Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 164 A Divine Blocks the Way
In March of the second year of the Tianyou calendar, in the Da Yao Northern Route Army, which was formed by the merger of the Dongshi Army and the Wujia Northern Route Army.

Wu Fei compiled statistics on the merit records of both sides, and defined the merit records of each person over the years according to a unified standard.

This is a very important task, namely, that the Eastern City Army and the Northern Route Army of the Wu Family now have a platform for mutual recognition of their respective military ranks.

Most people were still basking in the glory of the Northern Expedition's victory. However, just as the entire army was preparing to finish the job in one decisive battle, news disrupted the northern army's plans. It was news that the imperial court claimed that the military families had used evil magic.

Originally, it was only Bai Renfeng, a disciple of the Qinghua Sect from the south, who secretly came to deliver the message. Wu Hengyu had previously kept the news under wraps, and most people in the army were unaware of it, not even wanting Wu Fei to know. Of course, Bai Renfeng still sent a copy of the message to Wu Fei. However, since he and Wu Fei were not fellow disciples, he didn't explain it as clearly as he had to Wu Hengyu.

Thus, Bai's message became "to explain things clearly to a confused person, and to speak too vaguely to a wise person."

Now that the official document from the imperial court has been issued, the matter has come to light.

Wu Hengyu couldn't believe that after his family had made such a great contribution, the court would show no mercy whatsoever! But the latest official report directly attributed the cause of the epidemic to Wu Hanluan.

With a loud bang, Wu Hengyu exclaimed, "Why is it that when I'm busy with something, trouble comes up behind me!"

Wu Hengyu was truly enraged. As arrogant as he was, he had distinguished himself in the north, dressed in fine robes. And when he wore fine robes, he expected others to look up to him. He couldn't believe someone would dare provoke him like this.

The memories he hadn't fully recalled from his past life reminded him of a similar unpleasant experience: as soon as he arrived at the front lines, there were people behind him waging guerrilla warfare against him.

The other soldiers in the camp remained silent, while some looked at Wu Fei, hoping he could persuade him.

Instead of directly confronting Wu Hengyu's gun, Wu Fei picked up the letter of peace sent by Hao Guo.

In the letter, King Hao expressed his willingness to become sworn brothers with Wu Fei and explained Da Yao's distrust of General Wu Fei.

After carefully studying the text and analyzing the information behind it, Wu Fei deduced that the war to destroy Hao would ultimately be difficult to continue, but it was just a good opportunity to shift the blame for the "failure at the last moment".

Xuan Chong had long anticipated that the war in the northern border was nearing its end at this stage.

Emperor Ling did not have the ability to control the government like Emperor Xu. Although Emperor Xu was incompetent and loved to play, he would have a clear understanding of the overall situation after his reckless behavior.

In the current era, the more the army on the front lines is able to achieve extraordinary feats, the more those in the court fear having their power challenged and are inclined to cause trouble.

Previously, the morale of the entire army on the northern route of Da Yao was so high that it was impossible to find a brake to stop the advance.

Wu Fei had made up his mind: the blame for this "abrupt end" must be placed on the Lingdi Group.

Wu Fei looked at Wu Hengyu, and Wu Hengyu stared back at Wu Fei. In their eye contact, Wu Hengyu tried to find emotional resonance. Wu Fei, on the other hand, wanted to know if Wu Hengyu was currently thinking about "maximizing benefits."

Finally, perhaps lamenting that he was too politically minded, Wu Fei sighed and said, "Although the eastern forces of the pseudo-Hao have been eliminated, it is not the time to destroy Hao."

Wu Hengyu kept staring at Wu Fei. Wu Fei knew exactly what he wanted to hear, but he couldn't go along with his emotions now. Instead, he gradually introduced the reasoning: "The court originally hoped that the two of us would check and balance each other, but now they are beginning to be wary of our combined efforts."

Wu Hengyu gritted his teeth and listened to the first meaning, then slowly said, "As long as we have troops, everything is negotiable."

Wu Fei nodded and continued to persuade him, "But the situation with your uncle might not be so simple."

…Just as Wu Fei predicted…

On April 2nd, Wang Xi arrived from the south. His head was covered in sores, which made people around him afraid to approach him. However, as an important messenger of military intelligence, Wu Hengyu still met with him.

As Wang Xi tearfully recounted how Wu Hanluan had been plotted against by various factions in Zhenzhou and was in grave danger, Wu Hengyu's murderous aura went completely out of control. Holding the Xinghan Spear, he prepared to lead his army south to find out the truth.

Wu Hengyu was like a ferocious god. No one dared to approach him. Even when Wu Fei was a child, he would avoid Wu Hengyu when he was angry.

But today, Wu Fei stepped forward and blocked his way.

Wu Fei's strength was no match for Wu Hengyu's, but Wu Hengyu's gun was held under his ribs.

Wu Hengyu coldly replied, "As a son, how can I not return now?"

Wu Fei: "What should you do when you go back? What can you change?"

Wu Hengyu was filled with killing intent, but in the end, he turned his gaze to Wu Fei, signaling Wu Fei to finish speaking.

Wu Fei: "My uncle has been incredibly kind to me, and we are brothers. It wouldn't be wrong for me to go back. In a direct confrontation, you are stronger than me, but the scoundrels in the court are hoping that we will lose our composure at this time. Let's not give in to the wishes of certain people in the court."

Wu Fei continued, “And you, who are in charge of killing and warfare here, are of great use. — The initial information we received about Uncle’s collusion with evil forces came from the imperial court (he emphasized the certainty, because someone was watching), so there may be a hidden hand in the court! The reason the court doesn’t dare to touch you and me now is because you and I command a large army to guard the border.”

For now, you remain in the north, upholding the righteous cause of "attacking the false Hao," and consolidating your military strength. The court will have to remain indecisive regarding my uncle's situation. But if I return, I can present my case one by one!

Wu Hengyu's killing intent began to become more organized, and he understood Wu Fei's thoughts.

Wu Hengyu: "But I can't swallow this anger if I don't avenge it!" - Originally, he was angry because he thought his enemy was in Zhenzhou, but now, after being enlightened, he realized that the main enemy might be in the Da Yao court. If he abandoned the troops in the north and went back, he might be playing right into the enemy's hands.

Wu Fei: "Revenge should be sought at the right time, not when the enemy is prepared. This court is tyrannical; sooner or later it will be unable to even take care of itself!"

Seeing Wu Hengyu still hesitating, Wu Fei said, "To achieve great things, one must be patient. A gentleman's revenge is never too late."

Wang Xi, who was kneeling to the side, stood up and repeated: "Yes, young general, the old soldier said that you should do a good job in the north and let young master Yuan Chang take charge of the overall situation."

Wu Hengyu breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Wu Fei. Wu Hengyu said, "Brother, I can only entrust the affairs of the south to you."

Being held by Wu Hengyu's broad back and burly waist made Wu Fei feel that this was not a "relationship" but a threat: he would not spare him until he had utterly destroyed the people of Zhengdi.

…From then on, Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu separated…

On April 3, Wu Fei returned south.

The astrologers of every city in the land, as well as the diviners in the mountain gates, all gazed at the sky. The celestial phenomenon of the Vermilion Bird clashing with the Azure Dragon in the north, which had lasted for two years, had ended, and the fiery aura was beginning to return to the south.

Some sects decided to block Wu Fei's return to the south. In the eyes of these sect leaders, Zhenzhou, after the collapse of the Wu family army, was going to be redistributed.

Other sects sided with Wu Fei, for a simple reason: in the face of this great calamity, they absolutely could not concede in terms of "luck." They had to defend the human path that aligned with their own.

In ancient times, the "Jie" and "Chan" sects fought each other in this way. Before the Great Kalpa, the enlightened cultivators of the two sects addressed each other as "senior brother" and "junior brother".

Amidst the waves between Bohai and Yan, the Cixin Sect is hindering the power of the southern sects.

These cultivators from the south attempted to "warn the Wu brothers" (that is, to spread alarmist rumors and persuade Wu Fei to relinquish his power and control over the Zhen region).

On the waves, a cultivator dressed as a fairy in brocade robes, assisted by two maids, one in yellow and one in pink, formed a sun and moon guarding formation, mobilizing starlight to bombard the sword light that was rapidly moving across the sea.

If you disregard the host's style, this energy attack scene looks exactly like a space-based weapon falling from the sky.

At sea, they faced four battle groups, each of which appeared as four beams of light from afar. As for the tips of these beams, the naked eye could not discern them.

Among them, the magic weapon wielded by the Golden Core cultivators of the Qingyuan Sect was in the state of "a full moon with a missing piece"; while the magic weapon wielded by the Golden Core cultivators of the Linjian Sect was a group of flying swords.

The essence of this battle is to extract energy from the rules of heaven and earth, whether it's the rules for boiling water, the rules for basking in the sun, or the stimulation of kinetic energy. Immortal arts and technology can actually learn from each other, but many parts of 21st-century technological weapons have been replaced by runes constructed from magical power.

These talismans and magical arts, though advanced, cannot withstand the "evil energy of the mortal world." It's like how all the machines on Earth have advanced to a high level of precision, but still cannot operate in the atmosphere of Venus, which is full of nitric acid gas. In his previous life, Xuan Chong was unable to launch a probe on Venus.

As these magical artifacts darted back and forth like fighter jets, and the "star beams" of space-based weapons blasted out nuclear clouds across the sea, the battle lasted for a full hour.
The Golden Core cultivator from Qingyuan Sect said to the female cultivator from Cixin Sect, "Daoist Qiongye, although you have achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Nascent Soul Clarity, and your cultivation surpasses mine, Heaven's will is not on your side. Why force it?"

Note: Cultivation level determines magical power, but there are too many factors that limit magical power and supernatural abilities. For example, in the military camp, the greatest supernatural ability of a Golden Core cultivator will be suppressed to the same level as that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The main advantage of a Nascent Soul cultivator over a Golden Core cultivator is that they can travel outside the heavens (outside planets). However, although they are far away from the mortal world, they are still within the realm of humanity.

Therefore, in this battle within the atmosphere, with both sides possessing magical treasures granted Dao contracts by the Xiren Realm, the Nascent Soul cultivators were temporarily unable to defeat these juniors who wielded sect treasures.

On the sea, the maid in pale yellow beside the nun Qiongye said, "You Taoist are extremely rude! Yanbo is where my sect refines its heart in the mortal world. How shameless of you to try to interfere in the affairs of kings and nobles in the mortal world!"

Then the sword cultivator laughed loudly: "Fairy Wuji, you are mistaken. The land of Yanbo is the royal territory of the Great Emperor, and under the great calamity, we are all connected with the world. We have come for the fortune of the human world, so do not stop us, lest it damage our merits."

The fairy named Wu Ji said angrily, "The conflicts in the human realm cannot be resolved by us cultivators! Today, the war in Yanbo is over. We are here to spread the Dharma and promote the Dao. You are recklessly cutting off life to supplement yourselves, which is a heretical path!" Another Golden Core cultivator blocking the way sneered, "Stop pretending to be innocent. For the sake of your own lineage, you all have to fight for a sliver of fortune during this great calamity. You can guard against us for a while, but you can't guard against us forever! You can guard against the two of us, but you can't guard against all the fellow Daoists in the world! I advise you not to get involved in this karma."

However, at that moment, dark clouds suddenly appeared on the horizon. The arrogant Qingyuan Sect and Linjian Sect cultivators paused, feeling that their magic power was becoming difficult to mobilize, and immediately wanted to leave.

This is because the Wu family army's four aerial war beasts—the Ghost Chariots—are now hunting sea monsters at sea.

Faced with these menacing war beasts, the cultivators were truly helpless.

Once immortals are locked onto by malevolent energy, their ability to travel dozens of miles in an instant will be sluggish, reducing their range to only a few hundred steps. Furthermore, even powerful immortal spells cannot be cast within a thousand feet of a war beast like the Ghost Chariot.

The restrictions, like those of an integrated circuit, are so strong that they cannot withstand even the slightest bit of evil energy, just as technological chips cannot withstand nuclear magnetic pulses.

After a monster like the Ghost Chariot rolls around on the battlefield, its malevolent aura is far greater than that of ordinary soldiers, making it a creature that even ghosts fear and immortals avoid.

However, when a strange creature like the Ghost Chariot is used as a war beast, it loses the agility of a spirit beast. With a flap of its wings, its speed is only a few dozen steps per breath, and even with a tailwind, it is only a hundred steps per breath.

The spirit beasts that enter the Daoist sect can change their size and shape, soaring upwards and touching the heavens.

Therefore, although military beasts have a "nuclear bomb" effect in controlling the battlefield, immortals can avoid them if they can't defeat them. The world is so vast, they can ride their escape light and retreat hundreds of miles in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

This is why the cultivators of Qingyuan Sect and Linjian Sect dared to go north to cause trouble in the name of "following the will of Heaven".

However, at that moment, the Golden Core cultivators from the southern Immortal Sect, after their escape lights flashed, suddenly lost their power. Their magical energy was depleted, and they had lost their ability to escape by manipulating light. The two Golden Core cultivators were greatly alarmed, staring at the three female cultivators fighting them.

The three fairies of the Cixin Sect smiled gently and disappeared into the clouds.

For the Golden Core cultivators in the south, the war drums on the distant sea grew ever closer, pressing down on them like a mountain, while their supernatural powers and magical abilities shrank rapidly, like jellyfish shrinking in the sun after coming ashore.

At this moment, the three fairies of the Cixin Sect, who had withdrawn from the range of the evil energy, expressed their gratitude to the City God of Bodi for his help.

Qiongye, the female cultivator: "Thank you for your help, Lady Fahua."

Huang Yucheng, the City God Fahua, said: "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to thank me. This is simply my duty."

Under the influence of supernatural powers, those cultivators were controlled by the "Five Finger Mountain" type of supernatural power, unable to escape, trapped in a "ghost wall" or "supernatural suppression".

…The dividing line of a celestial being in distress…

The Wu family army's war beasts regularly go out to sea, firstly to obtain food, and secondly to help coastal residents deal with the threat of sea monsters.

The ghost chariot hovered 300 meters above the sea, which was the highest altitude it could fly. Behind the ghost chariot was a jade-powered wooden phoenix flying 20 meters above the sea. Behind the phoenix, soldiers beat war drums to control the direction. When they saw giant fins churning in the waves, they would beat the war drums and the soldiers on the phoenix would fire crossbow bolts.

As the flashes of light from the crossbow bolts laden with lightning-fire projectiles flickered in the deep sea, the ghostly chariots that had been lurking nearby would swoop down and devour the life essence of the large fish that emerged from the sea.

During the process of ingesting the monsters, the large fish in the sea turned into skeletons and sank into the ocean, while the flames at the tail of the ghost chariot became brighter. The coastal residents knelt down and thanked the Wu family army for bringing the "war beast" to sweep away the demonic threat at sea and ensure the safety of the waterways.

The power of incense smoke converged on these ghost carriages; this was the method Yu Li used to gather the Dharma images.

Yu Li arranged a way out for all the ghost carriages under Wu Hengyu's command, namely, to leave statues in the City God Temple. This meant that after Wu Hengyu's death, these ghost carriages would become guardian beasts to protect the peace of the area.

Today, the hunting party encountered several cultivators who had fallen into the sea. The city gods of Bohai Land used the divine power projected from the avatar on the ghost chariot to freeze the invading cultivators by twisting space.

…As the small boat rocked, the cultivator was picked up by a mortal as usual…

When Wu Fei arrived at Gu Shou Pass, he encountered a patrol team at sea and rescued these cultivators.

After Wu Hong ran over, he described the situation of these cultivators to Wu Fei. Because he could tell that these people did not have a northern accent, and they had been trained in the officer system under Wu Fei, they naturally knew something. So he summoned Wu Fei to talk.

After the cultivators who had fallen into the sea reached the shore, they looked at each other, took out talismans from their storage bags, and issued a distress call from their sects. They only knew that they would encounter a local official, but they did not know who the official in front of them was.

When Wu Fei arrived at the seaside, in addition to seeing several cultivators who had fallen into the sea, he also encountered a knight-errant descending from the horizon in a streak of light.

Wu Fei paused slightly and stepped forward. He saw that in addition to the young heroes recorded in the Daoist talismans, there were several other people he didn't recognize, who were looking at him with a wary gaze.

Just as Wu Fei was about to bow to the old man, he suddenly felt a dazzling light from the left. He saw a sect elder shining a mirror at him. Of course, Wu Fei only felt the physical dazzle. He immediately reacted, pulling out a gun from his chest with a click, releasing the safety and pulling the trigger. With a bang, the mirror was shattered.

Faced with this "monk" who wouldn't listen to reason and would rather drink the punishment, Wu Fei, the "layman," felt his murderous aura ignite like a raging fire. —The system forbade him from any contact with feudal superstition, so Xuan Chong straightened his back against these mystical things.

These cultivators from the north, who had come to issue a Heavenly Warning to the Wu brothers, were met with an overwhelming burst of malevolent energy. Their cultivation was almost completely wiped out. In their dizziness, they vaguely heard a "phoenix cry" and then saw a fiery red shadow flashing behind Wu Fei. Immediately afterward, the fire-attribute runes and restrictions on all the treasures they carried burned like paper, and all the runes that could not be activated became duds.

Of course, to outsiders, these cultivators were merely crippled by the impact of the bullets, and the red flames shot straight into the sky.

Wu Fei's expression turned cold as he looked at the suddenly impolite sect disciples. He waved his hand, and his personal guards, who were a hundred paces away, rushed in with their swords and spears. Zhao Xianzhong was the leader of them.

When Xianzhong saw the smoke coming from Wu Fei's gun and the cultivator lying on the ground, he immediately rushed up like a mad dog to protect his master. He swung his broadsword and slashed at the old man. The murderous aura that soared into the sky froze the cultivators who wanted to stop him.

A perfectly healthy head flew off.

Of course, losing a head doesn't mean death. The head stumbled and rolled away, while the headless body also scrambled away.

This was the supernatural power of "Decapitation and Flight to the Heavens." If it weren't for the malevolent energy on Wu Xianzhong's blade interfering with the spiritual energy, the severed head would have flown away like a bird, and the severed body would have immediately burrowed underground. These highly skilled cultivators had always toyed with mortal officials in this way. However, they had encountered a top-tier military strategist; unless one cultivated to the level of a true immortal who had reached the "Return to Emptiness" realm, there was no way to escape.

Well—even if it's a true immortal, the system will still intervene. After all, this is a history lesson, and it's not allowed to have any outrageous "street magic tricks" that would disrupt the students' normal learning.

However, Wu Fei coldly shouted, "Don't go!" He pointed his gun at the head that was rolling around, looking for a chance to escape, and shot it through the ear.

The other cultivators, realizing what had happened, immediately pleaded, "General, please have mercy! Although this was our mistake, please spare Fellow Daoist Long's life."

Wu Fei coldly looked at these cultivators and said icily, "Taoist priests? Do you have jade tablets?"

When Wu Fei asked this question, he wanted to put these "monks" on the line and see how much they were really worth. The cultivators looked at each other in bewilderment.

"You audacious sorcerer, how dare you spread lewd cults within my jurisdiction!"

The onlookers, drawn in by Wu Fei's shout, immediately turned hostile towards the cultivator. In their eyes, Wu Fei was the all-powerful Lord of Heaven; if Lord Wu spoke, it must mean he had discovered something with his divine eyes.

The cultivators were suddenly pressed down by a huge mountain!
Once upon a time, in times of peace, military strategists could be deterred by the righteous spirit of Confucian scholars. But now, in this chaotic world, Wu Fei, the commander of the army, has been governing this place for three years and is deeply loved by the people. With this shout, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the hills on the horizon, and the waves on the sea suddenly became turbulent.

These captured "licentious and unorthodox Taoist priests" were horrified to discover that Wu Fei could mobilize the power of mountains and rivers. Not only were they attacked with axes by his personal guards, but they also could not mobilize a single trace of spiritual energy in their tents. Now their souls were in turmoil, and their Taoist hearts were about to shatter.

These cultivators, like ordinary mortals, shouted, "We are not here for illicit worship, but are acting on the orders of a righteous sect. We are here to check whether the Wu brothers are possessed by any evil spirits. It is truly inappropriate for those sect elders to have prejudged you and shine a mirror on you."

Upon hearing this, Wu Fei laughed loudly: "What preconceived notions? My Wu family has been loyal and virtuous for generations. You all came here to arrest me because of the treacherous people in the court who framed me?"

These monks were stunned when they encountered the person in question.

Wu Fei took out a branding iron, slightly twisted his hand, and used his baleful aura to heat the iron. Then, with a sizzle, he branded words onto the faces of all the cultivators. The cultivators twisted their bodies, resisting the branding iron branding them with great resistance, because it carried the power of the rules of the human realm.

This is similar to the power within the scope of divine incense offerings and religious authority in sage-making. The belief of ordinary people forms a power of will, which in turn enables divine arts to be bound by rules.

Of course, rules can be forcibly broken, but a lone monk cannot break the rules. What shakes the rules is the power of the masses, or finding a chosen one who can "gather the masses".

This is the process by which cultivators assist kings, and when a hero or king in the mortal realm achieves great success, they ask him to fulfill his promise and "bestow titles" upon the mountains, rivers, and sects.

The cultivators' cultivation was completely sealed. Wu Fei waved his hand, ordering his men to interrogate them severely.

Zhao Xianzhong glanced at Wu Fei's eyes and understood what his soldiers wanted to ask. He then called for Wang Xi to be brought over to assist in the interrogation.

Upon arriving, Wang Xi heard an old man's voice and immediately grabbed a Golden Core cultivator from the Linjian Sect: "You son of a bitch, it was you who tried to stop me from delivering a message?"

(End of this chapter)