218: Finger Xuan Late Stage! Kill Hong Jingyan!

Chapter 216: Late Stage Zhi Xuan Realm! Slaying Hong Jingyan!

Hong Jingyan stood with his hands behind his back, proudly surveying the battlefield, an air of disdain for all around him.

"Hong Jingyan, why are you only just arriving!"

Zhong Liang cursed, because they and Hong Jingyan had agreed that Hong Jingyan would cover their retreat.

Hong Jingyan said indifferently, "The agreed time hasn't arrived yet."

He wasn't wrong, because Zhong Liang and the others had encountered Xue Songguan earlier, and thus engaged the Protector-General of Anxi's Mansion prematurely.

Hong Jingyan looked at the corpses of Northern Mang experts on the battlefield, and at Zhong Liang and Fifth Hao, who were completely surrounded.

"Protector-General of Anxi, Your Highness the King of Tang, how about giving me some Face in this matter today?"

"You're new to the Northwest, after all, and if the Rouran Iron Cavalry from Ti Bing Mountain were to march south, you wouldn't find them easy to deal with."

Hong Jingyan was already considered one of the top experts in the Mortal World of Northern Mang, so his words were extremely arrogant and conceited.

However, Li Chang'an was not afraid of him at all. From a hard power perspective, Li Chang'an could deal with him himself.

As for deploying the Rouran Iron Cavalry, putting aside whether Northern Liang would exploit the opportunity, even if they came, the Xuanjia Army wouldn't fear them.

In a situation where he held all the advantages, Li Chang'an looked at the high and mighty Hong Jingyan with a hint of mockery.

"Face?"

"What are you, Hong Jingyan?"

Hong Jingyan's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of killing intent.

He hadn't expected this young King of Tang to look down on him so much.

With Hong Jingyan's prestige, even Empress Murong had to give him some Face.

"What a Li Chang'an, your tone is even more arrogant than Xu Xiao's."

Li Chang'an ignored him and said to all the experts, "Everyone, today's opportunity to spar with Northern Mang's great experts is extremely rare, don't miss it."

"Hong Jingyan, Zhong Liang, Fifth Hao, none of them will escape."

With the order given, the experts of the Grand Protector's Mansion eagerly prepared for battle, resuming their siege of the Northern Mang experts.

Experts from Liyang such as Gong Banque, Wu Liuding, and Cui Hua were very much looking forward to sparring with Northern Mang's experts.

Meanwhile, Hong Jingyan himself unleashed a punch at Li Chang'an, and in an instant, winds surged, and the heavens and earth changed color.

Li Chang'an activated Thunder God Swiftness, instantly moving beside Hong Jingyan.

He unleashed a Rulai Break, meeting Hong Jingyan's palm strike head-on!

Vast True Qi surged through the valley, uprooting entire sections of forest, and leveling rocky mountain Peaks with its force!

Hong Jingyan's eyes showed astonishment, "Great Vajra physique!"

Dragon Elephant Qi surged around Li Chang'an's body as he unleashed another Bodhisattva Extinction, clashing with Hong Jingyan!

Two torrents of True Qi vibrated violently between heaven and earth, dark clouds rolled, and fierce winds and earthly fires raged.

Li Chang'an had delved into the Great River Sword Intent, mastering six of its Moves to Perfection, with three more showing signs of Breakthrough.

At this moment, Li Chang'an's cultivation in the Zhi Xuan Realm was already nearing the Late Stage, and the power of his Martial Skill Moves was no less than Hong Jingyan's!

Although Hong Jingyan was renowned as a top expert in Northern Mang, only slightly weaker than Tuoba Pusa, the reality was not quite so.

Hidden Terrestrial Deities in Northern Mang included Yuan Qingshan, Xie Guanying, Sui Xiegu, Taiping Ling, and the Bronze Man Ancestral Master, among others.

And now, Li Chang'an was already capable of competing with the openly known Great Grandmasters.

While the two battled in mid-air, Fifth Hao had already been pierced through the chest by Wu Liuding's sword.

The Mountain Master of Northern Mang's Ti Bing Mountain had fallen in the first engagement with the Protector-General of Anxi's Mansion.

What worried Hong Jingyan even more was that several experts were now besieging Zhong Liang, and Zhong Liang was also struggling to hold on.

"Senior Hong, save me!"

Zhong Liang's tone was urgent, truly displaying a sudden shift from arrogance to subservience, his change of Face too quick.

Hong Jingyan's brows furrowed tighter and tighter. If Zhong Liang also fell, Northern Mang's losses in this battle would be too great.

A full dozen First-Rank experts!

"Hiss!"

But he had no time to ponder, for Li Chang'an's Great River Sword Intent was already shooting forth, one after another!

Hong Jingyan's pupil-less silver eyes suddenly shone brightly, forming a hundred-zhang vortex that continuously collided with Li Chang'an's Guanyin Chaos vortex!

The sound of True Qi colliding and exploding in the air was incessant, and another mountaintop was completely leveled!

Because Hong Jingyan had no time to rescue Zhong Liang, Zhong Liang was besieged and killed by numerous experts, leaving no complete corpse!

Everyone watched Li Chang'an and Hong Jingyan's earth-shattering duel, each revealing an expression of disbelief.

Li Chang'an, barely twenty years old, already possessed the strength to contend with one of the world's renowned Great Grandmasters!

Everyone knew that Li Chang'an cultivated all three Realms simultaneously and had never encountered an opponent.

But now it seemed, even when facing a top Martial God at the Peak of the Heavenly Elephant Realm, he was equally formidable!

In other words, below the Terrestrial Deity Realm, no one could harm Li Chang'an.

At this moment, Hong Jingyan had long since shed the contempt he had shown upon his arrival, his heart filled with shock like surging waves.

It seemed Northern Mang had greatly underestimated this new King of Tang.

This single act of underestimation had made Northern Mang pay a bloody price!

Li Chang'an's six Moves of Great River Sword Intent attacked in succession, subtly hinting at the cultivation of a contemporary Sword Immortal.

Hong Jingyan's Face was ashen as he said, "King of Tang, let's stop here today."

"I truly cannot kill you, but you also cannot do anything to me."

Li Chang'an's expression was as usual, unfazed, "Hard to say."

After speaking, Li Chang'an's right hand transformed into a sword, and his Sword Intent stirred up a sky full of dust, like a vast, ceaseless river!

The dark clouds in the sky were also swept up by the Sword Qi, as if a great river formed of flowing clouds descended from the heavens!

The sound of True Qi tearing through the air continuously echoed, and Hong Jingyan's Heavenly Elephant True Qi was shredded inch by inch!

Hong Jingyan's Face suddenly turned green, and he said in disbelief, "You want to kill me!"

"How is this possible!"

However, at this moment, the Sword Intent, formed by yellow sand and dark clouds, had already swept over him, covering the sky and earth!

Tens of thousands of Sword Qi, like a thousand cuts, sliced open Hong Jingyan's protective True Qi, blade by blade!

"What kind of Sword Intent is this!"

"What in the world is this Sword Intent!"

Hong Jingyan was filled with terror, having completely lost his Grandmaster demeanor!

The experts of the Grand Protector's Mansion were completely stunned!

Although Li Chang'an's cultivation in the Heavenly Elephant Realm was only in the Early Stage, because he cultivated all three Realms simultaneously, his current combat power had already surpassed Hong Jingyan!

Gong Banque said in disbelief, "Cultivating all three Realms simultaneously actually has such power!"

At this moment, he suddenly decided not to return to Martial Emperor City.

He was a dual cultivator of the Vajra and Zhi Xuan Realms, and only Li Chang'an, who cultivated all three Realms, could offer him some guidance.

Anyway, Wang Xianzhi was a Martial God fanatic; one more or one less Disciple wouldn't matter to him.

Gu Dazu stroked his beard and smiled, "Your Highness has broken through, and his Zhi Xuan Realm has also entered the Late Stage."

"Below the Terrestrial Deity Realm, only the Vajra of Buddhism, the Confucian Great Heavenly Elephant, and the Daoist Great Zhi Xuan can contend with him!"

Everyone looked up at the sky with respectful expressions; Gu Dazu's implication was that Hong Jingyan was doomed!

At this moment, Li Chang'an indifferently answered Hong Jingyan's question.

"The Milky Way is also a river; this Move is the seventh Move of the Great River Sword Intent."

"Suspicion of the Milky Way falling from the Nine Heavens!"

Hong Jingyan struggled to hold on amidst the overwhelming Sword Qi, and fresh blood seeped from his silver eyes!

"Milky Way, Milky Way, it's actually the Milky Way!"

"Hahaha, how can this humble Mortal of mine withstand the might of the Milky Way!"

In an instant, sand, stones, and dark clouds swept into the high sky, truly like the Milky Way descending with surging waves, wind sweeping away scattered clouds, and thunder striking flat ground!

A moment later, the heavens and earth were calm, with no trace of Hong Jingyan.

All that remained were five thousand Xuanjia Army soldiers simultaneously kneeling on one knee, shouting in unison.

"Your Highness's Sword Qi shakes the heavens, his prestige shakes the world!"

All the experts were filled with awe and admiration.

Li Chang'an had been in Sha Province for less than three months, and had already reclaimed two commanderies occupied by the Fan People.

Now possessing five commanderies, even the refugees of Green Cang had the intention to surrender, and he had repelled the attack of Northern Mang's experts.

Sha Province had begun to rise. If all the refugees joined, it would be another hundred thousand troops!

By then, in the Northwest region, neither Northern Mang nor Northern Liang would dare to easily trouble Li Chang'an.

However, Li Chang'an did not intend to be idle; he had already arranged for Zhuge Liang to prepare provisions.

After the refugees formed an army, he would launch a war against the Western Rong grasslands.

Sha Province still had two commanderies in the hands of foreign tribes; Gaochang Commandery had been turned into a pasture by the Western Rong, and Dunhuang Commandery was in Northern Mang's hands, in a semi-independent state.

After spring, it would be time to go to war with the Western Rong!

Northern Liang.

Li Yishan and Xu Xiao, as usual, wore troubled expressions.

"Your Highness, Li Chang'an has stabilized Sha Province, and also caused over a dozen Northern Mang experts to be completely wiped out."

"Even Hong Jingyan, the Clepsydra of the Chess, Sword, and Music Pavilion, actually fell in Sha Province."

Xu Xiao's Face was grim, "Li Chang'an has won the hearts of the people of Sha Province, and the Green Cang refugees also have the intention to submit."

"If he turns Sha Province into an impregnable fortress, even I won't be able to do anything to him."

The more they spoke, the more amazed and incredible they found it.

"More than half of the three-year period has passed, and I wonder how Feng Nian is doing."

Xu Fengnian, who was said to be traveling the Jianghu, was at this very moment under the strict custody of the Eight Exquisites, having traveled through most of Liyang.

Staying in each place for no more than a month, this made it completely impossible for the Fushui Bureau to find him.

Xu Xiao suddenly sighed, "If Li Chang'an could return Feng Nian, perhaps we and Sha Province wouldn't necessarily be enemies."

Upon hearing this, Li Yishan suddenly smiled, "Your Highness is thinking incorrectly."

"Are you willing to marry the Eldest Princess to Li Chang'an?"

"In Feng Nian's heart, Li Chang'an is a Mortal enemy, and Feng Nian will sooner or later inherit Northern Liang."

"Your Highness, there is no possibility of peace between us and Sha Province."

Xu Xiao's expression suddenly froze, then his Face twitched, and he regained his usual ruthlessness.

"I was just saying; it's either you die or I perish between us and Sha Province."

Northern Mang.

Inside the General's tent, a rugged man, like a farmer, sat at the head.

Great General Zhong Shentong also sat below.

The one sitting at the head was none other than Northern Mang's Military God, Tuoba Pusa!

"Clepsydra, Zhong Liang, Fifth Hao all died in Sha Province?"

Zhong Shentong's expression was sorrowful; he still couldn't believe this fact.

"My Lord, I wonder if Xu Xiao secretly helped!"

"Otherwise, how could my younger brother and Clepsydra have been killed so easily!"

Tuoba Pusa looked at a thin middle-aged man and slowly said, "I heard that Li Chang'an killed Hong Jingyan."

This man was precisely Li Mibi, the head of Northern Mang's intelligence agency, the Spider Web, known as Northern Mang's Shadow Prime Minister.

"My Lords, this news is circulating everywhere in Sha Province, so it should be accurate."

Tuoba Pusa's thick brows furrowed, his mood even more complex, "Another expert has emerged in the Northwest region."

"One who can slay Hong Jingyan, even if he doesn't have the cultivation of a Terrestrial Deity, is not far from it."

Zhong Shentong angrily said, "If that's the case, isn't this person even more hateful than Xu Xiao? He must be a great hidden danger to our Northern Mang!"

"This child must not be allowed to live!"

Tuoba Pusa, however, said, "No, Northern Liang is making frequent Moves now, and we cannot act rashly either."

Zhong Shentong said, "Are we just going to let over a dozen of our experts be lost for nothing!"

Tuoba Pusa said, "First, please have Mr. Li thoroughly investigate the intelligence of Sha Province."

"This time, we suffered such heavy losses precisely because we were unclear about the enemy's situation."

"If we rashly invade Sha Province again and suffer another great loss, who will be responsible!"

Tuoba Pusa set the tone, and Zhong Shentong dared not object.

Li Mibi bowed his head and accepted the mission to investigate Sha Province.

Li Chang'an had a very pleasant winter, as Northern Mang had not sent anyone for retaliation.

The main reason, in fact, was that Northern Liang's frequent movements made Northern Mang heavily cautious.

The two hundred thousand refugees from Green Cang had all become obedient subjects under Li Chang'an's rule.

Li Chang'an prioritized sending the former officials from Western Shu to govern Green Cang, which significantly reduced resistance.

Currently, Li Chang'an's forces included three thousand Xuanjia Army, three thousand White Horse Volunteers, two thousand Bai Er Soldiers, two thousand Modao Soldiers, and five thousand Guiyi Army.

These fifteen thousand men were troops integrated with elite templates.

There were also another five thousand Guiyi Army who had not yet integrated templates.

The newly surrendered one hundred thousand Green Cang refugee army also had not integrated templates.

Thus, Li Chang'an commanded a total of one hundred and twenty thousand troops, with fifteen thousand of them integrated with templates.

The complete stabilization of Sha Province's five commanderies and the rapid expansion of military strength directly propelled Li Chang'an's power ranking into the top ten.

Zhuge Liang diligently governed Sha Province, bringing many vital industries under state control, which also led to significant progress in his wealth ranking.

Li Chang'an had broken through to the Late Stage of the Zhi Xuan Realm, making him almost invincible below the Earth Immortal Realm in terms of actual combat power.

Including those reclusive old monsters, Li Chang'an's martial prowess ranking was also fifteenth.

As for the romantic ranking, Li Chang'an found it even easier to improve, having already done it in his previous life.

By casually displaying his calligraphy and painting skills from his previous life, Li Chang'an's reputation as a master of both literary and martial arts spread, and his artistic ranking even exaggeratedly entered the top ten!

Due to significant progress in many aspects, Li Chang'an received the System's settlement at the beginning of spring.

[Your influence in this world has greatly increased, rewarding 25,000 Mortal World Points!]

World: Sword Snow Stride

Age: 20 years old

Realm: First-Rank Martial God (Vajra Realm Peak, Zhi Xuan Realm Late Stage, Heavenly Elephant Realm Early Stage)

Cultivation Technique: Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill (Perfection · Thirteenth Layer)

Martial Skills: Dragon Grasping Skill (Perfection), Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms (Perfection), Crossing the River on a Reed (Perfection), Prajna Heart Bell (Perfection), Six Gods Art (Perfection), Great River Sword Intent (Major Achievement)

Innate Abilities: Clairvoyant Eyes, Photographic Memory, Myriad World Commander

Abilities: (Expand)

Mortal World Points: 28,000 (Accumulated 250,000 points)

Rankings: Power 6, Wealth 25, Martial Prowess 15, Romantic 15, Artistic 8

At this stage, there was still one year left until Xu Fengnian's release, so the priority was to strengthen military power.

Therefore, Li Chang'an planned to exchange for elite soldier templates to expand his army's strength.

At least two tens of thousands of the one hundred thousand refugee soldiers must be elite soldiers integrated with templates.

Doing so would, on one hand, further ensure loyalty.

On the other hand, with veteran soldiers leading new recruits, the overall combat capability of the soldiers would also greatly improve!