An Army at the Gates

When Xu Pingfeng saw his eldest son, he was stunned. Judging from appearance alone, he did not think he would give birth to such a monster; it was definitely not his bloodline.

The humanoid creature fighting against the White Emperor had a cluster of beautiful flowers on its head, its body covered with black, cracked tree bark, and its limbs were wrapped in vines covered with tender green leaves.

That's not a human being!

It's clearly a tree spirit!

If it weren't for the floating pagoda, the national sword in his hand, and the immense power of all living beings, Xu Pingfeng would never have believed that the monster before him was Xu Qi'an.

Another point is that the aura he exuded had already reached the peak of the second rank.

This is without the blessing of the power of all living beings; his personal aura alone has reached the peak of the second rank, almost on par with Asura.

Of course, the gap between the peak of the second rank and the first rank is still huge, but with the help of the National Protection Sword, the Floating Pagoda, the power of all living beings, and the Gu technique, Xu Qi'an barely managed to "escape" under the White Emperor's control.

Xu Pingfeng finally understood why the tribulation battle had been dragging on for so long.

As the eldest son, he single-handedly rivaled Asuluo, Jinlian, and Zhao Shou, making up for the lack of combat strength.

Given the warriors' resilience and stamina, even if Gara Tree and the White Emperor overpowered their opponents, it would be difficult for them to kill them in a short time.

It's not that they aren't strong enough, but rather a problem with the characteristics of the system.

"Oh, you've rushed all the way to Chuzhou. It seems the war in Yongzhou isn't going well."

The tree spirit Xu Qi'an noticed the appearance of the puppet, and after destroying the water mine ball with a sword, he looked over with a smile.

Bai Di stopped and turned to look at Xu Pingfeng.

Gara Tree and Asura, among others, could not possibly be unaware that there was an additional bystander.

Just as Xu Pingfeng was eager to know the situation in the northern border war, they were also concerned about the situation on the central plains battlefield.

We mustn't fight to the death here while the city falls and people die there.

Xu Pingfeng ignored the eldest son's provocation and transmitted his voice to the crowd:

"Yongzhou has been captured, and the Yunzhou army is now marching towards the capital."

The puppet couldn't speak, it could only transmit sound. Furthermore, it deliberately chose to transmit sound to everyone, creating psychological pressure on Asura and the others.

A change in mindset can affect one's ability to fight, and for the extraordinary individuals of the Great Feng Dynasty, even a minor mistake could be the difference between life and death.

The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree exhaled:

"Good!"

The White Emperor grinned maliciously, very satisfied with the progress of the Yunzhou army. Once the Great Feng was captured, the Supervisor would surely die, and he could then successfully refine the Gatekeeper's spiritual essence, laying the groundwork for the subsequent great calamity.

Asuluo and Daoist Jinlian felt a chill in their hearts; it was indeed the ending they least wanted to see.

They immediately noticed that Xu Qi'an and Zhao Shou looked relaxed, without the slightest hint of seriousness.

Zhao Shou smiled and said:

Wei Yuan has been resurrected.

Asura didn't know who Wei Yuan was, and his heart remained heavy, but Daoist Jinlian's expression relaxed, and he smiled.

"Excellent!"

On the Central Plains battlefield, where the combat strength of the Transcendent Realm was roughly equal, with Wei Yuan in charge of the overall situation and strategizing, Great Feng was almost impossible for Wei Yuan might have, he had absolute confidence in Wei Yuan.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow.

Upon hearing this, Gara Tree's slightly relaxed expression turned serious again.

Asura, who had been observing his opponent closely, noticed the change in Gara's emotions before and after, and asked with some surprise:

Who is Wei Yuan?

He was asking about Zhao Shou and Daoist Jinlian.

Master Jinlian's evaluation:

"Skilled in overall planning and leading troops, and also possesses considerable talent in cultivation."

Asuro frowned, thinking to himself, "That's it?"

Zhao Shou added:

"He never lost a game of chess against the supervisor."

Asuro paused for a moment, then slowly smiled.

"Very good!"

He dismissed all his worries and concerns.

On the other side, Xu Pingfeng scrutinized his eldest son and telepathically inquired of the White Emperor, "What's his situation?"

The White Emperor subconsciously licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with greed and desire. "He possesses the spiritual essence of the Immortal Tree within him. The Immortal Tree is one of the ancient Gods and Devils, possessing unparalleled vitality throughout history, eternally immortal. Even the great upheaval of that time could not truly destroy the Immortal Tree. Compared to that, a martial artist's immortal body is but a minor matter before the spiritual essence of the Immortal Tree."

Mu Nanzhi is the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess, whose spiritual essence is eternal. In this light, the Flower Goddess's previous incarnation was the Immortal Tree. Xu Qi'an cultivated with her and seized the Immortal Tree's spiritual essence, which explains why he could grow stronger with each battle. Xu Pingfeng immediately grasped the key to this.

The phenomenon of getting stronger with each battle defies common sense. Climbing from the Subordinate Second Rank to the peak of the second rank has exceeded the scope of unleashing potential.

However, if Xu Qi'an possesses the spiritual essence of the Immortal Tree within him, and through his special "intention," he gradually absorbs and refines it during battle, then the phenomenon of becoming stronger the more he fights can be explained.

The White Emperor laughed:

"Don't worry, he has very little spiritual energy left. Apart from the Undying Tree itself, any living being can only absorb a portion of spiritual energy, and it diminishes with each use. I'm confident I can kill him before Luo Yuheng completes his Four Phases Tribulation."

Having once devoured part of the immortal tree's trunk, it has a lot to say on this matter.

Xu Pingfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief, his heart settling back into his stomach. As a Gods and Devils with an ancient history, and having come into contact with the Immortal Tree, the White Emperor's judgment was bound to be correct.

As everyone quieted down and the fighting ended, the billowing sandstorm had subsided without anyone noticing.

The tribulation of earth and lightning was safely overcome.

The next second, the churning dark clouds in the sky intensified, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky with a "boom," followed by a torrential downpour, with rain columns as thick as fingers cascading down, and the world filled with a misty rain.

Everything was blurry.

The White Emperor gazed at the figure blurred by the rain ahead and chuckled:

"Why do you think I'm so confident I can kill you before the Four Phases Tribulation ends? I'm waiting for the Water and Thunder Tribulation; this will be my home turf!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a bolt of lightning struck from the churning clouds, hitting the broken horn on its head.

This is not a heavenly tribulation, but normal lightning, though it has been tainted with some of the aura of a heavenly tribulation.

In the misty rain, streaks of twisted lightning radiated outwards from the horn, resembling the tentacles of a squid.

The White Emperor in the rain is like a king who rules over this world.

The capital city.

The city gates opened wide, and a train convoy drove into the capital along the official road, accompanied by pedestrians carrying packages and wealthy people riding in carriages.

At the city gate, Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy, together with the soldiers guarding the city, interrogated and identified spies.

In the deployment of defenses, scorching the fields and fortifying the walls is an important part.

Within the territory of the capital, there are two counties, Changle and Taikang, as well as more than a dozen villages and towns of varying sizes.

Both Changle and Taikang counties had 3,000 garrison troops, equipped with cannons, crossbows, and all other weapons. The two counties were connected to the capital, and they provided mutual support and assistance during battles.

But villages and towns lack the conditions for defense.

In order to prevent the rebels from exploiting the grain, the imperial court decided to bring wealthy households and landlords from villages and towns into the capital and collect corresponding entry taxes. This was a good thing that the landlords wholeheartedly agreed to.

Paying a portion of the money and grain to gain protection is certainly better than being robbed by rebels; the former only requires paying a partial price, while the latter could result in a massacre.

On the city wall, a large number of laborers were busy going back and forth, either reinforcing the city wall or moving huge stones, logs and other defensive weapons.

Artillerymen inspect crossbows and cannons to ensure they are functioning properly. Different branches of the armed forces inspect different equipment.

Infantrymen galloped in groups along the bridle path, conducting seemingly meaningless drills such as "reaching the assigned area in the shortest time" and "familiarizing themselves with the location of different weapons as quickly as possible."

With the active cooperation of officials, the deployment work is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Bureau of Astronomy.

Sun Xuanji led Protector Yuan to the "Song Party" base—the alchemy room, where twenty or thirty white-robed Warlock were busy, some refining steel, some forging iron, and some making gunpowder.

Sun Xuanji suddenly looked around, then his expression relaxed slightly.

Protector Yuan aptly voiced his true feelings:

"Luckily, Junior Sister Zhong isn't here. How dare these idiots, who only know how to do alchemy experiments, make explosives in the building?"

As if a mute button had been pressed, the alchemy room fell silent instantly. The white-robed Warlock silently stopped what they were doing and looked over expressionlessly.

Sun Xuanji's lips twitched slightly.

Song Qing, standing to the side, shrugged:

"Don't worry, I've spoken to Junior Sister Zhong, she won't be leaving the underground for a while."

Sun Xuanji nodded, pretending that the matter was over.

Protector Yuan glanced at Song Qing and involuntarily said:

"That mute guy, he's been secretly badmouthing us all this time! Bah!"

Song Qing's face suddenly froze.

Sun Xuanji and Song Qing, the two fellow disciples, stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. One of them took out a wooden yoke, and the other drew a cleaver.

Wearing wooden shackles, Protector Yuan was forced to stand as punishment in the corridor. Song Qing took out a disc-shaped metal disc about two fingers high and said:

"This is my new weapon."

Sun Xuanji remained silent, examining the disc-shaped metal, awaiting Song Qing's explanation.

"Its power is no less than that of a cannonball, but it's not meant to be launched; it's buried in the ground," Song Qing said, pointing to the protrusions on the surface of the metal disc.

"There are flints here. As soon as you step on one, the flint will spark and ignite a fuse. With a loud bang, both man and horse will be shattered. A sixth-rank warrior with copper skin and iron bones can only withstand two blows at most. If a fourth-rank warrior dares to step on it all the way, he will also be torn apart."

"By the way, I also filled it with a lot of white phosphorus. Once it sticks to someone, it's like a maggot clinging to a bone, impossible to extinguish, and it won't stop until it's dead."

"Unfortunately, white phosphorus can only be used in winter. Now that the weather is cold, there is no need to worry about it spontaneously combusting."

"This thing is called a 'landmine,' a name given by Young Master Xu."

He has recently been researching how to make landmines, inspired by a book called "Encyclopedia of Firearms" given to him by Xu Qi'an.

According to Xu Yinluo, this was a work he poured his heart and soul into (he was so pestered by these Alchemist that he just wrote it down haphazardly and perfunctorily). It contains some truly fantastical weapons, such as tanks, fighter jets, grenades, landmines, and nuclear bombs.

Song Qing was amazed by Young Master Xu's ingenious ideas, but the descriptions of the weapons were too simplistic.

Tank – a horse-drawn carriage with an iron shell and an internal cannon.

Hand grenade -- a cannonball that can be thrown.

Landmines – explosives buried in the ground.

Nuclear bombs—the art of boiling water.

After much research, Song Qing discovered that landmines were the most reliable and worthwhile weapon to study, perfectly suited to the current situation of the Great Feng Dynasty—city defense.

Tanks are not very useful; they are obviously expensive to build, and if you encounter a skilled player, they will most likely be destroyed in one hit.

Why throw grenades by hand when artillery can fire them?

As for that nuclear bomb, Song Qing didn't understand the connection between weapons and boiling water.

Sun Xuanji's eyes lit up as he listened, and he said succinctly:

"Quantity!"

"There are only eight thousand at the moment, all in the warehouse at the end of the corridor. I'd appreciate it if you could take them to the city defense troops, Senior Brother Sun," Song Qing said.

This was the limit of what he could do as an Alchemist, and it was also his revenge against the Yunzhou army.

On the flat and wide outskirts of the city, an army of 70,000 men marched mightily toward the capital, with the banners of Yunzhou fluttering fiercely in the strong wind.

Of this army of 70,000, only about 30,000 were actually armored soldiers; the rest were composed of militia and miscellaneous troops.

Both were composed of civilians captured in Yongzhou. The militia were responsible for escorting military supplies such as grain and artillery, as well as filling in roads and cooking.

The ragtag army consisted of able-bodied men selected from the militia, each equipped with a sword, who hurriedly rushed to the battlefield.

Both the Yunzhou Army and the Great Feng have no shortage of this type of military force.

However, the number of elite troops on both sides dwindled as the fighting continued.

Qi Guangbo, perched high on his horse, gazed at the majestic city on the horizon and exhaled slowly.

"We've finally arrived in the capital!"

Behind him were capable lieutenants such as Ji Xuan, Yang Chuannan, and Ge Wenxuan.

Upon hearing this, Ji Xuan and the others were filled with emotion.

Since the uprising began, more than three months have passed. The Yunzhou army has pushed the battle line from south to north, leaving behind countless corpses of comrades and enemies along the way.

Since ancient times, beneath the thrones lie countless bones; imperial ambitions and empires are painted with the blood of the common people.

Qi Guangbo spurred his horse, propelling it forward a short distance. He then turned the horse around to face the army and shouted:

"The royal army has been marching out of Yunzhou for more than three months. All the generals and soldiers followed me on the expedition, trampling across the Central Plains and successively occupying Qingzhou and Yongzhou. Now the army is approaching the capital, victory is in sight. Once this city is captured, the Central Plains will be ours."

"The day will be the day to be crowned king and appointed prime minister! Whoever is the first to rush to the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households."

"Roar!"

Tens of thousands of people roared in unison, their voices like a tidal wave, a truly magnificent sight.

Knock knock knock!

The drums thundered, and the army set off, charging towards the capital.

Half an hour ago, at Haoqi Tower.

On the seventh-floor observation deck, Wei Yuan, dressed in a blue robe with fluttering wind and graying temples, stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the four gong masters below, who were also known as the Gold Gong, Silver Gong, and Bronze Gong masters.

The number of people reached three hundred.

Wei Yuan's tone was gentle and calm:

"From this day forward, those who survive will be promoted one rank and rewarded with a thousand taels of gold."

"If anyone dies, I will personally carry their coffin!"

The Nightwatchers's blood boiled, his eyes burned, and he roared:

"I am willing to go through fire and water for Duke Wei, even unto death!"

Zzz!

A bolt of lightning, as thick as an arm, twisted and lashed across the sky, leaving two charred streaks on the ground, instantly drying up the rain in the corresponding areas.

Xu Qi'an's figure emerged from the shadow of a rock about twenty feet to his right.

Puff puff puff. As soon as he appeared, the rain above his head turned into a rain of arrows, a barrage of bullets, instantly enveloping him and leaving shallow pits on his body.

As a natural water spirit, the White Emperor's power is greatly enhanced in the environment of the ocean and torrential rain. The most obvious change is that it no longer needs to use Law Power to absorb water spirits from the air.

The overwhelming rain is like an extension of its limbs, ready to be used at any moment to subdue the enemy.

"Ouch! "Xu Qi'an grimaced, but he didn't focus on defending against the overwhelming attack. He disappeared back into the shadows.

Boom!

The stone he used to leap across the shadows was shattered by twisted, flamboyant lightning the next moment.

The two horns on the White Emperor's head continuously released bolts of lightning, their crackling sounds sending chills down one's spine.

Xu Qi'an used shadows to jump, or ran at high speed, lunged to the side, and rolled to avoid the terrifying lightning strikes.

However, the pouring rain was something he could not avoid no matter what. His qi barrier could not stop the White Emperor's water Law Technique. He summoned the Floating Pagoda, and with the natural hardness of the Law Treasure, he was able to withstand several waves of rain.

During this process, Bai Di relentlessly pursued and attacked Xu Qi'an, plunging him into an environment where "everyone is an enemy."

Time passed second by second, and Xu Qi'an's injuries became more and more serious.

He was completely overwhelmed, and all he could do was dodge; he seemed to have no power to fight back.

With a whoosh, the accumulated water swirled and rose, churning up mud and gravel, forming a huge waterspout.

The White Emperor closed his eyes, ceasing to engage with the scene, and his ears twitched slightly as he caught all the sounds around him.

In its perception, the world is pitch black, raindrops create ripples in the darkness, each ripple outlining a sound source, ultimately feeding back the real world into its mind.

In such a world, the slightest disturbance will be magnified infinitely.

This is the innate divine Divine Ability of the White Emperor's body.

Found it. Bai Di suddenly opened his eyes, his azure pupils fixed on a certain spot, and the waterspout crashed fiercely towards it.

Xu Qi'an's figure appeared precisely where the White Emperor's gaze was fixed.

Xu Qi'an had just emerged from the shadows when he suddenly felt his feet tighten, as two tentacles formed from rainwater wrapped around his ankles. Facing him was a waterspout carrying mud and gravel, hurtling towards him with the force of a thunderbolt.

His heart sank. Oh no!

Xu Pingfeng, watching from a distance, stood with his hands behind his back, his posture relaxed.

P. S.: Let me say it again, anyone selling side stories under my name is a scammer. My side stories are all free for readers, no charge whatsoever. Don't be fooled!