The Arithmetic of War

Ji Ning felt a terrifying shockwave surge through his entire body. He had already braced himself, his knees slightly bent to absorb the impact, but the terrifying blow from the Venomous White-Faced Flood Dragon still sent him stumbling backward a heavy step. His knees bent further, lowering his center of gravity, and only then was he able to withstand the force. “Pfft.” The Venomous White-Faced Flood Dragon laughed coldly, its second claw already striking before Ji Ning. It had two claws, after all. The first claw had already sent Ji Ning staggering like that. “Bang!” Ji Ning remained calm. His right hand coalesced a longsword, and the sword-light, like flowing water, struck the side of the Venomous White-Faced Flood Dragon’s claw, deflecting it. Ji Ning immediately retreated. “Hmph. The first claw of the White-Faced Flood Dragon was built up with momentum, so its power was tremendous. But this second claw, though sudden, was much weaker in power.” The Venomous White-Faced Flood Dragon hadn’t expected to finish Ji Ning in two strikes. It immediately gave chase, its claws lashing out in a frenzy. Ji Ning retreated again and again, but he held his ground. “Ji Ning!” “Daolord Northwind!” “Hold on!” The other Xingtian divine spirits came to assist Ji Ning. The Venomous Empyrean God, seeing his opportunity slip away, could only angrily twist his waist and lash out with his flood dragon tail. “Boom!” Ji Ning blocked the strike from the thirty-thousand-zhang tail with both hands, using the force to send himself flying backward, his posture perfectly controlled. The Venomous Empyrean God shot a hateful glare at Ji Ning, then glanced at the other seven Xingtian divine spirits. With a cold laugh, he sent a mental order: “Withdraw!” “Yes!” The orders were accepted immediately. Under the Venomous Empyrean God’s leadership, the other two White-Faced Flood Dragons and the nine Empyrean God puppets began their retreat. They all spread their long legs and ran across the desolate marshes, each step covering dozens of li, rapidly closing the distance toward the distant floating black city. Even though Ji Ning and the others were a full ten thousand li from that ‘Seamless City’, it still felt overwhelmingly massive! “No need to pursue.” The Xia Emperor’s voice rang out in Ji Ning’s ears. The eight Xingtian divine spirits and the two Empyrean Gods all halted, watching from afar. Then, their gazes met, their expressions complex. “In just that short exchange, who knows how many Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals died.” Ji Ning and the others couldn’t help but feel a sense of mournful empathy. Today, the Xingtian divine spirit of the ‘Xi River’ had fallen; tomorrow, any of them might as well. Then, shoo!! Ji Ning and the others all vanished into thin air. … Within the Eight Dragon Cloud City. Countless Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals packed the city’s plaza. They all watched the Xia Emperor and his entourage hovering in midair. Ji Ning and the other eight commanders stood beside him. The ‘Xi River Celestial Immortal’ of the Xi River Legion was also there. Although the Xi River Legion had suffered heavy losses, many Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals had survived, and the Xi River Celestial Immortal himself had been fortunate enough to live. “Fellow Immortals.” The black-robed Xia Emperor spoke solemnly. “This was our first real clash with the Seamless Gate in this war. I never expected to suffer such a great loss from the very first engagement. The Xi River Legion was severely mauled. On our side, 436 Celestial Immortals and 51,021 Loose Immortals have died.” The area below fell into dead silence. Ji Ning’s heart sank as he listened. 436 Celestial Immortals and over 50,000 Loose Immortals. What did that mean? Everyone present knew it well. For instance, the Black-White College had only produced a single Celestial Immortal in its entire history before this great tribulation. Even a power like the Shaoyin clan, one of the Grand Xia’s Ten Great Tribes, only had nine Celestial Immortals and around a thousand Loose Immortals. In other words, the number of dead this time was several dozen times the total strength of the entire Shaoyin clan! These fallen Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals had come from all corners of the Grand Xia, responding to the Xia Emperor’s summons to gather at the imperial capital. It had taken the combined might of countless sects and tribes to amass such a force. “This is a failure of my command.” The black-robed Xia Emperor’s voice was low. “The Seamless Gate’s intelligence network is formidable, while our knowledge of them remains limited. We failed to foresee the power of that White-Faced Flood Dragon. But before we set out, I had already anticipated that our war with the Seamless Gate would be one of heavy losses.” The countless Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals below remained silent, their hearts weighed down. “However!” “Their losses are far greater than ours!” The black-robed Xia Emperor’s gaze turned fierce. “The Xingtian divine spirit commanded by Ji Ning, the Sword Immortal of the North, slew one White-Faced Flood Dragon, killed over 600 Celestial Immortals, and nearly 70,000 Loose Immortals!” The morale of the countless Immortals below visibly lifted. “They killed our warriors, but we can kill theirs. And we can kill even more!” “This is war!” “It is a war of life and death between us and the Seamless Gate. One side must fall!” “If we don’t want to die, we must kill them. Kill them all!” The Xia Emperor’s voice resounded through heaven and earth. “Kill them all!” The Xia Emperor roared again. “Kill them all!” The immense pressure of the great tribulation, combined with the Xia Emperor’s words, drove countless Immortals to roar in response. Every Immortal present understood… No one could evade this great tribulation. It had to be faced. To survive, they had to fight! For themselves to live, the enemy had to die! “Return to your barracks and rest. The war will be long; today is only the beginning.” The Xia Emperor gave the order. “Yes, Your Majesty!” The countless Immortals accepted the command with a thunderous roar, then dispersed in a dense wave, flying toward their respective camps. “Return to the main hall.” The Xia Emperor’s gaze swept across the nine commanders as he headed for the main hall. … Inside the main hall. The Xia Emperor sat high above. Five Empyrean Gods and True Immortals stood to the side, while Ji Ning and the other eight commanders also stood. “Your Majesty.” The Xi River Celestial Immortal’s face was ashen. He stepped forward and knelt down. “It was my fault. My greed for glory caused the deaths of so many fellow Immortals. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!” The Xia Emperor glanced at him. “You were the commander of the Xi River Legion, and you failed, causing the deaths of many Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals. You are certainly not blameless. However, strictly speaking, this was not entirely your fault. The power of that White-Faced Flood Dragon was indeed unexpected. I will let it go this time, but you must be even more cautious in the future. I will soon arrange for more Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals to replenish your Xi River Legion. Do not disappoint me again!” The Xi River Celestial Immortal was surprised to hear he wouldn’t be punished, but even more shocked that the Xia Emperor was going to rebuild the Xi River Legion with new troops. “Your Majesty, this…” “I trust you.” The Xia Emperor said calmly. “Alright, rise.” “I will never disappoint Your Majesty again.” The Xi River Celestial Immortal rose, his gaze turning sharp. The Xia Emperor swept his gaze across the room and said, “What are your thoughts on this engagement?” “That White-Faced Flood Dragon must be commanded by an Empyrean God or True Immortal.” The old man with the fiery red beard standing to the side said, “I fought him. His claw attacks seemed simple, but they contained the complete ‘Grand Dao of Blackwater.’ He is definitely at the Empyrean God or True Immortal level. As for exactly how many Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals he commands, it’s hard to say.” “Mm.” The Xia Emperor nodded. “Ji Ning, all nine of you, listen carefully. In the future, do not engage that White-Faced Flood Dragon alone. Even Ji Ning should only fight him with others nearby.” “I understand.” Ji Ning said. “When I fought him, he overpowered me in every aspect—strength, speed. I can withstand him for a short time, but any longer…” “Daolord Northwind can hold out for a short while, but the rest of us would probably fall after just one or two moves,” the Floating Dust Celestial Immortal shook his head. “Then when you face that White-Faced Flood Dragon, at least three of you must work together,” the Xia Emperor instructed. “Also, what do you think of those Empyrean God puppets?” “Troublesome.” “Very troublesome.” “Annoying.” Ji Ning and the others who had fought them all frowned. Ji Ning, who had become the de facto leader of the nine commanders, spoke up: “The attacks of those Empyrean God puppets aren’t very strong, but they are refined constructs, as tough as Pure Yang magic treasures. It’s very difficult to damage them head-on. To eliminate the threat, you must overwhelm them with superior power and seize them. But as long as a few of them work together, they won’t give you the chance to capture them.” “Yes. No matter how you attack, you can’t hurt them,” the Tonghe Celestial Immortal and the others agreed. Ji Ning realized it. These Empyrean God puppets were a lot like the Eight-Nine Arcane Art—extremely strong defensively but weak offensively. They had two biggest weaknesses: binding techniques and suppression! “Oh, right, Your Majesty.” Ji Ning suddenly spoke. “Hm?” The Xia Emperor looked at him. “I happen to have one of those Empyrean God puppets,” Ji Ning said. “The same kind we were just fighting.” “You have one?” The Xia Emperor was pleasantly surprised. “I acquired it from the Seamless Gate when they tried to deal with me,” Ji Ning said. “But I only have the one.” “Excellent! The Seamless Gate has fought us on other major worlds, and we’ve managed to obtain a few of those Empyrean God puppets as well. I went through considerable trouble to get my hands on three of them. Having your one is perfect!” the Xia Emperor said eagerly. “This Empyrean God puppet is incredibly valuable. I cannot simply take it from you by force, Ji Ning. Tell me what you need, and I will trade for it. You must give it to me.” Ji Ning said, “Naturally, since I have brought it up, I am giving it to Your Majesty. As for what I need, Your Majesty can give me some Pure Yang Pills or Grand Empyrean Pills.” “I have a massive reserve of those pills,” the Xia Emperor said with emotion. “This war will go on for who knows how long. Countless Immortals will need pills to replenish their ki at critical moments. I have a mountain of them… Haha, I’ll give you a bottle.” Ji Ning waved his hand, and a palm-sized black, horned puppet appeared in his palm. It was identical to the Empyrean God puppets. As a refined treasure, the puppet could change size at will. The Empyrean God puppet flew toward the Xia Emperor, while a bottle of pills flew toward Ji Ning. Ji Ning knew very well that these Empyrean God puppets required multiple Celestial Immortals to control, making them useless to him. But they would be quite useful in the war. As for the pills… his Eight-Nine Arcane Art was in desperate need of them. He was only at the fifth cycle now. “Everyone.” The Xia Emperor spoke. “Our war with the Seamless Gate is one of life and death. There is no room for retreat. Furthermore, we must engage them in prolonged combat. By fighting them, we pin down a portion of their forces here, preventing them from attacking other major worlds.” Ji Ning and the others all nodded. This great tribulation was not limited to the Grand Xia. If every major world tried to hide and conserve its strength, the Seamless Gate could simply crush them one by one. Therefore, every major world had to fight! Fight with all their might! To take territory, they had to shed enough blood! “From tomorrow onward, the nine Xingtian divine spirits will go out to battle every day. Ji Ning will take the lead. None of you shall stray too far from him. I will keep the Eight Dragon Cloud City close to Ji Ning to provide support when needed,” the Xia Emperor said. “The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals will also assist you, and at opportune times, I will send four Empyrean God puppets to aid you as well.” “This war will likely last a very long time.” “You have fought the Seamless Gate before and have some experience. It will probably be difficult to achieve effortless victories from now on. But you must never let your guard down. In battle after battle, if you watch for your chance, you might be able to kill one of their White-Faced Flood Dragons. That would be a major victory,” the Xia Emperor said. “If you succeed once, or a few times, their White-Faced Flood Dragons will be finished. The more of them die, the greater our chances of winning.” “The days ahead will be hard. A long, grueling campaign, where a single moment of carelessness could mean death.” The Xia Emperor said, “So, nine fellow Immortals, you must be careful.” “Yes, Your Majesty!” Ji Ning, the Tonghe Celestial Immortal, the Xi River Celestial Immortal, the Flying Rain Fairy, the Floating Dust Celestial Immortal, the Ten Thousand Beasts Celestial Immortal, the Thousand Needles Fairy, the Madman Celestial Immortal, and the Ten Zhang Rainbow Celestial Immortal all accepted the order with solemn gravity. The days to come would be brutal. Perhaps some of them would fall. Every single fall would represent the collapse of a thousand Celestial Immortals and a hundred thousand Loose Immortals. But none of them were afraid. Faced with all this, none of them had any way back.