Chapter One Hundred Forty-One: The Reunion

"With Zhao Gongming making his move, it will likely not be long before the second-generation disciples of both the Clan of Elucidation and the Clan of Interception are also drawn into this vortex..." Nuwa murmured softly as she watched Zhao Gongming wreaking havoc on the battlefield of Xiqi.

Both Li Tian and Nuwa were naturally pleased to see Zhao Gongming enter the fray.

As the saying goes, those caught in the situation are blind, while onlookers see clearly. Standing from their perspective, it was easy to see that what was originally supposed to be merely a war of dynastic succession had transformed into a vortex—and was gradually beginning to engulf the second-generation disciples of the Clan of Interception and the Clan of Elucidation...

"Let me add a little more fuel to the fire..."

A smile appeared on Li Tian's face as he looked down at the scene in the mortal realm.

"Help me disrupt the heavenly secrets of the mortal realm."

"Mm."

Nuwa did not know what Li Tian intended to do, but out of trust in him, she nodded without hesitation. With a single wave of her hand, as the boundless power of the Heavenly Dao surged, the scenes in the mortal realm quickly grew murky and blurred.

The primordial spirits of saints are entrusted to the Heavenly Dao. Through the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, a single thought allows them to observe every corner beneath it.

However, once the heavenly secrets were thrown into chaos, their vision would inevitably be restricted. After all, under such circumstances, even the Heavenly Dao itself could not clearly discern the specific situation.

As for divine sense, although the range of a saint's divine sense was more than a hundred times greater than that of a Quasi-Sage, it was ultimately limited. Relying solely on divine sense to see through the entire Primeval World was still far from enough.

"Maintain this for now. I shall return shortly."

After testing the lower realm and seeing that the specific situation was indeed no longer visible, Li Tian nodded, his figure flashing as he vanished from the spot.

***

Meanwhile, the battle below was still ongoing.

Following Zhao Gongming's arrival, Jiang Ziya had also invited Immortal Huanglong from the Clan of Elucidation to assist. However, facing Zhao Gongming, who possessed the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls, Immortal Huanglong was still somewhat outmatched. Although aided by junior generals such as Nezha and Yang Jian, they remained in a position where defeat could happen at any moment.

"The Sea-Calming Pearls. Not a bad treasure."

Li Tian descended, glanced at the battlefield below, and smiled. With a wave of his hand, he directly snatched the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls from Zhao Gongming's grasp, storing them within his own spatial Dharma treasure.

His actions were executed with utmost secrecy; no onlooker could perceive what had transpired, nor would anyone ever suspect him.

***

How could this be? How did they suddenly vanish?

Staring blankly at his empty hands where the Sea-Calming Pearls had just been, Zhao Gongming was struck dumb with astonishment, freezing on the spot.

It was no exaggeration to say that the Sea-Calming Pearls were his most crucial Dharma treasure. Losing them was harder for him to accept than having one of his arms severed!

***

"Bad!"

Recovering his senses, Zhao Gongming saw Immortal Huanglong's massive saber slashing down toward him, and his heart leaped with shock.

Instinctively, he tried to summon a spiritual treasure to block the blow, only to remember the next instant that he no longer had any spiritual treasures...

He wanted to dodge, but it was already too late!

"Zhao Gongming, prepare to meet your doom!" Seeing that Zhao Gongming made no move to defend himself, Immortal Huanglong was overjoyed. With a loud shout, he brought his heavy blade sweeping down.

Immediately afterward, Nezha, Yang Jian, Li You, and a group of other junior generals launched their attacks as well. Zhao Gongming's expression changed drastically, but with no chance left to dodge, he could only watch helplessly as an endless torrent of attacks poured onto his body, falling backward with a face full of unwillingness and resentment.

Before his death, Zhao Gongming let out a furious roar toward the heavens.

*Who can tell me how my treasure suddenly vanished?!*

***

"We won?"

Watching Zhao Gongming slowly collapse, Immortal Huanglong and the others were equally stunned.

Clearly, he had been immensely powerful just moments ago—why had he suddenly perished?

Yet, since victory was theirs, they naturally chose not to overthink it. Amidst the cheers of the Xiqi soldiers, they retreated back to the main camp.

On the other side, the Yin-Shang camp experienced the exact opposite mood. Watching Zhao Gongming, who had seemed like a deity descended from the heavens, struck down in battle, they could not help but feel anxious and uneasy. Shen Gongbao was particularly dumbfounded. How could they have suddenly lost when they had clearly held the upper hand all along?

Yet a moment later, recalling that Zhao Gongming had two formidable sisters, a narrow glint appeared in Shen Gongbao's eyes.

Losing one Quasi-Sage in exchange for the assistance of two more was hardly a bad trade...

After a brief mental calculation, Shen Gongbao immediately ordered the soldiers to retrieve Zhao Gongming's corpse and commanded the entire Yin-Shang army to wear mourning attire to honor the heroic spirit of General Zhao Gongming!

This scene naturally fell into the eyes of Li Tian, though he had no intention of interfering.

Glancing toward the Xiqi camp, where a celebratory banquet was already underway, Li Tian hesitated. Figuring that Nuwa should still be unable to perceive the events of the lower realm, he slowly flew toward the Xiqi encampment.

Inside the Xiqi camp, a lively and boisterous atmosphere filled the air.

Immortal Huanglong was thoroughly drunk. His achievement in defeating Zhao Gongming had inflated his ego, leading him to boast wildly under the influence of alcohol. He painted himself as an invincible figure, speaking as though Zhao Gongming had been utterly worthless.

Those unaware of the actual circumstances naturally offered endless flattery. After all, Immortal Huanglong was, by all accounts, a mighty Quasi-Sage.

Moreover, everyone had clearly witnessed Immortal Huanglong deliver the fatal strike to Zhao Gongming, leaving no room for suspicion.

Although Nezha, Yang Jian, Li You, and the other participating fighters sensed numerous suspicious details, they could not make sense of them and thus kept their doubts to themselves.

After all, even if Zhao Gongming had deliberately held back, he could not possibly have staked his own life on it!

***

"Halt! Who goes there?"

At that moment, Li Tian descended outside the gates of the Xiqi camp. Having no desire to reveal his true identity, he had changed into a set of ordinary white robes, rendering him unrecognizable to the common soldiers.

"It is nothing."

Li Tian smiled; naturally, he had no intention of exchanging idle words with ordinary soldiers.

Through his divine sense, he could already sense King Wu Ji Fa leading Jiang Ziya and the others hurrying over.

"Show no discourtesy!"

True to his expectation, just as his words faded, the voice of Ji Fa echoed from afar.

"Understood!"

Upon seeing the arrival of the King and the Prime Minister, the guards were startled, hurriedly bowing before retreating.

"Greetings, Daoist Master. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"

Stepping before Li Tian and sensing the faint, suppressive aura emanating from the man, Ji Fa felt a tightening in his chest and bowed respectfully.

Though ignorant of the stranger's identity, Ji Fa's intuition told him that this person was of supreme nobility and certainly not someone he could afford to offend lightly, hence his extreme caution.

"Mm."

Li Tian merely cast a calm glance at Ji Fa before shifting his gaze toward Li You standing amidst the crowd.

"Father."

Noticing Li Tian's gaze, Li You stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly.

When Li Tian had departed years ago, Li You had already been fourteen or fifteen years of age, so he naturally recognized his father at a glance.