Chapter 995: Twelve Immortals Appear Together

Leading the Central Plains grandmasters on a thousand-mile raid to assassinate the elderly woman from Northern Mang was completely unfeasible, quite apart from whether the grandmasters themselves would have been willing.

Firstly, a prime example was the ill-fated infiltration of Youzhou’s border by the Qijie Prefecture Governor, the Princess Tomb leader, and a large group of Northern Mang masters led by Tiemu Die'er, who were ambushed and utterly annihilated. Given Tuoba Pusa's flawless Celestial realm and the formidable aura of eighteen gathered grandmasters—as conspicuous as a candle in a dark room—Northern Mang could easily have lain in wait. They could have deployed dozens of elite light cavalry units, each ten thousand strong, with Tuoba Pusa leading a large contingent of martial grandmasters as the vanguard. In such a scenario, the raiders would likely not even reach Xijing, with only Xu Fengnian and Deng Ta'e managing to retreat.

More critically, with 400,000 Northern Mang troops bearing down, the loss of Jubai City would render the Northern Liang cavalry utterly exposed, like a tree without roots or water without a source. Northern Liang would forfeit its final gateway beyond the pass, plunging not only its three prefectures but the entire Central Plains’ northwest frontier into a perilous, wide-open state. Even if Xu Fengnian and the grandmasters managed to breach Tuoba Pusa’s and the Northern Mang cavalry’s extensive encirclement for a thousand-mile raid, how could they precisely locate the elderly Northern Mang woman, who had deliberately concealed her identity? She was neither a Land Immortal nor even a first-rank martial artist, making it impossible for Xu Fengnian to pinpoint her location using a martial artist’s vital energy.

Meanwhile, at Jubai City, which could not afford to fall, the young Prince Xu Fengnian had no path of retreat.

Xu Fengnian could not retreat.The other seventeen grandmasters would not.This determination painstakingly secured the current strategic advantage for Xu Fengnian and Jubai City.

Yu Xinlang from Wudi City, Lou Huang, Wei Miao from Nanzhao, and Jie Chai Qingshan from Dongyue desperately fought to prevent the Northern Mang cavalry from both flanks from launching arrow attacks onto Jubai City's walls.

Wu Liuding from Wujia Sword Mound, his sword attendant Cuihua, and Xu Yanbing, who stood behind them, along with Mao Shulang from the Southern Frontier and Ji Liu'an from Dragon Palace, reinforced by Yu Xingrui, a True Man from Wudang. These two groups held their ground to the death, aiming to maximally delay the Northern Mang siege infantry from reaching the foot of Jubai City.

Further back, Cheng Baishuang and Xue Songguan vigorously held back the Northern Mang archer and crossbow formations, as well as over two thousand trebuchets, from assaulting Jubai City.

Northern Mang had no shortage of warhorses or cavalry, renowned for having the finest mounted archers in the world. Their only weakness was a lack of infantry skilled in siege warfare! The Central Plains grandmasters behind Xu Fengnian and the white-clad Luoyang were, in essence, all doing one thing: sacrificing their lives to inflict the greatest possible losses on the Northern Mang infantry.

Evidently, Northern Mang realized this, swiftly mobilizing Murong Baoding’s and Zhong Liang’s private cavalry, deploying elite cavalry units and Spider Web assassins, and decisively unleashing all its martial arts factions.

"We will sacrifice the entire Northern Mang martial world for your handful of martial artists. If that is still not enough, then we will add our prairie iron cavalry!"

Many Northern Mang soldiers recognized the white-clad figure, their feelings complex. After all, this grandmaster, widely considered the foremost figure in Northern Mang's demonic path, was often revered as an indomitable hero throughout the Northern Mang court and public, who greatly valued martial prowess.

However, Huyan Daguan never appeared. This great demonic figure, a Central Plains grandmaster, had chosen to side with the enemy, causing some frustration among the nearby Northern Mang cavalry, though they were not eager to draw swords against the notorious Luoyang.

Xu Fengnian's battlefield 'hesitation,' his failure to decisively kill the Northern Mang Crown Prince, left Broken Spear Deng Mao with a sense of regret. Deng Mao yearned to tell the young man, "Xu Fengnian, you could have died a more glorious death." In Deng Mao's eyes, such caution, inconsistent with his dual identity as a top grandmaster and the Northern Liang King, merely bought him a few more moments of life, or perhaps, forced Li Mibi to pay a higher price.

Luoyang remained quietly standing two hundred paces behind Xu Fengnian. Suddenly, a young armored knight appeared in her field of vision, bursting forth from the Khishig guard behind Yelü Hongcai. After riding past the grand banner and the Northern Mang Crown Prince, he slowed his horse, looking down from above at the young Prince Xu Fengnian. He raised an arm, slowly removing his face guard to reveal an unremarkable face, but a pair of strange and unique golden eyes. From the corner of Xu Fengnian’s eye, as the young knight suddenly swept forward, the circular clearing began to recede like a tide, eventually revealing seven or eight Northern Mang cavalrymen who had stopped their horses in place. Xu Fengnian, who had been standing on the ground, instantly found himself in a larger circular clearing.

The young knight, his eyes a flowing golden color, spoke hoarsely, "Xu, we meet again."

Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Yi Jie Liu, Li Feng?"

The young knight tugged at the corner of his mouth, sneering, "Good eye!"

Once, in the heartland of the Central Plains, this talented swordsman, nicknamed 'Yi Jie Liu,' had pursued Miss Hehe alongside Old Moth, the head of the Spider Web, and Murong Longshui, a Northern Mang imperial relative. The other two successfully escaped, but Li Feng was cut in half by Xu Fengnian, who was then still a crown prince. By all accounts, he should have been utterly dead.

This young knight, rumored to be Li Mibi’s illegitimate son, stared intently at the young prince. "Your Liyang Tai’an City has a grand formation specifically for Land Immortals. Our Great Mang is an empire built on horseback. So, I believe you, Xu Fengnian, must realize that after you ascended to the Land Immortal realm, Northern Mang had no choice but to create this seemingly inconspicuous secret grand formation to counter you. I’m curious, why aren't you running? Are you waiting to die?"

Xu Fengnian turned to Luoyang, who, without hesitation, retreated rapidly. Yi Jie Liu Li Feng leaned slightly forward, glancing sideways at the demonic leader who had once shaken the prairies, his eyes filled with regret. However, he quickly became relieved, thinking that leaving this young prince to guard the Central Plains’ northwest border and successfully removing this accursed thorn would not be a waste of such an enormous effort.

In a flash, Yi Jie Liu vanished from his horse. Simultaneously, the knights, who had shown no unusual vital energy fluctuations, appeared as if possessed by celestials. Dazzling white light radiated from their seven orifices and through the gaps in their body armor. The next moment, Xu Fengnian held his Liang blade across his chest, while Li Feng, the resurrected Yi Jie Liu of Northern Mang, incredibly, had one hand behind his back and the five fingers of the other hand gripping the young prince's battle saber! Li Feng, who at their first encounter was at most at the Profound Finger realm, now displayed a strength absolutely no less than that of a Land Immortal!

With Xu Fengnian and Li Feng at the center, twelve Northern Mang knights, whose bodies radiated white light, had abandoned their warhorses and stood in a large circle on the ground. One of them stood directly in front of Crown Prince Yelü Hongcai. Twelve individuals, twelve Celestials who had briefly ascended to the Land Immortal realm. The twelve simultaneously extended their arms, their white light connecting to form a circle, like a snow-white flood dragon coiled upon the human world.

Li Feng's face was ferocious and triumphant, lightning crackling around the five fingers gripping the Liang blade's hilt, like electric dragons swimming. The young Northern Mang man's lips moved slightly, uttering two words: "Dead."

Xu Fengnian swept his blade across, effortlessly severing Li Feng's head without a single drop of blood splattering. The fallen corpse was like a shriveled husk. Then Xu Fengnian looked up at the sky; in his vision, there was only a dazzling snow-white spectacle. Like a full moon plummeting into the human world!

Outside the large circle, Li Feng reappeared beside Yelü Hongcai and Deng Mao, his eyes restored to their normal color. His entire body was ripped and shredded, a horrific sight. However, the young man completely disregarded his physical injuries and his fractured spirit, his eyes filled with pure exhilaration. "Even if I have no martial arts future in this life, it was worth it!"

A great sun rising from the East Sea, a full moon falling into the human world. Within a single day, outside Liangzhou Pass, in less than half an hour, these two exceptionally magnificent sights were witnessed one after another. From atop Jubai City’s walls, countless Northern Liang border guards could only watch helplessly as the light pillar, as thick as a mountain peak, heavily struck the young prince’s head!

At the rear of the Northern Mang army, Yelü Dongchuang and Chun Nabo Tuoba Qiyun stood side by side on a siege tower’s observation platform. Yelü Dongchuang marveled, "Is this His Majesty the Emperor’s trump card?"

Tuoba Qiyun pressed his hands on the rough yet sturdy railing, exhaling heavily. The young man, who usually showed no emotion, suddenly slapped the railing and joyfully declared, "Mission accomplished!" The world did not know that Chun Nabo was the true architect of this grand scheme.

Yelü Dongchuang suppressed his involuntary murderous intent towards Tuoba Qiyun and, with a smiling face, asked curiously, "Chun Nabo, could you enlighten me?"

Tuoba Qiyun hesitated slightly. Perhaps having personally engineered such a crucial situation, a feat that could be considered saving half the nation, even he felt a touch of complacency. Gazing at the majestic light pillar that showed no sign of weakening, he smiled faintly, "Presumably, you already know that several exiled immortals previously descended into various border prefectures of the Southern Dynasty, right?"

Yelü Dongchuang nodded, his peripheral vision secretly observing the side profile of his peer. That spirited demeanor, even surpassing that of Central Plains scholars, truly stirred both envy and jealousy. Tuoba Qiyun’s eyes were solely fixed on the grand battlefield of 'Heaven and Man' in the distance. He then calmly elaborated on his full strategic plan: "Those were merely the icing on the cake. In fact, even without these Celestials whom Xu Fengnian struck down to the human world, Northern Mang’s martial world’s accumulated fortune was already sufficient to produce four or five Land Immortals. When I came of age, I began advising His Majesty the Emperor at Qijie Prefecture on a certain matter…"

At this point, Tuoba Qiyun’s lips curved upward. After a slight pause, he turned to glance at the moody Yelü Dongchuang and asked with a smile, "Do you know why, despite such a vast grassland, there have always been no more than three Land Immortals? Why Huyan Daguan, who is a sect unto himself, went to the Central Plains? Why, when the white-clad woman—the foremost figure of the demonic path—was intercepted, only a symbolic cavalry force was dispatched, and no truly top-tier martial grandmasters were mobilized? And why did Qilin Zhenren, as the National Preceptor, who could ascend at any time, choose to leave the human world without any warning before the first Liang-Mang war?"

Yelü Dongchuang could not answer a single one of these questions.

Tuoba Qiyun burst out laughing. "Isn’t it strange that Fifth He, the dignified master of Tibing Mountain, was only at the Profound Finger realm before his death? If it’s reasonable that the Qilin Sect’s fortune was seized by Yuan Qingshan alone, causing other Taoist masters’ cultivation to stagnate, then why has my Qijie Prefecture, which produces countless talents, still been unable to break through that final barrier? In the final analysis, it’s a simple truth: since Huang Sanjia of the Central Plains scattered the fortunes of fallen nations into the martial world, why can’t our prairie integrate the martial world’s fortune into the dynasty? It’s one thing for martial artists from various sects to be used by the court, but for the martial world’s fortune to be used by our dynasty—that is truly foolproof. Whether it was our iron cavalry trampling the martial world, or our early efforts to absorb martial arts sects, these were merely commonplace strategies; they can hardly be called rooting out the source of the problem."

Tuoba Qiyun seemed to realize his lapse in composure and quickly suppressed his smile, regaining his serene demeanor. He no longer recklessly divulged heavenly secrets. "You just need to know that the price His Majesty the Emperor paid to suppress Xu Fengnian is immeasurable. Therefore, this Northern Liang King died a fitting death!"

Yelü Dongchuang rubbed his chin. He didn't care whether the Northern Liang King's death was worthwhile; he only knew that this deep-scheming young Chun Nabo beside him was definitely not to be swayed. One day, he too would ensure Tuoba Qiyun 'died a fitting death'!

Suddenly, Tuoba Qiyun’s eyes widened, his face filled with shock and bewilderment! Yelü Dongchuang followed his gaze, and instantly his emotions surged—a mix of fear, awe, and the yearning of a martial artist. For some reason, Yelü Dongchuang felt a certain unspeakable exhilaration.

What great deeds could scholars of the world accomplish in troubled times!

The pillar of light, symbolizing the Heavenly Dao, pressed down swiftly, so fast that even the young prince, one of the top four grandmasters in martial assessment, could not escape the cage forged by the combined Celestials—that insurmountable barrier. Twelve Northern Mang Land Immortals appeared together! Among them were three exiled immortals whom Xu Fengnian had personally struck down from the heavens. Just before their forms and spirits were about to fully merge into the light pillar, one of them sneered, "A mere mortal dares to defy Heaven’s will! Do you truly think we would be so easily defeated?"

The Northern Mang Land Immortals positioned to the left and right behind the young prince exuded the most formidable aura, as if presiding over the four directions of heaven and earth. These four Celestials, unlike those Northern Mang Qi practitioners who briefly ascended to the Land Immortal realm by using their mortal bodies to bear the martial world’s fortune, came from the heavens. Their cultivation was identical to Tuoba Pusa’s, all being fragments of Heaven’s will, though relatively more concealed and far less overtly majestic than Tuoba Pusa’s bearing of Heaven’s mandate. The burly figure standing directly opposite the young prince spoke, his voice like a resounding bell. He gazed at the pitiful figure, almost brought to his knees by the crushing weight of the Heavenly Dao, and asked without a trace of emotion, "Xu Fengnian, why do you still resist stubbornly?"

At this moment, whether in Liyang Central Plains or the Northern Mang grasslands, almost everyone who looked up could see what appeared to be a snow-white waterfall descending from heaven to earth. However, to most people, it resembled nothing more than a slender fishing line. An immortal fishing, with the shore in the clouds and the water in the human world.

Within the light pillar, Xu Fengnian knelt on one knee, his left hand gripping the Liang blade tightly, its tip pressed against the ground but not piercing it at all. The prince’s python robe was undamaged; only the young prince’s trembling body caused slight ripples in its fabric. His Heaven-man connection severed, Xu Fengnian was not only deaf, mute, and blind, but his divine sense was also completely lost. His Celestial physique was fundamentally unable to resist the Heavenly Dao light pillar crashing down upon him; he was merely holding on. Although not yet completely shattered, signs of collapse were already appearing.

Kneeling on one knee, Xu Fengnian lowered his head, his sword-holding arm trembling ceaselessly. From his seven orifices, and from the center of his brows, eight streams of vital energy flowed out of his body, like erratically swimming snow-white snakes. Xu Fengnian, having lost all sensation, instinctively propped himself up with his blade on the ground, his right palm pressed to the earth. He instinctively supported his body, trying his best to stand up, as if lifting a heavy burden, then continuing to move forward under its weight.

The one who had infiltrated the human world, standing behind Xu Fengnian, sneered, "Our prairie iron cavalry breaking through the pass and heading south to ultimately unify the Central Plains is the established trend. How dare you, Xu Fengnian, try to obstruct Heaven’s will with your solitary strength? You truly overestimate yourself!" The Celestial on Xu Fengnian’s left, with arms crossed, laughed loudly, "I have already seen the prairie eagles perched on the eaves of Central Plains’ libraries!" The Celestial on Xu Fengnian’s right swayed slightly, a hint of sarcasm and pity in his silver eyes. "To display such formidable strength with the power of just one region, even greater than that of an entire Da Feng nation, and to cause such immense trouble for our prairie sons—you Northern Liang have indeed done quite well."

Compared to the secret Northern Mang Qi practitioners who had already succumbed to the immense pressure and dissipated within the light pillar, the forms of these four Celestials and three exiled immortals were far more enduring. Seemingly impatient with the young prince’s persistence, the three exiled immortals exchanged glances, nodded, and voluntarily dispersed their bodies and spirits. With this, the already formidable light pillar’s power suddenly surged. The young prince, kneeling on one knee, instantly had his shoulders sink several inches.

The sweating Tuoba Qiyun felt a sense of relief, but this time he could no longer laugh, his expression remaining solemn. Yelü Dongchuang, who had been observing Chun Nabo’s expression, felt a little disappointed. He thought, "It would be good if you, Xu Fengnian, at least fought to the death to take down those Land Immortals from heaven. And if you could also swiftly kill Yelü Hongcai, that would be even better."

A purple-clad figure suddenly shot up from afar, soaring towards the light pillar. The white-clad Luoyang tapped her foot, grabbed Xuanyuan Qingfeng’s shoulder, and slammed her forcefully to the ground, saying in a deep voice, "Don’t go. With your fortune, you’re strong enough to dominate the martial world, but against that Heavenly Dao’s fortune, it’s like striking a stone with an egg, merely throwing your life away for nothing!" After annihilating the cavalry unit of over eighty Northern Mang martial experts and then breaking through the encirclement of a thousand-man cavalry unit, Xuanyuan Qingfeng was clearly not lightly wounded. After falling to the ground, she spat out a mouthful of blood, ignoring Luoyang’s warning, and her internal vital energy circulated rapidly as she prepared to rise for a second time. Luoyang landed swiftly beside her and calmly said, "Trust me." Only then did Xuanyuan Qingfeng abandon her charge towards the light pillar, saying coldly, "Third time’s the charm. Don’t stop me from killing that Northern Mang Crown Prince next!" This time, Luoyang showed no intention of stopping her, merely chuckling with exasperation, "You certainly know how to pick off a weakened opponent."

However, Broken Spear Deng Mao had already circled around the light pillar and appeared before the two women, blocking the purple-clad figure’s path.

From atop Jubai City’s walls, a drumbeat, even heavier and more tragic than any before, resounded mightily! Luoyang then laughed aloud, "The Great Qin rises!"

Within the light pillar, the young man bearing the Heavenly Dao on his shoulders seemed to hear the drumbeat from the city walls, and the words of the Great Qin Empress. After the white-clad figure in mourning attire heavily struck the great drum, they cried out with a sobbing voice, "You are not allowed to die!"

But as if to show that for every rise in righteousness, there is a greater rise in evil, the four Celestials acting on behalf of Heaven also began to step forward one after another, voluntarily merging into the light pillar. Each time a figure stepped forward, the light pillar gained a bit more momentum. Within the light pillar, the Liang blade clutched in the young man’s right hand was gradually shattering. His lips moved slightly; though no words escaped the light pillar, he himself could not hear any sound. But this young prince knew what he was saying. That snowy night outside Liangzhou Pass years ago, an elderly man asked his eldest son, who was temporarily serving as a stable hand, if he could shoulder that burden. The young man had nodded at the time.

At this moment, Xu Fengnian slowly straightened his back, inch by inch, standing tall. His earlier self-talk had been: "Xu Xiao, what I promised you, I will definitely do. Even if I can’t shoulder it, I must!" Each time an immortal took a step, each time the light pillar’s power grew, the young man, even though his body swayed several times, still kept standing up!

When Xu Fengnian finally completely shouldered the Heavenly Dao, at the very moment he straightened his back, the last remaining immortal extended his arm. He did not dissipate into the heavens and earth but grasped a dazzling long spear, slowly advancing towards Xu Fengnian.

Deng Mao began to charge forward, rushing towards Xuanyuan Qingfeng. Luoyang suddenly turned, shifted several zhang sideways, crossed her arms to block in front of her, and forcefully withstood the impact of the burly figure. Peach Blossom Deity Deng Ta’e, holding the Tai’a sword, arrived in an instant, soaring into the sky and sweeping his sword across the thick light pillar. This sword strike was truly the pinnacle of human skill!

After repelling the white-clad Luoyang with a single punch, the burly man did not pursue, nor did he block Deng Ta’e’s sword strike, saying indifferently, "Too late."

The light pillar suddenly vanished. But Xu Fengnian was also stabbed through the chest by the immortal holding the snow-white long spear! The young prince did not bleed. After the snow-white long spear pierced through his body, the portion that emerged glowed with an exceptionally dazzling brightness.

Between heaven and earth, it was as if all sounds fell silent at this moment. It was Luoyang who first broke the silence, turning to glare at that figure and demanding, "Why?!" In a trance, there seemed to be two white-clad Luoyangs: one a tangible body, the other a fleeting, illusory spirit, constantly overlapping and separating. It turned out she had previously intended to use her spirit to leave her body: the former to block Tuoba Pusa’s opportunistic attack, the latter to take the blow for Xu Fengnian. She had indeed attempted this, but was stopped by Xu Fengnian.

The young prince, his head still lowered, raised his arm, gripped the long spear, and said in a hoarse voice, "This is a man’s business; women shouldn’t meddle!" The immortal’s figure finally dissipated, fading into ashes. He looked towards Tuoba Pusa, who remained expressionless, merely nodding gently. Only then did the immortal smile and vanish.

Xu Fengnian twisted his wrist, breaking the long spear, then slowly turned to face Tuoba Pusa directly. Tuoba Pusa glanced at Deng Ta’e, then smiled at the young prince and asked, "Are two of you enough? If not, we can add those two as well; I can have Deng Mao withdraw."

Xu Fengnian scoffed, and said to Deng Ta’e, "Take them away from here."

Deng Ta’e frowned. Xu Fengnian’s gaze was resolute, so the Peach Blossom Deity could only say, "Rest assured."

Only then did Xu Fengnian shake his sleeve and say to the Northern Mang God of War, "Tuoba Pusa, although I don’t know your parents…" Then Xu Fengnian spoke a second sentence.

"But I’ll beat you so badly your parents won’t recognize you!"

It seemed that even before the words had faded, both Xu Fengnian and Tuoba Pusa had vanished from their positions. Their battle was a pinnacle unseen in a thousand years.