The skill [Keep Hitting] determined "possession of items" based on the game system's internal logic.
Normally, living people could not be counted as items, so the skill would not take effect.
However, because Mirror in the Dust included the systems of the Path of Warfare and Military Formations, the situation became different.
Mirror in the Dust had extremely high freedom of play, with countless styles and methods. After cultivating different "Paths," players would develop their own unique ways of fighting.
The Path of Warfare was the same.
Players of the Path of Warfare mainly enhanced their strength by commanding armies in battle, each one brimming with martial virtue. During combat, a bird's-eye-view sandbox mode would appear, allowing free tactical control.
When a Path of Warfare player used a Military Formation to edit the troops under his command, the "army" itself became a selectable unit.
Only then would the "army" be determined as an item.
Thus, [Keep Hitting] could apply to the entire army.
But Gu Fangchen's plan now faced two most important problems.
First, how to construct and activate an array that could force the Sishi River to flow backward.
Second, how to make the White Dragon Army belong to him.
"There are three types of arrays capable of controlling such vast bodies of water, all of them mainly of the Slaughter type. Whether or not I can even form them with my current strength is another matter, if the control fails, our own side will die by the tens of thousands."
Gu Fangchen thought carefully, then finalized the array he needed.
"To make the river flow backward, it isn't necessary to control the water directly. If I alter the heavenly signs and summon heavy rain to swell the river, the Sishi River will flood naturally, and its waters will surge into the valley."
His eyes gleamed as he looked around and licked his dry lips.
The Qingman excelled at taming demonic beasts, their main fighting force being cavalry. All around lay the corpses of high-grade beasts.
"These are all ready-made materials. If I can find a few formation cultivators strong enough to assist, I can barely form a fourth-grade Celestial Phenomenon Array, 'The Marshlands of Dreaming Clouds.'"
"There should be at least five formation cultivators of seventh grade or higher embedded in the White Dragon Army, more than enough."
"And if I add the seventh-grade Military Formation 'Calming the Winds,' which grants the ability to move freely in water, that would ensure our side's survival."
"But... to do all this, the White Dragon Army must willingly let me command them, entering into my military formation system."
"Only then will they count as items I possess."
Gu Fangchen turned his hand over and took from his cave-dwelling ring a token engraved with the character "Yi."
Last night, after returning to his residence to ensure the Golden Cicada Shedding-the-Shell plan went smoothly, the first person he sought was Ding Xingfeng.
Old Ding had told him to get lost immediately, the farther the better.
But after sending Ning Caiyong and his group away, Gu Fangchen discovered this token forcefully embedded in the table.
Back in his prime, Ding Xingfeng had achieved the title of Martial Sage and was granted the title of Marquis of Yi Province.
Of course, he was granted only a marquisate not because Emperor Yong'an was stingy, but because Ding Xingfeng had refused a kingship himself.
A solitary man who cared nothing for fame or profit, he had virtually no weaknesses.
And because Ding Xingfeng's fame was resounding, his victories many, his punishments and rewards just, his soldiers' loyalty was extraordinarily high.
It could be said that the "false accusation" that forced him into retirement, while seemingly absurd, was not entirely without cause.
This token, though now nearly worthless as a piece of metal, represented Ding Xingfeng himself.
When he was stripped of all ranks and forced into seclusion, Ding Xingfeng's troops were disbanded and reorganized. One of those divisions had been merged into what was now the White Dragon Army, and not at a low rank either.
"Swish-"
An arrow suddenly shot toward him.
Gu Fangchen tilted his body to dodge and instantly flashed behind the Qingman soldier who had attempted the sneak attack.
The Finest Stream left its sheath and pierced the man's throat cleanly.
Gu Fangchen closed his eyes briefly, gripping his sword tightly before pulling it free and shaking the blood away.
This was the first life he had taken with his own hands since transmigrating. But due to being in a constant state of tension, he felt surprisingly little discomfort.
...In the end, it was something he had to get used to.
Gu Fangchen exhaled a deep breath, grasped the White Dragon Army banner beside him, and flew toward the army's encampment.
He would intervene in the battle as a former subordinate of the Martial Sage, leveraging loyalty and morale to temporarily take control of the White Dragon Army.
...
Elsewhere.
"Thank you, young lady, for your aid!"
Two ninth-grade cultivators bowed deeply to Gu Lianqian, their voices filled with gratitude.
"If not for you, we would have died here today."
Gu Lianqian sheathed her sword, noticing the blood seeping from her shoulder. She frowned slightly and asked curiously, "Why were the Candle-Cutters of the Demon Sect pursuing you two?"
She had grown up following Gu Yuye and had learned much theoretical knowledge.
The Candle-Cutters of the Demon Sect were elite masters of the Path of Killing, and they would only act on significant missions.
Yet these two casual cultivators, without sect or backing and with mere ninth-grade strength, clearly could not have been targets of great importance.
One of the rogue cultivators gave a bitter smile.
"The two of us suffered internal injuries after a cultivation mishap. We wished to ask the monks of the Lotus-Born Temple's Tara Sect for healing, so we went to visit."
"Who would have thought that the Candle-Cutters had already slaughtered everyone in the Lotus-Born Temple!"
"We were unfortunate to arrive while they were still cleaning up. They meant to kill us as witnesses... fortunately, you intervened."
Gu Lianqian was startled.
So ruthless, the Demon Sect truly lived up to its name. One strike, and they wiped out an entire temple.
But why the Lotus-Born Temple in particular?
There was definitely a conspiracy here!
Gu Lianqian made a silent note to report this to her father when she returned.
The other rogue cultivator clasped his hands.
"We still don't know our benefactor's name."
Gu Lianqian came back to herself, raised her chin slightly, and said with feigned modesty, "Gu Lianqian."
The two men exchanged a shocked glance, and the first one quickly said, "Could it be the young princess of the Northern Garrison Prince's estate? We have long admired your name, to meet you in person today is an honor of a lifetime!"
The other immediately echoed, "We humble cultivators have no other way to repay such grace."
He took out some scattered pills and said awkwardly, "These are all we have, please, young princess, do not disdain them."
Gu Lianqian's face flushed under their praise, but she forced herself to maintain the demeanor of a highborn expert and replied calmly, "I didn't save you for any reward..."
Before she could finish, one of the men suddenly threw the pills into the air, and with a bang, they exploded into a cloud of blood-red smoke.
Gu Lianqian froze for a moment before realizing, it was poison!
Her face changed drastically. She struck the two men down with a single sword move and retreated swiftly in disbelief.
"You, you dare repay kindness with treachery?!"
The two men lay on the ground, their faces twisted with greed as they watched her stagger away. They shouted, "Who doesn't know by now that the Lotus Concealed in the Womb is on you? You dare travel alone? We may be overreaching, but what about the great immortal sects?"
"You're right."
A voice came from behind.
Gu Lianqian turned blankly and saw seven or eight cultivators emerging from the shadows around her, their expressions hostile as they surrounded her.
"Hand over the Lotus Concealed in the Womb, and you can at least die quickly."