Chapter 1352: Facing Ten Thousand Soldiers

Nestled between the lands of Xiang and Xu, the Plain of Stars and Moonshas always been a treasure trove.

The most prized resources in this world are, of course, cultivation resources.The Plain of Stars and Moons is one of the places in the mundane realm"closest" to the celestial expanse. This "closest" does not refer to physical distance,meaning it is not the highest elevation or the most proximate to the heavens...Rather, it is a place where connections to the distant celestial realm are most easily forged.Relatively speaking, establishing a Holy Star Tower here is also easier than elsewhere.Perhaps there are other places in the mundane realm with stronger connections to the distant celestial expanse...But it is unlikely they are as vast as the Plain of Stars and Moons.

Both Qi and Jing view it as their exclusive domain, a deadlock they maintain,and they permit no other powers to meddle.Thus, though Xiang and Xu are near, they cannot establish a foothold here.Though Zheng lies not far to the north of the Plain of Stars and Moons,it cannot advance even half a step southward.

This has created a peculiar phenomenon unique to this place—On the Plain of Stars and Moons, only minor powers are active.And the basis for their survival is the trade of special productsbetween several nations, because the most direct trade route, the Plain of Stars and Moons,is not open to these nations...The hegemony of Qi and Jing is evident from this.

Of course, besides the regular habit of Qi and Jing to send cultivatorsto the Plain of Stars and Moons to erect Star Towers,the Venerable Monks from the Suspended Temple to the south of the Plain of Stars and Moonsalso frequent this place.Furthermore, these minor powers on the Plain of Stars and Moons are notnecessarily truly masterless forces.Have you not seen that when a great war erupts, the forces on the Plain of Stars and Moons,rolling up their belongings, enter Zheng, enter Xiang, enter Xu as if returning home?All as natural as returning home.Those who truly seek refuge only when disaster strikes are, on the contrary, a minority...This is also an unspoken understanding.

The value of the Plain of Stars and Moons lies in "Stars and Moons," and its beautyalso originates from this.On nights where it seemed one could reach out and pluck the stars, how many beautiful dreamswere woven.The daytime here is also sky-blue and cloud-vast, with boundless fields...But now, banners are dense.Banners gather like heavy clouds, a myriad army standing on the plain!Two general platforms, dozens of feet high, stand in distant opposition, separated bythe teeming ranks of soldiers and the battlefield surging with martial aura.

On the western general platform, at the forefront is naturally Lian Jingzhi,the Grand Pillar of State of Xiang, standing with hand on sword,gazing at the battlefield. A giant elephant, threezhang tall and over four zhang long,stands before the platform, clad in heavy armor, a truly imposing sight.Even its trunk is encased in leather armor embedded with spikes.On the eastern general platform, Fang You, the Grand Marshal of Xu,sits steadily in a grand chair, his face expressionless.

Many years have passed, and Lian Jingzhi and Fang You have seemingly alwaysbeen in this standoff. They have heard of each other's reputations,and countless times imagined each other as opponents. Of course, there have beensome subtle confrontations, but when it truly comes to leading armies into battle,they still only stand in opposition.Because this is not their battlefield, this is not their war...The true battlefield is before the general platforms,a vast expanse encompassing nearly half of the Plain of Stars and Moons,between the eastern and western general platforms.Or, to be more direct, it is where nearly one hundred thousand people,commanded by the young heavenly talents of the Qi and Jing forces, clash.

It appears that Lian Jingzhi made the same decision as Fang You,also deploying fifty thousand main force troops for the young heavenly talentsof the Jing national camp to command...But how could the will of the two principal generals be so identical?Therefore, this still reflects the will of both Qi and Jing.Tear open the mist of the Xiang-Xu dispute, pierce through the illusion of the standoffbetween Lian Jingzhi and Fang You.The truth of this war is that the young heavenly talents of the two hegemonic nations,commanding the soldiers of Xiang and Xu, are using the lives of these soldiersto temper and prove themselves... For Xiang and Xu, how cruel is this!Those soldiers who are in the midst of it, unaware of the truth,donning armor and wielding weapons, believing they fight for their country,truly know not if they are fortunate or unfortunate.

The real war is at the front lines, where the young heavenly talents of the two forcesare in a standoff.The central army behind the front lines, the troops guarding the general platforms...are in fact just positions to replenish the front line soldiers.This is the peculiar aspect of this war, and also the awkward position of the tworenowned generals...Of course, their awkwardness is not important. Even if they are Lian Jingzhi, even if they are Fang You.Under the iron hooves of the hegemonic nations, all are like ants.

The Qi national camp has ten battalions, with five thousand men per battalion.Within these five thousand, there are approximately one hundred extraordinary cultivators,who form the core of all military formations, their cultivation below the Tongtian realm.The Xu national army, even its main force, is only at this level...The ten battalions are divided into two cavalry and eight infantry.The two cavalry forces are separately led by Bao Bozhao and Chao Yu, though it is unknownhow they "persuaded" Xie Baoshu.In any case, Xie Baoshu, like his "younger brothers" of the Neifu realm, commands an infantry battalion.Time is pressing, and the troops are all from Xu, not previously familiar,so the frequently used formation maps of the Xu army are employed.The cavalry formation map is called "Feng Shi" (Arrowhead), and the infantry formation map is called "Yu Lin" (Fish Scale), both offensive formations.Whether it was Chao Yu, who could be considered a seasoned veteran, or Wang Yi'en,who grew up in the army since childhood, or Li Longchuan and Chong Xuan Sheng,who come from families of famous generals, none attempted to alter the military formations.This is precisely a demonstration of military knowledge. On a true battlefield,"stability" may be the most important thing.

Lin Xian temporarily leads the army in place of the yet-to-arrive Jiang Wang,and his formation is next to Chong Xuan Sheng's formation."This great war is about to erupt, when will Jiang Qingyang arrive?" he couldn't help but ask via transmission."He is already on the way," Chong Xuan Sheng said unhurriedly, "You can lead the armyto fight for a while, which is also an opportunity for you."Being on the battlefield, he couldn't contact Jiang Wang directly at the first possible moment,but he had already sent someone to use the Taixu Horn Tower in Tianfu Cityto enter the Taixu Illusion Realm and notify Jiang Wang at the fastest speed.He figured Jiang Wang should already be on his way.

Lin Xian pressed his hand on his sword and looked ahead, no longer speaking.Chong Xuan Sheng was right; being able to lead an army alone on the Plain of Stars and Moonswas an opportunity for him. His only worry was that Jiang Wang would arrive too late,unfamiliar with the army, thus unable to capitalize on the advantage of the battle formation.In this kind of frontal large-scale battle, what is contested is the overall strength.

The wind ruffled the banners, and the hundred thousand soldiers were silent.Facing the Qi national camp was the Jing national camp, divided into twenty units,paired together, each pair equal to one battalion on this side.The two sides arrayed themselves on the Plain of Stars and Moons, each setting uptheir military formations.Amidst the fluttering banners, military aura surged.They awaited only the sounding of a charging horn before the most brutal slaughter would begin.

But at this moment of intense tension, when swords were drawn and bows drawn taut...Bao Bozhao was the first to turn his head, followed by Chao Yu, Xie Baoshu, Wang Yi'en...They were astonished to see, from the due north direction, two figures, one in frontand one behind, speeding from north to south, approaching the battlefield!Who would dare to traverse the battlefield?Had they gone insane?When the two great armies of Jing and Qi were about to clash, would someone dare to intrude?If the war was in full swing, unknown intruders would be instantlyslaughtered by both sides.But precisely at this moment, the great war was about to begin but had not yet erupted.Thus, the hundred thousand strong front lines, belonging to the Qi and Jing camps,and the heavenly talents of various nations within the great army,watched with wide eyes as the two figures flew in a straight line, approaching,a sense of immense absurdity filling them—

The one in front was a woman. Her face was covered by a faceless mask,and she was clad only in thin garments, her endless charms barely concealed,revealing more than just a glimpse.Flying behind her was a figure in a green robe, carrying a sword,standing tall and confident, his posture unrestrained and elegant,stepping on auspicious clouds!