Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 441 The Fortune of the Nation Appears! Lu Xuan's Talisman Fails for the First Time!
Host: Lu Xuan, the Immortal of the Mortal World (Seventh Incarnation)

Realm: Celestial Master (Great Completion)

Technique: Yangyan Talisman Fire True Scripture (11/9)

Score: 80000
"The Celestial Master...achieved the Great Perfection."

In the quiet room, Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, and golden and red talismans seemed to appear and disappear within them.

He felt the pure Yang spiritual power flowing endlessly and boundlessly within his body, like the Yangtze River, and a profound understanding that transcended the mundane welled up in his heart.

From then on, ordinary weapons and spells could no longer harm him in the slightest.

In this land of Qingzhou, Lu Xuan is a walking deity, whose words become law.

He stood up and walked to the huge map of Qingzhou, his eyes scanning the intricate power markings on it before finally settling on the prefecture capital, "Hejiang City".

"it's time."

"This farce in Qingzhou should come to an end. The unification of the world will begin here."

One month later, on the central border of Qingzhou.

"Halt! Your Dingnan Army has crossed the border! This is the territory of Commander Chen, the military governor of Qingzhou!"

On the towering city walls, the Qingzhou garrison stood ready, their guns pointed at the steel torrent below.

Hundreds of military trucks were parked silently outside the border, their uniform "Dingnan" markings silently proclaiming the formidable military might of their owners.

The officer guarding the city watched this scene with his palms sweating profusely. Although the other side had clearly crossed the line, he dared not easily order the firing.

Nowadays, everyone in Qingzhou knows that Commander Lu of the Dingnan Army commands an army of 300,000 fierce warriors, dominating the six northern counties. He has also used unpredictable magical techniques to wipe out all evil spirits within the territory.

The oppressive feeling brought by the uninvited arrival of such a powerful neighbor far outweighs any verbal threat.

"Open the city gates immediately!"

Lieutenant Mo stepped out of the military vehicle with his head held high. He raised his hand and pointed to the city behind the high wall, speaking in a righteous and stern voice.

"Our army has discovered that your territory is filled with demonic energy and rampant monsters that have been harming the people for a long time! Now that our Dingnan Army has witnessed this, how can we sit idly by?"

Immediately afterwards, Lieutenant Mo stepped forward, his expressionless gaze sweeping over the bewildered and uncertain defenders on the city wall. His voice suddenly rose, as if he were proclaiming an irresistible destiny.

"My Lord Lu is the chosen one, blessed by Heaven, and vows to sweep away all demons and evil spirits from the world, restoring righteousness to this bright and clear universe!"

"The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, the world will be blessed with good fortune!"

"This vast land of China deserves to be unified by General Lu, who will save the people from suffering!"

"Open the gates, welcome the king's army!"

War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death; however, the way to wage war must be with a righteous and honorable army.

A just cause is a principle that has held true throughout history; those who wish to carry out swift and decisive actions must first establish a glorious reputation.

Lu Xuan was well-versed in this matter.

Before the Dingnan Army's advance reaches the heart of Qingzhou, he must not only conquer cities and territories, but also win hearts and minds.

What Lu Xuan needs now is a banner that can unite the people and seize the rightful place in the Heavenly Dao!

During this period, the Dingnan Army's Talisman Battalion has been exorcising evil spirits, quelling demonic calamities, and saving countless people from suffering. Its reputation has long since spread throughout the entire Qingzhou.

Now, Lu Xuan will take advantage of this opportunity to sow the seed of "destiny" throughout Qingzhou and even the chaotic world!
Thus, when Lieutenant Mo stood before the two armies and solemnly proclaimed, "Sweep away the evil spirits, the mandate of heaven has been bestowed upon us!"

That was no longer just a slogan, but a prelude to Lu Xuan's future dominance over the world.

"I'll fuck your mother!"

Faced with Lieutenant Mo's blatant provocation, the city garrison officer's face instantly turned ashen, and the last shred of reason in his mind was consumed by rage.

He suddenly raised his sidearm and pulled the trigger hard into the sky!

"boom--!"

"Brothers! Someone's trying to rob our Xinyu County! Beat them to death!" the defending officer roared hoarsely.

Almost at the same instant he finished speaking, hundreds of gun barrels on and around the city simultaneously spat out deadly tongues of fire!
The dense barrage of bullets, like locusts, instantly transformed the Qingzhou army on the city gate into a bloody and devastating death zone.

Clearly, this was not the fierce battle the defending officers had anticipated, but a one-sided massacre.

The defenders of Xinyu County were horrified to discover that when their bullets hit the soldiers of the Dingnan Army, they actually sparked and made a piercing sound as if they were hitting steel!
All the soldiers of the Dingnan Army were shrouded in an invisible barrier, as if they were covered with an indestructible steel shell, which ordinary bullets could not penetrate at all.

The defending Qingzhou troops went from initially firing wildly to becoming bewildered and confused, and finally to being filled with boundless fear.

As they watched the enemy advance steadily through a hail of bullets, unscathed, their beliefs completely crumbled.

Meanwhile, the officer guarding the city witnessed this unbelievable scene and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, scaring him out of his wits.

He scrambled down the city wall and ran wildly toward the command post, practically crashing through the gate.

"Major General Jiang... It's terrible! The Dingnan Army is attacking! They... They're invulnerable to swords and spears! They're ghosts! They're ghosts! Brothers... We can't hold them off!"

He collapsed to the ground, pointing in the direction outside the city, his face completely drained of color.

"what!"

Major General Jiang abruptly stood up from his desk, the color draining from his face instantly.

"Invulnerable to swords and spears..."

He murmured those four words repeatedly, his mind flashing through all sorts of horrifying rumors about the Dingnan Army.

That special force, armed with talismans as armor and blades, vanquished demons and evil spirits as easily as slicing vegetables.

Dingnan Army's Talisman Camp!!!
“It’s the Talisman Battalion… Yes, it must be them!” Major General Jiang’s voice was hoarse, with a tremor he himself didn’t even realize.

"Rumor has it they are immune to gods and ghosts, and impervious to all evil... I never imagined they even possess guns and cannons..."

A bone-chilling coldness crept up my spine and spread throughout my body.

He involuntarily took a half step back, bumping into the edge of the table. A thought he would never have dared to consider before exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.

"Could it be... that Lu Xuan is truly the chosen one?"

The question was met with a deathly silence in the command center.

When the enemy defies common sense, the belief that sustains their resistance begins to crumble.

Not long after!
Just moments ago, Major General Jiang was deathly pale in the command post, but now he forced himself to put on an almost distorted "eager" expression and scrambled to the city gate.

He snatched the tin megaphone from the messenger, hid most of his body behind the heavy city gate cover, and roared with all his might towards the outside of the city.

"Cease fire! Stop fighting! We surrender!"

"The Dingnan Army is mighty! Commander Lu is the chosen one! I, Jiang, am truly fortunate to lead my troops to surrender and join in this great undertaking!"

For the sake of all the innocent people under heaven, I, Jiang Hengzhi... am willing to bear the infamy of eternity!

He actually learned Vice Minister Mo's rhetoric perfectly, and raised his arms in a triumphant shout.

"General Lu, by the mandate of Heaven, vows to sweep away evil from the world and restore order to the universe!"
The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, great fortune descends upon the land—open the gates, welcome the king's army!

The heavy city gates slowly opened under the bewildered gaze of the defending soldiers.

Jiang Hengzhi strode forward, his face full of humble smiles, and personally greeted Deputy Officer Mo.

When faced with an invincible army, the wisest choice is to join them.

Moreover, the Dingnan Army was not an ordinary warlord force.

Their deeds of "using talismans to exorcise evil and pacify the region" had long been known throughout Qingzhou.

Under the rule of the mysterious General Lu, this army not only did not disturb the people, but also cherished them even more, and its excellent reputation was an anomaly in the chaotic world.

It is said that in the six northern counties of Qingzhou, the people were even willing to go bankrupt to support the Dingnan Army.

It is unheard of for a separatist regime to win such popular support.

Under this righteous cause of "destiny" and genuine benevolent governance, not only in the six northern counties, but even in places like Xinyu County that border the north, the people have long been stirred up by undercurrents.

Thus, the slogan "Peace reigns throughout the land, and General Lu is destined for greatness" quietly spread.

As the highest-ranking garrison commander of Xinyu County, Jiang Hengzhi felt this most deeply.

He watched as the people's hearts sank little by little, and knew that the city walls had long been breached from within.

The surrender at this moment was merely conforming to the unstoppable tide of history. "General! It's terrible! The Dingnan Army is attacking! That spineless Jiang Hengzhi has surrendered—Xinyu County…has fallen!"

The urgent report from the front lines was like a thunderclap, exploding in the governor's mansion of Hejiang Prefecture.

Inside the bedroom, Chen Xiong, the vigorous and elderly military governor of Qingzhou, suddenly broke free from the embrace of his concubines.

He was shirtless, his chest heaving violently, his sleepiness and drunkenness instantly vanishing in shock from the terrible news.

"What the hell are you saying?!"

Just a few days ago, he was discussing with his staff how to curb the growing power of the Dingnan Army, pondering whether to unite with them or suppress them.

To my utter surprise, while I was still weighing the pros and cons and had not yet resorted to violence, the other party was so unruly that they came to my door directly!
Young people lack martial ethics!!!

"Lu Xuan...you have some nerve!"

Chen Xiong shoved away the concubine who was trying to put a coat on him, his eyes filled with shock and anger.

Xinyu County was no ordinary border town, but rather the gateway to his heartland.

If this city falls, the Dingnan army can advance unimpeded and reach Hejiang City.
He had dominated Qingzhou for many years, but this was the first time he had been forced into such a miserable situation.

In the following two weeks, the battle situation showed a one-sided collapse.

Chen Xiong watched helplessly as his territory, which he had cultivated for many years, crumbled like an avalanche.

The two important counties adjacent to Xinyu County fell into the hands of the Dingnan Army almost without bloodshed.

What infuriated him most was that the people of these two places had spontaneously become "guides," and it was not uncommon to see them welcoming the king's army with food and drink.

Faced with the cold reality of the people's discontent, the generals defending the two counties knew that the situation was hopeless.

For the sake of their brothers' lives and their own future, they all chose to be pragmatic and opportunistic.

In an instant, Chen Xiong's supposedly 500,000-strong Qingzhou army collapsed—more than 400,000 soldiers turned their guns on him and became the new elite under the command of the Dingnan Army.

Tens of thousands of loyalists were wiped out in the resistance.

In the end, less than 50,000 remnants remained, following Chen Xiong and huddling in the last stronghold, Hejiang Prefecture, fighting like cornered beasts.

The once invincible King of Qingzhou is now reduced to a lonely city.

"General! That Lu Xuan is too wicked; we cannot stay here any longer! We should abandon the city, break out, and retreat to the capital!"

The guest advisor under Chen Xiong, renowned for his ability to observe qi, was now deathly pale and spoke urgently.

"The capital region is where the remaining fortunes of past dynasties converge, a place where the dragon veins of the world intersect, making it impervious to all laws!"

"Even if Lu Xuan possesses extraordinary talismanic techniques, he will inevitably be suppressed there!"

"We can still make a comeback based on the foundation we built in the past!"

"Escape? Heh... Hahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiong couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed to the gate, which was completely surrounded: "This warlord also wants to escape! But look at this situation—surrounded on all sides, with no way out!"
We're trapped like fish in a barrel. Tell me, how do we escape? Are we supposed to sprout wings and fly away?

After saying this, Chen Xiong slumped into the chair, looking at the extraordinary people he usually treated as honored guests, and for the first time revealed his undisguised despair.

These powerful figures who once commanded respect among the common people appeared utterly powerless before the mysterious and unpredictable magic of the Dingnan Army.

Just then, a glint of light flashed in the cloudy eyes of the old man at the head, who was dressed in a dark yin-yang robe.
He spoke urgently, "General! Bring out that imperial edict from the previous dynasty appointing you as the military governor of Qingzhou!"

Seeing Chen Xiong in a daze, the old man excitedly explained, "Those documents from the previous dynasty bear the vermilion seal of the Imperial Seal, carrying a wisp of the orthodox dynasty's fortune!"
This object is extremely righteous and powerful; it might temporarily counter the Southern Army's talismanic magic and tear a gap in their encirclement!

"At that time, we will concentrate all our elite forces and take advantage of their chaotic talismanic arts and demoralized army to break out!"

"really?"

Upon hearing this, a terrifying light suddenly flashed in Chen Xiong's despairing eyes.

He suddenly stood up. "Quickly! Bring me my official seal and documents!"

Hajiang City covers a vast area, bordering a continuous range of mountains to the east.

To cover this secret escape, Chen Xiong left more than 40,000 troops to garrison the city and draw away the main force of the Dingnan Army.

He himself led several thousand core guards, under the cover of darkness, through a secret tunnel known only to a few trusted confidants, and quietly slipped out of the isolated city that was surrounded like an iron barrel.

"Out!"

Someone gasped in surprise.

Hundreds of people held windproof oil lamps, their weak flames flickering in the night wind, barely illuminating the long-abandoned, rugged mountain path.

The team moved forward silently and swiftly.

After several hours of arduous trekking, the outline of flat land began to appear in the distance.

A trusted general familiar with the terrain approached Chen Xiong, lowered his voice, and said with barely concealed excitement.

"General, we're almost there! Wanghe County is not far ahead. If we capture the military vehicles there, we can speed along the official road all the way to the capital!"

Hope seems to be just around the corner.

The next second, countless points of light suddenly lit up in the darkness ahead. They were densely packed oil lamps, numbering in the thousands at a glance, illuminating the exit of the mountain road as bright as day!
Hundreds of military vehicles belonging to the Dingnan Army were quietly parked on a flat, open ground.

With all the headlights on, the cold beams pierced the night, precisely enveloping Chen Xiong and his group who had just emerged from the mountain road.

Lieutenant Mo and several other extraordinary individuals dressed as Taoist priests were leisurely standing at the front of the convoy, as if they had been waiting there for a long time.

“Commander Chen,” Mo’s adjutant’s voice echoed through the silent night, “it’s hard on you, at your advanced age, to have to cross mountains and valleys in the dead of night.”

He gestured "please" and pointed to the military vehicle with its open door behind him, his tone suddenly turning cold: "The mountain road is difficult to travel, why don't you switch to our vehicle?"

"General Lu specifically instructed us to personally see you off on your final journey."

Chen Xiong stood frozen in place, his face ashen.

He never expected that his final escape route would be predicted by a master in the Dingnan Army.

"General, please forgive me! I need to borrow your life essence!"

Just as Chen Xiong lost his composure, the old man in the Yin-Yang robe beside him flashed a fierce light in his eyes, and his withered, eagle-claw-like hand suddenly grabbed Chen Xiong's wrist!
Before he could react, a sharp dagger swiftly slashed across his palm.

A stream of bright red blood gushed out.

Chen Xiong cried out in pain, both shocked and furious.

But the old man in the Yin-Yang robe showed no sign of stopping. He quickly unfolded the document of the Qingzhou military governor, which symbolized the legitimacy of the previous dynasty and was stamped with the imperial seal, and pressed it onto Chen Xiong's palm without hesitation!

"A glorious mandate from heaven, guided by blood! The imperial decree is here, bestowing upon the fate of the vast land—open!"

The old man in the Yin-Yang robe had his hair and beard standing on end, and he was chanting incantations in an ancient and rapid tone.

In an instant, the document, imbued with Chen Xiong's blood essence and the old man's incantation, was like a sleeping dragon suddenly awakened.

"Buzz!"

A golden beam of light, condensed with immense power and imbued with majestic dragon energy, suddenly erupted from the document and shot into the sky!

The light was so intense that it instantly dispelled the darkness within a radius of several miles, illuminating the entire mountain range as if it were daytime.

A chilling, ancient pressure suddenly descended!
"shot!"

"Protect the commander-in-chief to break through!" Chen Xiong's personal guard captain shouted sternly upon seeing the situation.

Almost at the same time the order was given, a gunshot pierced the night sky.

The bullet didn't hit the military vehicle, but instead struck the thigh of a Taoist priest standing next to Lieutenant Mo!
"Ouch! Damn it... why isn't the commander's talisman working anymore!"

The Taoist priest screamed in agony, staring at the unresponsive talisman on his chest, and scrambled back behind the military vehicle to avoid the bullets.

Another knowledgeable old Taoist priest's expression changed drastically, and he shouted urgently, "No! It's not that the Great General's Divine Talisman has failed!"

"That is the dynastic fortune condensed from the imperial seal of the previous dynasty, the supreme righteous power of the world. We practitioners of magic must naturally give way upon encountering it!!!"

Lieutenant Mo reacted instantly, quickly ducking down and hiding behind the heavy armor of the military vehicle with several experts, while shouting at the surrounding soldiers.

"Attention all personnel! Free fire, cover cover!"

The Dingnan Army, which had been confident of victory just moments before, was now forced to temporarily retreat by a golden light.

(End of this chapter)