Longzang

Chapter 329 Arrangement
As night fell, the Cui family members were refining their foundations when they were suddenly summoned to the training ground to begin forging their Dao foundations.

This time it came very suddenly, but in fact everyone had been prepared. So they were not flustered. After two consecutive moments of warm-up, they officially began the forging process.

Of the more than three hundred people, more than half chose the new Dao foundation template provided by Wei Yuan: the Bright Light Sword.

This sword has undergone several improvements, successfully reducing the difficulty of its forging to a new level. Naturally, its power has also decreased accordingly. This sword has two effects: first, it becomes extremely hot, generating heat around the body when held; second, it emits a bright light, with a small flame burning on the blade, yet the light is extremely dazzling. If it manifests at night, it can illuminate a radius of ten zhang, giving it a truly extraordinary aura.

Since the emergence of the Bright Light Sword, the minimum requirement for a Human-level Dao Foundation has been lowered once again.

The remaining people mostly chose to comprehend the Pseudo-Sun Immortal Sword, since this immortal sword at least had some mystical properties.

Although Wei Yuan was not in the realm for some time, many cultivators in the realm had mastered the Immortal Sword Pseudo-Sun, so there was no shortage of people to learn from and comprehend.

This time it went relatively smoothly, and by midnight, more than thirty people had completed the foundation of their Dao.

They had just stabilized their cultivation levels and hadn't even had time to celebrate when Cui Yu appeared before them with several other cultivators. Behind Cui Yu, the cultivators carried several large boxes, all filled with heavy armor.

Cui Yu distributed a set of heavy armor to each of the Cui family members who had forged their Dao foundation, and then said, "There is an opportunity to obtain the Heavenly Merit of the Primordial Palace. Since you have already forged your Dao foundation, you are qualified to participate. Do you want it?"

These members of the Cui family have little hope of establishing a Dao Foundation, so naturally they can't enter the Taichu Palace. But even if they aren't disciples of the Taichu Palace, they can still exchange merits recognized by the Taichu Palace for resources. Most importantly, it's an honor, a recognition—something they can brag about for a lifetime when they return to the Cui family!

Don't you see how many disciples of the Taichu Palace lack Heavenly Merit? If these so-called good-for-nothings in the world were to obtain it, wouldn't that be a perfect comeback?

The newly promoted Dao Foundation cultivators asked, "Then how can we get an opportunity?"

"It's very simple. One point of Heavenly Merit is worth two thousand taels of Immortal Silver. Everyone who wants it should pay four thousand taels first. If you don't have enough Immortal Silver, you can use magic artifacts and precious materials as collateral. After the matter is completed, the amount of Heavenly Merit obtained will be adjusted accordingly. If you don't get any Heavenly Merit, you won't get a penny."

Everyone was thrilled. This was practically buying fame and fortune with money! Could there really be such a good deal? If it weren't for Cui Yu saying it, they would have thought they had encountered a swindler.

Someone came over, trying to establish a connection, and asked, "Uncle, will there be another opportunity like this in the future?"

Cui Yu said impatiently, "Tomorrow's big battle is the only chance we have. Who knows when the next one will come! Do you want it or not? If not, I'll find someone else."

"Yes, yes, yes!" The newly promoted Dao Foundation cultivators of the Cui family readily agreed.

They were initially reluctant to part with the immortal silver, but then they remembered they were already Foundation Establishment cultivators, with completely different futures. Surely they could earn back their money with a mere amount of immortal silver? So, one by one, they gritted their teeth and handed over the money and goods, none of them willing to lag behind. As the Cui family's good-for-nothings, if they weren't good at fighting, surely they could afford to spend money?

After receiving the immortal silver, Cui Yu's attitude immediately changed. He patiently instructed, "In tomorrow's battle, remember to be fully focused. The opportunity may only last a moment; once missed, it's gone. Once you're on the battlefield, you must completely obey orders. If you're told to attack, attack; if you're told to run, run. Don't have any of your own ideas. The worst thing you can do is be clever. Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Cui Yu continued, "Very good. Several fellow disciples from the Tai Chu Palace will come early tomorrow morning. You just need to follow them closely and obey their instructions. They will protect your safety. There will be one Tai Chu Palace disciple for every three of you to protect you. Now, you should cultivate this mental cultivation manual. The Heavenly Technique will record it automatically."

This arrangement is very thoughtful.

These members of the Cui family have just been blessed with good fortune and have laid the foundation for their path. They should cherish their lives and would never want to risk their lives at this time.

At this moment, Wei Yuan stood by the training ground, holding a list in his hand, which listed all the disciples of the Azure Palace and the Water Moon Palace who had come for this training.

Wei Yuan picked up the pen and, without thinking, quickly crossed out several names, leaving ten people on the list. While crossing out names, Wei Yuan was completely absent-minded, crossing them out randomly. Whoever he crossed out was simply unlucky, and had absolutely nothing to do with Wei Yuan's own emotions.

At least that's how Wei Yuan himself felt.

Wei Yuan then summoned all the cultivators from the Azure Palace and Water Moon Palace on the list and said, "Tomorrow we will attack Witch City, and there should be many opportunities to gain Heavenly Merit. You will follow the Cui family members. They have just formed their Dao Foundation, and their combat strength is negligible, so you must protect them well."

Two disciples of the Azure Sky Palace secretly transmitted their voices:
"Why should we protect those useless things?"

"Is that even a question? They've already paid!"

"Understood!" Wei Yuan pretended not to hear the telepathic messages and continued, "The great battle begins tomorrow. You will act according to military orders. When the time is right, I will let you take action. At that time, you will fight alongside the Cui family. As for how much merit you can gain, that will depend on your own abilities."

At this point, Wei Yuan smiled and said, "We from the Azure Moon Palace can't possibly be outmatched by a group of people at the Human Realm Foundation Establishment stage, can we?"

The ten young men from the Azure Water Moon Palace all laughed.

Just as Wei Yuan was about to leave, Fei Yutong caught up and asked, "Senior Brother Wei, why haven't some of our fellow disciples arrived yet?"

Wei Yuan said, "They will be joining the army to attack the city tomorrow. Although they will only receive some merit, it is a real war achievement and a great responsibility."

"How are people assigned to take credit for the Heavenly Merit and others to accompany the army?" the girl pressed on relentlessly.

Wei Yuan said, "It was divided up randomly."

"I see. I won't lack Heavenly Merit in the future. How about we give my spot to someone else?"

Wei Yuan frowned slightly and said seriously, "This time I randomly selected ten people, and none of them could say anything; it was just a matter of luck. But by changing it like this, the whole thing takes on a different flavor. As long as there is selection, there will inevitably be suspicion of favoritism. You don't have any experience yet, so don't cause me any trouble. Just follow the instructions."

Seeing Wei Yuan's sudden sternness, Fei Yutong hesitated to speak.

As the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, the army, already fully prepared, set off from the border and marched in a mighty force towards Wucheng.

On the city walls of Wucheng, four great shamans watched the surging military might approach, their expressions surprisingly relaxed. At that moment, another great shaman appeared behind them, shrouded in a long, silver-white robe. Its aura fluctuated wildly, extremely eerie.

"Hmph, does Wei Yuan think there are only four great shamans in the city?"

"Even if he discovers Lord Shui's arrival, so what? With Lord Shui here, this city is impregnable!"

"Those strange, exploding cylinders of the human race are very dangerous; we must be wary of them."

The high shaman in the silver robe looked out of the city and said after a moment, "The human race has come out in full force. Now activate the formation. I will go to the altar to preside. You can give me those cylinders you mentioned."

It turned and flew back to the altar, activating the city's protective array. Pieces of milky white light appeared within the array, clearly different from before.

Countless elite soldiers of the Wu tribe had ascended the city walls, standing ready for battle. Inside the city, numerous ballistae were set up. The Wu tribe's ballistae were completely different from those of the humans; their ballistae were equipped with altars and could utilize the sacrificial power stored in the great altar to unleash various powerful curses.

This type of ballista is mainly used to counter the attacks from above by powerful human warriors who fly over the city.

From the first light of dawn until nearly noon, the various armies of the realm were simply marching forward to their designated areas, subtly surrounding the Witch City.

The high priests in the city were initially a little uneasy, but when they saw that the human army that came out of the boundary was only 60,000 to 70,000, they were all relieved.

At this moment, there are 120,000 warriors and nearly 200,000 civilians in Wucheng alone. If these human troops were to cross the border, they probably wouldn't even be able to defeat 200,000 Wucheng civilians.

The high shamans were not worried about the outcome of the battle, but rather about their own safety. In their minds, these humans in the Azure Netherworld, though seemingly of average strength, were all ruthless and terrifying in their methods, and could easily perish if they were not careful.

In the last battle, the Great Shaman Yanxin was incredibly arrogant and ferocious, yet his lifespan of several thousand years was almost completely wiped out by a single spear thrust, leaving him with less than a hundred years of life remaining. This time, his path to immortality is truly severed, and he is living a life worse than death. If Yanxin met such an end, how could they dare not be cautious?

Wei Yuan and his troops marched to their designated positions. With a thought, Qingming immediately shot out a beam of light that pierced the sky!

The Azure Netherworld was no longer advancing slowly, but expanding at full speed like a tidal wave! The great shamans in the city were dumbfounded as they watched the surging world expand!

In an instant, the Azure Netherworld Domain covered Witch City, and the city's protective array showed obvious fluctuations under the suppression of the Human Realm's Clear Domain. Then, more than ten steel cylinders of varying sizes roared in and landed on Witch City.

(End of this chapter)