The other historical timeline he had seen in his daze, those final scenes, all caused Song Jiang great pain.
The legendary physician An Daoquan and others always accompanied the army on its marches, ensuring that any wounded soldiers received immediate medical treatment.
An Daoquan was the foremost physician on Liangshan Mountain. Under his command, a large number of doctors were trained and, with his guidance, the Liangshan Imperial Medical Academy was established.
"Besides, we are no longer the so-called bandits who have been granted amnesty and can be bullied by any official at will, just like the Song court!"
Song Jiang thought to himself, "The hundreds of thousands of troops are united and have no resentment. Moreover, the number of troops has not decreased, but has increased as they surrender along the way... Fang La, the Holy Duke of Jiangnan, will not be a major threat to me in this battle!"
Song Jiang looked around. Wu Yong, Gongsun Sheng, as well as Wu Song, Lu Zhishen, Lin Chong, Yang Zhi, Huyan Zhuo, and many other leaders were all exceptionally powerful and among the best in the Great Luo Realm. The soldiers under their command were also seasoned veterans who had fought countless battles...
Coupled with a series of victories, morale was high and the army's spirits were soaring...
Song Jiang said to his men, “We must not be careless! Jiangnan is a major tax-paying area for the Song court. After Fang La conquered it, it also became his training ground. The Song court attacks it from time to time. Its fighting strength is not to be underestimated.”
Wu Yong laughed and said, "Rest assured, Star King, none of the brothers will underestimate that Saint Duke of Jiangnan."
Gongsun Sheng said, "Given Wang Qing's example, I'm afraid the Song army won't just sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight... Even if they can't unite with Fang La, a coordinated attack against us is still a problem."
Song Jiang stroked his beard and said, "It's alright, I already had a plan."
Suddenly, Song Jiang frowned. A thought flashed through his mind: defying the Song court was a heinous crime deserving of divine retribution, and he should feel deeply ashamed for it and atone for it with his entire life…
"Is it the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden?" Song Jiang was also a Great Luo Realm cultivator and a Star King, surrounded by the luck of humanity. He had been on guard all along, so he vaguely sensed the existence of that celestial being who manipulated people's hearts in the shadows.
Suddenly, Song Jiang's heart sank. Sure enough, there was a reason behind his foolish actions in that historical timeline...
But he was also surprised that this influence disappeared abruptly before he could exert any force.
"Is someone sabotaging the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden's plans?" Song Jiang's heart stirred slightly as he recalled the news that had spread from the Great Shen Kingdom of Dongsheng Divine Continent.
"Which demon god is it, or perhaps..." Song Jiang pondered silently.
After a while, he shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.
"As long as Liangshan unifies the world, the fortunes of humanity will increase dramatically... If I can become a powerful quasi-saint, then everything will become clear," Song Jiang thought to himself.
This is the Immortal Realm; if you are strong enough, nothing is a problem.
Of course, the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden is a general of the Heavenly Court and a well-known confidante of the Jade Emperor. Could her secret instigation be on the Jade Emperor's orders...?
Song Jiang could only console himself that this was the personal action of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden.
"Besides, I am already a Star King. If I were to dominate the Southern Continent, the human world would be blessed. At that time, even if the Jade Emperor were to intervene, I'm sure the Fire Cloud Cave would not stand idly by," Song Jiang thought to himself.
Fire Cloud Cave is a sacred place for the human race. The backlash from the human race's fortune is very weak. However, for the sake of the rational development of humanity, Fire Cloud Cave does not interfere in the struggles between various dynasties most of the time.
But with the Heavenly Court's ruler making such a blatant intervention, how could the Fire Cloud Cave possibly stand idly by?
This was also what Song Jiang believed to be the best way out for the Liangshan heroes!
Therefore, he was determined to defeat Fang La, Tian Hu, and Song Ting at all costs!
As for Wang Qing, the King of Chu in Huaixi... he is now just a skeleton in a tomb, and his territory has now belonged to the Star King of Liangshan!
Of course, Song Jiang was also aware that even if the above conditions were met, there would still be a formidable enemy outside.
The Liao Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty were also kingdoms in the Southern Continent, especially the Liao Dynasty, which stood alongside the Song Dynasty!
Moreover, it remains to be seen whether the three major continents of Beiju Luzhou, Dongsheng Shenzhou, and Xiniu Hezhou will interfere.
"In short, by developing Liangshan, training and strengthening our troops, and having generals who are all veterans of countless battles and at the peak of the Great Luo realm, or even Quasi-Saint realm... even if other major forces intervene, we can withstand them and ensure that the fruits of victory are not stolen by others!"
Song Jiang's eyes gleamed as he surveyed the Jiangnan region, where Fang La was a formidable enemy!
******
The actions of the Liangshan army clearly did not escape the eyes of Cao Ya, who had been watching closely.
In fact, Song Jiang was able to perceive it because Cao Ya deliberately let go of a trace of the corruption originating from the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, making Song Jiang even more vigilant!
Ninety-nine percent of the impact was wiped out by Cao Ya. Surely Song Jiang wouldn't be unable to withstand the remaining bit?
He's at least a top-tier Ronaldo!
"Originally, Song Jiang was just an ordinary general, but after becoming the leader of Liangshan, he fought in the south and north, successively defeating the Song army, capturing and killing Gao Qiu and Tong Guan, and then defeating Wang Qing of Huaixi..."
"The title of 'Star King' has spread throughout the Southern Continent, attracting much scrutiny..."
"Although the emperors and rebel kings of the various countries in the Southern Continent all receive a portion of the human fortune, there are bound to be differences in their levels. Among them, Song Jiang is indeed not as good as the emperor, but he is not far off. And many rebel kings are not as good as Song Jiang."
"With the help of the human destiny, his strength has already reached the pinnacle of the Great Luo Realm!"
"However, Song Jiang was not good at one-on-one battles."
"But it doesn't matter. He's the big boss. He can identify and appoint people, organize troops, manage internal affairs, investigate people's livelihood, and rectify officialdom. That's enough."
"Alright, that's a very high requirement! But how can you become emperor without knowing these things?"
“Any shortage indicates a problem! If the majority are not satisfied… then he is a foolish and incompetent ruler, and as the ruler of a country, that is irresponsible towards the people!”
"As for one-on-one duels... is that something emperors should be doing? What are your generals good for?"
In the realm of immortals, experts are as numerous as clouds and powerful figures as rain; the influence of these great beings is immense.
Even so, relying on military formations, hundreds, thousands, or even tens or hundreds of thousands of troops, with their magical power surging and infused into the bodies of a few generals or a commander-in-chief of the three armies... it's not surprising that a peak Great Luo Immortal could directly sweep away ordinary Quasi-Saints!
For a dynasty to establish itself and gain a foothold in the Immortal Realm, its first generation must be exceptional individuals!
Furthermore, there must be several quasi-saint level combatants!
Regardless of whether this combat power relies on human kindness and luck, or military tactics... in short, if they go all out and can meet the standard, then of course it counts.
It was only in later generations that things generally declined, with emperors, generals, and soldiers all falling into decline. The entire dynasty went downhill, and after hundreds of thousands or millions of years, it was destined to disintegrate.
This has been the case throughout history.
“There are actually quite a few people in Liangshan who are capable of fighting against generals.” Cao Ya looked around.
Wu Song the Pilgrim, Lu Zhishen the Flowery Monk, and Lin Chong the Leopard Head were all skilled fighters in this field.
His martial arts skills were already at the peak of the Great Luo realm, and now he is almost breaking through the threshold of the Quasi-Saint realm!
"Furthermore, they are not relying on luck, but on their own cultivation, and they are about to break through to a higher realm!"
"Hmm? This is going to be interesting." Suddenly, Cao Ya raised an eyebrow, as if he had discovered something.
******
Along the route of the Liangshan army, there were numerous lakes and marshes, where dragons and snakes often lurked.
However, when the army of one or two hundred thousand men was under the command of a group of powerful leaders and marched in a mighty force towards Jiangnan, no matter what kind of demons or monsters they were, they all fled far away and dared not stop them.
Even ordinary quasi-saints are wary of it.
After all, Liangshan is a powerful force, and if it were besieged, even ordinary quasi-saints would face calamity.
But during this process, there were some experts who refused to believe in such superstitions.
Deep within a vast lake spanning millions of miles, a dozen or so figures were feasting and drinking.
"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on Liangshan?" Suddenly, a dignified middle-aged man with a pair of dragon horns on his head spoke up.
As soon as he finished speaking, the group of men exchanged glances and chuckled.
"What else could it be? Of course, it's about assassinating the Liangshan leader!" an old man said with a faint smile.
"Ancestor Wuyun, you still want to kill Star King Song Jiang? Do you have the ability?" a great demon questioned.
"Who said I was going to kill Song Jiang?" Old Ancestor Wuyun sneered. "Song Jiang is the Heavenly Star, and also the current Star King. Even if I succeed in assassinating him, I will suffer a backlash from his luck, which would be a loss for me."
"However, if the higher-ups really have such intentions, and we successfully assassinate a group of Liangshan heroes, will we be able to attain enlightenment?" A man dressed as a scholar in white asked worriedly.
"King of Oolong, you're such a coward!" the crowd mocked.
The scholar in white showed no annoyance and continued to inquire. Since it concerned life and death, and his future, caution was never a bad thing.
"Ancestor Wuyun, the Eight Demons of the Holy Church of Wanhua Mountain, Dragon Lord Zhenze, King Wulong..."
Cao Ya discovered the group of experts who were feasting inside the temple in the lake.
These people, however, were completely unaware of Cao Ya.
"The Five Cloud Ancestor is the ancestor of the demonic path in the Five Cloud Cave of Five Cloud Mountain. Like the Eight Demons of the Holy Church of Ten Thousand Flowers Mountain, he comes from the Legend of Ji Gong."
"The Dragon King of Zhenze and the King of Wulong are characters from the Water Margin."
"In the original book, the Dragon King of Zhenze took Zhang Shun, the White Stripe in the Heavenly Loss Star, into his fold after Zhang Shun's death and bestowed upon him the title of Golden Flower Protector. And the Black Dragon King helped Song Jiang several times... How come they are hostile to Liangshan here?"
Cao Ya was curious, so he manipulated his destiny and immediately had an epiphany.
It turns out that these demons and powerful deities all have intricate connections with major forces such as the Heavenly Court in this world of mortal immortals.
Because of the unusual situation at Liangshan, in order to befriend figures like the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden and the Fairy Disenchantment, they naturally targeted Liangshan Marsh.
If Song Jiang and his ilk accept the imperial pardon and foolishly fight to the death for the Song Dynasty's Daoist emperor, then we will provide assistance so that the villains can complete their mission sooner, close the Water Margin case, and allow the three heroes to reap the rewards from the powerful figures.
"In that case, that group of Buddhists and Taoists must be in the same situation."
Cao Ya seemed to be deep in thought. The three leaders' plan for the grand scheme of Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin was indeed far-sighted!
Even with frequent unexpected events, there are multiple contingency plans to remedy the situation.
"The old immortal Dongfang Taiyue of Shangqing Palace on Tiantai Mountain, the long-browed Arhat Lingkong of Songquan Temple on Jiusong Mountain, the Kanli Zhenren Lu Xiuzhen of Songyin Temple on Bagua Mountain, and the Zixia Zhenren Li Hanling of Yunxia Temple on Wansong Mountain... are all masters in 'The Complete Biography of Ji Gong,' no less than the Eight Demons and the Five Cloud Ancestor!"
"In the book, these Buddhist and Taoist figures are enemies of each other, and they often fight and battle each other."
"Unexpectedly, in this world, they are perfectly in sync and want to assassinate the demon star of Liangshan, so as to give Fang La of Jiangnan and the Song court an opportunity to severely damage the Liangshan army!"
Cao Ya smiled slightly, but did not show himself, instead going to remind Song Jiang and the others.
Not only must they conceal their whereabouts before the final chapter, but more importantly, Cao Ya believed that the abilities of those demon stars were more than enough to deal with this kind of opponent.
******
"Attaining the Dao, attaining the Dao..."
Within a blessed land of immortals, Elder Lingkong, True Person Zixia, and others gathered to discuss important matters.
"Buzzing." They also activated the peerless immortal formation to conceal the secrets of heaven, in order to prevent the Liangshan masters from sensing anything on a whim.
“We are either at the advanced level of the Great Luo realm or at the peak of the Great Luo realm. We seem to be only a step away from the Quasi-Saint realm, but this step... has blocked countless heroes throughout history, making it difficult for them to make any progress!” Old Immortal Dongfang Taiyue sighed. He had cultivated for many tens of thousands of years, but he still could not advance to the Quasi-Saint realm.
"Amitabha." Elder Lingkong put his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name, saying, "Since it is the instruction of the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden and Fairy Disenchantment, it should be true."
“But what if…” Kanli Zhenren Lu Xiuzhen was quite worried, much like Wulong Dawang.
“There’s no chance of anything going on!” Master Zixia, Li Hanling, said with a smile, “As long as the Great Celestial Venerable and the others receive benefits, a little guidance, or some treasures as rewards, it will be enough for us to have an epiphany and break through to the Quasi-Saint level.”
The old immortal Dongfang Taiyue's eyes gleamed with a strange light as he said, "That's right! Putting everything else aside, if the Great Heavenly Venerable were willing to bestow upon us a superior divine position... wouldn't we immediately become quasi-saints?"
"Even if he's not exactly carefree, he's still considered a direct descendant of the Great Celestial Venerable. So, a little corruption wouldn't be a big problem."
"The Heavenly Court rules over all the heavens and is the supreme ruler of the Three Realms... The rewards one can obtain there are far beyond what our few Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries in the Southern Continent can compare to! They are far inferior!"
Master Zixia, Li Hanling, also said: "In the Earthly Immortal Realm, there are actually many Great Luo Immortals, but once they reach the Quasi-Saint level, their numbers decrease sharply! No matter what kind of power it is, even in a Saint's Daoist temple, the number of Quasi-Saints is still very limited."
When the quasi-saints were mentioned, the monks and Taoists all looked on with longing.
That was their greatest pursuit, the result of a lifetime of arduous practice!
As for weak saints or true primordial beings... I dare not hope for so much.
I would be content if I could become a quasi-saint.
"Since everyone has made up their minds, let's do it this way," Elder Lingkong said. "Among the Liangshan leaders, if we take action and kill a few of the most capable fighters, we can, to some extent, cut off their momentum of rise, thus completing our mission without taking too much risk!"
"Don't be careless!" Master Zixia Li Hanling warned, "The Monkey King Wu Song, the Flower Monk Lu Zhishen, and others are all formidable fighters."
"I know, that Wu Song once killed a tiger demon of the Great Luo Realm with his bare hands on Jingyang Ridge, and was hailed as the 'Tiger-Slaying Hero'!" Kanli Zhenren Lu Xiuzhen said with a smile, having also heard of the legendary name of the Liangshan Demon Star.
"Lin Chong, the Leopard Head, was the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards of the Song Dynasty. His skill in spear fighting should not be underestimated," whispered the old immortal Dongfang Taiyue.
"There's no need to boost others' morale while diminishing our own," Elder Lingkong said calmly. "We've honed our skills in this realm for countless eons; how vast and profound our accumulated strength must be!"
"It was another case of cunningly targeting the unsuspecting, a clandestine assassination attempt, and the use of magical artifacts..."
"Moreover, they also needed guidance from the celestial gods to know the weaknesses of the Heavenly Wounded Star, the Heavenly Lonely Star, and the Heavenly Heroic Star... Even if that was in the previous life, how could such flaws in the Great Dao be easily remedied?"
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