Remould the Glory of Sword Art-Chapter 1224 - 42: The Final Act of Li (Part 3)_2
All night long.
He battled fiercely with Miao Zhen and Hidden Cicada.
Despite facing two enemies alone, Nalan Xuance did not fall into a disadvantage.
Fan Yin Temple exerted all efforts to confine him near the Imperial City.
Nalan Xuance had set a large net in the Crown Prince Mansion beforehand, delighting in success and happily engaging with the Iron Curtain.
That night.
Miao Zhen clashed over a hundred times with the Iron Curtain with the Great Trend Dao Realm, ultimately causing cracks in the Dao Realm. His Lifebound Dao would require at least a year of repair to barely be usable again.
As for Hidden Cicada.
Though this young celestial prodigy had extraordinary talent and practiced Leakage-Free Communication, he too paid a painful price.
The Impermeable Golden Body was shattered by slashing from the Iron Curtain.
This Divine Skill was essentially broken and had to start anew.
It can be said that Hidden Cicada has now fallen below the Yang God Realm, retreating back to the Yin God Realm...
"This is good news..."
Nalan Qiutong’s eyes brightened, responding instinctively: "The two strongest ’walkers’ of Fan Yin Temple have been severely injured by you..."
Fan Yin Temple’s main sect still has a Yang God Great Virtue sitting in place.
But that old monk couldn’t leave the sect.
Miao Zhen and Hidden Cicada were both severely injured.
Fan Yin Temple couldn’t dispatch a Yang God Realm main force to the outside...
Now, they couldn’t find even one!
"Good news..."
Nalan Xuance looked at the devastated courtyard, and with a self-deprecating smile, said: "You’re calling this...good news?"
Nalan Qiutong suddenly remained silent.
She didn’t know what to say.
The battle of the Imperial City was a great victory.
If... Luo Lie manages to hold the Crown Prince Mansion, then tonight would truly be a joyous conclusion!
Unfortunately.
The preparations in the Crown Prince Mansion ended in complete failure.
"Chen Chong escaped. Xie Xuanyi saved him."
After pondering for a long time, Nalan Qiutong gritted her teeth and actively admitted fault: "Master...it’s my incompetence..."
"..."
Nalan Xuance looked at his disciple.
His gaze was very complex, mostly helpless, with only a hint of resentment and reluctance.
Could he truly place tonight’s blame on Qiutong?
Since becoming his disciple.
Nalan Qiutong had practiced Magic on Xuanwei Island for merely over twenty years.
After coming into the world, though she reached the top of the Heavenly Pride List, surpassing her young peers in Great Chu, how could she compare to a millennium prodigy like Xie Xuanyi?
Nalan Xuance had a balance in mind.
His favored disciple was already very good.
"Tonight’s fault is not yours."
Nalan Xuance sighed and slowly said: "You shouldn’t feel guilty, you all...stop kneeling."
With that said, he flicked his sleeve.
An invisible powerful energy lifted the two of them.
Nalan Qiutong felt ashamed to accept it, her expression unwilling.
Flower Master showed a fearful gaze.
"Alright, don’t worry, no punishment will come from Qian State for tonight’s matter."
Nalan Xuance said with a heavy heart: "I don’t blame you for Chen Chong’s escape."
The keeper he had set was never Hua Fang, nor Nalan Qiutong.
It was Luo Lie.
"Master..."
Nalan Qiutong hesitated to speak: "Master Luo wouldn’t..."
Some words were already at the tongue.
But hard to utter.
Nalan Qiutong could only speak half and stop there.
"..."
Nalan Xuance silently looked at the shadow cradled in his arms, woven with soul lines, regenerating a head one circle after another. He reached out his palm, gently and tenderly stroking the newborn head’s feature of the shadow.
The residual Great Dao aura on the neck.
Belonged to the Path of Destruction...
Moreover, it was the Path of Destruction achievement of Great Success!
This sword qi, exuding a solitary destructive intent, was really too evident.
Under the heavens.
Only one person had cultivated such a sword intent.
"Yes. Luo Lie betrayed."
After a long silence.
Nalan Xuance finally spoke.
At this moment, the Da Li National Master, embracing a shattered puppet, had a slightly hunched back, appearing very tired.
He slowly let out a breath.
Just one night.
He had personally experienced two betrayals in succession.
Chen Chong. Luo Lie.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the fame, power, and status of these two men...are enough to change the fate of a nation!
Betrayal by such prominent figures is an extremely fatal backstab.
Countless black lines fell down.
Under the cover of the Iron Curtain, it was impossible to distinguish whether it was rainwater or soul lines...
Nalan Xuance looked up.
His pupils briefly turned blank, unfocused, empty.
The game had reached this point.
He would absolutely not allow himself to harbour emotions like "regret," "guilt," or "reflection."
Having practiced the Xuanwei Technique for so many years, wielding the Iron Curtain, Nalan Xuance understood better than ninety-nine percent of people in the world...that such seemingly accidental major betrayals are often the inevitable outcome of long-standing intentions. He did not want to waste time revisiting and pondering whether if Luo Lie had not been dispatched to guard the Inner Court, or if Chen Chong had not been summoned back urgently, the situation would be better.
Meaningless.
To say there wasn’t even a shred of "regret" would be impossible.
The defection of Chen Chong and Luo Lie meant that the previously advantageous situation for Qian State shifted dramatically overnight—
Everything that ensued would now be filled with uncertainty.
He still had confidence in achieving ultimate victory.
However.
The ninety percent confidence he once had was now reduced to seventy percent...or perhaps even less...
Nalan Xuance had vaguely sensed it.
Everything that had happened recently in Li Kingdom seemed like a meticulously constructed grand scheme. The military mutiny at Xuanbei Pass, the backstab of the Chongzhou Iron Cavalry, the defection of the One Strike Sect—these seemingly accidental incidents were actually inevitable ones succeeding each other...if there was a Chess Player orchestrating this grand scheme from the shadows, then that person must be from Fan Yin Temple.
Was it that rising star who inherited the Tanluan Buddha Bones, the Zen master’s legacy?
Manipulating the winds and clouds of Li Kingdom using the Cause and Effect Dao Realm.
If that were truly the case, then Nalan Xuance could assert that the "blow" at the Crown Prince Mansion tonight is definitely not the end.
"I should have been more ruthless."
Nalan Xuance sighed deeply.
"Is Master regretting...not directly killing Chen Chong?"
Nalan Qiutong saw this expression on his master’s face for the first time.
"Chen Chong..."
Nalan Xuance shook his head, stating, "Chen Chong is formidable, but ultimately, he does not determine the outcome of this battle."
Yuan Province, Yu State, Wu State—
Since he dared to allocate these three regions to Chen Chong, he wasn’t afraid of Chen Chong’s rebellion; even with a formidable force of a hundred thousand iron cavalry, Qian State could cope.
In his view, the truly lethal person was not Chen Chong, not Han Li, nor Xie Xuanyi.
It was Mi Yun!
"A few days ago, I sent you to investigate the Buddhist secret agents at Xuanbei Pass."
Nalan Xuance said hoarsely, "Truly, with all the complex matters in the Imperial City Capital, I did not use the Iron Curtain in advance for prediction this time..."
If he had calculated the exact whereabouts of that young Buddha’s son, how could there be so much trouble today?
Nalan Xuance would rather set Xuanbei Pass ablaze.
Or perhaps.
Relentlessly hand over Xuanbei Pass to the Demon Country.
As long as that young Buddha’s son dies, the upcoming battle in Wu State would hold no suspense.
Chen Chong and Luo Lie were enormous stones pried on this cause and effect line...
Though the falling boulder is indeed fatal.
But the one who pried the boulder is the truly lethal foundation!
"You all, withdraw."
Nalan Xuance said no more.
He waved his sleeve, signaling Nalan Qiutong and the Flower Master to leave.
The two exchanged a glance, stunned, as they failed to utter any words of comfort. With a bit of helplessness and relief, they reluctantly left the Inner Court.
"..."
The mansion fell back into deathly silence.
Nalan Xuance slowly rose, holding the withered puppet, bathed in the heavy rain.
He quietly raised his head, looking at the dark curtain he had woven with his own hands at the Heavenly Peak.
The rain suddenly intensified.
Countless soul lines, radiating a crystal-clear white light, draped over his shoulders. These soul lines didn’t bounce off but merged into Nalan Xuance’s body.
Throughout all these years.
This was the first time Nalan Xuance used the Iron Curtain to such an extent.
Not to kill the enemy.
But to...conduct a prediction.
This is the least proficient field among the many complex schools of thought within the study of the Xuanwei Technique.
To use the Iron Curtain for a prediction, the consumed fortune is two to three times that of other magic, and the consumption varies dramatically based on the difficulty of the prediction target.
Nalan Xuance extended a hand.
His palm plunged into the dense soul lines.
As if it was inserted into the heart of the heavenly dome.
He tried his utmost to see clearly.
The greatest gamble of his life...
What fate it would ultimately meet.
