You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

On the summit of a certain green mountain in the world of Qin.

Lu Zuo stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky.

Dark clouds rolled in from the northwest, quickly covering the sky and completely blocking out the sunlight, casting dim shadows.

A strong wind, carrying wisps of moisture, came with the dark clouds, causing the grass and trees in the mountains and fields to sway and rustle.

Splash...

Lu Zuo's sleeves danced wildly in the wind, fluttering and rustling, while he himself remained motionless, as if bound by some force.

He has been standing there silently for three days and three nights...

Without the sudden enlightenment of the unity of the three elements, there is only a blank in my mind.

Snap!

In the dark clouds, an arc of electricity suddenly flashed across the sky, then transformed into a dense network of currents that crawled and spread through the clouds like snakes.

Rumble!

Thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down, with large drops splashing onto the ground, soaking everything, and instantly piercing through Lu Zuo's clothes.

He remained motionless...

But my heartstrings trembled slightly when the thunder suddenly sounded!

……

At the same time, in front of the city gate of Nantong.

Swish swish swish swish~~!

At Yue Qing's command, thousands of archers simultaneously unleashed their arrows, which had been ready to be fired!

"Hehehe..."

The Ghost Lord grinned: "You think you can stop a Three Realms Realm expert with these flimsy arrows?"

Before he finished speaking, the strangely shaped wooden staff in his hand swept across the air, creating a thick black mist.

Sizzle...

The black mist seemed to have a strong corrosive effect; when arrows fell into it, they instantly made a sizzling sound, then disintegrated and broke apart into dust.

Ding ding ding...

Snake Bone Granny smiled, flicked her soft whip, and unleashed a dense barrage of whip shadows that wove together in mid-air to create an impenetrable barrier!

"Hahaha..."

Blood Child yawned lazily and walked slowly toward the city gate with a slouching gait.

The arrow that shot towards him shattered with a crack before it reached within a few feet of him, turning into fragments that scattered on the ground.

"The Blood Child's protective aura has actually reached such a level?"

Chen Wu gasped in alarm, then turned to Gu Han and Shangguan Jing beside him and said, "Arrows won't stop them, let's go!"

Clang!

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped down from the city wall, gripping the long sword at his waist with his right hand and pulling it outward with a sudden motion!

Whoosh!

The moment the ink-black blade was drawn, a crescent-shaped ink-black blade aura condensed, whistling sharply, and slashed across the Blood Child's neck!

"Black-Clad Guards?"

Blood Child stopped in his tracks, his crimson eyes losing their previous composure and revealing a hint of solemnity.

He took a slight step back, gathering his inner energy and focusing it on his fingertips.

With a hiss!

A streak of blood-red light burst forth, shooting straight at Chen Wu's dark sword energy!

Bang!

The two collided in mid-air, canceling each other out and creating a ring-shaped energy fluctuation!

As soon as Chen Wu's body touched the ring of energy, he felt an immense force sweep over him, and he was involuntarily thrown backward!

Thump!

With a muffled thud, he slammed his back against the city wall, smashing through a layer of blue bricks.

In contrast, Xue Tong remained expressionless and motionless, but a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes.

"Hehe, no wonder she was painstakingly trained by the old eunuch."

"Even the Black-Clad Guards who haven't yet reached the Three Realms level are not to be underestimated."

Chen Wu slid down the city wall to the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and sneered, "It's good that you understand!"

As he finished speaking, he narrowed his eyes slightly, changed to holding the knife with both hands, took a deep breath of cold air, and then slowly exhaled.

"call……"

As Chen Wu exhaled a breath of fresh air, his aura surged rapidly, becoming even more fierce and sharp, and containing boundless killing intent!

At the same time, a dark line appeared in his palm, rapidly spreading and climbing along his arm.

Before long, half of Chen Wu's body was covered with mysterious and intricate ink patterns.

Boom!

Without him making any move, his body had already smashed through layers of air, unleashing a sonic boom, and charged towards Blood Child.

Chen Wu swung his arm violently, the blade wreathed in ink-like energy, and slashed straight at Xue Tong's neck!

Clang!

The sound of clashing metal suddenly rang out!

Blood Child had somehow pulled out a blood-red dagger from his robes and blocked Chen Wu's unparalleled attack!

"Hehe, if that's all you've got, then die!"

Blood Child grabbed at Chen Wu with his left hand, and Chen Wu immediately felt a powerful suction force sweep over him. His blood and qi surged and roared, with a faint tendency to burst out of his body!

He was horrified and hurriedly looked at his two companions, only to see that Gu Han and Shangguan Jing had already been thrown into the air and fallen at the foot of the city wall.

"quick!"

Seeing this, Yue Qing shouted urgently, "Martial artists in the army, hurry and provide support! They can't hold on any longer..."

Just then, something unexpected happened!

The space around Chen Wu, Xue Tong, Shangguan Jing, Gu Han, Gui Gong, and She Gu Po became winding and hazy.

It's as if...

The space of this world has been distorted by some kind of force!

"The Heavenly Demon Arena?"

Blood Child exclaimed in surprise, quickly stopped his practice and retreated, ignoring Chen Wu, and instead joined Snake Bone Granny and Turtle Man.

"I wonder which master from the Yin Gui Sect has graced us with their presence?"

Before the old man's hoarse voice had even finished, a white figure floated down from the sky and stood in front of Chen Wu.

This woman was dressed in white, her waist slender as a willow, her legs long and graceful, her eyebrows and eyes like ink dipped in rouge, her lips as red as blood, and her demeanor and elegance were unparalleled.

call……

Zhu Yuyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she had rushed as fast as she could and finally made it.

She turned to Chen Wu and asked, "Where is His Majesty? Is he alright?"

The latter shook his head: "His Majesty is not in the city, but he said before that he would return to Nantong today."

not there?

Did they run away?

Zhu Yuyan narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze sweeping over the three three-element masters before her, then looking at the overwhelming army in the distance...

When his gaze fell upon the old man standing before the army formation, a man of imposing stature, white hair and beard, exuding an aura of immense power and authority, he felt a sudden chill.

"The Great Perfection of the Three Elements?"

"Shen Xun has indeed broken through!"

She suddenly felt like she shouldn't have come...

Zhu Yuyan's original plan was to use her three-element cultivation to help Lu Zuo resist the Dongyang army, and even if they couldn't win, she could escape with him.

If we can hold out until our masters arrive, there is still room for the situation to turn around.

Of course, there's a premise here.

Cihang Jingzhai and Jingnian Chan Temple did not obstruct the Yin Gui Sect, otherwise they would have had to give up the situation they had worked so hard to achieve.

And now...

Shen Xun is not only at the Three Elements Realm, but also at the Great Perfection of the Three Elements!

This was far beyond Zhu Yuyan's expectations!

It should be understood that a master of the Great Completion Realm and an ordinary Three-Element Master are completely different concepts!

Besides, they have three equally skilled opponents!

How about hitting me with your head?

Even if we win, what can we do to stop this massive army of hundreds of thousands?

"Which member of the Yin Gui School do you belong to?"

The situation left Zhu Yuyan no time to think. Seeing her remain silent, Xue Tong lunged forward, his dagger glowing with crimson light, and thrust it straight at her chest!

Zhu Yuyan flicked her long sleeves, and an invisible burst of energy shot out.

The energy was supple and long-lasting, like a wall made of cotton. As soon as Blood Child's dagger made contact, it was as if it had sunk into a quagmire, losing seven or eight tenths of its force.

"What is the Yin Gui School?"

"I am Zhu Yuyan, the Grand Preceptor of the Great Chen Dynasty and the Leader of the Jade Maiden Sect!"

She naturally wouldn't acknowledge the identity of the Yin Gui Sect, thus stigmatizing Lu Zuo for colluding with the demonic path.

The Southern Chen dynasty was already in enough chaos...

If the emperor were to collude with the evil cult again, who knows what kind of chaos would ensue.

Moreover, once this matter gets out, all the Buddhist masters will surely be mobilized, igniting a new war between Buddhism and demons in Nan Chen!

Just as she blocked the Blood Child's attack, the Ghost Lord's wooden staff came from the side, heading straight for Zhu Yuyan's temple.

At the same time, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the sky above!

Zhu Yuyan looked up and saw the Snake Bone Granny leap into the air, cracking her soft whip as she attacked from above!

She frantically channeled her inner energy, yet her body neither dodged nor evaded; instead, she swung her hands and thrust them forward with a sudden burst of power!

boom!

Thump, thump!

The powerful palm strike slammed into the Blood Child's chest, sending him flying dozens of feet away.

As for the attacks from Ghost King and Snake Bone Granny, they were kept at a distance of three feet from Zhu Yuyan, as if they had hit a stone wall and could not advance an inch.

This move is the Heavenly Demon Wall, one of the ultimate techniques in the "Heavenly Demon Secrets," which can block and resolve attacks from powerful enemies, even if the opponent is slightly stronger than oneself.

Among all the young disciples of the Yin Gui Sect, only Zhu Yuyan has mastered such a unique skill.

"Get out of here!"

Zhu Yuyan shouted, and the power of the Heavenly Demon Wall suddenly erupted!

Boom! Boom~~!

Like two thunderclaps exploding, a violent shockwave swept up the Ghost King and the Snake Bone Granny, sending them flying outwards!

With a thud, the Snake Bone Granny trembled violently, her long whip slipped from her hand and crashed more than twenty feet away.

The ghost on the other side wasn't much better off. After landing, its momentum didn't diminish, and it tumbled more than a dozen times before finally stabilizing itself.

When he stood up, one of his arms was bent outwards, and his body was covered in dozens of bloody cuts, making him look utterly disheveled.

"Oh?"

In the distance, Shen Xun exclaimed in surprise, then sneered, "It's truly a pity that someone so young is going to die here..."

Clang!

As soon as he finished speaking, the knife was drawn!

Shen Xun's figure blurred, and he charged forward with unstoppable momentum!

He held the knife in both hands, the blade trembling and humming, containing profound true energy. When he was still more than fifty feet away from Zhu Yuyan, he suddenly slashed downwards!

Tsk!

A hundred-foot-long blade of energy tore through the air, carrying unparalleled momentum, and cleaved down from the sky!

Zhu Yuyan's pretty face turned deathly pale. She hurriedly pulled away and moved her body to a distance of more than ten feet.

Boom!

She could dodge it, but she couldn't dodge the city walls and gates behind her!

Where the blade struck, thunderous explosions erupted, brick and wood chips flew everywhere, and smoke and dust billowed into the sky.

The two heavy city gates were torn apart by the blade energy and blasted away in all directions!

Rumble...

The entire crenellation above the city gate collapsed, with rubble cascading down like a waterfall, and the walls on both sides tilted inward and collapsed.

In the blink of an eye, a breach appeared in the Nantong city wall!

"It's over..."

Yue Qing's face turned deathly pale, and he muttered to himself, "A master who has reached the peak of the Three Elements is this powerful?"

"No wonder, no wonder he didn't even need to rest before launching an attack..."

"With such a powerful charge, Nantong City could be breached in an instant; why would there be any need for rest?"

Zhu Yuyan also paled, staring at the gaping hole and thinking to herself, "Nantong City is finished..."

"We can't hold on any longer!"

……

After breaching the city walls with a single strike, Shen Xun stopped, raised his sword, its blade pointing directly at Nantong, and shouted in a deep voice, "Kill!"

Boom!Boom!thump...

The war drums beat, and the entire army marches out!

"We can't hold on any longer!"

……

After breaching the city walls with a single strike, Shen Xun stopped, raised his sword, its blade pointing directly at Nantong, and shouted in a deep voice, "Kill!"

Boom!Boom!thump...

The war drums beat, and the entire army marches out!

"Kill them all!"

"Slaughter Nantong, arrest the tyrannical emperor!"

The dark, imposing army was like a raging torrent bursting its banks, its iron hooves shaking the earth, its armor clanging, creating a vast and deafening roar!

Wherever the army passed, dust billowed, cold light flashed like a forest, and killing intent gathered like clouds.

.......

"Oh……"

In the city, atop a tall building.

Fan Qinghui scoffed, "That foolish emperor painstakingly planned for many days, only to have the city fall as soon as Shen Xun arrived..."

"Ridiculous, pathetic."

"Now I finally don't have to feed myself to the demon and submit to him."

Fan Qinghui stretched her arms, as if she felt much more relaxed.

Immediately afterward, he sighed with regret: "It's a pity that the tyrant is not in the city."

"Otherwise, we can see how Shen Xun makes him wish he were dead."

Bi Xiuxin nodded: "It's a pity."

"But what's even more regrettable is the plight of the people of Nantong..."

"As far as I know, Shen Xun issued an order to massacre the city during the march, in order to motivate the soldiers to speed up the march."

Upon hearing this, Fan Qinghui's almond-shaped eyes widened, and she muttered angrily, "You scoundrel!"

"This despicable and incompetent ruler has implicated so many innocent lives!"

"Because of him alone, so many innocent people have been killed..."

"We should have just killed him back then!"

……

Further away.

"Let's go."

Yang Guang flicked his sleeves, turned around, and strode away into the distance: "The battle is over; there's no need to watch any longer."

"Your Highness has lingered until now, probably to see how Chen Shubao has made the arrangements, right?"

The scholar in white followed and inquired.

Yang Guang nodded: "After the Jiankang Palace Coup, I thought he was someone important."

"I never imagined... it would be so awful."

"Ugh, what a waste of time."

After taking only a few steps, the white-robed scholar suddenly had a mysterious feeling and immediately stopped, turning around to look at Nantong again.

"What's wrong?"

The white-robed scholar narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured, "The aura of a martial artist who has reached the pinnacle of the Three Elements..."

"In the city!"

.......

At this moment, beneath the city wall.

Rumble...

The iron cavalry of Dongyang took the lead and rushed straight through the huge gap that Shen Xun had cleaved open.

"Release the arrows!"

"Fire the arrows! Fire them now!"

Yue Qing roared desperately, but most of the soldiers were so terrified by that one strike that their morale collapsed. They stood frozen in place, their faces filled with fear.

Only a few people fired arrows here and there, but they were all blocked by the shields in the hands of the cavalry.

no way……

The Southern Chen dynasty was rotten to the core. The Five Great Camps were not comparable to the border troops, and they had been neglecting training for years, only knowing how to indulge in pleasure.

In addition, most of the elite troops of the Shenwu Camp died on the night of the capture of Nantong.

Seeing that defeat was inevitable, the remaining people had no will to resist.

The fact that they didn't break up in a rage shows they had some backbone...

"kill!"

"Charge into the city... what is that?"

In the Iron Cavalry, just as a general rushed to the breach, he saw a group of people pushing more than a dozen bronze chariots, setting up a line inside the breach.

"put!"

Swish swish swish swish~~!

The arrows tore through the air, their sharp whistles echoing throughout!

More than a thousand arrows rained down on the cavalry formation, easily piercing through armor and shields, bursting into streaks of crimson blood!

In an instant!

Men and horses were thrown about, and the sounds of neighing and screaming echoed endlessly!

"put!"

"put!"

"Put it in again! Put it in again!"

Arrows rained down in waves, weaving a deadly barrage before the breach!

"What happened?"

Yue Qing's eyes widened, and he turned around abruptly. He saw a streak of light fly out of the city and head straight for Shen Xun, who was attacking Zhu Yuyan in the distance!

"His Majesty?"