After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

For those undergoing trials, improving their cultivation is as easy as drinking water; this is precisely what makes the Trial of Life and Death dungeon so terrifying.

Just as Li Xiuning's cultivation level had reached the mid-stage during the great battle, Liu Heita's momentum was becoming increasingly weak.

If Li Xiuning kills him and escapes her life-or-death ordeal, she should reap considerable rewards.

About fifteen minutes later, Liu Heita was cut down from his horse by Li Xiuning's sword and was left barely alive.

Li Xiuning leaped forward, plunged a knife into his neck, and stared at him with bloodshot eyes. "This time, with my husband's help, you still want to kill me? Too bad you can't!"

"Li Xiuning! You are defying the will of Heaven—"

Liu Heita's face became ferocious, and as he finished speaking, his voice became mechanical and heavy, as if a great terror was about to emerge from his body.

Ding!

[At the critical moment of life and death, the corrective power of the small world is triggered, and the original will of history attempts to erase Li Xiuning.]

Click, click, click!

Thunder and lightning flashed across the battlefield, and something seemed to be looking down upon the entire instance world with boundless rage.

The battlefield fell silent as the soldiers stared solemnly at the sky. The awe-inspiring power emanated from their very souls—how terrifying!

The Taoist priest Ziyang in the temple stared in astonishment toward Taiyuan, muttering, "Is that emperor going against the heavens?"

The system-constructed copy reproduces fragments of the original history, within which naturally exists a wisp of the world's will, and this wisp of will is directed at Li Xiuning.

Chen Futu looked up at the raging thunderclouds, the Emperor Seal Technique in his hand was fully formed. He would intervene in any unexpected situation, and even when facing the so-called world will, the Holy Emperor was fearless.

Li Xiuning did not release Liu Heita; instead, she twisted the blade, churning Liu Heita's flesh and blood. "Heaven's will? How laughable! Why should I die at Liu Heita's hands!"

"Small trends can be changed, but the big trend cannot be reversed! Li Xiuning, why don't you kill yourself?"

A deep, booming sound reverberated in Li Xiuning's mind, her soul trembled, and an irresistible force took control of her.

Under the incredulous gazes of the crowd, Li Xiuning pulled the knife out of Liu Heita's body and then slowly held it to her own neck.

"Xiuning!"

"General Lee!"

The generals were terrified, yet they were all unable to move. Zhang Liang also showed a look of shock, "This is the will of the world? What terrifying power!"

At this moment, the soldiers felt under an indescribable pressure, as if they had all turned into dust and could not defy that mysterious power.

“My husband is the one who holds the reins of power. You want to kill me? I will not accept my fate…”

Li Xiuning gripped the knife tightly, resisting, refusing to slit her own throat.

Seeing her like this, Chen Futu suddenly opened his eyes and slammed the Emperor's Seal Technique into the sky, shouting, "Insolence!"

When the Holy Emperor is enraged, the heavens and earth change color.

The Imperial Seal Technique conjured a golden dragon of fortune that obscured the thunderclouds, and the surging imperial fortune fell upon Li Xiuning. Her tense body and almost crushed consciousness instantly regained their clarity, with an imperial phantom that looked exactly like Chen Futu protecting her from behind.

"Xiuning, kill him!"

Chen Futu shouted.

Li Xiuning came to her senses, and the phantom image, together with her, raised the knife high above their heads. Under the boundless rage and pressure, they chopped off Liu Heita's head with one stroke.

The head rolled off, the distorted thunderclouds suddenly dissipated, and peace returned to the world.

The Daoist Ziyang, who had been deducing the overall situation, coughed up blood and exclaimed in horror, "The Imperial Dao protects me, defying fate... this..."

The situation has changed. Li Xiuning is still alive, but Liu Heita is dead.

Moreover, it wasn't Li Xiuning who killed Liu Heita; it was the emperor himself who ended this life-or-death crisis.

The consequence of this was that the cause and effect fell on the emperor, while the opportunity was given to Li Xiuning.

Ding!

[Congratulations to Li Xiuning for completing her life-or-death tribulation and advancing her cultivation to the peak of Martial King.]

The system beeps.

"Peak of Martial King, the gains are not bad."

[Would you like to return now, host?]

"I'm not going back yet. I've already spent the money, and I haven't finished training the troops."

Chen Futu wanted to take a good look at the late Sui Dynasty, and he hadn't even met Li Er yet, otherwise his trip would have been in vain.

The battle that followed was much simpler; the Great Xia army swept away Liu's army in a whirlwind.

Zhang Liang then continued to command the battle, ordering Ma Chao and Cao Zhen to meet the approaching rebel army from the east, and then dispatching Guan Yu and others to continue advancing towards the surrounding areas to train the new army.

For several days, Li Xiuning did not participate in the battle. Since the tribulation of life and death had ended, her cultivation could no longer be improved. Moreover, according to the system, now that her cultivation had increased, after the birth of her child, coupled with the improvement of her physique by the Creation Pill, her cultivation could increase by a large margin. In that case, she would become a Martial Emperor.

"My husband, are you still going to face the life-or-death tribulations of other people?"

Li Xiuning asked curiously.

"You need to improve your skills before having a baby. As for the others, they should be able to handle most of them."

As he spoke, Chen Futu secretly asked the system, "The will of heaven and earth is too strange. If all the tribulations are like this, there is no way to defy the heavens."

Previously, the will of heaven and earth even wanted to personally eliminate Li Xiuning.

[Li Xiuning carries the host's bloodline and possesses imperial dragon energy. The remaining fortune of the fetus within her surpasses the fate of the Li Tang Dynasty.]

"The Empress?"

The system's deception led the will of heaven and earth to mistakenly believe that Li Xiuning was the empress.

According to historical development, Wu Zetian would have had a long time before ascending the throne; it was currently Li Yuan's era, so it was still a long way off.

Soon, news of Liu Heita's defeat and death reached Chang'an.

Li Yuan looked bewildered upon seeing the battle report. "A mysterious army?"

Originally, Liu Huijun's rebellion made him extremely worried about Li Xiuning's situation, so Li Jiancheng led his troops there. Before Li Jiancheng even arrived, Liu's army was completely wiped out, which was completely incomprehensible.

"Report!"

A battle report reached the palace: "Your Majesty, the rebel army was attacked by a mysterious legion when they reached Daqiao Village. Liu Huijun was killed with a single spear thrust, and the entire army was wiped out!"

"Who is it? Have you found out?"

"That man called himself the Duke of Xiliang, the Brocade Ma Chao."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Li Yuan and all the court officials were dumbfounded.

What nonsense is that messenger spouting? He calls him Ma Chao, but why not Guan Yu, the Marquis of Hanshou!

"Report!"

"After defeating Liu the bandit, the mysterious legion successively crushed the surrounding rebel forces, beheading countless people."

"Who is it?"

"The leader was a young scholar who called himself Zhang Liang, the Grand Historian of the Great Xia Dynasty. The other generals were Guan Yu, Qin Liangyu, Cao Zhen, Gan Ning, and Gao Shun."

"Do you know what you are talking about!"

Li Yuan was extremely annoyed. What was wrong with these messengers?

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. The commander-in-chief is indeed named Zhang Liang, and we have also inquired about the other generals. There is no mistake."

The court fell silent upon hearing the order from the guard.

It's understandable if one or two people share the same name, but these are all historical figures. Who would dare to call themselves Guan Yu? And who is Zhang Liang? He's a strategist!