Under the gloomy sky, refugees dressed in ragged clothes, dense like ants, formed a seemingly endless line as they trudged along the muddy road.

Among them, some were numb, merely moving their feet in step with the crowd; others were crazed with fervor, flames burning in their eyes as they led the way; and many others hid their grievances and resentment, suppressed by the instinct for survival, yet to erupt.

These refugees of all sorts coalesced into a massive flood, moving towards the distant county city.

This scene was clearly reflected on a "Round Light" and noticed by everyone within the Donglin County Government.

"There are at least a million..."

Shen Hou from Yuxu Temple was stroking his long beard, his face clouded with gloom.

He looked around at the others: his junior, Yin Tulong, the court's Long Prince Consort Feng Manlou, Elder Tianxuan from Dinghu Sect, and Tan Wuwei from Mo Sect, who had arrived not long before; they all wore grave expressions.

As for the County Magistrate and the Prefectural Governor of Peng'an County, they could only stand to one side, without the privilege to even express their opinions.

"Liangzhou Province is mountainous, sparsely populated, and plagued by the Devil God Sect, with a population that does not match other provinces. Last year, the Yin Law Department used the Book of Life and Death to tally, totaling twenty million. Of these twenty million, a small half died in the previous water disaster and Devil Cultivator's mischief, some were rescued from the disaster areas through our preemptive arrangements, and some were taken away by Buddha Country in their exploitation of the situation."

Elder Tianxuan was holding a booklet with a black cover, flipping through it slowly, and said, "Currently, the population of Liangzhou Province is roughly ten million and thirty thousand. Approximately three million are refugees, with the Taiping Sect leading about three hundred thousand people on each of its flanks. Of the remaining two million four hundred thousand, at least half are on their way here."

The stark narration of the numbers spoke volumes of the death toll over this period.

Even considering the many taken by Buddha Country, the death toll still reached into the millions. And now, Donglin City was facing over one million two hundred thousand people.

One million two hundred thousand people were undoubtedly powerless against one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers, but the number itself was shocking.

Too many.

So many that even fourth-rank felt their scalps tingle.

"Can't we just use the Book of Life and Death to slay individual leaders and then disperse the masses?" Tan Wuwei from Mo Sect looked at the black booklet in Tianxuan's hands and asked.

This was something Tianxuan had obtained from Gongsun Qingyue when she left Dinghu. The Book of Life and Death itself was an artifact of Yin Ming, unaffected when passing through the Ghost Gate, allowing Tianxuan to quickly calculate the number of refugees.

"Things are different this time; in past rebellions, the court would send judges with the Book of Life and Death to eliminate key figures' lives, then quash the remnants. But this time, there are too many refugees."

Elder Tianxuan shook her head, "Additionally, the Giant Spirit God of the Taiping Sect can move mountains at any time, bringing floods and forcing them towards us."

There were so many people that those mixed in from the Taiping Sect believers were numerous; so many that even if those who incited the crowds were snuffed out, chaos could still ensue.

Not to mention, if they don't enter, they die.

As for our side holding back the floods...

If the Taiping Sect would not sit idly by, they would surely try to stop us if we intervened. In such a case, the aftermath of the battle between the two sides would be a meat grinder, even more terrifying than the flood.

To succeed, one must be ruthless and ensure that the remaining refugees could not join the Taiping Sect.

For a while, everyone remained silent.

Until Elder Tianxuan spoke again.

"With the great enemy before us, it is no solution to hesitate. Let this palace make the decision."

Determination shone through her veiled face, and Tianxuan stated with solemnity, "Once the refugees are near, I will personally take action to collapse the mountains on both sides, thwarting the enemy's evil plan. I will bear all consequences and all infamy."

"This—"

The crowd was visibly shaken.

This wasn't just a matter of reputation but also the emotional burden of annihilating one million two hundred thousand people. Not a handful of people, but one million two hundred thousand. Not commanding troops to slaughter, but personally exterminating.

"To hesitate is to be besieged by chaos; as the Family Head of the Gongsun Family, it is my duty to shoulder this responsibility, and I am the only one qualified to do so," Tianxuan suppressed any objections with an indisputable tone.

With these words, everyone, filled with helplessness, couldn't help but express their admiration.

Even the Dragon King's Son-in-law, Feng Manlou, internally praised her determination, surmising that in terms of decisiveness and resolve, she was perhaps even superior to his own wife.

It was a good thing he was here to lend a hand; otherwise, his wife would never really win over Tianxuan.

Feng Manlou outwardly showed admiration, though his heart remained cold and clear, like the vast sky, observing and gauging the situation.

However, just then—

"There's still a chance for things to turn around, we're not at the worst point yet."

A cloud surged into the county government building, revealing the figure of Jiang Li, who held a tattered bag in his left hand. He bowed to the assembly and then said, "Master, esteemed seniors, the Taiping Sect's scheme may be venomous, but it is not unbreakable. I have a method that can foil the enemy's plan."

"Are you serious?" Tianxuan's eyes flickered with rare urgency and asked.

"Absolutely," Jiang Li replied, "Master, don't forget that I seized the West Beauty Mirror from Kunxu Immortal Palace and extracted its core—the Heavenly Mirror Fragment. With this fragment, anyone below fifth-rank can be gathered just by being exposed to it, and they can be taken into the Mirror World where my sister and the fellow disciples have set up an Array, ensuring those inside cannot resist."

Tianxuan could also gather people, having cultivated a magic similar to "Sleeve Universe," previously using it to transport Jiang Li around. But this method could be stopped.

Once the opponent obstructed forcefully, and their powers clashed, the outcome would still be no different from a massacre.

Jiang Li had proposed a method, which was undoubtedly the most suitable one at the moment. Elder Tianxuan's eyes shone with an unusual light upon hearing it and immediately said, "If we win this battle, the credit should first go to you, my disciple."

"Exactly." Yin Tulong's face broke into a smile as well.

The others nodded in agreement as well.

The only one who was different was Feng Manlou. His face wore a beaming smile, but his heart had already started cursing relentlessly.

'I'm really stupid, really, to have been tricked by this pair of deceivers again, and to have been profited from for nothing.'

Feng Manlou grumbled incessantly in his heart, 'And it's the second time!'

Previously, Elder Yun had been tricked into becoming a scapegoat, and he hadn't even returned yet. Now, respect had been taken advantage of as well; it was an immense humiliation.

Others might not be aware of the close relationship between this master and disciple pair, but how could Feng Manlou be ignorant of it?

If Jiang Li had a way, Elder Tianxuan would surely be the first to know, and it's even possible that this strategy originated from Elder Tianxuan himself.

And the reason for such a play was, naturally, to seek fame.

Supporting a collapsing building and saving people from water and fire were the best ways to gain reputation. It was also the greatest utilization of this action. With this reputation, combined with the previous operations, Jiang Li regaining the rightful name and position due to the Jiang family, as well as achieving the goal of securing the Powerful Minister trio set, would be a sure thing.

A straightforward operation – things that needed to be done were done, but the benefits were maximized.

Most crucially, Feng Manlou had been duped without even realizing it.

'Such deceivers! They really are deceivers!'

The more Feng Manlou thought about it, the angrier he became, feeling like a fool who had been tricked twice. Suddenly, the previous obstructions he had caused Jiang Li seemed much less pleasing.

Meanwhile, Jiang Li was displaying the sack in his hands and said, "In addition, there is this item. This is a Precelestial Human Species Bag, its efficiency in capturing people surpasses even that of the Heavenly Mirror Fragment, and once people enter, they will be drained of strength and find it hard to even move, with even fourth-rank individuals being no exception. I encountered the White Lotus Saint Mother from the Buddha Country on the way here and obtained this item from her. As long as we find a way to refine it, we can ensure absolute safety."

Another piece of good news.

Elder Tianxuan's brows lifted joyously, and he said, "Everyone, please first proceed to the city walls to stand guard. While you do, my disciple and I will attempt to refine this Precelestial Human Species Bag. If we succeed, it's not just the threat on this road we can nullify, but we can also ensure safety from the other two directions."

Although the Taiping Sect was gearing up to attack, they still needed to wait for the surge of refugees. There was still some time. Hearing this, everyone agreed and left one after another.

Even Feng Manlou, when he left, had a look of deep resentment, like a scorned woman.

After all the others had gone, the master and disciple looked at each other and almost smiled in unison.

"Hm!"

Suddenly, Jiang Li clutched his forehead. In the acupoint located there, two stars were twinkling, the stars of the Heavenly Palace and Ziwei.

Ziwei and the Heavenly Palace, the assistance.

This was the connection established between Gongsun Qingyue and Jiang Li where they used it for internal and external communication.

And now... someone might have sensed something and felt displeased.

Jiang Li immediately wiped his forehead, and a ray of light shot out, landing on the ground, revealing Gongsun Qingyue's figure.

She was holding the Wordless Heavenly Scripture in one hand. Although her expression did not change, Jiang Li always felt that she was harboring suspicions.

"Cough, cough."

Jiang made a strategic cough and said, "We'd better take a look at this Precelestial Human Species Bag first. Luu Tianpeng had his head pierced by my Five Muddying Sword earlier, and in such a short period, he definitely cannot recover. The reason why the Taiping Sect's forces have yet to attack on this road must not solely be because my master and the seniors are sitting here, but also because of Luu Tianpeng's injuries."

"Exactly," Elder Tianxuan naturally continued the conversation and said, "The Taiping Sect, after all, is a pawn of Ji Jiji, serving his plan. The state of Luu Tianpeng's injuries might be linked to a key factor, so although the Taiping Sect's forces were divided into three, the central route has always focused on coercive threats, restraining us, the master and other elders, to coordinate with the other two routes, clearly having no intention of an immediate decisive battle."

"Now that they have suddenly attacked, it must be because they became aware that we have a method to solve the refugee crisis," Jiang Li realized.

And the reason for that...

Jiang Li immediately thought of the Buddha Country.

Only if the Buddha Country sent messengers to notify them would it cause the Taiping Sect to act decisively and attack.

Because if they were too slow, perhaps the Precelestial Human Species Bag would have been refined by then. At that point, even if Jiang Li himself had no solution, having the Precelestial Human Species Bag would be enough.

"This is an opportunity," he said.

Not only because they had found a solution and taken the initiative but also because he sensed a particular need from the opponent.

If they were simply treating the refugees as expendable, they wouldn't be in such a rush. Expendables are not only used to threaten the enemy; they can also be material for array setting or for refining Blood Talismans.

In the Mystic Sect, there are many side methods, and even certain types of magic are extremely powerful, but they do harm to heaven and thus are avoided.

The 1.2 million refugees were not only those they had to save but also what the enemy needed.

The opponent did not seem as indifferent to the refugees as they had shown.

'Do they need believers?' Jiang Li wondered.

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