Chapter 1413
The Truth
Chapter 1413 The Truth (Part 1)
Li Ximing's expression changed slightly. After careful consideration, he sighed and said:
"When my second uncle brought it back, I never imagined it would be such a remarkable item. I never asked him any questions, and now I have no chance to ask him any further. It is said to be the method of a general of Daliang, but it is probably just a fabrication."
Li Zhouwei paused for a moment and said softly:
“Since it is ‘Surprising Qi,’ it must be from Daliang. Uncle’s statement about the body outside the body makes some sense.”
There was a thoughtful look in his eyes:
“I see that this physical body is gradually showing signs of moving outside of itself. If it cultivates to the extreme and uses the human body as nourishment, it may be able to turn to the demonic path.”
Li Ximing was immediately startled, his heart pounding as he realized there was likely some extraordinary method involved. He whispered:
"The Demonic Path?"
The King of Wei nodded and replied:
"This place is probably very complicated and not easy. We need to be careful and it would be best to ask around... Although Shu has been pacified, it will not be easy to clean it up in a short time. If you go back, Uncle, you will need to ask around for me."
Li Ximing naturally knew who he was referring to, nodded in agreement, but instead of being pleased, he was worried. He decided to put the matter aside for the time being and said:
"Shu is a good place, easy to defend and difficult to attack, with abundant resources, which can form the foundation of a kingdom. If we take it now, we won't have all the Purple Mansions crowding on Wangyue Lake, unable to advance or retreat..."
"Only by eradicating evil completely can we achieve our goal..."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhouwei smiled and said:
"He was as frightened as a stray dog and naturally perished, but there was some good news."
He said:
“I have found the bloodline of the lord.”
Li Ximing was only stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise:
"That...uncle?"
Li Ximing is now the patriarch of the entire Wangyue Lake. These two words were rather unfamiliar, so Li Zhouwei nodded and said:
“He practiced the Way of Witchcraft and his cultivation level was not low.”
With a slight change in his supernatural power, he conjured up the figure and appearance of the person. Li Ximing only glanced at it before recognizing that the person was Jiao Zhongzi, and remained silent for a long time.
Then he murmured:
"It's him! I've seen him before! So that's how it is... so that's how it is! It was he who helped with the matter of [Huayang Prince Yue]!"
The murmurs that followed were left unsaid. Li Ximing, now calmer, felt more disappointed than joyful, saying only:
"It seems he knew... but he didn't come to see us. He must have suffered a lot these past years. Now that he has achieved some success in his cultivation, he disdains such sycophancy... You don't need to worry about this matter; leave it to me..."
Li Zhouwei didn't say much. Li Ximing considered for a moment and then said:
"In the present situation in Shu, we still need to make good use of the Sun family."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhouwei was not surprised, but slowly nodded and said:
"At least for now—I still need to see the sword immortal of Qize. He has already sent his disciple here, who is waiting outside the hall. If there are no problems, I will still let him guard Qize."
The Sword Immortal of Qize was more independent than the Nine Clans of Western Shu, and seemed to have no contact with the North. However, his territory was at the exit of Ranwu Pass, so he could also guard Qize and maintain a superficial understanding.
This sword immortal is also a good friend of the Sword Sect and is quite close to the Sun Dao lineage. They are probably friends rather than enemies now, and the area they are most concerned about is the northern territory.
"The nine clans are deeply intertwined. They had declined at the time of the founding of the state, but due to the reckless actions of Qingji, Western Shu had actually been divided up by these prominent clans. The Sun clan, in particular, was the most prominent among the nine clans, with connections and influence throughout the entire Shu region..."
Li Zhouwei was not incapable of completely pacifying this place and dismantling the Nine Clans, but ultimately he still had to use cultivators from the Shu Kingdom to govern Shu. Whether he supported them himself or relocated them from the lake, he would face enormous costs in governing them.
As long as Li Zhouwei leaves Shu, there must be a true master who can lead the true masters to resist Xiangxiong and Beizhao. And if he wants to gain a foothold, the best candidate is a great true master.
If the martial arts master Xiu Yuzhen were willing to surrender, the question of who would suppress the Shu region would still be open, but given the current situation, there is no choice but Shan Yin.
This means that once Li Zhouwei leaves, facing so many Purple Mansion cultivators and even Great True Immortals, the cultivators on his lake, the poor scholars he has supported, and the lambs to the slaughter are no different...
"Rebuilding order would be extremely troublesome for us, unnecessary, and unsustainable. The best approach is to rely on the Nine Clans, especially the Sun clan, to maintain order throughout the Shu region and channel spiritual resources to Wangyue Lake..."
Li Ximing nodded, somewhat helplessly saying:
"We should go back to before the founding of the state and let the nine clans continue to divide up the lands. After all... we don't have much time to waste in Shu."
Li Zhouwei said softly:
"The goal is to leverage the Nine Clans, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the various families in Shu will collude with each other. The good thing is that it involves nine clans, not just one Sun clan."
"The vacant lands left behind after the fall of Shu should not be left unused. First, we should grant each family their own territory. For the former Shu Commandery, we should revise the commandery system. Taking the former Baijiang Dispatch Office as an example, we should set up separate offices and follow the old precedent for now."
When the Li family left the lake, they conquered Baijiangxi, which was still a rich land. They established this office there, and the results were quite good. There were precedents to follow. Li Ximing nodded and said:
"The spirit boat on the lake is approaching; these things should be left to the people below..."
Li Zhouwei nodded, shook his sleeves, took out the earthenware jar from that day, and tossed the plain rice into it. His face showed a rare seriousness as he said:
"The jar contains Tian Su from Western Shu. Please take it back and have a look, Uncle."
These words startled Li Ximing. He solemnly accepted the item and carefully examined its contents. Sure enough, he saw a seemingly ordinary young man. He immediately pressed his sleeve slightly and activated [Survey]!
Under the radiant light, a faint silver dot appeared between the man's brows, unlike the distinct color of his own Suining brow. With this confirmation, Li Ximing was even more certain and asked:
"Won't something change?"
"Haha."
Li Zhouwei shook his head, his smile turning colder, and said:
"If there really was any change, it was simply that during the journey back with my uncle, some master of a certain lineage became interested in taking him as a disciple to continue the lineage..."
"However, back when he was in Shu, no great lineage came to take him in, and now it's hard for anyone to respect him. Judging from his age and cultivation level, his talent is too low to achieve great things."
Li Ximing immediately calmed down and casually put the magical treasure away. Li Zhouwei then gave the instructions:
"Bring Sima Yuanli up here."
Then, a movement was heard in front of the hall, and the man in blue robes stepped in, bowed respectfully, and said:
"Greetings, King Wei!"
Sima Yuanli remembered his life-saving grace in the secret realm, and thus provided much assistance in the north. Now that Shu had been destroyed, Li Zhouwei's power had grown even stronger. This Qinghu Zhenren was completely convinced and bowed to him very naturally.
Li Zhouwei stood up, slowly paced around, and said:
"Now that I have conquered Shu, the Yang family deserve credit. Qingting has a son who is the former Prince Xin of Shu. Take him back with you."
Sima Yuanli raised his head and listened to the white qilin say calmly:
“Bringing it to the Song capital is my way of giving back to the Yang family.”
...
Yellow sand rolls in.
The blazing sun hangs high in the desert sky, its scorching rays illuminating the earth as if to melt everything in its path. The golden energy that once filled the heavens and earth has subsided, and the flying sand has returned to the land, transforming into sand dunes.
And on this vast desert, a barren mountain has been added.
The mountain is entirely black, undulating and covering a vast area. Rather than a barren mountain, it is more like a continuous stretch of land. There are no peaks, no streams, and not even rugged rocks. Only a few slightly higher earthen slopes are covered with a bright blue color.
Master Pingyan has passed away.
This direct descendant of Changhuaishan possesses profound resources. Leaving aside spiritual treasures and artifacts, she has countless talismans, elixirs, and even life-saving techniques. No matter what kind of supernatural powers she can use, Cheng Xunzhi only needs to use his sword.
And she ultimately fell to that sword.
The Taoist robe lay draped over the ground, and spiritual treasures and shattered magical artifacts were scattered across the hillside. The sword immortal stood atop the mountain, silent.
The sky shimmered with brilliant sunlight, blocking out all the outside world. Whether it was the fall of an emperor or the damage to a martial star, not a single ray of light could be seen through it.
Of course, no color inside can flow out.
The sword immortal stepped forward, using his sword to lift the Taoist robe from the ground. He then used his sword energy to carve a small grave on the mountaintop, placed the robe inside, and casually buried it, saying softly:
"Fellow Daoist has arrived!"
Only then did he see that at the other end of the grave stood a man, draped in golden robes, silently gazing at him. Hearing this unusually calm tone, the man praised:
"What a magnificent sword intent!"
Cheng Xunzhi didn't look at him, but stared at the sword in his hand—the sword that had just killed a fellow disciple of the Sun Sect.
The swordsman wiped the blade of his sword with his robe and asked:
"Does Michiko know why I killed her?"
The man said softly:
"When you achieved sword intent, the masters were overjoyed. Your aunt and Qing Tang were close, so it was inevitable that she would mention it with delight. However, Ping Yan found out—she has always resented Qing Tang for being a perfect match with Cheng Jingyang, so she secretly leaked the secret to the Great Desire Path..."
"Nothing can be hidden from you."
Cheng Xunzhi's expression was quite meaningful, seemingly disbelieving the other party's words. He smiled and shook his head, saying:
"You predicted Bai Qilin's whereabouts, and you also knew about the great calamity facing the Shu Kingdom and the Yang family's choice, so you knew I would come."
Unexpectedly, the person in front of me shook their head and said:
"That's not how it is."
The person who came said softly:
"In the earliest plan, Lin Chengsheng would perish, and you would be forced to come here by using hatred. However... this method was too cruel, and it is not advisable to offend Mingyang now. In the end, it became a matter of going with the flow... As for the Yang family... there was no choice."
“You are our tacit understanding. You set off not because of Bai Qilin’s great influence. No matter what, the Underworld will send you. This was arranged. It’s just that they used Bai Qilin’s pretext of destroying Shu.”
"Conquer Shu..."
The sword immortal pondered these two words carefully, sighed deeply, and it seemed that mentioning Lin Chensheng's name had fueled his anger even more. Cheng Xun's Way:
"Why involve him!"
The man took another step forward, revealing his handsome features that shone brightly in the sunlight, and said:
"Because...it's better to lose just one Purple Mansion than to have a major war between the two countries with countless casualties."
"Hahahahaha!"
Cheng Xunzhi seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and laughed sarcastically. He said:
"Very well! Now you are great philanthropists! When the Wei Kingdom fell, who was the Taoist Shanqing who drove the people like cattle and sheep? When there was turmoil in Jiangnan, which family spread demonic arts everywhere? When the North and South were in chaos, who sat and watched Sui Guan slaughter millions?"
After saying this, he exhaled sharply, then coughed. The middle-aged man in front of him, however, did not show much change in expression, but solemnly said:
"First of all, Jianghuai is not my jurisdiction. I, Jin Yi, dare not be the Thunder Palace, nor am I qualified to be the Wanling. You are asking the wrong person if you are using Sui Guan's bad deeds to condemn me, Jin Yi."
"The matter of Douxuan has already proven that if a lineage tries to manage everything, it will end up managing nothing. At least we can keep an eye on the people in the desert. If you still blame me for being self-centered, then you are insulting that I, Jin Yi, am willing to reason with you."
He remained composed and continued:
"Back then, during the demonic calamity, it was of course I, Jin Yi, who was in control behind the scenes in the desert. From the cultivation techniques to the leaders, they were all carefully chosen by us. The main goal was to refine the flesh and blood of cultivators. But we don't know who pushed down the Demon Suppression Tower in the sect and recklessly spread a large amount of blood techniques... We almost lost control of our own sect... It wasn't a single thing, so why blame us?"
"As for the events at the end of the Wei Dynasty..."
The Taoist's face shone brightly in the sunlight as he spoke softly:
"If it weren't for my master, do you know how long the chaos at the end of the Wei Dynasty would have lasted? Yes, back then, my master did use the people to force the passes to open, but the Wei people ultimately dared not raise their swords, and the passes were opened, weren't they? How many years of war were saved?"
"We value results."
He said calmly:
"Yes, Guanzhong has indeed committed a great deal of atrocities. The cultivators and officials of Wei were gathered and buried alive, and Li Qianyuan's descendants were all boiled alive. But no matter how many died, they were just blindly loyal aristocratic cultivators and their descendants. Those Wei and Li descendants were half-human and half-demon. Mingyang is too worldly-wise. This is the best way to resolve the legacy of this evil."
"If we hadn't taken such swift and decisive measures back then, do you think the Great Wei would have only managed a few insignificant attempts at restoration?"
The sword immortal before him simply gazed at him quietly and smiled:
"If you put it that way, under the rule of the Human Emperor, which surnames in the world are not descendants of cultivators? Back then, Guanzhong was mostly populated by scions of aristocratic families. As for half-human, half-demon... didn't you value that?"
Daozi sighed, his tone calm:
"I, Jin Yiben, have no need to explain myself to you, nor do I care about your opinion. I'm just answering your question as it is."
The sword immortal calmed down slightly and said:
“You have always been arrogant, so there is no need for further argument.”
He paused, then smiled and said:
“I am like a sheep waiting to be slaughtered today, and I have no right to argue with you.”
Just as Daozi was about to speak, the sword immortal stopped him, placing a finger to his lips as a shushing gesture, and chuckled:
"But I have some guesses, and I don't know if they're right or wrong."
He stared intently at the other person's face, seemingly trying to discern any change in their expression, and said:
“From the moment I achieved mastery of sword intent, you have been watching me. The tragic deaths of my wife and children on the island were not caused by Chang Huai, but by your deliberate actions…”
Although he was smiling, the light in his eyes was like a sharp sword, as if it might shoot out at any moment. Unexpectedly, the Daoist in front of him shook his head and said softly:
"No, we didn't notice you at first, but we did discover the island's devastation. It was my uncle who invited Master Yuan Shang. Rather than saying we started watching you after you mastered sword intent, it's more accurate to say that we started making arrangements after that tragedy."
"After all, if it were us, we wouldn't use such low-level methods... to make Shi Xiu disgust people."
He laughed:
"The miraculous method to reshape your body, which is almost like reincarnation, was personally derived by Qinggetian."
"Okay, I didn't kill the wrong person."
The sword immortal sneered, nodded, and finally put aside his own affairs, saying:
"That senior from the north who played drinking games and had a pleasant conversation with my Dao Zhenjun back then... must have been Taiyuan Zhenjun."
The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then finally said:
"Yes."
The swordsman slowly closed his eyes, as if he had heard an answer he desperately didn't want to admit. Even though he had already guessed it, he still couldn't bear to ask it aloud. His throat moved, and he said hoarsely:
"Senior Tianjiao, he deliberately lost to Zhenjun."
Daozi said quietly:
"Yes."