Chapter 116: I Am Not Descending the Mountain

This aged body, though thin and frail, stood at this moment as if fused with the four-thousand-mile Great Wall, a monument as unbreakable as stone.

The Son of Heaven guards the national gate!

"From today on, all regional leaders of Daxia, starting with me, will work and live on the highest level of the wall."

"Together, we shall guard the nation's gate for Daxia!"

"Should the wall fall, we die."

*Should the wall fall, we die!*

If the gods wish to step into Daxia, they must first break this wall of steel.

If they can set foot in Daxia, then the Son of Heaven shall meet his end!

Behind the National Leader stood those regional heads, including the Governor of the Western Regions and the Governor of Ganzhou. These regions were far from the sea; truthfully, even if the Great Wall collapsed and the ocean engulfed the coast, it would not directly affect them.

Yet, at this moment, they all stood upon the wall, without a single thought of retreat.

Because they, too, were people of Daxia!

Ever since the First Emperor unified the land, Daxia had been one. How could this magnificent realm be divided into "yours" and "mine"?

"Should the wall fall, we shall all die together!" the elders of Daxia declared solemnly.

The ministers requested death!

For a moment, Lin Fan was at a loss for words. Watching this scene, his eyes grew hot. The Son of Heaven and his ministers, standing together to guard the gate! All of them ready to die!

Standing upon the towering wall and looking out at the boundless ocean, a sense of courage surged within Lin Fan. It was a courage that reached the heavens!

The pressure that had always weighed on his heart—the looming arrival of the gods—suddenly vanished. With such an Emperor, with such ministers, and with countless Daxia people ready to face death without fear of the divine, how could Daxia possibly lose to the gods?

This time, Daxia would triumph!

Those blood-soaked scenes from his memories would not happen again!

Lin Fan looked down at the majestic Great Wall beneath his feet. This was something that had not occurred in his memory; it was the one thing he had to do upon his return to Daxia.

History had already changed.

***

This time, Daxia was prepared.

Lin Fan snapped a sharp salute to the National Leader and the regional elders. "If any god steps even half a step into Daxia, I, Lin Fan, shall bring them my head!"

With that, he turned and left without hesitation.

"Elder Jin, come with me to inspect the firepower configuration."

Lin Fan paced along the wall. Even at this final hour, there was no fear on the faces of the construction workers or the stationed soldiers—only an unwavering resolve.

Lin Fan gazed at the vast expanse of mountains and rivers behind the wall. This beautiful land—this time, it must be protected!

But the most critical thing now was...

"We need to build temporary shelters on the wall, one every fifty meters. That Third-Rank Sea God can stir up a hundred-meter tide across two thousand kilometers, but if she focuses her power on one point, she can raise it to one hundred and fifty meters."

"Also, large-caliber artillery must be installed every fifty meters. That Sea God’s divine domain will advance alongside her; we must grind her domain to pieces with concentrated fire!"

"Furthermore, don't bother with snipers. Every soldier should be armed with rifles and heavy weaponry. We must have enough RPGs—make sure there are at least one hundred rounds in every fifty-meter sector. Common mermaid followers, like the Swordfish tribe, are fast, but heavy machine guns can take them down. However, for thick-skinned sea beast followers like the Whale tribe, even anti-materiel rifles are useless; we must use heavy ordnance."

"Additionally, we need more anti-aircraft fire. On one hand, to shatter the crashing waves, and on the other... that Sea God and some of her sea beast followers possess the ability to fly."

As Lin Fan walked, he inspected the firepower distribution and offered suggestions. Elder Jin recorded everything, already visualizing the modified defense zones in his mind.

"Also," Lin Fan continued, "leave some space on the wall. I’ve already notified the Venerable Compassion, Mo Buji, and the others. Disciples of the Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist schools, along with all members of the Mo Hidden Starfall Sect, the Xingyi Sect, and the Mohists, will assist in the defense. They are expected to arrive at the Steel Wall tomorrow."

"Furthermore, other squads of the God-Slaying Army will be dispersed along this two-thousand-kilometer frontline to fight in small units. If they encounter powerful mermaid followers that are difficult to handle, the soldiers can call upon them to take over."

"The strength of the God-Slaying Army members, after our time at Mount Tian, is roughly at the Seventh Rank. Those sect disciples have mostly mastered the God-Slaying and Demon-Slaughtering Technique, putting them around the Fifth Rank."

"In two or three days, Elder Chen will finish analyzing the components of the Heavenly Mountain snow lotus for mass production. Once injected, these fifty million ordinary soldiers will be able to practice the God-Slaying and Demon-Slaughtering Technique. However, time is tight; at best, they will only reach the First or Second Rank. They will still be at a disadvantage against those sea beast followers, so they must rely primarily on their guns and cannons."

Elder Jin noted these points down, then paused, feeling something was amiss. "And that god..."

"Leave her to me and the First Squad of the God-Slaying Army," Lin Fan said softly.

"Understood."

Lin Fan continued to pace the wall, patching gaps until late into the night. Finally, he stopped.

"Finally tired?" Elder Jin, who had been following him, let out a breath. His old bones were shaking, and he had only felt better once some kind soldiers fetched him an electric cart.

"No," Lin Fan shook his head slightly. "I just realized there is one more thing I haven't done."

"What thing?" Elder Jin couldn't fathom what could possibly be left to do at such a time.

"How could I have forgotten him!" Lin Fan’s eyes flickered, and he suddenly leaped directly off the hundred-meter-high wall.

"Make arrangements! I am going to Mount Shu!"

In the night sky, a fighter jet roared toward Mount Shu.

Five hours later, in the darkest hour before dawn, at the summit of Mount Shu, Lin Fan looked at a homeless man sitting by a fire, stroking a wooden stick.

"Come down from the mountain, Sword God Zhang," Lin Fan said softly. "Daxia needs you."

The man looked at Lin Fan and shook his head gently.

"Why?" Lin Fan asked. He knew this man. In his previous life, this seemingly unremarkable wanderer had also gained fame in Daxia. Unfortunately, he had died too early to become a guardian deity. But in the early days of the divine invasion, he was a demigod of Daxia! No follower of the gods dared to set foot on his part of Mount Shu, until a true god finally ascended the mountain.

But this half-step Sword God had a strange quirk:

"I do not go down the mountain," the man chuckled, sounding somewhat deranged. "I just won't go down!"

"Why?" Lin Fan persisted. In his previous life, as the commander of the Asian Alliance, he had never met this demigod who died too young, and he never knew the reason for his reclusion.

"My sword is a sword of detachment," the man said, looking at Lin Fan. "I do not go down."

"You have witnessed your countrymen die, you have witnessed the brutal war for Daxia," Lin Fan frowned. "Is your sword not angry?"

"Compared to the Dao of the Sword, life and death are so insignificant," the man replied, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. "Life is trivial; only the Dao of the Sword is eternal."

"And the Dao of the Sword is heartless."

"The death of my countrymen, the tragic war—none of it can disturb my sword heart."

"I am devoted to the sword; I only seek a pure land to nurture it."

Lin Fan stared at the man, suddenly at a loss for words.