novelraw Chapter 847: Unleashing Power with the Five-Petal Lotus and Five Forms
Chapter 847: Unleashing Power with the Five-Petal Lotus and Five Forms
Since that's the case, the necessary business should continue as planned. The attitude cannot change; the feudal status must not be shaken and must be fought for. However, a secondary, fallback plan must also be prepared.
This is to ensure losses are minimized.
The combined annual hidden income of these four families of Four Dukes Mountain is roughly equal to one-third, or even half, of the Great Jing national treasury's yearly revenue.
But much of it is difficult to mobilize and cannot see the light of day.
The reason the Crown Prince position has become such a tense matter this time, why they are even willing to resist Lu Ding for the sake of the Crown Prince's stability, is twofold. On one hand, it's for status. On the other, once the Crown Prince is confirmed, the Great Jing will be in turmoil, and they can use this opportunity, relying on the Crown Prince they support, to launder their assets.
If the Crown Prince is not the one they support, then it's disastrous.
Therefore, if the cooperation between the Great Han and the Great Jing cannot be refused, it can be accepted. But what they absolutely cannot accept is cooperation between the Great Jing and the Great Han before the Crown Prince is decided.
Although they could launder a portion of their assets through the Great Han.
But going through them once would surely mean having a layer of skin, flesh and blood, scraped off. Once those things that cannot see the light go to the Great Han, do you think you'll get them all back?
You wish.So, leaving room for maneuver this time is also crucial.
None of those present were fools; they instantly understood Nian Hu's meaning.
The old patriarch of the Qu Family spoke up, "In that case, I suggest we disperse members from each of our families, infiltrating the various Jianghu forces. On the surface, it's about jointly resisting Lu Ding; we are not acting superior."
"In reality, we act according to circumstances when the time comes, ensuring the investigators' lives are not endangered."
The old patriarch of the Zhong Family clapped his hands, "Ah, this is a good method. On the surface, it stabilizes the reputation of the Four Dukes and demonstrates our stance that the dignity of the Great Jing cannot be trampled upon regarding Lu Ding's mission."
"Behind the scenes, it leaves us room with the Great Han. When the time comes, we can return the investigators completely unharmed, without a single scratch."
"As for the lives of those Jianghu ruffians and the necessary blood sacrifice from our subordinate clansmen, we'll directly..."
At this point, the Zhong Family old patriarch made a cutting motion with both hands outward. Those who understand, understand.
National stance and family interests are not simply about fighting and killing.
Everyone smiled.
But imagination is beautiful, reality is cruel.
Even if Lu Ding didn't know their little schemes, even if he did, he wouldn't show the slightest mercy. Moreover, the Great Han doesn't lack this bit. Once An Wuyang ascends to the Crown Prince position, the Great Han will earn much more.
Their current actions are essentially a sneaky attempt to steal what will rightfully belong to the Great Han in the future—the tariffs!
So their only outcome can be one of life's great tragedies: the person is dead, but the money isn't spent.
Joyful laughter rose above Four Dukes Mountain.
But rising and falling curses echoed below Four Dukes Mountain.
"Lu Ding is coming!? Perfect timing, I've been waiting for him for a long time!!!"
"Clear Bright Lake, Tianshun Prefecture, Listening Rain Pavilion, Shuntian Manor—he must pay in blood for his debts!!!!"
"Let's go, let's go out and wait for him!!!!"
"This time, we must knock him off his high horse!!!!"
Countless figures soared into the air, gathering majestically in the sky, a dense, dark mass, connecting into patches, converging into clouds, covering the area—far more than a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.
As more and more figures joined.
Magnates kept company with bandits.
Righteous factions shared camp with evil ones.
Jianghu practitioners stood shoulder to shoulder with scions of noble families.
This 'righteous army' was vast and mighty, each member filled with lofty ambitions and high fighting spirit, as if today was the day to make their name.
Even if they died, it would be sacrificing themselves for the nation, for a great cause.
With blood boiling, they were practically ready to have a character glowing in each eye—ferocity!
Until dark clouds covered the horizon, six dragons pulled a carriage, amidst flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, a sense of pressure accompanied the impending storm. They heard the roars of dragons and felt waves of draconic majesty.
Looking closely, a great banner bearing the character 'Lu' fluttered in the wind.
Glancing up, the Corpse-Shattering Taishui stood alone atop a dragon's head.
After all the talk, the scions of noble families took the lead: "Kill!!!!!"
Four Dukes Mountain does not nurture cowards, Hidden Dragon Ridge does not produce weaklings. Dare to fight, dare to strive, dare to charge, dare to die. We, the scions of noble families, stake our lives to lure you Jianghu ruffians forward to your deaths. With our blood, we shall paint the tragic and heroic tableau of the Nian, Qu, Feng, and Zhong families of Four Dukes Mountain.
Fists filled with loyalty and benevolence, the hot blood of young men.
Splashing forth is the vast grace of the Emperor, performing is loyalty to the sovereign and service to the country.
Seeing this, the Jianghu practitioners thought, 'Holy shit, this is getting me fired up!'
If these aristocratic scions can have such ferocity, how can we lag behind?!
If you dare charge, I'll follow!
They were also infected by these aristocratic scions putting their lives on the line, performing not empty talk but pure, unadulterated reality.
What more is there to say?
Let's just do it!!!!
"Kill Lu Ding, protect the Great Jing!!!!"
"Corpse-Shattering Taishui, cruel and merciless, intolerable to heaven and earth, everyone has the right to slay him!!!"
"Kill the Lu dog, follow me!!!"
"Lu Ding!! At Shuntian Manor, you killed my elder brother and sister-in-law, I will make you pay in blood!!!"
"Lu Ding!!! You killed my master, today I will avenge my master!!!!"
Angry roars came one after another, figures charged forward one after another.
There was no so-called pre-battle trash talk; it was straight to fighting upon meeting.
Seeing and hearing all this, Lu Ding's ten fingers nimbly formed hand seals.
The Sin Dragon within him opened its eyes, black energy billowed around him, red light bloomed, and his Inner Demons awakened.
Lu Ding spoke, his voice a reverberating mix of deep, resonant tones and sharp, maniacal ones, intertwined: "Good, good, good, I fucking did it all, come on!!!!"
The hand seals completed!!!!
His ten fingers intertwined to form a great golden plaque seal, Spiritual Energy flowed, mysteries spontaneously arose. A dark crimson bloody light soared into the sky. He opened his mouth and roared: "Dharma Form!!!!!!!!"
Waves of oppressive force descended, accompanied by dense drumbeats.
Thump.... thump... thump.. thump!!!
Finally crashing down upon Lu Ding with a thunderous impact.
Black smoke churned, dark red energy surged violently. Within it, a shadowy figure flickered in and out, swelling inch by inch—ten meters, a hundred meters, a thousand meters, ten thousand meters, a hundred thousand meters, a million meters!!!!!
Towering between heaven and earth!!!!
The Dharma Form. Every time it was used represented a new evolution in Lu Ding's battles, reaching new heights. From beginning to end, he never used this technique twice at the same level of power.
So each use represented surpassing the previous one.
Since he intended to uproot Four Dukes Mountain, flatten Hidden Dragon Ridge, look down upon the Royal Capital, display his stance, advance without pause, and crush his way through the pass...
Then his form must have a sense of overwhelming pressure to fully manifest his crushing dominance.
The black smoke dispersed, the red light receded, the deity took the stage, and the world trembled!!!
Unlike every previous appearance of the 'Dharma Form,' where black smoke had partially obscured his figure to varying degrees, this time, it was the full view!!!!
A fierce god, ferocious and ferocious. Dragon scales formed armor covering his lower body—maintaining decency. Resentment condensed into patterns winding around his upper body, enhancing his menacing aura.
Eight hundred li of bloodthirsty rings were tied around his arms, fluttering like ribbons, swirling up and down.
Behind his head, a great halo—a full, sinister moon—shone, a scene of a hundred ghosts roaming the night.
He wore a ritual crown, rimless, with five-petaled lotuses, depicting the Five Restrictions and Five Aspects, displaying immense divine might.
Two long ribbons trailed from the sword-tip headpiece, inscribed with two lines of dancing dragon-and-snake script.
[Only Slay, Never Save; Absolutely No Taboos]
Lu Ding pushed his palms forward horizontally as maniacal laughter echoed across the heavens: "Hahahahaha...... Those who block me shall die!!!!!"