283: Brother Lu, please...

Fan Zeng shakily rose, removed his strategist's jade crown, and placed it on the table: "My King... this old official... has assisted you for twenty years, and I have personally watched you grow from a young hero into a generation's Hegemon. It's not important that you lost your Hegemon Body, but you have lost your heart. You no longer trust your brothers, no longer trust your strategists, no longer trust the people's hearts..."

"The State of Chu will surely perish by your hand."

With that, he turned and left, never looking back.

Days later, a scout reported—

Fan Zeng had died of illness on his way home, his eyes still fixed in the direction of Peng City, unclosed.

Days later, a Chu Army spy, covered in blood, who had escaped from the Han camp, knelt before Chu Yu's tent and tremblingly said: "My King... this humble one infiltrated the Han camp and personally overheard Chen Ping and Liu Bang's secret conversation... Chen Ping laughed and said that Chu Yu had indeed fallen into their trap! With Fan Zeng gone, the Chu Army is like a blind man, not to be feared. Liu Bang even said that Chu Yu is arrogant and self-willed, only trusting in military might, and refusing loyal advice. This is a sign of Heaven's doom!"

Chu Yu was struck as if by lightning upon hearing this, his entire body trembling violently!

He suddenly stood up, his battle halberd plunged fiercely into the ground, cracks spreading for ten zhang!

"What?! I... I fell for their trick?!"

Those rumors were the bewitchment of the "Mind-Confusing Secret Art"!

And Fan Zeng... his foster father who had assisted him for twenty years... was actually forced away by his own hands, dying with resentment!

"Foster Father—!!"

Chu Yu roared to the sky, his voice tearing through the firmament, shaking the tents until they collapsed and rocks rolled down!

"It was I... I wronged you!!"

His eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched tight, fingernails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping.

But regret came too late.

Fan Zeng was dead, loyal advice was gone, and the Chu Army had no more strategists.

Even more terrifying was—

He had completely forgotten Fan Zeng's dying words:

"Do not advance rashly, hold steadfastly to Jiangdong, and wait for Han Xin's northern campaign to exhaust him before planning a counterattack."

At this moment, Chu Yu was consumed by anger and humiliation.

He could not accept that he had been defeated by a "conspiracy," nor could he tolerate Liu Bang's mockery!

"Liu Bang! You use cunning tricks to sow discord between my ruler and ministers, thinking I dare not fight?! Today, I will break your formation with force and crush your Earth Vein Grand Array!"

With a single command—

The entire army launched a fierce attack on Xingyang!

The Chu Army was like a black torrent, assaulting the city in wave after wave.

Chu Yu personally led the "Evil Qi Blood Iron Army," using the "Battle Soul Body Tempering Art" to unleash the potential of his soldiers. Every man fought fearlessly, climbing the city walls like mad demons!

Liu Bang, relying on the "Earth Vein Grand Array," held his ground, and both sides fell into a long stalemate.

The real turning point came from the north.

Han Xin, the owner of the "Military Immortal Body" who had once been discarded by Chu Yu, finally ushered in his era.

He led his army north, first battling King Wei Bao.

King Wei Bao set up the "Nine-Bend Maze Array" and guarded the pass with "Iron-Clad War Elephants," believing it to be foolproof.

Han Xin employed the strategy of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly marching through Chencang"—

During the day, he ordered the plank road to be repaired, drawing the main Wei Army to garrison there;

At night, he used the "Shrinking Earth into an Inch Talisman" to lead his elite forces across the He River from Xiayang, launching a surprise attack on the Wei Army's rear!

He even brought out the "Military Soul Banner," summoning the remnant souls of ancient Military Immortals. With a single thought, ten thousand soldiers disarmed!

In the Battle of Anyi, King Wei Bao was soundly defeated and captured, and all of Wei territory fell to Han.

Afterward, Han Xin marched east to attack the State of Zhao.

The Zhao Army, numbering two hundred thousand, held the Jingxing Pass, a strategically important and easily defensible Location.

Han Xin set up the "Facing the River Formation," placing his army in a desperate situation to ignite their will to fight to the death.

He personally wielded the "Military God Sword," activating the "Military Star Power," and launched a night raid on the Zhao camp, breaking the enemy in one fell swoop!

King Zhao Xie was captured, Chen Yu died in battle, and Zhao territory fell to Han.

Han Xin attacked Qi, and the King of Qi sought aid from Chu.

Chu Yu dispatched General Long Ju to lead one hundred thousand Chu Army troops to the rescue.

Long Ju was the Reincarnation of the "Profound Armor War God," his Physical Body like iron, wielding the "Sea-Breaking Halberd," his combat power second only to Chu Yu.

He set up the "Profound Armor Grand Array" and used the "Earth Fire Furnace" to block both banks of the Wei River, intending to trap and kill Han Xin.

However, Han Xin did not attack head-on. Instead, he secretly gathered three thousand "Water Spirit Cultivators" to build a "Spiritual Power Dam" upstream, creating a lake by accumulating water.

When Long Ju's army was halfway across the Wei River—

He suddenly detonated the dam!

Rumbling—!!!

A colossal flood, like the Heavenly River pouring down, carrying "Ice Talismanic Incantations" and a "Lightning Strike Array," instantly submerged the Chu Army!

Long Ju roared, activating his Profound Armor power to resist the flood, but Han Xin, descending from the sky with a "Military Immortal Slash," cut off his "War God Life Core" with a single sword stroke!

Long Ju fell, one hundred thousand Chu Army troops were annihilated, and the entire State of Qi fell to Han.

Upon hearing the news, Chu Yu roared to the sky, but there was nothing he could do.

He had lost Fan Zeng, lost Long Ju, and lost his northern shield.

And Liu Bang, Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Ying Bu had already converged from all directions.

They had surrounded Chu Yu at Gaixia.

Six hundred thousand Han Army troops completely encircled one hundred thousand Chu Army troops... Southern Barbarian, Lu Family Village, back mountain.

Lu Chen's seclusion had already lasted three years.

For these three years, he had worked day and night, using the "heart of the heavenly dao" as a guide and the "nine lives reincarnation lamp" as a furnace, refining and fusing the vast energy from the eight great Spirit Treasures one by one!

The "dragon fiend spear" in his hand, after three years of tempering, had officially entered the Soul Transformation stage. With one thrust, it could shatter the Primordial Spirit of a Nascent Soul True Lord!

Even more astonishing was—

The "heart of the heavenly dao" and the "nine lives reincarnation lamp" within his body finally completed their Fusion, their energies intertwining to form a unique "Heavenly Dao Resonance Core"!

With Lu Chen's current strength, if he wished, he could instantly Breakthrough the Golden Core Bottleneck and enter the Nascent Soul realm!

But Lu Chen was not in a hurry to Breakthrough.

Nascent Soul... was merely an ant in the eyes of the Spirit Realm.

Emperor Qin, Ling Tian, Shen Wuya, West Moon... which of these top powerhouses of the Tianqi Continent wasn't at the Golden Core Peak stage, yet they delayed their Breakthrough?

Because they all knew—

Once one enters the Nascent Soul stage, the Spirit Realm's 'Reception Envoy' would descend, forcibly taking them away to become a slave of the Spirit Realm!"

Rather than being enslaved by the Spirit Realm, it was better to accumulate strength until one could contend with the Spirit Realm, and then make a stunning debut!

Lu Chen wanted to accumulate strength until he could contend with the Spirit Realm.

Just then—

"Ding-a-ling-ling..."

A crisp bell sound echoed from deep within the Immortal Cave.

That was Lu Chen's specially made "Sound Transmission Bell," which only his servant Bai Jingjing could trigger.

Once the bell rang, it meant a matter of utmost urgency!

Lu Chen frowned slightly and opened his eyes:

"Bai Jingjing? Why send a message at this time?"

Through the bell, Bai Jingjing's voice came, tinged with anxiety:

"Master, Yu Ji of Chu seeks an audience. She says there's an urgent matter of immense importance, concerning the life and death of the State of Chu! She is already outside the Immortal Cave..."

Yu Ji?

Lu Chen's gaze sharpened.

He had no deep connection with Yu Ji; the only link was through Chu Yu.

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice low and clear:

"Bring her in."

As his voice fell, the nine-layered Spirit Sealing Array outside the Immortal Cave slowly opened. A flash of green light, and the Restriction dissipated.

A moment later, Bai Jingjing led a woman in plain clothes into the Immortal Cave.

The woman was slender, her face haggard, yet her eyes showed determination and sorrow.

It was Yu Ji.

The moment she stepped into the Immortal Cave, she felt an overwhelming Evil Qi and Spiritual Pressure, almost suffocating her.

But she did not retreat. Instead, she quickly stepped forward, knelt on both knees, her voice trembling:

As soon as she saw Lu Chen, she didn't wait for Bai Jingjing to introduce her, but immediately knelt down with a 'thud,' her forehead heavily knocking against the cold stone steps, emitting a dull 'thump.'

"Brother Lu... please, save Chu Yu! He has been surrounded by Liu Bang's six hundred thousand strong army at Gaixia for several days, his supplies are exhausted, reinforcements cut off, and morale is scattered..."

"If this continues, Chu Yu and the entire Chu Family Army will... be completely annihilated!!"

She raised her head, tears like broken pearls streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the stone steps.

Those eyes, once as bright as autumn waters, were now bloodshot and filled with despair.