Chapter 449: Breakthrough!

As Li Guanyi changed.

Upon the oldest and grandest sacred mountain of the Western Regions, the voice of the Western Regions' Cauldron echoed vast and ancient, stirring the clouds across the entire sky, causing nomadic herdsmen on horseback to halt and listen in silence to the sound reverberating from the sacred mountain.

General Yue Qianfeng drank deeply, tilted his head, and gazed into the distance: "What is this?!"

"Strange, why did I suddenly think of my brother?"

He felt a pang of regret: "Ah, even Master Pojun Jun insisted we stay here, waiting for Master Yan Daiqing's merchant ship to arrive, then return together to Jiangnan. For these days, I must hold this place alone."

Because the elite of the Anxi Protectorate have all been dispatched to Jiangnan.

Po Jun still feared the Khans here might harbor treacherous intentions.

Thus he left General Yue Qianfeng, unmatched in foot combat, to hold the ground.

He bore up this great cauldron.

General Yue Qianfeng drank, sighing: "I heard Han Zaizhong and those fellows have returned too. Ah, when will I ever meet them again?"

In Jiangnan, the youths chanted poems, running across stone bridges above the river flowing through the city; beneath the arched stone bridge, fish glided past, reflecting the sky's light and cloud seas.

The qi of the Nine Cauldrons from both places surged into the heavens.

Li Guanyi faintly sensed the flow and transformation of qi within his body; his eyes held divine radiance. He raised his palm and gently pressed downward:

"Come!"

The Shi Tie Shou heard only the vast, resonant tolling of the cauldron, as if it would ring through all heaven and earth!

The Ancient Taigu Chilong's pupils contracted, seeing Li Guanyi's robes billow as if caught in a gale, the earth trembling slightly, the clouds in the sky churning like a great dragon roaring toward them.

The qi of Jiangnan, the qi of the Western Regions.

Naturally, they surged toward each other. Before this, Li Guanyi had tried—attempting to link the Nine Cauldrons' qi of the Western Regions with that of Jiangnan—but all such attempts ended in failure.

Because the casting of the Nine Cauldrons draws upon both human qi and the earth's meridians. Previously, though both regions had cast their Nine Cauldrons, their earth meridians had never connected, nor had their people's hearts ever drawn close.

Now, his long campaign had finally borne fruit.

From the western frontier to Jiangnan's sea coast, all chanted the same man's name, calling the same army by different tongues. Language, language, and recognition—these were the bloodline of civilization. Those who bear my robes, my culture, are one lineage.

At this point, let us simply say—

【Come!】

Then, across ten thousand li, winds rose and clouds surged!

The qi of countless millions moved with this body!

From ancient to future, great men, heroic figures—when their achievements reach this point, they may well be proud.

Three Nine Cauldrons converged as one.

The surging qi flowed from the Western Regions, traversing the vast Dajiang River, hearing the resistance upon its waters, from the wild desert sands to Jiangnan's gentle spring breeze, from swords and iron to brushes and ink, from the roar of western winds, spears, and pipa, to Jiangnan's spring rain, slanting winds, and bamboo staffs.

The Shi Tie Shou, turned into a dumpling, instinctively shrank back.

It sensed danger!

Its fur bristled all over.

It looked left and right, seeking a safe enough place.

It had wanted to cling to Li Guanyi's leg.

But as it crawled over, a vast, swirling qi barrier formed, preventing it from approaching no matter how hard it tried. The dumpling Shi Tie Shou refused to accept defeat; it stood upright, swaying forward, baring its teeth.

Pushing forward as if against a wall.

After immense effort, it clung to Li Guanyi's right leg.

It became a Shi Tie Shou pendant.

It bared its teeth at the Fire Qilin, grinning a proud, foolish smile.

I made it!

The Fire Qilin also gripped Li Guanyi's arm.

Then, the swirling, storm-like qi suddenly froze. The next instant, the Shi Tie Shou and the little Qilin felt something slap against their faces—wham! —as if two magnets drawn together.

Zeng! —they were flung away.

The dumpling Shi Tie Shou and the Qilin pendant flew far, hanging on green bamboo.

The resilient green bamboo bent under the immense force into a grotesque arc. The little Qilin was flung clear, but the bamboo beneath the auspicious Shi Tie Shou swayed, overloaded, and with a crack—snapped in half.

The dumpling Shi Tie Shou fell from the bamboo, bouncing several times.

It lay sprawled on a rock, limbs outstretched.

Half-dazed, it landed on the ground, blinking dully: "What… happened?"

The little Qilin, however, was tense all over.

Dragon roars and tiger howls nearly solidified. Li Guanyi's sleeves billowed, his entire aura surging skyward, his hair flying, his own spiritual energy rising at an unimaginable speed.

Five Dharma Phantoms.

The Taigu Chilong, Bai Hu, Qing Luan, Xuan Gui, and Qilin all took form—and amid the surging, pouring qi refining them, they gradually transformed, growing ever closer to reality.

Li Guanyi had long lived alongside the Fire Qilin; the Qing Luan was left by his mother.

The Xuan Gui was gifted by Master Siming, who once deciphered the River Map and Luo Book from the tomb of Xi Huang.

Bai Hu had devoured the entire qi of Yuwen Lie of the Bai Hu Da Zong, fulfilling heavenly mandate.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong murmured: "He broke through."

"But this momentum… this bearing…"

"Interesting. Probably stronger than I anticipated…"

"Good, good. Rare to see such spirit. Li Guanyi, break through boldly!"

"Old man comes to aid you!"

With a dragon's roar, a crack opened on the Ancient Taigu Chilong's claw—a drop of golden-red dragon blood flew out, landing upon Li Guanyi's Taigu Chilong Dharma Phantom—

The source of all Crimson Dragon phantasms is the Ancient Crimson Dragon.

Today, this Ancient Crimson Dragon felt as if it had met many old friends.

It also witnessed countless intriguing things, its mood lifted, and as it felt this grand aura collide with its chest, it was thoroughly satisfied—so it decided to aid Li Guanyi with a single drop of its dragon essence blood.

Li Guanyi's Ancient Crimson Dragon phantasm raised its head and let out a long, resonant roar.

Complete transformation.

Li Guanyi's spirit fully coalesced; the aura surging toward him was too condensed, too vast—even his own spirit and perception seemed swallowed within it, the colors around him vanished, and all he saw was utter darkness.

The Ancient Crimson Dragon's dragon eyes swept across and saw the silver-haired girl walking toward that direction.

A claw pulled.

It drew back Yao Guang, who had reached out to approach.

"He is breaking through. Do not disturb him."

Li Guanyi walks the path of unifying the Nine Provinces, making the world one nation.

Like the sword madman's sword.

Like General Jiang Su's military campaigns, like the Array Master's formation.

On such a path, the deeper one travels, the broader one's gains; one's will and soul grow ever more open, pure, clear, and flawless; internal qi flows freely, fists and kicks are cast without restraint, and Wu Gong grows ever stronger.

This is walking the Dao; this is knowing through action.

Previously, Nangong Wu Meng had delivered news of the great victory to Jiangnan; under the shifting qi fortune, Li Guanyi had already broken through his original barrier, yet had not yet condensed or unified it—as the Fisherman of Whales had said.

The quantity was great, but the quality insufficient.

Rather, precisely because the quantity was too vast, it was exceedingly difficult to stabilize completely.

That required painstaking, slow, grinding work.

By normal logic, one must cultivate day by day, refining and tempering this immensely abundant and condensed internal qi, gradually calming its restlessness until it becomes perfectly harmonized and fully condensed.

But now, three great cauldrons were simultaneously stirred, and qi fortune surged like a dragon converging upon him!

Grinding?

The Daoist sect refines through the cosmic yin-yang flow, using wondrous methods and mysterious gates.

One utterance of "Dao descends, the Crimson Dragon submits to the Tiger," and one can plant golden lotuses in fire.

One is called a True Person, praised as a terrestrial immortal.

The Buddhist sect refines through sudden enlightenment of a single Zen heart, through human suffering and ascetic practice.

Seeking a body like an indestructible vajra, a mind like lapis lazuli untouched by dust.

One is called a Living Buddha, hailed as a human vajra.

The Military School is most tyrannical: entering this world, it forges itself on the endless path of slaughter, siege, and conquest, tempering through real combat and life-or-death battles. The Master Jiankuang, Elder Murong, wielded a single sword, swept clean the world for sixty years, then secluded himself in meditation for over a decade.

All of them achieved the Nine Heavens path through such methods—but now, Li Guanyi shows no such signs.

Grinding?! Tempering?!

Not needed!

Li Guanyi recalled all he had gained on this journey; his heart swelled with heroic passion. Slowly, he raised his hand, fingers extended. In empty air, ripples surged. In the dark, lightless void he perceived, he seemed to grasp a blazing flame—and clenched his fist tightly.

With the qi of this vast, ten-thousand-li land, with the fortune of countless souls, with this chaotic age as the furnace and the people's wishes as the fire, I shall temper this body.

When a hero draws his sword in one day, it is only to end the hundred-year calamity of the common folk!

Boom!!!

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer, auspicious sign of the southwest, the Ancient Crimson Dragon.

Each represented a portion of the three cauldrons' nature; all three emitted a force, subtly positioning themselves to correspond with Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Scales on the dragon shimmered with strange hues. The Ancient Crimson Dragon couldn't help shouting: "You little rascal, what are you up to now?!!"

"You don't mean to take another eight hundred years of my life?!"

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer spoke softly: "You never needed eight hundred years to begin with."

Xuan Hu Shan Jun and the Sun Divine Bird frowned: "What eight hundred?"

The Iron-Eating Beast puzzled: "Eight hundred-year bamboo?"

"Bamboo doesn't taste good."

The Ancient Crimson Dragon: "…………"

It sneered coldly, pretending not to care.

Not one bit!

Not at all!

Yet these three flames rose, converged into the Three Talents, stirred the human qi fortune into a furnace; human qi fortune gathered, and Li Guanyi seemed to be undergoing refinement. A metallic ringing echoed from his body.

The Nine Li divine weapon, Jin Guang, revealed its nascent form.

This divine weapon, forged by the Nine Li clan itself, seemed like a beast waking from a daze to find a feast before it—its expression was almost bewildered.

Then it emitted a faint, resonant hum, becoming ecstatic.

Its compatibility with Li Guanyi surged instantly.

Amid the torrent of human qi fortune, it emitted a soft, faint golden glow, humming joyfully. Faintly, the strand of human destiny that had been about to scatter into the world quietly flowed into this divine weapon.

Originally, the peak of 【Rong】: the Nine Li divine weapon, Jin Guang.

Now, at this moment, refined within the peak of 【Si】: the Nine Cauldrons' glory.

Within the Five Elements, it combined the most tyrannical metal and fire.

On what was once a weapon of slaughter, faint threads of human qi fortune seeped in; its dark body revealed shimmering streaks of majestic golden light, subtly shifting from a weapon held by the Nine Li clan toward the form of a Son of Heaven's divine weapon.

It subtly changed from its original Nine Li divine weapon nascent form.

It took on the flavor of becoming Li Guanyi's own divine weapon.

It purged its malevolence, fully returning to grandeur and vastness.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong sensed the transformation of this nascent divine weapon—its resilience, sharpness, and spirit all enhanced—and couldn't help laughing, praising: "Good fortune! I never expected you to possess such a weapon."

On Li Guanyi's person: the Tyrant's Tiger Roar Halberd.

The Red Emperor's Chixiao Sword.

Both of these divine weapons also emerged.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong, just after praising: "………………"

Unfazed: "Good fortune! You actually have three such imperial weapons!"

The three divine weapons hovered within this resonance of destiny.

Absorbing the flow of destiny's light fully.

The three divine weapons, all imperial arms, correspond to the three tripods.

Yet the wooden sword with the dragon pattern, free and untrammeled, does not belong to this human destiny.

Both the divine weapons and Li Guanyi subtly transformed.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

Before Li Guanyi's eyes, three places blazed with fierce red light, like flames burning and spreading, converging into one—mountains, rivers, and earth veins intertwining before him, pulsing faintly like a heart, as his palm slowly pressed down and closed.

The intersecting, shifting trajectories before him finally coalesced into a seal.

It could not be called a jade seal.

But it was already a Jin Yin.

A soft hum.

Accompanied by the motion of condensing ten thousand miles of Jiangshan into a seal.

The accumulated human destiny within Li Guanyi surged, churning, harmonizing with his own Wu Gong, forged in battlefields and chaotic eras, subtly transforming into a unique existence beyond ordinary Wu Gong.

When the martial essence of weapons enters Wu Gong, it can coalesce into a special sha gang—its offensive power far surpassing ordinary Wu Gong; every gesture and movement shatters armies and slays generals. Jiang Su's Wu Gong was precisely like this.

The refinement method Li Guanyi now employed was similar, yet utterly different.

This time, he gathered the human destiny already refined by the Nine Tripods, infusing it into his own Wu Gong—every gesture and movement radiated a majestic, open-hearted royal bearing, surpassing even the martial sha gang by threefold.

At this moment, silently and imperceptibly, the third tripod also took its place.

The third tripod's nature left its mark upon Li Guanyi's heart.

The might of Jiuli Bingzhu: iron spears and warhorses.

Under the enhancement of this tripod, all weapons used by the army under Li Guanyi's command would grow sharper, armor harder, and all metal objects far less prone to damage.

"Pity, it cannot be used in external warfare."

Li Guanyi felt some regret—the weapons sharper, armor harder, under the blessing of the Nine Tripods' human destiny, the soldiers of the Fire Qilin army within his destiny's domain would naturally gain a layer of military aura.

If the first two enhancements merely equated to one layer of military aura,

then the ability to make metal objects less prone to damage was immensely vital on the battlefield—how many times daily did blades and swords shatter at the edge, losing their lethality?

With this blessing, when the enemy's weapons broke, yours would still retain their killing power.

The enhancement of the southwestern tripod gave Li Guanyi a faint illusion.

This might not be the synergy between the auspicious Iron-Eating Beast and the Nine Tripods.

Rather, it was likely the lingering human destiny of Jiuli entering the Nine Tripods, perfectly merging ritual and warfare.

The effect of the southwestern tripod was almost certainly the battlefield prowess of Jiuli Bingzhu himself.

Though it could not match Jiuli Bingzhu leading troops into battle, even one-third of his divine essence was exceedingly formidable.

Li Guanyi glanced sideways at the Iron-Eating Beast, which stood frozen, clearly unable to comprehend what was happening, and sighed.

Auspicious sign?

What is an auspicious sign?

This is an auspicious sign!

Just as the Iron-Eating Beast had said, it indeed lacked the qualification to forge ancient tripods—this was too great a task, beyond its ability—but the Iron-Eating Beast had found a greater existence: the slumbering, millennia-old human destiny.

Within Li Guanyi, the latest one-third of the Nine Tripods blazed fully, faintly revealing images of the southwestern frontier—vast forests and mountains, where humans raised their weapons toward the heavens and roared.

Auspicious sign?

One who wields weapons is the 【Auspicious】.

Now, the vitality of the Jiangnan, the slaughter of the western frontier, the weapons of the southwest—three tripods converged. As long as human destiny flourishes within this territory, the army gains triple blessing.

Others use the Son of Heaven's divine art to empower themselves alone, gaining supreme combat power.

Li Guanyi did the opposite.

He condensed the Son of Heaven's divine art into tripods and returned it to the people.

When the first tripod formed, it was useless; the second allowed him to stand firm on the western battlefield; the third, like unblocking the Ren and Du meridians, fully linked the first two, triggering transformation.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong stared fixedly at Li Guanyi, murmuring: "Three is a sacred number—Heaven, Earth, Humanity—in Buddhist, Daoist, and esoteric sects, it holds special meaning. The third tripod is indeed extraordinary. Still, I suspect the one linked to Zhongzhou must be equally extraordinary."

"What is the origin of that bronze tripod within this boy?"

"It can contain the spirit of Jiuli."

The Ancient Taigu Chilong could not help but wonder:

"I don't recall any such divine weapon existing in this world."

Above, the celestial dragon's roar and tiger's bellow faded, gradually subsiding. Li Guanyi's Wu Gong advanced further and finally stabilized—but not into the so-called Nine Heavens.

He clenched his fist—the sensation of overwhelming momentum, as if all power resided within him, and his control over his surrounding forces and his own spiritual form, was crystal clear—but his own aura had become simple and unadorned.

That immense power lay hidden within him, not a trace revealed.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong said coolly: "Breakthrough?"

Li Guanyi swung a fist, cleaving the air, and smiled in nod: "Yes, breakthrough."

The Nine-Colored Deer asked eagerly: "Did you reach the Nine Heavens?"

Li Guanyi nodded.

He paused, then added: "Roughly speaking, it's the peak."

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer's expression of joy froze.

Huh???

Li Guanyi exhaled, fully savoring the sensation of the Three Cauldrons empowering him—perhaps due to his own Wu Gong breakthrough, or perhaps because the first strategic phase of the world's great tide had finally been completed; for the first time, he felt a calmness, as if the vast world now stretched before him, ready for him to fully extend his body.

Qin Wu Hou, Li Guanyi, Break Through the Realm!

Ninth Heaven, Peak!

The Ancient Taigu Chilong let out a roaring laugh, watching the young man who stood tall—since entering the Western Regions and breaking into the Master realm, not even a year and a half had passed, and in this brief span, he had surged directly from the Seventh Heaven to the Peak of the Ninth Heaven.

Even from the era of the Ancient Jiuli Clan until now, over thousands of years, across this vast heaven and earth, countless heroes had risen; at this age, at this realm, he might not be the absolute number one, but he was surely among the top ten.

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer came to its senses, sensing the transformation in Li Guanyi's aura; it stepped upon its nine-colored auspicious clouds, circled him once, then gently touched Li Guanyi with its antlers and said: "This feeling."

"Is this the legendary Son of Heaven Wu Gong, the Son of Heaven's aura?"

The Nine-Colored Divine Deer's voice was gentle, tinged with wonder and approval.

But Li Guanyi had not yet answered.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong could no longer hold back its laughter—its laugh was wild, unrestrained; it raised a claw, and a dragon claw streaked down with blazing energy, striking before Li Guanyi, who raised his weapon and swept it horizontally.

The transformed Jiuli Divine Weapon, Jin Tie, clashed with the Ancient Taigu Chilong's claw.

A surging airwave exploded outward.

Li Guanyi's body was flung backward, retreating over a dozen steps, yet he firmly planted his feet, driving his weapon into the ground to steady himself; the Ancient Taigu Chilong lowered its gaze to its own claw.

On the claw, representing the strongest divine beast of the Ancient Age, was a white mark.

Not obvious.

Impossible to compare with the sword scar left by Mu Zi Yi on the dragon's antlers.

But a mark remained.

Now, it looked strikingly clear.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong looked at Li Guanyi, who had retracted the Jiuli Divine Weapon, Jin Tie, and said:

"Son of Heaven's aura?"

"Wrong."

Li Guanyi rose, gripping the transformed Jiuli Divine Weapon, Jin Tie, now a battle halberd; he spun it once, pointing the tip downward, while the Chi Xiao Sword and the Tiger Roaring Halberd were planted upright in the ground, with dragons and tigers circling around him.

His black hair lifted, an indescribable fierce aura now radiating from his body.

The Ancient Taigu Chilong whispered within its heart.

It had seen the chaotic eras, and the kings of later ages.

It knew the look of royal aura and the Son of Heaven's destiny.

The Chen State, the Ying State, the grasslands—all had mighty heroes, but these heroes were descendants of later generations, inheriting vast territories from their ancestors; in terms of current territory and foundation, Li Guanyi held no advantage.

But if speaking of a realm he had personally carved out—

Li Guanyi was unquestionably the foremost hero of this age.

The only one in this era's world of heroes to embody the aura of a founding sovereign!

Not a vassal.

Not a Son of Heaven.

But a founding monarch!

At this moment, Li Guanyi lowered his gaze, turning inward to observe himself.

After forging the third cauldron and uniting the Three Cauldrons, the Nine Provinces Cauldron within his body—

Finally, underwent another transformation.

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