Facing a unit of several hundred before him, Wei Yuan swept out a ray of platinum spear light, completely shattering the green mist they had gathered. The mortal clear domain settled over the Shaman warriors, scalding them like boiling water and plunging them into agonizing pain.
Yet beneath the military standard, the captain pulled out a small hexagonal bottle and activated it with dharmic power. A jet of green water sprayed from the mouth of the flask, splashing over the flag. Instantly, billowing green mist poured from the banner, sheltering the entire unit once more.
Wei Yuan could no longer remember how many times he had seen the Shamans replenish their Wu domain origin qi. Those hexagonal flasks had to be extremely costly, yet the Shaman generals used them without the slightest hesitation, wearing down Qingming through these disposable dharmic artifacts.
Above the battlefield, the mortal clear domain and the green territory of the Wu domain clashed back and forth, locked in a stalemate.
Cui Yu fought his way out of the formation alongside the Dao Foundation cultivators, leaving thousands of corpses behind in the Shamans' main battle lines—a wound that would be difficult to heal. The moment they cleared the Shaman formation, the auras of all the cultivators plunged drastically, the vast majority dropping back to the late stage of Body Casting and the Jade Bone realm.
Wei Yuan also led his cavalry out of the enemy lines. Inside the Shaman army's formation, the area had practically become an extension of the Wu domain, with hardly any of Qingming's power felt. Wei Yuan had relied entirely on Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains and the empowerment of karmic luck to bring most of his horsemen out alive.
The frontline battle remained a meat grinder. The human forces held an advantage in individual strength, while the Shamans possessed superior numbers; every moment, dozens or even hundreds on both sides fell dead.
Ephemeral Multitude had already been opened and closed for the sixth time. The pool's waters within Qingming had hit bottom once again, and fewer than a hundred strands of azure karmic luck remained in his sea of consciousness.
Even with an immense amount of karmic luck bolstering them, one of the young masters and mistresses from the sixteen prominent clans was slain in battle—dying before Wei Yuan could even move to save them.
Within Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, the Jade Mountain had grown somewhat dim and lackluster.
It had been summoned forth who knew how many times, to the point that the heavily bloodied Shamans would launch simultaneous attacks the moment they laid eyes on it. Often, no sooner had the Jade Mountain materialized than it was battered apart by countless shamanic spells and curses.
Shielded by the Wu domain's origin qi, these Shaman units proved extraordinarily difficult to kill. When Wei Yuan's Jade Mountain crashed down, it could crush a hundred men, but once it was withdrawn, half of those beneath could still stagger back to their feet and fight on.
After they broke out of the enemy formation, the Shaman commander finally sounded the horn, pulling back the vanguard troops to reorganize their lines.
Wei Yuan glanced back. Only a hundred and fifty riders remained behind him—a count that included the young masters and mistresses of the prominent clans, every single one of whom was a genuine Dao Foundation cultivator!
Wang Yu stepped up beside Wei Yuan and said, "When we fight again in a moment, don't waste any more karmic luck bolstering me. I know an elder from my clan is most likely watching from above right now. If my life is in danger, he might intervene."
"And what if he doesn't? Your family's instructions were probably about the same as mine," Xu Yi asked.
Without hesitation, Wang Yu answered, "Then I die on the battlefield, which is a worthy death. People die in war all the time—why shouldn't it be Wang Yu?"
Wei Yuan said nothing. He simply patted Wang Yu's shoulder and bestowed yet another strand of karmic luck upon him.
Wang Yu shut his eyes tight and urged repeatedly, "There really is no need to waste karmic luck on me anymore!"
Wei Yuan said calmly, "Perhaps there are many people watching from the heavens right now, but at this moment, you are my people. I will not let you take mortal risks just to force your elders to intervene. From the start, I never counted on them stepping in. But the battle must still be fought—after all, this is our war."
Xiaoyu suddenly appeared at Wei Yuan's side. A new blade slash now scarred his face, and countless other wounds covered his body. Looking at Wei Yuan with rare gravity, he asked, "Where are the reinforcements?"
Wei Yuan shook his head. "You mean Yue Jinshan? I don't know."
No matter how fierce the slaughter, his primordial spirit precisely tracked the passage of time. Three hours had already passed since the battle began. At a normal marching pace, Yue Jinshan should have intercepted the Shamans' main force by now, and word should have reached the Shaman vanguard here as well. By all reason, if the vanguard had received the news, they ought to be retreating. Yet here they were, quietly reorganizing their troops, clearly intending to fight on.
Xiaoyu let out a sudden sigh. "If we truly can't hold out in a bit, I will have an elder intervene once. But after that, I'll have to leave."
Wei Yuan smiled. "I don't think you'll be leaving quite so soon."
Yet as he smiled, the motion pulled at his wounds, contorting his face in pain.
Xiaoyu blinked in surprise. "There are reinforcements?"
Wei Yuan shook his head. "Most likely... no, there aren't."
"Then we can win this?"
"We can win!" Wei Yuan answered with utter certainty.
Xiaoyu did not believe him in the slightest. Having studied military strategy, he knew that managing to fight the battle to this point had already been an extraordinary feat. The Shamans had suffered nearly twenty thousand casualties, while the domain forces had lost five thousand. Even if the realm's greatest generals had commanded the field, they could hardly have achieved better. Yet even so, without reinforcements, victory was impossible. The Shamans held far too great a numerical advantage; they could bury Wei Yuan under sheer mountains of bodies.
Wei Yuan said, "I know you're tallying the military balance, but you've certainly left out one factor: me."
"You?" Xiaoyu thought he had factored Wei Yuan into the equation quite thoroughly.
Wei Yuan pointed at himself. "With me here, this battle cannot be lost."
Xiaoyu rolled his eyes and turned on his heel to leave. Still, after inwardly cursing Wei Yuan up and down, his mood felt considerably better.
Once Xiaoyu departed, Wei Yuan turned to the young masters and mistresses of the prominent clans. "There are probably no reinforcements coming. You only came here for experience, after all. Having fought to this point, you have answered to everyone more than enough. Anyone who wishes to return home may leave now. If you stay any longer, it will truly be a fight to the death."
Hearing this, two of them showed hesitation. Seeing this, Wei Yuan said gently, "Head to the main peak now and stay at the summit. You should be safe there. Coming this far with me has already been more than enough; I will always remember this bond."
The two young masters flushed with shame, while the glares the young mistresses directed at them could practically kill. Nevertheless, Wei Yuan waved a hand, infusing them with a measure of Dao power, and the two slowly rose into the air, flying toward the main peak.
At the summit of the main peak, Ji Liuli and Zhang Sheng stood side by side. Ji Liuli tilted her head slightly, as though listening to something, then gave a bitter smile. "There are no reinforcements."
"What happened?"
"The King of Jin previously issued seven imperial decrees in succession ordering Yue Jinshan to halt his advance, and Yue Jinshan refused every one. Now someone has arrived directly from the palace."
Zhang Sheng merely grunted in acknowledgment.
Ji Liuli glanced down the peak again and murmured in surprise, "That fellow trying to get into the Hall of Merits actually has some skill. She's already solved four of my puzzles and is working on the fifth. If you want to make a move, you'll have to wait a little longer."
Zhang Sheng nodded. "How many puzzles did you set in total?"
"Only twelve in all."
Zhang Sheng frowned slightly. She remembered that when Ji Liuli had laid out the formation earlier, there were well over a hundred puzzles in the reserve. How were there only twelve left now?
Ji Liuli offered a slight smile. "Don't worry! To tell the truth, I don't know how to solve the last three either; I only know the answers. If she can actually solve them, I'll happily give up my position as true disciple of the Hall of Heavenly Secrets to her!"
Only then did Zhang Sheng feel somewhat relieved.
To the north, inside a tower carriage, Yue Jinshan stepped out from behind his desk for the first time, bowing in greeting. "Greetings, Chief Steward Zhao."
Before Yue Jinshan stood a man with a pale, beardless face, clad in light red robes with an azure silk belt tied at his waist. His age was entirely impossible to discern.
The man spoke in a thin, shrill voice. "General Yue truly must think this servant isn't busy enough, making me travel tens of thousands of li just to see you."
The man before him was Zhao Tong, the Western Jin Brush-Holding Chief Steward, whose influence in the palace was second only to Chief Steward of Ceremonies Liu Quangong.
"This subordinate would not dare," Yue Jinshan said, bowing once more.
Just as Zhao Tong was about to speak, his expression abruptly shifted, and he snapped sharply, "Insolence! This servant has already arrived, so why has the army not halted?"
"The Chief Steward belongs to the palace; matters of the military are not something you should meddle in," Yue Jinshan replied, neither obsequious nor arrogant.
At that moment, Chen Dao's voice sounded from outside. "If Chief Steward Zhao cannot intervene in military affairs, then surely this governor can? The soldiers under your command all belong to my Ningxi Prefecture. If you still refuse orders, do you intend to set yourself up as an independent warlord?"
Yue Jinshan let out a long sigh, knowing the matter was entirely beyond saving.
Chen Dao walked in and said, "If I hadn't come, who knows how long you would have kept up this stubbornness! Why haven't you apologized to Chief Steward Zhao yet?"
His face dark, Yue Jinshan still gave a deep bow.
Chen Dao tugged lightly at Chief Steward Zhao's sleeve and murmured in a low voice, "The Chief Steward has traveled far and endured great hardship; you cannot return empty-handed. Old Yue here may not know how to speak properly, but he handles affairs quite thoroughly. Afterward, I'll have him prepare a very handsome gift to serve as your traveling expenses back to the palace."
Zhao Tong's face finally beamed, and he chuckled. "This servant must return to report immediately, but at least the matter is settled, so I can give a proper account to the King. The King is still waiting in the palace, so I won't linger. As for the gifts, let us forgo them."
Chen Dao said solemnly, "How could we possibly forgo them? If I don't bleed Old Yue a little, I won't be able to sleep at night. Rest assured, within three days, the gifts will be delivered safely to your residence. You need only accept them."
Zhao Tong nodded. "Since it is the goodwill of Master Chen and General Yue, this servant will not stand on ceremony."
Chen Dao pulled Zhao Tong aside and whispered, "Old Yue has indeed committed a capital offense by offending the King this time. However, the situation in Ningxi is perilous. If another provincial commander takes over and suffers a defeat, my humble life will be on the line. Old Yue may have plenty of flaws, but he still knows where true power lies, and he can certainly fight. If you could see fit to..."
"This servant understands. When I return, I will speak to the King and see to it that he remains provincial commander. However, three years' forfeiture of his salary cannot be avoided."
Chapter 195