Druid Fairy

Chapter 222 Cloud Movement
Daqian Dynasty.

"Crack!"

Emperor Qianwu crushed a paperweight made of warm jade into powder in his hand.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

With a sudden flick of his sleeve, the heavy black and gold dragon table in front of him was blown away by an invisible force, causing a deafening roar!
The "Dragon-Drying Project" has failed!

His seemingly foolproof scheme was completely shattered in just one day!

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Master Xuan and his eunuchs knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, not daring to even raise their heads.

They had never seen this emperor, who was known for his calm and restraint, unleash such terrifying rage.

It took a long time for Emperor Qianwu to calm down.

He walked back to the dragon throne and sat down. "Elder Xuan."

"The old slave is here."

"Issue my decree. Order Yuchi Gong to lead 300,000 armored soldiers to immediately break camp, point their forces eastward, and... raze Blackwater Pass to the ground!"

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!" Upon hearing this, Elder Xuan was greatly alarmed and hurriedly kowtowed to dissuade him. "Our dynasty has just signed a peace treaty with the Great Yu. If we were to break it now, we would surely lose the trust of the world! Moreover, the methods of the Li family... a conventional army would be no match for them..."

"An alliance?" Emperor Qianwu sneered, his laughter filled with endless sarcasm. "In the face of absolute interests and hatred, an alliance is nothing but a piece of waste paper! I will break my promise to the world! I will show everyone the consequences of opposing my Great Qian!"

He stood up abruptly. "Do you really think I would rely on Yuchi Gong's 300,000-strong army of mortals to deal with them?"

He walked up to the huge map of the territory and pointed heavily at the location of the Great Yu Dynasty.

"What I want is not victory, but attrition!"

His eyes gleamed with madness. "Doesn't the Li family want to protect that land? Fine! I'll turn these 300,000 troops into 300,000 sharp knives aimed at him!"

"When war breaks out, lives are lost and resentment soars to the heavens! I want to see how much energy he will devote to suppressing this resentment caused by war! How much 'blessing' will he bestow to heal the wounds of this land!"

"No matter how strong he is, he is still just a human! His power has its limits! I will use the blood and flesh of my Great Qian soldiers to wear down his cultivation and pollute his Daoist temple! As long as it creates an opportunity for me and the immortal masters of the 'Central Plains Pill Tower,' these 300,000 people will have died a worthy death!"

These words sent a chill down Elder Xuan's spine.

He finally understood.

Emperor Qianwu has gone completely mad.

He no longer regarded those 300,000 elite troops as soldiers, but as a curse that could be consumed at will!

"Furthermore," Emperor Qianwu turned around, a ruthless glint in his eyes, "send secret messages simultaneously to the Tianxuan Sect, the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, the Hundred Beasts Manor, and the Listening Snow Tower. Tell them that our Great Qian is willing to be the vanguard, clearing away obstacles for them!"

Xuan Lao's lips moved, as if he wanted to persuade him again, but after meeting Emperor Qianwu's unquestionable gaze, he could only let out a long sigh and dejectedly accept the order.

He knew that from this moment on, the Eastern Region would never have a peaceful day again.

…………

Inside a colossal tower called the "Tower of Babel" at the border between the Eastern Region and the Central State.

A middle-aged man dressed in a moon-white alchemist's robe, with a refined demeanor and eyes that seemed to hold the birth and death of stars, was quietly looking at the intelligence jade slip in his hand, which was personally delivered by Yan Dong.

"Blessing the nation, words become law..."

"Interesting, really interesting."

He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the distant east.

"For thousands of years, this barren land has finally nurtured a fruit that is worthy of my personal harvest."

"Someone is coming."

"Tower Master." A phantom figure silently appeared behind him.

"Pass on my orders." The middle-aged man's voice was calm yet filled with unquestionable authority. "Summon the 'Eighteen Guards of Dan Tower' and come with me to the Eastern Region."

…………

The news that the Great Qian Dynasty had broken the alliance and that 300,000 troops were once again on the border spread throughout the entire Eastern Region in an instant.

Everyone was shocked by Emperor Qianwu's reckless and insane actions.

Tianxuan Sect, Tianhuo Hall.

The Sect Master Yan Dong looked at the secret letter in his hand, written by Emperor Qianwu himself, his expression shifting between light and dark.

"Sect Master, has Emperor Qianwu gone mad?"

An elder exclaimed in surprise, "He's gambling with the fate of the entire Great Qian Dynasty, going to fight the Li family in a war of attrition!"

Yan Dong snorted coldly and threw the secret letter on the table: "He's not crazy, he's scared, and he's also desperate. The 'miracle' displayed by the Li family has exceeded his comprehension and made him feel a real threat. Rather than sitting and waiting for death, he might as well take a gamble and stir up the waters completely."

"Then what should we do?"

The Transmission Elder was deeply worried. "Emperor Qianwu's move is clearly intended to drag our major sects into this mess. If we don't comply, we will be making enemies of the Great Qian Dynasty and the Central State Pill Tower."

Yan Dong's eyes flashed with a sharp light. After pondering for a long time, he slowly said, "Pass down the order: the sect should continue to seal off the mountain and observe the situation. At the same time, send people to closely monitor the battle at Blackwater Pass. Emperor Qianwu wants to use us as pawns, so why can't we reap the benefits?"

……

The main hall of the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion.

After listening quietly to Ye Gufeng's report and the contents of the secret letter sent by Daqian, the Sword Master of Wuwo showed a hint of disgust on his face.

“Using the common people as pawns and resentment as weapons, such behavior has already entered the demonic path.”

He slowly rose, walked outside the hall, and looked up at the churning sea of ​​clouds in the sky.

"A swordsman should have a foot. He should know what to do and what not to do."

His voice, like his person, was calm yet filled with an unwavering will: "By order of my Pavilion Master, the Myriad Swords Pavilion will not participate in this matter. If the Great Qian Dynasty and the Central Plains Pill Tower dare to coerce us, the Myriad Swords Pavilion... is willing to use its three-foot-long sword to question the principles of Heaven!"

……

Hundred Beasts Manor.

As the manor lord Xiong Qingtian looked at the secret letter, he burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the mountains and forests.

"Excellent! What a brilliant Emperor Qianwu! Ruthless! Decisive! I love him!"

His eyes burned with a greedy flame. "Fortune favors the bold! No matter how strong the Li family is, can they possibly be an enemy of the entire Eastern Region at the same time? Gather all the elders and elites of the manor and march to the border! I want to see whether his Taoist magic is more powerful, or whether the Iron Hoof of Ten Thousand Beasts of my Hundred Beasts Manor can crush mountains and rivers!"

……

Listening to Snow Pavilion.

Behind the bronze mask, a playful smile flashed in the host's beautiful eyes.

"Is it finally time to get down to business?"

She murmured to herself, "The madness of Emperor Qianwu, the greed of Xiong Qingtian, the stubbornness of the Sword Master Wuwo... the ugliness and brilliance of human nature are truly endlessly fascinating."

"Send word to 'Phantom' that she doesn't need to return," the Lord of the Tower calmly instructed. "Tell her that I don't want intelligence, I want results. I want to know what the true trump card behind the Li family is when all these forces come together." For a time, of the four major sects in the Eastern Region, two chose to observe, one chose to form an alliance, and one chose to remain true to its principles.

Upon learning that the Great Qian had broken its promise and was attacking, the entire court of the Great Yu Dynasty was instantly plunged into a state of great panic.

But this panic was quickly replaced by an unprecedented sense of unity.

Because, inside Tingtao Xiaozhu, Li Mengze's figure appeared in the Golden Palace.

He simply stood there calmly and said one sentence to the assembled officials.

"Rest assured, everyone. With the Li family here, the Great Yu will be safe."

…………

Nighttime at Tingtao Cottage.

The study was brightly lit.

The three siblings, Li Mengze, Li Mengjin, and Li Mengyue, looked solemnly at the figure that had appeared at some unknown time on the main seat—Li Pingcan.

"father."

The three of them stood up and bowed at the same time.

"Sit down." Li Pingcan waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be so polite.

His gaze swept over the three children who were already capable of standing on their own, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

"Have you all figured out Emperor Qianwu's purpose?" he asked.

Li Mengze nodded and said solemnly, "Father, this is a calculated move. He is using the lives of 300,000 soldiers to create endless slaughter and resentment within our territory, all to pollute your Daoist temple connected to the Great Yu's ley lines and deplete your power."

“Not bad.” Li Pingcan gave him an approving look. “Simply defending will play right into their hands. Although Blackwater Pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it will eventually be worn down by their overwhelming numbers. At that time, the flames of war will spread, and our Great Yu will suffer immense devastation.”

"Then what should we do?" Li Mengyue asked worriedly. "Are we really just going to stand by and watch those 300,000 troops invade?"

"Do not."

Li Pingcan shook his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes that was completely at odds with his gentle demeanor.

"The best way to deal with a rabid dog is not to fight it, but to beat its owner to death with a stick before it can bite you."

Upon hearing this, a terrifying glint flashed in Li Mengjin's eyes!
"Father means... beheading?"

“Exactly.” Li Pingcan’s gaze fell on him. “Mengjin, your sword is the sharpest spear in the Li family. I am now giving you a task. Do you dare to accept it?”

"Father, please speak!" Li Mengjin knelt on one knee without the slightest hesitation.

"Alone, he infiltrated the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty and, amidst a vast army, took the head of Emperor Qianwu!"

Li Pingcan's voice was calm, yet it contained a chilling intent to kill.

"This..." Upon hearing this, both Li Mengze and Li Mengyue's expressions changed.

The capital of the Great Qian Dynasty is a den of dragons and tigers, further suppressed by the dragon energy of the nation's destiny. Not to mention a lone individual, even an army of thousands would find it difficult to breach.

Sending my second brother alone is far too dangerous!
Li Mengjin showed no fear, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit: "Your son obeys!"

Li Pingcan nodded in satisfaction. He slowly stretched out his hand, and in his palm appeared a Bodhi seed that was entirely green and seemed to contain endless vitality.

"Qianqing Palace is protected by the national destiny dragon, and even though your sword domain is strong, it is difficult to break through. This is the 'Seed of Nature' that I condensed with the essence of the Daoist temple. You should carry it with you. It can temporarily open up a 'natural domain' for you. Within this domain, all laws will retreat and the national destiny will not invade."

He handed the Bodhi seed to Li Mengjin, then looked out the window and whispered, "Xiao Fei."

"Wow!"

A high-pitched eagle cry echoed through the night sky, and the golden eagle Xiaofei transformed into a golden lightning bolt, silently landing in the courtyard.

"Have Xiaofei take you there," Li Pingcan instructed. "Remember, you only have one chance. If you miss your first strike, flee immediately and do not linger in battle."

"My child understands!"

Li Mengjin solemnly put the "Seed of Nature" into his bosom, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to his father and siblings, and then turned and walked out of the study.

He flipped and leaped onto the eagle's back. The golden eagle flapped its wings, creating a gentle breeze, and soared into the sky, instantly disappearing into the vast night and speeding towards the horizon.

…………

Three days later, in the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The entire city was shrouded in a somber and oppressive atmosphere.

On the city walls, there were guards every three steps and sentries every five steps. Countless imperial guards, clad in iron armor, exuded a fierce and bloodthirsty aura, a result of war and the fate of the nation. Like a giant canopy, it enveloped the entire capital, making it impossible for even birds to fly over.

High in the sky, amidst the clouds.

Li Mengjin sat cross-legged on the back of the golden eagle Xiaofei, his eyes closed, as if he were one with the world.

Xiao Fei's speed is now vastly different from what it used to be. With each flap of its wings, wind and thunder accompany it, and in just three days and nights, it has crossed thousands of miles of mountains and rivers to reach its destination.

"This is it." Li Mengjin slowly opened his eyes, looking down at the magnificent city below.

He could clearly feel that the thick and solid national destiny dragon energy below was full of strong rejection and suppression towards him, an outsider cultivator.

Without the "seed of nature" bestowed upon him by his father, he probably wouldn't even be able to get close to the city gate before being discovered.

"Xiao Fei, wait for me here."

Li Mengjin patted the golden eagle's neck, and then, with a flicker of his figure, he descended silently from the sky like a falling leaf, heading towards the imperial city below.

Qianqing Palace, Imperial Study.

Emperor Qianwu, dressed in a black dragon robe, stood before a huge sand table, strategizing the battle at Blackwater Pass.

Just then, as if sensing something, he suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his deep eyes.

"Elder Xuan, have you sensed anything?"

Elder Xuan closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then shook his head: "Your Majesty, everything in the palace is as usual, and there is no unusual activity."

Emperor Qianwu frowned, a fleeting feeling of palpitation making him uneasy.

Just as he was about to activate the imperial dragon energy to investigate, the indestructible door of the imperial study, made of ten-thousand-year-old ironwood, creaked open a crack without any wind.

A figure in a green robe, holding an ancient sword, stood calmly outside the door, as if he had been standing there for a long time.

"Who goes there?!" Elder Xuan's expression changed drastically. He took a step forward and blocked Emperor Qianwu's path, unleashing a powerful aura.

Emperor Qianwu's pupils suddenly contracted!
He never dreamed that the moment he sent out his army, the enemy's sword had already silently reached his throat!

"Emperor Qianwu".

Li Mengjin slowly stepped into the Imperial Study. With each step he took, a circle of emerald green ripples spread out beneath his feet. A fresh and natural Daoist aura transformed this imperial study, which was filled with majesty and oppression, into a tranquil forest realm.

The omnipresent imperial dragon aura seemed to have encountered its nemesis in the face of this domain, and all retreated.

(End of this chapter)