White clouds drifted in the sky, and the sun shone brightly.
The sparkling sea had returned to its calm state. Broken logs and masts floated along with the waves.
Salen Agu stood high in the sky, looking down at the land where he had lived for so many years. It had been razed to the ground. The mountains had collapsed, and the city walls had been flattened.
He had only seen such a scene when Confucian Sages had sealed the Sorcerer God.
At that time, everything within a thousand miles had been turned into a wasteland. For the next three hundred years, all living things had disappeared.
It was only when the two supreme beings' powers had dissipated that Jing Shan City was rebuilt to its current scale.
Now, it was repeating the same mistake, and history was repeating itself.
But this time, it was not Confucian Sages who had attacked, and the Sorcerer God was not at his peak. There were not many survivors, but there were still quite a few.
They were scattered in the distance, watching, meditating, or bandaging their wounds. No one dared to come back to investigate.
The army of Daibun had retreated.
Salen Agu looked at the altar. His figure suddenly disappeared, and the next moment, he appeared on the altar, in front of the green robe.
Empress Joan of Arc, Ilb, and the Uda Pagoda landed next to the Great Wizard.
At this time, standing in front of them was a broken human figure. His body was horribly cracked, and not a single part was intact.
His right arm, which had once held the carving knife, had lost its flesh and blood, revealing the bloody bones.
The green robe was ragged. The robe was like the person, and the person was like the robe.
From now on, there was no War God in Daibun.
The Confucian crown and carving knife had left not long ago, returning to the Central Plains.
Salen Agu said in a low voice, "The Central Plains has had many heroes in the past thousand years. You, Wei Yuan, are one of them."
"Damn it, damn it, damn it …"
Ilb's face was twisted, and he said in exasperation:
"How could he summon Confucian Sages? He is a Warrior, how could he summon Confucian Sages?
The Sorcerer God had been accumulating power for more than a thousand years, and finally managed to break free from the seal, but it was all destroyed by this thief.
"I will lead the army to massacre Daibun, and slaughter all the way to the capital."
"You look like a crude Warrior right now." Empress Jeanne mocked.
Every demonized Taoist priest was proficient in provoking others.
Empress Jeanne stood with her hands clasped behind her back. Her Immortal Golden Body shone brilliantly as the golden and black lights intertwined.
"The Sorcerer God is sealed, and Wei Yuan is dead. Although the situation is terrible, we have not lost this battle.
Now, it's time for you to fulfill your promise. "
Tharlen Agu smiled and said, "Then let me congratulate Your Majesty in advance for living a long life and overlooking the Central Plains."
Jeanne Deux nodded slowly.
Salen Agu continued, "Wu Da Pagoda, spread the news of Wei Yuan's death to the entire northeast. Get Yan Kang and Yan Kang Countries to gather manpower to rebuild Jing Mountain City and get Jing Country to withdraw their troops.
Gather the remaining Magi and treat the wounded civilians and soldiers … "
He issued a series of instructions to deal with the aftermath.
The news of this battle would definitely spread throughout the Nine States. He could not be bothered to care about what would happen to Daibun, but the three countries within his borders would definitely set off a storm of discussion.
This would be the most humiliating day in the history of the Witchcraft Cult.
…
In a wilderness far away from Jing Mountain.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Nangong Qianrou's roar resounded through the sky. His voice was filled with grief and despair, mixed with deep-rooted hatred.
"Sorcerer God, Sorcerer God, Sorcerer God …"
He knelt on the ground and punched the ground with both fists, venting for a full 15 minutes.
The warlock in white walked up to him and handed him a brocade pouch. Nangong Qianrou, whose face was covered in tears, raised his head and stared blankly at the warlock.
Second Senior Brother Sun Xuanji said, "Wei …"
With only one word, Nangong Qianrou grabbed the brocade pouch like a madman and opened it. There was a note inside.
Nangong Qianrou unfolded the note. After reading it, tears once again flowed from his eyes. After a long time, he collected all his emotions and looked in the direction of Jing Mountain. He murmured,
"Foster Father, I'll continue the chess game you didn't finish for you."
"For the rest of my life, I'll come back here one day and let the iron hooves trample over every inch of the Witchcraft Cult's territory. I'll let the wheels of the cannons run over the Witchcraft Cult's backbone. I'll turn these 60,000 miles of mountains and rivers into scorched earth."
Sun Xuanji raised his hand and wiped it gently. He erased the existence of this heavy cavalry so that no one in the world could remember them.
…
In the Yunlu Academy.
In the bamboo building in the bamboo forest of the back mountain.
Zhao Shou sat in the hall, motionless like a statue.
He had been in this position for more than a month. The table in front of him was covered with a thin layer of dust.
Suddenly, Zhao Shou moved and turned his head to look out of the window.
Outside the open window, the sky was blue and the mountains were endless. Two beams of Light flew over thousands of mountains and rivers, like meteors piercing the sky, and gently landed on the table in front of Zhao Shou.
Dean Zhao Shou was relieved. He slowly got up, dusted himself off, and bowed.
No one knew whether he was bowing to the two sacred relics or the black robe.
…
In the Imperial Palace.
With the curtain hanging down, the Yuanjing Emperor, who was sitting cross-legged on the cattail hassock, slowly opened his eyes.
After a moment of silence, he revealed a smile that seemed excited, happy, and wild.
The Yuanjing Emperor walked up to the attic and looked at the layers of red walls and undulating golden tiles. He opened his arms, welcomed the wind, and said slowly,
"My time has come."
…
On the Eight Trigrams Platform in the Stargazing Tower.
The Supervisor glanced at the Imperial Palace, smiled, and lowered his head to drink.
The human world was not worth it.
…
In the Xu Mansion, Xu Qi 'an felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"What's going on? Why does my heart hurt all of a sudden?"
He frowned and wanted to mock himself. For example, could a peak Rank-5 have a myocardial infarction?
But somehow, there was a sense of panic lingering in his heart.
…
In the Northern Region.
In the camp of Daibun and the demon and barbarian coalition forces, Xu Xinnian sat at the table, staring at the map and thinking.
He was thinner and stronger. He was still handsome, but his skin was no longer fair. The sun outside the Great Wall deepened his skin color, and the wind and sand in the Northern Great Wall roughened his skin.
He was still that proud scholar, but he no longer showed off his talent. He was more calm and restrained.
The war made him grow up quickly. The girls in the Musical House made him become a man, but they could not make him mature.
It was the fallen comrades, the battles where he hovered on the edge of life and death, and the enemies he killed with his own hands that made him truly mature.
Chu Yuanzhen rushed into the tent and said with a smile, "Farewell, let me tell you a piece of exciting news."
Xu Erlang thought for a while and said, "The military camp did not send troops. It's not a victory. What's the matter?"
Chu Yuanzhen waved his fist and said excitedly, "The Jing State retreated."
…
Late at night.
The candlelight was like a bean. At the table, Xu Qi 'an held the fragment of the Book of the Earthly World and sent a message: [I explored the underground with the Royal Advisor today. The former emperor did not come back. Logically speaking, such a terrible person should not have left without a trace.]
[Two: Maybe he has replaced the Yuanjing Emperor and become the emperor in the palace. Oh, I forgot, he is the Yuanjing Emperor.]
Xu Qi 'an was very concerned about the disappearance of the former emperor. A high-level master who had secretly cultivated for forty years disappeared without a trace after his hiding place was found.
This made Xu Qi 'an extremely anxious because the former emperor was Yuan Jing, and Yuan Jing was the former emperor, and he and Yuan Jing had a big grudge.
Similarly, he and the former emperor had a big grudge.
Now, a top master was lurking in the dark, and he could bite you at any time.
Who would not be afraid?
Of course, he could also hope that Yuan Jing's loss of composure was all an act. The former emperor was a peak master, and a master should have the bearing of a master. He would not care about an ant like him.
'Duke Huai was killed by Shen Shu. What does that have to do with me, Xu Qi' an. '
If it was any other top master, Xu Qi 'an might have fantasized. However, it was the former emperor, and the former emperor had been corrupted by the Earth Sect's Daoist Head.
A peak master who was filled with malice and had a completely evil nature would definitely seek revenge for the smallest grievance.
[Four: Why don't we change our thinking? What cultivation system do you think Yuan Jing, ah no, the former emperor followed?]
In the Earthly Book chat group, Chu Zhuangyuan, one of the wisest people, raised the question.
The former emperor lost his virginity early, which was equivalent to cutting off his martial arts path. He followed Luo Yuheng and cultivated for twenty-one years. Without a doubt, he followed Renzong's path … Xu Qi 'an replied:
[Three: Renzong.]
[Four: This is exactly what I thought. So, what are the disadvantages of Renzong's cultivation method?
The former emperor was of a high rank, and like the Imperial Preceptor, he needed to use luck to suppress the fire.
Then, he would definitely not leave the capital.]
[One: No, you're wrong.
The former emperor was different from Luo Yuheng. Luo Yuheng needed the position of Imperial Preceptor to borrow luck.
The former emperor was the emperor himself, so he carried luck.]
If it was Huaiqing who was one of the wisest people, there would be someone else.
Ah, if that's the case, then it's fine … Chu Yuanzhen muttered in his heart.
[One: There's a Supervisor in the capital. Since he's not under the Dragon Vein, he definitely won't stay in the capital for long.
He must have left the capital. As for where he went and what he was doing, it's impossible to guess.]
The most typical method was to determine the former emperor's location based on his goal … In other words, to know where he was, he had to know what he wanted to do first … Xu Qi 'an rubbed his forehead.
Based on the current situation, the former emperor devoured Yuan Jing and Duke Huai's two sons in order to achieve longevity.
He lived for forty more years as he wished.
Therefore, the former emperor's ultimate goal was still longevity.
But the problem was, no matter how powerful the former emperor was, could he be more powerful than his ancestors?
Could he be more powerful than Confucian Sages?
All these people had passed away, let alone the former emperor.
"According to the rules of heaven and earth, those with luck cannot live forever. The former emperor's real age was above 80, and Confucian Sages only lived for 82.
This meant that the former emperor was actually reaching the end of his life.
Of course, different people's physiques could not be compared. The former emperor could also live one year longer than Confucian Sages when he was extremely angry.
"If I were the former emperor, I would do everything in my power to seek longevity. But, but what should I do?"
It wasn't that he wasn't smart enough, but he had too little information. He couldn't even find a direction to make a hypothesis.
What did the former emperor do?
Speaking of which, Duke Wei had been away for almost half a month, and he didn't know how the situation was.
…
On a certain night almost a month after the army had set out, the moonlight was clear and bright like water.
"Clatter clatter …"
On the official road outside the capital, a fast horse galloped in. The dusty courier with cracked lips pulled on the reins and shouted in a hoarse voice,
"Open the gate, urgent for 800 miles …"
It passed through the outer city, the inner city, the imperial city, and all the way to the imperial palace.
In the middle of the night, Wang Shoufu was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door. The old butler knocked on the door and shouted, "Master, master, wake up …"
In the dark room, candlelight was lit. The maid sleeping in the outer room put on her clothes, held the candle, and hurried to open the door.
After a while, the maid walked in and whispered, "Master, there's news from the yamen, urgent for 800 miles."
Wang Shoufu was old, and being woken up in the middle of the night, he couldn't hide his exhaustion. He pinched his eyebrows and said, "Get changed."
An important yamen like the cabinet had people on duty at night to prevent emergencies like this.
Whether it was urgent for 800 miles or 600 miles, the courier would run with all his might. It was normal for a few horses to die, and it could be delivered at any time.
With the help of the maid, Wang Shoufu put on his official robe and entered the imperial palace. He came to the yamen of the cabinet.
Grand Secretary Wang's footsteps were extremely fast. He entered the hall and sat behind his own large table, slowly saying, "Tang Report!"
The official on night duty in the hall immediately handed over the newspaper that was kept by his side. Only a few scholars could open an urgent document for 800 miles.
Wang Shoufu took out a knife and peeled off the wax. With a slight rustle, he took out the newspaper and opened it.
He immediately fell into a dead silence.
…
Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu of the Martial Ying Hall, Grand Secretary Chen Qi of the Jianji Hall, Grand Secretary Zhao Tingfang of the Eastern Pavilion, and three other scholars came together. They entered the cabinet and came to the Prime Minister's Hall.
They were shocked to find that the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, the leader of the Wang's party, seemed to have aged a few years.
His face was gray and his eyes were slightly red. His slightly turbid eyes were dull, as if he was immersed in some kind of painful atmosphere that he couldn't break free from.
Yesterday, Grand Secretary Wang was clearly still fine. What kind of blow was it that made his essence energy wither to this type of state in a single night?
Wang Shoufu raised his head and looked around at the scholars. In a low voice, he said slowly, "Wei Yuan has been sacrificed."
After a pause, he added, "Of the 100,000 troops, only 16,000 returned."
Boom!
Everyone seemed to be struck by lightning. Their minds were shaken and their faces were stiff.
Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu of the Martial Ying Hall murmured, "This, this is impossible, impossible …"
Wang Shoufu's tone recovered a little and he said in a low voice,
"I know it's hard for people to believe, but for now, this is the truth.
Everyone, please discard all negative emotions and listen to me. This battle is very strange. The reports have been sent to the palace. Before the morning court, let's discuss it … "
As dawn approached, the scholars left, looking tired and worried.
Wang Shoufu waved his hand to summon a confidant and ordered expressionlessly, "Send someone to the Xu Mansion and tell Xu Qi 'an about the situation of the battle in the northeast."
He didn't give a note because he didn't want to leave any evidence.
After the confidant left, Wang Shoufu walked to the window and looked at the darkest night before dawn. He didn't speak for a long time, like a statue.
Wei Yuan, without you, the court will be lonely in the future.
…
Before dawn, a knock on the door woke Zhong Li and Xu Qi 'an, who were in the room.
The latter responded, "Who is it?"
The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, said, "Dalang, someone is looking for you. He claims to be from the Cabinet."
Cabinet?
Did Wang Shoufu send someone to look for me at this time?!
Xu Qi 'an immediately got up, put on his robe and said, "Take me to him."
Out of the room, they went all the way to the outer hall. Xu Qi 'an saw a middle-aged man in an official's robe standing in the hall.
"Xu Yinluo!"
The middle-aged official instinctively called out this title.
Xu Qi 'an was used to the "conservative" concept of the people in the capital, so he asked directly, "Sir, why are you looking for me?"
The middle-aged official said, "The Grand Secretary asked me to bring you a message."
As expected, it was Wang Shoufu … Xu Qi 'an nodded. "Please speak."
The middle-aged official hesitated. After thinking for a long time, he said in a low voice, "Duke Wei died in the northeast."