In King of Glory, the "Plunder" keyword has been completely exploited by Ah Li.

Page 161

Xiahou Dun had been following Cao Cao since the early days of his career. Moreover, Cao Cao had not yet officially declared himself emperor, and even though he had moved into the palace, he still referred to himself as the prime minister. Therefore, Xiahou Dun always addressed Cao Cao as his lord.

Initially, Xiahou Dun was indeed attracted by Cao Cao's demeanor, which is why he decisively joined Cao Cao's camp, wanting to make a name for himself in this chaotic world and carve out his own territory. He remained loyal to Cao Cao throughout his life.

However, as Cao Cao successfully moved into the palace and his ambition gradually swelled, he was no longer satisfied with being content with a small corner of the country and wanted to completely unify the entire Three Kingdoms region. To this end, he spared no expense in spending a lot of manpower and resources to continuously conquer Yicheng and Jiangjun.

This caused immense suffering to the people of Wei, with countless people dying from forced labor. Years of warfare nearly exhausted all of Wei's national strength.

Unfortunately, Cao Cao was a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. The repeated defeats did not shatter his confidence; instead, they made him even more reckless.

He even made a deal with Xu Fu of the vampire clan, switching to the demonic path and transforming himself into a monster that was neither human nor ghost. He relied on absorbing the essence of humans to refine human pills to improve his cultivation.

In recent months, people have been mysteriously disappearing in Weidu, with no trace of them.

With a sense of responsibility to the people, Xiahou Dun began his investigation and gradually uncovered the secrets behind the matter.

Although Cao Cao handled this matter very appropriately, he still couldn't avoid leaving some clues.

Following the clues step by step, Xiahou Dun finally confirmed that Cao Cao had completely become a vampire, and that all the missing people had been refined into human pills by him.

It wasn't just the people of Wei capital who were mysteriously disappearing; people in Yicheng and Jiangjun outside Wei capital were also frequently captured by Cao Cao's Blood Shadow Legion.

He drained her of her essence and blood, then refined it into a human pill for her consumption.

This is why Cao Cao's cultivation level has been advancing rapidly in recent months.

The day he learned the whole truth, Xiahou Dun's beliefs completely collapsed, and the glorious and majestic image of Cao Cao in his heart vanished instantly.

From that moment on, Xiahou Dun was determined to overthrow Cao Cao's rule sooner or later and restore peace and order to the people of Wei!

Of course, he also understood that he alone could never be a match for Cao Cao now, and he also knew that Cao Cao's Blood Shadow Legion was almost omnipresent in the Wei capital, and had long been sending people to secretly monitor him.

Therefore, Xiahou Dun never showed any abnormality and remained in a state of dormancy, quietly waiting for a suitable opportunity to deliver the most fatal blow to Cao Cao!

Whenever Xiahou Dun recalled Cao Cao's actions over the past few months, he felt a chill run through his body, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He couldn't understand why Cao Cao, who was once full of ambition, extraordinary demeanor, and determined to unify Wei and even the entire Three Kingdoms, had become like this.

Is the allure of supreme power truly irresistible?

...........................

"Does the lord intend to continue ordering the army to march out and conquer Yicheng?"

"This is probably inappropriate..."

Sima Yi frowned, pondered for a moment, and slowly began to offer words of comfort.

Although he was cunning and shrewd, he could not fathom why Cao Cao had summoned him and Xiahou Dun.

Cao Cao's expression remained as cold and gloomy as ever, and Sima Yi was completely unable to fathom his inner thoughts through the changes in Cao Cao's expression.

Sima Yi had been loyal to Cao Cao for several years, but he was far from being as simple as he appeared, and he had never been truly loyal to Cao Cao.

It was only because Cao Cao (Li Li Zhao) could give him enough power and status, and provide him with inexhaustible resources for cultivation, that Sima Yi stayed in the Wei capital.

Sima Yi could naturally see that Cao Cao had never truly trusted him, but only used him as a pawn, while remaining indifferent to it.

Cao Cao was like this, and so was he.

If there were no substantial and tangible benefits for him, he would not hesitate to sever ties with Cao Cao immediately!

Cao Cao harbored ill intentions towards him, and he harbored no good intentions either, secretly plotting a grand scheme all along.

The outcome is still uncertain, and it remains to be seen who will ultimately prevail.

Life is a gamble, and Sima Yi was willing to bet everything he had to complete this silent gamble with Cao Cao.

"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand." As long as he could seek immortality and climb step by step to the peak of immortality, Sima Yi was willing to give up everything, even his own life.

No one can predict the outcome, but as long as he has tried his best, that is enough; only then can he say that his life has not been in vain.

"no…………"

"It's Diao Chan who has gone missing. This Prime Minister hasn't been able to contact her for almost half a month..."

"She should have been sentenced to the Blood Shadow Legion by now..."

Cao Cao spoke in a deep voice, his face terribly gloomy, his eyes filled with resentment and boundless killing intent towards Diao Chan.

He placed high hopes on Diao Chan, expecting her to successfully bring back the Hu Jiaqin from Chang'an. He even promised to let her leave the Blood Shadow Legion and give her freedom afterward.

Cao Cao was initially quite confident about the matter, believing that the young man named Jiang Che would easily fall for Diao Chan's charms. However, things have now taken a completely unexpected turn.

Chang'an was the capital city of the Tang Dynasty in Heluo, with the Empress herself in charge. Naturally, the Blood Shadow Legion could not infiltrate the city and obtain no information about it, so they could not monitor Diao Chan's every move.

For half a month, Diao Chan has not sent any news back, and has even completely cut off contact with Wei. Isn't that a clear betrayal?

.....................................

138: Galo has been completely ruined.

"But…………"

"If Diao Chan betrays the Blood Shadow Legion, how will the poison in her body be suppressed?"

Sima Yi frowned and spoke hesitantly.

Sima Yi was fully aware of Cao Cao's methods of controlling the Blood Shadow Legion, and knew exactly how Cao Cao controlled these people.

That is why Sima Yi hesitated.

Diao Chan's cultivation level was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. Although she was extremely beautiful and a peerless beauty, that was all. She was not proficient in any alchemy techniques and had no way of removing the toxins from her body.

Sima Yi had seen the finished product of the Wan Du Dan (a poison pill) before and knew its power; it was one of Cao Cao's many trump cards.

Unless one is a sixth-grade alchemist who has immersed themselves in the art of alchemy for many years, no one can remove the toxins from her body.

Using forceful methods to forcibly remove it would only backfire and accelerate the cycle of toxin outbreak in Diao Chan's body.

Since Diao Chan dared to openly betray the Blood Shadow Legion, could it be that she has already found a sixth-grade alchemist who can remove the toxins from her body?

They've already successfully latched onto a powerful backer, which is why they seem so fearless.

If that's the case, and Diao Chan were to remain holed up in Chang'an for the rest of her life, Cao Cao would be completely helpless against this woman, since the Blood Shadow Legion simply couldn't infiltrate Chang'an.

Once they entered, they would soon be tracked down by the Dali Temple and then slaughtered.

As for whether Cao Cao would personally go to Chang'an?

Sima Yi believed that Cao Cao would not have made such an outrageous decision unless he was ill, especially given the tense standoff between Cao Cao and Yicheng and Jiangjun.

Once Cao Cao leaves, the group will be leaderless, and the situation could easily spiral out of control, inevitably leading to chaos.

In a war involving three armies, if the commander-in-chief is no longer alive, what is the point of continuing the fight?

Of course, if Cao Cao really intended to go to Chang'an in person, Sima Yi would be extremely happy, as this was a situation he would very much like to see.

Only after Cao Cao left the capital of Wei could he unleash his full potential and launch a series of plans without any scruples.

It would be best if Cao Cao stayed in Chang'an forever and was killed by the Empress. In that case, wouldn't he, as Cao Cao's top strategist, be able to take over all of Cao Cao's troops in a reasonable way?

Although these soldiers are not very skilled, most of them are at the Body Tempering or Qi Refining stage, and there are very few at the Foundation Establishment stage, if they can form a military formation, the effect will be quite significant.

Many hands make light work; thirty Qi Refining Peak soldiers arranged in a battle formation were equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator on the battlefield, making them invincible.

Many thoughts flashed through Sima Yi's mind. He looked up at Cao Cao, whose face was extremely gloomy, and found it amusing.

What was originally thought to be a foolproof plan turned out to be a disaster. Not only did Diao Chan fail to bring back the Hu Jiaqin, but she also betrayed the Blood Shadow Legion. It was truly a case of losing both her wife and her army!

Without Diao Chan, and without this stunning beauty to seduce certain targets, some of Cao Cao's plans could not be carried out.

Although Diao Chan's cultivation level wasn't very high, she was definitely a crucial piece for Cao Cao, proving useful on many occasions with remarkable results.

If Diao Chan hadn't been ordered to lure Lu Bu, the former number one war god of the Three Kingdoms, how could Cao Cao have so easily occupied the capital of Wei?

Unable to obtain the Hu Jia Qin (a type of stringed instrument), Cao Cao was naturally unable to acquire the terrifying power sealed within the East Wind Altar.

With the decisive battle against Yicheng imminent, even though he had become a vampire, Cao Cao had no other way to significantly improve his cultivation level in the short term.

After a series of defeats, Sima Yi finally understood why Cao Cao's face would darken so much whenever Diao Chan was mentioned.

...........................

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Dun frowned and looked at Cao Cao, puzzled.

Like Sima Yi, Xiahou Dun was also fully aware of Cao Cao's methods of controlling the Blood Shadow Legion.

In the past, he could have attributed these achievements to Cao Cao's great talent and strategic vision.

However, after investigating the whole truth, Cao Cao's once glorious and majestic image collapsed completely, and in his eyes, Cao Cao's series of actions became synonymous with callousness and indifference.

"Even I, the Prime Minister, do not know..."

"She must have found some special method, which is why she seems so fearless..."

"No need to mention her, I have summoned you all here because I have other matters to instruct you on..."

Cao Cao took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and spoke in a cold voice.

Although he harbored deep hatred for Diao Chan, this treacherous woman, and wished he could personally go to the Great Wall to skin her alive and execute her by slow slicing, Cao Cao still retained his rationality and naturally would not act impulsively.

With a major battle imminent, if he cannot remain in Wei capital to oversee the situation, the army will be leaderless, morale will be low, and it is not hard to guess what the final outcome will be.

Moreover, even if he were to personally go to Chang'an, it would still be uncertain whether he could capture Diao Chan alive.

Once he sets foot in Chang'an, the Empress will inevitably notice him immediately.

Although he could perfectly conceal his demonic aura, fooling everyone including Sima Yi and Xiahou Dun, Cao Cao did not believe he could successfully disguise himself in front of a transcendent being like the Empress.

Rumor has it that this Empress of the Tang Dynasty has already reached the Tribulation Transcending stage of the tenth realm of cultivators, making her unparalleled in the world and belonging to the first tier of existence across the entire King's Continent.

Even a single divine thought scan would reveal one's true nature to the other party, which is why Cao Cao dared not go to Chang'an in person.

Although Wei and Tang have never had any grudges, and Wei is considered one of the vassal states that submitted to Tang, paying tribute with many rare and precious treasures every year, there is not much relationship between the two countries.

Demonic cultivators are basically wicked beings who can do anything, even the most heinous things. They have no bottom line, so their reputation in China has never been good. Almost everyone wants to kill them, and anyone who mentions them will spit on them.

This is also why Cao Cao dared not easily reveal his identity, otherwise it would bring even greater trouble.

Given his current status as a vampire, if he were to go to Chang'an alone, he would very likely be slapped to death by the Empress.

A thousand years ago, the Tang Dynasty was also invaded by the vampires. There is a certain grudge between the Tang Dynasty and the vampires.

Although the Tang Dynasty was still ruled by the Li family at that time, who can say for sure what Wu Zetian's attitude was towards the descendants of the Li family?

If we're going to be honest, it's perfectly justifiable for her to take action against the vampires.