12dz Chapter 284 Cultivating the Land in a Grotto-Heaven, Flying Fire and Meteor Shower
Chapter 284 Cultivating the Land in a Grotto-Heaven, Flying Fire and Meteor Shower
At that time, natural disasters and man-made calamities struck, leaving the imperial treasury empty.
Popular legend has it that the emperor has lost his virtue, neglecting the Donghai Prefecture and destroying temples dedicated to immortals and gods, thus angering the heavens.
Some say that the northern barbarian gods went south to the White Rock Mountains for two reasons: first, to bypass the Zhenbei army, and second, to release the Undying Demon Lord.
Although the Brahma Emperor personally suppressed the Undying Demon Lord, nine streams of black energy flew out from between the Brahma Emperor's fingers, which were called dragon energy.
Dragon energy can grant ordinary people great fortune, enabling them to transform from snakes into pythons, from pythons into dragons, and even from dragons into dragons to achieve imperial status.
Six of them were intercepted by various immortals and gods. Su Ji's incarnation as the God of Wealth knocked down two of them, the Southern Crimson Emperor swallowed two of them, the Marquis of Zhenbei shattered one, the Golden Cloud Immortal General destroyed one, and the whereabouts of three others are unknown.
It may seem that only three dragon energies remain, but in reality, both the Southern Crimson Emperor and Su Ji had a backup plan, leaving behind seven dragon energies.
Now that the Western Qiang tribe has raised the banner of rebellion and has the assistance of the Brahma army, it is likely that at least two paths have fallen into the hands of the Brahma religion and the Western Qiang tribe. The Barbarian God tribe, in worshipping the Undying Demon Lord, may also have obtained a dragon aura.
Su Ji's top priority is not to get Li Hui to raise the banner of rebellion, but to allow the Zhenxi Army to recuperate and build up its strength!
Firstly, although Li Hui has grown considerably, he still only has three thousand soldiers and needs to fight to sustain himself and recruit more troops.
Secondly, the Western Qiang, Northern Barbarians, and Southern Islands have successively rebelled. At this time, internal strife would be nothing short of foolish. Not only would it bring the infamy of a chaotic army and make it a target of public criticism, but it would also cause the soldiers to lose heart and make it difficult to achieve hegemony.
Thirdly, since Su Ji intends to support Li Hui's ambition to seize power, he also needs to make some preparations...
Before autumn had even arrived, the war across the land intensified, and apart from Yuzhou, Lunzhou, Qingzhou, Cangzhou, and other places, nearly half of the prefectures and counties in the land were plunged into man-made disasters.
Although Donghai County suffered from the disaster, there was no man-made disaster. However, the imperial court's relief grain was delayed, and many people starved to death, let alone autumn planting.
The war in the Western Frontier was the most intense. Ever since the Human Emperor destroyed the Brahma, the Brahma soldiers had quietly hidden in the Ling Mountain region in the southwest. Now, they have colluded with the Western Qiang tribe to rebel, catching the Western Frontier army completely off guard.
Although there were imperial troops along the South China Sea coast, the coastline was too long to defend, and the ships in the South China Sea island chain were flexible, so they quickly got into a tug-of-war.
The barbarian gods, who should have seized the opportunity to launch an attack, remained inactive, seemingly plotting some sinister scheme.
"With the world in turmoil of war, Yuzhou, Lunzhou, and Qingzhou became the largest granaries, yet they could not withstand the imperial court's requisitioning..."
As one of the high-ranking members of the East-West Chamber of Commerce, Qiu Yue was the most supportive of Su Ji's strategy:
"The Undying Demon Lord has been suppressed by the Brahma Emperor. Although the Golden Cave Sect has demonic energy, it is only in the southern part of the cave. Now that the world is in chaos, the rest of the area should be planted with grains!"
Since the Golden Cave Heaven was upgraded to a mid-level blessed land, the power to communicate with the sun and moon within it has greatly increased. Several fields of immortal herbs and spiritual energy have been cultivated, and planting grains is now a trivial matter.
"The harvest from one blessed land is only equivalent to that of several prefectures. If we want to lay the foundation for a great cause, we need to plant crops in places like the Five Elements Immortal Realm, the Great Sun Immortal Realm, the Bright Moon Immortal Realm, the Autumn Cold Immortal Realm, the Dragon Mountain Sect, and the Golden Mountain Sect in Yuzhou!"
Zhou Lan is the president of the East-West Chamber of Commerce, and has a broader perspective.
However, Deng, representing Su Ji, shook his head: "The Golden Toad Great Sage can only influence half of the Golden Cave Heaven, the Great Sun Immortal Realm, the Bright Moon Immortal Realm, and the Autumn Cold Immortal Realm. The rest can only be influenced through interests and morality..."
Su Ji is still the deputy sect leader of the Golden Cave Sect, followed by the immortal officials of the Great Sun Immortal Realm and the Bright Moon Immortal Realm. He can directly influence the Golden Cave Heaven, the Great Sun Immortal Realm, and the Bright Moon Immortal Realm.
Autumn Cold Wonderland belongs to the Taibai Dragon Clan of Luhu Lake. Su Ji only occupies the central area of the original Corpse Immortal Sect, and the rest of the area is not under Su Ji's control.
Jinshan Sect belongs to the Western White Emperor's forces, Longshan Sect is a vanguard sent by the Eastern Green Emperor to suppress Baiyan Mountain Range, and the Five Elements Immortal Realm belongs to the City God system under the Central Yellow Emperor, which is not something Su Ji can control.
After all, Su Jicheng was also under the command of the Nine Heavens Prime Minister, Po Ling Emperor, and he was defeated because of this. Even if Su Jicheng made great contributions in the Dragon-Phoenix Contest, the Heavenly Court would not grant him any official position.
As a result, apart from being the Great Sage of Leisure, the Deputy Sect Master of the Golden Cave Sect, and the God of Wealth of Humanity, Su Ji only had one other identity as a divine official in the Heavenly Court.
"Two inferior grotto-heavens and one medium-grade grotto-heaven... their output is not inferior to that of a rich prefecture, so they can be considered as capital for the dragon's struggle!"
The speaker was none other than Zhang Gong, the local earth god, one of the few people Su Ji trusted most in this realm.
Since Zhang Gong ascended to heaven, he has mastered the extremely rare power of the Earth Destiny. Even without Su Ji's connection, he holds a transcendent position in the Earth God system.
Li Hui was someone Zhang Gong had watched grow up. Back then, the noble young master of Yuzhou wanted to send someone to assassinate Li Hui, but Zhang Gong, who cultivated in the Five Elements Immortal Realm, secretly protected him. Now that he saw Su Ji supporting Li Hui's ambition to win the dragon, he was the first to agree.
Su Ji simply smiled and said, "Master Zhang, what you're saying is just normal output. Once the East-West Chamber of Commerce produces fertilizer, crop yields will increase by at least two or three times!"
Several years ago, the East-West Chamber of Commerce produced a batch of daily necessities using rubber, and there are many more "cutting-edge technology" products that they haven't yet showcased.
The thermal power system had already been built, the chemical industry was taking shape, and biotechnology was shining brightly in the hands of the old man who owned thousands of machines.
Any one of these things could shock the world. In addition, the imperial court had long been wary of the East-West Chamber of Commerce, so Su Ji could not release all the technology at once. Therefore, he used it in the blessed lands that the world could not see.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Gong, the local official, beamed with joy: "In this way, the resources that the East-West Chamber of Commerce can provide will at least exceed the combined strength of the three states, greatly increasing Li Huilong's chances of winning!"
The Dragon Struggle involves the fate of humanity and the nation, and even the Heavenly Emperor cannot decide it with a single word. The four emperors can only intervene slightly, let alone Su Ji, a carefree Great Sage.
Therefore, no matter how much support they provide, Li Huilong's success rate is unlikely to exceed 50%. The rest depends on the efforts and luck of all parties!
While Su Ji and the others were busy cultivating the land in various blessed lands, things were happening in both the celestial and mortal realms.
If there is unrest on earth, it may affect the Heavenly Court. If a certain emperor performs exceptionally well, he may become the next Heavenly Emperor.
Currently, the Black Emperor of the North, the White Emperor of the West, and the Red Emperor of the South all intend to succeed to the position of the next Heavenly Emperor, which has led to many scenes of immortals and gods descending to earth.
The White Emperor of the West's most capable subordinate is the God of Strength, Golden Flame General. This person comes from the Golden Mountain Sect of the Golden Path Immortal Sect and has a deep foundation in Lunzhou. He is also the grand-nephew of Mo Linglong in her previous life. Even if he has no intention of seizing the position of Human Emperor, he can still assist someone who supports the White Emperor in participating in the Dragon Contest.
Similarly, the Northern Black Emperor's most capable subordinate was the Zhenbei Marquis, who came from the Black River Sect, a waterway immortal sect. He was stronger than the Golden Flame Divine General in both qualifications and combat power.
The Southern Crimson Emperor's most capable subordinate was the Fire Immortal Lord, the Supreme Elder of the Fire Immortal Sect. He and the Yellow Jade Immortal Lord of the Yellow Jade Sect were known as the Two Immortal Lords of the Five Elements. He might be slightly inferior to a Great Sage like Su Ji, but he was no weaker than an ordinary great power.
Many immortals and gods were very fortunate. If the Golden Toad Great Sage hadn't been so detached from worldly affairs and unable to directly participate in the dragon battle, the person supported by the Golden Toad Great Sage would most likely have won this dragon battle.
As a result, many people only focused on supporting those who were involved in the Dragon Contest, neglecting the Great Sage Golden Toad.
After all, even after the New Year, Li Hui was merely a "junior general" who had just gained a foothold in the Western Frontier. Compared to the "lords" supported by Zhenbei Marquis, Jinyan Divine General, Lihuo Immortal Lord, and Huangyu Immortal Lord, he had no advantage whatsoever.
In the spring, General Yuan, the Duke of Zhenguo, led his troops out to sea and directly attacked the small islands near the South China Sea where the troops were stationed. He killed three thousand enemy leaders and captured more than twenty ships of various sizes.
For a time, the war in the South China Sea gained the upper hand, and the Emperor and court officials were overjoyed, bestowing numerous rewards upon General Yuan. However, before summer even arrived, the war in the Northern Frontier suddenly intensified. A man claiming to be a descendant of the former dynasty's crown prince was thrust into the limelight by the barbarian tribes and directly declared himself emperor!
The actions of the Barbarian Gods were a slap in the face to the Human Emperor. The court immediately issued a decree urging the Marquis of Zhenbei to send troops, and a great battle soon broke out.
Shockingly, the ever-victorious Marquis of Zhenbei stumbled during his advance and fell into a deadly formation known as the Bone-Shaving Yellow Sand Formation.
Although the Marquis of Zhenbei led his troops out of the battle formation, his central camp was suddenly attacked by the Barbarian Gods, resulting in the deaths of nearly 10,000 people and the burning of most of their grain supplies.
Only then did the world realize that the Barbarian God Clan had been biding their time for many days, setting up the Bone-Slicing Yellow Sand Formation. In addition, the Human Emperor had fallen for their provocation and issued a series of decrees, which led to the Marquis of Zhenbei's defeat in the battle.
Fortunately, good news soon came from western Xinjiang.
After the Fanbing and Xiqiang armies captured several counties, their forces gradually dispersed. The Xijiang army seized the opportunity to bypass the enemy and invade their rear, killing more than 10,000 enemy soldiers and capturing more than 1,000 people, including the Xiqiang prince and his uncle.
Li Hui, as a meritorious official who captured the Western Qiang nobles, although not as meritorious as the Marquis of Jinchuan, was still dazzling enough to be officially known to the world.
After all, Li Hui's merit in suppressing the demons in Donghai County was stripped away, so this time he was able to "redeem himself through meritorious service" and was promoted by the court for his military achievements, rising from a lieutenant general to a deputy general commanding tens of thousands of people.
Although the imperial court did not allocate enough funds or deploy enough soldiers, Li Hui had more room to maneuver.
If they lacked money, they would buy on credit from the East-West Chamber of Commerce; if they lacked manpower, they would recruit soldiers from all over the country…
Initially, Li Hui's recruitment efforts were not promising. Locals in the western frontier preferred to serve under the Marquis of Jinchuan, and Li Hui only recruited a few refugees.
After the wheat harvest, the recruitment process suddenly accelerated. This was not only because the large amount of grain that Li Hui brought from the East-West Chamber of Commerce was attractive enough, but also because a large number of people from Yuzhou came to join him.
After all, Li Hui's base of operations was Yuzhou, where he had relatives and friends in Jinfeng County, as well as the people he had helped when he was a constable in Yuzhou, and of course, the refugees from all over the country who came with the East-West trade caravans.
With four or five thousand men pouring into the camp, although they had no shortage of food and drink, weapons and horses became scarce. The metal needed for weapons was not difficult to obtain, but horses were something that no matter how much money one had, one could not buy.
Just when many people were watching the spectacle unfold, a group of mounts suddenly appeared in Li Hui's camp, which even surprised Marquis Jinchuan.
These mounts are not ordinary horses, but rather demonic beasts from the White Rock Mountains, Autumn Cold Wonderland, and Golden Cave Wonderland. Even if there are only thirty or so, it can still be considered a luxury.
"He even has a demon king's mount! It seems that this Lieutenant General Li really is backed by the Golden Toad Great Sage!"
Even so, many people still did not consider Li Hui a rival, after all, other Dragon Contending forces had divine generals or even immortal lords in their ranks, and Li Hui was simply not qualified.
Ultimately, no matter how powerful the God of Wealth is, the power of incense offerings is limited, and it cannot continue to exert its influence as it did during the last surprise attack on the rear of the Western Qiang.
As for the ghost cultivator team that Li Hui relied on to suppress demons, in the eyes of many people, they were simply not up to par and could probably be easily suppressed by a divine general mobilizing his extremely strong and yang energy.
Li Hui didn't care about other people's opinions. He just held the position and continued to train his troops until the scorching summer, when he finally sent out troops again.
To the outside world, Li Hui claimed it was for field training, but in reality, he led his troops to attack a key military town in the southwest where the Fan army was stationed.
Located in a basin, this place can be easily defended by blocking a few passes. Even if the Marquis of Jinchuan came here in person, it would be difficult to conquer it in a short time, let alone Li Hui's more than 10,000 soldiers.
However, in addition to geographical advantage, war also depends on timing and popular support.
At that time, Li Hui led his troops into the mountains and forests, traversing dozens of miles, where neither poisonous insects nor ferocious beasts dared to approach.
Such behavior was naturally discovered by the garrison of the important town of Brahma, and the news was ridiculed by many people.
"Li Hui, the lieutenant general? He expanded his army less than three months ago; how much combat power can he possibly have?"
"The Jin Chuan Marquis's troops have not made any unusual moves. Has Lieutenant General Li led his troops into the mountains and forests? Has he lost his mind or something?"
"It's fine for them to train in the mountains, but if they intend to attack our army, it's like lambs to the slaughter, handing us victory!"
With an army of 30,000 in the town, along with natural defenses and city walls, if the Brahma soldiers were not prohibited from deploying troops without authorization, they would surely have wiped out Li Hui's tens of thousands of soldiers in one fell swoop.
As a result, the two sides remained in a stalemate for a day and a night. Just when many people mistakenly thought that Li Hui was training his troops in the mountains, a sudden celestial phenomenon occurred.
At that moment, a stream of fire descended from the sky, illuminating half the night sky. To the astonishment of the Brahma soldiers, the fire actually fell towards them.
"not good!"
The Western Qiang generals who were stationed there were greatly alarmed, as such a natural disaster was far beyond their ability to resist.
If all the fire were to fall into the town, not to mention how many soldiers would be killed or wounded, the food and other supplies would definitely be burned!
"Hide and try your best to protect the supplies!"
These divine generals and soldiers are not gods of strength. Although they cannot directly participate in war, they can act as guardian deities and protect the food supplies during natural disasters.
"Do the Qiang gods dare to act as accomplices to evil in my Central Plains?"
Even though Brahma joined the Heavenly Court, most of the Brahma gods could not go to the Central Plains. These Qiang gods became the guardians of the Brahma soldiers and had long been coveted by the immortals and gods.
"So they were immortals from the Ministry of Works. This is troublesome!"
As a celestial puppet descended from the sky, the Qiang general finally understood the purpose of Li Hui's troops' visit: to cooperate with the Heavenly Works Department's specially orchestrated Heavenly Firefall to conquer this important military stronghold in one fell swoop.
Just as the Qiang tribal general requested reinforcements, several figures appeared out of thin air not far away. They were none other than the Supreme Bodhisattva of Mount Ling, also known as the Supreme Divine Lord.
"It was definitely a trap!"
When the Supreme God learned that Li Hui's troops had come to this important town, he became wary and left behind this incarnation of divine power.
These deities fear the backlash from humanity and the fate of nations, and would never attack a mortal army. However, once the struggle between immortals and gods is involved, that is the time for them to fight to their hearts' content.
As the two divine mechs drew closer, the Supreme God seemed to see a scene of tearing the mechs apart, and a cruel smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
Just then, a burst of light suddenly erupted from among the flying meteors. A meteor, shaped like an egg, quietly split open, revealing a holy figure radiating golden light. (End of Chapter)