Longzang

Chapter 395 No More Waiting
Seeing the old man's hair stand on end in anger and his expression becoming increasingly fierce, Wei Yuan cupped his hands and asked, "How should I address you, sir?"

The old man thought Wei Yuan was afraid of him, and his anger subsided a bit. He said, "I am Cui Hongbo, the current fifth elder of the Foreign Affairs Hall."

To everyone's surprise, Wei Yuan said, "Oh, so it's Elder Hongwen. Since you disagree with my opinion, how about we have a friendly spar?"

Cui Hongbo immediately realized he had been tricked and flew into a rage, saying, "Then I will teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents!"

Wei Yuan's anger flashed across his face, then he calmly said, "Since you wish to offer guidance, how about a literary contest? We'll take turns casting our spells, one spell per person, and whoever can't hold out the first loses."

This was a common form of internal competition among aristocratic families and sects, and the old man agreed without hesitation.

The two stood in the center of the arena, and more and more people gathered around. Although the literary contest was rather boring, Wei Yuan had recently gained a lot of fame, and everyone wanted to see how he, with only a perfected Foundation Establishment stage, could contend against a late-stage Dharma Aspect stage cultivator.

Although Cui Tianlin had been rescued, no one paid any attention to him anymore.

In the distance, the old lady sat in her chair, gazing at the Forgotten River Tower, and said, "It seems that what I said doesn't have much effect anymore; everyone has their own ideas now."

The old servant forced himself to say, "Cui Tianlin is a junior of the Fifth Elder, who has always placed high hopes on him. His defeat has far-reaching implications, and the Fifth Elder is understandably concerned and wants to salvage the situation."

The old lady didn't say anything more, she just stared at her calmly.

Inside the Forgotten River Tower, Wei Yuan said, "Elder Hongwen, would you please go first?"

After being called by the wrong name twice, Cui Hongbo could no longer hold back and corrected, "I am Cui Hongbo! I will not take advantage of you, a junior. You make the first move."

Wei Yuan shook his head: "You're weaker, so you should go first!"

The people around him all looked at him strangely, thinking that Wei Yuan was courting death.

Cui Hongbo's face darkened, and he shouted, "Stop with your empty words! Enough with the nonsense, make your move now!"

Wei Yuan said calmly, "To bully the weak is something we cultivators would never do. Elder Hongwen, please go first."

Cui Hongbo was so angry that his beard trembled. He didn't bother to correct Wei Yuan for calling him by the wrong name. He roared, "Fine, fine, fine! I've lived for so long and this is the first time I've seen such an outstanding junior! Then I'll have a good look at your skills."

He raised his hands high, and his Dharma image shone brightly, with countless golden elemental magical powers flowing into it. Suddenly, the warrior within the Dharma image opened his eyes, roared, and hurled his spear at Wei Yuan!

Multicolored lights immediately illuminated the surroundings. Seeing that the Fifth Elder had unleashed a deadly attack, several elders of the clan quickly cast spells to protect the younger generation. Otherwise, even the aftershocks of this attack would have been too much for many of the younger generation to bear.

Facing the full-force attack of a late-stage Dharma Aspect cultivator, Wei Yuan suddenly wielded a large sword and plunged it into the ground in front of him. The floor of the ninth floor was made of extremely hard lapis lazuli, which naturally resisted magical power and had been refined, making it extremely difficult to damage. However, Wei Yuan's sword pierced through it as easily as inserting tofu.

The golden spear struck the greatsword and exploded with a bang, but Wei Yuan flicked his finger on the sword again, and a sword cry resounded. Everyone's legs went weak, and many young people sat down on the ground. The aftershocks of the golden spear fragments vanished in an instant.

Wei Yuan casually sheathed his greatsword, placing one hand behind his back with an air of calm and composure, as if defeating the enemy was effortless. His other hand, hidden in his sleeve, remained unseen by anyone; the fingers that had been flicking the sword were cracked, bleeding, and trembling.

A full-force attack from the late stage of the Dharma Aspect realm is not easy to withstand. Wei Yuan was able to defend against it with ease by using 'Eternal End', seemingly without any effort.

Cui Hongbo was also astonished, never expecting that his famous "Golden Spear of Suppression" would be blocked so easily. He immediately turned a ring on his finger, and a golden shield appeared around him, saying, "Junior, it's your turn!"

Wei Yuan smiled slightly, pointed his left hand in front of him, and a dazzling halo spread out, with a thin line of water shooting out and landing on Cui Hongbo's shield.

Cui Hongbo immediately felt the magic power of the shield being consumed like flowing water, and he was also alarmed: "This little thief's magic is not weak!"

Fortunately, this water blade technique consumes a lot of Dao power, so the opponent shouldn't be able to hold out for long.

One breath, two breaths...

In the blink of an eye, the time it takes to drink a cup of tea has passed, and Wei Yuan's thin stream of water continues uninterrupted. Judging from his calm and composed demeanor, he seems to have plenty of energy to spare.

A cup of tea…

Another cup of tea...

One of the young people with a bad temper couldn't help but yawn.

But most people were surprised, especially the elders, whose eyes were filled with apprehension as they looked at Wei Yuan.

At this moment, Cui Hongbo's heart was churning with a mix of shock and anger. His magical power was almost depleted, and he was about to lose control of his shield.

At first, Cui Hongbo was just annoyed, thinking that the little thief was cunning and had actually used such a continuous Taoist technique, but now all that remained was shock.

This round of combat between the two sides was essentially a contest of magical power. As a late-stage Dharma Aspect cultivator, I was actually no match for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Wei Yuan's eyes were slightly narrowed, as if he were half asleep, but suddenly his eyes lit up, and the water flow suddenly became thicker and thicker, and it was full of golden light, like a river full of golden sand. Its power was more than ten times greater!
Cui Hongbo was shocked, but it was too late to escape. The shield shattered after only a moment, and the water column slammed into him, sending him flying backward!

Cui Hongbo tried to levitate, but he had exhausted his last bit of magic power. His meridians ached all over, his vision went black, and he plunged into the river with a splash. Wei Yuan then calmly withdrew his Golden Light Water Blade Technique, appearing completely composed.

The entire ninth floor was completely silent.

Everyone present was discerning; although the previous duel had been lengthy and uneventful, Wei Yuan had displayed unfathomable Dao power. Even Cui Hongbo, a late-stage Dharma Aspect cultivator, couldn't outlast him. Was this guy even human?

Moreover, it was only at the very last moment that Wei Yuan revealed the true power of his Water Blade Technique and his masterful control over its application. The Dharma Aspects realized that if they were in Wei Yuan's shoes, and he had unleashed his full water power from the start, they probably wouldn't have lasted even half a cup of tea.

With a splash, Cui Hongbo burst out of the water and leaped back to the ninth floor. He was soaked to the bone, his robes and inner armor were completely torn and ruined, and he looked extremely disheveled.

Before he could speak, Wei Yuan cupped his hands and said, "You flatter me! Elder Hongwen's magical power is profound, and I admire it as well."

Cui Hongbo's face turned ashen, too ashamed to correct his name any further, and he turned and left. He was nearing the end of his life and knew very well that he was no match for Wei Yuan.

After Cui Hongbo left, no one dared to challenge Wei Yuan anymore. Among the younger generation, apart from Cui Tianlin, the others were no match for Cui Yu to begin with. Now that Cui Yu possessed a powerful magic weapon and still had a small portion of the flying swords left in the box, no one dared to provoke him.

Thus, the trip to the Cui family was considered complete. Wei Yuan paid his respects to Cui Yu's parents and grandfather, and then left overnight by flying boat.

Wei Yuan's brief visit disappointed many of the Cui family elders who had planned to host a banquet for him. They had intended to introduce several of their outstanding daughters to Wei Yuan at the banquet.

Upon returning to the realm, Wei Yuan felt a sudden surge of excitement.

So, in the darkness of night, he came alone to the edge of the cliff, looking at the lights in the azure sky, and the impulse in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

After easily defeating Cui Hongbo, Wei Yuan pondered the true extent of his current combat power. Although there was an element of trickery in this battle, Wei Yuan still had many deadly moves yet to be used. In a life-or-death struggle, Cui Hongbo would also inevitably lose.

If that's the case, then what am I waiting for?

Wei Yuan decided to go to the Bao family immediately to visit Bao Yun. Even if he couldn't get her out this time, there would be next time, and the time after that.

With this in mind, Wei Yuan made up his mind. However, before leaving, he needed to make arrangements for the affairs of the realm.

If Wei Yuan leaves, there will be no more sentient beings in the realm, and their strength will be greatly reduced. Fortunately, the Qingming army has now expanded considerably, and the military strength of the other military governors of the Western Jin Dynasty has been surpassed by Wei Yuan.

At this time, Qingming's top priority was still land reclamation. With the continuous supply of tools from the weapon forging workshop, the pace of land reclamation was increasing daily. Master Chuhe was now quite familiar with the Western Regions and knew how to remove the toxins from the soil more quickly.

After acquiring three subordinates with innate life-giving water as their Dao foundation, Sun Yu was relieved from his busy medical duties. This Dao foundation naturally enhances a person's vitality, and with the right elixirs, their medical skills can directly reach the level of a skilled physician. Sun Yu then appointed each of these three to head a medical clinic in a city, granting them an enviable status.

After stabilizing the territory, Wei Yuan rented a flying boat from a merchant caravan, left Qingming, and flew towards the Bao family.

The Bao family is located in the southeastern Wu Kingdom. Within the Wu Kingdom, they are like a pillar supporting the sky. They can completely control four counties that do not require them to pay taxes, and there are five other counties under their control that only pay symbolic taxes. It is practically a state within a state.

Wei Yuan's destination was Guanchao County, where the ancestral home of the Bao family was located. It also boasted Wu's largest seaport, whose trade with the islands of the East China Sea brought in enormous wealth annually.

Even though Wei Yuan rented the fastest flying boat from the Western Regions to the Southeast, it still took him more than twenty days to enter the Wu Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Wu was a place of scenic beauty, dotted with lakes, fishponds, mulberry groves, and paddy fields. While Wu was powerful, it may not have been the strongest of the nine kingdoms, but it was certainly the wealthiest.

To defend against invasions from the islands of the East China Sea, the Wu Kingdom invested heavily in building a powerful navy. Furthermore, beyond its southern border lay the jungle barbarians, while along the coast lived the Haili tribe. These two powerful groups were no less formidable than the mountain people or the witch tribe.

The flying boat was stopped upon entering the Wu Kingdom. Several cultivators boarded the flying boat, verified the identity of the boat owner, and, upon hearing that Wei Yuan was Bao Yun's fellow disciple in the Tai Chu Palace, were very polite and allowed to pass.

The flying boat traversed the entire Wu Kingdom, all the way to the shores of the East Sea, finally arriving at its destination.

The Bao family's ancestral home is on a mountain next to Guanchao Port. This mountain is only a thousand feet high, but the side facing the sea is all sheer cliffs. The entire mountain is shrouded in a great formation, and at the top of the mountain is a grotto-heaven of the Bao family.

The flying boat slowly came to a stop at the foot of the mountain. Wei Yuan stepped out of the flying boat and saw that several people were already standing outside.

In the center was a middle-aged man. At first glance, his robe seemed quite ordinary, but upon closer inspection, one could see countless dense, dark patterns that formed a protective array. Putting aside everything else, the material and craftsmanship alone were of considerable value.

To his left and right were two young people, two men and two women, all wearing robes woven with protective arrays. Although their rank was not as high as the middle-aged man's, they were still worth several hundred taels of immortal silver. For a few young juniors to be able to wear such fine robes and use only top-grade magical artifacts, the Bao family's wealth was indeed well-deserved.

Several young people were looking at Wei Yuan, making no attempt to hide their curiosity.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "The presence of Governor Wei is an honor to our Bao family. Elder Jiu is already waiting. Please come with me up the mountain."

Before coming, Wei Yuan had done his homework and knew that the Ninth Elder was Bao Manshan. This elder position wasn't just for any hall or manor, but one of the twelve Grand Elders of the entire Bao family. Only True Monarchs could serve as Grand Elders, but not all True Monarchs could become elders.

Several people led the way, and Wei Yuan followed them into the protective array, entering the world-renowned Jubao Yuan Mountain.

(End of this chapter)