Chapter 213

"Both sides suffer? How did you come to that conclusion?" Chen Shicheng said speechlessly, "No matter how you look at it, the advantage and initiative are on our side, right?"

After the members of the other sects all stood by with folded arms, the battlefield now belonged to the players. Although everyone was fiercely attacking the altar, once the altar was destroyed, these monks of the Great Cloud Temple would be meat on the chopping block, to be cut however we wish.

If we don't pursue the victory now and wipe out the Great Cloud Temple's fighting strength as much as possible, are we supposed to wait for them to recuperate and then strike at the players?

"The advantage is indeed on your side, but don't underestimate the Great Cloud Temple's thousand-year heritage and depth. If we all perish here, the Great Cloud Temple will certainly not let you Returnees go; it will surely bear a deadly grudge, and moreover"

The head of the Bodhidharma Academy paused, then said with some difficulty, "Your True Essence won't hold out long enough to kill us all!"

After saying that, he and the monks behind him seemed to want to prove its accuracy, uniformly channeling their True Essence into a formation, solemnly gazing at Chen Shicheng, making him feel like the villain.

Chen Shicheng looked at this group of monks putting on a fearless-of-death facade; his expression showed no change, but inwardly he furrowed his brow.

Leaving other matters aside, that monk's last remark was spot on. After the two battles, his True Essence had indeed been greatly depleted; although he still had the strength to fight, wanting to keep everyone before him alive was surely a pipe dream.

No.

Just as the two sides stood in silent standoff, the wraiths that had completed their Task suddenly appeared, surrounding this group of monks impenetrably.

Seeing these once-familiar faces now enslaved, the monks of the Great Cloud Temple were each filled with grief and indignation, gripping their weapons tightly, yet they dared not move a muscle under Chen Shicheng's intimidating presence.

"What now?" Chen Shicheng spread his hands, "Looks like I don't even need to lift a finger—you're already as good as dead."

No.

The head of the Bodhidharma Academy gritted his teeth, just about to order everyone to fight to the death, letting whoever could escape do so, when a clear voice suddenly rang out, "Cease fire! From now on, this place is under the command of the Capital Garrison. No matter whether you are sect disciples or Returnees, after destroying the altar, no combat actions are permitted!"

No.

Chen Shicheng instinctively turned his head toward the sound, only to discover that the speaker was the general who had been watching the battle.

At this critical juncture, why would he suddenly intervene? Could it be that he has sided with those righteous sect cultivators? No!

If that were truly the case, he shouldn't have warned me at the outset that this was a trap. So is this the Da Yu Court's intention? Chen Shicheng gave the general a subtle glance, but the response was merely an imperceptible shake of the head.

Seeing this, Chen Shicheng frowned slightly; his intuition told him it was best not to cause any trouble now—the general was likely not joking or trying to smooth things over.

If he insisted on fighting, given the current ratio of players to natives on the field, it would indeed be possible to annihilate these remaining monks before us; for the players, it would certainly be a vent of frustration and a blow to the Great Cloud Temple's arrogance.

But for the state, this would be a most unwise move. Having just endured a formation set up by the righteous sect cultivators against the players, and finally achieving a great victory, if we now provoke the Da Yu Court, the players truly could not withstand such torment! Moreover, the real world is not monolithic; this game's upgrade system is like the arms race of old—fall behind even a little and you'll get struck down.

When the players of Huaxia find themselves in a situation where they are opposed to the whole world, they may save face, but their substance is completely lost; what they gain will certainly not be respect from other nations, but only incessant encroachment.

Chen Shicheng hesitated for a moment, and the head of the Bodhidharma Academy seemed to notice his dilemma, suddenly clasping his hands before his chest and shouting toward the sky, "The head of the Great Cloud Temple's Bodhidharma Academy hereby obeys the Emperor's edict: effective immediately, we abandon the altar and leave it to the Returnees to destroy; we commoners will lead the remaining disciples to relinquish our garrison in the capital and return at once to the Great Cloud Temple—long live the Emperor!"

No.

Are you still a practitioner? Where is the Buddha's domineering aura of being supreme under heaven and on earth? Have you really become this timid?

The speed with which the head of the Bodhidharma Academy admitted fault completely exceeded Chen Shicheng's expectations; the pressure instantly shifted to him, while the one who could make decisions, the Whale Fall, was still outside the city struggling with the true altar, and no one could offer him any advice.

"The Great Cloud Temple truly has talented people and auspicious grounds," the general said, nodding satisfactorily, then looked toward Chen Shicheng.

No.

Chen Holy said nothing, merely responding with silence.

"By the way, General, I have one more demand: this Returnee has refined our disciples, so we must immediately release their souls to let them rest." Backed by the Da Yu Court, the head of the Great Cloud Temple spoke with increasing demands.

No.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shicheng's anger flared instantly, and the wraiths also moved, raising their staffs in unison, waiting only for his command to tear the enemies before them to shreds.

"Don't move," the general said, flashing to Chen Shicheng's side, "Do as he says; if we continue like this, not only will His Majesty have objections, but other forces in the capital will too."

The realm of earth immortals is vast and boundless, with forces as numerous as the hairs on an ox; the sects responding to the Great Cloud Temple make up at most two or three tenths of them, while the Daoist leader and many other forces of the Three Teachings and Nine Streams have not yet shown themselves.

They have not appeared merely because the losses and benefits caused by the players' appearance remain in balance, and furthermore they enjoy watching the Great Cloud Temple's Buddhist leader clash with the players, so they all sit on the mountain watching the tiger fight.

If the fighting continues, no one knows what will happen.

Anyway, we have already secured a stage victory; we might as well take advantage of the Great Cloud Temple's retreat, follow the general's lead, and put a perfect period on this Task.

Thinking this, Chen Shicheng silently stepped back a few paces, and the wraiths one by one turned into spiritual light and dissipated into the air.

Seeing this, the head of the Bodhidharma Academy dared not say more, leading the remaining disciples of the Great Cloud Temple, they slunk away under the army's cover.

Only after the people of the Great Cloud Temple vanished from sight did the general approach Chen Shicheng, whose face was full of displeasure, and say, "Don't blame me; His Majesty had already made his plans—this battle could only end here."

No.

Chen Shicheng had no intention of taking his anger out on the general; everything was just because he wasn't strong enough—if he could be a bit stronger, strong enough that no one would dare overlook his standing. La Tiao seemed to sense Chen Shicheng's mood, threw down the broken altar, shrank its size and crawled onto his shoulder, constantly licking his face with its pink little tongue, comforting his owner, whose spirits were a bit low. (End of chapter)