Chapter 159: The Final Gust

Freedom?
Leave Mount Yunmeng?

Hearing Fan Li’s words, everyone else looked utterly baffled.
Who was Guiguzi?
He was a supreme hermit and a master scholar whose status was by no means inferior to Lü Chunqiu of Lü City.
And Mount Yunmeng was Guiguzi's own spiritual domain and artifact-bound sanctum.
To say that Guiguzi was trapped on Mount Yunmeng—was that not a joke?

"Hahahahahaha!"
The Crown Prince of Wanli burst out laughing on the spot.
"Teacher, Guiguzi unquestionably belongs to our Great Ming."

In his view, the condition Fan Li offered was not only ridiculous but also stingy, like an iron rooster from which not a single feather could be plucked.
Zhang Juzheng, however, dared not agree.
In fact, he had a faint premonition that Fan Li might be right.
From the very moment of their arrival, Guiguzi had clearly signaled his intention to descend the mountain.
Yet, representatives of every dynasty in the mortal realm had gathered at Mount Yunmeng, and even the Pure Land of Sanskrit Chants had sent a Holy Sovereign.
Why then did Guiguzi remain seated in the pavilion atop the peak, refusing to come down and meet them?
Was it arrogance?
Was it temperament?
Was it eccentricity?
Or perhaps... it was out of helplessness.

Zhang Juzheng lowered his gaze to look at the roll of silk in his hand—an imperial edict written in the personal handwriting of the Jiajing Emperor of Great Ming.
And yet, was it tantamount to a worthless piece of scrap paper?
All factions had already made their offers to recruit Guiguzi.
If Great Ming were to alter its terms and up the ante now, even though they would certainly honor their word, their momentum would already have fallen to a disadvantage.

"Is that true?"
From the pavilion atop the peak drifted Guiguzi's voice, sounding neither male nor female, neither human nor ghost.
Everyone was startled!
Had Fan Li truly guessed Guiguzi's desire?

"Our Great Ming is also willing to assist Master Guiguzi in leaving Mount Yunmeng!" Zhang Juzheng could bear it no longer; losing face was far better than losing Guiguzi.
"The Pure Land can satisfy any request the Master may have!" the Holy Sovereign of Gold Virtue hurriedly chimed in.
Following that, she glared with bitter malice at Fan Li.
This damned fellow!
Clearly, he had known something all along yet kept it to himself—he was obviously not of one mind with the Pure Land!

"Sigh..."
Guiguzi let out a profound sigh, and everyone held their breath to listen!
"Everyone, please break the formation first."

The moment his voice fell, a three-headed, six-armed stone statue materialized out of thin air before the barrier.
The stone statue stood about four zhang tall.
Its three heads all wore imperial crowns adorned with dangling pearls, bearing the unmistakable guise of monarchs.
The statue wore a golden dragon robe with nine claws, and its six arms each wielded a battle spear, a long sword, and a broad saber.

Taking in the appearance of the stone statue, someone could not help crying out in shock:
"The High Ancestor?"
"The Taizu Emperor?"
"The Hegemon King?!"

That cry of "High Ancestor" came from Zhuge Liang.
The exclamation of "Taizu" came from the lips of Zhang Juzheng.
Fan Li whispered softly to Yan Yuan, "Whose ancestor are you calling the 'Hegemon King'?"
"Lord of Jin, you do not recognize the Hegemon King?" Yan Yuan said in astonishment. "One of the three heads on this stone statue is an exact match for the portraits of King Chu, the Hegemon!"

Oh?
So one-third of this stone statue belonged to Xiang Ning's ancestor?
"To think you have the nerve to style yourself a minister of Chu while failing to even recognize the Hegemon King of Chu?" Lü Fubao also muttered in a low voice.
Fan Li scratched the tip of his nose. "Well, I am a treacherous minister, after all."

So, the three heads of the stone statue were respectively the Hegemon King of Chu, the Gaozu Emperor of Han, and the Taizu Emperor of Ming?
"This formation is called the Three Sovereigns Formation, and each person is limited to a single challenge."
"No joint attacks; only single combat is permitted."

Guiguzi's voice drifted over, carrying a trace of helplessness that further confirmed his awkward predicament.
"Who shall go first?" the Holy Sovereign of Gold Virtue asked in a deep voice.
Among all those present, her strength was the greatest.
Yet the Holy Sovereign of Gold Virtue had no intention of taking the lead.
She wanted to ensure absolute success, preferably having someone from another faction step up first so she could observe the statue's combat techniques and flaws, allowing her to shatter it in one fell swoop!
The Crown Prince of Wanli and his faction shared the exact same thought.
"Teacher, why don't you go first?"
Zhang Juzheng rolled his eyes so hard it hurt.
"...Your Highness, our side has fewer people; taking the initiative to challenge is truly disadvantageous."
Wanli frowned. "You want that mob on the other side to break the formation first? If they manage to break it on their first attempt, how do you expect me to answer for this upon returning to Great Ming?"
"How is that possible?" Zhang Juzheng gave a bitter smile. "In this official's view, Guiguzi is indeed trapped by this formation. A grand formation that even he cannot break cannot possibly be breached by our opponents on the first try."

No matter how insistently Wanli demanded it, Zhang Juzheng steadfastly refused to charge into the formation first.
It was not out of cowardice, but simply because the stakes did not warrant it.
Those skilled in strategy do not act rashly.
Yet the Crown Prince of Wanli could not comprehend such logic.

"Since that is the case, allow me to try," Zhou Yu suddenly said with a smile.
"Splendid," Guo Jia said with a smile. "Governor, please test the formation first. If it does not go smoothly, I shall have a go."
"I shall accompany you," Zhuge Liang said, gently waving his feather fan.
These three had merely come to lend assistance, so success or failure mattered little to them.

Zhou Yu drew a silver spear, which was also a spirit treasure of exceptional grade.
"Taste my [Long River Chant]!"

Spiritual energy condensed at the tip of the spear, transforming instantly into a surging, roaring great river.
Wherever the spiritual energy river passed, the craggy, jagged mountain path was scoured as smooth as a mirror!
Boom—!
The great river crashed against the stone statue, producing a deafening roar!

Yet, the three-headed stone statue merely took a single step back.
"You... are not... the King."
The head of the Hegemon actually spoke.
Its delivery was slow, and what it said made no sense whatsoever.

However, the movements of the statue's hands were extremely swift.
Of its six arms, the one wielding the battle spear swept outward, slashing out a streak of black and red light that shot straight toward the spiritual energy river like a flying blade.
The surging torrent of spiritual energy, the moment it made contact with the black and red radiance, was ripped apart as easily as a bolt of fabric.

"Governor, watch out!"
Everyone on their side shouted in alarm, but it was far too late to react.
The terrifying black and red radiance lengthened by a zhang for every inch it pushed forward!
In merely half a breath, it had surged vertically right up to Zhou Yu, forming a pillar reaching a hundred zhang into the sky!

Before Zhou Yu could dodge, he was instantly engulfed by the pillar of light.
"Hahahaha! One down!" the Crown Prince of Wanli rejoiced, then said to Zhang Juzheng, "Teacher, aren't you glad you didn't go first?"
Zhang Juzheng felt a blush of shame.
His Highness the Crown Prince seemed to have forgotten that it was he who had just been urging him to march to his death?
"Is Governor Zhou dead?" Lü Fubao asked in shock.
Alas, of all people to ask, she had chosen to ask Fan Li.
Lü Fubao was at least in the Nascent Soul realm, whereas Fan Li was only at the Foundation Establishment stage and could see even less.
"Little Junior Sister, rest assured. Although that strike had an appallingly mighty momentum, Governor Zhou is a renowned general of Jiangdong; he will not perish here," Yan Yuan consoled from the side.

Sure enough.
When the power of the black and red light pillar finally dissipated, a giant crater had formed in the ground where Zhou Yu had been standing.
He himself was right in the center of the crater, holding his silver spear tightly in a defensive posture.
"Cough!"
Zhou Yu coughed up a mouthful of blood, but he did not fall.
He smiled at the crowd peering over from not far away, "Apologies, it seems withstanding a single blow is my limit."
"Hmph."
The Holy Sovereign of Gold Virtue let out a dissatisfied cold snort.
She had already discerned that Zhou Yu's strength should be at the Integration realm, though his exact grade remained unclear, as if he had concealed something.
Not only Zhou Yu, but Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia were the same.

"Look! It changed faces!" Lü Fubao cried out in surprise, as if she had discovered a new continent.
Everyone hurriedly looked back at the stone statue. Previously, the Hegemon's head had been facing the front.
At this moment, the heads had rotated, and the face had changed to that of the Taizu Emperor of Ming.
"Could it be that every strike forces a change of face?" Fan Li muttered to himself.
Regrettably, with too little reference data, he could only guess blindly.
"Guo Jia, shouldn't it be your turn?" the Holy Sovereign of Gold Virtue urged, caring not a whit for the man's life or death.
"Very well, very well. Holy Sovereign, do not rush."
Guo Jia inspected Zhou Yu's injuries, his face devoid of any trace of fear as he stepped forward with a chuckle...