Longzang

Chapter 220 Feeling ashamed of heaven and earth
The return journey was smooth. As we approached Ningxi County, it was a vast expanse of barren land, devoid of any inhabitants, people, or even the Wu tribe.

Upon returning to the realm, Wei Yuan didn't stop for a moment. He took the Immortal Silver and headed back to Bianning County City. This time, he brought Xu Wenwu along and gave him the Green Steed to ride. Before even reaching Bianning County City, Wei Yuan saw the military supply convoy already on its way.

The fact that the silver was shipped out before it was even received suggests that Sun Chaoen has been doing quite well these past few months, and Yue Qilin trusts him quite a bit.

After handing the silver to Sun Chaoen, Wei Yuan didn't even drink a sip of water before setting off back. Xu Wenwu, who had hoped to enjoy a feast, watch a song and dance performance, and then stay overnight, was immediately disappointed.

He had thought his master was finally starting to guide him in the officialdom, and that he was beginning as a sub-prefect, a rather high-ranking position. Within a prefecture, the sub-prefect was second only to the prefect, and although he didn't wield much real power, his position was important. If the prefect were to fall from grace, the sub-prefect would have to take over all the power.

To everyone's surprise, Wei Yuan didn't say a word, put down the silver and left. Xu Wenwu didn't even have time to see the specific furnishings of the study, whether there was a beautiful woman to add fragrance, and if so, which door she would enter through, whether through the back door or by crawling out from behind the bookshelves.

The return journey was another several thousand miles.

After being blessed by the Qi Luck, the Azure Steed had completely transformed into a spirit steed, its four hooves trailing clouds and leaving behind patches of azure light. It was also extremely fast, its four hooves never touching the ground as it traveled on clouds. In just one night, the four of them returned to the realm from Bianning County City.

Both Wang Yu and Xu Yi, both at the Heavenly Foundation level, felt extremely tired. Xu Wenwu was exhausted, like a dead dog, and in the latter half, he only managed to stay afloat because he was held up by his Dao power on his horse.

In less than two days, they made four round trips, covering more than ten thousand miles, causing Xu Yi, a young lady from a noble family, to complain bitterly, with large red and swollen patches on the inside of her legs from the chafing. However, despite this extreme running, both of them could clearly feel an improvement in their cultivation. Although the improvement was somewhat unreasonable, they had no reason to complain. As for Xu Wenwu, he was already fast asleep, unaware of how much his cultivation had increased.

Next, to welcome the grain convoy, Wei Yuan carefully selected two teams. One team consisted of several hundred Body Forging cultivators, responsible for escorting and transporting the grain, while the other team was an elite force of three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, led by Cui Yu, who lay in ambush at a distance.

If the Western Jin army sets a trap, or if Yue Jinshan senses something is wrong and leads his troops in pursuit, there will be a huge surprise.

However, a minor accident occurred when receiving the grain.

The grain transport team consisted of a thousand soldiers, led by four captains. Song Chao was just one of them, and not the leader. At that time, the grain team had traveled to within ten miles of the military camp, and the flags on the camp's walls could already be seen in the distance.

The soldiers' faces lit up with joy, and they quickened their pace, but the captains looked on with strange expressions, waiting for something.

Suddenly, all was silent, even the wind stopped. Then, one after another, masked knights appeared from all directions. These few dozen riders seemed to have the potential to surround a thousand people!

Many officers and soldiers showed fear on their faces and began to look around for a way out. They had not been in the Western Regions for long, but they had already heard many rumors about the Zhan Tian Gang. It was said that this group was lawless and extremely fierce. Their leader was a monster of mixed race, a witch and a human, who liked to eat raw human flesh and was incredibly strong. He had once crushed a Dharma Image with one hand.

Even if the rumors are absurd and unbelievable, the four thousand soldiers of the Light Pig Army are a real entity. They launched successive raids on several military fortresses garrisoned by thousands of men with only a few dozen riders. The result was not only a swift and decisive victory, but also a relatively small number of casualties during the capture of the entire fortress, clearly indicating that they had plenty of strength to spare.

Surrounded by fifty bandits, the soldiers did not believe they could hold out until reinforcements arrived, even though the fortified camp was only a dozen miles away.

Among the captains, one of ordinary build and appearance, but with a resolute expression, showed no fear. He drew his sword and shouted, "Captain Song Chao of the Great Jin is here! You dare to rob military rations? This is a crime punishable by extermination of your entire clan! Retreat now, and you may spare your lives for the time being."

A knight wearing a jade mask chuckled and said, "Why don't you all retreat quickly to avoid hurting our feelings?"

Song Chao burst into laughter and shouted, "You mere bandits dare to spout such arrogant words and try to bargain with the Great Jin army! Today I'll see what you're capable of to earn such a great reputation!"

The knight from the Battle Heaven Gang said no more, but simply waved his hand and pointed. Dozens of knights no longer concealed their imposing presence and slowly advanced.

Song Chao's power increased, and he was about to fight when suddenly the other three captains turned their horses and fled without a word!
With their commander gone, the soldiers under his command naturally wouldn't stay behind. Moreover, this wasn't the first or second time this had happened; everyone was very familiar with it and didn't need to look around. They just followed their commander.

In the blink of an eye, only Song Chao and his hundred soldiers remained on the spot.

Surprisingly, Song Chao was not afraid and instead shouted for a fierce battle. His hundred soldiers also fought to the death, disregarding their own lives.

Although Song Chao was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his Dao Foundation Establishment form was an extremely rare combination of sword and shield, possessing both offensive and defensive capabilities. His five personal guards were also highly trained, and their formation was meticulous. Even with Wang Yu and Xu Yi, two Heavenly Foundation Establishment cultivators, leading four or five Dao Foundation Establishment cultivators in a combined attack, they were unable to defeat him even after half a day.

However, the remaining soldiers only had the Body Forging cultivation level, and they were powerless to fight back against the other knights. Under the overwhelming Taoist magic, they suffered heavy casualties in the blink of an eye.

Seeing his soldiers fall one by one, Song Chao's eyes widened in fury, and he suddenly looked up into the distance. The fleeing captains slowed their pace, glancing back every now and then. Several generals stood atop the fortified city walls, watching this scene. Among them, one in gleaming armor was none other than the guerrilla general Wang Kun. Wang Kun narrowed his eyes, observing the fierce battle in the distance.

Seeing that each of the fifty bandits possessed profound cultivation and displayed a multitude of high-level Daoist techniques, the generals beside him turned pale. They knew they would be no match for any of the bandits in a one-on-one fight, let alone the jade-masked knight who hadn't made a move at all. Rumor had it that this knight had once crushed a Dharma Image.

Seeing Song Chao's personal guards fall one by one, and seeing himself also suffering more and more wounds, his armor stained with blood as he struggled to hold on, Wang Kun's eyes were somewhat complicated, but in the end they turned cold and said, "Song Chao, Song Chao, who told you to ruin the young general's plans time and time again? You deserve this killing trap today."

Seeing that everyone around him was ashen-faced, Wang Kun snorted and said, "Look at how scared you all are! I'll tell you the truth today: if you ever run into the Zhan Tian Gang, just mention my name or the young general's name, and you'll at least be able to save your lives."

The officers' eyes lit up; they felt as if a whole new world had opened up before them. One of the more astute officers asked, "If something happens, can we ask them for help?"

Wang Kun said, "Then you must mention the young general's name; mentioning mine is useless."

In an instant, all the officers straightened their backs, looking radiant, feeling like they could once again roam freely in the Broken Realm.

By this time, Song Chao was covered in blood, his sword broken, and he was desperately holding onto his shield. Only two knights were attacking him, their techniques dazzling and powerful; they were clearly Celestial Foundation cultivators. The officers could see that they were afraid Song Chao would try to take someone down with him before he died, which was why they had ordered the ordinary knights to retreat.

At this time, all one hundred soldiers led by Song Chao were killed in battle, and not a single one of them fled or surrendered.

Wang Kun suddenly lost interest in watching and turned to walk down the city wall. At that moment, a deafening roar suddenly rang out behind him: "I, Song Chao, will die before you all today, with a clear conscience, a clear conscience before the king, and a clear conscience before heaven and earth! If my death can awaken even a fraction of your sense of honor and shame, then I will have died a worthy death!"

After shouting, Song Chao used his shield to support himself on the ground, then slammed his hand on his head, destroying his consciousness. Blood flowed from his eyes, but his corpse remained standing.

Wang Kun's steps faltered.

He looked up at the sky, sighed, and muttered to himself, "Things are already in chaos up there. How can we know if what we're doing is right or wrong? Maybe wrong is right, and right is wrong."

He shook his head and went back to his tent, his back looking somewhat lonely.

Inside the fortified camp, the officers and soldiers still standing on the city wall watched helplessly as dozens of knights drove the grain carts slowly across the fortified camp and headed west.

Suddenly, someone asked how much money everyone would get this time, and everyone became interested and joined in the discussion. Every soldier in the battalion, from top to bottom, including the three captains who had escaped from the grain convoy and their men, would receive a share.

As the soldiers talked about this, they became more and more enthusiastic, their faces glowing, wishing that there were several times more grain carts that had been stolen.

In an instant, the warm corpses still lying beneath the fortified city walls were completely forgotten.

The grain convoy traveled west for several dozen miles before being picked up by follow-up troops to transport it back to the border. Wei Yuan and his fifty riders, however, would remain for a while to guard against pursuers. The knights stood still, watching the grain convoy gradually disappear into the distance, feeling inexplicably melancholy.

At this moment, Wei Yuan said, "Song Chao just said that he had a clear conscience and a clear conscience before the emperor, and those two sentences are correct, but the third sentence is wrong. He stopped me from seizing grain, which is a disgrace to heaven and earth. Understanding this sentence will benefit your future cultivation."

The knights were startled, and some of them seemed to be deep in thought.

Wei Yuan continued, "Since you've all risked your lives with me so many times, I might as well tell you something. That is, as long as the realm is established, there are infinite possibilities, and your path may not necessarily end here."

Apart from Wang Yu and Xu Yi, all the knights were shocked, followed by ecstasy.

They were all at the Earthly Rank Foundation stage, normally stopping before reaching the Dharma Aspect stage. Therefore, their willingness to fight to the death on the battlefield, even knowing their path was blocked, was akin to risking their lives for something tangible. Even if they couldn't use it themselves, leaving it for future generations would be beneficial.

But what Wei Yuan just said is that the path to enlightenment may not end here.
Many people's first reaction was disbelief, but they then recalled how so many people who had previously had no hope of establishing a Dao Foundation had suddenly achieved it. Perhaps there really are signs of immortality within the Azure Netherworld? Moreover, Wei Yuan never makes empty promises; so far, it seems that all the boasts he has made have come true.

Just then, a red figure flashed and disappeared in the air in front of Wei Yuan, and then a piece of jade paper floated down from the sky and landed right in Wei Yuan's hand.

(End of this chapter)