"Nine dragons soaring into the sky! That's an extraordinary phenomenon brought about by the Imperial Seal of the State!" Cao Cao exclaimed in surprise as soon as he saw the nine divine dragons circling and flying in the sky.
These aristocratic families, whose lineages have lasted for millennia, mostly possess secrets unknown to ordinary people. Cao Cao was no exception, as were warlords like Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.
At this moment, Yuan Shao seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, and laughed loudly, "According to the intelligence brought by my spies, Dong Zhuo has long since taken the emperor and all the civil and military officials away from Luoyang. I thought I could only get Luoyang, but I didn't expect that the Imperial Seal of the State was left behind there. Who else but me should have this jade?"
"Only I, Yuan Shao, am the true owner of the Imperial Seal of the State!"
After gazing at the horizon for a moment, the strategist Xu You turned to Yuan Shao and said, "My lord, the strange phenomenon brought about by the Imperial Seal is shifting, moving towards Hangu Pass. It must be that the person who obtained the Imperial Seal is heading towards the Great Wall."
"Chase!" Yuan Shao didn't hesitate at all. He had only planned to occupy Luoyang, the capital, and had no intention of fighting Dong Zhuo to the death. But now that there was a chance to obtain the Imperial Seal, he naturally had to go all out.
Moreover, according to the information he received, Dong Zhuo and his men had already withdrawn from Luoyang two days ago, so the Imperial Seal of the State must not be with the Xiliang army.
Therefore, Wang Xuan used the Imperial Seal of the State to whet the appetite of the allied forces of the feudal lords, leading them towards Hangu Pass, hoping to get them to fight Dong Zhuo again.
His idea was good, but some people didn't want him to attract a coalition of feudal lords.
Chapter 159 The Trapped Camp
Wang Xuan and Taishi Ci flew slowly towards Chang'an City, but they had only flown a short distance when someone blocked their path.
Blocking their path was a Taoist army of about ten thousand men, which seemed small in number, but was outrageously powerful.
In the main world, ordinary armies are composed of acquired martial artists, but the Dao soldiers in front of Wang Xuan are all experts at the Innate Realm. Martial artists at the Dao Realm can only serve as junior officers like squad leaders.
Although it was only 10,000 soldiers, the power they displayed when they formed a battle formation was no less than that of a master at the peak of the Celestial Realm, and might even be three times stronger. Even Lu Bu would not dare to fight against them alone!
"My lord, it seems we've gotten ourselves into big trouble!" Taishi Ci sensed that he was being targeted, and his throat went dry. The Taoist soldiers opposite him made him tremble with fear, and he wished he could turn around and run away immediately.
Wang Xuan's heart was pounding, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to flee and said in a deep voice, "Such a powerful army, there are only a dozen or so in the whole world. I wonder which general leads this army. Tell me so I can die knowing why."
Wang Xuan was just testing the waters, but he didn't expect that someone would actually reply.
A warrior clad in armor and wielding a long spear walked up to the army and coldly said to Wang Xuan, "I am Gao Shun from Bingzhou. I have been ordered by the Prime Minister to lead the Trapped Camp to intercept you."
"So it's the Trapped Camp!" Wang Xuan thought to himself, then presented the Imperial Seal of the State with both hands, saying, "Prime Minister Dong must be looking for the lost Imperial Seal of the State, right? I found it by chance and risked being hunted down by the allied forces of the feudal lords to come to Chang'an to present it to Prime Minister Dong. Since you are here, General, I will entrust this treasure to you and ask you to deliver it to Prime Minister Dong."
While the Imperial Seal of the State is a precious treasure, it requires the expenditure of one's fortune. If Wang Xuan were to unify the main world, he could naturally gather the great fortune of a mythical world and use the power of the Imperial Seal of the State without much risk.
However, Wang Xuan did not intend to stay in the main world any longer, nor did he have any plans to establish a divine dynasty and become emperor himself. Therefore, this treasure was like a chicken rib to him, tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.
It would be better to hand this hot potato to Gao Shun and have him help draw the firepower of the allied forces of the feudal lords.
But Gao Shun's next words were beyond Wang Xuan's expectations: "Prime Minister Dong sent me to kill you, you troublemaker!"
Wang Xuan gasped, finally realizing what had happened and understanding the cause of the matter.
The Imperial Seal of the State was not accidentally left behind in Luoyang by Dong Zhuo; it was clearly deliberately left there by him to sow discord among the various warlords in the east, causing them to fight each other until they were both severely weakened, at which point Dong Zhuo would head east out of Hangu Pass to clean up the mess.
Unfortunately, Wang Xuan took the Imperial Seal of the State and ran westward, trying to draw the attention of the allied warlords back to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was probably furious, which is why he wanted to kill this troublemaker and let the Imperial Seal of the State fall back into the hands of the warlords of Guandong!
Seeing the change in Wang Xuan's expression, Gao Shun knew that Wang Xuan had probably guessed something. He didn't waste any more words and directly gestured, and the 10,000 elite troops of the Trapped Camp seemed to become one, thrusting their spears in unison towards the direction where Wang Xuan and Taishi Ci were located.
"boom!"
A massive spear beam shot straight at him, seemingly capable of piercing the entire sky, and its speed was so incredible that Wang Xuan had no time to dodge.
Left with no other choice, he reached out and patted his waist, and the bronze coffin of burial quickly grew from three inches to three zhang in size, and a white-robed man walked out of it.
This is Wang Xuan's Xuan Yin incarnation, whose cultivation is a minor realm stronger than Wang Xuan's original body, reaching the mid-stage of the Celestial Realm.
Wang Xuan's main body and his Xuan Yin avatar joined forces, recklessly channeling their true energy into the Burial World Coffin to block the spear's beam.
"Bang!"
After a violent collision, the spear light thrust out by the Trapped Camp was dispersed, but Wang Xuan's main body and Xuan Yin avatar were also knocked hundreds of meters away in an instant, their blood and qi churning and they had already suffered some minor injuries.
"Good heavens, I've already used all my trump cards, and I'm still getting beaten so badly." Wang Xuan rubbed his aching chest, feeling quite troubled.
If the power he could unleash by activating the Kunlun Mirror with his true form was three points stronger than that of a late-stage Celestial Realm expert, then the destructive power he could unleash by activating the Burial World Coffin with his Xuan Yin Avatar was comparable to that of a Celestial Realm Perfection expert. Even if Lu Bu came, he could fight him one-on-one!
Even so, he suffered some losses in the previous clash. If he were to fight the Trapped Camp head-on again, he would definitely be the one to lose in the end.
"Old Gao, you should go fight those allied forces of the feudal lords behind you. I'm not going to accompany you," Wang Xuan said casually, and then ran off with Taishi Ci.
Don't be fooled by the fact that they can't defeat the Trapped Camp in a direct confrontation. After all, the Trapped Camp is a battle formation composed of innate martial artists, and its speed of movement is definitely a weakness. If a Celestial Realm expert wants to escape, they won't be able to catch up even if they eat dust.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Gao Shun's expression changed; he hadn't expected Wang Xuan to be able to block his attack.
His original plan was to kill the enemy in one fell swoop, giving them no chance to escape.
"kill!"
Gao Shun roared, "My will to charge into battle is to die rather than live!"
The ten thousand elite soldiers roared in unison, their overwhelming military spirit amplifying Gao Shun's power. Gao Shun thrust out his spear once more, this time with even greater force than before.
Wang Xuan used the Burial Coffin to block Gao Shun's attacks, sending the coffin flying a great distance. Using this momentum, Wang Xuan and Taishi Ci instantly traveled more than ten miles away.
They could vaguely see hundreds of small black dots flying towards them from the horizon. These were all experts from the allied forces of the feudal lords, each with a cultivation level above the Transcendent Realm.
With over a hundred Transcendent Realm experts joining forces, even a master of Lu Bu's level would be surrounded and killed, let alone the fact that several Celestial Realm experts were also among them!
Gao Shun's face darkened further, and he said resentfully, "Retreat!"
Not long after the Trapped Camp withdrew, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others arrived at the scene. They watched the departing Trapped Camp from afar, their expressions somewhat grim.
"The Imperial Seal of the State was most likely taken by Gao Shun's elite troops. Should we fight him?" Yuan Shao hesitated, but the greed in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Chapter 160 Diao Chan!
Wang Xuan had already stored the Imperial Seal of the State in his spatial ring, and the strange phenomenon caused by the seal disappeared as a result.
They flew thousands of miles in one breath, and could still sense intense energy fluctuations coming from the sky behind them. It was clear that the experts of the allied forces of the feudal lords had clashed with Gao Shun's elite troops.
"This battle will absolutely result in a lose-lose situation." Wang Xuan couldn't stop smiling; he could guess the outcome of the battle.
Although the allied forces of the warlords were formidable, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were in a hurry to catch up and only managed to bring some skilled warriors with them. Their millions of troops were still in Luoyang.
Besides Gao Shun's elite Trapped Camp, the Xiliang army must have had other troops lying in ambush nearby. In the original story, Cao Cao was ambushed by Lü Bu, Xu Rong, and others, and his entire army was almost wiped out.
"Boss Cao, Boss Liu, good luck to you both. If anything happens to you, I'll remember to offer incense to you next year." Wang Xuan hummed a little tune happily as he flew quickly toward Chang'an City.
The celestial expert's flying speed was extremely fast. By the time he arrived at the Wang family's manor in Chang'an, Wang Yun and the others had not yet arrived.
Wang Xuan wasn't in a hurry at all. After arranging accommodations for Taishi Ci, he found a room and began his secluded cultivation.
Three months passed before the immigrants from Luoyang arrived under the escort of the Xiliang cavalry, and Wang Yun also came to Chang'an.
Wang Yun hadn't seen his beloved son for two years and missed him terribly, so he laughed and gave Wang Xuan a bear hug.
Wang Xuan didn't dodge, letting his cheap father give him a tight hug.
After Wang Yun had vented his longing for his son, Wang Xuan turned his attention to what was behind Wang Yun.
Given Wang Yun's status, even when he moved, he brought thousands of maids and servants with him. Among these servants, there was one who was particularly outstanding, and he was as eye-catching as a fire in the dark night.
She was a young girl dressed in a purple palace gown, as if she were a celestial maiden descended to earth, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Father, is this your new maid?" The moment Wang Xuan saw the girl in the purple palace dress, he immediately guessed that this must be Diao Chan!
Sure enough, Wang Yun said smugly, "When Prime Minister Dong moved the capital this time, tens of millions of people traveled tens of thousands of miles. There was chaos and disarray. Even many palace maids and eunuchs were stranded among the common people."
"This woman was originally a palace maid in Diao Chan's palace. After she fell into the common people's world, she was almost harmed by the bandits of Xiliang. It was I who saved her."
"It really is Diao Chan!" Wang Xuan was immediately in high spirits.
Although Wang Xuan's Dao heart became more and more stable as his cultivation level improved, and he gradually detached himself from the desires of men and women, it would still be nice to have a stunning beauty as his maid to feast his eyes on.
Besides, Wang Xuan and Lü Bu don't get along well, so he wouldn't let Lü Bu have the chance to get Diao Chan.
After being stared at by Wang Xuan for a few moments, Diao Chan timidly hid behind the other maids. From her expression, it was clear that she mistook Wang Xuan for one of those lecherous playboys.
Wang Xuan didn't mind at all and shamelessly declared his ownership: "Father, from now on, Diao Chan will be my personal maid."
Wang Yun was furious, his beard bristling and eyes bulging. He was old enough that he was physically unable to conceive, and he had no romantic feelings for Miss Diao Chan. However, the moment he saw Diao Chan, he was already plotting how to use her beauty to his advantage, and he was unwilling to let Wang Xuan ruin his plans.
"From now on, Diao Chan will be my adopted daughter, which means she's your sister. I won't allow you to act recklessly!" Wang Situ said righteously, which deeply moved Miss Diao Chan in the crowd.
In Diaochan's eyes, Wang Yun first saved her and then protected her in every way; his kindness was immense.
The reason why Diaochan was willing to sacrifice herself to sow discord between Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu was most likely to be to repay a debt of gratitude.
Wang Xuan didn't want to see Miss Diao Chan fall into a fire pit and benefit the fat Dong Zhuo and the scoundrel Lü Bu.
"Father, I'll kill Dong Zhuo for you, and Diao Chan will be mine in return, okay?" Wang Xuan used a secret technique to transmit his voice, so that no one except Wang Yun could hear it.
Upon hearing this, Wang Yun's eyes widened, and he was about to teach Wang Xuan a lesson, to show him his place. He only had one son, Wang Xuan, and he didn't want to see him go to his death.
"Father, please rest assured. My cultivation has reached the Celestial Realm, and I am protected by the spiritual treasure Kunlun Mirror. If I plan properly, I may be able to kill Dong Zhuo." Wang Xuan transmitted his voice to Wang Yun again.
He was still worried that Wang Yun didn't believe him, so he directly used his primordial spirit to communicate with heaven and earth, forming a domain that enveloped the two of them.
"The unity of heaven and man, the realm of transformation, you have truly reached the realm of heaven and man?!" Wang Yun was startled, staring at Wang Xuan with a face full of horror.
He knew his own son best. Wang Xuan only started learning martial arts a few years ago, and now, in just a few short years, he has broken through to the Celestial Realm. Such a rapid cultivation speed has never been heard of since ancient times.
Even Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, spent over a hundred years breaking through to the Celestial Realm!
"I have a great opportunity, so my cultivation speed will naturally be incredibly fast. You'll understand later." Wang Xuan's words were ambiguous. He didn't directly mention the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth, nor did he even mention that he could traverse countless worlds.
There are too many experts in the main world. There might be someone who is proficient in mind reading or telepathy. Even with Wang Yun's perfected cultivation, there is no guarantee that everything will go smoothly.
We can talk about it when we've managed to lure Wang Yun to the Xuan Tian World.
After pressing for answers for a while without success, Wang Yun learned that his son possessed combat power comparable to the perfect realm of the Celestials and Humans. He immediately began to think about how to eliminate Dong Zhuo and restore the Han Dynasty.
Wang Xuan did not disturb him. After withdrawing the Celestial Realm, he walked towards Miss Diao Chan.
The servants around him didn't dare to block his way and tactfully made way for him, allowing Wang Xuan to go directly to Diao Chan.
Diao Chan looked up at Wang Xuan with some trepidation. His exquisitely beautiful face could captivate the world. She asked cautiously, "What are your orders, Young Master?"
Wang Xuan looked Diao Chan up and down. He hadn't expected that Diao Chan would have such excellent martial arts talent. If she was properly trained, it would be impossible for her to reach the realm of gods and demons in the future, but there was still some hope that she could cultivate to the realm of celestial beings.
"From now on, you will follow me. I will teach you martial arts cultivation methods, and you will be my maid."
Wang Xuan's tone left no room for argument, so Miss Diao Chan had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
But Wang Xuan seemed to be able to read a message on her face: You're so bad, so bad...