The moment the altar was completed, dark clouds filled the sky, and lightning flashed and thunder roared—it was the wrath of the heavens!
"Boom!"
A bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck down from the sky, heading straight for the newly built altar.
Chapter Eighty-Six: Human Tribulation!
Although Wang Xuan possessed the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth, which could conceal his divine secrets, Yang Guang did not.
Yang Guang's actions in Luoyang had already attracted the attention of Heaven, and when the altar was completed, a lightning bolt struck down.
Fortunately, Wang Xuan was prepared. He calmly summoned the Heavenly Dao Talisman, and a hazy blue light appeared, blocking the lightning.
"Boom!" The azure light was shattered into pieces by the lightning, but it instantly gathered together and returned to normal.
On the contrary, after the collision with the lightning, 99% of its internal energy was consumed, and it could no longer threaten the blue light.
After the lightning dissipated, Wang Xuan looked at the sky and sneered: "In the end, the Sui and Tang world is just a low-level martial arts world. Furthermore, some of its power was diverted by the bronze coffin from the Changping battlefield. Even if it were to send down tribulation lightning, its power would be limited!"
The nascent form of the Heavenly Dao within the Heavenly Dao Talisman is already comparable to the early stage of the Transcendental Realm. It can withstand the Heavenly Punishment, which is why Wang Xuan dares to take action against the will of Heaven!
He turned to look at Yang Guang and shouted, "The auspicious time has arrived! Immediately ascend the altar to offer sacrifices to Heaven!"
Yang Guang's face turned pale, and he muttered to himself: This is defying the heavens! The altar has just been built and it has already attracted heavenly lightning. If I go up to offer sacrifices to the heavens, will I be struck to dust by a bolt of lightning?
But now that things have come to this, the die is cast and there is no turning back. Wang Xuan would never tolerate Yang Guang's retreat in the face of battle.
Yang Guang reluctantly took a few steps forward. Just as she was about to step onto the altar, a eunuch rushed up to her with a worried expression and reported, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! A group of rebels have broken into the palace and are heading this way!"
"Outrageous! Are the imperial guards in Luoyang all useless? How dare they let the rebels storm into the palace!" Yang Guang cursed angrily upon hearing this, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Guang was eager for someone to stop the sacrificial ceremony. If it weren't for his fear of Wang Xuan's martial prowess, he probably would have already changed his mind when the lightning struck.
As the saying goes, a son of a wealthy family would not sit under a dangerous roof. As the current emperor, Yang Guang was naturally unwilling to risk being struck by lightning to perform a sacrifice to heaven without any tangible benefit to himself.
Wang Xuan glanced at Yang Guang, then turned to look into the distance, and sneered, "Hearing can't do anything to me, so it sent down this calamity. Heaven really wants to get rid of me as soon as possible!"
Because Wang Xuan had the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth concealing the secrets of Heaven, the will of Heaven could not directly target him and send down a tribulation of lightning specifically for him.
However, the situation is different for the Human Tribulation. As long as Wang Xuan cannot become invisible, he will not escape being besieged.
At this moment, the palace was in complete chaos. Several people rushed in through the palace gates, and the imperial guards who tried to stop them were all knocked to the ground as if they were being mowed down.
Before long, those people appeared in front of Wang Xuan and shouted towards the altar: "You tyrant, how dare you act against the will of Heaven! Today we have come to take your dog's life!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Guang's small sense of relief vanished. It turned out that these people not only wanted to stop him from offering sacrifices to Heaven, but also wanted to kill him!
"Where is Yuwen Chengdu? Quickly capture these rebels for me!" Yang Guang shouted in a panic.
"Your Majesty, you don't need to waste your energy." Yuwen Chengdu had appeared at some point and stood with the people who had broken into the palace, surrounding Wang Xuan and Yang Guang.
Wang Xuan gave the group a deep look. He recognized them all; each of them practiced the martial arts he had taught, but their methods differed slightly from his own.
Among these people, one was dressed in a Taoist robe and wore a Taoist crown. He was Li Chunfeng of Louguan Taoism, the next representative of Heaven's will after Yuan Tiangang's death.
The other person had a sallow complexion and a thin build, and looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. He was wielding a pair of huge golden hammers. Who else could it be but Li Yuanba, who had separated from Wang Xuan earlier?
Previously, Li Yuanba was scratched by a zombie and was infected with zombie poison. Wang Xuan was preparing to detoxify him, but unexpectedly, the zombie disappeared.
When Li Yuanba was seen again, he was surprised to find that he had broken through the bottleneck of the Innate Perfection cultivation level by fusing corpse poison with a large amount of world origin under the catalysis of martial arts as the foundation!
Although Li Yuanba previously possessed strength comparable to those who had attained enlightenment through martial arts, his cultivation level remained at the peak of the Innate Realm due to the lack of a proper method for achieving enlightenment through martial arts. Now, his level is also comparable to those who have attained enlightenment through martial arts, but he has gone astray and his path differs greatly from the martial arts passed down by Wang Xuan.
"Is this the cultivation path formed by the fusion of martial arts and zombies in the Sui and Tang world?" Wang Xuan thought with a chill. "Perhaps this could be called Corpse Martial Arts?"
Besides Yuan Tiangang and Li Yuanba, there was another young man wielding two hammers, whose imposing aura was extremely fierce, and who had already reached a level comparable to a martial arts master.
This man is Pei Yunqing, the third strongest hero in the world. With Yuwen Chengdu added to the mix, the strongest warriors in the Sui and Tang dynasties have all gathered here.
Wang Xuan glanced at the group one last time, his gaze turning cold as he said, "You have all practiced the martial arts I taught you, so you can be considered my disciples. Do you really intend to be my enemies?"
Before Li Yuanba and the others could reply, Li Chunfeng shouted, "This man claims to be the Dao Ancestor, but in reality he is an extraterrestrial demon. Everyone has the right to kill him!"
"Don't worry, everyone. He needs to focus on fighting off the tribulation lightning and protecting the altar, so he can't go all out against us!"
What a clever plan! As long as Wang Xuan doesn't want to see the altar destroyed by the heavenly lightning, he must use the Heavenly Dao Talisman to fight against the heavenly lightning. Then, Li Yuanba and several other experts comparable to the Martial Dao Realm will be able to surround and kill Wang Xuan, who is at the peak of the Innate Realm.
If Wang Xuan hadn't taken care of the altar, it would surely have been destroyed by heavenly lightning. This was a matter that couldn't be repeated; Heaven had taken precautions and probably wouldn't allow him to rebuild the altar, and the Sui Dynasty's fate would have been completely sealed.
Sacrificing Li Yuanba and a few other masters to prevent Tianyi from suffering a severe blow can be considered a gain.
The Sui and Tang world is merely a low-level martial arts world, where the will of Heaven is hazy and there would be no way such a cunning and treacherous scheme. This must be the representative of the Louguan Sect influencing the will of Heaven!
Thinking of this, Wang Xuan looked at Li Chunfeng, his eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent.
"Boom!"
Before Wang Xuan could make a move, dark clouds surged in the sky, and another bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket struck down, heading towards the altar.
Wang Xuan had no choice but to activate the Heavenly Dao Talisman to resist.
"Now's the time! Everyone, attack together!" Li Chunfeng roared, and the three fierce generals, Li Yuanba, Yuwen Chengdu, and Pei Yunqing, launched a simultaneous attack, unleashing their full power at Wang Xuan!
Chapter 87 Defeating the Enemy
Li Yuanba, Yuwen Chengdu, and Pei Yuanqing, these three fierce generals all switched to cultivating the mutated Corpse Martial Arts of the Sui and Tang world, and both their realm and combat power reached the level of entering the Dao through martial arts.
If Wang Xuan were just an ordinary martial artist at the peak of the Innate Realm, then today's situation would undoubtedly mean his death!
However, he cultivated a top-level technique called "Ziyang Zhenjie" and mastered magical combat skills such as Lingxu Step, Burial Sword Technique, and Shenxiao Five Thunder Orthodox Method. His combat strength was already comparable to that of someone who had entered the Dao through martial arts.
Moreover, Wang Xuan is protected by the Heavenly Silkworm Armor and can attack with the Azure Nether Sword. Even when facing Li Yuanba and the other two, Wang Xuan is not afraid at all!
In the blink of an eye, before Li Yuanba and his group could attack, Wang Xuan made a hand seal with his left hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning with the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Method, which flew towards Li Yuanba.
At the same time, the Azure Sword was drawn and struck Yuwen Chengdu's Phoenix Wing Gilded Halberd.
"choke!"
With a crisp sound, the phoenix-winged gilded halberd in Yuwen Chengdu's hand broke in two.
"What!" Yuwen Chengdu was shocked. His Phoenix Wing Golden Halberd was made of meteorite gold and would never leave a mark when fighting others. But now it was cut in two by Wang Xuan's sword.
Wang Xuan did not take advantage of the situation to attack Yuwen Chengdu, but instead quickly used the Lingxu Step to retreat.
He had only taken a few steps back when Pei Yuanqing slammed a hammer down on the spot where he had just been standing.
The force of that hammer blow probably reached 100,000 jin (50,000 kg), creating a large crater and causing the ground to tremble.
The lightning spell that Wang Xuan had unleashed earlier was also extinguished by Li Yuanba's hammer. Li Yuanba's physical body was incredibly strong. Even with the lightning from Wang Xuan's perfect innate realm, which did not directly hit him, it only caused him to feel a slight numbness, and he quickly recovered.
"Xuantian Demon Dao, I never thought your abilities were nothing more than this. I used to fear you!" Li Yuanba's strength has greatly improved now. Thinking back to the time when he was driven by Wang Xuan on the ancient battlefield of Changping, that was definitely an indelible dark history in Li Yuanba's life.
Wang Xuan sighed. Why did he always produce such rebellious disciples? With just a little persuasion from Li Chunfeng, Li Yuanba and the others immediately stood on the opposite side of him. If only they were all like Yang Guang.
But Wang Xuan also understood that the reason for this situation was entirely because he was an outsider, rejected by the will of this world. Unless he could suppress the will of heaven, he would face endless troubles.
"You rebellious disciples, today I will teach you how to be human!" Wang Xuan roared to the sky, and his Qingming Sword slashed down, and a piece of the sky could be faintly seen falling down.
The first move of the Wang Family Burial Sword Technique: Azure Sky Collapses!
This is no longer just a simple move; it contains an exquisite sword intent! If a powerful expert at the Celestial Realm were to unleash this sword technique, a single strike could reduce everything within a ten-mile radius to dust!
Li Yuanba was not afraid at all. He raised a pair of golden hammers and swung them at Wang Xuan's Azure Nether Sword.
Both are at the level of martial arts cultivation, but Pei Yuanqing's hammer strike has the force of 100,000 jin, while Li Yuanba is naturally stronger. His hammer strike has the force of 150,000 jin, enough to dominate the world!
"Bang!"
The sword and the hammer collided instantly, and a terrifying force spread out, as if a thunderclap had suddenly sounded out of nowhere.
Wang Xuan was knocked back more than ten steps by the hammer blow, and a sharp pain shot through his hand, almost causing him to lose his grip on the Azure Nether Sword.
Li Yuanba's power is truly monstrous. Although he is only at the early stage of the third rank, his pure strength is already comparable to that of the mid-stage of the third rank.
However, Wang Xuan was not in good shape, and Li Yuanba did not gain any advantage either; on the contrary, he was in even worse shape. Strands of broken sword energy shot out, tearing Li Yuanba's clothes to shreds and leaving more than a dozen wounds, from which blood continued to gush out.
Yuwen Chengdu and Pei Yuanqing gave Wang Xuan no chance to rest, rushing over to attack him together. However, Wang Xuan, relying on his mysterious movement techniques, calmly moved among them.
Li Chunfeng, who hadn't made a move since the start of the battle, suddenly launched an attack. He slapped his chest, and dozens of talismans flew out, shooting towards Wang Xuan.
The talismans did not approach Wang Xuan, but instead surrounded him and burned to ashes out of thin air.
As the talisman burned, a strange and powerful force appeared out of thin air, enveloping Wang Xuan and making him feel as if he were trapped in a quagmire, making it difficult for him to move.
Li Yuanba and his companions were overjoyed. Through their brief exchange, they had roughly assessed Wang Xuan's strength. He wasn't necessarily stronger than them; it was just that his movement techniques were too mysterious, preventing them from directly confronting him, which was why they were helpless.
Now that Wang Xuan is trapped by Li Chunfeng's magic, they took this opportunity to swarm him and launch an attack on him simultaneously.
A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Xuan's eyes. He didn't dodge or evade, but instead used his body to withstand Li Yuanba and the others' attacks!
Li Yuanba and Pei Yuanqing's hammers struck Wang Xuan's chest and back almost simultaneously, while Yuwen Chengdu, wielding half of his Phoenix Wing Gilded Halberd, also struck Wang Xuan on the head.
A fleeting look of joy crossed Li Chunfeng's face; in his mind, Wang Xuan was doomed.
But his smile quickly froze on his face. The Heavenly Silkworm Robe on Wang Xuan's body emitted a faint white light. After taking the attack of the three fierce generals, he was completely unharmed. Instead, his Azure Nether Sword slashed diagonally across the room.
Wang Xuan traded his injury for another, taking advantage of the moment when Li Yuanba and his men were off guard after their success, and slashed at Li Yuanba with his sword!
In a life-or-death crisis, Li Yuanba dodged to the side with all his might, avoiding vital organs, but Wang Xuan severed one of his arms.
Of the group that attacked Wang Xuan, Li Yuanba was the strongest. Now, Li Yuanba has lost an arm, greatly diminishing his strength!
Wang Xuan, however, became completely ruthless. He stopped dodging and acted like a desperate fighter. "You give me a hammer, I'll give you a sword. We'll trade injuries!"
In a short while, they exchanged dozens of blows. Wang Xuan, relying on the protection of the Heavenly Silkworm Armor, also suffered some internal injuries. A mouthful of hot, bloody blood rushed into his mouth, which he then swallowed forcefully.
In contrast, those enemies, whether it was Li Yuanba, Pei Yuanqing, or Yuwen Chengdu, were covered with sword wounds of all sizes, their clothes stained red with blood.
"This evil Taoist is too ferocious. We'd better leave first and devise another plan later!" Yuwen Chengdu was terrified. He had no intention of sacrificing himself for his cause. After shouting, he turned and fled.
The others didn't dare to fight to the death either. If they really fought head-on, they would all probably die while Wang Xuan would still be alive and well.
Chapter Eighty-Eight: Mysterious Heaven!
Wang Xuan watched as Li Yuanba and the others scattered and fled, and sneered, "Trying to leave? You don't have a choice!"