Chapter 69: Reactions from All Sides

Xiao Yu was not surprised at all by the result of Sun Jinbiao's crushing defeat.

Sun Jinbiao's personal military and martial cultivation were not as good as Marquis Lieyang's; this was an obvious fact.

The five hundred righteous people of the seventy-two fortresses were far inferior to the Fire Crow Army; this was also a fact, although Sun Jinbiao himself didn't think so.

Marquis Lieyang returned to Feixian Ferry from the Giant Elephant Kingdom, bringing more than two thousand cavalry.

They were indeed a fusion of the armies of multiple vassal states, but they were by no means "ragtag"; they were all the top elites of their respective countries.

Later, Huchen brought the Iron Cavalry Battalion and the Western Sand Garrison to join them, and they were all elites of the Shu Kingdom.

The temporary Fire Crow Army of more than three thousand people was definitely the best in the West in terms of individual quality.

Although there were only three hundred people left in the Fire Crow Army now, those who remained were the elites among the elites, and their strength and conviction had reached the top level.

Those who were unqualified and not top-tier had long been eliminated by the previous wars.

And those who remained after the one-in-ten selection, tempered by the great war, had already completed their integration with the three-thousand-man Fire Crow Army formation.

The five hundred righteous people were just the essence of one place; how could they compare with the "best essence of the West"?

However, Sun Jinbiao's defeat was so miserable that it still surprised Xiao Yu a little.

She was surprised by the true power of the three-thousand-man Fire Crow Army formation.

It wasn't that Sun Jinbiao was weak.

Didn't she see that when Sun Jinbiao was setting up the formation, Human Immortals like Dou Yilin and Song Zhong were watching from the side with great anticipation?

They were looking forward to the "Military Immortal" being able to rest and wait for the exhausted Fire Crow Army to have a good fight.

Could they perhaps sneak an attack from the side and pick up a big bargain?

If there hadn't been such anticipation, and if they hadn't had any confidence in Sun Jinbiao, they would have run away long ago.

Uh, now that the cruel result appeared, they froze for a moment, said nothing, turned around, and ran, fleeing in different directions.

"Cai Fengnian, you come to maintain the military formation; I will go and solve them."

Dou Yilin and the others were clean and neat; they didn't even leave a polite phrase when they ran away in different directions, and Marquis Lieyang didn't dawdle either.

He immediately disbanded the "Three-Legged Jin Wu Military Formation" that was as dazzling as the great sun, holding his painted halberd, his Red Smoke Colt as fast as lightning, and in a few breaths, he was gone.

Although Marquis Lieyang left, the three-thousand-man Fire Crow Army formation did not disperse.

It was just that the main formation commander was changed to Cai Sima, and the formation was changed from a wild goose formation to a square formation.

All the knights sat on their horses with solemn expressions, their swords and spears not put away, still maintaining a ready-to-fight posture.

On a hillside twenty miles south of Feixian Ferry, the Daoist boy Qingsong spat out a breath of turbid air and smiled sideways: "Not bad, not bad! Although the process was a bit tortuous and there were many unexpected changes, the result is quite satisfactory.

There is no need for Lord Protector and me to take action; Marquis Lieyang broke the 'Feixian Shoot the Sun' situation himself."

He was not alone at this moment; standing beside him was a refined scholar in a light blue deep robe and wearing a high mountain crown.

Clearly dressed as a scholar, looking not very much like a "Great Qin Giant," only "merely" eight feet tall, yet he was respectfully addressed as "Lord Protector" by the Daoist boy Qingsong.

He did have a "windlass sword" hanging at his waist that looked light and weightless.

"The process was indeed a bit unexpected. The hunting flag immortal Kong Zan, who should have become the biggest trump card of the Eight Immortals of the West, died inexplicably before the war started, but the result..." Lord Protector sighed slightly, shook his head and said: "I actually hoped they would force out Marquis Lieyang's limit early, preferably forcing the two of us out."

The Daoist boy Qingsong was stunned for a moment, then understood what Lord Protector meant.

The Eight Immortals of the West were just small fish; if the two of them could be forced out, it would inevitably be to fish out a big fish.

"Yue Tanxi, if things could be completely resolved so simply, we wouldn't have to wait until now." Qingsong also sighed.

He didn't count on catching a big fish at all.

The million-strong army of the Thirty-Six Nations Alliance had been swept away, and the western countries that formed the alliance had been destroyed one after another, or had resubmitted; Marquis Lieyang even killed the entire Ji family in Jin Yang... If the "big fish" wanted to move, it should have acted long ago.

At that time, the "big fish" could still endure; how could it not endure a mere ambush at Feixian Ferry?

"Does Lord Protector want to go over and take a look? Kong Zan died unclearly; I'm really a bit curious." Qingsong smiled.

Lord Protector shook his head and said: "No! Theoretically, I am still patrolling the countries on the east bank of the Liusha River at this moment. If I show my face now, it will be a bit shameless to meet the monarchs of the western countries as an 'Imperial Envoy of the Central Plains' later."

Qingsong nodded slightly, "In that case, it is not convenient for me to show my face directly either. Wait for Marquis Lieyang—eh!"

Both of them turned serious and looked toward the northwest.

Across a distance of a hundred miles, they could vaguely see the golden firelight of the Jin Wu sun.

"It really caught a big fish." Qingsong said in surprise.

Lord Protector muttered: "That fish is bigger than the Eight Immortals of the West, but not very fat, only a half-step Earth Immortal. Not even a Heavenly Immortal, what kind of big fish is that... They are too cautious."

"Earth Immortal?"

The Daoist boy Qingsong's face changed slightly, he narrowed his eyes and turned to the due west, and said gloomily: "Could it be Mount Wan Shou—"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lord Protector, who was usually calm even when encountering a "big fish," changed his face immediately upon hearing the three words "Mount Wan Shou," and hurriedly interrupted Qingsong, "Perhaps the other party just wants you to think so."

"But Earth Immortal—"

Lord Protector waved his hand and said coldly: "Heaven, Earth, Human, Ghost, and God—the five immortals; the path of the Heavenly Immortal is the most difficult. There are countless people in the world who retreat to the next best thing and cultivate as Earth Immortals.

Do you count every Earth Immortal you meet in the Central Plains as someone from Wuzhuang Temple?

The Supreme Old Lord is the Dao Guan Laozu; does every Daoist in the world who commits a crime have something to do with him?"

——But this is the Western Regions of Liusha, not the Central Plains! Mount Wan Shou Wuzhuang Temple, as the biggest "local power" in this region, is the most suspicious!

The Daoist boy Qingsong sighed in his heart, but his face was full of agreement, nodding repeatedly, and said: "I didn't mean anything else.

A few days ago, I even took a basket of Zhang Kunlun golden apricots to visit the ancestor Zhenyuan at the blessed land of Mount Wan Shou!"

Lord Protector was surprised again, "You saw the ancestor Zhenyuan?"

"Then I would have to exchange the Zhang Kunlun golden apricots in the basket for Heavenly Palace flat peaches." The Daoist boy Qingsong laughed at himself, "I spent a lot of words and waited for a full half-day in the pavilion outside the mountain gate before I could barely speak to the little thief Daoist Qingfeng."

"Don't look at Qingfeng as just a Daoist boy guarding the gate; he is also an inner disciple of the Great Immortal Zhenyuan, and can be considered a close person. You were able to see him, Mount Wan Shou still gave a pretty good attitude." Lord Protector said.

——I am a Daoist boy of the Zhengyang Palace myself; do I need you to remind me of the significance of a "gate-guarding Daoist boy"?

The Daoist boy Qingsong muttered in his heart, but asked with his mouth: "Should we go over and take a look? We must not let Marquis Lieyang fall here."

"Marquis Lieyang has already practiced a trace of Sun True Fire; he won't die so easily." Lord Protector said calmly.

"Sun True Fire... there is hope for a Heavenly Immortal!" The Daoist boy Qingsong exclaimed.

Lord Protector said disapprovingly: "Looking at the mountain from across the sea is still looking."

The Daoist boy Qingsong was silent.

The two people from the Central Plains were not interested in the battle at the half-step Earth Immortal level.

The western "crowd of immortals" who were also hiding nearby and watching the battle were shocked and very interested in the suddenly erupted "Immortal War."

"Eh, South Sea Divine Nun, you really came too!"

A cyan sword light shooting toward the west at high speed suddenly stopped, landed on the brown mountain rocks below, and bowed to the nun who was looking west.

The nun had a beautiful face, looking to be in her early thirties; although she wore monk's robes, they were elegant beige, and she kept waist-length hair, but there were no gold or jade hair accessories, only a plain ribbon tying her hair behind her head.

"So it is Daoist brother Xuan Zhenzi, this nun greets you!"

The beautiful nun turned around and returned the salute, smiling: "Meeting you here, Daoist brother, I still feel surprised. Why did you say 'as expected' when you met me? Did you hear about me from some fellow Daoist?"

Xuan Zhenzi didn't look like a Daoist at all.

He was ancient-looking, nine feet tall, with a refined face, hair tied in a bun, carrying male and female twin swords on his back, and three long whiskers fluttering in the wind, very much like a high mountain sword immortal. 【73】 But he wore a gorgeous brocade robe embroidered with silver cloud patterns on a large gold background, looking like a wealthy squire. 【74】 The Daoist didn't look like a Daoist, and the nun didn't look like a nun; this pair of friends was quite fitting. 【75】 "Are many western fellow practitioners here today? I haven't met many. The reason I said 'as expected' is because I know the relationship between the Divine Nun and the Dou family. 【76】 In fact, when Marquis Lieyang beheaded the Jade-Faced Wenqu earlier, I thought the Divine Nun would take action to save him." Xuan Zhenzi smiled. 【77】 The South Sea Divine Nun smiled lightly: "There are only eight western human immortals who swore an alliance with blood, but there are far more than eight human immortals in the western countries... more than one hundred and eighty. 【78】 They basically all received invitations, but just refused to participate. 【79】 Although they refused to participate in the 'Shoot the Sun Plan' at Feixian Ferry, they are also concerned about the outcome of this battle, so they are all watching from afar nearby, just like me." 【80】 After a pause, the Divine Nun added: "I do have some connection with the Dou family, but it is far from reaching the point of risking my life to save Dou Yilin. 【81】 In fact, I only met Dou Yilin once ten years ago. 【82】 He has a daughter named 'Dou Gengyan', who awakened the supernatural power of Sword Heart Clarity as soon as she was born. 【83】 Unfortunately, the Dou family is not an ordinary family; Dou Yilin holds the position of Right Prime Minister of the Lu Kingdom, is in a high position with great power, is extremely wealthy, and is himself a human immortal. 【84】 I originally wanted to save his daughter to become an immortal, but was politely declined by him. 【85】 This is the entire relationship between me and the Dou family." 【86】 "Dou Yilin regrets it; in the past few years, he has repeatedly released news, searching for the Divine Nun everywhere!" Xuan Zhenzi laughed. 【87】 The South Sea Divine Nun said: "Ten years ago, his daughter was just born and hadn't seen the wealth and glory of the world; taking her into the mountains might have allowed her to cultivate her character slowly, but now... sigh, perhaps this tribulation can help her cut off the dust and renew her immortal fate." 【88】 "So, the Divine Nun still hasn't given up on this fate." Xuan Zhenzi said. 【89】 "It's just a bit of fate with Dou Gengyan; it has nothing to do with Dou Yilin and the Dou family." 【90】 The South Sea Divine Nun looked toward the west, her pupils contracted, her plain face unable to hide her fear, and said: "Marquis Lieyang won; 'Thousand Shadows Ascendant' was not only defeated but directly beheaded... 【91】 Even if I took action to save Dou Yilin, I'm afraid I would just be delivering a good head to someone else as a merit." 【92】 Xuan Zhenzi also looked toward the west in shock, muttering: "Thousand Shadows Ascendant's realm is not as good as ours, but his seniority is two or three generations higher than ours, with nearly a thousand years of cultivation, and he is extremely good at stealth and assassination, mastering the great supernatural power of 'Hundred Forms and Thousand Shadows'; how could he not even have a chance to escape?" 【93】 The South Sea Divine Nun sighed: "Marquis Lieyang probably practiced the Sun True Fire! Sigh, he is only twenty-one years old! 【94】 As expected of the Central Plains, the land is spiritual and the people are outstanding; how many talents there are!" 【95】 Xuan Zhenzi let out a long breath and smiled bitterly: "Fortunately, the Great Qin's ambition stops at the east bank of the Tongtian River; our Tongtian Sword Sect will not have any entanglement with the Central Plains." 【96】 The South Sea Divine Nun said disapprovingly: "You should be glad that the Human Emperor Zheng died in time; otherwise, the Tongtian River might not be the limit of the Great Qin's vision." 【97】 "What, Human Emperor Zheng is dead?!" Xuan Zhenzi was even more shocked than seeing Thousand Shadows Ascendant being killed. 【98】 He had just rushed over from the Tongtian River; the journey was long, and when he arrived, Dou Yilin's speech had already ended, so he didn't hear the explosive news that "the Human Emperor is dead." 【99】 In fact, even if they had arrived early enough, most human immortals would not dare to get too close. 【100】 They only dared to look at the energy from a hundred miles away to avoid being caught in the crossfire, and could not hear the sounds at Feixian Ferry at all. 【101】 The South Sea Divine Nun said with a complex expression: "I also heard it from Dou Yilin; the news should be true, Marquis Lieyang did not refute it on the spot." 【102】 Her and Xuan Zhenzi's realm was higher than that of human immortals, so they could hear it. 【103】 "How could Human Emperor Zheng die? He is the Ancestral Dragon, protected by the Ancestral Dragon Energy, immune to all laws, with a long lifespan, and he is only two hundred years old now... there are even sorcerers good at looking at energy who asserted that Human Emperor Zheng will surely be another Ten-Thousand-Year Human Emperor. 【104】 Ten thousand years and two hundred, the difference is too far." 【105】 Xuan Zhenzi's heart moved, and he whispered: "Could it be, a fake death?" 【106】 "The Human Emperor is too far away from us; whether it's a real death or a fake death doesn't matter much. You should ask why Dou Yilin and the others could know the news from Xianyang City so quickly." The South Sea Divine Nun said gloomily. 【107】 Xuan Zhenzi still didn't ask, only sighed: "Great chaos is coming!" 【108】 "What does the chaos of the human world have to do with us mountain people?" The Divine Nun smiled. 【109】 Xuan Zhenzi shook his head and said: "If it were just the chaos of the eight vassal states, it wouldn't be a big deal, but the chaos of the Central Plains often represents a great tribulation of heaven and earth; hiding in the mountains or at the bottom of the river won't help you avoid the killing tribulation." 【110】 The Divine Nun smiled: "Are you and I short of disciples? Why do we need to go down the mountain and enter the world ourselves." 【111】 Xuan Zhenzi was stunned; was this to use disciples to carry the killing tribulation for himself? 【112】 That was thinking too beautifully; they couldn't even carry it themselves, what use would the disciples be? 【113】 Did they really think they were ancient Golden Immortals! 【114】 "To tell the Divine Nun the truth, I just want to find a random reason to expel the few inferior disciples under my sect as soon as possible. 【115】 From now on, bridges are bridges and roads are roads; I have nothing to do with them." Xuan Zhenzi said seriously. 【116】 Let alone finding disciples to carry the tribulation, if the disciples didn't bring disaster to him, he would burn high incense and be grateful for the protection of the Three Pure Dao Ancestors. ===== CHAPTER 70 =====

Yet he wore a magnificent brocade robe embroidered with large golden and silver cloud patterns, looking like a wealthy squire.

A Daoist who didn't look like a Daoist, a nun who didn't look like a nun—this pair of friends was quite a match.

"Have many Western fellow Daoists come today? I haven't encountered many, but the reason I said 'as expected' is because I know of the relationship between the Divine Nun and the Dou family.

In fact, when the Marquis of Lieyang beheaded the Jade-Faced Wenqu earlier, I thought the Divine Nun would intervene to save him," Xuan Zhenzi said with a smile.

The Divine Nun of the South Sea smiled faintly: "There are only eight Western human immortals who swore a blood alliance, but the number of human immortals in the various Western kingdoms is far more than eight... more than one hundred and eighty.

They basically all received invitations, but they simply refused to participate.

Although they refused to participate in the 'Project Shooting the Sun' at Feixian Ferry, they were still concerned about the outcome of this battle, so they were all watching from afar nearby, just like me."

After a pause, the Divine Nun added: "I do have some connection with the Dou family, but it hasn't reached the point of risking my life to save Dou Yilin.

In fact, I only had a single encounter with Dou Yilin ten years ago.

He had a daughter named 'Sending Dou Gengyan' who awakened the miraculous power of a clear sword heart the moment she was born.

However, the Dou family is no ordinary household; Dou Yilin holds the position of Right Chancellor of the Lu Kingdom, possessing high status, great power, and extreme wealth, and he is a human immortal himself.

I originally intended to guide his daughter to become an immortal back then, but I was politely refused by him.

This is the extent of my relationship with the Dou family."

"Dou Yilin has regretted it; in recent years, he has repeatedly released news, searching everywhere for the Divine Nun!" Xuan Zhenzi laughed.

The Divine Nun of the South Sea said: "Ten years ago, his daughter was just born and had yet to experience the wealth and glory of the human world; taking her into the mountains might have allowed her to slowly cultivate her character. Now... sigh, perhaps this tribulation can help her sever worldly ties and renew her immortal destiny."

"So, the Divine Nun still hasn't given up on this destiny," Xuan Zhenzi said.

"It is only a destiny with Sending Dou Gengyan; it has nothing to do with Dou Yilin or the Dou family."

The Divine Nun of the South Sea gazed toward the west, her pupils contracting, her plain face unable to hide her fear, and said: "The Marquis of Lieyang has won. 'Master Qianying' not only lost but was directly beheaded...

Even if I had intervened to save Dou Yilin, I fear I would only have been delivering a fine head to be used as a trophy for nothing."

Xuan Zhenzi also looked toward the west in shock, muttering: "Master Qianying's realm is not as high as ours, but his seniority is two or three generations above ours. With nearly a thousand years of cultivation and being extremely skilled in stealth and assassination, mastering the great miraculous power of 'Hundred Forms and Thousand Shadows,' how could he not even have a chance to escape?"

The Divine Nun of the South Sea sighed: "The Marquis of Lieyang has likely mastered the True Fire of the Sun! Yue Tanxi, he is only twenty-one years old!

Truly worthy of being a superior state of China; the land is rich in spirit and people are outstanding—how many talents there are!"

Xuan Zhenzi let out a long breath and smiled bitterly: "Fortunately, the ambitions of Great Qin stop at the east bank of the Tongtian River; our Tongtian Sword Sect will have no entanglements with the superior state."

The Divine Nun of the South Sea disagreed: "You should be thankful that the Human Emperor Zheng passed away in time; otherwise, the Tongtian River might not have been the limit of Great Qin's vision."

"What, Human Emperor Zheng is dead?!" Xuan Zhenzi was even more shocked than when he saw Master Qianying killed.

He had just rushed over from the Tongtian River; the journey was long, and by the time he arrived, Dou Yilin's speech had already ended, so he hadn't heard the explosive news that "the Human Emperor is dead."

In fact, even if they had arrived early enough, most human immortals would not have dared to get too close.

They only dared to observe the energy from a hundred miles away to avoid being caught in the crossfire, and they couldn't hear the sounds from Feixian Ferry at all.

The Divine Nun of the South Sea said with a complex expression: "I also heard it from Dou Yilin; the news should be true, as the Marquis of Lieyang did not refute it on the spot."

Her and Xuan Zhenzi's realms were higher than those of human immortals, so they were able to hear it.

"How could Human Emperor Zheng die? He is the Ancestral Dragon, protected by the Ancestral Dragon's energy, immune to all laws, with a long lifespan, and he is only two hundred and some years old now... there were even sorcerers skilled in observing energy who asserted that the Human Emperor Zheng would surely be another long-lived human emperor.

Ten thousand years and two hundred—the difference is too great."

Xuan Zhenzi's heart stirred, and he whispered: "Could it be a faked death?"

"The Human Emperor is too far from us; whether it is a real or faked death doesn't matter much. You should ask instead why Dou Yilin and the others could learn the news from Xianyang City so quickly," the Divine Nun of the South Sea said faintly.

Xuan Zhenzi still didn't ask, only sighing: "Great chaos is coming!"

"What does the chaos of the human world have to do with us mountain dwellers?" the Divine Nun smiled.

Xuan Zhenzi shook his head: "If it were only chaos among the eight vassal states, it wouldn't be a big deal, but chaos in the Central Plains of the superior state often represents a great heavenly tribulation; hiding in the mountains or at the bottom of rivers won't allow one to avoid the killing tribulation."

The Divine Nun smiled: "Are you and I lacking disciples? Why would we need to descend the mountain and enter the world ourselves?"

Xuan Zhenzi was stunned; was she planning to use her disciples to shoulder the killing tribulation for her?

That was wishful thinking; they couldn't even shoulder it themselves, so what use would the disciples be?

Did she really think she was an ancient Jin Se Immortal!

"I won't hide it from the Divine Nun, I just want to find any excuse to expel my few inferior disciples from the sect as soon as possible.

From now on, let bridges be bridges and roads be roads; I will have nothing to do with them," Xuan Zhenzi said earnestly.

Forget about finding disciples to shoulder the tribulation; if the disciples didn't bring disaster and trouble upon him, he would already be burning high incense and thanking the Three Pure Daoist Ancestors for their protection.