Two disciples guided Wei Yuan to the cave abode allocated to him. The cave abode was not large, but it was fully furnished with all necessary daily items. The front section consisted of a courtyard, while the rear was carved into the rock face, housing a cultivation room connected directly to a spiritual vein below.
Wei Yuan first inspected his heavenly merits. As expected, they had increased by twenty thousand, ten thousand of which had been gifted by Long-Brow. These merits were within Wei Yuan's expectations, eliciting no surprise.
Although he could not update his merits in real time while in the northern lands, Wei Yuan had maintained a rough tally in his mind, and the discrepancy would not exceed a thousand either way. Still, judging by the final total, Longying had turned out somewhat stronger than anticipated, yielding more heavenly merits than he had projected.
With such a vast amount of heavenly merits in hand, Wei Yuan had initially considered paying down a portion of his debts. However, he felt it best to consult Patriarch Xuanyue first, leaving the matter for the patriarch to decide once he emerged from secluded cultivation.
After bathing and changing into fresh robes, Wei Yuan left his cave abode to pay a visit to Zhang Sheng.
Zhang Sheng's residence was not far away. At that moment, she was leaning by the study window reading a book, serene and focused. The graceful, fluid contours of her profile seemed to emit a soft, gentle glow.
Wei Yuan stepped into the study and had walked right up beside Zhang Sheng, but under her glare, he had no choice but to take two steps back meekly and sit down in the guest seat.
Zhang Sheng set down her book and said, "How many times have I told you? Once back within the sect gate, you must never overstep decorum. True Monarchs wield great authority and possess the power to oversee heaven and earth within the mountain gate. In normal times they might be more lax, but this is wartime; the True Monarchs will not show so much restraint, and they will surely inspect every corner of the mountain gate to prevent enemies from infiltrating and stirring up trouble. Right now, you and I might very well be under the gaze of some True Monarch. Of course, out of regard for their status, they probably wouldn't eavesdrop on our conversation."
Wei Yuan said, "Surely True Monarchs don't inspect every little thing, do they? Besides, we just returned from fighting for our lives in the north—why would they keep their eyes fixed on us?"
Zhang Sheng said, "Nonsense! People like us are precisely the ones who must be watched closely. Only after some time passes and they are certain no hidden tricks were left on us by the foreign tribes will they ease their surveillance."
Such precedents were far from uncommon in history books. Anyone returning from enemy territory, whether an undercover spy on a death mission or an operative captured and released, inevitably faced a litany of complications, with suspicion and doubt running high.
Although Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan had a clean track record, no one could be sure if the enemy had planted some subtle, hidden manipulation on them. Even True Monarchs were not immune to occasional oversights.
Though Wei Yuan was bold and decisive in action, there were certain things he simply could not do under the watchful eyes of several True Monarchs.
He could only sit properly and say, "Temple Master Danming said something went wrong with your Dao heart."
Zhang Sheng cast a sidelong glance at him and said, "It has less than ten percent to do with you, so don't overthink it. To put it simply, I previously nurtured an invincible heart through my immortal swords. But after that battle across space with the Heavenly Shaman, my immortal swords shattered and the sword formation was destroyed. Yet the true crux of the matter is that I realized even if I walked this current path all the way to its end, I would still be no match for that Heavenly Shaman. That was what truly shook my heart and made me decide to rethink my path forward."
Wei Yuan fell silent for a moment, then asked, "That Heavenly Shaman ranks near the very top of the world today, doesn't he?"
"Indeed," Zhang Sheng nodded.
A Heavenly Shaman capable of casting the Karma Great Curse... within the human race, there were probably no more than three Immortals who could match him in battle. And yet, merely feeling she could not defeat him in the future had shaken Zhang Sheng's Dao heart?
Still, that was Zhang Sheng for you. Wherever she stood, her gaze was always fixed on greater heights.
With his master preparing to redefine her path of Dao, Wei Yuan had no constructive advice to offer. This road was destined to be arduous. Zhang Sheng had already been capable of overpowering legions of genius immortal foundations with just three immortal swords; once the fourth sword came into being, she had reached the absolute pinnacle. Looking across several generations past and present, only Ji Liuli and Feng Chutang could rival her. If not for Wei Yuan's Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, once Zhang Sheng's sword formation reached fruition, she would indisputably be the Palace of Grand Beginning's foremost immortal foundation.
To progress even further on that foundation—how exceedingly difficult that would be!
At this moment, bathed in sunlight, Zhang Sheng possessed an utmost, transcendent simplicity of beauty, second to none. Her hands in particular—whether holding a book or resting casually against an armrest—made it impossible to look away.
Wei Yuan quietly shifted his chair, creeping silently closer to Zhang Sheng.
Zhang Sheng looked up with an innate, imposing dignity. Wei Yuan had no choice but to halt his advance, fixing his eyes steadfastly upon her hand.
Suddenly, the five slender fingers uncurled, and her hand lifted slightly.
Wei Yuan struggled for a beat before catching her meaning. Surprised and overjoyed, yet nervous at heart, he extended his hand, only to ask hesitatingly, "Is it all right? Won't the True Monarchs notice?"
"When True Monarchs assume control of the mountain gate, their divine senses function like the gate's spirit artifact, possessed of their own autonomous sentience and not reporting every trivial detail to the True Monarchs. Such minor matters won't draw any attention."
Emboldened, Wei Yuan took her hand in his.
Outside the window, the sunlight was gentle and warm, the breeze softly soothing. Mild light flowed over the two seated hand-in-hand like a luminous stream, becoming a painting slowly unfurling in time.
No one knew how long had passed before the wind rustled the flowering trees outside. A few petals drifted in through the window and settled on their shoulders, breaking the silence.
Wei Yuan suddenly realized he had lost all track of time; two whole hours had slipped away unnoticed. And the book in Zhang Sheng's hand had remained on the very same page throughout.
Zhang Sheng smiled softly and said, "To squander a stretch of time like this isn't so bad either."
A sudden jolt went through Wei Yuan's heart, and he silently cursed. "It felt like a True Monarch's divine sense swept past just now. They... could they already know?"
Zhang Sheng replied calmly, "It doesn't matter. They would find out sooner or later anyway."
Wei Yuan's nervous heart suddenly settled into tranquil peace.
Zhang Sheng said, "There are still a few days before the Patriarch comes out of seclusion. If you have nothing else to do, you can take part in the defense of the northern mountain gate, contribute to the sect, and refine your cultivation while you're at it."
"I will."
At dusk, Wei Yuan flew all the way to a camp on the frontline and handed his identity token to a Daoist stationed there. The man was clad in heavy armor, wore a saber at his waist, and had several savage knife scars across his face, looking exceptionally ferocious.
He examined the identity token and the palace's official documents, looking Wei Yuan up and down with great care before asking, "You're the Wei Yuan who established Qingming in the west and wiped out hundreds of thousands of Shamans and Xu family private troops?"
"The very same."
The Daoist gave a booming laugh like a great bell and slapped Wei Yuan hard on the shoulder. "This poor Daoist is Xuan Tongzi, serving as a War Daoist! If nothing else, this Daoist master respects those who kill the most foreign fiends! Wait, you... your cultivation..."
Xuan Tong looked closer. Wei Yuan made no effort to conceal it; spiritual radiance billowed from his Dao power like patches of glowing mist, faintly revealing all manner of celestial phenomena. It was unmistakably a sign of perfected spirituality and perfected Dao power—only a single step away from a dharma idol.
Xuan Tong looked back at Wei Yuan's jade identity token, hardly able to believe his eyes. Even if Wei Yuan took another two or three years to achieve a dharma idol, he would still be under twenty years old. A True Person of the Dharma Idol realm under twenty would be utterly shocking.
A thought crossed Xuan Tong's mind, and he understood. "Junior Brother wants to solidify his cultivation while sharing the burden of the Palace. If so, you may choose any of these positions and hold it for seven days."
The Daoist brought Wei Yuan before a massive deployment map and pointed to several spots, all of which were critical positions.
Wei Yuan asked, "What is the overall situation on the battlefield right now?"
The Daoist unrolled another map, far broader in scope, encompassing the entire northern mountain gate and portions of the borders of various nations. Marked upon it were the current frontlines and the distribution of forces at major strategic points.
"This time, the Liao Clan has continuously reinforced their troops, mobilizing dozens of tribes totaling millions of cavalry. Nearly two million are encircling our northern mountain gate alone. The strategy of the True Monarchs is to hold the redoubts defensively and continuously bleed the Liao. Every day we battle below while the True Monarchs battle beyond the heavens, seeing who can outlast the other."
On the map, the yellow zones representing the Liao Clan had pushed deep into the south from both flanks. At this moment, the Palace of Grand Beginning's northern mountain gate resembled a mushroom, with only a thin strip connecting it to the other human realms.
The camp where Wei Yuan stood was located at the mushroom's stem; if it fell, the Liao Clan would be one step closer to completing the encirclement. Seeing this map, Wei Yuan realized just how precarious the northern mountain gate's situation was. Once the Liao forces broke through the stem and the eastern and western flanks linked up, the northern mountain gate would be completely surrounded.
The northern mountain gate originally spanned six thousand li around, but the outer thousand-plus li had already fallen into the hands of the Liao Clan.
Having commanded armies in campaign himself, Wei Yuan could tell from the map that the Palace of Grand Beginning's True Monarchs were yielding frontline territory inch by inch in exchange for slaughtering greater numbers of the Liao.
However, once the Liao Clan seized territory, they moved large armies to garrison it. Land tainted by their military qi lost all moisture and turned into lifeless, useless yellow loess. Even if watered, such soil could hardly produce crops and required years of repeated enrichment to regain fertility.
Thus, both sides' strategies were crystal clear: the Palace of Grand Beginning was destroying men, while Northern Liao was destroying land, waiting to see who would buckle first.
"Facing our direction, what powerhouses does the Liao Clan have?"
Xuan Tong said, "The primary one is Myriarch Canglei. Under him are twenty chiliarchs, with forces comprising thirty thousand elite iron cavalry, as well as a hundred thousand light cavalry and a hundred thousand infantry. Our defensive forces are distributed among a dozen or so military redoubts, totaling fifty thousand."
Wei Yuan studied the map and finally said, "I can only stay here for seven days before I must return to the Western Regions. In these seven days, my main objective is to inflict maximum casualties on the enemy."
"Junior Brother, don't take reckless risks. Hold the position first, then talk about other things," Xuan Tong cautioned.
Although Xuan Tong was of the Dharma Idol realm, Wei Yuan was only a step away from it; hence, he did not treat Wei Yuan as a junior, but interacted with him as an equal.
Wei Yuan said, "First, take me to see the warehouse. As long as you provide me with sufficient military supplies, the only thing left for you to do will be counting my military merits."
Two hours later, leading fifty elite Dao soldiers and driving four large carts, Wei Yuan arrived at the forwardmost military redoubt before nightfall. After handing over duties with the defending officer, Wei Yuan assumed command.
Afterward, Wei Yuan inspected the terrain, tallied the troops, distributed the military supplies he had brought, and assembled the armaments, preparing to bleed the Liao Clan dry.
At this precarious, storm-tossed juncture, with his cultivation nearing fruition, the time had come for Wei Yuan to repay the Palace. Even if it was only for a few days, so long as he could make even a slight difference in the war, it would be well worth it.
Chapter 375