Looking at the young lady sitting across on the ice ship, her smile was as beautiful as a flower, but the words she spoke sent chills down one's spine.
Flooding an army of millions?
Such cruelty, such mercilessness.
That's three million lives, not ants!
Therefore, Zhang Chen, upon hearing this, hesitated, a trace of conflict in his eyes: "Wouldn't this be too cruel?"
That's millions of soldiers, if they all drown, what great sin would that be?
"Prince Pingbian has tens of millions in his Northern Land army. Previously, to guard the Feng Shui Grand Array, he already lost a million. And the three million I mentioned are the cowards withdrawn from the frontline White Bone Great Wall. They eat the people's salaries but do things against the people; they're deserters and deserve execution!" Xie Lingyun's voice was filled with evil qi.
Zhang Chen did not agree with Xie Lingyun's words; those ordinary soldiers are controlled by their superiors, the blame should fall on the superiors, not the common soldiers. If this army of millions is deployed against the Demon Race, they would certainly cause trouble to them, perishing in a flood would be too wasteful.
Xie Lingyun saw the hesitation in Zhang Chen's heart and thought to himself: "This little brother of mine is good in every way but far too indecisive, hesitant, hard to become great, a bit too compassionate."
"Don't forget, that's Prince Pingbian's army. With one command from him, it would be millions of knives and swords aimed at you..." Xie Lingyun reiterated.
Zhang Chen was shocked by this remark: 'If those blades are targeting me, then it's settled, they die and that's that!'
"Do you know where those three hundred thousand troops withdrawn from the White Bone Great Wall are stationed?" Zhang Chen asked.
No matter what the matter, what the reason, what heart of compassion, once it involves oneself, it's absolutely non-negotiable. All threats must be strangled at the root.
"I know of a strategic point, it's a key passage of the Water Dao, you just need to turn the water flow south at that point, it can certainly flood Prince Pingbian's army of millions." Xie Lingyun stood on the ice ship directing, "Your ice ship follows upstream, moving with my direction."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen maneuvered the ice ship upstream under Xie Lingyun's direction, arriving at a confluence where the passages connected to the main waterway, one passage a bit higher with no floodwaters flowing through, the other bearing all water flow.
Xie Lingyun pointed at the confluence and said: "The current passage carrying water is what floods my Inspection and Supervision Department's fifty thousand troops, floods the Northern Land's passage. If the water flows through the other passage, it could flood Prince Pingbian's million troops, even Goulan County, submerging Prince Pingbian's mansion headquarters."
Zhang Chen stationed the ice ship at a cliff, then Xie Lingyun, as if possessing Lightweight Skill, lightly tapped and climbed higher, quickly reaching the mountain top, calling to Zhang Chen: "Brother, show your skills. If you can't bear it, just let it go!"
"There's nothing I can't bear, I have a sea of blood feud with Prince Pingbian's mansion, borrowing the might of heaven to let them reap what they've sown is considered natural order. But altering the water route, I don't know how many innocent lives it will involve, how much Cause and Effect Force will tally against me, I'm afraid my sins are deep, worried I might be struck by celestial punishment." Zhang Chen's voice carried some concern.
Xie Lingyun shook his head: "Flooding the Northern Land is inevitable, you're merely changing the method and process of flooding, how could the Cause and Effect Force tally against you? Even if you don't control the water route, the army stationed would be flooded sooner or later. Moreover, by altering the waterway you saved others; it should balance your deeds."
Listening to Xie Lingyun's argument, Zhang Chen couldn't help but smile bitterly, knowing Prince Pingbian would dare unleash the flood, naturally not fearing his own army getting swamped. He cultivates immortality, but dreads Cause and Effect the most.
Yet on Cause and Effect, he remains confused, now that the Immortal Dao has vanished, does Cause and Effect still count?
But flooding Prince Pingbian's mansion and dealing a heavy blow to it caused no harm.
Then Zhang Chen's ice ship vanished from underfoot, the river waters beneath him abruptly severed, and land shook violently, as a thirty-meter-thick earth wall suddenly rose in the canyon, blocking the raging flood.
Accompanied by a wall of earth and stone rising on one side, water unable to discharge, water levels rose rapidly, Zhang Chen swiftly moved to another branch point and saw the mountain obstacle there descend, suddenly lowering fifty meters, then the raging flood poured downward, surging furiously into the distance.
The water that initially wouldn't reach the army of three million, changed course with river rerouting, altering everything.
"Good water! Good water!" Xie Lingyun stood atop the mountain praising as he watched the torrent river water, "Brother, excellent skills."
"I only hope not to incur too great Cause and Effect, suffer just Celestial Punishment," Zhang Chen, navigating the waters, landed besides Xie Lingyun, gazing at the rushing torrent, a trace of compassion in his eyes.
Even knowing that he might very well be burdened with karmic retribution, Zhang Chen could not worry anymore, as those were the troops of Prince Pingbian's Mansion, belonging to Prince Pingbian's Mansion, and since he was already entangled in karma with the mansion, they would have to bear the karma together.
"The troops belong to Prince Pingbian's Mansion, the citizens are citizens of the mansion, the mansion is sustained by the citizens, and the troops are there to protect it; they are one entity. When I forged karma with Prince Pingbian's Mansion, they naturally have to bear the karma too." With this thought, Zhang Chen's anxiousness was dispelled, believing his actions to be entirely justified.
The Northern Land citizens provide for Prince Pingbian's Mansion with their labor, and the million troops protect the mansion; they are one. How could they be innocent?
At this moment, Zhang Chen's thoughts shifted, the shackles and feelings of guilt vanished as he watched the surging floodwaters and once again used Divine Techniques to continuously open up mountain peaks and waterways, increasing the overflow of the floods.
Xie Lingyun noticed the change in Zhang Chen's Essence, Qi, and Spirit and looked at him with a surprised expression: "What did you think of to suddenly understand?"
Zhang Chen heard and smiled faintly: "There is karma in the unseen; my conscience is clear."
If the positions of both sides were reversed, and the million troops were ordered by Prince Pingbian to kill him, there would be no hesitation or mercy from the other side.
"I'm curious, with Prince Pingbian flooding the Northern Land, what happens to his million troops?" Zhang Chen turned his head to look at Xie Lingyun.
"You protect my body while I use Yin Spirit Emergence to inspect," Xie Lingyun said to Zhang Chen, then immediately executed Yin Spirit Emergence and disappeared into the world; moments later, she returned, her physical body opening its eyes: "Prince Pingbian already prepared large ships and has a navy rising in the flood, ready to start supporting those millions of troops."
"I see," Zhang Chen replied. "So, our plan to flood the three million troops has failed?"
"Not so! Before Prince Pingbian decided to release the flood, he must have observed the flow of the waterways, and in his plan, the waterways were first to flood his navy, which would then drive large ships along the flood to rescue his three million troops. However, since you changed the waterways, his million troops ended up on the other side of the waterway, so they are destined to be slower than the flood. His rescue will not be in time, and those three million troops will only be lost."
Xie Lingyun's voice was full of pride; with just a snap of the fingers, the heavy blow dealt to Prince Pingbian's Mansion could save the court a myriad of troubles in the future.
As for mercy, that was not within Xie Lingyun's consideration; she only knew that Prince Pingbian was utterly rebellious. To flood his own fifty thousand troops, he didn't hesitate to risk his three million troops together, nor did he want her to detect movement, so this was all brought upon by Prince Pingbian himself.
It must be said that Prince Pingbian was also a ruthless person; in order not to alarm the Inspection and Supervision Department's fifty thousand troops, his own three million troops were even stationed in place along the waterways motionless. One can see how cold-hearted this person is. You should know that once the flood strikes down, even with his navy's rescue, these three million troops will certainly face flood assaults and losses, revealing his disposition.
However, for Prince Pingbian, merely using forty or sixty thousand soldiers to wipe out the Inspection and Supervision Department's fifty thousand troops, everything is worth it.
Those are fifty thousand troops from the Inspection and Supervision Department; his ordinary troops at a ratio of one to fifty might not even take one down.
Zhang Chen listened to Xie Lingyun's words and couldn't help but secretly click his tongue, marveling at Prince Pingbian's ruthlessness.
As the two watched the raging floodwaters, suddenly from afar, banners and flags fluttered, and from the side blocked by Zhang Chen's earthen wall, an endless fleet appeared.
One could not see the end of the fleet at a glance, and they were all super fleets.
"This is the navy of Prince Pingbian's Mansion, there are a full ten thousand large ships, rushing majestically to the rescue," Xie Lingyun pointed to the distant waters covered with the army's flags.
Zhang Chen watched the overwhelming large ships, astonished at Prince Pingbian's prior preparation; Northern Land was dry and inland, yet there emerged ten thousand large ships, clearly Prince Pingbian had been setting this plan in motion for a long time.
"If only this flood could drown the Demon Race's army, that would be truly righteous, what a pity..." Zhang Chen sighed atop the mountain peak.
Xie Lingyun's face showed disappointment, but she did not say much.
As the two spoke, the naval army approached the gorge, seeing the blockade at the gorge from a distance; the naval officer panicked, eyes glued to the dead-end ahead, doubt flashing in their gaze: "Did I take a wrong turn? How is the road ahead severed?"
"Bring the map," the Admiral shouted, promptly soldiers fetched the map, and the Admiral looked at the map in his hand and then at the earthen wall ahead, astonishment in his eyes: "Shouldn't be! I've followed the mapped route, how could it be wrong?"
"General, there's the sound of floodwaters flowing ahead; surely there's a flood beyond this 'mountain.' We should climb this mountain to see. Moreover, the mountain ahead is steep and straight, unlike natural landscapes, seeming almost man-made..." suggested an advisor beside him.