Li Ru's expression was conflicted; he wanted to persuade Dong Zhuo again, but he was also worried about angering Dong Zhuo. A black aura, barely visible to the naked eye, twisted and writhed above his head, penetrating his life's destiny.
Despite being a top strategist, Li Ru was still blinded by the aura of calamity, which clouded his judgment. He did not try to persuade Dong Zhuo again, but instead went into the palace with Dong Zhuo.
They traveled swiftly towards the central palace, when suddenly they saw a densely packed group of martial artists standing ahead, about 200 in number. Each of them possessed the cultivation of the Innate Realm, and among them were many experts at the Dao Entry Realm. If they formed a military formation, they could contend against a powerhouse at the peak of the Transcendent Realm.
"How dare you! You actually gathered a large group of experts in the palace, trying to imitate the behavior of the Ten Attendants back then?" The yellow light above Dong Zhuo's head shone brightly, directly purifying the trace of black calamity aura. He regained his clarity and was about to mobilize the military aura outside the palace to enhance his strength.
However, when he activated his magic and tried to mobilize the military energy, he could no longer sense the 50,000 armored soldiers outside the palace.
"This place is only a few thousand meters away from my elite armored troops. At such a close distance, we should be able to mobilize our military aura to enhance it!" Dong Zhuo's face turned even uglier. Suddenly realizing what was happening, he roared, "They must have used dragon aura to isolate our military aura! Liu Xie, you little brat, you were put on the throne by my own hands, and now you want to deal with me? Do you really think my sword is dull?"
Liu Xie naturally couldn't answer him. The young emperor was trembling in the palace at the moment, not daring to face Dong Zhuo directly. Clearly, he had been traumatized by Dong Zhuo over the past few years!
Wang Yun stood at the back of the crowd and shouted, "The rebels have arrived here, where are the warriors?"
"So it was you, Wang Yun, you old scoundrel, who plotted to kill me!" Dong Zhuo looked up upon hearing the voice, his eyes widening in fury: "Where is my son, Fengxian? Go and kill that old scoundrel Wang Yun!"
Lu Bu accepted the order and moved forward, his halberd slashing diagonally, creating an unparalleled halberd beam that cut through the sky and slashed towards Wang Yun.
In the blink of an eye, two figures appeared in front of Wang Yun and together shattered the halberd's edge.
"Is it you?" Lu Bu's eyes narrowed, and he quickly recognized the people who had come. Weren't they the two brothers who had fought a great battle with him at Hulao Pass?
Zhang Fei's eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "You traitorous slave! Today, your grandpa Zhang Fei is ordered to punish the rebels. Why don't you surrender immediately?!"
Lü Bu gritted his teeth in hatred; the title "slave of three surnames" struck a nerve. Originally surnamed Lü, he had successively taken Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo as his adoptive fathers, making the term "slave of three surnames" quite fitting. If the original story had followed its course, he would have also recognized Wang Yun as his adoptive father, becoming Wang Xuan's sworn brother…
Needless to say, Lu Bu, enraged, engaged Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in a fierce battle.
Lu Bu was incredibly brave, and even with the combined strength of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, they could only hold him off, not defeat him.
But that was enough. Without Lü Bu's close protection, killing Dong Zhuo would be much easier.
Wang Yun laughed loudly, looking up at the sky, and shouted, "Where is my son, Wang Xuan?"
Wang Xuan was greatly annoyed upon hearing this. Had his adoptive father been infected by Dong Zhuo? Why was he suddenly starting to brag about his son?
Although he was frustrated, he didn't stop what he was doing and rushed towards the enemy with Taishi Ci.
"There are actually two more experts at the Celestial Realm? Wang Yun, you old scoundrel, you've been hiding this for so long!" Dong Zhuo's expression changed, and he shouted, "Immortal Master, please help me!"
However, the only person whom Dong Zhuo addressed as "Immortal Master" was the Old Immortal of Nanhua. The Old Immortal of Nanhua's cultivation at the realm of supernatural powers overshadowed the world. Even the great Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan, who used the Lingbao Confucian Six Classics to resist him, was ultimately defeated by him.
"So this whole mess was caused by the Old Immortal Nanhua!" Wang Xuan was shocked. Luckily, he had called Liu Bei and his two brothers over; otherwise, with the Old Immortal Nanhua's appearance, they would most likely be dead today.
However, now the Old Immortal of Nanhua doesn't need him to worry about it; someone else will handle it. His goal is to kill Dong Zhuo.
Chapter 164 Unexpected Changes
"Dong Zhuo, prepare to die!" Wang Xuan shouted softly, taking the Qingming Sword out of his spatial ring. He merged with the sword, transforming it into a beam of sword light and slashing forward.
Dong Zhuo's fat face now looked somewhat ferocious, and he prepared to fight to the death.
Dong Zhuo was also a military general, and his cultivation had reached the early stage of the Celestial Realm. However, in recent years, he had been backfired by the dragon energy of the Han Dynasty and had become addicted to wine and women, which had hollowed out his body and caused his cultivation to regress. He could be considered the weakest Celestial Realm master.
However, before Dong Zhuo could make a move, Li Ru had already stepped in front of him.
Li Ru formed a hand seal and pushed forward, unleashing a tremendous force that sent Wang Xuan's sword light flying!
"Well done, Li Ru! You actually broke through to the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm without making a sound. I underestimated you!" Wang Xuan felt his internal organs churning. Even with the Heavenly Silkworm Armor protecting him, he still suffered some internal injuries.
Even the light on the Heavenly Silkworm Robe dimmed somewhat. The magic weapon was damaged and needed some time to be nourished with magic power before it could regain its former power.
However, Wang Xuan cultivated both Immortal Martial Arts and Divine Martial Arts, making him extremely powerful in both body and soul. This injury did not affect his performance. He held the Azure Nether Sword and unleashed another sword beam.
"Again?" Li Ru frowned slightly. He had already demonstrated the cultivation of the mid-stage Celestial Realm, yet the other party still dared to rush forward. They must have some kind of backing.
To ensure success, Li Ru used his full strength this time. He opened his mouth and spat out a palm-sized white jade seal, which quickly grew to ten zhang in size and hurtled towards Wang Xuan.
The white jade seal was a high-grade magic weapon, comparable in level to Wang Xuan's Azure Nether Sword. After Li Ru activated it with his mid-stage Celestial Realm cultivation, it unleashed a powerful force, as surging as the ocean, which was unstoppable.
Wang Xuan's expression remained unchanged. When the jade seal was only a little over a meter away from him, a crystal-clear light burst forth from between his brows.
That is the Kunlun Mirror, a divine artifact from another world, belonging to the level of a spiritual treasure.
As soon as the Kunlun Mirror appeared, it directly connected with the power of space. The jade seal suddenly disappeared from in front of Wang Xuan and instead appeared on Dong Zhuo's head.
"Bang!" Dong Zhuo was completely unprepared and his head was smashed by the jade seal, making him utterly dead.
"Brother Li Ru, you personally killed the great traitor Dong Zhuo. You can atone for your sins with your merits. Why don't you follow my father from now on?" Wang Xuan had achieved a great victory by killing Dong Zhuo, and he felt relieved. He then tried to recruit Li Ru.
Li Ru stood there, stunned. He hadn't expected Dong Zhuo to die by his own jade seal. He too bore half the responsibility for Dong Zhuo's death!
However, at this moment, a strange change occurred. Yellow light suddenly appeared on Dong Zhuo's corpse, and his head, which had been blasted to pieces, quickly pieced itself back together and instantly returned to its original state!
"What?! It's possible to be resurrected from the dead?!" Wang Xuan was startled. He had conquered characters from several worlds, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone resurrected from the dead.
The worlds he had experienced in the past were ultimately much lower in level than the main world. The idea of dying from having one's head smashed didn't seem to apply to the main world.
"You heartless bastard, you actually made me use up my life-saving talisman! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
Dong Zhuo was filled with hatred. The reason he was able to be resurrected was because he used the substitute talisman.
This is a treasure left behind by a powerful being at the God-Demon realm. Even for someone of Dong Zhuo's status, he only had this one, and he always regarded it as his trump card for survival.
Now that Dong Zhuo has used up his last trump card to save his life because of Wang Xuan, how could he not hate him?
"You still dare to talk tough to me?" Wang Xuan sneered, directly activating the power of the Kunlun Mirror to temporarily freeze the space around Li Ru, preventing him from protecting Dong Zhuo.
With Li Ru no longer in his way, Wang Xuanteng unleashed another sword strike.
"Immortal Master, save me!" Dong Zhuo's expression changed drastically, and he cried out for help again.
When Dong Zhuo cried for help before, the Old Immortal of Nan Hua did not appear. But this time was different. A dazzling starlight descended from the sky, just like a star in the heavens, and struck Wang Xuan directly.
Wang Xuan was prepared; his Xuan Yin avatar held the Burial World Coffin in front of his main body. He activated a spiritual treasure, utilizing his mid-stage Celestial Realm cultivation, and finally blocked the starlight.
"Is the Old Immortal of Nanhua really here?" Wang Xuan's expression was solemn. He temporarily abandoned Dong Zhuo, looked up at the sky, and saw a Taoist with an air of otherworldly grace standing proudly in the heavens, coldly looking down at him.
Above the Taoist's head was a hazy yellow light, the power of the Yellow Heaven!
The main world is a mythological world, where the will of Heaven no longer exists. It has long since evolved from the will of Heaven into the Heavenly Dao, possessing power that surpasses that of gods and demons.
Huang Tian's ability to contend with the Heavenly Dao Xuan Tian of the main world clearly indicates that he possesses power beyond that of gods and demons!
Of course, Nan Hua Lao Xian is not the controller of Huang Tian, and the power of Huang Tian that he can borrow is extremely limited. Most of Huang Tian's power is used to fight against Xuan Tian.
"The Old Immortal of Nanhua has appeared, and now we need those senior experts to hold him off." Wang Xuan knew that he was far from being a match for the Old Immortal of Nanhua, and that no one in the world could defeat him. Only a group attack could get him through this crisis.
"Old Immortal Nan Hua, you have indeed appeared." Wang Yun's expression was somewhat worried, but not too surprised: "Dong Zhuo really does have you supporting him. No wonder he was able to rise to power so quickly!"
Nan Hua Lao Xian wanted to replace Xuan Tian with Huang Tian, so naturally he had to weaken Yun Tian's power first. Whether it was the uprising of the three Zhang brothers of the Taiping Dao or Dong Zhuo's chaos in Luoyang and Guanzhong, Nan Hua Lao Xian was behind it all.
Wang Yun dared to confront the Old Immortal of Nanhua because he had the confidence to do so.
Several figures rushed out of the palace and surrounded the Old Immortal Nanhua!
Just yesterday, several experts from the main world came to Wang Yun's door, offering to help him deal with Dong Zhuo and even kill Dong Zhuo and the old immortal Nan Hua behind him.
This is due to Xuan Tian's influence. As the Heavenly Dao that controls the main world, Xuan Tian naturally has ways to bring over the world's top experts.
What was originally an ambush against Dong Zhuo has escalated into a confrontation between Xuan Tian and Huang Tian, with the two sides locked in a fierce battle!
“Since the Old Immortal of Nanhua has appeared, there is no need for Dong Zhuo to stay.” Wang Xuan took a deep breath and, taking advantage of the opportunity while the Old Immortal of Nanhua was temporarily blocking the attack, launched another attack on Dong Zhuo.
Chapter 165 Encirclement and Slaughter
This time, nothing unexpected happened. Wang Xuan wielded the Azure Nether Sword, hacking Dong Zhuo's head to pieces. He even used his primordial spirit to manipulate magic and annihilate Dong Zhuo's soul as well.
Dong Zhuo only had one of these life-saving talismans, which could bring him back to life. Once it was used, it was gone. So this time, Dong Zhuo was truly dead beyond any doubt.
As for Dong Zhuo's remaining followers, Taishi Ci led the two hundred Xiantian Dao soldiers to kill and eliminate them. Wang Xuan's attention was focused on the great battle above.
The battles between Lü Bu and Guan Yu/Zhang Fei no longer seemed so important; Lü Bu had even lost the will to fight, since Dong Zhuo was already dead. Only the great battle overhead could determine the fate of the main world.
High above, seven powerful figures surrounded the Old Immortal Nan Hua. Among them were three experts at the peak of the Celestial Realm and four at the late stage of the Celestial Realm—all top-tier experts from the main world.
"I never imagined that so many experts would be prepared to deal with Daoist Nanhua. How cruel Xuantian is to my immortal path!" Old Immortal Nanhua sighed, his voice carrying far and wide, even affecting the emotions of those around him.
"Hmph! Old Immortal Nanhua, don't try these petty tricks. Let's have a real fight!" A cold snort dispelled the influence of Old Immortal Nanhua. This man wielded a silver spear, his aura so powerful it could shake the heavens and earth, his might unmatched. He was none other than the Spear Saint Tong Yuan, the master of Zhao Yun, Zhao Zilong!
Besides Gun Saint Tong Yuan, Wang Xuan also knew the other people. They introduced themselves when they came to his door yesterday.
The swordsman who reached the Perfected Heaven and Man realm was none other than the Sword Saint Wang Yue. There was also a master swordsman who had reached the Perfected Heaven and Man realm, and this person was none other than Huang Zhong from Nanyang! Huang Zhong had always kept a low profile, but unexpectedly he had also broken through to the Perfected Heaven and Man realm, and his strength was no less than that of Lü Bu.
As for those experts in the late stage of the Celestial Realm, they are Lu Zhi, Zhu Jun, Xu Chu, and Dian Wei.
Lu Zhi and Zhu Jun were already renowned masters, high-ranking officials of the Han Dynasty, but they lost their power due to Dong Zhuo's chaos in Luoyang. Now, when the two of them joined forces, their combat strength was comparable to that of a master at the peak of the Celestial Realm.
As for Xu Chu and Dian Wei, although they are not well-known now, their strength is definitely no less than that of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Not long ago, they also broke through to the late stage of the Celestial Realm. Together, they are comparable to a master at the peak of the Celestial Realm.
"Lu Bu, now that Dong Zhuo is dead, do you want to continue down this dark path, or do you want to help us get rid of this villain, the Old Immortal of Nanhua? You should think it through!" Wang Yun was still somewhat uneasy. Although they had gathered so many experts, they still couldn't guarantee that they could keep the Old Immortal of Nanhua alive.
Upon hearing this, Lü Bu hesitated. Now that Dong Zhuo was dead, even if the Old Immortal of Nanhua won, what benefit would Lü Bu gain? On the contrary, if he joined forces with Minister Wang Yun, he would not lack power and status in the future.
Seeing that Lü Bu was somewhat tempted, Wang Xuan added fuel to the fire: "Lü Fengxian, you have now broken through to the perfect realm of Heaven and Man, but if you want to break through to the realm of Divine Power, the difficulty is simply immense. Otherwise, there would be more than just the Old Immortal of Nanhua in the world who is a master of the realm of Divine Power."
"If you help us kill the Old Immortal Nanhua, you will be in accordance with the will of Heaven, thus doing a good deed for Heaven, and you will have a greater chance of breaking through to the realm of supernatural powers in the future!"
Wang Xuan wasn't just talking nonsense. Right now, Xuan Tian in the main world is vying with Huang Tian. If he could kill Nan Hua Lao Xian, it would be a great achievement and he would surely receive Xuan Tian's favor.
"Hope to break through to the Divine Power Realm?!" Lu Bu's expression finally changed drastically. He, Lu Bu, was able to have his current power and reputation entirely because of his unparalleled martial arts skills. Lu Bu was also a true martial arts fanatic!
Now that he suddenly heard that killing the Old Immortal Nanhua could grant him the favor of Heaven and increase his chances of breaking through to the realm of supernatural powers, he no longer hesitated.
"The Old Immortal of Nanhua is the source of all evil. The turmoil in the world these past years is all his fault. How can I, Lü Bu, associate with him?" Lü Bu promised to conceal the truth and said, "Count me in when we surround and kill the Old Immortal of Nanhua!"
Now, the Old Immortal of Nanhua has to deal with another person, Lü Bu, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are also free to act.
"The old immortal of Nanhua is powerful. If we join forces, we can kill him here!" Sword Saint Wang Yue suggested.
The Seven Star Demon-Slaying Formation is not the most powerful formation, but it is now widely known, and all the experts present know how to use it.
Needless to say, they quickly and tacitly set up the formation. Wang Yue, Tong Yuan, Huang Zhong, and Lü Bu, all experts at the peak of the Celestial Realm, each occupied four star positions, while Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xu Chu, Dian Wei, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun, all experts at the late stage of the Celestial Realm, paired up to occupy one star position each.
Instantly, the Seven Star Demon-Slaying Formation was formed, with each of the seven star positions containing a combat power equivalent to the Perfected Celestial Realm. Together, they were enough to kill ordinary experts at the Divine Power Realm!
Although the Old Immortal of Nanhua is powerful, he is only at the early stage of supernatural powers. He is far from being as brave and unparalleled as Xiang Yu, the Overlord of the past. This formation is enough to kill him!
Everything seemed to be going extremely smoothly, but a shadow hung over the hearts of everyone present.