In the end, Wei Yuan still managed to borrow a strand of otherworldly karmic luck from the Three-Eyed Bird Head. Fuyao then cut off a quarter-sized piece from the Phoenix blood moss right before Wei Yuan's eyes, cast both into Long Wushuang's corpse, and finally placed the body beneath the young Jianmu tree.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Wei Yuan stood watching it all in silence. Right then, Maiden Yin-Yang's voice suddenly sounded behind him: "A loss."
Wei Yuan remained standing motionlessly, only his fingertips trembling slightly. He asked calmly, "How much of a loss?"
"Half."
Fuyao carefully laid a layer of fallen leaves over the corpse, bit by bit covering the face as well at the end.
After some time passed like this, Long Wushuang would revive. But the Long Wushuang of that time would only retain a sliver of his original self; the greater part of his soul would have become Lei Ling, plus fragments of Silver Blade.
Wei Yuan did not watch until the end before turning to leave. Maiden Yin-Yang followed him, flying toward Central City.
Wei Yuan was silent the entire way. Maiden Yin-Yang spoke up: "Regretting it?"
Wei Yuan gave a heavy nod, then asked, "How did you know it would definitely be a loss?"
"I warned you earlier, but you insisted on doing this."
"Is there any way to recoup the loss?"
"Yes. Accept her reward."
"How much can be recouped?"
"You'll probably lose another half."
Wei Yuan was startled. "Isn't that losing everything down to the bone? How is that recouping anything?"
Maiden Yin-Yang replied, "You recoup one percent from her, and lose everything elsewhere."
Wei Yuan's heart stirred. "She won't use up all the Phoenix blood moss, will she?"
"She wouldn't dare, nor could she pull it off."
Wei Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Maiden Yin-Yang suddenly asked, "Why didn't you entrust immortal flora like the Phoenix blood moss to me? You still don't trust me!"
Wei Yuan was taken aback. He was not sure how to respond to that, but deep down, he truly harbored some wariness and guardedness toward Maiden Yin-Yang.
Fortunately, Maiden Yin-Yang did not put him on the spot. Instead, she said, "You are right to be wary of me. If you don't hand them over to me, I'll use at most half. If you do hand them over, you won't have a thing left."
Upon returning to Central City, Wei Yuan gathered all the cultivators in the Battle Saint Hall who had reached Dao Base perfection or the Dharma Idol realm. He announced that a great battle was imminent, with at most two months left to prepare, and urged everyone to seize the time to enhance their strength.
At these words, no one showed fear; instead, all were eager to test their mettle. By now, Han Li and Jun Weizhi had both reached the middle stage of the Dharma Idol realm. Fuyao had suffered a slight delay, but she too could reach middle-stage Dharma Idol before the great battle. Though Dugu Cangqiong was also in the early stage of the Dharma Idol realm, he likely would not have time to advance to the middle stage before the war.
Aside from those four, five or six others had also advanced to the Dharma Idol realm, constituting a respectable fighting force.
Cultivators within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World cultivated far faster than in the outside world. Wei Yuan had already consulted Immortal Monarch Yanshi on the matter and thus understood that the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World was still a Heart Scenery world. The Great Daos of heaven and earth here were incomplete, making breakthroughs and advancements far easier and quicker. Once the world transitioned from illusory to real, all these cultivators would have to make up for what they lacked by solidifying their foundations once more, which would be akin to cultivating all over again.
Having wrapped up all pending matters, Wei Yuan could finally settle down and concentrate on studying the Xuanhuang Bell. This was the first Dao art he would wield using the power of a Heart Scenery world, and in essence it was an immortal art. With limited time before the war, he naturally had to devote all of it to combat techniques.
Regarding the Xuanhuang Bell, the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World had devised an entirely new solution: constructing a modular, reconfigurable grand formation.
First, they would build the base of the grand formation, then construct all 361 sub-arrays on prefabricated substrates, and finally determine how many arrays to deploy based on current needs, assembling a Xuanhuang Bell of corresponding power.
This unprecedented approach left Wei Yuan immensely pleased. Going forward, cultivators in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World would be deployed to carve the arrays, while Wei Yuan's own task was to thoroughly master each of the 361 sub-arrays one by one. Only by mastering a sub-array completely could he direct its power at will and incorporate it into the Xuanhuang Bell Dao art.
This was grinding, meticulous work. From then on, Wei Yuan spent every day immersed in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, awaiting the decisive hour.
In the blink of an eye, spring arrived once more, and Yong'an City bustled with activity as always. The city now hosted numerous workshops, with a dedicated industrial zone established featuring several large factories focused primarily on cotton yarn, cloth, brocade, and spiritual wood processing. As for smaller workshops, there were far too many to count, staffed by countless workers laboring in full swing, so busy that the looms were practically smoking.
A figure flew past at low altitude, finally descending before a residence in the eastern quarter of the city. Flight was not prohibited within Yong'an City; Dao Base cultivators were permitted to fly at an altitude not exceeding five zhang, provided they strictly followed designated routes without straying. The penalties for flying erratically were severe: not only would immortal silver and merits be deducted, but one could also have their flight privileges revoked.
A fine was one thing, but having flight privileges revoked was something every Dao Base cultivator dreaded. Returning to the city and being forbidden to fly was a tremendous loss of face.
Nowadays, any decent manor in the city would have a terminal of the Great Array of the Zhou Celestial Stars installed at its gate. Once installed, the formation's surveillance intensity in the surrounding area increased unprecedentedly, leaving petty thieves and scoundrels nowhere to hide.
The person who landed before the gate was none other than Ren Suxing. Pushing the door open, he was greeted by a thick, sturdy immortal tree shading a lively courtyard where five or six young children were playing. The steward came forward to greet him, saying, "Master has returned!"
Ren Suxing nodded. "I will be staying for three days this time. If the juniors in the clan have any difficulties in their cultivation, have them report them as soon as possible."
The steward hurriedly left to spread the word. Ren Suxing made his way to the back courtyard, settled into his study, and summoned people in one after another to get an update on the family's situation.
By now, the brothers of his branch in the Ren clan had completely relocated here. In addition, several households in the clan with outstanding talent and nowhere suitable to go had also been chosen to move into Qingming together.
Ren Suxing belonged to the direct lineage of Sky Azure Hall, and he had always performed his duties conscientiously. Though he had no illustrious achievements, he had consistently put his life on the line and accumulated a substantial sum of merits. Combined with the resources his clan brought along, he had purchased a sizable residence in Yong'an City to settle his kin.
The juniors' cultivation progress pleased Ren Suxing greatly. In just two short years, three new Dao Base cultivators had emerged in the family. Diligence was one factor, but cultivation speed in Qingming had also come to rival that of the Palace of Grand Beginning's Northern Mountain Gate—and when bolstered with pills, it was scarcely inferior to the main mountain itself.
That was the mountain gate of the foremost immortal sect, after all; aside from Ren Suxing, no one else in the Ren clan had been able to enter the Palace of Grand Beginning.
While attending to family affairs, Ren Suxing suddenly felt a stir in his heart. He drew a thin jade tablet from his robe and saw large blocks of text surfacing upon it—an announcement newly issued by Qingming.
The Great Array of the Zhou Celestial Stars could not only surveil heaven and earth, but also transmit messages to designated secondary artifacts, delivering them instantaneously throughout Qingming. However, this function consumed a tremendous amount of formation power and was therefore quite costly. Only cultivators at Dao Base perfection like Ren Suxing could afford to use it.
Scanning the announcement's contents, Ren Suxing sprang to his feet, his expression shifting drastically!
The primary content of the announcement was that a new item had been added to the merit shop for redemption: Dao profound qi! Moreover, it explicitly noted that quantities were limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Dao profound qi naturally commanded an astronomical price. Yet when Ren Suxing carefully calculated his merits, he discovered that if he emptied his coffers and factored in the discount for disciples of the Palace of Grand Beginning, he actually had enough to redeem one strand.
Ren Suxing was well aware of what Dao profound qi meant for him. Without a moment's hesitation, he exited the manor and flew at full speed toward the Immortal City!
Ten days later, crimson tribulation clouds gathered above the tribulation base, unleashing seven consecutive showers of fiery rain.
When the heavenly tribulation dissipated, a cultivator charred black from head to toe walked out of the base. Despite being severely injured, he threw his head back and laughed aloud three times with unrestrained joy, declaring, "I, Ren Suxing, have also attained a Dharma Idol today!"
By then, a crowd had gathered around the tribulation base, filled with admiration and envy.
Ren Suxing brushed the tribulation ash from his body, then suddenly dropped to his knees facing the direction of the Immortal City. "The Realm Lord's grace in aiding my attainment of the Dao—I shall never forget it in this lifetime!"
He then kowtowed thrice on the ground, performing the etiquette of treating Wei Yuan as half a master.
The onlookers were somewhat bewildered, but Ren Suxing understood clearly in his heart. When he collected the Dao profound qi, Wei Yuan had sensed his presence and specifically instructed a cultivator to lead him to a secret realm. In the center of the secret realm stood a statue of a young maiden. After kneeling and praying according to the instructions, three strands of azure qi had descended upon him.
Had it not been for that karmic luck blessing him, the seven rounds of Heavenly Fire Tribulation would have reduced Ren Suxing to ashes long ago.
Having completed the rites, Ren Suxing wanted to say something more, but someone called out impatiently, "Hey, uncle, make way, please! There are plenty of people waiting behind you to undergo their tribulations! You've still got the lingering aura of heavenly tribulation on you. Not only are you blocking the path, but you might also affect someone else's tribulation."
Ren Suxing apologized profusely and hurried away.
Then, a middle-aged man in general's attire entered the base. Half a day later, he successfully crossed the Five Thunders Heavenly Tribulation and attained a Dharma Idol as well.
Within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Wei Yuan was studying the 161st array when clouds and mists suddenly coalesced before him, condensing into several azure droplets that floated before his eyes.
Azure karmic luck dense enough to liquefy into rain could only manifest from a Dharma Idol cultivator of utmost sincerity. Even Wei Yuan was taken aback, unable to fathom where this azure qi had come from.
Still, Wei Yuan felt that he had recently performed good deeds and accumulated merit... He spat several times, hurriedly expunging that phrase from his mental lexicon, and rethought his assessment: recently, he had set an example for others and accomplished many great deeds; it was only natural that someone would admire him.
Even after running through the possibilities, Wei Yuan could not figure out who could have produced azure luck of such caliber. Nevertheless, this top-grade azure luck had arrived at just the right time. Wei Yuan flicked a drop onto the array before him.
The previously obscure and esoteric array structure—incomprehensible as a heavenly tome—instantly became crystal clear. At a single glance, its meaning revealed itself naturally to him. Wei Yuan examined it closely, grasping it thoroughly in moments. Even after mastering one array, the sensation did not fade; Wei Yuan studied over a dozen arrays in a single breath before his divine awareness became veiled again, returning to its normal state.
By the time the three drops of top-grade azure luck were exhausted, Wei Yuan had comprehended over fifty sub-arrays in one go, far exceeding his expectations.
While Wei Yuan remained wholly absorbed in the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World preparing for battle, he had no idea that Qingming was already in an uproar. The appearance of Dao profound qi in the merit shop had shocked everyone. Moreover, the price for such a supreme treasure was surprisingly not exorbitant—at least, those who had shouldered heavy responsibilities in Qingming from the very beginning and had not squandered their merits had the means to redeem a strand.
Thus, on the day redemptions opened, eight strands of Dao profound qi were claimed right away, immediately driving the other cultivators mad with envy. Those who fell just slightly short did everything in their power to rack up merits, while various factions came knocking at their doors, offering hefty sums to purchase a wisp of Dao profound qi from them.
During those chaotic days, Xu Yi naturally had a strand of Dao profound qi and smoothly advanced to the Dharma Idol realm. Xu Wan'er followed closely behind. With the strand of Dao profound qi she had redeemed herself plus another strand gifted to her privately by Wei Yuan, her innate bone structure finally took a step further, and with a touch of luck, she also achieved a Dharma Idol.
Afterward, Wei Yuan emerged from seclusion. Having no time to attend to the various factions requesting an audience, he set off directly for the Northern Mountain Gate to rush toward the immortal battlefield.
Chapter 800