Since the beginning of the war, Wu Zhen has never felt like victory is so close at hand.
From sending pig-beaked people across the border to plunder, to the two countries fighting each other to fortify the road, Wu Zhen almost never won many decent victories.
This time the troops were sent to attack the Huaxu Kingdom. In addition to seizing the Demon King Jiaoxiao and summoning the God Youzhu to come to the mortal world, Wu Zhen also represented the Fengju Ten Witches to mediate the disputes between the various tribes in order to integrate the many tribes in Jiuli.
As someone who has fought against the Huaxu Kingdom many times and is the oldest among the ten contemporary witches, Wu Zhen knows very well that this can only be accomplished by relying on constant victory.
But the Huaxu Kingdom is not a weak country that can be bullied and is about to be destroyed. Even though the Jiuli Kingdom has recruited far more troops than the Huaxu Kingdom this time, when the two armies actually confront each other, Wu Zhen deeply feels the difference between the two countries.
Very far.
More than 60% of Wu Kui's troops were wearing armor, and there was no shortage of heavy armor that covered their entire body. When arrayed, they looked like an iron city wall. Just looking at this lineup made one's own morale shake.
On the other hand, among the soldiers of the Jiuli Kingdom, there are only a few who can wear iron armor. In some tribes, only the chief soldiers can wear the ancestral rhinoceros leather armor.
However, Wei Xiuwen, who commanded Wu Kui's army, rarely took risks in military operations. Sometimes, even if Wu Zhen did not set an ambush, he would not make a large-scale advance even if he won a battle.
This led Wei Xiuwen to seem to have Wu Kui's army marching at a tortoise speed, and often holding on to the city forts, forming a confrontation with his own side. In fact, he was slowly encroaching on the front, relying on sufficient logistical supplies to keep the vigor of Jiuli's soldiers and horses alive.
Use up everything.
Faced with Wei Xiuwen, who was cautious and prudent with his troops, Wu Zhen would let Fei Zuosheng take three elites to take a risky detour to surprise the hinterland of Huaxu Kingdom. Only by shaking the enemy's food and military supplies could they make progress on the front line.
But the result was still contrary to expectations. Even Fei Zuosheng, who was familiar with the geography and people's conditions of Huaxu Kingdom, was quickly defeated, and he lost to the Zhenminghou Zhao Shu who was guarding the rear.
After experiencing this battle, Wu Zhen knew that Zhao Shu was the key. With him ensuring that the front line had enough troops and food, Wu Kui's army would have no worries.
In fact, not only Wu Zhen himself knew this, but the nine gods who had been entrenched deep in the southern soil for many years also knew this. Therefore, they joined forces to take advantage of Zhao Shu to perform Dharma on the altar, and when his energy penetrated the sky and the earth, and it was clearly revealed, they did not hesitate to
The price attracted a star from the sky, which was bound to destroy Zhao Shu and Jianjia Pass.
However, the result of this move was something no one expected. The star returned, the earth of Jiuli Kingdom shook, and blood spread all over the world. Nine gods fell, one was seriously injured, and the other fell asleep. It can be said that it was the most tragic event since the founding of Jiuli Kingdom.
's defeat.
The war has evolved to this point, and the soldiers at the front have no intention of fighting. Their fathers, wives and children are all in the tribe. For fear that the star will fall to the ground and bring disaster to their hometown, they fled the camp overnight and scattered like birds and beasts.
Wu Zhen was unable to reverse such a decline, but Wu Luo's suggestion gave him a glimmer of hope. Perhaps it was precisely because Jiuli Kingdom suffered such an unprecedented defeat that Wu Kui's army felt confident and launched a large-scale attack, thus seizing the opportunity when Jianjia Pass was empty and weak.
Moreover, Wu Zhen did not participate in the attack on Jiaohui Cave this time, but he attacked Jianjia Pass. His target was none other than Zhao Shu!
When Wu Zhen saw the man in green shirt standing on the altar beside the well, he recognized his identity almost instinctively. He ignored the soldiers below and fired the arrow. He opened his arms and flew straight towards Zhao Shu like a big bird.
"Crow's Mouth!" Zhao Shu cursed himself secretly when he saw Wu Zhen flying in. Then he slapped the token and immediately summoned the officials and soldiers of the altar.
But when Zhao Shu stirred up the energy of heaven and earth and tried to launch thunder and arrows, he once again sensed divine power spying from afar, which made him hesitate and unable to perform the ritual.
"Suffer death!"
Wu Zhen obviously noticed something strange about Zhao Mi, and he was overjoyed. He waved his wooden stick in his hand, and pale Yin Fire roared out!
Seeing this situation, Zhao Miao gritted his teeth and performed the ritual, letting his true energy flow with the heaven and earth. Golden light rose up from the surrounding area of the altar, blocking out all the yin fire.
But in the next moment, magnificent divine power descended from the sky, the golden light of the altar shattered, the officials and soldiers scattered, Zhao Shu's body and mind were violently shaken, and the true energy of Baimai poured out involuntarily.
Wu Zhen raised his head and laughed: "Zhao Shu! You have today too!"
Before the laughter was over, the sound of the piano in the west of the city was like waves, and Lu Wangji pulled the strings to condense his energy, emitting the power of shattering gold and iron.
Wu Zhen raised his hand to move his staff, forming intricate shadows of the staff to block the sound of the broken iron piano. Although he was secretly surprised, his offensive did not lag at all. He then activated the Yin Fire, which was as big as a human head, and bounced out continuously. The target was still Zhao Shui.
.
At this moment, several talismans flew in and formed a wall around them, barely blocking several waves of yin fire. He Dangguan outside the altar saw that Zhao Shu was in bad condition, and seeing the right opportunity, he immediately rushed to the altar and picked up Zhao Shu.
"Quick! Bring Deacon Zhao into the Jinding Division!" Zheng Siyuan, who was offering a spell in the distance, shouted loudly: "There is a forbidden protection in the division!"
He Dangguan carried Zhao Shu and immediately ran away. Zhang Liwei also arrived with a group of soldiers, shouting: "Hurry up and release the arrow! Cover Zhao Changshi!"
Half of the hundreds of soldiers were carrying bows and crossbows. At this moment, they opened their bows and fired arrows towards Wu Zhen in the sky.
"Mortal!" Wu Zhen waved his sleeves casually, but none of the hundreds of arrows hit him.
Lu Wangji had also arrived nearby. She plucked the strings with her ten fingers, and the music changed from the phoenix singing and the crane dancing to the sound of a torrent of waves hitting the cliff. The sound of the piano was louder and louder than the other, gathering into a huge wave, roaring towards the sky.
Wu Zhen showed no fear. He held the wooden stick in his hand and exerted a little force. The wood chips flew everywhere, revealing the curved blade with the faint light flowing inside. He flicked it with his backhand and split it in two like a Longines power!
Zheng Siyuan on the ground felt his scalp numb when he saw this scene. Although Lu Wangji rarely interacted with others, rumors about her level of cultivation had long been spread among the monks in the pass.
Zheng Siyuan knew that although he was appointed in the Jinding Division, his cultivation and magic power were still rudimentary, and Lu Wangji was already an expert he wanted to look up to.
But even Lu Wangji was at a disadvantage when faced with this sudden Jiuli Wu Zhu, whose strength was beyond imagination!
Fortunately, when Zhao Miao first came to Jianjia Pass, he directly selected a fortress in the city to set up the Jindingsi branch, and imposed restrictions to protect it. Later, he also deployed the Enlightenment Nine Gate Formation, which was even more heavily guarded than the General's Mansion.
Lu Wangji was restrained in the sky, hundreds of soldiers protected Hedang Pass, and Zhao Shu was hurriedly sent to the Jinding Division. Zheng Siyuan asked the soldiers to garrison at a high place, and he quickly started the formation.
But when Wu Zhen ignored Lu Wangji's successive attacks and tried to break into the fortress, the formation that should have been activated by multiple people was like a sleeping person, slow to react.
At the critical moment, several jet-black sword shadows shot out from the fortress, as fast as thunder, and the profit could be divided into gold. Wu Zhen barely dodged, but was still hit by the sword shadow.
But Wu Zhen, who looked thin and old, had an extremely hard body. The shadow of the sword hit his throat, leaving only a shallow ink mark and no blood splashing.
"Zhao Shu, are you so afraid of death that you specially left a group of masters to protect you?" Wu Zhen laughed loudly. With a scimitar in one hand and a dark fire in the other, he was about to split open the fortress, but the ink marks left by the sword shadow appeared on his body.
variable.
The ink marks twisted and twisted silently, turning into talismans and seals and clinging to Wu Zhen's body. He was shocked to find something strange. The ink marks on his body, the talismans and seals, had formed, and a fierce elixir fire instantly enveloped his whole body.
Seeing Wu Zhen screaming and falling to the ground, Zheng Siyuan was surprised and happy. Then he saw Jing Shi, who had always been taciturn, stood on the top of the fortress at some point and said in a cold voice: "Open the formation."
Hearing this, Zheng Siyuan urgently activated his energy, and the Enlightenment Nine Gate Formation rose like cold blue waves, like a jade bowl turned upside down, covering the barrier.
"What a trick!" But when Wu Zhen shouted, he actually cut himself with a scimitar, broke the possession talisman seal, and extinguished the attack elixir fire.
Jing Shi glanced coldly, lowered his hands and pointed, the ink sword condensed on his fingertips, and the shadows of the sword were fired one after another. At this time, Lu Wangji strummed the strings and played the zither, drew his energy into formation, condensed the sharp edge in mid-air, and fell on top of his head!
Wu Zhen threw off his tattered robes, revealing his strong body, and took the sharp edge of the ink sword, but it could only damage his flesh.
"Fancy tricks." Wu Zhen sneered at the spatula, and the dark fire burned vigorously, slashing down towards the fortress angrily.
The sword glowed with fire, the enlightened nine-door formation rippled with light, but the fortress remained standing.
Zheng Siyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Liwei came over and asked, "How is it? How long can the formation last?"
"This...I can't say for the moment." Zheng Siyuan reluctantly said: "If we can get a few more monks to help, we may be able to use the formation to counterattack. By the way, there is a batch of talisman arrows in the department."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Liwei immediately said to the soldiers: "Fire the talisman arrows! Aim them for me and fire them!"
"What's wrong with Zhao Changshi?" Zhang Liwei came to his senses and hurriedly found Zhao Mi, and saw him sitting cross-legged on the ground, trembling slightly.
He Dangguan frowned and said: "His energy is turbulent. He has just taken the elixir and is trying his best to regulate it."
"My name is Zheng Siyuan..." Zhao Shu barely suppressed the excitement of his true energy and said in a low voice with a little bit of spare energy.
Zhang Liwei did not dare to wait for a while and immediately brought Zheng Siyuan. Zhao Shu pointed his eyes at his bamboo basket, and the other party understood clearly: "What do you need?"
"Seal..." Zhao Shu struggled to pronounce the words. When he saw Zheng Siyuan taking out the Jincheng Yonggu Seal, he said: "Jiamu turns to Gengjin, and this seal is used as a pivot."
"I understand!" Zheng Siyuan knew that this was a method of blessing the formation, so he immediately left with the seal without any nonsense.
"Let me rest for a while." Zhao Shu waved his hand slightly and asked the others to leave.
Zhang Liwei, He Dangguan and others looked worried and left Zhao Shu alone in the quiet room.
"What to do now?" He Dangguan asked.
Zhang Liwei said: "Now we can only stick to this place. The guy outside is invulnerable. Ordinary soldiers will die if they come."
Seeing the golden light inside and outside the fortress, Wu Zhen was unable to break the formation for a while, and everyone felt more at ease. Fortunately, Zhao Shu had left enough preparations.
Outside the fortress, Wu Zhen faced Lu Wangji and Jing Shi at the same time. Although he could not say that he was weak, he was restrained and the offensive was weak. Just when he was angry, the divine light shone again, making his muscles and bones strong.
, his figure grew taller and taller, and he transformed from a lean old man into a strong man in the blink of an eye, and his skin was covered with a white sheen.
Wu Zhen laughed wildly, and followed several sounds of music and sword shadows, but they could not shake his figure at all: "God has given you blessings, how can you and other ordinary people be able to compete with it? Offer Zhao Shu quickly, and I will save you from waiting.
One death!"
…
Looking at the changes in the clouds in the east, Mr. Huaiming stood on the high cliff with a solemn expression. He suddenly raised his head, as if sensing something, and coldly snorted:
"That white wild boar has taken action again! This time the gods of the Southern Lands swarmed forward, not only to deal with Liang Tao, but also to Zhao Shu!"
Mr. Jing Ming said: "I'm afraid it's difficult to defeat Liang Tao by sending divine power from a distance and sealing off the town with a barrier. It's just a temporary trap."
"I'm worried that Zhao Shu won't be able to hold on." Mr. Huaiming said with his hands behind his back.
Mr. Jing Ming pondered for a moment: "Although the stars in the South have returned, and the gods of Nantu must have been damaged, I vaguely feel that Zhao Shu's previous actions seemed to have lifted the bonds of ghosts and gods. Normally, these evil spirits would
How dare you openly commit trouble?"
"Are you saying that Zhao Shu's extensive construction of altars undermined the Tianxia Dynasty's ceremonial officers' suppression of the ghosts and gods of southern China?" Mr. Huaiming's mind suddenly changed: "Is it related to Liang Tao?"
"What Liang Tao wanted to do was somewhat similar to that of the official praise officer of the Tianxia Dynasty." Mr. Jing Ming said: "He planned to redefine the latitudes of the world and lay out the rules. He seized the blessed land Taoist temple on a large scale. This should be what he was doing.
Prepare.
Although it is not possible to say for sure how Liang Tao did it, the new laws and regulations may not be compatible with the old rules and regulations. The praise officer of the Tianxia Dynasty did not seek the immortal way, and if Liang Tao wants to make the laws and regulations respected by him in the future, he will definitely do it.
Working in secret to tamper with the foundation of the law."
"Earth veins!" Mr. Huaiming suddenly understood: "The rituals and rituals practiced by Zhao Shu are based on the soil of the Emperor and the Empress. If the Qi of the earth veins are completely different from the past, when Zhao Shu is practicing the method, the two methods will be challenged, and variables will inevitably occur.
!”
"I probably guessed what Liang Tao did."
"How to say?"
Mr. Jing Ming sighed softly: "Zhao Shu has little experience in immortality. Liang Tao only needs to teach him the immortal scriptures from the same lineage as himself, and he can imbue Zhao Shu with the foundation of Taoism. Therefore, Zhao Shu practices Dharma."
At that time, the foundation has been deviated, and if it affects the whole body, the laws and regulations left by the officials of praise will be shaken... What's more, the Tianxia Dynasty has died, and the laws and regulations are no longer as strong as before. "
"What an insidious method!" Mr. Huaiming gritted his teeth: "The old and new laws are being revised and modified. If you are not careful, Zhao Shui will die in the altar!"
"Liang Tao was also testing Zhao Shu." Mr. Jing Ming said: "If Zhao Shu died violently in the altar, it means that the previous idea was not feasible. In this case, he himself was spared from disaster, and Zhao Shu's life and death were not for him.
It’s not important to say.”
Mr. Huaiming walked around angrily. Seeing him like this, Mr. Jingming asked, "What are you going to do?"
"You can't watch Zhao Shu fall into Liang Tao's plan step by step, right?" Mr. Huaiming pointed in the direction of Jianjia Pass: "What's more, now that the gods of the southern land are coming out in force, Liang Tao may be able to hold on, but Zhao Shu may not be able to hold on!
"
"Are you going to rescue Zhao Shu?" Mr. Jing Ming said, "I advise you not to go."
"Why?"
"If you show up at Jianjia Pass, you can hide it from the juniors, but you can't hide it from the masters." Mr. Jing Ming said bluntly: "When the news of the three elders of Chiyundu rescuing Zhao Shu comes out, how do you ask him to defend himself? In order to
To raise military supplies, has Zhao Shu provoked fewer enemies in Huaxu these days? If the war hadn't been over, I'm afraid Zhao Shu would have been charged immediately. I know you fancy Zhao Shu, but you took action rashly and turned against him.
It’s harmful and useless.”
"Are we just going to ignore it?" Mr. Wyoming asked.
"Zhang Duanjing must be aware of such a major event happening in Jiaohui Cave." Mr. Jing Ming said: "For him, Jianjia Pass is only a short distance away. As long as Zhao Shu persists for a moment, Zhang Duanjing can arrive."