Chapter 378

Li Guanyi's contingent of several thousand men no longer needed any battle formation; as Li Guanyi rode Salu Zi, these elite troops had already mounted their horses, grasped their weapons, donned their armor, and flowed behind him like a river departing.

This coordination, forged in the heat of high-speed marching and combat.

This army would be selected from among other battalions, becoming the core of Li Guanyi's personal guard unit, just like the Gray Wolf Guard of the Yu Langwang—

An army that has endured campaigns and battles alongside its commander trusts him more, boasts higher morale, better coordination, and greater cohesion than any force drawn from other divisions.

This is what is called sharing life and death.

This is what is called sharing the same enemy!

Li Guanyi's force crossed this land, heading toward the sacred site of the Western Regions, Mount Juxu; the morning sun warmed the earth, where ferns grew across this region, and snow from several days prior still lay piled.

Snow in shaded areas could remain unmelted for a long time.

Li Guanyi exhaled a cloud of stale air, veering around one side of Mount Juxu; he ordered Fan Qing and others to halt the army, while he himself spurred his divine steed forward, lifting his gaze—far ahead, he could already see the smoke rising from the sacrificial pyre.

The Western Regions' rites to heaven differed from those of the Central Plains, but were fundamentally solemn acts; Li Guanyi, riding his divine steed along the mountain's flank, saw far off the figures of the kings—and even—

The armies were at a distance; they numbered perhaps tens of thousands. Li Guanyi could only estimate from afar: fifty to sixty thousand, or perhaps seventy to eighty thousand.

Each khan and wang came with their own elite troops—few in number per tribe, but the sheer number of khans made the total vast.

They were far too complacent.

The distance between the army and the sacrificial grounds was sufficient for Li Guanyi's elite to launch a decisive charge; those troops wore armor in their tribal styles, banners of varied colors fluttering high under the blue sky.

The air carried a fresh scent.

Blue sky, white clouds, snow-capped peaks, the blazing fire and white smoke from the central altar of the sacred ceremony—combined with the vast, sweeping landscape of the Western Regions—this was an undeniably sacred and beautiful scene.

Li Guanyi thought.

Even his battle halberd yearned to be swung.

A roaring fire blazed upon the altar, burning sandalwood and some mysterious bones; white, cloud-like smoke rose high into the vast Western sky before dispersing.

On the altar, high priests of various tribes, clad in elaborate, ancient robes, wore masks fashioned from yak and sheep skulls, dancing with ceremonial short knives raised high, their movements ancient, smoke curling around them.

Khans and wang jues from different tribes stood at different positions.

At the very center stood the lord of Tongwan City, the ruler of Shatuo, and the famed general Helian Jieshan's elder brother, Helian Bo; even now, he wore armor, towering like a mountain, a thick-backed curved sword at his waist.

He wore the solemn sacrificial garments only over his battle armor.

Nearby, the ruler of Guimo frowned: "Strange—the time for heaven's rite has come, yet several khans and chanyus have not arrived. Are they unwilling to come, or delayed on the road?"

"Should we wait for them?"

Helian Bo frowned, counted them—nearly a hundred nobles had failed to arrive on time; the number was too great, so great he instinctively suspected they had risen in rebellion against him.

He never once considered they had been captured or surrendered.

He immediately responded with a bold laugh: "If they can't come, then don't wait for them."

"We are here to sacrifice to the Eternal Heaven."

"We honor our ancestors, renew our alliance here, and fulfill the deeds of the Tuyuhun King three hundred years ago—this is agreed by all. Whether they arrive on time or not will not change that, correct?"

His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

The Guimo wang nodded.

He sighed inwardly—here, in this solemn place, the hearts of those standing were far from unified; each khan, chanyu, and wang harbored their own thoughts, their own desires.

They lacked the courage or ambition to challenge the Central Plains' fierce tiger, the crimson dragon, nor dared claim they could achieve what the Tuyuhun King once did—unifying the entire Western Regions.

Yet they still yearned for higher positions within the Wang Ting.

In truth, they sought wealth, honor, and status—but refused to bear the responsibility of leading the way and setting the direction; for these ranks, these titles, this question of who was king, they had long schemed and fought in secret.

Among them, the Western kingdoms of Yuezhi, Kanjuti, and Dayuan were especially unwilling to engage in such fierce conflict with the Central Plains.

Especially those kingdoms and tribes that had survived the battle to kill the Li Duke—none wished to adopt the strategy of threatening Anxi.

Damn it, that's the domain of the Divine Might General!

Many generals cursed aloud.

Lead troops to attack?

Is your Wu Gong higher than Helian Jieshan's?

Aren't you afraid this Divine Might General will come again and take a general's head from within ten thousand troops?

Many of these generals and captains had been wounded and released in the past.

They had seen with their own eyes how that so-called Central Plains merchant, like the wrath of a god, shattered a ten-thousand-man line, then personally beheaded Helian Jieshan, turned, and carried his head away.

To slay an enemy general from within ten thousand troops—this left a deep psychological shadow on any warrior; the tribes who had faced Li Guanyi had no desire to confront that monster again so soon.

Others were simpler—they wanted to impale traitors on wooden poles and leave them to dry in the desert: a straight, sharp-ended pole driven through the traitor's anus and buttocks, stuck upright in the sands.

To be slowly roasted alive.

For traitors, only the cruelest methods suffice.

They wished to ally with Anxi and punish the traitors, rejecting Helian Bo's strategy of allying with the Yu Langwang and plunging the Western Regions into chaos.

Another group genuinely hoped to reunify the Western Regions, restoring peace to this beautiful land and ending the endless wars—none of this suited Helian Bo's plans.

Thus, during this period, Central Plains generals fought on the outer edges of the Western Regions.

Helian Bo maneuvered deep within the Western Regions, suppressing, imprisoning, or controlling those who sought alliance with Anxi, those who sought revenge against the Yu Langwang, and single-handedly orchestrated this sacrifice to heaven and ancestors, the reconstruction of the Wang Ting upon the Sacred Mountain.

His strategies of horizontal and vertical alliances were formidable—he could rightly be called a formidable and ambitious figure.

"... The Central Plains people."

"Hmph, these people—how can they even be khans? They're fools."

"They rely only on ancestral bloodline; without a leader to guide them, they're nothing but a joke."

"And who else but me can lead them?"

Though publicly he waged war against the Yu Langwang, secretly he had allied with him—and he had no intention of directly confronting Li Guanyi.

Confront him? Even if I won, wouldn't I just be making the Yu Langwang's victory?

He was not a fierce, valiant ruler like the Tuyuhun.

Helian Bo was cunning and sharp-witted, planning to apply pressure from behind; if Anxi City scored a great victory over the Wolf King, he would advance his hundred-thousand-strong Western Regions alliance to press Anxi City, giving the Wolf King a moment to breathe.

If the Wolf King was growing stronger with age, he would retreat further, allowing Anxi City's forces to fully consolidate their strength and continue their deadly struggle with the Wolf King—he wanted the Western Regions to descend into chaos and weakness, so he could lead his Wang Ting and swallow up every one of the Wolf King's appointed "Tai Ping Kehan," "Meng En Kehan," and others.

In this way, he could gradually rebuild his dignity and construct his own reputation.

His capital, Tongwan City, already said it all.

One city to unify ten thousand!

"Today's sacrifice to the Eternal Heaven marks the beginning of our great enterprise—the Wang Ting is established; we wait for no one!" He strode forward imperiously. The old priests with white beards trembled in fear: "My King, you cannot show such disrespect—the ceremony to the Eternal Heaven is not yet complete."

"The Eternal Heaven has not yet finished partaking of our offerings."

Helian Bo shouted: "We have built the Wang Ting and revived the glory of the old Tuyuhun ruler—the Eternal Heaven should be sacrificed to by me alone—"

The old priest struggled to block this ambitious king.

But Helian Bo swung his heavy waist blade, smashing it hard against the priest's skull—blood instantly stained his white hair. He collapsed in the wind, gasping: "My King, you cannot so insult the Eternal Heaven—the Eternal Heaven will send divine punishment!"

"Divine punishment?!"

Helian Bo roared:

"If the Eternal Heaven truly delivers divine punishment, then why did it not strike down the Wolf King when he used the Eternal Heaven's name to turn our generals against us and burn them alive?!"

"We are the people of the Western Regions—and the King is your god."

"If there is a god, let me see his army's blade!"

Before this, Li Guanyi had already chosen his path. He gathered his comrades behind him. The Western Regions' sky sacrifice took place on a flat stretch of Mount Juxu, not its peak. Li Guanyi's men circled around and charged down the mountain slope, enough to surge straight into the sacrificial grounds.

From above, their momentum was unstoppable.

Fan Qing, Khan Qibili, and others breathed heavily—especially Khan Qibili, the new Khan of the Tiele Nine Tribes. He knew the Tiele's glory had been absent from this land too long; they had never even had the right to set foot upon this sacred mountain.

Wang Shunchen contemplated the grand strategy of the realm.

He knew clearly that this surprise force had now arrived here.

If they could break through this position and utterly shatter the Western Regions' rear, what terrifying impact would it have on the front? And the Western Regions already had hundreds of thousands of troops near Anxi City.

Even the Wolf King tacitly accepted them as allies.

Or rather, the Western armies on the front lines were indeed strategic allies of the Wolf King, Chen Fubì. But if Li Guanyi's force could erase this alliance's very foundation, everything would change.

If these Western troops, tacitly recognized by the Wolf King as allies, suddenly turned their weapons against him on the battlefield…

At the critical moment, striking at the Wolf King…

Wang Shunchen's breathing grew heavy.

Even one successful strike would be enough!

This was a key piece capable of radically shifting the entire stalemate—and even influencing the course of the realm. Now, the direction of the realm itself would be shaped by this army of over six thousand.

For a famed general, such a feat—shaping an era with the sword—carried an indescribable weight, stirring the heart with surging hot-bloodedness and fierce passion.

Even Tai Ping Gong Li Wanli, at this age, had never achieved such a deed.

And even…

Throughout history, how many generals had ever accomplished such a feat?

Li Guanyi said: "Comrades, storming Mount Juxu begins now."

"Let us too perform the rite of sacrificing to heaven and enshrining a god."

He gazed at the Wang Jue's site, where white smoke curled upward, raised his weapon, and whispered:

"I shall be your vanguard."

"I shall personally strike down that general for you all—to show that Heaven's Mandate is ours."

His voice was soft, yet carried a bold, heroic spirit.

Li Guanyi spurred his steed. Behind him, Wang Shunchen, Fan Qing, Khan Qibili, and Ling Pingyang followed. This long campaign had finally reached its most critical moment—their speed surged, aided by the mountain's slope and their momentum.

The accumulated momentum of their entire campaign erupted instantly.

Charge! Charge!

A feat unmatched by any before, uncertain if any after will ever match it!

The move that reverses the fate of the realm!

Right now!

Helian Bo personally presided over the sacrifice, his expression deeply disrespectful—he intended to gradually replace the people's worship of the Eternal Heaven with his own authority. This was no simple task; it would require great effort and long time—but it was absolutely necessary.

Yet at this moment, a low rumble sounded. The sound felt strangely familiar. The next instant, a chill exploded—Helian Bo's pupils shrank violently. Instinctively, he flung what he held in his hand and drew his waist blade.

The sacrificial offerings shattered in an instant.

White ash swirled in the air, seeming to merge with the snow-capped peaks and white clouds. Helian Bo drew his waist blade, barely managing to raise it before his chest—then came a sharp crack, his wrist jolted violently, nearly losing his grip on the blade.

His pupils contracted sharply as he roared:

"Ambush!!!"

He instinctively leaped backward.

His scalp prickled, his mind reeled in disbelief, his heart pounded wildly.

Someone? Who?!

Who could come here? Who possessed such Wu Gong?!

Smoke and snow mist swirled chaotically, blurring the view ahead—until a banner pierced through the haze, unfurling violently. The next moment, armored Li Guanyi burst through the snow-laden fog.

It was winter. The sky was distant, the clouds thick. At this height, the wind from the arrows' impact churned the snow mist, as if linking with heaven itself. The warlord's battle robe billowed as he charged through the mist, like a celestial deity.

The Grand Priest screamed: "It is the Eternal Heaven—the Eternal Heaven has sent divine punishment!" Li Guanyi rode Sàlùzǐ at the front, raised his hand—and the Chi Xiao Sword and Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow appeared simultaneously in his grasp. He placed the Chi Xiao Sword upon the Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow.

A thunderous roar erupted again. As he galloped at full speed, Li Guanyi forcibly controlled the two divine weapons, stabilizing them under the harmonizing power of the Nine Cauldrons' destiny. His strongest technique reappeared once more.

【Shoot the Wolf King】!!!

When he was at the Seventh Heaven, this technique had already crossed into the Eighth Heaven.

Now that he had stepped into the Eighth Heaven, the power of this technique surged again, faintly reaching the peak of the Eighth Heaven, and without hesitation, it shot straight toward the sacrificial grounds—the Chi Xiao Sword flew out, becoming a streak of light.

This time, it would not be as unstable as last time.

After the Chi Xiao Sword shot forth, it suddenly erupted into an endless storm of sword qi.

It did not attack the sacrificers ahead, but instead descended to their waist level, slamming directly into the mountainside—the snow in that region exploded downward, partially blocking the elite troops' response.

Only a portion of the elite remained at the sacrificial grounds.

Li Guanyi gripped his battle halberd; by this point, there was nothing left to say.

Only battle!

Only battle!!!

He raised his weapon and roared: "Wind!"

Behind him, the mountains echoed back: "Great wind!!!"

Pure roars, the galloping of warhorses—everyone who saw this army arrive fought back and forth; those Khans and Kings fell. Li Guanyi's technique had successfully blocked them, but the enemy was still numerous and had renowned generals.

The Left Wise King of the Western Regions Wang Ting alliance led his troops to rush to their rescue.

Li Guanyi gripped the Tiger Roaring Heaven Battle Halberd with both hands; Salyuzi, under this tide of national annihilation, became a dragon of Master Siming. He suddenly accelerated, galloping back and forth across this Western Regions' Heaven-Sacrificing ground, his halberd stabbing left and thrusting right—no one could stand before him.

The Left Wise King led his troops forward, barely stabilizing his formation, when he saw Li Guanyi charging toward him with the momentum of national destruction, his aura surging, no one able to block him—he could not immediately recognize this general who had suddenly appeared.

Relying on his Wu Gong's divine bravery.

He could only grit his teeth and force himself forward to hold against this man.

Salyuzi reared up, neighing like a dragon; Li Guanyi gripped the halberd with both hands and slashed down with all his might.

The Left Wise King gripped his weapon with both hands.

One strike came crashing down.

The sound exploded like Lei Ting—the Left Wise King's bones and sinews went numb; he barely held his ground, roaring: "I am the Left Wise King of the Western Regions! Who are you? How dare you act so recklessly here!"

Li Guanyi knew that if the enemy army consolidated, his six thousand men would be annihilated.

It was a race of surprise lightning warfare; Li Guanyi also knew he could not fight head-on with a force ten times smaller, so he unleashed all his strength, gripping his weapon, the tiger's roar roaring skyward, his expression haughty: "I?"

"I am your Heaven!"

No need to adjust his Qi, no pause whatsoever.

The stalemate in the Western Regions—this relentless ride of ten thousand li, charging forth, slaying generals, seizing cities, over thirty battles large and small, every battle won, every fortress taken, subduing Khans, Chanyus, and Kings—Li Guanyi's breath, starting from Anxi City, flowed uninterrupted for ten thousand li.

At this moment, it exploded!

One halberg strike came down.

He felt utterly exhilarated!

The Left Wise King blocked it hard, but because his own Seventh Heaven cultivation was insufficient, his army's momentum had not been prepared, he was not in combat readiness, and because Li Guanyi's first arrow had not gathered the army's momentum onto himself.

Though he had tens of thousands of troops, they were as if nonexistent—while the armies clashed and fought, the six thousand elite of Anxi City galloped back and forth, the seventy thousand Western Regions allied troops slaughtered each other—then suddenly they saw the Left Wise King's body freeze, the armored general in his battle robe raising his halberd.

The Left Wise King suddenly spat blood and toppled backward; this master-level warrior fell because of Li Guanyi's sudden charge and unbelievable appearance. Li Guanyi exhaled, lifted his gaze, and stared at the gathered formations.

He flicked his wrist—the halberd slashed sideways, and the Left Wise King's head shot skyward.

Carrying the might of national annihilation.

Another array slash!

Like a celestial god, silence fell around him. Li Guanyi pulled his reins; Salyuzi trod upon Lei Ting, staring at the terrified generals and armies. His troops converged in formation, though only six thousand, surged like Lei Ting, crashing forward in a thunderous assault.

I want—directly!

To crush the Western Regions—completely!

More than six thousand men, their aura like a rainbow—this mixed army of Western Regions and Central Plains warriors, far from their own cities, had ridden ten thousand li, and now here, beneath the greatest sacred mountain of the Western Regions, they fought a great battle against the Western Regions' elite rear forces.

From the rising dawn until the battle's end, it was time for Heaven Sacrifice.

The soil of the sacred mountain was dyed red with blood.

In combat with the Left Wise King, he took seven thousand heads, thirty-two foreign kings, all the Left Wise King's generals fled far away; the Kings trembled in terror, crawled on their knees, none dared look up—those who refused submission were called Hu Man.

Thereafter, they fled far away, and south of the tents, no Wang Ting remained.

————《Historical Records · Annals First》

Li Guanyi exhaled a foul breath, dismounted, his battle boots stepping on blood-soaked earth; his battle robe, originally white, had long since turned crimson from battle and slaughter—he strode forward to the place of Heaven Sacrifice.

The Western Regions' sacrificers had long faces pale with shock, though some wore fanatical expressions; the Kings of the Western Regions' royal court wore expressions of terror—some who recognized Li Guanyi cried out: "Heaven, Tian Ge'er..."

The battle spirit collapsed again.

Helian Bo of Tongwan City's face tightened; suddenly he leapt, drawing his waist knife, lunging toward the silver-haired girl beside Li Guanyi—but the next instant, a flash of cold light swept past—the Tiger Roaring Heaven Battle Halberd had already slashed down.

The war knife in Helian Bo's hand was shattered outright!

The Tiger Roaring Heaven Battle Halberd struck down, embedding into his shoulder bone; his lord-level physique and Eighth Heaven foundation sent the warlord who had stirred the Western Regions reeling—he collapsed to his knees, face ashen, cold sweat dripping in large beads.

The Tiger Roaring Heaven Battle Halberd pressed downward, nearly cleaving Helian Bo in two.

Helian Bo still gritted his teeth, shouting: "Tian Ge'er's divine valor is indeed as legendary—but this is our Western Regions' sacred mountain, the place where our warriors sacrifice to the Eternal Heaven! You are a Central Plains merchant—you have no right to be here!"

Li Guanyi's elite troops descended like divine warriors, their might terrifying—appearing at this distant heart of the Western Regions at an unimaginable moment, in an unimaginable way; just thinking of the hundreds of Western Regions nobles who had never been here, everyone knew how they had arrived.

A lone army penetrating deep, crossing ten thousand li!

Another array slash of the Left Wise King.

What divine might!

The Western Regions' generals and Khans, merely imagining such valor, felt an overwhelming pressure—beyond reverence, no other thought could rise within them.

Helian Bo knew this.

He sought to stir the Western Regions' generals and Khans' reverence for Heaven Sacrifice, to ignite their rebellious hearts—the warrior in the blood-stained battle robe said: "Heaven Sacrifice?"

Helian Bo said:

"Yes, only the legitimate line may offer sacrifice to Heaven, and may come to my sacred ground!"

Li Guanyi said: "Is that so? Then it's perfect."

He suddenly raised his hand, holding a seal in his palm.

The Golden Tiger Wang Yin!

The true seal, revered by these so-called Wang Ting as the legitimate ruler—the seal of Tuyuhun, the dominant power of the Western Regions; all the Western Kings and Tian Kehan were stunned, staring at the divine general who seemed to have descended from heaven. Li Guanyi plunged his battle spear into the ground and threw the seal outward.

The Golden Tiger Wang Yin landed upon the altar's table. Li Guanyi, gripping his battle spear, stood amid the vast expanse of the Western Regions, gazing at the distant, boundless sacred mountain, and said: "If this Wang Yin represents the legitimate rule of the Western Regions..."

"... then I too shall participate in the sacrifice to Heaven."

"My lords..."

"... do you have any objections?"

The priests wholeheartedly approved, yet the Grand Priest, old and cunning, though shaken with fear and reverent fervor, still stubbornly said: "To sacrifice to the Heavenly Deity requires sacred dance to please the gods. Here, such dance has long been forbidden. Let us postpone the sacrifice until next time."

Li Guanyi intended to decisively subdue all the Western Kings.

The young prince lowered his gaze slightly and said: "Continue the sacrifice to Heaven."

"As for the dancer..."

He gripped his weapon, raised it—and lifted his battle spear from Helian Bo's shoulder, making Helian Bo's face twist in agony. The young Central Plains general's eyes remained calm as he looked at the kings and Tian Kehan kneeling before him and said:

"I beg the Kings and Tian Kehan to dance for me, to please the gods."

"I shall personally—"

"Seal the mountain! Sacrifice to Heaven!"

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? Damn, this is hard to write, and I'm late again.

? I shouldn't have stayed up this late—everyone, please take care of your health and rest.