"This is... the Taoist Heavenly Sect."
Looking at the now-vanished imperial palace, replaced by a massive crater nearly a hundred meters in diameter and dozens of meters deep, Yuwen Huaji couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He was glad he hadn't participated in the siege against Yang Guang. Otherwise, even if he hadn't been killed by Yang Guang directly, he would have been buried alongside him now.
In an instant, Yuwen Huaji thought of Daniel Davis. He knew Yang Guang well and was certain that before this, Yang Guang had never possessed such methods or such overwhelming strength.
Not just Yang Guang—even with the previous lineup, if any of the three great grandmasters had been unable to escape, they would likely have met their end here as well.
Yuwen Huaji had initially cooperated with the Temple of Compassion and others for two reasons. First, they had offered him sufficient benefits. Second, the combined strength of the Temple of Compassion, the Pure Land Sect, and Ning Daoqi, along with some factions of the Taoist sect, was simply too overwhelming. Even if Yuwen Huaji had joined forces with the entire Yuwen Clan, they would have stood no chance. Knowing they were outmatched and already harboring rebellious intentions, Yuwen Huaji's choice was obvious.
The world of Twin Dragons was, after all, a semi-high martial world. The strength of a grandmaster could determine the outcome of a war and the rise or fall of a nation.
Even if a grandmaster couldn't single-handedly defeat an army, they could move freely through thousands of soldiers, assassinating commanders and generals with ease. This was the true ability to "take the head of a general amidst ten thousand soldiers." No matter how large or elite an army was, without its commanders and high-ranking officers, it would lose its combat effectiveness.
It was only because grandmasters were so rare in this era, even including hidden figures, that we didn't see grandmasters clashing directly on the battlefield.
If this were the Three Kingdoms period of this world, things would be entirely different. That era had far more grandmaster-level figures than this one. Figures like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were undoubtedly grandmasters, while Liu Bei, though slightly weaker, was certainly at the level of a grandmaster, much like the leaders of the four great clans in this era.
This gives us an idea of the strength of Lü Bu, the man among men, who fought against the three heroes.
"The Buddhist sect has suffered a great loss this time." While Yuwen Huaji breathed a sigh of relief, Sima Dekan, the commander of the imperial guards, looked at the scene before him and chuckled with schadenfreude.
To ensure Yang Guang's death, the Temple of Compassion and its allies had dispatched a significant number of experts. The reason for sending so many experts wasn't just to kill Yang Guang but also to intimidate Yuwen Huaji and Sima Dekan.
If they had also managed to scheme against Daniel Davis, it would have been a perfect trifecta. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't anticipated such a complete defeat.
Dozens of grandmaster-level experts, including at least ten top-tier grandmasters, along with over a hundred Xiantian-level experts, had all perished here. Even with the Buddhist sect's deep reserves and numerous experts, such a loss would surely make their higher-ups spit blood.
Even with the Buddhist sect's abundant resources, it would take at least forty years to replenish these experts—and that's just for ordinary grandmasters and Xiantian-level experts. For top-tier grandmasters, even forty years might not be enough.
For ordinary people, as long as they had decent talent and sufficient resources, reaching the Xiantian or grandmaster level wasn't too difficult. For example, in the original story, the Twin Dragons' gang, which was mostly made up of ordinary people, still managed to produce four individuals with notable talent, one of whom, Duan Yucheng, even had the ability to spar with Xu Ziling.
However, top-tier grandmasters were different. This level depended primarily on innate talent.
Of course, the experts who came this time weren't just from the Buddhist sect. After all, there were many who wanted Yang Guang dead, including some from aristocratic families and even the Taoist sect. Regardless, Ning Daoqi still held the title of the Taoist sect's top grandmaster.
While sects like the Louguan Dao might not care about Ning Daoqi's reputation, for some lower-level Taoist practitioners, Ning Daoqi's fame was still quite appealing.
"Bald donkey, how dare you compete with this Taoist for the nun. Who would have thought Ning Daoqi had such tastes?" Sima Dekan continued, discussing the Buddhist sect's losses.
Hearing this, Yuwen Huaji couldn't help but frown, barely suppressing a laugh. In the past, Sima Dekan would never have dared to say such a thing about Ning Daoqi.
After all, even figures like Zhu Yuyan from the Demon Sect avoided Ning Daoqi. But now, thanks to Daniel Davis and Yang Guang's efforts, Ning Daoqi's reputation was in tatters. If tonight's events were to spread, Ning Daoqi would be completely disgraced.
For ordinary martial artists and even commoners, the chance to feast on the scandal involving Ning Daoqi, Fan Qinghui, and Liaokong was too good to pass up. No matter how prestigious the Temple of Compassion, the Pure Land Sect, or Ning Daoqi were, they couldn't silence the world's gossip.
"Damn it, the city gates have been breached!" Just as Yuwen Huaji was about to say something to Sima Dekan, his expression suddenly changed. Looking at the flames rising in the east, he didn't have time to say more and immediately left.
At the same time, Sima Dekan also left. In their focus on dealing with Yang Guang, they had forgotten about the current situation in Yangzhou.
While the Temple of Compassion and its allies were assassinating Yang Guang, Du Fuwei, Li Zitong, and Shen Faxing hadn't been idle. They had launched their attack on the city. In fact, this was also part of the Buddhist sect's plan—to use these three rebel armies to tie down most of Yangzhou's forces.
Otherwise, if Yang Guang had hidden in the center of the military camp, they would have had to storm the camp to kill him. While they could have done so, the losses would have been too great.
It must be said that while Yuwen Huaji and Sima Dekan had ambitions to conquer the world, their vision was sorely lacking. A place as important as Yangzhou, which Yang Guang had even prepared as a potential capital, complete with a palace, was abandoned without a second thought.
In this era, Yangzhou was one of the most strategically important cities, second only to Chang'an and Luoyang. It was a key hub for trade and transportation, with access to the Yangtze River and sea routes to Japan, Ryukyu, and Southeast Asia. Moreover, Yang Guang had further fortified the city walls when he designated it as a backup capital.
If Yuwen Huaji and Sima Dekan had joined forces, they could have used their armies, the vast wealth Yang Guang had amassed, and the city's granaries to become one of the most powerful rebel factions.
But alas, there were no "ifs." Yuwen Huaji and Sima Dekan divided the wealth and fled with their forces through the east and south gates. Du Fuwei, Li Zitong, and Shen Faxing didn't stop them, even though they knew the two were carrying immense riches.
They had more important matters to attend to—control of Yangzhou. Before capturing the city, the three had worked together, but now the situation had changed. For each of them, gaining control of Yangzhou would significantly boost their power.
Of course, this was from a long-term perspective. In the short term, capturing Yangzhou didn't offer much benefit, as Yuwen Huaji and Sima Dekan had taken everything of value. Fortunately, they likely feared that if they went too far, the three rebel armies would pursue them, so they didn't burn the remaining supplies they couldn't take.
"Yang Guang, I'm sorry. Let me offer you a toast."
Looking at the video on his phone showing Yang Guang's final battle, Daniel Davis sighed softly. The drugs that had greatly enhanced Yang Guang's strength and the black light at the end were the result of Daniel Davis's collaboration with Yang Guang. This was a chance for Yang Guang, who had been suppressed for so many years, to vent his frustrations.
The modified Four Symbols Seal was the black light that had emanated from Yang Guang's body at the end. This was Daniel Davis's adaptation, combining the Four Symbols Seal from Danzo, talisman techniques, and the Tongtian Talisman.
For Daniel Davis, there were many ways to give Yang Guang the ability to take his enemies with him in the end. The modified Four Symbols Seal was just one option. Others included planting a powerful bomb inside Yang Guang's body, something Daniel Davis could easily do with his surgical abilities.
The Poor Man's Rose from the Hunter x Hunter world was another option. Daniel Davis had obtained quite a few during his time in that world. However, such a highly toxic weapon was out of the question. In fact, Daniel Davis didn't carry such dangerous items with him. All the成品, including the manufacturing methods, were gathering dust in storage.
Even without the poison, he wouldn't have given Yang Guang something so dangerous, especially with Yangzhou so close. He hadn't even considered using it against the Five Elders or the Celestial Dragons on the Red Line.
After much consideration, Daniel Davis had settled on the modified Four Symbols Seal.
After pouring the wine from his cup over the wall of the Flying Horse Ranch, Daniel Davis put away his smartphone and focused on the battle below.
The Four Great Bandits were currently attacking the Flying Horse Ranch.
"Li Mi is not someone to be underestimated."
Daniel Davis had initially looked down on Li Mi, but now he had a somewhat different view. While Li Mi might lack magnanimity and be somewhat overambitious, in the original story, he had managed to make the Wagang Army the largest rebel force and nearly captured Luoyang. He was, after all, a capable individual.
For example, now he had directly allied with the Demon Sect, or more accurately, submitted to the Demon Sect, in exchange for their help in capturing the Flying Horse Ranch. He had also taken Li Xiuning and Chai Shao as hostages.
If he succeeded in capturing the Flying Horse Ranch, he could abandon his previous territory and use the ranch as a new base to expand outward.
In the past, Li Mi wouldn't have done this, as allying with the Demon Sect would have come at a great cost. But with his forces much weaker than in the original story, Li Mi had no choice.
To survive and even unify the world, allying with the Demon Sect was a small price to pay. For ambitious figures aiming to conquer the world, any force that could help them was worth cooperating with. Not just the Demon Sect—even submitting to the Turks and becoming their vassal was acceptable.
Once the world was unified, they could always turn on their allies. By then, there would be no need for them to justify their actions—others would do it for them, using phrases like "enduring humiliation to achieve greatness" or "biding one's time for revenge."
"Unfortunately, he still can't break free of his old habits—trying to achieve too much too quickly. Greed knows no bounds." Instead of gradually undermining Zhai Rang and taking over the Wagang Army, Li Mi had allied with the Turks and ambushed Zhai Rang, forcibly seizing control of the Wagang Army. This had given Zhai Jiao the opportunity to plot against him, leading to his downfall.
This was Li Mi's first mistake. His second mistake was trying to capture Luoyang immediately after his battle with Yuwen Huaji, instead of taking time to recuperate.
If Li Mi had taken the time to recover, he could have slowly plotted against Luoyang while also expanding his territory in the south.
But Li Mi had only thought of capturing Luoyang quickly to secure an alliance with the Song Clan. He failed to realize that Luoyang wasn't a necessary condition for such an alliance. Just look at Kou Zhong in the original story—with a much smaller territory, he still received Song Que's full support, even leading an army to save Kou Zhong.
"Zhong Shao, be careful!"
It was midnight, with the moon hanging high. Apart from the fierce fighting at the main gate of the Flying Horse Ranch, in a hidden village several kilometers away, Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong were jointly facing a beautiful young woman dressed in yellow, barefoot, and smiling like a fairy who had fallen to the mortal world. This was Wanwan.
Seeing Kou Zhong stumble, Xu Ziling immediately stepped forward, unleashing his Taiji Fist to counter Wanwan's Heavenly Demon Force Field.
The Demon Sect's Heavenly Demon Art, when activated, created a force field several meters in radius. Within this field, space seemed to distort, making it difficult to exert force and causing extreme discomfort. In effect, it was a weaker version of Heaven and Earth Losing Color.
In battles between experts, victory often hinged on the smallest details. For those unfamiliar with the Heavenly Demon Force Field, even if they were of the same level as Wanwan, a single misstep could be fatal. In the original story, two grandmaster-level elders of the Flying Horse Ranch had fallen victim to Wanwan's force field, trapped until their deaths.
Kou Zhong had accidentally stepped into Wanwan's force field and was being pulled toward her. Fortunately, Xu Ziling's Taiji Force Field pulled him back in time.
"What is this?" Sensing Xu Ziling's force field, Wanwan's expression shifted slightly. Through her Heavenly Demon Force Field, she could clearly feel the nature of Xu Ziling's field. It was similar to her own but had a serene yet fiery quality, unlike the eerie coldness of her force field.
"Is this the Longevity Scripture?" Wanwan's smile remained, but a glint of killing intent flashed in her eyes. Although this was their first encounter, Wanwan understood that her Heavenly Demon Force Field was being countered—or rather, the two force fields were mutually restraining each other. In such a situation, Wanwan naturally felt the urge to kill.
(End of Chapter)
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