Apeback City

The next moment, Qiu Yan took a deep breath, a cold and hard feeling filling his mouth and nose, and the image of swords flashing in his mind!

With a slight movement, the sound of metal clashing rang out, and he was once again wearing that general's armor!

"General!"

The voice came from the side, and Qiu Yan looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Qiu Yi, whom he had named.

Qiu Yi's armor was badly damaged, and he had a wound on his face with dried blood. His breathing was disordered.

Seeing the other person's expression, Qiu Yan quickly guessed the reason.

Sure enough, Qiu Yi explained the situation, "The General suddenly returned to Heaven, leaving us leaderless. We were attacked by that cavalry and quickly became unable to hold on. Fortunately, their commander was also away, otherwise we would have been completely wiped out!"

"Sure enough, after my Divine Soul, things here did not stop, but continued." Thinking of this, Qiu Yan looked past Qiu Yi and towards the other's back. What came into view was a scattered group of soldiers, the same infantry, but they had lost their edge. The wounded were scattered, and many were helping each other.

"Infantry against cavalry, were they scattered?" Qiu Yan didn't know much about how infantry should fight cavalry. He had planned to use a trap, but the appearance of the Household Ancestor Chen Divine Soul him, and his previous arrangements were ruined. The remaining troops suffered heavy losses due to their encounter with the cavalry.

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Yan asked, "How badly are you injured?"

Qiu Yi had anticipated this, and replied, "I have tried my best to gather them, but there are only 527 people left."

"Five hundred and twenty-seven? Half of our men have been lost. I don't know if they scattered or were all killed." Thinking this, Qiu Yan asked another question, "Do you know of any way to reinforce our troops here?"

Qiu Yi then replied, "After winning a battle against the enemy, the prisoners of war captured will all be returned to replenish the army!"

"Is capturing prisoners the only option? In that case, these soldiers have become veritable expendable resources..." Qiu Yan pondered for a moment, then quickly came up with an idea. He glanced at Qiu Yi and said, "Right now, we have an advantage: the surrounding enemy forces are currently without generals. If we go and fight them now, we should be able to achieve some success. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yi did not answer directly, but instead asked, "If that's the case, does the General know how long this advantage can last?"

Qiu Yan pondered for a moment, then said, "It should last for one or two hours."

Qiu Yi frowned and said, "In other words, the exact timeframe is uncertain and cannot be determined. There are too many variables. Furthermore, our army is currently filled with wounded soldiers who will need a day to recover. Even if we engage in battle, we will be short-handed, and there are no scouts in the army to gather intelligence or pinpoint the enemy's location. Moreover, judging from the General's appearance, he seems unable to be in the army at all times, which could lead to unforeseen circumstances. There are too many unfavorable factors."

Although he did not answer, his words of comfort were quite clear.

Qiu Yan pondered for a while after hearing this before saying, "There's one more thing you didn't mention: I lack war experience and my command decisions were too based on assumptions, which could very well have harmed the entire army..."

"General..." Qiu Yi was taken aback and was about to explain.

But Qiu Yan waved his hand to interrupt him, "Don't rush to comfort me. Having flaws is nothing to be ashamed of. Only by facing our flaws and knowing where our shortcomings lie can we learn and make up for them. Although my disappearance midway through the battle contributed to this defeat, even if I had been there, I might not have been able to achieve anything. However..."

His gaze swept over the soldiers, then he changed the subject. "You said it would only take one day for the wounded to recover?"

Qiu Yi nodded. "That's true. We soldiers can recover our fighting strength in a day, but the real problem is that the terrain here is not good and not conducive to defense. If we are discovered by any enemy force and they charge in, we may not have time to recover, and our fighting strength will become weaker and weaker."

"A vicious cycle?" Qiu Yan pondered this sentence, then looked around, taking in his surroundings.

They were still on the Upper Plain, but had moved away from the hills and into a small forest, presumably to avoid the enemy's sight.

"Having been defeated and forced to retreat into the jungle, their morale is low, making them unsuitable for attacking others. Even if other troops are unarmed, lacking weapons, and leaderless, the marching and searching will easily deplete their morale. If they encounter well-equipped troops, they will be courting death."

The idea flashed through Qiu Yan's mind, and he said, "In that case, let our army rest and reorganize here now. We can use this as a base to focus on defense, and wait until I have a better understanding of military affairs before launching a counterattack."

"That's good," Qiu Yi nodded, "But this place can only provide temporary shelter, not a place to stay for long. How can it be used as a base?"

Qiu Yan smiled and said, "I have my own plans." As soon as he finished speaking, he took a step and leaped into the depths of the Lin Zhong, looking around as if he were observing the surrounding terrain.

Qiu Yi and the soldiers were puzzled when they saw this. But before they could ask, Qiu Yan stopped and stood still, closing his eyes and remaining silent, as if he were thinking.

"This is..." Qiu Yi took two steps forward, about to follow, but unexpectedly stopped abruptly after taking just one step, feeling a massive will flowing around him! Intertwining in mid-air! As if a person were making a thought!

This will is vast and mighty, ancient and profound, yet it harbors many undercurrents within, seemingly formed from a convergence of numerous scattered thoughts!

In the Lin Zhong, the light gradually dimmed!

Qiu Yan and his soldiers noticed the change in light and were surprised. The grove was not large, but it was rich in vegetation. The tree canopies were large enough to block out the sunlight, but dappled light and shadow still fell on the ground.

However, all of these lights and shadows are now completely blocked.

Then, everyone looked up and saw a floating city. They could vaguely see rows of houses. At first, it was very blurry, but as the will gathered, the scene of the city became clearer and clearer.

Boom!

Finally, after it was fully formed, the city came down, covering Qiu Yan below and stirring up layers of dust.

The spot where the city walls collapsed was neither too far nor too near, just a few feet away from the many remaining soldiers. The air currents from the fall and compression were breathtaking!

Nearly a third of the forest suddenly disappeared, and gravel and mud were thrown several meters into the air, looking like a curtain from a distance!

The ground shook, and many soldiers around lost their footing. The tremor carried far and wide, and the booming sound echoed across the plain.

Boom!

The massive city gates slowly opened, and footsteps echoed from within. Qiu Yan emerged and stood before Qiu Yi, smiling, "This city will serve as the foundation for our army. Go inside now and familiarize yourselves with it. For the next two days, you will defend the city!"

When Qiu Yan withdrew his consciousness from that Outer Demon, he still clearly remembered the surprised expressions of Qiu Yi and the many soldiers, expressions no different from those of people in the Mortal Realm.

"What secrets does the Book World hold? Are the characters not mere illusions, but possess their own consciousness? And what is the composition of their souls? It's a pity that although I touched the book in the box with my Divine Sense, I didn't actually read it; otherwise, I might have been able to discern some clues."

The box containing the Military Miscellany had been taken by the Household Ancestor Chen, and Qiu Yan could not take it back. However, the Book World was not severed, and he could still send his consciousness into it through the connection with the Outer Demon.

"The Household Ancestor Chen is unfathomable; he should have discovered the Heart Demon in everyone present. Why didn't he take action?"

Unable to find an answer in a short time, Qiu Yan decided not to waste any more time and began to organize the takeaways from the dinner.

On the surface, the dinner being cut short would seem like he had gained nothing, but that was not actually the case.

Putting aside the fact that the two cultivators who were lurking nearby were suppressed in the Book World, thus eliminating one threat, the "army" he obtained within the Book World alone was of extraordinary significance.

"There has been the saying of Confucian General since ancient times. Now, the Great Rui Dynasty uses civil officials to command the military. It is not uncommon for civil officials to lead troops into battle. However, most of the officers who lead the troops are only familiar with military strategy and talk about it on paper. Therefore, when facing the enemy, they inevitably make assumptions and act accordingly, just like I did this time. This is actually the result of the disconnect between knowledge and action."

Recalling the scenes of entering and leaving the Book World, Qiu Yan reflects on his gains and losses.

"Through this Outer Demon, I can project my consciousness into that world, allowing me to experience the feeling of leading an army in advance. My opponent is in a similar situation to me, which gives me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the Sand Battlefield Military School. Combined with reading some Military Canon, I should gain a lot during this process!"

Thinking of this, Qiu Yan frowned again.

"But how did the person who orchestrated this plan anticipate that so many figures would enter the Book World and engage in a struggle? Suppressing two experts as bait was undoubtedly a coincidence. In other words, if only one person were present when the hidden power in the book erupted, what would they face?" He suddenly realized that there might be more to the Book World than met the eye, and the current military battle might just be the prelude!

"However, regardless of the purpose of the person behind it, as long as you control your own greed and know what you need, you can ensure that you don't fall into the trap. When a real crisis comes, you can eliminate this Outer Demon, sever all ties, and have no lingering attachments."

Having made up his mind, Qiu Yan calmed down, then his body swayed and he floated in the air.

A gentle breeze suddenly arose around him, gathering towards him, penetrating his skin and flesh, converging into his soul, transforming into a profound and ancient aura that converged upon his listless Heart Ape!

Since being shattered by the Dragon Qi that night, the Heart Ape has been in a state of exhaustion. Now, it is entangled by these strands of will, and the image of a city is gradually condensing on its back!

"My biggest gain this time was through the method of the Household Ancestor Chen, which allowed me to connect with many examinees Karma, breaking through my bottleneck and merging with the Prosperity Capital Will! Having completed the second step, I now have the opportunity to attempt the Third Step and can begin trying to contact the Dragon Qi!" (To be continued. Please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)