Chapter 2880: Deteriorating Situation

It folded its wings and landed on the paper crane's back, taking the chance to rest a while. After flying at full speed for over an hour, it was tired too.

He Lingchuan started: "When did this happen?"

"Right after you were transported away, less than two quarter-hours ago." The Red Falcon replied, "The Bega organization counterattacked across the board. Bega's Tu beast burrowed through holes behind the Mingshalin stockade walls, digging out several tunnels, letting the Bega army outside invade in force. They coordinated inside and out, our combat strength was insufficient, so then..."

Both speaker and listener felt heavy-hearted. He Lingchuan drew a quiet breath and asked: "And then?"

He also remembered that not long after the Battle of Mingshalin began, Bega dispatched a strange Tu beast to dig tunnels under the stockade walls. Because its progress was extremely slow, coupled with the immense pressure on the frontal battlefield, Zhong Shengguang and he had both been too busy to attend to it for the time being.

In the end, this hidden danger became a bomb, the last straw that crushed Mingshalin.

"Mingshalin couldn't be held. The Emperor ordered the whole army to withdraw to Panlongcheng." The Red Falcon's voice was somewhat low, "In the process, we lost many more people. Wen the Chief Clerk died in the line of duty. Shouzi and Aluo, to cover the main force's retreat, also... also sacrificed themselves."

He Lingchuan's jaw tightened at once.

The Dandao Squad he had originally formed — by now there weren't many left.

He still remembered that before the Battle of Mingshalin started, Aluo had already stayed up three days and three nights, rushing to refine a large batch of pills for the frontline soldiers, his eyes boiled blood-red.

Shouzi had married off his last younger sister in great style four years ago, and this year he still had to make a pair of gold bracelets and gold necklaces for his newly born nephew and niece...

And Wen Daolun.

For Panlongcheng, to fight the Celestial Demons, this father and son both gave their lives.

They were a microcosm of countless Panlong people; because of their moth-to-the-flame succession, Panlongcheng could still persist until now when facing a powerful enemy several times its strength.

He Lingchuan had long been tempered by endless war into a heart of iron and stone, just as General Hong had warned him early on:

"For us, war is one parting after another. It will take the people you care about, one by one, from your side."

Over the years, the correctness and cruelty of this sentence had been repeatedly verified.

He Lingchuan didn't even have time for grief. His only goal was to hold Panlongcheng, not let the martyrs' blood flow in vain!

The Red Falcon tilted its head observing him, then suddenly said: "Your injuries seem worse. Did you fight again just now?"

When it found General Tiger Wing, it was only wild with joy; only now calming down did it discover the wounds on him were more numerous and heavier than when he had just defeated Bai Zhan Tian!

"Yes, the Celestial Demon's gift."

The Red Falcon raged: "That bunch of old cunning foxes!"

He Lingchuan cut back to the topic with one sentence: "Right now, what's the situation in Panlongcheng?"

"Supplies insufficient, critically precarious." The Red Falcon said gloomily, "Even returning to Panlongcheng, the situation hasn't improved. Last time I flew back, I saw the Bega army and Celestial Demons attacking even more fiercely. Although Panlongcheng has high walls and thick ones, how long it can hold is truly uncertain."

To hold the stockade walls, Zhong Shengguang had originally transferred all of Panlong Kingdom's supplies to Mingshalin; the city's remaining surplus was very little. This forced retreat was too hasty; most supplies couldn't be brought away in time. So after the army returned to Panlongcheng, it instead had to face the problem of military funds and materials being scarce.

The ballistae on the city walls, arrows in soldiers' hands, the city walls' formations, cultivators' casting materials, plus pills, fire oil, and so on — all were insufficient. If not for the fact that Di Liujiang fell tonight, the Xuanjing would have been exhausted long ago.

He Lingchuan, though not on the scene, knew: "Our army was pressed back to Panlongcheng, so the Bega army's morale is greatly boosted."

"Yes. It made them insufferably smug!" The Red Falcon was annoyed, "Originally the Bega army was nearly scattered by us; hateful Bi Li Tian's scheme!"

He Lingchuan didn't speak, just silently urged the paper crane to fly faster.

After twenty years of repeated consolidation, Panlongcheng's defense was astonishingly resilient. In the real history's final battle of Panlong, even with Celestial Demons assisting, the allied forces of Ba Ling and Xian You still took great effort to capture this mighty city, and that was on the premise of General Hong and the Great Wind Army all sacrificing themselves.

But at that time, the world's spiritual Qi was far from as dense as now.

That is to say, the Celestial Demons of that time mostly descended in avatar form, unable to exert their full power. Thus Panlongcheng's defensive capability was still very outstanding.

Now it's different; even a Great Celestial Demon like Bi Li Tian can fully descend in true form. What effect can human defensive works have against Them?

What truly makes them impregnable is still Yuanli.

"How about Panlong's Yuanli?" This was also the issue He Lingchuan cared about most.

When he fought Jialou Tian in the Panlong Secret Realm, he discovered his own Yuanli dropped very fast.

The Cang Yan garrison on the Earth Mother Plain had been killed until only three hundred remained; the Yuanli produced was very weak. At the same time, the Yuanli originating from the Panlong world had also shrunk drastically.

So He Lingchuan concluded that a major change had occurred in the Panlong world.

The Red Falcon said gloomily: "Very weak. Several sections of Nancheng's main gate have been smashed. I don't know what's going on either."

To hold Panlongcheng, Zhong Shengguang naturally had to allocate Yuanli to the city walls. After all, this was the most efficient use of Yuanli right now.

However, Panlong's Yuanli had already weakened to the point where even this lifeline was hard to maintain.

He Lingchuan didn't speak.

Only he and Zhong Shengguang knew the root cause:

In the previous fierce battle at Mingshalin, Zhong Shengguang had already allocated all of Panlong's Yuanli to He Lingchuan and the various Immortals; otherwise how could they have defeated the Celestial Demons' avatars, how could He Lingchuan have defeated Bai Zhan Tian?

Yuanli, like true qi, gets used up — especially since Panlong Kingdom is too small; although its Yuanli quality is extremely good, its quantity ceiling isn't high. Zhong Shengguang had originally staked everything on a single throw, putting all his treasure on He Lingchuan, betting he could defeat Bai Zhan Tian and lead the Panlong army to counterattack Gao Huaiyuan.

Who knew his first several moves were all bet correctly, but he lost by a single wrong move, defeated by Bi Li Tian's sudden scheme.

War has always been this unpredictable; anyone can make a mistake.

Now Panlong is about to reap the bitter fruit, facing the predicament of Yuanli exhaustion.

The Red Falcon asked him: "Marshal, what do we do now?"

Seeing General Tiger Wing, its heart immediately settled; even though it understood Panlong's current plight couldn't be reversed by He Lingchuan alone.

But it believed even more firmly that as long as General Tiger Wing returned, everything would be different from before!

He Lingchuan's eyes flickered.

Ever since deciding to enter the Panlong world again, he had been constantly pondering methods to defeat the enemy and secure victory.

Unlike the Panlong Secret Realm battle against Jialou Tian in reality, the war in the Panlong world, though cruel, had boundaries; everyone clearly knew where the dawn lay —

As long as they endured until daybreak, General Hong would return with the great army!

As long as they endured until daybreak, Bega's two great generals would arrive bearing the Demon Emperor's edict, ordering Gao Huaiyuan's army to lower flags and retreat!

(End of Chapter)