Chapter 332

Accompanied by a clear, ringing sword cry.

Chixiao Sword slid free on its own, its golden-red blade glowing brilliantly, reflected in Xiao Yuxue's eyes—ordinary weapons could never stir the Qi of human destiny, not even divine weapons possessed such power.

Only Chixiao Sword, a Son of Heaven's divine weapon, could achieve this.

Li Guanyi's sword, brimming with murderous intent, rode the Qi of human destiny, crossing thousands of li.

Upon the blade's edge, radiant light flowed and shifted, winding and lingering—Xiao Yuxue's face turned pale, suddenly revealing an extraordinary Wu Gong, retreating sharply.

Li Guanyi brought down Chixiao Sword.

Behind Xiao Yuxue, the compassionate form of a celestial maiden appeared; though a maiden, it bore the archaic style of primordial sect deities from ancient times, its features simple and ancient, faintly linked to the destiny of the Tangxi Kingdom.

As the blade fell, the compassionate form of the celestial maiden blazed with endless radiance.

In Nicheng, Li Guanyi ignited the Qi of human destiny belonging to the Mo Sect, and slashed downward with his longsword.

Xiao Yuxue's divine form technique was pierced through.

Yet as Chixiao Sword descended, it suddenly met immense resistance.

Xiao Yuxue was tied to the fundamental Qi of the Mo Sect, and the Mo Sect's fundamental Qi was bound to the dragon vein destiny of the Tangxi Kingdom; even though the Regent Prince had seized most of its cities, the Tangxi Kingdom's destiny still endured.

The remaining cities still held vast populations.

The Tangxi Kingdom still nominally ruled as the overlord of the thirty-six western tribes.

Upon this vast land, no smaller than the territory of Chen State, though sparsely populated,

the population count was still terrifyingly immense.

So much human destiny Qi converged, transforming into national destiny and imperial mandate, vast and sweeping, faintly forming delicate scales—Li Guanyi felt his palm tremble, Xiao Yuxue gasped heavily, her pupils contracting violently.

She felt searing pain on her cheek.

She raised her hand to brush it—her palm was already crimson; a fine sword cut marred her beautiful face, blood flowing steadily.

Her heart pounded wildly.

Xiao Yuxue whispered: "... You are indeed the incarnation of the Son of Heaven—you've mastered the Son of Heaven's ultimate arts."

"Too bad, if you know the Son of Heaven's ultimate arts, you should know: the tide of heaven's will, the vastness of national destiny—Tangxi's destiny stands here. Why do you not retreat at once?!"

Xiao Yuxue spoke with imperial decree, barking out a command.

There was even a trace of the Son of Heaven's aura.

Li Guanyi paid no mind to the ruthless, yet peerless woman's methods—he suspected the Tangxi Kingdom had long been hollowed out. Standing upon the earth, the Nine Cauldrons of Jiuzhou howled, his eyes swirling with divine essence.

Li Guanyi saw the Qi of the state with his own eyes.

He saw the Tangxi Kingdom's destiny coalesce into a colossal white serpent coiled across the vast western deserts, its jade-green pupils radiating nobility, its brow risen into a dragon's crest, its scales bearing celestial patterns, terrain, and hydrology.

This national destiny was immense, boundless.

The transformed white serpent was colossal beyond measure, as if standing between heaven and earth, coldly observing the mortal who dared challenge it.

The destiny of the western lands?

Xiao Yuxue gazed at Li Guanyi, whose form had manifested through destiny like a divine apparition, speaking slowly, as if heaven and earth echoed:

"The collective destiny of the thirty-six western states has taken form as the White Emperor here!"

"You still dare not—retreat at once!"

Within the western lands, the overwhelming tide of Tangxi's national destiny pressed down upon Li Guanyi—but it did not make him bow or kneel; instead, it ignited a fierce fire within his heart.

Li Guanyi raised Chixiao Sword.

Behind him, golden-red light gathered, forming the scales of a crimson dragon; Chixiao Sword unsheathed, its blade shrieking with arrogance and detached majesty—it was the weapon of the greatest sovereign of eight hundred years ago, belonging to the Crimson Emperor who forged the eight-hundred-year realm.

The Golden Tiger Wang Yin erupted in radiant light.

Li Guanyi cast the Nine Cauldrons in Jiangnan.

Crimson dragon form, Chixiao Sword, human destiny Qi.

The three intertwined, forming a state akin to the Son of Heaven's divine art.

He had always fought as a military commander—but now, stirred by Tangxi's national destiny, his Son of Heaven's ultimate arts activated spontaneously. Li Guanyi raised Chixiao Sword horizontally, his fingers pressing against its blade.

"White Emperor?"

Li Guanyi's fingers brushed Chixiao Sword; the blade wrapped in human destiny Qi, then—before Xiao Yuxue's stunned gaze—he slashed downward with all his might. A dragon's roar exploded, the Nine Cauldrons howled.

"I command all armies under heaven."

"A petty king must bow to a great marquis!"

"What of the White Emperor?!"

As Li Guanyi swung this sword, the accumulated murderous intent and rage within him surged violently—suddenly, the third painting from the scroll given to him by his great-grandfather Elder Murong flashed into his mind.

The profound essence of its sword art perfectly matched this moment.

It was the surging, roaring, majestic tide of the sea.

Li Guanyi altered the path of Chixiao Sword in his palm—this single strike now carried one-third of the Master Jiankuang's spirit. The crimson dragon clashed with the White Emperor; Chixiao Sword's edge spat icy radiance, accompanied by a single howl from the Nine Cauldrons.

In an instant, Chixiao Sword severed the white serpent at its seventh inch.

The sword's aura flowed like a man's spirit—Qin Wu Hou declared loudly:

"Tangxi Kingdom..."

"The world is vast, heroes countless—you came first, so fate has chosen you."

"I ask you, then—die first."

"Go well—go now—"

"Many more follow behind you!"

One sword fell.

Watch now, Great-grandfather.

Did Li Guanyi's sword carry even a fraction of your flair?

You enter the martial world with your sword; I open the world with mine.

The collision of destiny shattered outward; Xiao Yuxue's gaze froze as she stared ahead—the great white serpent, symbol of the Tangut Kingdom's destiny and overlord of the thirty-six Western Regions, now split open by a massive gash along its waist.

The destiny spilled down like human blood.

Chi Di cuts Bai Di!

Li Guanyi's longsword never ceased its momentum, flowing in one unbroken breath.

Xiao Yuxue unleashed her Divine Art; behind her, the divine manifestation blazed with radiant light, her palm summoning a divine weapon to resist—yet a crisp sound rang out as the head of the Compassionate Heavenly Maiden manifestation was severed. The manifestation opened its eyes, gazing at Xiao Yuxue, its depths filled with sorrow and disbelief.

The manifestation shattered to take the blow in her stead.

Xiao Yuxue shifted form and changed shadow.

Li Guanyi's Chi Xiao Sword pierced through Xiao Yuxue's chest, its momentum unbroken.

The dragon's roar and sword's cry merged, indistinguishable; Li Guanyi's sleeves whipped as he strode forward, his energy piercing through like the unceasing, vast, and mighty will of a sword madman, pinning her to the wall.

This underground palace and the structure above it shook violently three times, raining down dust.

Around Li Guanyi, the red dragon circled, its aura spent; in his eyes lingered regret.

"... Pity."

In the end, his strength was insufficient.

This woman used her manifestation to take the blow—this sword missed her throat, missed her third eye.

I thought Master Siming shielding himself with the Black Tortoise was already reckless enough.

Xiao Yuxue abandoned even her own cultivation art, spiritual essence, and soul-formed manifestation.

What a pity for Chi Di's Chi Xiao Sword, what a pity for the Nine Cauldrons.

Had it been his great-grandfather Elder Murong Longtu standing here, this sword would have shattered the Tangut Kingdom's destiny dragon vein and slain Xiao Yuxue outright. But Li Guanyi's sword merely cleaved the Tangut Kingdom's destiny and pierced through Xiao Yuxue.

The residual force was weak; the momentum was spent.

Xiao Yuxue's true Wu Gong was unknown, but surely above Seventh Heaven Master realm.

She had even linked herself to the Tangut Kingdom's destiny.

A sword through the chest—surely it won't kill her.

The Nine Cauldrons' wail grew fainter; the resonance of the Wang Yin diminished. Li Guanyi reached out, grasping the emerald jade bead beneath the Bai Di's chin—the Tangut Kingdom's destiny abruptly shattered, flowing outward in all directions.

Xiao Yuxue pressed her lips together, her expression softening, as if sorrowful, and said:

"You… are you going to kill that child's mother?!"

Li Guanyi replied: "I shall kill an old dog."

"I never heard Yao Guang say she had a mother."

Xiao Yuxue's face turned pale; Li Guanyi raised his Chi Xiao Sword, holding it at a distance against this woman's throat. He longed to stab downward—but now the Chi Xiao Sword existed only in form; across these thousands of li, delivering that sword strike was already its limit.

How infuriating.

His foundational cultivation still cannot match the top tier of the world.

Li Guanyi looked at Xiao Yuxue:

"I made a pact with her—a fate-bound vow."

"If she killed you herself, though it would bring swift vengeance, it would leave her heart burdened with lingering pain. She is not like you—she is gentle. Such a thing, I will do."

"I do not wish her to kill you—I will kill you for her!"

"You, wait well."

Li Guanyi's body glowed with pale golden human destiny light; his eyes, now lofty and detached, swept over Xiao Yuxue's face, coldly saying:

"Wretched woman!"

The Chi Xiao Sword slowly dissolved.

The Tangut Kingdom's destiny, held together by the Chi Xiao Sword's cut, now began to unravel—this fragile, barely sustained destiny would soon scatter across the land. It might have clung on for a few more years.

Now, the Tangut Kingdom likely cannot last even a year.

The dragon vein is severed.

Chi Di kills Bai Di.

Destiny and national fortune were merely ornamental, mere patchwork—but even so, they could have prolonged the Tangut Kingdom's survival. Now, with this—

Upon this land of the Western Regions, storms will rise and clouds will churn.

The sword intent of the Chi Xiao Sword left a mark upon Xiao Yuxue. As Li Guanyi's figure finally could not hold and slowly faded, his spirit stirred—he reached out, grasping the silver bell at Xiao Yuxue's waist. The red dragon manifestation flashed once—then Li Guanyi released his grip.

The body formed from human destiny scattered.

The silver bell at Xiao Yuxue's waist melted and vanished under the fierce flames.

Li Guanyi's body could no longer hold together; Elder Wu Xuefei stood rigid, unable to recover for a long while, feeling as if what she had just witnessed—the Bai Di's destiny, the shifting myriad phenomena—was like a myth.

Then she heard a piercing scream.

Ignoring her own wounds, Xiao Yuxue lunged to the melted silver bell, fell to her knees, trembling hands cradling the bell, eyes red, tears falling in heavy drops, sobbing something incoherent.

It was genuine sorrow.

Elder Wu Xuefei suddenly felt a chill in her heart.

………………

"Fuck, fuck…"

"Can't hold on."

Li Guanyi released the Chi Xiao Sword and Wang Yin; his hands trembled, his mind felt utterly drained—only deep breaths could dull the stabbing pain in his skull.

"... My strength is still too weak."

He stared at his palm. He hadn't expected to fail—first the Tangut Kingdom's destiny, then the manifestation taking the blow. He frowned, clenching his fist: "If I were already a Master realm cultivator now."

"If I had forged the second Nine Cauldron now."

"If the sword in my hand right now weren't Chixiao Sword, but my own divine weapon, today's outcome would be vastly different..."

Even by Li Guanyi's current strength, he is already unmatched among his peers.

But in this chaotic world, your opponents won't be your peers.

Li Guanyi stared at the divine weapon plunged into the earth.

The blade of Chixiao Sword glowed with a warm golden luminescence; the sword responded to his will as if it were an extension of his arm, moving effortlessly—but just now, when he had channeled the destiny of humanity to cleave downward, Li Guanyi felt a sense of dissonance.

Chixiao Sword was, after all, Chidi's Chixiao Sword.

Not Li Guanyi's divine weapon.

Even in use, there remained a faint misalignment.

Normally, this misalignment had little effect.

But in critical moments like just now, that tiny misalignment would be amplified infinitely. Li Guanyi calmed his breath, bent down, and picked up Chixiao Sword. The blade's edge still cut through the destiny of the Western Regions' Tangut Kingdom.

He sheathed the sword.

It was time to consider how to forge a weapon of his own.

Nearly half of the Mo Sect's statues here had been destroyed; the accumulated human destiny of countless years had been absorbed into Li Guanyi's Jiuzhou Ding, refined and purified into a vast, righteous spirit.

Li Guanyi sat there, calming his spirit, waiting for the Jiuzhou Ding to fully refine the Mo Sect's centuries-worth of human destiny. The entire Aqini City entered a tense yet profoundly rewarding period of calm.

Changsun Wuchou successfully returned with vast quantities of supplies, hired a large number of craftsmen, and brought in several merchant guilds, gradually restoring Aqini City's former prosperity—at the cost of exhausting the entire box of treasures.

Master Pan Wanshou of the Mo Family, based on the terrain of the Western Regions and drawing from local water-collection traditions, innovatively developed the Kan'erjing system.

This greatly reduced the Western Region's city-states' dependence on oases.

Xu Tiange began organizing cultivation.

His mind held only one thought: plant, plant, plant.

Meanwhile, the ever-resourceful Lei Laomeng spent several days finally tallying Aqini City's harvest: countless gold and silver, over thirty-seven million Western Region coins, a population of hundreds of thousands, and more than one hundred thousand cattle and sheep.

Even across the entire Western Regions, this was considered a prosperous city.

General Fan Qing began organizing the tribesmen who had followed him to speak with the city's six hundred thousand people.

Three people per group.

Some discussed the current situation, the Buddhist sect and the Mo Sect.

Others stood armed and vigilant.

One person recorded the conversations in Western Region script, compiling them into Juan Sect records.

After carefully investigating the connection between Aqini City and the Mo Sect,

General Fan Qing decided to implement a comprehensive saturation-talk strategy.

Just as Pojun had said.

General Fan Qing intended to turn the entire city upside down and plow it thoroughly.

Driven by the thought, "Even if it is the Mo Sect, their followers must cleanse their hearts and become new men," General Fan Qing, with the original tribal followers, plunged into this massive undertaking—and used the Mo Sect's original merit coins to liberate the serfs and slum dwellers.

Monk Thirteen of the Staff was greatly approving, feeling this truly honored the name "merit coins."

Land was distributed; cultivation tasks were assigned.

The former garrison commanders and soldiers were discharged to farm. When summoned to meet General Fan Qing, the soldiers who had guarded the city were nervous—but after speaking with him, General Fan Qing verified their Juan Sect records and family lineage,

and let them go.

He only said that, since they had once been enemies, they must come here every ten days to affix their seals; if they wished to leave Aqini City to visit relatives elsewhere, they must report it in advance.

Then he let them go.

No imprisonment. No punishment.

When Pei Tingxun stepped out, he was still dazed. Standing in the sunlight, he saw his wife and children, their eyes red with worry, and then the city, gradually flourishing, its atmosphere relaxed—he could hardly believe it.

"There, there, it's over now…"

All administrative affairs in Aqini City were advancing under Pojun's direct supervision; he had begun organizing the army, constructing military relay stations between towns centered on Aqini City for the mounted scouts.

He also built beacon towers in different towns and villages, using the simplest possible designs.

To strengthen Aqini City's control over surrounding regions.

Internal administration, logistics, farming, repairs, city defenses, military organization—all were led by Pojun alone.

During this time, the situation in the Western Regions suddenly grew even more turbulent.

A few days ago, in the imperial capital of the Tangut Kingdom, a dragon's roar and a serpent's hiss rose simultaneously; the nobles felt an inexplicable surge of panic.

The Tangut king, napping at noon, awoke from a nightmare: countless ancestors appeared, all clad in royal robes, their garments stained with blood.

They stood beneath the towering, chilling ancestral hall, watching him.

Silent. His spine turned cold.

Someone said: "Chidi has slain Bai Di's son."

The Tangut king awoke in terror, drenched in cold sweat, distracted. Outside, a sudden gale arose; above the western sky, the seven stars of Bai Hu—the celestial deity of war—blazed brightly in daylight, yet the Emperor was not pleased.

In court, a white snake as thick as a wrist fell from the beam and died.

A pale rainbow swirled in the heavens—an omen of great ill fortune.

All these events were recorded in this chapter of history.

Yu Langwang suddenly sensed the Tangut Kingdom's forces weakened, and launched a fierce assault.

Seven days later, the Tangut king suddenly issued an edict, declaring himself emperor.

He performed ancestral rites.

He established a state, built ancestral temples, and proclaimed himself Wu Di, full title—

Divine Might Wu Emperor of the Great Xia Kingdom of the Western Regions.

Upon hearing the news, the Regent Prince laughed aloud and said to Chen Wenmian: "My son, the Tangut Kingdom will fall soon. Such a man, under normal circumstances, still possesses some strategy and can make decisions."

But when pressure becomes overwhelming and all hope is lost, one begins to indulge oneself, recklessly proclaiming oneself emperor—before long, all four directions will rise in rebellion!

This is the sign of a collapsing state!

Indeed, just days after the Tangut ruler proclaimed himself emperor.

Among the thirty-six tribes of the Western Regions, some could no longer contain themselves and raised rebel flags; within mere days, over seven men declared themselves kings across tens of thousands of li of the Western Regions, each raising great banners.

At this time, they unfurled the banner of the Yu Langwang, who had destroyed the Western Regions' Buddhist kingdom three hundred years ago.

Under the banner of avenging the Yu Langwang and purging traitors, each claimed to command over a hundred thousand troops and a million tribal members, launching sweeping campaigns against all who refused to submit—suddenly, the entire Western Regions erupted in chaos, becoming a storm of upheaval within this brief span.

The Western Regions' grand situation fractured into three major forces: the Tangut state, clearly in its final, frenzied, and most dangerous state before collapse; the Yu Langwang, shifting strategy, lying low, and biding his time.

And the coalition of kings rising under the banner of the Yu Langwang.

Just as the Western Regions' situation shifted thus, the Diaojingke finally opened the array—with unprecedented slowness, caution, even a kind of timidity.

And because all matters had been fully handled by the Tiance Prefecture, Li Guanyi, who spent each day practicing swordplay, studying topographic maps and military treatises, learned of this news at once.

"So what exactly did Yao Guang restore?"

Li Guanyi emerged from a pile of weeds in the corner, using a mysterious method to seal his breath and observation, watching the silver-haired girl quietly reading scrolls in the pavilions and water terraces of the Aqi Ni City Lord's residence, originally built in Jiangnan style.

Her delicate face, unlike anything of this mortal world, her eyes clear and pure.

"I don't know."

The voice answered—another silver-haired head popped up from the weeds beside Li Guanyi; the Diaojingke, who prided himself on his boldness and held supreme pride in arraycraft, had never once respected others or doubted himself.

Yet now he had become timid and hesitant.

"Pfft, coward!"

"Scared?"

An old man's voice rang out—a white-haired head emerged from the corner weeds: "Li Guanyi, you brat, go check—Yao Guang's little girl doesn't seem to have changed at all."

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, then left the spot. The Diaojingke asked, "Where are you going, boy?" The Master Siming grinned and followed. Li Guanyi found a way to evade them—or perhaps they subtly allowed it.

Li Guanyi returned with some pastries, but found the girl gone from beneath the pavilion: "Strange… where did she go…?"

"Are you looking for something?"

A voice as calm as a spring rose beside him.

Li Guanyi paused, turned—and felt a light touch on his cheek. The ripples of a divine technique faded. The silver-haired girl, clad in the long robe of a Star-Reading Sage, crouched beside him, arms wrapped around her knees, holding a scroll in her left hand, her right hand extended.

Bai Xi's fingers pressed against the boy's cheek; as Li Guanyi turned, her finger left a tiny dimple on his skin.

Poke. Poke.

In the thicket, boy and girl locked eyes. The silver-haired girl's gaze was serene, undisturbed. Li Guanyi recalled the monk's tale of her past: fed to celestial herbs by her own mother, then her blood and marrow forcibly extracted.

Suddenly, Li Guanyi felt his earlier curiosity meant nothing.

Why care what emotions Yao Guang had reclaimed?

The Yao Guang he knew was always this quiet girl—whether she regained more feelings or not, she remained Yao Guang. Whether the array succeeded or failed, whether the sealed things were retrieved or not.

Yao Guang is this Yao Guang.

Through countless ages, only she and he had made a promise.

All the questions in the boy's heart, all the things he had promised the Diaojingke to ask—vanished, cast behind him. He set down the pastries, raised a hand, and a breeze swirled between his fingers; the Sword Mad's technique snapped a branch from a flowering tree.

He severed the dragon vein and destiny of the Tangut state with a single sword stroke. The world plunged into chaos; the Tangut king proclaimed himself emperor; seven kings rose in the Western Regions. Such a grand shift—heroes vied for rare opportunities, storms and winds surged—it was the age of heaven's great contention.

Yet in this warm, sunlit place, the boy merely smiled, offering the silver-haired girl a bouquet of flowers, and replied:

"I just wanted to give you flowers."

That's all.

The silver-haired girl blinked, reached out, took the flowers, cradled them in her arms, and looked at Li Guanyi. Though her face remained expressionless, her eyes seemed to soften slightly.

Her expression did not change.

But Li Guanyi knew—

She was smiling, awkwardly.

The girl's toes lightly rose, tapping the ground as she turned slightly.

"Mm."

Yao Guang's voice, like clear flowing water, calm and still:

"I… am happy."

For the first time, she revealed her emotion.

And at that moment, atop the Sacred Mountain, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer, after a brief nap, realized—this must be the month agreed upon with that human.

Yet during this time, he never contacted me.

"Seems he gave up, retreated in the face of difficulty."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer murmured, yet for some reason, felt a trace of regret.

Still, though regretful, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer was not of the tyrannical nature of the Ancient Crimson Dragon—he would see things through to the end.

Let me see what the Western Regions have become.

The divine deer lazily emitted nine-colored radiance, lowering its gaze toward the mortal world.

As usual…

The deer's expression slowly froze.

Stunned:

"Huh?!!!!"

?? My schedule shifted half an hour back—damn it, control yourself!

?? Also, please vote for a monthly ticket (peaceful)