Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 299 Taixu Kunpeng Ship vs. Jiuqu Zhuohe Ship

Emperor Shaozhi watched the disappearing figures of "Summer Solstice" and "Autumn Solstice" without a trace of regret in his eyes. Instead, his eyes held a hint of playful mockery, like a cat playing with a mouse.

He watched helplessly as they each descended to the mountain peak where their physical bodies were located, returning to their respective temples of flesh and blood, but he also took that blood lotus back with him.

The fusion of the Dharma image and the Dharma temple, along with the pure Yang life fire amplified to its limit, not only failed to suppress the Blood Lotus, but also allowed the Blood Lotus to continue growing its fine roots into their flesh and blood.

"What kind of supernatural power is this? Chief, save me!"

Startled, Lixia and Liqiu quickly activated the [Four Seasons Altar].

The changing light and shadow of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—transported the two of them, along with the empty shell left behind by Lidong, to Lichun, who remained guarding Lingshan.

Before Lichun could provide support, he still held the "Edict of Self-Reproach" to suppress the position of the ruler of the state.

The divine images of Liu Tao, the governor of the capital's military administration, and Zhang Ao, the Minister of War, had already transformed into a magnificent rainbow and arrived at the summit of Lingshan Mountain, each carrying the first "Imperial Sword" bestowed by Emperor Taizu and the original manuscript of Su Dongpo's "Wutai Poetry Case".

"The traitor must be executed!"

This imperial sword belongs to this dynasty, so naturally it should be used to execute officials of this dynasty.

As long as blood is drawn, the official rank and title can be stripped from the person instantly, reducing them to a commoner. If a few more sword strikes are made, their official position and rank can even be severed.

It is comparable to the legendary immortals who can cut off the three flowers and extinguish the five elements.

The terrifying effect instilled fear in countless corrupt officials.

Stab it--!
A blood-red sword rainbow, reaching to the heavens and earth, tore through the mountain mists and severed the clouds, flying towards the throat of [Lichun] with the force of splitting open the sacred mountain.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the other party is a second-rank official. Even a first-rank official is still just a mortal and could be surrounded and killed by a group of low-ranking officials and temple soldiers.

Especially the carotid artery; if it ruptures, death is certain if the bleeding cannot be stopped within seven seconds.

Li Chun was clearly very experienced in combat, reciting verses as he pointed at the sword light.

Where in the world can one find a sacred mountain? The mountains are high, the waters are far, and the journey is thousands of miles!

The latter suddenly seemed to be "thousands of miles" away from Mount Ling. Ripples spread out from the tip of the sword, but no matter how it flew, it could not fly in.

Naturally, the punishment did not reach Lichun, nor was he stripped of his official position.

However, Zhang Ao, who followed closely behind, pulled out a stack of Su Shi's poems, held them high above his head, and shouted angrily:
"Your Majesty is the Dharma Lord Ming King of the White Lotus Path. To see Your Majesty is to see the Spirit Mountain! How dare you say that the Spirit Mountain is hard to find and disregard the Dharma Lord True Dragon? You have quite the audacity."

This poem is anti-Chinese!

As the poem used in this literary ascension technique was deemed a rebellious poem, its literary energy was instantly stripped away by the divine energy of the First Emperor of Han, thus losing its magical effect.

Boom! ! !

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the imperial sword suddenly thrust forward, leaving a deep sword mark on the mountain that was almost a piercing hole from front to back.

Fortunately, the antidote used in the Wutai Poetry Case had a long pre-use delay, allowing Lichun to react in time and escape the calamity of being dismembered.

That's right, it's dismemberment!
Although theoretically a hit would be effective, he was aiming for the neck.

But if this sword is in the hands of a living ghost or deity, once Lichun is stripped of his official position and authority, it is foreseeable that he will be covered in bruises and welts from being struck by flying bricks.

Liu Tao pressed his advantage, sheathed his sword and slashed again, intending to cut all the men in two.

His eyes gleamed with the triumphant joy of impending great achievement:
"His Majesty had already dispatched the White Scale Guards to monitor all the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet. No one dared to make a move before the war here ended."

The Grand Secretary Yan Jiexi, the Second Grand Secretary Xu Shaohu, and the main forces of both the Qingliu and Zhuoliu factions are all staying obediently in their residences tonight, so they can be temporarily cleared of suspicion.

The leader of the Guishan Academy, Lichun, is a second-rank official, but he has never made a direct move. Although he is quite skilled in literary advancement, he is not up to the level of a second-rank official.

He's definitely hiding something; he has another, more important role that he can't reveal to the public!

Zhang Ao, standing nearby, also gripped the stack of Su Shi's poems, preparing to work with Liu Tao to create the original version of "Lichun" (the beginning of spring).

"That's right! The second-rank official position is the ceiling for most third-rank officials. For example, after the death of Jinghai Wang, the strongest water collector in the water class, there wasn't a single second-rank official left in the entire thirty-six halls of the water class."

Even if there were the ninth-rank official to cover it up, unless he was an outsider with no background.

Otherwise, once his true rank is revealed, his true identity can be easily guessed. In the Great Zhao Dynasty, once one's presence is revealed, no one can withstand the imperial army's advance!

Knowing that Li Chun was restrained by the Wutai Poetry Case and obviously could not use the literary climbing technique a second time, he did not use any tricks that could expose his identity.

Instead, he raised a jade talisman in his hand.

call--!
Above them, a massive black shadow, resembling a cloud hanging from the sky, blocked the crimson moonlight and enveloped the entire summit of Mount Ling and the five living ghosts and gods.

The sword, raised high, seemed to have struck a seemingly indestructible city wall, producing a piercing metallic clang.

Liu and Zhang looked up in astonishment and saw a huge ship, seemingly made of clouds and shaped like a giant Kun, descending through the clouds.

They all widened their eyes in unison:
"Is this... yet another masterpiece ship?"

All that could be heard was Lichun's sharp shout:
"Tai Xu Kunpeng Ship, across the vast land, roam freely! Open!"

On the ship, in an altar made of ordinary five-colored clay, ancient bamboo slips opened automatically, and someone chanted:

"In the Northern Ocean there is a fish, its name is Kun. Kun is so large that no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans; it transforms into a bird, its name is Peng. The back of Peng is so vast that no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans."

The ship's wings drooped, stretching from the clouds all the way to the mountain peak. A gust of wind swept through, engulfing the three high-ranking members of the Guishan Bookstore and Lidong's body into the ship's cabin.

After the battle that took place in the world of the novel *Water Margin* ended, the blueprints for the [Tai Xu Kun Peng Ship], which were being deciphered most quickly, remained in the hands of the Guishan Academy. The academy also happened to possess the original manuscript of *Zhuangzi*, which records the *Free and Easy Wandering* chapter. This was a national treasure, one of the origins of Taoism, and enough to build a magnificent celestial ship.

Although this celestial treasure ship is not as exaggerated as soaring ninety thousand miles into the sky, it can at most travel at the bottom of the clouds a hundred feet above the ground.

However, it has naturally gained a huge strategic advantage when facing those surface ships.

The Taixu Kunpeng Ship flapped its giant wings and was about to break through the sky.

Their Thunder and Fire Cardinals are not yet ready; they rely entirely on living ghosts and gods as human power sources, which is not suitable for a prolonged war.

"Where do you think you're going, you traitor?"

At this moment, the [Nine-Bend Turbid River Ship] had already activated its water escape technique, following the river network connecting Taiye Pond to the outer city, instantly entering the Yongding River, and then fighting its way to the foot of Ling Mountain along the outer city's water system.

"Wow—!"

Amidst towering waves, a blazing golden-red sun leaped from the ship, hurtling straight towards the celestial treasure ship in the sky.

Liu and Zhang could vaguely see a magnificent three-legged golden crow in the small sun, flapping its wings and repeatedly swooping down on the giant in the sky.

The scorching heat made their hair curl up.

This is one of the standard weapon systems of the Heavenly Craft Treasure Ship: the Divine Fire Golden Crow!
Compared to the [Nine-Bend Turbid River Ship], which excels in large-scale troop operations and is mainly used for dividing and encircling the enemy, the [Tai Xu Kun Peng Ship] is positioned more like a behemoth-class troop transport ship.

Moreover, like Wang Cheng's [Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship], it is still a semi-finished product and has not yet formed a complete combat capability.

Besides the Putianwang Soil, only one prototype of the [Five Thunder God Cannon] is available.

Rumble.
Lightning flashed across the sky, and each lightning-streaked shell could deviate five times in a row in mid-air. The unpredictable trajectories of the shells made them difficult to predict. The thunder and fire collided in the sky, creating huge bursts of light.

Soon, even the dark clouds in the sky began to burn, turning half the sky red.

Even the common people in Yujing City could see it clearly.

An elderly man nearing sixty in the Xu residence looked at the firelight in the west, a fleeting look of worry in his eyes.

He subconsciously touched the manuscript of the Tang poem "Sympathy for the Peasants" by Li Shen, which he had never dared to leave his chest for a moment, ensuring that his image as a leader of the upright faction would not be exposed in the slightest.

In the Yan residence, a short, fat man with one blind eye was also looking at the firelight in the sky, then turned back to gaze in the direction of Renshou Palace, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

No one knows what this universally acknowledged "genius," who calls himself "the second smartest person in the world," is thinking.

The two magnificent ships, crafted by nature, clashed briefly on one side of the earth and the other on the other.

Before other reinforcements from the capital arrived, the Taixu Kunpeng ship's "Free and Easy Wandering" was finally fully activated, and the ship gradually became ethereal, as if it had suddenly disappeared from the real world while wandering through the Taixu.

The self-reproach edict, which was used to ward off evil spirits against the ruler of the state, also disappeared.

Just as the people on the boat breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they had finally escaped safely.

The body of [Lidong] lying on the deck suddenly opened its eyes.

"Lidong, it's wrong of you to run away!"

The three of them sensed something was wrong and quickly retreated.

The body, however, bounced up in a bizarre and twisted posture, like a marionette.

He slammed his fists heavily into his chest.

puff!
A large mouthful of blood transformed into a crimson jet of blood and sprayed towards [Lichun].

Like a crossbow bolt, it was fast and urgent, mixed with a power that clearly did not belong to the Beginning of Winter, extremely domineering and extremely evil.

Lichun had no idea that the God of the Land possessed such unpredictable skills. Being too close to dodge, he swung his sleeve and scattered the attack, but a drop of blood still managed to hit the only exposed part of his neck.

It seeps into the skin in an instant, leaving a small red dot, like a tiny lotus flower mark.

If you reach out to wipe it away on the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring), where can you still wipe it away?

My heart was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

Looking back at Lidong's body, it was already deathly pale, and it collapsed on the deck, taking its last breath.

The remaining three all had gloomy faces and remained silent for a long time.

This time, they fell into the trap set by the God of the State. They tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. Not only did they fail to take the lives of Emperor Shaozhi and Prince Jing, but they also lost a living ghost.

Moreover, everyone was struck by a strange lotus seal of unknown effect, to varying degrees.

However, before they could even grieve for their fallen comrade...

The powerful spiritual senses of the two inhabitants of the third rank, 【Lixia】 and 【Liqiu】, were triggered, and on a whim, their faces turned pale.

Lichun was startled upon seeing this.

"What's wrong?!"

Both men wept uncontrollably and cried out in grief:
"My youngest son is dead!"

(End of this chapter)