Chapter 668

Wu Tie spread his hands, looking innocently at the dumbfounded Linghu Qingqing.

"Your Majesty, I too, really didn't expect it…… I never expected that Xiahou Luming, all show and no substance……"

Wu Tie's voice was very sincere.

He truly never expected that Xiahou Luming would be such a weakling.

Wu Tie even forgot why he had just chosen Xiahou Luming as his target; perhaps it was because seeing Dao Xiaoke so arrogant and smug made his anger flare, and for a moment he dumped all his fury onto the person who stood out most to the other side?

The elders of the Great Wei all stood on the dragon boat, only Xiahou Luming sat upright on a lofty throne, and the throne even hovered above a cloud platform, which rose several zhang higher than the dragon boat……

In the crowd, Xiahou Luming was like a blazing candle, especially conspicuous and especially eye‑catching.

As the saying goes, the tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed—Wu Tie naturally resorted to violent destruction……

Ah, this was really Wu Tie's unconscious choice; actually, as soon as he struck, he felt a bit regretful, thinking that his casual blow might cause a little chaos but could never kill Xiahou Luming.

Thousands of Great Wei elders stared from the side—ah, the mighty Great Wei divine emperor, is he really that easy to kill?

But truly, I never expected it—really never expected—that of the thousands of Great Wei elders, most of their attention was on Dao Xiaoke, on the soul crystals he kept producing, while the remaining half of their attention was wholly fixed on the adversary from the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom here.

On the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom side, we had just lost the Chu clan's Elder Chujiang; like attracts like, and everyone was seething with rage.

Especially, Dao Xiaoke indiscriminately slaughtered so many scions of military families—hundreds of lineages stationed in their manors were wiped out by him!

The elders of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom glared with fiery eyes, each brimming with killing intent as they stared at the Great Wei elders.

Divine Realm cultivation is powerful, and spiritual perception is extremely keen; the Qingqiu elders' killing intent surged like a tide, as if countless steel blades pressed against their chests, icy and bone‑chilling, while the Great Wei elders remained on guard against their sudden assault.

No one expected that someone would ambush Xiahou Luming at such a critical moment.

So when Wu Tie struck, many Great Wei elders instinctively glanced at one another—Who wants to kill the emperor? You strike? He strikes? Who strikes? Could it be that I should lend a hand?

Wu Tie was only at the half‑step Divine Realm; although his actual strength didn't match his cultivation level, the magical fluctuations he emitted were so conspicuous that every Divine Realm elder could sense his true cultivation stage.

Because he was only a half‑step Divine Realm cultivator, nobody took his surprise attack seriously.

All the Great Wei elders were probably thinking that whoever acted could easily rescue Xiahou Luming, so some who had prepared to intervene stopped when they saw nobody else moving.

Things were just that strange—some Great Wei elders truly didn't react in time, but those who did, at least a hundred or so, still—including several elders of the Xiahou main line—didn't regard Wu Tie's ambush as anything.

This sounds roundabout, but the fact is, Wu Tie grabbed Xiahou Luming in one hand, then without hesitation clenched his fist and squeezed with all his might.

Dozens of extremely strong defensive secret treasures on Xiahou Luming's body activated on their own.

These treasures could withstand attacks from ordinary Divine Realm second‑ or third‑level cultivators for a while, but under Wu Tie's violent crushing, dozens of them shattered instantly; this attack power is nearly comparable to that of a fifth‑level Divine Realm expert.

Thus, Xiahou Luming was crushed to death.

A Kong‑surnamed elder stared blankly at the blood mist in the air and hoarsely asked, "Your Majesty should have a state‑protecting divine artifact guarding your person…… If I'm not mistaken, the current Emperor ought to carry the 'Deer Cry Bell' with him—that's an innate‑level treasure of supreme defense……"

A Meng‑surnamed elder hoarsely asked, "Where is the Deer Cry Bell?"

The Xiahou clan elders, silent and grim‑faced, charged toward the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom side.

This time, the Great Wei Divine Kingdom mobilized its entire nest; on the surface, the Xiahou royal family deployed six state‑protecting divine artifacts for the campaign, but in reality they brought out every last treasure they had stored away.

To maximize the power of these treasures, the Deer Cry Bell that Xiahou Luming controlled was handed over to a Xiahou elder for safekeeping. A state‑protecting artifact, if wielded by a half‑step Divine Realm cultivator it might exert only a fraction of its power, but in the hands of a Divine Realm elder it could unleash at least a hundredfold increase.

Therefore, the Deer Cry Bell was not in Xiahou Luming's hands.

Therefore, when Xiahou Luming was ambushed, the Deer Cry Bell could not protect him.

Therefore, before so many people, before countless soldiers of both nations, and even before the myriad hidden spies of the Great Wu Divine Kingdom watching in the shadows, the current divine emperor of the Great Wei Divine Kingdom was like a tiny insect, pinched to death by a single slap from the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom's Prince of Peace, Huo Xiong.

On the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom side, the war‑loving Xiang family commanders were the first to meet the enemy head‑on.

Afterwards, the Zhao, Li, Wu, Wu, Wu, Lian clans and others—elders of Qingqiu Divine Kingdom's strongest military lineages, clad in heavy armor, laughed wildly "hahaha" as they charged forward.

The fastest charger, Xiang Feiyu, brought down an axe from above; opposite him, a Xiahou elder unfolded a Five Peaks Diagram with his left hand to meet the attack. The great axe and the diagram collided heavily, producing a tremendous roar, the ground violently trembling, dozens of mountains shattering explosively, and the earth sinking several zhang into the void.

Black horn‑shaped whirlwinds sprouted one by one from underground, howling as they shot straight up into the sky.

Linghu Qingqing pursed his lips and laughed, then slapped Wu Tie's palm hard: "Well done, Xiahou Luming…… Back then I, accompanied by clan elders, went to pay homage to him in the Great Wei…… Heh, heh, heheh, he actually died just like that?"

After a deep breath, Linghu Qingqing proclaimed loudly: "Beloved minister, right beside your fief, pick any six of the fine prefectures neighboring Ju Prefecture and annex them into your domain…… For beheading the enemy king before the battle, this merit I will first grudgingly grant you some lands; the rest I will reckon slowly after this great war ends."

Linghu Qingqing burst into wild laughter.

From the opposite side rose a mournful, prolonged wail without end; several Divine Realm experts of the Dao lineage flickered, instantly merged into the void, and then materialized directly before Linghu Qingqing.

A sky‑filling barrage of sword images converged to pierce Linghu Qingqing; the Great Wei Divine Kingdom had just had its emperor slain in public, and this loss of face must be recovered quickly.

It is obvious that these Dao elders acted under orders from the Great Wei's high leadership; in an extremely short time they reached a unanimous decision—at any cost, kill Linghu Qingqing.

Linghu Qingqing laughed brilliantly; above his head a dim lantern welled up, scattering specks of spiritual light that formed a hazy veil enveloping his whole body.

Wu Tie glanced at the lantern and recognized it.

Originally this lamp had been in the hands of the sleeping Great Master Dafang for countless years; after some twists, the two treasures he carried went their separate ways—the astonishingly offensive Seven Treasures Ruyi went to Wu Tie, while the absolutely indestructible Heart Lamp fell into the Linghu clan's hands.

The Seven Treasures Ruyi had already been smelted by Wu Tie, together with the Black Heaven Cauldron and countless rare materials and vast amounts of innate spiritual objects, forged in one furnace into the God‑Striking Whip; meanwhile, the Indestructible Heart Lamp was now flickering before Wu Tie.

Countless sword images fell upon what appeared to be a thin light curtain.

The light curtain rippled with tiny waves; no matter how frenziedly those Dao elders attacked, this seemingly fragile defense proved unbreakable.

Linghu Qingqing's face showed a faint reddening; although the Indestructible Heart Lamp's defense was tremendous, his consumption was equally huge.

In just a few breaths, Linghu Qingqing's magical power was nearly drained; then the Indestructible Heart Lamp began to consume his vital blood, and at this point he could barely hold on.

He produced a bottle of Grand Dao Treasure Pills, shook out a dozen or so, swallowed them, and Linghu Qingqing barked, "How dare you be rude to Me—kill them!"

A dozen or so figures radiating strong aura surged from the void, quickly joining battle with several Dao experts.

Wu Tie held the Cold River Sword, adopting the guise of a loyal minister with red‑lined loyalty, staying close beside Linghu Qingqing while his eyes darted swiftly across the battlefield.

More and more Divine Realm elders began to act.

The battle situation was rapidly expanding beyond control.

In the void, it was clearly visible that the Great Wei Divine Kingdom's elders were unleashing one strange art after another; the sky filled with magnificent, splendid scrolls that flooded the void, like great rivers rushing and colliding within it.

Meanwhile, the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom's martial elders often transformed into three‑headed, six‑armed forms, then employed the heaven‑matching earth‑covering divine ability, their bodies swelling to thousands or tens of thousands of zhang, like immovable boulders marching upstream, using brutal force to grind countless spell attacks into dust.

The Great Wei mainly cultivates the law, while Qingqiu mainly cultivates the body; at long range the law cultivators have the edge, but once the Qingqiu martial experts close in, the advantage lies with those thick‑skinned, immensely strong fellows.

Moreover, the Qingqiu martial experts are not limited to boasting with fists and feet; among them also lie many wondrous and powerful techniques.

For example, the arrows of the Li clan led by Li Guang, for example, the Five Elements Thunder Method of the Zhao clan led by Zhao Xiang, and so on; the elders of the General's Gate, near and far, coordinated well, faintly forming a large military formation, mutually responding from afar, their combat power extremely terrifying.

But these elders of Great Wei seemed a bit too lax, each fighting on their own; although their cultivation was generally a bit higher than that of the Green Hill opponents, after clashing, Great Wei still ended up at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, Great Wei had the Mo School's portable military city, countless strange and powerful talismans, various powerful war puppets, and moreover, various formations casually scattered to aid in battle.

Overall, both sides maintained a strange balance.

Even the imperial clan elders of the Linghu clan, who drove the National Divine Artifacts they had painstakingly gathered over the past few years to meet the enemy, with over a dozen National Divine Artifacts rushing forward, barely managed to fight to a draw against Great Wei's Divine Nation's ten National Divine Artifacts.

On the surface, before the three kingdoms, only three National Divine Artifacts were exposed externally.

This time, Great Wei went on campaign, and the National Divine Artifacts they openly brought out numbered six.

And then, in this next clash, heh, how lively, Great Wei's Divine Nation directly threw out ten National Divine Artifacts.

Moreover, their imperial clan elders had controlled these National Divine Artifacts for a long time, able to perfectly exert their power. If the Linghu clan elders did not have a numerical advantage, they could not withstand the opponent's attacks at all.

Thus, this group of National Divine Artifacts also maintained a delicate balance.

But this delicate balance was soon broken.

Two elders of the Xiahou clan respectively drove the two National Divine Artifacts, the Bing Fire Mirror and the Golden Dragon Whip, roaring loudly as they charged toward a Xiahou clan elder holding a green oddly-shaped bronze bell.

That green, deer-ear-shaped bronze bell was precisely the Great Wei Divine Artifact, the Deer Cry Bell.

The Deer Cry Bell had, for over ten thousand years, been personally held by Xiahou Lu Ming; this time, for the war, it had just been handed over to one of their own elders.

This Xiahou elder was not very familiar with the Deer Cry Bell.

However, his cultivation had shockingly reached the peak of the Sixfold Heaven of the Divine Manifest Realm, and the Deer Cry Bell, being a defensive spiritual treasure, he actually managed to put up a fight against two opponents, ending in a draw.

The Bing Fire Mirror and Golden Dragon Whip came down heavily; the Deer Cry Bell emitted a long, clear bell tone, with circles of green light patterns steadily blocking the two National Divine Artifacts.

Just then, Wu Tie suddenly flicked his wrist, the God-Beating Whip whooshing out, almost a sneak attack, lashing the Xiahou clan elder's head.

The Bing Fire Mirror and Golden Dragon Whip held fast to the Deer Cry Bell, that Xiahou clan elder's attention fully focused on the opponent; who would have thought, Wu Tie was so bold as to sneak attack him again?

Just one strike, Wu Tie not using much force, this elder spouted blood-colored fire from his seven apertures and plummeted headfirst from the high heavens.

The two Linghu clan elders who had been fighting him shouted in unison, then lunged downward, each drawing a long sword and a short halberd, spiritual light shining, they launched a fierce barrage of strikes and chops at that Xiahou clan elder.

No one could come to his aid in time; this Xiahou clan elder, struck by Wu Tie's whip, was nearly unconscious, having no strength left to counterattack.

In just three breaths, a light pillar thirty li thick shot up into the sky, the clouds in the high heavens churning, forcibly blasted open a huge hole.

In the Great Wei Divine Nation's camp, many Divine Manifest Realm elders cried out in sorrow.

In the Green Hill Divine Nation's camp, the killing embryos born of the General's Gate each let out ecstatic roars, their attack suddenly surging to several times its strength.

Hovering above the altar, undisturbed and unchallenged, Dao Xiao Ke suddenly let out a mad curse.

Those two Linghu clan elders who had just slain the enemy unexpectedly appeared beside Linghu Qingqing, two National Divine Artifact‑level heavy treasures crashing down directly onto the two Dao clan elders.

The two Divine Manifest Realm experts among Dao Xiao Ke's nephew generation were caught off guard; despite their formidable evasion techniques, they had no time to flee, as seven or eight experts of the same rank swarmed up, one immediately severely injured, cut in half at the waist, discarding the lower half which transformed into Blood Light to escape.

Moreover, another could not escape; after a miserable howl, his skull was shattered by the Golden Dragon Whip.

Yet another light pillar shot up into the sky……

The battle cries grew ever grander, the fighting spirit soared, the Divine Manifest Realm elders of the two nations became ever more eager to kill. From time to time, Wu Tie's God-Beating Whip would oddly appear on the battlefield, lashing the back of some unlucky fool's head.

By the time the sky grew bright, on the battlefield spanning several hundred li, there were fully forty‑odd light pillars standing between heaven and earth.

In the late‑night battle, forty‑odd Divine Manifest Realm elders fell.

Among them, Great Wei had thirty‑five, Green Hill only twelve.

The brutality of the situation was unprecedented; since the founding of the three kingdoms and throughout their warfare, there had never been such devastating losses.

On the Green Hill Divine Nation's side, the losses were all low‑rank, minor‑gate Divine Manifest Realm elders; the great clans Li, Zhao, and Xiang remained completely unscathed, so for the entire Green Hill General's Gate it could be said to have suffered no damage at all.

As for Great Wei's side, the losses were all core members of top‑tier aristocratic families; each death or injury was a heart‑rending blow.