117: Fourth Generation: Overlord (Thirteen)

Amidst the incredulous gazes of Zhao Pan and all the Cultivators within the pass, that incomparably sturdy earth-yellow light barrier rippled violently, as if a stone had been cast into a lake!

The Spiritual Qi of the Spiritual Vein that the pass relied upon seemed to have encountered a natural nemesis at this moment, becoming chaotic and disorderly!

The light of the Formation flickered uncertainly, and there was even a brief stagnation!

"Impossible! What have you done?!"

Zhao Pan was horrified and lost his composure.

Just in this fleeting moment when old strength was exhausted and new strength had yet to arise—

"Form the array, strike!"

Over ten thousand elite Shadow Guards connected their Qi, and a massive phantom of a cyan battle halberd, condensing the power of everyone, struck down ferociously!

"Boom—!!!"

The "Houtu Overturning Heaven Formation," having lost the stable support of the earth vein, shattered with a roar under the combined attack from inside and out! The pass walls collapsed, and the Spiritual light dissipated!

Zhao Pan was disheveled, his face filled with incredulous despair.

The earth-yellow light barrier of the Luoxia Spiritual Pass shattered with a roar, the pass walls collapsed in large part under the aftershock of the cyan battle halberd phantom, and dust mixed with the dissipating Spiritual light surged into the sky.

The Zhao Family Cultivators and garrison troops inside the pass were so shocked by this sudden turn of events that their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; the backlash of the Formation caused many to vomit blood on the spot, and those with weaker cultivation directly fainted.

Zhao Pan was disheveled, his Dao robe torn, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. He stared fixedly at Xu Yuan, who was floating in the air with fluttering robes and unsullied by even a speck of dust, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins and frantic resentment.

"Wang Yuan, you little thief! You destroyed my Formation and cut off my path of Dao! I will fight you to the death!"

He knew deeply that with the Formation broken, he had absolutely no chance of survival, and even less face to face the Zhao Family Old Ancestor.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his heart—even in death, he would drag this Qilin child of the Wang Family down with him!

As long as Xu Yuan died, the Wang Family's "loyalist" banner would fall by half!

"Burn my blood essence, sacrifice my Dao Foundation!"

"Nine Nether Profound Evil, explode for me!"

An abnormal flush appeared on Zhao Pan's face, and the aura around him climbed frantically at a destructive speed, actually briefly breaking through the boundary of the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, reaching a level close to the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage!

A "Blood Core" inside his body, condensed through secret techniques and not yet fully formed, burned violently, drawing upon the Spiritual Qi around his body to transform into a flood of Profound Evil as black as ink, exuding an aura of corrosion and deathly silence. Like a hideous poisonous dragon, it ignored spatial distance and lunged straight at Xu Yuan's face!

This strike contained his lifelong cultivation and the essence of his life, its power far exceeding the self-detonation of an ordinary Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!

"Yuan'er, watch out!"

The Third Elder, Wang Zhengqing, had been locking his Qi onto Zhao Pan and had sensed it the instant his aura fluctuated.

Seeing Zhao Pan so decisively unleash a forbidden technique of mutual destruction, his expression tightened, but he showed no panic.

"A mere grain of rice, yet it dares to shine?"

The Third Elder let out a cold snort. Without seeing him make any grand gestures, he simply flicked his sleeve forward gently.

"Suppress!"

As the word was uttered, his words carried the power of the law!

In an instant, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to be seized and compressed by an invisible giant hand, instantly condensing in front of Xu Yuan into a cyan Spiritual wall as thick as a mountain!

On the Spiritual wall, countless fine runes flowed, emitting boundless vitality and the power of suppression; this was precisely the Wang Family's secret Divine Ability—

Azurewood Town Yuan Wall!

The incomparably fierce flood of Nine Nether Profound Evil collided with the Azurewood Town Yuan Wall, emitting a teeth-aching "hissing" sound. The black Qi eroded frantically, but like boiling soup poured on snow, it was quickly worn away and purified by the boundless Green-Wood Spiritual Qi and the law of suppression, unable to shake the Spiritual wall in the slightest!

"No—!"

Zhao Pan let out a roar of despair and unwillingness. His strike, which had burned everything, was so vulnerable before a Late Foundation Establishment Stage master!

The Third Elder's eyes were indifferent. He brought his fingers together like a sword and pointed through the air.

"Bind!"

Countless phantoms of cyan vines emerged from the Void Realm, instantly wrapping around Zhao Pan's body, forcibly suppressing and sealing his burning blood essence and violent Spiritual power.

Zhao Pan's body trembled violently, the light in his eyes quickly dimming. His whole person collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed; his cultivation was completely crippled, and his life was fading.

"Take him away and guard him strictly."

The Third Elder ordered calmly.

A Shadow Guard appeared silently and dragged the crippled Zhao Pan away.

From beginning to end, Xu Yuan watched all of this with a calm expression.

The moment the Third Elder made his move, he had already withdrawn his intent to mobilize Luck.

With a Late Foundation Establishment Stage guardian by his side, for an Early Foundation Establishment Stage true Cultivator—possessing neither a Perfect Dao Foundation, nor extraordinary combat power, nor the protection of a large Formation—such a dying struggle was merely a laughingstock.

"Luoxia Pass is broken. Clean up the pass, take over the Spiritual Vein, and rest for half a day." Xu Yuan ordered, his voice spreading across the battlefield, "Proclaim to the four directions the matter of the rebel Zhao Pan resisting stubbornly, attempting to assassinate this Prince, and being suppressed by the Third Elder with thunderous force, along with his crimes!"

"Yes!"

With the change of ownership of Luoxia Pass, the last major pass leading to the Royal Capital was completely opened.

The public opinion machine controlled by the Wang Family was fully activated with unprecedented force.

Countless prepared "Jade Slip" recordings were copied and distributed. They clearly recorded how Zhao Pan frantically drove the Formation to block the "righteous army," how he hysterically burned his blood essence to assassinate the "benevolent and virtuous" Wang Family Second Young Master, and finally the scene of him being suppressed by the Wang Family Third Elder with supreme Divine Ability.

The Jade Slips also included various "proofs of crimes" of the Zhao and Li Families, such as monopolizing the government for years, framing loyal officials, eroding the National Fortune, and assisting King Xia in excessive taxation and extortion to supply his cultivation.

At the same time, more news was "confirmed" and widely circulated regarding King Xia, Xia Hong, suffering damage to his Dao Foundation due to forcibly attempting to break through to the Golden Core stage, being invaded by a Heart Demon, undergoing a drastic change in temperament, and killing the innocent indiscriminately.

Terrifying illusions depicting King Xia in the Nine Dragon Hall acting like a madman, devouring the essence Qi of concubines and princes in an attempt to heal his injuries, were publicly projected over some large towns by Wang Family Cultivators.

"King Xia has lost his virtue; Heaven has sent down a backlash!"

"The Zhao and Li traitors are wreaking havoc on the court!"

"The Wang Family is loyal and brave, forced to raise an army to clear the court of bad influences and pacify the national crisis!"

"The Wang Family Second Young Master is matchless in benevolence and virtue, bears the mandate of Heaven, and is the Reincarnation of the Ziwei Emperor Star!"

"..."

Such rhetoric spread like a plague across the land of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Loose Cultivators and small Families, who were already dissatisfied due to years of turmoil and resources being monopolized by the upper echelons, as well as the common people tortured by harsh government, all placed their hopes on the Wang Family, who were "acting on behalf of Heaven."

The main force of the Wang Family coalition, under the command of Wang Qingshan and the Grand Elder, grew like a snowball, gathering the northern border army, the western border coalition, East Sea Cultivators, and various forces that surrendered along the way, marching majestically straight toward the Royal Capital.

And the Qingping Guards, led by Xu Yuan, served as the vanguard and were unstoppable.

Wherever they passed, cities often surrendered at the mere sight of them, and countless garrison troops defected.

Even if there were occasionally Cultivators loyal to King Xia or the Zhao and Li families who tried to resist, they were quickly dismantled by overwhelming power or "dark agents" appearing from within.

The Royal Capital, Jiulong City.

The once bustling and noisy massive city, filled with Spiritual Qi, was now shrouded in clouds of sorrow and mist.

The city-protecting "Nine Flood Dragon Overturning Sea Formation" had been fully activated, with nine flood dragon phantoms condensed from Spiritual Qi cruising around the city walls, emitting a terrifying pressure.

However, the atmosphere inside the city was suppressed to the extreme.

The news that King Xia, Xia Hong, was still suffering from serious injuries and had a violent temperament had long since spread. Recently, he had executed several officials who tried to remonstrate in the court and had even ordered the extraction of the inner treasury's Spiritual Vein and the Origin Spiritual Qi of some royal Family members in an attempt to recover, causing panic among the people.

Outside the city, the Wang Family coalition stretched for hundreds of miles, with camps like forests, Spiritual light shooting into the sky, and Killing Intent filling the fields.

A huge purple Wang banner fluttered in the wind, and the "Wang" character embroidered on the flag seemed to have stirred the Heaven and Earth Luck!

It formed a sharp contrast with the shaky and dim Xia Family Dragon Qi over Jiulong City.

Wang Qingshan and Xu Yuan stood side by side on the high platform of the central camp, gazing from afar at the majestic city that symbolized the supreme power of the Great Xia Dynasty.

"A thousand years of foundation, ten years of planning, finally arriving at this moment." Wang Qingshan's gaze was profound, "Yuan'er, this Jiulong City, this Great Xia National Fortune, is about to become the nourishment for your Dao!"

Xu Yuan nodded slightly; he could feel the vast but riddled-with-holes Luck of the Royal Capital ahead, like a giant vortex, attracting him.

"Father, how should this final blow be delivered?"

A sharp light flashed in Wang Qingshan's eyes, and he said in a deep voice:

"The arrow is already on the string; why wait any longer? Tomorrow at the hour of the Dragon, general attack!"

The magnificent great trend was already like a pouring Heavenly River, irreversible.

Where the Wang banner points, that is the new sky!