The First Superintendent's Name

The supervisor's gaze remained calm, and he nodded slightly.

"Then I will fulfill your wish."

His figure flashed by and then reappeared, already seated at the chessboard, opposite Xu Pingfeng.

White clothes against white clothes.

Xu Pingfeng picked up a black chess piece and said:

"You once said that heaven and earth are a game of chess, and everyone is a piece. In this world, everyone is a piece, and Chaopin is no exception. At that time, I asked you, 'Teacher, are you a piece?' Your answer was—'No!'"

Snap! The chess piece landed, and Xu Pingfeng looked at the supervisor opposite him, whispering:

"I didn't understand it back then, but after many years, looking back, I finally understand the profound meaning in your words."

"Professor Jianzheng, you are the gatekeeper, aren't you?"

The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree, not far away, looked toward the Supervisor.

The latter picked up a white piece, his voice aged yet calm:

"Of my six disciples, you are the most talented. But clever people tend to overthink, unlike the single-minded fool."

"With your current rank, the level of a gatekeeper is still far beyond your reach. Become a first-grade Warlock first."

Snap! The white piece landed, shattering the black pieces on the board into dust.

Xu Pingfeng wanted to talk about the gatekeeper again, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Unperturbed, he picked up a black stone and said:

"Teacher, you are a master of destiny, able to foresee the future. Even though you saw the Great Feng's national fortune slipping away, you couldn't stop it. The conflict between the Southern Demons and Buddhist School; the conflict between the Great Feng and the Northern Demon Barbarians and the Witch God Cult; the Gu Clan's desire to restore the Confucian Sage statue..."

These are things you cannot change; this is the inevitable trend.

"Moreover, those who know the secrets of heaven are bound by them."

Snap! The black piece falls, and the white piece is reduced to dust.

There can only be one first-rank Warlock, and there can only be one piece on the chessboard.

The supervisor picked up a white piece and smiled:

"I was prepared back then, but unfortunately the power of shifting stars and changing constellations briefly deceived the heavens, allowing you and the Heavenly Gu Elder to succeed."

"However, do you think that woman managed to escape from Yunzhou to the capital so easily?"

Snap! The white piece falls to the ground, and the black piece is reduced to dust.

Xu Pingfeng paused slightly, held the chess piece in his hand, and pondered for a moment before saying:

"Since you know I've been lurking in Yunzhou, why haven't you made a move in the past twenty years?"

The supervisor glanced at him, a half-smile playing on his lips:

"You'd believe me just because I told you? If I knew, would you have succeeded?"

Xu Pingfeng sighed:

"The Fate Master is always rambling on and on, but well, those things are all in the past. Back then, I decided to leave the capital to support the lineage from five hundred years ago and make them Fate Masters."

"Then I began to lay out the pieces. Teacher, do you know which piece I placed first?"

The supervisor shook his head slightly.

"It's Consort Chen!" Xu Pingfeng placed his piece, turning the white piece to dust. His expression wasn't one of great joy, though; he sighed, "..."

"To be honest, Wei Yuan and I are quite similar in our plight. Consort Chen's father was the Minister of Ministry of Revenue, and he had helped me in my early years. We had already pledged our lives to each other when we were young. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. When Emperor Yuanjing was recruiting concubines, she entered the palace."

"Back then, it was by using her to inform on others that Wei Yuan and Yuan Jing became estranged, forcing him to abandon his cultivation. Over the years, all the big and small news in the palace has come from her."

"However, after the uprising began, this piece became useless."

Consort Chen was one of the few people in the capital who remembered him. However, Consort Chen was unaware of Xu Pingfeng's rebellion plan.

The two now hold completely opposing positions.

"By the way, it was through her that I learned about Emperor Yuanjing's condition and the existence of Zhen De, following subtle clues. That led to the subsequent events of bewitching Yuanjing into cultivating Daoism and destroying the fate of the Great Feng Dynasty."

The judge picked up a white piece, placed it down, and amidst the sound of the black piece exploding, said:

"I must thank you, father and son, for helping me remove this cancerous tumor, Joan of Arc. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to deal with her."

Xu Pingfeng didn't pick up a black piece, but looked down at the white pieces on the chessboard and said:

"Professor Jianzheng, over the years I have been reviewing and analyzing the course of Emperor Wuzong's uprising. There are two things I still don't understand. Emperor Wuzong's uprising was quite hasty, unlike Yunzhou today, where everything is ready."

"But our master responded in a very hasty manner, as if he had not anticipated that you would rebel."

"I don't know if he deliberately pretended not to see it. If not, then that's interesting. How did you manage to deceive the grandmaster of the Fate Master? Whether it's the Warlock's ability to shield the secrets of heaven or the shifting of stars, it can only shield for a time and for one thing at a time."

"But the Fate Master can see into the future; even if he can block it for a while, he can't block it forever. Master Jianzheng, how did you manage to do that?"

At this point, a strange light flashed in Xu Pingfeng's eyes:

"Because you are the gatekeeper, that's why you were able to truly kill your master, isn't it?"

The supervisor stared intently at him.

"But if you're the gatekeeper, then what is the First Generation?"

A deep voice sounded from behind the supervisor, and out of nowhere, a giant beast with white scales, deer antlers, crocodile lips, and a lion's mane appeared.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

In Songshan County, the sound of drums thundered.

Militiamen ran around the city walls, carrying barrels of kerosene, logs, boxes for cannons, and crossbow bolts.

The artillerymen swiftly adjusted their firing angles, while the crossbowmen placed quivers at their feet. The entire garrison was mobilized, methodically carrying out their preparations.

Under Xu Erlang's tutelage, all of this had long been ingrained in the soldiers' instincts, and even the militia were well-trained.

After all, for the past month, they had to practice repeatedly every day, constantly moving the city's defensive equipment up and down.

Miao Youfang stood on the parapet, gazing into the distance, and saw a vast, dark army slowly advancing into the wilderness.

At the very front of the army were six strange vehicles, each over two zhang tall and covered with iron sheets, resembling giant shields. Each vehicle required more than a dozen militiamen to push it.

Miao Youfang had never seen this thing before, but his war instincts, honed over this period, made him realize that it was manufactured by the enemy to defend against artillery fire from above.

"Crossbow!"

As the enemy slowly advanced to the range of the ballistae, Miao Youfang roared, his voice booming.

"Bang bang bang!"

The crossbow bolts, shaped like long spears, shot out and easily pierced the large shields with a series of sharp sounds.

However, crossbow bolts, known for their penetrating power, were ineffective at destroying these large shields.

Miao Youfang was not discouraged. After the enemy entered the artillery range, he waved his hand:

"Fire!"

Boom! The cannon suddenly retreated, flames spewing from its muzzle, and shells were launched, crashing into the giant shield like meteorites, creating expanding fireballs.

The giant shield exploded from the cannon fire, scattering splinters of wood and scorching iron in all directions.

However, it did block some of the defenders' firepower, reducing the casualties of the rebels.

After losing six large shields and damaging three cannons, the rebels finally pushed their lines into the range of their own artillery.

"Boom boom boom!"

The two sides exchanged fire, and flames swelled up on the city walls and in the wilderness, billowing thick smoke.

The rebels launched their charge to the sound of bugles, a dark mass like ants, their momentum overwhelming.

Xu Erlang stood atop the city wall, calmly waving his small flag and issuing commands.

The Shadow Tribe members, like ghosts, slaughtered the enemy soldiers who swarmed the city, and then the Corpse Gu Tribe's corpse controllers transformed the enemy corpses into "friendly forces."

The warriors of the Li Gu tribe, possessing terrifying strength, were responsible for throwing logs and rolling stones downwards.

Under Xu Erlang's command, they cooperated perfectly.

"Careful!"

Miao Youfang, who was not far from Xu Erlang, suddenly tackled him to the ground.

In a dizzying moment, Xu Erlang heard a loud "boom" as the parapet exploded. A crossbow bolt shaped like a spear pierced through the parapet and exploded where he had been standing.

Ordinary crossbow bolts couldn't possibly carry such energy; this must have been thrown by a master. Miao Youfang's thoughts flashed through his mind as he rushed to the city wall and looked down. Amidst the chaotic crowd, he spotted a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

Zhuo Haoran!

He held the head of a Dark Gu warrior in one hand and a spear in the other, grinning maliciously as he looked towards the city wall.

"Stop him!"

Xu Xinnian calmly waved the command flag.

Inside the city, three hundred mounted flying beastmen charged forward, their claws gripping barrels of fire oil. The knights carried bows on their backs and held arrows with arrowheads wrapped in tinder.

This made the three hundred flying beast riders look like bombers.

The Flying Beast Army is an elite force, virtually invincible on the battlefield. Even a fourth-rank martial artist, unless trained in "archery," cannot threaten the Flying Beast Army with bows and arrows.

As for pursuing with the wind, a fourth-rank martial artist's flying speed is simply no match for that of a flying beast.

Just then, a loud cry rang out across the sky.

On the horizon, a flock of giant crimson birds flapped their wings and flew in, a mighty procession of at least five hundred.

Leading the group was a giant bird with a wingspan of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and an exaggerated size; it carried no cavalry.

Xu Erlang's pupils suddenly contracted.

Guo County!

Ji Xuan stood atop the half-collapsed city wall, gazing at Sun Xuanji standing proudly in the sky, and chuckled in a relaxed tone:

To me, what difference is there between city walls and paper?

"Sun Xuanji, now that our army has stormed the city, it's full of them. Do you dare to use your firepower to cover Guo County?"

Sun Xuanji stared at him coldly.

Ji Xuan chuckled and turned his gaze to the city. The people stayed indoors, while the soldiers of both armies engaged in street fighting.

"Womanly compassion!"

He shook his head and commented.

Sun Xuanji remained silent.

Ji Xuan drew his sword, clicked his tongue, and chuckled:

"It was your womanly compassion that led to the fall of Dongling. If I were you, I would kill a thousand enemies but lose eight hundred of my own, and even if all the civilians in the city died from the artillery fire, I would still annihilate the enemy's elite troops."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, the people of Dongling you couldn't bear to kill have already been refined into blood pills by me. It took half a month. Luckily you didn't find out, otherwise I would have failed in the end."

As he spoke, he took out a wooden box, opened it with a "snap," and a rich vitality accompanied by flashing red light.

Ji Xuan pinched the blood pill and swallowed it. His aura surged instantly, rising to a whole new level.

Those at the third rank can strengthen their qi and Qi and Blood by consuming blood pills, but they can only advance to the middle third rank at most. Beyond that, the effects of blood pills become less significant.

"Since you dare not fight to the death, I'm too lazy to kill you. Go back to the Bureau of Astronomy. Qingzhou will fall within three days."

When Ji Xuan said these words, he did so calmly, as if he were stating a fact.

Above the vast ocean, Bai Ji sat gracefully, her left eye radiating a clear light.

Xu Qi'an sat cross-legged at the stern of the boat and laughed:

"What brings Your Majesty to seek me out?"

The nine-tailed celestial fox's voice was soft and charming:

"A spiritual master came to the Southern Frontier, saying he was looking for you. Unable to find you, he came to me to inquire."

A spiritual master? Irbu or Uda Pagoda? Ha, looking for me? I think that's courting death! Xu Qi'an was both confused and amused.

He said he came to deliver a gong.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox added.

"Huh?" Xu Qi'an asked in confusion, his face full of astonishment.

He doubted he had misheard, because the Ringing Stone was one of the materials used to forge the Soul-Summoning Banner; the Church of the Witch God had given him the Ringing Stone?

This is like Xu Pingfeng suddenly appearing in front of him and saying:

My son, everything I've done is for you!

The nine-tailed fox said impatiently, "If you agree, I'll tell him your location. I'm tied up with worldly affairs and don't have time to waste on your nonsense."

"Can!"

Xu Qi'an nodded.

The little lamb walked right into the trap; why would he refuse?

"Your Majesty, please don't leave yet. There's something I need to ask you," Xu Qi'an called out to the nine-tailed fox before she could leave.

The nine-tailed fox hummed in response, "What is it?"

You must have seen the Netherworld Silkworm before, right?

"Of course, otherwise how could I tell you the location of the Netherworld Silkworm Silk?"

"So you knew the reason for the fall of the Gods and Devils and demons a long time ago?" Xu Qi'an said irritably.

The nine-tailed fox nodded gently.

Why didn't you tell me?

"You didn't ask either," the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox said with a smile.

"They know a lot of secrets, like the secret that she's still a virgin, which I haven't told you?"

"What 'virgin'? More like a cucumber virgin," Xu Qi'an thought to himself, not dwelling on it, and said in a deep voice:

What I'm trying to say is, do you know about the Gods and Devils known as the "Great Wilderness"?

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox pondered for a moment, then shook its head and said:

"Never heard of it."

Xu Qi'an then told her about the characteristics of the "Great Wilderness" clan, and continued:

"The Netherworld Silkworm told me that the White Emperor, also known as the Lin Clan, was completely devoured by a 'Great Wilderness' after the end of the Gods and Devils Era. What do you think of this?"

Bai Ji's left eye trembled violently. After a long while, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox whispered:

"I went to sea to search for my kind for three whole months, but not only did I not find my kind, I didn't even find a single descendant of Gods and Devils. I only saw it on my way back to the Nine Provinces."

The air suddenly became still.

"Damn it! "Xu Qi'an cursed inwardly. He realized a possibility: most of the descendants of Gods and Devils had been devoured by the White Emperor—no, that Great Wilderness.

The nine-tailed celestial fox fell silent again; clearly, she too had considered this chilling possibility.

"Then why didn't it eat me?"

The silver-haired enchantress asked, puzzled.

Xu Qi'an took a deep breath to calm himself down and analyzed:

"There might be long-term consequences; perhaps he's about to accomplish something important and doesn't want any unforeseen complications."

He immediately thought of the fact that Xu Pingfeng and Bai Di were connected, and of the battlefield in Qingzhou.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox said in a deep voice:

Be careful when you encounter it.

As for herself, she was not afraid. She was already powerful and had the remains of a divine being by her side. If the Great Wilderness dared to come, it was uncertain who would kill whom.

After bidding farewell to the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, Xu Qi'an increased the speed of the small boat.

Before long, the coastline came into view.

As he saw the coastline, Xu Qi'an also spotted a dark figure approaching on the wind, dressed in a wizard's robe and wearing a hood.

The spiritual master stopped not far away; what appeared was not his true form, but merely an empty robe that had taken on a human shape.

"Xu Qi'an!"

A low voice came from inside the cloak.

"It's you, Irber!"

Having crossed paths with the Prince of Zhenbei before, Xu Qi'an immediately recognized the other party by their voice.

Something floated out of the cloak and slammed onto the bow of the boat with a thud.

This is a light black mineral with a surface covered with honeycomb-like holes, which emits a slight mournful sound in the sea breeze.

"What does your Witchcraft Cult mean?"

Xu Qi'an looked down and confirmed that it was indeed a genuine Mingjin Stone.

"Ha, you can go ask the great wizard yourself."

Irbu spoke with disdain, showing no fear because his true form was absent.

"Because the Witch God Cult doesn't want to see Buddhist School occupy the Central Plains, as this would benefit the Buddha and allow him to overshadow the Witch God Cult," Xu Qi'an speculated.

Irbu gave a cold snort, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"If that's the case, why doesn't the Witch God Sect send troops? Why not just form an alliance with the Great Feng and fight the Buddhist School together?" Xu Qi'an earnestly persuaded.

"Ha, dogs fighting, all that fur in their mouths."

Irbu stated his position with a cold smile.

"Then I don't need to thank you."

Xu Qi'an then put away the gong stone, fearing that Irbu would immediately escape, and asked as he bent down:

"By the way, how long have you been an enlightened being?"

Irbu said calmly:

"This Great Zhou Dynasty."

"You've been here for hundreds of years and still haven't reached the second rank? Useless! "Xu Qi'an laughed.

"Then you must know the first Director."

It would be a waste not to take this opportunity to find out about the first supervisor since we've encountered a high-ranking member of the Witch God Cult.

Irbu's tone turned cold:

"Why are you asking him? He's just a traitor. Those Non-Self kind are bound to have different hearts. That traitor is from the Central Plains; while traveling in the Northeast, he joined the Witchcraft Cult and was later accepted as a disciple by the Great Witch Master."

This surprised Xu Qi'an: "The first supervisor was from the Central Plains?"

Irbu hummed in agreement.

"His name in Zhongyuan seems to be Chai Xinjue!"

P. S.: Requesting votes at the end of the month. Um, I need to resolve some foreshadowing recently, but it's been so long that I've forgotten some parts, so I'll have to go back and look for them.

Yes, I'll correct the typos first, then fix them.