In the morning light, the clatter of horse hooves rang out. Xu Wenwu was up early indeed; barely had day broken before he set out to exercise the horse. Seeing Xu Wenwu getting to work, Wei Yuan bestowed yet another strand of karmic luck upon the beast.
The domain had now expanded over ten li, offering more and more open ground to ride. Xu Wenwu trotted briskly along on horseback, carefree and at ease, filled with the romantic leisure of trotting past green hills. Xu Wenwu was not an absolute fool either; he had kept close watch on every change in the horse beneath him, and he guessed that most of these transformations were linked to himself. Otherwise, why would Wei Yuan have him exercise the horse every single day?
Naturally, Xu Wenwu could not see Wei Yuan's karmic luck. He only knew that each day after being ridden by him, the horse showed immediate and drastic improvements. Evidently, some grand secret lay dormant within him, just waiting for the right moment to awaken. Unfortunately, he had no idea what condition triggered this secret, leaving him unable to direct his efforts toward unlocking it.
Riding over knolls and crossing streams, he suddenly thought: *If this keeps up, this horse is bound to undergo an earth-shattering transformation. Could it turn into a dragon one day? The only pity is that it isn't a mare, or else I could look forward to it taking human form in the future.*
As his thoughts wandered, Xu Wenwu slapped his forehead and muttered to himself, "Wait... doesn't that make me the Protector of the Horses?"
Recalling that there were a few metal staves among the magic tool blanks, Xu Wenwu seriously considered asking Wei Yuan for one. Even though his current self certainly couldn't lift it an inch, what if his bloodline awakened one day?
Xu Wenwu stroked the horse's mane, thinking that if such a day truly arrived, wouldn't this beast be a ready-made White Dragon Horse? As for Wei Yuan, considering their bond over this time and that handsome face of his, he could easily play the Holy Monk.
Then there were temptresses like Yun Feifei and Xu Wan'er, forever bewitching the Holy Monk for no good reason. Their sins were unforgivable—they simply had to be collected... no, subdued.
And then persuaded earnestly to turn away from evil and return to the righteous path.
Besides, a single capture wouldn't be enough to cleanse their misdeeds. Back in the day, Zhuge Kongming captured and released Meng Huo seven times; Xu Wenwu, being an unmatched talent born to aid emperors, couldn't let that village rustic Zhuge hog all the glory. Therefore, he would have to capture and release these two vixens seven times before his merit could be considered complete. Handed down to posterity, it would surely become a celebrated tale, probably inspiring several blockbuster play scripts.
Within the domain, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a stir of intuition, sensing someone's entrance.
Wei Yuan casually picked up an enchanted sword blank and ran a hand along its blade. A blaze of fire ignited, imbuing it with Immortal Sword · False Sun.
Behind him, a disdainful voice spoke: "You call that an immortal sword?"
Wei Yuan turned around and saw Xiaoyu standing behind him, staring at the blazing sword with utter contempt.
Having not seen each other for years, Xiaoyu had long grown into a dashing, elegant young gentleman, though his features remained more delicate and exquisite than those of most so-called beauties. Clad in pure white robes trimmed with green patterns at the lapels and cuffs, he cradled an immortal sword against his chest, radiating peerless grace and poise.
What Xiaoyu held was naturally not his Dao Foundation itself, but a true enchanted sword meant to house Immortal Sword Great Sun. Just a glance at the scabbard revealed its lofty, ancient majesty; it was unmistakably extraordinary.
As the most outstanding genius of the prestigious Xiao family's younger generation, anything Xiaoyu carried was bound to be a rare masterpiece if not peerless, existing in an entirely different league from the crude sword blank in Wei Yuan's grasp. Never mind the enchanted sword itself—prying off any random gemstone from that scabbard would fetch enough to buy out eight or ten Lanshen Palace secret vaults.
Turning a deaf ear to Xiaoyu's mockery, Wei Yuan set down the flaming sword, picked up a second one, and wiped his finger along the blade, igniting fire along its edge as well. Then came a third, a fourth...
By the time Wei Yuan ignited the twentieth sword, Xiaoyu's expression finally shifted, and he snapped, "Enough!"
Wei Yuan stood with his hands behind his back. The burning immortal swords circled him in the shape of a lotus, presenting a thoroughly intimidating aura.
"This is but a corner of my Dao Foundation," Wei Yuan remarked placidly. "How does it look?"
Xiaoyu snorted. "Twenty pieces of trash. Not worth mentioning."
"Then let's add eighty more!" With a wave of Wei Yuan's hand, a clattering heap of stone swords poured onto the ground, forming a massive pile.
Xiaoyu suddenly felt a knot of suffocating air get stuck in his chest.
No matter how trashy an immortal sword might be, gathering a hundred of them was not a force to be taken lightly. Wei Yuan's sword could barely pass for Mortal Tier, but a hundred Mortal Tier Dao Foundations combined would pack considerable power. In the end, Xiaoyu refused to lie, so this was a question he truly did not wish to answer.
Changing the subject, Xiaoyu asked, "What do you call these swords of yours?"
"Immortal Sword · False Sun."
The knot of air in Xiaoyu's chest was now thoroughly wedged in his throat, unable to go down or come up.
He drew his sword out an inch, its blade gleaming with chilling brilliance, but he forced down his rage and clicked it back into its sheath. Gritting his teeth, he said, "If not for the aliens before us making infighting ill-advised, I'd make you understand what a true immortal sword is!"
Wei Yuan knew Xiaoyu was rattled; otherwise, he would never have spoken so many words in one breath. But Wei Yuan still remembered how Xiaoyu used to strut around clutching his Dao Foundation in front of him every single day back then, so naturally he had no intention of letting Xiaoyu off easily. Wei Yuan had already prepared a grand gift, merely waiting for the Shamans to arrive at his doorstep. While this grand gift hadn't been prepared specifically for Xiaoyu, who told him to show up at just the right time and deliver himself right into it?
With a cool demeanor, Wei Yuan said, "You and I are grown adults now. Whatever grievances we have should be settled against the aliens. If Shamans attack later, why don't the two of us fight them and let our battle records decide who is superior?"
"That suits me best! Otherwise, crushing you with merit points would simply be bullying you," Xiaoyu retorted coldly.
"Merit points? Heh." Wei Yuan gave a hollow smile.
Xiaoyu clearly had no idea that Wei Yuan had just slain two dharma idols and earned heavenly merits. Who still compared merit points these days? However, Wei Yuan had no intention of exposing this just yet; he would wait until the Merit Board updated. For now, he would let Xiaoyu brag all he wanted. The more Xiaoyu boasted now, the faster he would want to dig a hole and crawl into it later.
Although slaying the dharma idols had largely been the doing of Immortal Monarch Tinghai in the end, an Immortal Monarch wouldn't contest such trivial credit with Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan had already rehearsed his lines, merely waiting for the Merit Board to update.
When it came to verbal sparring, disciples of Sky Azure Hall possessed an innate bonus unmatched by any other hall.
The two had stood off for less than a quarter of an hour when they suddenly looked into the distance at the same time. Several tens of li away, a detachment of Shamans appeared along a ridge and immediately began erecting an encampment. This force numbered fully two thousand warriors, boasting considerable strength, yet they showed no intention of attacking right away.
Wei Yuan and Xiaoyu exchanged a glance, both realizing these Shamans had not come with good intentions.
Upon entering the domain, Xiaoyu had already noticed the vast number of Shaman corpses laid out in the clearing and knew a major battle had just taken place here, presumably ending in a crushing defeat for the Shamans. Yet this detachment dared to show up so brazenly, meaning they certainly possessed something to rely on. Furthermore, they were encamping tens of li away without approaching the domain at all, preventing Qingming's advantages from coming into play.
Wei Yuan said gravely, "It looks like a trap is waiting for us. Should we hold back for a few days? In three days, the domain will have expanded over them."
A flicker of astonishment crossed Xiaoyu's face. "Three days? Truly an immortal treasure!"
"Naturally! So, do we wait or strike?" Wei Yuan asked again.
Xiaoyu slowly unsheathed his enchanted sword. "Let's go. Test the swords!"
"Test the swords!" With a broad sweep of his hand, Wei Yuan made the hundred Immortal Swords · False Sun vanish from the ground, stowing them all away into the threads of his left hand.
Seeing Wei Yuan pack up all hundred False Suns and shout about testing swords as well, Xiaoyu felt anger flare up within him for no discernible reason.
An immortal sword was the ultimate instrument of slaughter, favored by the spiritual qi of heaven and earth and capable of harboring all manner of wonders within. In Xiaoyu's heart, it had always been a sacred entity beyond compare. Yet Wei Yuan simply toted them around by the bundle like an old woman carrying vegetables from the market!
This was not like the old days; Xiaoyu would no longer lose his temper and scream, *Barbarian, take my sword!* What he needed to do was show Wei Yuan what a true sword was!
Xiaoyu strode toward the Shamans encamping on the mountain. After a few steps, he began ascending higher and higher, walking up into the sky step by step. His wide sleeves fluttered in the high air, already bearing the dashing grace of a sword immortal.
The Shamans pitching camp below soon spotted Xiaoyu. Two tall chieftains took to the air to confront him. Facing two opponents in the middle stage of Dao Foundation, Xiaoyu showed not a shred of fear. His figure suddenly surged a hundred zhang higher, his enchanted sword clearing most of its scabbard. It was as if a blazing sun were slowly rising in his hand; myriad fire lotuses drifted down from the sky like blooming lantern blossoms, illuminating heaven and earth.
One fire lotus after another drifted down toward the Shaman army below. Over a dozen Dao Foundation commanders on the ground struck at once, unleashing broad sweeps of inky light that surged back and forth across the sky, extinguishing many of the lotuses.
Yet the fire lotuses were remarkably resilient. The inky light had to sweep past several times to completely extinguish a single bloom. Even with more than a dozen Dao Foundation experts acting together, hundreds of fire lotuses still rained into the encampment, instantly igniting over a hundred Shaman warriors!
The flame of the fire lotuses was utterly ruthless. No matter how the Shaman warriors rolled or beat at the flames, they would not be quenched. The moment a single spark touched them, fire engulfed their entire bodies, burning them to charcoal within breaths!
This strike was an evolved version of the Three Thousand Lotuses from years ago. After mastering Immortal Sword Great Sun, the azure lotuses of the past had transformed into fire lotuses, trading three parts pure qi for ten parts slaughter.
Holding his ground against more than a dozen peers of the same realm and still wiping out over a hundred Shaman warriors in a single sword strike, Xiaoyu's combat strength was truly terrifying. No wonder he possessed the confidence to face thousands of foes head-on.
As soon as Xiaoyu made his move, Wei Yuan could tell that his Dao Foundation had thoroughly stabilized and a seed of divine rhythm was sprouting within his immortal sword—he had already entered the Revival stage of the middle Dao Foundation realm. At this point, Immortal Sword Great Sun was not only vastly more powerful, but had also gained a touch of mysterious wonders it lacked when the foundation was first formed.
Inside the Shaman camp, a large tent had already been pitched. At this moment, a short, withered old shaman crawled out from within. Fixing a pair of ashen-white eyes on Xiaoyu, he suddenly screeched, chanting a long, rapid string of incantations. With his chant, an eerie, dark green rune materialized beneath his feet!
Something invisible shifted quietly between heaven and earth. Xiaoyu suddenly felt an inexplicable disgust and irritability well up in his heart, as if everything around him had become unbearably repulsive.
At that moment, the two middle Dao Foundation commanders in the sky charged at Xiaoyu from left and right, sweeping their arms to release swarms of flying insects that buzzed viciously toward him.
Xiaoyu gave a cold sneer. Such fine insect swarms were extremely venomous, but while they might work on others, sending them against his Immortal Sword Great Sun was seeking death. Xiaoyu swept his sword horizontally, unleashing an undulating wave of solar flame. But the True Sun Flame, which should have been blazing with scorching heat, suddenly turned exceptionally dim!
If this move, "A Fisherman's Song Flows East," was meant to be the midday sun at its zenith, it had now been reduced to a setting sun half-sunk behind the western mountains.
When the solar flame swept past, nearly half the swarm still survived, throwing Xiaoyu into a flustered flurry as he slashed multiple times before finally wiping out the insects. Steadying himself, he looked and saw that Immortal Sword Great Sun had grown quite dull; of its full ten parts of power, he could currently muster only three or four.
Xiaoyu suddenly remembered something and shouted hurriedly, "Wei Yuan, watch out! These Shamans have altered the world and cursed all immortal swords!"
Fearing Wei Yuan hadn't heard and would suffer a loss, Xiaoyu turned to search for his figure to warn him again—only to turn his head and see Wei Yuan right there.
Wei Yuan stood holding a bell in his left hand and hoisting a cauldron in his right, looking solemn, dignified, and utterly at ease.
With a shout from Wei Yuan, Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains manifested. Since they were outside the domain, the manifestation only spanned two hundred zhang, but that was still enough to cover most of the camp. Wei Yuan swung both hands repeatedly, hurling bell after cauldron—smoking and aflame—crashing down into the encampment. In the blink of an eye, Wei Yuan had bombarded them with over a hundred bells and cauldrons. Amid deafening crashes and clangs, the camp was reduced to utter ruin. Shaman warriors scrambled frantically for cover, even the Dao Foundation commanders were forced to dodge everywhere, and the central tent was pulverized by seven or eight consecutive massive bells and cauldrons.
Xiaoyu pointed at Wei Yuan, his hand trembling. "Where are your hundred False Suns?! Why aren't you using them?!"
Looking just as sincere as he had years ago, Wei Yuan replied, "I only brought them out to show you. I never planned to use them."
Xiaoyu felt a mouthful of blood well up, unsure whether to spit it out or choke it back down. Had the power of Immortal Sword Great Sun not been cut in half, he would have taken Wei Yuan's dog head off right here and now, no matter what.
The failure of this battle was not because our forces were incompetent, nor because the enemy was skilled—it was entirely because our ally was too cunning!
At that moment, the old shaman scrambled out from the collapsed tent on all fours and fled with his head tucked between his arms. Seven or eight direct hits from falling bells and slamming cauldrons had failed to kill him; remarkably agile, he appeared to have sustained only minor injuries.
Another cluster of bells and cauldrons materialized in Wei Yuan's hands; heaven only knew how many he had forged. Unable to bear the sight any longer, Xiaoyu simply turned his head toward the sky, unwilling to watch Wei Yuan's spectacle a moment longer. But as he turned, he froze.
Bao Yun had appeared behind them at some unknown point. Above her head hovered an Exquisite Treasure Tree, draped with tassels and ribbons of light that isolated her from this world. Had Xiaoyu not seen her with his own eyes, he would never have detected her presence.
A thought suddenly struck Xiaoyu: *How long has she been here?*
The entire spectacle of him being played like a fool by Wei Yuan might have been watched by Bao Yun from start to finish!
Having one cunning ally was distressing enough, but who knew another ally was standing by, spectating!
In an instant, Xiaoyu felt all the blood in his body rush to his face, wishing desperately for a crack in the ground to swallow him up.
Ahead on the battlefield, the Shaman camp had plunged into chaos and morale had collapsed. Most of the noble shamans, including the old shaman, were looking to slip away. Having examined the corpse of a Great Shaman before, Wei Yuan knew that the bodies of these shamans were not frail at all—some were even tougher than disciples of the Hall of the Bright King. Thus, failing to crush the old shaman to death had been well within expectations.
Wei Yuan had come prepared. Having learned from the last battle that high-ranking Shamans fled with terrifying speed, how could he let them get away this time?
Right then, a tender green sprout surfaced above Wei Yuan's head, and the manifestation range of Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains exploded to eight hundred zhang! In a single stroke, it enveloped all the fleeing Shaman nobles and drastically slowed their escape!
Although the sprout was merely the size of a fingertip, Wei Yuan bellowed with all his might: "One-Wondrous Treasure Tree!"
Bao Yun's eyes turned profound and fathomless.
Xiaoyu's eyes went wide in an instant, and another wave of scarlet flushed across his face—this time not from embarrassment, but from stifling his laughter. He clamped a hand over his mouth, his body shuddering continuously. Seasoned as he was through countless trials, his Dao heart collapsed completely in this moment.
Oblivious to everything happening behind him, Wei Yuan drove his Dao Foundation with all his might. Within the manifested Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, life-force surged and pure qi gushed forth; the Shamans shrieked in agony as if scalded by boiling oil. Relying on his bottomless reserves of Dao power, Wei Yuan seized the opportunity to hurl three to four hundred bells and cauldrons in one breath, instantly causing catastrophic casualties among the Shamans below. In the end, out of over twenty noble shamans, only three insignificant stragglers escaped; all the key nobles, including the old shaman, were slain.
With the battle settled, Wei Yuan held his bell and hoisted his cauldron, turning around unhurriedly—only to see Bao Yun.
Wei Yuan's mind suddenly went entirely blank.
His Dao heart thoroughly shattered, Xiaoyu could hold on no longer and plummeted headfirst out of the sky.
Chapter 129