Forge a path to success

"If you have the ability, you have to go to the front lines!" Shi Zhong said with high spirits. "Let's train him into a level 6 Rotten Wood Warrior in one go!"

"That consumes too much energy, you can't handle it. You can only consider it after it has been upgraded to a level 4 'Sunflower Essence'."

"Being a plant is really inconvenient..."

By this time, the armed peasants were nearly terrified. Some of the Divine Guards were still holding out, but their attacks were ineffective against the Hardwood Vanguard. White lotuses fluttered down, falling throughout the entire Fourth Lineage. Many citizens were startled upon contact with the flowers, scratching their heads in confusion.

"That's a bit strange..."

"Isn't he pushing himself too hard?"

"I don't even work this hard when I'm doing housework for my own family..."

The time was ripe. Gulibo stepped aside from the control panel, and Velbert inserted her cane, activating the Hardwood Vanguard as the main antenna. The mental signal was then transmitted to the minds of the citizens. Shi Zhong adjusted his tone and spoke in the gentle manner characteristic of an elder.

“I am an old acquaintance of the Thorn Tree, another sacred tree that protects the so-called ‘anti-bill elements.’ Citizens of the Fourth Order, please hear me out.”

The Divine Tree. It is the Senluo Divine Tree. Similar divine power. A kin of the gods. Similar fluctuations emanated from the chaotic spiritual signals. The words of the Stone Seed possessed a natural credibility, for the farmers, who were closest to nature, would never mistake the aura of the Divine Tree.

"We oppose the independence of the city-state, and we naturally have our reasons. After independence, the approximately ten billion lives on the surrounding Dust Island will be slaughtered by heretics while starving. You should all be more or less aware of this..."

Tens of billions?! That much?!

Isn't that alarmist? So many lives lost.

We're not that important! Ultimately, that's a matter for the other Dust Isles—

"After independence, the Thorn Tree will suffer a severe blow, and the Fourth Lineage will face an unprecedented depression. I wonder if everyone is aware of this?"

! ! ! ! !

Shi Zhong calmly said, "All prosperity is not without roots. The fertility of Jing Sha, which has remained unchanged for thousands of years, relies on the divine power of the divine tree for irrigation... But have you ever thought about where the divine power of Jing Sha comes from?"

The answer is 'unity'. The Thorn Tree is the god of 'unity'. Mutual help, unity, and support between individuals and groups are the key to the Thorn Tree's strength!

This unity, when applied to the battlefield, means we protect the front lines for all living beings. When applied to the fields and other rear areas, it means we mutually benefit all living beings by exchanging resources. The city-state of Thornsa has always been the granary and economic hub of the Allied world; we provide resources to tens of thousands of Dust Isles, while the Divine Tree gains power through trade. It is also a 'cycle' that is extremely beneficial to the Divine Tree.

After independence, with air routes cut off, where would you sell your food?

Vilbert then unfolded the charts, directly implanting the calculations and explanations into the minds of the farmers: "The answer is 'nothing'! Before the shipping routes were rebuilt, none of our grain could be sold. And after the routes were rebuilt, trade became meaningless because all our old customers died after we gained independence!"

The large-scale production of grain, unable to be sold, meant no profit for Jing Sha. This directly led to Jing Sha's physical body severely weakening due to a lack of divine power… Jing Sha's economic system collapsed after a series of chain reactions, plunging the entire Fourth Sequence into a Great Depression lasting more than 10 years!

The farmers listened blankly to the words of the sacred tree, the shocking numbers flashing before their eyes. The calculator coldly laid out the changes in each family's income, presenting the monthly poverty for the next 10 years in the most scathing terms. A few of the more astute among them were the first to grasp the situation; they nearly fainted on the spot, while the sacred tree continued to speak in a lukewarm tone:

"After that, there will be no more free trade. In order to maintain the survival of the city-state as a whole, populous areas such as the fields will implement a wartime planned distribution system for a long time. You will all have to endure the next 10 years in cold weakness..."

Then, if the Speaker's plan proceeds smoothly, the sacred tree may flourish again after independence. However, the sacred tree will no longer be united, and I cannot imagine what kind of life the citizens will lead then.

I am offering you all another option, simply as a friend. If we can gather your votes, the Independence Bill can still be put to a new vote. Please consider carefully what choice to make!

The broadcast ended, and Shi Zhong severed the mental connection. The entire harvest field fell silent for a full half minute due to the immense impact.

Then, a fearful sound rang out.

"I've never heard of such a thing..."

"Will billions of people die?!"

"What do you mean by a 10-year Great Depression?!"

"Even during previous rotations on the front lines, things have never been this bad!"

"My family farm will go bankrupt?"

Amidst the commotion, a neurotic farmer shouted, "Who will buy my fruit now? Who will buy my fruit?!"

Panic, shock, confusion, and anger erupted among the crowd. Under the combined influence of the White Lotus and the Divine Tree broadcast, the previously united citizens instantly descended into chaos. The independence faction accused the wavering faction of betrayal, while the wavering faction accused the independence faction of covering up the truth; conflict nearly broke out.

Phifid, as the leader of the independence movement, was the most criticized, and the angry farmers almost wanted to eat it. It cried out, "Calm down, everyone! The sacred tree itself said that the depression is temporary! If we just endure for a few more years, the sacred tree will flourish again after the Great Depression ends!"

An armed peasant slammed his rake on the ground: "If we go independent, we'll starve for ten years; if we don't go independent, we'll starve for ten years too! Then what's the point of my independence?!"

"Independence is good for the sacred tree!"

"Bullshit! The Divine Tree itself said it's weakening! You're all traitors to the tree for your own safety!"

"You quit just because you heard your own business was losing money? You're the real traitor!"

The situation deteriorated rapidly; the team collapsed from within, and the separatists were at a loss for how to take command. While the Divine Tree's sanctions were effective, how could they be used to issue sanction orders to hundreds of millions of people? And the speaker happened to be another Divine Tree, which made even the most steadfast separatists uneasy.

The Divine Tree itself has said so, so what is there to question?

Fife was frantic, practically flying: "Captain Lingfeng, where are you? Come quickly and maintain order!"

"—If you can't spare the time, figure it out yourself!"

"what?!"

·

In the fourth pulse sequence to the north, Lingfeng angrily cut off the communication. She floated in the azure sky, surrounded by open space, with nowhere she could not go.

But she couldn't go anywhere, because the woman in knight's armor was floating in front of her.

"Let ordinary people resolve their own disputes..."

Ji Huaisu fastened the dragon-head arm guard and sneered, "Let the cops settle their own scores!"

Chapter 369 Abundant Harvest (9)

Lingfeng drew her soft sword and stared at her opponent, whose aura had changed drastically.

Her movements were much lighter, and new equipment had been added to her armor. Judging from the whirlwind she casually whipped up, she must have transformed into the Free Wind in just three days...

That alone wouldn't be enough to cause concern. The key issue is that the other party's eyes show no sign of confusion. They seem to have figured something out and strengthened their resolve—that's the most troublesome thing. For the path to godhood, what determines strength is never a mere point of matter, but rather will and emotion.

"You seem very confident." Lingfeng brandished her sword. "This time, I'll show you the consequences of meddling in other people's business!"

The soft sword shot out in a beam of light, which Ji Huaisu deflected with a hand chop. In an instant, Ling Feng appeared beside her in a beam of light, his right fist, thrusting out like a dagger, containing the essence of assassination techniques. It was the Jade Forging Karate, inherited from the Cold Intent Sect of Shura Island; those struck by it would turn into jade-like, crystalline corpses, and Ling Feng's fingers also held a poisonous hidden weapon.

No longer will her wind blades be merciful; this time, her fist blades are destructive anti-rainbows, a strike that will shatter the female knight's armor and half her body.

Lingfeng's jab struck her waist squarely, the chill and rainbow light intertwining to cause the spirit-destroying rainbow flower to bloom. Almost simultaneously, Lingfeng followed up with a double strike, intending to shatter the flower and utterly destroy the enemy's will. However, her fist was deflected by an even stronger resistance! She didn't strike the flower so close at hand… but rather, a transparent "card" emerging from the bottom of her armor!

"?!"

At that moment, Ji Huaisu turned and launched a fierce attack, his powerful punch striking Ling Feng squarely in the ribs. Ling Feng used a series of backflips to create distance and regain her balance. She saw Ji Huaisu pick up the card that had inexplicably appeared… and at that moment, a brand new image appeared on the card. It was the flower that should have bloomed on Ji Huaisu!

"The karate of the Heartbreaker, combined with the Anti-Rainbow and War Plant technology, is it?" Ji Huaisu examined the card. "No wonder you were so ruthless. So you're an immigrant from Shura Island."

"It's rare for Captain Lingfeng to show off so much, so let's show you the skills of us knights!"

Ji Huaisu opened and closed the dragon head guard on her right hand, revealing a gap behind the dragon's neck for inserting cards. She inserted the card that sealed the flower, along with the card imprinted with stardust. The dragon's eyes flashed, emitting a low proclamation.

Stardust, Rainbow Flower, Fusion Descent

"Meteor dust breaks, flower dance!"

A blinding light erupted above the battlefield as a meteor shower, imbued with destructive power, descended in an instant. Each speck of dust contained an ominous rainbow of light, and each carried the power of a rainbow flower. They exploded with a deafening roar, creating a vibrant sea of ​​flowers blooming ten thousand meters above the ground!

Lingfeng hastily transformed into light to dodge, sparing no energy to maintain her highly mobile elemental form. She knew better than anyone the power of these flowers; if she were caught in the rainbow flower sea, even she herself would lose her fighting ability due to mental shattering.

This technique was originally created for personal assassination, but Ji Huaisu sealed her ultimate skill with that strange card, combining it with the meteor shower to create this terrifying wide-range instant-death attack!

What exactly is the principle behind this? Is it a sealing technique from a certain path that is rumored to be hidden in the Heavenly Prison? Normally, point 4 particles pride themselves on speed, so how come they encountered such a freak today?

Lingfeng, using her light-formed body, engaged in high-speed thought. She noticed that Ji Huaisu stood still after summoning Chen Po, taking no further action. Her gaze did not follow her movements, but remained in a conventional state, adapting to any eventuality.

That explains it; the opponent's Freestyle build is likely a rare "defense-counterattack" strategy. It sacrifices mobility to enhance sealing techniques in exchange for powerful defensive capabilities. Her failure to keep up with the current actions is the best evidence of this. So…

Abandon close combat and decide the outcome with long-range, high-speed firepower bombardment!

Lingfeng briefly materialized, sending a signal to the Fourth Squad headquarters. The distant armory opened, and four sacred wooden pillars shot into the sky, bound with holy shimenawa ropes. High in the air, Lingfeng clapped her hands repeatedly, the sound summoning the power of wind and thunder.

"When the wind and thunder are summoned, the forest guards the pillars!"

The four divine pillars crashed to the ground, forming a barrier that sealed off both the inside and outside. Inside the barrier, thunderclouds surged, and thick, turbulent lightning flowed, transforming into thousands of divine soldiers guarding the horizon; dark, ferocious winds rose up, carrying the lightning soldiers to form pillars of wind that would destroy everything.

The four towering storms withstood the impact of the dust storm and swept towards the center of the barrier with overwhelming heavenly might. No matter how powerful the sealing technique was, it could not restrain them!

Ji Huaisu shook her neck and conjured two brand-new cards with a flick of her right hand: a beast's claw shaped like shadow and a blade formed from colorless gales. She placed the new cards into the dragon's head and summoned the Sword of Purifying Fire.

[Shadow Claw] [Wind Blade] [Fusion Descent]

"Discipline Judgment: Shadow Blade Storm!"

The phantoms of shadow claws and wind blades magnified and clung to the sword. Ji Huaisu swung the sword with all her might, unleashing a thousand-meter-long slash of dark light. Everything in its path was shattered; the storm vanished, the lightning disappeared, and even the thick divine tree pillars turned into paper-thin sheets. The power of the Dimensional Deterioration Technique erupted within the sword light, ruthlessly smashing Lingfeng's Forest Guardian Pillars to pieces!

Ji Huaisu unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, the sword winds crisscrossing and densely packed like a net, each strike carrying the power of a dimensional deterioration technique. This was an attack far beyond the scope of mere firepower output; it was a wide-range, rapid-fire, instant-death assault!

"What astonishing destructive power...!"

Lingfeng hurriedly ducked to dodge. Her teleportation was a fraction of a second slower, and that single moment reduced half of her armor to useless shreds. She immediately abandoned her bombardment tactic; it was utterly pointless. Even the rainbow demons of the Spiral Tower weren't this ruthless; they at least charged up before unleashing their rainbow explosions!

Where did all this trickery come from? The intelligence only said to be wary of Chu Hengkong in Huilong City, when did this new character appear?!

A loud laugh echoed from within the storm: "What's wrong? Besides bullying small animals and causing internal strife, does the dignified Fourth Captain have no other skills?"

Lingfeng silently clasped her hands together, dispelling the meaningless divine pillar. She flashed behind Ji Huaisu again, unleashing a flurry of punches that were swirling with wind. Ji Huaisu, without turning his head, summoned the Sea-Stabilizing Needle to block the attack. This time, the armor's built-in sealing technique didn't activate, because Lingfeng didn't use elemental power. She used pure assassination techniques.

Since interference and bombing are useless, use the speed advantage to engage in close combat to suppress the enemy, and then strike a fatal blow once an opening is created!

Ji Huaisu withdrew his fire sword, using only his divine needles to entangle with the opponent. Their exchange continued relentlessly; Ji Huaisu's attacks were powerful but difficult to land, while Ling Feng used her speed advantage to nimbly dodge. She pointed two fingers at Ji Huaisu's eyes, and Ji Huaisu turned and swung his hammer. Ling Feng briefly dodged with a burst of light before unleashing a swinging punch, but Ji Huaisu abandoned his staff and caught her fist with his palm. The elemental forces of both collided, erupting with arcs of electricity and a storm of wind behind them!

“Since you are aware of the situation, why meddle in other people’s business?” Ling Feng said in a deep voice. “Using this power to protect your own home is better than getting involved in Jing Sha’s chaos!”

Ji Huaisu sneered, "After you, Jing Sha, go independent, the first city to perish will be my Huilong City. Tell me, should I meddle in this or not?!"

"Am I, Jing Sha, destined to fight for you for the rest of my life?"

"Behind you, Jing Sha, are billions of lives, and the 17 billion citizens within the city-state aren't much better off. Shi Zhong clearly explained the pros and cons before; I don't believe you, Ling Feng, still can't see it clearly!"

Ji Huaisu deflected Ling Feng's attack and then punched him in the cheek. Ling Feng retreated silently, striking Ji Huaisu's upper arm with his soft sword. The two were locked in combat again, each move ruthless and merciless.

"Ten years of hard work is better than a single day of defeat. I support independence precisely because I know this! My city-state of Jingsha has defended the front lines for the allies for thousands of years. Now that I am exhausted and want to withdraw, what have I done wrong!"

"This is utterly absurd!" Ji Huaisu roared. "What do you mean by quitting halfway? Do you think war is a game? War doesn't end because of your will. The enemy will always come knocking. The only way to end it is to kill them all!"

Lingfeng responded with an angry scream: "War means death. What's wrong with wanting fewer deaths for your family?"

Ling Feng threw another heavy punch and retreated, but this time she didn't follow up. She completely transformed into a seven-colored rainbow light, her elemental power flowing with a special rhythm, giving her body an almost liquid-like dynamism. Several thorns tore through her back, weaving long wings that resembled insects. The brightness at the tips of those wings rapidly increased, emitting scorching, high-speed beams of light!

Ji Huaisu erected a sealing spell, piling up layers of cards to form a wall, but she was at a disadvantage in both offense and defense. The beams of light were too fast and fired at near-body distance, making it difficult for her to deal with them immediately, even with her sealing techniques.

After utilizing the auxiliary system, the release of a powerful fusion spell requires time to deploy cards, and Lingfeng precisely capitalized on this time difference to launch a precise attack. Ji Huaisu's card defense crumbled, while Lingfeng's beam of light gradually intensified as her emotions escalated.

She looked at Ji Huaisu with a cold and stern expression, her words piercingly cutting: "To claim to be righteous yet use other people's citizens as a shield is utterly shameful!"

Ji Huaisu silently closed his eyes.

In the past, she would have felt ashamed of such sharp criticism.

They may doubt whether their actions are correct, consider whether they should refute the enemy's viewpoint, feel anxious because they cannot prove their own correctness, and be troubled by that doubt and questioning.

But now, she has broken free from her confusion.

Whether it's right or wrong, you know perfectly well in your heart.

Now that you've made your own choice, you don't need to worry about what others say!

"You have been asleep in delusion for too long. I will wake you up!"

The sealing spell ceased, and the wall blocking the rainbow light was instantly shattered. Ji Huaisu faced the light of destruction head-on. She drew a brand-new card from her armor. In the center of that emerald green card, a majestic being roared towards the sky.

[Disaster Beast Descends]

The proclamation sounded once more, solemn and majestic, like a messenger announcing the will of the gods. Ji Huaisu placed the dragon-headed bracers before him; the jade dragon carving was lifelike. At that moment, it detached from its armor, soared up, and transformed into the colossal creature within the card, engulfing the beam of light entirely!

"—Come forth, dragon of calamity!"

A fierce wind surged, thunder roared like trees, and purple lightning illuminated the form of the colossal creature. It was undoubtedly an ancient dragon, with long, upright golden horns, ancient and majestic flowing whiskers, and coral-like spikes protruding from its long body. Yet even the visitors from Longquan Township could not discern its form, for the beast's appearance was far removed from that of an ancient dragon.

It has six claws, a fierce head and horns, and limbs as thick as a demon's arms. Three pairs of transparent wings grow from its claws, generating a howling gale. This is a mad dragon that brings calamity; when it roars in fury, its wings will blot out the sky!

—The path of the Discipline Knight is an elemental path centered on bondage.

Its first element, the Light Guardian, uses a protective "shield" to bind the light. Its second element, the Shadow Blade, uses a fighting "sword" to bind the shadows. After mastering the three elements, fire, water, and dust each transform into armor to protect the knight, proving his determination to uphold the righteous path.

The moment of mastering the "wind" is the most difficult hurdle for a Discipline Knight to overcome. Because the "wind" symbolizes freedom, the elemental body makes it easy for the mind to run wild and emotions to get out of control. Once the vows are forgotten, even the strongest knight will fall into heresy and become a demonic storm.

Therefore, the knights abandoned their elemental bodies.

They relinquished the convenience and the freedom, using their prized sealing techniques to bind the power of the free wind within a "mark." They dedicated that freedom to their most loyal companions, their mounts who shared life and death on the battlefield. From then on, knights truly became knights; they restricted their own freedom, but gained another loyal comrade. When they fought side by side, their speed was so great that even the fiercest winds could not reach them.

This is the fourth element of the Discipline Knight, skilled in sealing techniques, and known as the "Wind Seal Knight" who travels with his mount. And Ji Huaisu's mount is this "Calamity Dragon," named after calamity!