Wei Yuan appeared to give him two choices, but in reality, there was no choice at all—he couldn’t possibly return to defend Qianlong City.

Xu Pingfeng’s thinking was crystal clear. Compared to the elite troops of Yun Province, losing Qianlong City was regrettable but acceptable. The elite forces were far more important.

Having made his choice to abandon Qianlong City, two paths lay before him. First, he could protect the Yun Province army’s retreat to either Yong Province or Qing Province, switching from offense to defense, allowing Great Feng to lay siege while the Yun Province army defended.

The advantage of this strategy was that Great Feng, having suffered heavy losses, likely lacked the troops to recapture Yong and Qing Provinces, and would choose to recuperate, waiting until after the autumn harvest to fight again.

However, in terms of supernatural combat power, Yun Province would find itself in the same predicament that Great Feng had faced earlier—certain defeat.

Moreover, it remained uncertain whether the Galaruo Tree and White Emperor, currently in the Northern Borders, could escape unscathed from the encirclement of Great Feng’s supernatural experts.

If Galaruo Tree and the White Emperor were decisively defeated now, retreating to Qing Province would merely mean waiting for death.

The second option was to capture the capital at all costs, install Ji Xuan as emperor, and use this opportunity to force his way into becoming a Mandate Master.

Currently, he had only absorbed the fortune of Yun, Qing, and Yong Provinces—the destiny of three provinces was insufficient to create a Mandate Master.

If he could add the capital of Great Feng, capture the city, slay the Empress, and place Ji Xuan on the throne, he would have a chance to become a Mandate Master.

If mastering the mandate of the entire Central Plains could be considered peak Tier 1, then forcing his way to become a Mandate Master would put him at the initial stage.

In truth, there was no choice—he had to risk everything, as there was no turning back.

Amidst the drum beats, Xu Pingfeng brought his palms together, then suddenly pulled them apart, producing palm-sized flags of various colors—black, white, red, azure, and yellow.

He had prepared for this siege for twenty years, considering every detail—how could he have overlooked the capital’s defensive formation?

These small flags were inscribed with different arrays, each representing a weak point in the city’s defensive formation.

“Ding ding…”

Two small flags shot forth, their sharp pole ends easily embedding themselves in the city wall.

Crack! The corresponding sections of the wall split, with fissures spreading like spider webs.

The protective formation covering the city walls instantly weakened.

Whoosh!

A massive blade qi that distorted space itself shot out beside Xu Pingfeng, swiftly splitting him in two.

His white-robed figure, like a dream illusion, appeared dozens of yards away, again throwing two more flags.

Thud thud!

As the steel pins penetrated the wall structure, the small flags embedded themselves in the stonework, creating cracks and destroying the formation in their respective areas.

That all-destroying blade intent, unable to catch up with the white-robed sorcerer who could teleport at will, changed its strategy and slashed toward the dense ranks of the Yun Province army.

“Hmph!”

A cold snort emerged from Xu Pingfeng’s nostrils.

Kou Yangzhou was taking advantage of the Yun Province army’s lack of formation protection. Normally, supernatural experts showed restraint, rarely targeting ordinary soldiers—such mutually destructive tactics benefited neither side.

Only when backed into a corner, when one side was about to be finished, would they resort to indiscriminately killing ordinary soldiers.

Before reaching that point, both sides believed they could win and were unwilling to employ such mutually destructive methods.

Now, the capital had its defensive formation for protection, making it invincible until the formation broke. In contrast, the Yun Province army stood exposed with no protection.

This gave Kou Yangzhou the confidence to employ “mutually destructive” tactics before reaching desperation.

Xu Pingfeng decisively abandoned breaking the formation, teleporting back to the Yun Province army’s ranks. He positioned himself before the blade qi, one hand extended palm outward, raising layers of grey earthen defensive formations. As the blade qi destroyed formation after formation, his other hand rose, making a gentle wiping motion.

The terrifying blade qi that distorted space seemed to lose its support, gradually “extinguishing.”

In that instant, Xu Pingfeng had blocked the “blade qi,” making Kou Yangzhou momentarily forget he had released the blade intent. Since the blade qi had no physical form, being merely a concentration of its master’s will, it naturally couldn’t maintain itself when Kou Yangzhou forgot about it.

In front of so many observers, the heavenly secrets blocking technique would fail immediately after taking effect, but that moment of blockage was sufficient against the incorporeal blade intent.

After neutralizing the Tier 2 warrior’s blade intent, Xu Pingfeng flicked his fingers repeatedly, sending small flags shooting forth. They vanished and reappeared at the wall, embedding themselves and breaking the formation in their respective areas.

He had mastered the art of teleportation to perfection.

How could a crude warrior who only knew brute force possibly stop him from breaking the formation?

Amid the continuous “thud thud thud” sounds, the formation enveloping the capital could no longer hold, collapsing with a thunderous boom.

Xu Pingfeng’s figure appeared in the sky, his thumbs and index fingers forming a frame around the city wall below.

Twelve layers of flame formations stacked upon each other, frantically gathering the power of fire spirits.

Boom!

With a wave of energy, a blinding pillar of fire descended from the heavens, seeming to want to incinerate the Great Feng soldiers on the walls to ash.

Sun Xuanji raised both hands skyward, supporting twelve grey circular formations. The city walls beneath his feet rapidly turned to sand, a wave of earth rising to meet the descending fire pillar head-on.

Earth overcomes Fire!

The second and third disciples of the Heaven’s Observatory completed their first clash.

Boom boom boom!

As the drums beat, the Yun Province army charged forward carrying siege equipment. Just as they approached the walls, killing intent suddenly erupted from the ground. Before the charging soldiers could understand what was happening, their bodies were blown to pieces in continuous explosions, spinning through the air.

Those soldiers lucky enough to survive were splashed with white phosphorus from the underground explosions. They burst into unquenchable flames, burning alive until only skeletons remained.

Song Qing’s landmines dealt a devastating blow to the attacking soldiers.

…

Yun Province, Qianlong City.

Blood staining his armor, Nangong Qianrou stood atop the mountain with his battle blade, looking down at the smoke-filled city. His usually gentle demeanor had rarely shown such iron-blooded valor.

Fleeing figures were everywhere, and civilians screaming and running for their lives. Yesterday they had still dreamed of being capital nobles.

Today they met with slaughter, dying miserably by enemy blades.

The five thousand soldiers in Qianlong City, led by the city’s experts, gradually lost ground after half an hour of fierce battle, switching to street fighting.

By this point, the main force had been eliminated by Great Feng’s heavy infantry, with only a few remnants stubbornly resisting using the terrain to their advantage.

Behind Nangong Qianrou lay strewn corpses, all dressed in fine clothes. They were royalty from a lineage dating back five hundred years. After five centuries of prosperity, this branch of the family had grown numerous—the mountaintop mansion alone housed several hundred members of the Ji clan.

He had no intention of taking prisoners, issuing orders to kill without exception.

This was the dignity Nangong Qianrou left for the royal clan. Otherwise, setting aside the male members, these delicate royal flowers would inevitably become playthings.

The soldiers had stayed in the abandoned military town for five months, all desperately frustrated—even a sow would look beautiful to them now.

At this moment, a blood-armored commander strode out of the courtyard, coming behind Nangong Qianrou and saluting:

“Nangong Jinluo, the brothers found two female members in the basement.”

Nangong Qianrou said flatly:

“Just kill them, why report it?”

The commander’s expression turned strange as he said:

“She… she claims to be Officer Xu’s birth mother.”

Hearing this, Nangong Qianrou raised an eyebrow. He had already learned of Xu Qi’an’s background from the Imperial Guard Commander.

After Xu Pingfeng officially stepped onto the stage, the court officials all remembered this figure, naturally learning of his relationship with Xu Qi’an.

This wasn’t a secret among high-ranking officials, though they reached a tacit agreement to suppress the news, forbidding anyone from spreading the word about the relationship between Xu Qi’an and Xu Pingfeng.

The officials weren’t trying to cover up the Xu family’s shame—Xu Qi’an’s prestige was too important to the court to allow any tarnish.

As an imperial attendant, the Guard Commander was among the upper echelon, and that night had told Nangong Qianrou everything in detail, leaving nothing out.

When Nangong Qianrou learned of Xu Qi’an’s identity, he felt both schadenfreude and pity for the fellow’s misfortune.

“Kill them!”

He issued the order coldly.

What use were such contemptible parents?

“Yes!”

The commander saluted and turned to leave. After taking two steps, Nangong Qianrou called him back, changing his order:

“Bring her here.”

On second thought, Nangong Qianrou felt it wasn’t his place to make such decisions. Better to bring her back for Xu Qi’an to handle himself, earning some goodwill in the process.

Soon, two soldiers brought forward two women. Nangong Qianrou ignored the maid, examining the graceful and beautiful matron. She remained relatively composed, showing neither panic nor fear.

Her steps were light as she walked, clearly possessing not insignificant cultivation.

Of course, this “not insignificant” was only in comparison to ordinary people.

“You are Xu Qi’an’s birth mother?” Nangong Qianrou asked coldly.

The well-dressed matron looked around, asking:

“Where is my child?”

Her voice was gentle and refined, carrying the steady dignity of a noble lady, neither servile nor overbearing.

The maid, however, trembled in terror, her small face pale white.

“So eager to die?” Nangong Qianrou smiled.

He believed this woman, seeing disaster approaching, wanted to find Xu Qi’an and play the family card to survive this catastrophe.

But from what Nangong Qianrou knew of Xu Qi’an, though the fellow wasn’t exactly ruthless, he was decisive in killing when necessary. This blood-is-thicker-than-water appeal probably wouldn’t work.

The matron’s eyes dimmed as she took a breath and asked again:

“How goes the war in the Central Plains? Has Xu Pingfeng lost?”

Nangong Qianrou said flatly:

“Whether he’s lost or not, I don’t know, but you people are certainly dead. When you decided to abandon him as a pawn back then, did you ever imagine this day would come?”

The matron smiled bitterly:

“My elder brother and the clan have regretted it deeply. As for Xu Pingfeng, knowing him as I do, he probably wants to kill me too.”

Nangong Qianrou examined her:

“Kill you?”

The matron fell silent.

At this moment, a figure leaped up from the mountain foot, landing with a boom beside Nangong Qianrou—it was Yang Yan, carrying his silver spear.

Yang Yan’s expression was as hard as carved stone as he swept his gaze over the corpses behind Nangong Qianrou, then looked at the beautiful matron, and finally turned to Nangong Qianrou.

Having worked together under Wei Yuan for many years, they had developed an unspoken understanding. Nangong Qianrou read his eyes and said:

“We haven’t found the Lord of Qianlong City—he’s probably in White Emperor City. Since Xu Pingfeng hasn’t returned until now, it shows he’s abandoned Yun Province. Once we’ve cleaned up the forces here, we’ll storm White Emperor City.”

After taking the mountaintop, Nangong Qianrou had only captured a group of royal clan members but hadn’t found the self-proclaimed emperor who ruled the city.

He wasn’t too disappointed—it would have been strange if the man didn’t have life-saving measures like teleportation jade tokens.

Yang Yan nodded slightly:

“No need to worry about him.”

The decapitation mission wasn’t just about that city lord—it was about uprooting the rebel army’s base entirely.

Once their base was destroyed, even if the city lord survived, he would no longer pose a threat.

Yang Yan said:

“Kill all the experts and soldiers in the city, then disperse the civilians and burn this city down.”

After Nangong Qianrou nodded, he looked at the beautiful matron:

“Why hasn’t this woman been killed?”

“She’s Xu Qi’an’s birth mother,” Nangong Qianrou explained.

Yang Yan understood immediately.

…

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Firearms spat flames, and bowstrings cracked like thunder, as bullets and arrows harvested waves of enemy soldiers attempting to change their position.

On the outer city streets, sandbags and debris had been piled into defensive works, blocking cavalry charges. Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng led the Night Watchmen and fifty Imperial Blade Guards, taking cover behind the fortifications.

Before them lay the bodies of outer city civilians and enemy soldiers.

They had already repelled three waves of attacks, and arrows and bullets were nearly depleted.

Zhu Guangxiao leaned toward Song Tingfeng and said gravely:

“Almost out of arrows and bullets. We can hold for one more wave at most, then we’ll have to fight these rebels to the death.”

“Fight to the death? What death?” Song Tingfeng turned and spat in his face, cursing:

“Pig brain! With your fighting style, even ten lives wouldn’t be enough. When arrows and bullets run out, we retreat, of course. Lord Wei set up nine defense lines in the outer city—we fight while falling back, that’s all.”

The city wall was just the first line of defense. Behind it was the outer city, and behind that the inner city wall. Even if the rebels reached the inner city, they would still face the more heavily fortified imperial city.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were responsible for the second defense line in the outer city’s south. Of the capital’s four gates, only the south gate had fallen, with rebels pouring in.

Just… unlucky!

Though Song Tingfeng had never studied military texts, he was clever. He didn’t panic when the gate fell—the capital had sufficient strategic depth, with line after line of defenses. They could easily wage a war of attrition against the Yun Province army.

He sneered at Zhu Guangxiao’s simple-minded approach to dying with his position.

On the battlefield, the most important thing wasn’t killing enemies—it was surviving.

…

Imperial Palace.

In the underground palace of the Western Garden, imperial consorts and officials’ family members were housed in this shelter.

Six zhang deep underground, the place was equipped with qi-concealing artifacts. Even high-tier sorcerers would find it difficult to detect any anomalies here in a short time.

Auntie, like the other women, was frightened as a quail, her face pale, her beautiful features filled with fear and unease.

Xu Lingyue sat silently beside her mother, holding her hand in comfort:

“Mother, don’t be afraid, we’ll be fine.”

How could Auntie not be afraid? She was just an ordinary woman who had never weathered storms.

“The rebels have reached the capital, they might break into the palace at any moment,” Auntie grew more frightened as she thought about it.

Mu Nanchi waved her hand:

“Wei Yuan is alive, isn’t he? With him here, we won’t lose the battle.”

She maintained her composure, saying:

“Besides, the capital is full of experts and it’s huge—it won’t be easy for rebels to reach the palace. Hmm, even if we’re in danger, it would likely come from Xu Pingfeng.”

Auntie thought to herself, that heartless dog specializes in killing his kin—I’m surely dead today.

“Where’s Ning Yan? Is Ning Yan in the capital?” Auntie grabbed her daughter’s hand and said:

“If Ning Yan comes, mother won’t be afraid.”

The nearby consorts and officials’ wives brightened at these words, their hearts inexplicably calming.

In their secluded lives, they had often heard tales of Xu Qi’an—the man who, with just himself and a blade, had destroyed the Divine Witch Cult’s army of three hundred thousand.

He was Great Feng’s strongest expert, a pillar of the nation.

With him present, no matter how fierce the rebels were, they would eventually be eliminated.

High in her tower, Huaiqing, dressed in imperial robes, gazed into the distance, faintly seeing Kou Yangzhou and Xu Pingfeng pursuing and battling in the sky. She hadn’t loosened her grip on the jade token for a moment.

From her position, she actually couldn’t hear the artillery fire from outside the city, but she knew fierce battles were raging there.

Lord Wei had said the Yun Province rebels would be strongest in their first assault, weaker in their second, and exhausted by their third.

When the rebels entered the city would be the time for Great Feng to trap and destroy them. However, that would come at an extremely heavy price.

Huaiqing turned northward.

Today was the final day of the Tribulation Battle. She was waiting for Xu Qi’an.

Great Feng’s victory or defeat now depended on him.

…

The rebels hadn’t yet managed to enter the inner city. Even in the outer city, only the south had fallen.

The capital’s twelve guards, imperial army, Night Watchmen, and other forces were engaged in street fighting and guerrilla warfare with the rebels, with no clear victor in sight.

But panic was spreading among the civilians.

They couldn’t see the bigger picture or understand strategic analysis. Their most direct perception was that rebels were attacking the capital, and hearing the thunder of artillery, they might have already broken in.

This realization plunged the common people into panic.

In Great Feng’s six hundred years, except for Emperor Wu’s purge of the court, the capital had never known the disaster of war.

Most civilians didn’t even know about Emperor Wu’s purge and even those who did consider it ancient history from hundreds of years ago.

They were born in the capital, grew old in the capital, and in their memory, the most dangerous battle had been at Shanhai Pass—which Great Feng had won.

So the capital’s citizens were proud, and the prouder they were, the more intense their panic when that confidence shattered.

Days ago, when the court ordered preparations for defense and the entire capital entered a state of war readiness, they had begun to worry. It looked like the Yun Province rebels might invade the capital.

Sure enough, they came.

The inner city streets were empty, with columns of soldiers patrolling on alert. A curfew was in effect—no civilian could leave their homes without authorization.

This ban effectively prevented chaos arising from civilian panic.

The capital’s forces couldn’t all be sent to the front lines; some had to remain to maintain order.

If these two to three million civilians were left unmanaged and riots broke out, the damage and impact would far exceed what the rebels could do.

“The rebels are coming.”

“I’m starting to doubt if the victory at Xun Province was real—maybe Officer Xu didn’t defeat Yun Province.”

“Indeed, if he had won, how could rebels reach the capital?”

“What should we do, what should we do?”

“Father, don’t be afraid, Officer Xu will drive the enemy back.”

“Foolish child, ah!”

Families shut their doors and discussed, living in fear.

They both desperately hoped the court would end the war quickly and secretly cursed the court’s incompetence.

Only the children were pure, believing Officer Xu would expel the enemy, full of confidence.