Shennong Dao Master-Chapter 1368 - 19: The Pacification of the Barbarians Begins, Armies on the March—The Purple Bone Heavenly Venerate Is Actually Your Man?

...

In the 97th year of Yuan Shuo, Great Zhou held an important meeting on the eve of initiating war.

"Your Majesty, I estimate the Ping Man War to be divided into four phases."

The Luo Hou King reported to Ji Che at the Six Ministries meeting.

"In the first phase, from north to south, using the Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion as a horizontal focal point, the battle line spans a length of 1.6 million miles, with forty-six military districts, simultaneously starting, extending east to the East Sea and west to West Cliff Mountain."

"Building cities, erecting monuments, and establishing temples, with the first aim to cultivate the territory we conquer, and the second goal to kill the enemy's middle and lower tier forces."

"I will restrain the armies to control the speed of advancement."

"Stopping just before Yin You Mountain, this is expected to take about eight years."

The Luo Hou King laid out his battle strategy, and everyone present was convinced that he could achieve it.

"Thanks to our dynasty's robust logistical foundation, Great Zhou currently has the strength to control the pace of the war. Unless the Wu Yue God decides to use Absolute Heaven and Earth directly outside the Yin You Mountain region for a decisive battle, which Great Zhou actually hopes for."

The chances are very low; the Wu Yue God is unlikely to lose his mind and wage a decisive battle north of Yin You Mountain unless he is foolish enough to think he can win, ignoring counterattacks.

"The second phase."

"The army uses Yin You Mountain as a reference, where forty-six corps start a deep encirclement strategy against the Southern Barbarians."

"From the west, deploying defenses along 'Demon God Valley', 'Ten Thousand Beasts Forest', 'Soul-breaking Cliff', 'Tomb Battlefield', 'Thunder Mountain Range', 'Extreme Battlefield', 'Chaos Stone Forest', 'Netherworld Valley'.

"From the north, deploying defenses along 'Cangfeng Plain', 'North Evil Abyss', 'Star Valley', 'Mist Swamp', 'Spiritual Jade Mine', 'Heavenly Barrier Pass', 'Flying Cloud Cliff'."

"From the east, deploying defenses along 'Wuji Desert', 'Soul-devouring Valley', 'Fulong Mountain', 'Flame Demon Cave', 'Ice Wind Tomb', 'Poisonous Forest', 'Qingyan Ancient Battlefield', 'Cedar Valley'.

"Attacking fiercely from three sides, opening three high-standard battlefields, to drive the four great Southern Barbarian kingdoms into their heartlands."

"Ten Forbidden Armies will circumvent from the southwest, southeast dynasties, directly heading towards the world's end at the Holy Mountain."

"This plan will last for eight to sixteen years."

"If the second phase strategy is completed, the Wu Yue God and the four great kingdoms along with the Sect Alliance of Outer Sect will have two choices."

"Either let our army climb the mountain, or cast Absolute Heaven and Earth."

Climbing the mountain, naturally, is not worth mentioning; it is unlikely, unless the Wu Yue God changes his nature, allowing the Great Zhou Dynasty to grasp the largest ascension passage of the Xuanhuang Realm and surrender his Spiritual Energy.

The Luo Hou King glanced at Zhao Xing and the Cloud Sky Dao behind him, then said, "Basically, I do not consider the first point, because there is nothing to consider — it counts as victory already."

"Therefore, the strategy for the third phase is to prepare according to the Southern Barbarian's Wu Yue God casting Absolute Heaven and Earth."

"Absolute Heaven and Earth is a legendary magic technique, which I know less than the Grand Minister of Agriculture, so let the Grand Minister of Agriculture elaborate first."

Zhao Xing heard this and glanced at the ministers of the Six Ministries before speaking.

"After long speculation and research, we believe [Absolute Heaven and Earth] is a wide-range, extremely long-lasting, controllable type of Hou Transformation Divine Power, encompassing twenty-four solar terms and seventy-two Hou Ying."

"It encompasses life Hou Transformation and non-life Hou Transformation."

"Even a Martial Artist in the Establishing Tao Realm, with a powerful body, entering the range of Absolute Heaven and Earth will 'transform' into a normal person's body, with no difference in their Seven Spirits and Three Souls from that of ordinary people."

"Once they leave, they will return to normal, thus the Hou Transformation is lifted."

"My Yuanfeng Skill is similar but far inferior in precision to this divine skill."

"Spells cannot be cast, and simultaneously reliant mechanisms and Arrays will also become ineffective."

"Advanced material will degrade into lesser material — this is matter control due to climatic changes. Ancient techniques have 'turning stone to gold', whereas within Absolute Heaven and Earth, it's the opposite — turning gold back to stone, rendering even the hardest weapons to non-ranked."

Zhao Xing's words gave many a deep understanding of [Absolute Heaven and Earth]. Faced with such a perverse spell, one can only fight in the most primitive way, indeed befitting the title of Great Divine Power. It has halted generational Fortune Dynasties, turning numerous dynasties into mere historical dust.

"The smaller the range of Absolute Heaven and Earth, the earlier it is forced out, the more time for Great Zhou to prepare for ascension."

"The Luo Hou King's strategy — first phase lasting eight years, second phase up to sixteen years, third phase with Absolute Heaven and Earth, estimated not to exceed thirty years."

...

In the 98th year of Yuan Shuo, during the Spring Festival, at the Heaven and Earth Temple, Great Zhou's grandest sacrifice.

"The remnants of Outer Sect, sacrificing to the Evil God; beguiling people, disrupting order; invading the lands of my empire, enslaving my people, accumulation of vile deeds, generations of devastation..."

"Only war can manifest national prestige!"

Ji Che offered incense before the Earth Altar, his voice like rolling torrents, spreading across Fengdu, then Tianyong State, and... the entire Nineteen States!

"I follow the Heavenly Dao, wish to have the nation's ascension, desire everyone in the world to be like a dragon, granting longevity and enduring vision."

"The evil god Wu Yue, acting against the heavens, deluding all beings, trapping spiritual wisdom."

"The tribes of the Southern Barbarians, average life spans no more than eighty years."

"The Evil God Wu Yue's life has exceeded a hundred and eighty thousand and five hundred sixty-three years."

"Why does longevity rebel against longevity? Because it prospers from the tributes of the Southern Barbarians, using the blood and flesh of the populace to nourish the longevity position!"

"Causing countless living beings to be pained by illness, suffering from aging, shackled by death. All due to the calamity of the evil god Wu Yue!"

...

"Ancient Divine Dynasty, after ascension, received Heavenly Dao rewards, free of illness, free of disaster, granting longevity and enduring vision."