Clad in a body of black armor with his knife, Lu Changkong stood upright, his waist as straight as a spear towering over the city wall.

　　Beside him, Luo Yue looked solemn. His squinted eyes were fixated on the end of the horizon outside the city.

　　"Old man, worried about Cheng Zi?"

　　Lu Changkong said as he turned his head and took a glance at Luo Yue.

　　Luo Yue's cold face remained solemn.

　　"He's come this far from being a mere soldier. I believe he has a clear idea."

　　"Furthermore, it is an honor for him to be able to die for Beiluo."

　　Luo Yue stated.

　　"With the emergence of the Immortal encounter, many parties, from philosophers and authors, county mayors, to the emperor and Imperial Advisor of the capital, have sent people to get their hands on it… This is a storm that has swept the entire Great Zhou Dynasty."

　　Lu Changkong remarked.

　　"City Master, everyone is fighting for the Immortal encounter. The pressure on the Great Zhou Dynasty should be greatly reduced."

　　Luo Yue had voiced out the one doubt in his heart.

　　Now that the Immortal encounter had appeared and many powerful parties had gone to pursue it, shouldn't the pressure on the Great Zhou Dynasty be reduced?

　　Lu Changkong stared off into the end of the horizon, his eyes deep with thought.

　　"Do you think the appearance of the Immortal encounter will slow down the situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty now?"

　　"You're wrong…"

　　"The Immortal encounter is a huge variable that can affect the situation around the world. It can nurture cultivators, and once the number of cultivators increases, it will bring about a change in the nature of the war."

　　"It's not obvious at the initial stages of the Immortal encounter yet, but the longer the time pa.s.ses, the more the war situation will be inclined toward forces that have nurtured more cultivators."

　　Lu Changkong said.

　　At the end of the horizon, horses were galloping and raising the dust on the ground.

　However, he did not stop talking and instead continued o, "It's impossible for all forces to stop fighting and make peace. Therefore, only by quickly deciding the outcome of the Great Zhou Dynasty—whether it is the destruction of the Great Zhou Dynasty or the annihilation of the rebel forces—can the other party free up their hands to control the cultivators in the world."

　　Luo Yue listened to Lu Changkong's words, not fully understanding what he had meant.

　　"But how could the war end so easily? Six cities are guarding the capital city, and the allied forces may not be able to easily break through the six cities to attack the imperial capital."

　　"In my humble opinion, I think the war will probably last another five or six years."

　　Luo Yue said.

　　"Five or six years?" Lu Changkong laughed.

　　"But others are unwilling to."

　　"The Great Zhou Dynasty is backed by Confucianism, while the Mohists, who had never dealt with Confucianism, spread their disciples to the forces of the counties. Only by overthrowing the rule of the Great Zhou Dynasty and establis.h.i.+ng a new dynasty can the Mohists implement their ways of thinking."

　　"In fact, everything is now under the control of the Mohists. The Mohists' network has spread all over the world and is nibbling away at the Great Zhou Dynasty step by step... But the appearance of the Immortal encounter is like an open flame that has lit up on their network. If the Mohists are not careful enough, this network of theirs will be burned to ashes, and all their calculations will come to nothing."

　　Lu Changkong shook his head as he looked at the galloping horses faraway and said, "With the demise of the first generation of Mohist giants, today's Mohists are becoming worse than previous generations. Their original intentions have been swallowed by ambition, and they are no longer the same."

　　******

　　The horse carriage shook as it moved.

　　Xiang Shaoyun was inside the carriage under the guard of a group of soldiers, preparing to withdraw back to the West County.

　　Inside the carriage, Luo Mingsang was wearing a plain white dress and holding a handkerchief in her hands and rubbing Xiang Shaoyun's wounds.

　　At the Immortal Palace, Xiang Shaoyun had donned the thickest armor but suffered the most painful beatings.

　　In the quiet carriage, he closed his eyes and enjoyed Luo Mingsang's service as he studied the immortal cultivation technique acquired from the Immortal Palace in his mind.

　　Suddenly…

　　The horses started neighing loudly.

　　Instantly Xiang Shaoyun opened his eyes and jolted.

　　His eyes were sharp like that of arrows that were ready to tear the sky apart.

　　He placed his hands on Luo Mingsang's shoulder. "You stay in the carriage."

　　Xiang Shaoyun said.

　　A look of worry appeared on Luo Mingsang's beautiful face as she hesitated.

　　"They're only bandits. What have I got to fear?"

　　Xiang Shaoyun smiled confidently.

　　After that, he walked out of the carriage.

　　The coachman was dead.

　　He had been nailed to the door by an arrow.

　　Outside the mountain ridge, countless soldiers stood along the edge, many of them generals whose blood was boiling.

　　Xiang Shaoyun took a quick glance and estimated that there were approximately five to six thousand of them.

　　After a chaotic round of arrows, only less than a hundred remained of Xiang Shaoyun's armored hors.e.m.e.n from the West County.

　　A hundred versus five thousand...

　　There were also Grandmasters and many First Tier martial arts pract.i.tioners on the enemy side.

　　"Mayor!"

　　Right at the moment that Xiang Shaoyun got off the carriage, a general glared at him with angered eyes.

　　"I'll wait for him to fall into the trap!"

　　"These are the soldiers and horses of Liu He, the Mayor of Pingyang County! "

　　"I'll wait to guard the mayor when he fights his way out of the siege!"

　　The soldiers of West County were brave and fearless folks, but the current situation was too desperate.

　　Somewhere far away…

　　A flag was flying.

　　Someone dressed in silver and white was looking at Xiang Shaoyun among the many generals.

　　"Sure enough... the Overlord is seriously injured after acquiring the Immortal encounter. This is a rare chance to get rid of him."

　　Dressed in a silver and white uniform, Liu He, the Mayor of Pingyang County, chuckled.

　　He held a small flag in his hand and raised it gently. All at once, the soldiers in the mountain raised their spears and readied their bows.

　　"How did you know that I was seriously injured? How did you also know my return route when I'd already changed it?"

　　Xiang Shaoyun looked at Liu He.

　　"Someone will naturally tell you when you're in the netherworld."

　　He chuckled and then gave his flag a wave.

　　"Kill!"

　　"Anyone who gets the Overlord's head will be rewarded with 12,000 silver!"

　　The words echoed.

　　The cries of battle shook the sky.

　Arrows flew past one after another.

　　The mountains roared with Qi and blood, and the Resonance Grandmaster reverberated.

　　It was as though the sky was spinning, startling the birds within the mountains.

　　Xiang Shaoyun's burly body suddenly looked a little sullen, and he slowly closed his eyes.

　　He had already guessed the outcome for many things.

　　"Uncle, from today onward, the Xiangs and the Mohists... will no longer have anything to do with each other."

　　Xiang Shaoyun opened his eyes at once, his eyes sharp.

　　Grabbing his giant ax and s.h.i.+eld from his back with two hands, he swung violently.

　　The swing landed on the arrows flying in the air, slicing them into two halves.

　　"Where are my West County warriors?!

　　"Do you dare to kill the enemy with me?!"

　　Xiang Shaoyun roared, his black hair flowing and his eyes murderous.

　　The eyes of the hundred soldiers and generals behind Xiang Shaoyun reddened as they roared back in response. They waved their weapons and got their game face on as they charged forth.

　　A hundred versus five thousand...

　　They were brave and fearless, unafraid of death.

　　Xiang Shaoyun was as fierce as tigers and wolves as an army of soldiers charged toward him, drowning him in the midst of it.

　　With a swing of his long ax, a strong gust of wind swept over the soldiers.

　　The long spears in the soldiers' hands had been sliced in two, and a few dozen soldiers had been sent flying.

　　The Grandmaster, under the command of Pingyang County's mayor, together with nearly ten First Tier military generals, surrounded to kill Xiang Shaoyun.

　　The setting sun was like crimson blood, spilling from the horizon and was.h.i.+ng over the whole battlefield.

　　Blood splattered for several meters, and corpses were sprawled everywhere.

　　On the slope…

　　The expression on the Pingyang County Mayor Liu He's face was monstrous. He had waved his flag again and again and had yelled, "Kill!" so many times that his voice was now hoa.r.s.e.

　　Beside him, a certain soldier comforted him time and again.

　　"No matter how strong Xiang Shaoyun is, he is still a martial arts pract.i.tioner. Even if he is a Great Grandmaster, he cannot block the attacks of a thousand soldiers!

　　"The Overlord is doomed to shed blood today!"

　　Around Xiang Shaoyun's horse carriage, dead bodies had stacked one after another.

　　Even the carriage had been drenched in the crimson.

　　Xiang Shaoyun's giant ax and s.h.i.+eld danced in the air as he killed the enemies, rendering them unable to get near the carriage.

　　He was panting like a dragon. After all, he was human. His arms felt heavy, like they had been filled with lead.

　　However, his surroundings were densely packed, and countless soldiers were still continuing to charge forward.

　　All the armored hors.e.m.e.n of the West County had perished, and even the horses had been killed with spears.

　　Numerous First and Second Tier generals had been pierced through with spears and were kneeling on the ground.

　　Their expressions before they died as they looked at Xiang Shaoyun were fanatical and regretful.

　　Xiang Shaoyun's eyes reddened in an instant. He had once prided himself as the best in martial arts.

　　He was a genius, a natural commander.

　　However…

　　As he faced this desperate situation before him now, he could only hate himself for being weak and powerless.

　　If only he could be stronger!

　　He could be as powerful as an Immortal!

　　Xiang Shaoyun growled, his Spirit Qi swirling in his Qi Core. His giant ax spun at great speed, and countless blood splashed everywhere.

　　His Spirit Qi had been released, exploding a s.p.a.ce of emptiness around him.

　　However, he had only five wisps of Spirit Qi. After killing hundreds of people, his Qi Core was now absolutely empty.

　　Inside the carriage…

　　Luo Mingsang lifted the curtain with a long slender sword in her hand. Her long dress fluttered in the air as she flew toward Xiang Shaoyun and blocked in front of him.

　　In just a few moments, her dress had been soaked with blood.

　　"Shaoyun…"

　　Luo Mingsang leaned beside Xiang Shaoyun.

　　Xiang Shaoyun looked at Luo Mingsang, who was covered in blood. He had been fearless initially, but suddenly, panic and fear showed on his face.

　　He was afraid that the woman before him would end up as a cold body, and he was afraid that the sweet voice and smile of the woman would vanish like fireworks.

　　He slung his giant ax and s.h.i.+eld as his mind rapidly processed the Righteousness Spirit Transmission Technique that he had acquired from the Immortal Palace. He was going to recover his Spirit Qi. He was going to protect those he wanted to protect.

　　"Come on! I want Spirit Qi!"

　　Xiang Shaoyun's eyes were bloodshot as he downed a soldier with every swing of his giant axe. He was panting heavily as he let out a growl.

　　Madly, he transmitted his Spirit Qi according to the Righteousness Spirit Transmission Technique and suppressed the potential inside of him.

　　He looked at Luo Mingsang, who had been overwhelmed by the soldiers.

　　He was scared. He looked up toward the sky and shouted.

　　Boom!

　　All of a sudden…

　　With a loud bang, Xiang Shaoyun's body shuddered.

　　******

　　Beiluo Lake Island.

　　The setting sun was red like blood spilling across the s.h.i.+mmering lake of Beiluo. The fis.h.i.+ng boats were drifting, and the fishermen were casting their nets to capture fish. The blowing wind occasionally carried with it the loud songs sung by the fishermen.

　　Huddled in a wheelchair, Lu Fan was pleasingly enjoying the sunset and lake view when suddenly, his eyebrows slightly twitched.

　　Before his eyes, the system prompt had popped up.

　　[Xiang Shaoyun detected to have reversed the " Righteousness Spirit Transmission Technique." Meets requirements of "Demonification," able to condense demon type..."

　　["Please select to remove "Demonification" or to create "Demonic Cultivation."]

　　The setting sun shone on Lu Fan's face, reflecting his stunned expression.

　　Lu Fan's eyes were fixed as his consciousness moved, and the pictures before his eyes began to fly by quickly.

　　Immediately, he saw the scene from hundreds of miles away.

　　A sea of blood and corpses everywhere...