Jiang Liu roared, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The injury from the bony coccyx piercing his lung was slowly worsening, a burden temporarily imposed on his body by the terrifying power. Meanwhile, ripples of energy rapidly spread out from his fist, seemingly resonating with the mountains and earth.
Immediately afterwards, the ripples of power began to materialize, and not only that, a faint rumbling sound also came from the depths of the earth.
This punch wasn't fast; it was extremely slow.
It is precisely because of its gentleness that one can feel its boundless weight.
It is precisely because it is slow that it gives the enemy an overwhelming sense of power!
The bone spur that had penetrated deep into the lung collapsed and shattered under the immense force, turning into fine powder.
"What kind of power is this? This is the power of a god! How could you wield such power?" The divine messenger was terrified and wanted to escape, but he was powerless to do so. His body was imprisoned by an inexplicable power, and he could only watch helplessly as he crashed into Jiang Liu's fist.
Jiang Liu clenched his fist and punched upwards violently, causing the entire world to shake.
A punch landed squarely on the envoy's chest. For a few seconds, time seemed to freeze before the carapace-like defense shattered with a series of sharp cracks. The flesh and blood inside instantly transformed into a faint red mist, billowing in the wind. This red mist was composed of thoroughly pulverized flesh, bones, and hair, and its pungent, bloody stench was noticeable even to Xie Chou and the tiger demon.
One punch and he's reduced to dust! That perfectly describes the current state.
"This is true power! Incomparably powerful power!" Jiang Liu closed his eyes and felt the overwhelming power of the entire province, which was as majestic as a god. Not to mention this divine messenger, even a mortal immortal who had just entered the Qi Refining and Deity Transformation realm would not dare to say that he could withstand this attack. It could even collapse a mountain.
As the power dissipated from his body, Jiang Liu slowly opened his eyes, his right hand hanging limply at his side, completely exhausted.
"The ancient Nine Cauldrons suppressed the Nine Provinces, vanquishing evil and forcing them to retreat. No demons or monsters dared to commit evil in the Nine Provinces. These Nine Cauldrons are indeed powerful! They can even use the earth's dragon energy to kill enemies. Unfortunately, I can only use such an attack once! Limited by the power of merit, and... ugh..."
Jiang Liu coughed up a mouthful of blood, blood seeping from every pore of his body. Under the pressure of the "power of an entire province," his body was on the verge of collapse: "Moreover, the damage to my body from that punch was simply too great! Tiger demon..."
Glancing sideways, he saw the tiger demon rushing away, his liver and gallbladder about to burst, his once tigerish courage now reduced to that of a rat by Jiang Liu's punch.
Jiang Liu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master..." Xie Chou was also dumbfounded, staring blankly at Jiang Liu's fist.
Looking at the water buffalo's battered body and feeling his own exhausted and nearly collapsing state, Jiang Liu said, "Heal our wounds first! Right now, even a minor demon could take our lives!"
"I'll keep watch, you can focus on healing." With that, Bai Lu took to the sky again, but the image of that violent punch kept echoing in her mind.
Jiang Liu's vision went black, and he almost fainted. He immediately faced the sky with his palms facing upwards and sat down to meditate to recover. Then he felt a fruit being put into his mouth, and a clear stream flowed from his throat into his stomach. Judging from the taste on his tongue, it was the taste of the Vermilion Fruit. It seemed that Xie Chou had fed him the Vermilion Fruit.
...
Just after Jiang Liu threw that punch, an old man stood on the Star Gazing Platform in Chang'an, facing east and gazing upwards. He saw countless stars hanging low, seemingly about to fall into his eyes; a silver river stretched across the north and south, with dragons and snakes dancing and mythical beasts leaping about.
The observatory was the highest point in Chang'an, besides the imperial palace, offering the best vantage point for surveying the heavens. Paved with blue bricks and stones, it consisted of the platform itself and a measuring rod. The platform was shaped like an inverted bucket, used for observing the sun's shadow by day and the North Star by night to determine the time of day. It also included a gnomon for measuring shadows, a water clock, a compass, an altazimuth instrument, a gnomon, and a sundial.
The old man sighed, staggered down from the observatory, and then a carriage sped off into the night towards the palace.
Incredibly, the palace gates, which had been tightly closed at night, were opened.
Inside the Taiji Palace, Li Shimin, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed, and said in a deep voice, "Someone in Jiangnan is using the earth's veins and dragon energy? The islands of the East China Sea are invading, and Jiangnan is in the midst of a great battle, yet no one from my Li family has gone there... So, does this mean that the previous dynasty still has remnants in Jiangnan?"
“Your Majesty, this person manipulated the earth's dragon energy for only a fleeting moment, yet the dragon energy did not resist. Logically speaking, the previous dynasty has been extinct for over a decade, and the former imperial family should have no way of drawing out dragon energy. Moreover… the descendants of Emperor Yang of Sui have all died out…”
Li Shimin stared coldly into the darkness, remaining silent. The vast palace immediately fell into a deathly silence.
He was a wise ruler who defeated the Turks and other foreign tribes in the north, and defended against the Tibetan invasion in the west. He also worked diligently to govern the country, eliminating demons and monsters, and established the imperial examination system. Centuries of war in China had come to an end, and a golden age was about to begin under his rule.
But he was also a ruthless ruler. For the throne, he murdered his brothers at Xuanwu Gate without a shred of mercy. Someone had stirred up the earth's dragon energy; besides him and his direct descendants, who else would dare to use dragon energy?
"Whether Emperor Yang's descendants have truly all died out, who can be certain?"
Jiang Liu was unaware that the "power of an entire province" he unleashed with the help of the "Nine Cauldrons" had been sensed by the distant city of Chang'an.
A conspiracy against him is about to spread from Chang'an to Jiangnan.
Chapter Seventy-Eight Obtaining the Treasure
When Jiang Liu opened his eyes again, the east was already turning blue, and the night had passed.
He stood up unsteadily. Jiang Liu's physical condition was now a complete opposite of what it used to be. To put it bluntly, it was like the difference between a dilapidated bicycle and a Ferrari with the accelerator floored.
Just like a rusty machine that hasn't been used for a long time, after being powered on, although it starts running shakily and clattering, it can still work steadily after shaking off a lot of rust.
Upon opening his eyes, he discovered that Xie Chou had already fully recovered and was practicing his boxing skills facing east. The regenerative abilities of monsters were indeed much stronger than those of humans.
"Master, you're awake! Come and see, those monkeys from the East Sea have left behind quite a few good things!"
Xie Chou chuckled, rubbing his calloused hands together excitedly.
"Good stuff? Judging from your expression, it must be more than just good!"
"Go and see for yourself, it will definitely exceed your expectations."
To everyone's surprise, there were nine large iron boxes on the edge of the battlefield. When they were opened, they were found to be gleaming with a dazzling light.
"Holy crap! This is going to blind my eyes!"
Jiang Liu gently stroked the beautiful crystal, his heart filled with uncontrollable joy. The entire box was filled with spirit stones of medium to high grade. He opened the remaining boxes one after another. Seven of them were filled with spirit stones, and one box contained Yin-attribute refining materials. Among them was the extremely evil Blood Soul Steel, in three fist-sized pieces.
Xie Chou, holding an inconspicuous piece of withered wood, said, "Master, I examined it earlier, and this piece of wood is probably the most precious material here! The Land of Sunrise has Yin-Yang Wood, whose roots possess a unique power, capable of traversing the distance between the human realm and the underworld, drawing power from the underworld, yet growing in the human realm, taking less than ten thousand years to mature. This piece of wood is likely Yin-Yang Wood, ranking first among human-grade wood-attribute materials. It's an excellent material for crafting cursed magical artifacts and substitute dolls. It's extremely rare and sought after! A treasure that even spirit stones can't buy!"
"It seems we've gained quite a bit from this battle. These must be the treasures that the Eastern Sea official offered to the Ghost King, which we actually managed to steal. What's left inside?" Jiang Liu pointed to the remaining large iron box and said. This iron box was different from the others; it was made entirely of Yin Iron, which seemed to be to prevent the aura inside from leaking out.
“A murder weapon!” Xie Chou said in a deep voice.
"The murder weapon?"
Jiang Liu slowly opened the iron box, and a bloody smell rushed out. Inside was a giant, blood-red axe.
The giant axe was dark red all over, as if it were shrouded in a faint bloody glow. Its shape was also extremely strange. It was roughly like a giant axe, but it was more like the barbed fangs of an ancient beast, ferocious and terrifying. The strangest thing was that a blood-red gem the size of a chicken egg was embedded in the axe handle. If one held the axe with one hand, one would inevitably grip that blood-red gem tightly.
The axe handle is engraved with dense tadpole-like characters, but this cannot change the bloody and savage aura of the giant axe.
"Such a bloody aura! It truly is a deadly weapon!" Jiang Liu gripped the axe handle, and the moment he touched the crimson gem, a hallucination suddenly appeared before his eyes. It was as if he were in the ancient, barbaric era, where hundreds or even thousands of people were slaughtered and sacrificed as livestock!
After a moment, Jiang Liu's bloodshot eyes gradually cleared, and he thought to himself, "To incite such murderous intent, calling it a murderous weapon is indeed fitting!"
With a burst of strength, he could barely lift it with one hand. His strength was over a thousand jin, yet he could only manage to lift it with difficulty. If he were to wield it in battle, he would need to double his strength just to barely fight. Jiang Liu knew that his full-force punches could reach four or five thousand jin, but wielding a weapon with a force of a thousand jin was still beyond his capabilities.
"What material is this made of? It's so heavy!"
The power of an axe lies in its chopping action. Weight only increases the power of an axe. If one can accept such weight, the momentum of a single axe strike will be incredibly astonishing, and its power will naturally be terrifying!
【Baxia Axe】
[This axe weighs 810 jin and was forged in a lava volcano using dozens of precious materials. It is inlaid with the heart of a demonic turtle containing a trace of Baxia bloodline. Made using a secret technique, when a creature is killed, the heart absorbs and stores the blood and malevolent energy of that instant. Once enough energy has accumulated, it can unleash a deadly aura to kill the enemy. Furthermore, when the axe handle is gripped, the heart containing Baxia bloodline will contract and beat, allowing the wielder to activate Baxia power at the appropriate time.]
[Mid-grade Spiritual Weapon]
[Power of Baxia: Greatly increases strength, increasing according to the user's physical strength]
【Bloodlust Aura: The violent blood energy can neutralize Daoist techniques and supernatural abilities】
"The Baxia Axe, what a treasure! Da Niu, this was tailor-made for you! With this magical weapon, your strength will more than double."
Jiang Liu threw the Baxia Axe at Xie Chou. With his monstrous strength, using it in combat was of course no problem.
"Master, my strength is still insufficient! This axe is a one-handed axe. If I want to fight, I can only hold it with both hands for now in order to last. Otherwise, I will be exhausted in a minute or two!"
The water buffalo grinned, clearly extremely satisfied with the large axe, stroking the handle with obvious delight.
Jiang Liu stroked his chin, looking at the spirit stones in the iron box, and said, "Da Niu, let me pick through these treasures. The storage space can't hold all of these things. You and Bai Lu will keep watch for me."
After Xie Chou left carrying the giant axe, Jiang Liu threw all the refining materials into his storage space. When his cultivation reached the fifth level of Refining Essence into Qi, his storage space also increased significantly with the improvement of his cultivation. Now it has barely reached the size of three cubic meters, but it is still impossible to put so many spirit stones in it.
Jiang Liu swiftly reached his hand into the spirit stones, then vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye. Having absorbed six boxes of spirit stones, Jiang Liu felt he was nearing saturation.
He was all too familiar with this feeling; it was the rhythm of the bronze gate of transmigration about to open.
Stop absorbing spirit stones, Jiang Liu stuffed the remaining spirit stones into his storage space, and then walked towards Xie Chou with satisfaction.
“Master, Ah Chou!” Bai Lu suddenly flew down from the sky and said, “Large armies have appeared in the northwest and northeast directions. It looks like the Tang army and the monkey army from the East Sea. It seems that a diplomatic battle will break out within twenty miles.”
Jiang Liu looked at the surrounding mountains and said, "That seems to be the direction we're heading to Jinling City, right? If we take a detour, we'll be venturing deeper into the territory occupied by the East China Sea. Since we are citizens of the Tang Dynasty, let's go and take a look!"
Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Great Army's Expedition
In a large-scale military campaign, victory or defeat cannot be determined by a few Qi cultivators.
Without the intervention of a celestial immortal, a cultivator skilled in refining essence into qi cannot change the outcome of a war.
On the vast plain, the two armies faced each other, their total strength reaching hundreds of thousands. In such a massive battle, individual combat power was suppressed to a minimum. Why? As the saying goes, many ants can kill an elephant. Individual heroism on the battlefield isn't impossible; if a brave general is willing to charge ahead, and has the ability, he can certainly be a hero. However, if someone charges ahead without thousands or tens of thousands of followers, it's practically suicide.
Guan Yu famously killed Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm because he had hundreds of thousands of allied troops fighting against Dong Zhuo behind him! Without them, if he had challenged Hua Xiong single-handedly, he would have been riddled with arrows and fled in terror...
Dian Wei's martial prowess should be on par with Guan Yu's. This guy jumped out and single-handedly took on a thousand men when the army was in defeat, but he was eventually overwhelmed by the vast sea of soldiers...
Even if ten Jiang Lius combined their lightning magic and summoned "Hellfire Lightning," how many armored soldiers could they possibly kill? Moreover, Jiang Liu's lightning magic was already at a minor level of mastery, built up through tireless practice with high-voltage electricity in the "Dragon and Serpent" world. Cultivating lightning magic in that world is far more complex. Those who achieve minor mastery are almost always Earth Immortals or exceptionally talented individuals, one in ten thousand. Such cultivators wouldn't participate in mortal battles; they would only focus on cultivation and the pursuit of immortality. The riches and glory of the mortal world would never sway their Daoist heart.
In human warfare, large armies clashed as the primary means of conflict, while cultivators used their supernatural powers as a secondary means.
Looking out from the high ground, Jiang Liu saw two large armies entangled together, and a major battle had been underway for some time.
The Tang Dynasty's elite cavalry, like several black dragons, had already cut through the East Sea Allied Forces, and countless soldiers surged forward to engage in close combat.
The invaders from the East Sea were no pushovers either. With the blessing of the priest's secret arts, their combat power was extraordinary. They possessed abilities such as Bloodlust, Berserk, and Defense, which made them able to withstand the attacks of the guards even with slightly weaker equipment.
It was this secret technique from the priests that enabled them to capture more than ten cities in a short period of time.
Moreover, there is a large army composed of demonic beasts, whose strength is extremely formidable.
"Master, perhaps we should refrain from interfering in such a major battle!"
Xie Chou said that he felt Jiang Liu was, after all, human. If he impulsively charged into the army, he would be in grave danger!
Without needing his reminder, Jiang Liu found a large rock and sat down. Even if he desperately wanted to gain merit to activate the Nine Provinces Cauldron, he dared not join the war now. A person should know their own limitations; this was war, not a one-on-one fight.
Although he didn't intend to get involved, his eyes were fixed on the battlefield.
The Eastern Sea army was naturally commanded by that high priest, and those secret techniques were the key to defeating the enemy. On the other side of the distant battlefield, a dozen high priests gathered together to maintain the operation of the spells.
Beneath the banner of the Tang Dynasty's central army, which was located to the west, stood a young man in white. He issued military orders, and the army formed and changed formations with ease, moving forward and backward as if under his command.
Jiang Liu watched the army advance. Although he didn't understand military formations, he was well-versed in the Daoist canon and extremely proficient in the Three Powers, Five Elements, and Eight Trigrams. He could glean some insights from it and thought to himself, "This man's troop deployment is watertight!"
The three thousand Shence Army heavy cavalry ranked second among the Tang Dynasty's iron cavalry, second only to the Xuanjia Dragon Cavalry personally led by the Tang Emperor. Each army consisted of a thousand riders, and the three black dragons charged into the enemy ranks as if they were in an empty field.
Besides the Northern Frontier Divine Strategy Army heading south, there were several other unstoppable armies. The left wing was led by a dozen or so mechanical monsters, each over ten feet tall, who fought against a group of enormous demons and were in no way inferior.
The right-wing army, closer to the river, was led by a burly, dark-skinned man wielding a broad axe.