Chapter 1234: New Power

With the death of Ghost King Xuanlu, the elite forces of Bixia were no longer as formidable. The series of tactics previously devised around the Ghost King's avatars and its death-sworn followers immediately became ineffective.

Joy filled the Sima clan's territory. The towns and villages near the front line received the news first, decorating everywhere with lanterns and streamers, making it livelier than the New Year's celebration and completely unlike a war-torn region. In stark contrast, Jucheng itself was silent, its Bixia inhabitants utterly dejected after their recent crushing defeat.

Late the next night, Sima Yu surprisingly led his army to attack Jucheng again! He seized the opportunity, knowing the Bixia forces' morale was low, and decided to strike while they were vulnerable. This night attack was exceptionally smooth because "open-the-gate" and "guide-the-way" factions emerged at both of Jucheng's gates. The betrayal at the West Gate was discovered in advance, but the East Gate was quietly forced open. Before the Bixia people could even react, the Sima army had already swept in. The day before, the Bixia army had been defeated at Miancun, with hundreds fleeing in disarray. Sima Yu had planted his own people among the retreating soldiers, allowing them to infiltrate Jucheng for a coordinated attack from within and without.

By then, both Baijian Town and Jucheng had been reclaimed by the Sima clan. Jucheng, which controlled the vital mountain pass, held significant strategic value. With Jucheng secured, the Sima clan's territorial security greatly improved. The Bixia people could no longer easily send troops to plunder places like Rolling Stone Valley and Miancun as they had before.

These two great victories were of immense significance. Sima Yu immediately sent urgent messages to his allies, spreading the good news. Three days later, replies from various parties arrived, all expressing willingness to join forces with the Sima clan to collectively attack Bixia!

Bixia was greatly alarmed. They began mobilizing troops while simultaneously requesting aid from Yaoguo. Yaoguo did not directly dispatch troops, as Sima Yu's joint offensive was not entirely smooth sailing: Yaoguo subtly employed tactics to sow discord, causing only two of the originally agreed-upon seven armies to arrive, making a total of three armies including the Sima clan's forces. The four other factions had initially guaranteed they would send troops and completely overwhelm Bixia. However, when the time came to dispatch their armies, they remained silent, either claiming changes in circumstances or simply offering no explanation at all. What was supposed to be an army of seventy thousand to punish Bixia had dwindled to only thirty-one thousand soldiers, nearly twenty thousand of whom belonged to the Sima clan. On the opposing side, Bixia commanded thirty thousand troops and benefited from advantageous terrain. Moreover, they had Yaoguo as a powerful backer. Comparing the strengths of both sides, the allied forces did not have an advantage; in fact, they were subtly at a disadvantage.

He Lingchuan had also been in Rolling Stone Valley during this period, observing the war's progress from close to the front lines. Warfare on the Shanjin Plains was very different from that in Yuanguo, Beijia, Yaguo, or even Panlong City. It was primarily localized and small-scale; unless it was a siege, a battle usually concluded within two days, characterized by its brevity and swiftness, rarely prolonged. Wars here were frequent, and the number of participants was small, leading to different combat styles, which gave He Lingchuan considerable inspiration.

Another significant discovery was that within just a few days, the power of faith within the Qianglong Battle Armor—which He Lingchuan later reclassified as "votive power"—had suddenly increased again. From the very first day he acquired the Qianglong Battle Armor, he sensed a faint, almost imperceptible power on it—warm, gentle, and firm, entirely different from the spiritual energy he commanded. At that time, he didn't quite understand how the newly formed Qianglong Battle Armor could be imbued with votive power. But after these few days, He Lingchuan was finally able to clearly discern that the original power came from Pengguo, while the newly added votive power originated from the Sima clan's territory and surrounding areas! This feeling was indescribable, but whenever he pressed the heart-scale on the Qianglong Battle Armor and closed his eyes, everything became clear to him. It felt as natural as breathing. He could even sense that the votive power from around the Sima clan's territory was less abundant and not as pure as that from Pengguo.

Pengguo... Hmm, what had he done in Pengguo, or rather, the former Boguo, to collect votive power? He Lingchuan recalled the dream of the heart-scale: this particular heart-scale of the Black Dragon, even after the great worldly catastrophe and the Black Dragon's own demise, continued to sustain the oasis barrier, protect countless lives, and dispel evil spirits and demons. Its merits were immeasurable, and the common people were deeply grateful. Furthermore, the Black Dragon itself was a divine beast closest to the Heavenly Dao. The treasure armor forged from this heart-scale possessed the ability to gather votive power. Although the armor did not explicitly state it, he clearly understood that only votive power directed towards him would be collected by the armor. In other words, he first had to accomplish something significant to inspire admiration and belief among living beings for the Qianglong Battle Armor to accumulate this power.

Well, upon careful reflection, it seemed he had indeed done quite a bit in the former Boguo. One could say that the overthrow of that country was indirectly related to him. The mirror, also deep in thought with him, suddenly exclaimed, "Nangong Yan! You killed Nangong Yan!" Nangong Yan was killed by his own hand, and his body was then hung at the border for all to see. This villain was the old King Bo's enforcer, who ran rampant in the country, committing all manner of evil deeds. The people suffered greatly but dared not speak out. He Lingchuan's execution of Nangong Yan, ridding the world of an unstoppable demon, was an act that brought immense public satisfaction. When the news spread, everyone celebrated enthusiastically, and firecrackers filled the towns and villages. The mirror added, "Do you remember? Some people even set up memorial tablets for you!" Families who had been directly or indirectly persecuted by Nangong Yan secretly set up memorial tablets for He Lingchuan at the time, wishing him freedom from illness and a long life. They didn't know who he was or what he looked like, but he had avenged them, and they were grateful to him from the bottom of their hearts! This was admiration and belief; this was the source of votive power.

He Lingchuan murmured, "So that's it." By analogy, the Qianglong Battle Armor's ability to collect votive power near the Sima territory most likely stemmed from his killing of Ghost King Xuanlu. Ghost King Xuanlu had caused trouble for three hundred years, devouring human souls and sending out avatars to aid evil, stirring up chaos in neighboring states. He almost perfectly fit everyone's definition of "gravely sinful." Not to mention distant lands, within the Sima clan's own territory, many common people had their families ruined and lives shattered by him. It was hard to deny the Ghost King's contribution when the Bixia people captured Gaopu. He Lingchuan's slaying of Ghost King Xuanlu on the battlefield was witnessed by countless people; afterwards, the Sima clan heavily publicized it, so this fact was naturally widely accepted. As for whether the Ghost King's true form had truly vanished, only a handful of people had doubts. Most who heard the good news believed it, so it did not affect the generation of votive power.

Having understood these two points, He Lingchuan's interest was piqued: So, why was the votive power collected here less than that from Pengguo? The Ghost King had continuously committed evil for three hundred years; in terms of harm, it was far more severe and terrifying than Nangong Yan. He had eliminated the Ghost King, so people in the surrounding areas should be even more grateful to He Lingchuan. What was different about his two actions of slaying?

"Time!" the mirror exclaimed. "How long ago did you kill Nangong Yan? But the Ghost King, you only killed him a few days ago."