Chapter 379: The Nine Provinces Cauldron Is Full, Auspicious Omens Are Coming

Seal the mountains, sacrifice to heaven.

At these words, Helian Bo's cheek twitched; he was unwilling, but the tearing pain in his shoulder was unbearable, and he lacked the courage to refuse—the Grand Priest held the golden royal seal of the Tuyuhun, his face utterly consumed by fanaticism.

During the reign of the Tuyuhun, this was the most glorious era the Western Regions had seen in centuries; the kings did not miss that age, but these priests all longed for it—he looked at the kings, at the Central Plains general before him.

Will you obey and aid these kings, Tian Kehan?

Or this fierce general who roams with only a few thousand men?

The battle halberd still bore dried bloodstains.

After a moment's hesitation, his movements became swift and unhesitating.

He bowed deeply: "Great King, your subject here humbly welcomes your sacrifice to heaven. I am the teacher of the shamans of all tribes and the master of this grand rite."

Li Guanyi grunted, surveying the battlefield, his spirit relaxing; gripping his weapon, he knew the noble cavalry from the Western Regions' rear could not compare to the ferocious, wolflike cunning of the frontline Western troops.

Li Guanyi's forces shattered them before his army could even fully unleash its might—the pressure Li Guanyi and the Beiwei Army endured paled beside that faced by the Wolf King's five thousand Canglang Guard.

But it was over.

Most crucially, it could span ten thousand li to pinpoint Mount Juxu with perfect accuracy; the Western Regions battlefield was but a single node—Li Guanyi's gaze stretched far, as if seeing the battlefield ten thousand li away.

Upon the true battlefield of the Western Regions, the vortex of the world's great tide spun wildly.

Yuwen Tianxian, Yuwen Hua, Jiang Gao, Ye Buyi, Zhou Liu's camp, Zhou Ping the Conqueror.

These old acquaintances now rode and clashed upon that battlefield.

Excellent, excellent.

My lords, wait!

Li Guanyi extended his hand, as if grasping the distant Western Regions; within his chest, the Nine Provinces Cauldron roared, and the destiny-qi rising from the kings and khans—like soaring eagles, vast sheep, majestic yak—rose up.

All were swallowed by the destiny-qi behind Li Guanyi; Bai Hu strode proudly, now radiating the aura of Bai Di, the fierce tiger devouring the sheep, tearing apart the eagle, crushing forward with the most direct, most tyrannical force.

The Nine Provinces Cauldron roared incessantly.

Having eaten its fill once more, the destiny-qi within the Nine Provinces Cauldron surged and gathered, nearly drawing together all thirty-six Western tribes, filling it to nearly nine-tenths—then suddenly halted.

Li Guanyi frowned slightly.

…It seems there is still an issue.

Are some absent, or is there internal conflict, rebellion—have some khans been imprisoned?

At this moment, the Grand Priest began reorganizing the altar; the kings trembled, daring not speak again—their national destiny and qi were suppressed, so now they felt only that the young general sat there like a crouching tiger, overlooking all under heaven.

Only trembling, trembling in their hearts.

Only Li Guanyi closed his eyes, temporarily suppressing this matter; within his heart, the Nine Provinces Cauldron, nearly full, began to roar again.

Li Guanyi sensed a dense aura of human destiny-qi.

Then, leveraging the nearly full state of the Nine Provinces Cauldron, he locked onto a distant qi.

Simultaneously, ten thousand li away, in Anxi City, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer, resting quietly, suddenly felt someone calling her; she snapped her head up, glancing left and right, her ears twitching.

She asked sharply: "Huh??"

"Who is it?"

Li Guanyi's voice replied: "It's me, Li Guanyi."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer froze, then spoke softly: "It's you—you've ventured deep into the Western Regions. Do you need my help?"

Li Guanyi said: "Yes."

He gripped his halberd, seated upon the altar of sacrifice, his battle robe fluttering slightly in the cold, vast wind of the Western Regions, watching the captured Western armies, seeing the kings prostrate before him in priestly robes.

Too weak.

Li Guanyi thought, having seen Yuwen Lie's rampant, tigerlike Hu Man cavalry, having witnessed the Wolf King's tyrannical might—the noble cavalry of the Western Regions' rear, born of so-called noble blood, stirred not the slightest ripple in his heart.

Such men are not his target.

The Wolf King, Yuwen Lie, Jiang Wanxiang.

Even Jiang Su.

They are the true opponents worth fighting.

This journey across ten thousand li, this lone advance to break enemy generals—was merely to secure a fair duel with the Wolf King.

After seeing the sacrificial objects, Li Guanyi noticed one painted with the image of the Nine-Colored Divine Deer—elaborate, ancient; the Grand Priest had said it was the oldest artifact, representing the Western Regions' most primordial and sacred legend.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer…

Li Guanyi's gaze shifted away from the sacrificial artifact, answering inwardly:

"I have a matter that requires your witness."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer asked, puzzled: "Witness?"

Li Guanyi grunted: "Aren't you the greatest auspicious omen of the Western Regions?"

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer replied gently and humbly: "It is merely a title people once placed upon my head. I cannot even protect myself, let alone safeguard the people of this land—without power, how can one be called an auspicious omen?"

Li Guanyi smiled lightly, then answered:

"Then today, let me give you a gift."

"Become the true 【Auspicious Omen】."

"Your qi is linked to my Nine Provinces Cauldron—I shall guide you with the destiny-qi of the Nine Provinces. Nine-Colored Divine Deer, come here and aid me… as fulfillment of the promise I once made to you."

These words carried a quiet, regal calm.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer froze, recalling then—when Li Guanyi had just established himself in the Western Regions, when he had first asked for her aid, and she had refused.

【The Western Regions have been in chaos for so long, many heroes have risen; though you are powerful, you are not yet the greatest.】

【I swore I would never again aid mortal kingdoms.】

【Unless it is the greatest hero of the Western Regions.】

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer, a celestial auspicious omen, was stubborn.

It was bad enough that he was stubborn, but the Nine-Colored Deer, who was stubborn to begin with, never forgot what she said—so that answer from back then rose again in his mind: back then she was stubborn, but for this period of time, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer had been staying in Anxi City.

She ate the food of Anxi City, drank its water, and even had a young girl combing her fur for her.

Human hands, soft and nimble, were used to comb her fur.

It was truly an enjoyment impossible to refuse.

For these past few months, she had eaten, drunk, and lived for free.

Even the Nine-Colored Divine Deer, a celestial omen by birth, had grown no longer so stubborn.

Yet when she thought of Li Guanyi's original dream of uniting all under heaven into one nation, she still felt he was just a child—how vast the world was, from here to there, boundless and endless; even riding the fastest horse would take a very, very long time.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer replied gently:

"Alright, I'll come see the gift you've prepared for me."

"Then, how can I help you?"

She still believed Li Guanyi needed her help.

But she gently agreed first to his so-called "gift," then asked her question.

Amid the fierce winds of the Western Regions, carrying the scent of blood and swords, Li Guanyi said:

"Then, please demonstrate the majesty of an omen?"

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer thought for a moment, then asked seriously: "I haven't done this in a long time."

"How great an omen do you want?"

Li Guanyi answered: "The greatest."

"As high as the heavens."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer thought, then said gently: "Alright."

She felt this child was always calm, never easily asking others for help—he would speak this way only if he faced something enormous, needing her power.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer felt she had consumed much of Anxi City's resources for free.

She felt ashamed, and had long wanted to repay them.

This was perfect.

Because he truly was a good child, a young warrior—even if not the greatest hero of the Western Regions, as the Ancient Taigu Chilong had claimed, he was still very good.

As for the Ancient Taigu Chilong's words—

The Ancient Taigu Chilong had learned bad habits from that fellow eight hundred years ago; boasting was normal.

The Western Regions were already in chaos, the qi and fortune tangled beyond recognition—even the Nine-Colored Divine Deer could no longer discern them. Though she sensed the distant, sword-like surge of qi rising from Mount Juxu, she gave it no further thought.

She rose, unleashing nine-colored divine light.

Though this place was extremely distant from the direction of Li Guanyi's Nine Cauldrons' qi, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer could either soar directly into the sky, or—when in the Western Regions—fly far faster than anywhere else.

This was the nature of a Western Regions omen.

After Li Guanyi had fixed the positions of the Nine-Colored Divine Deer and the Nine Cauldrons, he stood quietly, gazing ahead, breathing calmly and utterly composed. Fan Qing, Tian Kehan Qibili, and General Ling Pingyang each led their contingents to suppress the captives.

The Divine Archer General stood beside Li Guanyi, gripping a top-tier Xuan Weapon battle bow, still carrying the aura of Fei blood; beside him lay a pile of arrows. The elite archer atop the height could almost shoot one down with each arrow.

Especially when the Qiang people recognized him as the Divine Archer General who had once defended the city alone, they were filled with terror.

The altar had been shattered by Li Guanyi's forces; while everyone rested, he quietly slipped away and retrieved the Chixiao Sword, pretending nothing had happened.

The cold winds of the Western Regions howled. Li Guanyi gazed at the golden statues brought by the kings for the sky sacrifice—each differed in material and design: some exquisite, others abstract; some cast in gold, others forged from refined iron, each pulsing with qi, large or small.

The Nine Cauldrons had devoured the qi of these kings and now found these objects beneath contempt.

Now, they had grown picky.

Li Guanyi knew these were attempts to emulate the precedent of the Tuyuhun King three hundred years ago, who cast the Wang Yin to rebuild the Wang Ting. He set down these golden statues; the kings submitted, except Helian Bo, who bowed his head, gritted his teeth, and flickered with divine light in his eyes.

Helian Bo guessed that the other khans and chanyus who had not arrived here had already been crushed and submitted. Now, only those few khans he had imprisoned—and the soldiers guarding them—knew of the Wang Ting affair.

He had previously given secret orders to his trusted subordinates.

If they did not see the sacrificial bonfire rise, or receive his command, it meant events had changed—and then they must kill the imprisoned khans, immediately turn back, and lead the Shatuo army to attack these tribes.

Suddenly, a calm voice said: "What are you thinking?"

Helian Bo froze, noticing it was Li Guanyi's question. He kept his expression unchanged: "I'm just thinking I'm unwilling to accept defeat—if you hadn't launched a surprise attack from behind, our army wouldn't have been unprepared, and how could you have defeated us so easily?"

Li Guanyi didn't bother refuting him.

The Nine Cauldrons clearly lacked a portion of qi to become fully complete.

Added to Helian Bo's unusual reaction—

It would be strange if Li Guanyi didn't suspect something.

He merely stared at him and asked: "Where are the other kings?"

Helian Bo saw Li Guanyi's men placing the captured sacrificial golden statues upon the altar; now a ring of golden statues surrounded the great altar.

But several were still missing.

Exactly matching the khans he had imprisoned. Helian Bo said: "How should I know?"

"Perhaps in their own tribes. Perhaps in their own territories."

The silver-haired girl's voice was light: "He's lying."

Helian Bo's gaze sharpened, then he burst into laughter: "If you want to punish me, just strike directly! Why let some little girl give reasons? That's too simple!"

"If you want to kill me so badly, just go ahead—"

With a sharp, ringing cry, Helian Bo saw a flash of cold light before his eyes, felt his arm grow icy—and the next moment, he saw his own arm flying upward, landing on the ground, blood gushing out.

Even a warlord like Helian Bo could no longer endure the pain and fury; he screamed.

Li Guanyi sent out a void-pressure strike.

It stopped the bleeding. Helian Bo collapsed, his face ashen.

Li Guanyi asked: "Where are the remaining kings?"

Helian Bo sneered, laughing loudly: "You ask me? Even if you kill me, I won't tell you. Besides, I know nothing. If you have the power, then kill me!"

"Come, come on! Don't you want Tian Ge'er's benevolence?!"

The Guimo King, who knew the general situation, couldn't help but admire Helian Bo's heroic boldness—courageous, meticulous, and cunning, knowing that Tian Ge'er had long cultivated a reputation for mercy by releasing captives.

The warlords of the Western Regions were cunning; they knew how to exploit such sentiments.

The next instant, a gush of hot blood drenched the Guimo King's face!

The Guimo King's expression froze.

The battle halberd rose—just moments ago, the warlord was now a corpse.

Clean. Efficient.

The Guimo King's heart pounded wildly as he watched Li Guanyi raise his halberd.

Li Guanyi said: "Fine. I'll satisfy you."

The Guimo King: "??!!"

Li Guanyi raised his halberd, pressing it against the Guimo King: "Do you know?"

In the Guimo King's vision, the warrior clad in armor scarred by countless sword and blade strikes—even his white battle robe soaked red with blood—raised his weapon, gazing at him with calm eyes.

Thus, Tian Ge'er's name for mercy now merged with ruthless dominance.

Not only through benevolence to conquer and respond, but also through sword and spear.

On this land, mercy alone is not enough.

The Guimo King's perception of him became reverence.

Bowing his head, he said:

"I… understand…"

The Guimo King revealed everything, withholding nothing. Li Guanyi learned that several kings were imprisoned, along with tens of thousands of troops. He raised his weapon and ordered the Grand Priest: "Continue preparing the altar for the Great Sacrifice—the guests have not yet arrived."

Li Guanyi, weapon in hand, strode out and stood atop the Sacred Mountain, addressing his troops: "In Anxi City, rewards and punishments are strict. Those who intended to surrender to us have suffered unjustly—therefore, we cannot abandon them."

"What do you all think?"

Over six thousand warriors raised their weapons and roared: "Fight!!!"

The voice was grim and majestic, unhesitating. Li Guanyi said: "General Wang."

Wang Shunchen stepped forward half a pace. Li Guanyi said: "You lead one army and hold this position." Wang Shunchen bowed and replied, "Yes, my lord." Li Guanyi turned to the Grand Priest and said gently: "I rely on you, Grand Priest, to continue preparing the Heaven Sacrifice here."

The Grand Priest's scalp prickled, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Li Guanyi led his troops downhill.

He had just slain Helian Bo, the famed warlord who had masterminded Wang Ting's affairs—and even been captured by them—leaving the Western Region khans speechless with fear.

Li Guanyi suddenly understood what the Yu Langwang had told him.

Heroes must be feared.

Li Guanyi gazed at the Western Region khans, whose initial shock had now fully transformed into reverence, and finally understood the old divine general's meaning—the Old Wolf King had truly been teaching him something.

But the Old Wolf King's teaching style was crude and direct.

Literally, 【word-for-word】 "teaching by example."

"What a stubborn temperament…"

Li Guanyi's understanding of the great tide of the world deepened further. He tightened his reins, his battle lust surging wildly. Without hesitation, he led the five thousand cavalry he had split off, galloping down the mountain slopes toward the encampment dozens of li away.

Within the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, the fortunes of the Western Region tribes churned violently.

Only this final piece remained—

The kings who had planned to surrender but were imprisoned.

The great tide of the world rolled forward, settling on this final move.

They galloped hard, kicking up swirling snow, soon reaching the encampment. Inside, the guards were arguing—some wanted to obey orders and kill the khans, others wanted to flee.

Before they could decide, a storm of riders surged through the blizzard and snowstorm, their horses thundering like Lei Ting. The Western Region cavalry were stunned, blowing their large, curved yak-horn trumpets—deep, resonant blasts. The Western Region cavalry gathered.

Li Guanyi charged ahead, weapon in hand, the martial aura of his army surging and swirling into a dragon-like form. He raised his halberd, staring ahead—the Nine Tripod Cauldrons roared without ceasing, signaling that the final fortune of the Thirty-Six Western Region tribes lay just ahead.

The Western Region cavalry assembled; the Anxi City cavalry both accelerated. The sound of hooves thundered like Lei Ting, the wind howled, weapons raised. Li Guanyi's heart pounded as he stared at the encampment ahead. Saluzi surged forward, and he swung his halberd with all his might.

BOOM!!!!

The enemy cavalry commander was blasted backward.

Saluzi, the divine steed, trod upon Lei Ting. Li Guanyi's spirit surged, letting out a long, roaring cry. His weapon in hand, the cavalry behind him accelerated violently—their battle aura exploded. A dragon's roar echoed as the pure military soul emerged, faint yet distinct.

Golden light radiated from Li Guanyi, spreading across the entire army.

Then it vanished again.

At the moment the two armies clashed, as the martial aura surged skyward, Li Guanyi's weapon gripped tight—the fluctuating fortune finally coalesced completely. It was the military soul forged through ten thousand li of relentless charge, through dozens of consecutive victories.

Not the Fire Qilin. Not the Crimson Dragon.

But the vast, ancient aura of the Divine Dragon appeared, engulfing the entire force.

A pure Divine Dragon, its golden body ancient and vast, scales shifting and flowing, radiating a detached majesty.

Tear! Pierce!

Li Guanyi slashed down fiercely. The Divine Dragon military soul roared upward, tearing forward. The army surged with grandeur, weapons merciless. Li Guanyi shattered the front line and reached the stronghold guarding the imprisoned kings—the very purpose of the Western Region's charge, the convergence of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons.

The final link of the alliance of kings.

Right now.

Li Guanyi raised his weapon and brought it down.

BOOM!!!!

The colossal explosion nearly blew the Western Region encampment clean off the ground.

Extreme violence gave way to absolute silence. Even the motion of the gate flying outward seemed to slow—every detail visible: the flaring of horse manes, the precise descent of the divine steed's hooves.

The imprisoned kings trembled, lifting their heads to see the chains shattered and falling, the ice on the river crushed beneath hooves. The divine steed, treading Lei Ting, advanced—and the bloodstained battle-armored general appeared before them, just as they thought they were about to die.

For a moment, all the Khans fell silent, staring at the suddenly appearing warlord, stunned and unable to speak as the situation shifted beyond their understanding.

The sky stretched vast and distant, yet the wind was grim and deadly.

Li Guanyi raised his hand, removed his helm, and his eyes were calm as he said:

"Gentlemen, are you all unharmed?"

Behind him, endless armored warriors with weapons surged forward in layered ranks, their deadly aura overwhelming; the Khans of the Yuezhi, Kanjuti, and Dawān changed expression—the Tian Kehan of Dawān recognized this man and said:

"Tian Ge'er, how are you here…?"

Li Guanyi replied calmly: "I heard the Shatuo Kingdom disrespected you all. I heard you wished to ally with me, so I came personally, crossed the river to rescue you, and invite you all to Mount Juxu to perform the Heaven Sacrifice."

The information in this single sentence was overwhelming.

The kings, seeing this fierce army, shifted expressions several times, finally blending gratitude for salvation, terror at its military might, and dread of this divine general's renown.

It was not worship. It was not closeness.

It was the gaze of subjects facing a conqueror.

It was reverence.

One by might, one by benevolence.

Li Guanyi felt the Nine Tripods of Jiuzhou ring and howl, utterly complete.

Full, about to overflow.

He led the broken troops and these Khans toward Mount Juxu; the Heaven Sacrifice ritual had been reprepared, and countless Western Regions warlords and Khans watched this army move with calm ease, like a tiger hunting across heaven and earth.

They so easily marched to crush their enemies, then returned with regal composure.

At the very bottom of the altar, beneath Mount Juxu, lay vast armies of the Western Regions.

Li Guanyi rode his warhorse, ascending step by step up the stairs.

His bloodstained battle robe fluttered in the wind; the ancient chant of sacrifice echoed, primordial and solemn.

Before the altar, the Khans danced for this conqueror.

They sang and danced with great enthusiasm.

Yet the sound of the warhorse's hooves struck like blows to their chests, like war drums—Li Guanyi, mounted, rode through gazes filled with terror, dread, and unwillingness, reaching the summit.

The Grand Priest stepped forward to dress Li Guanyi in the Western Regions' ceremonial robes, but Li Guanyi said:

"For this sacrifice, such attire is unnecessary."

"My battle armor suffices."

He dismounted, his voice steady: "Moreover, I have my own priest—no need for your Shatuo Kingdom's divine shaman." The aura of a conqueror surged—no longer his usual gentleness.

What he was doing now was not hosting a banquet.

It was a violent act.

The most violent act: one side conquering, overthrowing another.

The Shatuo Grand Priest stammered: "But the ritual is extremely complex."

"If anything goes wrong, it could bring disaster—do you have someone chosen?"

Li Guanyi dismounted; Sàlùzǐ galloped away. Li Guanyi turned his gaze to one side, where a divine steed stood, its back bearing a silver-haired girl. The sovereign from the Central Plains drove his weapon into the ground.

"I have my own 'priest.'"

"From the past to now, from now to the future—there is only one."

"No one else can replace her."

Sacred incense rose toward the sky; the Western Regions' heavens stretched vast and blue, distant clouds drifting. The battle-hardened legions stood still between heaven and earth, heads bowed, as the lord in black armor extended his hand toward the divine steed.

The silver-haired girl hesitated, then placed her hand upon his cold gauntlet.

The lord pulled gently; the girl leapt down from the steed in a graceful arc.

Her hood fell away; her long silver hair, against the Western sky, was beautiful and sacred.

This scene was breathtakingly beautiful, unforgettable.

Li Guanyi held Yao Guang, letting the girl preside over the Heaven Sacrifice, while he raised his eyes to the sky—within the clouds and auroras, faint auspicious light shimmered.

After this reorganization, battle, and return, the sky had grown late—and at this moment, as the Western Kings and Khans gazed upon him with reverence—

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer arrived!

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