Siao Feng Xian had served as both Crown Prince and State Preceptor. Now that he had perished, the only powerful figure of equal rank at the scene who could contend with Yun Ya and his people was Mo Tizhun. Although he was an outsider, Zhao Ru Shan had no choice but to ask for his help.

This was the drawback of having the ruler and State Preceptor be the same person: once something unexpected happened, both the nation and the cultivators would be left leaderless.

Mo Tizhun, however, refused without even thinking: “I was entrusted by the King of Jin to come here and protect Princess Han Yue and her child. At present, danger in the main hall has not been eliminated, and I cannot leave the Princess’s side.” He was the State Preceptor of the Jin Kingdom, and saving the Kingdom of Yao was not within his duties.

“Is that so?” Princess Han Yue wiped away her tears. “Then I shall also go to the ancestral temple. May I request that the State Preceptor Mo, while protecting us mother and child, ‘incidentally’ protect the ancestral temple as well!”

Mo Tizhun glanced at her, his look meaningful, and then pointed to the ground: “This might be of use.”

What he was pointing at was the small Mountain-Moving Array that Yun Ya had earlier carved into the ground.

After the recent battle, five or six-tenths of the array had been destroyed, yet all the officials praised the idea. Someone said through gritted teeth: “This is the trap that the Yun demon set to lure the Crown Prince, yet now we can use it to our advantage!”

Mo Tizhun extended his foot to smooth out the broken lines on the ground, casually took up a long sword, and began to redraw them. “Yun Ya mentioned earlier that there was also a small Mountain-Moving Array set up in the main hall to facilitate their escape. This might be true, but now it seems his purpose in creating the array was not to escape, but to infiltrate the ancestral temple and steal the foundation stone!”

All who heard this changed color: “If they are one step ahead, wouldn’t that mean…”

In this world, there was an iron law: whether establishing a sect in the past or founding a country now, one must bury a foundation stone underground at the beginning, to show reverence to the earth, and then announce it to heaven. Only then would a sect truly become a sect, and a country truly become a country.

From then on, achievements were called foundation-building; when a new ruler ascended the throne, it was called ascending the foundation.

Above the foundation stone, the ancestral temple was built, which some countries called the Grand Temple.

The foundation stone was the basis of the nation’s establishment.

While the foundation stone existed, the country existed; if the foundation stone was forcibly removed, the country would perish. When New Xia relocated its capital, it went through complex, specific rituals to move the foundation stone to the city of Wusaier.

Fortunately, once a foundation stone was buried, it had to bear the fortunes of an entire country, thus becoming one with the earth. No external force could dig it out. Therefore, it was normally under the care of heaven and earth, completely safe.

Of course, there were exceptions to everything. Since the foundation stone could be buried, there was a chance to remove it, which happened when the ruler died. Without the monarch to suppress the country’s fortunes, the foundation stone would rise from the ground, and then external forces could manipulate it. If enemies forcibly took it away, the country would fall.

Under normal circumstances, if even the ancestral temple containing the foundation stone was threatened, it meant the entire capital had been captured by enemies, the nation’s subjects were powerless to resist, and the ruler was either killed or surrendered the foundation stone voluntarily. The country’s demise would not be unjust.

But the Kingdom of Yao’s current situation was extremely peculiar! The capital’s military strength and forces were still intact, the enemy’s main forces were still hundreds of miles away, and only a group of Wei Kingdom cultivators had infiltrated the city of Yinzi. There was still a great chance to save the Kingdom of Yao from peril, as long as they prevented Yun Ya and his people from entering the ancestral temple.

Now it was a race against time, to see who would reach the ancestral temple first. Yun Ya had already drawn a small Mountain-Moving Array in the main hall of the Imperial Garden; he only needed to activate it to teleport there. Wouldn’t that be faster than everyone present?

A high official immediately said: “If the Wei people have a storage space capable of carrying people, they might well divide their forces, with Yun Ya distracting our attention while others teleport to the foot of the ancestral temple mountain through the array, waiting for an opportunity to dig out the foundation stone. Although there are heavy guards there, who knows if they can stop this demon?”

Hearing this, everyone became anxious and impatient.

Siao Feng Xian was fully focused on drawing the array, saying: “That reasoning is correct, but storage spaces that can hold living beings are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. The number in existence can be counted on one hand, and the possibility of Yun Ya possessing two such items simultaneously is extremely small.” He also believed that Yun Ya would never entrust such a precious treasure to others and would certainly carry it himself. Therefore, there was a high possibility that the Wei people were still trapped in the main palace complex.

“I suggest you immediately begin a forceful attack. This two-pronged approach might allow us to gain some initiative.”

The current crisis was urgent, and without needing further instructions, the Yao army went to attack the main palace complex. Now there were only a few dozen Wei Kingdom cultivators inside, with neither Yun Ya leading nor hostages at hand. The Yao army had no more concerns and could open fire freely, bombarding them mercilessly.

The Imperial Garden, quiet for just a moment, again resounded with earth-shaking cannon fire. Listening carefully, each blast was filled with intense rage.

Meanwhile, Mo Tizhun’s drawing became increasingly slow, often pausing to think deeply.

Princess Han Yue watched anxiously, about to speak, but Zhao Ru Shan waved his hand at her, indicating not to interrupt the State Preceptor’s train of thought, and then invited her aside: “Crown Princess, do not worry. The Wei traitors are still resisting desperately, which is a good thing.”

Princess Han Yue was surprised, then slightly angered: “Good in what way?”

“This indicates they are still in the hall and have not yet left through the small Mountain-Moving Array.”

That was indeed true. If they had all teleported away, how could there still be people resisting in the hall? Understanding this, Princess Han Yue felt slightly reassured, and a nearby official also said: “The Wei traitors have not yet reached the ancestral temple. Perhaps they don’t have an artifact like the Golden City that can carry people, or perhaps some accident has occurred internally. This is enough to show that the fortune of Great Yao has not yet run out!”

There were too many factors affecting war and coups, and the outcome might change because of them. Perhaps some unexpected event had occurred in the main hall right now? This was the luck of the Yao people!

In Princess Han Yue’s heart, a faint hope arose.

On the other side, Mo Tizhun was secretly surprised. The small Mountain-Moving Array he was familiar with was not the one beneath his feet; it even differed from the one Yun Ya had drawn when he killed Feng Miao Jun’s body double.

Repairing these differences required extremely meticulous deduction.

Fortunately, his cultivation and realm were profound, and supernatural techniques and arrays followed the principle that “mastering one means mastering a hundred.” He calmed his mind and followed the flow, managing to discern Yun Ya’s array-drawing approach.

Although this man excelled in conspiracies and schemes, his cultivation was genuinely profound, without any padding.

It was precisely because of this that Yun Ya was a particularly formidable opponent.

By now, he had drawn most of it, when a soldier came galloping from the front to report: “Report! We have broken through the southwestern wall of the main hall!”

The Wei traitors’ defensive perimeter had been broken? Mo Tizhun immediately withdrew his sword: “Broken through?” He felt slightly relieved.

In the capital of the Kingdom of Yao, this small group of Wei people certainly could not be compared to a large army. However, the Wei Kingdom cultivators had come exceptionally well-prepared, with six or seven large-scale arrays deployed just for marching and city fortification. It was said that among these was an array called the Aluoyue Array, an important invention from ancient times that could even withstand two direct cannon blasts from the then-strongest Giant Spirit God!