Chapter 1945: Why Not Let Others Have Boundless Merits?

“Just as I thought!” Fang Canran raised an eyebrow. “You are closely connected to the Great Flask. Can you make it produce Dragonbane Pillars as well?”

He Lingchuan replied without hesitation: “Yes, as long as there are enough materials.”

“Brother He originally entrusted me with selling Black Crystals for him; now, it seems this task will have to go to someone else.” Fang Canran took a deep breath. “What I want to distribute isn’t Black Crystals.”

“You want to follow in Mr. Shao’s footsteps again?” He Lingchuan was visibly moved, shaking his head repeatedly. “That’s too dangerous, absolutely not!”

“If Shao Jian could do it, then I naturally can too,” Fang Canran said resolutely. “I don’t have Brother He’s great talent, nor the chance to make history, but I can contribute my small part and not let Brother He fight alone!”

He smiled. “Besides, I doubt you’d find anyone else capable of this task besides me.”

The Great Flask, Dragon Coil City, Dragonbane Pillars—how many people in the world have access to so many secrets?

Dragonbane Pillars are treasures coveted even by celestials. Aside from Fang Canran, whom else could He Lingchuan trust to take them?

But He Lingchuan still firmly objected: “When Mr. Shao disseminated the Dragonbane Pillars, the world didn’t know what they were, and the Sky Demons were unprepared. Now, they are treasures the Sky Demons will fight fiercely for. Taking Dragonbane Pillars on the road is like throwing raw meat to a pack of lions and tigers; the danger is even greater than it was 160 years ago! Brother Fang, there are many ways to resist the Sky Demons; you don’t have to choose the most dangerous one.”

“The Demon Realm and the human world are in a constant push and pull,” Fang Canran smiled brightly. “The more chaotic the heavens become, the more Imperial Dew is produced, and the more humanity benefits. This is a grand open strategy! Brother He, you yourself bravely forge ahead; why won’t you allow others to accumulate boundless merit?”

“Besides, isn’t the path Brother He takes dangerous? You are the one directly confronting the Sky Demons and Beiga.”

“You’ve just been with me in the ancient city and heard its secrets; it’s natural for your heart to be stirred,” He Lingchuan said, pouring him another cup of wine. “Wait a few days until you’ve calmed down, and then we’ll discuss this further!”

When one’s blood runs hot, anyone can be generous; but when calm, there’s much more to consider.

Fang Canran didn’t say much more. He raised his cup and drank it all.

The legacy of Dragon Coil City now only has these two inheritors in the world.

He Lingchuan himself, intimately familiar with Dragon Coil City and experiencing it every day, was still curious. He wondered how the Shao clan had educated their descendants. After 160 years, their flame had still not died out.

Could it be related to that old parrot?

Just then, Weng Xing arrived to report:

“My Lord, the southern contingent has arrived. But…”

He glanced at Fang Canran. The latter, sensing the hint, stood up and stretched. “I’m full and satisfied; I need a hot bath and some sleep.”

He Lingchuan smiled, and personally rose to see him off.

Watching Fang Canran’s figure disappear, the Soul-Capturing Mirror exclaimed, “You actually told Fang Canran your secret!”

It was very surprised; it was its master’s most important secret.

“This secret is becoming harder and harder to keep. Rather than letting him hear a distorted version from Mount Ling, it’s better if I’m frank with him first.” Even before Miao Zhantian entered the Upside-Down Sea, Bai Ziqi already knew that He Lingchuan was Emperor Jiuyou and that he possessed the Great Flask. If Bai Ziqi knew, and Miao Zhantian knew, then the gods of Lingxu would naturally know too.

Since the gods of Lingxu knew, Mount Ling would soon receive the news as well.

“Besides, Brother Fang is someone I hope to win over. If I don’t reveal my hand first, he’ll never trust me.” He Lingchuan sighed softly. “After years of acquaintance, I’ve long noticed that he and Mount Ling are only superficially aligned.”

The Soul-Capturing Mirror said, “He is indeed the most suitable person to disseminate the Dragonbane Pillars.”

“Brother Fang’s conviction is rarely seen in this world.” In some respects, it borders on obsession.

When such a person finds a goal worth fighting for, they will embody ‘unwavering devotion’ to its fullest.

Just then, Weng Xing also approached. He Lingchuan’s smile had vanished. “What happened?”

“Tao Ran’s contingent has arrived at Duocheng, but Du Xiaoyi unfortunately died in battle three days ago!”

Du Xiaoyi was a Mount Rong native who had traveled thousands of miles with He Lingchuan. He was Qiu Hu’s junior fellow apprentice, highly skilled in cultivation and martial arts. On this trip, he had followed Qiu Hu from Yangshan to Flash Gold Plain.

No war is without casualties, but He Lingchuan hadn’t expected to hear such grim news from a Mount Rong person so soon.

“Also, Mr. Du Shan has arrived.”

He Lingchuan’s tense expression eased slightly:

“Gather everyone in the council hall for a meeting!”

Fifteen minutes later, the generals gathered in the council hall.

Currently, three contingents had successfully converged in Duocheng: the Northern Army led by He Lingchuan, the Central-Southern Army led by Doctor Shi Li and the Weng brothers, and the Southern Army led by Tao Ran and Du Xiaoyi.

It was impossible for all seven armies to converge in Duocheng simultaneously. Waiting for everyone would take too long, and logistics couldn’t sustain it. He Lingchuan’s approach was to have contingents join and reorganize as they arrived, entering the next phase as quickly as possible.

He Lingchuan was still in the corridor when he heard boisterous laughter from inside the room.

Weng Su’s booming voice could be heard through two sets of doors: “Before we took Pinghu City, we made thorough preparations, planning how to coordinate inside and out, how to breach the city gates, how to deal with those foolish officials, and how to cut off the defenders—everything was well-thought-out. But when we got there, holy smokes, guess what happened?”

Someone played along: “What happened?”

“The largest band of bandits in the vicinity had just descended from the mountains to raid, and they also picked Pinghu City! When we arrived, they had already opened the city gates and were about to start looting and killing. So we engaged them first and took them all down. Then the Pinghu City officials came over to thank us, and just like that, I flipped my blade and put it to his neck, declaring: ‘Surrender the city, and no one dies!’ Haha, you should have seen the look on his face then—he looked like he’d seen a ghost!”

The generals roared with laughter.

However, the moment He Lingchuan walked in, the laughter instantly ceased, and everyone stood up solemnly, with their hands at their sides.

The reverence on their faces was heartfelt.

This man before them had accomplished feats that ordinary mortals wouldn’t even dare to imagine. Most of the Black Armored Army generals devoutly believed that he was truly the reincarnation of the Dragon God!

“Sit.” He Lingchuan sat down first, and without exchanging pleasantries, he immediately spoke: “What happened with Du Xiaoyi’s accident?”

Du Xiaoyi had been leading the Southern Army’s vanguard. The two contingents were supposed to cooperate.

Tao Ran, the Southern Army’s main general, stood up and briefly recounted the events.

Apparently, after Du Xiaoyi’s troops finished fighting at Tianxing Town, they were supposed to rendezvous with Tao Ran. However, the battle at Tianxing Town dragged on for two extra days, delaying the battle plan. So he took a shortcut through White Banyan Forest, which would save a day and a half of travel.

He Lingchuan rubbed his brow. “The route I set for you specifically avoided White Banyan Forest for a reason.”

“Yes,” Tao Ran said quietly. “Xiaoyi probably thought that White Banyan Forest was large, and since vipers were hibernating this season, he wouldn’t be so unlucky as to encounter them.”