The Balance Beneath the Standoff

"This is a strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain and defeating them one by one!"

Tian Fen was both shocked and furious after narrowly escaping death.

He didn't know how the sorcerer had managed to intercept him so conveniently, but if the other party had the ability to intercept him riding the Sky Shuttle, they must be able to intercept others as well.

The powerful cultivators investigated by the imperial court are being sent out one by one, and they will inevitably be defeated one by one.

He grabbed two mourning sticks, each as thick as a finger, feeling that everything had to be traced back to its source and killed in order to avert the disaster that affected him.

Zhang Xuezhou had previously flattered Tian Fen to extricate himself from the situation. When Tian Fen, with a grim expression, was about to inspect the inside and outside of Chang'an City, Tian Fen swallowed a pill, picked up the Imperial Shuttle, and soared into the sky.

Compared to Tian Fen's previous level of skill in wielding Law Treasure, this time it was more than double.

"Marquis of Wu'an is indeed a prodigy in cultivation!"

Even Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that Tian Fen was not to be underestimated, given that he had mastered the "Great Wind Scripture" and could quickly recover from near-death experiences in battle, thus greatly improving his flying skills.

Even though Tian Fen was forcibly promoted by the Empress Dowager, he truly had the qualifications to be promoted.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind being thrown off by Tian Fen.

"Cousin, cousin!"

Compared to Tian Fen, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Rong Tianding, whose cultivation was slightly inferior, was more reliable.

The Southern Bright Fire is especially harmful to spirits and other yin entities that are not encased in a physical form. It can burn not only people to death, but even yang spirits incarnate.

Zhang Xuezhou returned to his residence and invited people over; he also brought his magic staff.

This is a treasure from Fangzhang Island. Although it works sometimes and doesn't work at other times, having it is better than not having it.

"This is something the imperial court should handle; should we interfere?"

"They're fine as long as they don't flood our house, but they can't stand it if they flood this area!"

"That's true!"

Like Zhang Xuezhou, Rong Tianding was also a man of indifferent nature.

Even though he had noticed the problem with the rain beforehand, he didn't make a fuss about it or investigate further. Instead, he simply told the people of Zhang Household Village to pay attention to drainage in their homes, hoping that the imperial court would solve the problem.

Only after Zhang Xuezhou gave him a word of advice did he quickly follow Zhang Xuezhou.

"When Prime Minister Xu asked for help, he gave me a little Law Treasure. You can take it and play with it!"

The Flowing Wind Pendant was sent out directly, and Rong Tianding, who was running on the water, felt much more relaxed.

"Cousin, this treasure is amazing! Shall we go find Prime Minister Xu first?" Rong Tianding asked excitedly after taking the Liufeng Pendant.

"If we spot them, we'll look for them. If we don't, we'll fly towards the Jing River; they might be there!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded in response, and he murmured the "Treatise on Righteousness" as he rapidly restored his Law Power, a rare occurrence for him.

The Righteous Spirit Chapter initially restored one-third of Zhang Xuezhou's Law Power, and after further refinement, it restored nearly half. What's particularly useful is that this restorative power doesn't weaken as one's cultivation level increases like elixirs; instead, it brings even greater effects with continuous improvement.

Zhang Xuezhou can only use one-tenth or one-twelfth of his physical Law Power at the moment, but the Law Power restored by the Righteous Qi Chapter is restored according to his total Law Power.

Points of white light penetrated his body, and Zhang Xuezhou felt his body's Law Power rapidly overflowing. Even if he squandered his Law Power for a moment, it was difficult to quell the boiling within his body.

"By imperial decree, the gates of Chang'an City are temporarily closed; no one is permitted to enter or leave!"

The rain throughout the day silenced the bustling Chang'an City. The streets were deserted, and business in the East and West Markets was almost completely halted. The closure of the city gates did not cause any public resentment.

Zhang Xuezhou flew away from Chang'an City, but after only a short distance, he could hear the continuous sounds of horns and the sealing of the city walls in the distance.

Perhaps it was an urgent message from Tian Fen in his anger, or perhaps something else had happened in the palace as well, but the order to seal off the city was issued faster than Zhang Xuezhou had imagined.

The period of mourning for the Empress Dowager was already under heavy security, with elite troops from both the Southern and Northern armies being drawn from the Chang'an City.

Zhang Xuezhou sensed that this would be another search that would last for several days.

Regardless of whether a large number of Incantation Technique from the Yedie River Holy Land come to Chang'an City, every search uncovers a group of people. Apart from slightly affecting people's livelihoods, the only benefit of such searches is their effectiveness.

"Cousin, you're going to be fast asleep today, aren't you?"

Rong Tianding glanced back, still somewhat worried about the hassle of getting in and out.

"There are still two or three hours left," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "Regardless of whether the problem is solved or not, we should head back to the city when it's about time!"

With little time left before returning to the real world, Zhang Xuezhou inevitably sped up, increasing his hovering speed by another three points.

The location where he had previously fought Ao Li was now in sight, and Zhang Xuezhou could only see the Jing River churning endlessly.

Unlike the Wei River, which is turbid, the Jing River is clear year-round, and rarely becomes turbid even during periods of high water.

Countless raindrops seemed to fall from the sky, or perhaps be drawn from the Jing River into the sky, the continuous waters converging into one in the Jing River area.

"What a brilliant technique for drawing water and making rain!"

There is a saying that Technique Method is perfectly natural, and the rainmaking technique before us has clearly reached an extremely high level.

"Prime Minister Xu?"

As they got closer, Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the Prime Minister, Xu Chang, was located at the confluence of the Jing River and the sky.

Not much different from the surprise attack on Tian Fen, Xu Chang was also attacked and lay dead near the riverbank.

Two fine horses wandered aimlessly nearby, but there was no sign of Li Guang or Lu Bode.

"Prime Minister Xu? Prime Minister Xu?"

Zhang Xuezhou called out twice, but Xu Chang did not respond; he just lay on the ground groaning in pain.

"It seems Prime Minister Xu has also drunk quite a bit of water?" Rong Tianding asked cautiously. "Can we save him?"

"I just learned this skill, I can save you!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about the location where Zheng Wukong had used acupuncture to induce vomiting, and pressed down with two fingers.

After several unsuccessful attempts, he couldn't help but increase the force of his blows.

"It hurts so much!"

Xu Chang was lying on the ground groaning, suddenly cried out and rolled over to vomit as well.

"Demon dragon, you colluded with the sorcerers of the Xiong State to plot against us. When your rain-making Technique Method weakens and you stop, that will be your death!"

Xu Chang vomited repeatedly until his face turned red, then shouted towards the sky.

"A demonic dragon?"

If Xu Chang hadn't shouted, Zhang Xuezhou felt he would have needed more time to discover the origin of the water-drawing and rain-making technique.

He looked up at the sky and saw something seemingly slurring and spitting out amidst the swirling clouds, thus bringing forth the continuous rain.

"Prime Minister, where is Commander Li?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"Li Guang must have hidden himself and found a suitable spot to shoot, just waiting for the demonic dragon to come within range!"

Like Tian Fen, Xu Chang's face showed some shock and anger, but unlike ordinary people who would be filled with fear in the face of disaster, Xu Chang, Tian Fen, and others remained calm.

"Where is the sorcerer from the Xiong State?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"He was shot dead by Commander Li," Xu Chang said in a deep voice. "That sorcerer was naked, appearing and disappearing without a trace. If it weren't for Commander Li's magic-breaking arrow, I would have been dead here today. However, although he has been shot dead, I am still entangled in Incantation Technique, which have even tormented me to the point of unconsciousness!"

"If the Prime Minister isn't afraid of having his soul burned, my cousin has some tricks up his sleeve to break the spell!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked around.

He felt that some strange balance had formed in the vicinity.

Perhaps out of fear of Li Guang, these sorcerers did not reveal their bodies, but instead secretly waited for an opportunity to strike.

Zhang Xuezhou spent very little time studying at the Yedie River Holy Land, and was also in seclusion for spiritual practice. He had limited contact with many venerable monks and Dharma masters, let alone formed friendships with them.

Moreover, his appearance has changed over the years, so if a collision occurs, these people will not hold back against Zhang Xuezhou.

At this point, all he could do was offer more help and peace of mind.

If Xu Chang agrees, Rong Tianding can use the Southern Ming Fire to burn Xu Chang, and it might even backfire on the cultivator who released the Incantation Technique.