Inside the Small World.
Many days had passed since his last visit, and everything here was still the same.
The two sat before a stone table in the Yin Yang Dojo, with Ying Bing explaining the Thousand Forms Art to Li Mo.
"Don't you know how to draw God-Observing Pictures? Why don't you organize the form and intent first?"
"I'll try."
Li Mo nodded, taking out paper and brush. Listening to Ice Cube grind the ink with her delicate hands, his mind gradually settled down.
He suddenly recalled his past life, feeling that he had gained much, but he hadn't yet had the chance to fully make those gains his own.
As he put pen to paper, the vivid scenes he had witnessed in both his lives leaped onto the page.
There was Feng Zhi in her floral cotton jacket; Old Li secretly hiding in the shadows, watching him leave; his own figure farming in the fields, wielding a forging hammer in the blacksmith shop; Two Niu as a child, swinging a wooden stick... So many, so many that his paper was no longer enough.
Later, he simply started drawing on the rocks and in the dirt of the Yin Yang Dojo.
Eventually, he stopped drawing altogether. As the Lord of the World, he directly manifested them in the white clouds and the clear sky, making them tangible.
He didn't know how much time had passed. He opened his eyes in a daze, seeing nothing but dense, intricate images, covering the entire mountainside and wilderness.
"Ice Cube, do I have to condense all of these into one form using the Thousand Forms Art?"
"..." freewebnovel.cσ๓
The stunned Ying Bing finally came back to her senses. For the first time, there was a hint of hesitation in her voice:
"I've never seen anyone with so many forms... Give it a try."
"Can this even work..."
Li Mo's scalp tingled.
It was also the first time he had seen Ice Cube show an uncertain expression regarding cultivation.
This was no different from a century-old Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor furrowing his brows while consulting ancient texts – anyone would feel a chill.
But it also meant... he was walking a path no one had trod before, a path even Ice Cube didn't know where it led.
Li Mo remembered a saying.
There was originally no road in the world, but when many people walked it... Ice Cube telling him to try at least meant it wasn't a dead end.
With a cheat, he might as well try.
He just didn't know what kind of wondrous scene would emerge in his Inner Scenery when he reached it on this path.
And so, in the days that followed, Xiao Li handled the affairs of Mo City while simultaneously using the Thousand Forms Art to condense his Inner Scenery.
To be honest, as a Transmigrator, the idea of using superior knowledge to change the world was quite far-fetched.
At least, he, being a half-baked one, couldn't do it. He only had ideas.
Ideas and execution were two different things.
This included, but was not limited to, making gunpowder. He had learned about it in school, but unfortunately, he had long since returned that knowledge to his teachers, barely remembering a formula.
Fortunately, Mo City was no longer what it used to be, having accumulated decades of profound experience and the assistance of the Heavenly Clan.
For many wild and imaginative ideas, Genius Xiao Li was only responsible for drafting them.
Mo City's sphere of influence expanded again at an astonishing rate in a short period.
This also led to the images in Li Mo's Small World not decreasing, but rather increasing... Heavenly Human City was thriving.
However, Jiang Yu, who led troops on a distant expedition to the Otherworld, was not having an easy time.
Initially, the battle situation was stable, but as the year of natural disasters drew near, the environment in the lands not belonging to Heavenly Human City became even harsher.
The transportation of provisions and military supplies became increasingly difficult.
The offensive and defensive balance between Heavenly Human City and the Otherworld was about to shift, returning to its original trajectory. freewebnovёl.ƈom
What was more fatal was that...
The allied forces composed of Earth City martial artists mostly tended to look out for themselves, only fighting when the tide was favorable.
After the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, they began to feign compliance while preserving their strength.
It was another summer.
Inside the Wind-Catching Tower.
"Brother Xiao Li, you're not really going to wait until Ancestor returns to hold the wedding, are you?"
Dong Ge Yu was reading the battle reports from the front line.
He was trying to dispel his worries about Dong Changtian by making a joke.
"If the Otherworld isn't conquered, how can I start a family?" Li Mo coughed lightly.
His parents hadn't even agreed to this yet.
And the Heavenly Human Trial? Getting married? Were the big shots watching the jiangshan sheji map even human?
"That's secondary, isn't it? The main reason definitely isn't that. Are you afraid it's too rushed?"
Dong Ge Yu asked with a grin again.
"Alright, let's get back to business."
Li Mo waved his hand, bringing the conversation back on track:
"How is the front line now?"
"I think our Jiang Di should give up and retreat."
Qi Tiezhu compared the map with the battle reports from last month.
The environment was harsh, and they were fighting away from their home territory.
Meanwhile, the enemies were in their element, with endless reinforcements.
As of today, the allied forces of Heaven and Earth Cities were already stretched thin, only able to garrison in place and hold their ground.
There was no other way; if they didn't combine their forces, they would be defeated one by one, suffering heavy losses.
Now, even the Heavenly Clan, who had been sweeping everything before them at the beginning of the war, # Nоvеlight # had started to band together, because a certain powerful Heavenly Clan member, acting alone, had already perished.
The Blood God had not appeared.
But his subordinates suddenly gained a large number of powerful individuals.
Now, it was the Otherworld side that was not in a hurry.
Because of the difficulty in transporting military supplies, they could afford to drag it out, while Heavenly Human City could not.
"That is to say, Jiang Yu now faces only two paths."
Li Mo tapped his index finger on the table, assessing the predicament of the Heaven and Earth allied forces:
"Firstly, to end this expedition with a strong start but a weak finish, returning without any achievements. That would be better."
"If he loses his composure, it will be disastrous..."
Just as he was speaking, a gentle breeze suddenly blew outside the hall, and the next second, a figure materialized.
The person who arrived was Feng Zhi.
She was covered in dust, her face weary, looking nothing like a naturally extraordinary Heavenly Human who commanded the wind.
"You're finally back. What's the latest situation?"
Dong Ge Yu put away his joking demeanor, bowed seriously, and asked.
"Take your time."
Li Mo poured her a glass of water.
"Jiang Yu plans to penetrate deep alone, forcing the Otherworld side to fight him to the death."
Feng Zhi finished speaking gravely, and everyone exchanged glances, their mood growing heavy.
This wasn't knowing it was impossible but doing it anyway; this was a reckless gamble of going it alone!
The stakes were too high.
It involved a large number of elite martial artists from Earth City, a limited number of Heavenly Clan powerhouses, and the stability of Heavenly Human City... Not to mention internal strife, once they failed, what would Heavenly Human City use to cope when the next round of natural disasters arrived?
"He still has the God Sword, so it's not entirely without a chance of winning..."
"But once he loses, even the God Sword will be lost in the Otherworld."
"What on earth is Jiang Yu thinking?"
"Old Dong hasn't returned yet. Isn't he the cleverest? Why didn't he slip away?"
Everyone was unable to understand.
Jiang Yu's thoughts, of course, others couldn't guess.
A thought popped into Li Mo's mind:
"Did he also remember his past life?"
Only then could Jiang Yu's actions be explained.
Everything he did was not for Heavenly Human City, but to pass the test, so he was unwilling to retreat.
If he retreated, the probability of Heavenly Human City being preserved would increase, but his evaluation for passing the trial would plummet.
After a brief chat, Li Mo stood up and said:
"Now that Jiang Yu has taken the initiative to attack, the chances of winning are probably... less than one percent."
"Heavenly Human City will fall into chaos, and all our efforts over these years could be destroyed in an instant. It's time to make early preparations."
"What do you plan to do?"