If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1280 Regret and Frustration
Xiaoyu had to admit that the "Xuanmen exam-taking experts" were indeed quite skilled.

Even though she had completely altered the Nine Turns Yellow River Formation, Lu Dingxian still quickly seized several flaws based on her past experience, current knowledge, and wisdom.

If she weren't a living person who knew how to adapt and constantly adjust the formation, he might have actually been able to break the formation from the outside.

For a full half hour, Lu Dingxian remained calm and composed, rapidly forming hand seals. One hundred and eight array flags flashed with brilliant immortal light, constantly changing positions.

Looking down from the sky, General Wu Lei seemed to see 108 stars moving rapidly along some kind of trajectory.

As the 108 flagpoles changed their trajectories, the connection between the Nine Elements Nine Bends Yellow River Formation and the primordial energy, laws, and the Great Dao of the Pangu World began to become intermittent.

It was as if the signal was being interfered with.

However, Grand Master Yu had already merged one-tenth of his body with the Purple Mansion, and his efficiency in comprehending the Dao was even greater than that of these Xuanmen test-takers who had not yet "passed the civil service exam" (attained the Great Luo Dao).

Moreover, she is also skilled in the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Formation.

Lu Dingxian solved the problem below, while Yu Taishi watched him solve it, trying to understand and analyze his problem-solving approach, and then replaced the test paper with a new one.

Although the two did not directly clash with their great supernatural powers, they were still considered to be fighting each other.

The contest is about the art of formations and the ability to adapt formations on the spot.

As time went on, the "Nine Elements Nine Bends Yellow River Formation," which was first used in actual combat, showed a significant increase in power.

Half an hour later, the composure on Lu Dingxian's face began to disappear.

Panic and anxiety, like the gray hairs on a middle-aged person's head, creep up uncontrollably.

"Grand Master Yu, you are amazing, I am convinced!" He stopped what he was doing, waved his sleeve, took away the 108 array flags, floated into the sky, and said with a complicated expression, "We have failed this time. You let Yin Yinzi leave, we don't want Qinglian Sun anymore."

Go ahead and hold a public trial, go ahead and declare to the world that it was the two of us who murdered the three dukes of Qin.

It's up to you to write it into history.

You won, we accept the loss.

General Wu Lei raised an eyebrow and said, "You think you can settle this matter so easily with just a 'you admit defeat'?"

"You should go down and continue breaking through the formation!"

"It's been an hour. How has your Hunyuan Golden Cauldron refined the Hidden Yin Seed?" Lu Dingxian asked.

General Wu Lei sighed, "We only refined his immortal body; his Yang spirit shrank into the Immortal Golden Core, spinning around inside the Golden Bucket. He is a creator himself, immortal and indestructible, extremely difficult to deal with."

It will probably take quite a while to destroy the three flowers on his head.

Lu Dingxian smiled slightly, his face showing a mixture of bitterness and pity, as well as a hint of pride, and said, "That's it. The Primordial Golden Cauldron is the foundation of the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation."

Just like the Four Swords of Zhuxian are to the Zhuxian Sword Formation.

No matter how perfectly you improve the immortal array, the replica of the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron will never be able to release 'innate foul air' and 'innate pure light'.

Even a true Primordial Golden Cauldron, a Golden Immortal who has severed the Three Corpses, with an indestructible Yang Spirit, can persist inside for one or two months.

Times have changed. The Dao Ancestor (Yuanshi Tianzun) had already modified the Heavenly Immortal Method in response to the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron.

Any power that can harm the Great Luo Path will ultimately only make the Great Luo Path stronger and more perfect.

General Wu Lei said, "I can maintain this level of consumption for one or two years without any problem."

Lu Dingxian shook his head and said, "You don't have time. If I can't persuade you, I will definitely have to go and get reinforcements."

"Go ahead!" General Wu Lei waved his hand and said, "To tell you the truth, the more reinforcements you bring, the happier I will be."

"I'd be happiest if you could break my magic array."

Lu Dingxian asked in surprise, "Are you out of your mind? Once we really break the immortal formation, you'll be fleeing with your tail between your legs, losing face and suffering damage to your very essence. Why bother?"

General Wu Lei said calmly, "You treat me as your only opponent, but I am fighting against all of you."

What's so special about a hidden Yinzi?

Even if I win him over, it won't make me feel completely secure.

If you all join forces to break my immortal formation, I will be able to find your weaknesses while you search for loopholes.

Hehe, you tried for more than an hour before, so I have a general understanding of your background.

"Believe it or not, if you enter the formation now, suppressing you will be even easier than suppressing Yin Yinzi before?"

"You arrogant and rude brat!" Lu Dingxian roared. "Do you think you're worthy to treat us like whetstones?"

General Wu Lei extended his hand in invitation, "Come and give it a try! Whether you're worthy or not, you'll know after you try."

"Very well, young man, you are arrogant and ignorant. Today I will teach you what it means to 'defy the will of Heaven'!"

Lu Dingxian uttered a harsh remark, then turned and vanished in a flash of light.

General Wu Lei curled his lip, first transforming into "Grand Tutor Yu", then into lightning, and landed in the Epang Palace, at a scenic spot called "Star Gazing Cliff".

A group of Qin Dynasty Celestial Masters and extraordinary people from Guanzhong had already gathered there.

They were all drawn here by the unexpected turn of events, wanting to watch the drama unfold but not daring to get too close.

"It's Grand Tutor Yu! Grand Tutor Yu is here!"

"Greetings, Grand Tutor Yu!"

Before Grand Tutor Yu even landed, everyone, regardless of whether they were officials of the imperial court or the Celestial Master of the Imperial Observatory, bowed respectfully, and many even knelt down to kowtow.

Even the City God Ying Qian, disregarding the separation between the living and the dead, crawled out from underground to inquire about the situation with concern.

Grand Tutor Yu returned the greeting first, but did not explain in public. He simply summoned the "Three Great Guardians" of the Imperial Observatory to the sky, allowing Ying Qian to watch.

"Many senior Golden Immortals will be coming over later; you will be responsible for receiving them."

They were just looking for me, not some indiscriminate killer.

There's really no need to hide.

As the host, being timid and hesitant makes one look very shameful.

Master Guan said awkwardly, "The Grand Tutor and the Golden Immortal are fighting in the heavens and battling on the ground. Their battles are both incredibly powerful and quite frightening."

"We couldn't even be expected to come and help; just watching from a distance was terrifying."

Grand Tutor Yu smiled and comforted him, "Let alone you, I was there myself and I was even more horrified!"

Both of them are old immortals who are about to attain the Great Luo Dao.

It's normal that their supernatural powers are more powerful than ours; it's even more normal to be afraid of being killed by their powers.

Ying Qian flattered, "At least the Grand Tutor has won every game and has the upper hand."

He was unclear about the specifics of the battle, but he was certain that Grand Tutor Yu's immortal formation was perfectly secure.

"There's more than one person about to attain the Great Luo realm." Yang Li swallowed hard and asked, "Does the Grand Tutor mean that there are more immortals about to attain the Great Luo realm coming? What are they coming for?"

Grand Tutor Yu said smugly, "Lu Dingxian and Yin Yinzi joined forces to attack me. One of them was trapped in the immortal formation, his immortal body was destroyed, and his yang spirit is about to die; the other retreated in defeat and went to find helpers. He's going to call a group of quasi-Daluo to continue fighting me!"

The three chief officials of the Imperial Observatory were all horrified.

Ying Qian asked in alarm, "How did things get to this point?"

Grand Tutor Yu gave a brief overview of the matter before saying, "You don't need to worry about anything else."

This is my game of wits with the 'chess players,' as long as I treat them well and don't break the rules."

"Grand Tutor, you've already gained a great advantage. Why not release Qinglian Sun? Or just execute him directly, eliminating those immortals' concerns and avenging Lord Commandant at the same time?" Ying Qian said.

Grand Tutor Yu shook his head and said, "Things have developed to this point, and it is no longer just about avenging the old Grand Commandant."

A sage once said, "A single punch can prevent a hundred more."

They dared to assassinate the three highest officials of the court at will, and after killing people, they even dared to openly demand the return of the wanted criminals from me, the Grand Tutor.

They've become so audacious and reckless.

If we don't teach them a lesson, who among the officials in the court and the generals leading troops in the field will dare to be loyal to their duties?" Ying Qian looked at her with increasing admiration and awe, but the worry on his face remained.

"A group of near-Grand Luo Immortals, even if the Grand Tutor is made of iron, how many nails can he hammer?"

Grand Tutor Yu smiled faintly and said, "If they could work together and be fearless, I would have retreated long ago."

Yin Yinzi was trapped in the immortal formation, and Lu Dingxian didn't even dare to enter the formation.

If he enters the fray, I may not be able to stop him.

He himself understood this, but he dared not and was unwilling to risk his life for Yin Yinzi.

These immortals, just one step away from attaining the Great Luo Realm and enjoying eternal bliss, cherished their lives more than anyone else.

Master Guan seemed to be deep in thought. "Grand Tutor doesn't intend to compete with them in supernatural powers. Is this just a test?"

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Don't overthink it or worry about it. Just do your job well in receiving guests and stay on the sidelines to watch the show."

"How should we receive them?" asked Grey Crane Master.

Grand Tutor Yu quickly and in detail explained his plan.

The reception plan was very complicated and the etiquette was very formal, which made them feel very strange.

Yang Li looked suspicious. "Grand Tutor, are you perhaps plotting something?"
Caring about formalities at a time like this isn't like you.

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, “If I were strong, I could certainly be more carefree and unrestrained.”

Now that my supernatural powers are inferior to others, shouldn't I at least be courteous and polite to prevent them from harboring murderous intentions?

That's certainly not the truth.

This is a tactic of "stirring up trouble".

No one knows the identities or origins of those "potential Grandmasters," or how to plan and strategize against them in the future.

If possible, it would be best to "kill the grass and get the rabbit"—take advantage of their collective appearance to trigger the Great Destruction of Dad.

Yin Yinzi failed to activate the Great Destroyer, which nearly cost her her life.

The method of annihilating the Four Friends of Qionglin, even before it was fully completed, was equally effective against Yin Yinzi, a quasi-Daluo.

This fact once again proves that the Great Annihilation Daddy is really effective, and it is really necessary to make the enemy trigger the Great Annihilation Daddy in advance.

In the world of Pangu, battles are not only about numerical values, but also about the game's mechanics. Without understanding or breaking the mechanics, even the highest numerical value is useless.

For example, Lu Dingxian and Xiao Yu. Lu Dingxian has great supernatural powers, but he can't beat the agile and skillful Grand Tutor Yu.

By cracking the mechanism, even a low-level junior can severely damage a senior player.

The Great Destroyer is particularly adept at breaking mechanisms.

Meanwhile, the immortal Lu Ding left Xianyang with a whoosh, instinctively flying eastward.

As he flew into the Huashan area, his anger gradually subsided, and as reason returned, his expression became quite conflicted.

"What am I trying to do? Gather like-minded people to jointly attack the Imperial Grand Tutor who still holds the Mandate of Heaven? Am I out of my mind because of some calamity?"

But I must guide the great calamity.

It's not like the cultivators of Fulongting who risk their lives for tribulation, drift with the tide, and struggle to survive!

"Now that things have come to this, I cannot leave Yin Yinzi to fend for himself. Alas, I shall go and see the White Deer Mountain Man first; that fellow is on Mount Hua."

His body plummeted downwards, and in an instant he entered the Netherworld and the Divine Palace of Mount Hua.

"Hey, I was just talking to King Jin about you guys, what brings you here?" The White Deer Mountain Man had white beard and hair, a plump face with rosy, delicate cheeks like a baby's, and a pair of large, black grape-like eyes that sparkled with innocent light.

"What are you talking about? Could it be that you've been watching from the sidelines the whole time?" Lu Dingxian complained. "Since you saw it, why didn't you lend a hand?"

Bai Lushanren shook his head repeatedly, "Deal with Grand Tutor Yu in the capital of Qin? No, no, no, I'm not crazy yet."

“We’re not crazy. But Yu Fengxian wants to publicly try Qinglian Sun. Qinglian Sun knows a lot of things and has no morals. When we came to Xianyang this time, we initially had the attitude of discussing things and only intended to get Qinglian Sun out of trouble,” said Lu Dingxian.

The hermit of Bailu Mountain said, "Since you had no intention of killing Grand Tutor Yu, why did things escalate to this point?"

"I am beset by calamity, and the situation is beyond my control." Lu Dingxian bowed to him. "I beg you for your help, fellow Daoist. All I need to do is rescue Yin Yinzi. If I can also retrieve Qinglian Sun, that would be even better."

Bai Lushanren was speechless. "Yin Yinzi has been trapped in the Nine Turns Yellow River Formation for more than an hour. He must be suppressed in the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron. At a time like this, you still have the mind to think about Qinglian Sun."

Lu Dingxian said, "Yin Yinzi's immortal body is definitely destroyed. We have already paid such a high price, yet we still cannot rescue Qinglian Sun. We can only let Yu Fengxian record this story in the history books."

I, Yin Yinzi, and all fellow Daoists will be ridiculed by mortals until the day humanity ends.

Retrieving Qinglian Sun would at least dampen Yu Fengxian's arrogance.

The most important thing is to curb her arrogance and teach her to be more careful in the future.

The hermit of Bailu Mountain shook his head and said, "This matter has nothing to do with me. I will never enter Xianyang before Hu Hai dies."

"We will not meet with Grand Tutor Yu before the Qin Dynasty loses its status as the legitimate successor."

Lu Dingxian said in a deep voice, "I understand such profound principles. But it is a great mistake for you to say that this matter has nothing to do with you."

If the Three Dukes of Qin had not died, what would have become of Qin?
Assassinating the three high-ranking officials is in accordance with Heaven's will and is our common goal.

Bai Lushanren's expression turned slightly cold as he said, "I am an old friend of the Imperial Guard, don't you know that?"

There was also Prime Minister Li. I met him several times in my early years, and he always treated me with great courtesy and kindness.

Faced with the natural mandate of heaven, even I, an old man, would advise him to resign from his post as soon as possible to avoid calamity.

He's alive and well now, how could I bear to harm him?
Your plans are your own business; don't use destiny to coerce everyone else.

Lu Dingxian was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

He looked at King Jin.

King Jin waved his hands repeatedly, "Fellow Daoist, I am now afraid of Yu Fengxian. I can't afford to offend her, and I dare not offend her."

Besides, the Heavenly Emperor has just severely reprimanded the Five Sacred Mountains, and I am still a criminal!

Helpless, Lu Dingxian fled from Mount Hua and entered Sanchuan County. There, in the Rouge River Water Palace, he found Lu Ao planting jade in the spiritual field.

After listening to Lu Dingxian's account, Lu Ao said, "Fellow Daoist, if I have the ability, I will certainly help you with other matters. As for the assassination of the Three Dukes, I will not hide it from you. The reason you failed to assassinate Li Si was because I tipped you off."

"What? You betrayed us? Have you lost your mind?!" Lu Dingxian roared in fury.

Lu Ao frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist, don't talk nonsense! When you assassinated the Three Dukes, when did you discuss it with me or inform me?"
"I was observing the stars last night and saw a comet encroaching on the 'Three Dukes Stars,' which puzzled me. Therefore, I sent a message to Prime Minister Li next door, reminding him to stay in the palace and not go out."

Lu Dingxian still found it hard to accept, "If the Three Dukes had not died, how could the Qin Dynasty have perished?"

Even if you don't know the details of the plan, you should understand that this is an act in accordance with the will of Heaven.

Li Si's death was ordained by Heaven.

But not only do you not help, you're also holding us back.

Lu Ao sighed, "Even if it is truly 'Heaven's' will for Li Si to die, I should still remind him of something."

Just two weeks ago, he came to visit me at Yanzhi River. His son, Li You, is my grand-disciple!

Fate is fate, and friendship is friendship. Don't you understand this principle, fellow Daoist?

"Pah pah~~"

Lu Dingxian slapped himself twice and cursed, "Damn it, it was this humble Taoist and Yin Yinzi who were despicable!"

Instead of enjoying a peaceful and leisurely life, they insist on being self-righteous, thinking they are making sacrifices for "all people" and that their own plans are great!
"Damn it, fuck you, you lowly bastard!"

Lu Xianweng was stunned for a moment, then quickly went up and grabbed the dwarf's arm. "Fellow Daoist, don't be like this! If I can't help, you can ask someone else. Don't let your anger get the better of you."

Lu Dingxian shook off his arm, said nothing, and flew away with a "whoosh".

(End of this chapter)