It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Xiao Hei, who was watching this scene from afar, was horrified, but this was just the beginning. When the three retreated to the gate of Yuanyang City, the empty city suddenly closed its gate inexplicably. In the darkness, it seemed as if countless things were surging towards this side, and the sound of insects flapping their wings turned into a sharp buzzing sound, affecting the hearing of the three people.

At the critical moment, Steel Nail roared and rushed out of Merlin's magic range, hitting the city gate frantically with his iron fists. The solid city gate gradually deformed and bent into a path that only allowed people to walk sideways. Merlin reached out to pull him, but Steel Nail shook off Merlin's hand and said loudly:

"Walk!"

Xiao Hei naturally refused. He stretched out his long stick and pried the door open. The sturdy long stick in his hand also bent. The gap in the door widened a little, and the three of them successfully escaped from Yuanyang City. But after being exposed to the illusion for only a few dozen seconds, the back of the steel nail seemed to be gnawed by countless tiny insects, and large pieces of flesh and blood disappeared completely.

The three of them fled to a safe area for a brief rest. Xiao Hei suggested that they first go to meet up with Nan Chu's army, because it was obvious that the problem of Yuanyang City could not be solved by the three of them alone. Just now, none of the three of them held back, and all of them seized the opportunity and tried their best, but they were unable to shake the Lord's Mansion at all, which meant that the thing inside had evolved to a level that they could not solve.

At present, the only hope is to help the Lord of Nanchu win the frontal battle and send the army to razed the Lord's Mansion of Xiqin. Speaking of this, Lid has already frowned.

He knew the abilities of Xiao Hei and Merlin very well, otherwise he would have stopped them from going to Xi Qin. Xiao Hei's full-strength attack was definitely no different from the tenth-level attack, and Steel Nail was also a master in terms of strength. Even so, he was unable to penetrate the defense of the Lord's Mansion, which meant that there was some more powerful force in the Lord's Mansion.

Especially listening to their description, everything around the lord's mansion evaporated, but Mr. Ting Chao was not hurt at all. This shows that the opponent is not only very powerful, but also has a good control of power. Such an enemy is very difficult to deal with. "Your judgment at the time was correct. If you didn't leave at the first time, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to leave."

Lid exhaled and comforted the two. At the same time, he looked at them in confusion - the steel nail was gone. Xiao Hei shook his head and continued:

"Then came the second mistake we made. Before the war, we habitually thought that the God-chosen Purification Team of the Traditional Temple could deal with the troubles of the Abyss Church, so that we could concentrate on dealing with the Western Qin army. But I think we were wrong. The Purification Team was quite effective in the beginning, but later, I don’t know if they saw something, but they suddenly began to withdraw on a large scale without notifying us. Except for the Purification Team controlled by the Saint, the main force of the Purification Team chose to flee, disrupting everyone’s plans. Although judging from the subsequent situation, their escape was also justified..."

Xiao Hei smiled bitterly and said to Lid:

"Because if I stay, I might die."

4.Fog

The frontal battlefield between West Qin and South Chu is near the border between the two sides. It will take a long time for Xiao Hei, Merlin and Steel Nail to rush over.

It takes some effort.

At this time, the black fog had spread and enveloped the two territories. Xiao Hei discussed with Merlin and thought that the current situation was very dangerous and that safety could not be guaranteed within the range of the black fog. Finally, the trio decided to act separately. Gang Ding would take a detour back to Nanchu to meet up with Xiao Bai. If the situation was not good, he would find a way to take Xiao Bai to the safest place possible.

Xiao Hei and Merlin went to the front battlefield to join the army of Nan Chu and try to turn the tables.

Unfortunately, when Xiao Hei and Merlin arrived at the scene, it was too late.

Although they found Nanchu Lord Xiang Mu through the defeated army, the situation had become irreversible. According to the information obtained from Xiang Mu and the defeated army, the main reason for the defeat was the sudden withdrawal of the Traditional Temple, and the second was that Xi Qin allowed the Abyss Church to transform the army without anyone knowing, making the army something beyond common sense.

"Merlin and I didn't see how the frontal battlefield was defeated, but my father told me that the Western Qin army was an immortal monster. No matter how they were chopped into pieces, they would continue to fight, and no matter how broken they became, they would continue to exist. Flesh and blood turned into a long river, and everything was submerged in the dead river and sea of ​​corpses."

Xiao Hei raised his head and his voice sounded a little low.

Even with his optimistic personality, he still felt a little heavy-hearted now that his father was dead and his biological brother was missing. Moreover, his mother was the mastermind behind all this, and Xiao Hei was able to maintain his current state only with his strong will.

"My father said that he killed the lord of Western Qin by piercing his chest with a long sword during the battle. My father himself was also seriously injured. In order to allow Merlin and I to escape safely, he died there. The defeated army of Southern Chu must have been killed. Now there is probably no living thing on that vast land. There is only an army of dead people and sinners who call themselves gods."

Lid patted Xiao Hei's shoulder and said softly: "Thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Hei shook his head:

After returning, Merlin and I heard about your experience in the Dragon Clan and learned about the current situation in the world. Sorry, we agreed to solve our own problems, but it seems that we didn't do much. The only help we did was to sneak around for a few days after leaving Yuanyang City and tried our best to destroy several formations. But we don't know whether it was of any use. "

Lid said to Xiao Hei and Merlin:

"The reason why I was able to solve the dragon clan's troubles was not because of my own strength, but because of the combination of strength and chance. Xiqin is not our home turf, and your mother has been running the business there for so long that it can be said to be watertight. Even if I had gone to Xiqin, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to change anything."

Just as Xiao Hei was talking, Li De silently reviewed the situation in his mind. Even if he was replaced, he could not guarantee that he could find a way to break the situation. At most, with Li De's personality, he would directly kidnap Mr. Tingchao's daughter and force him to join his side. But according to Xiao Hei, Xiao Hei and Gang Ding's full-strength attack could not shake the Xi Qin Lord's Mansion. Even if Mr. Tingchao stood on his side, it would probably be in vain.

It was a dead end there.

Lid already felt that it was very impressive that Xiao Hei, Merlin and Steel Nail could struggle so hard. What remained was what he should consider, and what he had been considering all along.

"The fact that you can get out of Xiqin means that the black fog is about to dissipate." Reed asked Merlin and Xiaohei.

Merlin replied:

"When we left, the black fog did begin to dissipate. But ordinary troops still couldn't go in and out. I guess only those above the ninth level could travel in and out. I think this black fog might be related to the monster in the Xiqin Lord's Mansion. When the monster wakes up completely, the black fog might disappear completely."

Lidd said to him:

"You guys should take a rest first. After going through so much, you need to rest well. Don't worry, I have made many arrangements in advance. In a few days, you will return to [Potian] to take over various affairs."

Xiao Hei smiled and said, "Thank you."

To be fair, although Xiao Hei is still the prince of Nanchu in name, the entire Nanchu has basically been declared dead in name only."

But Lid now relies on the alliance to basically control

The situation in the world, the status gap between the two sides has quietly reversed. Even so, Li De's attitude towards him is still the same as before, just like Li De was willing to rob the execution ground for Xiao Bai, which touched Xiao Hei.

Merlin had more things to worry about. He asked Lid earnestly:

"Do you have any plans? If the situation is really as Lord Nanchu said, the moment the black fog spreads, a tide of corpses will pour out from there. I believe that Nanchu's army is definitely one of the most elite armies in the world, but it will still be defeated. Once those monsters get outside, they will probably start a massacre and drag more people into it. If they are allowed to snowball like this, the entire Yongtian Kingdom will soon become a deadly place."

Lid sighed slightly, smiled bitterly and said:

"Of course I know, but for now, we can only deal with it as it comes. I have arranged for people to evacuate the people on the border of West Qin and South Chu, and stationed Yunyang's army there. No matter what monsters emerge from there, I will go and meet them in person."

Merlin nodded and said:

"After coming out, I used my clone to confirm the safety of the young lady. I will go and pick up the young lady first, and then I will meet you. The current situation is indeed not optimistic. I don't know when those monsters from Xi Qin will appear. Lide, please notify the other lords and see if they can send more troops."

Reed said "hmm" and sent Merlin and Xiao Hei to rest, and fell into deep thought.

He first continued to write a letter with transparent ink and asked someone to send it to Shi Yuan. Because Lid instinctively felt that the Abyss Church was about to undergo a major change, and Shi Yuan could not be completely unaware of it. Lid was in great need of intelligence now. Once that woman returned to take charge of the church, Shi Yuan would probably have no chance to send the letter out.

After sending the letter, Reed sat at the table, rubbing his eyebrows while formulating a battle strategy.

When He Yue came to call him for dinner in the evening, Lid asked He Yue a seemingly irrelevant question:

"Is Qianji here?"

He Yue was stunned for a moment and replied:

"Qianji from the White Guard is not here. He is busy selecting the next batch of talents. The National Defense Formation is guarded by people from the Tiance Mansion." Lid nodded:

"Then you don't have to wait for me for dinner tonight, you can eat first."

5. Lingwu Lord's Comments on the Abyss Church

He Yue didn't see Reed until two days later, and Reed was carried back by Shiloh.

He was covered in wounds, which were not fatal, but looked very show-like. He lay on the bed like a dying man. If Li De had not been smiling, He Yue would have been ready to kneel down and accept the emperor's order to become the minister of state.

"I noticed that you are particularly vulnerable."

He Yue helped Li De change his bloody clothes and said helplessly:

"If you get hurt outside, you can get hurt at home too. There is no safe place in the world, right?" Lid closed his eyes, leaned on the soft pillow, and replied with a smile:

"Yes, isn't it safe to be with you?"

He Yue stretched out her scallion-white fingers, poked Lid's head, and said to him:

"Have a good sleep first. I'll take care of other things first, don't worry too much. Xiao Hei has met the Lingwu Lord. Now the situation in Xi Qin and Nan Chu has spread. You don't have to worry about it alone. Everyone is trying to find a solution."

Lid's hand groped on the bed twice, held He Yue's hand, and said:

"Then I'll leave it to you first. Tell Fang Shisan to start practicing the formation she wants to practice quickly. Otherwise it will be too late. He Yue nodded solemnly, and then said to Xi Luo beside him:

"I'll trouble you to take care of Lid."

Shilo nodded expressionlessly, and when He Yue left, she sat next to Lid, untied Lid's belt, grabbed Lid's hem and shook it, and Lid rolled around naked on the bed for a few rounds. Then Shilo found a towel, wet it, and helped Lid wipe off the sweat on his body so that he could sleep more peacefully.

"I'm almost at level ten."

When Reed was half asleep, he heard Shiloh say this to him.

"Besides, he's not a child anymore."

……

—After waking up, Reed regained his usual refreshed self.

He washed his face with water and went to the meeting hall himself. Not all the people came today, but it happened that Yu Qingzhao was on duty. Li De greeted her, then dragged a chair and sat opposite her, and asked casually:

"Did Xiao Hei tell you?"

Yu Qingzhao replied without even looking up: "I did."

Lid asked:

"So what do you think?" Yu Qingzhao replied calmly:

"Black fog and monsters everywhere, that's his description. What you hear may not be what you hear, but what you see may be what you see." Lid asked back:

"You don't believe him?"

Yu Qingzhao then raised his head, his tone unchanged:

"He had no reason to lie. But different people see different things."

Lide fell into a brief contemplation. Yu Qingzhao did not look flustered. She sat there as usual, very imposing and calm. Seeing Lide frowning in thought, Yu Qingzhao lowered her head and continued to deal with the documents in front of her, saying:

"Xiao Hei is a man of worldly wisdom, but his vision only covers a period of twenty years."

"For me, that's a lot to go through over the centuries."

"Four hundred and thirty years ago, the Abyss Church took the initiative to contact me and said that they could help me complete my revenge. Of course, they didn't know that I was Yu Qingzhao. They only knew that we Lingwu and the royal family were enemies for generations."

Yu Qingzhao put the document in his hand aside and said calmly:

"Of course, I refused. A bunch of snakes and insects who only know how to hide in dark corners have no right to meddle in my affairs." She said this calmly, but the calmness and confidence in her words remained the same as always.

This woman is like this. No matter where she sits, no matter if she wears luxurious clothes or not, no matter if she is calm or angry, her aura always overwhelms those around her. Lid couldn't help staring at her eyes, and Yu Qingzhao raised his head, frowned slightly, and said indifferently:

"What are you looking at?"

Lid propped up his head with his hand and said with a smile: "I think you are very reliable."

Yu Qingzhao did not get angry, but put down his pen and said expressionlessly: "Because in terms of age, kid, I am dozens of times older than you." Lid raised his hands and said jokingly:

"Okay, okay, so you like old cows eating young grass..."

Before he finished speaking, the tuft of hair on Li De's head was set on fire. Li De hurriedly put out the fire, and then heard Yu Qingzhao say:

"First of all, that kind of black fog needs to rely on some kind of formation, and so do undead creatures. Xiqin has long been the territory of the Abyss Church. Some things are very powerful there, but not necessarily when they come out."

"So we need to prepare for war, but we don't need to panic too much. Stretch out the front line a little bit, and don't fight near Xiqin." "As for the 'God...' Xiaohei mentioned..."

Yu Qingzhao paused for a moment, frowning slightly, but soon regained her composure. She said:

"My opinion is the same as before. If you want to become a god, you have to replace it. If you try to touch the realm of God with a human body, you will have to pay the price."

"Most creatures living in the mud have poor eyesight, and many fish that swim in the deep sea will die suddenly when they reach the shallow sea. Evolution always has a price. Humans are smarter than other races, but they have given up the habits of wild beasts, which is also one of the reasons why we are beaten."

"The woman from the Abyss Church must also have a weakness, so we should just bet our cards on that." She always seemed to speak clearly, directly and to the point.

Although Reed also understood many truths, and even understood more than her, it could not be denied that hundreds of years had not made her dull, but instead made her vision more sharp and unique.

Li De himself is also very smart, whether in the previous life or this life. But no matter what, much of his knowledge comes from the accumulation of his predecessors, but this world and this era are destined not to give Yu Qingzhao so much accumulation, but Yu Qingzhao's perspective on many issues is still comparable to his.

Li De looked into Yu Qingzhao's eyes, and those deep and beautiful phoenix eyes were also looking at him.

Lid exhaled and said with a smile:

"As expected, I understand a lot more after talking to you. You are indeed very reliable, Comrade Zhao Zhao." Yu Qingzhao said coldly:

"I have been working hard for that throne for hundreds of years. There is only one throne in this world. How can I sit on it if I can't be the most reliable person?"

Li De stood up to say goodbye. As soon as he stepped out of the meeting hall, he heard Yu Qingzhao's voice behind him:

"Oh, right. We fought each other before in the illusion created by Tang Zai. You should know that I have a batch of compressed magic cannons. In the end, we didn't fight. The shells of that batch of compressed magic cannons are still in Lingwu's treasury. When you were unconscious two days ago, I sent someone to get them... When they arrive in two days, you can take them to the front line."

Li De turned around and saw Yu Qing Zhao looking at him.

She still wore her veil, but Reed remembered her appearance and could imagine the faint smile on her lips. She said:

"Remember, you owe me."

6. Beyond the common sense of territory

The fog over Western Qin and Southern Chu dissipated.

No one knew exactly when the fog completely dissipated. But at the moment when the fog completely dissipated, the earth suddenly trembled, and a huge tree broke out of the ground. The tree was different from any other tree. Its entire body was as black as ink, covered with wrinkles, and the wrinkles were red, no different from human flesh and blood. The radius of the trunk was about 60 kilometers. Although it broke out of the highest mountain in Xiqin, the whole tree directly lifted up the mountain range, and the mountain range that stretched for hundreds of miles turned into a circle of rubble around the trunk.

The top of the tree trunk reached the sky, just like the mountain range that Lid had seen in the giant tribe. The branches stretched out to the surroundings, extending to the end of the field of vision, completely blocking the sky. Unlike the ugly roots and trunk, the top of the tree was as soft as jade, and the slender branches were like the arms of a beauty. There were more delicate balls growing on the branches, and it was unclear whether they were leaves, flowers, or fruits. In short, there were a lot of them, and each ball had a horizontal line on it. Because it was too high, no one could see clearly what it was.

The frontline soldiers immediately sent the news back to the capital, and then went on full alert, ready to deal with the swarming monsters at any time. But the fact is that, except for this tree that stretched to the horizon, the entire West Qin and South Chu were extremely quiet in the first few days.

The two senior generals of the Yunyang Army, Juanbai and Takis, discussed it and thought that instead of passively waiting to be beaten, it would be better to send out scouts to enter Xiqin and Nanchu first to gather intelligence. In their view, intelligence is very important no matter what they will fight in the future. If they can get some information about the opponent before the war, the situation of the war will become favorable.

There was nothing wrong with this idea itself, but something strange happened when it was implemented. None of the scouts who had entered Western Qin and Southern Chu returned.