Chapter 2735

And the coordination between the Tiger Wing General and the Red General has always produced an effect where one plus one is far greater than two.

After the reinforcements from Beijia arrived, there was a ninety-nine percent chance they would launch a new round of extreme pressure on Panlong. He Lingchuan knew the current territory might not hold again, and the front lines would need to retreat.

He let out a quiet sigh.

Whether he liked it or not, the world of Panlong seemed to be racing headlong toward its historical destiny.

As the bearer of the Fate Divine Seal, he felt the immense resistance of fate itself.

The harder he tried to change it, the stronger the resistance became.

Thinking of this, he unconsciously glanced at the Fate Divine Seal on his wrist. The snake eyes indeed flickered with a faint light—very weak, but He Lingchuan caught it.

Does this mean that Panlong and his fate are about to enter the most critical moment?

What kind of fate trial has the Fate Divine Seal arranged for him? He Lingchuan silently clenched his fists.

"By the way, since Emperor's Flow Paste keeps erupting frequently, we should request Ling Mountain to send immortal-level support." He Lingchuan brought up Ling Mountain without hesitation, "Isn't that exactly what Ling Mountain is best at? The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is abundant, enough to sustain them emerging from seclusion."

For thousands of years, Ling Mountain has been the main stronghold of cultivators, housing numerous ancient relics that have survived to this day. According to the real-world experience of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, now is precisely the time for them to emerge from retreat, known as "Awakening of Insects."

Facing the Beijia army and the impending descent of the heavenly demons, Panlong would benefit from any additional strength it could borrow.

"I have already requested aid from Ling Mountain." Zhong Shengguang nodded, "Recently the Shahe River basin has been quiet, so Ling Mountain has no excuse not to send people. Xin Yi revealed that Ling Mountain is currently discussing the dispatch list, and personnel will arrive in these days. There are also many within Ling Mountain speaking on our behalf."

"It would be best if we could summon a true immortal." He Lingchuan opened his mouth wide like a lion.

Zhong Shengguang cultivated himself well enough not to roll his eyes. What level is a true immortal? Can Panlong just ask and get one?

He Lingchuan continued: "Otherwise, sending Xin Yi over would also work."

Zhong Shengguang felt a stir in his heart: "Do you think he is hardly different from a true immortal?"

He Lingchuan laughed: "Not much difference, really."

￥￥￥￥￥

Night fell, and the battlefield sounded the retreat call.

The main camp of the Shen Guo army was stationed on the high ground, and He Yue overlooked the lantern-lit Wan Cheng from above.

This city lay in his path to Baoling Ducheng and had to be taken. If he bypassed Wan Cheng without attacking, this place would later cut off his retreat. However, Wan Cheng had endured two wars in the past century—once a rebel assault, once bandit chaos—so its walls were high and thick, its defenses relatively complete.

The Shen Guo army had attacked for two days but could not take it. The Baoling defenders were experienced, and the Shen Guo troops tried several tactics, all of which were promptly dismantled by the enemy.

Gazing at the lights within the city, He Yue sighed irritably.

He knew the civilians inside were innocent, but this battle had to be fought.

More than two months had passed since the death of his eldest son, He Changjue, and he had quickly emerged from fury and grief. As a military commander, he knew it was taboo to let emotions cloud judgment—a warning passed down by his father through his elder brother, which He Yue deeply understood.

After his eldest son's death, he rashly led troops northward, and in his rage made consecutive mistakes, losing many soldiers and horses.

He committed a major taboo of warfare.

War cannot tolerate emotion—He Chunhua paid no heed to his grief over losing a son, scolded him several times, and sought to strip him of his command.

After suffering several harsh rebukes, He Yue finally calmed down and swore again before his father not to act on impulse.

His father also conveyed his elder brother's words. Since Beijia wanted Shen Guo to continue fighting Baoling, and Shaliti Tian could not temporarily contribute, Shen Guo had best comply.

If others demand you slap your own mouth and you refuse, they will just do it themselves—then don't cry out in pain.

Is not the facing Baoling also similarly burdened with unspoken suffering?

Thus, after the Shen Guo army launched a fierce assault for a time, its pace and tactics began to slow—partly because advancing into Baoling territory increased resistance, and partly because He Chunhua ordered him to implement the "Delay" tactic.

Does Beijia not forbid this war from ending easily? Then let them fight—but fight slowly.

Just as the Nine Abysses Great Emperor pointed out those three characters:

Survive.

One must survive in this chaotic world just beginning to unfold.

At this moment, He Yue's trusted subordinate rushed forward to report:

"Marshal, the prisoners captured in the recent battle are about to be executed, and two of them keep shouting, claiming they have a secret report to present to the Marshal, concerning……"

He hesitated before saying: "Concerning the death of a prince."

"Concerning Juer's murder case?" He Yue's heart tightened. Although two months had passed, his eldest son's death remained a thorn in his heart.

"Bring them forward."

The two prisoners brought forward were covered in blood and grime, looking extremely disheveled. Earlier, the Baoling troops had sallied from Wan Cheng to clash, then retreated—this had happened four times in the past two days. Even when surrounded, the Baoling army could not let the enemy rest while they labored, or else they would suffer the worst fate.

However, the soldiers left behind to guard the rear or who had fallen behind might be captured.

Seeing He Yue, the two prisoners bowed their heads to the ground, sincere and earnest: "We were also conscripted onto the battlefield—we do not wish to fight. We beg the Great Marshal to spare our lives!"

Not everyone who goes to battle thinks of dying for the state.

He Yue had no patience for their pleas: "Say something useful, or you will not escape death."

"Yes, yes." These two dared not waste words: "The one who caused your, your eldest son's death in Heishuicheng is a man named Wu Qisheng, a dead man under General Zhao Shuo."

"Zhao Shuo?" He Yue's brow twitched. "How do you know?"

One prisoner said: "Wu Qisheng is my old fellow townsman—we are both from Luanping Town. His family lives just across the alley from mine. At home, he is the third son, and we all call him Wu Old Three. Oh, he has been beside General Zhao for five years, the most successful among us from Luanping Town."

He Yue sneered: "So, before carrying out his mission, did he still inform his fellow townsmen?"

"No, no." The prisoner shook his head: "Three nights before the incident, he invited us brothers to drink, right at the Baofeng Wine House in Luanping Town, which you had recently captured. He ordered a full table of fine wine and dishes. Wu Old Three is usually stingy—even asking for an extra plate of peanuts makes him think for half a day—so we were surprised and asked where he had gotten rich."

The other interjected: "Wu Old Three is agile, so we thought he had earned merit on the battlefield. But he told us General Zhao wanted to send him on a secret mission, extremely dangerous, with a ninety-nine percent chance of not returning, yet the compensation would be extremely generous—money we could not earn in ten lifetimes of battlefield struggle!"

"He believed he would die, so he asked us to eat a farewell feast, then entrusted us to look after his family in the future, insisting they must receive the compensation. We all agreed."