Chapter 114: This Land Bears the Surname Wei! (Extra Chapter 10)

Xu Jingfeng laughed three times, then turned to Xu Waner and said softly, “Put down the sword. Haven’t you been listening to your cousin’s words?”

Xu Waner gripped the sword tightly and gritted her teeth: “Ever since you killed Father, I am no longer of the Xu family!”

Xu Jingfeng smiled: “I was going to spare you some dignity, but since you say so, I won’t be polite—I’ll take you right here, in front of all these people, and see how long your stubbornness lasts!”

A junior disciple beside him suddenly cried: “Cousin, save me! I’m about to die!”

Xu Jingfeng glanced at him and said, “Worthless fool. Spent years as a spy and accomplished nothing. Die if you must—our Xu family doesn’t feed trash!”

Finally, his gaze fell on the motionless Yun Feifei. His eyes burned with desire; he licked his lips and murmured, “Truly a masterpiece.”

In the main hall, Wei Yuan suddenly looked up and saw the ceiling of the stone chamber vanish as if erased, large swathes disappearing. Above the hall stood an old man, releasing waves of yellow mist that eroded the ground. In moments, the hall had sunk several zhang lower, fully exposing the stone chamber.

The old man looked down at Wei Yuan, surprised: “Are you a junior disciple of the Tai Chu Palace?”

Wei Yuan bowed: “Indeed. I’ve come under orders to retrieve something from this place.”

This old man had appeared out of nowhere—he was a Law Form True Person. A layer of ink-green mist clung to his eyes; one glance made Wei Yuan feel ill, as if his spiritual sense had been pierced.

This ink-green mist damaged spiritual sense and dissipated fortune. Its rank was exceedingly high—far beyond Law Form. Clearly, it was this mist that allowed the old man to detect the underground chamber. Otherwise, though Wei Yuan had activated Qingming, the chamber still brimmed with devotional energy, and even a Law Form True Person would have unconsciously overlooked it.

“I am Xu Guanwen, Sixth Elder of the Xu family, in charge of external affairs. Which master sent you? What are you here to retrieve?”

“I act under the orders of the Immortal Lord. As for what I seek, I cannot disclose it.”

Wei Yuan sensed something amiss and, without showing it, raised the banner of Immortal Lord Tinghai.

Xu Guanwen’s gaze fixed on Qingming; his breathing grew heavy. Then his face lit up with ecstatic joy: “The Ancestor’s divine decree was correct—it truly is this artifact! Junior disciple, step aside. Don’t damage our ancestral treasure!”

“Elder Xu, you’re mistaken. If you claim this is an ancestral treasure, do you even know its name?”

Xu Guanwen chuckled, stroking his beard: “Junior disciple, clever indeed. Very well—our Ancestor has long been close to Immortal Lord Pei. I’ll tell you, since it won’t hurt. This is the ancient world-stone Qingming, a divine artifact. Centuries ago, a traitor in our family stole it, and we never imagined it fell into the hands of the Lan Shen Palace, hidden here. Had our Ancestor not issued the divine decree ordering us to seek it, this divine relic would have remained buried.”

Wei Yuan hadn’t expected Xu Guanwen to reveal Qingming’s name—but he believed none of the old man’s other words.

Though the old man smiled warmly and looked benevolent, thick black-red mist clung to his body, reeking of overwhelming blood. Behind him hovered a faint, shifting shadow—as if it sought to tear Wei Yuan apart. These were the supernatural signs that appeared only when the Questioning Immortal Method was active!

That meant Xu Guanwen, even if not the one who attacked Wei Yuan in the divination, was at least connected to him. Wei Yuan had used the Immortal Lord’s array-disc in his divination—equivalent to Immortal Lord Tinghai striking from afar—and thus divine signs manifested. Now, seeing Xu Guanwen, he immediately sensed the falsehood.

Xu Guanwen saw Wei Yuan’s expression and said: “You needn’t believe me. Return to your Tai Chu Palace elders and verify it yourself. Now step aside—I’m taking the divine artifact. Don’t get hurt by accident.”

“Wait. This artifact has taken root—it cannot…”

Xu Guanwen had no patience for a mere junior. He swept his sleeve, flinging Wei Yuan aside. The surging ink-green mist scattered the devotional energy in the chamber. His hand shot out—and Qingming let out a mournful cry as it was ripped from the ground.

Watching Qingming float in midair, Wei Yuan was stunned and furious.

Forcing this ancient world-stone from the earth would accelerate the degradation of the surrounding thousand-li region. Everyone living on the former land of Ningxi would die within three months.

Ningxi County once held one and a half million people. Though years of war had ravaged it, many still clung to life in hidden corners. Human life was resilient—even the people of Quiliu Town’s northern district still fought to survive. At least several hundred thousand mortals remained across the former Ningxi lands. Powerless to flee, they could only perish on their own.

Wei Yuan forced down his rage: “Elder Xu, if you pull Qingming away, tens of thousands in this county will have no hope. Has the Xu family prepared to relocate them?”

Xu Guanwen slowly lifted Qingming as he replied: “This is Xu family land. These people are our subjects. Their survival so far has been our grace. Junior disciple, you meddle too much. Whether they live or die is none of your concern.”

Wei Yuan’s face turned cold: “So you’re refusing to give these people even a chance at life?”

Xu Guanwen’s tone was now impatient: “This is Xu family land! How many die is your business? If you want to meddle in such matters, wait until you reach Law Form!” Wei Yuan replied coldly: “So you’ll just hand over six thousand li of territory, cultivated for centuries?”

Xu Guanwen roared: “Insolent brat! If you speak another word, I’ll erase you!”

Wei Yuan suddenly appeared beside Qingming, pressed his hand against it, activated the array, and drove it back into the earth. The world-stone awoke—and the ten thousand miles of land resonated with Qingming. Suddenly, a beam of emerald light shot skyward!

Qingming instantly became as heavy as a mountain. Even Xu Guanwen’s Law Form could not hold it—he was forced back by Wei Yuan’s hand as Qingming merged once more with the land, inseparable.

Xu Guanwen cried out: “What did you do?!”

Wei Yuan spoke slowly, each word clear: “The people you don’t want—I protect. The land you dare not claim—I guard.”

“From this day forward, this land bears the surname Wei!”

Xu Guanwen was stunned and furious. With his knowledge, he knew Qingming had just recognized Wei Yuan as its master. This was a divine artifact! Even he dared not dream of such a thing. This brat was merely Foundation Establishment—how? How dare he?!

Xu Guanwen’s eyes blazed with malice. He hissed several “good” words through clenched teeth: “I planned to let you live a few more days, to deal with you quietly after finishing my current affairs. Since you’re eager to die, I’ll oblige. Don’t worry—I won’t let you die easily. I’ll shatter your Foundation Establishment, make you scream for three days and three nights before you perish!”

Wei Yuan felt a crushing weight. Countless ink-green chains materialized, binding him tightly, immobilizing him.

Wei Yuan struggled desperately—but a Law Form’s wrathful strike was no mere Foundation Establishment could resist. No matter how he fought, he could not move.

!.

Xu Guanwen could not fathom how a divine artifact of such legendary origin had chosen Wei Yuan as its master—right before his eyes! This humiliation was like a goddess he’d longed for for years choosing, before his very eyes, a worthless fool inferior in every way.

Now, Xu Guanwen’s envy and hatred were beyond measure. He poured all his power into the air, where a colossal bird-claw slowly took shape. But the land’s veins were shattered, and fragments of the cave-dimension disrupted spiritual flow—forming the Law Form was agonizingly difficult.

Seeing the bird-claw Law Form in the air, Wei Yuan’s mind stirred. He suppressed the Immortal Lord’s divine thought he had been about to unleash.

As Xu Guanwen struggled to form his Law Form, he taunted his prey: “You think Qingming’s recognition means I’m powerless? I’ll still drag it back. Then I’ll have my Ancestor suppress it, shatter it, and reforged it into ten pieces of world-stones! Though regrettable, they’ll be Xu family world-stones—better than a divine artifact in another’s hands. As for these tens of thousands? They’ll die with you. Let them keep you company in the underworld.”

“Oh, I almost forgot—I already have several Tai Chu Palace disciples in my grasp. One senior brother is already on his way to meet you. Your two senior sisters are quite lovely—I’ve been using them. When I’m done, I’ll send them to find you.”

Wei Yuan strained against his bonds: “Aren’t you afraid the Immortal Lord will unleash his thunder?”

Xu Guanwen sneered: “Do you think only Tai Chu Palace has an Immortal Lord? Does my Ancestor not rank as one? Since you’re dying, I’ll let you die knowing: our Ancestor means to teach Tai Chu Palace a lesson! Stay in the north—Yun, Gan, Ning are enough for you. Why stick your hands into Ningxi? If you want to feast here, first ask the Xu family!”

Suddenly, the hall was flooded with ink-green mist. Thick, damp, fishy stench spread everywhere. The ground glistened with wetness. A mound of flesh, ten feet tall, glided in, riding the water. It wore a strange cloak; its neck was thicker than its head, embedded with three human faces. Several octopus-like tentacles writhed from beneath its robes.

The monstrous Wu Yu clan creature spoke in stiff Da Tang official dialect: “Why waste words with this inferior creature? The Lord’s forces are assembled. When will you finish here? The Lord is coming to collect the people!”

Xu Guanwen replied: “What’s the hurry? These tens of thousands won’t run. Besides, you’ll need time to feed them before using them. Let me deal with this brat first—let me vent my anger.”

“Do as you please, but if you delay the Lord’s affairs, you’ll pay with ten thousand lives!”

Xu Guanwen’s face darkened. “You’re new, aren’t you? How dare you speak to me like this? You’re not even Law Form—I could crush you with one claw! Without us Xu family, do you think you could take people so easily? Your Lord must be tired of his swift cultivation—he wants more obstacles.”

The flesh-mound creature grew furious, whipping its tentacles against the ground, cracking tiles and stone. But it clearly feared Xu Guanwen and dared not strike.

Xu Guanwen grinned savagely at Wei Yuan: “You’ve learned what you shouldn’t know. It’s time to go.”

The colossal bird-claw Law Form finally formed. It descended, plunging into Wei Yuan’s spiritual sea, manifesting as a thousand-zhang claw upon the boundless earth. Four hundred-zhang talons drove deep into the land, then tore upward!

The boundless earth trembled slightly. Beneath Yushan, a few pebbles bounced and rolled, shifting their positions.

(End of Chapter)