The Many Faces Before Battle

Moved, Murong Wu blushed and said shyly, "I am still very naive, so please give me a push when necessary."

"Of course, I'll take care of it, sister."

After talking with his sister, Murong Wu felt much more relaxed, and the guilt he felt for keeping the secret from her was also greatly reduced.

"You intend to sacrifice yourself to kill Fushi Qingcang?"

A sentence that suddenly reached his ears almost made Murong Wu jump up in surprise. He quickly turned his head and saw that the speaker was Yu Shuying.

"How could you...?"

"I possess Mind-Reading Technique; your cultivation level is insufficient to conceal your thoughts—without using the Juntian Divine Sword."

Before Murong Wu could even ask the question, Yu Shuying answered it first.

Murong Wu remained silent for a while. He was initially worried that Yu Shuying would make this public, but then he felt relieved. If Yu Shuying intended to do this, she would have said so during the conversation earlier, and there was no need for her to talk to him privately now.

"It's a reasonable logic, although it has some flaws, as it doesn't take emotions into account. For example, I might be trying to save face for you, but that's the truth, so I won't argue with it," Yu Shuying answered again.

"You've clearly already started arguing..." Murong Wu sighed. "Was I too presumptuous? I can't think of any other solutions because I'm too stupid. If we tell everyone about this and brainstorm together, wouldn't there be a better solution that doesn't require anyone to sacrifice?"

"No, the result of revealing the secret is that everyone will vie to take on the responsibility of sacrifice, and in the end, Si Ming is the most likely to take it, since he will be Fushi Qingcang directly. That's why I didn't expose you... This was my selfish reason, please forgive me, Junior Brother." Yu Shuying bowed her head and apologized, her tone unusually sincere.

"No need. It was my own decision to begin with, and Si Ming's life is more valuable than mine."

"There's no such thing as one being more valuable than another in this world. Just as in the eyes of parents, the lives of ten thousand strangers are not as precious as their only child," Yu Shuying shook her head, then continued, "But your thinking is correct. There's no need to feel guilty. The evidence is very simple. If there really was an easy way to kill Fushi Qingcang, why didn't the creator of the 'Gentian Barrier' just take action back then? Why go through the trouble of suppressing him?"

"Perhaps Senior Bai has other concerns, and times are changing. If it were us, we might have a way to counter the 'Gu God Immortality'."

"Why do you think that Fushi Qingcang's only way to survive is through 'the Gu God Immortality'?" Yu Shuying asked rhetorically.

"Uh, but this is intelligence that the Lord of Ten Thousand Weapons entrusted to us."

"As the Grandmaster of the Void Returning Great Grandmaster of the Lord of Ten Thousand Weapons Mohist School, how could Fushi Qingcang not be wary of Wan Bingzhu? As far as I know, Bai Junlong, the creator of the Eternal Barrier, is a disciple of the 'Orthodox Sect of the Mysterious Gate' in the Divine Continent of the Central Land, and the 'Evil-Slaying Sword Art Evil Sword Technique' originated from the Mystic Sect Mysterious Sect. The 'Evil-Slaying Sword Art' can restrain all evil and filthy arts in the world, and the 'Gu God Immortality' is undoubtedly among them. Why didn't Bai Junlong use this Swordsmanship to kill Fushi Qingcang?"

"Perhaps it's because he doesn't know how; after all, disciples and followers may not be able to learn all the sect's Cultivation Method arts."

"I'm more inclined to believe that Fushi Qingtai has other methods to prolong life, such as the Life Box or a substitute avatar. These are orthodox life-prolonging Secret Method, neither evil nor impure, and even the Evil-Slaying Sword Art is helpless against them."

Murong Wu's face paled as he said, "In other words, even if I sacrifice myself, it might all be for nothing."

Yu Shuying slowly shook her head and said, "It seems you still don't understand the true intention behind that woman's recommendation of the method. Her purpose was not to prevent the Gu God Immortality, but on the contrary, to make the Gu God Immortality effective."

"What do you mean?" Murong Wu asked, puzzled.

"If you prepare three plans, A, B, and C, you can activate B when plan A fails, and activate C when plan B also fails. However, if plan A has already taken effect, then plans B and C become meaningless. Similarly, we don't know how many life-extending Secret Method Fushi Qingcang possesses, but as long as 'the Gu God Immortality' is in effect, no matter how many Secret Method he has, it's meaningless because he only has one life."

Murong Wu suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder the first method she proposed was full of flaws. She never intended for me to use the first method. From the beginning, her goal was the second method. She deliberately presented two methods for me to choose from to strengthen her persuasiveness. In fact, the answer had already been decided..."

After a moment of contemplation, Murong Wu let out a long breath, a relieved smile appearing on his face, "Now I'm relieved. I was worried that I was too foolish and had taken it upon myself to conceal information, resulting in my needless sacrifice and becoming a laughingstock for future generations. Since this is the only way to solve the problem, then my sacrifice has been worthwhile."

His initially somber expression gradually brightened.

Yu Shuying took out a small shield and said, "This is a breastplate made from the scraps left over from repairing the Divine Pillar. It's very sturdy and even divine weapons can't damage it. You should carry it with you; it might come in handy at a crucial moment."

"Thank you, senior sister."

Murong Wu solemnly accepted the gift and left with steady and firm steps.

As Yu Shuying watched the receding figure grow ever taller, she silently apologized.

Whether there were other solutions, she didn't actually know.

Maybe yes, maybe no.

But just as Fushi Qingcang dared not Divine Pillar's restoration, she also dared not gamble on whether others could come up with a new solution, because if there was no way, the final result would be as she had said before: Si Ming would definitely take the initiative to assume the responsibility of sacrifice.

"I'm sorry, it was my own selfish motives. If there truly is divine retribution, then punish me alone..."

Chapter 910 Various Scenes Before the Battle

Late at night, with the moon high in the sky and an hour to go before the appointed time, everyone gathered early at the ruins of the Divine Pillar of the Li State, ready for battle.

Besides Si Ming and his group, the participants also included eight Spirit Transformation Grandmaster from the Li State. After all, the Myriad Gu Witch Ancestor was also their enemy, and they were even the direct victims. If the Myriad Gu Witch Ancestor was not eliminated, who could guarantee that he would not extend his evil claws to the rest of the people in the Southern Continent?

"Is Master Si's injury still not healed?" Mu Wu asked, half puzzled and half worried.

Si Ming was sitting on a rock, his upper body bare, while Xia Guanxue held a diagram in her left hand and a needle in her right, poking and prodding his back as if she were tattooing him—though tattooing was obviously out of the question at this juncture, acupuncture was more likely.

"Don't worry, my injuries are 90% healed, and I'm ready to fight. My last encounter with the 'Barbarian King' gave me an idea. I'm thinking that I might be able to use it to solve the problem of the two formations not being able to coexist. Anyway, it doesn't cost anything to try. Even last-minute practice can be effective."

Normally, formations rarely coexist, unless they are combined with Pure Yang Formation Pure Yin Formation to form Yin-Yang Taiji Formation. The Thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa Formation and the Six Heavens Forbidden Sword Formation are clearly not of this kind. This means that if you open the Sacred Sword, you will not have the Tathagata Dharma Body, you cannot open the Sacred Sword's Divine Ability. You can only choose one: the spear or the shield.

If one cannot have both fish and bear's paw, Si Ming has no choice but to choose the Sacred Sword. Even Tathagata's Indestructible Body Tathagata, he still has the Bodhi Golden Body and the Polonium Poison Primordial Spirit Body. However, the last battle gave him an idea that might solve this problem. With the thought that "failure will not cause any loss, and success will be a huge gain," he asked Xia Guanxue to use the Mystic Void Divine Needle technique to tattoo him.

Although there's no time to verify it, he's still quite confident in his idea.

"I am deeply sorry about Liu Yongzhan. He used forbidden techniques to save me and bled to death." Si Ming did not stand up, but cupped his hands in apology to Mu Wu.

Mu Wu shook his head slightly. "To sacrifice oneself for one's country in times of crisis, to regard death as returning home, as a general, we are already prepared to die on the battlefield. Moreover, Master Si risked his life to save our country's Grand Tutor. If he were to hesitate in the face of danger, wouldn't that be ungrateful? Even if it were me, I would make the same decision."

Marshal Xue Buqi, who was on par with Mu Wu and known as one of the Twin Pillars of Li State, also said, "Hero Si is truly righteous. We are not heartless people; we are deeply grateful and would never blame you!"

The others also spoke up in praise, their words either direct or subtle, expressing their gratitude and admiration for Si Ming. After all, Si Ming had managed to thwart the Barbarian Race warriors' siege and then seriously injure the "Barbarian King" while trapped by the enemy. In particular, this "Barbarian King" had personally killed Grand Tutor Ju Beichen, making his achievements all the more dazzling.

In the past, although Si Ming had a reputation for chivalry and had shone brightly in the war between humans and demons, he was ultimately not a leading figure. Moreover, hearsay is not always reliable, and even the most impressive achievements seemed somewhat unreal. Therefore, everyone regarded him as a rising star. Now, with real comparison and experience, they finally changed their address from "young hero" to "great hero," and their gaze changed from looking at him straight on to looking up to him.