After inspecting the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Wei Yuan flew up into the sky. Driven by his divine sense, countless rocks and clods of earth rose from the sea, converging high in the air until they formed a small floating island.
Once Wei Yuan felt the area was sufficient, with a thought, courtyards, landscapes, and an ancient tree materialized on the island. He had originally considered transplanting a few immortal plants, but on second thought, each of them had its own duties, and once they advanced, they would be able to assume human form—which would inevitably lead to them gossiping. So he opted for an ordinary ancient tree instead.
When arranging the courtyard, Wei Yuan realized he possessed no real talent for design. Fortunately, there was an existing model he could copy, so he reproduced Immortal Monarch Yanshi's courtyard layout to the letter.
Afterward, Wei Yuan settled into the study and began reviewing the situation in Qingming through the numerous avatars he had left there, while dispatching the resulting tasks into the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World.
Without him realizing it, Wei Yuan had already been fighting at the northern mountain gate for half a year. During this time, Qingming had remained relatively tranquil. A few minor factions seeking to occupy the vacant lands around it had been wiped out by horse bandits, yet there were still those unafraid of death, rushing toward the Western Regions in endless waves.
People constantly tried to send word to Qingming, urging it to show mercy to these petty factions with promises of future favors and the like.
Carving out turf right beside Wei Yuan crossed his bottom line. Thus, regardless of who came pleading or pulling strings, Wei Yuan's avatars had only one reply: "The realm lord said he isn't here."
Whenever anyone attempted to gain a foothold on Qingming's borders, Wei Yuan showed no leniency. He did not care whether they were doorkeepers to the Left or Right Prime Minister of Jin, or the bastard son of some Zhao prince's brother-in-law—they were eradicated without exception. And when his forces struck, they gave no thought to restraining casualties: anyone who dared resist was slain on the spot, leaving none merely wounded.
Wei Yuan's stance was unmistakable: if you want room to grow, enter Qingming. The lands outside will all be mine sooner or later, and no one else is permitted to lay a finger on them.
The sole exception was the Clear Water Domain, but that was the work of the King of Zhao. Other factions that fell short of the King of Zhao's stature simply did not qualify.
Over the past half-year, Qingming had steadily taken in another million displaced refugees, bringing its total population to over five million. In the depopulated ancient eras, this would have constituted a small country.
With more people, opening farmland became much easier. Qingming had already cleared fourteen million mu of fields and was in the process of reclaiming another two million mu.
At that moment, an official dispatch from the Court of Affairs was delivered to Wei Yuan by a Dao Foundation warrior.
The dispatch stated that Qingming had not held breakthroughs for Dao Foundation cultivators in four months. A total of thirteen thousand cultivators at peak Body Casting had accumulated, and in addition, there were over five thousand rogue cultivators and members of aristocratic clans who had already paid their fees and were prepared to advance.
The document inquired whether Wei Yuan could make a trip back to preside over the breakthrough ceremony.
This was a major affair. Wei Yuan promptly approved it, ordering the Dao Foundation Advancement Grand Ceremony to be held in half a month.
Afterward, he exited the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World and sought out True Monarch Danming, who was currently on duty, proposing to take a contingent of Dao soldiers at peak Body Casting back to Qingming to attempt their breakthrough to the Dao Foundation.
Previously, after multiple rounds of training through Qingming, virtually all promising Dao soldiers at the northern mountain gate capable of advancing had already done so. Now, as the war progressed, a new crop of cultivators at peak Body Casting had emerged, and Wei Yuan intended to bring them back to Qingming together for their advancement.
Danmingzi glanced over the list and nodded. Withdrawing five thousand peak Body Casting warriors in one go would weaken the defensive line considerably, but True Monarch Danming did not object. He simply told Wei Yuan to go ahead boldly, as the defensive line would be held by old fellows like them.
Over the next few days, Wei Yuan was busy compiling rosters, transferring personnel to assemble in the rear, and having Qingming officers brief them on matters regarding the Dao Foundation breakthrough—happily occupied from dawn to dusk.
The day before returning to Qingming, Immortal Monarch Yanshi suddenly sent someone to summon Wei Yuan.
For the past month, Wei Yuan had not seen Immortal Monarch Yanshi; other True Monarchs had stood in for his lessons. When they met this time, Yanshi was sitting upright and sipping tea, still using that chipped teacup. Wei Yuan instinctively glanced toward the corner of the courtyard—the kiln was still burning, and the teacups inside surprisingly had yet to finish firing.
Once Wei Yuan took his seat, Yanshi asked, "You intend to withdraw a cohort of backbone Dao soldiers to Qingming for training?"
"Yes. There are five thousand men in this cohort. With any luck, perhaps six or seven hundred will achieve the Dao Foundation, which would significantly bolster our combat strength."
"Mm, very well. However, the Lesser State Preceptor of Northern Liao calculated as much and has returned to the front lines, aiming to launch a surprise attack while you are away."
Wei Yuan was startled. "There are two immortals facing us now?"
Yanshi gave a faint smile and replied, "Without that dog of his, he isn't even worth half an immortal. Coming here makes him nothing more than an ornament."
Wei Yuan did not share that view. No matter how weak an immortal was, he was still a true immortal. The peak Scenery Command cultivators might contend with one briefly, but defeating one in battle was virtually impossible. Of those who managed to ascend to immortality, who had not been among the very foremost figures of their generation among Scenery Command cultivators?
Knowing what Wei Yuan was thinking, Yanshi said, "You need not worry; just attend to your own affairs. With the Lesser State Preceptor added to the mix, securing a victory will indeed pose a bit of a challenge for me, but it is merely a challenge."
Wei Yuan grasped the unsaid meaning behind Yanshi's words: *He cannot lose.*
Yanshi continued, "Over the past half-year, the Liao Clan has lost two million troops in all, nearly half of them at your hands. Everyone has witnessed this achievement, so now the time has come to place a heavier burden on your shoulders."
Wei Yuan felt a jolt within and sat bolt upright. "Grandmaster, please give your command."
Yanshi said, "First, the Sixth and Eighth Garrisons flanking you shall both fall under your command from now on."
This meant the heavy responsibility of two hundred thousand Dao soldiers, but Wei Yuan had commanded armies of hundreds of thousands before, so he agreed without hesitation.
Yanshi then brought out a miniature golden hall, roughly the size of a small gold seal, and set it before Wei Yuan. "This is the sixth Dao Soldier Hall refined by the palace. After conferring with the hall masters and view masters, we have decided to bestow it upon you."
Wei Yuan was thoroughly astonished and blurted, "A Dao Soldier Hall, produced only once every three hundred years?! How could your disciple possess the merit or virtue to receive such an immortal treasure?"
Yanshi pressed a hand downward to calm him. "The contributions you have made to the palace over these years have not gone unnoticed. Qingming cannot be allowed to fall now. Once it is nurtured for several more decades, the Shattered Lands will gradually mend. At that time, Qingming will face grave peril, so this Dao Soldier Hall is a measure to prepare for the coming storm."
Yanshi then instructed him in the methods of using and refining the Dao Soldier Hall.
The Dao Soldier Hall was an immortal treasure exclusive to the Palace of Grand Beginning, craftable only once every three hundred years. It was the core reason why the Palace of Grand Beginning could command vast legions of Dao soldiers, establish three mountain gates in succession, and withstand Northern Liao without falling.
Once refined and established, the Dao Soldier Hall would take root in the designated domain, fusing with the boundary stone to become a magnificent great hall. Those who wished to become Dao soldiers had to register their names in the hall, leaving behind a portion of their primordial spirit and blood essence, and thereafter cultivate the Body Casting art unique to the Dao Soldier Hall.
These recruits were reserve Dao soldiers; only when they completed the technique and reached peak Body Casting would they advance to become true Dao soldiers, unlocking the profound marvels of the Dao Soldier Hall and receiving its blessings.
All Dao soldiers were invisibly linked as one through the Dao Soldier Hall, sharing glory and suffering alike. Blessed by the Dao Soldier Hall, both their offense and defense were vastly enhanced. Moreover, until the number of Dao soldiers reached its limit, the potency of the blessing would scale upward as their numbers grew.
The more numerous and formidable the Dao soldiers, the greater the blessing bestowed upon them. In earlier days, when Wei Yuan had trained a great number of Dao Foundation cultivators for the Palace of Grand Beginning, all Dao soldiers linked to the corresponding Dao Soldier Halls had received tremendous enhancements as well.
Beyond offense and defense, formal Dao soldiers protected by the Dao Soldier Hall gained vastly heightened resistance to curse killings, blood curses, misfortune, diseases, and other such arts. In the case of the Shaman Race, for instance, a blood curse capable of striking down an ordinary Dao Foundation cultivator would fail to kill even a peak Body Casting warrior among the Dao soldiers.
This Dao Soldier Hall had a capacity of fifty thousand Dao soldiers. As Wei Yuan accepted the golden seal, he had already thought of the source for his soldiers: the Xu family youths in the new city, along with the numerous high-grade sacrificial offerings, would be enough to fill the vast majority of the slots.
Chapter 710