All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 470 - 96 Heavenly Secret Master Mingguang Dust

Chapter 470: Chapter 96 Heavenly Secret Master Mingguang Dust

How should he respond?

An Jing couldn’t help but lapse into deep thought.

Three elite units of the Dust Li’s Iron Cavalry, which could unleash power comparable to that of the Divine Repository in a short time, were effectively three rechargeable clusters of Divine Skills.

Like Linjiang City, Kuoyu City was also a major city without divine weapons, yet Kuoyu had a significantly higher population than Linjiang, and its military strength was much superior; however, it had still been easily breached.

If those three units of Iron Cavalry indeed headed straight for Linjiang City, An Jing didn’t think his own forces could hold them off.

But here came the issue—Gu Yunzhi was here, so how could he possibly have no plan at all or not mobilize any forces?

"When will our reinforcements arrive?"

He asked, and Gu Yunzhi answered, "Within three days, the prefecture government will send two thousand martial guards. You’ll have to gather the remaining militia yourselves."

"However, these two thousand aren’t under my command; they’re from the provincial governor and the central authorities... You can understand, I’m not at liberty to say much."

That’s perhaps for the best.

An Jing slightly nodded. Two thousand might sound like a small number, but against a common mortal army, even two to three hundred thousand could be overwhelmed; if managed properly, they should be able to stand up against three regiments of Dust Li’s cavalry.

However, Linjiang City had suffered severe population loss due to the actions of the Linlang Commerce Chamber, and drafting strong militia forces was challenging, barely scraping a few hundred for logistics at best. This aspect was quite troublesome, and perhaps he would need to think of more solutions himself.

As for not being commanded by Gu Yunzhi, that was normal. Since his commission as a general, Gu Yunzhi had overall responsibility for all campaigns against Dust Li in the Hanhai, with many victories and considerable military merits. It made no sense to let him monopolize the credit; certainly, there would be someone else sent to share in the glory.

"Specifically, who is it?"

Gu Yunzhi shook his head: "Such troop maneuvers are generally managed by a local official in charge of actual command, and a central official responsible for supervision and record-keeping. I really don’t know who they are, hence... I came here."

"However, this is just in theory because central officials generally meddle too much for local officials to reason with them effectively."

Ha, he could tell that Gu Yunzhi had often been frustrated by such meddling; the resentment was something that wouldn’t subside even over generations.

An Jing knew immediately that this was the classic case of inexperienced central leadership over knowledgeable local administration. Although the ancestors had foreseen this and thus demanded local precedence, the good intention of the ancestors was one thing, and the poor execution by the descendants was quite normal.

And moreover... So Gu Yunzhi also didn’t know who was coming?

An Jing began to understand, keenly catching the real purpose behind Gu Yunzhi’s visit.

It seemed there was still a struggle within the courts of Da Chen, and Gu Yunzhi too wanted to figure out from the central official coming his way what the underlying political scene might be.

"Since the main force is from the prefecture’s martial guards, we should prepare well, handling logistics and intelligence."

As An Jing pondered, he slowly articulated his thoughts, with ideas like "aerial attacks, firepower bombardment, long-distance sword box sniping for decapitation, setting up ambushes, and drone reconnaissance" flashing through his mind.

Though he didn’t want to reveal too much, considering the attention he had garnered, the fact that he possessed a large number of powerful Thunder Beads was actually quite obvious. An Jing felt it might be better to bring them out at crucial moments to gain maximum benefit for himself and to make subsequent use of similar tactics seem more reasonable.

Thus, An Jing’s words flowed smoothly and without hesitation: "My master Guangchen has left me many new-type magic artifacts he specialized in. I feel they could be greatly beneficial in this war, potentially achieving remarkable feats."

"Your teacher?"

[Guangchen?]

Both Gu Yunzhi and Chenyinzi expressed surprise, the former somewhat astonished, "I did indeed know about your possession of some powerful Thunder Beads. I thought they were from the Bright Mirror Sect’s stockpile, but were they actually developed by the True Lord of the Mysterious Mirror himself?"

"Unexpected indeed, the True Lord of the Mysterious Mirror is truly talented, to have such a trick up his sleeve."

Meanwhile, Chenyinzi was more bewildered. [When did Guangchen learn this? Perhaps he learned it somewhere I don’t know of?]

An Jing didn’t plan to resolve their confusion. Anyway, until Guangchen returned, the old man’s persona would be that of a genius artifact cultivator, a master of hidden Heavenly Secrets. As he was currently in the Great Wilderness Realm, he wouldn’t expose any flaws, which made it a perfect excuse source.

The current situation had made An Jing’s objectives clear.

First, he needed to block the military attack from Iron Li. Theoretically, as a True Transmission of the Bright Mirror Sect, An Jing would not be seriously threatened by Iron Li’s military. However, should An Jing fail to protect the city under his guardianship, it would greatly damage his reputation concerning the "Fate Pattern" and the public’s perception of him.

In the Tianyuan Realm, this might not be a big issue, but in the Embracing the Void Realm, this was equivalent to weakening An Jing’s foundation, part of the schemes of Hong Fu, Zuohuan, and even the Taiming Sect.

However, if An Jing could directly defeat them, his reputation would soar, and the Fate Pattern would grow.

Second, he was to find the Subdue Evil fragments. This mainly involved waiting for the right moment as the Immaculate Wood was currently recovering. Once it had regained its strength, the central catalyst of the Great Formation might produce a Spirit Plant that could open a secret passage without damaging the seal, allowing An Jing to access the Subdue Evil fragments.

But for now, each Subdue Evil fragment suppressed a source of Demonic Qi. The fragment in Hanging Fate Valley suppressed the "Heavenly Demon Questioning Heart," which was rescued by the Heavenly Demon Decay, thus allowing An Jing to take the fragment without causing severe repercussions. However, taking the fragment from Broken Blade Mountain hastily might awaken a Great Heavenly Demon, surely impacting Linjiang City.

Last, he was to return to the Bright Mirror Sect and settle internal affairs — which was the simplest task. As long as he secured the Martial Meridian before returning to the sect, An Jing would be in an unbeatable position.

"I’ll first go survey the terrain around Broken Blade Mountain to ascertain our next defensive line," he said.

No sooner had he thought this than An Jing stood up, foregoing pleasantries with Gu Yunzhi, "As for General Gu, thank you for coming here specially to inform me of this critical secret. If you wish to stay in the city, feel free to look around."

"Then I shall impose on Lord An’s hospitality," Gu Yunzhi nodded slightly, transformed back into an ordinary middle-aged envoy, and sat down in the parlor, smiling as he sipped tea.

Leaving the parlor, An Jing spoke to Chenyinzi in his mind: "Ancestor, your disciple is going to handle some matters, just like Master did, preparing for the upcoming assault from the Iron Li military... Since you may not be able to go there, if it’s not too much trouble, could you help me watch General Da Chen’s movements?"

"Oh? Like Guangchen, I see," Chenyinzi, though unaware of the Endless Heavens or what exactly Guangchen did when he disappeared, knew that it was a significant opportunity for Guangchen’s growth.

It was a good thing that An Jing was part of it, no need for concern: "This lad definitely has other motives; you can’t monitor him, so let me handle it."

Using the Endless Heavens as an excuse, An Jing respectfully placed his ancestor’s Jade Mirror at the center of his office desk. Then, summoning Tengshuang White, he rode swiftly towards one side of Broken Blade Mountain and quietly disappeared into the Embracing the Void Realm midway.

Inside the parlor, Gu Yunzhi pondered deeply as he sipped tea, thinking, "This An Jing really is as my granddaughter said, decisive and profound in actions, exceptionally strong for his age, and adept at governance."

"Such talent, fortunately, falls into Guangchen’s hands. Otherwise, if he were taken by Da Chen’s side, being lost in the crowd would be the best outcome. If he were really raised with the domineering disposition like the Shenjing Martial Arts Academy, that would truly be troublesome."

"However, strange... Did those people really withdraw all their forces? Or were they truly caught in An Jing’s net?"

This time Gu Yunzhi’s visit, aside from warning An Jing about the assault from Iron Li and informing him about the situation of the Bright Mirror Sect, and meeting the Eldest Senior his granddaughter admired, was also to observe if ’Linlang Commerce Chamber’ and the people behind it had left any measures.

However, Gu Yunzhi could not tell whether An Jing had obliterated them cleanly or if they were well-hidden, as he saw no signs at all.

"How strange... Mysteriously withdrawing Divine Weapons, isolating the three cities of broken blade, abandoning the triple fortifications of Imperial Court’s Earth Vein, Heavenly Sea, and Dragon Qi... You conservative faction, after winning the reform conflict, what exactly are you planning to do?"

As his thoughts like a sea tide slowly calmed, Gu Yunzhi looked up again, his expression now serene as frost, "Perhaps, An Jing knows more but chose not to share the information with me—he defeated Linlang Commerce Chamber and even likely killed a junior of the Dragon Martial General. He definitely knows more than I imagine."

"The problem is, how can I make him trust me... and share intelligence with me?"

If An Jing knew of Gu Yunzhi’s thoughts, his answer would surely be ’just give money’.

Ultimately, Gu Yunzhi was an old acquaintance of Guangchen, a subordinate of King Jing, the grandfather of Gu Yeqi, and connected with the True Chi Dragon. Even if not a comrade-in-arms for An Jing, at least as an ally with similar objectives—informing him about the ’Civil and Military Formation Plate’ and ’new Dragon Qi outside the Imperial Court’ might better tie him to the cause.

But now, in the unattended shack, An Jing had only one thing to do.

He sent a mass message: "Hey hey hey, Huo Qing, Nian Quan, are you there?"

Huo Qing, Nian Quan: "Here"

"What’s up?"

Receiving immediate responses from both surprised An Jing, indicating they might be together, but he didn’t dwell on it and communicated through the Water Mirror: "If I want to buy military equipment, what channels should I go through?"