Longzang

Chapter 674 Conditions
Although the cavalry force numbered only five thousand, it was incredibly fast, twice as fast as ordinary elite cavalry charging forward. It bypassed the main battlefield and went straight behind Li Chengfeng, clearly intending to cut off his retreat.

At this moment, Li Chengfeng's generals also realized something was wrong and immediately ordered an interception. However, the troops were in chaos under heavy artillery bombardment and could not be mobilized. A small number of those who managed to reach Wei Yuan's front were killed by the front-line warriors wielding flying swords and spears.

Li Chengfeng only had two thousand personal guards, and could only send out a thousand to intercept them. However, Wei Yuan's cavalry was clearly elite just by looking at their military bearing. Li Chengfeng's thousand personal guards couldn't stop them at all. A jade mountain appeared above Wei Yuan's head and then disappeared. He didn't even need to use this path-clearing artifact; he had already cut through the personal guards.

"Withdraw!" Li Chengfeng squeezed out the word through gritted teeth.

The bugle call barely penetrated the artillery fire and reached the front-line troops. Li Chengfeng immediately arranged for several officers to break through the encirclement and retrieve troops from the city. But he knew that the 50,000 troops currently defending the city were only second-line forces, no match for the 50,000 elite troops under his command.

Wei Yuan's army remained strong, and the reinforcements from the rear could not change the course of the battle.

Several generals received the order, but seeing that Li Chengfeng did not move, they asked in confusion, "Your Highness, what about you?"

Li Chengfeng shook his head: "I will live and die with the army."

The generals and strategists were shocked and tried to dissuade him, but Li Chengfeng was disheartened and just shook his head, urging the generals to go and get reinforcements.

At this moment, Wei Yuan personally led 5,000 cavalrymen to their positions, cutting off Li Chengfeng's retreat. They then slowly approached, forming an encirclement with the main army in front.

Li Chengfeng sighed deeply. A cold wind suddenly rose, blowing his hair at his temples. His eyes were filled with melancholy as he stared straight ahead.

Wei Yuan acted decisively, gradually closing in on the enemy lines, making it impossible for reinforcements from the city to arrive in time.

At this moment, an old man appeared in the air, his face full of anger. He waved his sleeve, ready to make a move. But suddenly a soft, sweet female voice rang out behind him: "If I were you, I wouldn't get involved in the games of the juniors."

The old man's hand froze in mid-air, and he said coldly, "There are two of us, but you are alone. You can't stop the two of us no matter what."

The woman did not appear, but spoke in a clear, otherworldly voice: "The world is a game, and all the ordinary soldiers are just pawns. As long as the players are still here, the game can continue. But this Void-Destroying Dagger in my hand can still be used once more, and can cause twenty percent of the Heart World to collapse."

"We've cultivated ourselves to this point with great difficulty; why should we sacrifice our spiritual path for the sake of some mortals?"

Another majestic voice rang out from the sky: "If you dare to touch the Marquis of Shanyin, you will not escape my attack."

The woman said calmly, "Knowing there are two of you, I prepared another treasure, but it would be a waste to use it on you."

Immediately, a strange aura appeared, so powerful that even immortals would tremble at its scent. The dignified old man exclaimed in shock, "Yin Bullet! How did this thing end up in your hands?!"

"Only when it's in my hands can we avoid hurting each other's feelings."

Marquis Shanyin said, "His Highness the Fourth Prince must not be harmed!"

The woman said, "It won't harm his path. But after you go back, you must not tell anyone that the Yin Bullet is in my hands."

The two Zhao state officials immediately swore an oath.

On the battlefield, Li Chengfeng was surrounded by enemies, feeling a sense of desolation akin to the desolation of the Yi River. He smiled sadly, slowly drew his sword, and prepared for a final, desperate battle when suddenly the artillery fire ceased, and Wei Yuan's voice drifted from afar: "Fourth Prince, would you be willing to speak?"

Li Chengfeng looked around. By now, he and the central army had long been blasted off the high ground by artillery fire and joined the main force. All he could see were casualties. Several high-level cultivators were also covered in dust and dirt, each bearing wounds.

They had to intercept the cannonballs, so their magic power was depleted by more than half in a short time.

Li Chengfeng perked up and replied, "Tell your men not to fire. I'll come over myself."

Wei Yuan said, "There's no need for Your Highness to trouble me to come over."

Wei Yuan appeared and flew directly into the Zhao army's central camp, treating the tens of thousands of soldiers as nothing.

Standing in the center of the army, Wei Yuan's clothes were bright and spotless, a stark contrast to the pile of opponents around him covered in dust and blood.

Wei Yuan cut to the chase and asked, "Shall we continue?"

Li Chengfeng smiled wryly and said, "Lord Wei's military strategy is brilliant, I admire him. Lord Wei, please state your terms. Let's make it clear beforehand: if you want the Azure Water Realm, that's out of the question, you'll only face death."

Wei Yuan said calmly, "I can leave the Azure Water Realm untouched, but you, Fourth Prince, cannot be spared. You may commit suicide, and I will spare the lives of one of your subordinates, without harming the Azure Water Realm."

Li Chengfeng gave a bitter smile and said, "It's a deal!"

He drew his sword and brought it to his neck. "Your Highness, you mustn't!"

"do not want!"

"Quick escort!"

Amidst the chaotic shouts, the officials and generals joined hands and grabbed each other's feet, finally managing to subdue Li Chengfeng. Suddenly, a young girl rushed in front of Wei Yuan, opened her arms, and said, "Spare Brother Chengfeng! I'll die in his place!"

Looking at the elegant and charming young woman, Wei Yuan smiled and said, "You are not worthy."

The girl roared in anger: "Do you know who I am? I am the Lady of China..."

Wei Yuan was taken aback. Was this girl also a member of the Zhao royal family? But her features were quite different from those of the Li Ruyi and Li Chunyi sisters; they were two different styles.

The girl paused for a moment, then continued, "...my sister's daughter! Brother Chengfeng is my cousin!"

Wei Yuan nearly fell over, then said coldly, "Then you can strip naked in front of the army, that works too."

The girl's face flushed red instantly, and she shouted angrily, "You shameless lecher!"

Wei Yuan didn't waste words with her and said, "Either you take your clothes off, or the Fourth Prince dies. If neither works, I'll open fire."

Before the girl could speak, Li Chengfeng said, "Ziyan, with me here, you don't need to sacrifice yourself."

Li Chengfeng approached Wei Yuan, pushed the girl aside, and said with a wry smile, "Zi Yan is ignorant and has made the adults laugh at her."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Miss Ziyan is very good. She is sincere and naive."

Li Chengfeng blushed slightly. There are many ways for cultivators to commit suicide, and Dharma Aspect cultivators can even self-destruct their Dharma Aspects, so why would they need to slit their throats? Besides, even if they did, they wouldn't die; a single elixir would save them.

Therefore, the strategists and generals all seemed anxious, and Zi Yan was genuinely anxious.

Wei Yuan then said, "I won't beat around the bush. This time, I can leave the Azure Water Realm untouched and spare the lives of the people, but what benefits will I receive? Or rather, what does Your Highness intend to offer in exchange for these things?"

Zi Yan, standing beside her, gritted her teeth, on the verge of tears, and cried out, "Don't make things difficult for Brother Chengfeng, I... I can..."

Li Chengfeng quickly unleashed a series of forces to seal back the word "escape." To put it bluntly, whether she escaped or not, how could she compare to the Azure Water Realm and tens of thousands of troops?

Knowing he couldn't fool them, Li Chengfeng smiled wryly and took out a scroll to unfold.

The painting depicts a chaotic scene, within which clouds surge and churn, revealing a celestial palace that appears and disappears intermittently. Golden hues emanate from the palace complex, outlining enormous feathers that shimmer with celestial light. Upon closer inspection, the crown, like a nine-tiered canopy, and the beak, like exquisite coral, reveal a colossal phoenix in deep slumber.

Li Chengfeng said, "The painting depicts the Phoenix Fire Immortal Palace, where a divine phoenix is ​​said to have perished. This painting was obtained by our family's immortal ancestor during his early years of training. Reaching into the painting may allow you to obtain a treasure from within the immortal palace. What it is depends on each person's fate."

The first Immortal Ancestor once retrieved a celestial artifact from within. He later said that there were at least three more celestial treasures in the Immortal Palace, and thus designated this treasure as a family heirloom, allowing future generations to seek opportunities and also to test their individual fortunes.

Wei Yuan exclaimed with delight, "Oh, this is far too precious! I am unworthy of it!"

He reached out to take it, but seeing Li Chengfeng's ambiguous smile and lack of resistance, his hand stopped above the scroll, and he chuckled awkwardly, "This painting wasn't a gift for me?"

"This is an item belonging to the Immortal Ancestor?"

Wei Yuan understood; he knew he wasn't yet at the level to compete with immortals for treasures. So he asked, "How many times can I draw? The number of Earthly Fiends, the number of Heavenly Dippers, or the number of Constellations?"

Li Chengfeng was both amused and exasperated, saying, "Do you think this is like catching goldfish? This painting can only be opened once a year, and this year's opening has not yet been used. I was originally going to return it to the ancestral land after I drew it. I'll give you this opportunity this time. I only get this opportunity once every thirty years. Last time, I was at the fifteenth or sixteenth stage of Dao Foundation Perfection, but I ended up drawing a Royal Landscape Spiritual Treasure."

If that's the case, it could be equivalent to most of the Azure Water Realm.

Wei Yuan then said, "That's not enough. I have a few more conditions. First, you have to buy a batch of brocade from me, a total of one million bolts, at seven taels per bolt."

Li Chengfeng was taken aback. The price of silk in Zhao was soaring, and brocade had already reached eight taels per bolt. Moreover, the quality of Zhao brocade was inferior to that of Qingming brocade. Brocade was expensive but lightweight, and a million bolts could be transported back in one ship, with minimal shipping costs. If he bought it for seven taels, it seemed he could still make a profit.

He nodded immediately and said firmly, "It's a deal."

(End of this chapter)