Loan Wusheng

Chapter 230 The struggle for the Great Dao has always been like this!

Dark clouds loomed over the city of Haodu.

Prince Li Shen of Jin led his troops in a charge, venturing out of the city and heading towards Xu Shimao's direction.

The private soldiers of the powerful clans in Guanzhong and some of the state soldiers in the city echoed each other, gathering their true qi and fists and converging them into the army formation centered on the Prince of Jin. Amidst the clanging of iron armor, the sound of sages chanting scriptures echoed!
"Propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame!"

Four golden ancient seals, each a hundred feet tall, rose from the ground within the military formation, transforming into towering pillars that suppressed the four directions.

Li Shen stepped into the void, and where the broken edge of the jade sword pointed, a bamboo scroll that stretched across the heavens and earth was created!

"Zhu Xie!"

Li Shen's sword suddenly pressed down, and the golden pattern of the character "诛" (to punish) on the bamboo slip crashed down, carrying the sacred power of Confucianism and Taoism as it slammed into Xu Shimao's main force!
Outside Haodu City, Xu Shimao was already on high alert.

Seeing the golden light pressing down, the Northern Expeditionary Commander crushed the tiger tally in his hand without hesitation and shouted sharply, "Activate the 'Black Tortoise Repelling Heaven Formation'!"

"boom!"

The blood and qi of nearly 400,000 soldiers rose like smoke, condensing into a phantom image of a black tortoise above Xu Shimao's head.

The tortoise shell revealed star patterns, which is one of the most traditional and top-level military formations, the 'Black Tortoise Repelling Heaven Formation'.

This formation is the final variation of the Xuanwu Formation. The Xuanwu Formation has many variations, but only this one can unleash its greatest power!

The moment the two forces collided, the sky and earth darkened, and the shockwave sent dust flying high into the air from a radius of ten miles!
"Xu Shimao, you are nothing but a surrendered general, how dare you block my path?!"

Li Shen sneered, and with a flick of his sleeve, he wrote the character '戮' again. This time, the golden patterns transformed into three thousand bronze halberd phantoms, pouring down like a torrential rain!

At the same time, Li Shen also said sternly: "Xu Shimao! You can command an army of 400,000 and condense the 'Xuanwu Repelling Heaven Formation,' which shows that you have real talent and learning! Now my royal brother, Prince Zhao, is leading a large army here, and Zheng Jun is in grave danger! If you are willing to surrender, all past transgressions will be forgiven, and I will recommend you as a general. With your talent, you will surely become a duke or marquis in the future!"

Three thousand bronze halberd phantoms rained down on Xu Shimao's Xuanwu phantom!

This offensive was extremely powerful; Li Shen was, after all, really serious.

Although he had the King of Zhao as his ally, Zheng Jun's strength was unpredictable, and it was entirely possible that he could actually repel the attack of his own brother, the King of Zhao, which would be disastrous.

Therefore, Li Shen's current thought is to break through Xu Shimao's blockade of 400,000 troops as soon as possible, break out of Haodu City, and join forces with Zhao Wang to attack Zheng Jun from both sides, completely destroying Zheng Jun's wolfish ambitions!
Zheng Jun's strength is too great. Among the Li family's royal brothers, probably only the Prince of Yan, who has been fighting on the front lines against the Eastern Yi and Northern Rong for many years, can match him. No one else can.

Therefore, he would be very happy to see Xu Shimao surrender if he could be persuaded to do so.

even……

He was willing to grant Xu Shimao the title of Duke!

Despite feeling the impact, Xu Shimao's mouth was bleeding, but he did not back down an inch.

His command flag changed three colors in quick succession, and the military formation rotated accordingly. The shield soldiers in the front row rushed forward desperately to withstand the Prince of Jin's methods, which were like a rain of pear blossoms!

Xu Shimao could sense that the Prince of Jin was in a hurry, and he could also see that his soldiers were suffering heavy casualties.

With just one strike, over a thousand people were killed and four or five thousand were injured!
Among a formation of 400,000, these few thousand people do not seem like a lot.

But what if Prince Li Shen of Jin continues this attack?
The Yuan Dan Martial Saint is just like that, terrifying beyond belief!
Without the assistance of a Yuan Dan Martial Saint, our side can only resort to sacrificing lives!

but……

At this moment, a ruthless glint flashed in Xu Shimao's eyes, and the thousands of true essences in his hands erupted completely, directly suppressing and killing a martial artist in the formation who had shown unusual expression!

This man was one of the martial artists who opened the city gates and surrendered the city with Zhou Tong. Now that he had witnessed the divine might of the Prince of Jin, he naturally had the idea of ​​switching sides again.

However, before he could make a move, Xu Shimao noticed and used the military might of his 400,000-strong army to kill him!
This will also serve as a deterrent to other individuals who might have similar ideas.

After finishing this task, Xu Shimao took a deep breath, looked at the imposing Prince Li Shen of Jin, gritted his teeth, and said sternly, "Even if Prince Li Shen surrenders with courtesy now, he will still retain his title as a duke! Perhaps the Prime Minister is merciful and will even allow Prince Li Shen to inherit the Zhou Dynasty temple, offer incense, and become the Duke of Anle!"

Before Xu Shimao finished speaking, the black aura formed from the blood and qi of 400,000 soldiers had already gathered in his palm. The star patterns of the Xuanwu Array suddenly contracted, transforming into a dark light that pierced through the heavens and earth.

"The Black Tortoise will suppress the world!"

The dark light poured down like a celestial river, striking directly at Prince Li Shen of Jin.

The true energy of 400,000 troops converged and fiercely bombarded the Prince of Jin!

This army of 400,000 is enough to unleash an offensive force comparable to that of a Yuan Dan Martial Saint.

"How brave!"

Upon seeing this, Li Shen's eyes also showed a strong sense of apprehension, and he hastily used the broken edge of his jade sword to parry.

Between the broken edges of the jade sword, the illusory image of bamboo slips appeared, intertwining with the four pillars of golden seal script of "propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame" to form a wall. Then, a sound like tearing silk was heard. This powerful attack directly broke through Li Shen's shield, forcing Li Shen to temporarily avoid the sharp edge!
"Xu Shimao is truly capable of mobilizing and commanding an army of 400,000; he is indeed a great general of our time!"

A fierce sense of dread flashed in Li Shen's eyes.

Only those who command armies know how terrifying a general who commands 400,000 troops can be.

The vast majority of generals who have reached the Qi Condensation Realm do not have the ability to command an army of 400,000. Even many Yuan Dan Martial Saints are unable to manage an army of 400,000.

For example, Li Shen, the Prince of Jin.

His abilities are not yet sufficient to command 400,000 units of true energy.

But Xu Shimao in front of me is capable.

What does this mean?
Xu Shimao, representing the man, is the epitome of a great general!

Damn.

What incredible luck did Zheng Jun have?

Why would someone like him travel all the way from Qingzhou to seek refuge with him?
Prince Li Shen of Jin was now beginning to feel uneasy.

It wasn't just Xu Shimao who commanded troops here.

Li Shen also sensed a faint gaze watching him from afar, a gaze that made him extremely uneasy, even somewhat anxious.

The guy staring at me must also be a Yuan Dan Martial Saint.

However, he is currently tied down by Xu Shimao's 400,000-strong army and is unable to investigate further.

But Prince Li Shen of Jin had already vaguely guessed who the person watching him was.

Who else could it be besides Zhao Wei of the Zhao family of Longzhou?

"Whoo~"

Prince Li Shen of Jin took a deep breath, gazing at the 400,000-strong army that surged like a dragon, and Zhao Wei in the distance who was likely watching him and would make his move once he broke through the 400,000-strong army. For a moment, Prince Li Shen felt dizzy.

But even though he was dizzy, he still had to fight his way out.

"That old scoundrel Zhao Wei, if it weren't for my Great Zhou, he would still be nothing more than a scholar in Qingzhou! How dare he lay a hand on me?"

The Prince of Jin gritted his teeth, feeling a trembling rage.

Zhao Wei was also a Confucian scholar.

There are only two paths that Confucian scholars have now reached: one is the relatively clear path of 'empty enlightenment and sainthood,' and the other is the obscure path of 'virtue and teaching the masses.'

But no matter which path he chooses, Zhao Wei will clearly be in strong conflict with him.

"How hateful, how hateful!"

Prince Li Shen of Jin was already trembling with fear, and Xu Shimao, seeing this and not knowing what was going on, once again mobilized his troops, intending to continue fighting and stalemate with Prince Li Shen of Jin.

Although he commanded 400,000 troops, all Xu Shimao could do was maintain a stalemate.

A cold glint flashed in Li Shen's eyes, and he suddenly raised the broken sword in his hand, causing his Confucian robe to flutter even without wind.

Immediately, the illusory image of the bamboo scroll that stretched across the sky and earth suddenly solidified, revealing dense annotations in vermilion!

The next moment, the bamboo slips unfurled with a bang, and countless seal characters surged forth like clashing swords and galloping horses.

These seal characters interacted in the air, transforming into four ancient seal characters representing 'loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness'. Each stroke was wrapped in scarlet lightning, crashing down towards Xu Shimao!
This is the Confucian and Taoist secret technique of "Spring and Autumn Annals Writing," which condenses words with the power of divine punishment, completely beneficial to one's own side, while extremely lethal to the enemy! Xu Shimao's pupils suddenly contracted.

Although the Xuanwu Formation is powerful, it is ultimately borrowed power and is still inferior to the overwhelming methods of this Yuan Dan Martial Saint.

Seeing the blood-red seal script pressing down on him, Xu Shimao slammed the command flag into the ground, clasped his hands together, and roared, "Xuanwu carries the stele!"

With a loud shout, the Xuanwu phantom immediately raised its head, and countless streams of true energy were drawn from the 400,000-strong army by Xu Shimao to contend with the bamboo slip!

"kill!"

Four hundred thousand soldiers roared in unison, their military might as a surging tide.

The bamboo slips and the black tortoise were locked in a struggle in the clouds, with the blood-red seal script and the true energy of the Black Tortoise constantly canceling each other out.

Li Shen's expression gradually darkened. He hadn't expected Xu Shimao to be able to perform to such an extent, using such a military formation to withstand the suppression of Confucian and Taoist teachings.

Even more troublesome is...

Li Shen caught a glimpse of a faint blue-gold light flashing on the northeastern horizon.

Seeing this, Li Shen raised an eyebrow, a hint of unease creeping into his eyes.

Is that Zheng Jun?
How did he get back so quickly?

They clearly left just three days ago, how come they're back in such a short time?

Li Shen was somewhat astonished, and many guesses began to run through his mind.

Could it be that King Zhao Li Bi and Zheng Jun reached some kind of agreement, with Zheng Jun ceding territory and paying reparations in exchange for Li Bi not intervening this time?

This thought lingered in Li Shen's mind. After all, his younger brother was such a short-sighted fellow, and this was quite in line with his impression of Li Bi.

"Your Majesty."

Seeing this, Liang Rui frowned, feeling a little uneasy.

As a martial artist at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm, Liang Rui was naturally able to sense the extremely powerful energy wave from the northeast.

"Prepare to retreat back into the city."

Prince Li Shen of Jin took a deep breath and said in a low voice.

Liang Rui nodded, and together with the other members of the Tongqiao Clan, they were ready for the next round of preparations.

At that very moment, the beam of light from the northeast approached again in the blink of an eye.

This time, not only them, but even martial artists at the initial stage of the Qi Refining Realm could sense the difference.

Xu Shimao was overjoyed.

"The Prime Minister is back?"

But besides being pleasantly surprised, Xu Shimao had another idea.

Besides defeating the King of Zhao, there was another reason why Zheng Jun was able to return so quickly: he had been defeated by the King of Zhao and had to return hastily, hoping to rely on his 400,000 troops to deal with the two kings of Jin and Zhao.

If that's the case, then I need to be prepared.

But just as Xu Shimao was thinking this, Zheng Jun's voice boomed like thunder from the sky: "Li Shen! The head of the King of Zhao is here! You are trapped in this isolated city, why don't you surrender immediately?!"

The sound waves, carrying with them azure gold true essence, shook the bricks and stones on the city wall, causing them to crumble and fall.

Then, the azure-gold light arrived in an instant, and Zheng Jun stood in mid-air, holding a head with bristling hair and beard in his left hand. It was the face of Zhao King Li Bi with his eyes wide open in anger!
Upon seeing this, Prince Jin, Li Shen, suddenly contracted his pupils, froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, his lips trembled slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed before he finally managed to utter, "This is impossible!"

Although such a sentence was blurted out, the emerald green true essence wrapped around the severed neck of the head was a characteristic that could only be found when the 'Azure Emperor Longevity Technique' was cultivated to the Yuan Dan realm, and there was absolutely no possibility of it being faked!
Unless there is a second Yuan Dan Martial Saint in the world who cultivates the "Azure Emperor Longevity Technique"!

Upon witnessing this scene, the 400,000 Han soldiers below the city erupted in jubilation. Their faces flushed red, and they raised their weapons, pounding their shields wildly. Their hoarse shouts shattered the heavens: "Long live the King of Han! Victory for the Prime Minister!"

Xu Shimao's knuckles turned white as he gripped the command flag. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the angry, wide-eyed head in Zheng Jun's hand, and his face flushed red.

Not anger, but excitement and shock!
The King of Zhao was actually killed in battle?!
Xu Shimao suppressed his shock, but the command flag in his hand drew out the order faster than his thoughts. The blood and qi of the 400,000-strong army moved with the flag, and the Xuanwu array pattern twisted and reorganized in the sky above the army formation, turning into blood-red arrows in an instant!
Forget about defending now, attack!
"Your Highness..."

Just as Liang Rui was about to speak, he suddenly saw a streak of gilded light fly out from Zheng Jun's sleeve.

The sword belonging to the King of Zhao was wrapped around Zheng Jun, its hilt still trembling, echoing Zheng Jun's gilded dragon halberd.

Even their magical treasures were taken away!
Both severed heads and magical artifacts were readily available.

King Zhao was indeed defeated and killed.

"Two hundred thousand Zhao soldiers have surrendered, and the gates of Suzhou are wide open."

Zheng Jun lightly tapped the scabbard of his Longyuan Blade, his eyes fierce, and nine illusory suns burst forth behind him: "Open the city gates and surrender, and you may have a chance to live; otherwise, your entire clan will be exterminated!"

The city walls of Haodu suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Apart from Li Yannian, who looked desperate, the other family heads all had different expressions.

Prince Li Shen of Jin's lips trembled slightly, a thousand words swirling in his throat, which finally turned into a long sigh.

He stared at his younger brother's head in Zheng Jun's hand, then glanced at the forest of swords and halberds of 400,000 Han soldiers below the city, his fingertips digging deeply into his palm.

"Zheng Jun, do you really wish to preserve the Li family line?"

King Li Shen of Jin spoke in a hoarse voice, his broken jade sword slowly lowering: "If you swear to protect the seven clans of Guanzhong from destruction, my Zhou dynasty will, according to ancient custom, grant me..."

Before the words were even finished, a purple aura suddenly appeared in the western sky and moved eastward!
A slender figure descended from the sky amidst a myriad of rays of light, his white hair as white as snow cascading down to his waist, holding a bamboo scroll in his hand, giving him a rather saintly appearance.

Upon seeing this figure, everyone's attention was drawn to it.

This person is none other than Zhao Wei, the patriarch of the Zhao family in Longzhou!

Li Shen's initial feeling was correct; Zhao Wei had been on the battlefield the whole time.

"This old man pays his respects to the Prime Minister. Since the court conferred this title upon me, I have not been able to attend court for a long time. Please forgive me, Prime Minister."

Zhao Wei's voice was booming, and a golden scroll flew out from his sleeve. He bowed slightly to Zheng Jun, then smiled and said, "I am old and wish to resign from my position as the military governor of Longzhou. I request that the court send officials of all ranks to take over the six prefectures of Longzhou to prevent chaos in the region."

Zhao Wei didn't hesitate and got straight to the point.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jun raised an eyebrow.

What do you mean? You're going to give me Longzhou directly?
but……

Zheng Jun glanced at Zhao Wei, then at Prince Li Shen of Jin, and immediately understood the reason.

The two of them had almost the same aura.

They were all Confucian, Taoist, Yuan Dan, and Martial Saints.

It seems we've run into the wrong path.

Zheng Jun immediately laughed and said, "Your Highness Qing is too kind. Longzhou is a crucial place and still needs Your Highness to guard it."

"Prime Minister, I am indeed old and frail, and find it difficult to handle state affairs, however..."

Zhao Wei bowed respectfully, displaying an elegant demeanor, but suddenly changed the subject: "Prince Jin abandoned his post, causing Qizhou to fall into the hands of the Western Buddhist soldiers. Emperor Shenwu once said that if Qizhou falls, Prince Jin should be executed! In addition, Prince Jin's unauthorized departure from the pass is already a capital offense. Now he has instigated the world to commit treason and rebellion, and he deserves to be executed!"

"This old man, though unworthy, is willing to join the Prime Minister in slaying this fiend!"

Before he finished speaking, this Yuan Dan Martial Saint, who looked like a Confucian or Taoist sage, immediately unleashed his true energy, exuding a chilling killing intent!
The struggle over the Great Way has always been like this!

It's either you or me who dies.

Now that the Prince of Jin may surrender, Zhao Wei will naturally spare no effort to kill him!

How can Haodu, an isolated city, be compared to the six prefectures of Longzhou?

(End of this chapter)