The Tribulation Battle

All the officials, nobles, and members of the royal family in the hall were focused on the figure in blue.

Wei Yuan is back.

The familiar blue dress, the familiar face, the familiar temperament, the familiar graying temples.

Inside and outside the hall, there was an unusual silence at that moment.

The greatest sound is silent; after the initial shock, silence follows.

Wei Yuan greets Your Majesty!

Wei Yuan walked to the throne and bowed with his hands clasped.

Huaiqing's gaze swept over the assembled officials, a smirk playing on his lips:

Why are you all silent?

Even now, the hall remained silent. No one answered the Empress's words. They stared intently at Wei Yuan. Some widened their eyes, trying to find evidence that it was a fake; some had reddened eyes, tears welling up; and some were overjoyed, trembling with excitement.

"Wei, Duke Wei?"

Liu Hong, the current leader of the Wei faction, with bloodshot eyes, stepped forward shakily, examined the situation carefully, and choked out:

"Didn't you die in the battle of Jingshan City?"

He voiced the doubts of the courtiers in the hall, who were skeptical of the newcomer in blue robes.

Wei Yuan had been dead in Jingshan City for almost half a year. Outsiders only knew that Wei Yuan had sacrificed himself for the country, but they knew more details. At the time of his death, his physical body was not brought back with him.

How can someone be brought back to life when their body is gone?

Wei Yuan smiled gently:

"It's just a case of the dead coming back to life; there's nothing strange about it."

So what if he died and came back to life?

The Empress added:

"After Duke Wei's death, Xu Qi'an has been trying to revive Duke Wei, rebuild his physical body, and forge Law Artifact to summon his soul. On the Spring Festival, I personally summoned back Wei Yuan's soul."

The officials then realized that the Empress had not attended the spring sacrifice that day.

I initially thought she was in a bad mood and had no interest in the spring festival, but I never expected her to secretly resurrect Wei Yuan?

It was Xu Qi'an who reconstructed his physical body and summoned back his soul. The civil and military officials suddenly realized the truth, and their doubts dissipated considerably.

It's not that they don't trust the Empress; well, they just don't.

Even though the Empress was exceptionally talented, she was still just a mortal. When she claimed to have resurrected Wei Yuan, the officials didn't believe her at all.

But if it were Xu Qi'an, the gentlemen would be willing to believe him. Because Xu Qi'an is a second-rank official, a top figure in this era.

"So, Xu Yinluo already had a plan."

"He's been secretly working to revive Wei Yuan for a long time."

"If only we had known, we wouldn't have had to worry every day."

After a complex discussion, the men felt reassured.

Unbeknownst to many, Xu Qi'an had already accomplished so much. That kid sometimes made people grit their teeth in hatred, but as the saying goes, when you're on the same side as him, you feel inexplicably at ease.

Seeing the courtiers begin to discuss again, with the core members of the Wei faction excited and incoherent, the Empress glanced at the chief eunuch.

Snap!

The middle-aged eunuch flicked his wrist, the whip striking the gleaming ground.

The courtiers fell silent.

The Empress's voice was cold and majestic:

"Let's leave the reminiscing for after the court session."

"Retreating to the capital is the Duke Wei's idea. What do you, my dear ministers, think?"

When the same question was asked a second time, the gentlemen fell silent.

They looked at each other, then glanced at the Empress, then at Wei Yuan. After a long while, Liu Hong, Zhang Xingying, and other members of Wei's faction shouted:

"We will follow Your Majesty's decision."

Next, Qian Qingshu and other members of the Wang faction expressed their willingness to obey the Empress's decision, retreat to the capital, and fight the Yunzhou army to the death.

They were not simply conforming to the prevailing trend, but genuinely felt there was hope. Even the Wang faction, who had previously been Wei Yuan's political enemies, felt as if a ray of dawn had pierced through the dark sky the moment Wei Yuan appeared.

From his early days in the Northern Frontier War, to the Battle of Shanhai Pass that shook the ages, and then to the autumn harvest when his 100,000-strong army leveled the main altar of the Witch God Cult, Jingshan City, the Great Feng God had never been defeated.

Huaiqing pursed his lips, his feelings somewhat complicated, and said:

"I thank all my beloved ministers for their assistance in working with Duke Wei to defend the capital."

"Dismiss the court!"

"Drive!"

The luxurious carriage sped through the streets of the imperial city, its wheels rolling, and the driver kept cracking his whip, not because he was anxious, but because the Grand Secretary inside the carriage was urging him on.

A sense of foreboding welled up in the coachman's heart, and he suspected that the old chief minister Wang Zhenwen did not have much time left, and that chief minister Qian was in a hurry to see him one last time.

Soon, the carriage stopped outside the Prince's mansion. Qian Qingshu did not give the attendants a chance to help him down, but steadily jumped off the carriage and strode into the mansion.

After passing through the outer courtyard and winding corridors, we arrived at Wang Zhenwen's bedroom. The Wang family steward accompanied us the whole way, saying:

"Chief Minister Qian, Chief Minister Qian, please allow me to report to Your Excellency."

Qian Qingshu ignored him and went straight to the bedroom door. Then he looked at the butler and gestured for him to knock on the door.

The butler did as instructed with a worried expression, whispering:

"Sir, Chief Minister Qian has arrived."

He dared not shout too loudly, for fear of disturbing Wang Zhenwen's rest.

Not long after, a young maid opened the bedroom door and whispered:

"The master invites you in."

Qian Qingshu stepped over the threshold and entered the bedroom, where he saw Wang Zhenwen sitting on the bed with a pale face, looking at him sideways.

Judging from your expression, it seems something serious has happened.

Wang Zhenwen exhaled a breath of stale air and said in a deep voice, "Has Yongzhou fallen?"

After the fall of Xunzhou, Wang Zhenwen suffered from insomnia and frequent awakenings, and his spirits became increasingly exhausted. Based on his experience and vision, he knew that the fall of Yongzhou was only a matter of time.

I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

After the fall of Yongzhou, the Yunzhou army will be able to march on the capital.

Qian Qingshu paused for a moment, then said:

"Yongzhou is indeed lost, but this was ordered by His Majesty, who said we should retreat to the capital and fight a decisive battle with the Yunzhou army."

Wang Zhenwen looked worried.

"This is a risky move. I understand Your Majesty's meaning. Fighting in the capital is definitely better than fighting in Yongzhou. The capital has abundant reserves of troops, city walls, weapons, and supplies. It can fight a protracted war."

"But she overlooked human nature. With a large army approaching the capital, it's bound to cause panic among the people and officials. Once morale is low, it's impossible to win."

"Brother Wang sees things very clearly!" Qian Qingshu sighed.

"When I heard today that His Majesty had voluntarily abandoned Yongzhou and retreated to the capital, I also felt a sense of impending doom. However, Wei Yuan has returned."

After he finished speaking, he saw that the Prime Minister Wang's expression suddenly froze, like a painting standing still.

After a long while, the old man twisted his neck, turned his withered face, stared intently at Qian Qingshu, and said, word by word:

"What did you say."

Qian Qingshu said solemnly:

"Wei Yuan has been resurrected. Xu Qi'an reconstructed his physical body. On the day of the Spring Festival, His Majesty personally summoned back his soul. Today in the court, I observed him repeatedly. He is indeed Wei Yuan. His appearance can be changed, but his demeanor, eyes, and speech cannot be imitated."

"Moreover, there are many skilled individuals among the nobles; if someone were disguised, they would have been identified long ago. His Majesty said that retreating to the capital was Wei Yuan's decision."

After listening, Wang Zhenwen was stunned for a long time before saying:

What were the reactions of the civil and military officials?

Qian Qingshu replied:

"They are actively participating in the defense and performing their duties. When the court session ended, I observed them carefully. Although their faces were still not very good, no one was pessimistic. Alas, as long as Wei Yuan is there, it makes one feel at ease when it comes to leading troops into battle."

"His return is timely; the hearts of the people in the capital can now be at ease."

As he was talking, he suddenly noticed that Wang Zhenwen had her head tilted to the side, her eyes closed, and she hadn't moved for a long time.

Qian Qingshu's heart skipped a beat, and his lips trembled as he shouted:

"Brother Wang?"

He reached out a trembling hand, his eyes filled with grief, and carefully checked her breath.

The next moment, Qian Qingshu breathed a sigh of relief, his expression relaxing.

She was just asleep.

The maidservant beside her whispered:

"The master hasn't been sleeping well lately. Even when he does fall asleep, he often wakes up startled, staring blankly with his eyes open."

Qian Qingshu nodded slowly and said softly:

"Take good care of him, and don't disturb him."

Before leaving, he paused at the doorway, looking back at Wang Zhenwen's peaceful sleeping face.

You can finally get a good night's sleep.

The North!

A figure in white robes flickered continuously amidst the rising light, each flicker covering a distance of three miles.

The white-clad figure looked exactly like Xu Pingfeng; it was an avatar he had created. Its essence was a puppet made of refined iron, inscribed with twenty-eight array formations, and its combat power was roughly equivalent to a master who had just entered the fourth rank.

Xu Pingfeng separated a wisp of his divine consciousness and placed it on the puppet, treating it as an avatar.

He can only control a maximum of two clones at the same time, one remaining in Qianlong City and the other carried with him.

If he were to spend too much time on him, it would easily distract him. Normally, it wouldn't matter, but he still had to deal with Kou Yangzhou, a second-rank martial artist, so he couldn't spare too much mental energy.

The war in the North was affecting the entire war effort, and the fact that the White Emperor and the Garuda Tree had not yet won made Xu Pingfeng sense something was amiss.

He had to see for himself what was going on.

Crossing the vast uninhabited area, looking into the distance, dark clouds and sandstorms that blot out the sky appeared at the end of the desolate plains.

Xu Pingfeng sensed the aura of the heavenly tribulation from the distant clouds.

Luo Yuheng's tribulation was indeed not over. Judging from the aura, it should be an earth tribulation. Xu Pingfeng reduced his teleportation speed and cautiously approached.

After all, this puppet was only at the initial fourth rank; a mere wisp of the Heavenly Tribulation's aura or a residual wave from the Extraordinary Battle would be enough to reduce it to ashes.

"Boom!"

As they approached within three miles of the Calamity Cloud, a terrifying shockwave surged forth like a raging tide.

Xu Pingfeng immediately set up a defensive formation, forming a hexagonal barrier in front of him.

Bang!

The defensive formation lasted only three seconds before being torn apart by the violent shockwave, sending the puppet flying and leaving its chest deeply caved in.

For a fourth-rank Warlock, such injuries would be enough to render them incapable of fighting.

But the puppet cannot die and feels no pain. Xu Pingfeng stayed close to the ground and teleported twice, finally arriving at the edge of the tribulation clouds.

At the same time, he also saw two battlefields, saw the White Emperor Xu Qi'an, and saw the Gara Tree, Asuluo, and Jinlian Zhao Shou.

The others were ignored, but Xu Qi'an's appearance left Xu Pingfeng bewildered.

P. S.: I'm continuing to write the next chapter, which will be longer. This war is nearing its end, and I'm considering the pace of the next chapter. As usual, check back tomorrow.

By the way, those sellers offering extra chapters are all scammers. Don't fall for it, don't fall for it, don't fall for it! I'm saying it three times because it's important.

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