Chapter 267 - 265: Zuo Tianyuan’s Trump Card
After gaining initial mastery of the *Valley Spirit Scripture*, Chen Yuan balanced the various Strength Attributes within his body, causing his foundational power to surge once more.
That was why unleashing a highly draining spell like the Three Generations of Bright King’s Demon-Suppressing Spell five times in a row wasn’t an overwhelming burden for him.
After finishing off Ba Xinguo, Chen Yuan’s True Qi was significantly depleted. He immediately consumed a handful of Elixirs, his True Essence circulating to rapidly absorb their medicinal power.
Meanwhile, Wei Chaoge was horrified when he saw Chen Yuan kill Ba Xinguo in a single, explosive assault.
In the past, when his Vigorous Martial Army had captured Ba Xinguo, it had taken a team of more than ten Deputy Generals at the Condensing Truth Realm. They had to use traps to corner him and starve him for three days and nights until his strength was depleted before they could finally take him alive.
Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster like himself would have to expend considerable effort to kill Ba Xinguo. ’How is this Chen Jiutian’s foundational power so immense?’
Now that Ba Xinguo and Sun Qian were dead, no one from either the Vigorous Martial Army or the Nine Swords Alliance could stop Chen Yuan.
In an instant, Chen Yuan took down several more Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists from the Nine Swords Alliance and the Vigorous Martial Army. Looking around, he saw the outcome of the battle was more or less decided.
Although Feng Tianbao hadn’t brought many men, when combined with the people from the Twelve Blade Halls and his own White Tiger Hall, plus the fact that he himself had slain so many of the enemy’s Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artists, the Nine Swords Alliance was already showing signs of collapsing.
By now, Chen Yuan had recovered some of his True Qi. He gathered his power, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow. The Mulan Continuous Jail-Piercing Arrow erupted forth, shooting straight for Zuo Tianyuan!
He had no intention of getting into a life-or-death duel with Zuo Tianyuan. Now, while Zuo was distracted, was the perfect time to strike.
At this moment, Zuo Tianyuan still held the upper hand in his fierce battle with Duan Hengshan.
Whether in terms of Realm, cultivation technique inheritance, or mastery of Secret Martial Techniques, Zuo Tianyuan was superior to Duan Hengshan.
However, Duan Hengshan’s physical strength was formidable enough to withstand Zuo Tianyuan’s attacks. His resilience was immense; even though he was outmatched, he continued to tie the man down in a bitter struggle.
Years ago, when Duan Hengshan was being hunted by the Murong Family, even a siege by several Primordial Pill Realm Grandmasters had failed to take him down, a testament to his incredible tenacity.
As the Mulan Continuous Jail-Piercing Arrow descended, Zuo Tianyuan hastily retreated, shattering the power of the Jail-Piercing Arrow with a single sword strike.
But Duan Hengshan was right behind it. Demonic Qi condensed on his Beheading Saber as he brought it down on Zuo Tianyuan with monstrous power.
On Chen Yuan’s blade, the Blood Sea Listening Tide, the Li Yan Blood Fiend erupted. A Red Lotus bloomed, and blood-red flames surged to the heavens.
One black, one red—two incredibly powerful Sword Momentums attacked Zuo Tianyuan simultaneously, instantly doubling the pressure on him.
He had seen Chen Yuan kill Sun Qian and Ba Xinguo and knew his power was formidable, but only now, by clashing with him directly, did he truly understand the extent of his strength.
This level of power was virtually indistinguishable from that of a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster.
The Blood Qi on Chen Yuan’s Blood Sea Listening Tide suddenly blazed, and the Blood Sea Tide-Rising Song erupted without warning.
An extreme killing intent flooded Zuo Tianyuan’s mind.
Zuo Tianyuan’s state of mind was normally very stable; a man like him excelled at controlling his emotions.
But with Chen Yuan, the man who had killed his son, right before him, even Zuo Tianyuan was overwhelmed by the killing intent. He lost his focus for a moment, his eyes filling with crimson, and his Sword Momentum lost all discipline.
Duan Hengshan seized the opportunity. A four-armed demonic shadow materialized behind him, gathering a monstrous amount of Demonic Qi.
As he brought his saber down, the demonic shadow transformed into a blade, striking with world-cleaving power!
Chen Yuan followed right after, his body radiating Dao Essence as lightning filled the air around him.
He drew forth a silver-white bolt of power like a long sword. Liquid lightning formed the Shenxiao Evil-slaying Sword, which he brought down thunderously upon Zuo Tianyuan!
One divine, one demonic—two supremely powerful forces crashed down. The might of the attack was so immense that everyone on the battlefield turned to stare.
At this critical moment, Zuo Tianyuan’s mind snapped back to clarity. Sword Qi surged into his body as he burned his own blood, transforming his very being into a sword.
In an instant, boundless blood-colored Sword Qi swirled around him. At that moment, Zuo Tianyuan was like a razor-sharp Blood Sword piercing the heavens, unleashing his ultimate power to meet the two incoming Sword Momentums!
A deafening, world-shaking roar echoed out. A terrifying storm of power erupted at the center of their clash, and even the entirety of Qifeng Mountain began to tremble as if the earth dragon had turned over.
When the dust settled, Zuo Tianyuan was a wretched sight. He coughed up a large mouthful of blood, his aura weak and suppressed.
But Chen Yuan’s brow was tightly furrowed.
’Zuo Tianyuan’s strength seems to be even greater than I estimated.’
The Alliance Leader of the Nine Swords Alliance was indeed a master of schemes and manipulation, but it was clear he hadn’t neglected his cultivation over the years.
Just then, Zuo Tianyuan roared at Wei Chaoge, "Wei Chaoge! Don’t forget why Grand General Yuwen sent you here!"
"Not only will you fail to bring back a single warhorse, but your elite troops are almost wiped out! Lu Feiyu is dead, and Ba Xinguo is dead!"
"My Nine Swords Alliance can be destroyed for all I care—my feud with this Chen Jiutian is to the death anyway! But you, how can you face the trust Grand General Yuwen placed in you?"
"Murong Jing is waiting at the foot of the mountain right now! As soon as you give the word, he will lead the entire Murong Branch Family into action!"
Chen Yuan’s expression flickered. ’When did Zuo Tianyuan get in contact with the Murong Family?’
Chen Yuan had been wary of the Murong Family and the Sun-piercing Alliance interfering, but based on his information and deductions, he had been ninety percent certain they would stay out of it.
The reason was simple: it wasn’t worth it for them.
You Province already produced warhorses, and both of those factions had their own warhorse businesses. They didn’t really care where the horses ultimately ended up.
In fact, the more intense the conflict between the government factions, the better. It would only make their warhorse businesses more profitable.
Another reason was that both factions maintained a respectful distance from the Great Xia Court, wanting neither to ally with it nor to have any conflict with it.
The Murong Family were remnants of a long-fallen dynasty who constantly talked of restoring their nation. And while the Sun-piercing Alliance hadn’t openly declared rebellion like the Sun-Swapping Alliance, they had still driven out the Court-appointed Prince who once governed You Province when they first rose to power.
Neither faction was on good terms with the Court. They simply wanted to quietly develop their own power in the remote region of You Province and had no desire for open conflict with the Court.
Therefore, the turmoil at the Border of Youning was unimportant to the Murong Family and the Sun-piercing Alliance, as long as the chaos didn’t spill over into You Province.
But Murong Jing was purely an exception, an anomaly within the Murong Family.
An Elder of a Murong Branch Family, he had been so ostracized that he couldn’t even remain in Longcheng. That was why he had opted for a risky gambit, seeking an opportunity to lead his branch family to the Southern Borderlands and carve out new territory.
"Kill him!"
Chen Yuan roared, immediately ordering Duan Hengshan to strike.
’Once Zuo Tianyuan and Wei Chaoge are taken care of, it will be too late for the Murong Family to make a move.’
"Fine! Have the Murong Family make their move!"
Wei Chaoge shot Zuo Tianyuan a vicious glare.
’I already told him I couldn’t possibly agree to Murong Jing’s conditions, yet this Zuo Tianyuan still summoned him here.’
’What does that mean? It means he never believed I could win and was prepared to act first and report later!’
’Still, looking at the situation now, Zuo Tianyuan’s calculation wasn’t wrong. My side really is about to break.’
’If I don’t agree to Murong Jing’s conditions, my forces will be crushed, the warhorses will be lost, and my elite troops will be wiped out.’
’If I do agree, at least I can turn this disastrous situation around.’
’As for how I’ll answer for this when I return to the Southern Border... that will depend on Grand General Yuwen’s mood.’
’But Grand General Yuwen always keeps his word. If I make a promise to Murong Jing here, the Grand General will certainly honor it.’
’The consequence, however, would likely be a severe punishment for me.’
’But that’s still better than returning in such a disgraceful state.’
At that moment, Chen Yuan and Duan Hengshan were already launching a frenzied assault on Zuo Tianyuan. But Zuo Tianyuan was burning his Qi and Blood as he retreated madly, pulling a small cylinder from his robes. He activated it instantly, and a blinding white light flared across the entire mountaintop.
Less than ten breaths after the cylinder was activated, a large wave of powerful auras surged up from the foot of the mountain.
An old man in ornate robes, leading over a hundred Murong Family Martial Artists, ascended to the peak. He laughed heartily and said, "Alliance Leader Zuo, you certainly kept me waiting. I was beginning to think your earlier promises were off the table."
As his voice fell, the old man struck out with his palm. A stunningly powerful golden Palm Force slammed down, directly forcing back Chen Yuan and Duan Hengshan and saving the critically endangered Zuo Tianyuan.
Zuo Tianyuan gasped for breath and said in a low voice, "Rest assured, Elder Murong. Lord Wei has agreed to your conditions. Your branch family will no longer have to suffer being ostracized by Longcheng. A new world awaits you in the Southern Borderlands."
At the same time, Feng Tianbao and Wei Chaoge abruptly broke apart. Feng Tianbao’s eyes were bloodshot, but his expression was as dark as a stormy sea.
"Wei Chaoge! Is the Vigorous Martial Army truly planning to rebel?"
"The territory conquered in the Southern Borderlands belongs to the Court! It is the land of our Great Xia!"
"How dare you take it upon yourself to give it to the Murong Family? What do you think you’re doing? Is this treason!?"
Feng Tianbao had actually planned to spare Wei Chaoge’s life before this; he had no desire to fight him to the death.
This wasn’t because Feng Tianbao was soft-hearted. The man was, after all, a Fierce Battle General, and his death would be a loss for the Court.
Moreover, killing him would mean completely tearing away all pretense with the Vigorous Martial Army.
That was why Feng Tianbao’s original plan had been to eliminate Wei Chaoge’s subordinates but leave him alive to return to the Vigorous Martial Army. That in itself would have served as a lesson.
But who could have imagined that Wei Chaoge would be so audacious as to promise the Murong Family territory in the Southern Borderlands for their own development? That was the territory of Great Xia!
And this was the Murong Family, no less! Those people were in You Province clamoring day in and day out about restoring their nation. The Court couldn’t be bothered to deal with them, since it had already lost control of You Province anyway.
But the Southern Borderlands had just been conquered by Great Xia; it was genuine, hard-won Great Xia territory. The significance was completely different.
For a eunuch like Feng Tianbao, who was utterly loyal to the Emperor, this act had touched a nerve that should never be touched. His eyes filled with an intense, murderous rage.