Chapter 216: Saving the world, but not saving the suffering (First update)

Qingzhou City, Tianyuan Divine General Mansion.

In the mansion's council hall, the ladies of each courtyard gathered, except for the Shuihua Courtyard.

The ladies held the connections their husbands had previously possessed; if their husbands had joined the army, the camps they originally commanded, although under Li Tiangang's command, still retained their own connections and influence.

Now, a ten-thousand-mile command flag from Liangzhou was transmitted via secret techniques.

This was the Eight-Direction Command Flag used only when a great province was trapped in a desperate bloody battle, capable of reaching ten thousand miles instantly, exceeding the transmission speed of ordinary military reports and letters, originating from the Directorate of Astronomy and containing a special formation.

Whenever the Eight-Direction Command Flag appeared, it meant that a region was suffering, and it also meant that a descendant of a Divine General would fall!

"Sister-in-law, is this from Tiangang? What exactly is the situation in Liangzhou?"

Among the many ladies, Gao Qingqing was the most anxious at this moment, her eyes red, nearly crying.

Twenty years ago, an Eight-Direction Command Flag was also sent from Tianmen Pass; that time, it was the fall of the Li Clan's third son, and Tianmen Pass nearly fell as well, so she couldn't help but be anxious now.

She worried that her husband would also follow in others' footsteps.

"It wouldn't be news from Cangzhou, would it?"

Wang Xiangru frowned. Currently, Li Fenghua guarded Cangzhou, but since Li Junye had cleared all the demons outside Cangzhou over a decade ago, nothing major had happened there in all these years.

It was just that demon incursions were unpredictable; sometimes they were extremely abrupt, with no prior intelligence.

He Jianlan's expression was solemn. After reading the information brought by the command flag, she looked at Li Muxiu beside her and said:

"Second Uncle, Liangzhou is in desperate straits. The Grand Void Realm has entered the world, and the Longmen and the Sacred Palace have joined forces to invest in this campaign, swearing to swallow Liangzhou."

Hearing her words, Li Muxiu's eyelids twitched.

He immediately realized that the Grand Void Realm, which had avoided the world for a thousand years, entering the world was absolutely an extremely bad signal.

This seemed to be some kind of omen.

Hearing this, Wang Xiangru breathed a sigh of relief, her expression calming down.

Gao Qingqing's face, however, turned instantly ashen. Li Xuanli was in Liangzhou, serving as the Viceroy of the Military Department, charging at the very front line. Once Liangzhou was in danger, he couldn't escape; even if he died, he would have to die in battle there!

As a son of the Li Clan, as a bloodline of the Divine General, how could he abandon the hundreds of millions of people of a great province and become a deserter?

This was the tribulation in the Li Clan's bloodline!

In their youth, they had never thought of these things when they knew and loved each other; only after marrying into the Li Clan did they truly know the sorrow and desolation of the Li Clan's sons.

Gao Qingqing sat in her chair, nearly unable to sit steady, her whole body trembling and shivering.

Seeing her appearance, the other ladies were silent.

Once upon a time, they had been the same.

At this moment, they all thought of their husbands who had died in battle, their eyes dim.

"Are they not afraid of death? Are they not afraid of the True Person going to flatten them?"

The Third Lady, Lou Wanqing, asked in confusion.

"I will set off now to Liangzhou," Li Muxiu said.

He Jianlan shook her head and immediately said: "Tiangang sent the order back just to inform us of this matter; he didn't ask us to reinforce, especially warning Second Uncle to stay in Qingzhou and absolutely not go."

"Why is that?" Gao Qingqing gasped.

Li Muxiu was startled, and suddenly thinking of something, his expression shifted slightly.

"He is worried that the demons dare to launch such a large-scale attack, and it's not that they don't have designs on Second Uncle; it's very likely that besides Liangzhou, there are Grand Void Realm and Longmen Demon Kings hidden outside Qingzhou, or even their Sect Masters!"

He Jianlan said in a low voice: "Once Second Uncle leaves, they might immediately invade Qingzhou and head straight for our Divine General Mansion."

Li Muxiu's expression was gloomy; he had already realized this point.

If they relied solely on the Fifth Brother, they might not be able to block it, although the Divine General Mansion also had formations, and Qingzhou was the same, it wouldn't be taken in a short time.

But for him to head to Liangzhou, even at full speed, it would take two days to go and return.

After all, he still had to conserve some strength to join the battle upon arriving in Liangzhou; he couldn't use his absolute maximum speed to teleport and travel.

"How could this be..."

Gao Qingqing's face had no color; she had thought it was a request for reinforcements, but it turned out that Li Tiangang was telling Second Uncle not to reinforce.

"Then what should be done about Liangzhou? Are we just going to watch it be destroyed? Wait for death?" she couldn't help but ask.

He Jianlan knew her mood and also knew that comfort was useless at this moment, so she just calmly said:

"Qingqing, don't be anxious yet. Tiangang has sent orders to other Divine General Mansions, and that True Person of the Gan Dao Palace must have received it, and Wuliang Mountain likely has too. Under the command of the Eight-Direction Command Flag, even if there were some estrangements in the past, they should reinforce!"

"If they can spare one or two old seniors to take action, Liangzhou should still be able to stabilize."

Hearing this, Gao Qingqing's trembling, contracting heart stabilized slightly, but she was still icy all over.

"I will go and send messages to the Second Sister and Fourth Sister to see if they have a chance to go and reinforce."

Li Muxiu was silent for a moment before saying.

Those two were both married daughters, considered to have half a foot out of the Divine General Mansion, with their own husbands and influence.

And as direct descendants of the Divine General Mansion, there were no weak ones; although they were not in the Four Standing Realms now, they were all at the peak of the Three Imperishable.

In such a dangerous situation, troubling them to go and risk their lives was embarrassing for him, but in such a desperate situation, he could only do so.

"Can you write a letter to that Fifth Grandmother?" Gao Qingqing suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked.

That Fifth Grandmother was of the older generation, whom even Li Muxiu had to call Aunt.

And she had long since retired, living the life of an ordinary person.

In her early years, she had been a famous female general who had donned armor and beheaded countless demons, like the current Li Hongzhuang.

Li Muxiu was silent for a moment before saying: "I will try."

After speaking, he got up and left.

He Jianlan sighed softly and said nothing.

"I will go and write a letter to the Emperor," the Ninth Lady, Jiang Xian'er, said.

She only had a marriage contract with Li Junye, and after Li Junye died in battle, she voluntarily married into the Divine General Mansion holding his battle armor; all these years, she had also done her best for the affairs of the Divine General Mansion.

He Jianlan looked at her, her expression gentle, and said: "We are too far from Great Yu Province; it's too late to send a letter now. If that True Person receives the Eight-Direction Command, it depends on how he plans."

"We must try after all; although reinforcements may be late, if they can arrive, perhaps they can play a role."

Jiang Xian'er said earnestly.

Hearing this, He Jianlan did not stop her anymore.

Wuliang Mountain, Brahma Pure Land World.

In the Spirit Mountain deep in the peaks, Lin Wujing brought a purple-gold Eight-Direction Command Flag to this Pure Land.

The purple-gold flowing light tore through the horizon, shining into the Brahma Pure Land, and countless people saw it.

"Buddha Lord, it is an Eight-Direction Command Flag from Liangzhou, an urgent request for reinforcements!"

Lin Wujing first paid respects to the Buddha Lord before speaking unhurriedly.

The Wuliang Buddha Lord sat on the lotus throne, his expression gentle and compassionate. His fingers pinched lightly, and golden mysterious runes seemed to flash in his eyes. After a moment, he said:

"The tribulation of Liangzhou, I already know. This tribulation also indicates that the karmic fire that my Great Yu Divine Dynasty has suppressed for three thousand years is finally about to erupt."

"Buddha Lord, what do you mean?"

"Slaughter, killing, enjoyment, indulgence... greed, anger, and ignorance are all turbid in this prosperous age. Time rotates, cause and effect circulate; this tribulation cannot be avoided."

The Wuliang Buddha Lord said slowly: "Behind the demons of Liangzhou, there is a great evil standing; one must not act rashly."

Lin Wujing's expression shifted slightly, realizing something.

The Wuliang Buddha Lord looked at another female Bodhisattva beside the lotus throne and said softly: "Miaoshan, you take the command flag and go to Liangzhou to pacify the demons."

"Yes, Buddha Lord." The female Bodhisattva's demeanor was peaceful, and she bowed in agreement.

"Remember, Bodhisattva's compassion is only to save the world, not to save the suffering."

"The sea of suffering is boundless, all caused by one's own sins; only my true Buddha can ferry them."

The Buddha Lord said softly.

The female Bodhisattva immediately understood his meaning and nodded.

Saving the world lies in spreading kindness; saving the suffering lies in stepping into the sea of suffering oneself and pushing the boat to help them.

Buddha's words need to be contemplated.

Purple-gold rays of light flew out from the sky over Liangzhou; even those in the Four Standing Realms found it difficult to intercept them.

This was the light of the Eight-Direction Command Flag; when you saw the purple-gold light streak over your head, the actual command flag was already thousands of miles away.

And at this moment, in the Eastern Border of Liangzhou.

With the combined efforts of Lady Yin and the many Demon Kings, the power concentrated on one point erupted, and the impregnable formation finally shattered!

At the moment the formation shattered, the 50,000 soldiers of the Yuan-character Battalion were all shaken into unconsciousness; some soldiers with lower cultivation died on the spot, their brains buzzing, and only a divine soul drifted out from their bodies.

Li Tiangang's pupils contracted, watching the shattered golden light of the formation, countless divine runes collapsing. At this moment, the entire border defense of the Eastern Border had truly fallen!

The countless demon monsters of the demon tide, seeing the shattered golden light, all let out bloodthirsty, excited roars, charging forward excitedly.

The pressure on the defensive line surged, and countless arrows and attacks plunged into the demon tide, like stones sinking into the sea, instantly submerged.

When the entire defensive line was bearing immense pressure, in front of Li Tiangang, including Lady Yin and the other Grand Void Realm Demon Kings, as well as the vine demon old man and the two Longmen Demon Kings, a total of ten Demon Kings had their gazes fixed squarely on Li Tiangang.

"Li Tiangang!!"

Lady Yin's eyes were ferocious and cold, her face already split open, revealing a glimpse of her true form; near the lower edge of her cheekbone, a green eyeball opened.

"Die for me!!"

She raised her hand suddenly, and a claw of yin wind whistled past, expanding in the wind and transforming into a thousand feet, seemingly wanting to tear the entire city wall apart!

Li Tiangang's expression shifted drastically. The medicinal power of the pills he had previously taken had already been released quite a bit. He slashed his saber in anger, but the blade light was covered by the claw, and with a bang, his body was slammed backward, crashing into the ground and creating a deep pit.

The violent impact, despite the resistance of his armor and his own Imperishable Treasure Body, still caused him to spit out a large mouthful of blood.

"Marshal!"

Yu Xuan, Li Fu, and other personal deputy generals saw this and shouted anxiously, rushing over.

"Don't be anxious, you all must die!"

At this time, the vine demon old man and the other Demon Kings also floated into the realm, stepping into the Liangzhou airspace of the Eastern Border!

Yu Xuan looked up; ten Demon Kings hovered in the air, like ten scorching suns shaking the world. At this moment, no one felt anything but despair.

But he had fought alongside Li Tiangang for many years, and although he was only in the Heavenly Human Realm, he was a veteran of a hundred battles.

"Marshal, I'm afraid this place cannot be held!"

Yu Xuan stood up and growled: "Marshal, you retreat first; let us buy you time."

After speaking, a violent wave of qi suddenly erupted from his body, actually shattering all the major meridians in his body, his strength surging wildly.

At the same time, his divine soul burned, and his whole person seemed to be torn by divine light, erupting with an aura that soared to the sky.

Li Tiangang's always steady and calm expression finally shifted at this moment.

"Marshal, run quickly!"

Nearby, many personal guards of the Fa-character Battalion rushed over, forming a formation in front of Li Tiangang.

At the same time, Yu Xuan had already unleashed all his strength, like a scorching sun, charging toward the ten Demon Kings, wanting to block their path!

"Mere ants!"

The vine demon old man just glanced at him, sneered, and casually flicked a vine whip over a hundred feet thick, and with a bang, the scorching sun figure that was roaring and shouting was extinguished on the spot.

Just like casually swatting a firefly to death.

How could mere fireflies compete with the brilliance of the bright moon?

"Yu Xuan!!"

Li Tiangang's eyes were splitting, and the divine saber in his hand erupted with scorching divine flames.

"Marshal!"

Li Fu also blocked in front of him and hurriedly said: "This place cannot be held; it doesn't matter if we die, but you cannot die!"

"You must be calm, Marshal!"

The other two personal deputy generals also hurriedly said.

As they spoke, they also stepped forward; although they knew their cultivation was low and it was difficult to block, as soldiers, how could they retreat? ===== CHAPTER 217 =====