Taiyi Dao Fruit

As the Sect Hierarch of the Taiping Sect, he chose not to strike Jiang Li at this critical moment, nor did he pay attention to the court's troop movements. Instead, he came here, to the borderland between two provinces.

Zhang Zhixuan's right hand twinned fingers traced in the void, with thunder and lightning interweaving to form a Thunder Talisman half a person tall, with the figures of many Thunder Gods and twisted ancient characters formed by thunder.

"Imperial command!"

Zhang Zhixuan uttered softly, and as the Thunder Talisman landed below the dark clouds at his feet, the thunderclouds churned suddenly, and Thunder Light flashed, intertwining like dragons and snakes, their scales opening and closing with endless power of life and death swirling about.

Every inch of the sky seemed to glow bright, with terrifying Thunder Light spreading to form a sea of thunder and lightning, and then—

"Boom!"

The heavens felt like they had shattered, with a bolt of Heavenly Thunder tearing the sky and earth, striking down upon the Fang Mountain range. Amid the thunderous roar, the earth crumbled and mountains were destroyed, and a gap a mile wide was blasted open in the mountain range lying across the border between the two provinces.

Soon after, thunderbolts rained down incessantly, with countless strands of Thunder Light shining between heaven and earth, pouring destructive power upon the mountain range.

Mountains collapsed, rocks shattered, earth cracked, and stretches of mountain peaks were toppled by the thunder, with the huge gap ever expanding.

In the span of half a moment, a four-hundred-mile stretch of mountains was demolished, and even the thickest earth vein in Liangzhou connected to the Daxing Mountain Range could not survive Zhang Zhixuan's destruction.

The wind from Yong Province blew into Liangzhou through the four-hundred-mile gap, and the change in terrain also brought about a drastic change in climate.

And Zhang Zhixuan turned the Thunder Technique again, transforming destruction into creation, with a boom of Spring Thunder signaling the start of life, spreading warmth and the sprouting of all things along with the warm wind from Yong Province throughout the entirety of Liangzhou.

"Boom!"

The sky turned white, and the mountains seemed to shake with the thunderous roar.

At the heart of fierce conflict, the two giant gods separated, with both Jiang Li and Luu Tianpeng glancing toward the source of that earth-shattering Thunder Light.

Even a thousand miles away, the flash of Thunder Light was still visible, and with it came the domineering power of life and death. Most critically—

"Wind..."

Jiang Li acutely sensed a trace of moist warmth, carrying the temperature that Liangzhou should not have at this time.

The climate in Liangzhou was changing; the lingering cold of spring that should have persisted for at least another month was being driven away, replaced by vitality and warmth.

"And there's..."

Jiang Li's brow slowly opened a crack, as his Heavenly Eye whirled, capturing a hint of an ominous aura emerging.

"Plague Qi."

His gaze grew heavy.

The Eight Trigrams spun in his left eye, and almost instantly Jiang Li calculated the outcome—the Plague Qi would spread throughout Liangzhou.

As the saying goes, after a great disaster comes a great epidemic. Environmental destruction leads to the breeding of disease vectors, especially after flood disasters when the pollution of water sources can easily spur epidemics.

And the dead living creatures are the greatest source of the epidemic.

Liangzhou had suffered the collapse of the Golden Dam, a vast expanse turned into marshland, with tens of thousands dead or injured. The flood disaster was severe; the induced epidemic would likely spread across an extensive area.

Jiang Li and Tianxuan had anticipated this and had sent people in advance to prepare, achieving considerable results. Epidemics occurring in various places were immediately controlled by cultivators and then treated.

With the help of Dao Fruit and various magic, the major epidemic was promptly curtailed, and the weather also posed some obstacles to the spread of the disease.

All in all, it was a close call without true danger.

Until now—

With the Spring breeze and changing weather, the Plague Qi began to breed in various locations, and the Heavenly Eye could clearly see them spreading.

The great epidemic had not been curbed but had yet to truly break out.

Previously, there must have been a person, an expert in this field, who controlled the Plague Qi, pressing it down until spring returned to the earth, and then it burst forth all at once.

The suppressed Plague Qi had not disappeared but accumulated continuously. When it burst forth, it would ride on the spring breeze and spread throughout Liangzhou in a short time, even dispersing beyond.

Moreover, according to the original plan, both sides intended to go to war as the weather warmed up. If the court's forces were to fall victim to the plague at that time, even the high-ranking cultivators among them might be affected...

'Lower Four Grades getting infected is almost inevitable, for this is not a mere epidemic; someone is controlling it.'

Jiang Li slowly spoke the name of that person: "King Yue, Ji Wen."

A Fourth-Grade Expert who had once supported the Fourth Prince from the royal clan, the founder of the "Nine Insect Technique"—King Yue, Ji Wen.

He had contained the Dao Fruit of the giant god Hao Tian, ancestor of the Plague God, and only he could suppress such widespread Plague Qi. If Yellow Heaven was also providing cover, then even Jiang Li and Tianxuan could not have discovered it beforehand.

As for the Great Venerable, truth be told, Jiang Li was not clear.

But one way or another, the other side's plan had ultimately succeeded.

Jiang Li initiated the battle early, confronting them head-on, and the other side simply blasted through the Daxing Mountain Range, connecting Liangzhou with Yong Province, and causing the climate to warm ahead of time.

"Is Ji Wen your man?"

Jiang Li gazed at the giant god transformed by Luu Tianpeng, stating the question with certainty.

"If that were not the case, how could you have entered the Treasure Extreme Cave Heaven?" Luu Tianpeng said with a soft laugh.

The Cave Heaven Blessed Land sealed within Iron Pillar Temple, unknown to anyone, not even to members of the Royal Family. Yet, the Fourth Prince knew precisely how to open it, even guiding others accurately inside.

Moreover, at the time, the Fourth Prince had unhesitatingly attacked Jiang Li with no concern, evidently confident and not worried about Heaven's Punishment befalling him.