Chapter 793: Chapter 791

Zhang Haoming was caught.

The reason was simple: he looted food and wealth, so he was later caught by the authorities.

He now wished he could slap himself a few times; he always thought he could take advantage, but now he had broken the law, hadn't he?

A few minor officials easily controlled several hundred villagers.

After that, they didn't even go through a trial; they directly announced the verdict.

The entire family was implicated and exiled three thousand li.

Zhang Haoming almost fainted.

But before he could faint, they were already tied with ropes, and his whole family was exiled.

He didn't dare to resist and could only follow obediently like an ox or horse, being led away.

Because he was the one who had committed the offense first, Zhang Haoming, like all the villagers, didn't dare to resist, but was still dragged along with a miserable expression, looking extremely pitiful.

He, his old wife, his several sons, and his daughter who was considering marriage, were all exiled together.

Only his two married sons, who had already moved out and established their own households, were not implicated, which was a small comfort.

At least the family line was preserved.

Zhang Haoming, who had never had a good life, was thus tied up, lined up with everyone else, led by the Spirit Beast in front, forming a mighty column, stumbling and heading towards the distance.

They set off from within Li Prefecture, crossed several mountains, and walked for two full days in pain and thirst.

He didn't know where he was going, but this was just one of the many foolish things he had done in his life; Zhang Haoming had long since learned to get used to and accept it, whether it was reasonable or not.

Or it could be said... if it happened, then it was reasonable.

Whether it was for himself or how he treated others, such as selling his daughter, stealing things, or robbing landlords, it was all the same.

Zhang Haoming was not some simple-minded person; another meaning of 'simple' is 'stupid', and he was quite shrewd, although this shrewdness led him into this exile group.

But on the second night, near the border, led by the Spirit Beast in front, the group finally crossed a mountain and arrived at a small farmstead along a small path.

By the time they arrived, it was already dark, and the farmstead looked like one of the layered rocks in the mountains, completely unremarkable.

They had been traveling continuously for two days; even with cultivation method, Zhang Haoming and his companions, several hundred people in total, were almost at their limit.

Zhang Haoming was in rags, without a coat, and his legs below the knees were wet with mud, making him look particularly disheveled.

"Rest here, everyone, sleep for one night, and continue traveling tomorrow," the minor official leading the exiles ordered, then climbed down from the lizard-like Spirit Beast.

He had been sitting on it for two days, and his back and waist ached, so now he wanted to lie down properly.

As for the farmers who had walked for two days and two nights without a drop of water?

They were thick-skinned; weren't they given a rest? A bunch of exiles who had been punished, what good treatment did they expect?

This farmstead seemed to be specifically for accommodating farmers; there were already people inside.

Zhang Haoming was led and locked in the farmstead's cellar, curled up on damp, moldy straw.

It was pitch black all around, impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face; looking out from the railing, not even stars could be seen.

He struggled to sit up, resting his chin on his knees, blowing warm air on his fingertips, and began to ponder his situation.

At this moment, Zhang Haoming was still not surprised by his predicament.

He had no doubts or resistance to anything that had happened, only a perpetually miserable expression; he didn't know why he was miserable, he just felt miserable.

"Time to eat," an old woman's weak voice came from outside. She must have been the cook here, clearly having worked for a very long time, reaching this age.

One could see an old, black pot hanging outside. The old woman scooped some soup from the pot, distributed it into bowls, loaded them onto a cart, and handed them out one by one.

The soup was very hot, but bland. This pot, made from who knows what kind of bones, had probably been continuously refilled with water and boiled dry hundreds of times, turning into some mysterious liquid that seemed like soup but was like hot water. Anyway, it tasted of nothing but salt. There were some mixed beans inside, providing precious warmth.

While eating, his Qi and blood received nourishment, constantly emitting warmth, and though his body still shivered, it gradually warmed up.

Even in Baiyue, farmers didn't have access to very good cultivation method, but they still possessed resilient bodies; they were indeed tough and could endure torment.

Even though the soup was boiled to be as bland as water, and there was no light, in the complete darkness, Zhang Haoming could still feel other people around him; they were very close to each other.

The space in this cellar was just enough for two of them to lie down together. Although Zhang Haoming couldn't see him, at least the air became warmer.

Although both realized the other's presence, neither of them spoke.

There was nothing to say, and no need. Zhang Haoming had no interest in making friends, and he didn't talk much, just maintaining his habitual miserable face.

However, although his expression was as miserable as ever, he felt nothing in his heart.

Misery was just a habit; he had long since become numb.

Animals don't find eating raw meat and blood painful, nor do they find sleeping in the open air problematic. Zhang Haoming was the same.

There's a saying: "If I had never seen the light, I could have endured the darkness."

Zhang Haoming was like this; he could endure the darkness, and... had always endured it, precisely because he had never seen the light.

It was like this now; Zhang Haoming stayed in this narrow, dark cellar, enduring hunger and claustrophobia, yet he didn't feel uncomfortable, because he was used to it.

He and another stranger stayed in this dark hole for about a day, with only the old woman coming over. She would quickly lift the iron lid and hand them some soup, occasionally with some dry rations.

After almost being forced to lie down for a day, their Qi and blood were replenished.

Then, they were pulled out and began to march again.

However, what they didn't know was...

What awaited them ahead was not Hell.

But... light.

That light would illuminate the darkness around them.

They would discover that they had actually... already been living in Hell.

There was no need to go; just lighting up their surroundings would suffice. This way, they would naturally feel pain, and... all the suffering they had experienced in their first half of life would erupt in that instant.

Such emotions, such power, the simultaneous awakening of countless people, would bring about tremendous change.

This was what Li Qi wanted.

Normally, such a terrifying degree of change would only lead to chaos.

Unfortunately, Li Qi possessed an absolutely irresistible force; he could use this force to compel this change to occur and ensure everything remained within the plan.

This change... would completely reshuffle the entire Baiyue.

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Meanwhile, on the other side...

Zhang Xu lay on the ground, his armor shattered, his long spear heavily scarred, and his body bearing no less than a hundred wounds.

He lay on the ground, barely managing to gulp down some water.

The assembled legion had been completely annihilated by the Human Dao.

Under the cover of his adjutant and others, he managed to escape alone and hide.

Things had gone as he had predicted, but he couldn't stop it; he could only watch everything unfold.

He clearly knew that this would lead to complete annihilation by the Human Dao.

He clearly knew that this was not feasible and would be discovered.

However, he couldn't change it. If he forcefully ordered them to disperse, it would result in a mutiny and camp explosion. If he didn't order them to disperse, they would be completely wiped out by the Human Dao.

Forcefully ordering dispersal meant death; compromising and choosing not to disperse also meant death.

There was no way, or rather, he couldn't think of a way.

He actually had some侥幸心理 before, what if... what if?

It was this侥幸心理 that prevented him from forcefully ordering everyone to disperse.

After all, he knew that his forceful command to disperse was essentially declaring a mutiny, which was certain death.

But gathering together didn't necessarily mean death, did it? Perhaps the Human Dao would make a mistake? A one-in-ten-thousand chance was still a chance, better than certain death.

But... when the outcome arrived, he still regretted it.

If only back then...

Unfortunately, there are no 'if onlys'.

It was like a train about to plunge off a cliff; jumping was death, and not jumping would also lead to falling off the cliff.

At this moment, as the driver, how should he choose?

No matter what he chose, he would end up regretting it just as he did now.

He couldn't even blame the officers and soldiers who refused to disperse.

Because, at least the adjutant and those brothers sent him out even as they died.

They simply didn't believe, and he lacked the ability to make them believe.

Many times, things are just so helpless. Who knows... if such a thing would happen on the Human Dao's side.

These conflicting thoughts filled Zhang Xu's body, making him feel no discomfort even as he lay by the mountain wall.

But after a while, he still propped himself up, shed his damaged armor, and continued to move forward.

He was still alive and could continue towards the node.

This was his mission.

Zhang Xu continued to advance, just like other soldiers. On the battlefield, there were many people acting alone like him. They were forced to act independently for various reasons; some chose to flee, some chose to hide, and others were still moving forward.

Everyone knew one thing when they set out.

If the Grand Ritual node could not be activated, then everything behind them would be destroyed.

However... what they didn't know was that they were actually only sent out to tie up the Baiyue Kingdom Lord and the Human Dao's energy.

Li Qi never expected them to succeed.

The Grand Ritual node was indeed very important, but they couldn't break through the Human Dao's defenses.

Li Qi only hoped that they and the Baiyue Kingdom Lord would become entangled with the Human Dao, giving Li Qi some time to rebuild the grassroots.

By then, people like Zhang Xu... would be eliminated.

The soil of Baiyue could only produce an army like Zhang Xu's, and Zhang Xu had already proven... they could not be opponents of the Human Dao.

Therefore, reorganization was necessary. After the reorganization was complete, Li Qi would then produce an army more powerful, more elite, and more full of fighting spirit than Zhang Xu's people.

That would be the true beginning of the struggle with the Human Dao.

Now... it was merely about wearing down the rotten flesh that had long been entrenched in Baiyue.

Although Zhang Xu and his men considered this a tragic expedition, in the eyes of the masterminds behind everything, this was clearing negative assets, restructuring, and moving forward unburdened.

Zhang Xu, and even other armies like the White Rhinoceros Army...

In Li Qi's plan, they were the dregs abandoned by the era. Perhaps some individuals could survive, but the collective formed by these armies could not continue. Li Qi wanted to clear out these 'elites' of Baiyue's feudal era to make room for his future elites.

The Song Kingdom battlefield was their bonfire; they were burning their last flames, thereby allowing Li Qi to gain enough leverage and time. Although Li Qi had laid out his purpose, they still knew nothing about it. They were just like all feudal armies, receiving their monarch's command, then charging out to achieve victory and glory, or die on the battlefield.

Li Qi did not deceive them; he clearly conveyed his intentions through the prefects. It was just that... victory was out of reach for them.

There was no possibility of the Baiyue army winning against the Human Dao army.

The gap was too vast; the Spiritual Artifact equipped with the combined strength of all the Baiyue kingdoms was not even as well-equipped or as resolute as a random Human Dao army.

So, in a sense, Zhang Xu was just like Zhang Haoming and his subordinates.

Equally ignorant, equally numb.

Zhang Xu still didn't give up. After taking off his armor, he, as originally envisioned, traversed the battlefield alone, quietly heading towards the Grand Ritual node.

He silently crossed the battlefield, and unknowingly, several days had passed. During this time, he was always cautious because he knew how dangerous he was.

Traversing the battlefield alone and being seen by Human Dao soldiers almost inevitably led to being surrounded and killed.

Fortunately, acting alone had an advantage: it was easy to hide. Large armies were easily discovered, but a single person had many ways to hide, such as the simplest, digging a pit and burying oneself.

This was very useful. The earth itself had its own 'rank' in this world, and exploring deep within the earth required considerably more power.

However, correspondingly, the power needed for digging was also greater. It was almost impossible for a large army to dig, but it was much easier for one person.

Another day passed. Zhang Xu buried himself in the dirt, leaving only a small hole to breathe.

He couldn't help but huddle, listening cautiously to everything around him.

This was a battlefield, with no peace, no rest, and no moment of safety. Life was constantly in danger, and one had to maintain the highest alert at all times.

He didn't know if it was a Great Power's spell or something else, but outside, heavy snow was falling, and he was freezing to death.

Even spells and Martial Dao Inner Qi couldn't alleviate this cold; it was clearly a large-scale spell, hopefully not from the Human Dao.

Even staying underground, which was much warmer than above ground, the biting cold still pricked his entire body like needles, and his injured shoulder was particularly painful.

After a day of rushing, he felt extremely sleepy. Zhang Xu wanted to get some good sleep, but it was too cold, making him shiver uncontrollably, forcing him to get up and painfully try to dig deeper.

However, he had already dug a li deep and couldn't dig any further, yet it was still so cold, and the snow continued to fall relentlessly.

This forced him to choose to climb out of the pit.

In this predicament, staying any longer would mean death.

He had to travel through the night, leave this place quickly, and get out of the spell's range.