Chapter 363: Conditions for Victory

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What does it mean to obtain victory?

It might sound like a straightforward question, but the means through which one casts his foe into the pit of defeat are not always clear. If a swordsman bests a master archer in a duel of blades, does it matter? Maybe not if his aim is to prove himself the better archer, but if he just wants to remove the archer from the realm of the living, then he can be satisfied with the outcome.

The Temple of the Thousand Shadows seeks to prevent the Death Fashioning Scripture from ever obtaining his master’s teachings. Thus, they can only claim victory by killing him. They do not care about anything else. His empire, his people, and his army are all things that merely happen to be in their way.

In other words, this is not a war of conquest. They know that if they were to send all their strongest fighters and immediately overrun all his armies and claim all his territories, that would just lead to him hiding in the Storm Dragon Palace. That’s why all the reports so far have been of his army engaging in combat with puppets. The Temple of the Thousand Shadows is using numbers to slowly apply pressure and drain his army and country of resources in the hopes of forcing him out of the palace.

Liu Jin has no intention of obliging them. Even if he could beat back all their forces on his own, that’s not what he is after. Defeating their army is not how he claims victory here.

“A report from the northern front! General Peng has made his way there! The enemy is being driven back as we speak!”

Cheers erupt in the war room. The figurines on the war map are quickly moved to reflect the changes. Such has been the norm this evening. While items such as the two-way mirror gifted to Liu Jin by the Divine Frozen Palace are quite rare, a network of sound-transmission jades enables them to receive messages from all fronts with a delay of mere minutes.

“The invaders managed to strike some food provisions,” a military advisor notes, frowning as he looks at the map. “The average soldier is not as impervious to hunger as their commander, especially after a battle.”

“That’s quite all right,” Liu Jin says. “We prepared for that eventuality. Our granaries are full, and our supply lines are strong. Our soldiers will not go hungry anytime soon.”

Nor will the population, Liu Jin adds mentally. He has prepared for this for some time. His country will not fall due to empty stomachs.

“Such foresight!”

“The Emperor is truly wise.”

Liu Jin resists the urge to sigh. His advisors mean well, but being praised for doing the bare minimum does not feel good at all. It is a bleak reminder of how bad things were in this country just mere years ago.

“That’s quite enough.”

General Nie Dan speaks, and the room quiets. It’s an enviable quality. Liu Jin wonders if he needs to wait until he is an Emperor to have that effect on people, or if it is a side effect of being the largest person in the room.

“You are soldiers, not gossiping hens,” Nie Dan reminds everyone. “We have a war to win, gentlemen. Let’s get to it.”

Liu Jin smiles as the room explodes with renewed activity. As an Emperor Realm cultivator, the general must be annoyed at having to remain here. However, it is because he is so strong that they cannot use him on the frontlines just yet. All things have their proper place and time, and for now, theirs is here.

Out there, it’s all up to them.

~~~

Bei Hong stomps, and the battlefield trembles.

In front of him, an army of countless puppets advances, cold and unfeeling dolls made of wood and metal. Bei Hong strides towards them without fear. He is the tip of the spear. The rock against which this army shall break. Behind him are all the soldiers placed under his command. Why anyone thought he should be in charge of other people is a mystery. So far, only two orders have left his mouth.

Stand back and watch.

Bei Hong is a cultivator who stands in the higher levels of the Earth Realm. At every moment of the day, his body is subjected to gravity that would reduce other people’s bones to dust. Even if the Eternal Flame Clan’s elixir allows him to better handle that strain, it does not remove it. Moving without destroying things around him or sinking into the ground is a dull and annoying exercise in Qi control.

At least, that is how he used to think about it until his fight with Chen Guo. Weaponizing the pull of the Earth Realm is not something that Bei Hong would have ever come up with on his own. However, after experiencing the brutal efficiency of such a simple tactic, it would not leave his mind. He was told that it was pointless to try it. His Dao does not lend itself to such tactics, and it will become useless once he enters the Heaven Realm. Those are very logical reasons not to waste his time.

Bei Hong is not a creature of logic.

His aura rises, and the earth shakes. The puppets falter as they are suddenly assaulted by a pressure that has little to do with his Qi. Bei Hong grits his teeth as his very soul pulls on the gravity of the Earth Realm. That Chen Guo can do this so casually is ridiculous. Bei Hong’s whole body trembles due to the unbearable strain. He pulls the dreaded Curse of the Earth Realm, draws it in, and harnesses it.

He lets it loose.

[Magnificent Golden Roar]

Bei Hong roars, and gravity ravages the land. The space distorts, and the land sinks due to its suddenly increased weight. Hundreds of puppets are flattened in the blink of an eye. Rain begins to fall. Bei Hong feels the awe coming from the soldiers behind him, yet he is not satisfied.

“Is this all you can do?” he shouts. More puppets appear on the horizon, but all it does is anger him. “Don’t insult me with these fakes!”

The puppets advance, but his roaring gravity tears through space once more, crushing the wooden intruders. Bei Hong spits on the ground. The puppets of the Temple of the Thousand Shadows are wholly unsatisfying opponents. They are creations made to overrun the enemy with numbers, but there is nothing else to them. No fire. No soul. His Qi washes over them, and there is no resonance. He might as well be punching trees!

“I know you’re out there!” he yells, his voice shaking the earth as thunder rumbles in the distance. “Will you really keep hiding like a coward?”

As excited as he was to volunteer for battle in the Storm Dragon Empire, Qing Jin was very upfront about what his expectations should be.

They will probably use their puppets first to overwhelm us with numbers. Those things might not be a threat to people like us, but it’s different for the average soldier.”

Unfortunately, Qing Jin has been proven right.

“Well?” Bei Hong shouts. Qi carries his voice across the whole battlefield.

There has to be a puppeteer hiding somewhere nearby. That is the way of those on the other side. They send disposable minions to their job, afraid of combat, afraid of bearing themselves, afraid of asserting their own truths. What a miserable place it must be! Bei Hong can only be glad he was not born there.

“Where are your monsters?” He shouts. “Where are your giants armed with clubs and blades?”

That had been a worthy battle. That had been a real foe. Not at all like these mindless puppets. That was their true face, the core of their very soul. A mighty power that quaked the heavens.

How can people who possess such strength be so cowardly?

“Fine!” Bei Hong says, breaking the neck of a puppet. It brings him no satisfaction. Gravity spreads around him, cratering the earth and bringing down the army. “I’ll break as many of your puppets as it takes to bring you out! Then I’ll break you too!”

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A sound like a heartbeat echoes throughout the battlefield.

It is not gravity that causes it. Bei Hong’s lips pull back in a savage grin as he watches the shadows pool in front of him. A giant with rugged, yellowish skin and powerful muscles rises from the pool. Its body is disproportionately wide and covered in odd black markings. Two horns grow from its forehead, and completely black eyes glare at Bei Hong. Its arms are so long they nearly touch the ground.

“I am the Tattered Shadow,” a voice echoes throughout the battlefield. “It shall not be me who is broken here.”

Bei Hong rushes at the monster.

~~~

Music plays over the battlefield. Each note unleashes a soft yet powerful strike, dismantling the countless puppets assembled before them. The soldiers are in awe. They do not know whether to look at the spectacle in front of them or to watch the small girl responsible for it. They knew her cultivation level was far higher than theirs, yet seeing her unleash such destruction by merely playing her instrument makes them truly understand the difference.

Huang Shing scratches his ear.

“Is there any point to me being here?” he asks.

“Several,” replies Fan Bingbing without missing a single note. “If their aim is to tire us out, it’s best to have someone who is always well-rested. Besides, this area requires special protection.”

Huang Shing looks at the empty area behind him with heavy skepticism.