Longzang

Chapter 492 Knowing it's impossible

Feng Chutang chatted with Zhang Sheng for a while longer, and only after confirming that Zhang Sheng's invincible heart was really not Wei Yuan's did she seem relieved.

Zhang Sheng admitted that he was still cultivating an invincible heart, which greatly intrigued Feng Chutang. After all, Zhang Sheng's original four immortal swords were already incredibly powerful; what path could be more formidable?

Zhang Sheng didn't say much, only saying that he would know once he had cultivated his Dao foundation. Feng Chutang didn't press further.

Zhang Sheng then said to Wei Yuan, "Your Uncle Feng is well-versed in the strengths of various schools of thought and is also well-versed in history. He has never been one to compromise his principles in dealing with people, which makes him very suitable for the current situation in Qingming. You should consult your Uncle Feng more often when you encounter problems."

"This disciple understands." Seeing Zhang Sheng's attitude of dismissing him, Wei Yuan wisely left.

Wei Yuan arranged for Feng Chutang to stay in a secluded courtyard on the main peak. The courtyard was small but quiet, offering a view of the entire eastern part of the realm.

Upon entering the courtyard, Feng Chutang suddenly said, "Your teacher is about to be burdened by karma, so you should be more careful."

Wei Yuan was startled. Karma is arguably one of the most feared things for cultivators. It is formless and intangible, impossible to guard against, and sometimes its cause is unknown, making it extremely difficult to resolve. This is one of the reasons why Wei Yuan accepted the Red Lotus Bodhi despite knowing that the karmic consequences of the Arhat's true blood were extraordinary.

The Red Lotus Bodhi can resolve karma. With it, Wei Yuan can act more freely in many things. Otherwise, not to mention anything else, the karma generated by the many people he has killed would be enough to cause him a lot of trouble.

However, after Zhang Sheng arrived in Qingming, he spent his days either reading or cultivating, and hardly ever left his house. So where did he get any karma?

Seeing Wei Yuan's confusion, Feng Chutang said, "She is about to be burdened with a huge amount of karma. Although it's not there yet, the signs are already very obvious. If she gets entangled in so much karma, it will be very troublesome, and it might even cause her to lose her path again. So you need to find out what she's doing."

Given your relationship with her, you, in your position, cannot see the karmic consequences she faces. I have come here to find the Qingming Qi unstable and the situation extremely perilous; without extraordinary measures, it will be difficult to break the deadlock. Therefore, if you wish to do anything heinous, go ahead and do it, and it is best to do it yourself. If you truly cannot bring yourself to do it, you can leave it to me. Your uncle, having studied history extensively, has methods to resolve karmic sins.”

Wei Yuan immediately inquired about the method. Even the Red Lotus Bodhi has its limits; the more methods available to resolve karmic obstacles, the better.

Feng Chutang pondered for a moment and said, "This method is not very useful for others, but you obviously also have a method to resolve karma, so perhaps we can learn from it. This is my Dharma form: Chenxu."

Above Feng Chutang's head appeared a scene of ruins, with a gigantic shadow dragon coiled among the broken walls, fast asleep. Faint black mist permeated the ruins, unconsciously being inhaled and exhaled by the shadow dragon.

Feng Chutang said, “The shadow dragon in the middle is my Dharma form. I use it to absorb and expel karma, which can temporarily store the karma and prevent it from flaring up. When I encounter an enemy in the future, I mix the karma with my Taoist magic to fight it together. Or, after obtaining something important that has a karmic connection with my opponent, I use a luck formation to transfer the karma to his luck.”

I only recently developed this magic array myself; it evolved from the Transformation True Monarch's Fortune-Changing Array. I'll pass it on to you now.

Wei Yuan was also shocked, never expecting there to be a method that used one's own karma as a weapon. Even if only a small portion could be transferred out, it was still incredibly powerful and terrifying. The disgusting nature of this move was no less than that of his own Immortal Path Twilight.

In contrast, Zhang Sheng's actions—such as cutting away the foundation of humanity with his hair-like hair and burning the sea and sky with fire to destroy people's spiritual forms—appear quite benevolent and gentle, deserving the title of a benevolent person.

Finally, Feng Chutang said, "We are, after all, teacher and student. Just do it, and I will always be on your side."

After bidding farewell to Feng Chutang, Wei Yuan returned to his residence, where someone announced that Cai Shizhi had come to see him.

Wei Yuan held this gentleman in high regard and hurriedly invited him into the main hall, serving him tea and snacks.

Cai Shizhi then said, "Although Qingming Academy has just been established, it has already discovered many promising students, and there are now two hundred students in the academy."

This is great news, and Wei Yuan quickly expressed his gratitude. Qingming Academy teaches everything from classics and history to philosophy, governance, and military affairs; its graduates are sure to become pillars of society.

Cai Shizhi added, “Five schools have already been opened, with more than three thousand students receiving their initial education. My disciples are limited, and I really cannot accept so many more. However, once the students in the academy have studied for another year, they will be able to meet the requirements for opening schools. At that time, we will not have to worry about a lack of students for their initial education.”

"Sir, you have done a great service!"

Cai Shizhi stroked his beard and said, “Qingming has only recently been formed, and with external enemies at hand, your strategy of treating every bush and tree as an enemy is a last resort. However, it is clear that there are too many soldiers and too few generals. Since I am in Qingming, I have no choice but to take on this responsibility. I have more than a dozen students who are well-versed in military strategy. Although they have not fought many battles and may be somewhat theoretical, they are capable of leading a detachment.” Wei Yuan was overjoyed, for this was a timely help.

Qingming expanded too quickly, resulting in a severe shortage of mid-level officers. Of the sixteen young masters and ladies brought by Cui Yu back then, only ten remain, each of whom has become a general commanding at least ten thousand men. Naturally, not all of them are skilled in leading troops in battle, but Wei Yuan simply has no one else available.

Leading an army involves too many tedious tasks, and most promising cultivators in the Taichu Palace are unwilling to do these things; someone like Cui Yu is truly an exception. But if it weren't for Wei Yuan's Azure Nether, Cui Yu would probably have turned around and left as well.

For example, Yu Zhizhuo, Sun Yu, Xu Henshui, and even Feng Tingyu, if they had fought a few battles and accumulated some experience, they would definitely have become famous generals for a time, but none of them were willing to lead troops.

Cai Shizhi's willingness to recommend his disciple to join the army is a timely and much-needed help.

Cai Shizhi handed Wei Yuan a list, with his own comments under each disciple's entry, clearly outlining their strengths, potential, and personality advantages and disadvantages.

Finally, Cai Shizhi said solemnly, "Expelling the alien races is the long-term plan of our human race, and it is the very essence of righteousness! In times of crisis, I will certainly step in and hold off an ordinary Netherworld Witch until the extraterrestrial monster arrives. It should be no problem. If it weren't for this shattered land, I wouldn't actually be a match for the Netherworld Witch."

Cai Shizhi took his leave, and Wei Yuanfang sighed, feeling quite emotional.

Having finally found some free time, Wei Yuan sat by the window, gazing at the blood-red sunset outside. The rosy clouds, reaching the west, were then obscured by the verdant energy of heaven and earth, creating a distinct boundary between red and green—a truly wondrous sight.

Just then, the sound of smoke from the fire reminded Wei Yuan that new results had been achieved. Wei Yuan looked at it and saw that it was the organizational plan for forming an army of civilians that he had deployed some time ago.

These civilians were organized into armies of 30,000, with a basic officer for every 1,000 men and a fully-fledged officer for every 100 men. They were equipped with breastplates and simple arm and leg armor, and carried muskets and five bullets each. Their melee weapon was the bayonet attached to their muskets.

This plan was basically what Wei Yuan had in mind, but as he looked at it, he realized that one link was missing, so he got up and flew to Xu Henshui's alchemy temple.

Yu Zhizhuo was also at the alchemy hall. Several kinds of unusual medicinal herbs were laid out on the table between the two of them, and Hun Yingluo was among them. A small bird with long golden tail feathers was hopping around on the table, occasionally pecking at the herbs.

Yu Zhizhuo, meanwhile, diligently wrote down the properties of the objects the bird had observed. Understanding the properties of the objects would roughly reveal the medicinal properties. It was unexpected that the two could collaborate in this way, but it was clearly highly efficient.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan arrive, Xu Henshui went to greet him, while Yu Zhizhuo continued his battle with the rare medicinal herbs. He was always like this, extremely obsessed with materials, forging, and the properties of things, often saying that a deep study of the properties of things could reveal the Great Dao.

Wei Yuan then said, "I would like to ask Uncle Xu to refine a kind of pill."

"What are the requirements?"

"This elixir, once ingested, will enable ordinary people to unleash their potential, gain immense strength, forget pain, and be unaware of fear. Furthermore, it will grant them tireless energy, allowing them to work for days without sleep, with abundant stamina. Finally, it must be mass-produced like military rations, so that ordinary people can afford it."

Xu Henshui gave Wei Yuan a meaningful look and said, "There is an ancient prescription called Fenwei Pill, which can just meet your request. At that time, Fenwei Pill was specially used for those who charged into battle first, and later it was often distributed to the whole army during desperate battles. However, it is very potent. If an ordinary person takes it once, his vital energy will be severely damaged, and if he takes it three times, he will die after a bloody battle. Do you still want it?"

Wei Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "I want it!"

Yu Zhizhuo suddenly looked up at Wei Yuan, but said nothing and continued to study the properties of matter.

Xu Henshui immediately made a list and handed it to Wei Yuan, saying, "Prepare all the medicinal materials listed above. My fellow disciples and I will work together to refine them, and we can produce 10,000 pills every day."

Wei Yuan glanced at the list and said, "Send it in an hour."

The black aura swirling around the red lotus bodhi seed has intensified.

(End of this chapter)