The War God's Wisdom

Ba Shenhuang snorted, turned and left, leaving behind the words:

"You're allowed!"

Chapter 804 The Wisdom of the God of War God

"Wait a minute, it's over already? No mass killings?"

When Ying Zhou saw Ba Shenhuang turn around and walk out from in front of the commander's tent, no one dared to block his way. All the soldiers retreated to both sides to make way, and even moved away some obstacles such as deer antler carts.

"They've already charged right up to the enemy commander, why don't they just attack? Those Nascent Spirit Transformation Grandmaster are clearly afraid to fight to the death and have absolutely no teamwork. If they attack now, they still have a much better chance of winning."

He might not understand many other things, but when it came to matters of battle, Ying Zhou saw them clearly, possessing an almost instinctive intuition.

The eight Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivators, fighting to the death alongside the masked female general, did indeed have a chance to kill Ba Shenhuang. However, they lacked the necessary resolve and the camaraderie to sacrifice themselves for their comrades. Even if some of them were stirred by their Blood Qi and unwilling to be stigmatized, they still had to worry about whether the others shared the same determination.

If he were the only one with the resolve to fight the War God, while everyone else were willing to endure humiliation, he would surely die in the end, while Ba Shenhuang would still be able to escape unscathed. Thus, not only would his sacrifice be worthless, but he would also become a laughingstock, ridiculed for his futile efforts, and his reputation would be even worse.

Xia Guanxue glanced at Ying Zhou with the look one would give someone mentally challenged, and said, "What's the use of just winning? If you want to decide the outcome of a war single-handedly, you either need to capture the commander-in-chief alive or kill him on the spot. Those eight Nascent Spirit Transformation certainly don't dare to fight the God of War God to the death, but interfering from the sidelines is never difficult. If the Military God wants to escape, the God of War God can't stop him. Don't forget that the Military God is also a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, and judging from his ability to catch someone's Transformation Force just now, I'm afraid those eight Grandmaster are not as strong as the Military God."

Ying Zhou snorted, Qi Ingestion, and said, "Even if we can't kill anyone, we can still chase the Military God and destroy the army camp. The residual force of the battle alone will be enough to cause heavy casualties among those soldiers. If the Military God escapes the camp, we don't need to worry about him. We can just start a massacre on the soldiers. With the God of War God's strength, he can easily demoralize the army, suppress morale, and disrupt the formation. Then the soldiers in the palace can take advantage of the chaos to break out and perhaps even get out of trouble."

"Don't spout nonsense in areas you don't understand; it only reveals your shallowness and ignorance," Xia Guanxue retorted sarcastically. "Resolve the situation in one fell swoop? How could you even think of that? The Imperial Army protecting the palace only number three thousand, while the rebel army surrounding it numbers thirty thousand. Three thousand against thirty thousand—where do you get the confidence to resolve the situation?"

"I may not understand military affairs, but that doesn't mean I haven't read any books. Aren't there many examples in history of one defeating ten? Moreover, the rebels surrounded the enemy from three sides, their forces were dispersed, and the Imperial Army only needed to break through one side to relieve the siege. In a single battle, the ratio was not as exaggerated as one to ten."

"But you've overlooked one point. Ba Shenhuang can attack ordinary soldiers, but why can't other Spirit Transformation Grandmaster? If you can't kill the War God, can't you at least kill three thousand soldiers? Why did both sides in past wars tacitly agree that strong individuals shouldn't attack soldiers first, equating it with 'not killing envoys in war'? Isn't it because if you can do it, your opponent can do it too? In the end, if all your subordinates are wiped out, leaving only martial arts experts, what's the point?"

Ying Zhou was speechless. His mind was filled with the knowledge of martial arts battles, and he had never thought about the knowledge of military formations.

Si Ming recalled the intelligence he had seen before. In fact, there were also Spirit Transformation Grandmaster guarding the palace, but there were only five of them. On the other hand, there were fifteen known to be on the side of the Military God, and even more had secretly defected.

This also indirectly proves which side everyone favors. After all, the status of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster is already extraordinary. Unless there is a personal connection, they would generally only add flowers to brocade, not help charcoal in the snow.

The stalemate between the two sides was largely due to the War God leveling the gap in strength. If Ba Shenhuang had been so determined to hunt down the Military God, the Military God would have been overjoyed, because he hadn't done anything, yet his opponent had fallen for his diversionary tactic and could have easily taken over the palace.

"Actually, it's alright that those Spirit Transformation Grandmaster only dealt with ordinary soldiers. If they had disregarded everything and rushed into the palace to capture and kill the Emperor, Ba Shenhuang probably wouldn't have had time to come to his aid. Once the Emperor was killed, the mutiny would have ended. In the end, the essence of this war was an internal power struggle within the royal family. Ba Shenhuang isn't royalty, so whether he wins or not is irrelevant to the outcome of the war."

Si Ming paused, then continued, "Moreover, based on my interactions with him, Universe-Shaking Divine General Ba Shenhuang of the Hanyu Divine Army is a man of great integrity. Even if given the opportunity, he would disdain to harm ordinary soldiers, let alone soldiers from both sides. From the perspective of 'treating soldiers like one's own children,' he is more sincere than the Military God."

Ying Zhou scoffed, "When he charged into the heart of the army just now, he still killed a bunch of people, and he didn't show any mercy."

Si Ming, "These are two different things and cannot be generalized. Showing mercy is acceptable, but blind mercy is not. Otherwise, the opponent will think they can use the hostages to blackmail us, which would be even worse."

Ying Zhou said, "Then why did he agree to the Military God's challenge? Wasn't he worried that this was also a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain?"

Xia Guanxue said, "Under those circumstances, could he have refused? If he had refused, the news that 'the War God is afraid of the Military God' would have spread like wildfire."

"Therefore, the Military God still came out slightly ahead in this round, seizing the War God's weakness and forcing him to jump into the trap even though he knew it was a trap. Although on the surface, the War God's solo charge into the enemy camp was very impressive, in reality he won face but lost substance."

Si Ming, "We'll only know the specifics after we ask the parties involved. There's no point in speculating here... Besides, why are you so desperately speaking up for the Military God? Don't forget he's our enemy in this mission. No matter how much you praise him, he won't show you any mercy."

Ying Zhou's face flushed red. "I... I wasn't speaking up for him, I was just stating the facts."

Xia Guanxue chuckled and said, "I'm afraid it's a case of same sex repelling each other."

Ying Zhou angrily retorted, "How am I any different from those effeminate men? Wearing a white robe in the military camp, not even afraid of getting it dirty, is just incredibly pretentious!"

"I'm referring to the Universe-Shaking Divine General Ba Shenhuang. You probably think his reckless and impulsive style is similar to yours, but I must remind you that's wishful thinking on your part. Arrogance backed by strength is called confidence; confidence without strength is just arrogance."

"So which one are you, arrogant or confident? Do you need me to test you?"

The two were truly incompatible, and a single disagreement could escalate into a fight. Si Ming was somewhat annoyed, wishing he hadn't brought Ying Zhou along, or that he had let Xia Guanxue leave with the other Mohist Knight Guard. He immediately ordered, "Alright, after the mission, you can fight each other however you like, but during the mission you must learn to restrain yourselves. Whoever provokes you again will have to go back immediately. Now, let's sneak into the palace together."

Although the palace is currently under martial law, it wouldn't be difficult for the four of them to sneak in. The challenge lies in how to evade Ba Shenhuang's senses. Fortunately, Si Ming didn't intend to hide his tracks and openly released his aura. Therefore, when he arrived at the palace guarded by Ba Shenhuang, he was not stopped at all, and the guards at the door invited them in.

"I originally planned to ask for your help through the Mohist Knight Guard's contact point, but I didn't expect you to come to me on your own initiative, which saved me a lot of trouble." Ba Shenhuang nodded after seeing Si Ming.

"The former Divine Pillar was saved by the General's timely assistance, preventing the Miaotian Society from Heaven-Defying Society. I already owe the General a favor, and this is merely repaying a debt of gratitude. It's not really about helping; please just ask, General." Si Ming said, cupping his hands.

Xia Guanxue and Ying Zhou looked at each other in dismay. They had originally thought that the War God must be an extremely arrogant person who would fight to the death even when forced into a desperate situation and would never ask for help. Now it seemed that they had been influenced by what others said and had imagined the other party to be the image in their minds.

Ba Shenhuang waved his hand and said, "Since the Divine Pillar is located within Nation of Valor territory, it is my duty to protect it. There is no favor to be owed. On the contrary, I need your help now, so I owe you a favor."

"According to our Mohist Knight Guard's investigation, the Military God Huang Yan is very likely a member of the Heaven-Defying Society. His assistance to the General this time is both for personal and public reasons," Si Ming retorted. "Dealing with the Heaven-Defying Society is my duty, General, so you don't need to take it to heart."

"The Heaven-Defying Society? No wonder..." Ba Shenhuang looked thoughtful upon hearing this, then snorted coldly and said firmly, "One thing at a time. Even if he has nothing to do with the Heaven-Defying Society, I am bound to have this battle with him. I owe you a favor, so don't argue!"

Si Ming chuckled and asked, "I wonder what the general needs me to do?"

"Before that, I want to see how much progress you've made over the years."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ba Shenhuang moved swiftly, his palm striking out with the sound. The air around him suddenly froze, as if space itself had been frozen. Unparalleled power surged from all directions, seemingly intent on destroying everything tangible and intangible, leaving no escape.

Si Ming felt a profound sense of dread, as if he were utterly alone in darkness, unable to see his own hand in front of his face, enveloped by an intense killing intent. He couldn't call for help, nor could he discern the source of the killing intent. It was as if countless indescribable things lurked within the darkness. He had once interacted with Huang Tu, Ba Shenhuang's disciple, and immediately recognized this move as the final strike of the "Hegemon Annihilates Sages Fist," "Annihilate All Living Beings."

The God of War God's test was not a mere touch; the sheer power of this move was such that Spirit Transformation Grandmaster would be unable to withstand it without resorting to their ultimate techniques. And in such a hasty situation, where would they find the time to prepare? The outcome was predictable. Xia Guanxue and Ying Zhou, who were watching from the sidelines, were both horrified.

However, Si Ming did not dodge. He had the confidence not to dodge. He raised his hand and struck out with a palm, as if he were holding a sun in his palm, which kept exploding and releasing endless light and heat. The light pierced through the darkness and the heat drove away the cold.

The double palm strike produced no explosive sound, perhaps because the sound of an explosion had penetrated into the void beyond the perception of mortals, leaving behind an indescribable sense of deathly stillness.

When Ying Zhou and the others came to their senses, they found themselves backed up against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat, and their backs were already soaked with cold sweat.

"Excellent!" Ba Shenhuang praised, his tone appreciative. "Originally, I only had a 60% chance of winning. Your early arrival gave you three extra days to prepare, increasing your chances by 10%. Furthermore, your strength has improved significantly compared to three years ago, adding another 10%. I have no worries about this battle now."

Si Ming smiled and said, "General, you flatter me. Now, may I tell you the battle plan?"

"There's no need for such praise. You have the ability; you deserve my compliment. Come into the inner hall; I have something to give you."