Chapter 548
In the days that followed, Xiao Li diligently managed the affairs of Mo City while refining his inner landscape using the Qianxing Jue (千形诀, "Thousand Forms Technique").
To be honest, as a time traveler, the idea of using superior knowledge to change the world was quite absurd.
He was just a half-baked individual with grand ideas but no means to realize them.
Ideas and execution were two entirely different matters.
He had learned about making gunpowder back in school, but unfortunately, he had long since returned the textbooks and could barely remember a formula.
Fortunately, Mo City had undergone tremendous changes over the years, with decades of solid accumulation and the support of the Celestial Clan.
Many of Xiao Li's wild ideas were merely drafted by him, while others took care of the details.
In a remarkably short time, the influence of Mo City expanded at an astonishing rate.
This led to an increase in the visions within Li Mo's small world, rather than a decrease...
In the Celestial City, prosperity reigned.
However, Jiang Yu, who was leading an expedition into foreign lands, was not having an easy time.
Initially, the situation on the battlefield was relatively stable, but as the year of natural disasters approached, the environment in the lands outside Celestial City grew increasingly harsh.
The transportation of food and military supplies became more and more difficult.
The balance of power between Celestial City and the foreign lands was on the verge of shifting back to its original trajectory.
What was even more critical was that the coalition of warriors from the Earth City mostly leaned towards self-preservation, only engaging in favorable battles.
Once the situation took a turn for the worse, they began to pay lip service while conserving their strength.
Another summer had arrived.
In the Windcatcher Tower.
"Xiao Li, you’re not really waiting for your ancestor to return before you hold a wedding, are you?"
Dong Ge Yu was reading the frontline battle reports.
He joked to ease his worries about Dong Chang Tian.
"Without conquering the foreign lands, what’s the point of home?" Li Mo coughed lightly.
His parents hadn’t agreed to this yet.
Getting married during the Celestial Trials? Wasn’t that a bit much, considering the state of the nation?
"That’s secondary. The main reason is probably that you’re worried it’s too rushed?"
Dong Ge Yu asked with a grin.
"Alright, let’s get back to business."
Li Mo waved his hand, steering the conversation back on track:
"What’s the situation on the front lines now?"
"I feel that our Emperor Jiang should be ready to retreat," Qi Tie Zhu said, comparing the map with the battle reports from last month.
The environment was harsh, and they were fighting far from home.
Meanwhile, the enemy was thriving, with endless reinforcements.
As of today, the coalition of the two cities was already in a tight spot, forced to hold their ground.
There was no other choice; if they didn’t consolidate their forces, they would be picked off one by one, suffering heavy losses.
Even the Celestial Clan, known for their overwhelming strength, had begun to band together, as one of their formidable members had fallen while acting alone.
The Blood God had not appeared.
But suddenly, a large number of strong warriors had emerged under his command.
Now, it was the foreign lands that were in no hurry.
Due to the difficulties in military supply transport, they could afford to wait, while Celestial City could not.
"So, what Jiang Yu faces now are only two options," Li Mo said, tapping his finger on the table, assessing the situation of the coalition:
"First, to end this expedition with a whimper, returning empty-handed, which might be the better choice."
"If he loses his nerve, it could be disastrous..."
Just as he spoke, a sudden gust of wind swept through the hall, and in the next moment, a figure appeared.
It was Feng Zhi.
She looked weary and travel-worn, hardly resembling the extraordinary Celestial being who commanded the winds.
"You’re finally back. What’s the latest situation?"
Dong Ge Yu, dropping his playful demeanor, asked seriously as he bowed.
"Take your time," Li Mo poured her a cup of water.
"Jiang Yu plans to push deep into enemy territory, forcing the foreign lands to confront him in a life-or-death struggle."
Feng Zhi’s grave words made everyone exchange glances, their moods growing heavy.
This wasn’t just a reckless gamble; it was a stubborn bet!
The stakes were too high.
They included the elite warriors of Earth City, the limited number of Celestial Clan members, and the stability of Celestial City...
Setting aside internal strife, if they failed, how would Celestial City cope with the next wave of natural disasters?
"He still has the divine sword, so it’s not like he has no chance..."
"But if he loses, he’ll lose the divine sword in the foreign lands as well."
"What is Jiang Yu thinking?"
"Old Dong hasn’t returned yet. Isn’t he the smartest? Why hasn’t he run away?"
Everyone was baffled.
Of course, they couldn’t fathom Jiang Yu’s thoughts.
But a thought suddenly struck Li Mo:
"Could it be that he remembers the past?"
That would explain Jiang Yu’s actions.
Everything he did wasn’t for Celestial City, but to pass the trial, which was why he was unwilling to retreat.
If he returned, the chances of preserving Celestial City would increase, but his evaluation in the trials would plummet.
After chatting for a while, Li Mo stood up and said:
"Now that Jiang Yu is taking the initiative, his chances of success are probably... less than ten percent."
"If Celestial City falls into chaos, all our hard work over the years could be in vain. It’s time to make plans."
"What do you intend to do?"
---
Chapter 623: Burning the Boats, You Shuo
On the outskirts of the foreign lands, black snow fell.
A weathered fortress stood tall, its former grandeur barely discernible.
In the beginning, the Tianhuang Domain was not just home to Celestial City; the outside world was not always foreign lands.
This place was once a rear base, but now the walls were battered, corpses littered the ground, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Everything indicated the fierce battle that had taken place here yesterday.
At that moment, within a fortress in the city.
Led by Jiang Yu, the Celestial Clan, including Po Jun, and representatives from the warrior families of Earth City stood before a map of the city defenses.
"We have no way out now; we can only choose to burn our boats," Jiang Yu said, resting his hand on the Celestial divine sword at his waist to open the meeting.
The gazes of the crowd were complex—some sighed, some were resentful, some regretted, but they had to suppress their feelings.
The situation truly left no room for retreat.
The escape route had been cut off, and no one had expected the valiant and battle-hardened Tan Lang from the Celestial Clan to have already defected to the foreign lands.
"Without supplies and military resources, the longer we drag this out, the lower our chances of victory," Jiang Yu continued.
"If we’re going to fight for our lives, we need a strategy."
"We can’t just go eat the flesh of demons; that stuff drives you mad and kills you..."
"With attacks from both sides, even if we win at a great cost, how do we return to Celestial City?"
The voices of the Earth City warriors grew louder and more anxious.
Jiang Yu listened quietly until the noise subsided, then scanned the crowd.
"You don’t need to think too much. Your task is to hold off the majority of the high-level demons here."
"I will take the strongest part of the Celestial Clan and leave. At the very least, we need to hold for three days."
"Three days?"
The warriors exchanged glances, their expressions inscrutable.
They didn’t speak, but they all had the same question in their hearts.
Was Jiang Yu planning to leave them behind and run away himself?
"I plan to strike at the heart of the enemy, capturing the leader," Jiang Yu added.
At this point, he remained confident.
A middle-aged warrior from Earth City chuckled bitterly, "It seems we have no choice."
Indeed, even if Jiang Yu really took people away, they couldn’t stop him.
Now they could only hope that his words were not empty and that he could succeed.
But even so, the situation behind them...
Suddenly—
A round object was thrown in, rolling twice on the ground.
It was a head, eyes wide open, made of pale golden blood.
It was Tan Lang.
The figure that had thrown the head in also burst in from the black snow, rubbing his hands as he sat by the fire, poking at the charcoal with a blood-stained stick.
Looking at this ordinary farmer roasting by the fire, a sense of absurdity rose in their hearts.
That was a Celestial being, born with purple radiance, and yet he had died at the hands of a mere mortal.
Jiang Yu stared at him for a long time before slightly bowing and saying:
"Yōu Shuò, I hope Old Dong will accompany me."
"I’ll go, but not with you," Dong Chang Tian replied without even looking at him.
He didn’t think much of Jiang Yu, who held the divine sword and was poised to ascend to the throne.
He had already seen the true sun.
---
Outside the city.
"Old Luo, why are you acting up again?"
"Yao Ji, you’re on a roll, huh?"
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