Chapter 1871: Upside-down War Within the Seas

The Battle of Inverted Sea has finally concluded.

With Boss He returning victorious and currently at sea, we'll, as is customary, conduct a post-battle review.

This battle was a celestial and demonic war in a spiritually rich environment. So why wasn't it written like a typical fantasy xianxia novel, as a chaotic melee of powerful, unscrupulous figures unleashing devastating techniques?

That wouldn't have been difficult, truly.

Some readers complained, "Couldn't they just have charged straight in?" "Why so many twists and turns? Why so many reversals?"

Because my understanding of "war between super-powered factions" is definitely not just true immortals fighting while ordinary immortals watch, or ordinary immortals fighting while everyone else spectates, waiting for their demise.

It involves at least three levels of confrontation:

First, there's the hot war, which includes:

Territorial conquest: The Lighthouse Scramble, the Divine Meteorite Defense.

Resource acquisition: The struggle for mystic crystals and mystic ore.

Annihilating the enemy's living forces, which needs no elaboration.

Second, there's the war of public opinion: Bai Ziqin disseminated ambiguous information to the Heavenly Palace forces, successfully undermining their morale and causing defections.

Finally, there's the highest-dimensional battle of laws (the Sea of Consciousness). This is quite abstract, but if compared to reality, you could understand it as one side using international law as a weapon, while the other makes moves according to "established order."

This type of war must involve every unit, every cell, every individual in the fight, in the confrontation, just like the reality we live in.

Next, we consider the trump cards of the warring parties, their ultimate, hidden weapons.

Unleashing a powerful move doesn't necessarily give an advantage, and playing a trump card doesn't guarantee victory.

The key lies in rhythm and timing.

Miaozhantian, as the aggressor, is characterized by its "fierceness," unleashing a barrage of divine abilities and powerful moves. Qianhuan, as the defender, is characterized by its "steadiness"; it doesn't care how many lives are lost, as human lives are also cards to be played.

In this regard, Qianhuan had the upper hand. When the game is nearing its end, an opponent still holding the strongest hand can utterly devastate you.

Some say trump cards are infinite, that the author can simply declare as many as they wish, right?

Now that the Battle of Inverted Sea has concluded, everyone can count: the number of trump cards revealed by both sides was actually quite similar.

They are all thousand-year-old foxes; how much difference could there be between them?

Then why didn't Qianhuan ultimately win? Because of an unexpected variable, because He Lingchuan suddenly appeared in the midst of it all.

War itself is unpredictable. Who knows where unforeseen events will arise, or when karma will suddenly manifest and rebound on you or your opponent?

So, we primarily constructed the Battle of Inverted Sea around these three aspects: forms of confrontation, weapons of war, and unforeseen variables. When these elements interweave, the situation becomes intricate, the war protracted, and it brings a sense of "torment" that everyone can experience—both those involved and us, the observers.

I know "feel-good" novels are not typically written this way, but what specific qualities of confrontation does it evoke as a war story?

They are wisdom, courage, and resilience, along with a reverence for war:

We can only treat it with seriousness and caution, until the moment of victory.

Do not lightly start a war; if you must fight, you must win!

Just like in reality.

If you pull your gaze back from the book and look west, look south, don't those wars and confrontations contain the very elements I've described?

I projected my understanding and thoughts on war into this fantasy battlefield, which is why the Battle of Inverted Sea is so uniquely complex.

Of course, I must add a disclaimer:

This is merely my personal opinion, for your casual reading. How much can I truly understand about war, right?

I know some might ask, "You're writing a xianxia novel, so why insist on projecting real-world warfare onto a fantasy battlefield?"

That relates to the fundamental concepts and logical framework of the entire book after the immortals disappeared. Space is limited, so let's discuss it another time. As you all know, my writing always adheres to core principles and doesn't stray with unnecessary tangents.

——————Fengxing Shuiyun Jian / Jiufang YeDecember 27, 2024