Chapter 178: The Alliance of Powers, Close at Hand

Wuhetai ultimately failed to escape.

Lu Yuan naturally spotted the observation tower, such an obvious target, at a single glance. As he flew over at high speed, he immediately identified Wuhetai, who was clearly a person of importance, and then, with a casual flick of his sleeve, scattered over a dozen Heaven-Shattering Thunder down below.

Amidst a series of deafening explosions, Wuhetai and his personal guards were blown away; some were torn into severed limbs and broken arms on the spot, dying miserable deaths.

Wuhetai was a Six Realms Martial Arts Master with a physique and reflexes far exceeding those of an ordinary person. Although he was blown away, he only suffered moderate injuries. However, a strand of Sword Qi that Lu Yuan had casually pointed out simultaneously became a death warrant he could neither dodge nor block. After the Sword Qi flashed past, he was decapitated without even a groan, falling to the ground.

Even as his head hit the ground, he maintained a look of terror with eyes wide open, as if he had never imagined he would end up in such a way.

"General Wu is dead! General Wu is dead!"

"Run!"

"Immortal, spare my life!"

Once Wuhetai died, the resistance forces in Jin People City collapsed completely. All the young, able-bodied laborers scattered and fled; no one dared to resist or counterattack, and even fewer dared to face the figure moving back and forth in the sky, like an Immortal or a god.

Just like that, the entire defensive position was thoroughly destroyed. Lu Yuan, having indulged his craving for being a human bomber, hovered in the high sky and looked down, revealing a smile:

"This is indeed much easier than doing it myself."

In the bombing just now, he had dropped at least several hundred Heaven-Shattering Thunder, and the source of these items was naturally He Yuanzhang's Shangdu Army.

After a long journey and the recent annihilation of an entire fleet from Sunlight Country, Lu Yuan's Dharma Power was significantly depleted, so he had simply asked and then taken a large quantity of Heaven-Shattering Thunder directly from the Shangdu Army's arsenal into his sleeve.

After the Pot Heaven art advanced to the Earth-tier and his cultivation broke through, the storage space this art could create increased significantly, reaching several zhang square, and it could be maintained for a full month.

Now, in addition to his personal Pot Heaven Bag, Lu Yuan had also used the Pot Heaven art to refine his inner sleeve into a Pot Heaven Bag, easily fitting those dozen or so crates of Heaven-Shattering Thunder inside, and the effect in use was surprisingly good.

"Charge—!"

"Brothers, follow me and charge!"

"May the Immortal bless us; we are invincible!"

It was precisely with the overall situation settled that He Yuanzhang, who had been trailing behind, arrived with ten thousand Shangdu Army soldiers, charging into the defensive lines amidst heaven-shaking shouts of battle.

However, while they had initially been filled with high spirits and a readiness to die, they couldn't help but pause when they saw the ground covered in fire, thick smoke, and the corpses of the Jin Clan.

Knowing this must be the masterpiece of the Immortal, He Yuanzhang, besides being overjoyed, had no time to think further. Waving his arms and shouting, he led the thousands of soldiers to push inward like a tidal wave to occupy the area, and launched a cruel pursuit of the Jin Clan's remnants.

During this process, Lu Yuan did not intervene, merely watching calmly. His presence seemed to give the thousands of Shangdu Army soldiers infinite courage, making their fighting extremely fierce and fearless of death.

After just over an hour, as the sun was about to set, He Yuanzhang had led his troops to capture and occupy the entirety of Jin People City. Most of the Jin Clan's able-bodied resistance fighters were slaughtered on the spot, leaving them with no hope of recovery.

Amidst the rain of bullets, after the last military camp with resistance power in the center of Jin People City was completely leveled, He Yuanzhang, covered in the stench of blood, ran over from the ground and shouted respectfully to Lu Yuan in the air:

"May the Immortal Master bless us, we have captured all of Jin People City!"

"In this camp, we discovered military instructors from the Sunlight People. They were helping the Jin people train soldiers and also brought a Wireless Telegraph Machine to communicate with the Neijiang fleet and the Rizhao Army at any time. Now, both the people and the Telegraph Machine have been captured by us. Please, Immortal Master, give us instructions on how to deal with these people!"

"Telegraph Machine?"

Lu Yuan became interested and drifted down from the sky:

"Take me to see it."

He Yuanzhang immediately led the way personally. Under the reverent gazes of countless soldiers, Lu Yuan arrived at a nearby training camp and saw over a dozen officers wearing Rizhao Army uniforms, their hands tied behind their backs with iron chains, kneeling on the ground with bruised faces and eyes full of hatred.

Yet, upon seeing Lu Yuan drifting down from the low sky, that hatred turned into extreme fear and trembling, clearly having learned that the Neijiang fleet had been completely wiped out.

Lu Yuan did not even glance at these people, walking straight to the side, and then saw the Wireless Telegraph Machine carefully cordoned off on the ground.

After examining it carefully for a while, he looked at He Yuanzhang:

"I remember that the Jin Dynasty originally set up telegraph bureaus in Shangdu and other provinces, but they used wired telegraphs. With the physical object here, is it possible to imitate and utilize this wireless transmitter?"

Shenzhou is vast and boundless, yet the means of information transmission between various places were backward. The telegraph bureaus the Jin Dynasty had only established a few years ago connected only a few major cities and could not cover the whole country at all.

In some remote areas, even in urgent situations, it would take half a month for news to reach Tianjing, which was extremely lagging and inconvenient. If they could master this wireless transmission technology and popularize it in every province, it would greatly strengthen the connection and efficiency between provinces; it was an information transmission technology that must be mastered.

He Yuanzhang thought for a moment and replied:

"This subordinate has also inquired about the difference between wired and wireless telegraphs. The Shangdu Telegraph Bureau had also studied it, but they couldn't grasp the essentials. After all, although there are some talents in the bureau, most are useless gluttons. However, if we have the physical transmitter and the guidance of foreigners who understand the trade, there should be a great chance of creating it."

Lu Yuan's gaze immediately swept toward the dozen or so Rizhao captives, his figure drifting forward, a ghostly light blooming to control one of the Rizhao officers who was clearly the highest in status:

"Among you people, who understands the principles and technology of wireless telegraph transmission and reception best?"

Under the control of the Nightmare Prayer Technique, this Rizhao officer, who had been terrified, suddenly had his gaze become dull. He woodenly raised his hand and pointed:

"Wuteng Long. He is a top student from the Imperial University, specializing in telecommunications. He is now a key member of the military's confidential department and is very knowledgeable about wireless technology."

Never expecting that this person would betray his colleague so easily, the dozen or so other Rizhao people raised their heads one after another in disbelief and roared:

"Hehe Daxiang, what are you saying!"

"You bastard, how could you betray your own colleague like this! Don't you want to betray the Empire and betray your honor as a soldier!?"

Their angry shouts naturally displeased He Yuanzhang. With a single gesture from him, the guarding soldiers stepped forward with cold faces and raised their rifle butts, smashing them fiercely onto the heads and faces of these captives.

Among them, the one called Wuteng Long was a young man in his early thirties wearing glasses. Even though he was smashed until his head was bleeding, he still roared with hatred and fury:

"Despicable Jin Dynasty people, even if you beat me to death, I will absolutely not provide you with any guidance or help!"

His Chinese was broken, and one could barely understand what he meant without listening carefully. He Yuanzhang was annoyed and was about to step forward himself, but Lu Yuan waved his hand to stop him. Then, he lightly conjured a large hand with Dharma Power, grabbed him, and brought him in front of himself, a ghostly light rising in his eyes:

"Wuteng Long, I want you to do your utmost, using what you have learned, to help He Yuanzhang and the others..."

Under the illumination of the ghostly light, Wuteng Long's eyes, which had been infinitely terrified, kept twisting and changing. However, after only a few breaths, he seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist. Once Lu Yuan put him down, he immediately knelt on one knee and said respectfully:

"Wuteng Long obeys, I will certainly fulfill your orders with no reservations and all my strength!"

What!?

Wuteng Long seemed to have changed into a different person in an instant. Whether it was the dozen or so Rizhao officers or He Yuanzhang and the others, all were shocked, unable to believe their eyes.

"He Yuanzhang, I leave the people to you. After pacifying Shangdu, have the telegraph bureau overcome this difficulty as soon as possible."

Lu Yuan did not care about the exposure of the Nightmare Prayer Technique, nor did he care about the thoughts in the minds of those around him, simply saying faintly:

"I hope that at the Shenzhou Political Consultative Conference a month from now, I can hear the good news you bring."

Having said this, he did not linger. Amidst the howling wind, his figure went straight into the blue void, disappearing into the distance under the dim sky in the blink of an eye.

It was only then that He Yuanzhang reacted, kneeling on one knee, shouting with a mix of awe and reverence:

"We respectfully send off the Immortal, we will certainly not let you down!"

Very quickly, in just two or three days, the New Army of Shangdu led by He Yuanzhang completely broke through and cleared out Jin People City, pacifying and taking control of the greater part of Shangdu.

The reason it is said to be the greater part is because Shangdu, like Jinjin, contains concessions belonging to the three powers of Shenluo, Sha'e, and Sunlight Country; He Yuanzhang knew that the current situation was not suitable for provoking the three great powers simultaneously, so he did not touch them.

However, the news that Lu Yuan had arrived in Shangdu and that an entire full-strength fleet of the Sunlight People on the Neijiang had been wiped out was soon learned by the embassies of these three parties, triggering unprecedented shock, anger, and panic after being transmitted back to their countries:

"What? That Lu Yuan flew to Shangdu and even sank all the Sunlight People's warships?"

"Incredible! The Sunlight People's Ironclad Warship fleet is only slightly inferior to the Empire's fleet; over ten Ironclad Warships are enough to destroy a small country, how could the entire fleet be wiped out? Investigate immediately!"

"Flying through the air, concealing his form, and sword light capable of easily slicing through ship hulls and even decks—is this, is this the so-called might of an Immortal?"

"With such a bizarre existence, which army in the world can resist? No, before there is a way to deal with this person, the Imperial fleet must not easily provoke him; I believe His Majesty the Pope will also agree with my judgment."

"Your Majesty the Tsar, the danger level of this person has reached an insurmountable point. As long as this person exists for one day, the Empire's strategies and plans will face unprecedented obstacles. I believe we must unite with the Shenluo People and even the Sunlight People to eliminate this great threat."

Compared to the shock and horror of the Shenluo and Sha'e sides, the Sunlight side was filled with a mixture of rage and panic:

"An entire full-strength fleet, nearly ten thousand soldiers and officers wiped out; we have lost a quarter of the Empire's naval power in one stroke! Unforgivable!"

"The wronged souls of over ten thousand Imperial warriors are sunk at the bottom of the Neijiang. Revenge, revenge, we must have revenge! Better to be a broken jade than a whole tile!"

"Calm down!"

"Such Dharma Technique and Supernatural Power means, like those of an Immortal, are simply not something ordinary armies can match. Sending more troops will not be effective. Lord Iwami, please endure for now!!"

"Impossible! We have the finest weapons and the most valiant warriors. No matter how powerful this monster is, he is only one person. I do not believe that by gathering the power of the entire Empire, we cannot deal with this mere individual!"

"This is the will of His Majesty the Emperor and the Shrine Master. They intend to unite with the strongest of Shenluo and Sha'e to find a way to respond. Do you wish to defy their will?"

". I understand."

In modern human history, there has never been an example of one person matching an entire fleet and achieving an overwhelming victory. In the eyes of the high-level officials of various countries, the danger of Lu Yuan has reached an insurmountable height.

Especially for Sunlight Country, which suffered such a great loss, after the high-level officials received the news, they actually displayed a strange restraint, as if nothing had happened at all.

Meanwhile, not only among the three great powers, but also within Shenzhou, under the intentional promotion of He Yuanzhang, this astonishing news soon spread to every province, triggering a huge sensation.

At this moment, most provinces were still in the chaos and turmoil of heroes rising to seize power and purge the Jin Clan. Upon learning the news, Han people from all walks of life were ecstatic, excited, and greatly inspired, while the remnants of the Jin Clan who were stubbornly resisting and gasping for breath were even more terrified and desperate, even beginning to surrender one after another.

Almost no one doubted the truth of the news; after all, one person wiping out a fleet sounds like a myth, but for it to happen to an Immortal descended to the world, it was perfectly normal.

Even some warlords and ambitious people in various places who had originally seized power and intended to hold troops to command their own areas and act as local emperors were extremely terrified upon learning the news. They immediately restrained their ambitions and schemes, and began to send messengers to Tianjing City to report the situation and show their submission.

At this moment, Lu Yuan had also long since returned to the Imperial City of Tianjing.

Half a month had passed since he wiped out the Sunlight fleet in Shangdu. In the Qinian Hall, disciples like Chen Zhantang and Zhao Shuhua, as well as some Han officials, were excited as they held letters and read aloud:

". The righteous armies of the twelve provinces of the Central Plains, including Tong'an, Yu'an, and Yueyang, have already wiped out all remaining Jin Clan forces in their provinces half a month ago. The lands of the twelve provinces have all been recovered."

"The coastal provinces such as Hainan, Lingnan, and Guangyuan, because of the funding provided by the foreigners, went through many bitter battles, but now they have also wiped out all the Jin Clan resistance forces within their borders, and have begun to elect representatives from all walks of life to prepare for the political conference half a month later."

"Also, the Han military governors and Commanders of provinces like Monan, Longyuan, and Qindi have all achieved victory, basically controlling the military and political affairs of their respective regions, and have sent messengers to the capital to report the situation."

"Even the so-called Tianli Sect and warlords who were previously secretly reported have all been scared out of their wits; now they have also sent people to the capital to deliver letters of apology, requesting the Master's forgiveness."

"By calculation, more than thirty provinces have now been successfully recovered. The restoration of the Han dynasty is right before our eyes!"