Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 225 Divine Power Enhanced, Physique Perfected, Onward Attack
"It's not gold leaf, it's silk..."

Lu Wubing felt a surge of joy upon touching the inner pocket of Yuwen Ba's robes, but then shook his head.

Although it was expected, I was still somewhat disappointed.

He knew that the real Ten Directions Seal Map was not so easy to obtain, but he still felt slightly dissatisfied.

He kicked Yuwen Ba's corpse hard and threw it in front of Wang Quanzhong, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and said coldly, "Cut off his head and hang it on the city wall. Get rid of all these barbarian followers of Northern Zhou and hang them all up."

It's not that they're cruel.

Instead, for more than half a month, due to the indulgence of the peace-seeking and sycophantic factions, this delegation of more than 30 people from the Northern Zhou Dynasty had committed countless atrocities in Weijing City.

Even an ordinary guard who was nobody dared to forcibly abduct a woman.

It's easy to imagine just how vicious the things those with real power among them did were.

It wasn't that no chivalrous and righteous martial artists came to demand justice.

But when faced with a powerful opponent like Yuwen Ba from the North, they all died under his hammer, needlessly adding to the list of innocent souls.

Lu Wubing had heard that in the biggest conflict, Yuwen Ba killed seventy-three martial arts masters in the capital with his double hammers in one night.

The next day, the bodies of these righteous and courageous warriors were thrown into the street and fed to the dogs.

The government constables just watched quietly.

After this battle, the capital fell silent.

Those true masters were all pampered high-ranking officials in the mansions of powerful and wealthy families, so naturally they would not bother to tackle the tough nut of the Northern Zhou delegation for "some trivial matters".

As a result, no one could do anything to them.

In the imperial court, anyone who uttered even a single word would be immediately condemned and killed on the ground for "unauthorized provocation of border conflicts."

This meant that everyone could only watch helplessly, and dared not utter a single disrespectful word to the Northern Zhou barbarian troops.

Even though the enemy's troops are almost at the capital.

Watching the infighting in the capital of Dali, Yuwen Ba wasn't worried about being in any danger.

He was only thinking about how he could subdue the capital of the country by himself, and then, with the help of the main army, easily take over the capital of Dali. This achievement...

The credit, of course, is gone.

Lu Wubing watched coldly...

Amid cheers from the people, the twenty-odd Northern Zhou envoys were killed on the spot after only a brief skirmish.

They all had their heads cut off and hung on the city wall.

Lu Wubing clutched the soft silk in his palm and, amidst waves of cheers, boarded the carriage and returned home.

Stepping through the wide entrance, one is immediately struck by the sight of a large garden.

The roads twist and turn, exotic flowers bloom and fade everywhere, artificial hills and pavilions stand side by side.

In the vast, empty garden, only a few maids and servants could be seen here and there, sweeping up fallen leaves and dust.

These are some poor, homeless people who remained after the relocation.

They're either too young or too old.

Lu Wubing simply decided to stay.

The rest of Zhang Zhongchu's family and confidants, whether direct descendants or illegitimate children, were all expelled and reduced to commoners.

As for their immediate family members, after interrogation, some were imprisoned, some were sent to the brothel, and some were left to fend for themselves.

Lu Wubing felt no compassion whatsoever for such spineless civil officials, including their families.

From the very beginning, they enjoyed the privileged life that came with Zhang Zhongchu's power. Now that the tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered, it is only natural that they would all suffer together in this time of trouble.

"Once the junior brothers and sisters from Tianxing Peak arrive, this courtyard will become lively. There's no need to worry about it now. Let me worry about it first."

Thinking of this, Lu Wubing found it somewhat amusing.

Although my mother, Chen Yulian, was born into a noble family as the third young lady, she had never actually managed such a large courtyard before.

When she was a young lady in the Marquis's mansion, as the third child among women, she didn't receive much attention at all.

Most of the time, she stayed at home learning needlework, reading articles on women's virtues, and learning etiquette from the head maid. Her life was monotonous and simple.

After marrying into the Lu family, as the mistress of the household, she didn't have many things to manage.

It's nothing more than reading books and doing accounting, much like the life of an ordinary small household.

Lu Changfeng was obsessed with medicine, treating patients and saving lives every day, and he never married a concubine.

The two had very few children, with only Lu Wubing as their sole offspring, making their lives rather lonely.

With the butler, Uncle Gui, taking care of things in the front yard, Chen Yulian enjoyed a life of leisure.

Suddenly, she was given a large courtyard, over a hundred acres in size and built to the standards of a royal palace, to manage, which immediately gave her a huge headache.

These days, he would make up an excuse to go to the Marquis's residence, claiming that he wanted to spend more time talking with the old lady. But Lu Wubing knew that his mother was actually avoiding trouble.

"Master."

"You're back."

The clouds and rain, on the other hand, were quite self-aware as maids.

Her little face was flushed, and her breathing had not yet calmed down.

Just now in front of the Vermilion Bird Terrace, the two of them were laughing and jumping around, shouting until their throats were hoarse.

Lu Wubing killed Yuwen Ba on the spot, and the two of them were even happier than if they had shown their faces.

"Young Master must be tired. Would you like some hot water for a bath?"

"I'll go prepare the meal now. After serving the young master his meal, I'll have to go to the refugees outside the city and carefully select some people to do the work. The courtyard is too big and lacks liveliness."

Rainwater speaks bluntly; she takes a kind word and makes it sound rather unpleasant.

Unlike Yunduo, whose face is always full of smiles.

Lu Wubing knew the personalities of these two people, so he didn't care about these things and just shook his head.

"I gained some insights during the earlier sparring session. You two go ahead and do your work, don't worry about me. By the way, where is Senior Sister Xinzhu?"

"When she returned to the manor, Miss Shen did not go forward to congratulate him. Instead, she left Zhuque Street with a strangely behaving monk. There must have been some commotion at Dayuanguang Temple."

The cloud quickly replied.

Lu Wubing understood.

As rumored, the monk Wuxiang of Dayuanguang Temple has been going out of the temple to treat patients and returning to listen to lectures without fail these past few days.

He appeared perfectly normal while standing next to the monk Fayuan.

Just as Huang Chengzong said, this handsome monk would become very active on Buddhist festival days.

Especially during the cleanup of the city's foxes and rats outside the city, those poor people who usually hid in the streets and alleys and dared not show their faces gradually became bolder.

A large number of people would go to the designated porridge distribution point at the appointed time every day to eat their fill, and then go to Tongtian Temple and Dayuanguang Temple to thank the gods.

Under these circumstances, after each meal, a large number of people would appear in front of Dayuanguang Temple, with countless people kneeling and kowtowing.

"It was clearly the young master who turned the tide and saved these people."

Instead, they went to worship monks and Taoist priests. I don't know what they were thinking.

The clouds were also somewhat unconvinced.

She felt that some people couldn't go on living like mud because half of the court was incompetent and the other half because these people really didn't understand anything.

Their mindset is worthy of this suffering.

"That's not quite right. What do those people know? They're illiterate, and some can't even understand what the language is like."

The habit of praying to Heaven and Earth, and to the gods and Buddhas for help, has been ingrained in my bones for many years.

Even if they starve to death, some people will still feel that they did something very wrong in their previous life and are trying to make amends in this life.

In this situation, expecting them to distinguish right from wrong, and to truly understand who is responsible for their survival, is asking too much.

The rain was cold and the person was not one to talk or laugh easily.

However, this girl is quite thoughtful and has a lot of empathy.

They didn't think there was anything wrong with what the people were doing.

"That's right. Everyone's way of doing things will form a fixed inertia due to past experiences and knowledge. This is true for ordinary people, and it is also true for monks."

Since that monk Wuxiang has become active and no longer hides in the temple every day, he must have something on his mind.

Just a reminder to Sister Xinzhu, it's best to just observe quietly.

No action shall be taken without authorization, regardless of the circumstances discovered.

Lu Wubing had not forgotten that Huang Chengzong had once said that he vaguely sensed the boundless resentment emanating from the monk Wuxiang...

Furthermore, although this monk was not very old, his martial arts skills were extraordinary.

He had once sparred with Bi Fenkong, the leader of the Ziyang Sect, and did not fall significantly at a disadvantage.

Others might not know what this means, but how could Lu Wubing not know?
He had a proper fight with his senior brother Bi Fenkong, and personally took his life.

To be able to fight that Master Bi and escape unscathed, regardless of the reason, means he is no ordinary person.

Those in the martial arts world who don't include Monk Wuxiang among the four young masters mostly misjudge him.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that this monk Wuxiang usually knew how to keep a low profile and conceal his martial arts skills, never showing them to others.

If Huang Chengzong hadn't been keeping a close eye on things, he wouldn't have discovered this.

In this way, he is mysterious, handsome, has an excellent reputation, and possesses extremely strong martial arts skills, yet he is also haunted by vengeful spirits and filled with resentment.

No matter how you look at it, it's a typical "BOSS" template.

Trying to get the information out of him about who he obtained the image of the character "形" (xíng) from was pointless; beating around the bush and probing indirectly was completely useless.

He has countless ways to mislead others.

Not only will you not get the truth, but you will also be completely fooled.

Furthermore, Lu Wubing was also worried that taking action would alert the enemy.

Not to mention the formidable martial prowess of the monk Fayuan of Dayuan Temple, who would be difficult to deal with.

So what exactly is the state of that "master" who secretly released the character "形"?
Either don't act at all, or if you do, you must succeed.

However, at this point, I still need to make myself stronger.

In this way, we have a better chance of success.

Clutching the handkerchief in his hand, Lu Wubing felt a warmth in his heart.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the two little girls, Cloud and Rain, he gently kicked the cat that had followed him in out of the quiet room, ignoring its pitiful little eyes... He sat upright on the bed and gently unfolded a piece of silk. Faint ink marks could be seen on the surface of the silvery-white silk woven from silkworm silk.

Although it was not very clear, a divine sense was overwhelming.

Lu Wubing's spirit was only touched, but he seemed to hear the roar of dragons and the howl of elephants, and countless booming sounds resounded in his ears, while illusions arose before his eyes.

It's like a vast, boundless grassland appearing before your eyes.

The rain poured down, like a torrent falling from the sky.

In the sky, stretching for dozens of miles, winding and coiling dragon shadows flew back and forth...

The dragon head, as large as a mountain peak, opened its mouth and roared.

In the sky, the torrential rain burst forth, rising and falling like ocean waves.

On the grassland, there are also huge elephants, as big as towering mountains, which occasionally raise their trunks, swing them, and roar to the sky.

The tremor shook the void and the earth swayed.

"Ten dragons and ten elephants".

What a powerful force of ten dragons and ten elephants!

Lu Wubing focused his mind and looked carefully. When he looked again, the black marks on the silk no longer showed any dragon or elephant shadows, but simply formed a large character.

On the left, one hand is supporting the sky.

To the right, a person stands in the void, opening his mouth to swallow the sea.

According to pictographic interpretation, this is the character "十" (ten), which Lu Wubing could recognize.

Like the characters for "shape," "shadow," and "image" we've seen before, it also possesses a unique charm.

Without needing to do much research, this divine inspiration rushed straight to my mind.

If you understand, you understand; if you don't understand, you can stare until your eyes are sore and still not understand.

To Lu Wubing's regret, this silk scroll was just a photocopy, just like the "Shadow" character image he had obtained in Donghai County, a fragment made using extremely sophisticated rubbing techniques.

The so-called "fragmented map" is actually not fragmented.

It's not that the picture is incomplete.

Rather, it has very little spirit or charm.

Thinking of Shen Yun.

Lu Wubing then took out a gold foil print from his pocket.

That's the character "像" (like/resembling).

It is also the only true mark on my body.

In comparison, the difference between a genuine seal and a rubbing is enormous.

That infinitely varied and mysterious charm cannot be stripped away by any method.

At first glance, one can only understand a tiny bit of the surface.

It requires constant contemplation to grasp its true meaning.

Once you understand, you understand.

I can't remember what I've realized, and I can't explain it.

Every time Lu Wubing saw the printed image with just a few characters, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly...

To be honest, this is beyond my knowledge.

"Could it be..."

Suddenly, Lu Wubing's heart stirred slightly.

I recalled some old stories that Huang Chengzong had told me.

My grandfather received a portion of the seal, as did the physician Zhang and the monk Wuxiang.

The person behind the scenes was clearly not well-intentioned; they were probably also stuck, unable to find a way forward or gain true understanding. That's why they wanted to gather some people with spiritual insight to help them comprehend it.

Otherwise, no one would be so generous.

The [Shadow] seal hidden by the Dongyi master that they saw in Donghai County, and the two of them obtained two rubbings of it, but their understanding of it was somewhat different.

The character 【形】 is probably printed in the same way.

There's also the "Ten" seal that Yuwen Ba comprehended; his double hammers wielded with overwhelming power and divine might, likely incorporating his own understanding.

Who is holding the real seal behind him?
What stage of understanding have you reached?
Lu Wubing finally understood what these people were doing and why they were passing on the seal diagrams so generously.
It turns out they are different from me.

By practicing the Ten Directions Seal, one is blessed with the destiny of "Heaven rewards diligence." As long as one practices accordingly, whatever insights one gains, once one enters the right path, one will immediately progress on the correct course.

Until there was nowhere left to go.

This is not because we have encountered a bottleneck, but because the obtained diagrams are not entirely in tune with the spirit of the original.

Even when the deduction is taken to its extreme, there is still an upper limit.

Just like the character "形" (shape), even after fully refining the body, it still doesn't achieve perfection. There's always something missing in the head area, making it impossible to connect.

The same must be true for this cross seal today.

It's a bit incomplete, but it's good enough for now.

Lu Wubing took a deep breath, and his entire body's flesh and tendons rippled. At the level of the most minute particles inside his body, a mysterious change was faintly occurring.

With each breath, the blood flowing through his body quietly spreads a layer of silvery-gray. Infinite energy is rapidly generated and then rapidly annihilated.

Lu Wubing was unclear about the cause of this change.

But a sudden realization dawned on him, and he had unknowingly entered the gate of the [cross] seal.

He slowly rose and stood still.

Inside the body, strands of skin and flesh, tendons and bones vibrated and intertwined, forcefully controlling the powerful force erupting like a volcano.

The power was invisible and formless, yet it truly existed, forming a circular membrane of light around him that trembled slightly.

The air around him crackled and popped like sparks flying.

Those were ripples of power overflowing from the body's surface; so powerful that they shattered the air into nothingness.

The force surged like a tide, drawing in the surrounding air, rising and falling, squeezing from both inside and out.

Lu Wubing clenched his fists slightly.

A loud boom erupted in the quiet room, sending ripples of air flying two or three zhang away.

As the energy surged, the glass windows silently turned into scattered sand and fell away.

The whole house shook.

"Judging from the previous power increase, I was only at the entry level of the [cross] seal. With the mastery of power control, my physique has become even stronger. The basic power I can exert has almost doubled."

Lu Wubing took a deep breath, his face filled with shock.

Indeed, each of the seals possessed an awe-inspiring power.

Especially its offensive power.

The enhancement to martial arts skills is so immense that it's unimaginable.

It originally possessed the strength of fifty to sixty thousand catties, but only grasped the [Cross] seal diagram for a short while.

Lu Wubing felt as if two wings of power had been unfurled from his arms to his shoulders, back, and chest.

Micro-movement of one arm.

It has the strength of 108,000 jin.

It's roughly in that range, not much more, but definitely no less than 100,000 jin.

"Fortunately, Yuwen Ba's physique is far less powerful than mine, which has been modified by the vitality enhancement. Even though he has received a power boost, he cannot fully utilize it."

Only by burning his soul and unleashing a fatal blow could he fully utilize the power of the [Cross] seal that he had comprehended.

Thinking of the previous battle, Lu Wubing's lips curled up slightly, a look that seemed both mocking and fortunate.

If Yuwen Ba had such an incredibly strong physique and such immense power, he wouldn't have suffered such a humiliating defeat earlier.

If he were to swing his twin hammers, he could probably shatter the entire space within a ten-zhang radius around him.

I can't even say I can overpower my opponent with a single sword strike.

Before they even got close, they would probably be blown dozens of feet away by the strong wind.

"This is truly a case of hating the heavens for having no handle and the earth for having no ring."

Lu Wubing shook his arms and felt the house shake again, so he dared not try again.

Over the next two days, it's best to avoid getting too close to people, and especially avoid any intimate contact. Otherwise, an unspeakable tragedy is bound to occur.

Unfortunately, Yuwen Ba was not as highly regarded as he had imagined, and the "Ten" True Seal was not given to him.

He may have seen the real seal, but the seal image he used for daily study and practice was only a rubbing.

That's a bit of a drawback.

Strength in the arms, chest, and back increases dramatically.

The strength in the lower abdomen, head, waist and legs did not increase much.

Lu Wubing sensed it carefully for a while, and then felt a bit amused and exasperated.

Of course, this is nothing.

Knowing exactly where the "cross" seal is located is enough.

He looked up to the north, suppressing all the desires in his heart, and calmed down. While controlling the unbalanced and enormous power, he thought that he could not delay any longer at Dayuanguang Temple.

The Northern Zhou King Jinyang could seize Tianfeng Pass at any time, and it's unknown just how strong he is.

Sending troops to the pass to provide support at this point would likely be too late.

Even if they arrive in time, they cannot stop King Jinyang.

Time is tight.

Now that his strength has greatly increased and his combat power has nearly doubled, it is the perfect time to go to Dayuanguang Temple.

With divine power bestowed upon him, if his physique were to reach perfection, he would truly forge an immortal body...

No matter what kind of force the Northern Zhou sends to attack Weijing this time, they will never return.

……

(End of this chapter)