Chapter 1024: Shu General (Bonus chapter 2/2, thanks to Justin)

The Gu Yan Desert.

A torrential downpour fell, turning the four borders into a quagmire. A caravan was speeding along a hidden path in the shadows.

Cries of grief filled the air. A pitch-black coffin was placed in the carriage, and the cultivators below all lowered their heads and wept, appearing solemn. The man at the very front was dressed in white, looking utterly soul-lost.

It was not until a cultivator beside him asked that he suddenly woke up, lowering his brows and saying, "Where have we reached?" The other party comforted him, "Rest assured, Clan Head... The world is in chaos, and there are refugees everywhere. Our carriage is very fast; we will cross the desert in less than a day."

Zhuang Pingye looked dazed and nodded silently.

The turmoil in the Wu Kingdom had not been going on for just a day or two. The Zhuang clan had always heard of it, but they never had the intention to leave—this was the Jin Yu Sect! How chaotic could the world become? Could it really reach the hinterlands of the Jin Yu Sect? Could it sweep across the entire desert? Their own old man, Zhuang Cheng, was still outside helping Jin Yu quell the chaos. What kind of great disaster could arise? At that time, his wife, Li Aunt Xinghan, was in seclusion. He, Zhuang Pingye, had traveled south and secretly hidden his identity to order a songstress in a familiar marketplace. Suddenly, he heard that someone had killed their way into the desert, and then he received news that his father was critically ill. Only then did he wake up, disregarding everything else, and galloped all the way home.

Zhuang Cheng was lying on the couch at the time. This old Daoist was a rogue cultivator by origin, famous in the desert for his talisman swords. He had made many small mistakes in his life but never any major ones, and in his later years, he had pushed the Zhuang clan to its peak... He had been seriously injured in the great battle, struggled to flee back, and was holding onto his last breath.

Zhuang Cheng did not pay any attention to this junior at all, but instead invited Li Aunt Xinghan, who was in seclusion, to discuss matters. The two compared the situation, sensed something was wrong, and without waiting for a reply from the lake, the old man made the last wise decision of his life.

"Flee... Flee immediately!" The Zhuang clan was a great clan in the desert and a long-standing Foundation Establishment family. They had once climbed to the edge of the Moon-Watching Lake and were very prominent, with influence in the prefecture that no one could match. Yet, they abandoned everything and did not dare to fly. They loaded all the clan's spiritual items onto a dozen carriages, secretly left the city overnight, and headed east all the way.

Old Man Zhuang, Zhuang Cheng, had not yet breathed his last, and fearing that the phenomena of his death would attract attention, he sealed himself in the coffin to wait for death. The group did not let their feet touch the ground and sped away.

Until this moment, Zhuang Pingye's hands and feet were still cold. He entered the carriage and saw his wife still channeling magic power beside the coffin. Trembling, he came to offer comfort: "Should you rest for a while..." Li Aunt Xinghan shook her head.

Her brows had matured a lot, and her years of experience in the household had also made her more capable, but at this moment, she had some thoughts in her heart.

"The Jin Yu Sect is not handing over power peacefully, but is engaging in great slaughter... This caused our clan's judgment to have some errors..." The Zhuang clan did not know much about the changes in the Wu Kingdom, but Li Aunt Xinghan had some news and knew that the Jin Yu Sect was very likely to be merged into the new dynasty. After all, the Zhuang clan were people of Jin Yu, and the lake had no intention of overstepping its authority to give instructions, but she had not expected the troops from the west to start killing directly.

Slaughtering all the way here! This made her sigh secretly, and she looked at her disheveled husband, remaining silent.

She was not unaware of Zhuang Pingye's little affairs outside. She also understood in her heart that Zhuang Pingye coming to the lake was naturally not love at first sight for her. Whether it was hiding a mistress or seeking pleasure, at least he was smart and handled things very thoroughly, not making her, Li Aunt Xinghan, feel embarrassed. They had lived together with mutual respect for so many years.

She had felt strange earlier, but later she gradually got used to it. Besides handling clan affairs for him, she was too busy practicing sword cultivation to force a change in a person's nature—nine times out of ten, it would instead cause unrest everywhere, making things chaotic.

"What I love most is the sword, and I should not demand that he love me most."

But now the changes were earth-shattering. Perhaps knowing that he might have to survive under the breath of his wife's maternal family for the rest of his life, Zhuang Pingye's voice was extremely soft. The unyielding spirit that used to be hidden in his bones was gone, and he was even somewhat terrified, fearing she would settle scores later.

This instead made Li Aunt Xinghan feel some pity. The scene of Old Man Zhuang grabbing her hand and weeping for help was still vivid in her mind. She only waved her hand and said, "You don't have to be afraid. Since the old man could drag his serious injuries from the front line all the way back to the desert, he must have had supernatural powers to exert. The Jin Yi Sect cannot be unaware; they should be hindered by some agreement and unable to enter the field directly, only exerting force silently."

Zhuang Pingye was originally a sensible person and understood as soon as it was pointed out. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief but was still looking at her. Li Aunt Xinghan, however, was paying attention outside the window. Seeing the sounds of killing rising in the distance, her expression changed slightly: "That was the Gu Yan Temple that just passed!" "Ah?" This shocked Zhuang Pingye, and he whispered, "You mean... there must be a troop from the west that followed the shortcut and arrived here ahead of time..." "Either they want to stop the desert cultivators from fleeing to the lake, or they are guarding against the lake taking advantage of the chaos to advance and seize the desert's territory!" Li Aunt Xinghan nodded and replied, "I think they are afraid that the lake will get the news and want to take them by surprise, trying to seize the West Pingshan!" The couple sat in the carriage for a while, only feeling the rain getting heavier. The sound of horse hooves in front and behind had been drowned out, but the road was smooth and unobstructed. Until the sound of wind and rain suddenly stopped, a person suddenly landed in front of the carriage, their voice powerful and forceful: "Subordinate Ding Weijian... acting on the orders of the Venerable Wei Wang, I have come to receive the Young Lady!" "Wei Wang..." Li Aunt Xinghan was slightly surprised, but she naturally knew Ding Weijian. Zhuang Pingye, having received her nod, went limp all over, sighed, and looked at his wife with flickering eyes. Li Aunt Xinghan said politely, "Trouble for Hu Keqing Ding!" As the soft curtain was lifted, a bit of the drizzling cold rain penetrated. Zhuang Pingye greeted this guest minister with a smile and hurriedly pressed both hands on the coffin, knocking gently. There was no reaction inside, leaving only a piece of silent coldness.

Li Aunt Xinghan turned her head away and shed a tear or two for the old man. Zhuang Pingye bowed to Ding Weijian, his heart dazed and stunned. His left hand was somewhat restless and uneasy as he comforted the coffin, only feeling empty inside—his own father, that old man who had been famous all his life... should have passed away in the coffin, feeling stifled and worried halfway through.

Gu Yan Temple.

In the desert, the torrential rain poured down. The muddy ground was full of gray-black muddy water. The collapsed city walls were submerged in the water, revealing a few broken, ancient fragments. In the sky, thunder rolled, and the momentum shook the heavens.

On the other side of the desert were silver troops arranged in neat rows. Dark blue flags fluttered in the wind, revealing a golden 【Shu】 character. The carriages at the zenith were displayed one by one, with wheels three zhang high standing in the clouds, extremely majestic.

On the other side, colorful clouds rolled, and the troops appeared much sparser. Li Zhouwei stood in the clouds, wearing a king's cloak, dressed in simple black clothes with gold patterns on the sleeves. A bronze-skinned strong man held a large cyan-purple banner with a Qilin pattern, standing in the rolling light of the sky.

In the torrential rain, a few cultivators stopped, supporting each other as they stood at the foot of the mountain, looking very disheveled.

Gu Yan Temple was originally where the ancient city wall was located. Because of the favorable terrain, it was favored by the Li clan. For a long time, it had been close to the Li clan and was actually a vassal. After the ancient city wall collapsed, its importance was greatly reduced, but it was also a bridgehead to the desert. The few Gu Yan Temple cultivators were all from the west bank. They were helped up by the Li family members and hugged each other, weeping.

"Great Shu." The dark blue flag was clear. Obviously, the Xiao Wu, which had seized the state from the hands of Chu, had even had its last layer of skin trampled clean. The entire troop still carried a thick, bloody murderous intent, signaling the bloodshed along the way.

"This family is even more murderous..." But Li Zhouwei stood in the sky, and the troops standing in the pool of blood became restless. The brilliance flickered in the air for a moment, and a person led the army out of the formation, riding the wind and coming over.

This person stopped at the horizon, appeared, and stopped quite formally. He bowed and saluted: "I am the Founding Count of Qi Pavilion of Great Shu, Regional Commander of the Desert-Pacifying Army... Ni Shi Hongyan, greetings to my lord!" "Ni Shi Hongyan Zhenren..." Li Zhouwei had heard of him. The Ni clan had always been the right-hand man of the Jianmen, managing the Shu region for the Jianmen. This Hongyan Zhenren had not achieved supernatural powers for a short time and had always been a loyal supporter of the Sun Dao lineage.

However, now that the general trend was set, he naturally surrendered to the Shu Kingdom. It seemed that the official position he obtained was not small, but he was just sent to Gu Yan.

He nodded slightly and replied, "Wei Wang of Great Song, Minghuang."

Hongyan Zhenren felt a little ashamed and forced a smile, saying, "So it is Wei Wang. Wei Wang crossed the mountain and brought troops here, is there any important matter to discuss?" This made the young man smile. With his hands behind his back, he asked, "The people in the temple are my people from the lake, but it has become me bringing troops here?" Hongyan Zhenren took a step back, raised his brows to say something, but was wary of being so close to Li Zhouwei and found it difficult to respond, so he whispered, "Allow me to report to the Grand General."

But before he could turn around, another man rode the wind and came over. He raised his brows and opened his eyes. He was wearing brilliant silver armor and looked majestic. He stopped beside him and frowned, saying, "Why does the Regional Commander hesitate!" Li Zhouwei looked at him coldly, but did not expect this man to also look up, unwilling to retreat even a little bit. He looked straight at him and actually opened his mouth to say, "And who is this?" This made Hongyan Zhenren feel embarrassed. He stepped forward again, not answering him, but looked at Li Zhouwei and softened his tone, saying, "Wei Wang... this is the meritorious minister of the Xuanwu Lingyi... Li Muyan, Lord Li." Li Zhouwei was noncommittal and could not be bothered to give Li Muyan more looks.

This person had not achieved supernatural powers for a long time, but he did not know what kind of blessing he had received. He looked decent and revealed one or two wonders.

What attracted his attention more was the silver-shining carriage in the distance. There should be another person: "I don't know... if it is the Shu Emperor or which one."

So far, there was no news from the Jin Yu Sect. If there were no accidents, Jin Yu should be working together with Changhuai. One was the Jin Yi lineage, and the other was the Changhuai Immortal Mountain, both extremely terrifying in strength.

Li Zhouda in the back was a little surprised, his gaze becoming a bit colder: "Tan Mountain Li clan..." Li Muyan did not know who Li Zhouwei was? He just kept a cold face and said casually, "Wei Wang? I am acting on the orders of the Grand General to return after conquering West Pingshan. I don't know what Wei Wang."

As soon as these words came out, Li Zhouwei raised his brows, and his golden eyes swept over to look at him.

West Pingshan was a spiritless mountain that separated the two lands. The mountain was steep and reached into the clouds. Cultivators with lower cultivation could not cross it. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack. It did not need too many cultivators to guard this place; one high-level cultivator leaning on the formation was enough. Once others obtained it, they would be in a commanding position, and the danger could not be overcome, which was enough to make the lake sleep and eat uneasily.

Whether the Shu Kingdom was determined to win West Pingshan was hard to say, but Moon-Watching Lake absolutely could not lose West Pingshan! Hongyan Zhenren's expression changed slightly, and he sighed in his heart: "They really want to fight..." But since Li Muyan had spoken, Hongyan Zhenren had nothing to say, so he quietly stepped back and stopped behind Li Muyan.

The golden-eyed young man in front of him sneered and suddenly opened his mouth, blocking Li Muyan's words back into his chest: "Li Muyan... The Tan Mountain Li clan does not know Wei Wang, but do they know the Wei Di?" Li Muyan did not expect him to answer like this. His expression changed greatly, and he said coldly, "What kind of talk is this! My Tan Mountain Li clan is from Jiangnan and has nothing to do with the north! Where does the Wei Di come from!" But just as he blinked, the young man in front of him had disappeared! Hongyan Zhenren's expression changed greatly, and his brilliance condensed in an instant. He only felt the scorching light of the sky rushing towards his face. Li Zhouwei appeared in the air, holding a point of golden light in his hand. As he waved it, it extended to both ends like water. It was a curved moon halberd, and the cold-shining halberd blade jumped out suddenly, stabbing like a blade.

Its sound was like rolling thunder, cold and majestic: "Trying to cover up the truth!" Li Muyan gritted his teeth. His silver armor was brilliant, and his supernatural powers gathered. Thunder light from heaven and earth gathered in an instant, all blessing his silver armor, and golden light shone from between his brows, illuminating a piece of golden light.

Li Zhouwei's long halberd smashed down like a mountain, but it was agile and elusive. It actually found a gap in the thunder and golden light and stabbed straight down, with a hint of contempt flashing between his brows.

"Boom!" The golden thunder light poured out suddenly, but a brown-yellow and green umbrella jumped out, rotating and opening, blooming with a piece of brown-yellow, covering the golden light tightly, without leaking a drop! 【Hundred-Ridge Profuse Stone Umbrella】, Earth responding to thunder.

His thunder light was blocked easily, but the surging halberd blade could not be ignored. Li Muyan opened his mouth slightly and shouted: "Tai!" In an instant, a piece of silver thunder light rippled out, bursting around his body, turning into overlapping silver chains, hooking onto the long halberd one by one, making it suddenly stagnate.

Hongyan Zhenren on the side simultaneously sacrificed the spiritual weapon in his hand. The boiling, hazy flames wound up his arm, turning into a spiritual flame long spear, which had already left his hand and stabbed towards Li Zhouwei's face! Seeing this, Li Muyan just sneered coldly. Who knew that the long halberd turned gently in the rolling thunder light, exploding a piece of bright golden light, making him stagnate slightly, almost letting the Great Ascension break free directly.

Li Muyan immediately became wary: "Hongyan Zhenren has achieved supernatural powers for many years, and his two supernatural powers are pure. Although I have not achieved supernatural powers for long, I have the blessing of the light of asking martial arts, and I am not weak. It's just that he has fate on his body, so I still need to be careful."

So the supernatural power and magic power became more surging, locking him to death, but saw Li Zhouwei holding the halberd with one hand, walking leisurely, not giving them a look, and lifting his other hand gently. Ten purple-white thunderbolts had already smashed down from the sky, falling on the spiritual flame long spear together.

"Boom!" Rolling black smoke rose, and a purple-gold thunder mace appeared in the vortex of dark clouds in the sky. The golden flash made Li Muyan moved: "Sure enough, a good treasure... actually covered in dust in the hands of Mingyang! It's just far from enough... The one surnamed Qing is watching from behind, and still needs to force out some real skills!" He gritted his teeth and sneered: "You dare to mention the Wei Di? You really don't know what's good for you, ignorant junior, and dare to hope that my Tan Mountain is of the same lineage as your Wei evil!" This sentence was like a thunderclap. The first to be moved was actually Hongyan Zhenren. This Zhenren was shocked and clicked his tongue silently, feeling a thud in his heart: "... Dare to say anything. Really trust the one surnamed Qing that much!" When the words reached this point, Li Zhouwei finally refocused his attention on Li Muyan's face, giving birth to a cold anger that seemed to be disgusted: "This king will fulfill you." Just in a single thought, the golden-eyed young man raised his brows, and a huge force that could not be resisted broke through the supernatural power, exploding a piece of silver fragments. Li Muyan staggered forward, his supernatural power unbalanced, but he heard a dazed explosion in his ears.

"Clang!" In an instant, he only felt dazzled, golden light appearing in front of his eyes, and his ears buzzing. All the scenery in front of him turned into countless fragments of cyan, white, purple, and yellow. Only the noise in his ears, the dampness in his nose, and a piece of coldness remained.

His consciousness sank for a moment, as if he had suddenly climbed up from ten thousand deep abysses, rapidly recovering from the haze to sobriety, and was shocked. Everything in front of him finally returned to normal! But the rolling thunder clouds in the sky, or Hongyan Zhenren on the side, had all disappeared. At the zenith was a bright mountain-like heavenly gate, and what he saw was an endless black-gold color, with only a point of light.

It was Li Zhouwei with a cold expression.

The young man in front of him was like being at the end of the world, and also like being right in front of him.

In just a split second, he saw clearly what the endless darkness covering him was... It was not any supernatural power or magic weapon, nor was it any spiritual formation or spiritual gauze, but dense, endless dark golden light.

【Diqi Light】.

This torrent-like supernatural power poured down. He was like a leaf boat, struggling in it, unable to move. At the zenith, a mountain-like long halberd slowly fell, bringing a terrifying aura that made him suffocate.

"Huayang King Halberd!" Li Muyan could no longer care about his face, his eyes splitting: "Grand General!" "Boom!" The wind and rain outside suddenly stopped. The gray energy at the zenith hung down like lightning, lowering a big hand, which seemed to have been accumulating power for a long time, roughly sweeping away the surrounding 【Diqi Light】, and gripping down fiercely! A cold shout sounded in the sky at the same time: "Li Zhouwei!" "Dong!!" The Huayang King Halberd seemed to have smashed into something indestructible. A piece of golden powder exploded on the halberd blade, floating and falling like rain. A gray treasure bead jumped out in a disheveled manner in mid-air, but it was difficult to control its shape. Like a meteorite falling from the sky, it exploded on the ground with a bang! Being slashed by the Huayang King Halberd, Li Muyan was not saying he was on the verge of death, but he would have to hide and heal his injuries for more than ten years if he could survive. Now that he had protection, he was still sweating coldly. Taking advantage of the 【Diqi Light】 being smashed to pieces, he took off the flowing light on his body and raised his brows to escape.

But the young man in black had already disappeared.

The gray energy between heaven and earth suddenly condensed, manifesting a young man with delicate features. His Daoist robe was simple and unadorned, but his expression was extremely ugly. One hand was hidden behind his back in pain, and the other hand gripped gently in the air.

"Clang!" A buzzing sound rang in everyone's ears. The western army swayed and was in chaos, but a golden bracelet flashed slightly in the air and disappeared again.

But at this very moment, the bright halberd blade had already appeared in the reflection of Li Muyan's pupils on the other side. All his supernatural powers gathered on his body, and at the same time, he aroused his true essence, spitting a breath of white air from the tip of his nose: "Order!" But the opponent's spiritual weapon came too fast! "Bang!" The gray bead had just fallen, and Li Muyan was caught off guard and suffered a full-strength halberd. The white air had not yet condensed, and it had already collapsed suddenly. The whole person followed closely behind and fell from the sky like a meteorite, smashing into the western battle formation with a bang, exploding a piece of electric light and fire, the mountain collapsing and the earth cracking, heaven and earth rain stopping! The young man who walked out of the gray energy had an extremely ugly expression. He looked at Li Zhouwei coldly, stepped forward, and hooked the gray energy like a mountain.

There was a brief confrontation in the sky. Only then did the silver-armored general crawl out of the pile of people, coughing repeatedly and spitting out black blood surging with purple flames. Before he could stand firm, his expression changed in horror.

Almost at the same time, the young man confronting Li Zhouwei was shocked and angry in his eyes. He suddenly rose violently and shouted: "Wei Wang has such a big temper!" "Clang!" The answer to him was not Li Zhouwei, but a heaven-shaking clanging sound. Something suddenly pierced through the void in front of Li Muyan.

It was actually a golden spear about a zhang long, with no patterns and no ups and downs! 【Descending Light Camp Qi Sharp】! This object was obtained by Li Zhouwei from the cave heaven and had never been used, but it was forged from "Xiaojin", with no cause and no effect, free and easy, difficult to detect, and difficult to calculate! "Puff!" This golden light had been waiting for a long time, flashing like thunder for a moment, piercing through Li Muyan's chest, and then disappeared, making him grunt, retreat a few steps, and vomit blood again. The gray energy in the sky had already been annoyed into anger, roaring like thunder! "Li Zhouwei!" This spear did not stab him, but it was better than stabbing him.

It simply pierced through his face. Qing Jifang was a noble descendant of an immortal sect, a person who considered himself a bit noble no matter who he met in the world. Where had he ever suffered such a loss! For a time, he rose in violent anger, and the gray energy covered the sky and the earth. Qing Jifang sneered: "Good... good a Wei Wang. Dare not to give me Changhuai face, you have to see who gives you embarrassment!" The gray bead jumped up from the ground in an instant and fell into his hand. The surging gray energy boiled and rolled, rippling around Li Zhouwei's magic body. Li Zhouwei's expression was a bit strange, silently observing the hand he had always hidden behind his back: "Deserving to be the son of the Great Changhuai Zhenren, rashly using the magic body to catch a 【Light-Splitting】 of the Huayang King Halberd. Even if his magic body is hard and his supernatural powers are superb, he has been accumulating power for a long time... four fingers have to be broken... and he didn't make a sound!" Qing Jifang saw him staring straight at the hand behind him, and suddenly realized in his heart, as if he had suffered a great humiliation, which was simply adding fuel to the fire. It was just that the four fingers were only connected by a bit of flesh and skin, and the strong Mingyang supernatural power was still spreading at the wound. For a time, he really didn't dare to take it out, making him grit his teeth: "Li Muyan, Ni Xuguang... one is acting out a fake, underestimating the enemy, the other is being treacherous and slippery, dazed... actually beaten dazed by someone's spiritual treasure at once. If there was one normal Zifu, why would I have to take this halberd hard!" He, Qing Jifang, had superb cultivation, noble origin, and many treasures. No matter how he fought, it was impossible for such a bulky spiritual treasure to slash at him! He thought he had countless ways to injure Li Zhouwei here, but he had to suffer this loss! "Li Zhouwei, you just laugh. After you suffer a loss in the north, I'll see who in Moon-Watching Lake can laugh!" ===== CHAPTER 1025 =====

It was as if his face had been pierced through; Qing Jifang, a noble descendant of an immortal sect, a person who considered himself superior to everyone else under heaven, had never suffered such a loss! He rose in a sudden rage, gray Qi covering the sky and earth. Qing Jifang sneered, "Good... a very good Wei Wang. You dare not show me, Changhuai, any face? You shall see who is the one to give you a hard time!" That gray bead instantly leaped from the ground and fell into his hand. Surging gray Qi boiled and rolled, rippling around Li Zhouwei's dharma body. Li Zhouwei's expression, however, was somewhat strange, silently sizing up the hand he had kept hidden behind his back: 'As expected of the son of the Great True Person of Changhuai. To rashly take a 【Light-Splitting】 from the King of Huayang's battle axe with a dharma body—even if his dharma body is tough and his divine abilities are profound, having gathered momentum for so long... four fingers must have been broken... and yet he didn't make a sound!' Qing Jifang saw him staring straight at the hand behind his back, and a sudden realization dawned on him. It was as if he had suffered a great humiliation, adding fuel to the fire. Yet, with his four fingers connected only by a bit of skin and flesh, and the intense Bright Yang divine ability still spreading in the wound, he truly dared not bring it out, causing him to grit his teeth: 'Li Muyan, Ni Xuguang... one was acting out a fake play and became careless, the other was lazy and slippery, standing there like a wooden chicken... to be stunned by someone else's spirit treasure in one blow. If even one of them had been a normal Zifu, why would I have had to take that axe head-on!' He, Qing Jifang, possessed profound cultivation techniques, a noble background, and numerous treasures; no matter how the battle went, it was impossible for such a clumsy spirit weapon to strike him! He considered himself to have countless ways to injure Li Zhouwei here, yet he had to suffer this loss! 'Li Zhouwei, laugh while you can. When you suffer a loss in the north, I will see who in Wangyue Lake can still laugh!'