High in the Sky

"A direct confrontation?"

Upon receiving the news from Li Xi, the new emperor's heart sank.

The hasty interception was inadequate; how should we proceed with the follow-up?

The three arrows, gleaming with cold light, flew from the west, but that was all they did.

Li Xi hastily dispatched over a hundred men, but Li Guang's army, located in Wuzhou Fortress, was even further away, and it was likely that even fewer men would arrive.

Without causing widespread damage, the new emperor couldn't figure out how the court could fight the elite troops of the Xiong State head-on.

The fact that the Xiong State mobilized 30% of its top experts is not a large number, but the real threat lies in the personal presence of the three Sacred Land Lords.

"Don't glare at me! It's better to fight head-on than to be attacked from behind!"

The new emperor glared at Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Xuezhou, as if sensing something, quickly offered an explanation.

Compared to the interference of the three Sacred Land lords during the confrontation, the trouble caused by gathering these people in advance is actually less, and it may even deter the court's elite troops from making any rash moves.

Although avoiding war is somewhat shameful, not fighting now can prevent disaster, while fighting would only lead to getting bogged down in an uncertain quagmire.

Compared to the latter, the former is a better choice now.

"What kind of arrangement is this?!"

The new emperor slammed his fist into the ground.

He looked at the soldiers gathering around him, a hint of despair on his face.

Having rushed over mountains and valleys in such a hurry, many of these sharpshooters relied on their own two legs to travel.

The new emperor knew very well that he could use the Sky Shuttle to move forward quickly, but how could Li Xi and the others keep up?

The originally planned series of attacks ultimately resulted in a de facto division, making it difficult for elite troops to regroup.

In this situation, the outcome of a third, head-on confrontation is not hard to imagine.

"Li Xi, you arrange for the main force to launch a westward assault. The rest of you, follow immediately! Dongfang Shuo, summon the Heavenly Shuttle!"

Having understood the situation, the new emperor wasted no time. He arranged for Li Xi and his army to move as much as possible, while the others could also advance and catch up.

In this rapidly changing battlefield, the responsiveness provided by information is extremely important.

The great cultivators of the Xiong State could not withstand the barrage of thousands upon thousands of arrows, and the same was true for the cultivators of the Great Han Dynasty.

Without an iron body, no one can withstand a barrage of blows; a single moment of carelessness could be fatal.

The new emperor no longer seeks annihilation battles or ambushes; he only wants to put some pressure on the Xiong State's army to prevent them from being suppressed and attacked by the army's flying arrows after a prolonged third wave of hard fighting.

"His Majesty..."

Just as Li Xi was about to speak again, the new emperor had already stepped onto the flying boat.

A flash of light, and the Imperial Shuttle had already soared into the sky.

Li Xi looked up at the sky, his face alternating between pale and red.

"Pass on the order..."

The ambush at Mayi was disastrous, and Li Xi could hardly imagine the outcome of a third, head-on confrontation.

However, the sudden ascent of Zhang Xuezhou and the new emperor into the sky on Law Treasure greatly shocked him. It seemed that the strength of the court was not what was outwardly apparent, nor was it solely reliant on Li Guang and Cheng Bushi to support the Great Han.

Time is passing, and clearly new talents are beginning to emerge.

Having witnessed Tian Fen piloting the flying boat, this was the first time Li Xi had seen Zhang Xuezhou pilot it.

"No wonder His Majesty entrusted the Red Empyrean Sword to Dongfang Shuo. His abilities seem even more formidable than Prime Minister Tian's. Anyone would have to protect it with a powerful weapon to prevent him from being overthrown in court!"

Some people's abilities can be replaced, while others' abilities cannot be replaced in the short term.

The ability to control the Sky Shuttle is definitely one of them. The Flying Technique is a dangerous Technique Method that great cultivators abhor. However, the Flying Technique is only the beginning of controlling the Sky Shuttle. Flying yourself and flying with others are two different things.

Judging from their current ability to control the flight path, which resembles a swimming dragon, Li Xi felt that Zhang Xuezhou and the others were definitely seasoned veterans when it came to the Imperial Shuttle.

If one could fly in such a manner, the emperor would no longer be Gaogao to the imperial court, but would possess the true ability to tour the Great Han.

Li Xi had felt a sense of despair before, but now he felt that the future was still bright.

"Come on, everyone, cheer up! Walk as fast as you can! Whether we can make it to the front lines or not, we must participate as much as possible!"

As long as there are people blocking the way, these archers in Li Xi's army can take advantage of their long-range shooting. He was also full of anger at this moment, hoping to catch up with the tail end of the battle.

Occasionally, he would glance at the Sky Shuttle, which had already disappeared high in the sky.

"You'd better be prepared; if you're targeted during a confrontation, the Sky Shuttle will have a hard time escaping pursuit!"

Zhang Xuezhou has consumed five Law Power Creation Pills in the past two days.

On one hand, it's necessary for the body's Law Power to function, and on the other hand, Zhang Xuezhou always maintains the peak Law Power he can use and doesn't want to run out.

His needs were fine in the early stages, but as he entered the middle stage of taking the medicine, drug resistance and other issues would inevitably arise, leading to a significant increase in the dosage of the pills and the cost of flying, so as to avoid the new emperor constantly sending him around.

Only in this way could Zhang Xuezhou remain relatively secure in Chang'an City under the protection of the Demon-Revealing Mirror, lest he also suffer a similar fate if he were to make a mistake.

You don't need to crash many times; sometimes, one fall is enough to make it hard to get back up.

For example, regarding the current Empress Dowager, Zhang Xuezhou believes that the Empress Dowager's recent mishap is likely to be quite serious.

He warned the new emperor, and in his eyes he could vaguely see the convoy of the assault team carrying the Nine Dragon Cauldron moving forward. Zhang Xuezhou could even clearly see the Nine Spirits Primal Sage's three-zhang-long demonic body.

Flying over mountains and valleys saved a lot of time and effort, but the weight of the Nine Dragon Cauldron slowed down the assault team's pace.

When Zhang Xuezhou arrived again, he had not yet witnessed the third wave of attacks, but Zhang Xuezhou also could not find the third wave of lurking agents from the Great Han Dynasty high in the sky.

"Wait and observe, then look for an opportunity to strike!"

The new emperor lowered his gaze from the search, and after a moment, he gritted his teeth and nodded.

He wouldn't be so blind as to initiate a bloodbath, nor would he rush into the conflict the moment it broke out. Instead, he would seek opportunities to break in and strive to achieve the greatest results with the least cost.

If the situation becomes too dire, he might even remain on the sidelines until the very end, rather than simply getting involved.

After exchanging a few whispered words, the new emperor fell silent, only instructing Zhang Xuezhou to follow slowly to avoid being discovered by those below.

"Actually, we've already been discovered, haven't we, Daojun!"

"That's interesting!"

A phantom appeared amidst the high-altitude winds and waves; Dao Jun Yang Po drifted with the wind, yet steadily followed the Imperial Shuttle.

"I originally thought the Great Han Dynasty had some unparalleled masters, but it turns out it's just you wandering around here!"

The Daoist looked somewhat surprised.

He can recognize Zhang Xuezhou with a youthful appearance as well as Zhang Xuezhou with an adult appearance.

No matter how Zhang Xuezhou changes, as long as he remembers Zhang Xuezhou's aura, he will be able to recognize the other party.

"Daojun!"

The new emperor's heart pounded, and he almost gripped his sword tightly, ready to slash down at the Dao Lord.

However, he forcefully suppressed his instinctive behavior, after all, the two sides were not at odds at the moment, and Daojun seemed to recognize Zhang Xuezhou.

"You know I have a bit of flying ability, and this treasure is perfect for me, so I borrowed it and started traveling around," Zhang Xuezhou grinned. "If some great battle breaks out, it would be a stroke of luck if we could find some treasures left behind by fallen cultivators!"

"I don't care about your little schemes, I just want to ask you, what does the Emperor want?" Daojun said solemnly.

"How would I know what he wants? You might as well ask him directly instead of asking me," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"He's changed. He won't talk anymore; he'll only take!"

Daojun whispered.

Just as Daojun could recognize Zhang Xuezhou at a glance, so too could Emperor.

Although it was still the same appearance and body, Daojun could sense the changes in the core of the Emperor's body.

Such a simple replacement of the most powerful cultivator of the era made Daojun extremely wary of this emperor.

He also wanted to obtain more information in order to make a deeper judgment.