r18novel Page 406
Page 406
When he was young, the Sword-Swallowing Elder was already on par with Li Chungang, and was one of the most skilled martial artists in the world. He was very confident in his martial arts.
In Sui Xiegu's view, Li Chang'an had only recently broken through to the level of a terrestrial immortal, so it was impossible for him to have any particularly powerful martial arts skills.
The main reason was that Li Chang'an's advancement was too rapid, making it impossible for these old monsters to realize his terrifying power in time.
Sui Xiegu wanted to kill Li Chang'an, so how could Li Chang'an let him leave alive?
As for why Sui Xiegu wanted to kill Li Chang'an, Li Chang'an had no interest in knowing. The masters of this world acted as they pleased, and sometimes they didn't need a reason to kill.
After Sui Xiegu finished speaking, he did not wait for Li Chang'an's reply. Instead, a powerful white aura came towards his back!
A dazzling burst of Threefold Returning to Origin Qi shot towards him. Sui Xiegu dared not be careless and immediately turned around to defend with his sword intent.
He was known throughout his life for swallowing all the famous swords in the world, which cultivated his sword intent. The more famous swords he swallowed, the stronger his sword intent became.
The sword intent and the Three-Part Returning Origin Qi collided fiercely, shattering a hundred-zhang mountain peak. Such powerful Qi made Sui Xiegu dare not escape any longer.
Li Chang'an is quite fast. If Sui Xiegu only wants to escape and doesn't concentrate on fighting, Li Chang'an might actually kill him with one blow.
Seeing that Li Chang'an did not answer him and directly attacked him, Sui Xiegu was furious.
"I haven't left the mountain for a long time, and the young people don't take me seriously anymore!"
Li Chang'an remained calm, but his eyes were filled with murderous intent as he unleashed the strongest move of the Great River Sword Intent.
In an instant, the sword intent within a ten-mile radius was awe-inspiring. Sui Xiegu's sword intent was gradually suppressed. The Great River Sword Intent was gentle and mild at first contact, but its power was boundless and grew stronger with each battle.
Sui Xiegu was shocked. This young man, who did not specialize in swordsmanship, had such a high level of sword intent!
As Sui Xiegu's sword intent was gradually compressed in front of him, he was in danger of being shattered to pieces, so he had no choice but to use his trump card to fight back.
"Li Chang'an, when it comes to sword intent, I am the best in the world!"
Sui Xiegu and Li Chungang had been rivals for their entire lives, and Sui Xiegu was never convinced of Li Chungang's title as the best in the world.
Li Chang'an knew that Sui Xiegu was about to use his ultimate move, but he was not worried. If Sui Xiegu was confident in killing him, he wouldn't have to run away after failing in one move.
Sui Xiegu opened his mouth, stretched out his arms, took a deep breath, and then let out a long roar. One after another, flying swords flew out of his mouth!
The flying swords he swallowed were all renowned swords in the martial arts world, far superior to the swords he had just borrowed from within a thousand miles.
One after another, swords of various shapes and great value flew swiftly toward Sui Xiegu's mouth. One after another, the long swords soared through the air, head to tail, and landed in front of Sui Xiegu.
These swords were planted straight into the ground, arranged in two rows of over a thousand swords each, neatly arrayed in the open space in front of the Sword-Eating Ancestor.
"The raging floodwaters sweep across Changchun."
Sui Xiegu took a deep breath and landed the flying swords behind him one by one. However, these swords did not pierce the ground, but hovered in the air.
These two rows of sword formations are Sui Xiegu's last trump card. Combined with the sword intent within his abdomen, this is the strongest technique of this sword-eating ancestor.
Although the old man spoke toughly, fear had already arisen in his heart, because he sensed Li Chang'an's murderous intent.
It seems that the opportunity Tantai Pingjing gave him was the opportunity to lose his life.
Having consumed countless famous swords from across the land, Sui Xiegu dispersed his accumulated sword energy, accumulated over a century, into the two great formations.
Each flying sword was infused with a wisp of sharp sword energy, as if it were telepathically connected and had gained sentience. All four thousand swords in the two great formations trembled at the same time, and the sound of swords rang out loudly!
A chilling aura emanated from Li Chang'an, and ice swords flew out from the ground once again, completely obscuring his surroundings.
"Old man, you've even spat out the sword energy from your belly. This must be your trump card."
Even when facing Li Chungang, Sui Xiegu, whom he had never feared, felt inexplicably afraid today, because losing to Li Chungang would not mean death.
But Li Chang'an now is truly going to kill him.
Sure enough, endless ice blades suddenly shot into the sky around Li Chang'an, turning the entire sky gloomy and cold.
Thousands upon thousands of ice blades shot into the clouds, then suddenly transformed into streaks of blue lightning!
"Boom!"
A bolt of lightning struck, shattering dozens of flying swords!
The four ultimate techniques of the Sacred Heart are: Frosty Heaven Technique, Profound Ice Technique, Ten Thousand Blades Piercing Clouds Technique, and Emperor's Heavenly Thunder!
With four powerful techniques employed simultaneously, the icy blades instantly transformed into immensely powerful lightning.
Sui Xiegu's sword formation was quickly covered by the Emperor's Heavenly Thunder, and one famous sword after another was shattered in the cold thunderous liquid!
The Sword-Swallowing Elder had intended to use the sword intent within his abdomen to kill Li Chang'an, but he never expected that this sword intent would be so easily defeated in Li Chang'an's hands.
Looking at the thunder descending from the sky, Sui Xiegu couldn't help but feel terrified. This was truly the work of a god!
Ice blades and lightning—these techniques have transcended the realm of martial arts, reaching a level of resonance with heaven and earth.
The blue lightning liquid firmly trapped Sui Xiegu, who was fleeing in all directions. The famous Sword-Eating Ancestor in the martial arts world was fleeing amidst the overwhelming lightning.
Suddenly, the thunder ceased, and Sui Xiegu had just stopped when he found Li Chang'an standing in front of him.
Immediately afterwards, the internal energy surged out of the body like a flood!
Li Chang'an unleashed the Sea of Sacred Heart Mantra once more, channeling Sui Xiegu's eighty-plus years of internal energy into Li Chang'an's Qi Sea!
"Li Chang'an...you demon!"
Once Sui Xiegu's power was completely drained, Li Chang'an unleashed a punch, and the old man wielding the sword was utterly obliterated!
Sui Xiegu's powerful internal energy was gradually assimilated in Li Chang'an's Qi Sea, and soon it would completely become Li Chang'an's own internal energy.
With the top-tier Sacred Heart Technique, Li Chang'an's cultivation at the Land Immortal realm primarily relied on devouring. As long as he could devour the power and fortune of stronger individuals, his own cultivation would continuously increase.
Therefore, Li Chang'an's cultivation level increases with each first-rank expert he kills.
After killing Sui Xiegu, Li Chang'an continued his journey to Liangzhou. Meanwhile, Huo Qubing had arrived near Jiange Pass, and Li Cunxiao's 80,000-strong army was already facing off against the Rouran cavalry on the northern grasslands.
The border between Liangzhou and Beimang.
Inside the central command tent, cavalry generals such as Li Cunxiao, Zhang Huaiding, and Huyan Dashan were discussing military matters.
Zhang Yichao was stationed in Shazhou, but he took the initiative to ask all his sons and nephews to disperse and not stay by his side, claiming that he could not make great contributions by guarding Shazhou, but that he could only help Li Chang'an by expanding the territory.
In fact, during the chaotic Spring and Autumn Period, it was common for military generals to seize territory and establish their own rule. Zhang Yichao's actions were also a way to reassure Li Chang'an and protect himself.
These nephews and nieces served under other generals, which was essentially equivalent to being held hostage by Li Chang'an. The Zhang family was indeed very powerful, and several of their nephews and nieces were quite capable fighters, so they had no choice but to do this.
However, for Li Chang'an, who possesses keen insight, the loyalty of each subordinate is clearly visible, and he can eliminate any disloyal individuals immediately.
As for Huyan Dashan, he is now determined to become Li Chang'an's vassal, because Huyan Guanyin is very favored, and the Huyan tribe has become the largest tribe in northern Shazhou.
When Shazhou and Beimang went to war, many tribes on the border of Beimang came to join the Huyan tribe, whose cavalry numbered as many as 20,000.
The Huyan tribe grew from a small tribe to a large tribe, and they were naturally grateful to Li Chang'an. Therefore, they always went all out in every battle and rushed to the front line.
Li Cunxiao held intelligence on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, making him somewhat hesitant to make a decision.
In the past, when fighting, Li Cunxiao would lead a cavalry unit and serve as the vanguard general for Li Chang'an or Zhuge Liang. But this time, he and Huo Qubing each led their own army.
Huo Qubing led 30,000 men to Qingzhou, while Li Cunxiao led 80,000 men to resist the Northern Barbarians. At first, Li Cunxiao was somewhat proud, but in the end, he had followed the prince for a long time, so he had more soldiers.
But now, Li Cunxiao realizes the importance of his troops.
Because the battlefield is constantly changing, I previously thought that the Northern Barbarians were just sending Rouran cavalry to harass us.
However, Dong Zhuo, the Southern King of Northern Mang, has now begun to rapidly assemble his troops, intending to join forces with the Rouran cavalry.
All signs indicate that the Northern Barbarians' large-scale southward invasion is not simply a matter of harassment.
There are now two options. The first is to stick to the original plan and defend against the Rouran cavalry from advancing south.
However, if this happens, the pressure on the north will be too great once Dong Zhuo gathers his forces.
Especially since that old scoundrel Xu Xiao is still holding back, neither the strategist nor the general dares to underestimate him, and he is personally guarding Liangzhou.
Li Cunxiao's second option was to annihilate 100,000 Rouran cavalry in one fell swoop before Dong Zhuo's army was fully assembled.
However, this was somewhat risky and did not align with the original military orders.
However, if someone were sent to consult Li Chang'an, by the time a reply was received, Dong Zhuo would probably have already assembled his troops, and that would mean missing a golden opportunity.
Moreover, the Rouran cavalry's combat strength was no less than that of the Northern Liang cavalry, so launching a rash attack was not without risk.
Just then, a scout came to report, "General, Lord Sweet Potato has arrived!"
Upon hearing that the sweet potato had arrived, the generals in the tent all stood up, for they all knew the sweet potato's importance.
In Li Chang'an's harem, there was no princess consort, not even a concubine; all the women were maids.
However, Hongshu controls the Military Intelligence Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, collecting intelligence on the battlefield and reporting directly to Li Chang'an.
It can be said that, on the surface, the most powerful people under Li Chang'an were Zhuge Liang, Gu Dazu, and a few generals.
However, the underground forces are controlled by Hongshu, Xu Weixiong, and Qingniao, with Hongshu also serving as the head steward of the Prince's mansion's backyard.
In other words, it is very likely that Lord Hongshu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard will become a princess, and the only one at that.
Which general would dare to underestimate such a person?
"This humble general pays his respects to Lord Sweet Potato!"
Sweet Potato led a dozen or so Imperial Guards into the central military tent. She was dressed in golden armor and a red cloak, her gaze was cold, and her tone was chilling.
"His Highness has ordered that Zhang Huaiding remain to guard the central army, while Li Cunxiao and Huyan Daguan will lead troops to raid the five towns of Rouran."
"Annihilate the Rouran cavalry within ten days, at any cost!"
Generals like Li Cunxiao had no doubts about the order regarding sweet potatoes; on the contrary, they were greatly encouraged.