A Match for Ten Thousand / Sweeping All Before Them

Ying Zhou, clutching his mask, said, "A mere mask can't hide anything. Putting aside height and build, the martial arts we use are enough for them to determine our identities."

"Judgment is just judgment. Perhaps someone is deliberately imitating us, framing us? There's no real evidence. If we stubbornly deny it, do you think they can march on the Su State and force the Mohist School to hand over their people?" Si Ming resolutely put on a tough-guy expression. "Even if they had ten times the courage, would they dare?"

Chapter 877 Unmatched by Ten Thousand Men

Gourd Valley, just from its name you can roughly guess what its terrain is like. If it were in a world without supernatural abilities, this place would be a dead end for Military School. Once trapped inside, even if Sun Wu were resurrected, he could only sigh helplessly.

However, in a world with supernatural abilities, the role of terrain is greatly reduced by human effort, so even if the army is trapped in Gourd Valley, there is still a glimmer of hope.

For example, if the enemy sets fire, it is easy for you to summon rain and snow; if the enemy uses smoke, it is easy for you to summon strong winds. You can always find a way to counter it and not just sit and wait to die.

On a high platform in the valley stands a three-meter-tall female stone sculpture, exquisitely carved, with a solemn expression that conveys kindness and gentleness, as if she pities the suffering of all living beings. This stone sculpture is none other than the Great Compassionate and Benevolent Goddess of Wonderful Origin, also known as the Goddess of Mercy of the Mohist Religion.

"The compassionate and cool moon roams in the ultimate emptiness. The hearts of all beings are as pure as water, reflecting the image of benevolence. Patience observes the subjugation of worldly troubles, the waves clear and the mud settles to the bottom. The eight winds stir the earth, and worldly troubles arise again..."

Before the stone sculpture, Liu Qingqing, dressed in a simple white robe adorned with dazzling colors, held a jade staff in her hand. She performed Shaman Steps, catalyzing her True Qi into divine power, and resonated with the goddess statue while chanting.

Below the platform, tens of thousands of soldiers sat cross-legged, their hands forming Law Seals, chanting in unison, "Excellent! Holy and dignified, the compassionate and benevolent Lord of All Beings, have pity on our hunger and thirst, please grant us food."

In an instant, the goddess stone sculpture emitted a soft light, condensing into a ten-zhang-tall divine phantom. With a wave of its arm, a burst of divine light poured down like a gentle spring rain, descending upon all the soldiers and creating a halo around their bodies.

Immediately afterwards, all the soldiers picked up the grass and wood in their hands and began to gnaw on them. Some were thick tree stumps, some were branches with leaves, and some were simply baskets of wild grass.

"This tree trunk tastes a bit like sugarcane pulp when you chew on it; it has a slightly sweet taste, but it's really hard to swallow."

"You should be content. The wild grass I picked is sour and astringent. I've never eaten anything so awful in my life. I don't know how those cattle and sheep grow so big from eating grass."

"Stop complaining. In this situation, having anything to eat is good enough; it's better than starving. Besides, those military rations are just as unpalatable."

The soldiers grumbled, but no one stopped eating. They weren't pampered rich kids; in chaotic times, who hadn't suffered? For countless ordinary people, being able to fill their stomachs was the greatest happiness.

Not far away, General Mu Wu, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but remark, "Now even the issue of food is being addressed firmly. No wonder they're the Mohist School; even the gods pursue practicality."

Murong Qing nearby, said, "The essence of the Satiation Art' is a material transformation, turning polysaccharide cellulose into glucose, just like the digestive system of herbivores. If one relies on the Satiation Art's for a long time, it will lead to malnutrition and make one prone to illness."

Mu Wu had never heard of terms like cellulose or glucose, but that didn't stop him from understanding the meaning of the sentence. He sighed and said, "For ordinary soldiers, being able to eat their fill is good enough. They don't care about these things. Talking about nutrition is too extravagant. However, your concerns are not wrong. Therefore, we still need to find a way to break through the encirclement. We can't just sit here and wait to die."

Zhang Xingjiao, who served as the military advisor, said, "We should wait a few more days until the barbarian bandits think our army is too hungry and weak to lift weapons, then we can make a desperate breakout. That way, our chances of victory will be much greater."

The burly, bearded general Ji Da said, "We can send some starving, pale-faced soldiers to the valley entrance to shout and gain the trust of those barbarians. Anyway, I saw a few guys in the crowd who weren't blessed by Divine Arts, so we can make use of them."

Despite Liu Qingqing's guidance as a priestess to expand the scope of the Divine Arts, the Satiation Art will not work if the recipient does not believe in the Goddess of Mercy. As the saying goes, you can't force a melon to ripen; the basis for the Divine Arts's effectiveness is "belief makes it work, disbelief makes it not work."

The Li State is based on Confucian School and has no state religion. Although there is often talk of "Confucianism" on Earth, the essence of Confucian School is ultimately very different from that of religion. Therefore, most of the people of Li State are shallow believers. They may worship this god or burn incense for that Buddha. There is no such thing as "loyalty and devotion".

Therefore, when they were starving, Marshal Mu ordered them to convert to the Goddess of Mercy and sincerely pray for her blessings. They readily complied, after all, they were truly hungry, and material conditions influence one's spirit. This hunger was enough to make them sincerely plead with the goddess, just like students and parents who go to pray to gods and Buddhas before the middle school or college entrance exams. At least at this moment, they were devout.

Of course, with such a large number of people, there are bound to be a few exceptions. Some people are truly loyal to their gods and would rather starve than convert to other gods. The others do not force them to do so. If you have the awareness that "starving to death is a small matter, but losing your integrity is a big matter," then the others will naturally have the virtue of "helping others achieve their goals." Anyway, don't expect to get the little military rations left.

These days, there's no regard for minority groups. Nobody will sacrifice the interests of the majority to please them. They can eat or not, it's not like they're the ones who will go hungry.

Upon hearing Ji Da's suggestion, Zhang Xingjiao shook his head and said, "On the contrary, we should send some energetic soldiers with oily faces to the valley entrance to shout orders. Then, we should have a few soldiers who can't bear the hunger betray our army and betray us to the barbarian army at night, revealing the 'truth' about our army. In this way, the barbarians will definitely believe that our army is suffering from hunger, and that will be the best time for our army to break out."

Mu Wu nodded and said, "Let's proceed according to the strategist's plan."

Zhang Xingjiao's plan was just a general proposal. Its implementation still required consideration of many aspects, such as the selection of personnel and the credibility of the barbarians' words. Just as everyone was discussing, a strong fluctuation of Primal Qi suddenly came from afar.

Mu Wu and Murong Qing were the first to sense the direction and looked towards the valley entrance. Then, the other generals, according to their cultivation levels, also turned to look at the valley entrance one after another.

Before long, a scout came running up, shouting, "Report! The barbarian army at the valley entrance has been attacked!"

Mu Wu immediately asked, "How many people attacked the barbarian army, and whose banner did they fly?"

"Reporting to the general, there are no banners. Due to the distance, the number of people cannot be determined, but judging from the size, it is only a small squad, no more than twenty people."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, somewhat confused. This news was truly unexpected. Mu Wu said, "Regardless, let's go check on the situation first."

The group quickly made their way to the vicinity of the valley entrance, leaped onto the mountain wall, and looked out. They saw that the 30,000 Barbarian Race troops blocking the valley entrance were in turmoil. The dark mass of people resembled bamboo split open by a woodcutter's axe, with a clear dividing line in the middle. And all of this was accomplished by only five people.

Upon seeing this, Ji Da immediately said, "That monk is Baoyun Arhat under the command of the Northern King of Zhou, the other one is Zhao Jin, the Double-Spear General, and I don't recognize the other three masked men..."

Just then, a barbarian general, wielding a spiked club, charged forward on horseback. His Vicious Qi surged forth, coalescing into a ten-zhang-tall Black Heaven Demon God statue. He roared and smashed it down, striking the barbarian soldiers around him who were caught in the shockwave, causing them to cough up blood and be thrown out.

With a deafening roar, the energy exploded, shattering the Black Heaven Demon God. The once-mighty barbarian general, along with his horse, flew into the air, spitting blood, clearly beyond saving.

Ji Da clicked his tongue in amazement. "He killed the Black-Winged Tiger, Quasi-Grandmaster, with a single punch! Where did this guy wearing the Qilin mask come from, a Spirit Transformation level expert? And there are two other masked figures, also at the Spirit Transformation level. When did King of Zhou gain three Spirit Transformation Grandmaster under his command?"

The five men broke through with unstoppable momentum. Although waves of Barbarian Race soldiers surged forward, they could not stop their advance at all, like waves crashing against rocks, scattering in all directions.

It's him!

The mask was so familiar that Murong Qing recognized it at a glance, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

Mu Wu asked, "Is it someone Lady Murong knows?"

"Yes, these three are all my friends. They must have heard about me and came to rescue me."

Mu Wu said to Zhang Xingjiao, "It seems your plan won't work, strategist."

"On the battlefield, things change in an instant; plans can never keep up with changes."

Zhang Xingjiao shook his head helplessly, then bowed and said, "Please give the order immediately, Commander."

Mu Wu nodded and decisively ordered, "Gather the entire army and break out immediately!"

Chapter 878 Unstoppable

"Hey, you're moving way too slowly! The enemy is already surrounding us."