Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 400 - 358 Nine Luminaries Lotus Flower, Turning the Tables Part 2

Chapter 400: Chapter 358 Nine Luminaries Lotus Flower, Turning the Tables Part 2

"A thousand troops are easy to obtain, but a general is hard to find."

Although Saintess Yunling is not much of a person, her talent in cultivation is really high, and her eye for picking people is also quite remarkable.

Just look at these "Divine Generals" she chose. Each of them can be considered a hero of the times, with solid muscles and bones, vibrant vitality—each one a rarity among thousands.

Moreover, she also picked some who have the talent to lead troops.

Just like Tang Lin’er, who’s as clever as a fox.

And then there’s the one before us, Dong Liancheng, who is steady and shrewd, loyal and resolute...

Being able to react to sudden changes, taking the initiative to rally five hundred riders and just managing to intercept me shows his extraordinary capabilities.

The most important thing is that in this man’s eyes, Zhou Ping’an did not see too much of the crazed obsession that was evident in the two previous Red Lotus Divine Generals he encountered; that was quite different.

This proves that his willpower is extremely firm.

Even though he is driven by Saintess Yunling and controlled by her brand, he still has his own steadfastness and conscience.

This point is particularly important.

Otherwise, even if he is won over, Zhou Ping’an would worry that one day, the man might rebel against him in a mindless obsession, attacking him once again.

Such mindless fanaticism is completely beyond reason.

Half of it was due to the mind control of the secret technique’s brand, the other half because the person really wasn’t intelligent.

But the man before him is different.

He hasn’t completely drowned in it, not too dissimilar from Tang Lin’er’s situation.

Tang Lin’er was able to willingly turn a deaf ear and resist the brand in her heart; this man should be able to do the same.

It will suffice, as long as the cage in his heart is broken.

"General Zhou only needs to defeat Dong Mou. Today, you may take my life.

However, under military orders, Dong Mou cannot retreat but must fight to the death," said Dong Liancheng with a calm expression, showing no sign of hatred.

After clashing with a single move, already at a disadvantage, he actually felt a trace of admiration rise within him.

He lifted his black iron hammers with both hands.

He let out a hearty laugh, saying, "Dong Mou once fell to the state of a despised slave in the mountains, toiling in the mines without enough to fill the stomach; my whole family was living on the mercy of scoundrels, and it was a disgrace to the honor and learning of my ancestors.

If it weren’t for the sheer desperation to survive, no one would think of rebelling. Whether the Red Lotus Sect is truly as they claim, saving the people from dire straits, at least they have shown Dong Mou the grace of saving his life, and for that, I must repay... Can General Zhou understand?"

It’s not that I don’t want to surrender. It’s that I cannot.

Dong Liancheng made himself very clear.

Still a scholar at heart.

Driven to extremes, bound by gratitude, and having no choice but to follow the Red Lotus Sect in rebellion, it’s truly remarkable that this man learned martial arts midway and managed to attain such ability.

"Since it is so, I won’t make things difficult for you."

A glimmer of admiration flashed in Zhou Ping’an’s eyes. He felt that, for such a warrior, it was worth delaying a bit of time.

The sword light shifted, the fierce and violent aura was completely withdrawn, and the overwhelming Sword Qi turned into fine threads.

Like an endless gentle spring rain, it met the double hammers and wrapped around them.

No matter how vigorously Dong Liancheng called out for battle, or how his five hundred riders formed up and charged with connected momentum.

Zhou Ping’an was like an incarnation of a deep-sea maelstrom, no matter how fierce the attacks were, he neutralized them one by one with his Unparalleled Saber Technique, borrowing and deflecting strength, entwining and constraining.

By the time Dong Liancheng struck his thirty-seventh hammer, the rhythm of his strikes turned chaotic, and he was gasping for air like a laboring ox.

Zhou Ping’an moved as light as smoke, appearing behind him without wielding his sword, just a feigned strike with his left hand, thump...

A soft sound.

It hit the back of Dong Liancheng’s head, causing his eyes to roll back, and he collapsed to the ground, fainting.

The five hundred soldiers, too, were exhausted and dispirited by then, and upon seeing this, they all breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground unable to rise.

"Brother Zhou intends to win this man over?"

The Green Lady, carrying her sister, rushed to the city wall, having been watching for a little while, and knowing the intent behind Zhou Ping’an’s use of his sword, realized he had no desire to kill.

"That’s right, this man is useful, but first, Saintess Yunling must be dealt with."

"Without the Holy Maiden being defeated, the three counties of Liyou will never truly fall into our hands; nor can these commanding officers be truly considered to have submitted wholeheartedly."

Zhou Ping’an knew that if he wanted to free his general, Tang Lin’er, from the demons plaguing his mind,

or more precisely, if he wanted to subdue Dong Liancheng and his elite soldiers, it wouldn’t be possible without killing the Yunling Saintess.

Once the enemy regrouped and beckoned, these people might defect back to them.

After all, with secret techniques coupled with brainwashing, very few can withstand their formidable power.

The Green Lady understood this logic too.

Upon hearing Zhou Ping’an’s decision, she nodded.

As our power grows larger and our territory expands,

the lack of talent has become the most pressing practical issue...

While we could continue to employ ruthless tactics of complete annihilation, doing so would also create countless enemies for our burgeoning power.

Sometimes, leaving a ray of hope for others

is also giving ourselves an extra chance...

As for wars, they are waged only with profit in mind; one advances only when there is something to gain.

Getting stronger with each battle is what truly counts.

To undergo laborious wars where you fight to death, only to end up with nothing but a hollow reputation is not a desirable outcome.

Obviously, that is not the right approach to battle.

"Good, I will send out the signal arrow now to call the Green Scale Army to take over East Mountain.

Given that the Red Lotus Army here is already scattered and without a leader, it is an opportune moment for a full-on assault to subdue the soldiers and pacify the civilians."

The Green Lady was resolute in her actions. Having received Zhou Ping’an’s approval, she immediately fired the signal arrow, summoned the undercover agents within the city, and ordered them to hasten through the night, calling for troops to advance to East Mountain.

She also did not forget to request Zhou Ping’an to write and stamp orders to transfer Tang Lin’er, Luo Hao, and others.

An ambush rescue had turned into a decisive battle, which was beyond the expectations of both the Green Lady and Zhou Ping’an, who found it quite astonishing.

However, troops are like water in that they have no constant form or strategy; since it’s come to this point, one might as well go with the flow and take the entirety of East Mountain.

Then, riding the momentum, advance westward, reaching the bounds of Pinghu, and take over all three counties.

Previously, although he pursued them urgently, he clearly saw where the fleeing Yunling Saintess was headed.

In the eyes of the Red Lotus Sect, with the Yunling Saintess at the forefront, their troops were well-trained and well-provisioned, with numerous experts...

For them, conquering the three counties was overkill, like using a cleaver to kill a chicken, as they had an excess of military strength.

In their ranks, there were six or seven Ninth Level Mortal Refinement experts.

They also had four Divine Generals in command...

The elite soldiers under their command numbered as many as fifty thousand.

Not to mention the refugees they took along, counting by the hundreds of thousands, amounting to about three hundred thousand people.

With such military and civilian power, taking over the three counties was naturally as easy as pushing over dominoes.

In Yunling’s heart, the power of Qingyang City was only a minor inconvenience and didn’t require much attention.

Therefore, she even dispatched her strongest Divine General, Ran Sifei, with twenty thousand troops to attack Pinghu. In just one day and night, he seized Pinghu and targeted Yunjin Ferry Crossing, aiming for Yunzhou.

She had no concerns about Ran Sifei encountering any problems or any experts from Yunzhou obstructing him.

After all, the Yi Heavenly King had already rushed to the city ahead of time, and with him overseeing it, success was virtually guaranteed.

However, developments went beyond expectations.

What Yunling Saintess did not anticipate was that such an absurd incident would occur within Dongshan City, where she had been stationed.

With so many experts at her side, they were utterly destroyed by Zhou Ping’an alone, who then relentlessly pursued them.

Since their headquarters were too far away and there were no experts to intercept the chase along the way, she naturally couldn’t flee in those directions.

Somehow she remembered that in Pinghu County, there was a Dharma King and a General leading twenty thousand troops.

As long as she joined the main force, she could turn the tables.

Not only could she withstand the pursuit, but she could also launch a counterattack.

...

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