You Lost

The violent power contained within the waterspout made Xu Qi'an clearly aware that once he was caught in it, his body would suffer excruciating pain.

Moreover, being enclosed by a large amount of water is tantamount to entrusting one's life to the White Emperor.

Without the slightest hesitation, the ring of fire on the back of his head exploded with a "boom," like the flash of an exploding artillery shell.

After mastering the Vajra Divine Skill, the fire ring that forms behind the head may seem useless, as it hangs on the back of the head all day. In fact, it is extremely powerful and yang, and is specifically designed to counter yin and evil spirits, as well as water-based Law Technique.

Sizzle!

The "tentacles" wrapped around his ankles evaporated, forming a mist. At this moment, the waterspout was already in front of him, leaving him no time to use his Shadow Leap.

Xu Qi'an retreated as expected, using his speed advantage over the waterspout to create distance. At the same time, he gripped the Zhenguo Sword tightly, collapsing all his aura and suppressing all his emotions. He then slashed fiercely behind him.

The martial artist's premonition of danger issued a warning, forming a visual image—the White Emperor appeared behind him, baring his fangs and lunging to bite.

The gleaming yellow sword light swept away the enemies behind it with overwhelming force, scattering them into tons of rain.

No, it is formed from rainwater.

"Fake? "Xu Qi'an's pupils contracted slightly.

The next second, he was swallowed up by the roaring waterspout.

The White Emperor chuckled. This was a high-level Law Technique among its innate divine Divine Ability, capable of simulating a clone with the same aura as its original body to participate in battle.

The reason it hadn't been used before was due to environmental limitations. Even though it could extract water essence from the air, it would still take a considerable amount of time to condense a powerful clone. And this certainly couldn't be hidden from Xu Qi'an.

Now it's different; torrential rain pours down, and water fills this place—it's its domain.

The waterspout spun rapidly, and Xu Qi'an's body disintegrated inch by inch, like an ice cube thrown into boiling water. Flesh and blood were rapidly peeled away, exposing bones in many places.

The pagoda was also caught in the whirlpool. As the waterspout spun, the pagoda spirit tried to burst forth with golden light, but it was firmly suppressed by the water spirit.

The sword that guards the nation flies against the direction of the waterspout, attempting to break through the White Emperor's Law Technique on its own.

Xu Qi'an's body sometimes turned into shadow and sometimes returned to its original form, making it difficult for him to use shadow leaps to escape.

He was trapped in the White Emperor's Law Technique domain. After all, the Dark Gu had not yet reached the transcendent realm, and its ability to appear and disappear unpredictably was only possible if it was not suppressed by high-level Law Technique.

Asuro and the others felt a chill run down their spines. They were already walking along the edge of a cliff, unable to veer left or right, carefully maintaining their balance.

However, the water and thunder calamity created a favorable situation for the White Emperor, disrupting the balance they had painstakingly built.

"Zzz."

Bright, flamboyant arcs of electricity erupted from the horns of the White Emperor, and a ball of lightning rapidly condensed between the two horns.

Zhao Shou's expression darkened slightly. He flicked his Confucian cap with his fingers, gazed at the White Emperor, and said in a deep voice:

"Retreat three hundred feet!"

The air around Baidi City appears to be distorted, as if it is about to exchange space with other places.

But in the next moment, the distorted space smoothed out and remained perfectly still.

The White Emperor remained in the same spot.

The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree formed a mudra with his hands, and the image of Acala behind him made a synchronized movement, sealing off the space around the White Emperor.

Zzz!

The White Emperor thrust his head forward sharply, unleashing a torrent of violent lightning that illuminated the surroundings.

A powerful bolt of lightning, no less potent than a heavenly tribulation, struck the waterspout, instantly illuminating the muddy torrent and revealing the shadows of Xu Qi'an, the Zhenguo Sword, and the Floating Pagoda.

The surfaces of the two Law Artifact were instantly covered with scorch marks, and their light dimmed. They did not scream, but the rapidly declining aura indicated that they were not in good condition.

Xu Qi'an's body suddenly stiffened, then rapidly carbonized, his charred flesh becoming increasingly unable to withstand the "cutting" of the waterspout.

In the distance, Xu Pingfeng remained silent. If the puppet had eyes, they would surely gleam with ecstatic coldness, and a sense of relief.

If we were to pinpoint the biggest mistake and oversight in Xu Pingfeng's life's plans, it would be his eldest son, Xu Qi'an.

His growth was truly terrifying. From the tax silver case to now, only two years have passed. In these two years, Xu Qi'an has risen from a mere ninth-rank martial artist in Changle County to a second-rank martial artist, joining the ranks of the world's top martial artists.

All of this was achieved through the nation's favorable fortune and a series of fortuitous opportunity.

Xu Pingfeng's oversight was that, throughout history, no one has ever truly condensed half of the nation's destiny into their own person, so even Xu Pingfeng was unaware of the "consequences" this would lead to.

In the Warlock System, although a first-rank Warlock is the same age as the nation, he is different from someone like Xu Qi'an who can contain half of the nation's destiny.

The former shares the fate of the nation, existing on an equal footing, while the latter directly incorporates the fate of the nation into its own body, constituting privatization.

Xu Qi'an didn't care about Xu Qi'an's behavior before he entered the extraordinary realm. When Xu Qi'an entered the third rank and killed Zhen De, Xu Pingfeng was surprised, but still didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until the Battle of Jianzhou that he adjusted his mindset and began to regard his eldest son as a dangerous figure.

Even then, Xu Pingfeng still looked down on him, not believing that the eldest son was someone who could stand on equal footing with him.

Indeed, after the sealing of the supervisor, the defeat of the Great Feng was almost inevitable.

What kind of trouble could a mere third-rank martial artist like him possibly cause?

This mindset persisted until the extraordinary battle outside Xunzhou City, Xu Qi'an broke free of his constraints "overnight," advanced to the second rank, and won over allies such as Asuluo and Dizong Jinlian to protest against him.

He vaguely became the number one figure in the Great Feng, and a key player in the war in the Central Plains.

Xu Pingfeng had to admit that his eldest son had become the biggest obstacle on his path to conquering the Central Plains and becoming a Celestial Master.

He became a top figure who could compete with him on the same stage.

At this moment, Luo Yuheng let out a long roar, and the Earth Phase, which had just completed its tribulation, burst out of its physical body and suicidally smashed itself into the waterspout, causing the rapidly spinning waterspout to freeze.

Earth overcomes Water!

Immediately afterwards, Feng Xiang dragged the divine sword and rushed away, breaking into the stagnant waterspout, piercing Xu Qi'an's abdomen. The sword's momentum did not diminish, and it carried him out of the waterspout.

"Snort!"

Bai Di's azure pupils narrowed, and lightning raged from his horns, with bolts of lightning chasing after the flying sword and Xu Qi'an.

At the same time, its four hooves flew swiftly, blocking the path of the flying sword.

The heavenly tribulation and torrential rain struck her one after another. Blood flowed from Luo Yuheng's seven orifices, and her water element was on the verge of collapse. She was completely unaware of this and manipulated her flying sword to turn back.

Since there's no way to escape, then let's enter the realm of heavenly tribulation and live by facing death.

Seeing this, the White Emperor stopped and let out a shout:

"He's courting death."

Even it wouldn't dare to recklessly intrude upon this heavenly tribulation. A tribulation advancing from the second to the first level might not kill it, but it could definitely severely injure it.

Given Xu Qi'an's current state, he would undoubtedly die if he entered the Heavenly Tribulation.

Huff. Xu Pingfeng exhaled inwardly, then composed himself, regaining his calm and collected demeanor, and transmitted his thoughts:

"Still too inexperienced."

The Bodhisattva of the Gara Tree relaxed slightly and said:

"Seize the opportunity!"

The two were instantly killed by the heavenly tribulation.

At this moment, the churning clouds in the sky seemed to freeze, ceasing their lightning strikes, and the torrential rain gradually subsided.

The dark clouds were quickly tinged with a golden glow, which spread rapidly, transforming the entire cloud of calamity into a magnificent, fiery red sunset.

The final tribulation—the tribulation of thunder and fire!

Outside the capital, the Yunzhou army launched a massive offensive, with each battalion forming square formations. Leading the charge were infantrymen carrying various siege weapons, followed by artillery and crossbowmen, with cavalry at the rear.

Standing atop the towering, majestic city wall, Wei Yuan gazed out over the Yunzhou army on the plain. Confident that the army was a rabble, he looked back at the four thousand Xuanwu cavalry.

"Yang Gong was defeated by this iron cavalry?"

Zhang Shen, standing beside him, nodded solemnly.

"This army is unparalleled in its charges; even a fourth-rank martial artist would perish."

One of the leaders of the martial arts alliance was forced into battle to cover his fellow disciples' retreat and was eventually worn down to death.

It should be noted that the Xuanwu Army also has many experts, including several fourth-rank fighters.

Ordinary cavalry would be wiped out in a single round against this invincible force. They were equally formidable in sieges; abandoning their warhorses, this heavy cavalry became heavily armored infantry, impervious to swords and spears.

Neither muskets nor crossbow bolts could penetrate it.

The Xuanwu Army soldiers are all exceptionally strong and capable of bearing the weight of their armor.

"Not bad!"

Wei Yuan made a comment, then looked up at a certain spot in the sky. The next moment, a clear light rose, revealing a white-clad figure with fluttering robes.

Wei Yuan!

Xu Pingfeng looked down at the city wall from his high vantage point.

The moment he appeared, the experts among the city wall defenders, such as Zhang Shen and Li Mubai, tensed up as if facing a formidable enemy.

This is a second-rank Warlock.

"Years have passed, but your charm remains as vibrant as ever!"

Wei Yuan's smile was gentle.

He knew Xu Pingfeng, but back then he was just an unknown eunuch, while Xu was already a powerful minister who held sway over the court. At that time, Xu's faction was just like Wei's faction later on.

Later, just as he was beginning to distinguish himself, defeating the demons and barbarians in the northern border and becoming a rising star in the court, the Xu faction was already in decline.

Emperor Yuanjing supported Wei Yuan precisely to fill the void left by the demise of the Xu faction.

Xu Pingfeng smiled faintly:

"I know the formations inside the capital city walls by heart, and I can break them all in a quarter of an hour at most."

"Though you have been resurrected, you are still just a mortal being. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Wei Yuan remained silent for a moment, then sighed:

"For the past twenty years, you have schemed and plotted against me, secretly pushing me to my death, and now you have just started your rebellion."

Are you that afraid of me?

Xu Pingfeng was not angry, and smiled:

"Of course I'm afraid. You 'Non-Self match for me in cunning and strategy. But when it comes to leading troops into battle, I'm not as good as you."

"If you don't die, the Yunzhou army won't even be able to take Qingzhou."

"Back when you rose to power, I had already decided to withdraw from the court. The fact that we never clashed in the court has always been a regret of mine. Now that you have been resurrected, let's have a good showdown and that will fulfill my wish."

Wei Yuan glanced at the Yunzhou army, shook his head, and sighed:

"It's over!

"Today is the thirteenth day of Luo Yuheng's tribulation. This battle is over. I was resurrected too late, only catching the tail end."

Xu Pingfeng raised the corner of his mouth:

"I forgot to tell you, the war in the North is over, Xu Qi'an is surely dead. The capital is already in my grasp."

Wei Yuan shifted his gaze from the Yunzhou army to Xu Pingfeng, and said, word by word:

You lost!