When Xu Pingfeng saw his eldest legitimate son, he froze for a moment. Judging by appearances alone, he did not believe he could have fathered such a monster. This was absolutely not of his bloodline.
The humanoid creature fighting Baidi had a cluster of gorgeous flowers growing from the top of its head, its body covered in cracked black bark, and its limbs wound round with vines, thick with tender green leaves.
How was this human?
It was plainly a tree yao!
If not for the Stupa tower floating overhead, the Sovereign Sword in his hand, and that dense power of all living beings, Xu Pingfeng would never have believed the monster before him was Xu Qi’an.
There was one more thing. The aura he was giving off had already reached the peak of the second rank.
That was without counting the augmentation of the power of all living beings. His personal aura alone had reached the peak of the second rank, scarcely inferior to al-Asura.
Of course, the gap between the peak of second rank and first rank was still enormous, but with the support of the Sovereign Sword, the Stupa tower, the power of all living beings, Gu arts and other methods, Xu Qi’an had only just about managed to “survive miserably” under Baidi’s hands.
At last, Xu Pingfeng understood why the tribulation battle had still not ended.
His eldest legitimate son, by his own strength alone, had stood shoulder to shoulder with al-Asura, Daoist Jinlian and Zhao Shou, making up for the deficiency in their battle strength.
With a martial artist’s toughness and endurance, even though Agaruka Bodhisattva and Baidi suppressed their opponents, it was difficult for them to kill them in a short time.
It was not that they were not strong enough, but rather a matter of the characteristics of their systems.
“Yo, rushing all the way to Chuzhou in such a panic? Looks like the war in Yongzhou isn’t going too well.”
Tree yao Xu Qi’an noticed the puppet’s appearance. After cutting apart a water-thunder sphere with one sword strike, he looked over with a smiling face.
Baidi stopped and turned his head to look at Xu Pingfeng.
Naturally, Agaruka Bodhisattva, al-Asura and the others could not possibly fail to notice that another spectator had appeared.
Just as Xu Pingfeng was desperate to know the state of the war in the northern frontier, they too were concerned about the situation on the Central Plains battlefield.
It would be disastrous if they fought here to the death while over there the city had already fallen and all were dead.
Ignoring his eldest son’s provocation, Xu Pingfeng sent a voice transmission to everyone:
“Yongzhou has already been taken. At this moment, the Yunzhou army is advancing on the capital.”
The puppet could not speak, so it could only use voice transmission. Moreover, he had deliberately chosen to transmit to everyone, to create psychological pressure for al-Asura and the others.
A change in mindset would affect how they responded to the enemy, and for the beyond-mortals of the Great Feng side, a tiny mistake could mean the difference between life and death.
Agaruka Bodhisattva exhaled and said:
“Good.”
Baidi let out a savage laugh, very satisfied with the Yunzhou army’s progress. Once the Great Feng was brought down, the Jianzheng would certainly die, and it would then be able to refine the gatekeeper’s spiritual essence smoothly, laying the groundwork for the coming great calamity.
Al-Asura and Daoist Jinlian felt their hearts sink. Sure enough, this was the outcome they least wished to see.
Then they realised that Xu Qi’an and Zhao Shou both looked relaxed, with not the slightest trace of gravity.
Zhao Shou smiled and said:
“Wei Yuan has come back to life.”
Al-Asura did not know who Wei Yuan was, and the heaviness in his heart did not lessen, but Daoist Jinlian’s expression relaxed and he broke into a smile:
“Excellent!”
On the Central Plains battlefield, where the combat strength at the beyond-mortal realm was roughly balanced, with Wei Yuan overseeing the whole situation and directing operations, it was almost impossible for the Great Feng to lose. Although Daoist Jinlian did not know what trump card Wei Yuan might have, he had absolute confidence in him.
A man’s reputation cast a shadow like a tree.
When Agaruka heard this, his slightly eased expression turned serious again.
Al-Asura had been observing his opponents throughout, and caught the change in Agaruka’s emotions before and after. Somewhat surprised, he asked:
“Who is Wei Yuan?”
He was asking Zhao Shou and Daoist Jinlian.
Daoist Jinlian assessed him thus:
“He excels at overall coordination and commanding troops, and his talent for cultivation is not bad either.”
Al-Asura frowned, thinking, Is that all?
Zhao Shou added:
“When he played against the Jianzheng, he never lost.”
…
Al-Asura fell silent for a moment, then slowly revealed a smile:
“Very good!”
He cast aside every bit of worry and concern in his heart.
On the other side, Xu Pingfeng examined his eldest legitimate son and sent a voice transmission to Baidi, asking, “What’s his situation?”
Baidi subconsciously licked its lips, its eyes glittering with greed and longing. “He has the spiritual essence of the Undying Tree inside him. The Undying Tree was one of the ancient gods and demons, possessing vitality unrivalled across past and present, eternal and undying. Even the great upheaval of those years could not truly erase the Undying Tree. Compared with it, a martial artist’s undying body is merely a petty path before the spiritual essence of the Undying Tree.”
Mu Nanzhi is the reincarnation of the Flower God, and its spiritual essence endured forever. In that case, the Flower God’s progenitor was the Undying Tree. Xu Qi’an had dual cultivated with her and seized the spiritual essence of the Undying Tree. No wonder he only grew stronger the more he fought… Xu Pingfeng instantly grasped the key.
Growing stronger as the battle went on went against common sense. Rising from the early stage of the second rank to the peak of the second rank had already exceeded the scope of simply bursting out latent potential.
But if Xu Qi’an had the spiritual essence of the Undying Tree within him, and by means of his special “intent” absorbed and refined it bit by bit during battle, then the phenomenon of growing stronger as he fought could be explained.
Baidi laughed and said:
“No need to worry. There is very little spiritual essence left in his body. Apart from the Undying Tree itself, any living creature can only absorb part of that spiritual essence. Every bit used is a bit less. Before Luo Yuheng finishes crossing the Four Aspects Tribulation, I am confident I can kill him.”
In this regard, having once devoured part of the Undying Tree’s trunk, it was highly qualified to speak.
Only then did Xu Pingfeng relax, his “heart” finally settling back into place. Baidi was a god-demon that had lived through long ages and had come into contact with the Undying Tree. Its judgement could not be wrong.
As everyone lowered their banners and ceased fighting, the rolling, flying sand and dust had, at some unknown moment, subsided.
The earth-thunder tribulation had passed safely.
The next second, the inky clouds churning high above grew more violent. With a boom, a flash of lightning ripped across the sky, and then rain poured down in torrents, great slanting columns as thick as fingers descending, filling heaven and earth with hazy sheets of rain.
Everything became blurred.
Baidi stared at the figure ahead, obscured by the curtain of rain, and said with a dark chuckle:
“Do you think I do not know why I am confident of killing you before the Four Aspects Tribulation ends? I have been waiting for the water-thunder tribulation. This, is my home terrain!”
As the words fell, a bolt of lightning cleaved down from the churning clouds and struck the broken horn on its head.
This was not heavenly tribulation lightning, but ordinary lightning tainted with part of the aura of heavenly tribulation.
Within the hazy rain-mist, arcs of twisted lightning spread continuously outward from the horn like the tentacles of a squid.
Baidi in the rain curtain was like a king ruling this world.
…
The capital.
The city gates stood wide open as convoys of carts entered the capital along the official road, accompanied by travellers carrying bundles on their backs and wealthy households riding in carriages.
Above the city gate, the Arcanists of the Sitianjian worked with the defending soldiers to question and identify spies.
In defensive deployment, strengthening the walls and clearing the field was a vital part.
Within the capital’s territory were Changle and Taikang Counties. Besides these, there were also more than a dozen villages and towns of various sizes.
Each of Changle and Taikang had three thousand defenders, with cannons and bed crossbows fully equipped. The two counties and the capital echoed one another from afar, serving as reinforcements for each other in war and watching over one another.
But the villages and towns had no conditions for defence.
In order to stop the rebels from plundering grain, the court had decided to bring the wealthy households and landlords from the villages and towns into the capital and levy the corresponding entry tax. For the landlords, this was a policy they supported wholeheartedly.
Paying a portion of money and grain in exchange for protection was certainly better than being looted by the rebels. The former required only part of their wealth, while the latter might well end in slaughter.
On the city walls, large numbers of labourers bustled back and forth, some reinforcing the walls, some hauling great stones, rolling logs and other siege-defence weapons.
The artillery troops inspected whether the bed crossbows and cannons could be used properly. Different branches of troops checked different equipment.
The infantry, in groups, sprinted wildly along the horse path, carrying out seemingly meaningless drills such as “reaching the assigned guard area in the shortest time” and “becoming familiar with the positions of different weapons as quickly as possible”.
With the active cooperation of the officials, the defensive deployment proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The Sitianjian.
Sun Xuanji, bringing Protector Yuan with him, arrived at the “Song Clique” stronghold, the alchemy room. Two or three dozen Arcanists in white were busy there, some refining steel, some hammering iron, some… making gunpowder.
Sun Xuanji suddenly looked sharply left and right, then his expression eased a little.
Protector Yuan spoke his thoughts at exactly the right moment:
“Luckily Junior Sister Zhong isn’t here. How do these fools, who only know how to carry out alchemical experiments, dare make explosives inside the tower?”
As though someone had pressed a mute switch, the alchemy room instantly fell silent. The white-robed Arcanists silently stopped what they were doing and looked over expressionlessly.
The corners of Sun Xuanji’s mouth twitched slightly.
Song Qing, beside them, shrugged.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already spoken to Junior Sister Zhong. She won’t be leaving the underground floor for the time being.”
Sun Xuanji nodded and pretended that what had just happened was settled.
Protector Yuan stared at Song Qing, then said involuntarily:
“So this mute’s been badmouthing us in his heart every day. Pah!”
Song Qing’s face suddenly stiffened.
Sun Xuanji and his junior brother Song Qing looked at each other in silence for a few seconds. One took out a wooden stockade, the other drew a sabre…
Protector Yuan, wearing the wooden stockade, was driven into the corridor and made to stand there as punishment. Song Qing took out a disc-shaped metal cake about two fingers high and said:
“This is a new weapon I’ve made.”
Sun Xuanji said nothing. He scrutinised the metal disc and waited for Song Qing’s explanation.
“Its power is no less than a cannonball’s, but it’s not meant to be fired. It’s buried in the ground instead.” Song Qing pointed at the raised part on the surface of the metal disc and said:
“There’s a flint mechanism here. The moment someone steps on it, the flint strikes, lights the fuse, and with a bang, both man and horse are blown to pieces. Even a sixth rank Bronze Skin and Iron Bones martial artist can take at most two hits. If a fourth rank warrior dares tread through a whole stretch of them, he’ll still be blown apart.
“Oh, and I’ve packed a large amount of white phosphorus inside. Once it sticks to someone, it’s like a maggot on the bone, impossible to put out, and it won’t stop until they die.
“Pity that white phosphorus can only be used in winter. The weather’s cold now, so there’s no need to worry about it igniting by itself.
“This thing is called a ‘landmine’. Young Master Xu came up with the name.”
Lately, he had been researching how to make landmines. The inspiration had come from a book Xu Qi’an had given him, called the Encyclopedia of Firearms.
According to Silver Gong Xu, this was a work he had poured his heart and soul into (forced into it by these alchemists pestering him and so scribbled down casually to fob them off). It recorded some weapons so wildly imaginative they bordered on fantasy, such as tanks, fighter jets, grenades, landmines, nuclear bombs, and so on.
Song Qing marvelled at Young Master Xu’s ingenious ideas, but the descriptions of the weapons inside were far too crude.
Tank—an iron-shelled chariot with cannon inside.
Grenade—a cannonball that could be thrown.
Landmine—explosives buried in the ground.
Nuclear bomb—the art of boiling water.
After much research, Song Qing discovered that the landmine was by far the most reliable and most worthy of study. It was perfectly suited to the Great Feng’s current situation—defending a city.
Tanks were of little significance. At a glance, they looked ruinously expensive, and if they encountered a true expert, one sabre stroke would likely render them useless.
As for grenades, if a cannon could fire them, why throw them by hand?
And as for this so-called nuclear bomb, Song Qing could not work out what weaponry had to do with boiling water.
Sun Xuanji’s eyes lit up. Concise as ever, he said:
“Amount!”
“At present, there are only eight thousand. They’re all in the warehouse at the end of the corridor. I’ll trouble Senior Brother Sun to deliver them to the city defence army,” Song Qing said.
This was the limit of what he, as an alchemist, could do. It was also his revenge on the Yunzhou army.
…
On the flat, broad outskirts of the city, an army of seventy thousand advanced towards the capital in mighty formation, Yunzhou banners snapping fiercely in the strong wind.
Of these seventy thousand troops, only about thirty thousand were truly armoured soldiers. The rest were made up of militia and miscellaneous troops.
Both groups were composed of captured commoners from Yongzhou. The militia were mainly responsible for transporting grain, cannon, and other military supplies, and also had to level roads, light fires, cook meals, and so on.
The miscellaneous troops were able-bodied men selected from the militia, each given a war sabre and hurried onto the battlefield.
Neither the Yunzhou army nor the Great Feng army ever lacked such troops.
But as for elite forces, both sides had fewer and fewer the more they fought.
Qi Guangbo sat high on horseback, gazing at the majestic city at the end of the horizon, and slowly let out a breath.
“The capital, we’ve finally arrived!”
Behind him were his capable lieutenants, Ji Xuan, Yang Chuannan, Ge Wenxuan and the others.
Hearing this, Ji Xuan and the rest were filled with emotion.
Since raising their standard in revolt, more than three months had passed. The Yunzhou army had pushed the front line from south to north, leaving behind countless corpses of both comrades and enemies along the way.
Since ancient times, beneath the imperial seat there had only ever been piles of white bones. Dominion and hegemony were painted with the blood of the common people.
Qi Guangbo pressed his legs to the horse’s flanks, urging it a short distance forward, then turned it round to face the army and shouted:
“The royal army has marched from Yunzhou for more than three months. You officers and men followed this marshal into campaign, trampled the Central Plains, and successively took Qingzhou and Yongzhou. Now our army stands before the capital, and victory is in sight. Once this city falls, the Central Plains will lie in our pocket.
“To be crowned king or made minister depends on this very day. Whoever is first to charge onto the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and enfeoffed as a marquis of ten thousand households.”
“Roar!”
Tens of thousands roared in unison, the sound surging like the sea, a magnificent spectacle.
Boom boom boom!
The war drums thundered as the army set out and charged towards the capital.
…
An hour earlier, at the Tower of Noble Spirit.
On the seventh-floor balcony, Wei Yuan, in fluttering azure robes, his temples streaked with grey, stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the four Gold Gongs, the Silver Gongs, and the Bronze Gongs below.
They numbered three hundred in all.
Wei Yuan spoke in a gentle, calm tone:
“After today, whoever survives will be promoted by one rank and rewarded with a thousand taels of gold.
“If anyone dies, I will personally bear his coffin.”
The Nightwatchers felt hot blood rush to their heads. Their eyes burned as they roared:
“We are willing to brave fire and water for Duke Wei, and die ten thousand deaths without regret!”
…
Crackle!
A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm twisted across mid-air and lashed two blackened marks into the ground. The rain in the corresponding area was instantly vaporised.
Xu Qi’an’s figure emerged from the shadow of a rock two hundred feet away on the right.
Puff puff puff… the moment he appeared, the rain above his head turned into a shower of arrows, into a barrage, instantly engulfing him and leaving shallow pits across his body’s surface.
As a water spirit of heaven and earth, in the ocean and in a rainstorm, Baidi’s power rose by a huge margin. The clearest change was that it no longer needed to cast magic to draw water energy from the air.
The rain filling the sky was like an extension of its limbs, ready at any moment to be turned to its use and strike down an enemy.
It hurts… Xu Qi’an bared his teeth. He did not divide his attention to resist the all-encompassing assault, but melted into the shadows and vanished again.
Boom!
The rock he had used for shadow-jumping was shattered by a wildly twisting bolt of lightning in the very next moment.
The two horns atop Baidi’s head continuously released clawing, rampant arcs of lightning. Their crackling made the scalp prickle.
Xu Qi’an either used shadow-jumping or relied on sheer speed, sprinting, diving sideways and rolling to evade the terrifying lightning strikes.
But the curtain of rain pouring down was something he simply could not avoid. His qi barrier could not block Baidi’s water spells. If he brought out the Stupa tower, then relying on the natural toughness of the magical treasure, he could withstand a few waves of rain.
Throughout this process, Baidi pursued Xu Qi’an, lunging and biting, forcing him into an environment that felt as if the whole world were his enemy.
As time passed second by second, Xu Qi’an’s injuries grew ever more severe.
He was completely suppressed. All he could do was evade. It seemed he did not even have the power to strike back.
Splash… the standing water whirled upwards, carrying mud and shattered stones with it, forming a gigantic waterspout.
Baidi closed its eyes and stopped relying on sight. Its ears twitched slightly, catching every sound in the surroundings.
In its perception, the world was pitch black. Raindrops raised ripples in the darkness, and each ripple outlined a source of sound, ultimately feeding the real world back into its mind.
In such a world, the slightest movement would be magnified without limit.
This was the innate divine ability of Baidi’s current body.
Found you… Baidi suddenly opened its eyes, its azure pupils fixing on one spot, and the waterspout slammed towards it with savage force.
Exactly where Baidi’s gaze fell, Xu Qi’an’s figure appeared.
He had just emerged from shadow-jumping when he suddenly felt his feet tighten. His ankles had been bound by two tentacles formed from rainwater, and bearing down on him from the front was the waterspout, carrying mud and shattered stones with the force of thunder.
Shit… his heart sank.
In the distance, Xu Pingfeng watched with his hands behind his back, at ease.
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