Chapter 355: I Forging My Own Spirit

Li Guanyi embraced Yao Guang; the silver-haired girl, small of frame, was held in his arms like a dream too distant to reach, and the murderous aura that had once swept all before her in battle seemed to gradually calm—this was not the first time such an experience had occurred.

Whether among a hundred thousand soldiers, charging through enemy lines to become a general whose name would echo across the land.

Or back then, when he was merely a boy who had just begun training in martial arts, having killed a few deserters on the road, as if the silver-haired girl had always been by his side—Yao Guang blinked her eyes, not struggling away as she had over two years ago.

The Original Yao Guang Manual states that between every generation of Yao Guang and the Bai Hu Da Zong, no affection beyond normal sovereign-subject bonds may exist, no worldly romantic love.

The silver-haired girl remembered.

Then she thought.

It is not worldly romantic love.

She pondered, and with the composure of an astrologer suppressing inner emotional fluctuations, extended her hand; her wide astrologer's sleeve fell away, revealing her pale, delicate palm, fingers reaching out to gently grasp Li Guanyi's robe, closing her eyes slightly.

Though it violates the ancestral precepts, please allow me this.

Our pact surpasses all romantic love in this world.

After a long while, Li Guanyi released the silver-haired girl and asked her: "Why did you come here suddenly? I was planning to return in a few days." The silver-haired girl did not give a second reason.

After thinking, she pulled from her pack the jade stone.

Using the arcane arts of the Yin-Yang School, she replayed all that had been recorded.

When Li Guanyi saw what Yao Guang had recorded and heard the words, his expression subtly changed; then, together with Yao Guang, he watched every image captured by the arcane art, his face calm.

"As I suspected."

He had already suspected a traitor—even if the western tribes had unified their strategy, precisely ambushing the Li Duke's patrol across this vast desert was no simple matter.

He had not expected the traitor to be Li Li Zhaowen's younger brother.

The third young master of the Duke's mansion.

And… Xiao Yuxue.

Li Guanyi's eyes narrowed; fortunately, Li Li Zhaowen had assigned him the most heavily guarded courtyard in the entire Duke's mansion, or he would have feared for Yao Guang's safety—but Yao Guang bore the hidden safeguards left by that generous elder brother.

The legendary martial safeguard left by the Wu Gong was not something just anyone could easily breach.

Even so, a faint anger stirred within Li Guanyi.

Hearing further in the recording that the singer had hinted Xiao Yuxue intended to strike again against those holding Ye Men Pass, he muttered to himself: "Fine. Let her come!"

"This time, what price will you pay?!"

"But how should this jade stone be handled…"

Li Guanyi instinctively thought of handing the jade stone to the Duke—it would secure a substantial alliance benefit; such critical intelligence, tied to matters of such magnitude, carried sufficient weight.

Under normal circumstances, great clans and noble houses would eliminate anyone who knew such information—even those with a shred of conscience would seek to control the person's movements.

But Li Guanyi was different.

The Duke would only, and could only, exchange this intelligence for a great price.

To some extent, it strengthened the alliance.

Yet Li Guanyi fell silent, then sighed: "Give this to Er Lang—he values family deeply; even though his brothers and father fear him, he still wishes to preserve the bonds within the Duke's mansion."

"I've been brothers with him—if I bypass him and hand this to the old Duke, it would be unjust."

"This belongs to him."

"As for what he chooses to do afterward, he will know best."

Now that Yao Guang had returned, the reduced visibility and disoriented sense of direction caused by the sandstorm were no longer problems; within Xiyicheng, Li Guanyi feared delays might lead to errors, so he ordered Yao Guang to rest two days before choosing a time to depart.

Fan Qing and Khan Qibili both noticed—the astrologer who had never left the Lord's side had reappeared.

The Fire Qilin, seeing this, was overjoyed and rushed over to nuzzle him.

But when Li Guanyi casually remarked that even the arrows on the battlefield tasted better than the buns Yao Guang made, he tossed the Fire Qilin into the "fire pit"; the little Qilin, then in the form of a cat, had been basking with its belly exposed—upon hearing this, it widened its eyes and stared at Li Guanyi.

A look of being "sold off."

My Lord, how could you do this!!!

The silver-haired girl crouched there, silently watching the Fire Qilin.

Staring—

The Fire Qilin's face twisted into a stiff, pleading smile.

The silver-haired girl personally cooked, skewering steamed buns on straight wooden sticks, striving to roast them until they were less charred, then drizzling rich, sweet honey into the cracks of the cracked crust.

Fire Qilin: "…………"

Ate it with tears in its eyes.

Li Guanyi later compensated by roasting meat for the Fire Qilin; during these two days of quiet, he ordered Fan Qing to mobilize troops, prepare rations, and leave several hundred elite soldiers behind to assist and train the newly gathered garrison.

Yet during these two days, Li Guanyi felt a pure, unyielding martial aura swirling and transforming within his body—

This faint martial aura was forged through years of warfare, finally coalescing during his recent charge, slaying enemy generals.

This is the cultivation method of the Military School.

The Hundred Schools each have their own paths, distinct from the style of mere wandering martial artists.

Li Guanyi's Wu Gong originally followed the Military School, then later trained under his great-grandfather Elder Murong in sword arts, rebuilding his foundation, and through numerous extraordinary encounters, he now possessed a perfectly standard martial artist's physique, merely slightly more vigorous in vitality.

Now, commanding troops, directing battle arrays, slaying enemy commanders, he had gathered dense martial aura; normally, without active cultivation, such aura would dissipate—but this time, before the eyes of over a hundred thousand soldiers, he personally charged and slew generals, the aura too dense to disperse, and thus solidified.

Like the ancient masters of the Military School, he had walked his own path alone.

Nothing else—he had achieved too extraordinary a record.

In his youth, the great warlord could read, learned swordplay, and said reading was enough if he could write only his own name; swordplay was for fighting one man—he wanted to learn to fight ten thousand. His uncle rejoiced and taught him military strategy, yet he still only dabbled, never studying earnestly.

Yet this did not prevent him from becoming the greatest military strategist of all generations.

Li Guanyi was just like that warlord of old.

"This state resembles what the Whale Fisher senior once described—when Jiang Su gradually ascended her cultivation, reaching the realm of legendary martial arts, it seemed much the same."

Li Guanyi recalled when, in Xiyicheng, the Whale Fisher had explained the methods by which each legendary martial artist broke through to the master realm—among them, the greatest general of the land, Jiang Su, had shattered that threshold by harnessing the martial aura of a war that annihilated a nation.

"The legend of the martial way: the aura of a fallen nation..."

Li Guanyi pondered; though he had his own path, that did not mean he could not learn from others' paths—he cautiously tried channeling this murderous aura to gain some mastery over its nature.

Li Guanyi felt that if his internal qi mixed with the martial killing intent...

The agility and transformation of his internal qi would weaken.

His attack power and destructive force would greatly increase.

And an indescribable aura of intimidation would arise.

If he unleashed Xue Shenjiang's and Chen Duke's Wu Gong with this murderous aura, it should produce even stronger effects.

This is precisely the method of the martial sect's battle array.

Li Guanyi clenched his fist, and immediately a series of roaring tigers echoed at his ears; the void rippled. After forging the Nine Cauldrons and fully mastering Chi Xiao Sword, his strongest and most natural battle form in warfare had always been the Crimson Dragon.

But now, the ripples in the void twisted and warped, and a colossal Bai Hu stepped forward slowly, its aura blazing, fangs sharp, gaze indifferent, wrapped in the murderous aura Li Guanyi had carried into battle—its form subtly shifting into one no less formidable than the Crimson Dragon.

Battle Form: Bai Hu!

Li Guanyi extended his palm; a thread of murderous aura swirled and shifted over his fingers, resembling the flow of destiny, yet still somewhat unstable. The silver-haired girl watched his palm, her voice calm, saying:

"It is the Bai Hu Qi of Bai Hu Da Zong."

"And also the cultivation method of the martial killing intent."

Li Guanyi's five fingers twitched slightly; the thread of murderous aura flowed, caressing the massive Bai Hu beside him, which lowered its head and rubbed against his palm. Li Guanyi said: "By the way, Yao Guang, did you bring the Mystical Realm stone from Xue Shenjiang?"

"If we get the chance, open the Mystical Realm and ask Xue Shenjiang how to condense this murderous aura."

The silver-haired girl nodded, rummaged in her pouch, and pulled out a crystal stone. Her voice serene, she said: "I..."

Her voice paused.

"Father modified the array on this crystal."

"The crystal's array no longer needs to remain fixed in one place; previously, activating or moving the array required days of preparation, but now it only takes an hour. If you need it, I can open the Mystical Realm right now."

Li Guanyi was slightly astonished.

The Xue Shenjiang Mystical Realm had been painstakingly forged five hundred years ago by the previous Yao Guang—but the Fishhook Guest had repaired its array in just over ten days, freeing it from being bound to a single location.

Truly, the greatest array master of the past millennium, a legend of the Jianghu.

Li Guanyi inwardly marveled.

He took the crystal from Yao Guang, feeling its faint divine aura.

A faint longing stirred within him.

Nothing else—Li Guanyi was simply poor!

The more cities he held, the poorer he became; the poorer he was, the more he had to wage war; win battles, gain more cities.

Li Guanyi was not the type to squeeze the blood and flesh of his people to enrich himself—he instead needed to improve their lives, and all of that required silver and gold. And most importantly—

If he truly commanded over forty cities...

How many troops would be needed to defend them? How much silver for their armor, weapons, training, pay, and rations?

Li Guanyi had grand ambition, envisioning the strategy of sweeping across forty-two cities—but his will remained firm. Yet when he carefully calculated the silver and logistics afterward, his stomach twisted as painfully as Master Yan Daiqing's had once been.

Money, money, money!

Though this crystal stone held no silver, it could solve Li Guanyi's other urgent crisis.

Arms and armor!

Li Guanyi pinched the crystal stone between his fingers and murmured:

"The weapons and armor of the Overlord."

What Xue Shenjiang spoke of was the ultimate inheritance of the Bai Hu lineage: the arms repository of the Overlord eight hundred years ago, capable of resurgence, rivaling the Crimson Emperor's host of divine generals and countless ministers.

At least weapons and armor of the Sharp Weapon rank.

Weapons stood like a forest.

Protected by arrays, quietly awaiting those who would come.

Arms Repository, Dangxiang Iron Mine...

These were the very forces needed to pacify the world.

For Li Guanyi, who was rising in this world yet lacked such foundations, these mattered far more than silver. In an age of chaos, an era of fierce contention, these were things money could not buy.

No one would sell iron mines or weapons at this stage.

Besides, he had no money.

But now that he held this object, the most critical resource in the world was finally within his grasp.

Li Guanyi exhaled and said:

"Not yet. We'll discuss it after returning to Anxi City."

He handed the Xue Shenjiang Mystical Realm crystal—the key to the Overlord's arms repository—to the silver-haired girl. Yao Guang looked at him, nodded, and put it away. At that moment, Li Guanyi paused slightly; the Bai Hu battle form lifted its head and let out a low growl, its indifferent golden eyes carrying a trace of murderous aura.

Li Guanyi raised his head, gazing outward.

That direction was toward Dangxiang.

An indescribable incomplete murderous aura was locking onto them.

The aura of Bai Di.

The fate of Dangxiang.

How dare they come again!

Li Guanyi stared fixedly at that direction. Thanks to Yao Guang's intelligence, he instantly knew the source of this hostility. He reached out and ruffled her silver hair. "We leave in two days."

"Go with the Fire Qilin and prepare some rations for the journey."

"Yeah, feed it extra buns."

"It misses your baked buns just as much as it misses good fruit."

Li Guanyi smiled.

The silver-haired girl watched him, her voice calm, saying: "Please be careful."

Then she said nothing more, simply turned and walked away quietly; only after Yao Guang left this place did Li Guanyi raise an eyebrow, gazing in that direction, his eyes holding a trace of danger.

They really dared to come.

Since you're so eager, then I'll just—

Kill you again!

…………

In the capital of the Tangut Kingdom, Xiao Yuxue had long learned the first news of the Western Alliance's retreat through underworld methods, and heard that Lord Li had already led a large force into motion, preparing for one final attempt.

By normal logic, after a massive army departs, only remnants and ordinary civilians remain at Yemeng Pass—but such a great battle, once decided, leaves behind residual fate; many such remnants exist, yet they are wildly chaotic.

Ordinary people cannot perceive them.

Only those with extraordinary capacity—sufficiently heroic to subdue both friend and foe, and whose deeds are momentous—can naturally gather such power into fate for their own use; another way is to use a national fate embodiment like Bai Di to devour it.

Xiao Yuxue planned to command the Western national fate, Bai Di, to devour these residual fate energies, and seize this opportunity to restore Bai Di's condition, recovering some of its original vitality.

This was the way to survive step by step among these rival forces.

The massive residual form of Bai Di's national fate trembled—it could hardly bear any further blows. The vast, boundless celestial destiny and fate of Western Geng Metal converged into the national fate embodiment, gently touching Xiao Yuxue.

Xiao Yuxue wore a gentle, beautiful smile as she stroked Bai Di's body.

"Rest easy, Bai Di."

"The Holy Sect's fate is now one with yours. I will surely find a way to revive you—in this chaotic age, I have received a divination that says—"

"【In the West, a great nation rises like the sun.】"

"That is you and me."

"Go now, go—amidst the struggles of these heroes, gather strength, and wait for the moment to soar again."

Xiao Yuxue's strategic style in comforting Bai Di was not far from Li Guanyi's—both were accumulating their own strength. After comforting him, the scales on Bai Di's body, now mixed with the remaining Mo Sect fate, turned ink-black and slowly rose.

For a spirit born of national fate, though this place was thousands of miles from Yemeng Pass, it was still perceptible; it had already begun preparing its momentum, ready to strike.

On the desk lay intelligence scrolls; Xiao Yuxue reached out and picked up one.

Opening it, she saw written: "For unknown reasons, Yao Guang suddenly left the Duke's mansion. After she departed, we seized the chance to enter the courtyard and found nothing unusual."

"We only discovered what seemed to be a meditation cushion and a shrine, with yellow paper inscribed in cinnabar characters: 【May you triumph unharmed and fulfill your wish.】 Judging by its appearance, it had been incense-offered daily since Tian Ge'er's departure."

Xiao Yuxue's expression remained complex for a long while.

"... Why must you do this, daughter?"

"Why must you side with him? Why must you leave me?"

Her sleeve bells had vanished, leaving only frayed cords. She lowered her eyes and saw in the report that Li Li Zhaowen and Li Shude had returned; she furrowed her brow, sensing something wrong, her heart skipping.

Wait—Li Guanyi hasn't returned?

For some reason, this ruthless, cunning warlord who had long posed as a daughter to stir the chaos of the age suddenly felt a chill down her spine. She ordered: "Bring me every scrap of intelligence from the battle at Yemeng Pass!"

Soon, someone brought the materials, respectfully presenting them to her.

Xiao Yuxue flipped through the scrolls; when she saw 【Eight hundred charged the formation, their aura magnificent】, her expression shifted slightly.

But when she saw Li Guanyi 【In the midst of one hundred thousand troops, beheaded the supreme commander】【Led his army to garrison Yemeng Pass】, her face turned ashen. "Stop!!" Her voice, so loud, had lost all its former composure—even Elder Wu Xuefei was startled.

Xiao Yuxue forcibly restrained the changes in Bai Di's national fate with an object.

The great serpent, its eyes faintly ink-black, lowered its head to look at her, puzzled.

Xiao Yuxue's face turned deathly pale: "Chi Di is there."

Instantly, Bai Di's expression froze. The malevolent fate energy, which had intended to devour Yemeng Pass and even the original forty-two cities under Lord Li's command as vast nourishment for its own restoration, quietly stilled.

Xiao Yuxue said: "Stop. Stop..."

"This man is strange—we cannot force him!"

"His method requires him to follow you and me here. If we don't move, he has no way."

At Yemeng Pass, Li Guanyi noticed the opposing force's aura vanished as if fleeing from a ghost—he was slightly astonished, then suddenly realized something, and laughed in irritation: "So that's it—you ran because you saw my battle report?!"

"So I'm burdened by my reputation."

"The ancients said: 'Silence brings great wealth.' It's true."

In the past, if Xiao Yuxue and Bai Di's fate had departed, he could do nothing—but now, his own aura subtly gathered the malevolent energies of both sides, and because of the jade Yao Guang had shown him.

A surge of heroism and malevolence rose suddenly in Li Guanyi's heart.

"You think you can provoke me, then run away whenever you want? Come and go as you please?"

"Where in this world is there such a thing?"

But the distance was too great; since the opponent made no contact or attempt to devour his fate, Chixiao Sword and Jiuzhou Ding remained inert. Yet Li Guanyi's heart stirred—he suddenly had an idea.

He strode out of the former garrison commander's mansion. Those around him all showed him respect—even Zhu Xie Ke Di. Li Guanyi marched to the city wall and saw the vast, desolate expanse of heaven and earth.

Li Guanyi said: "We depart today!"

Zhu Xie Ke Di said: "Departing now? You won't find your way—unless you're a heavenly god, a divine spirit with the gods' decree before you."

Li Guanyi said: "You're right."

Zhu Xie Ke Di said: "What?"

Li Guanyi laughed loudly: "My divine revelation has returned to me."

He turned to look at the civilians behind him, the fierce generals, and the prisoners. A surge of heroism rose within him. He pointed his finger at the boundless yellow desert and said: "I will shoot one arrow—and make the desert winds and sands grow still and clear."

"Do you believe me?!"

The civilians, the soldiers, and the prisoners all looked doubtful—but still said they believed.

Only Zhu Xie Ke Di said: "Even if you're a divine general who slew Helian Jieshan in ten thousand troops, you cannot do this!"

Li Guanyi said: "If I do it, will you don your armor, take up sword and spear, and fight for me?"

Zhu Xie Kedi had come to understand Li Guanyi's temperament during this time, and now he spoke more freely: "I can pick up my weapons, don armor, mount a fine steed, and fight for you right now."

"As long as the opponent is not the Zhu Xie clan of the Shatuo, I am this way."

"But if you truly accomplish all this, then you have received divine revelation—you are the heavenly power incarnate. Then, I beg you to grant me your surname; I shall abandon the bloodline and past of the Shatuo tribe and the Westerners."

"From this day forth, Zhu Xie Kedi shall bear your surname."

"I wish to be your blade's edge—your will shall be my direction. May my spearhead sweep away every enemy before you."

Li Guanyi said: "What if I fail?"

Zhu Xie Kedi bowed respectfully: "Then give me a suit of armor and a horse, and let me fight bravely at your side."

Yu Chi Xiong widened his eyes.

Wait, isn't this just about serving under your lord anyway?

You soldier, why do you speak in such elaborate, flattering phrases?

Do you want to be a civil official?!

Li Guanyi laughed heartily: "Good!"

He extended his hand, palm open; golden light spread across his palm like a divine vision, then dissolved into the desert wind—once more, a bow appeared.

The ancient bow's shaft, its thick, resilient string, hummed like a tiger's low growl.

Divine Weapon · Po Yun Zhen Tian Gong!

Li Guanyi gripped the bow's shaft with his left hand, standing upon the city wall; his waist bore two Wang Yin—Tuyuhun · Meng Hu Huangjin Wang Yin.

The Tangut Kingdom's secret royal seal.

This place is over two thousand li from the Tangut capital; even with the divine weapon's power, even a Xue Shen of the Ninth Heaven of Wu Gong could not shoot an arrow to kill. But what if the Tangut Kingdom's qi-yun were forged into an arrow, and shot at the Tangut Kingdom's own qi-yun?

Li Guanyi clenched his five fingers.

From the Meng Hu Huangjin Wang Yin, the Nine-Colored Deer's power discerned the wind and sand.

Within the Tangut Kingdom's Wang Yin, the Tangut Kingdom's qi-yun.

Divine Weapon · Po Yun Zhen Tian Gong's trait · Lock On Aura, Must Hit!

The divine weapon drawn fully, Li Guanyi gazed far into the distance; his aura surged, ripples stirred in the void, and suddenly, a tiger's roar exploded through the air—his eyes gleamed, for now he had locked onto the Tangut Kingdom's qi-yun with a qi-yun arrow.

Let this arrow convey to you—

【If the enemy can go there, so can I!】

I do not need Chi Xiao Jian—I can still destroy Bai Di.

Chi Di is a story from hundreds of years ago. The younger generation must have the courage of the younger generation; otherwise, how can heroes emerge generation after generation?

Divine Weapon · Locked On.

The boy's gaze fell upon the silver-haired girl across from him, then lowered.

The tiger's roar surged into the heavens.

The seven stars of Bai Hu blazed brightly in the sky.

The golden arrow spun and shot forth—before it, the vast sandstorm abruptly split open; where once the storm had surged like an ocean tide, now, before the eyes of the people, a clear path opened directly before Li Guanyi.

In an instant, like a divine miracle, silence fell deathly still.

The Tangut Kingdom's qi-yun surged violently.

【Aruen Wuerhawu Bodesadawa】.

The Central Plains Bodhisattva arrow that pierced the Sacred Mountain.

Five hundred years later.

Returned once more to this land.

Target locked—Tangut Capital!

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