Chapter 253 - 251: The Feng Shui Killing Array, Liu Suifeng’s Strength
Liu Suifeng’s methods were so formidable that they completely exceeded Xu Baiwei’s expectations—and Chen Yuan’s as well.
In Chen Yuan’s eyes, such powerful Array Dao Cultivation was even stronger than that of Master Xuanxiao, the Palace Master of the Profound Celestial Daoist Palace under the Valley God Palace!
Using the White Tiger Hall itself as an array, Liu Suifeng barely used any strength. He simply converted and combined the power of Feng Shui with Geng Metal Power, unleashing a terrifying might from the array. It was a true display of lifting the heavy as if it were light.
Xu Baiwei attacked with her full might, but Liu Suifeng shattered her move in a single stroke. Before she could even react, Liu Suifeng gave a light wave of his hand, and the power of Feng Shui transformed once more.
The ferocious, massive White Tiger instantly transformed into a barrage of long swords, each one brimming with Geng Metal Power and Killing Power.
With a chorus of whistling sword hums, it swept toward Xu Baiwei like a vast river of Sword Qi filling the sky!
Geng Metal White Tiger Mysterious Killing Sword!
In over a decade, no one had ever managed to fight their way into the White Tiger Hall. The Geng Metal Power accumulated within its Feng Shui Formation was appallingly strong.
It was true that Divine Platform Realm Martial Artists could sense and borrow the Power of Heaven and Earth.
But they could only *borrow* it. This did not mean their own strength could compare to the Power of Heaven and Earth itself.
Yet Liu Suifeng was now using the Power of Heaven and Earth itself as a weapon. Xu Baiwei’s Qi Blood burned and her Demon Flame raged, but they were all torn to shreds by the Geng Metal Sword Qi.
She herself was riddled with cuts. As the Geng Metal Sword Qi invaded her body, she instantly spewed mouthfuls of blood.
With a furious roar, Xu Baiwei formed a Seal Technique and tapped the center of her brow.
In that instant, a black, vertical pupil seemed to appear on her forehead. Ink-black Demonic Qi billowed out, transforming into a boundless wave of Demon Swords that surged toward the Geng Metal Sword Qi.
But human strength is finite, while the Power of Heaven and Earth is limitless.
Xu Baiwei could only watch as the Demon Swords around her were swiftly shattered, and she herself was pushed back step by step.
Liu Suifeng extended a hand, his fingers dancing gently as if playing a zither. In the next moment, several strands among the countless Geng Metal Sword Qi suddenly transformed, erupting with the ultimate power of slaughter and annihilation.
The sudden burst of Sword Qi instantly pierced through Xu Baiwei’s body, causing blood to fountain from her wounds.
Xu Baiwei let out a muffled groan, a look of terror flashing in her eyes. She quickly tapped major acupoints across her body to seal her wounds.
At this moment, Xu Baiwei was finally terrified. She frantically burned her Qi Blood and executed the Demon Shadow Escape, fleeing while coughing up blood.
Liu Suifeng waved his hand. The Geng Metal Power dissipated, and the Feng Shui returned to its natural state. Again, he made it look effortless.
"The Geng Metal Sword Qi has entered her body, severely injuring her Primordial Pill and Meridians. She likely won’t be coming to bother you again anytime soon."
"However, you must be careful when you leave Ning Province. That woman is insane. If she learns of your whereabouts, she’ll cross a thousand miles to cause you trouble."
"Thank you for your help, Lord Liu."
Chen Yuan praised, "Lord Liu, your Array Dao Cultivation is at a Grandmaster Level. It’s truly a display of mastery, and your power is unparalleled."
"With a technique like that, killing a Divine Platform Realm expert would be effortless!"
Xu Baiwei was not weak. According to the information Chen Yuan had gathered, her strength was at least at the Divine Platform Realm Middle Stage.
And yet, before Liu Suifeng, she was utterly powerless to fight back and was grievously wounded in an instant.
If she hadn’t escaped so quickly, another wave of the countless Geng Metal White Tiger Mysterious Killing Swords would have turned her into a pincushion.
With such combat strength, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him invincible among his peers.
Chen Yuan finally understood why, despite Liu Suifeng’s sickly appearance, Chao Hongtu never dared to disregard his opinions, whether in council meetings or other matters.
His standing was built on two things: his past achievements and his current strength.
"You exaggerate. My grave injuries have yet to heal. I’m practically a cripple. What’s this about ’unparalleled power’?"
Liu Suifeng gently shook his head. "My ability to grievously wound Xu Baiwei today was due to the array I previously established in the White Tiger Hall, as well as the Power of White Tiger Geng Metal its Feng Shui Formation has accumulated over the years."
"Human strength has its limits. In truth, I took a bit of a shortcut today. I was certain that Xu Baiwei would come directly to the White Tiger Hall to find you, which allowed me to use the array’s might to wound her so badly."
"If we had fought elsewhere and I had no opportunity to deploy an array, the outcome of life and death would have been uncertain."
Though Liu Suifeng spoke with humility, Chen Yuan read something else between the lines.
’Even without the White Tiger Hall’s array, the outcome of a fight between him and Xu Baiwei would be uncertain? Doesn’t that imply that even without the advantage of an array, Liu Suifeng can display a cultivation level comparable to the Divine Platform Realm Middle Stage?’
’Besides, even if Liu Suifeng needed an array to wound Xu Baiwei so badly, he was the one who built that array in the first place. Ultimately, it was still his own power.’
After dealing with Xu Baiwei, Liu Suifeng took another look around the White Tiger Hall.
Seeing that Chen Yuan was managing the White Tiger Hall in an orderly fashion, he boarded his carriage and returned to Taining Prefecture.
Although Xu Baiwei had survived, Chen Yuan wasn’t worried about her coming to cause more trouble.
The day after Xu Baiwei’s departure, rumors about the relationship between her and Xuan Hong began to circulate throughout the Jianghu.
The affair caused a massive stir. Because it involved two major sects, the Vajra Prajna Temple and the Ten Thousand Demon Sect, the news reached even the most remote provinces.
In the Jianghu, aside from the rankings published by the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower, nothing spread faster than a juicy piece of gossip.
And when that gossip involved a scandalous affair between a monk and a demoness, it was guaranteed to draw attention.
In the end, the outcome was similar to what happened in the original story. Both parties were punished by their respective sects. Although Xu Baiwei didn’t die, she would at least be unable to appear before Chen Yuan for the time being.
Now, Chen Yuan could finally focus on dealing with the Nine Swords Alliance.
Chen Yuan had previously asked Lu Li to gather the latest intelligence on the Nine Swords Alliance, but Xu Baiwei’s arrival had prevented him from reviewing it.
This time, Chen Yuan finally had a moment to spare. He had no intention of delaying any further; the Nine Swords Alliance had to be dealt with once and for all.
However, after reading through the file Lu Li had provided, Chen Yuan was stunned.
He hadn’t been paying attention to the Nine Swords Alliance recently, and he was shocked to see that their development had gone in a completely unexpected direction.
In the original story, the Nine Swords Alliance’s main focus was on expanding its influence in the Jianghu.
They would absorb Independent Martial Artists from the Land of Youning to build their strength, and Zuo Feiyu would befriend major Jianghu powers like the Shangguan Family to expand their network.
Eventually, they would take advantage of Zhenwu Hall’s decline to rise to prominence, soaring to new heights.
Now that Zuo Feiyu was dead, the Shangguan Family naturally cut all ties with the Nine Swords Alliance, and all the connections and opportunities that had belonged to them were gone.
But somehow, Zuo Tianyuan had managed to get in league with the Court.
According to Lu Li’s intelligence, an Eagle General of the Court’s Vigorous Martial Army, Wei Chaoge, was currently with the Nine Swords Alliance. Meanwhile, Zuo Tianyuan was using the alliance’s power and connections to acquire a large number of warhorses in You Province.
Chen Yuan frowned as he read the report.
Previously, with only Zuo Tianyuan leading the Nine Swords Alliance, Chen Yuan had been confident he could crush them with the might of the White Tiger Hall.
’But how did the Nine Swords Alliance get mixed up with the Court?’
The Vigorous Martial Army was one of the Court’s elite forces. Its Eagle Generals nearly all possessed a Primordial Pill Realm cultivation, meaning Wei Chaoge was definitely a Grandmaster Level expert.
Since this involved the horse trade, Chen Yuan thought for a moment and had Lu Li summon Guan Zhenshan.
The Celestial Star Ranch had suffered devastating losses during the Hu Yan Tribe’s assault, so Guan Zhenshan had been busy rebuilding it.
Guan Yingxing was rebuilding their pastures on the Grassland, while Guan Zhenshan was in Lujiang Prefecture, purchasing massive amounts of resources and recruiting Independent Martial Artists as guests, all in preparation for re-establishing the ranch.
Upon receiving Chen Yuan’s summons, Guan Zhenshan immediately dropped what he was doing and came to see him.
"Lord Chen, you summoned me. What are your orders?"
Guan Zhenshan asked hurriedly as he walked in and bowed to Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan had saved the Guan Family once before, during the extermination of the Xu Family of the Flying Horse Pavilion.
This time, Chen Yuan had turned the tide and driven out the Hu Yan Tribe, which was tantamount to avenging the Guan Family. Guan Zhenshan felt he could never repay such a great debt in his lifetime and had long since considered himself one of Chen Yuan’s men. His loyalty was no less than that of Lu Li and Chen Yuan’s other trusted followers.
"Nothing major. I just wanted to ask you a few questions, Master Guan."
With that, Chen Yuan handed the report on the Nine Swords Alliance to Guan Zhenshan. "Men from the Vigorous Martial Army have suddenly teamed up with the Nine Swords Alliance to acquire a large number of warhorses. What do you make of it?"
Guan Zhenshan had been in charge of breeding horses, while the Xu Family of the Flying Horse Pavilion had handled their sale, but that didn’t mean he was ignorant of the trade.
After looking it over, Guan Zhenshan said bluntly, "This tells me two things. One, the Court is short on horses. And two, the conflict between the Court’s mansions and secretariats has intensified."
"The Court is short on horses? And what’s this about a conflict between mansions and secretariats?"
Guan Zhenshan explained, "The Great Xia Court has three primary horse-producing regions: our own Ning Province, the Northern You Province, and Yan Province."
"Ning Province is adjacent to the Grassland, so the warhorses we get are sourced from there, much like my Celestial Star Ranch. The supply is too fragmented, and the numbers aren’t large."
"The Northern You Province is too far from the Central Plains. You have to go from You Province to Ning Province, then through Qing Province just to reach the Central Plains."
"Furthermore, You Province is controlled by the Murong Family and the Sun-piercing Alliance. As you know, the situation in Ning Province is that while Zhenwu Hall has nominally brought it under control, it’s effectively a partitioned territory."
"So, the Great Xia Court previously had only one stable source of horses: Yan Province."
"But I’ve heard that the Sun-Swapping Alliance has started an uprising there, and half of Yan Province has already fallen. It seems their horse supply line from Yan Province has been cut, which is why the military is now trying to find a solution in You Province."
"As for the conflict between the ’mansion’ and the ’secretariat’—the mansion is the Xuan Ce Mansion, and the secretariat is the Imperial Secretariat."
"The Xuan Ce Mansion commands military strategy and campaigns. Many of the Court’s armies fall under its jurisdiction, making it the core of the military."
"The Imperial Secretariat, on the other hand, manages logistics and administration—things like forging armor, casting weapons, and training warhorses."
"You could say the Imperial Secretariat has the military by the throat. If they don’t provide logistical support, the various armies will be paralyzed."
"That’s why the generals from the Xuan Ce Mansion have always wanted to seize control of logistics for themselves, so they can at least procure their own warhorses and forge their own weapons and armor without having to bow to someone else’s whims."
"But the Imperial Secretariat is unwilling to relinquish that power, so the two sides have been engaged in open and secret struggles for years."
"The fact that the Vigorous Martial Army bypassed the Imperial Secretariat and came directly to You Province to secure warhorses must be because the Secretariat can’t deliver due to the chaos in Yan Province. The army is using this as an excuse to usurp their authority."