Chapter 441: Transformation!

Li Guanyi rushed to the front-line city, where defenses were already being prepared; the troops accompanying him were dispersed into the city, and with the Whale Fisher among them, this silver-haired Array Master could not possibly stand alone against an army led by a top-tier general.

But given sufficient materials, he could accomplish countless astonishing feats.

For instance, right now—

He intended to use the military formation as the core, relying on the city's fortifications, to construct a short-term array. When Li Guanyi returned, the silver-haired Whale Fisher was refining the array diagram; he glanced at Li Guanyi and said, "Get all your men into the positions I've marked."

The Whale Fisher handed the array diagram to Li Guanyi, who glanced at it and saw that this grand array linked the entire city with its earth veins and qi currents, subtly forming a protective city array.

Without top-tier array materials, use the military formation as the core.

Without pre-drawn array diagrams crafted with Jin Yu substances.

Then deploy troops and formations, using the soldiers' qi to link together instead.

Finally, the qi flows not to concentrate on a single person, but to protect the city itself—emulating Master Siming's methods, using mountains, rivers, and earth veins as the array's foundation; even further, this audacious act of trying to cook a meal without rice left Master Siming and the Old Black Tortoise dumbfounded.

Wait, you can do this?

My god, hand-crafting a grand array?

A fortress-level one?

I haven't seen such a mad array master in three hundred years.

The silver-haired Array Master, always arrogant, grew even more defiant under pressure; now he rolled up his sleeves, eager to demonstrate to the world what hand-crafting a fortress-level city array truly meant.

The Whale Fisher's logic was simple: he had no intention of using this city to fight Jiang Su to the death—just one stand was enough.

He wanted Li Guanyi to plant his foot here and stand firm!

Who gave you the right, old bastard, to try and arrange a match between my child and that spineless Crown Prince over two years ago?

I must settle this score.

I'll slap your face until it's shredded.

He dragged Xue Shen, who had been watching the spectacle, right over and ordered him to take command at the center.

"Huh? Me?"

Xue Shen, who had been observing the era's transformations, seemed dazed; he pointed at himself with a finger: "Me?"

"If I fight again, I'll pass out."

The Whale Fisher snapped: "Sleep, sleep, sleep—what's the point?"

"I just need you to hold the center of the formation. Though I'm skilled in grand arrays, I lack your martial energy. You stand as the array's core and unify the martial killing aura for me!"

Xue Shen shook his head, arms crossed, smirking:

"Kid, don't think being a martial legend gives you the right to be so arrogant. If you want me to help you, you still…"

The Whale Fisher snapped:

"I'll build another automaton and summon your Yao Guang avatar again."

Xue Shen replied without changing expression: "Deal!"

"You know I'm close with Chen Baxian."

"You remind me of him."

"I love how arrogant you are!"

Master Siming: "…………"

Master Siming suddenly felt something was wrong and quietly stepped back.

But it was too late—the Whale Fisher reached out and grabbed the fleeing Master Siming, saying: "You stay here too. Don't go anywhere!"

"Use Yin-Yang School techniques to fix the array's grand momentum."

Master Siming: "…………"

Li Guanyi distributed all the array diagrams given by the Whale Fisher.

This confrontation, in the end, subtly became a clash between martial legends—Li Guanyi, though already commanding a spirit that swallowed ten thousand miles and surged like a torrent, was still young.

The edges of the world and the era are carved by the young.

But the heroes of the last era were once young too.

They too had dreams, great vows, and the resolve to sacrifice everything for their blazing ambitions; now, in this chaotic age, this struggle is merely one group using spears and steeds to crush another group's dreams.

This ten-thousand-mile nation is too vast even for Jiangnan to digest—its troops, horses, silver, and logistics cannot sustain such a vast territory.

In the end, war is decided by depth of foundation.

Over these years, Li Guanyi has campaigned across the land, winning every battle; he seems blessed with dragon-like fortune, yet lacks time to rest and recover—like a dragon soaring too high, he will soon regret it, and this flaw, previously subtle, has now become glaring.

This grand expedition exposed it plainly.

After advancing only two or three hundred li, Jiangnan's logistics are already stretched thin.

Meanwhile, the Ying state, though repeatedly repelled on all fronts, still resembles a sick giant with enough strength left to fight.

Li Guanyi did not know Jiang Wanxiang had been driven to rage, reactivating the illness left by Yu Langwang, and had been further provoked by the young Fire Qilin into spitting blood and nearly fainting—he merely thought: no wonder this three-hundred-year-old empire, under Jiang Wanxiang's decades of rule, has such deep strength.

Hard to fight.

With the situation now at this level, and Jiang Su fighting for the Ying state, Tiance Prefecture's core response was the Whale Fisher, the Array Master and martial legend, lending aid.

A martial legend…

Li Guanyi vaguely understood: the Whale Fisher's displayed power had reached the absolute peak of a martial legend—he could hold a city against annihilation, but could not die in battle against Jiang Su.

As long as Grand Tutor Jiang Su remained alive, as long as the Ying state remained a vast empire, as long as armies faced each other in open battle—

Grand Tutor Jiang Su remained invincible.

Even if chaos erupted within the Ying court.

The Ying state would not fall.

Even if it had lost all ambition or possibility of conquering the world.

Jiang Su's single Void-Destroying Spear was enough to uphold the very sky of the Ying state.

The strongest and most cunning military strategist of the last three hundred years was ultimately able to leave only one eye behind, at the cost of his own life, standing like a guardian deity of the entire Ying State—still an enemy Li Guanyi could not match.

In this struggle for the world, ultimate victory still depends on the personal valor of generals.

Li Guanyi lightly tapped his fingers against the city wall, sensing the resonant roar of his Nine Provinces Cauldron, feeling the fullness of his own great fortune and destiny.

Eighth Heaven's peak.

He could never be a match for the Grand Master, who dominated the battlefield with unrivaled might.

This time, there is no tenfold disparity in troop numbers like in the Western Regions.

To break the Ying State and claim the world.

Or, plunge the Ying State into chaos so severe that all four corners collapse—then, even with a peerless divine general like Jiang Su, the Ying State would be unable to mobilize a large army, unable to unleash Jiang Su's full combat power.

Then, still emulate the Western Regions, and crush Jiang Su by overwhelming force with ten times the numbers.

Or, Li Guanyi must grow strong enough to directly clash with Jiang Su on the battlefield.

Simultaneously, his territories must undergo years of rest and recuperation, gradually recovering to support a divine general of legendary martial stature in this world's titanic confrontations—and that would inevitably be a war involving a million troops!

A million troops.

This is an army Li Guanyi absolutely cannot field now; the daily logistical consumption of a million troops is an astronomically terrifying figure, one that could make Master Yan Daiqing faint dead away.

Never mind Li Guanyi's thirty years of wealth fortune.

Li Guanyi suspected that even if he poured in three hundred years of wealth fortune, it still wouldn't make a ripple.

And even a great state like the Ying State.

Marching a million troops into battle, whether victorious or defeated, would drain the entire nation into decline; at such a moment, if a venomous serpent or dragon lurked nearby, even a victory would see the Ying State swallowed whole.

And if internal contradictions within the state ran deep, it would lead to total fragmentation.

Beyond this, there is no third option.

The old Master Siming looked at Li Guanyi and said, "What are you thinking about, boy?"

Li Guanyi replied, "The world."

The old Master Siming froze; the Whale Fisher slightly lifted his gaze; Xue Shen also stared at Li Guanyi.

Standing before the city wall, Li Guanyi, even in ordinary clothes, radiated an imposing aura; the fiery intensity of his youth had been tempered, replaced by a quiet, commanding presence.

Banners flapped fiercely; the Fire Qilin manifested its might; Li Guanyi, nearly nineteen.

In this era, he could already be called a young man.

His prestige, Wu Gong, and tactics were all outstanding.

The Whale Fisher slightly grinned.

Sometimes he felt this golden son-in-law might slip away.

A new overlord in chaotic times, unquestionably a mighty hero.

Though not as handsome as me, he doesn't look bad.

Tch, this guy is too desirable.

The Whale Fisher glanced at Xue Shen over there; as a legendary figure born from beggary, his moral底线 was nowhere near as high as the others', and he couldn't help but think he ought to lend his daughter a hand.

Should he just drug her…

Get the rice cooked.

Then, no matter what tricks that little Xue girl had, she'd be powerless.

The Whale Fisher's mind conjured this thought, then his expression changed drastically.

A look of utter revulsion.

He spat several times to the side.

Pfft, pfft, pfft—damn it, even as a beggar, even as low as a beggar, I could never entertain such a thought—wouldn't that make me no better than that damned woman?!

How could I ever do such a thing to a child!

Due to certain experiences, the Whale Fisher, though born a beggar and a rogue of the martial underworld, held a natural revulsion and aversion toward such "get the rice cooked" tactics; he shook his head violently, casting out those vile thoughts.

Li Guanyi gazed into the distance and said, "It's still not enough."

Neither strategy, battle array, nor personal Wu Gong.

Not yet a match.

If I cannot defeat Jiang Su and the Ying State with honor, how can I seize the realm?

He knew that even the first method would require his personal Wu Gong to reach the absolute limit of the Ninth Heaven—comparable to his great-grandfather before his breakthrough, or to Yu Langwang during the Western Regions war.

His current peak of Eighth Heaven could dominate the world, but against the heroes of the entire realm, it was still insufficient.

The silver-haired Whale Fisher looked at Li Guanyi and warned, "You know Jiang Su is coming; your Wu Gong is still only Eighth Heaven, and this is within the Ying State's territory—Jiang Su has the state's fortune behind him, and his military momentum will surpass yours."

"Can you hold him off?"

Li Guanyi recalled the utterly terrifying pressure of Jiang Su and replied, "With great fortune and battle array, I might勉强 fight him—but to defeat him, I am still far from qualified. But behind us lies Jiangnan."

"At any cost, logistics will flow endlessly; Jiang Su cannot take this city. Moreover, we have hidden forces—we can link up with the Yue Family Army and accomplish this strategic objective."

"The Chen State, the Ying State, and we ourselves all need rest and recuperation."

"Continuing to fight benefits no one."

"Above the northern frontier, the steppe Turkic tribes still lurk."

The Whale Fisher couldn't help saying, "It's possible—but 'possible' is all it is."

He paused, then asked, "Will you still give Jiang Su the head of Jiang Xuantao?"

Li Guanyi paused, his eyes lowering slightly, as if hearing again the bold, free laughter echoing in the wind, and the voice calling him "big nephew"; then he looked at the Whale Fisher and smiled gently.

"Since he is of his bloodline, let him have it."

"Isn't he supposed to thank us?"

The Whale Fisher's expression turned strange as he stared at the righteous Li Guanyi, sensing that this man surely harbored a desire to avenge Yu Langwang's beheading—otherwise, why, when killing Jiang Xuantao, had he chosen such a brutal method as decapitation?

Back then, when the chaotic army turned into a rout, the warhorses panicked and ran wild, trampling without restraint—even armor could be crushed into thin metal sheets, let alone a fallen corpse?

Even the great master-level Western Living Buddha of that era wasn't crushed into pulp by the furious hooves of the Tuyuhun iron cavalry?

Jiang Xuantao's martial prowess and physical frame were inferior to that Living Buddha's. And the armies on that battlefield were even more formidable and numerous than the Tuyuhun forces of three hundred years ago.

Is this kid doing this on purpose?

It must be intentional, right?

He was raised by that girl from the Murong family—how could he possibly be that naive?

The Whale Fisherman thought of Murong Qiushui and knew Li Guanyi's childhood escape meant he could never be utterly innocent; he must be cunning. Yet this act—so obvious to everyone—carried the unmistakable air of "an eye for an eye."

I'll return your bloodline's only son's head if you bring me the Wolf King's head.

There was a raw, fiery integrity unique to youth.

A kind of indescribable grandeur.

The Whale Fisherman sighed, growing increasingly pleased with this man, and said:

"If you already had the Ninth Heaven now."

"Then things would be much better."

"Even facing Jiang Su, doing this would not lose face."

The martial legend's judgment—even now, with Li Guanyi's aura swallowing ten thousand miles like a tiger, bolstered by the battle array, the Ninth Heaven only meant he wouldn't lose face before Jiang Su. Li Guanyi murmured to himself: "The Ninth Heaven…"

One must forge a Cauldron, or—

Swallow the great momentum of the world.

Unless the Southwest Alliance changes course, unless Master Po Jun and the others can seize several cities in one breath, capture the Chen Kingdom's cities along the waterways, and send swift reports into Jiangnan, shifting the tide of fate.

This world is like a chessboard—not one side's sudden surge guarantees victory.

The Nine Tripods trembled.

Li Guanyi lifted his gaze far toward the southwest.

Surprise.

"What is this…?!"

………………

Meanwhile, after Li Guanyi departed, Duke Duan Qingyu took out his armor—rarely done—and stroked it, sighing deeply: "Back then, I wore this armor when I first met Li Wanli and Chen Fubì—not as enemies, but as comrades."

He spoke with boldness: "Ten defeats, ten battles!"

"Tenacity is the spirit of a true hero."

Beside him, Tai Bo Yong interjected: "Isn't it ten battles, ten defeats?"

Duan Qingyu's grandeur instantly deflated; he forced himself to say: "What? Ten battles, ten defeats? A true man doesn't speak of such things—just say, didn't I keep fighting?"

Amid the commotion, the Southwest Flying Army was fully prepared. The governors of the rear cities had been counted by Chen Wenmian, who stepped forward as the campaign strategist, bowing slightly with a smile: "Greetings, all. I am Yan Daiqing of the Southwest."

"Pleased to meet you."

Duan Qingyu: "…………"

Tai Bo Yong: "…………"

Two Southwest warlords who had endured thirty years of war inhaled sharply in unison—and stepped back, in perfect sync.

The atmosphere froze.

Duan Qingyu broke the silence: "Ah, ahahaha! Long time no hear! Long time no hear! Esteemed Master Yan Daiqing—having you join us means we'll surely win every battle, conquer every stronghold!"

"Ah, ahahaha…"

Master Wen Qingyu said nothing more, merely outlined the strategy: they would advance upstream along the tributaries, seize several cities opportunistically. Finally, he said: "Our lord is heading to the Jiangnan battlefield—we must seize this chance to capture several Chen Kingdom cities."

"Hold the waterways tightly!"

Duan Qingyu nodded, then asked: "But… won't Chen Wenmian come with us?"

Master Wen Qingyu replied: "General Chen…"

Only Chen Wenmian could command the Azure Wolf Guard—even now, Xiao General Xiao Wuliang couldn't coordinate perfectly with them. Yet even Master Wen Qingyu knew Xiao General Xiao Wuliang was unfit for battle now.

Master Wen Qingyu said: "First, prepare. If General Chen Wenmian hasn't arrived by departure, let him rest here longer."

In the Southwest bamboo grove.

Chen Wenmian held the wrapped bundle, standing before the bamboo gate. The lock was shut—he used the key to open it. As he pushed the gate open, the wind stirred the bamboo, its leaves whispering mournfully.

The fresh mountain air seemed to cleanse the bloodstains from his body.

He sat quietly in the courtyard, warming himself by the brazier, his body cozy—yet somehow, a sense of desolation and loneliness lingered. He gazed at the bamboo courtyard, thinking of the final gift the Wolf King had given him.

In his hand was the endless knot he still couldn't untie.

His father's voice echoed in his ears—those earnest, calm, bold, and solemn tones—unnoticed, they had all faded over three years. Yet through these years, the Wolf King, Chen Fubì, had always been beside him.

"Father…"

Chen Wenmian lowered his gaze, as if hearing Chen Fubì speaking to him—of a man's great ambition, of boldness, of how he couldn't sink into despair; teaching him to lead troops, drinking with him, the mournful rustle of bamboo leaves.

Chen Wenmian smiled, his expression serene.

He closed his eyes, as if Chen Fubì still sat beside him. The bamboo swayed—and in his daze, it felt as though he'd grown up always beside Chen Fubì, the bold Wolf King who let him ride on his shoulders, who taught him to hold a sword, to train.

Who laughed proudly as he grew, bit by bit.

Sometimes stern, sometimes quiet.

The Wolf King had filled every void in Chen Wenmian's life. To him, the Wolf Wang Chen Fubì was his father—irreplaceable. Eyes closed, he fell asleep, in Chen Wenmian's gentle, careful dream.

His mother and father were both there.

His mother would embrace him tenderly.

Gently brush her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair after sword practice.

Then the three of them would eat together.

His father would sit beneath the bamboo grove, laughing and saying his swordplay was insufficient, while laughter came from next door—the Li Wanli family, perhaps also his childhood brother—peace reigned under heaven, and his family was all still there.

He grew up quietly, peacefully, uneventfully.

When he was about to leave.

He turned back and saw his father and mother standing together, watching him.

His father laughed and told him to return early—home was right here.

His mother worried he would go hungry or cold outside, told him not to fight with others, and said if he grew troubled, he could return anytime.

Home is here.

A tear fell on Chen Wenmian's cheek; he slowly opened his eyes.

Before him lay desolation; old friends were gone forever, leaving only the bleak wind howling and bamboo leaves gently rustling.

Too bad, too bad.

He had never possessed it.

Chen Wenmian reached out, touching the package left by Yu Langwang, and heard again Duan Qingyu's recitation of his father's words:

"That kind of child doesn't care about wealth, glory, or the emperor's throne. For him, in this southwestern corner, a pond, a patch of bamboo, a courtyard—to be a schoolmaster; or to wander the world—that is more fitting."

"He is my son."

"I gave him a second choice."

"There is not a single drop of blood on it."

"This robe is not stained."

"It is perfectly clean."

Chen Wenmian rose, took the robe, treasured it deeply, folded it carefully, and placed it within this southwestern bamboo grove.

Chen Wenmian seemed to answer his father's worries, saying:

"Be oneself…"

"How many in this world yearn for such peace—to be with father and mother, to be oneself? How could I turn away?"

"If I wish for all people under heaven to be themselves…"

"What difference does it make whether I am myself or not?"

"Or perhaps, that dream of bamboo grove seclusion was merely a youth's fantasy. Now, I have a new goal—the world is not yet settled; how can I rest? Father, the world is not at peace—how can I flee?"

Chen Wenmian pulled out the Qianqianjie, caressing its intricate knot, gazing at the fire of chaos, and whispered: "I am here now, Father. I bear your blood, your debt."

"You killed so many—did I not, in my growth, receive your gift?"

"Did I not benefit from it?"

"A true man conducts himself."

"Having received his grace, I must not shun his calamity!"

He released his fingers; the Qianqianjie fell into the flames and was utterly consumed.

"Father, I have untied it."

"By my own method."

He stared at the bright flame that had burned away countless chains; ripples stirred beside him, and the spectral form of the Winged Tiger Qiongqi reared its head and roared, its aura reaching its peak—then, in an instant, it tore apart from the center.

A proud, mournful howl of the Azure Wolf rose to the heavens; above, the stars blazed brightly.

A pure qi rose from Chen Wenmian's body.

From five hundred years ago, among the emotionally volatile bloodline of the Chen imperial family, a pure soul finally emerged—now, with my heart, with my reason, I shattered the ancestral chains utterly.

Abandon the Qiongqi spectral form inherited from external blood!

Abandon that mad, furious power.

Henceforth, the Azure Wolf spectral form is born!

Chen Wenmian reached out; the double-edged battle knife flew into his hand. He held the blade, gazing deeply at the bamboo courtyard, then strode out of the yard.

Yet as he stepped out, it seemed an illusion, a momentary haze.

His ear caught that bold, booming laugh.

"Well untied!!!"

"That is my Chen Fubì's son!"

Chen Wenmian halted; he spun around, staring at the courtyard—yet saw only bamboo leaves swirling, and the robe, neatly folded, resting beneath the yard.

Chen Wenmian's lips trembled; his eyes finally reddened slightly, and he smiled, released.

Then he turned and strode forward, whispering:

"I am Chen Wenmian."

"Son of the Wu Wang—and the one who will end this chaotic age."

Chen Wenmian.

He stepped out from this bamboo dream, from all these pasts.

Tazu Master.

Just this one step.

Already at the peak of the Seventh Heaven!

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