Longzang

Chapter 89 Unparalleled Under Heaven
Sun Chaoen slowly woke up and found himself back at the county government office when he opened his eyes. He tried to sit up, but his whole body was too weak. He had only managed to sit up halfway when a sharp pain shot through his chest and back, and he collapsed back onto the bed.

Ren Youwei, the county magistrate standing nearby, hurriedly said, "Sir, don't move! Moving it will reopen the wound!"

Has General Li sent anyone?

"Don't worry, sir, the person went early this morning."

"Has Commander Liao dispatched troops?"

Ren Youwei hesitated for a moment, but still said, "He refused to send troops, but that was to be expected."

Sun Chaoen struggled to sit up, shouting hoarsely, "Liao Jingwu! This county magistrate will execute him sooner or later! Help me up!"

"My lord, you mustn't! You are no match for him now. Moreover, killing an official appointed by the court without authorization is punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan!" Ren Youwei pleaded in alarm.

Seeing that the county magistrate refused to help him up, Sun Chaoen gasped, "Even if I wanted to go, I couldn't. I remember there was a signal arrow in the ancestral hall; did you bring it back?"

"Place it down below the hall."

"Shoot it! Now!"

Ren Youwei hurriedly went out, and a moment later the signal arrow exploded in the air, lingering for a long time. The message on the signal arrow was: Wei Yuan is heading north, reinforcements are needed immediately.

Sun Chaoen sensed the fluctuations in the arrow's power, felt a sense of relief, and then fainted again. At this point, all efforts were exhausted; now it was up to fate.

Inside the military camp, Liao Jingwu was again hosting a banquet in the back hall, but the atmosphere was somewhat somber, with everyone appearing preoccupied. A captain tentatively asked, "General, this is the third time the county has sent people to urge us to send troops. If we don't act soon, not only will we have a hard time explaining ourselves to the imperial court, but we'll also have a hard time explaining ourselves to the Taichu Palace. Perhaps we could send someone as a token gesture?"

Liao Jingwu slammed his fist on the table: "That guy surnamed Sun is nothing but a nobody. He can kill Wang Delu, but dare to mess with me? Just killing Wang Delu is enough to wipe out his entire clan! If he dares to enter my camp, I'll capture and execute him first. It'll be a merit, no demerit!"

Another person said, "But the Liao barbarian Snow Eagle cavalry did pass in front of our camp after all, and we didn't warn the county..."

Liao Jingwu glared at him fiercely, and the man shivered and immediately stopped talking. Liao Jingwu then cursed and said, "The county town hasn't fallen, so it's not our responsibility. Look at your pathetic state, what are you afraid of? I said I would make sure that guy surnamed Fang died without knowing why, and didn't I do it? As for Sun Chaoen, bah! I'm a member of the Xu family, do you think a poor wretch like him can mess with me!"

Thinking of Liao Jingwu's fierce and domineering wife, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and several people walked in, the leader being Li Zhi. He glanced around the room and laughed, "General Liao, you certainly have a good time!"

Li Zhi was from the Immortal Sect and was the most prominent person in the vicinity. Although Liao Jingwu had never met him, he had seen his portrait and recognized him. At this moment, the several people following behind Li Zhi had different auras and all had a strong presence, clearly not ordinary cultivators.

Liao Jingwu suppressed his unease and stood up, saying, "So it's General Li! Why wasn't anyone informed of this?"

Li Zhi said, "It was a small matter. I was just about to leave after I finished speaking, thinking that I could just come in by myself without needing anyone to announce me."

"What are your orders, General Li?"

Li Zhi said, "Two small matters. First, I would like to ask General Liao to send troops north to meet up with my brother Wei Yuan."

Liao Jingwu immediately shook his head: "I cannot comply with this order! This general has a heavy responsibility to protect the people of the entire county. I cannot act rashly, and there is no reason for me to mobilize troops for the sake of a mere individual!"

Li Zhi took out a tally and placed it on the table, then took out a letter and slapped it in front of Liao Jingwu, saying calmly, "This is Admiral Zhang's military tally, and this is a letter from your father-in-law. However, the letter probably doesn't sound very pleasant, so you can read it later. General Liao, would you like to reconsider?"

Looking at those two items, Liao Jingwu broke out in a cold sweat. Admiral Zhang was his superior, and his father-in-law was his source of confidence. How could he not understand what it meant when Li Zhi took out these two items?
Liao Jingwu suddenly bowed deeply and said, "This humble general was blind to your greatness and begs Lord Li to punish me! If Lord Li does not despise me, this humble general is willing to follow you from now on, serving you through fire and water!"

Li Zhi smiled faintly and said, "General Liao is a smart man. From now on, he only needs to do his job well under my command. Now, muster the troops and leave the camp immediately."

Liao Jingwu immediately roared, "Gather the troops! Everyone must be here within half an incense stick's time, leave no one behind, no, leave fifty to guard the camp! Anyone late will be executed!"

Several captains at the banquet quickly left the tent to muster their troops, each one bowing to Li Zhi before departing.

Moments later, bugles sounded from the military camp, and cavalry charged out, followed by squads of elite border infantry. The army headed north.

In the military column, Liao Jingwu rode beside Li Zhi, looking somewhat uneasy, and said, "Lord Li, only fifty men remain in the camp, what if..."

Li Zhi said calmly, "There's no such thing as 'what if'."

Liao Jingwu's heart skipped a beat, realizing which was more important to Li Zhi: the people of the county or Wei Yuan, whom he was to meet. However, he was even more worried and cautiously said, "Lord Li, I've offended quite a few people in the past, and I've also offended Lord Wei. What do you think…?"

Li Zhi naturally understood what he was thinking and said calmly, "As long as you are sincere with me from now on, I will protect you. But those messy things from the past can not happen again, understand?"

Liao Jingwu nodded repeatedly, his back almost bent over: "This subordinate understands! This subordinate understands!"

One hundred and fifty li east of Quyang County, a flying boat slowly rose into the air, dragging the downed flying boat, and slowly flew south.

Inside the central pavilion of the fortified village, Bao Yun sat at the head of the table, surrounded by young talents from various families who had come to provide aid. Each of them came from a distinguished family and possessed a distinguished appearance. At this moment, the group chatted and laughed, occasionally commenting on the politics of the Western Jin Dynasty and the current war situation. Each of them spoke with remarkable eloquence, clearly possessing considerable knowledge.

Bao Yun didn't need to speak; she simply sat there demurely. The talented young men eagerly took turns speaking, but how they spoke required considerable skill. They needed to be insightful about the current situation, sharp and concise, and not verbose. Ideally, every word should be precious and unalterable, so that not a single word could be deleted or altered on paper. Therefore, each of the young men put in a great deal of effort, making this drinking session even more exhausting than the sect's grand examination.

Suddenly an old servant entered the room, came to Bao Yun's side, and whispered something to her.

Bao Yun's expression changed slightly. She immediately stood up and said apologetically, "Brothers, I'm so sorry, a friend of mine has had an accident and I have to go to meet him. Please enjoy your meal, I'll have to take my leave now."

Everyone quickly stood up and said, "We have all brought troops. Since it is Miss Bao's friend who is in trouble, then it is our business! We will go with Miss Bao!"

Bao Yun hesitated for a moment: "But this time we have to go deep into the Liao region, which is extremely dangerous. I can go by myself, you all don't need to put yourselves in danger."

"Miss Bao, what are you saying? Your business is my business!"

"Now that we've come this far, how could we be cowards who cling to life?"

"Hahaha, wouldn't it be a disgrace to my Dao Foundation if I didn't venture deep into the Liao Domain?"

Bao Yun bowed and said softly, "In that case, I thank you all in advance. The military situation is urgent, please follow my army."

Moments later, the fortified village opened wide, and thousands of heavily armored crossbowmen emerged, marching in a mighty procession towards the Liao territory. A flying ship accompanied them in the air. Behind the Bao family army, various groups and teams followed, totaling over three thousand people.

With the support of powerful array techniques, the army marched at a seemingly slow but actually fast pace, reaching the border of the Liao region in half an hour. The flying boat also entered the Liao region with the army, and a delicate precious tree appeared on the boat, its branches and leaves swaying and scattering points of clear light, forcing back the surrounding yellow aura.

After walking several dozen miles in the Liao region, an unparalleled sword intent suddenly came from the south. A flying sword approached from afar with lightning speed! The yellow qi, like waves, was parted by the flying sword and surged to both sides.

Zhang Sheng stood on the flying sword, but this time he was no longer empty-handed. Instead, he was holding a cyan longsword, and his fierce killing intent was not concealed at all, spreading for thousands of feet!

Zhang Sheng swiftly passed Bao Yun's army, glanced in this direction only once, and then instantly headed north.

A vast horn sounded from the airship, a military order summoning the army to advance at full speed. The heavily armored crossbowmen all began to jog. Suddenly, the exquisite tree on the airship doubled in size, its dazzling light enveloping the entire army. As a result, the speed of the thousands of soldiers increased again, doubling in speed!
They hadn't gone far when they saw Zhang Sheng standing silently in the air, as if waiting for something. The bugle sounded again on the flying boat, and thousands of heavily armored crossbowmen spread out horizontally, turning into battle formation, and slowly advanced.

On the distant horizon, a black, ownerless warhorse appeared, riding the wind from the south.

In the blink of an eye, the warhorse drew near, revealing a man hunched over its back, several arrows embedded in his flesh, his fate unknown. At that moment, the earth trembled, and a yellow dust cloud rose on the horizon, growing ever higher and billowing ever closer! Within the dust cloud, countless Liao cavalrymen could be seen, each desperately whipping their horses in pursuit of the black steed ahead. In the blink of an eye, the dust cloud had risen dozens of feet high!

Behind the towering wall of smoke and dust, a white snow eagle, its wings now only partially feathered, rapidly pursued, its wingtips still entwined with wisps of rain and shrouded in a hazy, ever-changing black mist.

As the black horse ran, it suddenly let out a long neigh, exhaling a final puff of thin mist, and the last embers on its hooves went out. Its forelegs buckled, and it collapsed to the ground, throwing the person on its back far away.

Just as Wei Yuan was about to fall to the ground, a burst of cyan sword energy lifted him up and sliced ​​off all the arrow shafts. Then Wei Yuan landed in an unusually warm, yet seemingly delicate, embrace.

Zhang Sheng knelt on one knee, holding Wei Yuan in one arm, but looked up at the giant snow eagle that had already flown over, noticing a few strands of rain that hadn't completely melted between its feathers. The sandstorm had already reached a thousand feet away, and the Liao cavalry at the forefront slowed down upon seeing Bao Yun's well-prepared army. As the pace slowed, the Liao cavalry behind them kept pushing forward, numbering at least several thousand.

At this moment, a bugle call sounded from the west, and a force of over a thousand men appeared, forming a disciplined formation and marching forward. Although this force was not a renowned unit like the heavily armored crossbowmen, it was still a battle-hardened elite of the Western Jin border army. The two forces, one to the east and one to the west, formed a pincer movement, finally halting the thousands of Liao cavalry pursuing them.

The giant eagle hovered high in the sky, looking down at Zhang Sheng, who looked like an ant on the ground, and said in a chilling voice, "Hand over the person in your hand, and I might spare your life for the sake of your master!"

Zhang Sheng said, "Who do you think you are?"

Just as the giant eagle was about to erupt in fury, Zhang Sheng had already swung his sword!
A winding, faint sword light appeared between heaven and earth, ethereal, thin, and pale, stretching from the lower left to the upper right, connecting the earth and the sky. This sword light had no sharpness whatsoever, yet it evoked an indescribable sorrow in those who beheld it, like a woman under the moon waiting for someone, year after year, life after life, from a head full of black hair to temples white with frost, yet that person never came.

Under the sword's gleam, even the wind and sand seemed to weaken, as if heaven and earth were mourning together.

The Legend of Sword and Fairy: Parting Sorrow!

The giant eagle's outstretched claws recoiled as if struck by lightning, its feathers falling in large swaths. With a mournful cry, it flew north without looking back, disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

Zhang Sheng sheathed his sword, then thrust it into the ground with a backhand motion, the gleaming blade no more than half an inch from Wei Yuan.

"What's going on?" Zhang Sheng asked in a deep voice, his expression imposing.

Wei Yuan barely raised his hand to show the backpack he was clutching tightly, and said, "My brother's head was taken by the Liao barbarians, and I'm going to take it back."

Wei Yuan expected a scolding, but Zhang Sheng said instead, "Next time something like this happens, call your master, and I'll go with you!"

Looking at Zhang Sheng's pale face and bloodless lips, Wei Yuan hesitated. If he were alone and the situation was unfavorable, Wei Yuan could run away without hesitation. But his teacher was different; no matter who the enemy was, he would most likely want to test the waters first.

Zhang Sheng knew exactly what Wei Yuan was thinking. He calmly replied, "With your master here, even encountering a Dharma Aspect is nothing. Look at how powerful that Snow Eagle from Northern Liao was, yet he was still repelled by my sword with a single strike."

Wei Yuan nodded with difficulty: "He's pretty useless. I took three hits from him along the way, and he didn't kill me."

Zhang Sheng remained expressionless. He subtly moved his left hand, which was holding Wei Yuan, and pinched an arrowhead between his fingertips, pulling it out in one swift motion. He then used his sword energy to seal the wound. This arrow-pulling technique was extremely rough, and the sensation of the sword energy sealing the wound was indescribable; Wei Yuan immediately cried out in pain!
Zhang Sheng said gently, "Disciple, if you don't want to talk, you can shut up."

Wei Yuan gasped in pain, turning his gaze away from Zhang Sheng's frighteningly bright eyes. His eyes fell on Zhang Sheng's right hand, and suddenly he couldn't look away.

Zhang Sheng gripped the sword hilt with his right hand, never letting go. Rather than displaying unparalleled prowess, it was more accurate to say he was using the sword to support his body and prevent himself from falling. Blood continuously seeped from between his slender fingers, flowing down the blade.

Zhang Sheng also noticed Wei Yuan's gaze and quickly said, "This sword of mine has a remarkable history..."

Before he could finish speaking, the longsword suddenly cracked, countless fissures appeared on its blade, and then it shattered into pieces, leaving Zhang Sheng with only the hilt in his hand. Losing their footing, both Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan nearly fell.

Zhang Sheng stared at the sword hilt in his hand, momentarily speechless. In truth, if it weren't for the wisp of sword energy attached to Wei Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness spontaneously protecting its master, causing a wisp of Zhang Sheng's primordial spirit to annihilate, Zhang Sheng wouldn't be so severely injured now. It could be said that seven-tenths of his injuries were caused by that wisp of sword energy. But this was something only Wei Yuan himself could understand; the bare sword hilt was difficult to explain.

Fortunately, the shock caused Wei Yuan to cough violently, with blood constantly gushing from his mouth and nose as he coughed, and his eyes gradually losing their luster.

Zhang Sheng was taken aback. Forgetting all about maintaining appearances, he frantically checked Wei Yuan's injuries. His heart sank upon examination. Wei Yuan suffered numerous hidden injuries; how could he possibly withstand three strikes from a Dharma Body? Zhang Sheng was not skilled in medicine and was momentarily at a loss.

Just then, a hand suddenly reached out in front of Zhang Sheng, holding a yellow fruit in its palm, round and translucent, seemingly real yet unreal. Zhang Sheng looked up and saw Bao Yun.

“This is the first fruit that has grown on this tree; it can save my life,” Bao Yun said.

Zhang Sheng immediately pried open Wei Yuan's mouth, and Bao Yun stuffed the fruit inside.

The fruit melted in his mouth, and a tender sprout suddenly emerged from between Wei Yuan's brows, growing into a small sapling in the blink of an eye before disappearing into his sea of ​​consciousness. Then, a surge of vitality erupted within Wei Yuan's body, countless hidden injuries rapidly healed, his breathing gradually became smooth, and color finally returned to his face.

Zhang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, his emotions surging between heaven and earth, and before he knew it, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He looked at Bao Yun, struggled internally for a moment, and then said, "Thank you. I will repay you for this in the future. There's also something else... um... I was the one who pushed you out back then, so I want to apologize to you."

Bao Yun didn't understand at first, but in the blink of an eye, she was shocked and stared at Zhang Sheng, her mouth slowly opening wide enough to swallow a pigeon egg.

"You, you..." Even Bao Yun, who had seen too much treachery in the world, was speechless at this moment. She had suspected everyone back then, but not Zhang Sheng. At that time, Zhang Sheng had even gone with Ji Liuli to beat up Xu Henshui. Looking back now, it was truly something to savor.

Just then, Wei Yuan slowly opened his eyes, interrupting Bao Yun's shock. Having just woken up, Wei Yuan's consciousness was still a little hazy. He was surrounded by familiar faces, but for a moment he couldn't quite place them.

"Brother Wei! It's so good to hear that you're safe and sound!"

Wei Yuan turned his head, and it took him a moment to remember that the person's name was Li Zhi. As his consciousness gradually cleared, Wei Yuan finally remembered everyone around him. He was just a little dazed; just a moment ago he was on a long escape, finally collapsing in his teacher's arms, and now he was surrounded by so many people.

At this moment, Wei Yuan's body was brimming with vitality, as if a spiritual spring was constantly gushing forth life force and spiritual energy. Wei Yuan's physical and spiritual strength recovered rapidly, and he struggled to his feet. Now Wei Yuan understood that these people had come to meet him.

Wei Yuan was about to thank Li Zhi when his eyes suddenly narrowed as he saw a familiar face behind Li Zhi: Liao Jingwu!
Wei Yuan had already reconstructed the entire sequence of events. The five hundred Liao cavalrymen were a formidable force, especially with one hundred Snow Eagle cavalrymen among them, making it impossible for them to conceal their movements. For the main force to attack Quyang, they would inevitably have to pass through Junlei. When the Liao cavalry launched their surprise attack on Quyang, the county was completely unprepared, forcing Fang Hetong to risk his life to intercept them. In other words, Junlei neither intercepted the Liao cavalry nor sent reinforcements, and there wasn't even a signal fire!
Wei Yuan stood up abruptly, said nothing, and strode toward Liao Jingwu.

Liao Jingwu's expression changed drastically. He retreated continuously, shouting, "What are you doing? I am a high-ranking official, a seventh-rank military officer! Aren't you afraid of being executed along with your entire family? General Li, Lord Li, you promised to protect me! Help..."

Li Zhi hadn't expected such a turn of events and stepped forward to stop Wei Yuan. Before he could take that step, Bao Yun suddenly appeared beside him, standing shoulder to shoulder, and said softly, "Brother Li, why are you so impatient? Why don't you just watch for now?"

From the moment Bao Yun appeared, an invisible barrier appeared in front of Li Zhi, preventing him from making any progress.

Wei Yuan reached Liao Jingwu in a few steps, reached out and grabbed the spear, which rose into the air from where the warhorse had fallen, like a dragon soaring from the abyss, and instantly appeared in Wei Yuan's hand!
Liao Jingwu was so shocked that he instinctively drew his sword to block in front of him!
Unable to move, Li Zhi could only shout anxiously, "General Liao has abandoned darkness and embraced light! Give..."

The chance to say "Give me, Li Zhi, some face" was gone.

Wei Yuan swept his spear horizontally, and Liao Jingwu froze in place. A thin line appeared on the sword, his arm, and his neck. Then, the sword and his arm were severed in two, and his head flew into the air. Blood gushed out like a fountain, shooting more than ten feet away.

Seeing their commander die, the captains instinctively retreated. After all, anyone truly unafraid of death wouldn't have survived this long in this army. Several of Li Zhi's strongest men gripped their sword hilts, knowing they were outmatched but also ready to fight, awaiting Li Zhi's command.

Wei Yuan stood still, gun in hand, blood dripping from the blade, turning into small, round beads on the ground. At that moment, countless thoughts surged and intertwined in Wei Yuan's mind; everything he had ever seen and heard in his life surfaced in that instant. He suddenly looked up at the sky and saw wisps of yellow mist within, each seemingly containing countless pairs of eyes, each radiating murderous intent.

Wei Yuan suddenly turned to Zhang Sheng and said, "Teacher, didn't you say that heaven and earth possess great love? But why does the heaven and earth here only want to kill us?"

“Then let’s change the world!” Zhang Sheng said decisively.

“That’s how it should be…” Wei Yuan slowly closed his eyes.

At this moment, the myriad foundations of Dao, formed from three years of enlightenment and ten years of arduous cultivation, transformed into a galaxy; the old father and hardworking farmers in the Wei family mansion; the refugees; blood; raging fire; Fang Hetong's head; the ups and downs of humanity spanning hundreds of thousands of years as recorded in history books; the young Liao clan leader who wanted to take him as a lackey; the giant claw falling from the sky; the first spear that defied heaven and earth; Cheng Ren; Wang Delu's head, a mere martial arts expert; the soldiers present who could only be driven by others; Li Zhi's astonishment; the astonishment of the noble families; the clear realm of humanity; the yellow aura of Liao; the fortune from beyond the heavens; the madmen of heaven and earth; Bao Yun's first fruit; and Zhang Sheng's kneeling figure in the Tianqing Palace—all of these gradually merged into one.

Suddenly, the world fell silent. Then, the billowing yellow mist receded like the tide, and within a hundred miles, the sky gradually cleared. Wisps of primordial energy appeared from nowhere, flowing into Wei Yuan's body. The primordial energy from the void increased, and in the blink of an eye, it formed a massive primordial energy storm. Wei Yuan stood in the eye of the storm, absorbing the endless stream of primordial energy, as if from a bottomless abyss!
In the sea of ​​consciousness, the jade toad suddenly leaped up, swallowed the full moon in one gulp, then lay motionless on the ground, its body gradually dissolving into the boulder and the ground. The ground, however, continued to extend, seemingly without end.

A golden light suddenly appeared above Li Zhi's head, within which the ancient Four Symbols Three-Legged Cauldron floated and sank. The cauldron suddenly trembled, emitting several resounding tremors. The Four Symbols Three-Legged Cauldron was an ancient sacrificial vessel used by the human emperor to worship heaven, yet it was now actually intimidated by the aura emanating from Wei Yuan, seemingly showing fear, causing Li Zhi to retreat several steps, his face as white as paper.

Taichu Palace, Wanxiang Hall.

The star-blue hall suddenly trembled, startling the entire sect! In the blink of an eye, streaks of light pierced through the air, and True Monarchs and True Persons who were still in the sect arrived one after another, unaware of what had happened.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Hall of Ten Thousand Images suddenly doubled in height and then increased several times in size, displaying a magnificent and awe-inspiring presence!
Several True Lords simultaneously made their move, pointing at the main hall, and the Hall of Myriad Forms instantly vanished, revealing the scene inside.

The star river composed of countless Dao foundations still exists, but now a vast landmass has appeared below it, supporting the entire star river. The star river stretches across the sky, starting from one end of the landmass and ending at the other.

That night, Emperor Tang Su was terrified several times and died at dawn. Emperor Xuan ascended the throne at the age of eleven and changed the era name to Tianqi.

In the first year of the Tianqi era, Wei Yuan forged the Dao Foundation [Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains], a Dao Foundation unparalleled in the world.

Volume One: The End of the Great Strife
(End of this chapter)