Resurrection on the Spring Sacrifice Day

After the Golden Core entered her mouth, Bingyi Yuanjun pointed to her disciple's brow and used her Law Power to dissolve the top-grade pill.

After the elixir dissolved, it did not flow into her stomach, but instead transformed into purple qi that lingered between Li Miaozhen's eyebrows.

This process didn't last long; in less than a quarter of an hour, the purple qi slowly receded, turning into a purple mark between her brows.

The purple markings are identical to those on the elixir, symbolizing the accumulation of medicinal power.

Li Miaozhen, with her fourth-rank body, was unable to fully absorb the medicinal power.

She quickly woke up, her vision clearing as she went from blurry to sharp. The first thing she saw was Li Lingsu, whose nose and eyes were red from crying. Li Miaozhen was momentarily stunned, thinking to herself, "Senior brother, you've come to keep me company too?"

Then, I saw my master, Bingyi Yuanjun, and my senior master, Xuancheng Daoist.

She then understood what was going on.

With a pale face and dry lips, she managed a weak laugh:

"Thank you so much, Master, for saving my life."

Surviving such a calamity should have been a cause for celebration, but seeing her fallen comrades filled her heart with a heavy weight, devoid of any joy.

"You are the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, one of the successors to the sect leader. It is my duty to save you."

Bingyi Yuanjun spoke in a completely emotionless voice:

"Your master and your senior uncle Xuancheng have come down the mountain this time on the orders of the Heavenly Venerable to bring you and your fellow disciples back to the sect."

"After the battle between the Celestial Person and the immortals, the Heavenly Sect sealed off the mountain, and no one was allowed to descend it again."

Li Miaozhen sensed her own condition; her internal organs were damaged in many places, and her physical body was in grave danger, but her burning Primordial Spirit had been repaired.

Knowing she was powerless to oppose her master, she remained silent for a few seconds before saying:

How will the Celestial Venerable punish his disciples?

Bingyi Yuanjun shook her head and said calmly:

That's the Celestial Venerable's business.

Li Miaozhen didn't ask any more questions, but turned to look at Li Lingsu and said:

"This disciple has only one wish. Qi Guangbo's surprise attack on Xunzhou City is urgent, and it is imperative to convey this information to Generals Yang Yan and others. I beg Master to have mercy and grant this wish."

Bingyi Yuanjun frowned:

"Having already died once, you still can't let go of worldly matters?"

Li Miaozhen looked once more at the battlefield strewn with corpses, her eyes filled with sorrow. "My friends are all left on the battlefield; I can't leave now."

The inability to leave refers to the heart.

Bingyi Yuanjun nodded. Fortunately, this disciple had already done too many "wrong things," so she wouldn't force her to suppress him out of anger or disappointment.

No, actually she doesn't have any emotions right now, not even anger.

Master Xuancheng did the same, but he added an extra condition. He took out a jade-green pill, handed it to Li Lingsu, and said:

"To prevent you from running away again, eat it."

Soul-Devouring Pill!

This elixir is unique to the Heavenly Sect. If one takes it and does not receive an antidote within three days, Primordial Spirit will be exhausted.

Those who are extraordinary are all susceptible to its effects.

As a holy son, Li Lingsu naturally recognized this pill. She stared incredulously at Daoist Xuancheng, her voice trembling as she said:

"Master, I am the disciple you raised from childhood. Doesn't your heart ache? Don't you feel guilty?"

Master Xuancheng remained expressionless, his tone cold:

Do you think your teacher would do that?

That damned Supreme Forgetfulness! Li Lingsu accepted the order and departed, disappearing into the azure sky on her flying sword.

He was now absolutely certain that his master's mortal desires were definitely not with him.

It's better not to stay at Tianzong.

The day before the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival is usually the most lively time for every household in the Central Plains.

It symbolizes the return of spring and the revival of all things. Every year during the spring festival, the imperial court would hold a grand ceremony to worship heaven, praying for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and national peace and prosperity.

On this day, people would also slaughter sheep and pigs to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, praying for a bountiful harvest this year.

This year's spring festival was the most difficult for ordinary people. Wealthy families did not change their offerings, but poor families could only use straw offerings instead.

As for the imperial court, it seems that neither officials nor the general public were in the mood for holding a grand spring festival ceremony.

It wasn't a matter of lacking money; no matter how strapped the court was, it wouldn't be unable to hold the Spring Festival Ceremony. The real problem was the war in Yongzhou, which was causing great anxiety.

Eight days have passed since Luo Yuheng underwent his tribulation. During this time, the battle in Yongzhou can no longer be described simply as "tragic" or "fierce".

First, the Yunzhou army launched a surprise attack on Xunzhou, leaving only 3,000 of the city's 20,000 defenders dead. Yang Gong, the former governor of Qingzhou and now the general of Yongzhou, lost an arm in the battle to defend the city, and the entire Flying Beast Cavalry of the Xin Gu tribe was wiped out.

At the critical moment of Xunzhou, Xu Xinnian and other troops who were patrolling the defense line rushed back to provide support. Yang Gong, who was severely wounded, made a decisive decision and personally led the remaining garrison out of the city to attack the Yunzhou army from both inside and outside with the reinforcements.

Having failed in his surprise attack on Xunzhou, Qi Guangbo, the commander of Yunzhou, had no choice but to grit his teeth and order his elite central army to engage in a fierce battle with the Great Feng.

The two sides fought fiercely outside Xunzhou City for a day and a night, with blood flowing like a river. According to the intelligence reports sent back to the capital, the corpses of men and horses piled up to such an exaggerated degree that the cavalry could not move forward, forming a natural chevaux-de-frise barrier.

This battle originally offered a chance to capture the central army of Yunzhou, and if successful, it might have become one of the turning points in the war in the Central Plains.

Until a formidable cavalry force appeared, barging into the battlefield with an almost unreasonable ferocity, and with the cooperation of the Yunzhou central army, repeatedly pierced through the Great Feng cavalry from both inside and outside.

The Great Feng had initially held a significant advantage, found it difficult to contend with this cavalry force on flat ground and had no choice but to retreat back into the city, where they were finally able to catch their breath.

This cavalry force is now firmly remembered and deeply imprinted in the minds of the officials of the Great Feng court; it is called the "Xuanwu Army".

It had never appeared on the battlefield of Qingzhou, but it became famous in one battle, becoming the nightmare of the Great Feng. Even the officials of the court couldn't help but feel their scalps tingle when they heard the three words "Xuanwu Army".

Qi Guangbo was determined to capture Xunzhou. That night, he launched another attack, committing troops at any cost. By dawn, Xunzhou had fallen.

When the Great Feng withdrew from Xunzhou, Yang Gong, Zhang Shen, and Li Mubai, three great Confucian scholars, led 800 men to cover the rear. The great Confucian scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy were highly skilled and unpredictable, and successfully covered the retreat of the Great Feng garrison.

However, due to Yang Gong's frequent use of the Law Follows Speech become law" technique, coupled with his serious injuries, the backlash from the Law Technique caused internal and external injuries to erupt. After retreating to Yongzhou City, he fell into a coma and his life hung by a thread.

This battle wiped out the remaining elite troops of the Great Feng. Since the autumn harvest, half of the 100,000-strong army had died in Jingshan City, leaving the Great Feng elite forces in dire straits.

During the Battle of Qingzhou, the imperial court mobilized troops, sending almost all the elite forces that could be mobilized from various prefectures and garrisons to Qingzhou.

As a result, nearly 50,000 men died on the battlefield, and the remnants retreated to Yongzhou.

After the empress ascended the throne, the Minister of War gritted his teeth and transferred another 10,000 troops from several nearby states.

The battle of Xunzhou nearly wiped out even our last remaining resources.

Meanwhile, the Wulin Alliance, Li Miaozhen, and other righteous armies were also annihilated in this brutal siege battle that will surely be recorded in history.

The Martial Alliance lost two fourth-rank leaders, and 80% of its followers were killed or wounded. In particular, Li Miaozhen's Flying Swallow Army was completely wiped out, and she and her senior brother Li Lingsu were taken back to the sect by the elders of the Heavenly Sect and have not been heard from since.

After the fall of Xunzhou, the Yunzhou army completely ceased operations and entered into a stalemate with the Great Feng.

When the Yunzhou army marched out of Yunzhou, it had a total of 60,000 elite troops, divided into three armies: left, center, and right. These were all elite troops, not including the militia.

After capturing Qingzhou, with its abundant reserves of money and food, it recruited martial arts figures and refugees, expanding its military strength to 100,000. This resulted in the Yunzhou army growing larger and larger, while the Great Feng dwindled in number with each battle.

The Great Feng Kingdom's treasury was empty, and there was a famine of displaced people. Yunzhou came prepared, having accumulated reserves over twenty years.

What truly matters is the foundation and resources.

In the Battle of Qingzhou, the Yunzhou army appeared larger and more numerous at first glance, but in reality, the 30,000 elite troops of the Left Army had already been decimated by the Great Feng.

After the start of the Yongzhou campaign, the number of miscellaneous troops and elite forces gradually decreased until the recent fierce battle to capture Xunzhou ended, at which point General Qi Guangbo's direct central army was completely wiped out.

The recruited martial arts figures and miscellaneous troops are now few in number. The Vermilion Bird Army, which once galloped across the battlefield and soared through the skies, has been reduced to only twenty or thirty riders, and has been completely reduced to aerial scouts.

Currently, Yunzhou relies entirely on the main force of the Right Army and the Xuanwu Heavy Cavalry to hold the line.

This also reflects Qi Guangbo's change of tactics after the start of the Yongzhou Campaign, adopting a strategy of sustaining the war through warfare.

Yunzhou's cultural heritage is also finite and cannot be depleted indefinitely.

However, the battlefield situation has changed recently. Perhaps the fact that the extraordinary war in the northern border has not ended has made the Yunzhou army sense something ominous.

Qi Guangbo gathered all his elite troops and deployed them outside Yongzhou City; a great battle was imminent.

If Yongzhou is captured, the Yunzhou army can advance directly to the capital. Even if the capital cannot be captured immediately, Xu Pingfeng can still refine Yongzhou to increase the army's strength.

In addition to the tribulation battle that affected the entire Central Plains, there was also a supernatural battle that was fraught with danger.

According to observations by scouts and Nightwatchers, the old scoundrel of the martial arts alliance was ambushed by Xu Pingfeng several times and forcibly teleported to Qingzhou.

This second-rank peak Warlock wanted to kill the old scoundrel on his home turf. The old scoundrel was indeed a well-known master. Every time he was beaten, he howled in pain, but every time he was able to rely on his thick skin and tough flesh to fight his way back from Qingzhou to Yongzhou and make a comeback.

Compared to the epic duel between the two second-rank Warlock, the battle between Sun Xuanji and Ji Xuan was quite remarkable, and the spies didn't pay much attention to it.

Inside the Imperial Study.

The gray-haired Minister of War tearfully pleaded with the Empress:

"Your Majesty, apart from the elite troops stationed on the border, the Ministry of War really has no more troops to spare. All the troops available in each prefecture have been used up, and only the minimum number of men are being maintained to keep the prefectures stable."

"The spring festival is approaching, but it will be some time before the weather warms up. We need troops to suppress the displaced people and bandits. If we deplete the garrison's forces, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Qian Qingshu stepped forward and rebuked:

"The great battle of Yongzhou is imminent, but the defending forces are insufficient to hold Yongzhou. If the Yunzhou army successfully captures Yongzhou, their next step will be to march on the capital. What else can we do now but rob Peter to pay Paul?"

The officials were arguing fiercely in the imperial study.

At this stage of the war, even these old foxes could no longer remain calm.

After the major case, the Empress, with her imposing demeanor, gently raised her eyes, glanced at the Minister of War, and said calmly:

"I'll mobilize troops as I'm told. I don't want to hear any reasons; I just want obedient people."

The Minister of War felt a chill run down his spine and said dejectedly:

"Your subject understands."

The officials looked at each other in bewilderment, and the noise gradually subsided. The Minister of War was one of Wei Yuan's most trusted advisors, and His Majesty was now reprimanding him without any regard for sentimentality.

Huaiqing looked around at his ministers and slowly said:

"Let the Yunzhou army fight if they want. In five days, the Imperial Preceptor's tribulation will be over. Within five days, the Yunzhou army cannot possibly reach the capital. And after five days, the Imperial Preceptor will be successfully promoted to the first rank, and we will still have a chance."

"Conversely, if everything falls into place, whether the Yunzhou army captures Yongzhou or not becomes irrelevant."

Whether the Great Feng survives or perishes depends on the circumstances. The officials have mixed feelings, some worried, some hopeful, and some pessimistic.

Huaiqing continued:

"Tomorrow is the spring sacrifice. I will have my uncle, Prince Yu, perform the sacrifice for me. I have other important matters to attend to, so I will not participate."

The officials felt it was inappropriate, but upon honesty, they realized they were also in no mood for the spring festival. Putting themselves in the Empress's shoes, they could understand her feelings.

Therefore, no one offered advice.

Spring Festival Day.

A luxurious carriage made of Phoebe zhennan wood slowly came to a stop outside the Star-Gazing Tower.

Just as the officials of the capital were participating in the spring sacrifice, Huaiqing, the emperor, dressed in bright yellow casual clothes, stepped off his carriage onto a wooden stool set up by the eunuchs.

She stood outside the wide square, glanced up at the towering Star-Gazing Tower, and then turned to instruct the eunuch:

"No one is allowed to approach the Star-Gazing Tower before I emerge."

The chief eunuch bowed and said:

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Huaiqing immediately entered the Bureau of Astronomy. She climbed silently from the first-floor lobby to the seventh floor, ignoring the white-robed Warlock who greeted her along the way.

Their pace quickened, as if they couldn't wait.

Before long, she arrived on the seventh floor. In the spacious alchemy room, Song Qing had been waiting for a long time. He bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, if you don't come soon, I'm not going to take responsibility for reviving Wei Yuan anymore."

"After all, I still have several alchemical experiments to conduct, and I'm really busy."

Huaiqing glanced at Song Qing, who declared, "The world is vast, but alchemical experiments are the greatest," and nodded expressionlessly.

"Lead the way!"

There's nothing to blame him for. Having been friends with Chu Caiwei for so many years, Huaiqing was already used to the kind of people her senior brothers were like.

That said, after Caiwei was "expelled" from the Bureau of Astronomy, he initially sent her letters frequently, sharing local delicacies. Gradually, he began to talk about disasters and people's livelihoods, and his words became less cheerful and more somber.

After that, I stopped sending letters.

The last time Huaiqing learned of Chu Caiwei's whereabouts was through the Earth Book, from Li Lingsu.

The greedy little girl roamed the mountains and fields collecting medicinal herbs to treat the sick refugees affected by the cold disaster, or every now and then she would contribute money to buy food to relieve the disaster victims.

The two entered the secret chamber. Song Qing opened the iron door, which even a fourth-rank martial artist couldn't budge, and saw Wei Yuan lying unconscious on the bed.

This physical body contains Wei Yuan's celestial soul.

When Zhao Shou used his Law Follows Speech Come True" technique to bring Wei Yuan back in triumph, the Confucian Sage's carving knife and the Second Sage's Confucian hat brought back Wei Yuan's celestial soul.

Then Nangong Qianrou produced lotus seeds, Song Qing refined the physical body, allowing the Heavenly Soul to perfectly integrate with this new physical body.

Now, as long as Wei Yuan's soul is recalled and his three souls are restored, he can awaken.

Xu Qi'an returned from his travels and gathered all the materials needed to craft the Soul-Summoning Banner, finally completing the task.

Huaiqing gently placed his hand on Wei Yuan's shoulder, and the energy pulled him to float in the air as Huaiqing left the secret room and headed towards the Eight Trigrams Platform.

Song Qing followed closely behind.

Upon ascending the Eight Trigrams Platform, Huaiqing's first sight was a circular array carved in cinnabar, its patterns intricate and densely packed.

"This is a soul-summoning array left behind by Senior Brother Sun before he left, to match the soul-summoning banner."

Song Qing gestured to Huai Qing to place Wei Yuan in the center of the formation. Then, he took out a brocade pouch from his waist and took out a large flag that was two people tall.

The flagpole was made of dark gold, porous metal, from which hung a jet-black flag, adorned with tiny, tadpole-like patterns written in gold powder.

"For you!"

Song Qing hurriedly tossed the soul-summoning banner to Huai Qing, as if it were a hot potato.

"This banner contains the deadly poison and chilling cold of a thousand-year-old corpse. Your Majesty has only a quarter of an hour. If you cannot summon Wei Yuan's soul after a quarter of an hour, then you will have to wait three months."

"Because the next suitable day for summoning the spirit will be in late spring, three months from now."

Three months later, Great Feng couldn't wait any longer. Huai Qing nodded and said calmly:

What else do I need to do?

Song Qing answered all questions.

Waving the soul-summoning banner, they cried out, "Wei Yuan, return to your soul!"

"Alas, this was originally Xu Ningyan's doing, after all, he is considered half a son of Wei Yuan, and the Blood Pill for his advancement was given to him by Wei Yuan. But His Majesty took over."

"Your Majesty, please don't think I'm being blunt. Are you familiar with Wei Yuan? If you're not, and he hears you calling him and ignores you, then you're doomed."

Song Qing is as annoying as ever. Huaiqing remained expressionless.

"You don't need to worry about this. Xu Ningyan entrusted this matter to me before going to the Northern Border."

After saying that, she walked to the edge of the Eight Trigrams Platform and raised the soul-summoning banner high.

Song Qing then lit an incense stick.

Just then, drums and music resounded from the direction of the imperial palace, signaling the start of the spring festival.

With a whoosh, Huaiqing waved the soul-summoning banner and shouted in a clear, cold voice:

"Wei Yuan, may your soul return!"

The empress dances with banners, her spirit no less than that of a young man.

PS: I updated 240,000 words this month, averaging 8,000 words per day, which is actually quite a lot.