Chapter 1718 — The Dream-Chasing Youth, Part One
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 6
His gaze fell upon the Golden Ship of Deliverance, and his heart burned within him. Hold out sixteen years more, and the figure of Kaihuang would appear upon that golden ship; only then would come the hour for Jingping to counterattack!
"What do you make of the Southern Heaven?"
Heavenly Venerable Yue said: "The Southern Heaven holds a vast multitude of humans. Some years ago Meng Yungui rebelled against the Heavenly Court and sent men to beg for aid. Emperor Yanfeng sent the Wandering Sage Longshan and Crown Prince Youming; yet the Heavenly Court likewise sent heavy forces. I fear the Southern Heaven cannot hold in this battle."
Shen Mu shook his head: "Neither Jingping nor the Land of No Sorrow has strength to spare for the Southern Heaven. In such a case, the Southern Heaven must rely on itself."
Heavenly Venerable Yue said no more.
Now the Heavenly Court's armies struck out without cease, and were near to forming a three-sided encirclement of the Land of No Sorrow, leaving open only a single gap toward Jingping.
And in the South Sea, the two Chiming Emperors, Yan'er, the Southern Emperor and the Crimson Emperor were attacking the Heavenly Court's armies throughout the Southern Heaven; the fighting there was not yet quelled, and they had no leisure to come to the rescue.
In the Kan lands of the Northern Frontier, Wei Suifeng led his old subordinates of the Yulin Guard and the armies of Jingping in a death-grapple with the host of the Black Emperor of the Northern Heaven, Nian Guanhe. Wei Suifeng's forces were few, and he begged Jingping for aid without cease.
Only the one army of Jiang Baigui in the Eastern Sea won victory after victory; yet by ill luck he faced the Azure Emperor of the Eastern Heaven, a man famed for caution. For all his victories, Jiang Baigui, Imperial Preceptor of Jingping, won only small ones, and could not wholly destroy the Azure Emperor's forces.
Within Jingping there remained no small number of troops, but by now the various Directorates of Manufacture were running at full capacity, and needed these gods and demons to forge divine weapons and divine treasures without cease.
On the battlefield, divine weapons and sharp implements are consumed with fearful speed; even great treasures are pounded to powder. Hence a mighty logistics is needed!
War is fought with wealth, with reserves, and with the power of the forge.
The Heavenly Court relied upon its deep foundations and its reserves, yet in wartime its forging capacity was far inferior to Jingping's. Many of Jingping's Directorates had once been for civilian use, but by now all had been converted to military use!
The war machine of Jingping, once set in motion, burst forth with a force that might astonish the world!
Therefore the longer this war dragged on, the better for Jingping; the shorter, the better for the Heavenly Court.
"The Southern Heaven has been enslaved by Heavenly Venerable Fire, and has lost the spirit of resistance. In ordinary times, to change the minds of the humans of the Southern Heaven would take three to five generations, or longer still. It might take several hundred years to make the Southern Heaven like Jingping."
Shen Mu's voice was low: "But war is different. Suffering will awaken a generation swiftly. Jingping cannot help the Southern Heaven. The Southern Heaven is the Southern Heaven of the Southern Heaven folk; the Southern Heaven folk can help themselves..."
Heavenly Venerable Yue said no more, and went on practicing her zither.
In the Southern Heaven, Yanming Heaven.
Heavenly King Yiluo of the Northern Heaven and the Third Heavenly Preceptor Bai Yuqiong led their host in hot pursuit of Meng Yungui and the remnant of his troops, and came to this place. Heavenly King Yiluo gave the order, and countless gods and demons entered Yanming Heaven, flying to every quarter.
These gods and demons had vast powers, and descended upon every village and every city.