Silver Gong Xu, Awesome in His Divine Might

"Everyone, lie down."

Chu Xianglong roared, instinctively wanting to pounce on the ordinary-looking maid, but he forcibly restrained himself and turned to protect the "real" princess.

The boulder crashed down with a deafening roar, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind.

Yang Yan reached behind him and grabbed the silver spear slung over his back. With a slight twitch of the spear tip, the red tassel bloomed.

With a loud "crack," the boulder, which was enough to crush half of the delegation into a bloody pulp, shattered into tiny pebbles that rained down with a clattering sound.

The pebbles hit the soldiers' armor and helmets, causing no pain or itch. The maids, who had no protective gear, covered their heads and squatted on the ground, with the guards helping to shield them from the pebbles.

After a series of probing attacks, a brief period of calm ensued, with the opponent not rushing to make a move.

Xu Qi'an squinted and gazed intently. High in the dense forest stood a figure ten feet tall, taller than the trees, covered in thick black hair.

His body wasn't muscular; instead, it was covered in a thick layer of fat. His features were rugged, and his face was covered in black hair. He licked his lips and looked down at the delegation with a gaze filled with bloodlust.

Click, click.

A commotion came from the woods to the south; trees were falling in clumps, as if crushed by some creature.

Before long, a black dragon emerged from the dense forest. It was enormous, its head as large as a two-story building, with black mane, black scales, and forked horns.

The body exposed to the public was over twenty feet long, and its total length was estimated to be over one hundred feet.

His vertical pupils stared coldly at the crowd.

This dragon is enormous! Its size is completely unsuitable for combat. Master Jinlian said in the ancient tomb that Demon Race don't rely on sheer size. Does this dragon possess demonic blood?

Hmm, perhaps the northern Demon Race all have the bloodline of the demon god, which is why they are closely connected with the northern barbarian race, who also possess the bloodline of the demon god. Xu Qi'an began to speculate in his mind.

Glug

He heard the sound of swallowing, remained alert, and quickly looked around. He found that all the soldiers and guards in the delegation had stiff expressions and hidden fear in their eyes.

Fear of more powerful creatures is an instinct of living beings.

If it were an ordinary person, upon seeing such a terrifying dragon, they would either be so frightened that they would lose control of their bladder and bowels on the spot, or flee in panic with their liver and gallbladder trembling.

None of these soldiers participated in the Battle of Shanhai Pass back then? Hmm, Chen Xiao definitely did; there was no fear in his eyes. Xu Qi'an thought to himself as he examined the "black bear" on the mountain and the dragon to the south.

If it's just two fourth-rank officials, then it's not a big problem. I'll teach them a lesson later—no, I'll teach them how to be demons.

But just then, as everyone was filled with fear because of the dragon's appearance, a silvery laugh suddenly rang out.

Another powerful woman arrived, dressed in a red dress, her black hair tied into a ponytail with a red ribbon. She walked across the overgrown wasteland, revealing a pair of red embroidered shoes as she went.

With each step she took, a clump of weeds withered at her feet; wherever she went, not a blade of grass grew, and all life vanished.

The appearance of this woman intensified the despair of the already tense and fearful delegation.

"It's them, it really is them," Chu Xianglong murmured, seemingly more bewildered than shocked by what he was about to witness.

Now that things have come to this, one thing is certain: the barbarians not only knew the queen was going to the northern border, but they even predicted the time and place.

The barbarians were not as slow-witted as they thought.

What puzzled him was how the barbarian and Demon Race tribes of the north knew about this matter and how they had laid an ambush in advance.

"Three fourth-rank officials?"

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review swallowed hard, his legs trembling slightly.

The two censors turned pale, and were even on the verge of collapse. They could hold off two fourth-rank officials, but with three fourth-rank officials, the delegation's current forces would have a hard time contending with them.

Even Yang Yan is likely in grave danger.

Civil officials are civil officials after all. If they were great Confucian scholars from Confucian School academies, the delegation would now be considering how to counterattack or capture them alive.

"Chu Xianglong, who are they?" Xu Qi'an whispered.

He was reminding Chu Xianglong to report the information. Since they were from the northern barbarians or Demon Race, Chu Xianglong must know information about these fourth-rank experts.

Chu Xianglong's face was dejected, and his throat felt dry. Even as a seasoned general, he felt he had no chance of winning in the face of the situation.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and said bitterly, "The black dragon is called Tangshan Jun, one of the three leaders of the dragon tribe, and is skilled in water-based powers."

"That one on the mountain is Zharmuha, the leader of the Blackwater tribe of barbarians. The Blackwater tribe is known for its immense strength, second only to the Gu tribe's Ligu tribe."

"As for this woman, she is a snake demon named Hongling. She and her people are affiliated with the barbarian Qingyan tribe, and Hongling herself is the favorite concubine of the Qingyan tribe's leader."

After a pause, Chu Xianglong said despairingly, "They are all fourth-rank officials."

It really was a fourth-rank official. The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review swayed, almost losing his balance.

In the crowd, the unremarkable princess raised her head, quickly glanced at the three fourth-rank experts, and then immediately lowered her head, her delicate body trembling with fear.

She is a very insecure woman, and she is also timid. She is afraid to sleep at night if she thinks about ghosts.

I never imagined that one day I would find myself in such a terrible situation.

According to legend, the northern barbarians were savages who ate raw meat and drank blood. Their favorite pastime was to raid the borders of the Great Feng, eating the men and raping the women before eating them as well.

If it fell into the hands of barbarians, its fate was predictable.

The three powerful figures from the barbarian and Demon Race listened quietly as Chu Xianglong finished speaking. Then, the beautiful woman named Hongling giggled sweetly.

"Hey, isn't this Deputy General Chu under the command of the Prince of Huai? He's been thinking about you day and night since the Battle of Quyang River three years ago."

Chu Xianglong sneered, "A defeated general is not worthy of praise."

"So today, I'm here to rekindle our old flame." Her voice was sweet and charming, and her alluring face was always smiling, possessing a captivating and seductive allure.

Chu Xianglong ignored her, gripping the hilt of his knife tightly, his body tense, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The alluring woman smiled, her gaze sweeping over the delegation, pausing briefly on the veiled princess before shifting her gaze. Having observed everyone, she clicked her tongue in amazement:

"A bunch of ugly ducklings, besides Yang Yan, only General Chu is passable. Hand over the princess obediently, and I'll let you have a romantic time before you die."

Before Xu Qi'an used his Vajra Divine Skill, there was no divine light flashing on his body.

"I want Yang Yan. Nobody can take him from me. The rest are yours. Kill them, eat them, or take them prisoner—it's up to you."

From the forest above, the giant, who was ten feet tall, spoke, his voice booming like thunder.

How did you track down the mission's movements?

At that moment, someone in the crowd spoke up loudly.

Tang Shanjun glanced at the other person but did not respond.

Standing in the mountains, looking down at everyone from his vantage point, Zhamuha only had eyes for Yang Yan.

Only Hongling, dressed in a red dress and with striking features, showed a slight interest upon seeing that the questioner was the handsome Yinluo. She gave him a flirtatious wink and smiled, saying:

"You guess."

"You're so sassy." Xu Qi'an gripped his black-gold longsword tightly, unperturbed by the other party's disdain and mockery. With his other hand, he quietly ignited a page of paper.

As the saying goes, a woman in red is either provocative or wanton; a man in white is either effeminate or gay. According to the information revealed by Chu Xianglong, none of these three fourth-rank officials are skilled at tracking. Therefore, there are only two possibilities: either there is a traitor among us, or the other side has an unseen accomplice.

Wait, there's no sign of any other powerful figures nearby. That's not right.

Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat, and he chuckled, "I bet some of you have Warlock helping you."

The woman in the red dress suddenly changed color, her gaze sharpening as she re-examined him and asked, "How did you know?"

Tang Shanjun and Zhalmuha glanced sideways at Xu Qi'an, seemingly somewhat surprised.

As expected of Warlock. You woman aren't very bright either, you managed to get information out of her so easily. Xu Qi'an remained outwardly calm, but his heart sank.

He almost developed a post-traumatic stress disorder from the word "Warlock".

The supervisor who had been assigned to him with such clear authority, and the mysterious Warlock was suspected of implanting his own destiny within him—these were all sources of anxiety for Xu Qi'an.

"Is there Warlock secretly manipulating this ambush? Could it be the same Warlock who implanted the power of destiny into my body? Hmm, if it is him, the target should be me, not the princess."

"No, he won't make a move against me in the short term. He's wary of the monk Shenshu within me. This can be seen from the fact that we just 'brushed past' each other in the Yunzhou case."

"The main character in this incident is the princess, and those mysterious Warlock are plotting against her. I just stumbled into it by mistake."

Seeing that Xu Qi'an did not answer, the woman seemed somewhat annoyed, a cruel smile playing on her lips, and said:

"Fine, you're just a lowly silver gong anyway. I'll spare your breath when I kill you later."

After saying that, she didn't look at Xu Qi'an or the expressions of the other members of the delegation, but looked at Tang Shanjun and Zharmuha, and said with a smile, "Yang Yan is yours, the rest of you and Chu Xianglong are mine."

Zhamuha snorted, "I can handle Yang Yan all by myself."

Tangshan Jun raised his head and let out a deafening roar towards the sky.

Suddenly, the ground in front of them collapsed and cracked, and turbid underground currents burst forth from the soil, swirling and rushing into the sky, forming a huge waterspout.

A waterspout carrying sand and rocks crashed into the delegation.

Despite the AOE attack right from the start, Xu Qi'an remained calm and put the Confucian School magic book in his mouth.

Ta-da!

Yang Yan dragged his silver spear and charged towards the waterspout. Suddenly, he thrust out, the tip of the spear piercing into the swirling, turbid current. He let out a deep shout and flicked it with force.

The waterspout collapsed instantly, and a torrential downpour began.

The instant Yang Yan broke free of the water tornado, Tangshan Jun twisted his body, and his enormous dragon form, hundreds of feet long, launched a charge. On the battlefield, such a charge could easily annihilate a thousand-strong cavalry force.

On the other side, a sudden tremor shook the mountains and forests as a giant ten feet tall leaped down and pounced on Yang Yan.

"Giggle giggle"

Amidst the giggles, the woman in the red dress produced two short blades, her figure as elusive as a ghost, her target also being Yang Yan.

Their previous words were a ruse, intentional; their target was Yang Yan, and they planned to kill him as quickly as possible. The crowd realized this.

And therefore felt intense panic and fear.

"Release the arrows!"

Chen Xiao roared.

One hundred imperial guards removed their crossbows; some fired at Tang Shanjun, while others locked onto the "big black bear" that was pouncing down.

Clang, clang, clang. The arrows struck the two fourth-rank experts, breaking in two, unable to harm them in the slightest.

Just then, Chu Xianglong suddenly picked up the veiled princess from the crowd and fled away from everyone.

Chu Xianglong's guards, in perfect unison, picked up the remaining maids, abandoned the rest of the delegation, and fled.

Their escape routes differed, and they scattered in all directions.

This was a contingency plan that Chu Xianglong had prepared long ago. If an insurmountable crisis were to occur, the guards would lead the maids to escape. In this way, even if he were caught, the other party would only have obtained a fake princess.

The real princess was hidden among a dozen maids. Because they had different escape routes, they had to identify her one by one. As long as the real princess wasn't too unlucky, she could take advantage of this gap and escape far away.

At that time, with disguise and the help of magical Law Artifact that can conceal one's aura, the chances of a successful escape will be extremely high.

"You bastard!"

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review jumped up and down in a rage, cursing.

Upon witnessing this scene, Chief Constable Chen of the Ministry of Justice was filled with rage.

If it weren't for Chu Xianglong and his team, how could the delegation have encountered such a crisis?

It was Chu Xianglong who dragged them down.

Last night, the official ship was ambushed, but the delegation did not expel Chu Xianglong. Instead, they sat down to analyze the situation and expressed their intention to take full responsibility and share the burden.

Unexpectedly, when danger struck, Chu Xianglong abandoned everyone without hesitation.

Use them as cannon fodder and make them pay for their own safety.

In Chu Xianglong's mind, the more than one hundred people in the delegation were all cannon fodder who could be discarded at will, pawns.

In a crisis, they'd abandon everything without hesitation, letting others take the fall.

"You beast!" the censor exclaimed in fury.

"We're doomed, we're doomed, what are we going to do?" The three civil officials looked dejected.

The hundred imperial guards, their faces filled with indignation and already prepared to die in battle, discarded their crossbows and drew their swords.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice, "Boss, you go and deal with that woman, I'll take care of the other two."

"You"

Just as Chief Constable Chen from the Ministry of Justice was about to say, "How can a mere silver gong bear two fourth-rank officials alone?"

But the next moment, he suddenly remembered Xu Qi'an's recent achievements, how he had subdued both heaven and man with his bare hands.

Without hesitation, Yang Yan dragged the silver spear and ran wildly, spinning his body as he did so, causing the spear to sweep horizontally.

call.

The gun barrel was slightly bent, producing a piercing whistling sound.

"Bite!"

The woman in the red dress used her daggers to parry the sweeping silver spear.

Yang Yan released the gun, sprinted a few steps, then leaped up and delivered a knee strike.

The woman in the red dress was sent flying backward, spitting out venom as she went, but Yang Yan dodged it all. The venom landed on the ground, corroding even the soil.

Yang Yan gripped the spear tip, spun around, and swung the spear, striking upwards.

When the gun barrel struck the woman in the red dress on the head, producing a piercingly loud sound, her pupils dilated instantly, as if her Primordial Spirit had left her body.

Seizing the opportunity, Yang Yan unleashed hundreds of thrusts in succession. The attacks, imbued with the intent of the spear, were like a torrential rain. The woman in the red dress was covered in scales, and the spear tip sparked a string of dazzling sparks.

Although she was temporarily unharmed, she was in excruciating pain from being stabbed by Yang Yan's gun.

"What are you doing? Help me!" the woman in the red dress screamed, glancing towards the delegation.

The next moment, her expression went blank, and she wondered if she was hallucinating.

On the other side, Xu Qi'an flicked away the ashes, extended his palm towards the black dragon, and said in a deep voice, "Put down your butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot."

The black dragon, charging fiercely, came to an abrupt halt, its cold, vertical pupils filled with confusion, as if regretting its impulsive and violent actions.

Flowers and plants are living things, let alone human beings.

The clanging of weapons being discarded rang out continuously. On the delegation's side, the Imperial Guards all dropped their weapons in unison, revealing expressions of reflection.

Can't humans and demons just get along?

"Buddhist School Law Technique is poisonous," Xu Qi'an joked, then lowered his knees to a half-squat, looking up at Zhamuha who was charging down from the mountaintop, and shouted:

"Take this, my Vajra Headbutt!"

Amidst the sound of the ground cracking, he soared into the sky like a rocket.

A dot of gold paint appeared between his brows and quickly spread throughout his body.

When!

He crashed hard into the "giant's" arms, causing the other's thick layer of fat to tremble.

The two separated immediately upon contact.

At this moment, the Buddhist School precepts and Law Technique had worn off, and Tang Shanjun's eyes were no longer filled with confusion, but he did not attack. His vertical pupils cautiously stared at Xu Qi'an.

Upon landing, Zhamuha, whose impact had created an earthquake-like effect, scrutinized Xu Qi'an with surprise and uncertainty.

"Invincible Vajra, Buddhist School martial monk?" Tang Shanjun spoke in human language, and suddenly, flames of hatred ignited in his cold pupils.

The Demon Race and the Buddhist School have a deep-seated, blood feud spanning generations.

"Xu, Xu Yinluo just now, fought two fourth-rank officials single-handedly." The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review asked in a tone seeking confirmation.

"He single-handedly fought two fourth-rank officials at the Wei River and won!" The two censors exclaimed in surprise, suddenly recalling Xu Yinluo's achievements.

Suddenly, it felt like the mountains and rivers had turned into a winding path, and then a bright new vista appeared.

He even has Confucian School Law Technique texts?! Chief Constable Chen from the Ministry of Justice stared at the scroll that Xu Qi'an was chewing on.

Constable Chen was a seventh-rank martial artist and knew what the Battle of Wei River was all about. When he first learned of it, he was filled with jealousy, jealous that Xu Qi'an possessed Confucian School Law Technique books.

He was jealous of Xu Qi'an's fame.

Without Confucian School and Law Technique texts, Xu Qi'an was merely a sixth-rank martial artist. In the capital city, teeming with experts, what was he?

His cultivation level is completely mismatched with his reputation.

Of course I'm jealous.

But now, seeing the book that Xu Qi'an was chewing on, Officer Chen felt a sense of peace that was hard to put into words.

It's fortunate that he possessed such a book; that's truly wonderful.

"Xu Yinluo!"

The eyes of the hundred imperial guards lit up, and they looked at Xu Qi'an with a gaze that seemed to worship him as a god.

In times of crisis, a leader who can stand up and turn the tide is even more beloved and worthy of following than an emperor.

Chen Xiao picked it up with renewed vigor, brandishing it and shouting excitedly, "Brothers, raise your swords and fight alongside Lord Xu!"

"Fight alongside Lord Xu!" the hundred imperial guards roared, their morale soaring instantly.

The terror vanished from their faces, replaced by a surge of fighting spirit.

The greatest honor for soldiers fighting on the battlefield is to fight alongside their beloved leaders, even at the cost of their lives.

The guards brought by the Dali Temple officials and censors, upon hearing the roars of the Imperial Guards, were not only filled with patriotic fervor but also no longer fearful.

PS: After completing the detailed outline, my thoughts gradually became clearer, and my typing speed increased a bit.