Chapter 868: Chapter 29: As If Blessed by the Divine

(PS: When writing this plot, I anticipated that some would say the court is too incompetent, and the storyline is too unreasonable:

First, why doesn’t the court send a Martial Saint or True Monarch? This question is akin to why I’m not the world’s richest person…

Second, the court was unprepared for Qi Ming? If there were no traitors, Bai Yan wouldn’t have died. The Mixed Heaven Compass, the Peace Token he carried, and that Star were all means the court prepared against Qi Ming. But no matter what, it’s impossible to absolutely counter a True Monarch hiding in the shadows for a sneak attack.

Third, is it unreasonable for a traitor to appear at a critical position? Just last year’s news, a high-ranking figure equivalent to the ‘Minister of War’ was sacked… Is that of high enough rank? Critical enough position? If such problems can occur… in comparison, the novel is much more reasonable than reality.)

Lanling City.

Inside the Great Hall where State Preceptor Yun Shu is in seclusion.

The Great Hall houses nine bronze tripods, each engraved with coiling dragon inscriptions.

The nine tripods are distributed around the Great Hall, the floor is paved with white jade tiles, carved with complex array patterns.

At this moment, all the array patterns on the floor are lit up, and within the nine bronze tripods, abundant national fortune is concentrated!

State Preceptor Yun Shu stands at the center of the Great Hall, a compass emitting a starry light hovering above his head, which is his Lifebound Magical Treasure.

When Bai Yan, thousands of miles away, activated the power of the Dao Yun Shu left for him, Yun Shu responded from within this Great Hall.

Being gravely injured, Yun Shu naturally couldn’t leave the Imperial Palace to venture into the Northern Barbarians’ territory, providing Qi Ming an opportunity to strike in secret.

Hence, he could only provide support from afar, as he was doing now.

Even though he is a True Monarch, using this method still consumes national fortune.

But to decapitate the Northern Barbarian King, such an investment is necessary.

At a certain moment, Yun Shu’s expression changed, and with a single finger pointed upwards, a vast power was injected into the Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Within the Great Hall, all nine tripods emanated intense light, and the national fortune within surged!

At this moment, it was exactly when Qi Ming struck at Bai Yan.

Moments later, the Emperor in the Imperial Study Room received information from Yun Shu.

A supreme and magnificent aura erupted from the Emperor’s body, and the Imperial Jade Seal flew out from the box on the desk, landing in his hand.

The Emperor sat solemnly on the throne, his gaze profound and expression dangerously cold.

As long as Yun Shu completely locked Qi Ming’s position, no matter the cost in national fortune, he would have Yun Shu strike at Qi Ming from afar!

Back when Qing Xu rebelled and established the Earthly Taoist Country, it was akin to two nations at war with the Da Lan Dynasty, ultimately it was a contest of strength and foundation.

And Qi Ming, cursing a nation into Dao from the shadows, was more like a thief at home for the Da Lan Dynasty.

This thief remained hidden, stealing and sabotaging without daring to show himself openly.

Because to Qi Ming, who practiced the Curse Dao, the national fortune of the Da Lan Dynasty was also a curse, and the most harmful kind!

So once he is utterly locked by Yun Shu, as long as the Emperor is willing to expend the national fortune, there’s a chance to heavily injure him and even cause him to fall in realm!

The Mixed Heaven Compass and the Star within Bai Yan were meant to deter Qi Ming, ensuring he dared not act.

But if Qi Ming were willing to take risks to act, he would have to pay a price.

The difference lies merely in the degree.

If Qi Ming attacks only the Imperial Camp Army, he won’t be immediately tracked, but then he must deal with Yun Shu’s tracking with full power.

If Qi Ming directly attacks someone as important as Bai Yan, he will be immediately locked by Yun Shu!

So before the battle commenced, the Emperor and Yun Shu calculated a ‘ledger’:

If Qi Ming strikes at the Imperial Camp Army, the Savage Killing Army’s action may fail, but the casualties won’t be severe, and the court would have the opportunity to eliminate a huge hidden threat.

If Qi Ming directly strikes at Bai Yan, the Savage Killing Army might be completely annihilated, yet Qi Ming would pay with his own life!

No matter how it is calculated, even if the court loses, it wouldn’t lose much.

In this world, there are rarely foolproof strategies. Balancing advantages and disadvantages, then striving full power for the best outcome is all that can be done.

The only factor the Emperor and Yun Shu didn’t account for was Qi Zhou.

….

Deep within the Wilderness.

The death of an Army Commander is a devastating blow to any troop!

Moreover, in a war dominated by extraordinary abilities, the outcome for top-tier experts often directly determines the overall battle’s outcome.

With Bai Yan’s death, even if over three thousand of the Imperial Camp Army remained unharmed, there was no one to integrate their entire force.

Thus, there was no one on the field matching Bo’erhu, who was at par with beastification.

Mi Han and Qiu Zian were held up by Wuri Tianji, leaving only Qi Zhou, Ji Yifan, and Zhang Chengbi – two at Peak State and one at Heavenly Gang Level — even if the three combined forces, they couldn’t stop Bo’erhu!

The defeat of the Savage Killing Army was nearly inevitable.

At the rear, Mi Han, who maneuvered his Lifebound Flying Sword, had a fluctuating expression, already considering retreat.

Ultimately, he joined just to atone for his crimes, hoping to regain his authority in the future. After all, authority meant cultivation resources, and relying solely on himself, his realm could hardly make any further progress.

When it came down to it, self-sacrifice for the nation was not something he was prepared for.

As a Sword Cultivator, he could borrow the Sword Light and flee several miles; should he choose to escape, even Bo’erhu might find it difficult to stop him.

Just as Mi Han was about to retract his Lifebound Flying Sword, Li Fei suddenly pulled out a token.

Li Fei had many tokens on him, all of great importance!

However, the token Li Fei pulled out wasn’t the ‘As If Granted by Imperial Edict’ gold medal but a black token with the word ‘Master’ inscribed on the front.