Yefutidaolu

Chapter 312 Dialogue with Yang Ling
Gao Jian and Yang Ling entered the array. Gao Jian looked around and observed the operation of the array base.

That's really impressive.

As you can see, the first thing built was a 'river'.

It is not a real river, but an energy torrent belt extending from a specific interface of the giant tower's base, composed of highly compressed sharp metal energy and a small amount of Gui water essence.

This energy band doesn't flow randomly; instead, it strictly follows the predetermined "river channel" trajectory of the tower's base, forming wide and bottomless trenches on the ground, then circulating within them, appearing very...

These "rivers" flowed extremely fast, with edges as sharp as knives, instantly cutting and shredding any enemy soldiers or small weapons attempting to cross them. They formed the outermost "moat" of the great formation, and their energy flow not only created a physical barrier but also prevented the enemy from infiltrating from underground.

Next to the rest area were the defensive nodes set up along the entire border. Thick energy pipes extended from the middle interface of the bronze tower, quickly solidifying and condensing to form walls that were tens of feet high and several feet thick.

These barriers are not inanimate objects; their surfaces are engraved with intricate earth-elemental runes, deeply rooted in the earth, constantly drawing upon the essence of the earth from its veins. They form the "walls" of the border, not only indestructible but also capable of dispersing the impact force across the vast land through the array formations on them. The barriers are interconnected, forming a thick and stable "mountain" formation, a mainstay against the enemy's large-scale ramming machines and magical bombardments.

Located in a relatively safe area behind the base, this is a cluster of low, sturdy buildings formed by interwoven pipelines of gentle wood and water energy. Here, the gentle vital energy and yang energy filtered and purified by the giant tower converge.

The building's interior space is meticulously arranged with small spirit-gathering arrays, effectively soothing the soldiers' mental fatigue and physical injuries caused by slaughter and the corrosive energy, accelerating their recovery of strength and fighting spirit. It serves as a point for rotation, rest, and morale recuperation, maintaining the defenders' continuous combat capability. The peaceful aura it exudes also subtly neutralizes the murderous and violent atmosphere permeating the battlefield.

As you continue forward, you can sense energy pipes extending deep underground. These are warehouse structures buried underground and tightly protected by thick earth and metal energy barriers.

Energy conduits coil here like roots, forming a powerful protective barrier. This is where important strategic resources, backup array plates, high-purity spiritual treasures, and special repair materials are stored. Its feng shui layout emphasizes "gathering and retaining energy, as solid as a rock," providing not only extremely strong physical defenses but also preventing external spying and energy infiltration, ensuring the safety of the supplies.

Yang Ling and Gao Jian passed by these things and eventually entered the interior of the bronze tower.

Upon entering, Yang Ling said, "Lord Gao, you've seen everything along the way. This border post was constructed entirely according to the original design of this array base. What we are here now is the Command Platform, the core of the entire array's command and control."

Gao Jian nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

The command platform in front of us, which is the 'bronze tower' after it is activated, shows that after activation, this place is interwoven, solidified and raised by countless energy pipes.

The platform beneath his feet was covered with pipes, and the surface of the platform was filled with the energy flow diagram of the entire formation. It was obvious that as long as the commander stood on it, he could not only perceive the overall battle situation through special magical artifacts, but also directly mobilize the energy of the formation base through the "veins" under his feet, and fine-tune the function, strength, range and even shape of each "building". It was said that he could temporarily thicken a certain section of the barrier or change the course of a certain section of the moat.

This is the "brain" of the entire formation, its energy closely connected with other places, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

At this moment, these "buildings" of different shapes and specialized functions are like strong organs and limbs extending from the heart of the bronze tower, closely connected through thick energy pipes.

Visible to the naked eye, the "qi" containing immense energy surges and flows through the pipes like tangible blood, emitting a deep hum.

The entire border fortress is no longer just a pile of raw materials, but a fully activated entity that breathes the essence of heaven and earth and exhales boundless energy.

Although this border post is not yet fully completed, it has already developed into a massive war behemoth with "qi" as its backbone and "formation" as its will.

"Not only do you have two Grandmasters overseeing things, but you also have a very good array master," Gao Jian commented, looking around.

Yang Ling's power is greater than Gao Jian imagined; this man certainly has grand ambitions.

Of course, Gao Jian could also see that even so, the other party's power could only be considered a large immortal sect, which could not touch the top families, let alone the top immortal sects.

Of course, this level of strength is nothing compared to the behemoth that is the Divine Dynasty.

But for someone like Yang Ling, who started as a rogue cultivator, to be able to gather such a group of people to follow him and do this kind of thing in such a short time is truly... impressive.

“These are all minor matters. When it comes to actually doing things, they are nothing but fleeting clouds. We still need to rely on Lord Gao’s banner. But, Lord Gao, what choice do you want to make now?” Yang Ling asked with a smile.

How do you choose the best opinions?
Yes, this is a very, very, very straightforward question, and it concerns a great deal.

Gao Jian carried a large banner on his back, with the four characters 'Orthodox Divine Dynasty' written on it. He stood next to Jin Dafu and the others, thus Jin Dafu and the others represented the will of the Divine Dynasty.

Similarly, if Gao Jian stands on Yang Ling's side, then... Yang Ling will represent the will of the Divine Dynasty.

The Divine Dynasty didn't care much about these things. The Divine Dynasty only had one requirement: "Build the border fortifications, and don't spend a single penny of the imperial court's money."

We need to make money locally.

Despite Gao Jian's immense influence, this choice was not easy for him. Everyone would vie for him, but no one would 'actively surround' him, because the main purpose of Gao Jian's banner was to 'gain benefits' rather than 'save lives'. For the major clans, they would fight for Gao Jian's allegiance, but they would not spontaneously surround him and humble themselves, only hoping for his favor.

In other words, Gao Jian is someone 'worth recruiting' rather than someone 'worth serving and pledging allegiance to'.

In this situation, Gao Jian is actually in a very bad position. He urgently needs to complete the mission of the Divine Dynasty, so his best solution is undoubtedly to find the most powerful ally and use their strength to achieve the goals of both parties.

This is also part of the reason why Jin Dafu and Huang Chengshi chose to trust Gao Jian, because the interests of both sides are the same and there is almost no difference between them.

However... insightful actions are not entirely driven by self-interest.

Standing there, Gao Jian continued, "Yang Ling, in ten days, a group of high-level forces will arrive, including experts at the level of elders of Youming Land. Qin Long alone will definitely not be able to withstand them."

"It wasn't a large army that came, but a group of experts. We've gone from certain death to a slim chance of survival. I'm so grateful to Lord Gao for helping me secure this lifeline," Yang Ling said with a cupped-hand salute and a smile.

“It’s not that I fought for it for you, it’s just that we have the same thing to do. The next question is how to expand this glimmer of hope. I can help you get the personnel list, and I can also help you take action when it matters. It all depends on how you plan to deal with this battle. As you know, when it comes to strategy, too much or too deep planning can easily lead to mistakes, and in the end, a battle is always unavoidable,” Gao Jian said.

Yang Ling didn't seem afraid at all, simply saying, "We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Mr. Gao has already helped me a lot. Now that we have the list, leave the rest to me." "Are you capable of handling multiple beings from the Nine Realms attacking together?"

"I can't guarantee anything, but since we've started these things, we're going to see them through to the end."

“Well, I’ll help you one more time. Inside are some ingenious techniques developed by the Liangzhou martial artists to compensate for their lack of supernatural powers and spells. They should be able to help you speed up the construction. Your array master is very skilled, but your engineering ability is a bit lacking.” Gao Jian handed over a mustard seed bag containing construction data for those things, as well as samples of each item.

With this, the construction speed of martial artists will be greatly improved, and Qin Long estimates that he will also be able to use these things to start participating in construction.

It's such a waste to just stand there like a Grandmaster of the Ninth Realm and the Second Stage. It would be perfect to use his freakish labor power to dig and build.

Yang Ling looked at the mustard seed bags, his expression changed from surprise to delight, and the wariness in his eyes disappeared completely. However, he was still a little puzzled and said to Gao Jian, "This, you just gave it to me like that?"

"What? Yang Ling, do you think I'm two-faced and fickle?" Gao Jian retorted.

"No, it's just that I really didn't expect Lord Gao to make such a big decision." Yang Ling smiled with relief, then put away his previous respect and took the initiative to pat Gao Jian on the shoulder.

Now that things are settled, Gao Jian has gained Yang Ling's trust through this move.

The reason is simple: how could Yang Ling obtain these materials and tools? These tools were given to Gao Jian as a gift by Jin Dafu.

So, once Jin Dafu and the others arrive in a few days and see these tools, they will definitely know that Gao Jian has betrayed them! It must have been Gao Jian who gave these things to Yang Ling.

But at the same time, these tools will also have unparalleled effects!

By transforming the brute strength of martial artists into the labor force of many specialized engineering machines, the construction speed of the border will advance by leaps and bounds. The addition of Qin Long will further accelerate the progress, and the border may be completed in just ten days!
This is equivalent to boosting Yang Ling's construction speed by several levels! And once completed, the border will have an extra top-tier ninth-realm warrior out of thin air, who can also provide support to other experts, and its functions are incredibly numerous.

Gao Jian smiled, and then finally spoke: "It's just a matter of risking my life to accompany you, Yang Ling. If you dare to do it, I naturally dare to follow. However, I have a small question. These strange beasts of yours are all caterpillars, right? Are you colluding with the Hu people and planning to use their power? Be careful not to play with fire and get burned."

Faced with Gao Jian's reminder, Yang Ling seemed confident and calmly said to Gao Jian, "Mr. Gao, what we need to help are the people, right?"

"Yes." Gao Jian nodded.

"Then the question is settled. Are the Hu people and we the ones in cahoots? Or does Lord Gao think... those aristocratic families within the borders are the ones in cahoots with you?" Yang Ling asked.

This is a tricky question.

Without a doubt, the aristocratic families and the common people belong to the same country; in a sense, they are all subjects of the divine dynasty.

So, from this perspective, the aristocratic families and the common people were on the same side, while the Hu people were foreign enemies. Colluding with the Hu people was naturally colluding with foreign enemies, which was punishable by death.

But are the powerful families truly allies? To the common people, that's not the case.

The common people are like crops, like pigs and dogs, like provisions to be harvested by the entire aristocratic families, like prepared spiritual materials. In this respect, the Hu people are perhaps even better than the aristocratic families.

Obviously, Yang Ling was in the latter situation; he considered the Hu people to be allies, but not the aristocratic families.

To be honest, this attitude surprised Gao Jian a bit.

Yang Ling's approach is... too advanced.

In different social formations, the contradictions between opposing classes are universal, and the will of the state is usually used as a tool of class rule. Their antagonistic relationship often reflects the complex situation of the ruling class towards the ruled class.

Local powerful families seized land and concealed populations, thus weakening the central government's authority.

Clan and powerful families monopolized official positions, effectively undermining imperial power.

Secret societies promoted anti-government ideas.

The southward migration of nomadic peoples led to a struggle for survival resources between agricultural and nomadic civilizations, as well as a conflict over cultural orthodoxy within the framework of the Sino-foreign order.

These are all contradictions that have been constantly evolving under the divine dynasty system, and in every place, there are people who feel that they are the main contradiction.

The border is what separates the conflicts between nations.

Yang Ling accurately seized this flaw, proposing that his liberation cause had a commonality that transcended national boundaries. The oppression of the Divine Dynasty meant that all countries and people faced similar living conditions in reality. This objective reality provided the material basis for Yang Ling's actions.

When analyzing the concept of an enemy state, it is necessary to distinguish between class and ethnicity. Yang Ling opposes viewing a specific ethnic group as a whole as an enemy, and advocates distinguishing between oppressors and the oppressed.

Furthermore, he clearly stated that the real conflict was between the divine dynasty, which monopolized the cultivation system and most spiritual materials, and other forces around the world, thereby attracting a large number of people to support him.

It must be said that Yang Ling has gone even further than Gao Jian in this regard. Gao Jian has never raised his own banner, while Yang Ling has already been able to put forward a complete program to guide his subordinates in carrying out systematic resistance.

However... Gao Jian did not quite agree with the other party's ideas.

"Do you really think the Hu people are allies?" Gao Jian asked again.

(End of this chapter)