The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 109 The An Lushan Rebellion 3

With the blessing of the Emperor's Banner, the Tang army was finally able to stand on equal footing with the An Lushan coalition. The Tang army had even begun to reclaim the territories that had been captured one by one.

However, this situation did not last long, and changes soon occurred.

At the An-Shi Allied Forces' headquarters, a group of monks dressed in brown robes were waiting in the camp; they were disciples of the Wudang Sect.

The leading elder, Gu Changpeng, and Chen Tianfan found An Lushan and Shi Siming, and the two sides were discussing the matter.

"Our purpose in coming here is to enter the palace and obtain the treasures inside. Since your reason for starting this war is the same, why don't we join forces and split the spoils in the end?"

Gu Changpeng sat upright in his chair with a serious expression and offered his suggestions to An Lushan opposite him.

At this moment, the Tang army was in a superior position. If this battle could not be won quickly, all the previous efforts would be in vain.

An Lushan nodded slightly and said, "Elder Gu is absolutely right. To be honest, my ultimate goal is only that Emperor's Banner. I am not interested in anything else. You can distribute it as you like."

Shi Siming, who was standing to the side, did not speak, but listened silently.

Hearing An Lushan say this, Chen Tianfan was quite satisfied. After being in this secret realm for so long, he could finally start to reap the benefits.

With the help of the Wudang Sect, the An-Shi alliance gained even greater strength and once again suppressed the Tang army.

However, another variable has also emerged.

In the Tang army camp, a messenger hurriedly reported to Guo Ziyi: "Reporting to the General, the Prince Yong's personal guards have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanxuan, who was inside the military camp, came out of the camp and ordered the messenger, "Go and invite Prince Yong over."

Before long, Prince Yong's army arrived near the Tang army camp, and Li Lin, Zhang Yunling, and Dong Wan also arrived at the same time.

Upon seeing Zhang Yunling return, Li Xuanxuan felt somewhat uneasy, but she didn't show any emotional fluctuation on her face. Instead, she directly addressed Li Lin:

“Your Highness Yong has kept me waiting for quite some time. His Majesty recently passed away, and the Crown Prince has also died young. At this critical moment, An Lushan rebelled, and the country is in chaos. The court needs Your Highness Yong to go to the capital to protect the country.”

Li Lin nodded and said firmly, "Aunt is right. I have come here to avenge my father! To save the collapsing empire and turn the tide! I will trouble you to keep the Emperor's Banner safe for me during this time."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanxuan's tense expression changed. The implication was clear, but she did not want to easily hand over power to someone else. If Wu Zetian could become empress, perhaps she could too.

However, without the help of this nephew, resisting An Lushan would be extremely difficult. Moreover, Li Changgeng was on Li Lin's side, and if he refused now, the advantage that the Tang army had worked so hard to gain would become uncertain again.

After a brief internal struggle, Li Xuanxuan decided to prioritize the overall situation, and her previously furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.

She smiled at Li Lin and said, "Prince Yong, there's no need to be so polite. This Emperor's Banner will ultimately belong to you. Come, let's discuss how to send troops."

Li Xuanxuan reluctantly took off the gold ring from her hand and handed it to Li Lin. Zhang Yunling saw this scene and secretly chuckled to himself:

"This woman's ambition to rebel is no less than An Lushan's. The capital is about to be occupied by her, yet she is still thinking about usurping the throne... But in the end, it has nothing to do with me. Even if this woman really becomes the empress, I will have a good reason to go into seclusion and find out where the exit of this secret realm is."

The following day, the An-Shi alliance launched another surprise attack on the Tang army's camp, but this time, with Li Lin's help, the Tang army was strong enough to withstand the attack.

Tens of thousands of archers on both sides drew their bows in unison and unleashed a volley of arrows, resulting in casualties on both sides after the attack.

"All troops, attack!!" Guo Ziyi drew his sword and shouted. The cavalry, infantry, and artillery on all sides numbered over 100,000, and the An-Shi allied forces were also advancing aggressively.

An Lushan even brought demonic beasts to the battlefield as weapons of war, while Li Lin also wore the golden ring and summoned the Emperor's Banner. Both sides launched a frontal offensive with all their strength!

Unlike previous wars, this time it was not just a battle between mortal soldiers, but also involved cultivators directly participating in the fighting.

On the ground were a dense, dark army, and in the sky were cultivators flying through the air. Every now and then, a monster would open its blood-red maw and devour several soldiers alive, only to be killed by dozens of people attacking it. The whole scene became chaotic.

Fireballs cast by cultivators and cannonballs fired by artillery vehicles filled the sky. Each time these fireballs landed, they stirred up dust and stones, causing widespread death and injury. The sounds of battle mixed with cries of agony echoed throughout the heavens and earth!

Dong Wan hovered in mid-air, her right hand tightly gripping her natal magic weapon, the Nine-Bend Treasure Blade, with the blade pointing to the sky. The moment her voice fell, a dark cloud immediately condensed in the sky, within which purple lightning flashed continuously, as if containing powerful energy that was about to erupt at any moment.

"Thunder Shakes the Nine Heavens!" Dong Wan shouted, and the Nine-Bend Treasure Blade slashed downwards. As the blade fell, countless purple lightning bolts slashed down from the thunderclouds, attacking the An-Shi coalition forces!

When this spell was cast, the originally clear sky suddenly turned gloomy, and the entire sky was dyed dark purple. In an instant, the wind and clouds reversed, and wherever the lightning struck, it destroyed everything in its path!

One thunderous roar after another exploded in the enemy camp. No matter what kind of defenses were used, they were all fragile in the face of this attack that was like divine punishment!

However, this situation did not last long. Soon after, the An-Shi coalition made a move. A golden halo quickly rose into the sky, then spread, gradually enveloping the coalition and forming a protective shield that blocked the lightning spell cast by Dong Wan.

Seeing this, Li Xuanxuan and Li Lin were both surprised, but Zhang Yunling was the most shocked, because he recognized the source of the spell at a glance. Looking closely, he saw a figure standing in the golden halo above the protective shield above the An Lushan coalition. It was none other than Gu Changpeng, the Grand Elder of the Wudang Sect!

"What?! How come they're here too?" Zhang Yunling's eyes narrowed. Things had developed to this point, which was beyond his expectations.

Dong Wan originally thought that only she, with her mysterious wine gourd, could enter this secret realm. She had only managed to sneak in by chance by finding an entrance. But she never expected that the group from Wudang Mountain would also break in...

Zhang Yunling took a sudden step and flew into the air. He could no longer hold back and chose to make his move.