Wei Yuan knew full well that announcing the new system was only the beginning.
Certain noble houses and great clans had already set their sights on Qingming, infiltrating far deeper than expected.
Of the quasi-spiritual fields in Qingming, there were currently just over seven thousand mu, yet that nephew of Zhao's Duke of Xiang had dared to target nearly half of them—a telling sign of the broader picture.
This was merely the opening act; such schemes would only multiply. Under their incitement, the wartime measures might have to be lifted earlier than anticipated, or at least partially so.
Yet Wei Yuan still had no intention of conducting an exhaustive territory-wide crackdown. Instead, he would maintain a relaxed atmosphere, replacing preemptive suspicion with heavy post-facto punishment. Anyone daring to touch his reverse scales or cross his bottom line would face heightened retribution—penalized severely each and every time they were caught, just as he had handled this merchant caravan.
The goods carried by this caravan were valued at fifty thousand taels of immortal silver. Wei Yuan confiscated half, executed the two direct instigators, sentenced the remaining managers to penal military service, and left the base personnel untouched.
This was meant to inflict sharp pain on the caravan's hidden backer, while showing other caravans and the informants of various noble houses what became of those who dared tamper with Qingming's army. At the very least, they would know that Wei Yuan never hesitated to kill. Unless a True Monarch intervened in person, there would be no exceptions.
Naturally, Wei Yuan had also delivered a stinging slap to the face of that Young Master Wang. Forget a mere nephew of a duke—even if the Duke of Xiang arrived in person, Wei Yuan would not yield an inch. Every claw extended into his domain would be lopped off and sliced thin, one by one.
Of course, if the State of Zhao were to send a princess to plead on their behalf, Wei Yuan might consider showing some leniency.
While dealing with this matter, Wei Yuan actually recalled a remark Consort Yuan had once made: *The one who most wants this child dead is likely the King of Zhao.*
By the same logic, the King of Zhao would hardly wish to see a powerful Military Commissioner of Dingxi rise along his border.
Wei Yuan had long since looked into the King of Zhao's character, inclinations, and past deeds. The current King of Zhao was an ambitious ruler who constantly waged war, having fought without pause since ascending the throne. Not long ago, he had defeated the State of Ji, annexing six cities and over a thousand li of land.
The King of Zhao acted with ruthless decisiveness, though he could also be headstrong and opinionated. From his youth, he had harbored grand ambitions, bent on expanding his territory and eclipsing both the Li family of Southern Qi and the neighboring states.
Wei Yuan felt that when dealing with the King of Zhao, blind concessions were futile. One had to meet him tit for tat, making him feel in his bones that making an enemy of Qingming was not worth the cost. Only then could his improper designs be snuffed out.
This incident might have had nothing to do with the King of Zhao, but future conflict between the two sides was almost inevitable—unless Consort Yuan harbored no ambition and Qingming ceased to grow.
Back then, Consort Yuan had orchestrated a scheme to have the King of Zhao issue a decree appointing Wei Yuan, forcing the King of Jin to reluctantly name him Military Commissioner of Dingxi. Afterward, it was also a caravan from Zhao that first broke the blockade to arrive in Qingming. In those days, the relationship between Wei Yuan and Zhao had been exceedingly close. Who would have thought that in just over a year, the first signs of conflict would already emerge?
It reminded Wei Yuan of a line from Xu Wenwu's files: *There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests.*
Though according to Xu Wenwu, the main reason he remembered so many such phrases was to argue with people on the internet.
At the thought, Wei Yuan felt a touch of weariness. He then issued a new long-term task to the mortals within Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World:
Based on Xu Wenwu's files, reverse-engineer the various systems of the otherworldly realm and compare them against the laws and ritual institutions of Great Tang.
Fortunately, this was inside his own dharma idol. Had it been assigned in the outside world, this task alone would have warranted the execution of nine generations of his clan.
Having finally finished dealing with the matters at hand, Wei Yuan looked up at the star-studded sky and prepared to check on Bao Yun's New City. There was still a mountain of post-battle cleanup to do there, and it bordered the edge of the domain.
Under cover of night, Wei Yuan flew silently across the boundary, arriving above Ding'an City.
Though it was late at night, Ding'an City was ablaze with light. Countless artisans laboured busily across the city, quarrying stone on-site to repair the shattered ramparts. Another group of builders erected various structures and facilities according to the blueprints, while cultivators carried massive timbers into the city on their shoulders. The roads leading inside were still rudimentary, and freight carts moved slowly and arduously.
The first supplies brought in were ammunition for the defensive armaments, followed by newly manufactured short-barreled cannons.
Looking down from above, the figures below resembled ants, diligently erecting the new city. Working day and night, it would not take long before this place became an even more formidable fortress. The next time the Shamans attacked, they certainly would not leave behind a mere forty thousand corpses before its walls.
Watching these industrious people, Wei Yuan grew slightly lost in thought and sighed inwardly.
Mortals always had one flaw or another. They were ignorant, shallow, prone to mob mentalities, easily swayed, shortsighted, desperate for survival, and ready to commit ceaseless betrayals for petty gains. Yet give them a single sliver of hope, and they would bear hardship without complaint, brave all dangers, and follow one after another into bloody battle to the very end.
Such were mortals. Never perfect, yet there would always be those who hurled themselves into the flames for an ideal.
Thus, someone had to step forward—heedless of personal gain or loss—to lead them in surviving, moving forward, and step by step securing a better life, until, just like in that otherworldly realm, mortals could be born with inherent value and meaning.
Wei Yuan felt that, for now at least, that person ought to be himself.
Just then, a beam of bright, pure, unblemished sword-light descended from the heavens, slashing straight at Wei Yuan!
The strike gave no warning whatsoever, provoking only the faintest stir of danger when it was already upon him. Wei Yuan shifted sideways in a flash, barely evading the blade. The sword-light continued forward like a flowing brook, abruptly dislodging a stone hidden in the dark.
A warped dark silhouette surfaced within the sword-light, bearing barely discernable cavities resembling facial features. It tried to let out a shriek that should have pierced heaven and earth, yet within the sword-light, it could not make a single sound. Like a clot of silt washed away by running water, it rapidly dwindled until only its core remained.
When the sword-light vanished, a black crystal tumbled from the air, flying into Wei Yuan's hand of its own accord.
This Shaman assassin—a late dharma idol cultivator gifted with innate concealment arts—had been thoroughly obliterated.
In the darkness, a gentle, somewhat languid voice sounded: "Long have I heard of Young Master Wei Yuan's matchless reputation in the dharma idol realm. Seeing you today, your bearing is indeed extraordinary. Having just arrived, Su brought no formal gift, and so presents this Shaman scout as a modest offering. I hope you will not take offense."
A chill ran through Wei Yuan's heart. That Shaman had been lurking nearby all along, yet he had sensed nothing. And yet this newcomer had not only spotted the creature but dispatched it with a single, effortless slash.
The man's sword-light was as placid as still water—passing without a sound, without a wave, without a ripple. It was soft as nothingness yet capable of piercing anything, concealing an incomparable biting chill within. It had truly bordered on the Great Dao.
Could such an expert truly exist in this world?
Wei Yuan fixed his gaze toward the origin of the sword-light. A young master in white emerged from the night, a four-foot sword in hand, its blade as white as snow.
He possessed a delicate, refined beauty with gentle features, save for a pair of sword-like brows that carried a faint edge. His eyes held a warm, mild smile, radiating not the slightest hint of killing intent.
"May I ask who—"
The young master in white said, "Sword Palace, Su Xuejing, bearer of the sword Treading Snow on Kunlun. On a past day, my junior sister Shangguan Qianmo received your guidance and has not yet thanked you. At the time, Young Master Wei was still at the Dao Foundation realm, so Su could not ask for instruction. Having recently rejoiced to hear that Young Master Wei has attained the dharma idol realm, I traveled ten thousand li specifically to experience Young Master Wei's divine arts and methods."
Another of the Seven Palace-Guarding Swords... Wei Yuan felt somewhat helpless. How long had it been since he descended the mountain for his worldly tempering, yet he had already encountered four of the Sword Palace's Seven Palace-Guarding Swords? Fortunately, the Sword Palace only had seven such blades.
Then a thought crossed Wei Yuan's mind: could there be other titles beyond the Seven Palace-Guarding Swords? Such as the Seven Palace-Protecting Swords or Seven Palace-Defending Swords?
As if reading Wei Yuan's thoughts, the white-robed swordsman spoke unhurriedly: "Initially, Su's Treading Snow on Kunlun was merely a mortal blade. Day after day, I nourished it with divine sense, moistened it with the origin qi of heaven and earth, and honed it with the sword qi of my heart until it achieved what it is today. Thus, it is not numbered among the Seven Palace-Guarding Swords. In all of heaven and earth, there is only this one. In the future, when Su returns to heaven and earth, it shall accompany me into oblivion.
"This sword has but a single lifetime."
Wei Yuan understood. In other words, this sword was even more formidable than the Seven Palace-Guarding Swords.
Several responses flashed through Wei Yuan's mind in an instant. Drawing upon past rumors of the Sword Palace, the common traits of the disciples he had met, and his intuition regarding this white-robed swordsman, he settled on a strategy.
He then used the aura of the Yin-Yang Maiden to boost his karmic luck, promptly discarding his original plan of moral guilt-tripping in favor of binding the man to his chariot.
Wei Yuan adopted a solemn expression. "With a great enemy before us, Wei shoulders the safety of a million lives in this domain. How could I impair my combat strength for the sake of a momentary thrill? If the alien races attack at this moment, would that not be trifling with the lives and homes of the domain's people? Are the lives of mortals not lives as well?"
The white-robed swordsman raised a sword-brow, finding the words reasonable, and was momentarily struck speechless.
Yet Wei Yuan added, "Young Master Su has traveled from afar to trade pointers, and even slain a lurking Shaman Great Shaman, indirectly saving who knows how many lives in our domain. It is only right that Wei make a gesture in return. Moreover, when the Shamans' Karma Great Curse descended, in all the vast world, only Immortal Monarch Feng of your Sword Palace stepped forward in righteousness. Therefore, so long as you agree to one request, I shall fight you!"
Sword-light flared in Su Xuejing's eyes. "Speak. As long as it lies within Su's power, I agree!"
Wei Yuan drew a deep breath as though deliberating, but in truth, his divine sense returned to Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. He swiftly gathered a wisp of aura from each immortal plant, then looked toward the working mortals.
It was late at night, and many were asleep, yet the mortals bustling about within Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains still numbered over a hundred thousand.
With a wave of his hand—this being his dharma idol, where he could do as he pleased—Wei Yuan plucked a few hairs from every mortal and cast them, along with the aura of the immortal plants, into the karmic luck array, once again elevating his fortune.
Feigning deep thought for a moment, Wei Yuan finally said, "Wei's heart lies solely with the people of this domain. If I am severely injured in our duel and my strength impaired, you must protect Qingming. Should the Shamans invade, you must fight with all your might to ensure they do not succeed. However, if the various human states attack, you need not concern yourself. Once my combat strength recovers, you may take your leave."
The white-robed swordsman was visibly moved. "Rest assured. This battle is merely to determine superiority, not life and death. Should the Shamans dare come, Su may lack talent, but holding off a Nether Shaman is well within my ability. But if any human state dares disregard the greater good to launch an opportunistic raid, Su will certainly invite the elders of the Sword Palace to uphold justice!"
Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Good! Since Young Master is so magnanimous, I shall not hold back!"
A silhouette flashed in Wei Yuan's grip, and Brutality was already in hand. A dusky glow lit up at the muzzle—he opened directly with Dusk of the Immortal Path!
A profound sense of danger struck the white-robed swordsman instantly. With a grave expression, he swung Treading Snow on Kunlun. Countless streams of sword-light poured forth, meandering like melting snow runoff down a mountain slope, quietly filling the sky and earth, leaving Wei Yuan nowhere to hide.
This strike held boundless power, yet flowed silently like runoff from a snow mountain, subtly harmonizing with heaven and earth so completely that it gave Wei Yuan not the slightest premonition of danger.
Yet inside Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, every single immortal plant turned, pointing toward the origin of that initial slash!
The two guards, Wen and Wu, appeared, firing rotary flying-sword autocannons in all directions and pouring out a frantic rain of swords, finally disrupting the rhythm of the sword-light a fraction.
Longying materialized, holding three greatswords. His figure flickered three times, instantly planting the three blades at different coordinates in the sky.
At this moment, Su Xuejing—already on the verge of merging with heaven and earth—suddenly had veins throb on his forehead, bloodshot streaks surfacing in his eyes as he stared fixedly at the three greatswords.
That was the three-sword inheritance of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns, which instantly resonated with Su Xuejing, the peerless inheritor of the Sword Palace.
Right then, a tiny Human King Cauldron sprang forth from Wei Yuan, radiating brilliant light and elevating Wei Yuan's karmic luck a notch higher.
Though the increase was slight, the white-robed swordsman shuddered violently, forced out from his harmony with heaven and earth. The three inherited swords of the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns had not merely resonated with him; they had jarred him free from the ambient world.
Before Li Zhi's departure, foreseeing that Wei Yuan might face many more brutal battles, he had attached a wisp of the Human King Cauldron's karmic luck to Wei Yuan. When danger arose, it would activate on its own, granting a slight boost in fortune to turn misfortune into good luck. Though small, this karmic luck had cost Li Zhi some of his own fortune. Who would have guessed it would produce such an extraordinary effect at this critical moment?
Even so, the myriad strands of sword-light proved difficult to halt. One of them naturally pierced straight through Wei Yuan's body—and only after it had driven clean through did Wei Yuan even sense its existence!
Wei Yuan's aura and life force plummeted drastically, slashed by half in an instant.
Meanwhile, having just been jarred from his union with heaven and earth, the white-robed swordsman's sword qi was in disarray, his movement momentarily stiffening. The Yin-Yang Maiden abruptly materialized behind him, the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword slashing upward from below toward the white-robed swordsman's underarm!
Su Xuejing's crystalline sword heart nearly shattered on the spot, a curse surging to the very tip of his tongue! Fortunately, Treading Snow on Kunlun protected its master, intercepting the strike at the crucial juncture!
Yet he could already feel strands of needle-sharp sword qi!
Gripping Treading Snow on Kunlun with both hands, the white-robed swordsman wielded his blade like a mountain, parrying three rapid strikes from the Yin-Yang Maiden in a split second, forced back a hundred zhang with every block. But after three strikes, the Yin-Yang Maiden's karmic luck was exhausted, and she vanished with a look of resentful frustration.
The white-robed swordsman turned toward Wei Yuan at once, about to unleash an earth-shaking strike with his surging sword intent, when he suddenly turned his head to look west.
The Shamans had arrived.
Chapter 446