From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 267 The Strange Fire Appears and Forces the Emperor to Resign to Shangyin
"Isn't it interesting?" Zhao Xun looked at Xu Fengnian and grinned. "Times have changed. Land immortals can't transcend the mortal realm and can be threatened by mortal power. What kind of immortals are they? Don't you think so?"

Xu Fengnian's breath hitched. Zhao Xun looked at Xu Fengnian, whose expression had suddenly changed, and felt the chaotic aura around him begin to surge. His gaze became playful.

“Brother Fengnian, I have already made my move. Now, it’s your turn.”

Xu Fengnian placed his hand on the small table in front of him, his breathing became heavy, and blood vessels flashed in his eyes. His gaze struggled, as if he was resisting something deep inside. After a long while, he finally caught his breath, raised his eyes, and looked at Zhao Xun. His eyes had returned to calm.

You shouldn't have forced me.

“If I don’t push you a bit, how can you make up your mind to make a choice? I can see you’re very resistant,” Zhao Xun said calmly. “Let me teach you another lesson: once you’ve made a choice, whether it’s right or wrong, you must persevere without hesitation. Hesitation will lead to defeat!”

"Hesitation will lead to defeat!" Xu Fengnian's gaze sharpened, and in the next moment, it ignited.

A layer of eerie blue flames appeared on his body, and in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a skeleton engulfed in blue flames.

The next moment, a dark blue flame rose up, transforming into a streak of light in the air, and landed around Xiangfan City, or more precisely, in the direction of the Northern Liang cavalry.

The wind howled, the horses neighed, and the thunder roared.

A surging, eerie blue flame flowed amidst the howling wind, lightning, and thunder, spreading like a liquid spiderweb and engulfing the entire battlefield. In the blink of an eye, it had covered 300,000 Northern Liang cavalrymen. Whether generals or soldiers, all 300,000 cavalrymen were enveloped in this eerie blue flame, yet they felt no burning pain.

This is? !
Thirty thousand Qingzhou soldiers and tens of thousands of Qingzhou civilians stared dumbfounded at this bizarre scene, completely at a loss.

What's going on?

Having witnessed the might of our Crown Prince, these Northern Liang brutes have gone mad and started committing suicide.
"You're right, hesitation leads to defeat. Once you've made a choice, you have to keep going, regardless of victory or defeat, right or wrong!"

Xu Fengnian, transformed into a ghostly blue skeleton, stood up and flew into the air. Flames raged on his body in the gale, and his voice carried across the land through the wind.

"Can revenge still be taken after nine generations? It can be taken even after a hundred generations!"

suddenly!!!
A fierce wind blew, and the eerie blue flames that had been scattered across the ground gradually disappeared under the force of the wind, as if they had been blown out.

Xu Fengnian's body also began to "extinguish" in the strong wind.

Just as the lamp was about to go out, Xu Fengnian clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Zhao Xun, saying, "Thank you for seeing me off!"

At the same time, on the Hedong plain, 120 miles south of Xiangfan, the sky suddenly cracked open, and eerie blue flames surged out, quickly covering the wasteland. When the flames disappeared, 300,000 iron cavalry appeared on the wasteland, with eerie blue flames still clinging to the gaps in their armor.

Xiangfan City!
Standing on the remaining section of the dilapidated city wall, watching a large number of Northern Liang soldiers pass through the dark blue flame gate, Zhao Xun raised his hand.

"It comes like thunder, its fury subsiding; it departs like the calming light of a still river or sea."

The wind stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the clear sky was as smooth as a mirror.
He glanced at the soldiers and civilians inside and outside Xiangfan, who seemed to be in a dream, and smiled, "The play is over, let's disperse."

Having said that, he vanished from the city wall in a flash, leaving behind only endless doubts and rumors.

On the 23rd day of the seventh month of the first year of the Confucian calendar, the King of Beiliang led his army south, only to be blocked by Zhao Xun, the heir apparent of the King of Jing'an, at the gates of Xiangfan. Zhao Xun uttered a golden seal, summoning wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning with a single word, intending to use the power of heaven and earth to annihilate the Beiliang cavalry. For the first time, Xu Fengnian, the heir apparent of the King of Beiliang, displayed the power of the Strange Fire before the world, using it to send 300,000 Beiliang cavalry into the Hedong Plain. Three days later, the army besieged Tai'an City. This was also the first time that the Strange Fire had appeared in this world.

※※※ Wuxiang Mountain, Shangyin Academy
main hall
Qi Yanglong, the Grand Master of Shangyin Academy, stared at the young man in front of him expressionlessly, his tone unfriendly.

"Is this how Zhao Xun teaches his disciples? Does he have absolutely no manners?!"

Cui You stood in the main hall, head held high, looking at Qi Yanglong. "Teacher said that Shangyin Academy should be inclusive and open academic place, a sacred place of Confucianism, and should not have any official color. Of course, students and scholars of the academy can freely choose their stance, but the academy should not."

“The academy is the academy, and Qingzhou is Qingzhou. Who does he think he is? He is just a scholar of Shangyin Academy. It is not his place to question the important matters of the academy.”

"My teacher said that as scholars of the academy, we naturally have the right and obligation to help the academy identify and fill gaps in its knowledge. This is something the academy has always advocated," Cui You said. "It seems that twenty years ago, it was you who advocated this, and it was through this that you ascended to the position of Chancellor, wasn't it?"

"You're Bian Ru?!"

"This humble student is of the Confucian school, Cui You."

"Your teacher has categorized Confucianism into different schools of thought with profound insight. However, the matter of Qingzhou hasn't been resolved yet, and he's already worrying about the academy. Isn't that a bit too hasty?!"

“No rush, no rush, the time is just right.” Cui You smiled. “I have come here only to stop the Grand Master from dragging the academy into the quagmire of war. For me, the academy has a more important mission to complete and should not waste its strength and energy on such mundane matters.”

"Your teacher is truly on his way to becoming an immortal, yet he still indulges in worldly affairs. Don't forget, he is still the heir of the Prince of Jing'an of the imperial court, and a member of the Zhao family's imperial clan!"

Looking at the somewhat agitated Qi Yanglong, Cui You smiled helplessly, "It seems the Grand Master has deep feelings for Li Yang. Is there some hidden story behind this?"

"My relationship with Li Yang is none of your business!"

“I think he’s right. The academy is now too deeply tied to Li Yang. Even you have to serve the Li Yang Dynasty from time to time, which goes against the original purpose of the academy!”

The sudden sound ignited the hall.

Qi Yanglong suddenly turned his head and saw that the speaker was none other than Master Meng, one of the three chief priests of the academy. Master Wang, who was sitting next to him, also looked very much in agreement. A sense of alarm suddenly rose in his heart.

"What are you doing...!"

Wang Jijiu sighed and said, "Grand Master, you're confused! The Northern Liang army besieged Tai'an City, which is a private feud between Northern Liang and the Li Yang Dynasty. You are the Grand Master appointed by the Li Yang Dynasty, and you are free to stand on the side of the Li Yang Dynasty. It is your freedom. It is also the freedom of the scholars of the academy to go down the mountain to help whichever side they want. The academy should not interfere!"

Qi Yanglong's breath hitched, and he finally understood where the problem lay.

The Northern Liang cavalry marched south with unstoppable momentum, attracting attention from all sides. Without a second thought, the Grand Master of the Shangyin Academy sided with the imperial court, directly denouncing Northern Liang as a traitor. He even began to suppress the scholars in the academy who came from or sided with Northern Liang, which naturally caused a backlash.

But the backlash was not significant, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

No one expected that Cui You, who belonged to Qingzhou, would suddenly come to Shangyin Academy today, saying that he was delivering a message to the academy on behalf of his teacher.

Given Zhao Xun's current status, he naturally had to receive him with great ceremony. Not only him, but also the two chief priests of the academy and some scholars of high status were present. Who would have thought that Cui You would cause such a commotion as soon as he arrived, directly criticizing him as unqualified as chief priest and demanding that he step down.

This unexpected pace completely stunned him!
(End of this chapter)