Chapter 366: Severing Karmic Ties

The Nine Provinces Cauldrons rang out in a deafening roar; Li Guanyi's Yishen Sect master energy surged, he halted his step, and unconsciously raised his palm—through his gaze, he saw a misty aura covering his own hand.

The path Li Guanyi walks is the path of one nation under heaven, the unification of the Nine Provinces.

Bearing the path of devouring national destiny through a Dharma Form, and the path of dominating battlefields with lethal martial qi, having slain the 【Bai Di Qi Yun】 and Gengjin Bai Hu with sword and bow, absorbing their destiny, the destiny of the Tangxiang Nation now serves him.

Now, as Li Guanyi enters Wang Cheng, something has finally changed.

"... Tangxiang's national destiny."

Li Guanyi's gaze shifted slightly; he sensed his internal energy becoming active, faintly surging like a tidal wave—Tangxiang was now on the brink of collapse, its capital in ruin, its people suffering, peril at its peak.

Under these circumstances, Li Guanyi arrived here bearing Tangxiang's national destiny.

Like a basin of ice water poured into boiling oil.

Immediate change occurred.

Li Guanyi suppressed his internal energy's fluctuations, showing no outward sign, merely leading the group out; Hao Yuan Xia rushed ahead, and Li Guanyi followed close behind—then came several shouts.

"Someone's here!"

Li Guanyi sprinted forward and saw several armored soldiers who had spotted Hao Yuan Xia and were moving to attack; when they saw Li Guanyi and the others emerge, their faces turned pale, and they opened their mouths to shout—Li Guanyi flicked his wrist, releasing qi that struck their acupoints.

The soldiers collapsed to the ground, instantly unconscious.

Hao Yuan Xia shoved the soldier lying atop him aside and dashed out, glancing around: "It's the northwestern quarter of the city—originally an ancient fortress, later expanded into a storage depot for weapons and grain."

"Grain?"

Li Guanyi frowned slightly, strode forward, kicked open a warehouse door; armored soldiers attacked but were easily subdued—the grain inside was vast and abundant, the lowest layers nearly moldy.

Li Guanyi looked out from the fortress and saw the entire Tangxiang Wang Cheng shrouded in gray; his expression darkened. Hao Yuan Xia, for a moment, noticed nothing amiss—only that Li Guanyi's demeanor was off; after asking, Li Guanyi pressed his lips together.

Wen He said: "The bark is gone."

Hao Yuan Xia froze, then looked again—found the trees' branches had shortened drastically, their bark vanished. Though this crown prince had endured immense suffering, he had not yet grasped the implication.

Wen He said: "Wang Cheng was built near an oasis, rich in trees and resources—but from here, the shortened branches indicate leaves and tender shoots have been cut away; the bark is gone, with clean cuts from knives stripping it off."

"The city's people, having eaten all the grain, then all the leaves and branches, have begun eating bark."

"Yet the state granaries hold grain so rotten it's moldy."

"I heard Yu Langwang's strategy: when he turned his blades, some Tangxiang nobles bravely broke out—yet it seems those among them with courage to fight have already been crushed beneath Yu Langwang's hooves."

"The nobles and officials left in the city now."

Hao Yuan Xia's face changed; he whispered: "Those without valor, without courage—too afraid to charge forward, yet alive?"

Wen He nodded: "The elite are all dead. What remains are just trash."

Li Guanyi said grimly: "Go."

Yao Guang cast a mystic art, concealing their qi, and they swapped into guard armor, advancing along the road—saw the city's people emaciated, winter skies heavy and gloomy, white frost coating all four directions.

The city's people wore thin clothing; their arms revealed skeletal outlines. Along the road, corpses of the frozen and starved appeared—this starkly contrasted with the grain in the granaries, creating a silent, brutal shock.

Wild dogs gathered in packs of three or five, gnawing on fallen bodies.

Hao Yuan Xia's eyes reddened; he drew his blade and charged out, roaring—startling the dogs.

The dogs watched him warily, then snatched a man's arm and fled. Hao Yuan Xia roared forward, knelt, and stared at a woman dead beside the road—her clothes torn open, revealing a withered chest; in her arms, a child sucked at her breast, also frozen and starved to death.

Hao Yuan Xia staggered, fell to his knees, stared at the Tangxiang corpse, trembling, eyes red.

At this moment, he felt visceral revulsion toward his biological father's deeds—those dogs, unafraid of humans, gathered in groups, staring at them, drooling.

These beasts had already eaten people, now marking them as prey.

Suddenly, the wild dogs whimpered, shuddered, crouched low, tails tucked between their legs.

Hao Yuan Xia saw Li Guanyi approaching—waves of qi erupted through the air, killing every dog on the road; Li Guanyi said: "Let's go."

Hao Yuan Xia wiped his eyes, gritted his teeth, and rose.

He led Li Guanyi, Wen He, and Yao Guang to find those still loyal to him; the scenes along the way were horrific, shocking—many starved corpses, markets bustling but selling no grain, no meat—only earth.

Said to be divine gift from heaven: mix this earth with water, shape into naan, and it fills the belly. Li Guanyi saw the people's faces gaunt, yet bellies grotesquely swollen, ribs jutting out.

Wen He's gaze shifted: "... External bandits plunder, armies press from all sides; internal officials oppress, no livelihood left. Next, it will come to that, my lord."

People eat people.

Li Guanyi fell silent for a long while, then said:

"Mr., do you truly believe we haven't reached that point yet?"

Wen He said: "I see these buyers of 【earth】—their clothes can't even cover their bodies, they're emaciated; they must have been poor to begin with. The market has never carried 【vegetables or meat】; it hasn't yet reached that point."

Li Guanyi replied: "Look at the granaries we passed—grain at the bottom is already moldy. Listen—laughter and music drift from distant mansions."

"Look at these people before us."

"In this crisis, some eat meat and drink wine, some still have food, others eat only this earth."

"If this isn't 【people eating people】, then what is?"

"When the final step comes, will people truly gnaw at each other?"

Wen He remained silent for a long time.

Li Guanyi gripped his sword: "Today, I see more clearly."

"This world has always been 【people eating people】!"

Hao Yuan Xia's steps grew frantic, frantic with force—the scenes around him resembled the Hell Transformations of Buddhist sutras: terror, grotesqueness, numbness, coldness, death—masses of black crows perched on eaves, wild dogs turning back at alley corners.

Poor men lay bloated against walls, others hurriedly boiling thin gruel, distant smells of roasted mutton—large households opened their back doors and dumped rotting meat onto the ground.

Hunting dogs and the destitute jostled together, fighting over scraps.

The strong kicked the weak aside, devouring the rotting meat like pigs or dogs; the servant who dumped the meat seemed himself elevated to nobility, wearing a sneering smile as he watched people like himself fight beasts for food—feeling a twisted pride in his heart.

Such scenes were unbearable to behold.

One word alone—chaos!

Li Guanyi and the others found Hao Yuan Xia's attendants and questioned them about the current situation.

The servants, seeing Hao Yuan Xia still alive, all wore ecstatic expressions and reported the current situation: "The city's civilians are divided into three classes and nine ranks; the common people and the upper class are still surviving well and can hold out for a long time."

"As for the common folk, they barely manage thin gruel—there's no meat left at all."

"As for the servants, under these conditions, we only give them something called 'Bodhisattva Soil'—it lets them live a little longer, and it saves grain."

Hearing this customary practice from the westerners, Hao Yuan Xia suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt and shame rise within him. He turned to look at Li Guanyi and said, "... Lord."

The servants and ministers turned to Li Guanyi, their expressions varied.

Outside, the snowstorm was rising. Li Guanyi, clad in a black woolen robe, asked:

"How many people remain in the city?"

An old minister frowned and replied, "Who are you?"

Hao Yuan Xia only asked, "How many households remain?!"

The old man reluctantly bowed his head and said, "Eighty thousand households—roughly four hundred thousand people."

How could such a vast city have so few people left?

Li Guanyi said, "Include your servants."

The old man lifted his head, bewildered. "Aren't you asking about people?"

"Slaves aren't people."

"So they weren't counted."

Hao Yuan Xia could not speak, only lowered his head. The old man, seeing this, added, "If you include those slaves, the total should be over a million." Li Guanyi gripped the sword at his waist and said, "Open the granaries. Distribute food to the starving."

"Give gruel by headcount. If people come, prepare for the next step."

Wen He said, "Yes, Lord."

Li Guanyi planned to relocate all the civilians. When they arrived, looking down from the Nine-Colored Deer's back, they saw rebel troops approaching the city's perimeter; nearby towns bore signs of burning and looting.

Li Guanyi had grown much. He knew that under these circumstances, only "intimidation" and "bribery" could gather such a massive population in a short time.

The old man bowed respectfully, yet with a fawning tone, asked:

"Should slaves be counted as population?"

Hao Yuan Xia told the old man to stop speaking.

He felt his heart ache. He had grown up in the desert, surrounded by many female slaves and servants who cared for him—but at just over eleven, he was sent to the Central Plains, where the three most crucial years of his life were shaped by their teachings.

Afterward, he accumulated many experiences, carrying both western customs and central culture within him, leaving him in excruciating torment between two opposing worldviews.

Here, in silence, the meat gruel simmered, fragrant—containing quinoa and chopped meat, while servants knelt respectfully beside, attending to it.

Li Guanyi held his sword, silent, then said:

"It's decided. Yuan Xia, you and Mr. handle this."

Hao Yuan Xia asked, "And you, Lord?"

Li Guanyi said, "I go to settle my own karmic debts."

He turned and strode out. The sky was a dull gray. Far off, the majestic imperial palace of the Tangut capital loomed. Wen He and Hao Yuan Xia stepped out. Li Guanyi gripped his sword, emotions surging within him: "I understand more and more."

"I came here not for the so-called Tangut throne, nor for Yu Langwang's promised kingship. This twisted, perverse ambition isn't worth even a glance."

"These two things—"

"Are worth less than shit!"

Wen He said gently, "What will the Lord do?"

Li Guanyi gazed into the distance and replied, "I came here—"

"To turn slaves into people."

The gentle, harmless young strategist paused. His smiling eyes slowly opened, fixed on the young lord's profile, momentarily stunned.

Wen He said, "Lord, this act will surely anger countless people."

"You stand directly in their way."

"They won't let us go easily."

"Mr., you are mistaken."

Li Guanyi looked at him and replied:

"They stand in my way."

Wen He fell silent.

Such bold spirit needed no approval from these nobles.

Li Guanyi said, "You two prepare."

Wen He asked, "Where is the Lord going?"

Li Guanyi lifted his sword, speaking with unbridled resolve:

"I go to kill!"

The winter air was bitter. White vapor puffed from the young lord's lips, sharp and lethal. He raised his sword and strode forward. Around him stood low huts; ahead rose towering pavilions. Step by step, he trod the earth and sky, marching toward the palace—his aura fierce, majestic, unyielding.

Wen He sighed, watching Li Guanyi's back. He seemed to complain, yet carried a faint pride, smiling: "I knew it. With my Lord's nature, seeing such a scene, he could never resort to stealth."

"Chaos. The West. Wang Cheng. Mo Sect. Besieged from within and without for months."

"I grew up in the West. When these words appear together in one city, you don't need to enter to imagine what it looks like. And if someone could still endure this sight and do nothing, they wouldn't be my Lord anymore."

"The heavens above the nobles and lords are the Eternal Sky of the common folk and slaves."

The strategist, poor since childhood and raised in the West, lowered his eyes slightly.

Emotions stirred within, indistinct.

He murmured softly to himself: "But since I already guessed your thoughts, how could we have made no preparations?"

The pure, harmless young man surveyed the western city.

Dry. Waterless.

Five hundred years ago, this ancient city was built mostly of rammed earth mixed with wood, expanded and rebuilt several times, hailed as a brilliant jewel upon the vast desert of the Western Regions.

"Mo Sect, nobility."

"And the various Western Regions allied armies about to storm this Xiangwang Cheng."

"If the lord plans to evacuate the civilians, leaving this city empty would be a waste…"

"The Yu Langwang wants to sit there and treat all under heaven as his pawns—but beware of being bitten by your own pawns. After all, the name of Changsheng Tian is bound to be stained anyway, so why not let me stain it for you first, Yu Langwang?"

"Let's stir up the water first."

Hao Yuan Xia had already prepared to unleash the final troops held in his hand. He turned to look at Mr. Master Wen He, who appeared so calm, gentle, harmless—and yet profoundly reliable. At this moment, the man, studying the city, lowered his head.

He asked Hao Yuan Xia a strange question.

"You know."

"Where is the city's oil depot?"

The young strategist smiled.

His eyes crinkled with warmth, appearing simple and mild.

Completely harmless.

…………………

Li Guanyi personally carried his sword, shattered the largest granary, then had Hao Yuan Xia step forward to oversee grain distribution. After completing these tasks, Li Guanyi, sword in hand, walked slowly toward the palace.

When he entered Xiangwang Cheng, he had already sensed Xiao Yuxue's location. The last breath of the Xiang Kingdom now clung to her like a venomous serpent, relentlessly pursuing her—and Xiao Yuxue seemed to know she could not escape.

Xiao Yuxue was within this Xiang Kingdom—or rather—

seated within the palace of the 【Western Great Xia Kingdom】.

Behind Li Guanyi, a girl clad in the long robe of an Astrologer followed him in silence.

Li Guanyi, sword in hand, walked before the palace. The nobles had long learned that someone had dared breach the granaries and sent their private troops to block him, mixed among them were palace guards from the Mo Sect—hundreds, even thousands, gathered there.

They stared fixedly at the lone man in a dark felt robe.

Li Guanyi reached out, removed his hood, revealing his youthful face. Just that face alone was enough to make the thousand guards grip their weapons tightly, a vast dread rising within them.

Standing before them was the hero who had taken enemy generals' heads amid ten thousand troops.

The legendary general ranked twenty-seventh on the Divine General List.

How could he be here?!

Weren't they supposed to be hunting down starving bandits who dared storm the state granaries?

How did it become this man?

Instantly, these noble private soldiers, commanders, and Mo Sect disciples recalled the recent rumors—first to enter Xiang wins the throne. Their breaths froze. Was this young man the one who would soon bear the title of King in the Western Regions?

Li Guanyi extended one hand.

Golden light shifted, coalesced, forming a battle halberd shaped like a fierce tiger.

The halberd struck the ground with a thunderous crash.

Li Guanyi gripped the halberd and stepped forward, his foot landing on the steps.

Immediately, the thousand armored soldiers retreated in unison.

Like a surging tide following his presence, Li Guanyi advanced step by step, halberd in hand, his bearing noble and serene. The thousand armored soldiers were forced backward, as if facing the Shenshan itself.

Until there was nowhere left to retreat—suddenly someone screamed: "Kill!!!"

A thousand palace guards charged down from above. Li Guanyi gripped the halberd, suddenly raised it high with both hands, and brought it down with a roar like a fierce tiger!

【Split the Sea】!!!

A shockwave erupted. The dozen men ahead were instantly swept up by the halberd's force, thrown into the air, spewing blood—dead. Li Guanyi held the halberd, his gaze calm and deadly, striding forward.

He alone nearly slaughtered a thousand.

For the Mo Sect disciples, there was only one thought—

Kill!

He charged alone. There were many here, but no generals.

The roar of the fierce tiger rose, fierce and desolate, as if a fierce tiger had descended among flocks of sheep, drawing ever closer. At the highest point, within the palace, Xiao Yuxue seemed to sense it. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her beauty was peerless; she rose and looked outside.

The steps descended layer by layer, blood pooling like a stream.

The palace guards lay dead on the ground, lifeless. The man in ordinary robes shook his wrist—the halberd swept forward, its blade dripping blood that fell to the ground, forming a crimson arc.

Li Guanyi, a Grandmaster, excelled in explosive combat. Without a general to lead them, the palace guards had no chance to stand against a Grandmaster-level general. His halberd rested on the ground.

Behind him, the Bai Hu spirit form had fully manifested.

Li Guanyi, clad in plain robes, ascended the white jade steps step by step.

The great Bai Hu, having devoured the Xiang Kingdom's destiny, advanced slowly.

Having devoured the Xiang Kingdom's destiny and personally slain its transformed Bai Di, Li Guanyi, as he moved forward, as he walked deeper into the palace, felt the Bai Hu's power grow stronger.

The Bai Hu's aura grew fiercer, more ruthless, more domineering—until finally, it carried an imperial, overwhelming pressure. The boy walked ahead, the Bai Hu followed behind, step by step. Xiao Yuxue stood watching, and for a moment, it was not a lone general arriving.

Noble. Deadly.

For a moment, it seemed as if a sovereign had come to his own palace.

Li Guanyi halted, halberd in hand, the silver-haired girl standing behind him.

Li Guanyi looked at Xiao Yuxue.

Xiao Yuxue still smiled: "First it was a sword. Second, a bow. Now, a halberd? Qin Wu Hou, the first time you shattered my spirit form, the second time you crippled my Wu Gong—this third time, are you here to take my life?"

"Then come."

Li Guanyi remained unmoved. He raised his weapon, pointing it at Xiao Yuxue, his voice cold:

"Come… and die…"

At that moment, a long howl suddenly echoed.

The howl sounded like clashing metal and stone, surging skyward; a figure stepped through the air from afar, clad in ink-black robes, silver hair whipping wildly—the legendary Daoist fisher of whales arrived in an instant, passing Li Guanyi and Yao Guang.

When the Fisher of Whales appeared, it seemed he had long been here, searching for something; only when Li Guanyi pierced this place did the Fisher of Whales finally confirm his target.

With a sweep of his sleeve, qi surged like tidal waves; the entire imperial palace, even the whole city, trembled slightly. Li Guanyi felt ripples forming layer upon layer in the surrounding void—ripples shifting and flowing until they converged into one, forming a great array!

This array seemed to have two focal points, shifting and turning; one was located at Yao Guang's position.

The silver-haired girl lowered her gaze to look.

Li Guanyi gripped his battle halberd and stood before Yao Guang.

The Fisher of Whales stood frozen for a long while, then sighed:

"So this is it—the final piece of this array was left here."

"Good, good, good! After more than a decade, the past must end!"

"Array—rise!!!"

The entire imperial palace was shrouded in a great array, trembling faintly; intricate, boundless patterns appeared on the ground, transforming into crimson radiance, which then coalesced into the lingering remnants of an ancient, complex array.

This was the Grand Sacrificial Array that had stripped Yao Guang of her emotions, refining her into a weapon—and it meant that if this array were broken, all that had been taken from her, all she had lost, would be fully reclaimed!

Restored to wholeness.

The Fisher of Whales gazed at the array's remnants.

His five fingers clenched tightly.

The past vanished like smoke and clouds; countless karmic threads, the Grand Sacrifice of ten thousand souls.

He seemed to see again the child placed at the center of the Grand Sacrificial Array over a decade ago—his eyes filled with sorrow, complexity, pain, guilt—all culminating in a long, unrestrained howl—

This time.

Father will not be late.

The greatest genius in a thousand years, the Array Sovereign of the martial world, spoke two words—most resolute, most certain, most agonizingly triumphant—

"Array—shatter!!!"

Took time to deliberate, so I'm late—everyone, rest early.

Trying to control my schedule, but if I can't, I'll have to take leave (pained face)