Longzang

Chapter 548 So Insidious (Thanks to Alliance Leader Quanshui and others for the gold coins)

No matter what kind of immortal sword Zhang Sheng takes out, even if it's the reappearance of the four immortal swords of the patriarch, it won't shock Xu Henshui like this.

Xu Henshui had seen the Great Bright Demon-Subduing Sword many times. Whenever the Cui family came, many people chose to cultivate this sword, especially the elderly who needed to prolong their lives. Almost all of them cultivated this flashy but impractical immortal sword.

This foundation is not even as good as a normal human level. Xu Henshui felt that it was not worthy of being called a celestial sword, but only a human sword. Those who cultivated it were all sword people.

Seeing the Great Bright Demon-Subduing Sword in Zhang Sheng's hand, Xu Henshui simply couldn't believe his eyes.

He paused for a moment, as if he understood, then sighed and said, "Even if there's a problem with your Dao heart, you can repair it slowly. Why give up on yourself like this?"

Zhang Sheng smiled enigmatically and said, "You look down on this sword? Fine, then let me show you."

Zhang Sheng raised his hand and pointed, causing the Great Bright Demon-Subduing Sword to shine brightly, fly into the sky, and then fall towards Xu Henshui like a shooting star! This magnificent display was even more extravagant than many immortal swords.

Xu Henshui shook his head helplessly, feeling saddened that his great enemy, who had oppressed him for so many years, had fallen to this state. Just then, he saw the Great Bright Demon-Subduing Sword in the sky split into two, then into four, then into eight...

In the blink of an eye, the 512 lightsabers transformed into an extremely dazzling sun, which fell to the mountaintop and leveled the mountain where Xu Henshui stood!

Xu Henshui emerged from the giant sphere of light in a disheveled state, his long hair disheveled, his exquisite robe tattered, revealing patches of skin as white as jade. Above his head floated a giant celestial orchid, and at its heart stood a graceful fairy.

Xu Henshui's Dharma form is quite unique. Generally, those who cultivate Dharma forms based on objects and living beings will usually have an additional immortal to take charge of the foundation, such as Shangguan Qianmo's sword-wielding immortal.

But Xu Henshui was different; he was an orchid that had attained enlightenment and transformed into a celestial being, the order of importance completely reversed. However, at this moment, several Great Bright Demon-Subduing Swords were stuck in the giant celestial orchid, and even one was stuck in the fairy's thigh, a truly pitiful sight.

Xu Henshui was both angry and shocked, and exclaimed, "How come you have so many immortal swords?"

Zhang Sheng smiled faintly and said, "This is the new foundation of my cultivation that I achieved through self-abandonment."

Xu Henshui tentatively asked, "Is this the only sword?"

"There are 512 types in total, but don't worry, the vast majority of them are human-level."

Xu Henshui couldn't rest easy and asked, "The vast majority?"

"Yes, there are a few Earth-rank weapons and one Heaven-rank weapon. Don't worry, there are no Immortal-rank weapons."

Xu Henshui was even more worried and continued to press, "What is a Heavenly Rank item? Let me see!"

Zhang Sheng suddenly held a cyan immortal sword in his hand, and as soon as the sword was drawn, a light drizzle began to fall around him.

Xu Henshui was naturally familiar with this sword, and said, "Qing Si Yu? Why didn't you choose Li Shang, Zhan Xu, or even that fourth one you just completed?"

Zhang Sheng smiled enigmatically and said, "Guess?"

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xu Henshui's mind, and he remembered Qing Siyu's most prominent characteristic. He exclaimed, "You, you're going to destroy my foundation!"

Zhang Sheng smiled and said, "That's right. No wonder everyone says you are intelligent and clever. You are indeed smart. Well, it's just that you're a bit unlucky. If you weren't of my generation, that would be better."

Xu Henshui felt the same way. In his generation, there were not only Zhang Sheng, but also Ji Liuli and Feng Chutang; none of them could squeeze into the top three. If only he had been born a few years later…

Xu Henshui thought for a moment and realized that being born a few years later wouldn't work either, as there was still Wei Yuan behind him. If he wanted to stand out from the crowd, he had to climb ahead.

Looking at Qing Siyu, Xu Henshui felt increasingly uneasy, a strange feeling creeping over him.

After a moment, he finally understood the source of his unease: if Qing Siyu could have more than five hundred of them, who would dare to fight Zhang Sheng?
If someone were to be slashed hundreds of times, even a top-tier immortal foundation would likely be reduced to a celestial foundation. Even if a celestial foundation didn't die, it would be directly reduced to a human foundation.

As for the human base, it is destined to die, so there is no need to further reduce it.

Once he understood this, Xu Henshui's gaze towards Zhang Sheng changed, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "So you are this insidious!"

Zhang Sheng said, "You're overthinking it. I can only transform the Azure Silk Rain into 512 swords when I reach the peak of my Dao Foundation. Until then, you're safe."

Xu Henshui's face turned pale and then red. Finally, he bowed deeply to Zhang Sheng and said, "I was reckless today. Please forgive me for being fellow disciples." "You are a senior. Of course I won't take this to heart. Just don't do it again next time."

At this moment, Wei Yuan returned from the Netherworld, and Zhang Sheng glared at Xu Henshui, warning him not to tell anyone about what had happened that day. Xu Henshui, of course, wouldn't reveal such a shameful matter.

Strictly speaking, he didn't lose; Zhang Sheng's Dao power at that moment was only enough for one strike. However, Xu Henshui was a Dharma Aspect, and he fought a back-and-forth battle with a newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator, even getting stabbed several times in his Dharma Aspect. It would be a disgrace if word got out.

At this moment, both of them felt a powerful divine sense sweep over their area; it was Wei Yuan's divine sense. They immediately pretended nothing had happened, chatted for a few words, and then went their separate ways.

Wei Yuan didn't know what the two were doing here. Seeing that there was nothing unexpected, he moved his divine sense away.

Wei Yuan arrived at the weapon forging workshop and placed over a hundred catties of Nether Crystals. These Nether Crystals were enough to forge 100,000 sets of heavy armor, and the remainder could be used to forge several more magic-resistant armor plates.

At this moment, Cui Yu sent someone to find Wei Yuan, saying that the surviving refugees had gathered and were waiting for Wei Yuan to come over.

The sixth battle was different from the previous ones because the Wu tribe was defeated quickly, so half of the refugees who filled the front lines survived. Wei Yuan felt that these people who had narrowly escaped death had already risked their lives for Qingming once, and that was enough.

Therefore, Wei Yuan had Cui Yu count all these people, which eventually totaled about 30,000, including a few Qingming residents who were determined to die.

Wei Yuan decided to incorporate these people into the regular army, then prioritize teaching them the Body Forging Technique, allocate resources accordingly, and they would receive a free Foundation Forging opportunity later.

As for the gaps in the front-line positions, they will be filled by newly arrived refugees.

Previously, Wei Yuan had no choice but to use human lives to stop the advance of the Wu tribe. Now the battle is gradually developing in a favorable direction. Although refugees still need to be used to fill the front line, some people will survive, and the survivors will receive the treatment they deserve.

However, the more than 700,000 refugees who died in the previous battle received no compensation. There's nothing that can be done about it; the world has never been fair.

Wei Yuan announced these preferential treatment measures in front of 30,000 surviving refugees. Hearing that they would no longer have to go to the front lines where death was almost certain, and that they would receive many preferential treatments, many refugees were so excited that they prostrated themselves in worship, which caught Wei Yuan off guard.

Looking at the thousands of newly added wisps of azure energy, Wei Yuan felt a complex mix of emotions.

The proportion of these refugees contributing their fortune was far higher than ever before, and exceeded that of any other group. It was equivalent to two out of ten people worshipping Wei Yuan as a savior. It can only be said that their demands were far too low. Surviving a war in which half the population died, and then receiving some preferential treatment, was enough to win their hearts.

After leaving the refugee camp, Wei Yuan was in a very bad mood. He went to Feng Chutang's residence and knocked on the door to ask to see him.

Feng Chutang was reading in her room. Her breathing was much better than before, but she was still very weak, her face was pale, and her eyes were somewhat cloudy.

Seeing Wei Yuan enter, Feng Chutang put down her book and asked, "What happened?"

Wei Yuan then recounted what had just happened at the camp, and said, "Actually, I was the one who sent these people to the battlefield. The fact that they are alive is due to their own good fortune."

They fought a bloody battle, narrowly escaping death. What I promised them was exactly what they deserved. And what they really needed to give was minimal; for now, it was just a little more firewood and rice. Is that all they deserve to entrust their fate to?

Feng Chutang smiled and said, "So that's what it is. Actually, the question you want to ask has already been answered in history. Let's talk about fortune first. You yourself are blessed with fortune. As the Lord of the Azure Netherworld, you are in a position that can collect human fortune. But have you ever thought about why, out of 30,000 people who worship you, you only collected 5,000 human fortunes?"

Wei Yuan had never thought about this question before. He had assumed that some people were good at acting, appearing to be completely subservient on the surface, but who knew what they were really thinking inside. However, after hearing what Feng Chutang said, it seemed that this was not the case.

Feng Chutang didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "The reason for this is that some people can contribute their luck, while others are born unable to contribute their luck. No matter how grateful they are to you, it's useless."

Wei Yuan had never heard of such a claim before, and subconsciously asked, "Is there any basis for this?"

Feng Chutang said, "Of course there is no basis for it. The matter of luck is ethereal and I can't see it very clearly either. I can only make some judgments based on historical records and what I see and hear in my daily life. For example, if you can get luck from Yu Jing, you will definitely be completely different from ordinary people."

Wei Yuan looked at the few wisps of purple mist amidst the mortal world's smoke and fire, and indeed it was so.

Feng Chutang continued, "I guess that everyone is born with a different destiny, so their fortune and life experiences are also different. These refugees from Zhao, even if they don't go to the battlefield, most of them won't live for more than three years. They will all die for one reason or another."

So what you just said is from our perspective. For these refugees, it's something they could never obtain in their entire lives, so naturally they would contribute their fortune.

(End of this chapter)