Chapter 2357: The Ends of the Earth

As Jiang Mengxiong relinquished military power and gradually withdrew from the official path, Cao Ji could arguably be called the foremost figure in Qi's military affairs hall.

Internally, he was the chief of the military; externally, he was the extension of the Qi state's will.

When he also opened his mouth to demand an accounting from the Jing state, the nature of the matter was already set.

Wang Kun's killing of Li Longchuan was no longer up for discussion—or rather, no matter how the Jing state people explained or argued, the Qi people would not acknowledge it.

The Jing state could only discuss how to respond to the Qi people's anger in the current situation.

What came after would be after.

That Ziwei hung high, and purple flags were raised on all the various islands.

The "Purple Flag of Zheng Long," which had once appeared on the Qi-Xia battlefield, was now summoned forth.

The posture the Qi people displayed was already extremely tough—they wanted to drive the Jing state back to the central domain, or fill in the sea!

And between these two outcomes, the Jing state still needed to offer an accounting to achieve a relatively decent result.

Now was the time for Song Huai to make a choice.

Was he unwilling to fail, to make a larger investment in the East Sea, and fight a larger-scale war? Or was he to act like a hero cutting off his wrist, and simply give up all existing overseas investments, even give up the entire East Sea?

But no matter which choice, it did not include making Lou Yue that "account."

The Jing state was vast, but the weight of human lives was too heavy to lose even one!

Over the long years, the Jing state had of course more or less let some people and some matters become the "account" for this great empire to continue moving forward.

But this account absolutely could not be placed on the surface.

Even setting aside honor, and weighing it only from the coldest angle of interest—

If today Lou Yue was used in exchange for the safe retreat of many of Jing's overseas investments, including Song Huai himself, although a part of the interests could be preserved, what was lost was the pride of a central empire, and what was cast away was even more the sense of belonging of the Jing state people.

But if it came to war…

The East Heavenly Master, long experienced in winds and waves, suddenly realized at this moment that a comprehensive war between two major hegemonic countries was, so to speak, on the verge of breaking out, resting on his single thought!

The series of consequences triggered by this were almost unimaginable.

Even though he had lived so many years and stood so high, he felt like carrying a mountain and treading a rope, unable to avoid a sense of awe in his heart.

He could only say that he would not give up any Jing state person and clarify his bottom line. Further decisions were still under deliberation!

Looking at Song Huai at this moment, Cao Ji spoke out: "As the Heavenly Master said, the Qi state will also not give up any Qi state person. It will even more maintain the dignity of every Qi state person—including those who are already dead."

He added: "I believe that a virtuous and respected figure like the Heavenly Master today is not here to give up anyone. Only if one does wrong things, then one should pay the price. Whose responsibility it is, that person should bear it. True Man Lou is responsible for managing his subordinates, and cannot shirk it. He can stay and cooperate with our side's investigation. If it is investigated clearly that Wang Kun's evil acts were not instructed by True Man Lou, we Qi people will not punish a small evil with a great punishment, killing someone over negligence."

From Tian Anping, Qi Wen, to Ye Hen Shui, and then to the raising of purple flags on the various islands, the Qi people's emotions were stirred, and the desire for war was intense, both high and low. The posture they displayed became harder each time. But Cao Ji, the highest commander, still always left some room for maneuver, as if there was, yet not.

Song Huai himself understood this military strategy of "surrounding three and leaving one."

He lightly exhaled.

"I think Duke Du has made one mistake," he said. "Your country's Li Longchuan, dying young, is truly regrettable. Out of sympathy and understanding, we are willing to make some concessions. But this does not mean that because we were unable to pacify the Cang Sea, we now have nothing, even to the point of losing our bottom line."

"For True Monarch Yu Que, and more than half of the Dou E generals and soldiers, who died in the Cang Sea for the human race and heroically. We are even more grieved! To whom shall we seek understanding for this grief?"

"Indeed, Yu Que is already dead. Our great Jing empire's sword points outwards, and for a time we are unable to protect ourselves, to the point where our vital parts are exposed and we face bone-cutting difficulties. But are the Jing people who go to sea today those who are greedy for life and fear death?"

"Although the Middle Ancient Heavenly Road has collapsed, on Penglai Island, there is still the Yi Tian Zhi Guan."

"Although Yu Que is not here, in front of you, there is still I, Song Huai."

As Song Huai spoke, he lifted his eyes: "If Duke Du insists on keeping guests, this old man does not necessarily have to leave!"

If war were to start today, at least in the current sea battlefield, the result was already destined.

Who could contend with the Qi state in the East Sea now?

Not even the Jing state, which had lost the Middle Ancient Heavenly Road.

Although Song Huai's posture was tough, the word "guest" still indicated an attitude—the Jing state people did not consider the East Sea their home.

So when conditions were suitable, guests could leave.

And the first point was, the Qi people had to treat "guests" with courtesy, only then could the Jing people see themselves as "guests"!

"General Cao," Tian Anping spoke out at this moment. With this buffer, he seemed to have recovered much, and his words were again in order. But the content of his words was not ordinary.

"This subordinate requests an order!"

He stood in the narrow archway of the iron chain City of Naming, everything inside the city vague and indistinct, making it hard to see clearly. He still supported the two door walls with both hands, as if holding up the teeth of a fierce beast, his eyes tightly fixed on Lou Yue, and said: "Him… leave him to me."

"Good, good, good!" Lou Yue had been silent, but at this, he didn't get angry but laughed. He turned back towards Tian Anping: "Just leave me to you. Leave me to all the Da Ze Tian clan. We'll see today, Lou and Tian, who will be erased!"

In this kind of confrontation, when one side exerts force, there is always one person playing the 'red face' and one playing the 'white face', which is only beneficial for negotiation and achieving the best outcome.

Lou Yue was undoubtedly the one on the Jing state side who showed toughness. Speaking in a normal person's way of thinking, Tian Anping should also be playing a similar role. They could draw swords and bend bows, and kill each other's entire family in words without harm, but it should all be limited to "Come on!"

While Song Huai and Cao Ji, these two figures at the top, both left room for maneuver. They could control the situation at any time and change direction.

But no sooner had Lou Yue's words fallen than a crashing sound of chains rang out.

Tian Anping actually dragged the iron-cast City of Naming forward, flying, instantly closing the distance between the two people, like a huge, strange beast resembling a shell, ferociously pouncing close by. Those not ferocious eyes, however, held a hungry look of wanting to devour someone.

Lou Yue had just set up his posture, and he had already attacked.

His desire to attack was so strong, as if the one who had almost been beaten to death in the exchange just now was not him.

He did not play the civil role, but the martial role, did not argue words, but argued life and death.

He fundamentally did not walk onto the stage!

Lou Yue had a particularly absurd feeling, and then within this absurdity, a sense of anger arose from being challenged by the weak.

His long hair automatically moved without wind, and he opened his hands wide, a faint light flickering and sinking.

This faint light instantly expanded.

He and Tian Anping, as well as the City of Naming led by Tian Anping, were for a time all trapped in a shadowy domain, already within a mixed cave.

Heavenly steps dao technique, mixed cave · Tian You Lian!

Using the mixed cave as a hanging curtain, it would separate heaven and earth.

Within this, there was a universe of its own, life and death though shadowy.

This was a true dao technique of drawing a line and fighting to the death. From this moment on, no one was allowed to walk out.

And Lou Yue, trapped within the mixed cave, lifted an eye towards Tian Anping, and in a flash, advanced to meet him. Millions of shadowy lights attached to his fist, as if connecting all corners of this mixed cave, as if drawing out all the power of this mixed cave—

The mixed cave was already collapsing as he threw his fist!

His voice contained undisguised killing intent: "You really are like… an annoying snail."

At a time like this, no matter how impossible it was, Lou Yue could not retreat.

Even if he only intended to sing the martial role on the stage, this time he had to be truly on the battlefield!

Then smash the snail shell, blast this City of Naming apart, and pinch this Tian madman who didn't know death to death—

At this time, before that Tianya stone inscription, there was only a mass of shadowy mixed cave, and all the surrounding light and shadows were swallowed. Lou Yue and Tian Anping, as well as Tian Anping's City of Naming, were all within it.

The mixed cave collapsed inwards, but the surging power ripples within it expanded outwards. These power ripples were indistinct, invisible to the eye, intangible to the touch, yet vigorous like a mountain fire, spreading throughout the heaven and sea. Their scorching intensity was enough to reflect the struggle within.

Within this mixed cave, life and death would be decided!

Cao Ji and Song Huai both witnessed this scene, and neither had any intention of stopping it.

The life-and-death duel between Lou Yue and Tian Anping, even the impending comprehensive war between the hegemonic countries… they were both watching.

Just like a high mountain about to collapse, with thousands of common people below the mountain. Both had the power to support the mountain, and both stood in front of the mountain, but both quietly waited for the landslide. Both waited for the other side to speak first. Both tested each other's determination, to see who was more ruthless, who could not bear the consequences more!

So-called struggle, sometimes it just depends on who is more cruel.

The ancients all said, mercy does not command troops.

Just as the mixed cave was violently rolling, suddenly a stele descended from the sky!

This stele was tall and large, displaying a golden brilliance.

Like a huge thunderclap smashing down, it had an inherent firm momentum, suppressing all sides.

On it, there were carved shadows like a phoenix, giving it a sacred and agile quality within its heaviness.

This was precisely the eternal stone stele that Ji Zuo had taken away from the Cang Sea—

The Mock Wind Heaven Stele!

Unable to suppress the Cang Sea, it now suppressed the near sea.

The sea ripples stirred up by the fighting of the strong ones all submitted at this moment.

Even the mixed cave that contained the fight stopped collapsing!

Lou Yue, with a face full of killing intent, and Tian Anping, with half his face blasted away, were forced out of the mixed cave, relatively suspended in the high sky.

In this short instant, that steel City of Naming had already collapsed, leaving only several broken chains, hanging on the ragged clothes and extremely weak body of Tian Anping, making him look like a pathetic prisoner exiled to the border.

But he was still almost greedily staring at Lou Yue, with his deeply sunken eyes!

Not caring about others' lives is very simple, as long as one is cruel.

Not even caring about one's own life, that is called madness.

No one doubted. If the power of the Mock Wind Heaven Stele had not separated them, Tian Anping would certainly have rushed up without hesitation.

Lou Yue, on the other hand, was not stained with dust, but his face was very ugly. He knew clearly the meaning of the appearance of this Mock Wind Heaven Stele. The last time, True Monarch Ling Chen had made a move to stop the war, and this was also a display of attitude.

True Monarch Ling Chen was not seen, but his voice echoed under the Mock Wind Heaven Stele, as if supporting this stone stele, making it suspend and fix: "The central empire refined eternal heaven steles to suppress the sea, a grand plan of ten thousand years. Not that the generals did not use their lives, not that the preparations were insufficient, not that the opportunities were not secret, not that the will was not firm, and yet it was ruined by an overly detached one, success and failure at the brink! Calculations could not exhaust, fortune's power could not reach, is this also heaven's crime?"

He then turned his words: "The Jing state's success and failure are for a while, but the human race has not failed one bit. Although Yu Que is dead, and Ji Zuo has retreated, there are thousands and thousands of aspiring warriors in the human race, who can continue to step into the sea, with grand ambitions not ground down, and finally there will be a day to pacify the sea!"

His voice rose high, and then word by word, he left, and the Mock Wind Heaven Stele thus fell—

"Now leaving the Mock Wind Heaven Stele in the near sea, only wishing for peace at the sea border, and for our human race to prosper greatly!"

This eternal heaven stele swelled with the wind, crashing into the water, all the way deep into the sea bottom, smashing deep sea mountains, rooting in the extreme abyss, making the earth's crust shake, and all the islands tremble… yet there were no ripples on the sea surface. When it finally stood still there, relative to Tianya Terrace, the part that protruded from the sea surface was still three thousand zhang high!

That spiritual form resembling a phoenix, lightly turned within the resonance of heaven and earth, transforming into the dao rhyme-heaven-formed characters "Haijiao".

From the coast of the East Domain outwards, all the way further east, there was Hai Gate, there was No Winter, there was Ring Island, there were big and small Crescents… stars were densely scattered, the sea people lived in their world, and the sea islands were the end point of this.

Mock Wind's life was like danger and like hope, here it suppressed the wind and waves, and here it also gazed far into the situation of the Cang Sea, to alert the sea people.

From now on, everyone who goes to the East Sea, sees this stele and will know that "Haijiao" has been reached!

Tianya Haijiao stands from now on, not knowing who in the human world will return.

True Monarch Ling Chen had no other words, but the meaning was quite clear.

The Jing state people had decided to leave the Mock Wind Heaven Stele, which they had invested a sea of resources to refine and fought desperately to reclaim in the Cang Sea, in the near sea to consolidate the sea defense.

It was in fact left to the Qi state—of course, on the surface, it could not be said as such.

The Mock Wind Heaven Stele was sent out, which meant that the Jing state had formally shifted its strategy, admitted the failure of the sea pacification plan, and had already decided to completely withdraw from the East Sea!

Was this "account" enough?

The Haijiao Stele stood there silently, as if waiting for the Qi people's answer.

Lou Yue scattered the shadowy light of his fist, his face showing disappointment. Li Longchuan's death was only a catalyst; the turning point of the Jing state's strategy was essentially the aftermath of the failure of the sea pacification plan. As a member of the emperor's faction, he was unwilling to withdraw just like this and always sought ways to strive for it. But Penglai Island, which played an important role in this action, chose to admit defeat and leave the field at this time. If the emperor's faction were to strongly support it, the risks would multiply!

East Heavenly Master Song Huai's face was expressionless. He was a heavenly master originating from Penglai Island, close to True Monarch Ling Chen in position, but undoubtedly the latter's status was higher, more capable of representing Penglai Island, and also capable of representing the Jing state's final decision.

Cao Ji raised his hand: "Internally for Qi and Jing, externally all for the human race. The Jing people go to the Cang Sea, we let them pass and let them go, it is for the world. Now the war situation is not smooth, and the Jing people return to their homeland, being of the same human race, how can we cut off their path home? Issue the order—all those returning from the east are not permitted to set up barriers and are not to be obstructed!"

Not only could Lou Yue, Xu San, Pei Hongjiu, and these people leave, but the tens of thousands of Dou E army warriors lost in the miasma, if they could escape back to the near sea, the Qi people would also let them go!

This was the final trade condition.

Rumble!

The Haijiao Stele made a final impact with the sea bottom, thoroughly standing.

True Monarch Ling Chen's will attached to this stele thus disappeared.

Tianya Terrace, Haijiao Stele.

For a time, only the statue of the Fishing Dragon Guest stood there—the Haijiao Stele was narrow relative to Tianya Terrace, yet it did not obstruct his line of sight—embracing worry and gazing far.

That fleet extending in the air gradually dispersed outwards.

The Ziwei suspended in mid-air also lost several points of coldness.

News was transmitted down layer by layer, spreading with the fastest speed to all the islands in the near sea.

"Duke Du's order…"

"Duke Du has an order—let them go!"

Watching a looming war between hegemonic countries thus dissipate.

No matter what, the sea waves settled, which was always good for the sea people.

But at this time, Song Huai and Cao Ji, standing opposite on Tianya Terrace, almost simultaneously turned their heads and gazed west—

They both caught a stock of incomparably sharp momentum, just with terrifying speed, coming from the west.

Coming from Chang Country!