Infinite Sun in the East China Sea

Chapter 317 The War of the Ring
Xiangzi stayed in the artificial womb longer than she expected.

In a sense, ordinary people are all premature babies, born early for the safety of their mothers, but Xiangzi doesn't need to worry about this at all... She doesn't need to worry about her 'mother' even as she develops into adulthood.

The artificial womb that Hsu Feng prepared for her was extraordinary; its energy came from the Silmarillion light contained in the Arkenstone.

The brilliance of the Silmaril is on par with the Twin Trees, and its energy level is half a level higher than that of the sun in the Central Continent today... This special energy is also the reason why Xiangzi felt the scorching heat.

This extraordinary artificial womb can provide her with enough high-level energy to allow her to cultivate perfectly and also to develop faster...

Only when the time was up and she returned to the God's Space did she sever the artificial umbilical cord that had been continuously providing her with energy, under the power of the God.

With only a few extra months of gestation, Xiangzi had already developed into a child of about nine years old.

"My mental scanning radius has doubled! My telekinetic power has increased... by about six times. I haven't even reached my strongest state yet!"

Back in the Main God Space, the exquisitely beautiful Xiao Xiangzi was overjoyed.

Before her reincarnation, the furthest distance of her mental energy scanning in a straight line was close to 5,000 kilometers. Now, after doubling again, the straight-line scanning distance is a full 10,000 kilometers!

She also obtained the Knowledge Crystal from the Lord of the Rings world, an item that can amplify mental power. In the amplified state, the scanning distance can be even farther. Now she can stand at any point on Earth and perceive the entire surface, and control any target on Earth whose mental power is not strong enough.

The vast majority of reincarnation stories take place on Earth.

The next installment, "Anaconda," will be just like that.

However, after her initial joy, a look of distress crossed her face: "This body is too young; it's not suitable for fighting."

She couldn't help but glance at Mei.

Before this body reaches adulthood, only the little witch will be there to protect the newcomers...

"It would be great if we could exchange more time in the future." Xu Feng ruffled her hair; it felt wonderful.

"Your mental strength should grow rapidly before you come of age, which is quite a benefit."

Xu Feng paused for a moment, then looked at Mei and said, "I've almost run out of reward points, and the Lord of the Rings storyline is about to end... Let's witness their glory together this time."

The little witch nodded seriously.

Every time she returns to the world of "The Lord of the Rings," her children undergo significant changes.

When they returned to that world last time, they were already adults.

Xu Feng was not a good father. After discovering that the Void Realm could help him cultivate, he practically became a hands-off manager.

Aside from the cold, impersonal educational dolls, the person who spends the most time with the two children is the elven creation, Ice. She is an excellent teacher who instills in the two children a strong sense of integrity—a quality that is not suitable in the cycle of reincarnation but is just right in the world of "The Lord of the Rings." Moreover, under Ice's guidance, even though Mei only returns home for one day each year, the two children remain very close to their mother and do not become estranged despite seeing each other so infrequently.

For this reason, Mei was especially grateful to that incredibly beautiful girl.

During Xu Feng's nearly ten years of cultivation, the fate of the Lord of the Rings world also developed in the direction he predicted.

As the River Valley Kingdom grew stronger, it absorbed the vast majority of civilians from the northern part of the Central Continent under various preferential policies, increasing the normal population tenfold to nearly one million, and also having tens of thousands of orc slaves; in just over a decade, the River Valley Kingdom had occupied a large area along the Benliu River and expanded eastward considerably.

This newly formed kingdom also established a standing army of 10,000 men and two reserve armies.

Battle aura has become widespread in the standing army, and each soldier has two fine horses traded from Rohan.

Xu Feng looked down on this level of army. He could easily annihilate tens of thousands of such forces with the cannon fodder he created. But with this kind of power, the Valley Kingdom was already considered to have abundant martial virtue in the world of "The Lord of the Rings".

King Xu Hui of the River Valley Kingdom is becoming increasingly regal. In recent years, he has led caravans across half of the Central Plains, leaving behind a reputation for virtue in many regions.

As for Xu Yue, her older sister, she is already quite capable.

Her genes are exceptional. During cultivation, all her meridians are open, and one day of cultivation is equivalent to a hundred days for an ordinary person. Furthermore, she unlocks her gene lock very quickly. She unlocked the first stage of her gene lock before she was ten years old, the second stage before she was twelve or thirteen, and now she has unlocked the third stage.

This genetically modified daughter has cultivated the "Sixteen Contemplations of Pure Land Sutra" to the seventh level of entry-level, and her normal strength is even stronger than Mei's.

In the Central Continent, her power is already considered top-tier.

Second only to the almost completely inactive Vera and the strongest batch of Maiar.

What worries Mei is that the last time she entered the world of "The Lord of the Rings" with Xu Feng, the War of the Rings had already broken out.

—The One Ring fell into Saruman's hands.

Due to the butterfly effect created by the Reincarnators, Gandalf learned in advance that the ring in Bilbo's hand was the One Ring, so he naturally convened the Council of the Righteous.

The so-called White Way Society is a small organization composed of powerful individuals from the Middle Kingdom. Its leader is the white-robed wizard Saruman, and its members include Elvenkings such as Galadriel and Elrond.

The White Order debated for a long time about what to do with the One Ring.

None of these powerful figures dared to take the One Ring, fearing they wouldn't be able to resist its temptation. But when Saruman, a man of action, proposed to keep the Ring, the others unanimously objected... This group feared that the incredibly powerful White Wizard would fall into depravity, and that if his ambition were ignited by the One Ring, the destruction he would cause would be no less than that of Sauron.

Coincidentally, because Bilbo had psychological issues, the leaders of the White Order were very uneasy about letting this hobbit become the Ringbearer to destroy the One Ring at Mount Doom.

Even Lady Galadriel, Gandalf's strongest supporter, believed that it was necessary to first ensure that the hobbits' spirits were truly resilient enough to withstand the temptations of the One Ring until Mount Doom.

Thus, the One Ring remained in the hands of Bilbo, the hobbit.

The Northern Rangers, along with Lindon and the Elves of the Valley, protect the Shire from attack on Bilbo.

It wasn't until Sauron also learned the location of the One Ring—Saruman, in order to obtain the One Ring, deliberately used the Crystal of Knowledge to tell Sauron this information. After secretly training enough soldiers, he planned to use Sauron's power to force the One Ring out of the safest Shire.

The Ringwraiths did not disappoint him.

In the years that followed, the elves of the valley repelled the Ringwraiths several times, but each time the Ringwraiths drew closer to the Shire and to the One Ring.

In this situation, the Ring-bearing squad, whose condition was not good, set off at an inopportune time... The One Ring had reached the point where it had to be destroyed.

Because of his less-than-pleasant expedition to Lonely Mountain, Bilbo learned a great deal from the dwarves, including the immense dangers lurking in the Moria Pass. Therefore, when crossing the Misty Mountains, he chose to detour via Rohan.

The road passed right through Isengard, where Saruman was located. Then, the One Ring easily fell into Saruman's hands.

The escort team suffered heavy losses.

When Mei last returned to The Lord of the Rings, Saruman, the white wizard, had already used the power of the One Ring to create a large number of Orcs and even more Orcish minions. King Théoden of Rohan became his servant under the influence of dark magic and wore a ring that Saruman had forged.

The remaining resistance fighters of Rohan are in dire straits and are constantly appealing to Gondor and the Vale Kingdom for help.

Mei knew that if Xu Feng was willing to wholeheartedly protect those two children... even if Vera planned to harm them, Xu Feng could protect them, and he wouldn't care about Saruman. But Xu Feng was pursuing the 'Great Symphony of Creation,' and for that reason, he would only send the two children to the real battlefield.

In fact, Xu Feng's initial plan was to have only one 'ordinary' child, and to make this ordinary child with mediocre strength the protagonist; if it weren't for the accident during the pregnancy, even the powerful Xu Yue wouldn't exist.

The world of The Lord of the Rings.

"The situation in this world is much worse than in the original story."

Xu Feng introduced Mei to her.

During the period of the exchange and return, the reincarnators had almost no impact on the development of the plot. Even when they did have an impact, it was all positive action... killing orcs, trading with various countries, and strengthening the power of allies... From the perspective of any righteous faction, the River Valley Kingdom, where the reincarnators placed their bets, was an extremely righteous force.

The only thing to be criticized for is that it enslaved a large number of orcs.

Of course, those people weren't acting out of a sudden burst of compassion, thinking that enslaving orcs was too cruel; according to those who were dissatisfied, the Valley Kingdom should have killed those orcs instead of keeping them in plantations.

Compared to wild orcs, the orcs in the Valley Kingdom's plantations enjoy a much better standard of living.

But just as these 'good things' were fueling the situation, the whole situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Rohan was destroyed by Saruman.

Most of the Rohan were forced to submit to Saruman, with some cavalrymen forced to defend the northern valleys and Lindon, while others followed the Orcish legions to attack Gondor.

Only a few of the most elite warriors were rescued by the Valley Kingdom and became its generals.

The Valley Kingdom and the Rohan Kingdom both originated from Rovanion, a kingdom that was destroyed a thousand years ago, leaving only a place name; Rohan refugees easily integrated into the Valley Kingdom.

Saruman knew very well that he could not fight on two fronts and had to deal with one of them first.

However, he ultimately had to face the combined forces of Gondor in the south and the Elves in the north. The Vale Kingdom also sent its elite troops to fight alongside the Elves, quickly defeating Saruman's northern intercepting army.

The siege of Aisengard lasted for several months, and Saruman's rise to power was less than six months before his defeat and death.

Most of his books were looted by the Vale Kingdom, and Xu Feng had already read them before they entered the Vale Kingdom's library... Of course, Xu Feng didn't really care much about Saruman's knowledge. He had already obtained most of his knowledge from Sauron, from the Valar, and from the natural environment of the Lord of the Rings world. Saruman's knowledge overlapped with much of what he had gained before, with only a very few points being supplementary.

The only problem is.

The siege of Isengard lasted so long that Sauron knew the One Ring was with Saruman, and so long that he was prepared to reclaim it from Saruman.

At first, Sauron watched Saruman fail, sending only a small force to contain Gondor from the south.

But when Saruman was about to be defeated, Sauron took the initiative to send all the Ringwraiths, all the Orc armies, and even himself into battle. He first wiped out most of Gondor's army from the flank, and then, in the chaos of battle, he seduced the elf who had first taken the One Ring, and had that elf personally deliver the One Ring into his hands.

Aside from Maiar like Saruman, it would be difficult for anyone with a weak enough will to threaten Sauron even if they managed to seize the One Ring.

Those with strong enough mental fortitude who obtain the One Ring will aspire to become the next Dark Lord; however, those with weaker mental fortitude will instead become Sauron's slaves.

In that battle, Sauron's army suffered heavy losses, but he also obtained what he wanted most: the One Ring, and his power was restored to its peak.

Furthermore, Sauron also annihilated most of Gondor's army in that battle.

Rohan was destroyed, and Gondor was severely damaged.

Even the Elves suffered heavy casualties in the fierce battle for the One Ring.

At this stage, the most powerful human nation in Middle-earth was the Kingdom of Valley, which, led by the descendants of the Reincarnated, became the mainstay of the forces of good in the War of the Ring.

And the Valley Kingdom naturally became a thorn in Zoro's side.

Especially when he thought about the battle he lost to a mysterious human before he obtained the One Ring... He sensed a similar aura from the king of the Valley Kingdom to that mysterious human, and that young man was very likely a descendant of that mysterious powerhouse.

Sauron believes that he was on a completely different level before he obtained the One Ring compared to when he is now.

With the support of the authority of all the races in Middle-earth, Sauron's strength has approached that of the Valar at their weakest, making him comparable to Morgoth who has poured all his power into Middle-earth.

Even if that mysterious person reappears, he is confident of victory.

then.

Countless orcs and barbarians from the East, under the command of Sauron and the Ringwraiths, began their siege of the Vale Kingdom... The crippled Gondor merely sent some pirates to besiege the White City.

but.

Sauron's fierce attack was not going well... The young king of the Valley Kingdom did not passively defend against the enemy's superior numbers. He took the initiative based on the Rushing River, constantly moving along its banks. Each move caused great losses to Sauron's army, killing countless orcs.

In just a few months, the situation changed from a disadvantage to a balance of power.

This young king performed exceptionally well—he possessed tactical thinking far beyond his station and had received a more advanced military education.

So much so that even the elves praised his art of command, and both the elves of the neighboring Darkwood and the elves of the Valley entrusted more than half of their armies to the young king.

Xu Hui, a descendant of reincarnators, did not disappoint the elves.

After acquiring the elite Elven army, he launched several battles, winning against overwhelming odds and wiping out most of Sauron's forces. The formidable Sauron and the Ringwraiths were forced to flee back to Mordor with only a small number of elite troops.

After obtaining the One Ring, Sauron made Mordor his stronghold.

As Xu Feng and Xiangzi left, the human alliance led by the River Valley Kingdom and the elven army marched towards Mordor, preparing to launch a forceful attack on the Dark Lord.

(End of this chapter)