Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 451 The Tactics of the Weak
What kind of person can be considered a hero?

Among plants, the finest and most beautiful are called heroes; among beasts, the most outstanding are called valiant.

Intelligence and talent are called "heroism," and extraordinary courage is called "heroism."

Sweeping across the land and unifying the country, does that make one a hero?

Does slaughtering all living beings and wiping out the world make one a hero?

To turn the tide when all is lost, to save a collapsing building—does that qualify one as a hero?

Does being fearless in the face of violence and fulfilling one's duty qualify one as a hero?

Is sacrificing one's life for righteousness and dying a heroic death considered heroic?

Knowing full well that there is no victory but only death, yet still doing it despite knowing it is impossible, even in death one must stand tall and die on the right path.

Does he count as a hero?

Or perhaps, we don't need to be so fixated on those grand ideals and empty titles.

Anyone who knows why they are there and why they are wielding their sword can be considered a hero.

Even the dragon of the vast ocean, regardless of whether it was a hero or not, at least knew that it was there to have fun.

But Tie Dan was confused.

At this moment, in this situation,
For whom should he wield his sword, and to whom should he strike?

For Huangfu Yi? To save the common people?

But Tie Dan didn't care about the common people at all. After all, when have the common people ever cared about the dog boy who was barely surviving in the freezing cold and begging for a living?

For Shi Yuanniang? For revenge?

But Shi Jiao didn't really have any grudge against him. His madness was purely innate. Even if all the madmen in the family were wiped out, Yuan Niang would not come back.

Or is there some other reason, purely for the sword?

For the sake of the sword in their hands, they strive for victory, engage in sword battles, fight against the three major sects and the Nine Mysteries Sect, vie for the title of number one in the world, and seek to touch the supreme Heavenly Dao.

Is it enough to slaughter until everyone in the world praises the Beichen Sword Sect as the best in the world?

Are you satisfied with this?
Does this mean one has attained enlightenment?
Tie Dan didn't understand.

In this life, there are always people pushing him forward, rushing forward, breaking through endless calamities and suffering, to find a way to survive for everyone.

But after all these years of killing, the more he learned and the more he saw, the less he understood where the so-called way out really was.

Will killing Shi Jiao lead to a better future?
If the Ten Deadly Formations are broken, will fewer people really die?

But the Taiji Heaven itself is an endless, inescapable purgatory and execution ground.

Only the strong prey on the weak, and only the winner is king.

Only the strong, the victors, and the kings survive.

For the strong, all they need to do is fight.

All we need to do is kill, kill, kill, and execute all those who defy us.

All you need to do is become the last king remaining in the wilderness.

But what if you are already in a vulnerable position?

Are the weak destined to be devoured and slaughtered by the strong?

There is no...

Can the weak wield a sword...?

"What are you thinking with that stern face?"

Then a familiar voice rang in his ears. Tie Dan frowned, glancing at the blood-red figure beside him out of the corner of his eye.
"How come you're not dead?"

Chen Xuantian was baffled.
"Who said I'm dead?"

"If you're not dead, return the sword?"

"Your sword, you've woken up, of course I've returned it."

Besides, didn't we agree that you should rest while I go for a walk?

Why are you in such a hurry to get up? They won't finish fighting anytime soon.

Tie Dan rubbed his brow.

"...So what did you find while you were out there?"

Chen Xuantian pointed out the battle situation on the ground.

"Oh, I went to check, and sure enough, the cult's altars had left in advance, so there's no one in the center to preside over the formation now."

Therefore, it is impossible to change the barrier again, nor can it use the earth-falling magic again. The only option is to use the remaining power of the earth veins to revive the divine soldiers in the formation.

Now that the Heavenly King's surprise attack has penetrated the core of the formation, and after seven days and seven nights of attrition, the earth's vein formation power will naturally gradually deplete, and the formation can be broken.

Tie Dan frowned.

"Seven days? Isn't it supposed to be ten years?"

"Without Emei, how could we have survived for ten years? Look at the water level."

Chen Xuantian pointed to the canal that ran from north to south across the battlefield. Only then did Tie Dan notice that the water had dried up.

"Even though the Divine Cult can seal forty prefectures within the array, it cannot block the waterways. In fact, a considerable portion of the array's power is borrowed from the Gen River."

I've spoken with people from the company, and they've already noticed the arrangements in Suiyang. So they've already set up an outdoor setup and arranged for an engineering team to come in and dig the river to change its course.

Suiyang is indeed the key to the world, with an extremely crucial position. However, once the Gen River changes course, it will naturally turn the tide, undermine the foundation, and render all efforts futile.

When the Gen River overflows, the entire geomantic landscape of the Eastern Kingdom will be altered, destroying the terrain of Suiyang. Even the downstream areas of Zhen Kingdom, stretching for thousands of miles and covering tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, will suffer disaster.

By that time, not only would the Grand Canal have collapsed, but the southeast would also have been flooded for thousands of miles, and there would probably be no more grain to be allocated to the Central Plains.

Even if we were to remain stationed in Suiyang, it would be pointless.

Tie Dan fell silent for a moment.

Chen Xuantian shrugged.

"The difference in scale and resources between the two sides is too great. The company rules over all the worlds and has countless resources and endless tricks up its sleeve. It can use the world as a chessboard to make moves."

No matter how much Zhang Xun prepared or how much he sacrificed, he could only mobilize a single city or region to defend a small corner of the land. Besides, he himself was nothing more than a pawn discarded by the Celestial Palace.

If Emei were still around, they could probably work their way out of the company's situation, but now... they'd probably still try to stop them, right? After all, too many people died from the diversion of the Gen River, and those guys would definitely care.

In short, with the battle at this point, there is no point in holding Suiyang to the death.

The same went for the cult; seeing the changing times and the impossibility of success, they rushed in like swarms, then withdrew cleanly and decisively.

Tie Dan fell silent for a moment, watching the old man on the ground who kept charging forward with his gun, only to be futilely swept away and smashed to pieces by the demonic dragon time and time again.

"Is there nowhere to go, neither in heaven nor on earth?"

Chen Xuantian glanced at him, patted Tie Dan on the shoulder,

"If you want to cut, just slash at it with your sword."

Young man, if you see someone you don't like, just draw your sword and slash them.

"Those matters of hesitation, scheming, and plotting are best left to the adults to consider." Tie Dan looked at him.

"But didn't you say we don't have that many chances to reset?"

"What, you remembered now? Cough cough, okay, the main thing is that even if the surprise force I brought is wiped out, the Heavenly King Army will not suffer any losses."

Chen Xuantian pointed to the demonic dragon on the ground,

"That's just the boss's double, remotely controlled; it's essentially a drone. The company has prepared seven or eight of these combat drones for him. After all, you can't really let the boss fight on the front lines; what if something really happens?"
And these demons and monsters are really just pretty but useless things, nothing more than skins and toys given away with in-game purchases. They're not even combat-grade items; they're just cannon fodder.

So now that I think about it, it seems that Emei really did spend ten years of hard work to slaughter all the demons that entered the formation before they stopped.

It's just that the company stepped in again and revived the army. But at that time, the boss was really fed up with Emei and didn't want to play anymore..."

"Resurrection? Hundreds of thousands of troops?"

"Yeah, anyway, they're all basically raised from chickens. Just give them some hormones and medicine and they'll grow up. I gave you a lot of medicine when I treated your injuries before, and you see, it worked pretty well."

Chen Xuantian also shook his head.
"Sigh, that's just how unfair pay-to-win is. These days, you can buy anything if you're willing to spend money. Poor people just can't enjoy the game."

Tie Dan remained silent.

Chen Xuantian patted Tie Dan on the shoulder and pointed at Zhang Xun.

"But you see, he still wants to continue."

Tie Dan looked up and saw that the defender of Suiyang was still charging forward.

The old man charged forward like a goat, gripping his gun. Unfortunately, he seemed more suited to writing, so even with the reinforcements of the formation, his charging gunshots struggled to hit the dragon's vitals.

Perhaps it was precisely because they were not used to wielding knives and guns that they could not see how terrifying the dragon in front of them was, and the difference in their combat power was like heaven and earth.

However, the fireflies were not afraid of the bright moonlight. Even though their lances were already broken, the goat riders continued to charge again and again, bleeding from their heads, but never turning back.

With each shot, he pierced the bandit leader who wreaked havoc on the world, and the demon king who threatened the common people.

"What's the point of doing this?"

Tie Dan frowned.

"If you can't beat them, run away; if you can beat them, then fight. Why can't you understand such a simple principle?"

What's the point of such a pointless sacrifice?

Chen Xuantian stroked his chin.

"If we really fight, we'll never win, but is this the tactic of the weak?"

Tie Dan turned to look at him.

Chen Xuantian thought for a moment and then explained,

"When takins are hunted by lions, they will deliberately abandon the old and weak. Sacrificing the weak individuals to allow the majority of the group to survive is the tactic for the weak in the face of natural selection."

You find it hard to understand those who sacrifice their lives for the collective, the country, the greater good, their ideals, or for various other reasons, right?

This is actually quite normal, because that's how you've been molded.

You are a predator; you don't need the protection of your own kind. As the strong, you can trust your own power; your kind are merely your food and competitors.

But we humans are not, in essence, born predators; we are merely small, social animals living on the earth.

Although we ultimately emerged victorious from the competition of nature, at the genetic level, we are closer to those who were hunted and preyed upon.

Therefore, when faced with a life-or-death crisis, people will involuntarily awaken the underlying genetic code written in their bones.

They sacrificed their lives for righteousness, gave themselves up, and died for their country, leaving the chance of survival and the hope for the future to the next generation.

This is what is called human nature.

So do you understand now?

He won't run away.

Because when everyone is running away, someone has to step forward, stop, and become a sacrifice to stand in front of the predators.

Not retreating an inch, guarding the path to survival.

Because as long as he remains here, humanity will not lose.

Tie Dan seemed to understand something at that moment.

Chen Xuantian said slowly,

Someone told me that time is like a ball. If you pop the ball, nobody will have anything to play with.

All we can do is try our best to get the ball into the basket we want.

Tie Dan, you don't need to think about the weak; that's not your job, and you can't save everyone.

There are always some people who must make sacrifices to achieve their destined ending.

The important thing is to choose the future you want.

Once you've chosen it, go there and don't look back.

Watching the old man's figure, Tiedan nodded.

"I understand the future I want."

"Traitor! Be executed!"

Goat charges! A spear thrusts! Blood explodes, flesh splatters! The dragon is slain!

It looks like a bursting balloon! It looks like a splattered watermelon!
A massive waterfall of blood shot into the sky! A torrential downpour of blood!
The old man with the goatee was stunned. He had prepared himself to be knocked away and then get up to stab again, but who would have thought he would actually win?
No! It's true! We won! It all exploded!
Crash! Bones shattered and flesh burst, blood splattered on the ground, leaving the land barren for miles.

Without warning, thousands of demonic soldiers and hundreds-of-foot-long demonic dragons were instantly trapped in the earth's core, swept into the formation, and crushed to death.

Yes, the Blood Code Ten Deadly Formations have been activated once again.

Well, Chen Xuantian was the one who started it; anyway, he can learn it if he doesn't know how.

"I told you to leave, but you wouldn't."

The sword immortal in crimson robes, bathed in blood rain, emerged from the mountain of corpses.

"Since you're so unwilling to be reincarnated, then stay and forge my sword."

Zhang Xun frowned.

"What did you say? Sword forging?"

Tie Dan meticulously selected from the dragon bones, black iron, and demonic tendons scattered on the ground.
"Indeed, I will refine you blood puppet divine weapons into sword spirits."

Let us forge a sword from the blood you shed in Suiyang, and the bones you discarded there.

"Use this world as a furnace, and this Blood Scroll Formation to forge it."

"You think I'd agree? Take this!"

Zhang Xun charged forward like a goat.

Tie Dan casually brushed the gun aside, glanced at him, and
"Zhang Suiyang, do you want to stay here and live as a lonely ghost, waiting to be reincarnated as the Great Dharma King of the Divine Sect?"

"You still want to come with me to slay the dragon."

(End of this chapter)