Onward to the Pure Land

"Drip-drop-drip-drop"

Upon hearing the coded message coming from the communication wall, Li Fan understood that the system had hacked into the Legion's communication channel to notify him of the meeting.

It must be them, the agents from the Third Bureau.

These Earthlings are pretty quick. The Qingyang Altar army of the Divine Cult hadn't even flown out of the Kunlun Mountain before they arrived.

So, while the army landed in the valley, rested, and recuperated to avoid the demon god going berserk due to too much False Moon, Li Fan secretly flew out of the camp. He had grown six bird heads. Two heads continued to maintain control over the Qutu and Shusi. One head wore an octopus-like tentacle electronic helmet, established a channel, and made contact with the system Pisces. The other three heads remained on alert. The remaining three were curled up, resting and sleeping.

To avoid exposure, the mood system and the Guiche, Qiongqi, communicate through the server host of the alien spaceship of the Celestial Immortal, using a communication base station set up in Ink Bamboo Mountain. This kind of communication is fine for bullying the legion, but using it to repeatedly bluff in front of Earth's special agents is a bit suicidal.

Therefore, in this operation, the Mood System made an exception and used its own technology on the Guiche clone. Simply put, it had the Guiche establish an encrypted channel using the Legion's GS electronic ghost shell, and then they actively hacked in, intercepted it, and sent the intelligence to the Guiche in the form of a puppet package packaged in a script. The downside of this was that it would completely render an expensive and scarce electronic ghost shell useless.

The advantage is that it will be very difficult to trace the mood system in reverse from three different locations. In case the operation fails, we can simply destroy the hardware of the electronic ghost shell at the physical level.

Of course, physical destruction doesn't just mean smashing it; it means detonating it with a metallic hydrogen time bomb to completely eliminate any possibility of repairing the three hard drives. In an emergency, throwing this helmet like a nuclear grenade is also a viable option.

Therefore, due to the memory limitations of the electronic ghost shell, it cannot perform particularly realistic virtual environment calculations. What Li Fan sees now is a very simple chat room, with most of the bandwidth used to upload the system's puppets.

As the puppet was activated, the electronic ghost's communication channel was hacked. After a black screen, a large number of photos, information, and maps burst forth, filling the Guiche's field of vision.

The system, which had undergone audio blurring, began its battle report.

"Three standard four-person teams came from Zhuānxū's side: an intelligence team, an operations team, and a support team. They should have followed the standard search procedures."

Typically, the intelligence team consists of a security chief, a tax assistant, a legal assistant, and a technical assistant. Accompanied by company executives, they conduct a direct audit of the company's main server, reviewing logs to confirm any illegal activities. However, with company personnel present, it's impossible to conduct a very thorough search of the company's system.

The action team works in pairs, using internal company links to systematically screen company employees' accounts, connection repositories, chips, and sub-server permissions. This process consumes a lot of time, but when necessary, they can access company manager-level administrator privileges and directly call upon the company's system assets and resources on the 'gate' side.

The support team would bypass the company's gateway through backdoors to hack in, preventing the company from engaging in any underhanded tactics. Sometimes they would even resort to dirty tricks, such as installing scripts or similar tools from backdoors to conduct precise searches of key target servers.

"Don't worry about the intelligence and action teams. The company isn't that easy to deal with. They won't let Division Three run rampant on their turf, but they also won't dare let them die in broad daylight at headquarters. We'll also work in the shadows, cooperating with the company, and we should be able to cover up the open search without much trouble."

"The problem is the support team. They've already been brought in. These people are using a Level 5 virtual network access pod called 'Heluo,' which can directly connect to more than ten dimensional sub-servers simultaneously. We can't yet determine whether they're casting Fourth Department net or if the Taiji Realm is their specific target."

Then the system transmitted a star map, or more precisely, a warp drive trajectory scanned by gravity radar, indicating that something was entering near-Earth orbit from near the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2.

Are these three spaceships?

"Based on the analysis of gravitational signals and network bandwidth, there is a 99.5% probability that it is the Level 5 stealth unmanned corvette 'Night Curtain'. This ship is a dedicated prosthetic delivery vehicle for the Security Bureau, equipped with covert operational devices, and usually carries the Level 7 star-destroying neutron bomb 'Dawn'. Its mission is to covertly deliver Security Bureau prosthetic vehicles for surface reconnaissance."

The first batch of drones deployed were Sentinel drones. After detecting the target signal, the second batch delivered reconnaissance cybernetic bodies via a hacker link. These reconnaissance cybernetic bodies are primarily used for covert searches and are equipped with only level 4 weapons. If the target cannot be successfully captured, the third batch delivers specialized combat cybernetic bodies. Now that search warrants have been obtained at all three locations, the action team can also request the company's systems to assist in direct intervention.

If the capture mission cannot be accomplished in three operations, 'Night Curtain' will drop the bombs.

Damn... Can't we try a few more times before flipping the table...? Is this neutron bomb level 7?

"Don't worry, the principle of the star-destroying neutron bomb is mainly to induce high-energy neutron radiation, creating a long-term radiation storm, destroying the electromagnetic equipment of the surface native civilization, destroying technological civilization, and wiping out a large number of life forms below level four. In other words, cultivators above the Nascent Soul Realm, or humans hiding a dozen meters underground, still have a chance of surviving."

... Are you trying to comfort me? Can't we just take out this ship first? Didn't you even mark its exact coordinates and angular velocity?

"Sure, but if we shoot it down, the next one to jump over will be a cruiser from a nearby star system."

I checked, and the nearest ship at the coordinates is a Tier 4 'Scythe'. Although it's currently rated Tier 4, this ship is a warship specifically designed for expeditionary legions' deep space bases. Back then, a single ship could sweep through those colonies supporting the legions like a scythe cutting wheat. Now that the war is over, jumping back from remote star systems to dismantle the ship would be too wasteful of fuel, so the system hasn't been updated in a long time and it's still patrolling the borders, which is why its technology rating has dropped.

However, these specialized warships are equipped with professional ECCM electronic warfare protection such as electronic ghost shells, making them not so easy to hack. If the security system alarms and the Sickle jumps over, all that's needed is to drop a cruise torpedo carrying hundreds of level 7 nuclear warheads from a distance. The torpedo uses a disposable warp drive, rushes over and drops the bomb, and the whole process takes less than three minutes.

We were able to detect 'Night Curtain' because the Security Bureau needed to deploy prosthetic drones and maintain a stable, covert network connection in orbit. Otherwise, there would be no need for such a covert operation vessel to travel all the way to low Earth orbit."

Ugh... This is so hard... Saving the world is fucking incredibly difficult... This technological superiority is just too much... What am I going to do?

"Don't worry, we'll impersonate the department manager's account and try to hack into the Sentinel drones to confirm the search targets in the three locations. Even if the hackers in the three locations discover us, their support team is just up to no good anyway. If they're not targeting the company, it won't cause too much of a conflict."

This way, all we need to do is hack the Sentinel drone, forge a phishing signal, and set a trap to lure the hackers from the three locations into the ambush zone. We don't need to wipe them all out; you can just grab one and use your divine sense technique to interrogate them.

As long as the three locations aren't 100% certain of our existence, nor 100% certain that the chip is in our hands, it's still very easy to pin the blame on the Legion."

"That's right. Profound Maiden is the fleet commander of the Legion, and the Divine Cult and the Legion have always had close ties. The hackers from Division Three certainly won't suspect anything. Besides, this isn't wartime. A search warrant is one thing, but damaging company assets will require compensation. Division Three also needs to track down the technology. They're just here to search; they won't wipe out the Legion's hideout so quickly and alert them."

So, is he walking a tightrope again? Well, life is like walking a tightrope; one wrong step and it's all over. Anyway, Li Fan is used to it.

So Li Fan and the system devised a preliminary plan: to take advantage of the Divine Cult's invasion of the Central Plains, and to avoid any unforeseen complications, once the Divine Cult and the Immortal Army clashed, the system would lure the hackers from the three locations into the ambush zone. All they needed to do was let the three locations and the army directly confront each other. Qiongqi and Guiche could remain hidden in the shadows, pretending to be clueless wild animals, waiting for their chance to strike. With good luck, Guiche might even be able to complete the mission without Qiongqi needing to intervene.

Moreover, although the system is usually unreliable, this time they were unusually serious, perhaps knowing that if they were unreliable again, things would really go wrong.

Afterwards, they marched covertly, and each time Li Fan received a large number of updated intelligence packages about the magical puppets. These packages not only detailed the number, location, model, and reconnaissance range of the three Sentinel dispatched, but also helped the Cult to gather intelligence on the enemy situation near the expected battlefield.

Juelong Ridge, ever since the first great war in Kun Country more than ten years ago, General of Anxi has been in charge of the seven armies of the Western Imperial Guards, and has kept the battle line at the front line where Wen Tianjun was defeated.

However, the Juelong Ridge is a series of dangerous peaks that are difficult to pass through. It was originally a vital route from Kun to Guanzhong, and it was rugged and difficult to travel. Only a few winding mountain Plank Road were accessible to vehicles. In the past, the Kun Country also had a tendency to separatize and distrusted the San Yuan. Furthermore, it set up magic arrays and restrictions, built fortified mountain cities and defensive works along the dangerous peaks and key points of the route.

After a major defeat, the main force of the Immortal Army retreated to Guanzhong to regroup. These strategic passes and fortresses were either captured by the Divine Sect or occupied by bandits and demons. In recent years, General of Anxi has led a large army to attack cities and fortresses and push back the fortresses, but it has been difficult to break through them completely in the short term. As a result, the battle lines have once again reached the Juelong Ridge line.

Although the situation appears to be at a stalemate, the Grand Tutor actually had a plan and a chance of winning.

After reorganization and resupply, General of Anxi had gathered the remnants of the Kun Country's army, the main force reorganized by Xisu, the reinforcements provided by Sanyuan, the surviving defeated generals of the Thunder Department, and, in addition, the soldiers, laborers, and mercenaries recruited from the garrison. All things considered, he had managed to assemble a force of over 200,000.

The opposing cult's elite troops, despite repeated victories, suffered heavy losses. Moreover, due to the constant rebellions of local powerful clans in Kun, they had to divide their forces to suppress the rebellions. Although they kept reinforcing their ranks and even brought out demons and monsters from Kun to make up the numbers, they could only maintain a force of 20,000 to 30,000 on the front lines.

In fact, last time, when the Immortal Palace launched a multi-pronged attack with hundreds of thousands of troops, the Divine Sect's forces were not numerous, yet they were still able to win by taking advantage of the enemy's underestimation and recklessness. However, this time, General of Anxi, commanding a large army, followed the Grand Tutor's orders, slowly approaching Kun, establishing camps step by step, fighting and defending, and avoiding reckless battles. After capturing a piece of land, he rebuilt Plank Road and plank roads to ensure defense and logistics, thus avoiding proactive attacks and open battles with the enemy, focusing instead on attacking strongholds and passes, relying on the encirclement of the enemy with a large army to launch a strong push and attack.

This has led to the cult gradually losing its advantage due to its small number of soldiers, ineffective offensive tactics, and lack of opportunity to turn the tide through field warfare tactics. It can only passively retreat and defend.

Meanwhile, the Anxi Army had supplies from the Three Enclosures, and the Grand Tutor also contacted local powerful clans in Kun through his connections at Yuntai Peak, gradually winning over local forces in Kun and cutting off the supplies that the Divine Sect could obtain from Kun. They had to transport supplies through Kunlun. In addition, a large number of independent cultivators in Kun who were close to the Xuanmen sect also began to rebel.

All of this led to the gradual loss of control for the Divine Cult, which could only maintain its main force along the Juelong Ridge line and confront General of Anxi. It allowed many counties and independent cultivator forces within Kun to act independently. It was clear that it could not hold out for much longer.

Who could have imagined that at such a moment, the Grand Tutor would suddenly die in a calamity?

"Now the situation has reversed. The Anxi Immortal Army has lost its way back, and the people's hearts are in turmoil. Sima Chongyang was able to be ennobled and appointed as a general only because he is the son of the Grand Tutor. Where did he get the military merit and prestige to suppress the arrogant and fierce generals under the command of famous generals such as Wen Tianjun, Junyi Godly Monarch, and Lord of Pingxiang? He should have withdrawn his troops immediately, but he is still hesitating and trapped here! He has already put himself in a deadly situation!"

I have now dispatched my protectors to investigate and find out the military plans of the various generals of the Anxi Army, including their camps and fortifications. Please take a look!

Now, the generals of the Celestial Army are standing guard on the mountain, ostensibly to support each other, but in reality, they are unable to take care of the rear. With a large force concentrated in front, they have the power to advance but no defense to follow. With the Three Enclosures destroyed, their food supplies will be cut off, and they can finish the job in one battle!

Tonight at midnight, we will break camp and lead 5,000 elite troops to storm the rear of Juelong Ridge, burn their provisions, and cut off their retreat! I urge all altar leaders to look for the beacon fires and lead their troops in a coordinated attack; a great victory is assured! That concludes my words. Who agrees? Who disagrees?

The chubby-faced General Daoist Qiongqi finished reciting the note given to him by Guiche, slammed his hand on the table, and roared, unleashing the ferocity of a beast to intimidate the other generals and increase his persuasiveness.

In fact, the generals in the camp were either altar masters or protectors of the Divine Cult, all of whom had reached the Divine Transformation, so they didn't care much about Qiongqi's ferocity. However, when they looked at the detailed satellite sand table of the Juelong Ridge region provided by Guiche, which showed exactly how many troops and generals were on each mountain peak, which mountain streams contained provisions, weapons, and medicines, how many people were on duty and how many were patrolling each day, and the routes were all clearly marked on the sand table, they couldn't help but stare at the Qingyang Altar Master and the vanguard general with ghostly eyes.

Was this idiot who failed the exam possessed by someone...?

"But, but you all only arrived at night, the Enforcement Venerable has not yet arrived, and the rear guard has not yet assembled..." a boar-headed demon king subconsciously spoke up.

The Guiche transmitted its voice to Qiongqi, "Slap it!"

"Awooo--! Nonsense!" Qiongqi leaped out and slapped the wild boar king away, sending his head swollen. "The army is on its way! Speed is of the essence! The other side hasn't even attained enlightenment yet! I, a Divine Transformation cultivator, can easily take on ten of them! Why wait for the Venerable One to arrive! Wait, wait, wait! They'll be gone by dawn! Objection overruled!"

The wild boar head covered its face and cried, a cracking sound coming from its neck, its head almost snapping off. How terrifying...

The group of guardians present exchanged bewildered glances, then turned to look at Qiongqi, and then at a Foundation Establishment cultivator beside him.

Although this person looked like an ordinary blood puppet, he was wearing a device with a metal scorpion on his face. The scorpion's eyes were flashing red signal lights, and its segments wrapped around the puppet's head and inserted into the back of its brain. Brain matter could almost be seen overflowing from the transparent tube. This was the military observer sent by the legion, the actual commander of the Qingyang Assault Group.

The latter looked at the map, discussed the matter further, and nodded.

"The coordinates are accurate, we can proceed."

Since he said so, there's no problem.

So the Divine Cult army sprang into action. Those who needed to take drugs took drugs, those who needed to wear armor put on armor, released all the demons and monsters, put metal shackles and headbands on them, mounted various machine guns and cannons, and set up artillery positions.

Well, artillery, or more accurately, Warcraft-style self-propelled artillery, would be a more fitting description.

The Legion's tactical theory, in essence, is also about technological superiority and bullying those who rely on primitive tactics.

After all, even if they used a 'computer' to allow the Foundation Establishment followers of the Divine Cult to control the movement of demons and monsters and bully ordinary soldiers, it would still be difficult for them to manipulate their bodies to fight head-on against the War Gods and Martial God of the Immortal Palace.

So the legion played to its strengths and avoided its weaknesses, transforming many of the great demons into turret tanks. Although the native technology couldn't produce railguns, basic explosive projectile cannons were no problem. Moreover, they could improve metallurgy and cannon barrels, using the energy of the demon gods to power up and fire magical light cannons, talisman fireballs, and other modified nonsense.

In short, the legion's tactics were to organize the demons and monsters of the cult to fly long distances to the war zone, then carry armored cannons and ammunition on their backs, transforming into human shield tanks and marching to the war zone. Once within range, they would provide fire support, hurling explosives, crossbow bolts, various metals and explosives onto the Immortal Palace's positions, blasting open the barrier and destroying the Celestial Army's positions.

At the same time, the elite troops of the Qingyang Army charged under artillery fire, with infantry and artillery working in coordination to penetrate behind the Immortal Army's lines, destroy their supplies, and attack and destroy their camps one by one, cutting off their retreat. They then attacked the Anxi Immortal Army from both the front and the rear, waging a decisive battle of annihilation within Juelong Ridge.

As long as the legion uses their junk technology weapons on a large scale, it will naturally cause the deviation value to fluctuate drastically. The system can then instantly hack into nearby Sentinel drones to trigger an alarm, tricking the agents from the three locations down and eliminating them.

That's the plan; the rest is up to luck.

Li Fan maneuvered the Guiche and landed on the blood flag of the cult, watching the believers prepare to set up the altar.

The Divine Cult's Protectorate Army, clad in legionary red armor, huddled together like a pile of Coke cans, kneeling on one knee before the shrine of the Ghost-Faced God, sleeves rolled up, revealing their left arms, and holding dagger-like short blades in their right hands.

The twin Saintess of Qingyang Altar also came. Gesang Medo played the bone flute, and Dunzhu Zhuoma sang a divine song. They started singing and dancing again.

"Throughout the day and night, the stars and moon appeared and disappeared."

Youthful beauty fades, voice and appearance are no more.

Life and death are but an end, the past cannot be changed.

Praying to God, what difficulty is there in my life?

I pray to God, for my life is so tragic.

Pity us mortals, for our flesh and blood suffer so much.

What joy is there in living, what sorrow in dying?

I offer my flesh and blood as a sacrifice to my Lord.

The raging divine fire consumed my remaining body.

The blazing holy flames scorch my sorrow.

To live is to be radiant, and to die is to be pure.

Let us journey together to the next life, to the boundless Pure Land!

"Go to the afterlife!" Ban Shu Ban Lian roared.

"Go to heaven!" The Protectorate Army all drew their swords, made a bloody cut on their left arms, and then held up their bloody daggers for the gods to see.

"Go to the afterlife!" Ban Shu Ban Lian screamed.

"Rebirth!" the Protectorate Army roared in unison, slashing their swords again, then raising them high and splashing their hot blood all over their armor and blood-stained clothes.

"Go to the afterlife!" Ban Shu Ban Lian danced wildly.

"May you be reborn in the Pure Land!"

This revelry repeated itself, three times horizontally and three times vertically, with everyone drawing out the Nine Palaces on their left arms, offering a blood sacrifice to the god.

This is the famous pre-battle blood sacrifice and the Song of Rebirth performed by the cult.

The song clearly stated that they were prepared to abandon their physical bodies, burn themselves to ashes for the sake of the religion and the divine master, in order to establish a bright and pure world.

He went to his death.