The First Lackey Under The Empress

Water God Descends!

Inside the sea of fire, as "Zhao Du'an" held up the Xuan Turtle Seal, the majestic aura, through the possessed Pei Niannu's hands, transformed into magical power, mobilizing this equally extraordinary treasure.

The "seal knob" part of the Xuan Turtle Seal, the ink jade carved turtle and snake eyes, suddenly became lively.

The treasure originating from the "Water God" belief communicated with heaven and earth.

Zhao Du'an clearly felt a chill rapidly spreading from the Xuan Turtle Seal as its core, diffusing in all directions, and the scorching heat filling his mouth and nose was effectively suppressed.

At the same time.

Not far away, Heng Wang, suspended above the sea of fire, his entire body covered in illusory flames, his eyebrows and hair all crimson red like the "Fire God," had a frozen smile on his face, his pupils suddenly constricted, instinctively sensing a great unease.

"What is that?"

In a flash of lightning, without giving him time to think or ponder, Heng Wang's body had already subconsciously taken action.

He stopped the action of grabbing a flame spear and throwing it forward, instead pushing both palms heavily towards Zhao Du'an!

The sea of fire in front of him was shaken, like layers of sea waves, lifted by a violent wind.

As the fiery waves crashed and swept, "fire crows" darted out from within, flapping their wings at an even faster speed, emitting sharp, hoarse, strange bird cries, crashing towards Zhao Du'an!

Danger!

Zhao Du'an's hair stood on end, also without time to think, feeling the other half of his body, under Pei Niannu's control, manipulating the Xuan Turtle Seal to cast spells.

His heart sank, the clear and bright eye suddenly became firm, and he abruptly raised the right arm that still belonged to the "martial artist," and suddenly chopped down towards the air in front!

At the same time as the chop, on the sword scabbard stuck in the ground in the distance, one by one, gemstones of different colors lit up with light.

A dark golden thin line flashed past.

The magical effect of the [Town Sword] itself was activated, and the dense, hundreds of fire crows, simultaneously annihilated, collapsed into a sky full of sparks, falling in all directions.

This is the unique method hidden within the Town Sword.

That day, during Li Yanfu's coup, the young girl trained by the Li family had used one sword to simultaneously repel several palace female cultivators.

It was also in this brief gap of time gained by this one sword that Pei Niannu's cold and arrogant voice was transmitted in Zhao Du'an's sea of consciousness:

"It's… done."

Done? What's done?

As Zhao Du'an was stunned, the Xuan Turtle Seal floated up on its own, as if tearing a gap in the air, and from the gap, endless clear water gushed out like a bursting dam!

The clear water quickly extinguished the sea of fire in the area under Zhao Du'an's feet, forming a swamp.

In just a few breaths, the area of the swamp rapidly expanded, and in the blink of an eye, it almost covered half of the "sea of fire" domain.

If viewed from the sky, the circular fire and water on the ground, in the shape of a Tai Chi fish, each occupied half, clearly separated.

And Zhao Du'an and Heng Wang, respectively stood in the "fish eye" positions of the two halves of the Tai Chi fish.

"How is this possible?" Heng Wang exclaimed in shock. As the holder of the Scarlet Flame Holy Armor, he clearly sensed the retreat of his own control field.

The power originating from the Fire God was suppressed, even with the help of the magical power stored within this ancient armor, he could still maintain the situation.

However, his controlled area was reduced by half in just an instant!

No, it's not over yet!

"Boom!"

A low thunder suddenly sounded, and Zhao Du'an and Heng Wang simultaneously raised their heads.

The latter stared in astonishment at a small patch of dark clouds that had condensed out of thin air in the area above their heads. Lightning snakes were faintly visible in the clouds. Upon closer observation, the shape of this dark cloud was actually similar to a "giant turtle" squatting in mid-air.

And the Divine Machine Camp soldiers who were isolated on the periphery were surprised to find that the air began to become dry, and the water bags hanging on their waists became lighter at the same time!

The "Water God" in the dark, at this moment, drained the water vapor within a few miles, gathering it into clouds.

"It's raining!" A soldier exclaimed.

Under the gaze of everyone, above the sea of fire and the swamp, in the dark clouds, bean-sized raindrops fell with a crackling sound.

A small-scale rainstorm suddenly arrived, and the raindrops fell into the swamp under Zhao Du'an's feet, rippling in circles.

The raindrops fell on the sea of fire, turning into wisps of white steam.

The pattern is being broken!

The area belonging to the "Water God" is rapidly expanding, while the area controlled by the "Fire God" is rapidly collapsing!

This does not mean that Zhao Du'an's power is stronger, but that the rules of mutual generation and mutual restraint of the five elements of heaven and earth are at work.

When both sides are in the "worldly" realm, the difference in magical power is smoothed out by the attributes.

"No—" Heng Wang no longer had the confidence and composure, his face revealed panic, and his body standing on the sea of fire was also wet by the rain, gradually fading and disappearing.

And in a certain corner of the sea of fire, a figure that originally did not exist and was in an "invisible" state gradually became clear.

"Found you!"

Zhao Du'an's eyes lit up, without hesitation, he used his strength to throw the Town Sword in his hand abruptly. The Town Sword wrapped in the turbulent flow of energy, whistling and piercing into the blurred figure.

"Ah!"

With a scream, the figure fell, the "Heng Wang" in mid-air completely disappeared, and the flames covering the ground quickly contracted, disappearing completely in a few breaths.

Zhao Du'an also put away the Xuan Turtle Seal with his backhand, and his figure flickered, arriving nearby.

On the ground, along with the retreat of the flames, Heng Wang's true body was lying on his back, revealed.

His eyes were tightly closed, his face was pale, and he seemed to have fainted due to the defeat. He was wearing a half-body armor with a crimson color and a black human face imprint on the front.

At this moment, on the half-body armor, the Town Sword pierced straight in, nailing Heng Wang to the ground.

Strands of flames, as if alive, quickly drilled into the Scarlet Flame Holy Armor.

Losing the maintenance of the Xuan Turtle Seal, the water on the ground also quickly seeped into the soil, leaving only large areas of white water vapor, covering the entire area, obscuring the view.

"This thing can't stop the Town Sword?" Zhao Du'an was stunned, his expression surprised, and he cautiously pulled out the Town Sword. The knife edge pierced through the Scarlet Flame Holy Armor, slowly healing.

Ah, this… So, the ability of this red armor is not in defense, but in the use of Fire God-related spells? That's right, if the defense is strong, there is no need to use Fire Evasion to hide, and it won't be able to block my sword…

A trace of understanding flashed in Zhao Du'an's eyes, and he numbly took off the Scarlet Flame Holy Armor from the unconscious Heng Wang.

Holding it in his hand, the armor was unbelievably light, like a feather, warm to the touch, densely covered with fine lines on the dark red armor, and the black human face imprint was outlined like thick ink, revealing a majestic holiness in the eerie.

"Senior Pei, do you recognize this thing?" Zhao Du'an asked the ring grandpa in his heart, no, grandma.

Pei Niannu's voice echoed: "Worship Fire Sect, sacred object, Scarlet Flame Holy Armor."

After dropping this sentence, Zhao Du'an's silver eyes returned to normal, and his scarlet clothes also returned to their original appearance. Grandma had a big opinion of him, leaving as soon as she finished fighting, not wanting to stay for half a second.

Woman, your name is ruthless…

Scarlet Flame Holy Armor? It sounds a bit familiar. I seemed to have seen it when I was looking through the information in the yamen before, but the impression is not deep. I can go back and check it carefully…

Zhao Du'an was thoughtful, his eyes burning:

Obviously, this armor is not inferior to the Xuan Turtle Seal at all, and it is even stronger in killing. As long as it is opened, it can spread the flame domain, hide the real body, and burn the enemy to death…

If I didn't have the "Water God" path treasure on my body that happened to restrain it, I would at most escape, and I would never be able to capture Heng Wang alive, and I might even capsize in the gutter and be killed by this Xu Heng…

The background of these old dignitaries such as Li Yanfu and Heng Wang should not be underestimated…

Zhao Du'an put the Scarlet Flame Holy Armor into the Taixu Painting Scroll, and suddenly his ears twitched slightly, and he looked up through the surrounding white "mist" towards the distance.

…

…

On the official road, iron cavalry roared.

Yuan Feng, the commander of the Five Army Camp with a square face, dismounted, holding a sword in one hand and a scabbard in the other, rushing to the white mist in front that stretched across the entire official road, his sharp eyes staring intently at the corner of the carriage revealed in the mist.

Without hesitation, Yuan Feng strode forward and used his sword to lift the curtain of the carriage, only to find the carriage empty.

On the ground, the exhausted horse pulling the carriage lay on its side, its fur showing signs of burns, blood overflowing from its nostrils, and no breath left in its body; it was completely dead.

Behind him, Young Lord Tang Ping and other military officers also scanned the scorched earth amidst the dissipating mist with grim expressions.

Suddenly, everyone noticed a humanoid black figure slowly emerging from the mist.

Instantly, everyone adopted a fighting stance.

"It's me."

A somewhat weary voice came out, Zhao Du'an pinching his brow with one hand to alleviate the fatigue and throbbing pain caused by the excessive consumption of his Qi.

Every time I fight with all my strength, I feel like my kidneys have been drained afterwards… Absolutely terrible…

"Lord Zhao?"

"Lord Zhao Shao? It's good that you're alright!"

Yuan Feng, Tang Ping, and the others were first startled, but after confirming that Zhao Du'an was safe and sound, the heavy stone in their hearts suddenly fell to the ground.

Especially the former, Yuan Feng, after learning from Xu Zudi's confession that Prince Heng possessed a trump card sufficient to counter a Worldly Realm expert, worriedly chased after him.

Seeing this, Tang Ping also stopped fighting and followed with a team of men.

Then, they followed the traces all the way, and now that they confirmed the imperial consort's safety, they all breathed a long sigh of relief.

"General, did you pursue Prince Heng here? Could it be that you have already fought him?" The young lord in silver helmet and armor asked eagerly.

"Yes, we had a fight," Zhao Du'an nodded, "Xu Heng is much more cunning than rumored. His escape this time may have been a deliberate attempt to lure me to chase him, wanting to capture me instead."

What? Everyone was shocked, Yuan Feng's brow furrowing: "Did he escape?"

Zhao Du'an shook his head and pointed to the mist behind him: "He's right behind us."

Seeing a group of people subconsciously holding their breath, looking tense and alert, Zhao Du'an found it a bit amusing and said in a calm tone:

"Relax, the rebel Prince Heng has been captured alive by this official and is about to be taken back to the camp."

Captured alive…? Yuan Feng found it difficult to maintain his posture as if facing a great enemy, and looked at Zhao Du'an in astonishment.

The young lord was also stunned, his young and handsome face carrying a trace of disbelief.

"Da da da…"

At this moment, the mist formed by water vapor rapidly dissipated, and more people emerged from the mist.

The team of musket cavalry under Zhao Du'an's command emerged, everyone's clothes intact, without any signs of fighting.

The two warhorses at the front were left empty, with soldiers walking and holding the reins.

On one warhorse, Qingzhou King Xu Heng, disguised after being easily recognized, was lying bound by cowhide ropes, in a state of unconsciousness.

On the other horse, a woman with the charm of age was also lying, Xiao Dong'er, also unconscious, the ropes on her body had been cut, but for stability, a rope was wrapped around her waist and fixed to the saddle.

Before the battle began, Prince Heng abandoned the carriage where Xiao Dong'er was in the sea of fire.

Later, even if the sea of fire spread and accidentally affected it, under Xu Heng's deliberate control, Madam Xiao in the carriage was not burned to death, but only fainted from the heat wave.

"Xu Heng was stabbed by me, but the injury is not fatal, he won't die. Take him back and have the military doctor bandage him, I need to escort this father and son back to the capital to report to His Majesty," Zhao Du'an said casually.

"The female head of the Xiao family in Donghu was kidnapped by Prince Heng. The Xiao family is an imperial merchant of the court and should be treated preferentially. She needs to be taken back for recuperation. Now that Prince Heng has been captured, the Qingzhou rebels have lost their master and it will be difficult for them to become a threat again."

Prince Heng was really captured alive? And the number one widow of Yu country in folk legends was rescued?

Yuan Feng, Tang Ping, and the other military officers were all shocked, looking at each other, suddenly suspecting the information given by Xu Zudi—

If it was so dangerous, why did Zhao Du'an solve it so easily? Without even a scratch?

But then, everyone thought that Zhao Du'an had only arrived at the front line with his troops a few hours ago, and yet he had already captured the rebel king alive and defeated the Qingzhou army…

This kind of pacification speed is simply not human…

Is this the rumored Zhao Yama? Even leading troops to fight is better than us? Is there no field he is not good at? How could His Majesty have dug out such a monster?

Yuan Feng and other Five Armies Camp generals were in a trance, looking at Zhao Du'an with both respect and fear, and a bold idea arose in their minds:

This kind of military command ability is probably far inferior to even the "Military God" Xue Shence, right?

But immediately, everyone threw this ridiculous idea to the back of their minds:

On closer thought, the reason why Zhao Du'an was able to win such a great victory was firstly because he relied on the advantage of firearms, and the enemy's lack of understanding and preparation led to their complete defeat.

Secondly, as everyone knows, the Qingzhou rebels are not good at fighting. Without the evil tusk chariots and Wei Xianzong's command, they are no threat at all.

"What are you still standing there for? Aren't you going back? I'm still waiting to inspect the results of this battle," Zhao Du'an said indifferently.

Everyone then came back to their senses, that's right, the battle hasn't ended yet.

…

However, when Zhao Du'an and his party returned to the front line in a great hurry, as expected, they found that the battle between the two armies had already ended.

The Qingzhou army was defeated, the central banner of the camp was cut down, and the banner of the Divine Machine Camp was replaced.

Chen Gui, the chief officer of the Firearms Bureau, and other old acquaintances were leading the soldiers to detain prisoners of war in the Qingzhou army camp and take over the spoils of war.

Upon learning that Zhao Du'an had captured Prince Heng alive and returned, the generals and soldiers of the two camps were overjoyed:

In just one battle, not only was the rebel army defeated, but even the leader was captured. This kind of great victory is the first in decades in Yu country.

"Where's Shi Meng? I didn't see him?" Zhao Du'an looked around and asked.

Chen Gui cupped his hands and smiled:

"Although the Qingzhou army was defeated, Wei Xianzong still led a group of elites, retreating while fighting. Commander Shi led his troops to pursue and has not yet returned."

Is that so… Zhao Du'an nodded and had no intention of helping. With Shi Meng's combat power and manpower, coupled with high morale, there would be no accidents.

The only uncertainty was the final result, such as whether or not the rebel commander Wei Xianzong could be captured alive.

"The entire Qingzhou rebel army is a group of mediocre people, but only this Wei Xianzong seems to be an exception," Zhao Du'an curiously asked: "Why was this person's reputation not known before?"

Although he doesn't understand military battles very well, he has basic eyesight and judgment.

Whether it was the three defeats of the Five Armies Camp, or the battle that just ended, Wei Xianzong's meticulous and cautious arrangements, as well as his decisive and swift on-the-spot reactions, were all remarkable.

If the Qingzhou rebel army had not been fighting for power and profit internally and the hearts of the people were not united, it would have been almost impossible to break through the rebel army in one battle.

"It's like this…" Yuan Feng began to explain.

Zhao Du'an raised his hand to interrupt him: "Let's talk in the camp."

…

Soon, he took a group of people and sat in the Qingzhou army's main tent, in the position originally belonging to Prince Heng.

"Speak," Zhao Du'an leaned back in his chair, relaxed, and ordered to continue.

Yuan Feng then said:

"Wei Xianzong's reputation was not known for two reasons. One is that he held a position in Qingzhou, and Qingzhou ranks second to last among the military prefectures, only stronger than Lingnan.

The other is that he was promoted to his position not long ago. Speaking of which, the reason why this person was able to serve as commander was also due to the recommendation of the Qingliu faction in the court."

"This Wei Xianzong is a member of the Qingliu party?" Zhao Du'an was stunned.

The latter nodded cautiously, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"In the beginning, it was Grand Censor Yuan Li, Duke Yuan, who recommended him for the position."

Yuan Li's man? Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows.

—

Happy New Year's Eve, well, considering that it will be past midnight soon, it should be Happy New Year. I wish everyone and myself all the best.