Chapter 1393
Abandoned Pawn
Chapter 1393 Abandoned Pawn (1+12) (Bonus Chapter 38113 for Hidden Dragon)
The wind and sand swirl, and the setting sun glitters.
This was the first time in Li Zhouwei's life that he had crossed the desert. And it wasn't just him; most of the immortals had never experienced crossing the desert. After all, no one liked to swagger through the territory of the immortal sects, and they were even more afraid of offending them for no reason. It was best to take a detour, and if they really couldn't, they would just walk along the edge of the Great Void.
However, the battle was urgent, and the spiritual energy of the Golden Feather Sect's territory was high while the void was slow. Li Zhouwei had no choice but to pass through the mortal world, first riding the light northward to cut off a spiritual mountain.
It is Mount Komuro.
This mountain was originally part of the Jianghuai region, a rare defensible place. However, it was seized by Western Shu during the great war between the North and South and has not been returned for a long time. Li Zhouwei certainly could not let this place go, so he personally conquered it. He spent more than a month defeating the army of Dingmo and several counties. In just a few months, he had no worries about the rear and stopped at the edge of the other side of the desert, gazing at the majestic pass in the distance.
The True Man beside him bowed his head slightly, looking somewhat disheveled, but his face was very respectful. He was True Man Hongyan of the Ni Clan, and he had naturally descended to the fold.
Upon arriving at this place, Li Zhouwei examined the terrain and carefully assessed the terrain. It was indeed a formidable pass, and he secretly thought it was no less impressive than Raoshan. Looking back, he noticed the two places were completely different before asking:
"This desert is not naturally formed!"
Hongyan only said:
"King Wei is wise and insightful. It is said that the area of Guyan was not originally called that. There was a large area called Jianping, which was also a scenic spot in the south. I heard that it was destroyed in a fight between the adults."
Li Zhouwei nodded slightly, looked at Wu Chuan from afar, and sent Qiao Sanyi and others to test the waters. They stopped on a small hill and tested the waters for three rounds in a row. The battle was fierce and the sky was dark. When he saw the various supernatural powers blooming in the sky, he frowned slightly.
'There are quite a few people...'
He personally took to the field and suppressed the Grand Master Pingyan several times before finally forcing him back. He then personally used the combined fire to suppress the formation, burning the entire sky ablaze with flames for sixty days before the formation began to dim. Only then did he begin to break through the barrier!
Inside, Pingyan possessed numerous treasures. Despite the pass being on the verge of collapse, it remained standing. Li Zhouwei, being alone, turned to the sides and pretended to head south, catching the enemy off guard and injuring one of them. The enemy was determined to hold their ground and refused to come out. After resting for a while, they heard a report from behind that Master Zhaojing had arrived.
Li Zhouwei had already grasped the depth of the formation and understood that relying solely on the combined fire would probably be useless. Without much hesitation, he took the lead in retreating on his light and indeed saw his uncle rushing over. There were no mountains or formations here, and he couldn't find a place to settle down. Fortunately, Cui Jueyin had already thrown out the spirit palace and sat down in the sky above the desert to guard the two of them.
"This place is simple and unsophisticated; I have failed you, Uncle."
Li Zhouwei pushed open the door and entered, his radiance dissipating like boiling flames, causing Li Ximing to turn around abruptly, shaking his head repeatedly, and saying:
"I've come this time... because I have something to give you!"
He stepped forward, opened his palm, and saw a dot of gold paint imprinted on his jade-like hand!
From afar, this object appeared simple and unadorned, as if it were merely a drop of gold lacquer in his palm. Yet, it caused the King of Wei above to freeze for a moment, unconsciously moving closer and whispering:
"This is…"
As Li Zhouwei approached, the gold lacquer seemed to come alive, twitching slightly as if it were about to burst out of the body and fly into the white unicorn's hand.
"【A Chronicle of Success and Fulfillment】!"
Li Ximing laughed heartily, then quickly raised his eyebrows and recounted how he went to the pavilion, how he saw the three portraits, and how he obtained the opportunity. Although he spoke in a plain and casual manner, he left Li Zhouwei speechless for a moment.
After a long pause, the King of Wei shook his head and sighed:
"Uncle's good fortune is truly unmatched!"
Li Ximing had never had this realization before. He paused for a moment, shook his head self-deprecatingly, and hurriedly extended his hand, saying:
"Never mind the depth of our connection, this thing will be useful to you!"
The "Complete Success and Fulfilled Deeds" manual is the most precious skill manual used to subdue the Yi King. Li Zhouwei understood its key points and, without any hesitation, gently beckoned his hand. A radiant light, as brilliant as a flower, flew out of Li Ximing's hand and was caught in his fingertip!
But when it landed on his fingertips, the effect was completely different from Li Ximing's. For a moment, the void trembled, and golden light shone brightly, as if it would break through the entire hall, yet it was restrained within it. A strong fragrance of peony rose up, gardenias fell all over the ground, and flames roared all around, like a dream...
How terrifying is Li Zhouwei's Mingyang Daoist cultivation!
Back then, even before reaching the level of a Great True Person, he already possessed the cultivation of a Great True Person. After listening to Daoist teachings, he broke through to the Purple Realm, defeated various powerful enemies, pacified the entire Gu County, and subdued countless Daoist lineages before finally departing...
Even though as his cultivation and power have increased, few people can put enough pressure on him anymore, and the boost from the talismanic energy is gradually weakening, Li Zhouwei's cultivation in the Mingyang Dao alone has dominated from south to north for hundreds of years. People like Zi Mu and Feng Xiu would have to compare themselves to him to know who is superior!
All those profound mysteries flowed past, no longer just a fleeting glance, but flooding into the mind of the King of Wei like a tidal wave. With his level of cultivation, these mysterious words did not need to be interpreted at all; he could read and understand them completely!
He remained in meditation for a long time, letting the light and darkness of the heavens mingle, before slowly opening his eyes, his gaze filled with astonishment and shock:
"What a divine scroll!"
This scroll contains countless mysteries, the first of which is the "Heavenly God's Punishment and Slaughter of the Yi" technique used by the King of Shouyi back then, and this technique came from the Wei Emperor.
Li Qianyuan!
The scroll states that Emperor Wei possessed six laws: Mysterious Light, Walking, Body Refinement, Military Affairs, Punishment and Killing, and Pupil Technique. He bestowed one of these upon each of the six kings of the time…
"And this technique was obtained by the King of Shouyi! It connects with the sun above, gathers the lesser yang below, and controls all the gods under heaven in the middle, using the various forms of immortals and demons to restrain all enemies!"
Although Li Ximing was prepared, he was still momentarily shocked and asked:
"The art of the Wei Emperor?! No wonder one must meet the Emperor's decree to receive its inheritance!"
Li Zhouwei nodded slowly and said:
"Not only that, this technique... requires this scroll to practice!"
He paused, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes, and said:
"It's more accurate to say it's half technique and half magic. The 'Scroll of Success and Fulfillment' is itself a medium for casting spells. Without this scroll, even if one obtained the 'Heavenly God's Punishment and Slaughter,' it would be impossible to cast it!"
Li Zhouwei's expression was complicated as he said:
"This scroll...it is highly likely that it is the only one of its kind in the world!"
Li Ximing understood immediately upon hearing this, and after pondering for a long time, he said:
"That's a good thing."
Li Zhouwei quietly spread his hands, and the spot of gold paint seemed to become a phantom under the sunlight. As he waved his palm, the overlapping images transformed into six beams of light.
"good."
He stood up, clearly having found a way to break the deadlock, his killing intent fully revealed. But Li Ximing didn't stop there; he once again took out a jade slip from his sleeve and smiled:
"have a look!"
This is naturally a walking technique!
Li Zhouwei glanced at it and read it through. He noticed something amiss, and since he couldn't directly point out where it came from, he didn't ask further. Instead, he handed it back, tidied it up, and sighed.
"Uncle, you've worked hard!"
Li Ximing shook his head, first taking out the [Gathering of Happiness Pearl] and carefully introducing it to him. This thing was no worse than any other spiritual treasure. In fact, as a spiritual treasure that Long Kangyao used to save face, it was top-notch in terms of both practicality and value. Naturally, he praised it highly. Only then did he take out several spiritual artifacts and ask Li Zhouwei to distribute them.
The King of Wei nodded with a smile and said:
"Uncle, your arrival is just in time. The troops from the north are arriving one after another. Even though Jin Yi is staying indoors, they can still cross the desert and gather here one by one. This is exactly the time to use them!"
Li Ximing couldn't help but ask:
Where is Yang Ruiyi?
The general had already retreated from the north, but Li Zhouwei shook his head in disappointment and said:
"He first stopped at Zhuosha Mausoleum. Seeing that there was no trouble in the desert, he sent our people across the desert first, while he himself headed east to report back to the emperor."
Li Ximing sighed inwardly, hesitating to speak.
Li Zhouwei saw his concerns, waved his hand, and enveloped the hall with "Imperial View of Origin," before laughing and saying:
"Uncle, please speak freely. We are still in the desert. Even if someone overhears us, it is only because it is Lord Jin Yi. We should just be careful not to let the Left and Right Divine Powers hear us."
After clarifying the various connections, Jin Yi was relatively tolerant of the Li family's underhanded actions among the various forces, and even seemed to have a subtle intention to facilitate them. Li Ximing immediately nodded and said:
"I'm here to... communicate."
He hurriedly relayed the news he had received. Li Zhouwei put away the magical artifact, listened carefully, but showed little surprise on his face. Instead, he pondered for a long time before saying:
"Qingji Fang is not the key."
He casually remarked:
“Without Chang Huai’s suppression, it would be very easy for the Shu Emperor to kill him. He is right about one thing: unless we are the ones to kill him, it would appease my anger and kill two birds with one stone.”
But now I'm thinking about something else...
The King of Wei stood up and said softly:
"Is the Shu Emperor... truly the reincarnation of Qing Tangyin?"
Li Ximing raised his head and looked at him with a slight pause.
The fact that Qing Tang was reincarnated was not a secret to the Purple Mansion in Jiangnan. Back then, when Li Ximing went to Dingyangzi to refine weapons, there was turmoil in Shu, and he heard a lot from this old man...
"A new person with the destiny of true qi has appeared in Shu. Qing Tangyin, who cultivates true qi, has been reincarnated. This old man did not hesitate to regard this person as Qing Tangyin..."
At the time, Li Ximing was unaware of this, and even the entire Li family only had a partial understanding of the overall situation of the world, yet they readily agreed with this seemingly perfect cause-and-effect deduction…
'But if we really get down to it, this master... in terms of both lineage and status, is hardly someone who can get close to the truth...'
"you mean…"
Li Ximing hesitated, but Li Zhouwei spoke softly:
"Back then I thought... When it comes to the path of reincarnation, Changhuaishan is absolutely no match for the Underworld, and in terms of background and power, only the Underworld has the right to manipulate the world. Is Changhuaishan's sudden entry into the world really because it wants to get a share of the pie?"
"But if we want a share of this pie, why lock up the Shu region like a prison? Why let Qingji Fang, that clown, stir up trouble... Is this really the right way to govern a country?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly and said:
"Later I thought... perhaps it was to keep such a clown around to influence the government and ruin the country. After all, Changhuai doesn't have the same good methods as the underworld. The Shu Emperor's cultivation and mystical abilities are not as good as the Eastern Song Emperor's. When the Shu Emperor's cultivation is complete, we can get rid of him in one fell swoop as a way to correct his behavior and stop his lust."
After saying this, Li Zhouwei shook his head and said:
"But now that I think about it, if they really intend for the Shu Emperor to attain enlightenment, such deliberate manipulation is not a good method. At the very least, they should stop the lust of other families. The Song Emperor is facing the direct descendants of the Peacock Clan, the descendants of the Dharma Image, and the demon blood of Bing Huo. His righteousness has a solid foundation, and there is a basis for stopping lust. What kind of people is Qing Ji Fang? If we let the Qing family members take the fall themselves, in the end, won't it still fall on the Qing family?"
"If the Shu Emperor is not Qing Tangyin, then it becomes clear—Chang Huai never intended to compete with the Underworld."
He raised his eyebrows, his eyes gleaming with a captivating light:
"This Shu emperor is too precious, but he doesn't necessarily need to be used for practical purposes. If he is raised to a high status, he can be used as a sacrifice or stepping stone for some people's cultivation, which would be a great opportunity. But I'm afraid that he is too precious and his power is about to be established, so we can't control him. Therefore, we need to temper his aura."
Li Ximing seemed to be deep in thought, his expression changing slightly. Li Zhouwei had already picked up the map again and was pondering to himself:
'Being eliminated... that's different now.'
'In other words… now that Changhuai is ignoring him, the Shu Emperor was able to eliminate Qingji Fang. This isn't a game of strategy at all, but rather the result of Changhuai's indulgence… the entire Shu Kingdom is no longer a sacrifice for someone's achievements, but rather… a symbol of surrender.'
Now, Changhuai, who once bowed to the north, no longer maintains a tacit understanding with the underworld; instead, he seeks to contend with it.
'If the news from Suining is correct, the now unrestrained Shu emperor will replace Qingji Fang, and with his imperial nature and ambition for enlightenment, he will personally lead an expedition to the east…'
He gently pressed his hand on the windowsill, staring intently at the wind and sand outside, and his usually steady heart began to pound rapidly.
What will be the consequences?
If the Shu emperor were to travel from the west, he could either take the Three Passes route to Wangyue Lake, or he could travel from the south, entering through the territory of the Chen clan and the southern border. The former would be an attack on Li, and the latter on Yang... Both would be good options.
'As long as I'm in the north, if the emperor personally leads his troops, Yang Ruiyi won't be able to hold him back... Without the Song emperor personally leading the campaign, the entire Song Dynasty will be on high alert...'
'Now it seems that this Shu emperor had no hope of achieving anything. Losing troops and generals doesn't matter; keeping the Song Dynasty busy is no problem. But if any of the old families of Jianghuai are lost or captured, it will be detrimental to the Song emperor. Moreover…'
At this moment, a strange light appeared in his eyes, and he murmured something without making a sound.
'Tianwu sought truth to become emperor, but his true nature was not to seek emperorship to attain truth.'
Yang Zhuo's calm words in the courtyard years ago now resounded like thunder in his ears. The past—that this Song emperor never left the palace and never went to the front lines—flashed before his eyes. Li Zhouwei's hand, gripping the windowsill, tightened abruptly.
'This is his way.'
"Back then, Tianwu only unified the four directions after becoming a True Lord, ruling a country with the might of a True Lord. As his successor, Yang Zhuo's heart... lies in cultivating the Tao."
"Attaining enlightenment comes first, martial arts skills follow!"
That's why Yang Zhuo focused on cultivating himself in the palace and didn't go around launching attacks!
'This would even force him to personally lead the army.'
Cultivating Taoism does not mean backing down. Yang Zhuo has pride, and when faced with such provocation, he is very likely to personally lead the army. The Underworld's control and fear of him are no less. Although Li Zhouwei does not know the real purpose behind it, this matter will definitely give the Underworld a headache!
Li Zhouwei, however, may very well be a beneficiary in this situation. With the underworld caught in a dilemma, he will certainly be given an important position.
'If I could set up a scheme to subdue one aspect of true qi, it would be a great benefit to me! I could even use this opportunity to negotiate with the underworld…'
The Zhenwu Emperor ordered an expedition, and failure would be tantamount to defeat. But using the Shu Emperor to fill the void left by Li Zhouwei's ambition, wouldn't that be an act that also reflects his long-held desire to follow the Northern Heavenly Clouds? It could also be a compromise to appease Jin Yi's resentment!
'That's a clever plan.'
In the blink of an eye, the King of Wei had already made a judgment on the game, his gaze fixed intently on the distance.
'Qing Jifang is merely a physical threat, not the key to this chaos. If I don't kill him, someone else will simply do it... But what truly matters is this fleeting opportunity...'
'Chang Huai's sudden action displeased the underworld and even Jin Yi, yet they were still grappling with various future directions, without a clear timeline for reaching a new consensus.'
That's why Ms. Yang hesitated, and Jin Yi closed the door.
As the only point of agreement among the three parties, Li Zhouwei is also the focal point of the common interests of Jin Yi, Yin Si, and Chang Huai in this overall situation. Even if he does nothing, he will ultimately benefit.
Can…
Is this all I wanted?
He gazed intently at the horizon, his eyes flashing with unpredictable emotions, like swirling clouds. In the small palace courtyard of the capital city years ago, the conversations echoed in his ears once more. He tapped the door gently, his thoughts gradually returning to calm and decisiveness.
'I've already established my power, and it was one thing for you to collude with me, but now that you're not of one mind, you actually expect me to be manipulated by you?'
He sneered inwardly.
Li Ximing, unaware of his thoughts, waited a moment and found that Li Zhouwei had turned around, his eyes filled with only a calm smile. Remembering they were in the desert, he deliberately returned to the main seat, picked up a brush, wrote a few large characters, covered them with his supernatural powers, and collected them into a golden scroll, which he then delivered to his uncle.
“Uncle, I will stay here and secretly practice this secret method while suppressing the seal. You take this scroll and wait for me to ask the underworld before heading to Jin Yi Mountain. If anyone comes to greet you on the way, just give it to them. If no one comes to greet you, there is no need to enter their mountain gate. Just tear it up and go back to the lake.”
Li Ximing dared not delay and hurriedly went out. Li Zhouwei also stepped out of the main hall, then used his supernatural powers to release a person from the urn.
This man, dressed in red, was old and frail. His eyes were dark and hollow, almost black, like sesame seeds. He radiated a youthful energy from head to toe. He had just emerged from the urn and called out:
"King Wei! King Wei! This old man is willing to obey your orders, please let me get some fresh air..."
The man in black before them simply stopped with his halberd, remaining silent.
Li Zhouwei captured him and placed him in the Heavenly Nurturing Jar. Without any hesitation, taking advantage of his injuries from the calamity, he first released his supernatural powers into the jar, and then kept drawing upon his divine essence to suppress him. This was not a fatal matter, but it deprived him of the strength to resist the calamity...
This is troublesome!
Those who are struck by calamity do their utmost to suppress it; how could they allow it to run rampant? Over such a long period, even a minor calamity becomes a major one, let alone this level of Lesser Yang Qi!
Shan Yin thought that he was also a Great True Man, and that Mingyang would definitely have a use for him, so he wouldn't be in such a miserable state. Who would have thought that he would suffer such a calamity, and even his supernatural powers would be shaken... Li Zhouwei added fuel to the fire, forbidding him to resist, and desperately urging his divine powers to draw away his supernatural abilities and magic power!
He cultivated the "Gathering Wood" technique and was known for his longevity and various skills. Although he looked old and frail, he actually had a long life ahead of him and cherished it very much. He was unwilling to die in this small urn.
'But if I can escape with my life, nothing else matters!'
He almost fought back to the death, but now that he finally had a chance to turn things around, he was truly in tears.
Li Zhouwei deliberately tortured him, but it was to avenge Li Ximing from back then!
Back then, during the battle in the desert, Li Ximing was injured by Shan Yin. This King of Wei kept it in mind and originally harbored a strong murderous intent. He had the idea of finding a good place to kill this great master and use him as nourishment to create a blessed land!
Now that he had had enough of the torment, he had also calmed down and watched silently as the wounds on the Great Master's face healed little by little, as if time had reversed. The Wood-Gathering Divine Power was not weak, and having gained this chance to catch its breath, it naturally showed great improvement.
But Shan Yin did not raise his head, bowed slightly, and finally heard the King of Wei laugh:
“Look up and speak to the sky.”
Dan Yin had no choice but to raise his head, his gaze falling on the horizon. Seeing the bright, moon-like Xiuwu Star, he finally understood what the other party meant and sighed:
"By the King of Wei, I will no longer serve Shu and am willing to obey his commands!"
This sound seemed calm and indifferent, yet it also seemed to have received some kind of response, causing Taixu to tremble suddenly. Only then did Li Zhouwei look down from his high position and say calmly:
"Since you have received the Emperor's order, you have now sworn to surrender to me at Xiuwuxing. If you then defect to Shu, the Shu Emperor will kill you and restore your former glory."
"Understood!"
As a Grand Master, how could Shan Yin not know the details? His face turned ashen, and he felt the radiance of the heavens piercing his back. He gave a low reply, and Li Zhouwei then lifted the urn again, saying:
Come back!
Dan Yin remained silent and obediently allowed himself to be taken inside. He sat down again in the dim world and realized that not only was there no longer any suffocating pressure, but the iridescent light had even suddenly reversed, and the wood energy that had been taken away surged out again.
If it were another lineage, the supernatural powers and magic that were stripped away would have tainted their path and could not be absorbed at will. However, Ji Mu is a tree where all kinds of beautiful things gather, and it is inherently inclusive. How could someone who wants to use this characteristic to cultivate the demonic path be afraid of this inconvenience!
He was overjoyed, finally having the opportunity to take the elixir. He quickly sat cross-legged and took this opportunity to recover his strength.
Li Zhouwei simply put the urn back into his sleeve and pondered to himself:
'We could stay here for a while and let this old man recover some of his strength...'
Then he said softly:
"Yang Ruizhao".
These words were so powerful that Yang Ruizhao, who was standing in the void, immediately jumped out, bowed deeply, and said nervously:
"King Wei..."
Although Li Zhouwei was powerful, he had always treated him well and addressed him as Marquis Ping'an. This sudden visit made him uneasy, wondering where he had offended this Prince of Wei...
But Li Zhouwei quietly said:
"You have a way to contact the person behind you."
Yang Ruizhao was so frightened that he dared not listen anymore. He immediately knelt down and whispered:
"King Wei...King Wei! This..."
Of course, he has someone behind him.
Li Zhouwei had already determined that this person could not be the high and mighty Judge Yang, but only a member of the Yang family in the middle ranks of the underworld who hoped for the success of the Song Emperor!
The King of Wei before him paid no heed to his words, his expression cold, and continued:
“Tell him.”
"Today's matter is not directed at me. If He wishes to establish the Emperor, He should come here immediately. If He does not come today... From now on, I will no longer concern myself with the affairs of Shu. If He ever inquires about anything, I will do my utmost to urge the Emperor to personally lead the expedition!"
Yang Ruizhao suddenly raised his head, staring blankly at him, clearly frightened. He murmured something, and finally hurriedly reached for his sleeve. Before grasping the jade talisman, he used his last thought to persuade him:
"King Wei, please calm your anger!"