Fate regulator

[Part Four: The Shaman God Has Been Born!]

In the Imperial Palace, in the Imperial Study, Huaiqing held Earth Book Fragment in his hand, his fingertips slightly clenched.

Although she had been mentally prepared for this, upon seeing Chu Yuanzhen's message, her heart still slowly sank to the bottom, her limbs grew cold, and she was overwhelmed by feelings of pessimism, fear, and despair.

The battle in Leizhou was fierce, barely enough to stall for time, while the situation overseas was even more perilous, with Xu Qi'an's fate unknown. At this critical moment, what could the Great Feng use to stop the Shaman God?

The Shaman God was the last to break free of the seal, but the two sides fought over the clam and the fisherman profited greatly.

Admittedly, Buddha and the Shaman God are competitors, but don't think you can use the principle of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" to your advantage and persuade Buddha to retreat. Great Feng Transcendent could indeed move to the northeast to hinder the Shaman God, but this would only be robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The result then will be that the Buddha's arrival in the East will be unstoppable, and the situation will not improve at all.

"Send word to the Grand Secretariat and the Nightwatchers's office: a great calamity is imminent!"

After a long silence, Huaiqing looked at the chief eunuch under his command and said something in a mechanical tone.

The great calamity had arrived. The chief eunuch's face was deathly pale, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. His body trembled slightly. He raised his trembling arms, silently bowed, and withdrew.

Wenyuan Pavilion.

In the council hall, several Grand Secretaries, including Qian Qingshu and Wang Zhenwen, sat at the table. Their hair was gray, their brows were furrowed, and their faces were solemn, making the atmosphere in the hall somewhat heavy.

The chief eunuch glanced at them, hesitated slightly, and said:

"If I may be so bold as to ask, do you gentlemen have any ideas on how to break this deadlock?"

What he really meant was, is there any hope for the Great Feng?

The reason they didn't ask Huaiqing but instead inquired with several Grand Secretaries was twofold: firstly, they dared not offend the Empress, and secondly, they might not receive an answer.

Of course, he was the Empress's confidant; the chief eunuch had been present at the previous Transcendent meetings and was quite aware of the situation.

Therefore, they understand the urgency of the situation even more clearly.

Upon hearing this, the agitated Qian Qingshu was about to reprimand him when Wang Zhenwen spoke up first:

"Once Silver Gong Xu returns, the crisis will resolve itself."

His expression was resolute, and his tone was calm. Although his expression was solemn, there was no panic or despair.

Seeing this, the chief eunuch felt relieved and bowed, smiling:

"I still need to go to the Nightwatchers's office, so I'll take my leave now."

As he bowed and paid his respects, he was thinking about Silver Gong Xu's past achievements and deeds, as well as the fact that he had supposedly reached the unprecedented level of Half-Step Martial God in the history of martial arts in the Central Plains.

A strong sense of confidence welled up inside me, and although I was still a little apprehensive, I was no longer anxious.

Wang Zhenwen watched his retreating figure, her face finally crumbling. She wearily rubbed her temples and said:

Even if we cannot escape this calamity, I hope that the capital and all the continents can remain stable until the very last moment.

Stability depends on the stability of people's hearts.

Zhao Tingfang, unable to hide her sorrow, said:

"Even His Majesty's trusted confidants have confidence in Silver Gong Xu, let alone the common people. If we don't cause chaos, the capital won't be in chaos."

After the Empress ascended the throne and a new round of reshuffling took place, the Grand Secretaries who rose to power or remained in power, while not necessarily of high moral character, were at least of good character and had no major problems with their private morality. Moreover, they were shrewd and calculating, so they were able to maintain a certain degree of composure in the face of such a terrible situation.

If this were during the Yuanjing, the court and the people would already be in turmoil, and everyone would be filled with anxiety.

Wang Zhenwen said:

"Under the pretext of investigating spies in the Western Regions, the city gates were closed, inns, taverns, and brothels were emptied of guests, a curfew was imposed, and channels for the spread of rumors were blocked."

While not many people knew about the impending calamity, there were still a fair number of them, and leaks of information were inevitable. This measure was taken to prevent the information from spreading and causing panic.

As for the provincial administration offices in various continents, they had received secret documents from the imperial court several months ago, especially the provincial administration offices and the subordinate prefecture and county offices in the major continents near the Western Regions and the Northeast.

The order they received was to sound the alarm and relocate the entire territory.

One hundred households form a li (里), ten li form a ting (亭), and ten ting form a xiang (乡). Each li head, ting head, and xiang head is responsible for the people under their jurisdiction, and the county magistrate coordinates the overall management.

Of course, the actual situation is bound to be more complex. People may not be willing to migrate, and officials at all levels may not be able to keep their duties in mind in the face of a great calamity.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

For the imperial court, saving as many people as possible is the best course of action.

Qian Qingshu said in a low voice:

"Do your best and leave the Heavenly Mandate!"

Upon hearing this, the scholars simultaneously looked south, rather than north, where the Shaman God was sweeping in.

The Nightwatchers's office.

With a sword at her waist, Nangong Qianrou rushed up to Righteous Qi Tower filled with anxiety, only to find that Wei Yuan was not in the tea room.

This made him swallow back words like "Godfather, what should we do?" After a moment's hesitation, Nangong Qianrou strode towards the watchtower on the left side of the tea room and looked towards the palace.

Phoenix Resting Palace.

The Empress Dowager, in a good mood, was leaning against the couch, reading a book, with flower tea and pastries on the small tea table in front of her.

The room was warm and cozy, and the Empress Dowager, dressed in a brightly colored palace gown, with delicately painted eyebrows, looked even younger than before, her beauty captivating.

As she put down her book and picked up her teacup to savor the tea, she suddenly noticed a figure outside the door, dressed in a dark blue robe, with graying temples and handsome features.

"Why are you here?"

A smile unconsciously appeared on the Empress Dowager's face.

Wei Yuan usually did not come to the Phoenix Resting Palace in the morning, unless it was a day off.

"Nothing to do!"

Wei Yuan walked to the soft couch and sat down, holding the Empress Dowager's hand gently, and said:

I want to spend more time with you.

The Empress Dowager first frowned, then relaxed, adjusted her posture, gently nestled in his arms, and softly murmured "Mmm".

The two tacitly drank tea, read books, and chatted occasionally, enjoying the quiet time.

This might be their final moments.

Leizhou.

Dark red flesh and blood, like a world-ending flood, engulfed the earth, mountains, and rivers.

Shenshu's pitch-black Dharma Idol retreated continuously. Since their initial exchange, he and the Transcendent experts from Great Feng had retreated nearly a hundred miles.

Despite their despair, their resistance could only slow down the Buddha's encroachment on Leizhou; it could not stop it.

Without the assistance of Half-Step Martial God level expert, the fall of Leizhou was only a matter of time.

If I remember correctly, there's a city seventy miles further back. I wonder if the people in the city have evacuated. No, it's impossible for everyone to have evacuated. Li Miaozhen glanced at Asuro and Kou Yangzhou, who were locked in a fierce battle with the Jialuoshu.

He glanced at Zhao Shou and the others, who were constantly applying status effects to Shenshu, but were themselves teetering on the brink of death and could be ambushed by the Bodhisattva Liuli at any moment.

He glanced at Luo Yuheng, who had repeatedly targeted Guangxian but was rescued time and again by the Bodhisattva Liuli, returning empty-handed.

Anxiety gradually rose in my heart, and I couldn't help but think of Xu Qi'an had gone to sea.

"You must survive!" she thought, as a familiar feeling of palpitation washed over her.

Li Miaozhen summoned the Earth Book Fragment with a thought, glanced at it, and then her expression suddenly changed. She blurted out:

"The Shaman God has broken free from the seal."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it caused the two sides in their fierce battle to pause for a moment, and then tacitly separate.

Then, Asuro, covered in blood but feeling exhilarated, Daoist Jinlian, whose eyes showed signs of exhaustion, Hengyuan, whose right arm was broken, all took out the Earth Book Fragment and examined the message.

The contents of Chu Yuanzhen's Number Four were displayed on the jade mirror.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society felt a chill in their hearts, and their expressions turned solemn.

Their expressions chilled the hearts of Zhao Shou Yang Gong and other Transcendent experts.

The thing I least wanted to happen, still happened.

The Shaman God chose this moment to break free of the seal, when the defenses of the Central Plains were at their weakest, and He broke free of the Confucian Sage's seal.

"Just as I expected, it's this time."

The Bodhisattva Guangxian murmured softly.

He wasn't surprised; in fact, he had already guessed that this Transcendent Rank would break free of the seal at this critical juncture. The reason was simple: a Sixth Rank wizard was called Diviner, and the Shaman God possessed the ability to seize the opportunity.

The Bodhisattva Guangxian clasped his hands together, chanted the Buddha's name, and smiled.

"Gentlemen, you have two paths."

Li Miaozhen and the others looked over.

Bodhisattva Guangxian slowly said:

"By taking refuge in Buddhist Order, the Buddha will forgive your mistakes and grant you eternal life and an indestructible body."

"Or, withdraw from Leizhou and cede this vast territory to my Buddhist Order."

"Wishful thinking!" Luo Yuheng coldly commented.

Bodhisattva Guangxian said calmly:

"You have no other choice, huh? Do you really expect Xu Qi'an to return from overseas and turn the tide like last time?"

"Although Half-Step Martial God is immortal, it depends on who he faces. He faced two Transcendent Rank overseas, and even he couldn't protect himself. Perhaps, Huang and the Gu God have already arrived in Nine Provinces."

The Jialuoshu, with an arrogant and domineering expression, said:

"It seems that converting to Buddhist Order is your only way to survive."

"The other three Transcendent Rank might not let you off the hook."

Asuro grinned maliciously:

"Fine, if you and the Jialuoshu commit suicide on the spot, I'll consider rejoining Buddhist Order."

Li Miaozhen glanced at the still-fighting Shenshu and Buddha in the distance, then withdrew her gaze and sneered:

"My journey to Leizhou to intercept you is not for personal grudges, fame, or fortune, nor for immortality. It is because Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs."

Daoist Jinlian and smiled:

"How heartless Heaven and Earth are, treating all things like straw dogs! I, a humble Daoist, have spent my life accumulating merit, knowing only that humans have seven emotions and six desires, and must experience the eight sufferings of life, but I never felt that 'Heaven' should have these things."

Du'e clasped his hands together, his face full of compassion, and his voice loud and clear:

"Amitabha Buddha, all sentient beings suffer, but they are not playthings in a cage. Buddha, the sea of suffering is boundless, but Turn Back and Reach the Shore."

Yang Gong snorted:

"Establishing moral principles for Heaven and Earth is a matter for Confucian School. Those of Transcendent Rank rank who presume to overstep their bounds will not be permitted to do so."

Kou Yangzhou nodded slightly:

"Me too."

They stand here not for themselves, nor for the people of any country or region.

It is for the sake of all living beings in the Nine Provinces, for future generations, and for the future direction of the world after it has evolved to the third stage.

At this moment, Zhao Shou transmitted his voice:

"Gentlemen, I have something to ask you."

overseas.

With his five senses and six perceptions Obscure, Xu Qi'an was unaware of any danger, but in reality, he was already under attack from both sides and caught in the crossfire of two Transcendent Rank.

Above him is the Gu God, below him is the wilderness, and he is currently vying with the Seven Absolutes Gu for control of his body.

If he had just a few seconds, he could have suppressed the Seven Absolutes Gu and crushed its consciousness, but the two Transcendent Rank wouldn't give him that time.

The Pagoda Treasure Tower rose again, its spire adorned with a bracelet of large eye-shaped beads. Just as the pagoda spirit was about to make the beads light up, repeating its previous trick, it suddenly lost all awareness of the outside world.

It was also Obscure.

The Gu God can even Obscure magical artifacts.

Most fatally, the tower spirit was unable to tell Xu Qi'an what had happened, so that he would know that the teleportation had failed.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an, who had lost all sense of the outside world, suddenly felt a burst of energy beneath his feet and deliberately crashed into the Gu God above his head.

"Bang!"

Unable to fully control his body, the Half-Step Martial God crashed into the Gu God in a self-destructive manner.

The Gu God's massive body, as hard as iron, was slightly jolted by the impact.

Xu Qi'an, however, was unable to gather his strength or mobilize enough energy, resulting in broken bones, torn muscles, and lacerated flesh.

The force of the collision was like a resounding bell, shaking heaven and earth.

In the end, the Gu God prevailed. It quickly adjusted and began to gather its strength. Its massive body bulged with muscles and was about to smash Xu Qi'an into the vortex. But at that moment, the muscles on the surface of the Gu God's body exploded and its tendons snapped one by one.

This caused His body, which was gathering strength, to deflate like a punctured balloon, losing this fleeting opportunity.

Xu Qi'an's empty eyes regained their light, and he grabbed the Pagoda Treasure Tower. The large eyeball at the top of the pagoda immediately lit up, and he was teleported away from the attack of the Gu God and Huang.

He dared not underestimate the two Transcendent Rank in the slightest. The Gu God had witnessed his methods of dispelling "Obscure," and now that he was using the same trick again, he must have a corresponding way to stop him from teleporting.

So after being Obscure again, he no longer expected the Pagoda Treasure Tower to save him.

That collision was his way of saving himself; he used the Jade Shatters to save himself.

As for why it was the Gu God that was struck, rather than the Wilderness, it was simply a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Both Gu God and Huang are of the Transcendent Rank, but there is a fundamental difference between them. Gu God possesses seven major Gu Arts, has more methods, is more flashy, and is more difficult to deal with.

However, correspondingly, its destructive power will be relatively weak.

In contrast, Huang possesses only one innate divine ability, and this unconventional attribute is the most terrifying.

Even though Xu Qi'an is now Half-Step Martial God, he has no confidence that he can survive the innate divine power of the Transcendent Rank Desolate.

He grabbed the Seven Absolutes Gu on the back of his neck and pried it off along with its flesh. He initially wanted to crush it, but then he changed his mind and couldn't bear to do it. After suppressing the intelligence within the insect's body, he infused it with his energy to seal it.

Without the Seven Absolutes Gu, I've become a crude martial artist again. With a sigh, Xu Qi'an took out the Seven Absolutes Gu and casually tossed it into the Earth Book Fragment.

Suddenly, Xu Qi'an felt a chill run down his spine, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Fate!

He naturally understood the reason: the Shaman God had broken free of the seal. While he struggled to hold on here, unable to think of a way to save the Superintendent, the Shaman God broke free of the seal on the Nine Provinces Continent.

"Heavenly Venerable, your disciple begs you, please lend a helping hand to the Great Feng."

Under the Heaven Sect Archway, Li Lingsu's voice grew hoarse from shouting, but no one responded.

"Stop shouting."

A sigh came from above.

Li Lingsu looked up and saw that the person who came was his master, Daoist Master Xuancheng.

He seemed to grasp at a glimmer of hope and said urgently:

"Master, Master, please beg the Heavenly Venerable to help us! This calamity is no ordinary one; he will regret it if he doesn't intervene."

Daoist Master Xuancheng shook his head and said expressionlessly:

"I cannot influence the Heavenly Venerable's thoughts. Since the Heavenly Venerable has declared the mountain closed, he will naturally not take action. Even if you kneel here to your death, it will be of no use."

"Go back, and stop making a racket."

Having said that, the Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion Daoist Master Xuancheng turned and left without even glancing at his disciple.

Just as Li Lingsu was about to call out to her master, she suddenly felt a familiar palpitation. She quickly took out the Earth Book Fragment and examined it closely:

[Part Four: The Shaman God has broken free of the seal.]

The Shaman God broke free of the seal. Li Lingsu was stunned, his expression blank, his face gradually turning pale. Then, the veins on his forehead bulged, the muscles in his cheeks twitched, and the veins on his hand gripping the Earth Book bulged as he gripped it tightly.

The Imperial Palace.

Wearing a crown and a dragon robe, Huaiqing stood by the lake, silently gazing at the Spirit Dragon in the lake.

The mythical beast in the lake seemed uneasy, its black button-like eyes looking at the Empress with a mixture of wariness, hostility, and pleading.

"Gather my Fate," Huaiqing whispered.

The Spirit Dragon, its head emerging from the lake, shook its head violently, letting out a deep, powerful roar, as if threatening the empress.

But Huaiqing merely met its gaze indifferently, coldly repeating what he had just said:

"Gather my Fate!"

"Roar!"

The Spirit Dragon raised its long tail and slapped the lake surface in a fit of rage, creating towering waves.

After a moment of impotent rage, it straightened its body and opened its long jaws.

Streams of purple qi overflowed from the void and surged towards the mouth of the Spirit Dragon. The purple qi contained mysterious and profound elements that Huaiqing could not see with her naked eye, but she could sense that it was Fate!

The Spirit Dragon is absorbing Fate; this is its innate ability as a "Fate regulator."

PS: Requesting monthly votes! It's the last month, the last day. After this, I won't have another chance to vote for Xu Baipiao. You perverts, please vote! (doge)