Qingming could consume the azure water in its pool to drastically enhance the strength of humans within the domain. The duration depended on the domain lord's will and the amount of nurturing power available. This was Ephemeral Multitude.
Even mortals could instantly be elevated to the Blood Merging realm—equivalent to the caliber of Great Tang's regular elite border armies, and already far surpassing the troops Liao Jingwu had once relied upon as his stepping stone for advancement. Those at the completion of Body Casting would leap to the Dao Foundation realm, while those already in the Dao Foundation realm would advance by at least one minor stage. Only for those at or above the dharma idol realm was the enhancement negligible.
When Ephemeral Multitude appeared, Wei Yuan was completely dazed for a moment before snapping back to his senses.
Jia Wood Life-Mystic and Ephemeral Multitude—this Qingming was simply born for an age of great contention. He wondered what the immortal of old had felt when crafting such a thing.
Before he could savor the thought further, Wei Yuan sensed a group of people trickling toward the domain from the southeast.
Wei Yuan immediately called Yun Feifei, and together they headed southeast. Soon, a crowd appeared in the distance, marching along a half-abandoned road. They moved swiftly, clearly all possessing cultivation.
From afar, a burly man and a glamorous young woman stepped out from the crowd and came before Wei Yuan and Yun Feifei. "We are all cultivators from the surrounding areas," the man said. "Having encountered Fairy Yun by chance in Quliu Town, we heard that an immortal from the Immortal Palace had placed a boundary stone here to rebuild the human domain! Filled with admiration, we have come specifically to pledge our allegiance, and we hope the Exalted Immortal will not turn us away!"
Wei Yuan was overjoyed. Hastily returning the courtesy, he inquired about their situation.
The burly man was named Wu Yang, and the glamorous young woman beside him was his wife. Both had already attained late Dao Foundation cultivation. However, when Wei Yuan looked with his Qi-Gazing Technique, he could only see a blurry, indistinct mass that hardly had any shape at all, from which he knew that neither had any hope of forming a dharma idol.
Yet outside the Immortal Palace, very few Dao Foundation cultivators ever managed to form a dharma idol. If one succeeded, even with the bottommost rank of dharma idol, they would be qualified to establish a sect, and in remote lands might even pass for a fourth-rank sect, much like White Maple Academy.
Though Wu Yang and his wife could never form dharma idols, their realm was still there, and their fundamental combat power remained solid. Between the two of them, they had brought over three hundred cultivators this time, among whom were over a dozen at Dao Foundation, several dozen at Body Casting completion, and the rest at Bone Tempering.
Reportedly, behind them were more cultivators who had heard the news and were trickling over as well. Those cultivators possessed lower cultivation and traveled much slower; the slowest might take another day or two to arrive.
These hundreds of cultivators were truly charcoal in the snow, and Wei Yuan naturally did everything he could to win them over. Seeing how extraordinarily respectful Yun Feifei was toward Wei Yuan, Wu Yang realized the rumors about Wei Yuan's combat feats were likely mostly true, and he abandoned any thought of testing the waters.
In the Western Regions, the customs were fierce, and strength was revered above all else. When Wu Yang had first encountered Yun Feifei, they had sparred, and he had been defeated without any contest. If Wei Yuan could not overpower Yun Feifei, she certainly would not be this obedient.
Seeing how every one of these cultivators looked weary, and some with lower cultivation were even dressed in rags, Wei Yuan knew they had been pushed to the brink of survival.
Cultivators were not mortals, after all; in the human domain, they would never have fallen to such a state. But this was the Wu domain, where those with accomplished cultivation were prime sacrifices in the eyes of the Shamans, leaving many cultivators living lives more miserable than even those of ordinary mortals.
Wei Yuan spoke up immediately. "It was not easy for you all to journey so far. Once we enter the domain, have a hearty meal first and take a good rest. As for everything else, arrangements will be made after you have recouped."
Quietly, Wei Yuan manifested Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. Though this place lay outside the domain, in an instant it transformed into a human clear domain. Every cultivator felt their spirits immediately lift as spiritual qi continuously surged into their bodies. Their parched Dao power began to flow anew, and their injuries stopped worsening. Even if the Shamans came right now, they would have the strength to fight!
Wu Yang and his wife exchanged a glance, unable to conceal the shock in their hearts. Having lived for so long in the Shattered Lands of the Western Regions, when had they ever witnessed such a miraculous technique? Such power to Alter Heaven and Earth—had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it even if beaten to death.
The glamorous young woman was decisive. She immediately fell to her knees and kowtowed. "My husband and I have finally found an enlightened lord. We beg Your Majesty not to turn us away and to take us under your banner! We husband and wife are willing to serve as foot soldiers at your vanguard, braving boiling water and stepping through fire without hesitation!"
Coming to his senses, Wu Yang dropped to his knees as well. With the couple taking the lead, the crowd of cultivators behind them all prostrated themselves. In the blink of an eye, a dense black sea knelt upon the ground, all loudly chanting, "Our King!"
Wei Yuan was stunned. Was this what they called kneeling and pledging allegiance on the spot?
He gave it serious thought and felt that the time was not yet right.
Wei Yuan hurriedly helped the couple up. They, too, were merely showing their attitude, so they rose along with his motion and followed him back toward the domain. Fortunately, the domain was not far. Once inside Qingming, Wei Yuan discreetly withdrew Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains; otherwise, maintaining the enhancement over three hundred people would have been no small burden.
Entering the domain, the cultivators felt yet another difference. Looking up at the azure sky overhead, many suddenly burst into tears. The sky in the Wu domain was perpetually overcast; even on sunny days, the sun seemed veiled behind a thin gauze.
The sunlight in the Wu domain was not blazing, yet it was stiflingly muggy. Everywhere steamed with moisture and dampness, as if the water could never be dried by the sun. People who lived in the Shattered Lands for long periods were accustomed to wearing clothes woven from oiled hemp; though very uncomfortable to wear, they did not absorb water.
Now stepping into this world of brilliant sunshine, bright and dry, the cultivators momentarily thought they had entered an immortal realm.
Wei Yuan said in a clear voice, "This is the Qingming Domain. In the future, you may all settle and live here. However, the Shamans will certainly not tolerate us. Right now, their army is already bearing down upon our borders. Whether we can preserve this land will depend on everyone's efforts!"
"Shamans again! We'll fight them to the death!"
"Death awaits anywhere anyway—better to die here, where at least our hearts can see the light!"
The cultivators' emotions ran high, clamoring in an uproar.
Wu Yang turned back to the crowd. "Brothers! For the past several years, we've had more than enough of dark, damp days, constantly fearing capture by the Shamans! Now that we've finally reached this earthly wonderland and Our King is willing to take us in, if we don't fight to the death now, then when?! As long as we repel the Shamans and survive, every single one of us will be founding ministers of a dragon's rise!"
With that, Wu Yang turned and prostrated himself again. "This subject is willing to fight to the death! Long live Our King!"
The cultivators all knelt down once more, shouting in unison, "Long live Our King!"
Wei Yuan was thoroughly alarmed. He had never expected another round of this! This was inside the domain—Zhang Sheng and Eldest Senior Sister were watching! Did these Western Region cultivators think they weren't dying fast enough? He had already thought the time was not yet ripe...
"What are you doing? Get up! Everyone, get up!" Since they were inside the domain, Wei Yuan dropped all pretense in his desperation. He directly manifested Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, applying its power onto everyone and lifting them all straight off the ground.
Including Wu Yang and his wife, several hundred cultivators were forced to their feet against their will. Every one of them was struck with terror and awe, only now realizing how unfathomably deep Wei Yuan's Dao arts were!
Previously, there had still been a hint of opportunism and following the herd among the cultivators. Only now, having glimpsed a sliver of Wei Yuan's true power, were they genuinely cowed into submission. Even the most troublesome troublemakers became meek and obedient.
Within Wei Yuan's Dao Foundation, another wisp of azure qi suddenly soared upward, taking its place alongside the previous five.
Wei Yuan was startled. Now he finally confirmed that the azure qi was related to the cultivators before him, though he still did not know whether it came from a single person or from all of them collectively. How, then, was the azure qi generated?
Reflecting carefully on what he had just done, Wei Yuan realized that this new wisp of azure qi seemed to have appeared only after he used the power of Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains to lift everyone off the ground at once, thoroughly awing the crowd.
Could it be that obtaining azure qi requires winning people's heartfelt, willing submission?
Wei Yuan had Yun Feifei lead the cultivators to rest and eat first, while he personally brought Wu Yang and his wife to the main peak to meet the people from the Palace of Grand Beginning. As for forms of address, Wei Yuan sternly instructed them on the way that for now they could only address him as "Master" and nothing else—and absolutely could not call him "King" or anything of the sort.
Once they met the cultivators of the Palace of Grand Beginning, Wu Yang and his wife broke into a quiet cold sweat.
Originally, they felt that as late-stage cultivators who had brought several hundred people to defect, they ought to be second only to one and above all others in the domain, perhaps slightly lower in status than Yun Feifei, who clearly looked like the King's bedmate. But they never imagined that so many people had come from the Palace of Grand Beginning, and that every single one possessed an aura as deep as the sea—perhaps some among them even held legendary immortal foundations!
Time was pressing, with the Shaman army bearing down on the borders, and this cohort of cultivators had already been cowed into submission. Wei Yuan did not stand on ceremony, directly allocating two hundred cultivators under Cui Yu's command, leaving Wu Yang and his wife with only a hundred-odd people.
Toward the Dao Foundation cultivators, Wei Yuan was far more lenient, allowing them to choose for themselves. In the end, most of the Dao Foundation cultivators switched to Cui Yu's banner, while three followed Yun Feifei, and only a single old acquaintance remained with Wu Yang and his wife. That instantly showed the couple what it meant that fine birds choose the right trees to roost in.
Wu Yang's expression naturally did not look great, but he possessed self-awareness. He knew he could not compete with Yun Feifei, much less with Cui Yu; having a unit left to lead was already quite a good outcome under the circumstances.
After dividing the forces, Wei Yuan began reorganizing equipment. The forces in the domain were now split into three groups. The first group consisted of Cui Yu and the other aristocratic scions and their guards; they were superbly equipped, possessing artifacts of at least mid-grade as well as large numbers of talismans and other life-preserving measures. The second group was composed of Yun Feifei and the Western Region cultivators who had joined first; they had already fought a few battles and possessed basic gear.
The last and largest group consisted of those recruited by Yun Feifei from Quliu Town. Many of them had merely been scraping by in Quliu Town to survive, owning only one or two artifacts, and over half had no armor at all.
While Wu Yang's group ate, drank, and began to rest, more cultivators arrived one after another. They came in groups as small as a few individuals and as large as a hundred. Larger contingents were led by an occasional Dao Foundation cultivator, while smaller ones consisted entirely of Body Casting cultivators. There was even a squad of thirty-odd people who were all at the most rudimentary Sinew and Muscle Realm, barely stronger than the farmers of Shayang Village after three months of training.
Regardless of who came to pledge allegiance, Wei Yuan turned no one away. He split the newcomers into two parts, assigning one to Cui Yu and the other to Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu had initially been quite reluctant, but once the people were placed in his hands, he diligently began organizing and training them.
In the span of a day and a night, over two thousand cultivators arrived. Many of them had originally lived scattered across the wilderness and rushed over on their own upon hearing the news.
Among the cultivators, fewer than a hundred were at Body Casting completion, and likewise only a hundred or so were at the lowest Sinew and Muscle Realm; the rest were all at Blood Merging and Bone Tempering. Such was the reality of the cultivation world: once most people stepped onto the path, they remained stuck somewhere in the middle.
With so many people suddenly added to the domain, equipment became a major issue.
In this emergency, Wei Yuan could not afford to be fastidious. He ordered the garments, armor, and weapons stripped from the Shamans to be handed out directly, ignoring any notions that armor taken from dead Shamans had terrible feng shui. With a feng shui formation in the domain, the feng shui would not be poor.
Weapons were one thing, but Shaman armor was largely unwearable by humans. So Wei Yuan simply had the Shaman armor dismantled: one plate on the chest and one on the back for each person, whatever roughly matched head shape was slapped on as a helmet, and a few armor plates were tied haphazardly around the arms and thighs—and with that, they were considered armored.
Wei Yuan assembled all the young masters and mistresses, having them inspect the newly arrived cultivators' gear one by one to ensure the bindings were secure. That night, no one was permitted to take off their armor. Those who had the stamina went to dig trenches, while those who were injured or too weak seized the time to rest.
Ji Liuli and Zhang Sheng were busy producing large quantities of gunpowder and forging two new spears for Wei Yuan. Having learned their lesson this time, they forged the spearshafts a fraction thicker to avoid another incident like Tianyu bending the spear with a blow.
After such a night of bustle, the Shaman army finally appeared outside the domain at dawn.
The situation was now somewhat different from the first major battle. Wei Yuan had first pulled the domain's boundary back twenty li, and then set up defenses another twenty li behind the new boundary. If the Shaman army wanted a decisive battle, they would have to penetrate deep into the domain.
A distance of twenty li meant that even the fastest venomous lizard riders sprinting at full speed would be thoroughly weakened by the domain by the time they reached the defensive lines.
Standing on high ground with the others, Wei Yuan gazed into the distance. Several tens of li away, green qi roiled within the Shaman army's ranks, constantly spilling outward in all directions, compressing the domain in that direction until it grew somewhat thin.
By now, Xu Wenwu had been released from the dark room and stood beside Wei Yuan. Staring at the boundless enemy host, both of Xu Wenwu's legs were trembling.
Wei Yuan asked, "How do you think this battle should be fought?"
With his life on the line, Xu Wenwu dared not hold anything back. He desperately searched through his years of movie-watching experience, preparing to say something.
Chapter 155