Chapter 563

Above the 'Child' Character Imperial Guard camp, thirty-six Four Spirit Warships and five Five Elements Secret Treasures vied for supremacy.

Obviously, the Four Spirit Warships were somewhat unable to withstand the pressure, being shaken by the Five Elements Secret Treasures and continually retreating backward.

On the ground, representatives Lü Yi, Wu Jian, etc., had dilated pupils, flared nostrils, and exhaled hot air with a "huff-huff"; their faces flushed, as if they had just drunk a vat of aged fine wine, feeling both body and mind intoxicated.

There's no escaping; those five Five Elements Secret Treasures are absolutely supreme treasures of the Nation-Protecting Divine Artifact grade.

The five elders wielding those treasures, whom Lü Yi and the others also recognized, were from the Linghu clan, five Elders of the same generation as Linghu Qingqing. They all possessed Half-Step Divine Realm cultivation; in the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, such cultivation was the topmost visible existence.

Wielding a Nation-Protecting Divine Artifact with Half-Step Divine Realm cultivation, the power they could unleash merely made Lü Yi and the others' scalps tingle, their whole bodies feeling as if electrified, a tingling numbness penetrating straight to the marrow.

Where the treasure came from is unimportant.

Not important at all.

What matters is that, seeing the Four Spirit Warships forced to retreat step by step, Lü Yi and the others understood clearly that the Linghu clan had already secured an absolute strategic advantage.

No matter how formidable the Four Spirit Warships, even thirty-six of them forming a Nine Palace Battle Array could only match a single Nation-Protecting Divine Artifact.

Meanwhile, the Linghu clan's Elders held five Nation-Protecting Divine Artifacts in their hands.

Although from their usage it's evident they haven't properly refined these five treasures, it's obvious the time they've had them is extremely short, perhaps only a day or two?

Yet their cultivation is astonishing; after a simple refinement, the five of them joining forces is enough to suppress the Four Spirit Warships.

Then, if given enough time for them to fully refine the five secret treasures, what would happen?

"Only the Black Heaven Cauldron, only the Black Heaven Cauldron." Lü Yi clenched his fists tightly.

"In this battle, whether the military can suppress the rising Imperial City Military Command, whether it can sever the royal hand reaching for military authority, depends on…… whether someone inside the Imperial City Military Command's office can restrain Duke Yuzhou." Wu Jian said urgently: "As long as someone can restrain Duke Yuzhou, can restrain the Black Heaven Cauldron, then…… there will be no change to the situation."

As they spoke, a tremendous boom came from the direction of Anyang City; a huge round cauldron three feet and two ears wide, nearly ten thousand zhang in diameter, shot up into the sky, black vapors swirling everywhere, countless swords, spears, halberds, and various divine weapons condensing in the black mist, pouring down like a violent storm.

Beneath the Black Heaven Cauldron, an azure gauze umbrella emitted ten thousand zhang of radiant light; the four great elemental forces of earth, water, fire, and wind roared and surged, forming four colossal dragons that wildly clashed in the sky, their mutual collisions releasing immeasurable light and myriad zhang of thunderbolts.

Upon the azure gauze umbrella were inlaid at least ten thousand thumb-sized beads, relics, crystals, gemstones, etc., each of different attributes.

The myriad pearls emitted countless fine rays of light—chilling gleam, radiant splendor—whereupon the black mist sprayed by the Black Heaven Cauldron that had condensed into swords, spears, halberds, and other divine weapons was swept away by the pearl light, instantly shattering each piece, which then turned back into black vapor and returned to the Black Heaven Cauldron.

"What is the origin of that umbrella?" a commander of the Wu clan shouted in alarm.

"That too is a Nation-Protecting Divine Artifact–grade heavy implement… and it seems slightly stronger than the Black Heaven Cauldron." Lü Yi muttered to himself: "No, I can't say it's stronger than the Black Heaven Cauldron; rather, this umbrella seems to possess the power to fix the heavens and embrace all phenomena, precisely countering the Black Heaven Cauldron's might."

Lü Yi pounded his right fist into his left palm, excitedly saying: "Marvelous beyond words, the Linghu clan actually found a treasure specifically designed to counter the Black Heaven Cauldron. This, this, this—it's simply unimaginable."

Lü Yi, Wu Jian, and the others all burst into laughter, each feeling proud and satisfied as they glanced toward the Four Spirit Warships, then toward Anyang City.

Unthinkable, truly unthinkable—the Linghu clan's resources are so vast that a single move yields six Nation-Protecting Divine Artifact–grade treasures. Good heavens, the Great Jin Divine Kingdom's openly known Nation-Protecting Divine Artifacts number only three, merely three!

Moreover, the most powerful Wanlong Palace was taken away by the remnants of the former crown prince.

Now, the Great Jin Divine Kingdom's openly known Nation-Protecting Divine Artifacts, setting aside the Black Heaven Cauldron held by Duke Yuzhou 'Huo Xiong' seized from the Great Wu Divine Kingdom, amount to only two, merely two.

As for the Four Spirit Warships, they are implements of slaughter for marching and war, and cannot be counted among Nation-Protecting Divine Artifacts.

The Linghu clan is indeed terribly formidable and terrifying, worthy of being the main house to which seventy percent of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom's military houses pledge loyalty; they are truly unfathomable, a single move shaking the world.

Wu Tie hovered above the ruins of the Imperial City Military Command's office.

The newly repaired office, only a few days old, saw almost all its pavilions, towers, and halls shattered by the divine light emanating from the azure gauze umbrella. The heavenly light merely swirled, and countless buildings collapsed and crumbled; countless soldiers screamed, covering their eyes as they flung themselves to the ground, rolling about in frantic struggle.

Broken bricks and tiles piled thickly on the ground; in the high sky, black vapor leapt up, four-colored divine light intertwined and surged, as the two treasures each displayed their means, fighting inseparably.

Wu Tie angrily glanced at the office shattered by the azure gauze umbrella, then let out a cold snort.

Upon the Black Heaven Cauldron, an icy, stiff, expressionless face slowly surfaced; his eyes turned, he glanced at Wu Tie, and then the black mist spewing from the cauldron suddenly grew a hundredfold denser, increasing the pressure on the azure gauze umbrella a hundredfold.

Linghu Wenwen's body swayed slightly; although the azure gauze umbrella's effect just barely countered the Black Heaven Cauldron, he had only just obtained this treasure, having refined the azure gauze umbrella to less than one percent.

The power he could unleash by controlling the azure gauze umbrella was far inferior to what Wu Tie could exert by wielding the Black Heaven Cauldron.

At this moment Wu Tie intensified his attack, and Linghu Qingqing felt as if a mountain pressed down upon him, causing excruciating bodily pain, his bones cracking 'crack-crack' throughout, especially his knees aching, his body involuntarily bending ever so slightly.

Linghu Wenwen let out a cold snort, flicked his right sleeve, and three points of silver cold light shot forth, whistling toward Wu Tie's chest.

This is the personal divine weapon 'Three Light Sword' that Linghu Wenwen painstakingly refined over thousands of years, extracting the essences of sun, moon, and stars, combining over a hundred rare materials, expending countless time and energy, finally taking form as a divine weapon.

The Three Light Sword flies at extreme speed, its edge unmatched, capable of cleaving all things; moreover, it bears the miraculous power of sun, moon, and stars, able to melt metal, freeze all things, shatter heaven and earth—over the millennia, untold numbers have suffered great losses under this Three Light Sword technique.

But he encountered Wu Tie.

The Three Light Sword solidly struck Wu Tie's chest.

With a crisp 'ding-ding-ding' three times, the Three Light Sword indeed pierced Wu Tie's chest skin and flesh, but only to a depth of half an inch, like a rusted sword set into an iron ingot, unable to advance any further.

"What a sturdy body… could this be the ancient forbidden art, Nine Revolutions Mystic Skill?" Linghu Wenwen stared in shock at Wu Tie's chest, from which not a trace of blood had seeped out.

Wu Tie let out a cold snort, without using any divine abilities or other treasures, simply rolled up his sleeves, with three foot-long short swords embedded in his chest, raised his fist, and charged at Linghu Wenwen.

From the side came a great shout; Linghu Jian's body blazed with blinding golden light, trailing a golden streak as he rushed toward Wu Tie, throwing a punch at Wu Tie's head.

Wu Tie leapt and kicked, cleanly striking Linghu Jian's abdomen.

With a tremendous boom, Linghu Jian was kicked by Wu Tie several dozen li away, flying straight from the Imperial City Military Command's office to the military office across the street. A clatter of 'xīlǐ huālā' rang out; who knows how many buildings he smashed through or how many military officials and lackeys he sent flying.

Linghu Wenwen drew his waist sword and slashed downward at Wu Tie face‑to‑face.

Simultaneously, strange light flickered in his eyes; the Three Light Sword suddenly rose into the air, made a turn, and then heavily chopped down at Wu Tie's nape.

Wu Tie submitted to the blows of Linghu Wenwen's waist sword and Three Light Sword upon his body; a constant 'ding-ding' rang in his ears as they cut shallow blood grooves on his flesh, yet still not a drop of blood flowed out.

Wu Tie rushed up to Linghu Wenwen, seized his shoulder, and punched his face, shattering his nasal bone on the spot and collapsing half of his visage.

Poor Linghu Wenwen was a pure spell cultivator, versed in countless powerful divine arts, but facing Wu Tie's lazy brawling… lacking a bodyguard cultivator beside him, Linghu Wenwen also had to divide his attention to control the azure gauze umbrella, taking blows to head and face, and nearly being beaten to death by Wu Tie.

"Huo Xiong, you're insolent!" Despite being a high‑level great cultivator, Linghu Wenwen, though his skull was deformed from the beating, could still rely on pure magical energy to rally his spirit, activating two defensive treasures to temporarily shield his body, spitting blood while shouting angrily.

In the high sky, the azure gauze umbrella suddenly burst forth a vast sheet of blazing lightning toward Wu Tie.

At the same time, the radiance from over a thousand beads fell like a rain of light upon Wu Tie's head.

Among those beads were bewildering dust beads, illusion heart beads, spirit‑confusing beads, soul‑swaying beads, fixing‑body beads, etc. —all storing profound mysteries, possessing extraordinarily strong restraining effects on flesh and soul.

Given Wu Tie's cultivation, he only felt his vision flash with chaotic light, his body suddenly sinking, then becoming unable to move; even his divine fetus felt as if soaked in viscous glue, his magical circulation turning sluggish.

The next instant, Wu Tie let out a long howl.

The 108 Azure Sea Divine Pearls orbiting his divine fetus emitted boundless light, shattering the radiance of over a thousand strange pearls like a thunderbolt; Wu Tie instantly recovered his vigor, seized Linghu Wenwen's throat, hoisted him high, and slammed him down hard to the ground.

A huge boom rang out, and inside the shattered Imperial City Garrison Office, a pit a hundred zhang wide appeared; at the bottom lay Linghu Wenwen, whose bones had almost been crushed to bean curd. He lay at the pit's bottom, spitting blood mouthful after mouthful, countless wounds across his body spraying blood like fountains.

Linghu Wenwen stared at Wu Tie as if seeing a ghost, wanting to say something but lacking the strength to utter even a single word.

Wu Tie ruthlessly snatched the two radiant space rings from Linghu Wenwen's fingers, haphazardly slipped them onto his own, then pointed at the sky and let out a loud roar.

Without Linghu Wenwen presiding over it, the Black Heaven Cauldron let out a thunderous roar, heavily striking the Blue Silk Umbrella and forcibly pressing it down.

Wu Tie then pointed, and the Black Heaven Cauldron hovered in midair, instantly draining all primordial energy within a thousand-li radius, creating a huge primordial-energy void above Anyang City. The cauldron then swelled to ten thousand zhang in size, spewing thick black mist like a falling star, and slammed heavily into the air above the Military Department Headquarters.

Above the Military Department Headquarters, layers of heavy halos flared up, and its City Defense Grand Formation activated on its own.

These self-activated city-defense grand formations are merely the most basic defensive formations; the truly powerful grand formations capable of resisting enemy sieges also require senior military officials with sufficient authority, who must carry the corresponding seals and tokens, take command at the core of the Military Department headquarters, undergo certain verification procedures, and especially obtain the authorization of the contemporary Divine Emperor before they can be activated.

The Divine Emperor's authorization is the most crucial step.

Without the contemporary Divine Emperor's authorization, all formations within the Military Department headquarters can at most unleash one-tenth of their power.

After all, the Military Department headquarters sits beside the Imperial City; it is impossible for past Divine Emperors not to impose various restrictions on it.

Linghu Qingqing is absent, the other senior military officials lack sufficient authority, and they don't have time to go to the Imperial City to request authorization from Sima Fa; even if they went, Sima Fa would probably… not reply in time.

Thus, within the Military Department, tens of thousands of busy officials, clerks, and officers of all ranks watched helplessly as a black heavenly cauldron, like a great mountain, smashed down from above, and with a 'Boom!' shattered the dozens of layers of light shields above the Military Department headquarters into fragments.

The black heavenly cauldron halted abruptly in midair, still several dozen feet above the ground.

Rolling black mist spewed from the cauldron's mouth like a tidal wave, howling as it swept over the entire Military Department headquarters. Since the Military Department headquarters had not activated its formations, its buildings were in fact not much sturdier than those of the newly built Imperial City Garrison Command headquarters.

A series of 'Crack! Crack! Crack!' sounds rang out, and the Military Department headquarters of the Great Jin Divine State, which had stood west of the Imperial City for who knows how many years and had seen countless renowned generals, famous generals, brave generals, and stalwart generals come and go, began to collapse layer by layer under the washing of the sky‑filling black mist, disintegrating piece by piece.

No one was injured, but the buildings around them crumbled inch by inch, and along with them many crucial archives stored in various pavilions of the Military Department turned to flying ash in the black mist and scattered away.

"Duke of Yuzhou… Huo Xiong… you, you, you damn bastard!" a high‑ranking military official in a deep‑purple robe shouted, jumping and cursing.

Wu Tie burst into loud laughter, his voice spreading throughout Anyang: "A thousand cuts? Come, come, come—stab me a thousand times, and if I so much as grunt in pain, your whole family will be raised by me!"

Amid Wu Tie's wild laughter, the thirty‑six Four Spirit Warships each let out a tremendous roar, and a single strike from the Five Five‑Element Secret Treasures sent them flying tens of miles, nearly crashing into the walls of Anyang City.

Wu Tie's smile suddenly faded.

He had defeated Linghu Wenwen on this side and collapsed the Military Department headquarters, but over there, relying solely on the Four Spirit Warships, he was clearly finding it hard to hold up.

The Five Five‑Element Secret Treasures… heh, even a clone that Wu Tie had tampered with possesses power that is far too great.

Wu Tie pondered for a moment, then said slowly: "Second Master Linghu, how about we call it a truce today? We are all subjects of the Great Jin, and harmony is precious… From now on, the Linghu clan will stay out of the affairs of my Imperial City Garrison, and we'll cease hostilities?"

Kicked into the air by Wu Tie's foot, nearly bursting his bladder, Linghu Jian trembled as he clambered up from the ruins of the Military Department headquarters.

He gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and then shouted sternly: "Fine, but hand over Elder Wenwen and the Chaos Luo Umbrella."

"From now on, we'll keep to our own wells and not interfere with each other's rivers—just wait and see!"