Chapter 2023: The Greatest Evil

After Fan Shuang left, the Soul-Capturing Mirror couldn't help but say: "Tu Shanfang, what a pity; the karma you carry has increased again."

"Some people can only shine and burn in the field most suited to them, only give their all in the battles they excel at." He Lingchuan said slowly, "Their life's meaning lies precisely here. Rather than live like walking corpses, it's better to blaze gloriously, leaving a little more beauty in this world."

From a utilitarian perspective, Tu Shanfang saved Miancheng and also saved Fan Shuang's family, and even earned a great favor from Dong Rui. At the same time, using his own impaired life, he exchanged for a better beginning for future generations.

Perhaps in his view, this was too worthwhile.

He Lingchuan pondered: "Let Fu Liushan write the story of Miancheng into a storytelling book, to be spread everywhere. I want to make Tu Shanfang and Huang Chengqi role models for the Shanjin people."

The mirror strangely said: "In your army, aren't there too many such people? Just the examples you've received..."

This is a peculiar phenomenon brought about by the unique ecology of the Shanjin plains. There are many mediocre people, and also many who recklessly sacrifice themselves.

"Not bad, but they are very representative, especially Tu Shanfang." His background, his temperament, his transformation, and his sublimation. "In present and future Shanjin, people should know what constitutes excellent character."

Formerly in Shanjin, people's hearts were chaotic, unaware of good and evil.

"They need the power of role models to tell them what is basic right and wrong, good and evil, beauty and ugliness."

Order has been lost here for a long time, and people still believe in violence. Belief needs to be reshaped, hearts need to be educated.

He Lingchuan gazed outward, sighed lightly:

"But you're right, the karma I must bear has deepened again."

It was he who personally opened the vast and mighty Dragon God War; so much karma, joy and sorrow, life and death, impermanence—all must finally be accounted to his head, not a single bit omitted!

"Perhaps it's truly as Bai Ziqi said: people like me are destined to come to a bad end sooner or later."

After saying this, He Lingchuan stretched, his joints cracking with a series of sounds, his aura suddenly turning fierce, like a tiger suddenly waking from sleep.

"But losing this battle would be my greatest evil! If that truly happens, Shanjin will suffer eternal calamity, with no possibility of rebirth."

If he loses, is defeated, he will send endless nightmare qi to the demons, harm countless warriors who sacrificed in vain, let countless people become homeless, and let the Shanjin people fall from hope to despair once more, just like those heroes of old whose ambitions were unfulfilled and who died before their time.

Therefore, his path can only be to cut through thorns and brambles, to advance without hesitation.

He cannot afford to lose.

Shanjin cannot afford to lose.

This world cannot afford to lose.

……

In the evening, another batch of intelligence arrived.

Speaking of time, the allied forces and Pishia successively surrendered, Guo Bai Yu died, meaning He Lingchuan's most feared "transition phase" is about to end. The intelligence sent this time mainly concerns the training status of various armies.

The Dragon God Army trains in four locations, has also experienced many setbacks, training time extended from one hundred days to nearly one hundred twenty, but the progress bar is about to fill.

The day of the Dragon God Army's assembly is already near at hand.

So He Lingchuan's mood has also relaxed considerably. No one can feel how much pressure he has borne in these over one hundred days.

This also shows Qingyang's ability: playing a rotten hand well, using Shanjin's powerful clans to create many difficulties for them.

In this transition phase, the Dragon God Army stands still, the safety of the Dragon God territory relies solely on spontaneous defense by local military and civilians, as well as the Black Armor Army rushing everywhere to put out fires—it can be said to be extremely arduous.

Fortunately, just like the moving and heroic deeds of Tu Shanfang and Huang Chengqi, countless such deeds have also emerged in the Dragon God territory. He Lingchuan even specially opened a storage box, one side to collect these heroic deeds, the other to have people organize and publicize them.

However, overall the situation is much better than He Lingchuan expected. Although the Dragon God territory has multiple occupied spots, large-scale falls—like Guo Bai Yu occupying seven or eight cities in a row—are rare, the Black Armor Army gritted their teeth and launched strong attacks, with active local cooperation, and managed to retake not a few.

The Shanjin people's wild-grass-like tenacity and resilience have finally been fully demonstrated.

At the most difficult moment, when He Lingchuan was most helpless, they did not let him down.

Now there are still more than twenty Shanjin powerful clans holding out in various places. But He Lingchuan judges they are grasshoppers after autumn, jumping but not for long.

Now he reads materials very quickly, able to finish two sheets in three or five breaths.

There is also a piece of intelligence concerning the great nations' war.

He Lingchuan's attention is not only on the Shanjin plains; he must also divert some energy to observe Mou and Beijia.

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Because certain sudden events catalyzed, these two great nations have recently fought several local battles on the front lines, said to be fierce. The intelligence also mentions that the Chi Yan king personally led his great army onto the battlefield.

"Fu Shanlie personally took the field?" He Lingchuan clicked his tongue twice, it seems the matter is not small.

He crossed blades with Fu Shanlie in the Panlong world, knows this person's abilities; however, in the real world Fu Shanlie seems to have not personally taken the field for a long time, because he himself suffers from an incurable illness.

Fu Shanyue always mutters that this old father won't live much longer, but from Fu Shanlie's performance, it seems the end is not coming so quickly.

After dealing with the hillock-sized intelligence, He Lingchuan stood up to move his limbs, stretched.

Lingguang jumped in from outside the window, bringing him a few washed plums.

This plum is a specialty of the Overturned Sea, its purple-black fruit larger than a ping-pong ball, heavy in hand, bursting with juice in one bite!

That sweetness can outshine Shanjin's local sour plums by ten streets, truly deserving of the title "immortal fruit" specially supplied to immortals.

Of course He Lingchuan came out of the Overturned Sea only half a year ago, normal plum trees couldn't possibly grow that fast; these are all grafted saplings then stimulated with imperial flow fluid to bear fruit in this early summer.

"Lingguang is still thoughtful." He Lingchuan rubbed the monkey's head before taking the plum.

Lingguang also said while chewing: "By the way, the Original Village Association again has one person deceased."

"How come I didn't know?" He didn't see this intelligence.

"I heard it was Zhao Qing, the county guard of Gaopu, but he died in his dream, with no wounds on his body. This seems not to count as murder, so it wasn't forwarded to you." He Lingchuan handles myriad affairs, impossible to personally attend to everything; reports from various places first go to the staff team for screening, only important ones are forwarded to him.

"I went to their place to deliver fruit, saw it on the desk." Lingguang continued, "On the night Zhao Qing died, someone seemed to see dark red ripples on the wall above his bedroom and the tree shadows."

"Ripples?"

"Like shimmering water light." Lingguang shrugged, "Maybe it's just dizziness, since there really is a pond outside his house."