Chapter 447: The Young Master Without Peer (Thank You, Patron Yoseiren 2024)

Little Wei Yuan knew very well that the announcement of the new system was only the beginning.

Now, some aristocratic families and great clans had already turned their eyes toward Qingming, and their infiltration was even more severe than imagined.

In Qingming, the current quasi-spiritual fields amount to no more than seven thousand mu; the fact that Zhao Guo's Duke Xiang's nephew could target half of them speaks volumes.

This matter is merely the opening chapter; it will only grow more frequent in the future. Under their incitement, wartime policies might be canceled earlier than expected—or at least partially revoked.

But Little Wei Yuan still had no intention of launching a full-scale investigation; instead, he would maintain a relaxed atmosphere, replacing it with severe post-facto punishments, escalating penalties for those who dared cross the forbidden line—punishing each offense as harshly as he had punished this merchant caravan.

The caravan carried goods worth fifty thousand taels of immortal silver; Little Wei Yuan confiscated half, executed the two direct masterminds, conscripted the remaining managers, but left the basic personnel untouched.

This was meant to make the caravan's behind-the-scenes boss feel the pain, and to let other merchant caravans and the secret agents of various aristocratic families know what fate awaited those who dared touch the Qingming army. At the very least, they must know that Little Wei Yuan never hesitated to kill—unless a True Lord appeared in person, there would be no exceptions.

Naturally, Little Wei Yuan had also slapped the so-called Prince Wang across the face. Even if Duke Xiang himself had come, Little Wei Yuan would not have yielded an inch; every outstretched claw would be chopped off—and sliced finely.

Of course, if Zhao Guo sent a princess to plead on behalf of the prince, Little Wei Yuan might be willing to make minor concessions.

While handling this matter, Little Wei Yuan recalled something the Imperial Consort had said: the one most eager for this child's death was likely the Zhao King. Likewise, the Zhao King would not wish for a powerful Military Governor of Dingxi to emerge on Zhao Guo's border.

Little Wei Yuan had long investigated the Zhao King's temperament, habits, and life history. The current Zhao King was diligent and ambitious, constantly waging wars; since ascending the throne, he had never paused in battle. Recently, he had just defeated Ji Guo, seizing six cities and over a thousand li of land.

The Zhao King acted decisively and ruthlessly, yet sometimes stubbornly clung to his own views. From childhood, he had harbored grand ambitions, determined to expand territory and overshadow the Li family of Southern Qi and surrounding states.

Little Wei Yuan believed that merely yielding to the Zhao King was useless. He must be met head-on, made to feel viscerally that opposing Qingming was not worth the cost, to quash his unwarranted ambitions.

This incident might have nothing to do with the Zhao King, but future conflict between the two sides was almost inevitable—unless the Imperial Consort had no ambitions, and Qingming ceased to grow.

Years ago, the Imperial Consort had engineered the Zhao King's edict to enfeoff Little Wei Yuan, forcing the Jin Wang to reluctantly appoint Little Wei Yuan as Military Governor of Dingxi. Afterward, it was Zhao Guo's merchant caravans that first broke the blockade and arrived in Qingming. At that time, relations between Little Wei Yuan and Zhao Guo had been quite close; yet barely a year later, signs of conflict had already emerged.

This reminded Little Wei Yuan of a line from Xu Xu Wenwu's records: "There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests."

But according to Xu Xu Wenwu, he remembered such phrases mostly for arguing and baiting people online.

Thinking of this, Little Wei Yuan felt a flicker of weariness, then assigned the people of the mortal world a new long-term task: reverse-engineer the institutions of the world beyond the heavens based on Xu Xu Wenwu's records, and compare them with the laws and rituals of Great Tang.

Fortunately, this was within his own Dharma Form; had it been done outside, merely this task alone would warrant execution of nine clans.

After finally finishing the matters at hand, Little Wei Yuan gazed at the star-strewn sky and prepared to visit Bai Yun's new city. There, too, were countless post-war tasks to complete, and it lay right on the border of the Restricted Zone.

Under cover of night, Little Wei Yuan silently flew across the boundary and arrived above Ding'an City.

Though it was deep night, Ding'an City was still brightly lit; countless craftsmen labored within, quarrying stone on-site to repair the shattered city walls. Another group of craftsmen were constructing buildings and facilities according to blueprints, while vast quantities of timber were being carried into the city by cultivators. The roads into the city remained crude, with carts slowly and painfully moving forward.

The first batch of supplies delivered were ammunition for the city's defensive weapons, followed by newly forged short-barreled cannons.

From above, Little Wei Yuan looked down at the tiny figures below, like ants, diligently building a new city. They worked day and night; soon, this place would become a stronger fortress. Next time the Witch Clan attacked, they would not merely leave forty thousand corpses before the walls.

Watching these busy people, Little Wei Yuan fell into reverie, silently moved.

Mortals always have flaws—they are foolish, shallow, a rabble, easily swayed, focused only on the present, always seeking to survive, and quick to betray for a scrap of gain. Yet give them a glimmer of hope, and they will toil without complaint, fear no hardship, and charge forward relentlessly to fight enemies to the death.

That is what mortals are: never perfect, yet always someone willing to fly like a moth toward an ideal.

So someone must step forward, regardless of personal cost, to lead them to survive, to move forward, to gradually gain a better life—until, like the world beyond the heavens, mortals may be born with value, born with meaning.

Little Wei Yuan felt that, at least now, that person should be himself.

At that moment, a bright, pure, utterly unblemished sword light descended from beyond the heavens, slashing straight at Little Wei Yuan!

This sword strike carried no warning; only when it drew near did Little Wei Yuan sense a faint alert—he instantly sidestepped, barely avoiding the blade. The sword light continued forward, like a flowing stream, suddenly striking a hidden rock beneath its surface.

A twisted shadow emerged within the sword light, barely possessing hollows resembling facial features, then let out a scream meant to shatter heaven and earth. But within the sword light, it emitted no sound—like mud washed away by flowing water, it rapidly shrank to its final core.

When the sword light vanished, a black crystal fell from the air and flew automatically into Little Wei Yuan's hand.

This Witch Clan assassin, at the late Dharma Form stage with a hidden cultivation talent, was utterly annihilated.

In the night, a soft, slightly languid voice spoke: "I've long heard of Prince Little Wei Yuan's invincible Dharma Form. Today, seeing it with my own eyes, I confirm your extraordinary grace. Su Mou has just arrived and brought no gift—so I offer you this Witch Clan spy as a humble token. I hope you will not disdain it."

Little Wei Yuan's heart tightened. This Witch Clan assassin had been lurking nearby, yet he had sensed nothing. Yet this man not only detected it—he had slain it effortlessly.

This man's sword light was as plain as water, silent after passing, without ripples or waves, soft as nothing, yet utterly invincible, concealing an icy, peerless force—truly approaching the Dao.

Could there truly be such a master in this world?

Little Wei Yuan fixed his gaze on the source of the sword light and saw a white-robed young lord emerge from the night, holding a four-foot-long sword, its blade as white as snow.

He was strikingly beautiful, with a gentle face, only his sword-like eyebrows hinting at sharpness, his eyes filled with warm smiles that conveyed not the slightest hint of malice. "May I ask who you are…?"

The white-robed young lord said: "Jiangong. Su Su Xuejing. My sword is 'Treading Snow on Taxis Kunlun.' On that day, my junior sister Shangguan Shangguan Qianmo received your guidance, yet I never thanked you. Back then, you were still at the Dao Foundation stage, and I could not seek your counsel. Recently, I heard you have achieved Dharma Form, so I came ten thousand li specifically to test your Dao and spiritual powers."

Another of the Seven Swords of Jiangong… Little Wei Yuan felt a touch of weariness. How long had he been on his journey since descending the mountain, and already he'd encountered four of Jiangong's Seven Swords. Fortunately, Jiangong had only seven such swords.

But Little Wei Yuan wondered: could there be other titles beyond the Seven Swords of Jiangong? Perhaps the Seven Guardian Swords, or the Seven Palace Guard Swords?

The white swordsman seemed to sense his thoughts and said slowly: "My 'Treading Snow on Taxis Kunlun' was originally an ordinary sword. I nurtured it daily with my spiritual sense, moistened it with celestial primordial energy, and honed it with my inner sword qi—until it became what it is today. Thus, it is not among Jiangong's Seven Swords. In heaven and earth, there is only one such blade. When I return to heaven and earth, it will depart with me."

"This sword has only one lifetime."

Little Wei Yuan understood: this sword was even stronger than Jiangong's Seven Swords.

Little Wei Yuan's mind instantly flashed through several possible responses, then, based on Jiangong's past reputation, the common traits of those he'd met from Jiangong, and his intuition toward this white-robed swordsman, he settled on one strategy.

He then used the Yin-Yang aura of the girl to elevate his own fortune, abandoning his original moral-bonding scheme and switching to the war-chariot-binding scheme.

Little Wei Yuan said solemnly: "With a great enemy looming, I bear the safety of a million souls across the entire Restricted Zone. How could I risk my combat strength for a fleeting moment of satisfaction? If the alien race attacks now, wouldn't that be playing with the lives of the people of this zone? Are mortal lives not lives?"

The white swordsman's sword-like eyebrows lifted slightly; he found this reasonable and fell momentarily silent.

!.

But Little Wei Yuan added: "Prince Su has traveled far to meet me with sword and friendship, and has slain a hidden Witch Clan Grand Witch—indirectly saving countless lives in the Restricted Zone. I must show my gratitude. And when the Witch Clan's great curse fell, though the world was vast, only Jiangong's Feng Immortal stepped forward righteously. So if you agree to one request of mine, I will fight you!"

Su Su Xuejing's eyes instantly flared with sword light: "Say it. Whatever I can do, I promise you."

Little Wei Yuan took a deep breath, as if deliberating, but in truth his spiritual sense returned ten thousand li to the River and Mountains, swiftly drawing one aura from each immortal plant, then glanced again at the mortals working below.

It was deep night; many were asleep, yet over a hundred thousand mortals labored within the River and Mountains.

Little Wei Yuan immediately waved his hand—within his Dharma Form, he could do as he pleased—and plucked several hairs from each mortal, mingling them with the immortal plant auras, then threw them all into the Fortune Array, further elevating his fortune.

After feigning thought for a moment, Little Wei Yuan said: "I care only for the people of the Restricted Zone. If I am severely wounded after our duel and my combat strength declines, you must protect Qingming. If the Witch Clan attacks, you must fight with all your might to prevent their success. But if any human kingdom attacks, you need not intervene. Once my strength recovers, you may depart."

The white swordsman's expression softened slightly: "Rest assured, this duel decides only superiority, not life or death. If the Witch Clan dares come, I, though unworthy, am confident I can handle a single One You Wu. But if any human kingdom dares act against the greater good and strike in chaos, I shall summon Jiangong's elders to uphold justice!"

Little Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes: "Good! Since you are so magnanimous, I won't be polite!"

Little Wei Yuan's spear-shadow flashed—'Brutality' was already in hand—and a dim yellow glow ignited at its tip: he opened with Immortal Road at Dusk!

The white swordsman instantly felt intense danger, his expression grim. He swung 'Treading Snow on Taxis Kunlun,' and countless sword lights flowed like meltwater from a snowy peak, winding silently, filling heaven and earth, leaving Little Wei Yuan nowhere to evade.

This sword strike was immensely powerful, yet as quiet as snowmelt, blending seamlessly with heaven and earth—so much so that Little Wei Yuan felt no danger at all.

Yet within the mortal world, all immortal plants turned simultaneously toward the origin of that first sword strike!

The Two Wei Warriors appeared, wielding rotary flying sword machine cannons, spraying torrents of sword rain, finally disrupting the rhythm of the sword lights.

Long Ying appeared, holding three giant swords, his figure flashing thrice as he plunged each giant sword into the air at different locations.

Su Su Xuejing, nearly merged with heaven and earth, suddenly felt a faint vein bulge on his forehead, bloodshot lines appearing in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the three giant swords.

These were the three inherited blades of the Wan Shi and Thousand Autumns Sword—immediately resonating with Su Su Xuejing, the peerless heir of Jiangong.

At that moment, a tiny human king's cauldron suddenly leapt from Little Wei Yuan's body, radiating light and further elevating his fortune slightly.

Though the increase was minor, the white swordsman trembled violently, emerging from his fusion with heaven and earth. The three inherited blades of the Wan Shi and Thousand Years Sword had not only resonated with him—they had forcibly shaken him loose from his union with the cosmos.

This tiny cauldron was an aura of the Human King's Cauldron left by Li Zhi before departing, meant to bolster Little Wei Yuan's fortune in times of crisis, turning misfortune into fortune. Though the aura was small, it consumed Li Zhi's own fortune—and now, unexpectedly, it proved miraculous.

Yet the myriad sword lights remained unstoppable; one naturally pierced through Little Wei Yuan's body—only when it had fully passed through did he realize its presence!

Little Wei Yuan's vital energy plummeted, half of it directly severed by that single sword light.

Meanwhile, the white swordsman had just been shaken free from his fusion with heaven and earth, his sword qi in chaos, his form momentarily sluggish. The Yin-Yang Girl suddenly appeared behind him, and the Crimson Night Slayer Sword slashed upward from below, aimed at his groin!

Su Su Xuejing's pure sword heart nearly shattered; an oath nearly burst from his lips! Fortunately, 'Treading Snow on Taxis Kunlun' protected its master, blocking the strike at the last possible instant.

But he now sensed needle-thin sword qi.

The white swordsman gripped 'Treading Snow on Taxis Kunlun' with both hands, wielding it like a mountain, instantly blocking three strikes from the Yin-Yang Girl—each block forced him back a hundred zhang. After three strikes, the Yin-Yang Girl's fortune was exhausted and vanished in resentment.

The white swordsman immediately turned toward Little Wei Yuan, ready to unleash a devastating sword strike with his full boiling sword intent—when suddenly he turned his head westward.

The Witch Clan had arrived.

(End of Chapter)