Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1271 Using a Scheme (1+12) (Bonus Chapter 26113 for Hidden Dragon)

As night fell, bright stars hung in the sky, and pale moonlight wandered along the mountain range, falling among the undulating forests, revealing a gleaming pass standing atop the majestic mountain.

This pass is like a pile of white stones, extremely bright and dazzling. It is more like a heavenly gate than a pass—it is the first pass from the Central Plains to Guanzhong, the Zan Gate!
The Great Wei Dynasty was founded in Guanzhong, with its foundation located within the pass. This pass was originally built by the Wei general Lian Fu, dispatched by the Wei emperor, and was named Han Pass. Later, after the fall of Wei, this pass was abandoned by the Qi emperor and fell into disrepair for many years.

When the Great Liang Dynasty was established, the Tuoba family believed that they had inherited the Wei Dynasty and established their capital in Guanzhong. They then rebuilt this pass. Tuoba Xuantan sent his brother Tuoba Xuanzan to cast the pass using the Mingyang method, which is how the Zanmen Pass came to be today.

Because of this connection, this place is bathed in bright sunlight. As the light streaks across the sky, patches of blue light fall upon those that collide with it. Gongsun Bei's expression darkens slightly, and he stops in his tracks.

News of the fall of Luoyang reached Zhao Du late at night, startling Gongsun Bei, who was in seclusion. Jiang Toushou, who had come from Gaoping and was preparing to go to the desert, had to turn back urgently. It took them quite a while to come from Shuofang. By the time the various parties had finished their wrangling and all the supernatural beings arrived at Zanmen, it was already evening of the next day.

It lasted for almost a day and a night.

Gongsun Bei even found it somewhat laughable.

"It took the Great Wei a mere day and night to pacify the Sushen beyond the pass."

As for the Great Zhao, Luoxia, a fertile plain in front of the pass, had been out of contact for a day and a night, and its manpower had not even been able to leave Zanmen. Even though the Great Wei was about to perish, Cui Jun, who was stationed in Shuofang, could only go to Luoxia to defend against the enemy for ten hours.

'Even Xiao Xiu's movements are faster.'

But now, everyone in the court must take responsibility for this situation. The complete dismantling of the Great Zhao has brought enormous power to the local powerful families and the seven prime ministers, and naturally, there is a corresponding price to pay.

As darkness fell, Gongsun Bei gazed at the distant, white expanse—the magical illusions atop Luoxia had ceased, filling him with an extremely ominous premonition. He murmured:

"Liang Chuanshan... shows no signs of a battle?"

Behind them, a faint golden glow lingered in the clouds. Jiang Toushou withdrew his divine powers, transforming into a pointed-jawed monk. Standing to his left and right were a nun and an old Buddhist monk. The nun appeared inconspicuous, while the old Buddhist monk, his feet firmly planted on yellow earth and his robes gleaming with a dark gold hue, looked quite imposing.
Shi Xiu has always loved to show off his abilities in front of others, but now he has to keep a low profile, which makes him seem very uncomfortable, and his gaze is somber.

Gongsun Bei was both surprised and delighted to see the old Buddhist monk behind him:

'This Jiang leader is truly capable; he actually managed to invite Xiao Disa here!'

This Xiao Disa is the sixth incarnation of the Great Desire Path, but he was cultivating in the Xiaoshan Mountains for some karmic reasons. Just then, an order came down from the mountain, and he was invited over by Jiang Tou Shou!

Clearly, Jiang had long harbored this idea, and what he said in the halls of power was not all empty talk!

The monk's hands never stopped; his thumb kept tapping against his knuckles. His gaze grew increasingly somber. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke in a cold tone:

"No wonder there's been no news from the Holy Mountain. The Yang family has made their move. It's hard to say exactly what happened, but some earlier reports have already come in. Several people saw Li Zhouwei defeat Lü Fu in Xiangxiang. It must have been the Yang family's doing, allowing him to infiltrate unnoticed. That old bastard Jia Zan has definitely surrendered."

If Luoyang were a sea of ​​fire and war raging everywhere, Gongsun Bei would be more at ease. But now it is extremely quiet, and even the nearby Boye is completely silent. How could he not be suspicious?
They all understood perfectly well:
'Since Li Zhouwei could appear mysteriously in Xiangxiang, he could also silently ambush people in Boye, at Zanmen, and on the road to Liangchuan!'

The general's suspicious gaze swept around, and Jiang Tou Shou said:

"I'll send someone to take a look."

Then he flicked his finger, and a brilliant burst of colorful light shone down, as if opening the door to some distant blessed land, drawing out a golden light. This golden light landed and transformed into a monk, who bowed before the crowd and whispered:

"I've met several esteemed officials..."

This man was enveloped in golden flames, his brows were lowered, and his aura was not powerful. Even though he was extremely humble, Jiang, the head of the Jiang tribe, still did not give him any face and coldly said:
“Slave Flame—go ahead and scout the way.”

This person is none other than Nuyan Lianmin of the Great Desire Path.

Nu Yan's expression changed drastically.

This old man has quite a history. Back then, he went with Natsumi to compete for Bai Yinzi, but his body was destroyed by Li Ximing. However, he turned misfortune into blessing. Later, Natsumi died at Wangyue Lake, which saved his life!

Later, when his injuries had healed slightly, he was sent to Baiyedu Immortal Path as an ambush soldier because of his guilt. It was a bad job, but unexpectedly, Li Zhouwei launched a surprise attack on Baixiang Valley and killed Guang Chan in battle, which changed the situation drastically and allowed him to escape with his life again.

During the Battle of Salt Lake, Nuzi Mohe perished. Nu Yan had only survived because of this senior brother, and since he was already guilty and had not redeemed himself, he immediately fell into big trouble and was locked up in the Long A Lao prison on Mount Dayang.

This "Chang'a Prison" is a place for imprisoning criminals. The cell next door is that of Wu Mu, who is still living in a cauldron of boiling oil. Since Nu Yan's crime was lighter and he endured some suffering, he was immediately sent to Jiang Tou Shou's side.

How could he not know who was outside the pass! Even Guang Chan is dead, how many moves could Nu Yan withstand against this person? He probably wouldn't even have the chance to disintegrate and return to the Land of Release!

'The Great Desire Sect ignores me, and this River Chief is also trying to harm me!'

But Shi Xiu had no way to betray him; he had already given up his life. What could he do now? He could only lower his head and say:

"I fear that I will be suppressed by the enemy and unable to bring back any messages... I beg you, sir, to bestow upon me a treasure so that I may use it as a reminder."

Jiang Toushou's expression softened slightly. He gently flipped his hand, took out a pale white talisman, and said:
"This item was given to me by a fellow Daoist of the Discipline Path. It is called the [Discipline Manifestation Talisman]. Take this talisman and go forward. If there are any supernatural beings hiding and watching from afar in the vast void, this talisman will respond immediately!"

This talisman is clearly not a good thing. Let alone the Taiyin Spiritual Treasure, it can be avoided with some clever hiding methods. However, its advantage lies in its extremely wide range. If the opponent has an ambush, it is impossible for everyone to have a way to hide.

So he sent him away, and sat upright on the pass, waiting for a while. Gongsun Bei was both surprised and angry to see that he actually dared to sit there and wait. He was disappointed in him and couldn't help but say:

"Lord Jiang, why don't we send a few people out to take a look at Liangchuan Mountain?"

Although Jiang Toushou was unaware of the situation, he knew that this was definitely not the time to divide his forces, and his expression changed drastically as he said:

"Absolutely not!"

This Mahayana path:

"I've heard that the last place where supernatural powers faded was Ruzhou. That sorcerer must have come from the southeast. The Tao family are like pigs and dogs, they don't care about the country, but they might not surrender at the first sign of trouble. Who knows... that sorcerer is preparing to ambush our reinforcements in Liangchuan Mountain!"

Jiang Toushou had already prepared for the worst, and then said:

"And... what if Liangchuan is lost? Wouldn't that be suicide?"

Gongsun Bei frowned and said:

"But we can't delay any longer. He must be consolidating Luoyang. Whether he's setting up an ambush or not is hard to say. If we don't send someone east soon, we'll not only be facing Song soldiers, but also the Purple Palace of Luoyang!"

Jiang Tou was speechless for a moment, but then he saw Gongsun's inscription:
"I have a plan. I suggest that Lord Jiang send a few men to Liangchuan to make a show of force. Whether they ambush us on the way or in Boye, they will not stand idly by."

"Even if Liangchuan Mountain is lost, Li Zhouwei's forces will not be many. Jiang Fuwang is intelligent and quick-witted. If I'm not mistaken, he must have gone to Mianchi to ask for reinforcements. As long as we send people to the north, once the war breaks out, we can call for help from afar, and he will surely bring people to meet us."

Jiang Tou first asked in doubt:
"And what about you and me?"

Gongsun Bei said in a deep voice:

"Abandon Boye and immediately detour, gather all our strength, and head to Xiangxiang!"

His expression was solemn:
"Boye is guarded by the Qiao clan... They don't have Purple Mansions. Lord Jiang, aristocratic families without Purple Mansions will stubbornly defend the great formation, and they wouldn't dare let other families with Purple Mansions come in and take whatever they want. I'm very confident—only those with Purple Mansions will surrender, while those without Purple Mansions won't dare to surrender!"

"Boye has never been involved in any major battles, so it must not have been lost. There's no need to even look at it! If Xiangxiang and Liangchuan falter at the same time, Li Zhouwei will inevitably be caught off guard. We have Zanmen behind us, so he can't break through even without anyone guarding it, but he has nothing behind him!"

Before Jiang Toushou could even speak, Xiao Disa behind him had already changed color.

These two are in cahoots; who else but Xiao Disa could lead men to Liangchuan? He was already struggling to come; how could he risk his life to test the ambush? His face quickly darkened, and he said:
"I came here out of kindness to help you, but it turns out you two wanted me to be bait! This is how Big Sheep Mountain operates!"

He looked furious. Jiang Tou Shou had just sent a member of the Great Desire Path to his death, so it wasn't a good time to say much, and he also had other concerns in his mind:

“But… what if Li Zhouwei is hiding in Boye, and we venture deep into Xiangxiang only to be cut off by him? What then? We'll be facing Tangdao on one side and Xiangxiang, which has been captured, on the other. Zanmen is indeed impregnable, but we've gone far too far. If you're wrong, Boye may have already fallen, and that would cost us our lives!”

"If the Jia and Wei families could so easily abandon their formations without a trace, why can't Boye do the same? Perhaps we should probe Boye's situation first before making any plans—we've prepared our supernatural abilities; if there are ambushes here, we can catch them completely off guard."

Gongsun Bei was speechless.

"Still testing the waters? He's gone mad from reading scriptures in the temple! This is Li Zhouwei! This is a battle against time! Is Li Zhouwei testing the waters one by one? What a joke!"

He said anxiously:

“The various factions in Luoyang only care about the current situation. They side with whoever has the foundation. Li Zhouwei came with great force and is now caught between two sides. He has no choice but to suppress the local forces to intimidate the other factions.”

"If Xiangxiang falls, Jia Zan will rebel; if Ruzhou falls, Yu Yang will rebel. The more territory we shake, the more unstable his forces will become. He absolutely cannot allow us to divide our troops! Now he must want to confront us head-on and fight a major battle at Boye. How can we give in to his wishes!"

"We absolutely cannot wait any longer!"

Jiang Toushou hesitated slightly, then cursed under his breath:

'How could Xiao Disa cooperate! He's extremely wary of me; there's no way he'd split his forces with us!'

Sure enough, the old monk took a step forward, staring intently at the real person before him, and said:
"General Gongsun is too hasty and has acted somewhat rashly!"

Gongsun Bei was stunned and hurriedly said:

"I, who cultivate supernatural powers, am willing to risk my life. Why should you two, who cultivate Buddhism, begrudge even a single Dharma body?!"

Xiao Disa wasn't exactly known for his good temper, and when he was abruptly asked a question, he immediately became angry and retorted:
"Gongsun brat! You have offended the Li family and are filled with murderous intent. How dare you use my Buddhist cultivation powers to fulfill your treacherous intentions! Do you think all of us Buddhist monks are three-year-old children?!"

Gongsun Bei never expected such a reply. He was so angry that he laughed instead, saying:

"I only wanted to salvage the situation and alleviate the predicament, so that we wouldn't be left with no way out next year! Besides, if Shi Xiu had no intention of harming Li, why did Guang Chan and Nu Zi die? You are short-sighted, greedy for life and profit, so why bother waving any grand banner!"

He was too lazy to argue with the person in front of him, and glared angrily at the silent Jiang Tou Shou, saying:

"Does the leader share the same idea as him?!"

Jiang Toushou was silent for a moment, then clasped his hands together. Even if he was dissatisfied with Xiao Disa, with a great battle imminent, he had to maintain a neutral stance and said solemnly:

"I am aware of General Gongsun's sincere intentions... Maha also has doubts, pondering the connection between General Gongsun and the sorcerer..."

Seeing that it was inappropriate to involve Wei Nie in the karma, and unwilling to call Wei Wang, they found a sorcerer to speak on his behalf. Gongsun Bei felt as if hot oil was boiling inside him, his heart filled with rage.
'All bark and no bite, he's lost both the battle of kindness and authority, not even worth a finger of Qi Lanyan! No wonder he led his men south and got completely outmaneuvered!'

Xiao Disa sneered:
"General Gongsun is right. If you are willing to commit to my Great Desire Path, I am not unable to grant your wish!"

Gongsun Bei wasn't actually a good-natured person, but due to his humble origins and years of living under someone else's roof, he had to suppress his temper. Seeing that the other party was still humiliating him, his voice finally turned cold:

"I, Gongsun Bei, have conquered barbarians and pacified Wuchuan. Although I am not a hero of this era, I am still a chivalrous hero of Yanmen. How can I confine myself to the sandalwood forest!"

These words are powerful and resounding.

But they tore away their last shred of dignity.

Xiao Disa's face immediately turned cold, and Jiang Toushou's expression also changed, staring at him coldly:
"Gongsun Bei, how dare you!"

The general ignored him completely, sitting upright on the gate tower as if he were deep in meditation, without uttering a word.

Silence reigned above the gate. Jiang Toushou's expression grew increasingly grim. Seeing this, Xiao Disa also found it difficult to speak, and turned away, closing his eyes in deep thought.

The group waited quietly until a bright, colorful light rose from the horizon, and a golden statue the size of a mountain suddenly stood up, accompanied by a deafening roar!
It is indeed Slave Flame!

Jiang Toushou glanced at it coldly, realizing that what had startled him was merely a cultivator in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm. He then glanced at the jade talisman in his palm, deliberately turning to face Gongsun Bei, and his divine power urgently resounded:

"The news has arrived: the Boye Formation is tightly closed, and there is suspected an ambush... We must leave immediately!"

Gongsun Bei, too lazy to explain further, slowly opened his eyes, their light glowing faintly.
'My life is over; I've been killed by these two monks!'

……

Boye.

The light in the sky was slowly spreading upwards. Yin Juexi's expression darkened slightly. He pinched the flowing light with his fingers, frowned, and looked at the golden statue in the distance, sighing inwardly.

He and Liu Changdie received orders and came here to find an opportunity for battle.

However, the Purple Mansion Grand Array of the Qiao Clan was clearly displayed in the void. After surveying the surroundings, they found that this family did not have a Purple Mansion. As soon as they saw the divine power flashing in the south, they were like startled birds and activated the Grand Array.

Faced with such a fallen clan, Yin Juexi was at a loss for what to do—he couldn't even find anyone to communicate with! As soon as he approached the Purple Mansion Array, he was sensed by the array. The Qiao clan was also a great family, and they feared the power of destiny, so they couldn't possibly respond to the Purple Mansion!
Although Yin Juexi could find some members of the Qiao clan in the county, it was clear that the people in the formation would not activate the formation for these few clan members. So he simply did not disturb them and silently watched the formation operate.

Liu Changdie, who came with them, was a "Kujin" (a type of military officer), skilled at setting up formations rather than breaking them. He remained silent, which Li Zhouwei had anticipated and had instructed. Yin Juexi stayed in Boye and waited in Taixu, observing the approaching reinforcements.

What he probably didn't expect was that this wait would last a whole day and night. Yin Juexi found it hard to believe, and even thought that the Zhao people had given up such a good breakthrough point and instead advanced from Liangchuan.

It wasn't until this Buddhist monk arrived furtively that he realized just how slow the Great Zhao's reaction speed was...

"If we had known this would happen, we would have gone with the King of Wei to quell the rebellion; arriving later wouldn't have been too late!"

While urging the jade talisman to remind Li Zhouwei, he waited quietly and activated the "Usurpation Technique".

This supernatural power can detect disturbances and has some ability to investigate, so it is quite suitable for this place, which is why the Slave Flame can be detected from afar.

The monk made his way to the front lines, only to unexpectedly suffer a similar setback at Qiao's great formation!
The Qiao family dared not let the cultivators from the south in, but they dared not let a pitiful one in even more—Shi Xiu was notorious, so why would they open their own great formation and entrust their lives to someone else, gambling on whether this monk had any good intentions?

But responding is not an option, and not responding is also not an option, so it's better to remain silent and keep watch by myself!

This startled Nu Yan.

'Could it be that Li Zhouwei has already arrived, silently waiting within the formation, just waiting for the cultivators to take the bait?'

This is highly likely—Ta Nu Yan is merely a pitiful figure, a small fish to the Song Dynasty. These people are holding back in the formation to catch a bigger fish!

With this thought in mind, he dared not linger. He used the jade talisman to warn Jiang the leader while pushing the talisman to its limit. An invisible light flowed out, and he finally discovered Yin Juexi, who was quietly waiting in the distance.

The "Usurping Power" is a divine power that shakes the world. Its blazing light is extremely difficult to conceal. Although Yin Juexi has secret techniques in the Dao, suppresses his aura, and hides in the distance, he is still eventually detected by this talisman!
On the contrary, Liu Changdie, who was closer, concealed his "treasury gold" and kept his aura hidden, easily evading the talisman's detection.

Nu Yan, already like a frightened bird, instantly sensed the aura of the supernatural power. Without even trying to estimate the opponent's strength, he unleashed all his supernatural powers to their fullest extent, his entire body burning as he transformed into a golden light and retreated!
Yin Jue knew things weren't going well.

"Since we've dispatched troops, how can we only show mercy? They must possess many supernatural abilities!"

Without hesitation, he also leaped up, retreated slightly, and 'Xiu Yue' moved through the void with incredible speed, disappearing in an instant!
Jiang Toushou did not hesitate. He exchanged a glance with Xiao Disa and released the divine power he had prepared in advance. He suddenly rose up on a beam of light and manifested his figure!
One of them had a face like white jade, a chin as pointed as a lotus calyx, and a golden body covered with a cold glaze. He bent his fingers into a flower-picking gesture, with a hundred and eight skull necklaces hidden between his fingers, shimmering with golden and white light. The purple smoke around his body changed and transformed into various terrifying shapes, all of which had fangs.

One is cast in black bronze, with a fleshy protuberance resembling a mountain. He holds a black jar made of meteorite iron and wears a kasaya that is neither silk nor hemp, with the hem hanging down onto the yellow earth. His ankles are wrapped in heavy shackles, which shine with a mysterious light.

The two sixth-generation Mahayana manifested together, but did not pursue Yin Juexi further. Instead, they enveloped the great formation of the Boye Qiao clan and the surrounding counties, with the sound of Buddhist chants reaching the heavens and the earth!

At the same time, golden figures appeared in the heavens and earth, taking their seats. There were four in total, forming an array in an instant, drawing in the light of the earth and making all the colorful lights much brighter.

Jiang Toushou's eyes suddenly brightened.

Even if Li Zhouwei were here in person, facing such suppression, he could not easily escape!

The radiant light shone down, crashing against the great formation with a deafening roar. The void was also filled with countless lights, finally forcing out a pale golden light and allowing it to stand firm in the mortal world.

'Didn't it come from within the formation?'

Jiang Toushou was taken aback, but then realized that the person they had trapped was only a second-level supernatural being, and was actually an unknown real person.

The two were targeting the cultivators in the formation, but their sudden attack, by accident, trapped Liu Changdie, who was hiding nearby!

Jiang Toushou's brow furrowed instantly, a cloud of doubt rising within him, yet he knew this was not the time to hesitate:
"It doesn't matter so much!"

Without hesitation, the purple aura in his palm, carrying a powerful and mysterious force, suppressed the enemy. Xiao Disa also raised the Xuanfu (mysterious jar) high and slammed it down. In an instant, light and electricity intertwined, colorful light flowed, and killing intent surged.

These compassionate beings, working together with the two Sixth Mahayana, have stirred up the Saha world, causing a paradise to faintly appear in the sky!
What's terrifying isn't them, but the falling light of the Sacred Earth, which, like a spring breeze, severed the connection between Taixu and Liu Changdie to the lowest possible level, instead drawing infinitely closer to the falling Sacred Earth!
Despite the overwhelming killing intent, Liu Changdie remained calm—if he didn't possess some extraordinary abilities, how could he dare to linger near Zanmen?

A silver light shimmered between his brows, and a golden glint appeared between his two fingers:
[Please present this letter to the Xuanku.]

As he completed the "Heavenly Perfection" technique, the spiritual treasure in his hand instantly shone with a completely different color. Behind him, a golden aura, like an ocean yet deeply buried, emerged. An invisible gate suddenly opened, ignoring the suppression of the Earth God and easily swallowing him up.

This Purple Mansion True Man disappeared without a trace during the terrifying massacre orchestrated by the two Sixth Incarnations of Maha and the compassionate beings of the Sacred Land!

'ah?!'

Jiang Toushou's pupils dilated in an instant:
'What kind of lineage is this? The virtue of metal? Is there such a thing as the virtue of metal?!'

But it was too late. The intense light struck the Purple Mansion Array beneath their feet, producing a deafening sound!
"Boom!"

The mountains shook, the earth's veins trembled, and everything swayed. Screams were drowned out by the earth's roar, and bursts of color flashed in the void. Suddenly, a white umbrella opened in the sky, spewing forth countless golden wisps, followed by laughter:
"We have been waiting for you all for quite some time!"