The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 395 Conditions
Five miles outside Tokyo city, at the Military Academy.

Zhao Xu, with his hands behind his back, led Zhang Dun, Cai Bian, Zeng Bu, and others out of the main gate.

Upon seeing this, Tan Zhen hurriedly went to greet him, holding a letter sealed with wax, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, an urgent report from Yongxing Army Road."

Zhao Xu raised his arm to take it, then boarded the imperial carriage, and after settling down, opened the memorial.

His gaze swept over the words on the folded paper, his expression turned strange, and he rested his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful.

Zhang Dun, who was on horseback beside him, asked, "What is it, Your Majesty?"

Zhao Xu handed over the letter, and Zhang Dun's expression changed drastically after reading it. He murmured, "This, this..."

As he spoke, he passed the memorial to Cai Bian and the others, and everyone who read it showed a shocked expression.

Zhao Xu said from the carriage, "It's one thing for demons to descend into the world, but to actually dare to impersonate an ancient holy emperor is truly audacious."

Zhang Dun said, "Your Majesty, regarding this matter..."

Zhao Xu gazed into the distance at the green hills and clear waters, and said, "Exterminate them."

Zhang Dun said, "It's Your Majesty, are you going to pursue...?"

"There's no need to investigate too thoroughly. Just wipe them out and try to minimize the disturbance to the people." Zhao Xu shook his head and then said, "I'm relatively at ease with the Hexi and Qingtang areas. After all, the Prince of Yan managed them before. Even though the Prince of Yan is now on a northern expedition, he must have made some arrangements before leaving, so I can be assured that there will be no worries. What I'm worried about now is the four routes of Sichuan and the Three Gorges. They are close to Kunlun, and it's inevitable that there will be demons causing trouble there. There's also the East China Sea and the South China Sea, where the demonic winds are also very strong."

Zhang Dun said, "Your Majesty's meaning is..."

Zhao Xu said, "Add more troops, and send some people to both the lecture hall and the military hall. If there is any unusual activity, wipe them out immediately."

Zhang Dun agreed, and Zhao Xu pondered for a moment: "The Prince of Yan should already be at the gates of Youzhou. The garrison in Youzhou numbers over 300,000, so it won't be easy to capture it. We'll still need to send some reinforcements..."

Zhang Dun said, "Your Majesty, our military strength is currently stretched thin. Even in the capital region, there are only 60,000 Imperial Guards left, and in other areas..."

Zhao Xu sighed and said, "We have to send them, even if it's difficult. Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. Let's gather another 200,000 and send them to reinforce Yanyun."

“Yes, Your Majesty…” Zhang Dun nodded with a complicated expression.

Jiangnan, east of Liangzhe Road, is more than a thousand miles away by sea.

After a gigantic eight-clawed monster was dragged to the bottom of the sea for more than half an hour, suddenly the sea surface surged, the seawater rose thousands of feet high, and a huge whirlpool appeared from it.

The whirlpool was bluish-white in color, with some strange runes faintly visible in its ripples, flowing and spinning rapidly in the seawater.

Just a dozen or so breaths later, two horns suddenly emerged from the vortex, forked backward, resembling deer antlers, sharp and gleaming with metallic light.

Then another head appeared, broad and heavy like a camel, with a high forehead covered in interwoven scales, round eyes staring like copper bells, a wide nose, a broad mouth with sharp teeth visible when open, and two long whiskers fluttering in the wind under its chin. Mysterious and majestic, it was actually a dragon's head.

Then another body leaped out of the sea, but it was slightly different from dragon-like creatures. Instead of being covered in scales, it was grayish-black like old tree bark, uneven and giving it a dirty and messy appearance.

In the blink of an eye, the creature soared into the air, revealing its full shape. However, it was not a long, winding dragon, but rather a short, stout, and chubby creature, which looked rather comical. Although its body was not small, it was not particularly large or astonishing, far from being as terrifying, enormous, or frightening as the octopus-clawed sea monster.

It swiftly flew into the clouds, stirred up wind and rain for a while, and then, seemingly uninterested, lazily lay motionless in the sky, yawning and looking drowsy within the dark clouds. After a moment, it closed its eyes and fell asleep...

Yanjing, before the great formation.

Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows and looked at Lin Lingsu: "The Immortal Slaughtering Formation?"

Lin Lingsu's face turned deathly pale, and she gritted her teeth as she said, "Your Highness, the formation ahead is the Immortal Slaughtering Formation, which is meant to annihilate even immortals and gods."

Zhao Ti stroked his chin: "How does Daoist Lin recognize this formation?"

Lin Lingsu said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid you won't believe it, but I have awakened the mystery of my birth and the wisdom of my past life. I learned this kind of formation in my previous life, so I recognize it."

Zhao Ti asked with a strange expression, "Is Master Lin capable of setting up this formation right now?"

Lin Lingsu glanced at the golden light at the entrance of the array and shook her head with difficulty: "I cannot set up this array at the moment."

Zhao Ti said, "Why can't it be set up? I can provide all the necessary personnel and materials. Master Lin only needs to set up the formation."

Lin Lingsu bowed on horseback and said, "Your Highness, it is not that I am unwilling to do my best, but it is that to set up this formation, I need four immortal swords, which I... do not have."

"Oh? Four immortal swords?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes. "Which four immortal swords?"

Lin Lingsu sighed and said, "They are the four swords: Zhuxian, Luxian, Xianxian, and Juexian. Without these four immortal swords, it is absolutely impossible to set up the Zhuxian Sword Formation."

Zhao Ti asked, "Then how did they obtain the four immortal swords?"

Lin Lingsu looked puzzled upon hearing this: "That's exactly what's strange to me. The four immortal swords are incredibly powerful and are innate magic treasures. I wonder where they obtained them and how they set up this sword formation?"

Zhao Ti looked him up and down: "Master Lin said that he has awakened his past life wisdom, so he should know who else knows this formation, and who has those four swords."

Lin Lingsu smiled wryly, "I naturally know where the four swords went, but apart from my master, only I know how to set up this formation. This, this..."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti chuckled upon hearing this. "Since only Master Lin and your master know how to set up this formation, it's impossible that your master was the one who set it up on the other side. Could it be that Master Lin secretly set it up last night?"

"Your Highness, Your Highness is joking..." Lin Lingsu immediately broke out in a sweat and explained, "How could I possibly have the Four Swords of Zhuxian forming a formation? Moreover, during the time I was awakening my past life's wisdom, I vaguely sensed a strange existence. It seems there is another me in the world!"

"There's another you?" Zhao Ti's eyes gleamed. "What do you mean by that, Daoist Lin?"

Lin Lingsu pondered for a moment and said, "I can sense in my heart that there seems to be another me in the world, in the northwest direction. As for why this happened, I'm afraid something went wrong during reincarnation, causing the three souls to split, which resulted in two of me in the next life..."

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment and said, "If the three souls are separated and reincarnated, shouldn't there be three Daoist Lins? How come there are two?"

Lin Lingsu said, "I have thought about this before, but I don't feel that there is a third version of myself in the world, so I can't be sure about it."

Zhao Ti glanced again at the southern gate of the Immortal Slaughtering Formation: "What's with this immortal sword?"

Lin Lingsu said, "This is also what I don't understand the most. In my previous life, this sword was no longer in my hands. In this life, where did my separated soul obtain the Four Swords of Zhuxian?"

At this moment, Zhao Ji couldn't help but say, "Master Lin, could it be that you, the one who split it apart, took the four swords back?"

Lin Lingsu's face grew even uglier upon hearing this: "He took it back? I don't believe he alone has that kind of ability!" Zhao Ji said: "Couldn't he have taken back the four swords first, and then reincarnated his soul?"

Lin Lingsu was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "It is indeed possible that my past life wisdom was not fully awakened. I did not know what happened between the time after the Investiture of the Gods and my reincarnation. It is possible that I took back the four swords first, and then reincarnated and the other me took the four swords away."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji said with displeasure, "Why would that Immortal Master Lin choose to submit to the Liao Kingdom and serve the Khitan?"

Lin Lingsu shook her head: "It's hard to say now. I don't know what caused my soul to separate back then, and I don't even know if I became male or female. Maybe I was transformed into a Khitan..."

Zhao Ti looked at Lin Lingsu at this moment, and he was already 80 or 90 percent certain that Lin Lingsu was the Tongtian Sect Leader. However, the theory that one split into three was still too far-fetched and needed further verification in the future.

Zhao Ji said angrily, "If that's the case, once Immortal Master Lin and that other version of yourself meet, who will you side with? You wouldn't try to recruit Immortal Master Lin, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Lingsu hurriedly replied, "Naturally, it is I who am the master soul, how could I be recruited by that person?"

Zhao Ji then said, "But you took away the Four Swords of Zhuxian. Who is the master soul now...?"

Zhao Ti waved his hand to interrupt him, then looked at the great formation and said, "If the Four Swords of Zhuxian are placed around this formation, how can it be easily broken?"

Lin Lingsu said, "Your Highness, although it is certain that the Zhuxian Sword Formation is in place, this formation is different from the one I set up in my previous life, so it may not be impossible to break it."

"Hmm?" Zhao Ti turned to look at him and asked, "How so?"

Lin Lingsu said, "In my previous life, when I set up this formation, the sword energy soared straight to the sky, piercing through the clouds and the killing intent emanated from the depths of the earth, its depth and thickness unknown. The evil winds blew for hundreds of miles, and it was practically invincible. But looking at the current sword formation, its power is less than one ten-thousandth of what it was in my previous life."

“Not even a fraction of what’s possible…” Zhao Ti nodded. Indeed, if the Four Swords of Zhuxian were placed in the formation, the scene would be several times more imposing. It wouldn’t just cover a small part of the southern city of Yanjing; it would at least encompass the entire city.

"But what is the reason?" he asked.

“Your Highness, I believe… the four swords must be damaged, perhaps even broken in many ways, which is why the sword formation is so much weaker. It is not invincible,” Lin Lingsu said.

"How exactly do we break this formation?" Zhao Ji asked anxiously. "Break this formation quickly so I can lead my troops to conquer Yanjing and recover the Yan-Yun region."

"This..." Lin Lingsu said cautiously, "In my humble opinion, four powerful cultivators who have reached the Twelfth Level of Daoist Mastery or the Dao Palace Realm should lead the way through the four gates of this formation to either subdue or suppress the four immortal swords. It would be even better if they could seize them directly. As long as these four swords cannot exert their power, the formation will naturally break when the people behind them break through."

Zhao Ti frowned upon hearing this: "Does it really require the Twelfth Level of the Tower of Perfection or the Dao Palace Realm?"

Lin Lingsu said, "That's right. It would be best if they were all from Dao Palaces, then we would be absolutely certain of breaking the formation."

Zhao Ji asked, "Why is that?"

Lin Lingsu said, "When one awakens their thoughts at the Dao Palace realm, they can control supernatural powers and fly off the ground, naturally giving them a greater chance of success."

Zhao Ti glanced at Lin Lingsu: "What realm is Daoist Lin at now?"

Lin Lingsu lowered her head slightly: "I am ashamed, Your Highness. I dare not hide it from you. I am currently on the sixth floor of the Twelve-Story Tower."

"The sixth level?" Zhao Ti shook his head and said, "Where am I supposed to find four experts at the Twelfth Level Perfection or Dao Palace realm in such a short time?"

Lin Lingsu said cautiously, "Although I am currently on the sixth level, if I can break through to the ninth level, stand on the threshold of life and death, and then cooperate with the 108 disciples to cast the Divine Firmament Nine Heavens Spiritual Control Array, then I can be roughly equivalent to the twelfth level of perfection..."

The ninth level of the Twelve-Story Tower is called the Xuanming Prison, or the Gate of Life and Death. It is the most difficult to advance through among the twelve levels, and the bottleneck is the most solid and dangerous.

Zhao Ti pondered and said, "We are still short of three people. Moreover, Master Lin is currently at the sixth level, and he still needs three more levels to advance to the ninth level. This is no easy feat. In addition, speed is of the essence in war, and it is not advisable to maintain a prolonged stalemate with the Liao army."

Zhao Ji said, "Immortal Master Lin, is there no other way? This is really too difficult. Advancing three levels in a short time is simply impossible."

Lin Lingsu gritted her teeth and said, "I am currently at the peak of the sixth level and will soon be breaking through to the seventh level. If I reach the seventh level and am lucky enough to advance to the eighth level with the help of pills, then by using the supreme secret technique to stimulate my potential, I can temporarily stand within the ninth level for an hour."

"Rise to the eighth floor, and then use a secret technique to quickly reach the ninth floor?" Zhao Ji was stunned. "If you combine that with an array, wouldn't that be equivalent to the complete twelfth floor?"

Lin Lingsu said, "That's right, but the prerequisite is that you have to advance to the eighth level before it can be done."

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment and asked, "Is it possible for Daoist Lin to advance to the eighth level within a month?"

Lin Lingsu said, "I will do my best, but I cannot guarantee whether it will succeed."

Zhao Ti nodded, then looked for a moment at the Zhuxian Formation, which was filled with swirling black mist and murderous aura, before ordering his troops to withdraw.

Upon returning to the camp, he sat in his tent and issued several military orders in succession, ordering the construction of fortifications and the strengthening of defenses. He also ordered the deployment of scouts and patrols in all four directions of the camp, day and night.

Once everything was finished, he asked Zhou Tong to summon Murong Longcheng, and then they sat down at the table for a detailed discussion.

Upon hearing about what had happened in front of Yanjing City, Murong Longcheng exclaimed in surprise, "So the other side had actually set up this formation."

Zhao Ti nodded: "My senior brother once told me about the scene in his dream. In his previous life, he, his second senior brother, and the two Western Taoists, Zhunti and Jieyin, broke this formation together. So he must be familiar with the layout of this formation."

Murong Longcheng nodded: "He does seem familiar, but judging from what you said about today's events, Lin Lingsu must be the Third Junior Brother?"

Zhao Ti said, "If nothing unexpected happens, it seems that Third Senior Brother has split into three people."

Murong Longcheng snorted, "After the conferment of the gods in his previous life was completed, there must have been other major events. He was wicked and might have caused some trouble. In the end, he suffered the consequences, which is why he was divided into three."

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "Third Senior Brother said that to break this damaged Zhuxian Sword Formation, it would take four people at the Twelfth Level Perfection or Dao Palace Realm to complete it."

Murong Longcheng pondered, "Although I didn't see how dilapidated the sword formation was, my junior brother just gave a brief description, which is about right. It must be at least twelve stories high to get close, otherwise, let alone suppress those four swords, people would probably be chopped into mincemeat before they even arrive."

Zhao Ti asked, "Senior Brother, are you confident that you can advance to the twelfth level within the month?"

Murong Longcheng said, "I will give it a try. Even if I cannot reach the perfect level, I will find a way to unleash the power of this level to help my junior brother break this formation in one fell swoop."

Zhao Ti said, "Then I'll trouble you, Senior Brother. I thank you, Senior Brother."

Murong Longcheng hurriedly waved his hand: "Junior brother, there's no need to be so polite with me. I'll go back to practice now and seize the time to break through to a higher realm."

Zhao Ti nodded, watched Murong Longcheng leave, and then turned back into his tent to begin cultivating his Daoist arts.

(End of this chapter)