Prelude

In the bedroom, Xu Xinnian, dressed in a white undershirt, sat at the round table, silently gazing at his elder brother beside him.

After a long while, he gave a bitter smile:

So, this was my elder brother's farewell before he passed away?

"But it doesn't matter. If you were to die, the Nine Provinces would be doomed. You're just going first, and our family might still be able to reunite."

Xu Qi'an said:

"Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe I can turn the tide. Have you ever seen your older brother lose? But I'm not very confident. Facing two Transcendent Rank, my chances of defeat are 99%, and my chances of dying are 90%."

"So I still have to come and see Erlang, then I'll have no regrets."

"You're a good younger brother, you've never let me down. I'm so glad I came into this world and have such a great uncle, such a great aunt, and such a great sister as you and Lingyue Lingyin."

Xu Xinnian opened his mouth.

"The situation is indeed despairing, but as the eldest son of the second wife, you should know this and bear the pressure it brings." He glanced at Xu Xinnian's dim eyes and encouraged him with a smile:

"After I go to sea, remember to assist His Majesty and the Grand Secretariat in relocating the people towards the capital. This is a difficult task, and it's the only thing you can do right now. Your elder brother is just a crude warrior who only knows how to fight and kill."

"When a great calamity strikes, there is only so much I can do; we need to work together."

Xu Xinnian nodded.

Xu Qi'an patted his shoulder and whispered:

"They're gone!"

"Big brother." Xu Xinnian suddenly stood up, looking at his retreating figure, and choked out:

"You're a good older brother too."

Xu Qi'an didn't turn around, but waved his hand.

The next moment, he appeared in Yeji's room. Because he hadn't concealed his presence, she immediately sensed it and opened her eyes.

"Xu Lang?"

Yeji was both pleased and surprised.

It should be noted that since their marriage, Xu Qi'an has spent most of his nights in the Lin'an room, and their intimate moments usually take place after dawn or just before sunrise.

"I have something to discuss with the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Xu Qi'an sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking Yeji's beautiful hair.

The room was dark, but by the bright moonlight streaming in through the window, Yeji saw her lover's somber expression. Her heart sank, and she asked no further questions.

"Good!"

She threw off the thin quilt, got out of bed, put on her embroidered shoes, squatted on the ground, pulled open the box under the bed, and then took out a bronze fox-shaped incense burner and two black incense sticks.

She pinched the tip of the incense stick between her fingertips, rubbed it until it shone, inserted it into the incense burner, closed her eyes, and devoutly chanted incantations. Then she took a deep breath and inhaled the blue smoke rising from the black incense stick.

A smoky, clear light gradually emanated from Yeji's left eye.

She turned her head to look at Xu Qi'an beside the bed and said with a smile:

Missing me?

Her voice was soft, sweet, and charming, like the way lovers would coax each other.

She swayed her hips as she sat on the edge of the bed, hooking her arm around Xu Qi'an's shoulder, her gaze full of seductive allure.

Xu Qi'an had no interest in flirting with her and said in a deep voice:

"The Gu God has emerged from the Extreme Abyss, and now there is good news and a hidden danger has disappeared."

The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox said in a sweet voice:

"Let's hear the bad news first."

Xu Qi'an looked at her with pity:

"The bad news is that the Gu God has set sail to find you, so I quickly had Yeji inform you."

' Yeji's' expression suddenly changed, she loosened her arms from around his neck, and her voice became sharp:

Don't joke with me.

"You chickened out so fast, "Xu Qi'an said irritably.

"You were the one who joked with me first, so put away your Charm."

After the Nine-Tailed Fox sat up straight, looking rather unwell, he told her Nine-Tailed Fox the future that Heaven Gu Granny had foreseen.

"I cannot attend to Nine Provinces and overseas affairs simultaneously. You must return immediately to assist your father."

The Nine-Tailed Fox has nine lives—no, eight lives—and is First Rank Demon Race, roughly equivalent to eight First Rank demons.

This is a force capable of altering the outcome of local wars.

With her around, only the Transcendent experts of the Great Feng could deal with the three Bodhisattva of Buddhist Order and focus on assisting Shenshu.

After informing the Nine-Tailed Fox, he comforted the sorrowful Yeji, and then teleported to Mu Nanzhi's room.

The most beautiful woman in the Great Feng was sleeping soundly, embracing Baiji.

After being startled awake by Xu Qi'an, she said in an annoyed tone:

"Speak your mind, don't disturb my sleep."

She knew at a glance that Xu Qi'an wasn't there to be intimate with her; that was the unspoken understanding between them.

"The Gu God has broken free of its seal; it's going to kill the Superintendent," Xu Qi'an told her. "I'm going to sea."

After a long pause, Mu Nanzhi finally gave a brief "hmm".

"You should get some rest." Xu Qi'an turned around, silently counting to one.

She abruptly threw off the covers, rushed over on tiptoe, and hugged Xu Qi'an tightly from behind, her voice choked with sobs:

I won't let you leave.

Xu Qi'an turned around. In the darkness, her eyes were red-rimmed, and tears streamed down her pointed chin.

At that moment, Xu Qi'an almost nodded in agreement, wanting nothing more than to hold the beautiful woman in his arms and cherish her tenderly.

He forcefully turned his head away and laughed:

You should know me.

"I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand," Mu Nanzhi buried her face in his chest and shook her head vigorously.

The room fell silent for a moment, broken only by her sobs.

After a long while, she wiped away her tears, pushed Xu Qi'an hard in the chest, turned away, and said coldly:

"Get out!"

Xu Qi'an laughed, and his figure disappeared into the room.

Unfortunately, Luo Yuheng had already gone to Leizhou, and they could not meet again.

Ah, this question undoubtedly stumped Chu Caiwei, who was considered a poor student in the Directorate of Astronomy.

I vaguely remember doing this problem before, but I can't recall the answer.

Fortunately, Song Qing was there. She quickly tugged at the drowsy Song Qing and scolded her:

"Senior Brother Song, His Majesty is asking you a question."

Song Qing then came to her senses and frowned, saying:

What is it?

"His Majesty wishes to gather Fate, what methods do you have?" Chu Caiwei was unusually quick-witted.

Although Song Qing has major personality flaws, he is undeniably an outstanding student. Among the six direct disciples of the Superintendent, apart from Chu Caiwei, they are all top-notch sorcerers.

He didn't think for long before giving his answer:

"Ordinary people who want to accumulate Fate must become Qi Refining Practitioner. If emperors want to accumulate Fate, besides what I just mentioned, there is another way."

"Your Majesty can allow the Spirit Dragon to gather Fate."

"Spirit Dragon?" Huaiqing asked thoughtfully.

Song Qing said:

"The Spirit Dragon is born from purple qi and cannot live without mortal emperors, but does Your Majesty know why every dynasty has kept a Spirit Dragon?"

The standard answer is that the Spirit Dragon symbolizes the orthodox Huaiqing Dao:

"Please speak."

"Because the Spirit Dragon can balance the National Fate, preventing the dynasty's prosperity from turning into decline under the influence of excessive heat, and allowing the National Fate to last longer. You must know that the rise and fall of dynasties is a law of nature, and nothing can escape this law," Song Qing said eloquently.

"The way the Spirit Dragon balances the National Fate is by absorbing excess Fate and releasing it when the dynasty's Fate weakens; this is its innate divine power."

"I once heard the Superintendent say that Yuanjing, no, Zhende, used Spirit Dragon to steal his imperial Fate, reducing his imperial Fate to its lowest level."

Using Spirit Dragon to gather Fate is something only emperors can do.

Song Qing continued:

"However, the Spirit Dragon is ultimately not Qi Refining Practitioner. The Fate it can condense is limited, unlike Silver Gong Xu who can absorb half of the National Fate into his body. Moreover, the Spirit Dragon is most likely unwilling."

Huaiqing said:

"I understand."

After seeing Chu Caiwei and Song Qing off, she immediately took out the Earth Book and, as instructed by Xu Qi'an, told the members of the Heaven and Earth Society about Heaven Gu Granny's prophecy.

At this moment, Li Lingsu was the most idle. When the Sage saw the letter, his heart sank.

[Seven: It's over!]

With Xu Ningyan over, the Central Plains are doomed.

[Part 4: Who would have thought that the Gu God's voyage was actually to kill the Superintendent?]

In previous discussions, they focused on analyzing the situation overseas. After Guangmen was taken away by Xu Qi'an, only Huang and Superintendent remained overseas. With the wisdom of the members of the Heaven and Heaven and Earth Society, they naturally considered whether the Gu God's voyage overseas was to seek out these two.

But what is the purpose?

Neither of these two should be the reason why the Gu God went to such great lengths to set sail.

Who are these two people in the Gu God Tu (蛊神图)?

Even now, Chu Yuanzhen still can't understand why the Gu God wanted to kill the Superintendent. Although the Superintendent was powerful, he was only a Heavenly Mandate Master. At this point, First Rank couldn't control the overall situation.

[Nine: Ningyan is in danger.]

Daoist Jinlian a concise and to-the-point message.

When he goes overseas, he will have to face two Transcendent Rank, and the pressure he will feel is unimaginable.

Everyone had witnessed the battle between Shenshu and the Buddha. Half-Step Martial God could contend with Transcendent Rank, but contending might not mean fighting to the death; defeat was only a matter of time.

Moreover, they are two Transcendent Rank.

[One: So, he has no time for us, everyone, please.]

The situation in the Central Plains is equally precarious, and not much safer than that of Xu Qi'an.

These Transcendent experts were facing three First Rank of Buddhist Order, as well as Transcendent Rank Buddha, and each of them was at risk of death.

This time, however, Xu Qi'an will not fall from the sky.

The capital city.

Late at night, Li Lingsu put down the Earth Book Fragment, pried open the arms of the beautiful woman beside her, and silently dressed and put on her shoes.

"Li Lang?"

The beauty in bed awoke with a start, clutching her chest with one hand and grabbing him with the other, scolding, "You're mine tonight, you're not allowed to leave."

Li Lingsu pulled her hand away:

"I need to return to my sect."

"Didn't the Heaven Sect close its gates?" She frowned.

Li Lingsu gritted her teeth, "I'll smash him open with my head too."

Having said that, he pushed open the door and left, Sword Control straight into the clouds.

His cultivation level was too low to participate in the Transcendent battles, something even gods couldn't help him with. But he couldn't bear to see his friends risking their lives on the front lines while he himself was comfortably sleeping with women in the capital.

Leizhou.

Shenshu fired arrows in succession, which exploded repeatedly in the ocean of flesh and blood, sending blood and gore flying and creating deep craters. But this could only barely slow down the speed at which the Buddha was conquering Leizhou territory.

How can we stop it?

Shenshu dared not approach because he was isolated and helpless. Once influenced by the Buddha's nine great Dharma Idol, and with the assistance of three First Rank officials, he would undoubtedly be defeated.

In the past, Shenshu Shu wouldn't have been afraid; Half-Step Martial God was immortal and indestructible, and even Transcendent Rank couldn't kill him.

But now, the Buddha is not the same as before. If he were to be controlled by him and taken to the Western Regions, even Half-Step Martial God would die.

In addition, the three First Rank Bodhisattva should not be underestimated. Although their Dharma Idol are not as powerful as the Buddha's, they can still influence the Shenshu.

What's even more troublesome is that not long ago, he used Confucian School magic paper to conceal his murderous intent and shot Guangxian's body with an arrow, which should have temporarily rendered him unable to fight.

But when the Buddha's Pharmacist Dharma Idol shone, it healed Guangxian's injuries.

The three Bodhisattva thus gained immortality.

At this moment, Liuli and Jialuoshu suddenly disappeared from sight and reappeared dozens of feet away from Shenshu. The latter quickly formed hand seals, freezing this space.

Seizing the brief opportunity when Shenshu broke through the spatial barrier, Liuli stepped forward, causing the surrounding scenery to lose its color, and the barrier rapidly spread towards Shenshu.

On the other side, flesh and blood surged wildly, intending to take the opportunity to get close to Shenshu.

The two Bodhisattva in Buddhist Order worked in perfect harmony with the Buddha.

Suddenly, a shadow rose from beneath Shenshu's feet, enveloping him. The leader of the Shadow Gu Tribe, who had been hidden in Shenshu's Shadow, leaped away with him.