In the afternoon, all the "unrelated people" retreated to a low slope three hundred feet away.

Qin Jingzhan finally got rid of his sour face because his eldest sister and sixth sister were standing not far from him.

If he's just some nobody, then so are they, hmph!

Everyone was discussing it, wondering how to dredge it.

The initial order was to find a second flood discharge point, but it suddenly changed and was changed to digging.

The Imperial Guards dug along the riverbank, while the Imperial Workshop surveyed the soil to avoid the underground rammed earth embankment.

The two sides worked together to dig a cave that was two zhang deep, and it was shaped like a gourd, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top.

After the excavation was completed, no plan was explained, and everyone evacuated, leaving only Commander Meng behind.

Now, half an hour has passed, and everyone is eagerly waiting, but there has been no movement yet.

The rain wasn't heavy, but it had been falling for three hours straight, and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon.

No one knows how long the upstream dikes can hold out, and floods could enter Mingyan County at any time.

Gu Tingyun, the Junior Officer of the Bureau of Civil Affairs, stamped her foot and finally couldn't help but walk towards the Princess.

He could refrain from vying for power and obediently act as a puppet, but only if there were no major mishaps in the flood control efforts; otherwise, he, as the disaster relief envoy, would undoubtedly be the first to suffer the consequences.

"Your Highness," Gu Tingyun cupped his hands in greeting, "how much longer will we have to wait?"

The attention of everyone nearby was drawn to this, and they were equally anxious.

Qin Zhaoqiong actually wanted to ask her sixth sister how much longer it would take, but she forcibly suppressed her instinct to look to her side.

"Lord Gu need not worry, it will be over soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the crowd ahead.

"Look, isn't that Commander Meng?"

The distance was too far, and it was raining at the time, so most people could only see a small dot floating in the air.

The next moment, the distant sky suddenly burst forth with an extremely dazzling white light.

A flash of white light disappeared, but the remaining radiance illuminated the figure soaring into the air.

He pointed his sword to the sky, his deep voice seemingly shaking the entire universe:

"Nine Heavens Mysterious Might, transformed into divine thunder, majestic heavenly might, drawn by a single sword, the true technique of divine sword controlling thunder!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening roar shook the earth.

Even though they were far apart, the explosion seemed to be right next to their ears, making them stumble.

Mud and gravel flew everywhere, stirring up huge amounts of dust that blotted out the sun, but were instantly swallowed up by the surging lake water.

Rumble! Like a thousand troops marching through the land.

Those who witnessed this scene were deeply shaken and overwhelmed by the power of nature.

Qin Zhaoyue was also quite shocked. There was a fundamental difference between watching videos and witnessing it in person. She even felt that 300 zhang was not a very safe distance.

The lake water rushed down, and the Imperial Guard light cavalry, who had been waiting for a long time, followed at a distance with two officials from the Imperial Works Bureau.

It's true that water flows downhill, but before the actual flood discharge, no one can say for sure that the water flow will follow the pre-planned route.

They need to monitor the dredging in real time until it merges with the downstream water system and forms a new channel before the dredging is truly complete.

As people gradually recovered from the shock, the roar still lingered in their ears, and they all opened their mouths and shouted loudly, making the low slope extremely noisy for a moment.

The officials of the Heavenly Works Bureau were overjoyed, while the man who was measuring the soil suddenly collapsed to the ground.

While relieved, everyone couldn't help but wonder how Commander Meng managed to break through the floodgates all by himself.

All eyes were once again focused on the eldest princess.

Qin Zhaoqiong pursed her lips tightly, her face pale.

It's true, the gunpowder provided by Sixth Sister was actually able to blow up a five-zhang-thick dam!

Such a powerful weapon... Qin Zhaoqiong was horrified, and alarm bells rang in her mind.

Just now, she couldn't help but think of the Northern Frontier, what if it were deployed in the war against the Shuofeng Dynasty...

Could it be that Zhao Yue was worried about this, which is why she was so cautious and even made the three of them make such harsh vows?

"Your Highness...Your Highness the Eldest Princess?"

Qin Zhaoqiong snapped out of her reverie. Now was not the time to ponder. Composing herself, she spoke loudly:

"Commander Meng took the divine medicine and quickly gained the strength of the Divine Martial Realm."

So that's how it is!

Come to think of it, if it weren't for those mysterious Upper Three Realms, how could they possibly possess such power?

"Where is Commander Meng? Why is he nowhere to be seen?"

"Yes, could they have fallen into the flood?"

"Should we send someone to look for them...?"

Qin Zhaoqiong did not respond, while her sixth sister had already slipped out of the group while everyone was in a daze.

Many people naturally noticed this, but with the flood discharge underway, who had the mind to care what she was doing?

Surrounded by all twelve members of the Mo Group, Qin Zhaoyue rushed down the low slope and headed straight for the small grove to the north.

In the grove, the great hero Meng Jian was sitting on the ground, panting heavily against a tree trunk, his face as pale as paper.

They just put on a show; yes, it wasn't just him, but also Sui Mo secretly cooperating.

With Meng Jian's cultivation level, levitation for a short time is not a problem, but staying in the air for a long time and reciting the strange line Qin Zhaoyue gave him is something he cannot do on his own.

Therefore, Sui Mo needed to secretly throw stones so that they would land right at Meng Jian's feet so that he could use them for leverage.

This is not difficult for two fifth-rank martial artists.

The gourd-shaped cave that was excavated contained a large number of earthenware jars filled with gunpowder mixed by Meng Jian himself, and connected to the same fuse in a cluster.

He conducted numerous experiments and calculated the time required from igniting the fuse to the explosion.

Moreover, as Qin Zhaoyue instructed, it was better to leave a moment earlier than to delay until the last minute.

A play can have some flaws, after all, it's three hundred feet away, and other people can't perceive so many details.

Besides, ordinary people have no contact with experts at the Divine Martial Realm, so they naturally don't know their extraordinary abilities. So what if there's a slight delay after an attack?

Everything proceeded according to the script: the fuse was lit, the person was launched into the air, their lines were recited, and then they sped away, pulled by a thin thread around their waist.

However, the actual explosion was far more powerful than Meng Jian had anticipated.

Dirt and pebbles flew everywhere, faster than any hidden weapon, shooting out in all directions.

Even though he was more than forty feet away, some of the debris still hit him.

Meng Jian lowered his head, his fingers tracing the light blue cicada-wing armor he wore.

The armor produced by the Meng family is naturally extraordinary. Even though it is only light armor, its protective power is among the best of armor of the same weight.

However, now, more than a dozen cold-forged steel willow-leaf armor plates have been damaged to varying degrees, and many have even been dented.

That's a full forty feet away! If it were at the epicenter of the explosion...

"No trace of her remains"—it turns out Qin Zhaoyue's statement was not an exaggeration at all.

Even if you weren't injured, you can't help but feel lingering fear. Gunpowder, made from just three ordinary ingredients, is terrifying!

But that's not the only reason for his solemn expression.

Just then, Qin Zhaoyue arrived with the Mo Group.

Meng Jian looked up, "I think I know why there are dams underground..."