Longzang

Chapter 1185 Public Disclosure of the Law Amendment
Wei Yuan sat motionless for several breaths before asking, "What do you mean by that?"

Wang Zhi sensed nothing amiss, yet a profound terror gradually rose within him. His face pressed against the cold stone ground, he said, “My lord, you have stationed your troops in Yizhou. Since Li Zhi invaded the southern border, he intends to establish a long-term presence, and we are powerless to expel him. Li Zhi's army is strong and well-equipped; it's clear they are the work of Qingming. Without your support, even if Southern Qi attacks from two sides, we might not be able to resist if we fight to the death.”

But since Your Excellency has supported Li Zhi, the situation cannot be reversed. I have observed the history of dynasties, and many royal families have been slaughtered. Prince Ji has shown me great kindness, and I have sworn to repay him with my life. The current situation is irreversible, therefore I have come to plead with the Realm Lord to grant Prince Ji a way out. We can arrange for him to find a place within the Azure Netherworld to live in seclusion and spend the rest of his days there.

"Your Majesty is already in your twilight years, a mere Dharma Aspect cultivator with no hope of breakthrough or advancement. What threat could he pose? The Realm Lord is destined for immortality. Such an ant is not worth your attention; why not let him fend for himself?"

Wang Zhi spoke without reservation, revealing everything, and then awaited his fate.

Wei Yuan said calmly, "Who taught you to say these things?"

Wang Zhi gritted his teeth and said, "No one else has come. It is I who assist the government by day and read history books by night. The more I read, the more alarmed I become. So I dare to come here. I dare not ask for the throne, nor do I dare to think about the integrity of the country. I only wish to ask for a peaceful end for Your Majesty."

Wei Yuan nodded slightly and said, "You see things quite clearly."

Wang Zhi lay motionless on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his body. He hadn't believed the rumors about how terrifying the Azure Netherworld Lord was, but now, kneeling before him, he realized that the invisible pressure was simply unbearable. Even with his strong will, he had lost his composure.

Wei Yuan flicked his hand and released a pill, which slowly floated down in front of Wang Zhi. The pill seemed to be formed from a cloud of mist, both tangible and intangible, floating in the air.

Wang Zhi could see the pill, but he couldn't sense its presence at all, and he was puzzled for a moment.

"I observe that your Dharma form still has some minor flaws. If you take this pill and can withstand the refinement of the immortal power within, it should slightly improve your aptitude, which will greatly benefit your advancement to the Imperial Realm. After taking the pill, go to Qingming to find Ji Liuli, and let her protect you as you advance to the Imperial Realm, ensuring your safety."

However, Wang Zhi did not accept the pill and remained prostrate on the ground.

Wei Yuan's voice turned cold as he said, "You've seen how I acted in Western Jin. What happened to the Prince of Jin, will happen to the Prince of Ji as well. What, do you want me to write you a guarantee?"

Wang Zhi trembled, and two streams of tears flowed down his face as he choked out, "From this day forward, my body and my heart belong to you, my lord!"

Wei Yuan said, "I don't need you to do anything. Just assist Prince Ji well. Remember, no matter how difficult or dangerous the situation is, do not slaughter the people. That's my only request."

"I will certainly do it!" He then picked up the pill and stood up.

Wei Yuan said, "This pill contains immortal power, so you must not be careless when taking it."

At this moment, gratitude was beyond words. Wang Zhi kowtowed three more times before leaving the main hall. Before he even left, several cultivators filed in. These cultivators all possessed the cultivation of a Dharma Aspect, but their magical power was weak. Wang Zhi's heart stirred; he knew this was Qingming's unique Golden Core Dharma Aspect, and he couldn't help but take another look.

Upon seeing this, Wei Yuan asked, "What, are you also interested in the Golden Core Dharma Form?"

Upon Wei Yuan's inquiry, Wang Zhi replied earnestly, "My lord, although the Golden Core Dharma Aspect is not as good as the ordinary Dharma Aspect, it is still a Dharma Aspect after all. Its combat power is much higher than that of a perfect Earth-rank Dao Foundation and is comparable to that of a perfect Heaven-rank Dao Foundation. In addition, the lifespan of a Golden Core Dharma Aspect can reach three hundred years, which is much longer than that of a Dao Foundation. Therefore, many cultivators outside who are unable to break through to the Dharma Aspect stage yearn for the Golden Core Dharma Aspect."

Wei Yuan's expression shifted, and he asked, "Then why don't they come to Qingming?"

Wang Zhidao said, "Many cultivators are only at the Foundation Establishment stage, barely reaching the later or perfect stages through painstaking effort. Most of these people have family ties in their local areas and find it difficult to abandon everything to go to Qingming. Moreover, apart from the nearby Zhao and Western Jin states, cultivators from other countries have to travel a long way to Qingming, and the journey is extremely dangerous, almost a matter of life and death. Therefore, most cultivators cannot make this decision."

Furthermore, many powerful families and cultivation sects are spreading rumors that once you enter the Azure Netherworld, you can never come out again. That golden core isn't a dharma form, but rather a tool used by the realm lord to control cultivators.

Wei Yuan seemed to be deep in thought, then asked, "You've mentioned a lot, but to be more specific, how much exactly is it, and what percentage does it represent in the entire Dao Foundation?"

Wang Zhidao said, "Basically, all cultivators who can reach the later stages but cannot reach the Dharma Aspect stage are included in this category. They account for about 10% of all Dao Foundation cultivators."

Wei Yuan sighed, "The path to immortality is arduous; only one or two out of ten can reach the later stages."

Wang Zhi immediately said, "I have long heard that all the cultivators in the Azure Netherworld are like dragons, and that the Realm Lord has opened up many great paths. This ratio should be much higher than outside."

Hearing this, Wei Yuan's old face flushed slightly. His own template Dao Foundations were mostly unusable for the later stages of cultivation, yet their numbers were enormous, a hundred times more than normal Dao Foundations. If the template Dao Foundations were excluded, roughly three or four out of ten Qingming cultivators would reach the later stages; but with the templates included, perhaps only one out of a hundred would reach the later stages. Therefore, Wang Zhi's flattery was misplaced.

However, Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and he said, "You just said that many cultivators want to switch to cultivating the Golden Core Dharma Form, but they can't come to Qingming?"

"That's true for most of them."

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then said, "After you advance to the Imperial Realm, do me a favor."

"Please give your orders, sir!"

Wei Yuan said, "It's a good thing that so many cultivators want to learn the Golden Core Dharma Form. I'll have someone compile the cultivation methods for several Golden Core Dharma Forms and give them to you. After you advance, return to Ji Kingdom and make these cultivation methods public. Set up several training centers and teach anyone who is willing to learn."

Wang Zhi was taken aback and hurriedly said, "My lord, you mustn't! The Dharma cannot be passed on lightly. Moreover, the Golden Core Cultivation Method is something that no one has ever revealed before. It has enabled countless cultivators to continue their path to immortality. It is truly a rare secret method! Any one of these secret methods could be used to establish a sect in a prefecture. How can it be made public so easily?"

Wei Yuan smiled slightly and said, "You also said that this is to help many cultivators continue their path to enlightenment, but if they can't learn it, how can they continue their path to enlightenment? So I decided to make it public and let those who want to learn it learn it. Let's not set up obstacles in the middle."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhi knew that the words were a bit harsh, and quickly replied, "This subordinate wouldn't dare! I will certainly ensure that the cultivation method is learned by everyone who needs it!"

Wei Yuan was satisfied and said, "You go first and let Ji Kingdom gain the upper hand. Then, after a while, I will gradually announce it in the other countries. This will attract a group of cultivators to Ji Kingdom. You should know how to utilize them."

Wang Zhidao said, "My lord, rest assured, I will never tie serving the Ji Kingdom to the cultivation method. I will only recruit people as an incidental matter, and it will all be based on their willingness."

"You're a smart person, that's good. I just need to distribute some pills to the Foundation Establishment cultivators below, could you help me carry them?"

Wang Zhi, puzzled, followed the few Golden Core cultivators into the side hall. He was somewhat confused; why would several cultivators be needed to carry just pills?
But upon entering the side hall, one is immediately struck by rows of enormous boxes, each weighing a thousand pounds. The leader, a Golden Core cultivator, said, "There are quite a lot of pills this time. Everyone, put in a little extra effort. Each person takes one box, and be careful not to tip them over!"

Only then did Wang Zhi realize that these boxes were actually full of pills! His cultivation was extremely high, and he used his Taoist magic to tie several boxes together, so he dragged seven or eight boxes by himself, more than all the others combined.

After leaving the hall, Wang Zhi subtly inquired about the quantity and purpose of these pills. The leading Golden Core cultivator explained that these were distributed as a semi-annual reward, one pill for each Dao Foundation cultivator, totaling over 500,000 pills. In the Azure Netherworld, this was known by a specific term: the semi-annual reward.

Wang Zhi only heard about the semi-annual bonus as something new, but the figure of over 500,000 yuan stunned him. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have imagined that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could use 100,000 yuan as a unit.

Wang Zhi suddenly remembered a secret technique he had accidentally obtained, which could set up a grand formation and unleash a devastating attack by gathering the power of many cultivators. The most distinctive feature of this formation was that it could be stacked on top of each other, infinitely, and theoretically, there could be an unlimited number of cultivators within it.

If 500,000 Dao Foundation cultivators were to launch a combined attack... Wang Zhi dared not think any further.

He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly apologized, put down the pill box, returned to the main hall, and presented the formation to Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan remained indifferent, swept his divine sense over the formation, offered a few words of encouragement, and then dismissed him.

After Wang Zhi left, Wei Yuan recorded the formation into the myriad realms of prosperity, and then nothing more. Qingming has little else to offer, except for a plethora of template-based Dao bases.

While individual Dao Foundations may not be powerful enough, their sheer numbers can overwhelm opponents. Therefore, Qingming has long invested heavily in researching group attack formations. The most advanced of these is a formation derived from the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Formation, capable of simultaneously accommodating 36,500 Dao Foundations.

Although the formation was useless, its loyalty was commendable. Therefore, Wei Yuan secretly blessed him with some luck, so his advancement to the Imperial Realm should be smooth sailing.

Wei Yuan was very satisfied with his exit from seclusion. Qingming's Golden Core Dharma Form was actually a complete path to Dharma Form cultivation, and it was indeed very valuable.

It's conceivable that once these paths are fully revealed, it won't be long before Golden Core Dharma Forms proliferate across the human realm. The Dao Foundation Ancestors in remote and impoverished areas will face their doom, and the control of local sects and powerful clans will be significantly weakened. After all, a Golden Core Dharma Form is still a Dharma Form; a successful sneak attack could potentially kill a true Dharma Form.

Traditional order and rules will certainly break down to some extent, but the overall strength of the human race will move forward again, and the vast number of independent cultivators will no longer have nowhere to turn for a path to enlightenment, ensuring that truly talented individuals are not buried.

(End of this chapter)