."
After ending the call, Yan Huang's numerous Beast Tamer legions also gathered at the border.
Concurrently, various missiles were aimed at the cities of the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom.
Not long after, the Nine-Tailed Empress also received relevant intelligence.
She hadn't expected Yan Huang's reaction to be so intense this time.
If a war were to break out now, the Qing Qiu Totem Kingdom would likely be finished.
She had to stall for time, awaiting support from the Fox Demon tribe.
Therefore, she proactively contacted Yan Huang to admit fault, stating she would no longer have contact with the Fox Demon tribe, and at the same time, contacted Yin Xuan, asking her to send someone to another world to notify the Fox Demon tribe.
Upon receiving the order, Yin Xuan contacted Hong Yi of the Nine-Tailed Fox Legion.
Unfortunately, Hong Yi was already dead.
She contacted for a long time without a response.
Unlike Yan Huang, their communication was limited; they could not communicate directly.
Instead, they transmitted information through trained Bee Spirit Birds.
Bee Spirit Birds flew at high speeds and possessed spatial teleportation, allowing them to transmit information rapidly.
However, the Bee Spirit Bird released by Yin Xuan was captured by Jin Heng Chuan Qi.
The Yin Xuan Totem, not receiving any news, became anxious and personally rushed to the defensive fortress outside the secret realm space.
To save time, she did not bring anyone with her and used spatial teleportation all the way.
At this time, Yan Huang's Beast Tamer legions had not yet garrisoned the defensive fortress.
Jin Heng Chuan Qi was only a titled legend, making it difficult for him to resist the Yin Xuan Totem.
What to do?
Jin Heng Chuan Qi frowned.
While requesting help from Long Zhen Chuan Qi, he prepared to fight to the death.
After all, Zheng Dong had handed over the defensive fortress to him intact, and he could not abandon it and leave with his men.
Outside the defensive fortress, Yin Xuan Totem also sensed something was amiss.
In broad daylight, there wasn't a single patrol. Something must have happened?
Could it be Yan Huang's people?
No, impossible!
Yan Huang's Beast Tamer legions could not have silently occupied the entire defensive fortress.
Unless all the Nine-Tailed Fox soldiers stationed here were dead.
Otherwise, why hadn't she received a single distress message?
Although Yin Xuan was unwilling to admit it, she still heightened her vigilance.
At this moment, Jin Heng Chuan Qi appeared on the defensive fortress.
"Yin Xuan Totem, why have you come alone? This is not good; it might waste our God-Forbidden bombs!" Jin Heng Chuan Qi said with a smile.