Liu Lan looked at the bloody radiance overflowing from the altar, spilling over so intensely it seemed ready to pounce forward, scarcely able to believe his eyes. He led merely a vanguard legion, so why had he been granted so much sacrificial power? Judging by the blood light, it was at least five times the normal amount.
A premonition seized Liu Lan immediately. He summoned all the generals to the central command tent to await military orders.
Sure enough, before long, a full moon lit up in the center of the main tent. The full moon emitted a hazy moonlight that solidified into a sheet of silver frost.
The moonlight surged as if something was being gestated within. Everyone held their breath and cast their eyes downward in waiting.
First came the outline of several finger bones, vast enough to blot out a third of the night sky, extending slowly from the fractured moonlight.
A frigid, silvery luster flowed across the skin, and the pitch-black nails seemed capable of swallowing light itself. Every minute shift silently tore through the moonlight, casting a suffocating, mountain-toppling shadow.
The massive fingertip hung suspended like an invisible pressure bearing heavily down upon their chests. Many Shamans could not endure it and fell to their knees one after another. Within the moonlight, a single finger slowly lifted, churning the moonbeams, and pointed at Liu Lan.
"Before my main army arrives, I want to see sufficient military gains. I do not care what method you use—whether you expend all the sacrificial power given to you, or throw away every warrior in your legion—I want to see results! If you cannot accomplish this, then charge into the fray yourself."
Liu Lan lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly. He clearly sensed Huiye's fury; one misstep in his response, and everyone in the tent would perish.
As the moonlight faded, Liu Lan rose instantly and roared, "Prepare the main altar! I will cast the curse myself!"
Opposite the Shaman encampment, Qingming lay in dead silence. Strange low walls, along with scattered bunkers and small forts, stretched across the landscape. Casting their gaze over the expanse, the Shamans could see only cold fortifications, with hardly a person in sight.
Suddenly, a desolate, muffled war horn blared. Every Shaman warrior leaped up and surged out of their tents. The horn was the signal for a general assembly, sounded only prior to a major battle. Yet the order just issued had clearly stated that combat would not begin until tomorrow; why was the horn blowing now?
Countless Shaman warriors began mustering in a clamor. An unexpected order inevitably caused disorder, and after taking the better part of a day, the assembly was finally complete.
By this time, the horizon behind the army had been dyed a deep, heavy crimson. The great curse was fully prepared.
Next, a rank of mighty warriors two zhang tall mounted the frontline altars and beat war drums several zhang across. With every thrumming strike, the Shaman warriors felt the blood throughout their bodies surge and boil, the lust for slaughter gradually overpowering their reason.
Columns of Shaman warriors marched out of their camp and charged toward Qingming. The great war had finally begun.
Wei Yuan stood at the front lines, gazing at the dense green military qi rolling toward them like mountains in the distance. Somewhat surprised, he said, "Why are the Shamans staking everything right from the start?"
No answer was forthcoming. Just then, Wei Yuan received word from the border: having heard of the Shamans' massive invasion, Li Zhi was personally leading 150,000 elites and rushing toward Qingming; the army would arrive in three days.
Wei Yuan was overjoyed. He immediately ordered military supplies prepared and designated a flank sector for Li Zhi to defend.
There was still some time before the Shaman forces arrived, and Wei Yuan received another report: General Wei Boyang of Great Tang had arrived late, missing the Dao Foundation Grand Ceremony, only to run right into the Shaman invasion.
Wei Boyang conveyed that as a military general of Great Tang, he could not stand idly by and watch an alien race invade. Therefore, he intended to stay for a time, concealing himself outside the firmament to strike when the opportunity arose.
In addition, Wei Boyang had brought three thousand Great Tang elites and handed them over to Wei Yuan for "drilling."
The emissary's choice of the word "drilling" left Wei Yuan somewhat baffled. But these imperial officials were all shrewd operators who weighed every word carefully; they never used words by accident.
With major battle imminent, Wei Yuan had no time to waste on three thousand imperial guards, so he handed them all over to Xu Yi.
In Wei Yuan's view, Xu Yi was a battle-hardened veteran and now a dharma idol cultivator; putting him in charge of three thousand imperial guards was already paying them too much honor.
Late at night, the Shaman vanguard finally entered effective range. Instantly, ten thousand cannons fired in unison from Qingming. Shells howled as they rained down upon the Shaman army, turning the frontline into a sea of fire in the blink of an eye. The first wave of charging Shamans was nearly wiped out entirely.
"Good! Just like that, hit them hard! After three more salvos, extend the bombardment by two hundred zhang!" The results left Cui Yu thoroughly exhilarated, and he immediately adjusted the artillery deployment.
Just then, the avatar of Wei Yuan standing beside Cui Yu said abruptly, "Halt the bombardment!"
Cui Yu was startled. "Why? The Shamans are already charging!"
Wei Yuan had no time to explain. He continued issuing orders to frontline commanders, this time sending directives directly down to the rank of colonel.
The order instructed half the soldiers in the front-line trenches to pull back, and the remaining troops to withdraw into the fortresses and bunkers if they could not hold.
After prolonged construction, the underground tunnels were now dense as a spider's web. Passages connected every bunker beneath the surface, ensuring that the tragedy of defenders being wiped out fortress by fortress would not happen again.
In their first wave alone, the Shamans had committed a full nine hundred thousand troops, attacking across a hundred-li front. Now the Shamans were charging at full speed, covering the span of several li in mere moments. Individual firepower among the Qingming soldiers in the frontline trenches was not particularly dense to begin with, and having abruptly lost half their numbers, they could not suppress the Shaman charge. In the blink of an eye, the Shaman army was upon them.
Seeing that suppressing fire was insufficient, the troops in the trenches immediately retreated into the fortresses and bunkers. Relying on the fortification works, they reaped Shaman lives with rotary autocannons.
Just then, patches of bright green shone through the sky. The great curse had finally arrived!
The night sky was cast in green by the glowing emerald clouds. Massive plumes of mist descended from above, falling onto the defensive positions. Although the mist appeared thin, anyone enveloped by it—whether human or Shaman—immediately showed signs of unbearable agony, rolling on the ground until falling silent shortly thereafter.
The descent of this mist spanned a vast area, covering fifty li in length and two li in width. Its power far exceeded any blood curse of the past; even reinforced concrete turned black within the mist, bulging and bubbling on the surface.
Wei Yuan looked grave. Had he not just withdrawn half the soldiers, their losses would already be catastrophic. He had not anticipated the Shamans being so ruthless as to curse and slaughter their own warriors along with the enemy. In the green poisonous fog, the Shamans lasted no longer than the humans, collapsing almost instantaneously.
Over a hundred thousand of Wei Yuan's azure qi of human destiny vanished in an instant. When he had abruptly ordered the withdrawal earlier, his initial concern was merely that the artillery fire was too intense, and he feared scaring the Shamans out of massed charges.
The true carnage in positional warfare was not in front of the lines, but when the enemy surged into the first-line positions. Once there, the Shamans would face fire from the front, rear, left, and right—that would be the true slaughter.
Furthermore, Wei Yuan had prepared an artillery barrage. All the bunkers were constructed of concrete sandwiching steel plates, immune to shell shrapnel and indestructible unless struck directly on top. With the humans sheltered inside the fortifications, a single round of artillery saturation would leave no living thing on the battlefield.
Yet Wei Yuan had not expected the Shamans to unleash a great curse right at the outset. Nor had the Shamans anticipated that their vanguard would push forward so swiftly against so little human resistance, driving deep into the positions in one breath—only for the great curse to come crashing down upon their own heads.
The poisonous fog became a natural barrier. As long as it did not dissipate, the Shamans could not press their assault, nor could Wei Yuan retake the positions. Fortunately, the soldiers in the frontline bunkers had promptly sealed the firing slits with Dao power. Moreover, ventilation for the bunkers did not rely solely on the surface, but also drew from underground ducts, keeping them safe for the time being.
A moment later, the casualty report was delivered to Wei Yuan.
In the opening melee, Qingming had lost four thousand men, while the Shamans had suffered fifty-nine thousand casualties. However, nearly all of Qingming's casualties were fatalities, with very few wounded. Looking at the report, Wei Yuan suddenly realized something and said swiftly, "Order all troops on the second line of defense to shelter inside the bunkers!"
The order was relayed immediately, yet Wei Yuan still felt uneasy. Aided by both the Peerless Dao Domain and the Great Array of the Heavenly Starlight, his divine sense swept across the hundreds of li of defensive lines in an instant.
Wei Yuan discovered that many units had already begun relocating on their own, withdrawing into nearby bunkers and leaving only a few observers in the trenches to monitor Shaman movements.
"These guys..." Wei Yuan was both surprised and gratified.
Qingming's current colonels had essentially all undergone training at the military academy and knew the Shamans' standard tactics inside and out. The moment they saw a great curse descend, they did not wait for orders; they immediately organized their soldiers to take cover, preventing needless casualties. Colonels from the ordinary Nine States possessed no such competence, and neither did their vice generals or staff generals.
The fighting eased slightly as the Shamans' second round of the great curse fell, descending upon the second line of defense. But because the Qingming soldiers had taken shelter in the bunkers early, casualties from this strike numbered fewer than a thousand.
It would still take time for the toxic fog to clear, so Wei Yuan made use of the interval to review his reports. War with the Shamans had commenced, and at a time like this, who was a friend and who was a foe became abundantly clear.
Beyond Li Zhi personally leading 150,000 troops to reinforce them, the Ji Zhao Cui Clan sent three million Qingyuan in aid. The Xu family sent an equivalent amount, while the Bao family was far more generous, providing ten million at once. However, none of the three families sent personnel, and they had seized the moment to withdraw their juniors who had just cast their Dao foundations.
Wei Yuan was not surprised by this. The aristocratic families generally valued people far more than treasures or wealth. With the situation still uncertain, they would not place their bets prematurely.
The State of Zhao, predictably, made no move and instead strengthened its border defenses. In Western Pu, the King of Jin dispatched thirty thousand imperial guards as reinforcements, and Prince Ying mobilized ten thousand troops from the Northern Army. That was the entirety of the external reinforcements.
Wei Yuan held no expectations for Western Pu; for them to make a gesture by sending a few tens of thousands of troops was already a pleasant surprise.
At this moment, another report arrived: Elder Cui Chengxiao of the Song Cui of Qinghe had reached Qingming and requested an audience with Wei Yuan.
This news caught Wei Yuan quite off guard. Cui Chengxiao was no ordinary figure. In seniority, he was the grandnephew of Cui Zhengxing, the Immortal Ancestor of the Song Cui of Qinghe. A century ago, his cultivation had already reached the middle stage of Scenery Command, placing him among the top five within the Cui family. His sudden arrival was something even Wei Yuan had to treat with gravity.
With the Great Array of the Heavenly Starlight and the Peerless Dao Domain monitoring the entire territory, numerous avatars stationed at critical points, and the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World able to respond to emergencies in an instant, the true location of Wei Yuan's actual body was not particularly critical. Thus, Wei Yuan personally welcomed Cui Chengxiao at the immortal city, bringing Cui Yu along to demonstrate closeness.
Cui Chengxiao possessed thick eyebrows and phoenix eyes, broad shoulders, and a wide back, presenting a supremely dignified and stern presence. Seeing Wei Yuan receive him in person with Cui Yu present, he appeared satisfied and nodded slightly.
Getting straight to the point, he stated the purpose of his visit: the Song Cui of Qinghe wished to establish a boundary stone along one of Qingming's borders to acquire an enclave. In return, the Song Cui would support Qingming with all their might.
Chapter 847: Negotiations
Wei Yuan did not speak, simply waiting for what followed.
For however long Cui Chengxiao remained silent, the room stayed just as quiet, until even Cui Yu felt the oppressive tension and grew fidgety.
After a long silence, Cui Chengxiao finally nodded slightly. "A young man of extraordinary bearing and mountain-steady composure. The Palace of Grand Beginning has truly found a treasure. It is a pity your surname is not Cui."
"I thank Senior for the praise." Having uttered this single phrase, Wei Yuan fell silent once more.
Cui Chengxiao cleared his throat. "It seems you are waiting for us to lay out our terms first. Very well. Let me be blunt: the full support of the Qinghe Cui family is the full support of the State of Song. In Song, aside from the King, everyone else bears the surname Cui."
Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "Song's national power ranks in the lower-middle tier among the Nine States, perhaps slightly above Western Pu. Yet Western Pu's Northern Army is a battle-hardened force; their fighting strength is weak only because their arms are deficient and their rations perennially meager. Song has not waged war in a thousand years. Its soldiers are likely both arrogant and frail; in this harsh land of the Western Regions, I fear they would struggle to find footing."
Cui Chengxiao replied indifferently, "Whether the troops are weak or not will be known after a battle or two. Even if they are weak to begin with, so long as my Cui family does not evade battle or fear war, fighting a few battles will wash away the dross and leave them strong. Moreover, in war against foreign races, even weak forces can be forged into mighty armies."
Wei Yuan felt a surge of respect. "Lord Cui speaks with great wisdom."
"Then we have an agreement?"
Wei Yuan lapsed into silence once more.
At that moment, a faint tremor in heaven and earth could be felt within the chamber, followed by a distinct scent of blood wafting past their nostrils. It was the omen of the Shamans altering the great Dao of heaven and earth to cast a blood curse.
"Does Realm Lord Wei not need to direct the battle?" Cui Chengxiao asked without lifting an eyelid.
Wei Yuan similarly kept his gaze fixed three feet before his toes, took a sip from his teacup, and replied, "The generals on the frontline fight the Shamans every day and have long grown familiar with their tactics. There is no need for my intervention; they can make their own decisions."
"I had long heard that Qingming now possesses an army formidable enough to rival any under heaven. Catching a glimpse of it today, I see those words ring true."
"Senior flatters us."
The chamber plunged into silence once again. Cui Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, motionless and silent, his mind already wandering off elsewhere.
In Ding'an City, Bao Yun was inspecting the city's strategic supply preparations. Ding'an City was no longer small; though no longer on the front line, it backed onto the site of True Monarch Huangyun's passing. It had become Qingming's hub for the spiritual wood industry and a transit station for trade with the Shamans, with over five hundred thousand people settled within its walls.
Right then, an attendant hurried over and presented a report. "General Cui just sent a message through the system. It is of utmost urgency and must be opened by you personally."
Bao Yun unsealed the report, scanned it, and smiled. "This Senior Brother Cui has grown cunning as well."
She tucked the report away and returned first to the City Lord Manor to tidy her appearance. She changed into a formal gown that revealed luxury only in its subtle details. For hair adornment, she wore merely a single pearl hairpin dangling seven merfolk pearls of the sea race. All seven were spiritual treasures of identical size.
Her preparations complete, Bao Yun proceeded to the immortal city. When she stepped into the chamber, Wei Yuan and Cui Chengxiao were still silently nursing their tea, with an attendant already bringing in a second canister of tea leaves.
Bao Yun first bowed to Cui Chengxiao. "Bao Yun of the Bao family greets Senior Cui."
Not daring to be dismissive, Cui Chengxiao stood to return the courtesy. "I have long heard that the Bao family produced a favored daughter of heaven in this generation, and seeing you today proves it true. In another hundred years, I might well be surpassed by you."
"Senior praises me too much." Bao Yun then turned to Wei Yuan. "I arrive uninvited; the Realm Lord will not take offense, will he?"
"Naturally not." Wei Yuan summoned an attendant to arrange a seat and tea for Bao Yun.
Once seated, Bao Yun spoke up: "Back then, I staked myself to elope with you—"
Pfft!
Even with Cui Yu's relatively steady composure, he sprayed out a mouthful of tea.
Wei Yuan and Cui Chengxiao barely maintained their composure, though Cui Chengxiao's brow twitched visibly, clearly shocked as well.
Bao Yun continued: "...The Old Ancestors at home had no choice but to acknowledge the affair, taking Ding'an City as a betrothal gift. But what my Bao family returned in exchange was far, far more, serving as my dowry. Now I hear the Realm Lord plans to give away another city, so I came over to listen and see what this is all about. After all, I gave up being the future lady of Mount Qiong Immortal Island to run off to this wretched land and build a city from scratch alongside you; surely you wouldn't go and wrong me now."
Cui Chengxiao felt rather awkward. Bao Yun's words were plainly directed at him; even a three-year-old child could have understood that.
The trouble was, her words held weight. If the Qinghe Cui family wanted an enclave, did the Bao family not want one as well? As long as a clan possessed sufficient strength, no one would ever complain of having too many enclaves.
Having said what needed to be said, Bao Yun fell silent and began drinking tea without another word.
Just then, Xiaoyu's voice rang out from outside the door: "Arriving uninvited; pray the Realm Lord will not take offense."
An expression of displeasure initially flashed across Cui Chengxiao's face. But seeing the one entering was Xiaoyu, whom he did not recognize, he noted that the Star Sovereign aura about Xiaoyu was not concealed at all, and a faint azure glow floated between his brows.
Possessing sharp eyes and vast experience, Cui Chengxiao recognized at a single glance that Xiaoyu's dharma idol was the exceedingly rare Immortal Official Descending to the Mortal Realm, and that he carried immense karmic luck. Someone like this—let alone hailing from a top-tier noble clan—even if born of humble origins, carried so much karmic luck that Cui Chengxiao would not dare strike him down even if given the chance.
"And this is—?"
"Xiaoyu of the Xiao family; my grandfather is Xiao Nian." With those few words, Xiaoyu established his lineage. Xiao Nian of the Xiao family and Bao Shu of the Bao family held similar status—both served as the worldly directors representing their respective clans, well-known to every great house, and a mere mention of their names immediately identified them as direct descendants of an immortal.
Hearing this, Cui Chengxiao understood immediately. "So it is Nephew Xiaoyu. When the Xiao family held your Dharma Idol Grand Ceremony, an invitation was sent to the Cui family as well."
Xiaoyu exchanged a couple of polite pleasantries, then fixed his eyes on Wei Yuan. His expression turned icy as he snapped, "Wei Yuan! Back when you first achieved your Dao foundation, a single letter tricked me into rushing ten thousand li to your aid. When I attained my dharma idol, I rushed straight to Qingming without even staying for my clan's grand ceremony, going so far as to offend the Sword Palace for your sake! And in return, you gave me nothing but the empty title of City Lord? You won't even give me a real city? Is it that I, Shaoyang Star Sovereign, am unworthy, or is my Xiao family unworthy?!"
Delivered with resounding force, the rebuke made Wei Yuan's face flush with embarrassment, though he grumbled inwardly, suspecting that this fellow Xiaoyu was mixing public business with private grievances just to take the opportunity to scold him.
Yet no sooner had Xiaoyu spoken than the voice of Shaoyang Star Sovereign resounded in his mind: "It is enough to mention the Xiao family; do not invoke this Star Sovereign's title!"
Xiaoyu was taken aback. "It was only to put the Cui family in their place. What is wrong with that?"
"Far more than wrong! This Star Sovereign ranks only eighth! What face do I have to demand a city?! Your Xiao family may be worthy, but this Star Sovereign is not!"
Xiaoyu was instantly mortified. Recalling his booming declaration from a moment before, he felt an urge to crawl under the table. Fortunately, having inherited the true teachings of the Palace of Grand Beginning and spent so much time among the disciples of Azure Heavens Hall, he had long mastered the art of remaining unmoved like a mountain in the face of awkwardness; nothing seemed amiss on the surface.
Cui Chengxiao said to Wei Yuan, "For the Realm Lord to make such arrangements must indeed have taken great pains."
Wei Yuan gave a wry smile. "These two are my fellow disciples from the same cohort; we studied together. They are my classmates and close friends, not my subordinates. Elder Cui's words are somewhat inappropriate."
Bao Yun maintained her serene, placid smile as she remarked, "By those words, does Senior mean to say I came here merely to work for Wei Yuan? I will certainly convey that to Ancestor Manshan."
Bao Manshan was notorious for being fiercely protective of his own, ruthless, and possessing peerless strength. Back then, even True Monarch Xuanyue had suffered a slight loss from his sneak attack, which spoke volumes.
Though Cui Chengxiao held a high opinion of himself, he would not dare claim he could best Bao Manshan. He gave a soft cough and said, "This old man spoke without thinking; that was not my meaning."
He then turned to Wei Yuan. "Now that everyone's foundation is more or less known, if the Realm Lord has any questions, speak freely."
Wei Yuan's expression turned solemn. "Then I shall speak plainly. Can the Cui family's Immortal Ancestor take action?"
Chapter 845