Chapter 474: Go to Luoyang

I have a pot, making the martial world my wine. I have a palm, capable of upholding the Five Great Mountains. I have a mouth, devouring the Spring and Autumn Annals. Centuries ago, a martial arts master established the "Four Realms of One Grade" rule, using these three phrases to praise the Heavenly Phenomenon realm. They describe the majestic, world-defying aura that masters of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm possess after achieving resonance with heaven and earth. Master Liu Hao glanced at the sky, his smile deepening. To make a name in the martial world, every martial artist keeps a few trump cards. Song Nianqing, for instance, brought fourteen swords and fourteen moves on his journey, and Master Liu Hao was no exception. This technique, 'Thunder Pool,' was originally intended as a grand gift for the transcendent Cao Changqing's next visit to the capital. Cao Changqing's three previous strolls through the imperial palace were like passing through a corridor, each time a direct affront to Master Liu Hao. How could Master Liu Hao swallow such humiliation? Yet, he ended up using it on that young man instead.

The black clouds were like ink, and Master Liu Hao quietly awaited the rolling thunder.

Master Liu Hao had seen many clever individuals who climbed the ranks through shortcuts to gain the emperor's favor, excelling at seeking fame and prestige. Zhao Danping, the 'Blue Scroll Chancellor,' was one such person. However, in Tai'an City, Master Liu Hao had served three generations of Liyang emperors, always remaining a pillar of the capital. Even Zhao Danping could not diminish the profound respect and loyalty Master Liu Hao had accumulated for the Zhao imperial family. Master Liu Hao was accustomed to overwhelming opponents with his cultivation level. This time, he came bearing imperial orders to eliminate Xu Fengnian. His move with Song Nianqing was merely an opening gambit. If it failed and Xu Fengnian escaped, there were foolproof backup plans, so Master Liu Hao had no interest in fighting to the death. But even a clay Buddha can get angry, let alone Master Liu Hao, whose conflict with Beiliang was a matter of life and death. This Xu Fengnian exuded an unsettling aura, which sparked Master Liu Hao's desire to uncover its origin.

Xu Fengnian, still carrying Luoyang on his back, calmly awaited the heavenly tribulation. He only had the time of an incense stick. If Master Liu Hao insisted on avoiding battle, Xu Fengnian wasn't confident he could seize the old fox's vital weakness. Masters of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm were darlings of heaven and earth, incredibly difficult to track the flow of their qi. If one truly wished to escape, without being a Land Immortal capable of summoning heavenly tribulations, they could even evade the inescapable net of heaven, like a fish slipping through the net of manifest cosmic principles. Even if Xu Fengnian could catch up to Master Liu Hao, he couldn't afford to waste time. However, no technique under heaven was truly flawless. As long as Master Liu Hao was arrogant enough to stand his ground, Xu Fengnian didn't mind enduring the so-called 'rolling thunder in the pool' before seizing his opportunity.

The black clouds in the sky suddenly descended, hovering above the earth like a mystical painting of the mortal world transforming into a sea of clouds, evoking a sense of profound change. Xu Fengnian's upper body emerged from the clouds, the waist-high black clouds continuously surging and roiling. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed within the surrounding mists, the electric currents gradually weaving into a net. As Xu Fengnian walked slowly, he instantly became like a fish targeted by a net-casting fisherman. Within the sea of clouds, purple thunderbolts emerged in the blink of an eye. At a glance, there were roughly no fewer than fifty of them, varying in size from as large as a wellhead to as small as a fist. Connecting these purple thunderbolts were continuous streaks of flickering white lightning, truly making it a veritable 'Thunder Pool.'

Xu Fengnian, walking without pause, audaciously reached out and grasped a purple thunderbolt. The entire Thunder Pool inverted, and over fifty purple thunderbolts immediately darted towards him one after another. Xu Fengnian hooked the purple thunderbolt with the five fingers of his right hand, purple energy swirling around his arm. His left hand was also busy, gently waving, each time precisely batting away the incoming purple thunderbolts. This Thunder Pool was incredibly dominant; even with Xu Fengnian gripping one of its thunderbolts tightly, it showed no signs of weakening. The astonishing and magnificent spectacle was not diminished in the slightest. The fifty-plus purple thunderbolts, once batted away, would rebound twenty *zhang* away and swiftly arc back, their momentum fierce and their speed increasing rather than decreasing. Xu Fengnian, walking slowly, seemed besieged within a moving Thunder Pool.

The woman on his back gently nudged his shoulder with her chin.

Xu Fengnian said softly, "I remember promising to take you to the Kunlun Mountains to see the sea of clouds, but during my travels across the world, I either forgot or missed the chance several times. When I finally made up my mind, you weren't willing. Consider today a small compensation."

She softly replied, "Compared to the nationwide smoke signals you gave that vixen, a sea of clouds is nothing."

Xu Fengnian tilted his head and gently caressed her cheek. He took a deep breath, put the purple thunderbolt he had never released into his mouth, swallowed it whole, and burst out laughing: "Back then, I devoured the entire world; a few small heavenly thunderbolts are nothing."

Xu Fengnian grabbed the purple thunderbolts one by one, popping them into his mouth. After he had swallowed half of them, the sea of clouds dissipated, and the Thunder Pool vanished. Master Liu Hao, standing thirty *zhang* away, was dumbfounded. He never imagined this fellow would break his painstakingly crafted Heavenly Phenomenon secret technique with such crude force. The fifty purple thunderbolts, painstakingly formed by borrowing energy from heaven and earth, dragon qi, and destiny, were each priceless. For their creation, the Dragon-Attached Qi cultivators of the Northern Sect had poured in untold efforts, and the cultivation of several Grandmasters had even been completely drained. His once formidable foundation was suddenly halved; how could Master Liu Hao not feel heartbroken! Even more infuriating, the villain, whose cultivation had inexplicably surged, let out a comfortable burp, flashed a mocking smile at Master Liu Hao, and lazily asked, "Still not running?"

Master Liu Hao decisively began to retreat.

"No wonder he hasn't reached the Earth Immortal realm in fifty years."

Xu Fengnian narrowed his eyes and sneered, "If you had kept moving just now, I might not have been able to do anything to you. But now, it's too late."

Xu Fengnian extended a finger and drew a faint bloody line across his brow.

Master Liu Hao, in his swift retreat, suddenly felt his head splitting open. A horrifying crack appeared out of thin air, extending downwards from his forehead, covering his face in blood and leaving him disheveled. But this wasn't what truly terrified Master Liu Hao. As blood continued to stream down his face, his Heavenly Phenomenon realm cultivation began to collapse like a breached dam, rapidly deteriorating and vanishing completely. Master Liu Hao clearly perceived his profound cultivation, originally like a vast lake, now drying up before his eyes, yet he was utterly powerless to stop the water level from dropping. Master Liu Hao was not only heartbroken but also utterly bewildered. The essence of the Heavenly Phenomenon realm was harmony with heaven and earth, a precursor to becoming a transcendent Land Immortal. How could it possibly lead to self-destruction? Could it be that fellow had achieved something on par with heaven and earth, capable of forcibly absorbing others' destiny, creating his own heaven and earth? If it were Hong Weixiang, who had once severed the destinies of six kingdoms with his sword, Master Liu Hao might have harbored some doubt and belief. But the young man behind him, even if he inherited Luoyang's cultivation, should absolutely not be this terrifying.

Master Liu Hao was on the verge of qi deviation. Gritting his teeth, amidst the crushing peril, he forcefully shattered his already tottering Heavenly Phenomenon realm. Just before he could fall into the Finger-Mystic realm, he severed his own tail like a gecko, letting the remaining half of the purple thunderbolts fall away. Like a Land Immortal, he swept hundreds of *zhang* away in a single breath, leaving far behind the madman who had utterly defeated him. Xu Fengnian stopped, sighing inwardly. If Master Liu Hao had hesitated for just a moment longer, he would have been confident in killing that old dog. He looked up at the sky, a cold smirk playing on his lips. The Zhao imperial family of Liyang truly was the current orthodox power; even a mere lackey guarding their gates possessed considerable destiny. Xu Fengnian turned to look ten *li* away, where dense sword qi formed a vast and imposing formation.

Xu Fengnian silently absorbed the purple thunderbolts into his sleeves, transforming them into his own vital energy.

Luoyang struggled to her feet and calmly said, "Go."

Xu Fengnian took her hand, turning his head to meet her gaze.

She said sadly and resolutely, "You want the world, but I only want you. If I cannot have you exclusively, I'd rather not have you at all. It was like this eight hundred years ago, and it's still like this eight hundred years later."

Xu Fengnian suddenly smiled. "So the Great Qin Empress is remarkable, is she?"

Luoyang's face showed shock, and she took a step back.

Xu Fengnian's lips curved upward as he chuckled, "I am him, but he is not me."

Luoyang's expression was complex.

Xu Fengnian crouched down, motioning for her to climb onto his back, and said softly, "Luoyang, before we return to Beiliang, how about we visit Luoyang City?"

Luoyang gave him a hard kick on his backside.

Xu Fengnian, who had tumbled face-first, remained in a crouch, murmuring, "The Great Qin iron cavalry couldn't flatten the desert now known as Beimang back then; I'll make up for it in this life. If Tuoba Pusa dares to bully my woman, I..."

Before Xu Fengnian could finish, Luoyang gently lay on his back.

Xu Fengnian stood up. "Later, I'll settle accounts with you properly."

Luoyang said, "First, you must defeat Wang Xianzhi."