Longzang

Chapter 377 The Patriarch's Summoning
Since its establishment, the Northern Mountain Gate has been located on the front line of the battlefield. Since then, more than one immortal lord and many true lords have passed away here, which led to its current scale.

This place has always been a thorn in the side of the Liao people, and countless life-and-death battles have been fought between the two sides over thousands of years. Countless cultivators and Liao people are buried here.

The northern mountain gate has many unique features, such as Taoist soldiers and war Taoist priests.

To become a war Taoist, one must not only be proficient in combat magic, but also study military formations, battlefield offense and defense, and even weaponry, supplies, and the raising and storage of troops. In addition, one must also have some knowledge of forging, metallurgy, alchemy, and medicine. The learning of various miscellaneous arts is all centered around battlefield combat, and its content is significantly different from general knowledge.

Take battlefield medicine as an example. For the same knife wound, the Xuanming Palace would carefully clean the wound, remove residual magic power, repair the body's tendons and ligaments, and finally allow for the regeneration of tissue and bone. Battlefield medicine, on the other hand, would first stuff a handful of medicinal powder into the wound to fill it and stop the bleeding. If the bleeding still wouldn't stop, then they would stuff another bandage inside.

The Dao soldiers can be considered the Taichu Palace's own private army, valuing quality over quantity, with almost everyone possessing several special Dao techniques. Currently, there are 20,000 Dao soldiers stationed at the northern mountain gate, the most ordinary soldiers having already reached the Great Perfection of Body Forging.

In addition, the northern mountain gate was guarded by 300,000 elite soldiers and nearly a million civilians. Only with such a million-strong army stationed there, plus countless high-ranking cultivators, could they survive the repeated onslaughts of the Liao people.

Xuan Tongzi gritted his teeth and selected fifty men from the reserve Dao soldiers, handing them over to Wei Yuan and clearly defining the criteria for merit. Adding to the fifty Dao soldiers already in the military camp, there were a total of one hundred Dao soldiers. Merit was to be exchanged one for one, meaning that the equivalent of one hundred Liao soldiers had to be killed to break even.

In the dead of night, a large number of Liao cavalrymen arrived under the cover of darkness, and heavy arrows whistled as they fell into the camp.

The military fortifications at the northern mountain gate differed from those of the Western Jin Dynasty. The walls were not high but thick, and most of the buildings inside were constructed semi-underground, with roofs covered with iron-clad wooden planks, making them resistant to heavy arrows falling from the sky.

The army under Taichu Palace was small in number but formidable in combat, and was not afraid to engage the Liao cavalry in infantry combat. If the Liao cavalry dismounted, jumped over the city walls, and entered the city to fight in the streets, it would be exactly what they wanted.

Facing the Liao cavalry, Wei Yuan immediately dispatched three Dao Foundation Establishment warriors to exchange fire with them, felling the Liao cavalry one by one. After leaving behind dozens of corpses, the probing Liao cavalry retreated and remained silent all night.

This won't do, Wei Yuan said, getting a little anxious.

He only had seven days, and now a day had passed in the blink of an eye. He had only killed a few dozen soldiers. How could this achievement be enough? So, throughout the day, Wei Yuan ordered hundreds of soldiers in the camp to dig fortifications, and trenches like a spider web continued to extend.

Wei Yuan then ordered the garrison troops on the left and right flanks to retreat, leaving his own garrison isolated on the front line. He then raised a large banner with Liao script inscribed with greetings to the female ancestors of the family of Commander Cang Lei.

The Liao tribe initially remained silent, but on the fourth day, two thousand-man squads suddenly appeared, occupying the original locations of the two military fortresses and cutting off Wei Yuan's retreat. Subsequently, a Liao army of over ten thousand surrounded Wei Yuan's fortresses. At this time, the fortresses were defended by only one thousand soldiers, with thirty Daoji.

The first wave of attack was, as usual, a deluge of heavy arrows that pinned down the defenders in their fortified positions, making it impossible for them to even raise their heads. Then, hundreds of elite Liao cavalry charged in almost unison with the arrow rain, their coordination flawless – truly a race naturally skilled in mounted archery.

These elite knights were extremely skilled at horsemanship; their Liao horses leaped nimbly across trenches. However, several square boxes suddenly rose in front of them, and with a roar, countless flying swords shot out in a fan shape, turning the first wave of cavalry into sieves. Then, Taoist soldiers appeared from the trenches on both sides, reaping the lives of the Liao cavalry from the flanks with crossbows.

The Liao general was furious and immediately dispatched a thousand-man squad to reinforce them. However, several Dao soldier captains on both sides immediately unleashed a volley of flying sword spears. These were a batch of flying sword spears specially made by Wei Yuan. The flying swords were only seven inches long, and their power was just enough to injure a Dao Foundation cultivator, but it was enough to kill a Body Forging cultivator.

These guns require no training whatsoever; a dozen or so Dao soldier captains can use them with just a little guidance. They use their divine sense to calibrate the flying swords, ensuring perfect accuracy within a hundred feet. This batch of flying swords has also been modified; when fired, half of the power is pre-input into the sword, while the other half uses the wielder's own Dao power.

These Daoist soldiers had fought against the Liao people for a long time and knew their opponent's weaknesses well. They used their flying swords to shoot horses instead of men, instantly trapping the second wave of reinforcements in a quagmire.

The Liao general hadn't expected his opponent to be so fierce; he'd lost several hundred cavalrymen before even seeing the enemy. He immediately sent two more thousand-man squads to attack the left and right flanks respectively. Wei Yuan, on the other hand, withdrew his flank troops and instead engaged in fierce fighting using fortified positions and individual soldiers.

This was the first time Wei Yuan had fought against the Liao tribe as a commander. He patiently deployed his troops, releasing three Dao Foundation stage warriors at crucial moments. Sometimes they used flying swords and spears, sometimes water blade techniques, and sometimes they simply charged in for hand-to-hand combat. In this way, he repelled the Liao tribe's attacks time and time again, without ever using his Dharma Aspect level combat power.

After a night of fierce fighting, the Liao tribe left nearly two thousand corpses on the battlefield. Finally, their commander could no longer restrain himself and deployed three centurions for the first time. However, the three centurions were intercepted by Xuan Tongzi, Wei Yuan, and another Taichu Palace True Man, and the two sides fought fiercely in the air, their battle as intense as thunder and fire.

Taichu Palace had the advantage of geographical location, while the Liao tribal commanders had the morale to back them up, making the two sides evenly matched. Seeing that the battle was at a stalemate, the Liao commander sent out two more commanders.

Seeing the reinforcements arrive, the Liao tribe's centurions, who had been locked in fierce combat, were greatly encouraged and began to attack with unrestrained force. The centurion fighting Wei Yuan, seeing that Wei Yuan was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, launched an even more ferocious attack, unleashing a lightning strike. Surprisingly, Wei Yuan neither dodged nor evaded, taking the lightning strike head-on!
As the lightning dissipated, Wei Yuan was only slightly charred, but a scholar and a tall warrior appeared on either side of the centurion, each carrying a rotating sword cannon.

Wei Yuan drew the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword, and with its immense power, he immobilized the centurion with a single strike. The centurion was then engulfed by the torrent of flying swords. Two Dragon Guards, wielding swords and cannons in one hand, and swinging their greatswords wildly in the other, swiftly killed the centurion.

Two centurions who came to reinforce were held back by Xuan Tongzi and another Dharma Aspect Realm cultivator, preventing them from providing assistance. With the fall of this centurion, the Liao tribe finally retreated, bringing the great battle to an end. In this battle, the Liao tribe left behind three thousand corpses and one centurion, while Wei Yuan's losses were less than two hundred. Post-battle examination of the corpses revealed that most of the Liao tribesmen had been killed by flying swords from Dao Foundation cultivators, with less than 20% dying from crossbow bolts.

Over the next two days, the Liao tribes became much quieter, and Wei Yuan had nothing to do, so he even had to pass the time by observing the layout of the Liao army camp.

This time, no matter how Wei Yuan provoked them, the Liao tribe remained on high alert and refused to engage in battle. However, the area outside Wei Yuan's defense zone was under constant and fierce attack.

When Wei Yuan arrived to provide support, the Liao tribe remained silent. After several such back-and-forth exchanges, Wei Yuan became wary and realized that the Liao tribe wasn't truly afraid of him, but rather wanted to find an opening while mobilizing him so they could hunt him down in one fell swoop.

The Liao general on the other side was truly shrewd and resourceful; after suffering a minor setback, he immediately adjusted his strategy, giving Wei Yuan no further opportunity. Wei Yuan, too, dared not leave the mountain gate area. He estimated that if he stepped outside, the woman covered in lightning would immediately descend from the sky.

During this stalemate, on the seventh day, news arrived that True Lord Xuan Yue had emerged from seclusion and summoned Wei Yuan.

When they met again, True Lord Xuan Yue was still as ethereal and elegant as ever, with a misty aura swirling around his long eyebrows. Upon seeing Wei Yuan, True Lord Xuan Yue couldn't help but rise and approach him, scrutinizing him from head to toe before saying, "Good, good, good! It's good that you're back!"

Wei Yuan keenly noticed a blue flame burning deep within Xuan Yue Zhenjun's eyes and hurriedly asked, "Ancestor, what is that flame...?"

Xuan Yue Zhenjun chuckled and said, "Isn't this all the trouble you caused? I provoked you back then, and that witch didn't hold back either, giving me a hard time. But with this kind of fire, you're far from burning me to death!"

Wei Yuan understood immediately. Xuan Yue Zhenjun had shared a lot of the power of the Great Curse of Cause and Effect; otherwise, he might not have been able to withstand it at the time.

Wei Yuan then said, "This disciple has gained some Heavenly Merit this time, which can be exchanged for Merit Points or Immortal Silver. I was wondering if I should repay some of the Immortal Silver I owe. This matter still needs your decision."

True Lord Xuan Yue chuckled and said, "You're such a filial child! It's a good thing to have Heavenly Merits. How many Heavenly Merits did you get this time? Let this old man take a look first, hmm... hmm?!"

Xuan Yue Zhenjun's long eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Did you slay some old demon?"

Exchanging Heavenly Merit for Merit Points and then for Immortal Silver would cost around a thousand taels. Even now, with the war raging and various Merit Points increasing significantly, the amount of Immortal Silver that can be exchanged has decreased considerably, but it would still still be around a thousand taels.

Killing an ordinary True Monarch only grants 5,000 Heavenly Merit Points. Wei Yuan gained 10,000 Heavenly Merit Points. Did he kill two early-stage True Monarchs, or did he kill some mid-stage old demon?

Wei Yuan said, "I killed several Dharma Aspects, one of whom seemed quite powerful." He then briefly recounted what had happened.

After asking about some details, True Monarch Xuan Yue said, "Good, very good! You don't know this, but killing one genius Dharma Aspect like Long Ying is actually more useful than killing two early-stage True Monarchs! The Heavenly Merit system in the palace still has some flaws in this regard. You have made a great contribution to the palace this time, and that old bastard Dan Ming is not confused and knows to give you additional rewards."

"Keep the Heavenly Merit you earned for yourself. The Heavenly Merit awarded by that old bastard Danming can be given to the hall for maintenance. Otherwise, it won't look good if the main hall is always collapsing."

"The Azure Sky Palace collapsed?" Wei Yuan was taken aback.

"That day, in order to block that great curse of cause and effect, too much of the temple's fortune was drawn away, and it collapsed. It's alright, we can rebuild it." True Monarch Xuan Yue really didn't care at all.

Xuan Yue Zhenjun looked at Wei Yuan more closely, and was suddenly surprised again: "You have already achieved the Great Perfection of Spiritual Cultivation?"

Wei Yuan said, "I absorbed some blood energy and Dharma forms, and my cultivation has made a breakthrough."

Xuan Yue Zhenjun's expression hardened, becoming unusually serious, and he said, "Tell me in detail how it was devoured."

Seeing that Xuan Yue Zhenjun was being serious, Wei Yuan dared not hide anything and told him everything about the True Dragon Bloodline, but he did not mention the matter between himself and Zhang Sheng.

Xuan Yue Zhenjun carefully examined Wei Yuan's body and then looked at his sea of ​​consciousness. However, Xuan Yue Zhenjun was very cautious and disciplined when he entered with his divine sense. He neither looked at the full moon nor at the girl's yin and yang. He was only surprised when he saw tens of thousands of mortals before he withdrew.

(End of this chapter)