Xu Pingfeng did not spare his eldest son a glance. Light shimmered beneath his feet as he teleported himself upwards into the high sky.
The magical artefact left behind by the first Jianzheng was of paramount importance. It could create an isolated world of its own, shielding the power of all beings, and also possessed the authority to be undivinable and unspied upon.
It was precisely due to this authority that he had managed to evade the teacher Jianzheng’s probing into the future, causing the latter to see a ‘false’ vision, and to believe that the victor of that battle was himself.
Only a Master of Heaven’s Mandate could deal with a Master of Heaven’s Mandate.
Now, the Jianzheng had already been sealed, but Xu Qi’an had inherited the power of all beings, and the authority of ‘undivinable and unspied upon’ was also effective against experts of other systems, such as—warlocks!
Such as, Heaven Gu!
Seeing this, Xu Qi’an bent his legs and, amid the “boom” of the collapsing earth below, shot up towards the sky at supersonic speed, intending to seize the bronze disc.
Amongst the beyond-mortal experts behind him, Luo Yuheng in fluttering feather robes acted the most instinctively and single-mindedly, reflexively chasing after him so that Xu Qi’an would not leave the range within which she could offer him protection.
Then came Ji Xuan, Sun Xuanji, Kou Yangzhou, Agaruka Bodhisattva, and Zhao Shou.
They all guarded against each other’s beyond-mortal experts disregarding all rules to target their own armies.
Once all the beyond-mortal experts at the scene had left in succession, Qi Guangbo looked towards the city walls of Xunzhou, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly,
“Beat the drums! Attack the city!”
The Yunzhou army had not been idle either during this time; they had drawn in many jianghu figures, including major forces that dominated one region or another.
After all, the Yunzhou army had enjoyed such vast advantages earlier, so it was only natural that many jianghu forces and wandering heroes had willingly defected.
Some even included wanted criminals who had proactively come to Qingzhou to seek them out, eager to earn merits and transform from fugitives endlessly on the run into figures wielding real power.
Amidst the drumbeats, the Yunzhou army’s regimented phalanxes advanced slowly, with large shields at the front, followed by cannons and cart-mounted crossbows, then infantry carrying assorted siege engines, and finally the cavalry as rearguard.
Thud, thud, thud!
On the city wall of Xunzhou, drummers struck up their rhythm.
Yang Yan and other fourth-ranks had long since climbed up to the city walls, each guarding a section of it.
Seldom was there a city wall garrisoned by so many fourth rank experts.
With Xu Qi’an’s rousing sabre strike just moments ago, and now with these fourth-rank experts joining the defence, the soldiers on the city wall, facing the densely packed Yunzhou army, not only felt no tension or fear, but instead rubbed their fists together, filled with battle spirit.
Silver Gong Xu had cleaved forth the proud majesty of Great Feng with a single strike; how could we possibly cower in fear for our own lives?
…
High up in the sky, Xu Qi’an pierced through the sea of clouds and saw Xu Pingfeng retrieving the bronze disc.
Even at peak speed, a martial artist travelling on the wind could never hope to move faster than an arcanist who could teleport.
I can’t use shadow-jumping to close the gap… With a sweep of his gaze, he saw Xu Pingfeng’s shadow twisted out over a distant patch of cloud.
A “boom” of Qi erupted under his feet, like a high-powered thruster, boosting his speed yet again. At the same time, he handed control of his body to Master Shenshu.
“Turn back and see the shore!”
Xu Qi’an uttered these words in Shenshu’s voice.
Xu Pingfeng’s body tensed up, half-turned, but forcibly restrained himself from turning any further.
At this moment, Xu Qi’an had already emerged from a nearby shadow. He did not attack Xu Pingfeng, who could teleport at any moment, but instead lunged for the bronze disc, attempting to seize it.
Just as Xu Qi’an was about to touch the bronze disc, a circular formation appeared between him and the disc!
Teleportation!
If caught within it, he might be sent to some place far removed from the battlefield.
This would present a perfect chance for Xu Pingfeng and Agaruka to counterattack, allowing them to concentrate on dealing with Kou Yangzhou, Luo Yuheng, and the other beyond-mortal experts.
“Ding!”
A streak of swordlight whistled over, striking Xu Qi’an’s waist. For a martial artist at the Transforming Force stage, this was more than enough force to extricate himself within a hair’s breadth from the teleportation spell’s range.
Xu Qi’an used the force of the flying sword, sending himself tumbling to the side. Luo Yuheng’s iron sword took his place, suffering the fate of being teleported.
Xu Pingfeng was able to retrieve the bronze disc as he wished, shrinking it down to palm size and storing it in his robes.
At this, he saw his eldest son tumbling through the air, gripping the hilt of the Sovereign Sword and making as though to draw it.
In the next instant, a golden sword light flashed by.
Xu Pingfeng’s pupils contracted. He knew this was Xu Qi’an’s ‘intent’, it could not be blocked, nor dodged. Because this was a strike that gambled his life, its damage would reflect back upon him simultaneously.
Even the body of a second-rank arcanist could not simply ignore such a power-accumulated strike from a beyond-mortal martial artist.
At this moment, behind Xu Pingfeng, the Immovable Lord Dharma Aspect appeared, solidifying the space around them.
The golden sword light manifested three feet away from Xu Pingfeng, then slowly faded, unable even to explode.
Agaruka Bodhisattva’s figure now appeared behind Xu Pingfeng.
Shortly after, Ji Xuan, bearing the wind, arrived and stood together with Xu Pingfeng and Agaruka.
On the other side, Kou Yangzhou, Sun Xuanji, and Zhao Shou soared up into the sea of clouds in turn.
Though Agaruka Bodhisattva is temporarily unable to manifest the Vajra Dharma Aspect, just with his own body alone, he’s about equal to a weaker first rank martial artist. With the Immovable Lord for support, even if we all attack, at most he’d probably get a few scratches… Xu Qi’an swept his eyes over his side’s beyond-mortal experts, then at the trio led by Xu Pingfeng, rapidly analysing and weighing the situation in his heart.
Perhaps Agaruka Bodhisattva would even cry out,
“Master Xu, stop scratching!”
So, when it comes to Agaruka, we can only pin him down, and not hope of defeating him. Even the Jianzheng couldn’t do it, how can we? And besides, the real purpose of this battle is simply to buy time for al-Asura to kill Heilian in Qingzhou… Xu Qi’an decided quickly, adopting the “Tian Ji racing horses” strategy.1
He sent a message to everyone:
“Dean, you and I will hold down Agaruka; Senior Kou, you go to slay Ji Xuan; Senior Brother Sun and the National Teacher, deal with Xu Pingfeng.”
Kou Yangzhou, after all, was second rank and could not only overpower Ji Xuan, but might even kill him.
With Luo Yuheng and Sun Xuanji dealing with the second-rank arcanist, a cultivation not known for its raw power, they would effectively restrain him without causing the National Teacher undue expenditure, thereby avoiding a dangerous imbalance of karmic fire within her.
As for himself and the Dean restraining Agaruka, even without the Vajra Dharma Aspect, Agaruka was still first rank. Under normal circumstances, even two second-rank martial artists could not hope to overcome him.
But Confucians were different. They were the best support, and, with the power of the Lesser Sage’s Confucian cap, it was entirely worth a try.
Zhao Shou and the others considered briefly and agreed to Xu Qi’an’s arrangements.
“Senior Kou, I’ll lend you a divine weapon.”
A faint light flickered at Xu Qi’an’s chest. The Taiping Sabre broke through the ‘mirror’, most unwillingly sending itself to the old man’s hand.
Kou Yangzhou took the Taiping Sabre, its blade energy bursting through the cloud sea. He froze for a moment, seemingly surprised at its sharpness, then exclaimed in delight,
“What a fine sabre!”
Although martial artists claimed that their own bodies were the strongest weapon, it still depended on what they held in their hands.
In terms of sheer toughness, the body of a second-rank martial artist already rivalled most supreme divine weapons, but the special traits of a magical weapon were something a martial artist’s body did not possess.
For example, the Sovereign Sword could make a wound burn with sword qi, never properly healing.
The Taiping Sabre still could not be compared to the Sovereign Sword for now, but after being nourished within the Dragon Qi for several days, it could amplify Kou Yangzhou’s sabre intent, taking that old man’s attack power even higher.
On the other side, Agaruka Bodhisattva murmured,
“Xu Qi’an’s strength is a bit off.”
He was far too strong, shockingly so.
Xu Pingfeng was silent for a moment, seeming to come to a realisation, and his face changed slightly:
“Sense whether the demon-sealing nails is still inside him.”
Agaruka Bodhisattva’s eyes reflected golden manji, examining Xu Qi’an for a moment. His already solemn face became even graver:
“There are no demon-sealing nails in him!”
If the demon-sealing nails had still been in the opponent’s body, his secret spell would have detected it, but there was nothing.
Xu Pingfeng’s expression instantly turned ugly:
“He has advanced to the second rank. Who helped him remove the demon-sealing nails?”
Agaruka Bodhisattva lowered his brows for a moment, his eyebrows twitching slightly, and he said each word slowly,
“Al-Asura…”
Within the Buddhist sect, there were only a handful of people who could remove the demon-sealing nails, extremely few.
Given the loss in the Southern Marches, it was very easy to deduce who was responsible.
But Agaruka Bodhisattva could not understand how al-Asura had evaded the Buddhist heart-questioning techniques.
Xu Pingfeng’s brows furrowed deeply.
Has al-Asura formed an alliance with Xu Qi’an? If so, there would be no place for this Asura prince to stay within the Buddhist sect. Yet, since he had already joined the ranks of the Great Feng, why has he not shown himself at this critical moment?
What is he doing?
What other goal does he have?
In an instant, this top-level strategist had already guessed Xu Qi’an’s true aim.
“Heilian, their real target is Heilian.”
Xu Pingfeng said in a deep voice,
“Agaruka, protect the Yunzhou army. I must return to Qingzhou.”
As he spoke, the teleportation formation at his feet lit up.
“Teleportation is forbidden here!”
Zhao Shou flicked his Lesser Sage confucian cap, employing the Confucian power of laws follow precepts to alter the rules of heaven and earth in this place.
He did not directly inflict “harm” upon his enemy, nor did he boast too greatly. He had simply restricted teleportation, not even limiting other formations.
The benefit of this was that the power of laws follow precepts would last much longer.
Without teleportation, arcanists lost their proud mobility and could not withdraw from the battlefield any longer.
“Zhao Shou!” For the first time, Xu Pingfeng showed utter fury, growling in a low voice,
“When I one day take charge of the Central Plains, I shall cut off the legacy of the Confucian school!”
Zhao Shou smiled,
“Over your mother.”
…
Provincial Surveillance Commission.
Sensing the enemy’s arrival, the Earth Sect’s lotus Daoists burst out from their dwellings one after another, but were instantly forced back by al-Asura’s overwhelming might.
“Is the Buddhist sect set on becoming our Earth Sect’s enemy?”
Heilian stood on a lotus platform, demanding angrily.
Al-Asura wasted no words. His right fist flared with dazzling light as he grasped the power of the Executioner Phala and struck out with a fist from afar.
At that moment, formations prearranged throughout the Surveillance Commission’s courtyards began to activate one after another.
This was the Earth Sect’s new stronghold, so Xu Pingfeng had naturally set up defences, deploying a great formation in the constabulary long ago.
From the west surged sharp metal qi, in the south blazed flames, the north gathered churning water, while the east saw grass and trees thriving, vines writhing like tentacles, and at the core of the formation, earth element power erupted.
Heilian immediately revealed the four great Dharma Aspects of Earth, Wind, Water and Fire, drawing the formation’s gathered power into these Dharma Aspects.
In an instant, the four Dharma Aspects returned to his body, and swirling five-coloured light wreathed his fist.
“Boom!”
The collision of these two forces caused an ear-splitting explosion, tearing nearby buildings from their foundations as if they were nothing.
The fight was evenly matched.
“Hmph!”
Heilian’s crimson eyes swept over al-Asura and Daoist Jinlian, sneering coldly:
“This formation uses Qingzhou’s fortune as its base, refining the five elements. With myself in the formation, my power is redoubled, guess where the core is?”
He himself was the formation’s core.
As long as he did not leave the formation, it could not be broken.
And as long as he held out for enough time, Xu Pingfeng and Agaruka would, sooner or later, sense that something had changed and rush back to help.
“Jinlian, did you think I moved the Earth Sect’s headquarters to Qingzhou simply because I feared your revenge? No, it was to secure home turf advantage. I do not know why this Buddhist arhat would help you, but surely you are underestimating us too much.”
Creating a grand formation was one of his deals with Xu Pingfeng, and it was the source of his confidence in holding Qingzhou.
Daoist Jinlian let out an “oh” and, appearing at ease, smiled,
“I cannot break an arcanist’s formation, but this type, rooted in the earth and powered by the ley lines… Hmm, did you forget about the Earth Book?”
There were two types of formations: one was based on the arcanist himself, formed by a mere thought, the formation would manifest.
The other was a fixed formation, established based on the geography and ley lines.
The former could not be broken unless the arcanist was killed. But the latter happened to be countered by the Earth Book.
Daoist Jinlian took out Fragment Nine of the Earth Book, blew a breath of meritorious force onto its mirror surface, then tossed it into the air.
The Earth Book spun fiercely, radiating dazzling halos.
Within the Surveillance Commission, several beams of light flew over, merging with this Earth Book fragment.
Seven jade mirrors gathered and rapidly “melted” together, forming irregular fragments, like broken porcelain.
These pieces fitted together to form a square jade plate with one corner missing.
Under Daoist Jinlian’s control, the square jade plate slowly sank underground.
The next moment, the formation within the Surveillance Commission collapsed, the force of the five elements scattering in all directions.
Al-Asura’s ears twitched. He turned his head to look at where the Earth Book fragment had vanished, frowning slightly.
As the owner of an Earth Book fragment, in that instant, he had heard a deep muttering.
Heilian was both shocked and furious, roaring,
“You dare to unite the Earth Book fragments? How could you dare?!”
His tone was furious and terrified, as if something dreadful would happen if the Earth Book united.
What happens if the Earth Book fragments are united… The thought flashed through al-Asura’s mind, but he pushed it aside. The halo behind his head disappeared, fire exploded around him, and he turned into a golden streak, shooting towards Heilian.
Heilian’s body, flowing with black, viscous liquid, suddenly became ephemeral, replaced by swirling air currents.
He turned into a gust of wind, evading al-Asura’s assault.
At the same time, a patch of viscous fluid left in the distance surged up like a fountain, engulfing al-Asura’s figure.
“Turn back and see the shore!”
From the fountain came al-Asura’s calm voice.
Heilian, in his fleeing state, stalled suddenly and involuntarily turned around.
Seeing that he could not escape, Heilian made a snap decision. He put away the wind Dharma Aspect, letting his body collapse into a viscous, surging black sea that swallowed and corrupted everything around it.
Inside the Surveillance Commission, ordinary clerks and guards began mutating one after another, losing the reason in their gaze.
Some could not suppress the desire to kill in their hearts, hacking at anyone they saw. Others were completely ruled by lust, attacking anyone in sight, regardless of gender. Some grew greedy, snatching up the constabulary’s wealth to keep for themselves.
The four Heaven and Earth Society members who were slaughtering the Earth Sect’s Demon Daoists soared into the air in panic, dodging the flood-like surge of corruption.
This immense force of corruption had already surpassed what Daoist Golden Core cultivators could purify, and those like themselves, at least fourth rank, were unable to avoid it.
By contrast, the Earth Sect Demon Daoists were thriving in their element, their power significantly enhanced.
Al-Asura sat cross-legged, the viscous liquid blocked by a faint golden halo.
Zen Meditation!
Daoist Jinlian floated up into the air, transforming into a dazzling sun, radiating out the resplendent meritorious power.
Sizzle, sizzle…
The viscous, filthy liquid shrouding al-Asura’s form turned to black smoke, rapidly disintegrating and dissipating.
Al-Asura bent forward, thrust both palms into the surging viscous liquid, as the radiant halo behind his head suddenly exploded.
Executioner Phala!
Screams echoed throughout the Surveillance Commission. The viscous liquid receded like a tide, reforming into humanoid shape, a body that kept melting and collapsing, almost unable to sustain form.
The one and only trait of Executioner Phala was “Not dying nor resting”, a power similar to that of the Sovereign Sword.
Al-Asura’s figure flashed and vanished, then reappeared before Heilian.
He twisted his waist, raised his arm, and punched like thunder.
Boom!
Heilian’s body exploded, viscous liquid blasting out in all directions like mud.
At this point, the tendency of the Corrupted Body to collapse at any moment instead became his means to avoid being repeatedly killed by the martial expert.
Droplets of liquid darted away at high speed, regrouping at a distance into a twisted, melting human form. Heilian did not hesitate, using the wind aspect to manipulate the airflow and attempt to escape from Qingzhou City.
“Turn back and see the shore!”
Al-Asura pressed his palms together, using “precepts” once again to block Heilian from fleeing.
That twisted humanoid figure suddenly halted, then collapsed into a mass of air, dispersing without a trace.
This was a Heilian forged by the wind Dharma Aspect, carrying a portion of the power of corruption for disguise. As for his true body…
A jet of pitch-black liquid shot towards the airborne Daoist Jinlian, suddenly expanding like a curtain to envelop Daoist Jinlian inside.
Heilian’s real target was Daoist Jinlian.
“Once I consume Jinlian, restore myself, you’ll not even have a spot to bury your corpse!” Heilian laughed wildly.
After just a brief exchange, he realised this Buddhist Arhat could not be defeated.
This opponent before him was both a third-rank Vajra and a second-rank Arhat.
Even in a one-on-one duel, he would struggle to win.
In theory, with the additional presence of a third-rank Yang Spirit cultivator wielding the power of merit, Heilian would be even less likely to triumph.
But Jinlian was different. The two had originally been one, but Heilian was second rank, while Jinlian was third rank.
This made Daoist Jinlian a perfect tonic.
Suddenly, Heilian screamed in mid-air:
“Fake? No, impossible…”
Sizzle sizzle… The power of merit burst from the curtain, sending green smoke billowing.
Heilian gained nothing, and was instead severely wounded by the scorching meritorious power.
Al-Asura’s expression did not change, as if he had anticipated this outcome long ago. He sprang up, grasping the dazzling halo behind his head in his palm.
The third strike!
Boom! The fist punched through the “curtain”; Heilian disintegrated with a howl, black sludge spraying everywhere.
At this moment, a dazzling rainbow light shot into the Surveillance Commission, wrapping up all the scattered black sludge.
The rainbow light transformed into Daoist Jinlian, who exchanged a smile with Al-Asura.
This was the real Daoist Jinlian, the one before was a fake, manufactured by the Worthy One Phala.
When Al-Asura secretly left Ananda, he knew there would be no return, so he conveniently took a Buddhist Sharira, the Worthy One Phala.
On the day of the Earth Book chat group discussion, the members, after evaluating all their trump cards and the enemy’s situation, devised a plan to resolve Heilian in the shortest time possible.
The plan had three core conditions:
First, a fake body indistinguishable from the real one.
The lynchpin was Daoist Jinlian serving as the bait.
The Worthy One Phala was a second-rank Arhat. The Daoist Jinlian it produced was slightly weaker than second rank, just about entry level third rank.
Perfect.
Second, Heilian would go for broke and take the chance to restore himself.
Having strayed into the demonic path, Heilian was by nature greedy and brutal. Cowardice and caution were not evils of human nature.
When he fell into a desperate situation, yet had a small chance of turning the tables, what choice would he make? The answer was obvious.
Third, al-Asura’s control over the situation.
He had to create a scenario where Heilian was unable to flee, but not so much as to cause him to despair, forcing him to risk everything and devour Jinlian.
Once Heilian chose to consume the fake Jinlian, he was doomed to be undone, suffering a heavy blow from the power of merit and accelerating his demise.
The plan seemed simple, but actually demonstrated control over the enemy’s mentality, accurate judgment of one’s own strength, and shrewd use of trump cards.
Of course, with the likes of Xu Qi’an, Chu Yuanzhen, Huaiqing, Al-Asura, and Daoist Jinlian, such a plan was quite straightforward.
After all, in this group, there was a case-solving prodigy, a top scholar, a once-in-an-era empress, a deviant who had bided his time for centuries, along with an unfathomable old trickster.
“Despicable, utterly shameless…”
Daoist Jinlian’s body kept distorting, something inside appearing about to burst forth.
But the force of the impact grew weaker and weaker, till it finally faded into nothing.
At this moment, Heilian was no longer any match for Jinlian Daoist at his full strength.
“At last, it’s done!”
Daoist Jinlian let out a sigh.
Even someone of his status, at this moment, was filled with joy and excitement.
He had endured humiliation and hardship, nurtured the Heaven and Earth Society members, plotted for many years, and now finally fulfilled his wish.
He had, at last, finished himself off.
Afterward, he needed only to refine Heilian with merit to restore his cultivation.
Daoist Jinlian rode the wind up, overlooking the Surveillance Commission, and saw Hengyuan covered in blood and looking like a god of slaughter, as well as the crouching dragon, fledgling phoenix, and Chu Yuanzhen soaring like the wind on their swords.
He also saw the Earth Sect Demon Daoists who had lost the will to fight and were fleeing in panic out of the constabulary.
“Sigh!”
Coloured rays of light shot out from Daoist Jinlian’s body, piercing the lotus Daoists one by one, purifying their lives and past sins.
“Daoist, does the Earth Book fragment have an artefact spirit? What did Heilian mean just now?”
Al-Asura asked.
“Ah? What did you say?”
Daoist Jinlian looked blank.
Al-Asura said quietly,
“If you do not come clean, I shall join with Xu Qi’an and the other members to expel you from the Heaven and Earth Society.”
Ah, well… Daoist Jinlian suddenly felt there were a few too many unpredictable experts in the Society, and having nothing but good fortune was not necessarily a good thing.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
“This matter, I shall explain in detail in the Heaven and Earth Society later. For now, let’s get out of here and head to Xunzhou to assist Xu Qi’an.”
Idiom. Accepting one loss for two wins. ↩
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