novelhk Chapter 436 Conquest of Strength
Chapter 436 Conquest of Strength
Seeing that the "Chaotic Maze" was gradually taking control of everyone's minds, Qiu Tianya smiled slightly.
He slowly took out a small, exquisite pagoda from his bosom—the Spirit Suppressing Pagoda.
The tower is entirely dark gold, and each level is covered with complex and mysterious runes, as if it contains the most primal power of heaven and earth.
"This is the legendary Spirit-Suppressing Pagoda?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Yun Youzi's eyes.
"I never thought I would see it with my own eyes today."
Qiu Tianya nodded. "That's right. It has sealed countless evil spirits. Today, let it test just how powerful your Chaos Maze Array really is."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Youzi waved his hand gently, and an invisible force instantly swept around.
The once clear sky and earth became blurred, as if the whole world had been shattered into chaos.
The Spirit Suppressing Pagoda hummed in Qiu Tianya's hands, emitting dazzling golden light.
These golden lights pierced the chaos like sharp swords, gradually cutting through the distorted space.
"Hmph! You think a mere mortal artifact can break my formation?"
Yun Youzi snorted coldly, his hand seals moved faster, and the power of the Chaos Illusion Array suddenly increased.
The surrounding scenery became even more bizarre, sometimes a desolate desert, sometimes a turbulent sea.
There are even cities engulfed in flames and frigid lands covered in ice and snow.
However, none of this could shake Qiu Tianya's resolve.
He closed his eyes, and with a thought, the Spirit Suppressing Tower suddenly expanded, soaring straight into the sky.
In an instant, a dazzling golden light shot into the sky, directly tearing apart the core of the Chaos Maze Array.
"How is this possible..."
Yun Youzi's expression changed drastically; he felt his formation rapidly collapsing.
At that very moment, Qiu Tianya opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.
"Yun Youzi, your formation is exquisite, but it is ultimately no match for a true treasure."
With a final roar, the Chaotic Maze completely collapsed, revealing Yun Youzi's somewhat disheveled figure.
He shook his head with a wry smile. "What a magnificent Spirit Suppression Tower. It truly lives up to its reputation. Qiu Tianya, you win."
Qiu Tianya put away the Spirit Suppressing Pagoda and said calmly:
“You wicked man, if you produce the antidote, I may spare your life. But if you continue to commit evil deeds, you will not be allowed to live in this world.”
"Don't even think about it," Yun Youzi said, trying to escape.
After saying that, Qi Yuxuan, Qiu Langyu and Leng Feng unleashed their longswords simultaneously, and three sharp sword lights streaked across the night sky like meteors, heading straight for Yun Youzi.
Yun Youzi chuckled lightly, waved his folding fan, and created a gust of wind that temporarily neutralized the three men's attack.
"This young man is indeed quite capable."
Yun Youzi's lips curled slightly, but his tone carried a hint of mockery.
"But do you think this will force me to hand over the antidote?"
Before he finished speaking, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his figure transformed into a phantom, moving freely between the three of them.
Qi Yuxuan made the first move, his longsword dancing like a dragon, its edge flashing with cold light wherever it went;
Qiu Langyu was known for his speed, and every thrust was incredibly precise.
Leng Feng's swordsmanship is steady and powerful, each move seemingly capable of splitting the earth.
The three worked together seamlessly, launching a continuous barrage of attacks that kept Yun Youzi firmly trapped in the center.
However, even so, Yun Youzi remained at ease. His movements seemed casual, yet he always managed to avoid a fatal blow at just the right moment.
After a brief struggle, Yun Youzi's breathing became erratic, and he was clearly running out of energy.
He was secretly alarmed: "These three kids are even more troublesome than I imagined!"
However, he remained outwardly calm, dodging and looking for an opportunity to retaliate.
Just then, Qi Yuxuan shouted, "Now!"
The three exchanged a glance and simultaneously quickened their attack.
Qi Yuxuan was responsible for restraining Yun Youzi's upper body, Qiu Langyu attacked from the side, and Leng Feng took the opportunity to circle around to the back, waiting for the chance to launch a fatal blow.
Yun Youzi sensed the approaching danger and hurriedly dodged, but he was still a step too late.
With a clang, three longswords were almost simultaneously placed against his neck, their cold blades pressed against his skin, rendering him unable to move.
"Bring out the antidote for the One-Month Soul-Severing Pill!"
Qi Yuxuan said coldly, his gaze fixed on Yun Youzi like a knife.
Yun Youzi's expression changed slightly, but he did not respond immediately.
He slowly raised his head, revealing a meaningful smile:
What if I say no?
"you dare!"
Qiu Langyu roared, "We won't let you leave here alive!"
Leng Feng remained silent, but gently increased the force of his sword, forcing Yun Youzi to bow his head and admit defeat.
Yun Youzi sighed, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes:
"Alright, since you're so persistent, I'll tell you... However, the antidote isn't with me."
Upon hearing this, all three were taken aback.
Where is it?
“I can prepare the antidote. Please allow me one or two days to prepare it,” said Yun Youzi.
"Whether what he said is true or false is unknown, but we can give it a try," Qiu Tianya said as he walked over.
The group then went to Yun Youzi's basement, the very place where Li Cunxu had imprisoned Qi Yuxuan.
Li Cunxu was particularly careful and ordered his guards to use a deadly lock on him.
Based on Yun Youzi's oral instructions, Zhao Wanqing prepared an antidote for the One-Month Soul-Severing Pill.
Yun Youzi had tried to escape, but to no avail. The powerful force of the Deadly Lock forced him to cooperate with Zhao Wanqing in preparing the medicine.
After two days and one night of hard work, the antidote was successfully prepared, and after Qiu Ziyue took it, the poison in her body gradually disappeared.
Li Cunxu spared Yun Youzi's life for the time being, but still imprisoned him in the basement.
Meanwhile, after careful treatment, Qiu Ziyue's eyesight was restored, and everyone was overjoyed.
Qiu Tianya and Qiu Ruoshui bid farewell and returned to the Valley of Passion.
Things calmed down in Jinyang City for a while, and Qiu Ziyue continued to recuperate at the Prince of Jin's residence.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qiu Ziyue advised Li Cunxu to cease hostilities and reward his troops, and to appoint Zhou Dewei as the military governor of Zhenwu and co-prime minister.
At the same time, he ordered the prefectures and counties to recommend virtuous and talented people, dismiss the corrupt and cruel, reduce taxes, care for the poor and orphans, redress grievances, prohibit theft and robbery, and train soldiers, and the region was greatly governed.
After this reorganization, Jinyang became politically stable, its economy developed, its soldiers became highly trained, and its strength greatly increased.
In December of the fourth year of Kai Ping of the Later Liang Dynasty (910), Zhao Wang Rong, the military governor of Chengde, was attacked by Zhu Wen and hurriedly sought help from Li Cunxu.
Qiu Ziyue and others offered advice to Li Cunxu.
Li Cunxu led his army to set up camp near Baixiang, and then ordered Zhou Dewei and others to lead Hu cavalry to approach Liang's camp to challenge them, but Liang did not move his troops.
Therefore, Li Cunxu ordered his troops to break camp and advance again, setting up camp 5 li north of the Wu River, and sent Hu cavalry to approach Liang's camp to shoot arrows while shouting insults.
Faced with the Jin army's arrogance, Liang could not restrain himself and led 30,000 infantry and cavalry in three separate columns to meet them in battle.
Li Cunxu was not arrogant or violent towards his soldiers, and he was able to listen to the correct opinions of his generals, so that his soldiers were "orderly and calm" in battle.
Qiu Ziyue advised Zhou Dewei to divide the elite cavalry into two teams.
Zhou Dewei charged into Liang's army, fighting back and forth multiple times, capturing over a hundred men as he fought and retreated.
The Liang army only retreated when Li Cunxu of Yehe sent troops to provide support.
When the Jin army caught up with the Liang army at Baixiang, the remaining Liang troops had already abandoned their camp, leaving behind food, weapons, and valuables.
Jin general Li Siyuan pursued the enemy all the way to Xingzhou, causing a stir in Hebei.
In this battle, more than 20,000 Liang soldiers were annihilated, more than 3,000 warhorses were captured, 70,000 weapons and armor were seized, and more than 200 Liang generals were captured.
Unbeknownst to her, Qiu Ziyue had been in ancient times for three years. She saw that Li Cunxu's military prestige was greatly enhanced after the battle of Baixiang.
Its influence expanded once again to the east of the Taihang Mountains, laying a solid foundation for the Jin army's later conquest of the entire Hebei province.
She expressed her long-cherished wish to Li Cunxu to return home.
Will Qiu Ziyue be able to go home? To be continued in the next chapter!