Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

Sure enough, the blood river there surged and exploded violently like an enraged giant python, and its flow became noticeably slowed and chaotic!

"How dare you, evil heretics, deceive the public! Look at the knife!"

Guan Yu's phoenix eyes widened in anger, and his Azure Dragon Blade drew a huge crescent-shaped azure blade aura. He no longer sought to kill the Bone Armor Guardian, but instead fiercely slashed at the dense, wailing, and struggling phantom souls on the wall to one side!

Inspired, Zhang Fei took a deep breath and roared like a savage beast!

The roar contained his violent blood energy and internal force, forming visible sound waves that swept across the dome and walls like a gale!

Wherever the sound waves passed, the phantoms of souls were not directly destroyed, but they rippled violently like water with a stone thrown in, and the wails suddenly rose in pitch, becoming sharp and chaotic!
Zhao Yun's spear tip trembled rapidly, instantly transforming into hundreds of silver spear shadows, like a torrential downpour flowing backward, precisely piercing the areas on the dome where the souls were most densely gathered!
Each shot contained penetrating energy; though it could not destroy a soul, it was enough to stir up the spirits in that area!

Ma Chao, his spear like a dragon, no longer entangled with the elite guards in front of him, but instead swept his ferocious spear force towards the other side of the wall. Wherever the spear light passed, large swathes of soul phantoms were torn apart and disturbed, emitting even more shrill, invisible shrieks!
Their attack did not directly destroy the imprisoned souls, but it successfully and on a large scale interfered with them!

This caused the desperate wails formed by the convergence of billions of souls that were maintaining the operation of the magic array to become more violently chaotic than ever before! It was as if a foreign object had been jammed into the gears inside a precision instrument!

At this moment——

"Om...!!!"

The invisible force field protecting the five elders, whose light had been flowing steadily, suddenly began to flicker violently, like a lamp with a faulty connection!
The light dimmed and thinned rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye! Although it still existed, its stability was clearly greatly reduced!

opportunity!

Zhao Yun, who had been dealing with the Shadow Protector while actually paying attention to the changes in the force field, suddenly flashed a resolute and fierce light in his eyes!

He held nothing back, even burning some of his life potential, pouring all the power in his body, along with the violent energy gained from burning his life, into the next shot!
The gleaming silver spear emitted a shriek that seemed to tear the soul apart, and its shaft was enveloped by a terrifying energy that was almost out of control, silver tinged with red!

This shot encapsulated everything he had!
Just a split second before Zhao Yun's spear, imbued with all his strength and resolve, was about to pierce the weakest point of the force field!
A hint of crazy determination flashed in Gu Rubing's eyes as well!

He saw the opportunity created by Zhao Yun, and he saw the force field dim for a moment!

Without further hesitation, he endured the excruciating pain of his meridians about to burst and poured all the sliver of internal energy he had barely managed to gather, along with his indomitable kingly will, into the longsword in his hand!
"break--!!"

He let out a hoarse roar that shook the hall! The longsword hummed under the strain, and its light suddenly surged by more than ten feet, burning as brightly as a comet falling to earth.

With an indomitable spirit and a willingness to die with the enemy, he struck first despite being behind, almost simultaneously with Zhao Yun's spear tip, fiercely piercing a tiny crack in the invisible force field caused by the disorder of the soul!
"Click——!!!"

A crystal-clear sound, like a glass cup being shattered by a heavy hammer, suddenly drowned out all the noise in the hall!

That incredibly solid, seemingly insurmountable invisible force field that had blocked them for so long was finally... completely shattered under the combined attack from both inside and outside Gu Rubing's desperate sword strike, which had gathered all their hope and last strength, and Zhao Yun's life-burning spear thrust.
It transformed into countless shimmering energy fragments, which vanished into the air as quickly as ice and snow melting away!
The moment the force field shattered, the five purple-robed elders who had been concentrating with their eyes closed and seemingly oblivious to the attack were all violently shaken as if struck by an invisible giant hammer!
"puff--!"

Five streams of foul, black blood gushed from their mouths almost simultaneously, tracing horrific arcs in the air!
Their continuous, blasphemous chanting, which sustained the ritual, came to an abrupt halt, like a rooster being choked!

Without the guidance of the spellcaster and the protection of the force field, the core of the ritual instantly went out of control!
The massive, throbbing tumor in the center suddenly erupted into a series of erratic, frantic convulsions, like those of a dying beast!

Its pulsating rhythm became chaotic, sometimes stopping, sometimes pounding wildly, and the blood vessel-like energy channels on its surface burst, splashing out viscous dark red energy liquid!
The terrifying pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth and stirred up the wind and clouds also flickered violently, and the energy flow became extremely unstable, as if it would completely collapse and explode in the next instant!

At the very core of the pillar of light, there was a blurry phantom that was slowly coalescing and exuding an ancient and evil aura.

At that moment, a terrifying roar filled with extreme anger and resentment resounded, not through the air but directly into the depths of everyone's soul!
Its shape began to fluctuate and twist violently, becoming increasingly blurry and transparent, as if it might disappear into nothingness at any moment!
"The devil shall be punished!"

At this perfect moment when the old forces had faded, the new forces had not yet emerged, and the ritual was on the verge of collapse, Guan Yu, who had been waiting for the right moment, suddenly flashed a sharp light in his phoenix eyes!
He seized the moment when the demonic phantom was most scattered, and with a roar that shook the heavens, he swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade out!
"hold head high--!"

A lifelike azure energy dragon, composed entirely of condensed azure light, with flying scales and claws, roared out from the blade!
With its claws bared and its majestic will to destroy evil, the Azure Dragon instantly crashed into the core of the flickering pillar of light, fiercely impacting the blurry demonic phantom!

"Do not--!!!"

An even more piercing, soul-wrenching scream, filled with endless resentment and unwillingness, came to an abrupt end!

Under the impact of the azure energy dragon, the demonic phantom was like ice and snow under the sun. It didn't even have time to struggle before it completely collapsed and melted away, turning into black mist that drifted all over the sky. It was then completely purified by the azure energy dragon that had not yet completely dissipated!
As the demonic phantom dissipated, the ritual, having lost its ultimate goal, completely spiraled out of control and backfired!

“Rumble——!!!”

The entire palace began to shake violently and collapse! The massive crimson magic array on the ground shattered inch by inch, the blood river in the ravines overflowed, and energy leaked out and exploded uncontrollably!

The countless imprisoned souls on the walls and dome seemed to have been freed, letting out a final lament mixed with pain and relief, before their phantoms dissipated!

After a few reluctant twitches, the enormous tumor in the center suddenly collapsed inward, then burst open like an overinflated sac! Foul-smelling flesh and violent energy fragments flew everywhere!
"Go! Go quickly!"
This place is going to collapse!

Gu Rubing, barely managing to stay upright despite his near-collapse, roared hoarsely.

No one dared to slack off. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao fought hard to repel their respective opponents. Huang Zhong shot his last few arrows to stop the enemy. He helped up the exhausted Gu Rubing and Zhao Yun, and together with the remaining dozen or so soldiers, they desperately rushed out along the way they had come!

Behind them lay the crumbling palace, the chain of explosions caused by uncontrolled energy, and the furious, yet unstoppable, roars of the three Penglai guardians…

When they finally emerged, battered and bruised, from the twisted and deformed demonic gate, escaping the crumbling black pyramid and returning to the still-silent yet relatively "normal" sky, everyone felt a sense of déjà vu. However, before they could even catch their breath or assess their losses, a scout captain who had been stationed on the outer perimeter for support and communications rushed over, his face deathly pale, clutching a bloodstained military report and another item tightly in his hand.

"My lord...my lord! Something terrible has happened! Urgent report from Liangzhou!"

Gu Rubing's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition, even colder than when he faced the demonic phantom, instantly gripped his heart.

He took the military report, which was mostly soaked in blood, and quickly unfolded it.

The more you look at him, the paler his face becomes, and his fingers tremble slightly from the force he uses.

The news in the military report, like the cruelest icy rain, extinguished the fleeting joy he had just felt from destroying the Penglai headquarters.

Within just a few short days of them infiltrating the Qilian Mountains, dealing with the Penglai forces, and finally destroying the main altar!

The entire Liangzhou region, including most of its eastern, northern, and even southern counties, changed hands almost entirely within just three days, like a toppled domino effect, without any warning!
The city may be breached, or the defending general may surrender directly!
And the one who accomplished all this was not Cao Cao or Sun Jian, whom they had previously focused on guarding against, but none other than—Penglai!
Those "Divine Marching Army" forces that were originally scattered throughout Liangzhou and seemed to be only harassing and causing damage, as well as many other previously unexposed armed forces from Penglai, seemed to have received unified orders overnight and launched a simultaneous attack, sweeping across the entire Liangzhou with overwhelming force!

The speed of their offensive, the tightness of their organization, and the strength of their forces far exceeded expectations! The military report finally estimated that Penglai now has a terrifying force of 200,000 troops that can be mobilized within Liangzhou!
Gu Rubing felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!
He suddenly realized what was happening, as if he had been woken up by a bucket of ice water!
That so-called main altar, that terrifying "connecting to heaven" ceremony, that powerful protectors and guards... all of this could very well be a huge lure!

A shocking deception designed to draw the attention of him and his most elite forces, thus providing cover for Penglai's true objective—to seize the entire Liangzhou in a flash!

What they destroyed may have been just an important node in the evil magic, but what Penglai really wanted was real land and control!

"Two hundred thousand...where did they get so many soldiers?!"

Gu Rubing's voice was hoarse and filled with disbelief.

This is completely illogical. Even if Penglai has evil magic, it is impossible for it to conjure up an army of 200,000 well-trained and fully equipped soldiers in such a short time!

Just then, his gaze fell on the item that the scout captain had handed him—a palm-sized, ordinary-looking iron token with an antique design and the character "Gu" engraved on it. The token was stained with dried, blackened, mottled bloodstains.

Upon seeing the token, Gu Rubing's body jolted, and his pupils suddenly contracted!

He recognized the token!
This was when he first established Liangzhou, in a small border county called Zhangye, where he met a county magistrate named Wang Ji.

At that time, local powerful families colluded with corrupt officials to oppress the people. Although Wang Ji was determined to rectify the situation, he was powerless to do so.

When Gu Rubing arrived at this location, he swiftly purged the corrupt officials and temporarily bestowed upon Wang Ji this token, which represented his identity and allowed him to command a small number of nearby troops, to help him stabilize the region. He also entrusted Wang Ji with the task of "guarding the land and ensuring the safety of the people."

Later, due to being busy with other matters, he did not specifically rescind the order.

Now, this token, stained with its owner's blood, has returned to his hands in this way.

Wang Ji... He used his life to protect the very last moment.

He sent this blood-stained token before he died when the city fell, not to ask for help, but to tell Gu Rubing that he had kept his word and fulfilled his promise to "defend the land and protect the people" until the end of his life!

"puff--!"

Overwhelmed by rage, coupled with his already severe injuries and internal exhaustion, Gu Rubing suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body swaying precariously.

"Lord!"

The generals were shocked and rushed forward to help him up.

The blood-stained token lay quietly in Gu Rubing's palm, cold and heavy, as if carrying the last beliefs and entrustments of the county magistrate named Wang Ji, who was far away in Zhangye. The dried and blackened mottled bloodstains stung his eyes and burned his heart.

The devastating news of the complete fall of Liangzhou, along with the news that Cao Cao and Sun Jian had launched their attacks and taken advantage of the chaos almost simultaneously, struck him like two thunderbolts from the heavens, pounding against his already strained nerves, which were stretched to the limit by the bitter battle and his serious injuries.

Encircled from three sides, their forces were sharp and fierce! The cold reality was like a huge and desperate net, enveloping them from all directions, threatening to completely annihilate this lone army that had just escaped from the hellish abyss and had not yet had time to catch its breath on this desolate and lifeless land.

The situation is perilous, teetering on the edge of a precipice; one step back would mean utter ruin.

In the stone chamber, which was temporarily used as the central command tent and still smelled of gunpowder and blood, the air was stagnant and heavy, like an unmelting block of iron, so oppressive that it was almost impossible to breathe.

The flickering oil lamp light cast shadows on everyone's faces, a mixture of weariness, shock, and lingering murderous intent.

The generals held their breath, the strategists remained silent, and all their gazes were either anxious, resolute, or tinged with a barely perceptible sense of unease.

All eyes were fixed on the figure in the center, who, though leaning on his sword, swayed slightly, his face as pale as paper, yet whose eyes remained as firm as a rock.

They are waiting, waiting for their lord to carve out a path to survival, perhaps full of thorns, but one that must be traversed, in this unprecedented predicament!
On the huge map, the red arrows representing the enemy's advance, outlined in glaring vermilion, resemble three ferocious, roaring venomous snakes, viciously biting from different directions!

To the west, the Penglai Demon Army, boasting an army of 200,000, had already occupied the entire Liangzhou region. Their crimson markings covered almost the entire territory, emanating a chilling and eerie aura. (End of Chapter)