One Finger Suppresses Mountains and Rivers, Annihilating the Barbarian Army
Chen Du raised his hand and steadily returned the Thirteenth Tier divine sword to its sheath. The moment the sword was sheathed, all the remaining desolate sword intent of the entire imperial city was completely absorbed into his body, with no more outward sharpness.
He stood on the long white jade steps in front of the Taiji Hall, his expression indifferent, his gaze fixed on the noisy and chaotic battlefield outside the imperial city.
At this moment, the flames of war outside the city have not yet been extinguished, hundreds of thousands of rebel remnants have not yet dispersed, and tens of thousands of the Barbarian Kingdom cavalry are rampaging wildly in the suburbs of the Capital.
The barbarian soldiers broke free of military discipline and scattered, rushing into the surrounding villages and towns, burning, killing, looting, and leaving no one alive.
Refugees fled and cried out on the roads, houses were engulfed in flames, and black smoke billowed into the sky. Everywhere one looked was a tragic scene of devastation and loss of life.
Faced with such a chaotic and tragic situation, Chen Du remained completely unmoved.
He slowly raised his right hand, his fingertips slightly lifted, pointing towards the four directions of the imperial city.
This finger strike does not trigger the source of calamity, does not activate Thunder Method, does not open the cause and effect, and does not employ any supernatural techniques.
Throughout, he only unleashed his own vast and boundless Thirteenth Tier cosmic life force, which transcended all mortal limitations.
Extreme compression transforms it into a slender yet invisible thread of Dao Resonance that connects heaven and earth, which is then gently pushed outward.
There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no thunderous roars, and not even a wisp of wind.
But the instant that finger was extended, the entire area within dozens of miles of the Capital suddenly went completely dark.
It was as if the daylight had been extinguished, the sky had been overturned, and all the rays of heavenly light had disappeared. A terrifying pressure originating from the cosmic level, absolutely crushing mortals and cultivators of all heavens, silently enveloped the surrounding area.
Outside the imperial city, the tens of thousands of the Barbarian Kingdom soldiers who were wantonly looting and charging on horseback suddenly froze.
All the barbarian soldiers, warhorses, and chariots were frozen in place.
They could not feel the suppression of the laws, nor the impact of spiritual power; they could only feel, from the deepest part of their souls, the extreme difference between being as insignificant as an ant or a speck of dust and the heavens.
That was absolute suppression of life levels, a hopeless gap between lower-dimensional beings and the origin of the universe, with absolutely no possibility of resistance.
Countless barbarian soldiers' minds went blank instantly, their souls were firmly imprisoned, and their consciousness receded like the tide.
There wasn't even a scream or a struggle.
The countless Barbarian Kingdom soldiers, as if all their life force had been drained, all collapsed in their tracks, falling unconscious into the mud and blood.
The galloping warhorse, its limbs exhausted, collapsed heavily to the ground, panting heavily, its ferocity completely gone.
The chariot came to an abrupt halt, its body shaking violently before overturning with a crash. Iron armor, spears, scimitars, and arrows were scattered all over the ground, lying haphazardly on the dilapidated official road.
The tens of thousands of elite Barbarian Kingdom had just been so fierce and arrogant, besieging the imperial city, were completely routed and lost all fighting ability in the blink of an eye, without firing a single arrow or slashing a single blow.
The bustling battlefield on the outskirts of the city fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
The flames still flickered across the sky, but there was no longer a sound of fighting or killing; only the deathly silence of the wind swept across the armored soldiers scattered on the ground.
Chen Du quietly surveyed the scenery outside the city, his mind as peaceful as still water.
He had no intention of slaughtering thousands of ordinary soldiers.
The Barbarian Kingdom royal family harbors boundless ambitions, colluding with a traitorous king, inviting wolves into the house, and wreaking havoc on the Ling Dynasty —their crimes are unforgivable.
However, most of the lower-ranking soldiers were simply following the army into battle and had no choice in their own lives; they should not become victims of power struggles and the strategic planning of holy sites.
Shatter their fighting spirit, suppress their troops, and then hand them over to the imperial court for expulsion after the war—that would be the ultimate goal.
There's no need to exterminate them all, as that would only create endless karma of killing.
After clearing up the chaos outside the city, Chen Du stood tall and straight, turned around, and strode slowly towards the outside of the imperial palace.
Behind him, the old emperor, whose spirit was already broken after experiencing earth-shattering changes, suddenly came to his senses and, with a trembling voice, urgently called out, "My son!"
A single call concealed decades of guilt, regret, reluctance, and humble plea to stay.
He lost his child for a lifetime, just learned the truth, just witnessed his child ascend to the highest realm, but now he has to watch him leave again. His heart is filled with unbearable sorrow and grief.
Chen Du did not stop walking; his back remained calm and indifferent, showing no intention of turning back.
He simply raised the back of his hand casually and waved it lightly.
With a single, simple action, he distanced himself completely, severing decades of entanglement within the palace, as well as the bonds between ruler and subject, father and son.
Royal glory, court intrigues, and the throne were all things that had long since faded into the past and were not worth mentioning.
Beneath the corner of the palace, the thirteenth prince, Zhao Yuan Lang, sat slumped on the ground. He had witnessed firsthand the extraordinary power, seen his proud army of tens of thousands suppressed with a single finger, and seen his elder brother's unparalleled and terrifying strength. All his mind and confidence were completely drained.
All his lifelong resentment, grievances, ambitions, and indignation at being forced into this situation transformed into utter absurdity and ridiculousness at this moment.
He believed he was rising up from a desperate situation, that he was forced into rebellion, and that fate had been unfair.
In the end, I realized that I was nothing more than an insignificant piece on the chessboard of the Holy Land, to be moved, discarded, and crushed at will.
The one who ended the chaos and crushed everything was his own brother, whom he had never acknowledged, never known, and who shared the same bloodline.
The immense contrast and despair completely overwhelmed him. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes empty and lifeless, utterly devoid of any vitality.
The old emperor looked down at his young son who had gone astray, and remained silent for a long time, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
Having experienced half a lifetime of power struggles, he had long seen through the coldness of human nature and the treacherous nature of the court. He knew that Yuan Lang was wrong, but he was also being swept up by the general trend and forced by the secret agents of the Holy Land.
He was too exhausted to criticize any further, and wearily waved to the remaining imperial guards standing by, waiting for orders. "Take them away and imprison them deep in the palace. Keep a close watch on them, and do not mistreat or humiliate them."
Several imperial guards bowed and silently stepped forward to carry the distraught and crippled thirteenth prince away from the Taiji Hall.
The clamor subsided, and the fighting ceased.
In the end, only the old emperor stood alone in front of the vast and majestic Taiji Hall.
The autumn wind swept through the palace, ruffling his disheveled hair and tattered dragon robe.
He stood silently watching the boy's figure disappear completely into the depths of the palace gates for a long time, his eyes filled with emptiness, melancholy, and endless regret.
He spent his entire life guarding the country, but he couldn't protect the nation, his people, or even his only biological child.
Chen Du walked out of the magnificent imperial city gates, completely escaping this place of power struggles and chaos.
Within the Capital, the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, bloodstains were everywhere, and the streets and alleys were in disarray, bearing the scars of war.
The remaining Imperial Guards were clearing the battlefield, collecting corpses, and comforting the displaced people; a somber atmosphere pervaded the city.
Alone and unhurried, he walked slowly along the ancient road outside the city towards Qingfeng Mountain.
When they reached a deserted mountain path where the mountains met, a hundred miles away from the Capital, a vast and warm torrent suddenly surged in the depths of their consciousness.
Buzz--
The entire realm of his soul trembled violently as pure, heavy, and domineering Calamity Qi descended from the sky, surging wildly into his meridians and sea of consciousness.
This is a profound reward from Heavenly Dao.
It was his act of slaying the people of the Xuanwu Divine Hall, eliminating nine powerful beings at the Stellar Ninth Transformation, shattering the chaotic situation in the Capital that the Holy Land had orchestrated for a hundred years, and severing the Heavenly Dao's reward for the Holy Land's machinations that had stirred up chaos throughout the world.
This Calamity Qi was incredibly condensed, incredibly heavy, and incredibly pure, carrying the dual Dao Resonance of destruction and rebirth, its quality far surpassing anything he had ever obtained before.
Chen Du focused his mind and quietly calculated the estimate.
Upon finally arriving at the result, a slight thought crossed my mind.
A full seventy million years' worth of pure Calamity Qi!
His abundant accumulation was enough to allow his foundation to settle, become complete, and solidify once again.
But amidst the joy, there was a profound sense of vigilance and composure.
In this battle, he crushed all opposition, killing ten top-tier experts at the Stellar Ninth Transformation realm with a single sword strike, annihilating tens of thousands of troops outside the city with a flick of his finger, and thwarting the Xuanwu Divine Hall's meticulously planned coup and dynastic overthrow.
However, from beginning to end, the Xuanwu Sacred Land, which was powerful and had a vast foundation, did not send out a single top-level fighter, nor did it send out any half-realm Thirteenth Realm experts.
Heaven Slayer and the nine Ninth Metamorphosis cultivators already constituted the highest combat force deployed here.
This clearly shows that in the eyes of the Xuanwu Sacred Land, the entire Ling Dynasty, its vast lands and rivers, its countless people, its royal family and officials, and its cultivators are all merely a chessboard and a source of resources for its people.
His previous actions—killing the Holy Land's spies and disrupting the Holy Land's plans—were seen by the Holy Land's higher-ups as nothing more than ants causing trouble, not worth mentioning, and not worth using their true strength.
As he traveled, Chen Du closed his eyes and focused his mind, sorting through the fragmented memories he had just pieced together from the Heaven Slayer God's soul.
A series of hidden messages took clear shape in his mind.
Xuanwu Divine Hall is not a branch or stronghold.
It is itself a top-tier Xuanwu Sacred Land standing tall among all heavens, with a vast foundation, an ancient heritage, and overlooking countless territories of the heavens and earth.
Ling Dynasty is merely one of many regions secretly controlled, resource-gathering, and strategically maneuvered by the Xuanwu Sacred Land.
Throughout the entire Ling Dynasty land, from ancient times to the present, all the top-tier spiritual veins, rare mines, hidden realms, legendary natural treasures, and rare gems within its borders have been continuously collected by the Holy Land's undercover agents and brought into the Xuanwu Sacred Land for its own use, to support the Holy Land's eternal heritage and the cultivation of countless core disciples.
The Heaven Slayer, a group feared by the world, dreaded by the imperial court, and terrified by the martial arts world, are seen by outsiders as powerful, mysterious, and wielding the power of life and death.
Within the vast and profound Xuanwu Sacred Land, they were merely low-level executors dispatched to the lower realm to guard the chessboard, harvest resources, and perform miscellaneous tasks. Their status was insignificant and trivial.
The death of ten low-level executors is of no consequence to the Xuanwu Sacred Land; it does not fundamentally harm them.
The true core of the holy land, the true top-level powerhouses, and the true ancient foundation have never been revealed even a fraction of their true nature.
Chen Du slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm as still water, yet concealing a sharp edge.
At this moment, he finally understood the domineering and indifferent nature of the Xuanwu Sacred Land.
Possessing an ancient heritage, controlling the resources of countless dynasties, and overlooking the rise and fall of mortals, they indeed have the supreme capital to disregard dynastic changes and regard all living beings as ants.
They sit in the shadows, manipulating the nation's destiny, stirring up wars, reaping resources, viewing the world as a chessboard and all living beings as pawns.
Pity.
They calculated and planned meticulously, but ultimately they were one move behind.
But then he encountered himself, who had been Lie Dormant Qingfeng Mountain, quietly rising to prominence and reaching the Thirteenth Realm.
Today he broke their scheme, cut off their henchmen, and shattered their plans.
In the future, he will gradually overturn the entire game and shake the foundation of this ancient holy land.
The mountain breeze brushed against his robes, washing away the murderous aura he carried.
Deep in the distant mountains, the distant, serene, and peaceful sound of the bell from Qingfeng Temple slowly penetrates through layers of forest, soothing the hustle and bustle of the world and calming the mind.
Chen Du suppressed all his thoughts, concealed his sharpness, and continued his journey back to Qingfeng Mountain Courtyard with steady steps.
The chaos has temporarily subsided, but the killing intent has not ceased.
The road ahead is long and arduous, and the enemy is formidable.
He only needs to firmly uphold his Dao heart, diligently accumulate experience, and patiently await the day when he can shake the holy land with a single sword strike.