The Lord of Xirong was not the only one who was astounded.
Even Jiang Li had no idea what was happening.
A ball of yellow fell from the sky. He looked closely at the thing when it landed and realized it was a baby chick.
Where did this baby chick come from?
Lord of Xirong frowned slightly and stared at the baby chick in Jiang Li’s arms.
This…couldn’t possibly be an ordinary baby chick.
Somehow, Lord of Xirong sensed from this baby chick, a form of energy that was no less powerful than the level of Peak Qi Condensation.
A chicken at Peak Qi Condensation?
“What kind of spiritual beast…?”
Lord of Xirong narrowed his eyes pensively.
Then, a sparkle twinkled in his eyes. A spiritual beast was full of juice. Eating it would boost his strength!
Jiang Li grasped the baby chick as he came to a realization.
Wasn’t this the baby chick Bai Qingniao was raising?
How did it get here? Did this mean that Bai Qingniao was also here?
Jiang Li’s heart sunk. He was nervous and alarmed at the thought. He had explicitly told Bai Qingniao to stay on Beiluo Lake Island, the safest place in the world.
Why had she come to the North County battlefield?!
Right now, on the tower of Tianhan Gate, gasping for breath, Bai Qingniao showed up with Nie Shuang beside her, carrying a basket.
Luo Cheng’s eyes blazed with anger, his hand briefly touching the knife girded at his waist.
Looking at the dead bodies lying under Tianhan Gate, Luo Cheng could see the cruelty of a border clash for the first time.
A civil war in Great Zhou might get intense, yet they rarely fought to the bitter end. The losers would simply flee and come back when they were ready again.
It was nothing like a border fight…
They couldn’t retreat at all!
Bai Qingniao’s eyes flashed with rage. She had seen her Uncle Jiang being thrown off a horse and vomiting blood.
He had been an invincible hero in her heart, yet here he was suffering such humiliation.
How could she swallow this insult?
No one could bully her Uncle Jiang!
“Lil Phoenix One! Fight for me!” Bai Qingniao screamed with fury from the Tianhan Gate.
The Nine Phoenix Transformation in her head started to activate as her voice faded off. A burst of Spirit Qi was pulled from the Qi Core in her body.
The wisps of Spirit Qi that left her Qi Core shot into the baby chick in Jiang Li’s arms like flashes of fire.
The Lil Phoenix One’s eyes brightened up like fireworks burning in the night sky. Its body grew dramatically in just a short time!
A red radiance blazed on the field.
Even the snow falling from the sky evaporated into hot steam.
A resonant chirp resounded on the battlefield.
In one second, the baby chick had transfigured into a Fire Phoenix!
Like the scorching sun, it emitted sweltering heat and energy as it spread its wings.
The Lord of Xirong’s brows were knitted tightly. He raised his hand and put up an invisible shield that protected him from the flames of the Fire Phoenix.
Bai Qingniao clenched her teeth on the Tianhan Gate.
Fire from the phoenix reflected in her eyes.
She had been simple and naive. Jiang Li was the one who always kept her safe from harm.
Now…
She was no longer a defenseless little girl. She had enough strength to protect Jiang Li too!
He used to take care of her. Now, she was going to watch over him as well!
“Nie Shuang! Let’s go!” Bai Qingniao shouted.
Nie Shuang was already rolling up his sleeves, readying himself for action. “Good!”
His young and tender face was filled with excitement. The brutality and violence of the battlefield made him tremble.
But it was not because of fear, it was exhilaration.
He had faced death and despair that stormy night in Beiluo City.
Luo Cheng pulled out a knife from his belt and followed Nie Shuang and Bai Qingniao.
They climbed down Tianhan Gate.
Luo Cheng was eager to kill enemies with his own hands.
However, Lu Changkong had ordered him to protect Bai Qingniao and Nie Shuang. That was why he had stayed away from the battle.
He had to protect the two of them.
Bai Qingniao took out another two curious baby chicks from the basket.
In the distance, Jiang Li was pulled out of the field by Chi Lian.
He was a little stupefied.
The battle scene before his eyes overstimulated him and made him feel overwhelmed and bewildered.
A giant, burning chicken was fighting fiercely against the Lord of Xirong.
Terrifying flames raised a cloud of dust and melted the snow.
Was this really Bai Qingniao’s baby chick?
How could it be…so powerful?
Jiang Li gasped in shock. Chi Lian was still engulfed with a feeling of panic. Thank goodness Qingniao got here in time. Otherwise, Jiang Li’s fate would have been sealed.
The Lord of Xirong was very powerful.
Leading Jiang Li, she ran in the direction of Bai Qingniao. Jiang Li was severely injured. The single prod from the Lord of Xirong had damaged the meridians in Jiang Li’s body. He couldn’t fight anymore.
The Xirong soldiers chased Chi Lian and Jiang Li madly, trying to kill them.
In the distance, blood dripped down in streams from Tantai Xuan’s armor.
Even his knife blade had become bent.
He retreated to Tianhan Gate under the cover of several cultivators from North County.
They were shocked by the brutality of the Lord of Xirong’s power.
The cultivators from North County had tried their best to resist the soulless Xirong soldiers.
Tantai Xuan envied the way the cultivators fought the Xirong soldiers. Cursing and shouting encouragement, he was itching to join them with his bent knife.
These were all the soldiers that he trained in the Dragon Gate for three months. They were his companions who shared a real sense of camaraderie with him.
Tantai Xuan wanted to continue fighting, but he was pulled away by several cultivators.
“F*ck these sons of b*tches!” Tantai Xuan roared.
“I swear I will stamp out Xirong in my lifetime!”
Bai Qingniao and Nie Shuang rushed forward. Luo Cheng pulled his knife and released the power from the Dragon’s Blood Elixir. Emitting a red radiance, the knife cut a Xirong soldier into half!
Half squatting, Nie Shuang bellowed and threw a punch. The Spirit Qi in his Qi Core was roiling and surging with great power and momentum. He knocked a Xirong soldier dozens of meters away.
Holding one baby chick in each hand, Bai Qingniao flushed while looking at Jiang Li who was still dazed after being pulled back by Chi Lian.
“Lil Phoenix Two, Lil Phoenix Three! Kill them all!” Bai Qingniao shouted.
She took out the Gathering Qi Elixir that Ni Yu gave her. Ni Yu and Bai Qingniao were close friends. Ni Yu had specially prepared a bag of Gathering Qi Elixir for her to protect herself.
After taking an elixir, the Spirit Qi in her Qi Core was replenished.
The two baby chicks she tossed into the air spread their wings. Two flashes of red light shot into the Xirong Army and went on a rampage.
They united with Lil Phoenix One to attack the Lord of Xirong!
Three Phoenixes fought together!
It was a soul-stirring scene.
At least, it made Mo Beike and Mo Ju on the Tianhan Gate at a loss for words.
“The cultivators of White Jade City…”
Mo Beike exhaled a deep breath.
The more he knew about White Jade City, the more powerless he felt.
There were reasons why White Jade City could override the Hundred Schools of Philosophy and inaugurate a new era.
Even the chickens of White Jade City were so powerful!
“Do you command beasts?”
Like a shadow, Lord of Xirong dodged the attack from the three Phoenixes.
“Unfortunately, these spiritual beasts are…too weak.”
Lord of Xirong would be in trouble if they were spiritual beasts from the Foundation Building Realm.
However, he was not afraid of them at all. They were only in the Qi Condensation Realm.
Carrying the bamboo basket, Bai Qingniao’s hair blew in the wind.
Jiang Li was dumbstruck.
The poultry woman he had known in the past somehow became so powerful without him knowing.
…
The clouds thickened.
The temperature dropped as fluffy snow drifted down from the sky.
Snow blanketed the entire capital city.
Kong Nanfei walked out of Zijin Palace. He felt a little cold. Even the sherpa-lined Confucius robe couldn’t keep him warm.
He stood on the staircase of the galley in the Imperial City, staring at the heavy snow, and slowly breathed out a puff of warm vapor.
Yuwen Xiu’s response disappointed him.
He began to question if Master’s insistence had been accurate, to begin with.
Stamping through the thick snow, he watched snowflakes falling down on his body.
Kong Nanfei walked out of the Imperial City by his lonesome self.
Officials walking along the main road after the morning meeting stayed away from Kong Nanfei like the plague. After all, Kong Nanfei and Yuwen Xiu had had an argument during the morning meeting.
All the officials wanted to avoid being suspected of colluding with Kong Nanfei.
Even though Kong Nanfei had been the disciple of Kong Xiu, the Imperial Advisor, Kong Xiu’s prestige was diminished ever since he retired.
The entire capital city was now under Yuwen Xiu’s control and he planted the Black Dragon Guard all over the city.
Yuwen Xiu had been pulling his horns in a little bit when Jiang Li was still in the capital city.
But now…
The capital city became gloomier with each passing day.
The officials and ministers didn’t dare to speak out or ask questions.
Additionally, the Imperial City had been recruiting young eunuchs in the past three months.
Rumor had it that the little Emperor was cultivating with human lives!
It made the public even more afraid of speaking out.
Kong Nanfei returned to the Book Pavilion and untied his coat. He shook off the snow off his coat and stepped inside.
The Book Pavilion was much warmer. He could hear the sound of hot tea boiling.
Mo Tianyu sat in front of the door and drank wine from a gourd. His head was buried in the hexagram in his hands and a look of concern furrowed his brow.
Hearing Kong Nanfei’s return, he raised his head and nodded.
Kong Nanfei glanced at Mo Tianyu who continued calculating the hexagram and walked to the second floor of the Pavilion.
Creak, crack…
The sound of the rocking chair echoed in the Pavilion.
Master sat in front of the window covered by a thick blanket. He knitted his brows, deep in thought, while looking at the plantain trees bent in the heavy snow outside the window.
Some letters about the Five Barbarians were scattered around him.
“Master,” Kong Nanfei greeted.
He found a pouf, sat down with his legs crossing, and added a piece of wood to the burning fireplace.
He told Master what happened during the morning meeting that day.
Finally, Master’s expression changed.
“His Majesty really said that?” Kong Xiu asked.
Kong Nanfei exhaled a sigh and shook his head in frustration.
“Was His Majesty’s decree sent to North County?”
Kong Nanfei stood up and walked to the window. He looked at the snow outside, then lowered his chin, said, “It was sent to North County at full speed.”
Kong Xiu replied, “His Majesty wants to use the Five Barbarians to weaken the influence of the three counties. His Majesty is too young. If the late Emperor were still here, he would have definitely sent out all troops to quell the Five Barbarians as soon as they attacked Great Zhou.
“A civil war is one thing. But he should never become indulgent toward a foreign enemy.
“His Majesty grew up in the Imperial City and had faced a dark age with various groups trying to undermine the Dynasty ever since he succeeded the throne… He was very eager to restore the glory of Great Zhou. Therefore, he thinks the attack of the Five Barbarians is his chance to do so.
“But…a foreign enemy cannot be underestimated.”
Master shook his head and sighed softly. He grasped a letter from Dongyang County in his hand.
He put down the letter and stared at the plantains again. His body shrank into the rocking chair.
Kong Nanfei turned and pulled the blanket further up his lap.
Then he turned and left the Pavilion.
He passed Mo Tianyu who was still sitting in front of the door.
“You have calculated for so long. What did you get?” Kong Nanfei asked.
“The attack from the Five Barbarians…was ominous for the Great Zhou Dynasty,” Mo Tianyu said solemnly and put a few coins away.
Kong Nanfei let out a sign upon hearing this.
Gripping the coins, Mo Tianyu thought for a moment and added, “However, it is an auspicious moment for the capital city and the Book Pavilion.”
An auspicious moment?
Kong Nanfei almost choked with laugher. His face immediately turned somber.
Mo Tianyu was not pleased by the change of Kong Nanfei’s expression.
Why was he so volatile?
His calculations were not wrong. Why did Kong Nanfei look at him so disparagingly?
It was fair and reasonable for him to predict that the attack would be ominous since Young Master Lu was in seclusion!
Kong Nanfei ignored Mo Tianyu. He turned his head and looked up at the second floor of the Book Pavilion with a heavy feeling in his heart.
…
The situation of the battles in West County, North County, and South County had all stabilized.
Nevertheless…one report went beyond anyone’s expectations.
Donghai Gate, the gate tower where Dongyang County fought against the Dongyi of the Five Barbarians, had not been breached!
Without cultivators, it had been almost impossible for Dongyang County to defend themselves against the Dongyi Army who had mysterious Dongyi soldiers.
Dongyang County was the weakest link of the four counties.
There was a Dragon Gate at Dongyang County too. Nevertheless, the Dragon Gate there was a forbidden place that burned to ashes anyone who dared to step inside. Therefore, Dongyang County had not raised its own cultivators.
The army of Dongyang County compensated for the lack of cultivators with their madness. They blocked the attack from the Dongyi Army with their flesh and blood and chose to risk their lives to stop the mysterious Dongyi soldiers.
Thankfully, there weren’t any sinister cultivators in the Dongyi Army like the other counties faced.
That was how they withstood the invasion for the moment.
…
South County.
The penurious painter encaged the muscular man with his painting.
Tang Yimo broke away from the giant ball. Blue veins bulging and blood dripping, he shot out of the ball and appeared in front of the muscular man.
The muscular man shook himself free easily.
After all, although Sima Qingshan had a technique that could trap him, he was still not powerful enough. He had just gained his Qi Core not too long ago. Although he built up his Spirit Qi in the Dragon Gate with extraordinary talent, he couldn’t suppress the muscular man who was at the Peak Foundation Building Realm.
Tang Yimo charged headlong like a formidable beast.
He glared at the muscular man who looked at him calmly and elegantly.
Tang Yimo lifted his knee high and pressed it against the man’s chin. He kicked the man into the air with tremendous force.
Then, he launched his tempest-like attack.
Countless punches rained on the man’s body.
The man never reached the ground. Tang Yimo would kick him higher every time he was about to fall.
Unable to touch the ground, the man couldn’t control the dirt and mud.
Bang!
Panic-stricken, the Nanman Army began to retreat.
The citizens of South County, on the contrary, were excited at the triumph.
This was it! Beat that pretentious Nanman jerk to death!
Tang Yimo’s attack was like a raging tempest.
Every punch was exceptionally fierce.
Under such a constant pummeling, the elegant look the man had on his face finally cracked like a broken terracotta sculpture.
The cracks stretched over his face like a spider web.
Tang Yimo leaped high in the air, swung his leg, and smashed it down like a giant rotor.
Bang!
The man’s body broke into thousands of tiny pieces and fell to the earth.
Tang Yimo landed on his feet and gasped for breath.
Then, he lost his grip over the second meridian and couldn’t hold on to it any longer.
Rain drizzled from the sky.
Tang Yimo stood up and looked at the ground. He saw the broken pieces squirmed together, coalescing.
Soon, it morphed into a terracotta figure and became the muscular man again, with fingers crossed in front of his chest.
…
West County.
The blond man, whose neck had been stabbed by Mo Liuqi’s silver scissors several times already, let out a low laugh. His body emitted frightening energy and radiated a white brilliance. He transformed into a man of light with tremendous power bursting out of his body. It repelled Mo Liuqi and the rest.
In the ravine created by the knife, the demonic monk put his palms together and slowly walked out with his Kasaya flapping in the wind. He stared at Nie Changqing viciously.
The butcher was wearing a white robe and holding a butcher’s knife at the top of the gate tower. A burst of energy was released from the demonic monk’s body and transformed into a bloody Buddha that loomed behind him.
…
North County.
The three ferocious Fire Phoenixes were blasted away.
The Lord of Xirong slowly tore his skin mask off and revealed a burnt face beneath. A flash of fire burst out of his skin and filled the air with a strong sense of oppression. Everyone on the battlefield felt this enormous pressure.
…
Above Beiluo Lake, fluffy snow danced above the tranquil lake and created a splendid silver world.
Lu Fan pressed one hand flat on the Earth’s Origin. Mysterious waves rippled across the lake. The five elements inside the golden ball flowed in harmony with the waves.
Lu Fan’s eyes flickered.
He saw the bloody Buddha and the blond man who transformed into light in West County, the Lord of Xirong who had taken off his skin mask in North County, and the terracotta figure of dirt and mud in South County.
“Are they finally getting serious?”
Lu Fan’s lips curled up.
The poor painter in South County, the poultry woman in North County, and the butcher in West County…
These people had successfully made the wanderers take them seriously.
Based on their strength, these wanderers had reached the Internal Organs Realm with certain elements.
They were quite powerful.
However, it didn’t matter if how seriously they took the battles. Lu Fan was only using them to practice.
“Almost there…”
Lu Fan’s eyes focused on the Earth’s Origin surging in front of him.
He exhaled a long breath.
In the next moment, his white robe started making cracking sounds.
Pressing on the golden ball of Origin, Lu Fan’s gripped the ball tighter.
Bang!
Looking at him from Beiluo Lake Island, Ni Yu, Ning Zhao, and the others raised their heads in terror. Their bodies turned cold and numb.
They saw the clouds above the island start to swirl furiously.
A huge amount of Spirit Qi coalesced and transfigured into a hand made out of Spirit Qi.
The hand of Spirit Qi grasped the golden ball.
Its grip tightened and tightened as Lu Fan exerted more strength.
Finally, the golden ball that represented the Earth’s Origin was crushed!
Bang!
With a terrifying noise, energy shot into the clouds.
Like a giant rock thrown into a lake, the energy stirred the clouds…
Bang, bang, bang!
It sounded like a drum beating under the sun.
The entire Great Zhou Dynasty felt the dramatic change.
Lu Fan’s one hand stretched out, five-colored dots of light in his palm. His other hand pointed at the sky and he released a vast amount of Spirit Qi Deployment…
The whole sky became a sea of Spirit Qi.
Inside Beiluo Lake, water splattered.
The little Responsive Dragon spread its wings and inhaled the Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth excitedly and screeched at the sky.
Waves sloshed violently on the surface of Beiluo Lake.
Lu Fan sat upright in the Thousand Blades Chair. The white robe and his hair blew in the strong wind.
He thrust his palm holding the five-colored dots of light at the sky.
Then, he flapped his sleeve as if sweeping the five-colored dots of light away.
The dots of light transformed into five rays of light and shot into the sky.
The five types of elemental energy—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—filled the air.
A barrier that was accompanied by numerous ice-cold iron chains appeared in front of Lu Fan.
The chained barrier represented the shackles that restrained the Heaven and Earth.
Lu Fan used a finger to point at the barrier and broke the shackles.
At that moment, the sky…changed.
