Longzang

Chapter 304 I beg to differ
Upon returning to the realm, Wei Yuan brought the youths back to the new city. The dead were buried outside the city, and the injured were treated. Everything returned to normal.

In this battle, 200 of the 30,000 youths who had just entered the Blood Fusion Realm died, and more than 100 were wounded, with more deaths than injuries. The entire 10,000 Northern Frontier Iron Cavalry was wiped out, with probably no more than 1,000 survivors, and even those who survived would never be able to return to the battlefield.

Before the great battle, probably no one except Wei Yuan could have imagined such an outcome. Yue Jinshan only had 60,000 iron cavalry, and had never suffered a major defeat in his life, but unexpectedly, he lost a full 10,000 when testing the strength of the realm, a loss heavier than any previous battle.

Like a lone wolf, wanting to bite its prey to test its strength, but unexpectedly breaking all its teeth.

In preparation for this battle, Wei Yuan reviewed all the battle records of the Northern Iron Cavalry, collected all the intelligence he could find, and even personally went incognito to observe them.

The boys' training was entirely focused on faster reloading and more accurate shooting. The guns and magazines underwent numerous improvements, finally achieving a smooth, effortless loading process. Wei Yuan then conducted multiple simulations with his own cavalry, ultimately enabling the boys to empty all five rounds of ammunition within the short span between the cavalry entering firing range and reaching them. Five rounds were used because no more could be fired.

They showed no fear, no wavering, and wouldn't stop their planned actions even when enemy weapons were already piercing their bodies. Only they could fire six shots under the terrifying pressure of the iron cavalry charging at full speed. That's why Wei Yuan said these youths were the iron cavalry's natural enemy.

Without them, Wei Yuan would have been able to fight head-on with over a thousand Dao Foundation Knights and tens of thousands of Iron Cavalry, with Faceless Warriors using honeycomb flying swords to provide cover on both sides. Although he could have won, it would have been by overwhelming the enemy with his cultivation level and numbers, and Yue Jinshan might not have been convinced.

There are still many things to learn from this battle. For example, there were major problems with the projectile steel tubes; out of more than twenty, only two exploded.

For example, the current loading and reloading speed is already close to its limit, and not everyone can achieve a rate of fire of 600 by manually loading the front end like Yu Zhizhuo.

However, changing from a muzzle-loading to a breech-loading gun would require redesigning the entire weapon, inevitably adding many mechanical components. Xu Wenwu could only recall the trigger, stock, and bolt of the gun, and even then, he only remembered the exposed handle of the bolt.

If we don't add a reloading mechanism, but instead use a rear-loading insertion method and add a bottom plug to block it, the speed of front-loading and rear-loading is actually about the same. Front-loading also has one less part, making it more robust.

After discussion, the cultivators of Taichu Palace unanimously agreed that they should not rush to design a completely new gun, but rather first popularize the already mature steel-barreled gun. The ammunition had also run out, and production needed to resume.

Wei Yuan handed over all the affairs to everyone and hurriedly went to the Azure Netherworld Stone to begin his secluded cultivation.

At this moment, the black water in his Dao Foundation was churning more and more violently, as if boiling. Wei Yuan also felt a shiver, as if something was struggling to rise from the water.

Since the Gate to All Realms opened, the black pool where it resides has become increasingly bizarre. Sometimes, Wei Yuan stands at the edge of the pool and cannot see the bottom at all. Even with his divine sense, he can still not reach the bottom even after going hundreds of feet deep. However, judging from the size of Jade Mountain, even though it has become ten feet tall after advancing to the mid-stage, the depth of the pool should not exceed two feet.

Wei Yuan had a hunch that something terrible might happen if he jumped into the pool.

The water in the pool churned more and more violently, and only with the help of the Azure Nether Force could it be barely contained within a certain area. Beneath the water, something was clearly struggling, as if trying to break free.

It put pressure on Wei Yuan's primordial spirit.

This thing seemed to be constantly changing, absorbing everything around it that it could. Strangely, it absorbed most of Wei Yuan's knowledge about cultivation methods, the rules of heaven and earth, and the concept of destiny. Like a newborn infant, it was learning everything about the world with boundless curiosity.

It struggled more and more fiercely, and in the blink of an eye, even with the help of Qingming's power, Wei Yuan could not suppress it. Suddenly, a wave burst out of the pool, and a black shadow broke out of the water and stood steadily on the vast land of Wanli!
This is a man, nine feet tall, holding a long sword, with a cold and hard face, exuding a fierce and domineering aura.

A knight appeared above his head, clad in heavy armor, his eyes burning beneath his helmet. His warhorse was also fully armored, its armor covered in sharp blades, sparks constantly spitting from its nostrils—like a god or demon!

Wei Yuan didn't recognize the knight, but it was undoubtedly a Dharma Aspect cultivator. The one struggling to emerge from the black pool was actually a Dharma Aspect cultivator!?
When Xu Li attacked, Wei Yuan killed over four thousand people, of whom only one thousand died in battle, while the remaining three thousand were captured alive. The one thousand who died in battle eventually transformed into twenty faceless warriors.

While others were unaware of the battle with Yue Jinshan, Wei Yuan, having clearly witnessed the opening of the Gate of All Realms, saw that the souls of all the fallen knights had not dissipated but had instead entered the Gate of All Realms one by one.

The souls of nearly ten thousand knights eventually transformed into this Dharma Warrior. Although his Dharma form is still unknown, it is clear at a glance that he is skilled in warfare and killing.

Looking at the unmoving Dharma Aspect warrior before him, Wei Yuan was suddenly speechless. The path to immortality was arduous; he had spent ten years and countless resources to finally reach the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, and he didn't even know when he would reach the Spirit Gathering realm.

Now, a Dharma Image warrior has appeared within my Dao Foundation. Is this Dharma Image truly mine, or not? And what am I to it?
If that Dharma warrior is the main course, then am I the plate on which the dish is served?

Or, according to the common understanding in the outer world, I am currently at 0.25 Dharma Aspects?
Just as he was having a headache, Wei Yuan suddenly sensed something, flew out of the quiet room, and looked up at the sky.

At this moment, a thin layer of clouds rose in the sky above the realm, like silk or gauze. Sunlight shone through the thin clouds, illuminating the mountains and forests, making it look like a fairyland.

A light drizzle began to fall, carrying a refreshing spiritual energy. Many people put down their work, stepped out of their houses, and stared in astonishment at the sudden spiritual rain.

The earth is full of life, and the divine rain does not discriminate between the noble and the lowly; all plants are growing.

In contrast, ordinary rice requires very little and has never received the treatment of being watered with spiritual water. At this moment, with the combined power of heaven and earth, it grew wildly, and in the blink of an eye, it grew from a seedling that had just broken through the soil to a height of about a foot.

Ji Liuli appeared beside Wei Yuan, also looking at the sudden spiritual rain. After a moment, he asked, "Where did this gift from heaven and earth come from?"

Wei Yuan's expression turned solemn, and he slowly shook his head.

Ji Liuli then asked, "Could it be those ten thousand iron cavalry?"

"I think...maybe."

“This is a bit strange. I’ll go back to the palace in the next few days and ask the patriarch what’s going on.”

Neither of them explicitly stated that this spiritual rain covered an extremely large area, encompassing the entire realm, so much so that it almost seemed like a gift from heaven and earth. To be precise, it did bear some resemblance to the Wu tribe's sacrificial ceremony to heaven.

……

Back at his residence, Wei Yuan was restless and unable to calm his mind during his several attempts at cultivation. So he simply got up and set up an array. When in doubt, consulting feng shui is a basic skill for every cultivator in the Tai Chu Palace.

The first divination, obtained by Wei Yuan using the aura of the red lotus and bodhi tree as a guide, indicated that the opportunity lay in the southeast.

However, this divination was somewhat ambiguous. That's the downside of Buddhism; they like to use Zen riddles, always leaving things unclear. You can interpret it one way or another, and in the end, they all seem to be correct. Wei Yuan then used the aura of the laurel tree as a guide to calculate again, saying that the key to victory lay in the northwest.

Undeterred, Wei Yuan used the Impure Earth White Lotus as a divination tool again, and the result was that the origin would be in the Northeast.

At this point, Wei Yuan finally understood that the immortal creatures possessed spirits and each had its own thoughts.

Wei Yuan suddenly had a thought. Since he had already considered everything, there was still a girl of even higher rank in the Myriad Rivers and Mountains. He went to the girl's side, not deliberately looking at her increasingly detailed body, but rubbing his hands against her body a few times to absorb some of her aura, and then left the Myriad Rivers and Mountains.

Just as he was about to begin the ritual, Wei Yuan suddenly paused, realizing that he held a strand of hair about an inch long in his hand. Had he just brushed it off the girl?

Why is she still shedding fur?
The Dao Foundation's Yin and Yang are perfectly integrated, the entire body as one; cutting one part is cutting the whole, for all parts of the body are essentially one. According to common knowledge of cultivation, even Zhang Sheng's fourth immortal sword couldn't possibly sever a single hair of the girl's head; the only possible outcome would be destruction with a single strike. But to destroy Yin and Yang is probably beyond the capabilities of a True Monarch.

On the day of the duel with the swordsman Xu Shiqi, the girl annihilated him with a single Yin-Yang sword. The Scarlet Night Immortal-Slaying Sword could only account for 10% of the victory; the Yin-Yang Dao Body actually crushed him for 90%.

But now, a single strand of hair rests in Wei Yuan's palm, clearly emanating yin and yang energy, as if mocking Wei Yuan's ignorance.

Wei Yuan immediately understood what the strand of hair should be used for. Since celestial objects possess a spirit, it couldn't be used elsewhere.

So Wei Yuan set up a feng shui formation and threw the hair into it. The formation operated on its own, elevating its power to an unprecedented level, and then arrived at a very clear and unambiguous conclusion:

The origin is in the far north.

At this point, Wei Yuan finally understood that the immortals would never agree to such things.

If there are more opportunities in the future, and more immortal plants grow in the vast rivers and mountains, even eight directions might not be enough.

If the divination reaches this level, it's as if it hasn't been done at all.

Wei Yuan closed his eyes slightly, focusing on his calculations, and finally instinctively felt that something must have happened in the southeast.

The southeast direction is the direction of Quliu Town. There might be nothing wrong there, but since Wei Yuan deduced from his intuition that there should be something wrong there, he can make something happen even if there is nothing wrong. Otherwise, wouldn't it make Wei Yuan's divination skills seem unskilled?

The Western Jin Dynasty has already tested its strength, so it has to do something in return; after all, it is only polite to reciprocate.

Wei Yuan then left his residence, summoned Qingju, and gathered his subordinates. Half an hour later, the large group of masked knights left the boundary and headed straight for Quliu Town.

Yuan Qingyan was sitting listlessly in his study. The sky was overcast, with thick, heavy clouds, making the room as dark as night, but he did not light a lamp.

A bowl of soup sat on the table beside her. Yuan Qingyan reached out, took a sip, and silently put it back. She still didn't light the lamp.

The soup had long since gone cold.

A commotion suddenly broke out outside the study, and the servants were in a panic, as if something terrible had happened.

Given Yuan Qingyan's usual temper, he would have already opened the door and berated him, perhaps even adding a few more lashes. But now he suddenly lost the mood, as if he was too exhausted to even be angry.

There was a gentle knock on the study door.

Yuan Qingyan finally lost her temper and shouted, "What is it?!"

The study door opened, and the steward entered tremblingly, saying, "Lord Yuan, something terrible has happened! The Zhan... Zhan Tian Gang has entered the city!"

Yuan Qingyan simply said "Oh," and then added, "I understand, go now... Wait, go fetch my sword!"

The butler was startled and exclaimed, "Master, as long as the life is preserved..."

"Go!"

The steward dared not say anything more, and a moment later brought Yuan Qingyan's precious sword.

Yuan Qingyan straightened his clothes, sat upright, and placed his sword on his lap. He suddenly felt that the room was a bit dark, and then remembered that he should turn on the lamp.

Quliu Town was deathly silent. There wasn't a single person on the empty streets, only the sound of horses' hooves echoing faintly.

Wei Yuan looked around but saw no guards or officials; it was as if this were a dead city. As for the common people, they were all in Qingming, but there were none here.

Quliu Town has changed somewhat. The original Lying Flat Inn has become the county government office, and the deputy general's office is nearby, with its newly painted gate shining bright red.

Wei Yuan spurred his horse and slowly made his way towards the prefectural governor's office. Before entering the city, he had seen some scattered guards, but they scattered like birds and beasts the moment they saw the masked knight, their swiftness astonishing.

Wei Yuan arrived at the gate of the prefectural governor's mansion and gently knocked on the door with the spear in his hand.

There was no movement at the door; only the sound of teeth chattering could be heard from inside.

Wei Yuan smiled slightly and said, "It seems Lord Yuan doesn't want to see us. Let's go."

The large band of bandits strolled leisurely through the city in broad daylight. The prefect was responsible for defending the territory, but the bandits not only entered the prefectural city, but also swaggered around in front of the prefectural governor's and deputy general's residences. Wei Yuan wanted to see how they would explain themselves this time.

(End of this chapter)