Longzang

Chapter 1047 Self-Cultivation
Ningshui is the second largest river in the territory of Ji State. It meanders and the terrain on both banks is dangerous. It has been a military stronghold since ancient times.

At this time, the main force of the rebel army led by Lu Jiande was locked in a stalemate with Xiao Jingyuan, the newly appointed general of the Ji Kingdom's government army, and the two sides had been fighting for several months. Although Lu Jiande's forces were small, numbering less than 100,000, they were all battle-hardened elites.

Although Xiao Jingyuan commanded 300,000 elite troops, Lu Jiande did not confront him head-on. Instead, he constantly maneuvered, conquering cities and seizing territory. He crossed the Ning River twice, much to Xiao Jingyuan's surprise. The hundreds of thousands of Ji Kingdom troops were led by the nose and were frequently attacked by Lu Jiande, leaving them in a very sorry state.

Under the moonlight, Lu Jiande left a small force of several thousand men on the left bank of the Ning River, while the main force marched on the right bank. The Ji Kingdom's pursuing troops were just over a hundred miles behind them, also divided into two groups: a 30,000-strong detachment on the left bank and the main force on the right bank.

Lu Jiande led tens of thousands of rebel troops, standing on the mountain peak, watching the army move forward like a fiery dragon in the night. A general said in a deep voice, "Our marching speed is faster than Ji's army, and we are 50% faster at night. When we reach the upstream ferry, the time will be just enough for the main force to cross the river."

Another general said, "Who would have thought that Lord Lu would cross the Ning River three times? When that happens, we'll turn around and wipe out Ji's detachment, then raid his granary in Sui County. Ji's army will surely be thrown into chaos."

"No matter how much Xiao Jingyuan boasts, he's old after all. How can he compare to our Lord Lu?"

Lu Jiande smiled slightly, quite pleased with himself. His subordinates were right; Xiao Jingyuan never expected that he had already dispatched elite cavalry to seize the river crossings on both sides of the river. Once the main army arrived at the crossings, they could board the pre-prepared boats and cross the river quickly, supported by powerful magic.

Once the main force jumps from the right bank to the left bank and destroys the ferry crossings and boats, they can directly attack the empty granaries and camps guarded by Ji's army, and then sweep through the counties and cities one by one. By the time Xiao Jingyuan's army crosses the river to catch up, Lu Jiande can sweep through at least five or six counties, wipe out more than 100,000 government troops and local forces, and then leave triumphantly.

Everything was planned perfectly. Lu Jiande intended to gradually erode the main force of the Ji army, and then annihilate Xiao Jingyuan's main force in one decisive battle in the spring. At that time, with his power fully consolidated, he could break through the Ji Kingdom and advance on the Tang Dynasty.

Tang Shi was empty, with hardly any soldiers, and had not fought a war for many years. He was no match for Lu Jiande's battle-hardened elite troops.

When the time comes, if you successfully enter the capital, the whole world will be shaken, and your great mission will be accomplished. Then you can accept the amnesty and return to the State of Ji to become a prince of a different surname. Whether you can establish a separatist regime or wield immense power in the court is up to you.

Just as he was contemplating the future, Lu Jiande suddenly frowned, for he saw a military aura appear in the distant night sky. The aura was so concentrated that it shimmered with a metallic light. In his long and illustrious life, Lu Jiande had never seen such a military aura.

The earth trembled slightly, and a silvery line of tide appeared on the distant horizon under the cool moonlight. As they drew closer, it became clear that they were a group of heavy cavalry. These riders and horses were fully armored, and the decks reflected the moonlight like the tide line of the night sea!

The cavalry moved at a steady pace, their advance aimed directly at the rebels on the left bank!

The rebels on the left bank numbered only eight or nine thousand. Facing several thousand heavy cavalry, they were doomed. Even the most battle-hardened elites were thrown into chaos.

Lu Jiande was shocked and immediately led several generals to fly over, shouting, "Who are you? Do you want to be enemies of my Great Shun Army?"

The heavy cavalry did not answer, continuing their charge. As they drew closer, Lu Jiande looked closely and saw that each soldier possessed a faint, shimmering aura—they were all imbued with aura of good fortune!

He was both shocked and furious, but dared not make a move. So he remained calm and said to a general beside him, "These scoundrels are rampant! General Lin, please intervene and stop them, and teach them a lesson!"

The general, without suspicion, roared and swung his great axe, unleashing a hundred-foot-long beam of light that rolled towards the center of the cavalry!

But the torrent of axe light suddenly vanished, and at the end of the axe light appeared a tall man with a purple face and a bushy beard. He held a long spear upside down in one hand, and with the other hand, he gently grabbed all the axe light in his hand!

At this moment, the general, with his perfected Dharma Aspect cultivation, unleashed a powerful axe strike that transformed into a ball of clear light, spinning rapidly in the man's palm. The man let out a cold laugh, clenched his fist, and several wisps of white vapor instantly shot out from between his fingers!

The general let out a loud cry, and the wisp of divine consciousness attached to the axe blade was extinguished. He fell backward, unconscious.

Only then did the cavalry slowly come to a halt. The rebel army opposite them had been forced to the riverbank, in complete chaos and utterly defeated. The rebels were considered elite, but their forces crumbled under the overwhelming power of the silent heavy cavalry, demonstrating the vast disparity in strength between the two sides.

Then countless banners were raised among the cavalry, some bearing the character "荒" (huang, meaning wasteland) and others the character "李" (li, meaning Li).

The burly man with a purple face and a bushy beard stood in the air and roared like thunder: "You are the men of that Lu Jiande? Go back and tell him that from now on, the leader of the Eighteen Winds and Smoke is me, 'Great Wilderness Spear Saint' Li Yitai!"
Make that useless guy abdicate, hurry up and do it!

If anyone disagrees, I'll smash their head in!

Abdication? Lu Jiande, who prided himself on being well-read, despised such hypocrites who hadn't read many proper books. He smiled faintly and said, "It's not impossible for the Grand Master to abdicate, as long as you are a true hero, a real man! I, Lin, am unworthy, but I would like to learn your methods." Li Yitai's eyes widened in anger, then he laughed in fury, saying, "Very well, it seems there aren't many people in the world who know my name! Come on, I'll show you what damn methods are!"

Lu Jiande leaped forward, a small jade knife appearing in his hand. He ran his finger along the blade, cutting his finger and smearing blood onto the blade.

With a loud boom, faint eerie flames ignited within a radius of a thousand feet! Lu Jiande dared not be careless, having already used this strike to trigger the Mind World.

Li Yi didn't even glance at the ghostly world of fire. He raised his spear, let out a roar, and then slowly brought it down on Lu Jiande!

Suddenly, an enormous, deep yellow star appeared behind him, hovering high in the sky, and slowly descended with the force of the shot! At that moment, the stars and moon in the sky were completely obscured, and all that could be seen was this giant star!
The shot had only traveled halfway when the sky was filled with the implication of thick earth! Under the terrifying pressure of this giant star, all the ghostly flames were extinguished. Although all the rebel generals had the cultivation of the middle and late stages of the Dharma Aspect realm, they were all unable to move, not even able to lift a finger.

Lu Jiande, who was at the center of the power, was in even worse shape. He couldn't even control himself and was involuntarily moving towards the giant star!

With a snap, the jade knife shattered! Lu Jiande coughed up several mouthfuls of blood!

Li Yi's spear suddenly accelerated its descent, striking Lu Jiande and sending him flying thousands of feet, piercing straight through a mountain peak!
As the star disappeared, Li Yitai sheathed his spear, slung it over his shoulder, and sneered, "You mere Yujing dares to shine? I'll spare your life today so you can pass on a message to that Lu fellow: he has three months to prepare the abdication ceremony. Choose any location you like, as long as the mountain is high enough."

If he doesn't comply, once I catch him, I'll cripple his cultivation and throw him into the Elephant Maiden's Den to make money for me!

Having said that, he glanced at the nearly ten thousand rebel soldiers on the riverbank below and shouted again, "Kneel down now!"

The rebels instantly knelt down without hesitation. They had witnessed their leader's magical duel firsthand, and he couldn't even withstand a single move from him; how could they dare to resist?

To be honest, when the rebellion first started, some people may have had the idea of ​​acting on behalf of Heaven, but after a few years and countless deaths, those who have survived to this day are the ones who know how to adapt to the times.

The rebel generals, now free, were about to leave when Li Tai said menacingly from behind, "Fellow Daoist, please wait! Where are you all in such a hurry to go?"

The generals turned around and saw that the purple-faced giant was already behind them. They were instantly terrified.

The most quick-witted one immediately knelt down in mid-air and said, "This humble general is not going anywhere; I only wish to follow you, sir!"

"Having wandered for half my life without encountering a wise ruler, I am fortunate to have met the Gun Saint!"

Under Lu Jiande's influence, the generals all read books in their spare time. Those who have read are indeed different; even their flattery carries an air of refinement.

Li Tai was finally satisfied and said, "Remember this: from now on, the only leader of all rebels in the world can be me!"

The generals exclaimed in unison, "It must be the Spear Saint!"

Li Tai was even more satisfied, and he laughed loudly, his voice echoing across the surrounding area. The laughter reached Lu Jiande's ears from afar, which angered him so much that he spat out another mouthful of blood.

Despite coughing up blood, he dared not linger and hastened his escape. All he could think about was where this Great Wilderness Spear Saint came from, and how he could be so powerful.

The spear that fell with the weight of a giant star was so heavy that Lu Jiande even suspected it was a celestial cave descending upon him.

Surrounded by his generals, Li Yitai was in high spirits, and in the blink of an eye, he had gained several more adopted grandsons. The generals, now able to kneel at Li Yitai's feet, were all radiant and overjoyed, immediately disregarding their former comrades still in the rebel army, feeling that they were not worthy of being compared to themselves now.

Li Tai stood under the night sky, turned his head and gazed deeply at the land of Ji Kingdom under the night.

Looking back at the seven godchildren in front of him, their faces beaming with joy, Wei Yuan, who bore the appearance of Li Yitai, decided to write another book when he had time: On the Self-Cultivation of Actors.

(End of this chapter)