Third Rank?

According to Ji Qian, the container cannot be broken before the fortune is extracted. In other words, if the "container" is broken, does that mean the fortune is returned to the Great Feng?

"If I tell Duke Wei about these things, how will he treat me?"

Xu Qi'an blew out the candle and lay on the bed, this question suddenly popped into his head.

He could make cuts, only telling Duke Wei about the existence of the first generation of supervisors and the descendants of the Great Feng imperial family, without revealing information about destiny.

The problem is, he doesn't know which level Wei Yuan is on, just as he can't see which level the supervisor is on.

If this information is given to Wei Yuan, and Wei Yuan combines it with his own knowledge and information to deduce the inside story of destiny.

Oh, so the Great Feng Kingdom is weak, the people are suffering, and the court is riddled with problems. All of this is because of the loss of fortune, and that fortune is on Xu Qi'an.

As an ambitious and dedicated statesman committed to eradicating deep-seated problems, would Wei Yuan choose to uphold justice for the country and its people, even at the cost of his own family, or would he choose to protect and turn a blind eye?

This isn't just me being overly pessimistic. Based on Wei Yuan's skill and his legend, if I'm on the eighteenth floor, he might be on the ninety-ninth floor. Xu Qi'an sat up, lost in thought in the darkness.

Suddenly, I felt like everyone was on edge, as if the whole world was plotting against me.

The first and current generations are unreliable. Wei Yuan, who was originally clinging to a powerful figure, might turn against them if he knew about the fate of destiny.

What should I do?

In the darkness, Xu Qi'an murmured to himself.

"If I possessed the combat power of a third-rank or even second-rank warrior, I could move freely and become a player outside the chessboard. But I am only a sixth-rank martial artist."

"The first supervisor is like a knife hanging over my head. Even if it doesn't fall anytime soon, I have a feeling it won't be long. I'm afraid I won't be able to become a top-level martial artist in the short term."

"In that case, the best way to deal with it is to use the enemy's enemy to fight the enemy. But neither the first generation nor the current generation are good people."

After a long, long time, Xu Qi'an's soft chuckle echoed in the silent room, "I've thought of a way."

"First, protect the lotus seeds and advance to the fifth rank as soon as possible. Then return to the capital and play a game of Truth or Dare with Duke Wei."

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight shone down, spies clad in black robes carried more than twenty cannons, slowly making their way along the main road at the foot of Yuezhi Manor.

Tianji and Tianshu stood by the roadside, hands behind their backs, watching their subordinates arrange the cannons in a line.

The spies were methodically preparing for firing. They were not afraid of any attacks or sabotage from the enemy in the manor, because not far from this artillery unit were the Lotus Daoist of the Earth Sect and his disciples.

There are also martial arts masters led by Cao Qingyang. Although the two sides are not on good terms, they share the same goal. If the Yuezhi Manor tries to sabotage the cannons through a sneak attack, the martial arts alliance will definitely stop them.

"You were too impulsive yesterday. You shouldn't have used the imperial gold medal bestowed by His Majesty to threaten the Martial Alliance," Tian Shu said calmly.

Her voice was cool and clear, yet possessed the magnetism of a mature woman.

"It's just testing the waters with the Martial Alliance. Although Cao Qingyang is unyielding, the Martial Alliance is ultimately on the opposite side of the Yue Clan Manor." Tianji snorted coldly.

The attitude of Mo Ge and Shen Quan Gang last night made him extremely vigilant. If a large number of dissenting voices emerged within the Martial Alliance, then even if this behemoth of Jianzhou did not defect to Yue Shi Manor, its combat power would be greatly reduced.

Therefore, he had to conduct a thorough investigation of the martial arts alliance. Of course, it was also true that he wanted to interrogate Cao Qingyang; if Cao Qingyang yielded to the authority of the imperial court, then he would have made the right bet.

Conversely, although he took some risks, his assessment was correct; Cao Qingyang did not kill him.

As the leader of an alliance, no matter how arrogant or unruly one may be, he is ultimately different from a lone wanderer in the martial world, and he will have to consider more things.

The gains were good, but the price was equally high. As a fourth-rank expert and one of the leaders of the secret agents, being humiliated and beaten by Cao Qingyang would have taken a long time to recover from the psychological trauma without sufficient composure.

Tianji whispered, "We only need to provide firepower support to create an opening for the Earth Sect. The subsequent struggle for the lotus seeds is not our main objective; killing Xu Qi'an is. Understand?"

Tian Shu hummed in agreement and chuckled, "Last night he unleashed the Heaven and Earth Slash and Confucian School Law Technique; it's impossible for him to recover in just a few hours. If we don't kill him now, when will we?"

As secret agents of the Prince of Huai, and now loyal to the Emperor, they knew Xu Qi'an inside and out. Afterwards, based on the on-site analysis and assessment, as well as the broken magical Law Artifact on the mysterious young man's body...

There was also the act of suddenly teleporting in full view of everyone and using a talisman sword to kill two fourth-rank attendants.

They initially determined that Xu Qi'an used the "Heaven and Earth One-Slash Slash" and Confucian School Law Technique, and according to the information, these two methods come at a huge cost.

The three forces—the Martial Alliance, the Earth Sect, and the Prince of Huai's secret agents—gathered together, followed by hundreds of onlookers from the martial arts world.

Some are purely Rogue Cultivator, while others are from small sects who come here to take advantage of the chaos.

After yesterday's surprise attack on the town, the morale of these martial arts figures was greatly dampened. On the one hand, they were wary of the power of the Yuezhi Manor and had come to terms with reality.

On the other hand, Xu Qi'an's identity began to take shape, his influence gradually deepened, and he became increasingly feared, making people dare not oppose him.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time, but unfortunately, this isn't our stage." Liu Hu, leaning on his copper cane, sighed from the crowd.

"Who knows, there might still be a chance to fish in troubled waters," one of the companions said hopefully.

"I calculated the combat strength of both sides yesterday. Based on the publicly displayed strength of Yuezhi Manor, it is far inferior to that of the Martial Alliance, the Earth Sect, and those imperial experts."

"The difference is more than just huge. Don't forget, the leader of the Earth Sect hasn't even shown up yet. He's a second-rank expert. If he comes, he'll sweep the entire field."

"In that case, we won't even have a chance to fish in troubled waters."

"Hey, do you guys think that if Xu Yinluo used the strength of Buddhist School martial arts master, he could have a chance against the leader of the Earth Sect?"

"Isn't it said that during the Buddhist School sect's magical duels, there were eunuchs secretly helping them?"

"Just chatting. I was referring to Xu Yinluo's imposing presence during the Buddhist School duel. Of course, I know that the supervisor was secretly helping him."

Young Master Liu, sword in hand, walked towards the women of the brothel, his face filled with worry. He said, "Rongrong, I heard from my master that the Yue Clan Manor is only putting up a stubborn resistance, and the chances of protecting Lianzi are slim."

Rongrong turned her head to look at this peer with whom she had a good relationship, only to find that his gaze was subtly sizing up the host's graceful back.

"Whether Yuezhi Manor can protect Lianzi or not is none of my concern," Rongrong said softly.

In Rongrong's view, Young Master Liu's gaze was already extremely restrained. There was nothing she could do about it; after all, a woman as stunning as the host was too eye-catching, and any man who didn't steal glances would have something going on.

"We're on the same page," Young Master Liu laughed.

This was also the thought of most people, including the fairies of the Myriad Flower Pavilion present. What did it matter to them whether the Yuezhi Manor could protect the lotus seeds?

As long as Xu Yinluo doesn't encounter any unexpected problems, everything will be fine.

They admired Xu Yinluo's righteousness, but did not want to see him suffer such a loss, which did not conflict with their competition for the lotus seeds.

Inside the Yuezhi Mountain Villa.

The disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society gathered, each holding their own Law Artifact, ready for battle.

What was supposed to be a mobilization meeting turned into a situation where the White Lotus Daoist nun discovered that her disciples were more nervous and fearful than she had imagined.

The White Lotus Daoist nun stood before the disciples, her voice gentle. "Just hold your positions as planned. Don't be nervous, don't be afraid. You don't need to deal with a fourth-rank expert."

The disciples nodded, but their tension remained.

They were young and had almost no experience of a battle, or even a war, of this scale.

Seeing this, Chu Yuanzhen and Li Miaozhen offered a few words of comfort, but to little avail.

What's the use of shouting slogans? Xu Qi'an walked over calmly, carrying his sword, and the tension on their faces was clearly visible.

He stood before his disciples, leaning on his sword, and said calmly, "For you, this is actually an opportunity."

The disciples, including Qiu Chanyi, immediately looked at him and listened attentively.

"You all know better than I what the Heaven and Earth Society's goals are, and you don't need me to say who you'll be facing in the future, do you?" Xu Qi'an looked around at everyone.

The disciples nodded.

They certainly knew this, but they were not fully prepared and did not have enough strength. Now, they were going to fight the evil sects of the Earth Sect ahead of time, which made the young disciples feel flustered and like they were being forced into a corner.

"When I first took on the Sangbo case, I felt much the same way you did—anxious, uneasy, and lacking in confidence. But in the end, I solved the case. Do you know why?"

Listening to Xu Yinluo recount his experiences, the disciples' tension eased.

"Because compared to you, I had no way out. I was sentenced to be cut in half at the waist for killing my superior. If I didn't atone for my crime by performing good deeds, I would face certain death."

Qiu Chanyi said in a crisp voice, "Young Master Xu, you did the right thing."

The disciples quickly echoed his sentiments.

"This isn't a matter of right or wrong; please understand my core message."

Xu Qi'an glared at the young Daoist nun and said in a deep voice, "I had no way out, so I was willing to risk everything. Including later in Yunzhou, when I single-handedly held off the rebel army. It was also because I had no way out. The situation was very critical at the time, and if I didn't fight, the whole army might be wiped out."

Xu Qi'an spoke eloquently, recounting his experiences. The disciples listened attentively, and later, their emotions were stirred, and they felt their blood slowly boiling.

Listening to the glorious deeds of an object of worship can evoke a certain emotional resonance. This is exactly the kind of resonance that Xu Qi'an wanted.

"Now you have your chance. Fight to the death and defend the last vestiges of the Earth Sect's dignity. In the future, after the sect is restored, your names will be recorded in the annals of the Earth Sect. Your legends will be immortal."

To Bai Lian Dao Gu's surprise, her disciples became excited, thrilled, and fearless.

Sure enough, whatever a person of prestige says is right. Hmm, his words were also very skillful, drawing on his own experiences to stir the emotions of his disciples. The White Lotus Daoist nun looked at the young man standing with his sword, and felt inexplicably at ease.

They simply felt that the other person was a reliable, trustworthy, and reassuring partner.

Both sides waited patiently, and countless people eagerly anticipated the arrival of the sun. Time passed slowly, and gradually, the sun rose to its zenith.

Around noon, deep within the Yuezhi Manor, a beam of light shot into the sky, and at the base of the pillar of light, nine colors slowly shimmered.

Lotus seeds are about to ripen

Tianji waved his hand and shouted, "Fire!"

On the steel body of the cannon, countless incantations lit up, and the next moment, the cannon roared out of the barrel like thunder, with earth-shattering power.

The immense recoil caused the heavy steel cannon to slide backward, kicking up a large amount of dirt.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

Amidst the piercing shrieks, shells traced perfect parabolic arcs before crashing into the air shield outside the Yuezhi Manor.

It was a semi-circular gas shield that enveloped the entire mountain villa. It was a translucent, clear color. The shells exploded on the surface of the gas shield, creating dazzling flashes of light, and the shockwaves raged like a hurricane.

Outside the manor, at the core of the first layer of the defensive formation, Nangong Qianrou's face was flushed. Every explosion of the cannonballs seemed to hit him, making his Qi and Blood surge and his throat feel a metallic taste.

His body shimmered with divine light, and his vital energy flowed continuously, maintaining the stability of the energy shield.

"What kind of formation is this? Its defensive power is so strong that it can withstand such a dense barrage of artillery fire."

The various factions watching were dumbfounded.

Artillery was an important means for the Great Feng Dynasty to dominate the nine provinces and intimidate all sides; its destructive power was beyond doubt.

Twenty cannons firing simultaneously would leave even a fourth-rank martial artist half-dead. Yet the defensive formation before them only showed violent tremors.

This means that the defensive power of the formation is stronger than the physical body of a fourth-rank martial artist.

"This reminds me of the defensive formation of the border city. How could the Yuezhi Manor possibly have such a powerful formation?"

"Oh right, weren't there Warlock involved in last night's battle?" someone suddenly realized.

No wonder the defensive formations of the Yuezhi Manor are so powerful.

"Emission!"

Tianji calmly opened his mouth and issued the order for the second round of firing.

As a secret agent of the Prince of Huai, having served loyally in the northern border for many years, he could see through the formation's true nature at a glance, knowing it could only withstand three rounds of bombardment at most. Moreover, the number of cannonballs they carried this time was sufficient; they could raze the Yuezhi Manor to the ground without any problem.

"To hold the bright moon and pluck the stars from the sky, there is no one like me in this world!"

A deep chant suddenly rang out, clearly reaching the ears of the assembled heroes amidst the dense roar of cannon fire.

They turned their heads in surprise, following the sound, and saw a white-robed Warlock standing on the southern hillside, his back to them.

He lifted his foot and stomped it lightly, causing the array patterns to light up.

Cannons and crossbows were arranged around him, their muzzles and bolts turning, all aimed at the crowd below.

Tian Shu's expression changed, and she snapped, "Back off!"

Bang bang bang.

Boom boom boom.

Fireballs expanded and exploded, instantly blasting the twelve cannons to pieces and turning the area into wasteland. Not only that, the cannons and crossbows also splattered the "spectators."

Whether intentionally or due to a malfunction in the aim, the cannons only exploded near the crowd, terrifying the martial artists who fled in terror, but without causing any casualties.

However, nearly half of the more than twenty secret agents of the Prince of Huai were lost in the artillery fire, even though Tian Shu and Tian Ji had foreseen the crisis and ordered a retreat.

As Young Master Liu fled in panic, he couldn't help but glance back, a sense of doubt creeping into his heart.

If that Warlock had launched a sneak attack just now, he could have created a near-perfect kill. Why did he have to recite a poem?

"That's too powerful. High-level Warlock are too strong."

"Yes, this is a power that martial artists can never attain."

After escaping the bombardment, the various sects and factions of the Martial Arts Alliance, along with the Rogue Person, stopped and looked back at the scene with lingering fear.

Then I realized something.

"That high-level Warlock has already shown mercy; the cannons are deliberately avoiding the crowd."

Is this a warning to us?

"Now that the black-robed men's cannons are destroyed, but their defensive formations are still intact, how do they plan to attack?"

This was indeed a thorny issue. In mid-air, Daoist Chilian, riding his flying sword, declared loudly, "Alliance Leader Cao, how long do you intend to watch this show? The lotus seeds are about to ripen; let's quickly join forces to break the formation!"

"No need for that!"

A figure in purple robes flew through the air like a shooting star, crashing straight into the air shield.

The spherical gas shield suddenly caved in, lasting less than two seconds before shattering with a bang, turning into a gentle breeze that swept up dust.

Nangong Qianrou vomited a mouthful of blood, her beautiful face filled with astonishment.

"Huh?"

In the distance, Yang Qianhuan let out a surprised "Eh."

The formation was broken just like that. Seeing this, the assembled heroes were momentarily bewildered; when had Alliance Leader Cao become so powerful?

With a single strike, it shattered the formation that even the combined fire of twenty cannons had failed to breach.

Third rank?!

Tianji and Tianshu stared at each other in shock. Having served the Prince of Zhenbei faithfully, they were all too familiar with the aura of a third-rank expert.

Although it wasn't as powerful and imposing as the Prince of Zhenbei, this aura gave them a strong sense of déjà vu.

"Third rank?"

Master Chilian was taken aback, standing frozen in mid-air, staring intently at the figure in purple robes. "Cao Qingyang, when did you advance to the third rank?"

This statement was like a boulder crashing into a crowd, causing an uproar.