PFC Chapter 7275 There's already enough trouble.
Chapter 7275 There's already enough trouble.
Chapter 7275 There's already enough trouble.
Chen Xi actually knew what kind of ghostly things were beneath Yunmeng in Jingxiang, but he hadn't told many people. Liao Li just happened to be within that group of people. In other words, although Liao Li was sitting on the head of a nuclear warhead, he never knew.
However, this ignorance only lasted for a while. After Liao Li borrowed a group of sound-killing warriors from the Kou family and conducted a thorough search of the area, Liao Li realized that something seemed wrong. Why were there so many great treasures underground in Jingxiang Yunmeng? They were all kinds of rare and precious materials and fragments of divine beings!
"Well, that's how it is in Yunmeng, Jingxiang. Governor Liao, there's no need to panic." Chen Xi chuckled twice and explained. Liao Li looked at Chen Xi expressionlessly upon hearing this. What did he mean by "that's how it is in Yunmeng, Jingxiang"? What did he mean by "no need to panic"?
"Well, this place was the core area of Chu hundreds of years ago, so it's normal to have so many strange things. After all, if we're talking about something truly terrifying, there's an underworld in Chang'an and Xianyang, right? It's not a big deal." Chen Xi spoke of something almost terrifying with a touch of nonchalance, while Liao Li was completely at a loss for words.
In the past, when Chen Xi encountered such things, he would definitely try to resolve them as quickly as possible. However, after witnessing Sun Wu and Wu Qi's bizarre practice of believing in future generations, Chen Xi felt that he could also believe in future generations. After all, some things are left untouched and it seems like nothing will happen.
"So, what if those obviously dangerous things don't exist?" Liao Li said in a deep voice. "According to the results of the Sound Killers' investigation, those rare and precious materials are all high-energy, no worse than the things that have appeared in Yunmeng. In fact, many of them have an outer layer of isolation."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xi clapped his hands. He had to admit that the elite legions that were preserved were all quite capable. The fact that the Sound Killers could conduct such detailed and accurate reconnaissance underground was indeed beyond Chen Xi's expectations. But what could he do even if he knew?
We can't just dig up all those so-called rare and precious materials now, can we? Those are valuable things to leave for future generations. We can't let them die out. They are good for longevity. The only problem is that rare and precious materials should be reserved for those with virtue, and this virtue requires a high level of martial arts skills.
However, martial virtue is also a virtue, and it is the most important component of virtue!
So let's leave something for future generations and see what their wisdom will be like then.
"Lord Chen, are you joking?" Liao Li was completely dumbfounded by Chen Xi's rambling. When did Chen Xi start making excuses like this?
“There’s no way around it, it’s really difficult.” Chen Xi sighed, no longer putting on airs. “These things are hard to deal with. Just these ten thousand or so who have slipped out right now, it would already take a lot of effort to wipe them all out, and there will inevitably be casualties along the way. And right now, the Ganges is still at war. If this hadn’t happened, and if I hadn’t received the news that Oswin had become a top-notch commander of a large army and could lead an army of six hundred thousand, the core members here in Jiangling would have already gone to the front line. Why would we be wasting time here?”
Chen Xi was also helpless. There were at least 50,000 to 70,000 demon gods in Yunmeng. The demon gods of Sun Wu's version were relatively easy to deal with, but the demon gods of Wu Qi's version were terrifying beings with accumulated defense and twenty-four divine bodies. In terms of strength, the demon gods of Wu Qi's version were extremely effective against the weapons and equipment currently used by the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Chen Xi also had to consider the reality.
"So we can only delay." Chen Xi spread his hands. "We have to consider the facts."
“There are about 30,000 of these things near Yunmeng, and this is only the initial screening. I suspect the total number is even greater than that.” Liao Li could understand Chen Xi’s good intentions upon hearing this, but the news that Oswin could command an army of 600,000 still shocked Liao Li. What level of general must he be!
“There are still 30,000 in Yunmeng. According to what I knew at the time, there should be between 50,000 and 70,000. 30,000 are the main force of Sun Tzu who conquered the world and destroyed Chu, and 20,000 to 40,000 are the main backbone of Wu Qi who transformed Chu. The latter’s situation is more complicated. Even if they are cursed by the world’s consciousness, it will be difficult for them to awaken.” Chen Xi told Liao Li the information he knew.
While Wu Qi's version of defensive accumulation gave the demon god an overpowered defensive capability, it essentially relied on the outer defensive circle to absorb the demon god's life force. Over the years, although the demon god inside is still alive, it is basically unable to move. From a certain perspective, Wu Qi has truly rendered the demon god harmless.
Of course, the reason Wu Qi was able to achieve this was not because he was more powerful than Sun Wu. It was mainly because Wu Qi learned from Sun Wu's experience and there was also the existence of the period of annihilation of the essence of heaven and earth in between, which caused the demon god to be drained by the accumulated defense and could only lie on the spot like a mushroom.
Therefore, Wu Qi's part can be ignored for now. As for Sun Wu's remaining nearly 20,000 demon gods in Yunmeng, as I said before, the collapse of the outer perimeter is something Chen Xi can understand. But if the inner perimeter collapses, then Sun Wu should move his position and throw the clay statues of the Four Sages out of the temple. Generally speaking, military strategists don't need such useless people.
"So let's put this matter aside for now. We'll deal with the demons Wu Qi left behind in Jingxiang later, once I've recovered. The time it's taken for the essence of heaven and earth to recover isn't enough for the demons Wu Qi left behind to make up for the deficit. By delaying, we can have more time to make preparations," Chen Xi summarized. Liao Li's expression improved slightly. He was really afraid that Chen Xi would abandon the matter, but it turned out he had made preparations.
“It seems Governor Liao already knows what’s going on. Let’s put aside those things that aren’t currently involved. Our current task is to eliminate all the things that are showing up in Yunmeng. We can put the rest aside for now and deal with them when we have more time. We have quite a few things to deal with right now.” Seeing that Liao Li’s expression had calmed down, Chen Xi changed his tone to persuade him.
"Besides these things, are there any other strange things here in Yunmeng?" Liao Li asked after a moment of silence.
There are quite a few eerie things in the Jingchu region, and Liao Li had heard of them before, but hadn't paid much attention. Now, with the emergence of strange creatures like the Chu demon god, Liao Li had people collect and organize the local oral traditions and myths. After analysis by professionals, some commonalities were quickly found. Given the current situation, the shared characteristics of these myths made Liao Li unable to ignore them—what if they were true!
“Of course there are.” Chen Xi nodded. “But those things are not our target. There are actually quite a few divine beings from Chu buried in Yunmeng, but these are not important matters.”
Chen Xi's current attitude is that since nothing has happened yet, and even if it does happen, there won't be any earth-shattering changes, so Chen Xi will put it aside for now. After all, Chen Xi is very clear about what is important and what is secondary at this stage, so he knows what to focus on and what to let go of, even if he doesn't say it.
Liao Li nodded and didn't say anything more. Chen Xi's attitude was already very clear, and there was no point in him saying anything more. Besides, Chen Xi's approach wasn't wrong; it was just a matter of different perspectives.
"We need to organize a professional team to deal with these small-scale emergencies in Jingxiang," Liao Li suggested. Since Chen Xi was considering this at the national level and he couldn't find fault with it, Liao Li, at the Jingxiang level, still needed to make the necessary arrangements and preparations.
"Okay." Chen Xi didn't say much and agreed directly. Anyway, the six-fold smelting assigned to each region, the five-fold smelting itself is obligated to kill all kinds of strange beasts and ferocious beasts that appear in various places. Although not everyone is as enthusiastic as Zou, in theory, their work scope includes eliminating all threats that are harmful to humans.
Chen Xi paid them so much salary not just for them to enjoy. If nothing happens, that's fine, but if something does happen, these veterans will have to step up.
Conversely, why was Chen Xi able to accept these elite veterans retiring and returning to their hometowns? It is said that by the late Han Dynasty, the Three Mutuals Law had been established, which stipulated that locals should not hold official positions in their own hometowns. However, Chen Xi, despite the pressure of the Three Mutuals Law, allowed these high-ranking veterans to return to their hometowns. To put it bluntly, in other counties, these veterans might not have had enough initiative, but in their own hometowns, that was a stage to showcase themselves.
Do you understand what it means to be rich but not return home, like wearing fine clothes in the dark? This isn't just about going back; it's about having a stage set up for you. And if something really happens in your hometown, with all your elders and fellow villagers watching, will you stand up for yourself? Of course you will!
Without going into other details, let's take Lin Hai as an example. If a ferocious beast came to Jinan and the locals couldn't kill it, they wouldn't even need to ask Lin Hai for help. Lin Hai would take his weapons and kill the beast himself. "I am the dignified ancestor of the Lin family, and my ancestral graves are all here. If you, a ferocious beast, come to my territory and don't lie down, where will I put my face? Die!"
These are all opportunities to demonstrate one's strength and prove oneself to the local people. This is also why when several veterans in a place are still reluctant to leave, as soon as a ferocious beast appears in the area, they are killed. It's not useful to talk about who is stronger or weaker. Everyone has been through life and death. They can't really fight in front of their fellow villagers to determine the winner. If they did, the loser would probably have to leave for another place. So they still have to rely on ferocious beasts. From a certain perspective, the ferocious beasts that are now rampant in the Han Dynasty carry a lot of local honor!
Being able to kill this is enough to prove your bravery. Plus, you're willing to do what you can for your fellow villagers. There's nothing more to say; you're definitely the local leader, the most awesome guy in the area, and someone the locals will definitely look up to.
Therefore, regardless of whether Liao Li forms such a mobile team, as long as the local demon god peeks out, the most capable fighter in the area will definitely take a look. At most, the demon god's strength is simply too excessive, and regular veterans simply cannot handle it. But that's the logic.
"Well, Lord Chen, I just heard you mention the underworld of Chang'an and Xianyang..." Seeing that Chen Xi agreed, Liao Li smoothly changed the subject and then mentioned something he had been very interested in before, namely the underworld of the Chang'an and Xianyang region that Chen Xi had mentioned.
"Yes, every place has its own troubles. The biggest trouble for Chang'an and Xianyang should be the Underworld, but there's been no unusual activity there, so it's relatively safe." Chen Xi said calmly. This wasn't just Chen Xi making things up; it was something that actually existed.
"This..." Liao Li was a little confused. He originally thought that the trouble in Jingxiang was big enough, but now he realized that the trouble in Chang'an was even bigger. That was the underworld.
"It's nothing special. It's something the First Emperor built. Who knows if that person is actually inside? But that's not important. Anyway, there's no movement at the moment. If there really is any movement, Chang'an has a plan to deal with it." Chen Xi didn't want to say more. Knowing too much about some things will only make you feel that life is meaningless. It's better to take it one step at a time. At least that way, it won't hurt your confidence.
Huang Tao traversed Yunmeng at top speed, and as he went deeper, the number of demons increased dramatically. Some of them attacked him as soon as they saw him, but fortunately, Huang Tao's mobility was terrifying. Even if the demons really wanted to fight him, they didn't have a good way to deal with him when he was running away.
"Brother Huang, I can't go any further. I can only rely on you. I can only take you this far." Zheng Ke followed behind Huang Tao, weaving through the demon god's formation. At a certain moment, Zheng Ke suddenly paused and shouted to Huang Tao.
"The other side is ahead?" Huang Tao asked in return.
"Hmm, I can't get out. I've tried four or five times," Zheng Ke said in a deep voice, his body already showing rough edges caused by the ripples of time.
Originally, this mission was supposed to be carried out by Huang Tao alone, but Chen Xi also told Huang Tao to form a small team, so Huang Tao still brought Zheng Ke and Cao Chuang with him. However, Cao Chuang was held up when he entered the inner circle of the main force of the Demon God and had to retreat first. Now Zheng Ke can't keep up either.
However, before Zheng Ke retreated, he brought Huang Tao at least some bad news.
"Looks like they've fallen out. That's normal. You should retreat too. Leave the rest to me." Huang Tao nodded to Zheng Ke, who didn't say anything more and turned back. He quickly met up with Cao Chuang, who was still waiting in the center circle. The two of them then headed in another direction to investigate the Eightfold Demon God who had easily defeated Han Rang and his partner.
After Zheng Ke left, Huang Tao didn't say anything more. He directly entered his innate form, transforming from human body into innate ability. At an unimaginable speed, he bypassed the blockade of multiple demon gods and appeared directly in front of the demon god most likely to have self-awareness.
Upon landing and manifesting in human form, Huang Tao looked at the restless demons around him without any fear. He calmly manifested something that represented Sun Wu's identity. As the saying goes, even if Sun Wu's ship capsized, he would still have the necessary deterrent power.
As Huang Tao raised his hand and Sun Wu's token appeared, the oath that had been broken was once again bound to the demons present. Of course, this was only a temporary constraint; once something is broken, it can never be restored.
"The strategist's edict." As the oath was activated, the human aspect was awakened. The originally distorted and blasphemous form manifested a human face, but there was only one face. Clearly, the self had completely collapsed and was merely a constraint left over from the oath.
"The time has come for the demon to be eliminated. Grandson has entrusted this difficult problem to his descendants. Now we need the general's help." Huang Tao quickly stated his request.
"I am just a mere palace guard, unworthy of being a general." Having lost his own name, the palace guard could only remember his identity and mission.
"Do you know who has awakened over there?" Huang Tao pressed. The experience left by his grandson told him that at this time, he could not keep asking the same question. He could only keep changing the questions. If he stayed on the same question for too long, he might break the oath.
“He was once a pillar of the state of Chu,” Gong Jia answered without hesitation.
"Huh?" Huang Tao was taken aback. Having inherited some of Sun Tzu's knowledge, Huang Tao knew these terms from the Spring and Autumn Period. So when this guy in front of him gave this answer, Huang Tao immediately realized something was wrong, because if it were really Gong Jia, he wouldn't be qualified to know this answer.
"I need you to join forces with us to annihilate the enemy," Huang Tao said in a deep voice. Although he had already become suspicious of the thing in front of him, Huang Tao knew very well why he was here. Whether they were suspicious or not was not important. What was important was to make the other side believe that they were in contact with them.
"I can't do it." Gong Jia actually gave a very honest answer.
"What?" Huang Tao was taken aback; this answer was quite strange.
"I am Gong Jia. I shouldn't know these things, but for some reason, I realized a lot just by seeing these things. And I am just Gong Jia. I can't command, but I am commanding. Who am I?" Gong Jia began to ask and answer himself, and Huang Tao felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
The next instant, a long bone spear pierced through Huang Tao's back. The speed was even faster than Huang Tao had expected. Fortunately, Zheng Ke had warned him beforehand, and Huang Tao was also prepared. Therefore, when the bone spear pierced through him, he was not nervous at all. This body was just a vessel, and he could just discard it.
"It seems we can't reach an agreement." Huang Tao gripped the sword with one hand, channeling his Swiftness talent into his hand. In that instant, Huang Tao's sword swung at several times the speed of sound, severing the bone spear and easily tearing apart the obstacle in front of him.
Then, he unleashed a commotion far exceeding his own level, even stirring up the winds and clouds, making the scene visible to everyone around Yunmeng.
After doing all this, Huang Tao's avatar was covered in cracks, and then quickly dissipated and disappeared.
Seeing Huang Tao gone, Gong Jia was somewhat puzzled, but its mind was not on that. It was still preoccupied with questions about whether it was Gong Jia, why it was in command, and who it really was. As for the rest, they were meaningless to it.
It wasn't that I couldn't get up today, but I had to take care of the baby. Sigh, I'm a little late.