Chapter 414 The War (1)
Ji Rong was even busier because the powerful clans under Emperor Rong's command were becoming increasingly outrageous.
At every council meeting, Jiaojue proposed eliminating Di Rong, but this radical statement failed to gain support.
Ji Rong wanted to kill Di Rong to end the matter once and for all, but Di Rong did nothing else except throw a knife towards the border mountain.
Killing a deity beloved by a powerful clan without a major conflict would be detrimental to future governance.
In addition, Shanshui has not returned, Xitong is blind, Qingpingzi is old, and Sinu holds military power.
...
Ji Rong had no suitable generals to lead in the campaign against the gods.
She and Jiao Jue together certainly have the power to fight, but if they both go out, who will manage this mess, and who will keep order among the many cultivators with their own differing thoughts?
Thus, the matter of conquering the Temple of War was discussed again and again, and postponed again and again.
One day, Ji Rong was setting rules in the Shoudao Palace. She had just written: "Martial arts establish rules, literature establishes regulations, carriages follow the same rules, and rites are simplified..." when she heard a commotion from cultivators outside the palace.
A series of booming sounds, accompanied by other noises, entered the hall, which seemed quite unusual.
"Mountain Dragon, Mountain Phoenix!" Ji Rong cried out, "What has happened?"
The mountain dragon and mountain phoenix appeared in the hall and said, "Lord Ji, Lord Jue and the Great Sage of Guanshan have returned wounded."
Ji Rong suddenly pulled herself out from the mountain of bamboo slips. She instinctively felt that there was something wrong with her ears, but when she thought that Jiao Jue usually only took two scepters with him when he went out, she thought that it was not impossible, so she asked, "Where did they go?"
Shan Feng looked up and said, "I have returned to the Dragon and Phoenix Palace."
Ji Rong glanced at the palace ceiling and said solemnly, "Mountain Dragon, Mountain Phoenix, you two take the servants out and guard the spiritual vein well, without allowing any loss."
Then, she went into the Shoudao Palace and called out Shan Wu and Shan Zhongfeng, saying, "Father, Uncle, come with me to see Lord Jue at once."
As soon as she stepped outside the palace, she shouted towards the Dragon and Phoenix Hall, "Ah Bai, come out and take us to see Lord Jue."
Then, a small white dragon appeared from a white cloud above the palace. It descended from the cloud, bowed to Ji Rong, and led them into the back of the palace.
Beside the Source Regeneration Pool, the Horned Jade lay on the ground like a snake, golden blood flowing from its wounds, which was then licked up by the Powerful Little Dragons.
Meanwhile, the ochre-colored Qingguanzi sat coiled to the side with a dark expression.
Upon seeing Ji Rong arrive, Jiao Jue tilted his head, squinted, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm fine, I just had a piece of flesh cut off by that guy."
"That scoundrel, Cai Niao, is rude, immoral, and unjust. He doesn't deserve to be a god. Let's just destroy him."
Ji Rong didn't answer. She pointed to the horn jade and threw a storage ring at Shan Zhongfeng, who was looking around, saying, "Godfather, heal quickly! This is a precious opportunity."
"Good." Upon hearing this, Shan Zhongfeng was immediately excited. He glanced at the storage ring that Ji Rong had thrown over, then took out five storage rings and a small alchemy furnace from his own mouth, and then skipped forward.
The little dragons tried to block, but Ji Rong scooped them up one by one with her claws and put them all on her back.
Hemostatic and tissue-regenerating pills... Thousand-year-old dragon blood vine... One by one, pills bearing the Nine-Turn Pill Pattern were thrown into Jiao Jue's mouth by Shan Zhongfeng. He then took out many rare materials from his storage ring and began refining medicine using the pale golden source stream beside him.
After staring at the injuries on Jiao Jue and Qing Guanzi for a while, Shan Wu slowly stood up and bowed to Ji Rong, saying, "Lord Ji, please allow me to take command of the troops. I am willing to go to the Chijian Mountain Range to quell the rebellion."
Ji Rong watched as the blood on Jiao Jue's body gradually receded and shook his head, saying, "Uncle, don't worry. He has never acknowledged me, so how can it be considered rebellion?"
Upon closer examination, this matter was indeed handled improperly by me, and I should personally settle the score with Him.
"Uncle Shan, you stay here and watch over your brother. Don't let him give Juejun any random medicine. I'm waiting for Juejun to recover so he can work for me."
Shan Wu nodded and said, "I understand."
Then, Ji Rong beckoned to Qing Guanzi and said, "Senior brother, let's go to the Dragon and Phoenix side hall to talk."
They went into the side hall and sat down. Only then did Ji Rong notice that Qing Guanzi had bits of flesh and blood on his body.
Qing Guanzi looked at Ji Rong angrily and said, "The Rong King is unwilling to submit. We cannot agree with him, and even a single word is too much. This fellow is extremely rude. He actually swung his spear at me when we turned around. Jue Jun had a piece of flesh cut off while protecting me."
Ji Rong nodded and said, "I understand, Senior Brother. I will go out once Jue Jun is feeling better. For now, you need to guard the Danxue Mountain Range for me."
Qing Guanzi nodded, accepted the order, and left.
Behind the Dragon and Phoenix Palace, Jiao Jue, having consumed many elixirs, fell into a deep sleep. Ji Rong stayed by his side for three days. When Jiao Jue woke up, she asked, "Brother, can you still fight?"
Jiao Jue immediately raised his head, squinted, and said in a deep voice, "Of course I can."
Ji Rong then grinned and said, "Then let's go again after you've recovered."
"Kill Di Rong?"
“That’s right,” Ji Rong bared her fangs, which she hadn’t shown in a long time, her layers of roots swaying like seaweed on her feathers. She said, “You really want to kill Him, don’t you?”
He deserves to die!
“He deserves to die,” Ji Rong said, “but elder brother doesn’t need to send him meat.”
Although you are a deity and enjoy the fortune of immortality, how much flesh and blood do you have left?
You clearly took two powers with you, why didn't you use them as a shield? Don't tell me you're merciful; I think you've shed your burdens and are now scheming again.
“Brother, you have put me on the throne, but have you ever thought about why I accepted it?”
Jiao Jue lowered his eyes and said, "You love being Lady Ji."
Thousands of tendrils extended from Ji Rong's colorful feathers, her golden body making her appear like a deity born from dazzling light. Ji Rong said, "Because I know I am strong, and I have become the sovereign."
Brother, why won't you wait a little longer?
Jiao Jue looked up and said bitterly, "Ji Rong, I've waited too long."
Given the current situation, if we don't get rid of Him, are you going to let Him have a transcendent status like the Yuanjun?
That ancient god's body was indeed powerful. I thought that after attaining godhood for many years, I would have the strength to fight even without relying on authority.
They have all transformed into dragons and gained some intelligence; what if they were destroyed?
Ji Rong nodded and said, "Brother, you should rest well. I'll go and mobilize the troops first. We'll set off whenever you've recovered."
Even when it comes to fighting gods, one cannot act without preparation.
Every god has a vast number of followers who fawn over Him, and these followers are like lice and fleas to Him.
When these lice and fleas unite against a common enemy, they can become tigers and wolves, or even terrifying false gods.
Ji Rong doesn't like fighting, but now that Di Rong has cut off a piece of flesh from Jiao Jue, a fight is inevitable.
War is a good opportunity to train troops. For the Danxue Mountains, which are severely faulted, this is a valuable opportunity for actual combat and an excellent channel for selecting talented individuals.
According to the old practice, when the ruler wages war, his followers follow, and everyone from top to bottom is required to bring their own food and supplies.
But Ji Rong felt that such rules were simply not conducive to a fighting spirit.
Merchant caravans that travel frequently would receive a sum of money in advance so that their messengers could settle their families. Why then did the soldiers who risked their lives not receive any money for their services?
So when Ji Rong personally selected soldiers from Danxue Mountain, the Kunlun Mountains, and the Yuxu Mountains, she simply opened her private treasury and piled up her treasures high on the open ground of the selection field.
He then ordered four attendants to set up a table to record the clans and territories of the soldiers; it was agreed that if any soldier died in battle, a pension would be issued.
If they were still alive, it wouldn't be a pension, but rather the distribution of spoils and a certain degree of council authority.
This move quickly made the selection field extremely lively. Many cultivators regretted being rejected because they were not physically strong enough, while those who were selected were overjoyed to receive treasures and report back to their clans.
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