In the Imperial Study.

The eunuchs brought in sand tables and small flags, arranging them according to the Empress’s instructions. Red flags represented the Great Feng army, while blue flags stood for the Yunzhou forces.

Additionally, there were flags for the Southern Borders, Western Regions, and the Witch God Sect, creating a miniature version of the Nine Provinces continent.

Among them were more than ten black flags with gold borders, bearing characters like “Luo, Zhao, Xu, Kou, Jin, A, Sun.”

Huai Qing waved her wide sleeve, and the palace eunuchs withdrew in succession.

In the quiet Imperial Study, Huai Qing moved the “Luo” flag to the Northern Borders, then pushed the allies and enemies together.

Eliminating all miscellaneous transcendents and fighting to the death with only the White Emperor and the Garuda Tree—this was what Great Feng considered the best scenario.

But perhaps the enemy would have different ideas.

So, Huai Qing pushed the “White Emperor” and “Garuda Tree” flags to Yongzhou.

If the Yunzhou army took advantage of Luo Yu Heng’s tribulation to concentrate their forces and take Yongzhou in one fell swoop, that would be an acceptable loss in Huai Qing’s view.

Never mind taking Yongzhou—even if they had to hand over the capital, Huai Qing wouldn’t furrow her brow.

Because Xu Ping Feng couldn’t possibly absorb Yongzhou and the capital’s fortune within thirteen days. Taking Yongzhou would only be a temporary occupation, but in exchange, Luo Yu Heng could successfully transcend and advance to become a First-Rank Terrestrial Immortal.

By then, Great Feng would have the power to counterattack.

This was her strategic view.

Subsequently, Huai Qing moved the “Luo” piece to the Southern Borders. What if they arranged the battle location there?

That area was full of Great Feng’s allies.

“This choice has obvious advantages and disadvantages. The Buddhist sect still has two First-Rank experts and one Second-Rank. Although the Poison Tribe has many transcendent experts, Third-Rank isn’t enough to interfere in battles at this level. The only Second-Rank Heaven Poison Granny isn’t even skilled in combat.”

“The key is that Xu Qi An cannot mobilize the power of the masses in the Southern Borders. The result would be that our side’s transcendent experts would multiply, but our high-level combat strength would decrease.”

Huai Qing shook her head.

Moreover, the Poison Tribe’s transcendents might not help, as they could perish at any moment.

Besides, she had another concern—no one knew if that person in Arantuo still had the strength to manifest the Tathagata Buddha Avatar.

If Master Shu joined the battle and that one still had strength left, and the Tathagata Buddha Avatar appeared… well, they would lose everything.

After calculating repeatedly, having Luo Yu Heng choose the Northern Borders as the tribulation site was the most stable option.

So Huai Qing moved the pieces back to the Northern Borders, arranging the Garuda Tree, White Emperor, and the four transcendents “Xu, A, Jin, Zhao” beside the “Luo” piece.

“Xu Qi An…”

Huai Qing closed her eyes briefly and murmured:

“Are you truly confident, or have you already staked everything on this gamble?”

…

At the Xu Manor.

A column of Imperial Guards hurriedly entered the compound.

In the inner hall, Aunt was still enthusiastically asking Mu Nan Chi for gardening secrets. The outer and inner courtyards of the Xu Manor were in full bloom, appearing like a fairyland in the cold late winter.

“Sister, please teach me how to learn such miraculous techniques?”

Aunt now absolutely revered the Flower Goddess, addressing her as “Sister” at every turn.

That unfortunate nephew kept bringing people to the manor. First was Li Miao Zhen, who acted polite but spoke ill of her behind that small mirror.

Then there was the glutton Lina, who not only ate their food daily but also conspired with that unfilial daughter Xu Ling Yin to steal her beauty pills.

She disliked the first two, but this Mu Nan Chi, she quite liked.

They were about the same age and had common topics to discuss.

“What is Aunt Mu’s relationship with my eldest brother?” asked Xu Ling Yue from the side, appearing pure and harmless with her gentle demeanor.

Xu Ling Yue didn’t actually believe her brother would be interested in such an ordinary woman, who was about the same age as their mother.

But this woman was married, so why would she choose to stay at the Xu Manor?

“There’s nothing between us. He just keeps pestering me,” Mu Nan Chi said.

Hearing this, Aunt became furious. She held Mu Nan Chi’s hand guiltily:

“That worthless boy, truly shameless! It’s my fault for not teaching him properly. Sister, tell me how he’s been pestering you. I’ll make him kneel in the ancestral hall for three days and nights.”

Just then, the steward led the Imperial Guards inside.

The three women in the hall stood up simultaneously, looking bewildered at the entrance.

The Imperial Guards stopped outside the hall, lining up on both sides. As the clanking of armor subsided, the leader stepped into the hall, clasped his hands, and bowed:

“By Imperial decree, we are here to escort the Xu family’s women to the palace.”

…

That day in the capital, from the Imperial Guard commanders to the court officials, the families of all those in power were brought into the palace.

The treasury and granaries were carved with transportation arrays.

The court had prepared for the worst—if Luo Yu Heng failed her tribulation and Great Feng’s transcendent experts perished, the capital’s power holders would immediately evacuate.

This battle staked the nation’s fate for the Empress, the officials, and the court.

But for the common people, today was no different from yesterday. Life wasn’t wealthy, but it was peaceful and happy.

At most, they discussed the southern war during meals, complaining about why the court hadn’t yet announced news of Imperial Censor Xu single-handedly slaughtering Yunzhou’s mere hundred thousand troops.

…

At Spirit Treasure Temple.

Luo Yu Heng stood by the small pond, looking at the young man opposite her, and reached out:

“Return!”

The divine sword above Xu Qi An’s head “unsheathed” and returned to its owner’s hand, bringing with it a mess of red and white.

“My brain matter…”

Xu Qi An quickly caught it, absorbing the life force from the blood and brain matter, then crouched down to wash his hands.

During this process, the sword wound on his head healed, returning to normal.

Luo Yu Heng shook her hand, flicking the blood from the sword, and snorted coldly.

For a Human Sect Leader, she’s quite petty… Xu Qi An complained internally, then instinctively looked around. Not seeing Guardian Yuan, he finally relaxed.

Thinking about it again made him feel bitter—he was a Second-Rank expert now, yet still had psychological trauma from a monkey.

Luo Yu Heng narrowed her eyes and said coldly:

“What nonsense are you thinking about now?”

“I was just thinking how the Imperial Advisor is as beautiful as a celestial maiden, and becoming her dao partner is the greatest fortune of my life,” Xu Qi An smiled shamelessly.

Luo Yu Heng said flatly:

“Then cancel your marriage with Lin An.”

Xu Qi An laughed, but his smile quickly faded. He scratched his head and sighed:

“A title is all I can give her now.”

Luo Yu Heng gave him a deep look.

Xu Qi An stood up, stepped across the small pond in one stride, and gazed at her flawless face, saying softly:

“What I can give you is to share life and death.

“In this battle, if you live, I live. If you die, I die!”

Luo Yu Heng pressed her lips together, suddenly lowering her head as if unable to meet his gaze. Looking at the rippling surface of the pond stirred by the wind, she softly responded with an “Mm.”

The two transformed into streaks of rainbow light and vanished in the capital’s sky.

Before the tribulation had even begun, Yongzhou had already fallen into the flames of war.

The Yunzhou army bypassed Xunzhou, assembling outside South Gate City, eighty li southeast of Xunzhou.

With lightning speed, they launched a major assault, taking South Gate City—which wasn’t particularly well-defended—within half a day.

After capturing South Gate City, the Yunzhou army didn’t occupy it, but instead massacred its population.

They then plundered the remaining population and resources before withdrawing en masse, leaving behind a city reduced to ruins.

This was classic raid-style warfare—concentrating forces, striking once and retreating, plundering resources to sustain the war effort while forcing defenders to exhaust themselves repairing city walls.

Foreign tribes often used these tactics, with the core philosophy of “those with nothing to lose fear nothing.”

When Great Feng’s scouts infiltrated South Gate City to assess the situation, they found that this city, once home to tens of thousands, had been reduced to ruins.

Not a single living soul remained. Houses were collapsed or burned, with the bodies of soldiers and civilians piled like mountains—twelve imperial displays in total.

Before each display stood a wooden tablet, inscribed in blood:

“Executioner of this city—Zhuo Hao Ran!

Imperial displays erected to demonstrate military achievement.”

Yang Gong, the supreme commander of the Yongzhou battlefield, convened his advisers overnight. While maintaining the scorched earth strategy, he allocated thirty percent of his forces for rescue missions, harassment tactics, and cutting enemy supply lines.

The war shifted from pure defense to a mix of field battles and city defense.

Xu Xin Nian led four thousand cavalry and five hundred artillery troops, patrolling the desolate battlefield.

During the defense of Qingzhou, Second Young Master Xu demonstrated exceptional command abilities. Thus, he and several members of the Earth and Heaven Society each commanded cavalry units responsible for guerrilla warfare.

Besides his capabilities, there were two other reasons Second Young Master Xu was entrusted with such responsibility.

Master Heng Yuan was in his unit, and Heng Yuan could communicate with other Earth and Heaven Society members, enabling extremely fast information relay and better coordination.

On the battlefield, this was an unreasonable advantage.

Even more unreasonable was the mirror in Xu Xin Nian’s possession—a treasure that could be observed within a thousand-li radius.

The Universal Mirror!

This was the cheat item his cousin Xu Qi An had left him before departing.

The Universal Mirror could observe a thousand li around—perfect for surprise attacks when advancing, and lifesaving when retreating.

This was why Xu Qi An had insisted on leaving the Universal Mirror behind—it was too crucial for battlefield operations.

“Amitabha!”

Master Heng Yuan put away the Earth Book fragment, clasped his hands in prayer with a compassionate expression, and chanted the Buddha’s name.

Second Young Master Xu turned his head and asked:

“Master?”

Master Heng Yuan sighed:

“Fellow Daoist Li Miao Zhen just visited South Gate City and described the horrific scene through the Earth Book. This poor monk cannot bear to look further.”

Xu Xin Nian’s heart stirred, and he probed:

“May I take a look?”

Master Heng Yuan nodded and handed over the Earth Book fragment.

Xu Xin Nian took it and focused on the jade mirror surface, where small characters appeared:

[Two: The Yunzhou army has finally revealed its true nature. They spared neither women nor children, killing everyone in South Gate City. Such treacherous rebels! And that Zhuo Hao Ran—this old lady will kill him with her own hands.]

Li Miao Zhen was trembling with anger.

[Four: The Yunzhou army comes with fierce momentum, massacring cities to boost troop morale. I have a feeling this battle in Yongzhou will be even bloodier than Qingzhou.]

[Seven: Should we assassinate Zhuo Hao Ran?]

After hearing his junior sister’s description, Li Ling Su felt anger rising—he hadn’t truly achieved Supreme Emotionlessness yet and could still be swayed by emotions.

[Four: First, you’d need to confirm his location. Yunzhou has Vermillion Bird Army scouts patrolling. By the time we find him, he’d have discovered us. Pinpointing Zhuo Hao Ran would be extremely difficult.]

Zhuo Hao Ran… Xu Xin Nian touched his chest, remembering the day Song Mountain County fell.

That surname Zhuo had suffered a major setback in Song Mountain County. After breaking through that day, Zhuo Hao Ran massacred the defenders and civilians, chasing him for dozens of li, nearly killing him with one slash.

Li Miao Zhen cursed for a while, then agreed with the Earth and Heaven Society members that once they had Zhuo Hao Ran’s whereabouts, they would immediately lead troops to execute this savage who massacred cities.

Then the Earth Book group fell silent, with no more messages.

Xu Xin Nian returned the Earth Book to Master Heng Yuan and asked:

“Master, why don’t you raise armies like them?”

Heng Yuan shook his head:

“This poor monk is but a warrior monk, ignorant of such matters.”

Xu Xin Nian nodded, then suddenly felt the heat from his chest. He quickly took out a half-broken bronze mirror.

“Brat, you don’t even have dragon qi—how dare you possess me?”

The Universal Mirror’s surface formed a mouth, spat, and complained:

“I’m a treasure you can’t possibly possess. If you want to use me, you need to pay up and nourish me with qi.”

Qi couldn’t compare to dragon qi, but it was still the purest yang energy.

Hearing this, Heng Yuan said:

“Let this poor monk handle it.”

Xu Xin Nian was a Confucian disciple and had no qi.

Xu Xin Nian frowned and said:

“Big Brother already told me about your deal to stay by my side temporarily. Bringing this up now—are you trying to swindle me?”

“So what if I am!” The Universal Mirror took an unyielding stance.

Xu Xin Nian gave it a look: “You’re asking to be scolded.”

…

“Stop, stop scolding! You sharp-tongued human!”

Half a quarter hour later, the Universal Mirror felt it had become a disgrace among magical treasures and angrily said:

“I won’t argue with you anymore. Don’t call me unless necessary.”

“Wait!”

Xu Xin Nian took down his water flask and took a drink:

“First show me your abilities.”

The Universal Mirror thought this wasn’t much to ask and said:

“Watch carefully!”

The bronze mirror surface immediately turned glass-like, rippling like water. As the ripples slowly settled, an image appeared.

In a military tent, a burly warrior was lying naked on top of a thin youth, making repetitive, monotonous movements.

The youth was pale, with cold sweat on his forehead, apparently in extreme pain.

“Why are you showing me this?”

Xu Xin Nian felt offended and grew angry.

Among officials and military men, those with male favorites weren’t uncommon, but Xu Xin Nian felt this broken mirror was insinuating something about him.

The Universal Mirror flashed with confusion and grievance:

“You don’t like it? Your big brother loves watching men bathe.”

A series of question marks flashed through Xu Xin Nian’s mind, then his mouth twitched:

“Big Brother is Big Brother, I am I. We’re different.”

Xu Xin Nian didn’t quite believe the mirror, but that wouldn’t stop him from telling their parents about Big Brother’s proclivities when he returned to the capital, letting them judge Big Brother, making him unable to hold his head high before family, just as he once experienced.

At this moment, Xu Xin Nian saw in the mirror the warrior trembling all over, stopping his monotonous movements, and raising his head in pleasure.

The warrior had rough features, a blind white left eye, and a long scar across his cheek.

Zhuo Hao Ran!

…

At the border of Yongzhou.

Kou Yang Zhou stepped into Qingzhou territory, and then deliberately released his qi.

The next second, a white-robed figure and a handsome young man with a sword at his waist appeared in mid-air.

Xu Ping Feng and Ji Xuan.

The old bastard with frost-like silver hair sneered:

“I’ve crossed over—come fight me.”

He then stepped back:

“Now I’m back—hurry up and fight me.”