Even if there are several morally good people, from the top to the bottom, as long as one link loses morality, they will completely fall.
"I’ve changed my mind."
An Jing said, "You don’t need to appear on the front lines of battle—Weng Shenjun, your task is to quickly enhance your own strength and then defend the surroundings of Broken Blade Peak. Don’t let any Iron Li or True Demon Sect members pass."
Weng Cuiyu wasn’t foolish; she clearly understood An Jing’s intention—obviously, as the war intensifies, some bottom lines would be broken... Mutual destruction is better than one side winning alone, if Iron Li people think they cannot win, they absolutely wouldn’t let Da Chen people win either.
Thus, even though she was a demon spirit, at this moment she became solemn: [Not just for the sake of these Evergreen Woods...]
[For the future of Broken Blade Mountain, we will give it our all]
The forest of Broken Blade Mountain began to shake.
For a moment, with the location of An Jing as the center, the land quivered, causing the forest to surge like waves.
Trees that were once silent during the Frost Calamity now came to life, their hard branches suddenly turning flexible, twisting like snakes, while numerous roots burst forth from deep within the earth like tendrils, slowly lifting a massive object from the depths and moving it slowly in a direction.
That was precisely... the direction where Broken Blade Peak was located.
In this moment, the Great Demon Spirit Weng Cuiyu revealed her true form—vaguely visible at the center of countless entwining roots was a white, smooth, gigantic prehistoric egg-like...
Seeing this scene, An Jing widened his eyes and murmured to himself, "So your true form is a potato."
[It’s Earth Spirit Beans!] Weng Cuiyu immediately reacted anxiously: [Lord An, don’t speak nonsense, my true form is Earth Spirit Beans! Not the same as food like potatoes, it’s a Spirit Plant, Spirit Plant!]
"I understand, it’s Earth Spirit Beans, Earth Spirit Beans!"
An Jing knew well, weren’t Earth Spirit Beans essentially a spiritual form of potatoes? But seeing Weng Cuiyu’s demeanor, it was evident she cared deeply about her origin; he was not a bad person, so he would naturally not irritate the other party.
Moreover, he should have thought of it earlier... with numerous roots of the forest as its body, gathering nutrients to nurture a blessed land, and unafraid of Poisonous Fiend, it really just had to be a potato!
Haha, so the essence of Broken Blade Mountain Groves is actually a vast expanse of potato sprouts!
Though he couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, An Jing still felt somewhat emotional.
This path of the demon spirit, where sea cucumbers can transform into dragons and potatoes can become the King of the Forest Sea, seems far fairer than the way of Martial Arts cultivation aside from intelligence.
But what is the inherent flaw in why it isn’t flourishing?
Weng Cuiyu moved her true body directly to the center of Broken Blade Mountain Blessed Land, determined to defend Broken Blade Peak with all her might, and at the same time, to better prepare for advancement.
And An Jing returned to Linjiang City.
Linjiang City hadn’t stopped functioning just because An Jing left for three days, nor had any matters accumulated.
Chenyinzi only felt that An Jing had gone to a mystical place like that of Guangchen Dust, while Virtuous King believed An Jing was cultivating in the Primordial Spirit Cave—once the Primordial Spirit Sword Lotus appeared, one would know that An Jing could now be considered the master of the Primordial Spirit Cave.
Using Zheng Mo’s words, Virtuous King informed An Jing of some information about Shuo Yueying—this Great Demon had left the Hanhai region at least half a year ago, and whether it is currently in Han South or has already moved to the northwest or is in the uninhabited Chenli Land is unknown; in any case, it has indeed completely abandoned its old haunt.
Regarding the matter of Weng Cuiyu, he also had some knowledge; if she could become a Divine Repository, then she could even be considered a general of Broken Blade Mountain, Virtuous King said.
"This Virtuous King is quite generous."
An Jing was somewhat surprised; places like Broken Blade Mountain’s Spirit Land were definitely not abundant, even with Great Heavenly Demon sealed there, many would covet it, yet Virtuous King did not send his own forces to take control but instead ceded it to the local Weng Cuiyu, really quite generous indeed.
"Perhaps he sees the potential in Weng Cuiyu," An Jing thought, yet he had not anticipated that was exactly the case.
[This An Jing is truly my lucky star, truly deserving of Divine Mandate]
At this moment, the Virtuous King was extremely pleased.
An Jing not only allowed him to discover that there were rebels within the empire trying to crack the Dragon Qi, but also enabled him to connect with the extremely promising Hang Mofeng and Weng Cuiyu, who could potentially break through to the Divine Repository and attend meetings in Shenjing.
Although not yet achieved, in a short time, the Virtuous King had considered two more future talents whom he could groom under his wing. It settled in his mind: [Just help this Divine Mandate a bit more in the future, and talents will flow into my hands like water!]
However, now was not the right time for the two to officially meet. The Virtuous King did not wish to be exposed so soon to the rebels, and An Jing was not keen on meeting a major figure like the Town King of Da Chen too early. Thus, even though both knew of each other’s awareness, they tacitly used Zheng Mo as an intermediary to communicate.
Hanhai, the vast snowfield.
Today, the wind and snow had subsided slightly, and the sun’s rays peeked through the clouds, faintly casting the world in a hazy white, the dazzling snowlight encompassing a team that was slowly advancing.
Beside the team, the commander of the Iron Cavalry, Han Hao, halted his horse and squinted, watching the ’emissary’ before him.
"I have nothing to discuss with your True Demon Sect."
His tone was calm and steady, showing no sign of compromise. "The Broken Blade Sacred Land harbors the Great Heavenly Demon, I am aware, but even Da Chen has not planned to detonate there to stop us, we will not resort to such a curse-worthy tactic of severing future generations’ fortune."
[Commander Han, this is not a request, but an order.]
But the one shrouded in a dark phantom, with a rigid face that one could not tell whether it was completely eroded by the Heavenly Demon or simply possessed by one, twisted his mouth into a smile and took out a letter from his bosom: [Under the command of King Ju Guang, Commander of the Three Iron Cavalry of Han Hao, hear this]
[At all costs, kill or capture the Lord of Linjiang City of Da Chen, the ninth successor of the True Transmission of the Bright Mirror Sect, An Jing!]
[Remember, at all costs!]
Han Hao’s body stiffened.
His giant body, like a tower of iron, capable of blocking numerous blades and spears, and his Soul and Spirit, firm and indestructible. Blood raced through his veins on the battlefield, though the land under his feet had been lost for two hundred years, it was still his homeland.
Even faced with Da Chen, with the legendary Divine Mandate, he had no fear and was eager to try.
But it was those incomprehensible orders from behind that made this robust soldier feel a chill spreading from his spine.
He dumbly watched the invisible mark on that letter, that very familiar aura... It was, indeed, his sect—the real overlord behind all the Iron Li tribes in Chenli Land, the sole supreme...
The Upper Gate Taiming Sect.
Just that mark, like countless heavenly decrees over millennia, no Chenli person could refuse the meaning behind that mark.
Facing the supreme authority behind that thin paper, Han Hao dismounted, knelt on one knee before the shadowy emissary, bowed his head, and in an utterly reverent tone, whispered softly: "Disciple Han Hao, dutifully follows the heavenly decree!"
The shadowy emissary took back the letter. He did not care about the commander’s humiliating kneel, nor his somewhat distraught expression; his purpose was singular: "Next, change the route of the march. Our goal is no longer to breach the city, but to lure An Jing out of the city, and find an opportunity to capture him."
"At the same time, our people will cooperate with your actions, providing technical and material support."
The monster in the shadow bared its fangs, a bloody red gleam flashed in the deep darkness of the abyss, a pungent stench of blood emerged: "At all costs, just to achieve our goal."
Han Hao tightly closed his eyes. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he could only sigh: "Disciple, understands."
The shadowy emissary disappeared, leaving only the letter behind.
Han Hao slowly stood up, raised his hand to take the letter in his palm.
He looked at the thin paper with a complex expression, ultimately let out a long sigh, tucked it away, and continued to lead the army forward.