Longzang

Chapter 561 Fate
When Wei Yuan put on his clothes and went out of the house, he still felt somewhat weak. At this time, the Rain Kingdom had retreated, and the corresponding battle report had already been issued in the human world.

The great war lasted for more than three months. The Rain Kingdom mobilized all its forces, suffering more than three million casualties in total. In particular, the final battle resulted in the loss of the entire Swamp Crocodile Legion and 150,000 elite warriors, which effectively broke the backbone of the Rain Kingdom.

In addition, Wei Yuan's Red Lotus Karmic Fire burned over 100,000 noble soldiers to death. These people were equivalent to the aristocratic families, nobles, and royal relatives on the human side. They originally came to the battlefield to gain experience, but Hongye forced them to join the attack, and as a result, they all entered the range of the great formation.

The deaths of these nobles almost pushed Hongye to the opposite side of all nobles. Although Hongye herself was not afraid, it sowed the seeds for endless conflicts in the future.

On the other hand, Qingming suffered a million casualties, nearly 700,000 of whom were recruited refugees. Of Qingming's own civilians, 250,000 died in battle, and of the 80,000 who went to their deaths first, only 900 survived.

The first floor of the Hall of Heroes is filled with countless memorial tablets, an honor reserved for those who voluntarily faced death. Besides them, only a few others with distinguished military achievements who died on the battlefield are eligible for inclusion.

At this moment, the aura gathered, and each memorial tablet was emitting a faint blue light.

The entire hilltop of Mount Yingling has been cleared, but it seems that a million tombstones are not enough, so the opening of a second hill has been put on the agenda.

These million heroic souls were the first cornerstone of Qingming's growth.

The losses of the Qingming regular army were still acceptable, and Wei Yuan replenished his forces while fighting, at which point he still had 100,000 men.

The combined forces of Longxiang and Longyi still have 20,000 men, while the newly established Longxiang Wall has been reduced from 800 to 500 in a single battle.

The Longxiang Army originally numbered over 20,000, but in the final battle, they faced the Swamp Crocodile Legion head-on, suffering over 10,000 casualties. However, their defensive line held firm, leading to the complete annihilation of the Swamp Crocodile Legion.

The Swamp Crocodile Legion of the Rain Kingdom was a renowned army, with combat strength comparable to the Nine Armies of the Great Tang Dynasty. Wei Yuan mobilized all of Qingming's elite troops, nearly 100,000 men, to besiege 30,000, with continuous missile bombardment overhead. It took them two full hours to completely annihilate this force, with his own casualties exceeding 30,000.

The ferocity of the swamp crocodile legion is evident.

If it weren't for the relentless bombardment from above and the support of the Instantaneous Beings and the Peerless Dao Domain, this Swamp Crocodile Legion would have long since broken through the encirclement and been living a carefree life. This was also why the Legion's commander-in-chief wasn't worried about being surrounded at all; in his eyes, there was no army in the world that could possibly besiege his legion.

This battle was of great significance, as it marked the first time since Qingming had established its army that it had completely annihilated an enemy elite force of the Ninth Army level through a direct battlefield confrontation.

From then on, the Azure Nether Army could be considered the elite of the world, and no one could object to that.

The Qingming people now number only 1.3 million, and almost every household is dressed in white mourning clothes. The war has left the country in ruins, but the external situation remains grim. The Xu family has 500,000 troops stationed at Hanyang Pass, and the Zhao state has also deployed 300,000 troops, watching with predatory intent.

But Wei Yuan didn't want to pay them any attention. After the all-out battle with the Rain Kingdom, there shouldn't be anyone willing to attack Qingming, whose main force was still intact. One hundred thousand battle-hardened soldiers and twenty thousand elite troops from all over the world were Wei Yuan's source of confidence at this moment.

Moreover, Qingming has just fought a bloody battle with the alien race. Attacking Qingming at this time would definitely be recorded in history books, a thankless task that would only bring eternal infamy. Few people would do such a stupid thing.

The correct approach would be to take advantage of Qingming's vulnerability, forcibly send troops to occupy the area, ostensibly to assist Qingming in resisting the alien races and rescuing the people from suffering. Then, once they arrive, they should stay.

However, now that everyone in Qingming is a soldier, with over 100,000 main force soldiers, and Wei Yuan still has the Yin-Yang Two Bullets unused. Without a million-strong army and without being prepared to sacrifice one or two Yu Jing's lives, they are not qualified to come to Qingming for defense.

Wei Yuan quickly glanced at the battle report, swallowed a few qi-replenishing pills, and headed towards the military camp.

He wanted to mobilize his elite forces and, taking advantage of the fact that the Witch Clan had just retreated, do everything in his power to erase all traces left by the Witch Clan, seize the supplies they hadn't had time to take, and ideally catch up with the Witch Clan and launch another fierce attack.

Wei Yuan didn't blame the others for not giving chase. In fact, only when he, as the realm lord, personally led the army could the morale be stable enough to penetrate deep into the Witch Domain for pursuit. Moreover, with the Yin-Yang Bullets in his hands, no Nether Witch would dare to flaunt them in front of him.

Those who can cultivate to the level of Yujing are one in ten thousand, each a peerless genius. Many have received intensive training from a young age and are accustomed to being the only one who matters. No matter how talented Wei Yuan is among the human race, and how great his future achievements may be, his life is his own. No one is willing to risk their own life to fight Wei Yuan. Wouldn't that just be giving Hongye an easy advantage?

Upon arriving at the military camp, Wei Yuan mustered an army of 100,000, personally leading 30,000 main force troops northward along the canal. Their primary objective was to destroy the reservoir 500 li away. The remaining troops were divided into several teams, each tasked with sweeping away the scattered Wu tribes around the border.

Wei Yuan's reputation was at its zenith at this moment. Seeing him return unharmed, the soldiers were all thrilled, and some even shouted "Long live Wei Yuan!"

At this moment, Wei Yuan didn't care about the small slip of the tongue, pretending not to hear it, and led his army out. The army's morale was exceptionally high, soaring straight into the sky, forcing the power of heaven and earth in the Witch Domain to retreat to both sides.

At this moment, the soldiers were in high spirits, but Wei Yuan inadvertently moved his left leg and vaguely felt a foreign object on it.

If one were to observe it using the Qi Observation Method, one could see that Wei Yuan's left ankle was fastened with a shackle, and the chain extended into the depths of the void, its destination unknown.

This is the price Wei Yuan paid for refining 800,000 members of the Witch Clan with karmic fire; the cause and effect have become so severe that they have taken human form. When all four limbs are shackled in the future, it will be too late to undo the damage, and who knows what will happen next.

Wei Yuan looked at the causal chains on his feet, lost in thought. When that time really comes, he'll probably have to use the Dharma name Wu Yuan.
Although the ending of inheriting the Great Joyful King Buddha was somewhat tragic, the Buddha said, "If I don't go to hell, who will?" Wei Yuan had already realized this, and even thought of a Dharma name in his dream.

Although that pipe dream was absurd and incomplete, logically speaking, the more humiliating the chase in the second half, the more exciting the first half should have been. And that young nun was unparalleled in beauty…

Wei Yuan quickly stopped, feeling that he was not wronged in being chased.

However, Wei Yuan still felt a strange soreness in his legs and lower back. Just moments ago, to teach Master Wuyuan a profound lesson, Zhang Sheng had resolutely sacrificed herself, repeatedly suppressing the lewd monk. Zhang Sheng's understanding of swordsmanship had reached a state of perfection; her entire body could circulate sword energy. Thus, she channeled countless subtle sword energies, and with just a few light thrusts, she could bring the lewd monk to his knees. From this, Wei Yuan deeply realized that no matter how indestructible your body, you are no match for a swordsman.

In the blink of an eye, Wei Yuan was exhausted and could only sincerely admit his mistake. If it weren't for his relatively sincere attitude and solemn oath, Zhang Sheng would have at least collected all sixty-four hexagrams of the primordial hexagrams before he would have been satisfied.

After this battle, Wei Yuan finally understood that his teacher was truly omnipotent, it all depended on whether she was willing to act. His own little tricks, like "a monk knocking on the moonlit gate," were simply no match for her.

And after getting out of bed, Zhang Sheng became Zhang Sheng. All those absurd things were done by Zhang Sheng, and had nothing to do with Zhang Sheng. This immediate application of what he had just learned made Wei Yuan realize that any scheming or trickery used against his teacher could potentially backfire on him.

The army marched north in a grand procession, initially catching only small fry and scattered soldiers along the way.

The Witch Clan retreated hastily, leaving behind countless supplies, which ultimately benefited Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan, full of pride and dazzled by the sight, found the Witch Domain, littered with trash, surprisingly endearing for the first time.

Furthermore, the witch clan and the human race value different things, so many rare resources in the eyes of the human race are scattered everywhere. Even Wei Yuan's eyes lit up, let alone the ordinary soldiers.

However, the Qingming Army was extremely disciplined at this time. After a series of battles, anyone who dared to disobey orders had been wiped out in the first three battles. Even though the immortal silver was right at their feet, no one dared to pick it up.

Despite the abundance of resources, Wei Yuan barely moved, instead leading his army straight ahead, advancing all the way to the reservoir five hundred miles away.

Many Wu tribesmen still roam here. They are all commoners, clinging to a sliver of hope that they might scavenge some valuables, and some even dream of getting rich.

Although the main force of the Witch Clan had retreated, they were betting that the Human Clan wouldn't arrive as expected. Unfortunately, they lost that gamble.

Three months of war had raged, with over a million dead on both sides, and the blood feud had reached an irreconcilable point. Wei Yuan's current attitude towards the Rain Kingdom was to leave no one alive, so with a wave of his hand, five thousand light cavalry were immediately dispatched.

The leader of the light cavalry was one of the original sixteen young masters and ladies from noble families, and he had now cultivated to the late stage of the Foundation Establishment stage. At this moment, his face was weathered and covered with a thick beard, and no one who did not look closely would have guessed that he was just a young man in his early twenties.

Having received Wei Yuan's order, he drew his sword to the sky and roared, "Kill them! Only the dead witches are true witches!"

A knight with a childlike face pointed ahead and asked, "Where is the child?"

In the direction he pointed, a dozen or so witches were fleeing, and a woman carrying two young children on her back was gradually being left behind by the other witches.

The leader unleashed a powerful lightning whip, lashing the young knight hard, before shouting, "There are only two kinds of witches in the world: the living and the dead, regardless of gender or age! Do you understand?!"

The young knight was born a refugee and had only joined the army a few days earlier. He was promoted to scout knight because of his talent and only experienced the last major battle.

His face was a little pale, but he still nodded vigorously.

"Very good!" The leader pointed at the witch carrying the child and said, "Go and kill them!"

The young knight closed his eyes, forcing himself to recall the faces of the veterans who had died beside him. When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with hatred and murderous intent.

He spurred his horse forward, swung his long sword, and the blade trailed a string of blood droplets, shaped like a crescent moon, which slowly dispersed in the air.

Then, all the light cavalry were dispatched, in groups of ten or more, hunting down every member of the Wu tribe who could still move.

Wei Yuan immediately took command of the central army, silently observing everything with a calm and composed heart. This kind of blood feud between races was beyond the capacity of any individual to resolve; anyone who attempted to resolve it at this juncture was either foolish or malicious.

Wei Yuan closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath, savoring the omnipresent smell of blood.

This is the general trend of the world, and also Wei Yuan's destiny. Only when all the alien races in the world are slaughtered until they can sing and dance will Wei Yuan feel that he has fulfilled his mission in this world.

Wei Yuan opened his eyes, drew his sword, pointed forward, and shouted, "The army advances! Go another four hundred li and follow me to meet the King of the Rain Kingdom!"

The soldiers were filled with fervor, and their morale soared, seemingly without end!

Seven hundred li away, Wei Yuan caught up with Hongye's rearguard and defeated them in one fell swoop.

After traveling eight hundred li, Wei Yuan caught up with Hongye's main force, forcing Hongye to leave her personal guards behind to cover their retreat. Wei Yuan fought fiercely for three quarters of an hour, annihilating this elite force, which was no less formidable than the Swamp Crocodile Cavalry, and personally beheaded all eight Great Witch Commanders before continuing the pursuit.

Nine hundred miles away, Wei Yuan stormed into the great city of the Witch Clan. At least a million Witch Clan members remained, unable to evacuate. Hongye and his last remaining followers were nowhere to be found. The cries of the Witch Clan members echoed through the city, yet not a single Witch could be seen in the sky.

The lake shimmered, and the altar in its center still stood majestically, but it was now deserted.

P.S.: Happy Lunar New Year's Eve everyone! At the start of the Year of the Snake, I'll be taking a short break. Updates will remain unchanged during the Spring Festival.

(End of this chapter)