Chapter 318: Infinite Matrices, Divine Talismans, Successful Bride Abduction

"Princess, we have entered Pinghai Prefecture territory."

"In seven days, we will cross the Canglan River."

From outside the screen of the imperial ceremonial vessel, Liu Wanliang's voice was soft.

Behind the screen, Ji Anlan, dressed exquisitely, knelt silently at a low table, her posture perfectly still.

Liu Wanliang continued to report softly: "The welcoming party from the Blazing Light Royal Court has arrived at Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture and is waiting. The journey has been peaceful so far..."

As he spoke, Liu Wanliang felt a pang of pity. Such an uneventful journey seemed almost too cruel for Princess Youruo.

However, Princess Youruo's tone was calm: "Understood. You may leave."

Liu Wanliang opened his mouth, as if to say a thousand words, but in the end, he merely cupped his hands and replied, "Yes."

On the other side of the screen.

Ji Anlan was kneeling, lost in thought, her entire body shimmering. Aside from her luxurious clothes and precious jewelry, a small, golden, phantom dragon moved above her head. The dragon phantom exhaled golden light, enveloping her entire body. The dragon's true form was an imperial decree, one that only Ji Anlan could see.

Princess Youruo couldn't help but recall a scene in the imperial palace after the second resolution. It was the last time she saw her father before leaving the palace.

Ji Mingjing wore only a simple blue long gown with a wooden hairpin in his hair, looking remarkably unadorned. She knelt before the table, just as she did now, watching her father enter the sealed great hall. It was the first time she truly saw her father, the image closest to her impression of him, not as the Emperor.

He knelt opposite her. Father and daughter gazed at each other, as if with many unspoken words, yet they remained silent for a long time.

"Anlan, how about we make a bet?" Ji Mingjing spoke first.

"Please tell me, Father," Ji Anlan said softly.

"You will leave the palace according to the ceremony to attend the sacrificial rite, and I will find a way to let Liu Tianning know about this. If he learns of it and can bring you back before the southern barbarians' envoy contingent, I will give you two a chance. If he doesn't come, it proves he has chosen his official career, wishing to achieve his ambitions, and that you are not as important in his heart."

Ji Mingjing stared quietly at his daughter: "If that truly happens, then do not blame Great Zhou. Rest assured, gain time for your younger brother, and fulfill your mission."

Princess Youruo also stared at her father: "Your daughter is willing to make this bet with Father."

Recalling that conversation, Ji Anlan's heart was filled with anticipation. She believed her beloved would come to save her. Even though only seven days remained before she would leave Great Zhou territory, she believed that once Liu Tianning received the news, he would surely understand her unspoken plea and rush to her side regardless of the cost.

Liu Tianning was indeed hurrying towards the Canglan River. As the Prince of Taihe Commandery, with the Golden Dragon Warship and the Myriad Dharma Hall dispatched, no one dared to stop him. Zhao Xing's Wuyue Warship followed closely behind.

If he could have witnessed Emperor Jing and Princess Youruo's final conversation, he would likely have understood "how the old demoness was forged." He would also understand why, in her previous life, Princess Youruo, upon her return, hated only Liu Tianning deeply, yet bore no resentment towards Great Zhou, instead providing Emperor Wu with considerable confidential intelligence for his barbarian campaigns.

At this moment, Master Zhao was on the Wuyue Warship, finalizing the plan to snatch the bride.

"First, we must wait for Great Zhou's escort party to leave, and for Princess Youruo to be out of Great Zhou territory. That way, at least it won't be an in-country violation of Emperor Jing's decree. If we can snatch Ji Anlan from the hands of the southern barbarians' many powerful figures, it can be said that the Southern Barbarian Royal Court either couldn't protect the princess at all or didn't care about her safety—in short, we need to leave room for the Grand Confucian scholars to debate the scripture."

"Secondly, the snatching must be done openly, not furtively. Also, only I and old Liu can go; Ji Che can only be a spectator, and absolutely no one else can join," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

As for what to do after the snatch? There would be plenty of excuses to justify it.

"In ancient times, the Red Emperor had a daughter named Jisu, who was kind-hearted and beloved by the people. She fell in love with an immortal cultivator named Chisongzi. However, the Red Emperor was misguided by his Imperial Tutor and intended to marry his daughter to the land of the Insect Witches. Chisongzi's ancestral grandfather led people overnight to snatch the Red Emperor's daughter back to their tribe. From then on, Jisu and Chisongzi lived together in a place called Pucheng, where they taught the local villagers to cultivate 'the five grains,' earning deep affection from everyone. After that, the villagers of Pucheng held annual sacrifices to thank the Red Emperor and Jisu for bringing about 'bountiful harvests of the five grains.'"

Liu Tianning listened, dumbfounded: "How is it that I don't know about such historical legends in Shangluo Academy? And such an anecdote for the spell of bountiful harvests?"

"I haven't heard it either, Eldest Brother, are you making it up?"

Ji Che listened with keen interest: "Chisongzi, isn't that Dean Liu? Then the Red Emperor and the Red Emperor's daughter are His Majesty and the Princess. But wasn't the ancestral grandfather a bit much? Also, Eldest Brother, I'm not in this story."

Zhao Xing laughed: "History is vast; you can always discover more."

"Right! How history is written, won't that be up to me in the future?" Ji Che's mind suddenly opened up. "Eldest Brother is truly a talent!"

Liu Tianning, interrupted by the two, couldn't help but smile. He hadn't thought so far ahead at all. His only concern was to snatch her; after that, it was up to fate. How to give His Majesty a plausible reason to explain it was not his concern. Were all those ritual cultivators just idling away their time?

Zhao Xing was just idly musing, having nothing else to do. How could Emperor Jing be an emperor who cared so much about 'face'? Marrying off the princess had already achieved his goal; after she was snatched back, he surely wouldn't force Princess Youruo to marry again. He was the type of person who wanted 'the goods but didn't want to pay for them.' Therefore, this plan was certainly feasible. If Emperor Jing had been dead set on marrying off Princess Youruo, then this entire affair wouldn't have been possible from the start; someone would have jumped out long ago to prevent him from leaving the Spiritual Void Blessed Land.

"The Blazing Light Royal Court's welcoming party has arrived at Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture and is waiting. It is rumored there are five first-rank Life Palace Realm experts, along with Prince Wan's brothers, seven second-rank leaders, and five hundred third-rank attendants."

"Kill as many as there are; it's best if we can eliminate them all," Zhao Xing said.

Liu Tianning nodded. This would also forge a deadly enmity with the Blazing Light Royal Court of the Southern Barbarians, effectively cutting off any path for betrayal. What better way to express loyalty than to form such a personal vendetta?

"Excellent!" Ji Che excitedly slapped his thigh. "It should be so! Kill them all!"

"Within Great Zhou territory, with powerful escorts, we certainly cannot act. According to protocol, upon reaching Yingyuan Prefecture, a small contingent of guards and an honor guard will accompany the princess to the Blazing Light Royal Court. When we snatch her, we must not harm our own people, and definitely not cause any deaths among them, not a single one."

Zhao Xing looked at Liu Tianning. By 'our own people,' he meant anyone from Great Zhou, regardless of their faction; none of them could be killed.

Liu Tianning understood Zhao Xing's meaning: "I won't act rashly."

While Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning were going to snatch the bride, naturally there would be others escorting them, facilitating the smooth progress of this matter. Given Liu Tianning's current strength and status, few influential figures would dare to interfere. Only powerful individuals from the Seventy-Two Dao Academies might dare to stop them.

But facing these people, Zhao Xing couldn't just let old Liu casually hack them down. He was here mainly to rein in Liu Tianning, to prevent him from going too far. This time was far more serious than when old Liu sought out Murong Qing years ago. Those coming weren't mere fourth or fifth-rank cultivators; they were at least high-ranked. If they truly acted in such a way, the nature of the act would be too severe.

Days passed, and soon Princess Youruo's ship had crossed the Canglan River and arrived at Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture for a stop.

At the same time, Zhao Xing and Liu Tianning also reached the riverside.

"Eldest Brother, why aren't we moving?" Ji Che asked, puzzled.

"You stay here and watch, just cheer us on." Zhao Xing brought over a huge ground mirror. "You know how to use this, right?"

"I can't go?" Ji Che patted his sword. "Eldest Brother, don't underestimate me, my sword has never failed! With my three-foot blade in hand, I can also kill some scoundrels!"

"You can send reconnaissance straw puppets with us, but you must stay here," Zhao Xing said.

Ji Che understood, but could only say helplessly, "Alright." He then put away his sword, pointed a finger, and immediately, intermediate-level straw puppets materialized within the ship's cabin.

The flying sacred shield suicide reconnaissance straw puppet, combining four techniques, Zhao Xing had only taught him up to the intermediate straw puppet method.

"Rise!" One after another, the straw puppets flew up. It seemed Ji Che was still unwilling to give up, creating dozens of them in one go. Even if he couldn't cross the river himself, having the puppets explode would be exciting!

Fearing Emperor Wu might develop rebellious thoughts, Zhao Xing specifically left a clone to accompany him.

Ji Che pouted, but could only reluctantly remain in Jiangbei City. As for his straw puppet clones, they continued forward.

Zhao Xing and his group weren't following the princess's route. After crossing the river, Princess Youruo was headed for Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture, while Zhao Xing and his disciple were heading into the southern barbarian buffer zone, an extremely harsh wasteland.

"The Southern Barbarian lands are actually this terrifying?" Ji Che, through the straw puppets, could see huge lightning serpents flashing in the sky and the ceaseless furious gale winds, marveling at the sight.

"This isn't truly terrifying," Zhao Xing explained. "It's not even the tip of the iceberg."

Staying in the nineteen prefectures felt distinctly different from staying in the Southern Barbarian regions. Terrifying astronomical phenomena were rarely seen within Great Zhou, but they were commonplace in the Southern Barbarian lands.

As soon as the two warships had traveled a hundred li past the river, Zhao Xing narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.

"Someone's coming."

Liu Tianning also gazed ahead. Although he was a first-rank, his divine soul was not as powerful as Zhao Xing's. Three breaths after Zhao Xing sensed them, he finally perceived the figures flickering within the thunderclouds ahead.

"Zhan Sanchen of Jinling Dao Academy," Liu Tianning said coldly. "He is Zhan Sigong's elder brother and also the Honorary Vice Dean of Jinling Dao Academy. A late-second-rank Sword Sect martial artist. He excels in the Four Divine Swords of Metal Spirit, having entered the Dao with the second-rank true intent 'Lesser Yin Metal,' and cultivated the 'Metal War Body.'" Zhao Xing turned and asked, "Was he also one of the bad guys back then?"

Liu Tianning snorted: "No, it was his younger brother. However, it couldn't have happened without his connivance. His younger brother was killed by me in the fifth year of Dazhi."

Ji Che's straw puppet immediately interjected between the two, its eyes constantly shining: "Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother, what does that mean? The bad guys back then? What other stories are there from back then?"

"Later," Zhao Xing pushed the straw puppet's head aside. "If you want to gossip, pick a time and place."

"Oh."

Zhao Xing looked at the figure in the thunderclouds: "Teacher, no need for you to trouble yourself. I'll handle this."

Liu Tianning nodded silently. It was indeed inappropriate for him to act. Murong Qing was a pain from his past, and he feared he might lose control and kill. It had nothing to do with whether he was lucid or not; Liu Tianning already harbored grudges against those people! They obstructed him once back then, and now again over two hundred years later? If Liu Tianning were truly to act, he'd be driven mad with rage if he wasn't already.

"Whoosh!" Zhao Xing shot out of the warship and flew into the clouds.

Seeing that it was Zhao Xing who flew out, Zhan Chen's eyes filled with disdain: "What, Liu Tianning killed my brother, and now he doesn't even have the courage to face me? He has to send his disciple to take a blade for him? He's quite brave when it comes to chasing women!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing knew this was an old hypocrite, utterly lacking foresight, failing to discern his cultivation realm. For such an old fool, Zhao Xing had no intention of engaging in conversation. His body began to copy and paste, and in the blink of an eye, twelve clones appeared, then merged into the clouds.

"Attacking a powerful figure proactively? Zhao Xing, you brought this upon yourself!" Zhan Chen roared, activating his Metal War Body. His qi and blood surged, and his body began to expand. Logically, after he manifested the third transformation of the Martial Dao Golden Body, his physique would become even larger, and his spell resistance would greatly increase.

He did grow larger, but not in the way Zhan Chen had intended. "Why did he not have the golden, shimmering Four Spirits Dharma Idol at all? And why had his nose become longer?"

Zhan Chen let out a confused sound, and the next second, a pig's squeal came from him. "Oink oink!"

Zhan Chen: "???"

He was completely dumbfounded. Rain fell from the clouds. A raindrop that flashed past his pig-like eyes reflected his current appearance: a large pig's head.

Zhan Chen immediately shrieked pitifully, struggling ceaselessly, but it was useless. Soon, a vine wrapped around its bulky body. The branches of the Floating Vine bound it tightly, and its leaves constricted, sealing its mouth and nostrils.

"Shhh~" Zhao Xing placed a finger to his lips, pointing with his other hand at a nearby clone: "Don't make noise, we're recording."

Zhan Chen looked, and indeed saw clones carrying large Echo Conches and Mirage Pearls, recording on site.

Zhan Chen: "!!!"

Zhao Xing smiled: "Zhan-what's-your-name? You wouldn't want your pig form to be seen by your disciples, grand-disciples, friends, and family, would you? If not, then don't make a sound. This Marquis is kind-hearted. As long as you behave, I won't do anything so outrageous, heh heh heh..."

Lightning illuminated Zhao Xing's face, revealing a sinister smile on his flickering features. That eerie sound made Zhan Chen's pig skin shiver, and the entire pig became docile.

Death wasn't scary; social death was terrifying! He realized what a huge mistake it was to come here! Liu Tianning was pure madness; at worst, he'd just die. But this disciple was damn terrifying!

Seeing Zhan Chen had become docile, Zhao Xing led him out of the clouds. He didn't send him to be imprisoned on old Liu's Golden Dragon Warship, but returned to the Wuyue Warship instead.

"Wow! What a huge golden fat pig!" Ji Che's straw puppet stood on the deck and was immediately stunned the moment it saw Zhan Chen. He had never seen such a large pig!

"Eldest Brother, is this the Boar Transformation Art you once mentioned, passed down from the first Grand Minister of Agriculture, Wu Cheng?" Ji Che asked with adoration in his eyes.

"Indeed." Zhao Xing nodded. "However, compared to Senior Wu Cheng, there's still a considerable gap. This is an Ultimate art, but I've only cultivated it to the top-tier perfection level. If it were the Ultimate level, he would be a true pig, with a body size like an ordinary pig. After seven days, he will completely transform into a pig. However, right now, its body is very large, and even as a pig, its combat strength is formidable; it could injure a nascent third-rank cultivator by ramming them."

Zhao Xing, using the Outer Cultivation Transformation Art, could at most reduce Zhan Chen's strength to this level. Of course, even this was terrifying. Zhan Chen was a late second-rank! Now, transformed into a pig, he couldn't even ram a third-rank to death, only injure them. Furthermore, his pig transformation would last for a full three months. From a certain perspective, although it lacked Wu Cheng's destructive power, it was undoubtedly a form of torment.

Ji Che, seeing this large fat pig, couldn't help but be extremely curious, touching it here and inspecting it there. He even flipped open Zhan Chen's pig ear to look. This made Zhan Chen desperately wish for death. However, he was bound tightly by the Floating Vine; the more he struggled, the tighter it constricted, until he finally had to completely give up resisting. "Anyway, it's already like this. Surely no one will be able to tell who he is, right?"

Zhao Xing dangled the Mirage Pearl and Echo Conch in front of Zhan Chen, signaling him to remain quiet. Zhan Chen's heart was ashes, and he lay motionless on the ground.

"Your studies these past years in seclusion have been truly profound," Liu Tianning said. Of course, he had witnessed the entire battle. However, he hadn't expected Zhao Xing's clones to also use the top-tier, Nine-Revolution Transformation Art, just one level shy of perfection. As for the pig transformation art, Liu Tianning didn't know it at all.

How could the Ultimate Outer Cultivation Transformation Art be so easy to cultivate? Only someone like Zhao Xing, proficient in all three factions, could master it completely, not just cultivate it, but also forge his own unique path, different from Wu Cheng's Dao.

"This is even more agonizing than killing him," Liu Tianning laughed delightedly. "Why did I never think of dealing with those old fogies this way before?"

The old guard of the Dao Academies valued those ancient rules extremely highly and were very concerned about their reputation. Zhan Chen must be suffering immensely right now.

"Teacher is upright and honest, with the heart of a child," Zhao Xing said. Liu Tianning could see injustice, rush into the dens of thieves and slaughter them all, but he wouldn't think of such tricks. But Master Zhao was different. What outrageous moves couldn't he pull off?

"That's truly something he would do." In Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture, high in the western sky, King Luo stood on the observation deck of the Juzi Palace. Ground mirrors filled the space before him. They monitored not only the princess's guard and the southern barbarians but also all unusual movements around Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture.

As a staunch advocate for war, King Luo never believed that a peace marriage could solve the Southern Barbarian problem. All his actions were based on the strategic idea that the Southern Barbarians were a mortal enemy. Therefore, surveillance was absolutely necessary. Of course, another point was that he also had to keep an eye on Liu Tianning and Zhao Xing. To prevent them from making any extreme moves that might anger Emperor Jing in his later years and lead to irreversible consequences.

"Grand Commandant, is this really alright?" Shao Sigong Lu Ying stared blankly at Zhan Chen, who had turned into a pig in the image.

"What's the problem? These few are currently operating outside the country in a private capacity. What problem could there be?"

Lu Ying said: "I'm worried that 'Zhan' won't be able to change back, which would be difficult to explain."

"Rest assured," King Luo said calmly. "Zhao Chen'an always knows his limits. Even Zhao Xing's impulsive act of scolding King Liang back then, in hindsight, was a display of great wisdom! Unfortunately, King Tianyan wouldn't get to see this scene. As for him and Ji Si, they couldn't get along, so he could only chat about old times with this Shao Sigong."

"Back then, he—"

The warships continued forward, as they were detouring around Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture to intercept from the south. The princess's escort route was simple and clear, so their interception route was also largely clear.

Before long, a second group blocked their path.

"Liu Tianning!" In a desert, three fiery red figures shot into the sky, quickly catching up to the warship.

"Cangyan Dao Academy. One of them is named 'Cang.' In the seventh year of Dazhi, I killed four vice deans of Cangyan Dao Academy. One of them was this junior martial brother named Cang. The other bald man wearing a Skyfire Dharma Robe is an engineer named 'Yan Yan.' As for the other person, I don't recognize him," Liu Tianning said, staring. "I've made too many enemies among the Dao Academy people; sometimes I don't even know why, and I'm too lazy to ask."

Zhao Xing laughed upon hearing this. This was Liu Tianning, completely unconcerned about the grudges of petty individuals. Although this lineup had three individuals, in terms of strength, they were inferior to Zhan Chen, with only one Heaven's Will Realm expert and the other two being third-rank.

Zhao Xing had no idea what was going on in their heads. Sacrificing their lives to test whether Liu Tianning would abide by the law? Truly bringing humiliation upon themselves.

"Transform into pigs!" Zhao Xing swiftly charged forward. As soon as the three men rushed into the sky, they transformed into three fiery red, hairless pigs. Fearing that these individuals might commit suicide to set a trap, Master Zhao also added a Thunder Primal Chaos Lock and bound them tightly.

During this process, he was still carrying the large Echo Conch and Mirage Pearl. (Sounds of distress) Zhao Xing also used the Sleepworm Art, extracting a few life-soul parasites from the three, keeping them for future use.

(Sound of a memory being extracted) "These three pigs are so ugly, red and black patches, no hair, simply hideous."

Ji Che's commentary filled Cang, Yan Yan, and the third person with shame and indignation, wishing they could die instantly. However, Zhao Xing had drawn out their drowsiness, making them all incredibly alert. Seeing Zhao Xing still carrying the Mirage Pearl and Echo Conch, they simply closed their eyes and pretended to be dead.

Fighting all the way, moving all the way. The number of pigs on the Wuyue Warship slowly increased, filling several cabins. Zhao Xing found it incredible to behold. "Old Liu truly offended many people. During his years as an inspector, just how many Dao Academy members did he deal with? Oh, and then there was the Dazhi Jiazi purge, counting the period when he went crazy. I wondered why he killed so many people in his previous life; it all makes sense now," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"If I were emperor, I'd also use old Liu to the fullest, and through Liu Tianning's hand, I could completely subjugate the Seventy-Two Dao Academies." An ordinary person couldn't withstand the retaliation of the Dao Academy forces. Liu Tianning was different; he had numerous clones, making retaliation impossible. Kill a clone? Go ahead! And I can conveniently charge you with assaulting an official. His main body remained in Shangluo Academy, making it difficult for Dao Academy members to successfully retaliate, no matter what they tried.

Zhao Xing fought fourteen battles, largely securing a precise capture each time. All were turned into pigs and imprisoned on the Wuyue Warship.

However, upon encountering the fifteenth wave of people, a first-rank Life Palace Realm expert finally appeared.

You Xuanfeng, dressed in a moon-white long robe, his sleeves fluttering, seemed to merge with the heavens and earth. His face was resolute, his eyes deep like stars.

"You Xuanfeng, Dean of Tianfeng Dao Academy, a first-rank Five Elements Divine Talisman Mage," Liu Tianning stood on the deck, looking ahead. He then shifted his gaze to the two individuals beside You Xuanfeng.

"Yao Wuji of Shenwu Academy, and Chen Ju of Moshou Dao Palace. The three of you cannot stop me."

Facing three first-rank Life Palace Realm experts, Liu Tianning stood with his hands behind his back, completely disregarding them. Zhao Xing also watched carefully. None of these three were newly ascended Life Palace Realm experts; they each occupied a section of the sky. Heaven and earth were under their control. If one didn't use their eyes, one would find these three indistinguishable from the surrounding elemental qi of heaven and earth.

"They can temporarily distort the rules of heaven and earth and have already formed their own Dao fields," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "These three are true masters."

Second-rank Heaven's Will Realm cultivators could only influence the rules of heaven and earth, and not significantly. But a first-rank Life Palace Realm cultivator could completely distort the rules of heaven and earth, forming a Dao field highly advantageous to themselves.

"Liu Tianning! You are too arrogant!" Yao Wuji, beside You Xuanfeng, immediately shouted, "Do you truly believe yourself invincible under heaven?"

"At least to you, I am invincible," Liu Tianning said indifferently.

Yao Wuji was furious and about to say more, but You Xuanfeng stopped him.

"Liu Tianning, you can disregard the three of us, but do you also disregard His Majesty? The princess's marriage to the southern barbarians is His Majesty's grand plan for peace. Do you truly believe you can do whatever you want?"

Liu Tianning evaded the question. He had long known that someone would bring up the imperial decree, so whenever such questions arose, he would not reply. He would simply start fighting.

"Swish! Swish!" Liu Tianning instantly flashed out of the Golden Dragon Warship.

"Buzz!" The first to move from the opposing side were not Yao Wuji, but You Xuanfeng and Chen Ju.

"Whoosh!" Ten thousand meters from Liu Tianning's warship, a total of ninety-nine divine talismans appeared.

"Forbidden Spell Talisman Array?" Zhao Xing's Wuyue Warship was far away and not within this range.

In reality, You Xuanfeng also didn't want to include Zhao Xing. Because to outsiders, Liu Tianning was the 'main culprit,' and Zhao Xing was at most an 'accomplice'; as a newly promoted second-rank, he wasn't truly regarded as a threat. Nor would they bully such a junior. If something really happened to Zhao Xing, no one could withstand the wrath of the Three Factions of Ministers of Agriculture. Even Emperor Jing wouldn't allow Zhao Xing, who was researching the Heaven's Divination Art, to be harmed.

"It should be called the Primordial Forbidden Spell Talisman Grand Array," You Xuanfeng said, pointing. The divine talismans enclosing the Golden Dragon Warship emitted terrifying primal energy fluctuations and began to spin rapidly. When their speed reached a certain point, they completely vanished from sight, disappearing into the air. "Within my Primordial Forbidden Spell Talisman Array, no one except the caster can use spells. Every divine talisman here has been refined by ancient sages for hundreds of years. Liu Tianning, stop now."

You Xuanfeng stared at Liu Tianning: "For the princess, for yourself, and for the peace of Great Zhou."

Zhao Xing watched quietly, while Ji Che shouted loudly: "To hell with your hypocritical self! Why don't you send your own mother or sister to make peace through marriage? You fancy yourselves emissaries of peace, cowardly and afraid of battle, yet now you use such techniques against your own people! Shameless!" Unfortunately, his shouts couldn't reach them at all; he could only angrily kick the fat pig's backside to vent his frustration. "Oink!" Zhan Chen's nostrils immediately snorted twice. "Who did I offend? I haven't even said anything, why are you taking it out on me?"

Zhao Xing operated the Wuyue Warship, and the Fire Source Divine Cannon and Divine Dragon Sky Sword immediately aimed at You Xuanfeng.

Sensing the presence of a 'heavy weapon,' Chen Ju immediately turned his head and glanced at Zhao Xing.

"Marquis Shenwei, do not be impulsive."

As he spoke, Chen Ju flicked a directional stacked compass at his waist. The next moment, Zhao Xing discovered that the weapon arrays on his warship had lost their effect.

"Damn!" He almost forgot that these things were invented by the Artisan family. To use this to fight was truly like 'wielding a large saber in front of Guan Gong'—showing off in front of an expert.

"An expert in internal strife, indeed." Zhao Xing abandoned the idea of using the warship. There was no way around it. Chen Ju was a first-rank Artificer, and the cultivation method he practiced would eventually give birth to a special existence within him called 'Immeasurable Juzi.' Just like the Minister of Agriculture's Seasonal Edicts, pure primal soil, or Five Elements particles. Chen Ju also practiced the Dao Soldier lineage; he could manipulate miniature spell matrices, even those of enemies. This was only possible for Artificers in the Dao Soldier lineage who had cultivated 'Immeasurable Juzi.' Someone like King Shenluo, who followed the Shenluo lineage, couldn't do it. In other words, Chen Ju was an 'Id' faction Artificer, and a highly talented one at that!

However, Zhao Xing was only putting on a show to add some excitement; he didn't believe old Liu's 'Number One Under Heaven' reputation was mere boast. If Liu Tianning were trapped by You Xuanfeng's single move, then his re-cultivation would truly have been in vain.

As expected, Liu Tianning did not disappoint him.

"The Five Elements Primordial Forbidden Spell Talisman can restrict Heavenly Timing Arts and Earthly Advantage Arts, but it cannot restrict the Id Art." Liu Tianning was not only unperturbed, but his clone on the Wuyue Warship even began teaching Zhao Xing on the spot: "He tries to bind with the rules of heaven and earth, unaware that Id Faction Ministers of Agriculture are inherently a universe unto themselves, fundamentally needing no power from heaven and earth."

After speaking, a shadow quickly spread over Liu Tianning's Golden Dragon Warship. The originally hidden divine talismans reappeared, forming a dazzling spherical array.

"Crack, crack, crack." Suddenly, sharp spikes emerged from the divine talismans, pressing against them. Pure Primal projections were cast directly onto those ninety-nine divine talismans.

"Ninth-rank Sky-Horned Bamboo!" Zhao Xing stared intently. Around Liu Tianning, seven bare bamboo stalks appeared. Each bamboo stalk was exceptionally thick, and there were seven colors in total, corresponding to the seven powers of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder.

"Whoosh~" You Xuanfeng clapped his hands together, and the sphere created by the divine talisman array began to rotate chaotically. However, as his divine talismans rotated, Liu Tianning's seven bamboo stalks also moved with the projections.

"The Sky-Horned Bamboo is said to be able to pierce a hole even in the sky. These seven types of Sky-Horned Bamboo possess the Five Elements, wind, and thunder. Every time I push against his divine talisman, the Sky-Horned Bamboo absorbs its power." Liu Tianning taught: "He changes, and I change. I use Metal Bamboo to counter Wood talismans, Wood Bamboo to counter Earth talismans, Earth Bamboo to counter Water talismans, Water Bamboo to counter Fire talismans, Fire Bamboo to counter Metal talismans— His divine talisman's power level is still above that of the Sky-Horned Bamboo. However, the power of the divine talismans is finite, while the Sky-Horned Bamboo can absorb power from outside the divine talismans and from within the pure primal soil. It cycles endlessly; he simply cannot trap me. This method comes from the Ministry of Military Affairs' 'Sky-Horned Five Elements Array-Breaking Art.' Not only Sky-Horned Bamboo, but other divine woods and immortal branches of various systems can also follow this method to break talisman arrays."

Zhao Xing nodded, watching intently. You Xuanfeng looked quite strained at this moment, yet Liu Tianning still had the presence of mind to speak to him, clearly indicating that everything was under his control. The Id Faction doesn't just have Myriad Dharma Clones! It also possesses wondrous plant soldiers.

Zhao Xing had previously participated in the Impossible Training, and knew that such spell arrays had their limits. Moreover, if it could truly restrict Liu Tianning's Myriad Dharma Clones, old Liu's current clone wouldn't be able to speak. Clearly, this Dean You was still a bit lacking. His hands waved into blurs, yet he still couldn't make the divine talisman array close in and completely seal Liu Tianning. Instead, the area expanded further and further. Like a breathing jellyfish, but constantly expanding overall!

"Dean You, I'll help you!" Yao Wuji instantly transformed into a streak of light, attempting to enter the battlefield. However, before he could enter the battlefield, he was struck away by a vine.

"Thump!" A distinct dent appeared on Yao Wuji's black battle armor, leaving the imprint of a vine. Floating Vine! Unlike Zhao Xing's green Floating Vine, Liu Tianning's Floating Vine was blood-red. Both were ninth-rank, but clearly, old Liu's vine was far more ferocious!

Seeing that his companions couldn't contain Liu Tianning, Chen Ju was about to make a move. Zhao Xing immediately transmitted a warning: "Chen Ju, don't be impulsive either! Otherwise, you will regret it endlessly!"

Chen Ju stopped his movement, looking back with a glance: "Marquis Shenwei, what do you mean by that?"

Zhao Xing snorted: "Are you feigning ignorance? As a first-rank powerhouse of Moshou Academy, you should know that what I brought back was not just that giant divine weapon for King Shenluo." Chen Ju's expression changed. Zhao Xing knew at a glance that he was aware of the Fuming Furnace. He immediately transmitted another message: "Chen Ju, I don't care whether your philosophy is peace or war. Such a miraculous object as the Fuming Furnace has fallen into your Artisan family's hands; you should at least remember my kindness!"

Chen Ju had intended to feign ignorance, but now he couldn't maintain the pretense at all. He immediately sighed and said, "Since Marquis Shenwei puts it that way, Chen Ju will no longer interfere. However, I must also advise Marquis Shenwei: do not act stubbornly