435: Chapter 435 Operation Plan

When Profound Sound arrived, Lu Sheng was already waiting in the command room.

Luo Tianfei's holographic projection was spread across the table, with real-time surveillance footage of the Old God Abyss occupying most of the surface. In the center of the screen was that massive spherical space, the law threads on its surface glowing faintly. On the periphery of the spherical space, a blurry figure was patrolling back and forth—Qing Ming Protector.

"Sit." Lu Sheng pointed to the chair opposite him.

Profound Sound sat down. She glanced at the surveillance footage on the table and didn't speak.

"How long have you followed the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate?" Lu Sheng asked directly.

"Seventeen years."

"Have you seen him when he makes a Breakthrough into a major Realm?"

Profound Sound thought for a moment. "I saw it once. Twelve years ago, when he made a Breakthrough from Mid Spirit Saint to Late Spirit Saint."

"What was the situation? Tell me in detail."

"He was in seclusion for three months. On the day of the Breakthrough, the ground of the entire Divine Court's front hall cracked open. His Ice Sealing Domain expanded uncontrollably, covering an area of fifty miles. Within that Domain, all moisture was frozen into ice crystals. Several Spirit Venerable Realm Protectors who were standing too close were instantly frozen into ice sculptures."

"When he breaks through, does a gap appear in his defenses?"

Profound Sound remained silent for two seconds.

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"It's very short. I was standing three hundred miles away at the time and couldn't observe precisely. But based on his state after the Breakthrough—the gap during the Law restructuring is approximately between one and three seconds."

One to three seconds.

It was similar to Lu Sheng's own experience.

"During those one to three seconds, what is the state of his Law shield?"

"It disappears completely. The old Law framework collapses, and the new one hasn't been established yet. In that moment—he is a normal person. A normal person with an extremely vast spirit source core, but without any Law defense."

Lu Sheng's eyes lit up.

A normal person without Law defense.

No matter how vast his spirit source was, without the protection of a Law shield—

A single Law light orb from a Chain Resonance would be enough to deal him a fatal blow.

"However," Profound Sound continued.

"However, what?"

"Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate is no fool. He knows he is most vulnerable during a Breakthrough. Therefore, he will certainly arrange for defenses around him. When he broke through to the Late Spirit Saint stage last time, the entire front hall of the Divine Court was covered in Law Formation Patterns, and three Early-stage Spirit Saint Protectors were guarding the outside."

"What about this time?"

"This time he is inside the Old God Abyss. The spherical space itself is the best defense. Outside, Qing Ming Protector is guarding the entrance."

"What is Qing Ming's strength?"

"Peak Mid Spirit Saint Stage. He ranks third among all Protectors in the Myriad Manifestations Divine Court. His weapon is a Qing Ming Spear, and he specializes in mid-to-long-range ice-based attacks. Like the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate, he primarily Cultivates the Ice-Sealing Law."

"What are the characteristics of the Ice-Sealing Law?"

"Freezing. Although Qing Ming's Ice-Sealing Law isn't as pure as the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate's, he has a unique skill—'Ice Coffin'. It can instantly wrap a target below the Spirit Saint Realm in Ice-Sealing Law, freezing them completely. If an Early-stage Spirit Saint Cultivator is caught in the Ice Coffin, it takes at least ten seconds to break out of the ice."

"What about against a Peak Spirit Saint?"

"It's useless. A Peak Spirit Saint's Law shield can directly resist the Ice Coffin."

"Then he poses no threat to me."

Profound Sound nodded. "Your Excellency is currently a Peak Spirit Saint, so Qing Ming is indeed no match for you. But he will stall for time."

"Stall for how long?"

"If he fights to the death without retreating—three to five minutes. If he chooses hit-and-run harassment—possibly longer."

Three to five minutes.

The Law gap for the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate's Breakthrough to the Spirit Immortal Realm is only one to three seconds.

In other words—Lu Sheng must deal with Qing Ming before the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate begins his Breakthrough, enter the spherical space, and complete the fatal strike during those one to three seconds of Law restructuring.

The timing was too tight.

"Can we infiltrate the spherical space in advance?" Lu Sheng asked Luo Tianfei.

"Possible. But infiltration takes time. Last time you infiltrated the spherical space, it took about ten minutes. This time, your Space Law precision has improved, so the speed will be faster. But it will still take at least three to five minutes."

Three to five minutes to infiltrate the spherical space.

Plus three to five minutes to deal with Qing Ming.

Six to ten minutes in total.

"No." Lu Sheng shook his head. "I can't accurately predict the timing of the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate's Breakthrough. If I fight Qing Ming first and then infiltrate the spherical space, it will take six to ten minutes total. During that time, the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate could break through at any moment. I won't make it to that window."

"We must do it in reverse."

"In reverse?" Profound Sound asked.

"Infiltrate the spherical space first and wait inside. The moment the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate breaks through—strike immediately. As for Qing Ming—"

Lu Sheng looked at Profound Sound.

"You will stop him."

Profound Sound's expression didn't change. But her fingers clenched slightly under the table.

"I am an Early-stage Spirit Saint. Qing Ming is at the Peak Mid Spirit Saint Stage."

"I don't need you to defeat him," Lu Sheng said. "I only need you to hold him back. During those three to five minutes while I infiltrate the spherical space, don't let him interfere with me."

"Three to five minutes," Profound Sound repeated.

"Your Sonic Wave Interference can reduce his Law operation speed by thirty percent. With the bonus from your sound Domain—you might be able to reach forty percent. You should be able to hold out for three to five minutes against a Peak Mid Spirit Saint Stage whose Law operation speed has been reduced by forty percent."

Profound Sound thought for a while.

"It's possible. But what if Qing Ming gives up on tangling with me and turns around to stop Your Excellency from infiltrating the spherical space?"

"Then attack him from behind. Use your Sound Blades to cut his shield. He can't completely ignore your attacks."

"My Sound Blades have limited penetration against the shield of a Peak Mid Spirit Saint Stage."

"Limited is fine. It's enough as long as he's distracted. I only need three to five minutes to infiltrate the spherical space. He can't possibly block both you and me within that time."

Profound Sound remained silent for ten seconds.

"Fine. I will try."

"It's not 'try'." Lu Sheng's tone changed. "It's 'must'. If you can't do it, we both die in the Old God Abyss."

Profound Sound looked into his eyes.

"I understand."

Lu Sheng nodded and turned his gaze back to the holographic projection.

"Luo Tianfei, I need a detailed topographical data set of the Old God Abyss's periphery. Within a thousand-meter radius of the spherical space, mark all usable cover, obstructions, and areas of Law turbulence."

"Data is being compiled. Estimated completion in ten minutes."

"Also—Qing Ming Protector's patrol route. Record all his daily patrol times, routes, and stopping points. I need to find the time period when his defense is weakest."

"Patrol data for the past seven days has been recorded. Qing Ming Protector's patrol route follows a pattern—one cycle every four hours, with each cycle containing three fixed routes that rotate. During patrol intervals, he returns to a rest point near the outer wall of the spherical space and stays for about twenty minutes."

"A twenty-minute interval."

Lu Sheng noted the number.

"That twenty minutes is my window. When Qing Ming is at the rest point, I will begin infiltrating the spherical space. Profound Sound will watch him from the outside. If he ends his rest early—Profound Sound will move to stall him."

"Feasibility assessment—" Luo Tianfei calculated. "Sixty-five percent."

"Sixty-five?" Lu Sheng frowned. "Where were the points deducted?"

"The biggest uncertainty is the timing of the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate's Breakthrough. You cannot ensure you will be inside the spherical space at the exact moment he breaks through. If you infiltrate and he hasn't reached the critical point of the Breakthrough yet—he will discover you. With his Late Peak Spirit Saint strength, if he attacks you inside the spherical space—"

"Then it won't be a sneak attack. It will be a direct confrontation."

"Correct. The win rate for a direct confrontation—given your current Peak Spirit Saint state—is about fifty percent."

Fifty percent.

It was the same as his previous estimate.

"Fifty percent isn't enough." Lu Sheng shook his head.

"What level does Your Excellency wish to raise it to?" Profound Sound asked.

"At least seventy percent."

"How will you raise it?"

Lu Sheng thought for a while.

"There are two ways. First, continue to increase my own strength. But I am already a Peak Spirit Saint, and my resources are exhausted. It will be difficult to have another major Breakthrough in the short term."

"And the second?"

"Second—weaken the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate."

"How? He is inside the spherical space; you can't even touch him."

The corner of Lu Sheng's mouth twitched slightly.

"It doesn't matter if I can't touch him. I can cut off his 'food'."

Profound Sound was stunned for a moment.

"Your Excellency means—"

"The Origin energy of the remains of the spirit emperor is transmitted into the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate's body through the law threads of the spherical space. If I set up Eye of Laws outside the spherical space to continuously monitor the energy transmission path—and then perform directional interference at key nodes—"

"His absorption speed will drop," Profound Sound finished his sentence.

"It's not just a drop," Lu Sheng said. "If the interference is precise enough, the energy he swallows will become impure. When impure energy is poured into the spirit source core—at best, it affects cultivation efficiency; at worst, it triggers a Law conflict at the critical moment of a Breakthrough."

"Law conflict." Profound Sound's eyes widened slightly. "If a Law conflict occurs at the moment he breaks through to the Spirit Immortal Realm—"

"The Law gap will extend from one to three seconds to five seconds or even longer."

"A Law gap of over five seconds—"

"Is enough for me to fire off three Chain Resonance strikes."

The command room fell silent for a few seconds.

Profound Sound looked at Lu Sheng.

"When does Your Excellency depart?"

"In three days," Lu Sheng said. "I need three days to prepare. The deployment plan for the Eye of Laws, the plan for interfering with the spherical space's energy transmission, and the contingency plans for various emergencies—all must be finalized within these three days."

"What can I do?"

"Practice," Lu Sheng said. "Practice your Sonic Wave Interference. Within three days, raise your interference effect against a Peak Mid Spirit Saint Stage from forty percent to fifty percent."

"That is very difficult."

"It must be done, no matter how difficult."

Profound Sound didn't say anything more. She stood up and walked toward the door.

When she reached the door, she paused.

"Your Excellency."

"Hmm?"

"If the plan fails—and the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Venerate successfully breaks through to the Spirit Immortal Realm—what do you intend to do?"

Lu Sheng looked at the quietly floating spherical space on the holographic projection.

"Then we run."

"Run?"

"Run back to Earth. Activate all defenses. And then—find a way to stay alive while being hunted by a Spirit Immortal."

Profound Sound's back stiffened for a moment.

Then she walked out.

The door closed.

Only Lu Sheng and the holographic projection remained in the command room.

"Luo Tianfei."

"Present."

"Help me run a simulation. If I deploy Eye of Laws outside the spherical space and perform directional interference on the energy transmission path through them—how many nodes would be needed? What is the precision requirement for each node?"

"Calculating..."

"Estimated requirement of at least twelve Eye of Law nodes. The Law precision requirement for each node—below 0.008 millimeters."

0.008 millimeters.

His current precision was 0.005 millimeters.

"That's enough."

Lu Sheng began to construct the combat plan in his mind.

Three days.

In three days—he would head to the Old God Abyss.