Chapter 1880: His Karma

He Lingchuan continued, "Isn't our cultivation also going against the heavens? Humans live for a hundred years, but immortals can live for thousands."

"That's why I said, it's not impossible, just too difficult." At this point, it was unclear whether it was General Hong or Mitya guiding him. "The key is to find the boundary between life and death."

She said slowly, "The 'distinction' in 'life and death are distinct' is precisely that demarcation, that boundary."

"Boundary?" The word was not new to He Lingchuan from his time in the Upside-Down Sea. "From illusion to reality?"

"The Great Dao is profound, and all paths lead to the same destination, but this 'path' is far more difficult than that." General Hong stated seriously, "The barrier between life and death is the hardest to loosen. You not only have to find it, but also blur it, and ideally, break it."

"Breaking the... boundary between life and death?" He Lingchuan asked humbly, "What is the boundary between life and death like?"

"What is the boundary like?" General Hong scoffed, "What is air like?"

It was, by nature, formless and intangible.

"Each boundary between life and death might be different, and first, you have to find the right one. That alone is already very difficult." General Hong looked at the outline of the distant mountains. "Why do you think the Death Sage opened the Underworld? The very existence of that realm is a boundary."

He Lingchuan murmured, "So, if the boundary between the realm of the dead and the living world is blurred, the spirits can emerge?"

Given this, the boundary containing Panlong City should be easy to define, right? Isn't it the Grand Flask? Inside the Flask is illusion, outside is reality.

This also implicitly agreed with the principle True Man Qianhuan had spoken of before: the interchange of illusion and reality, turning illusion into truth, with the key resting on the boundary and the criteria for judgment.

A demarcation problem that was difficult for others was not a problem for him.

"Or break it," General Hong corrected him. "But both require a huge price, even for the Death Sage."

So, the historically recorded army of the dead was only released once?

He Lingchuan quickly asked, "What kind of price?"

General Hong tilted her head. "It varies with time and circumstances. However, I have never witnessed a large-scale resurrection of the dead in the human world, so you don't need to dwell on it. It would undoubtedly be a price no one could bear."

How could He Lingchuan give up so easily? "But the Death Sage's Underworld can inherently allow the deceased to reincarnate. Isn't that not going against the heavens? From life to death, and from death to rebirth, it seems more like it's in line with the cyclical laws of existence."

General Hong burst into laughter. He Lingchuan detected a hint of Mitya's unique amusement: "Only the unparalleled power of the Death Sage allows the Underworld to be embedded within the laws of the Celestial Realm, just as the Heavenly Net Star can embed itself within and rewrite the laws of this realm. Who do you think you are, to compare yourself to a Sage? A giant elephant can easily shake a tree, but what about a tiny ant like you?"

To put it crudely:

He can, you cannot.

He Lingchuan sighed deeply and said with a solemn expression:

"I understand."

Three days later, Beijia withdrew its troops, citing continuous heavy rain causing landslides and blocking the front lines.

But everyone involved knew this was just an excuse. Beijia's reason for dispatching troops — the death of Xianyou's second prince — had disappeared, and local forces within Xianyou had been largely suppressed by Panlong City, preventing effective cooperation with external forces.

General Hong, General Hǔyì, and General Nánkē firmly held the eastern front of Xianyou, like reefs facing a raging tide, making it difficult for Beijia's army to advance effectively.

This bone was simply too tough to chew.

The opportune moment to suppress Panlong City had passed. Continuing the struggle would not look good for Beijia.

It had not yet committed to fully conquering Panlong City.

At this time, news also came from Lingshan that Beijia's two major vassal demon states, Shanyu and Fulie, had started fighting, which would somewhat affect Beijia's foreign military deployments.

The bitter fruits of this war were currently being borne entirely by Xianyou itself. On the surface, Panlong City was the biggest winner.

But everyone knew Beijia would not give up easily.

This temporary withdrawal was like the great ebb tide before a tsunami, bound to return sooner or later, powerful and fierce.

Soon after, He Lingchuan returned to Panlong City amidst the cicada calls of late summer.

Walking through the magnificent South City Gate, he looked back and saw the black flood dragon sculpture circling on the gate tower, playing with the precious pearl in its mouth.

Before him, Panlong City was bustling with people and traffic, everything as usual.

How good.

He hoped the doomsday of the isolated city, as shown to him by the Great Yan Heavenly Pearl, would never come.

Zhong Shengguang was temporarily away. After entering the city, He Lingchuan first needed to find the families of the fallen generals and hand over their belongings.

Although parting of life and death was a frequent occurrence in the Panlong Wilderness, the task of "delivering bad news" was always the most harrowing. No matter how commandingly He Lingchuan acted on the battlefield, no matter how many times he had delivered tragic news, his heart was always deeply saddened whenever he witnessed the anguish of the fallen soldiers' families.

Liu Lin's parents were still in the countryside. When his wife received the terrible news, she cried uncontrollably, dropping the child she held. He Lingchuan quickly caught the child, who was only two years old, with wide, round eyes, unaware of what was happening, but seeing its mother cry, it also began to whimper.

He Lingchuan then placed the wooden carved pendant into the child's hand, and the child's attention was immediately diverted.

The pendant was large and couldn't be put in the mouth.

He Lingchuan only left the home after the piercing cries subsided.

This was why Zhong Shengguang insisted that generals must personally deliver bad news and not delegate it to their subordinates:

They had sacrificed their lives in battles commanded by you. Behind every fearless sacrifice, there was inevitably a broken aftermath.

Therefore, those in positions of power must never take others' lives for granted.

Facing Panlong City's magnificent South City Gate, He Lingchuan remained lost in thought for a long time.

In reality, he would soon initiate conflict himself, igniting the flames of war with his own hands.

The fates of countless people would be changed because of him, and innumerable families would be forced to face such partings of life and death.

But his resolve would not waver. He firmly believed the path he had chosen, though difficult, was the right one.

This was the karma he had to bear.

He Lingchuan closed his eyes, exhaling a long, drawn-out breath, expelling all the mixed emotions from his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was resolute.

He walked past the Mitya Temple, which was packed with devotees. Many paid respects by the Fortune Pond, scooping a little water to sprinkle on themselves, seeking blessings from the deity.

He Lingchuan looked at the shimmering water and the languid koi, recalling the isolated city's demise shown by the Great Yan Heavenly Pearl.

At that time, Zhong Shengguang had stood in his exact spot, facing the Fortune Pond and vowing to become a demon on the spot to protect the Grand Flask.

He Lingchuan, of course, knew that Zhong Shengguang's object of prayer was the Grand Flask, but at that moment, he had clearly addressed it as "Venerable Deity"!

Although Bai Ziqí also frequently used such respectful titles for Miaozhantian, He Lingchuan knew they were definitely not referring to the same entity.