Longzang

Chapter 581, Page 579: In a Bad Mood
In a corner of the azure sky, the roar of cannons continued.

This is a desolate hilly area, where the territory has not yet expanded to this extent. Therefore, it has been set up as a firing range specifically for testing various artillery, firearms, and magical artifacts.

At this moment, almost all the cultivators from the Taichu Palace had gathered at the shooting range. Even Zhang Sheng had rushed back from the Netherworld to see what this unprecedented Toad-shaped Apocalypse Chariot was.

At this moment, on the firing range, the Toad tank was moving back and forth, constantly emitting a deafening roar, with extraordinary momentum. As it moved, it fired its cannons, blasting the area around the target a mile away into a shower of rubble, and then the target remained unharmed.

After firing more than a dozen shots, Xu Wenwu's eyes were closed, his face was pale, and he was drenched in sweat. His Dao power was exhausted, and the Toad-shaped War Chariot vanished into thin air. Wei Yuan quickly gave him a Qi-replenishing pill, and he recovered after a short while.

Upon opening his eyes, Xu Wenwu excitedly exclaimed, "This feeling is amazing! It's like there are two versions of myself. One is sitting here, and the other has become a war chariot. It's just a bit overwhelming..."

Not only am I too busy, but my aim is also a bit off... Wei Yuan muttered to himself.

Next came the evaluation by the cultivators of the Taichu Palace. Although Xu Wenwu's Toad-shaped War Chariot was also an unprecedented Dao Foundation, Wei Yuan's Dao Foundation had been directly recognized by the Myriad Manifestations Hall upon its initial formation, and was praised as unparalleled in the world. Xu Wenwu's strange Dao Foundation, however, required a more detailed evaluation.

After a long period of contemplation, Yu Zhizhuo spoke first: "It is rare to find a Dao Foundation cultivator who cannot fly."

Xu Wenwu's heart sank instantly; those words were clearly not a kind remark.

Zhang Sheng then said, "Your aim is somewhat...mysterious. Why don't you show us the interior of that chariot?"

Xu Wenwu frantically worked for a long time, and with the guidance of the other cultivators, he finally managed to peel off the outer shell of the chariot and reveal its interior.

The toad lay sprawled on its seat, one eye fixed on the sight and the other on the observation window, its hands gripping the control levers. When it was time to fire, a shell would automatically be generated inside the turret and loaded into the breech. Then, the toad would slam on the pedal, and the shot would fire.

The complex process left all the cultivators speechless.

Finally, Wei Yuan couldn't help but say, "Um, Wenwu, this is your Dao Foundation, not a real war chariot. You don't need to make it so complicated. For example, this observation window and aiming device are completely unnecessary. You can just use the cannon barrel to look, which is further forward."

The group of repairmen opened their minds, each offering their opinions. The gist of their argument was that the tank didn't need anything inside; it could be made entirely of solid material, just enough to make room for the toad. The exterior didn't need to be so complex either; tracks, road wheels, and even a turret could be removed.

Since the main function of this base is to fire cannons, it can simply be turned into a cannon barrel. The toad can be tied to the cannon barrel so that it can also fly.

Xu Wenwu refuted each point, insisting on not accepting it.

The toad's eyes were also full of anger. It strongly resisted the fate of being hung on the cannon barrel and reacted quite fiercely, its two round eyes almost bursting with fire.

Wei Yuan sighed, thinking that since Xu Wenwu didn't need to fight on the front lines, he could do whatever he wanted. Besides, the power of this chariot cannon was indeed quite great; one shot was equivalent to the full-force attack of a Foundation Establishment Earth cultivator. The problem was that it had two barrels, so its power was doubled.

Xu Wenwu, having just established his Dao Foundation, could fire over a dozen shots in a row, indicating that his Dao technique was quite energy-efficient. Regardless, this Dao Foundation possessed an inherent offensive Dao technique, both of excellent power and quality. Wei Yuan felt it should at least be a Heavenly Foundation, with a high probability of an Immortal Foundation. However, his experience and knowledge were limited, so he remained silent.

Finally, Feng Chutang said, "This toad has already developed its own sentience; for that alone, it deserves to be included in the Immortal Foundation. Secondly, this... chariot, although its operation is complex and its features are superfluous, is quite innovative in terms of defense, and what's rare is its integration of offense and defense. It's just a pity that although it's called amphibious, it can only operate on water, not underwater..."

Xu Wenwu muttered, "What's underwater is called a submarine!"

Feng Chutang's smile remained unchanged as he said, "Whether it's the chariot or the submarine... this foundation is certainly worthy of being classified as a Celestial Foundation, but the spiritual essence is hidden inside the outer shell, which is undignified. Therefore, it is slightly downgraded and rated as a Celestial Foundation. Do you all agree?"

Wei Yuan disagreed, seeing this as a clear case of forced grading.

Suddenly, a wisp of sword energy appeared above Zhang Sheng's head, and he shouted, "Feng, Chu, Tang! So it was you who commented on my Azure Silk Rain back then! No wonder I couldn't find who that person was. You and I were both at the Foundation Establishment stage back then, what right did you have to comment on my Foundation Establishment?! You must have secretly used Feng Yuan Immortal Lord's authority to do this behind his back!"

Feng Chutang's expression changed, and she hurriedly said, "This... that was all in the past, why bring it up again? Besides, if Qing Si Yu weren't based on the Heavenly Foundation, you wouldn't be able to rebuild it!"

Zhang Sheng sneered and said, "This matter must be reported to the Ancestor, and we must have a good talk with your Feng Yuan Zhenjun!"

Feng Chutang's expression changed several times, and she said in a low voice, "Considering that I have done a lot of work for your disciple, can we just let this small matter go? I have accumulated a lot of karma for no reason, and it will take at least ten years to clean it up."

Zhang Sheng, however, was unmoved: "Stop playing the victim! Just stay in Qingming and your karma will be cleared in less than a year. If you want it to be faster, take a position like Bao'er and accumulate some human fortune. You'll be able to clear your karma in a few months."

Feng Chutang smiled wryly: "Human fortune isn't something anyone can just dabble in. Your disciple and Bao'er are born with good fortune, so they have no problem using it. But I'm naturally lacking in good fortune, how could I dare to touch that stuff?"

Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and the shadow in the moon exhaled a stream of celestial fortune, indicating that it was a loan from him.

Wei Yuan displayed the extraterrestrial fortune in his palm, and Feng Chutang instantly turned her head as if she had smelled meat, unable to look away.

"This, this is the Chaos Heavenly Fortune! Does such a thing really exist in the world? This is just what I need..." Feng Chutang stopped mid-sentence, then looked at Zhang Sheng and said seriously, "Name your price!"

Wei Yuan was annoyed. The item was his own, so why should he ask Zhang Sheng for a price?

Zhang Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "Use Feng Yuanzhenjun's authority again to reduce Qing Siyu to the human level, and then remove the characteristic that can destroy a person's foundation."

Feng Chutang struggled with the question: "This is clearly a fraud... There's no precedent for this."

Wei Yuan asked from the side, "Can the supernatural power of 'Azure Silk Rain Cutting Away the Foundation of Humanity' be learned?"

He had long coveted this supernatural power back then, and after studying it for a long time, he still had no clue. He secretly made hundreds of Green Silk Rain swords, but none of them had the ability to destroy a person's foundation.

Feng Chutang said, "This is the innate Daoist charm of this sword, which cannot be imitated."

Finally, Feng Chutang made a token struggle before agreeing. Although this went against his principles, most historians are flexible and it wasn't particularly difficult for him to do it.

After much rambling, Xu Wenwu's Dao foundation was ultimately rated as Heavenly Foundation. If Xu Wenwu solves the problem of flying in the future, or if the power of his cannon increases, then his Dao foundation can be upgraded to Immortal Foundation.

Next, Xu Wenwu needed to solidify his Dao foundation, so Wei Yuan arranged for him to go to the herb garden and spend more time among those precious herbs that had been blessed with Qi, to cultivate his mind and body and comprehend the way of growth of heaven and earth.

After dealing with matters here, Wei Yuan and Zhang Sheng went together to the Netherworld to continue digging into Shu Li's foundation.

In the Netherworld, after some time, they dug another two zhang forward. As soon as Zhang Sheng arrived, Han Li and Long Wushuang greeted her. Zhang Sheng conjured three immortal swords, and the two stood on either side of her, instantly forming a sword formation.

Zhang Sheng conjured three ethereal, cold immortal swords, hurled them with a wave of his hand, and all three swords embedded themselves into the Nether Iron Wall in front of him, penetrating about half an inch.

Zhang Sheng's move was extraordinary. Without the refinement of magic techniques or the burning of true fire, he could directly penetrate the wall of the Nether Iron Ore. Even Wei Yuanlongying could not do this.

At this moment, Zhang Sheng's cultivation level was far lower than Wei Yuanlong's. The reason she could achieve such an effect was that she not only had a thorough understanding of the properties of the Nether Iron, but also that these three swords had already carried a trace of the aura of the Netherworld itself. As a result, the Nether Iron became much softer and more brittle in front of these three immortal swords.

At this moment, Han Li and Long Wushuang also made their moves simultaneously, each attaching a wisp of their Dao power to one of their immortal swords. A halo appeared in the center of the three swords, growing brighter and brighter, propelling the three swords to slowly rotate in sync. With each rotation, the halo deepened, gradually cutting deeper into the sword.

Judging from their progress, they're not much slower than Longying's side.

Watching the three work together so seamlessly, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a strange unease. Judging from Long Wushuang and Han Li's skillful movements, this was clearly not the first time the three had practiced this together.

During the cutting process, a little bit of imperceptible cold air would be absorbed by the swords from time to time, which would slightly enhance the essence of the three swords.

Wei Yuan, with his keen senses, noticed this and knew that Zhang Sheng was using this method to enhance the essence of his Dao Foundation Immortal Sword. Seeing that the Earth-rank Returning to Tranquility quality could still be improved, with the potential to reach the Heaven-rank, Wei Yuan said nothing.

He couldn't say anything either. He couldn't very well say that he disliked the two creations in his own mental world and told Zhang Sheng to stay away from them, could he?
Wei Yuan was bored, so he wandered around the vicinity. In fact, this place was very small. The Dragon Guards, led by Long Ying, occupied one mining face, while Zhang Sheng and his two companions occupied the other. There was also a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, some carrying things and others meditating.

Sitting in the corner was a handsome young man, his brows lowered and eyes closed, meditating and cultivating. Wei Yuan scanned him with his divine sense and immediately knew his origin. This was a cultivator who had just formed his Dao Foundation in the mortal realm, the youngest among all those who had formed their Dao Foundations, and naturally possessed astonishing talent. He had come to the Netherworld to cultivate while still in the Foundation Consolidation stage.

Wei Yuan looked around and was somewhat taken aback to find that there was nowhere for him to put his claws. Moreover, the place was quite cramped, making it very difficult for Wei Yuan to move around.

Wei Yuan had no choice but to leave. But as he was leaving, he looked at Zhang Sheng and the other two, who seemed completely absorbed in their work, and something felt off.

After leaving the Netherworld, Wei Yuan headed straight for Hanyang Pass. He was in a bad mood today and planned to take his anger out on the Xu family.

However, Hanyang Pass was quiet, its gates tightly shut, and there were hardly any soldiers guarding the city walls. Wei Yuan stationed a total of eight thousand elite troops on this hilltop position, and fired three shots at the very beginning. After that, no matter how much he provoked them, the Xu family remained completely silent, giving Wei Yuan no excuse.

The thought of Han Li and Long Wushuang diligently cultivating filled Wei Yuan with a sense of crisis. However, the Dharma Realm of Humanity already possessed the rudiments of the Mind Realm, and cultivation no longer relied on meditation but rather on continuously perfecting this world and enhancing its spirituality. The Mind Realm could draw primordial energy from heaven and earth on its own and transform it into Dao power; there was no use in rushing it.

The most direct way for Wei Yuan to accelerate his cultivation is to increase the number of mortals in his mental world. An indirect way is to have cultivators work—no, cultivate—among the mortal realm. Each Dao Foundation is equivalent to dozens of mortals, and each Dharma Aspect is equivalent to nearly a thousand mortals.

At this time, the souls of the humans who died in the final battle began to reincarnate one after another, continuously enhancing the spirituality of human life. However, Wei Yuan discovered that a catalyst was still needed for the Nascent Soul Realm to break through.

Although this opportunity is not far off, its origin is currently a mystery.

(End of this chapter)