Dragon Canon

The most common and widely accepted practice, of course, was to align oneself with a particular feudal state. One could even say it was for the greater good of the human race. It was because all nine states were situated at the borders, and repelling the foreign races and protecting the Son of Heaven were their original Mandate of Heaven.

At the moment, the situation across all nine states varied. Though the lives of the mortal humans were becoming increasingly difficult, they had not yet faced a natural disaster that swept across the entire realm, nor was life so difficult that it was absolutely impossible to survive. There were occasional isolated incidents of peasant uprisings here and there, but they had not yet led to the collapse of a dynasty either. In the past, when dynasties such as the Great Li changed hands, it was only after terrifying natural disasters had ravaged the entire human realm and left behind innumerable corpses in their wake that the people had risen up in rebellion.

Furthermore, the ferocious strength of the foreign races and the immense pressure of repelling the invaders ensured that the Emperor of Tang remained revered as the overlord, and the human race united.

The path of transforming Qingming into a mountain gate of the Palace of Absolute Beginning was also fraught with difficulties. For example, persuading the neighboring states—Jin, Zhao, and Ji—alone would be a major challenge. Moreover, the Palace of Absolute Beginning was currently focused on expanding its northern mountain gate, aiming to fully manifest the treasured lands their deceased founders had transformed into.

The only way he could turn Qingming into a mountain gate without any controversy whatsoever was if his strength approached that of an Immortal Lord, and he would have to pass away and transform all of his cultivation into a treasured land. Obviously, that wasn’t a viable option at present.

Finally, there was a third path: he could declare complete independence. However, that would mean severing ties with the human race itself, and that was simply undoable for countless reasons.

Upon reflecting on this, Wei Yuan reviewed the annals of history and concluded that Great Tang’s destiny, as weak as it was, had not yet run its course. The time was not yet ripe.

Wei Yuan had no interest in proclaiming himself king. He simply did not wish to see the mortal humans around him being slaughtered by the foreign races. Moreover, Western Jin was corrupt and incompetent; the common folk would only suffer if they were forcefully subsumed. The best course of action was for Wei Yuan to place them under his protection; the title he held was of little consequence.

He was still pondering about the future when a cultivator arrived from outside to report, “Realm Lord, a general from the State of Zhao claims to be an old acquaintance of yours and is waiting outside.”

Wei Yuan could not recall having any old acquaintances serving in the State of Zhao, so he left the central peak and flew to Guest Town, where he saw a dashing general admiring the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall. Even from behind, he could tell that the man’s bearing was extraordinary.

The general turned around and smiled warmly. “It’s been a long time, worthy little brother!”

He was Lee Zhi!

Wei Yuan was pleasantly surprised. He took a step forward, and the two embraced before taking a look at each other. It had been several months since they had parted ways. Lee Zhi had grown slightly taller, and his youthful awkwardness was gone, replaced by a newfound air of authority. His aura seemed a bit uneven, though.

Wei Yuan looked at the Zhao general’s uniform he was wearing and asked, “When did you become a general of Zhao, Brother Li?”

Lee Zhi laughed heartily and replied, “My background is sensitive, so I wasn’t given important roles in Southern Qi. I heard that Zhao was actively recruiting talented individuals, so I went to join them. After fighting for nearly half a year, I’ve finally been promoted to deputy general.”

Before he could finish, a violent cough suddenly overcame him at the same time an unnatural flush spread across his face. Wei Yuan hurriedly supported him and asked, “Have you been injured? It so happens that I have a senior brother surnamed Sun here whose art in healing is nothing of miraculous. Why don’t I have him take a look at you?”

Lee Zhi waved his hand and said, “It’s nothing serious. A while back, I came down with a sudden illness—I have no idea what caused it—but it cleared up as mysteriously as it came. Seriously, it went away so fast that none of the doctors could figure out what it was. I wrote to my father about it, and he requested the royal physician to examine me. Unfortunately, he couldn’t reach a conclusion either. He just told me to rest and recuperate.”

Wei Yuan thought that the symptoms sounded familiar and suggested, “Could it be a curse?”

Lee Zhi replied, “I’ve suspected that too, but my enemies are the Mountain Dwellers and the State of Ji. The Mountain Dwellers are only skilled in killing and pillaging. The Shamans are skilled at casting curses, but I haven’t provoked them at all, so why would they curse me for no reason[1]?”

He then broke into a smile and said, “Let’s not worry about this; I’m almost fully recovered anyway. How’s your cultivation coming along? I’m currently in the late-stage of the Dao Foundation stage and nearing perfection. All that’s left is to wait for the right opportunity to attain an Avatar. So, how about we spar for a bit?”

Wei Yuan hesitated, saying, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m already in the spirit awakening stage[2].”

Lee Zhi ignored it, grabbed Wei Yuan’s arm, and dragged him outside, saying, “My Four Symbols Tripod Cauldron has already awakened its sentience and possessed many wonderful abilities. If I don’t show it to you firsthand, you’ll never know just how formidable your older brother is!”

Moments later, the two stood facing each other on the training grounds. There were eight Dao Foundation stage cultivators positioned at each corner, working together to stabilize the arena and prevent it from being damaged too severely.

Golden flames ignited on the long sword in Lee Zhi’s hand, while a massive, ancient cauldron flickered into view above his head. The surrounding space seemed to warp slightly as the young general’s aura surged higher and higher. True to its immortal foundation status, the ancient cauldron already possessed the semblance of an Avatar. It was warming the worldly laws around it so that Lee Zhi could draw upon their strength and instantly increase the potency of his Dao techniques by 50%.

Lee Zhi raised his sword to his brow, and the light on the blade instantly surged to the length of ten zhang. Then, with a long laugh, he slashed down at Wei Yuan, bellowing, “Be on your toes, worthy little brother!”

It has been a long time since Wei Yuan had encountered such a textbook attack, so much so that he wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. So, he casually grabbed a bundle of immortal swords and hurled it forward.

Hundreds of immortal swords whistled through the air. The first forty or fifty destroyed Lee Zhi’s sword qi, while the seventy or eighty behind them pierced him into a hedgehog. That said, golden light was shining through the hedgehog’s quills—clearly, Lee Zhi had shielded himself with his immortal cauldron.

Then, Wei Yuan clenched his fists and caused all of the immortal swords to explode, instantly reducing Lee Zhi to a beggar.

Moments later, Wei Yuan held a banquet for his friend. Lee Zhi had already washed up, bathed, and changed into fresh armor and robes. Only a small patch of his eyebrow remained singed, though it was going to take time for it to heal back to normal.

At the table, Lee Zhi was visibly glum. He had come to see Wei Yuan full of enthusiasm as he had just recently made a breakthrough. Yet, he had lost without even knowing how it happened. There was just no way he could possibly be in a cheerful mood.

Seeing this, Wei Yuan offered him words of comfort. “Brother Li, don’t overthink it. You’re still very powerful; others might not be your match.”

Those words sound a bit harsh.... Lee Zhi forced a smile on his face and feigned nonchalance. “Haha. Considering how powerful you are, I bet you’re surrounded by a host of high cultivators as well. If I were in Qingming, I’d probably only manage to squeeze into the top three.”

No, you won’t. But of course, Wei Yuan didn’t say these words out loud.

Everything was just beginning to take shape in Qingming at the moment, so the feast was modest. However, Lee Zhi paid it no mind. After finishing his meal in a hurry and waiting for the servants to clear the table, he took out a sheet of jade paper and spread it across the table. Once activated, a map of the western regions appeared before them.

The map was three-dimensional and complete with every detail such as the mountains, the rivers, and the cities. It even included the newly established seat of Ningxi and the realm of Qingming.

Lee Zhi began, “A few days ago, the King of Qi finally relented and allowed father to retrieve the realm stone that rightfully belonged to our family. However, Queen Dowager Xiao views me with suspicion and forbids me from using it in Qi. Later, father discussed the matter with the King of Zhao and reached an agreement. I intend to erect the realm stone in the western regions and officially expand our territory!”

Wei Yuan replied, “That’s great news! Where do you plan to place the realm stone, Brother Lee?”

Lee Zhi replied, “I came to see you precisely to discuss this matter. I plan to place the realm stone at a location that is further west and neither too close nor too far from your territory. That way, we can watch over and assist one another. The site is right—here!”

Lee Zhi pointed to a spot on the map. It lay over 9,000 li away southwest of Qingming. It lay even deeper within the Shaman realm than Qingming and was 6,000 li away from the nearest territory of the State of Zhao. It was clear that his ambitions were nothing short of grand.

Moreover, there was strategic significance to this location. If Lee Zhi truly managed to establish a foothold here, it would merge with Wei Yuan’s Qingming and effectively seal off all of Western Jin’s western routes.

What is Lee Zhi planning?

Wei Yuan remarked, “Brother Lee, you’re truly thinking on a grand scale! But establishing a foothold here will surely be extremely difficult at first. I assume you’ve made preparations in advance?”

Lee Zhi smiled faintly and replied, “The realm stone in my possession is upper-grade. There are only a handful of them in all of the Nine States. That is why my elders of the Four Sages Academies will be offering their full support in this expansion. In the future, they will use my domain as a foundation to expand outward and transform it into the academy’s third mountain gate, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Palace of Absolute Beginning.”

“If that is the case, why not move a bit southwest, Brother Lee? This current location feels a bit cramped, if the academy is planning to establish a mountain gate.”

Lee Zhi replied, “I’ve considered that, but I’ve heard that you’re facing exclusion and suspicion in Western Jin, and they still refuse to grant you a proper title to this day. Since this is unclaimed land anyway, I thought it would be better to stay close to you. That way, should Western Jin ever attack your domain in the future, I’ll have a pretext to intervene. As I am a member of the Southern Qi royal clan and the Military Commissioner of Zhao, Western Jin will have no choice but to exercise some restraint.”

Wei Yuan clasped his hands and said, “Congratulations on your promotion, Brother Lee!”

Lee Zhi laughed heartily and said, “My realm stone is somewhat rare even compared to other upper-grade realm stones. It can expand my territory by eighteen hundred li. Out of respect for my father, the King of Zhao has gone as far as to appoint me the Military Commissioner of Zhenshan[3]. The edict will arrive as soon as the realm stone is erected.”

This gave Wei Yuan an idea, and he pointed to a spot on the map. He said, “I think this would be a better place to establish your domain, Brother Lee.”

Lee Zhi examined the spot closely. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides and bordering a river on the fourth, making it easy to defend but hard to attack. It had all sorts of terrain and was situated at the border between the Mountain Dwellers and the Shamans, with few powerful enemies nearby. It was indeed an excellent spot to establish a domain. However, the location was also a full 19,000 li away from the realm of Qingming.

Lee Zhi frowned and said, “But if I set it here, I won’t be able to come to your aid immediately should you face trouble, worthy little brother.”

Wei Yuan replied, “We’re both just getting started, and our greatest enemies remain the foreign races. I’ve also just given Western Jin a taste of their own medicine, so they shouldn’t make any major moves for a while.

“Besides, if we openly block their western routes, the King of Jin will likely be furious. It’s better to give them plenty of room and allow them to advance westward. If we do end up at odds with Western Jin in the future, you and I can simply launch a pincer attack from the north and south and split the Jin territory in two. When that happens, no matter how much land they’ve claimed in the west, won’t it all be ours for the taking?”

Lee Zhi pondered for a moment before nodding. “This location is actually one of the reserve options. I’ll discuss it with Father when I head back. Assuming that he doesn’t object, that that is where we’ll be settling. By the way, how can your domain extend, worthy little brother?”

Wei Yuan thought about it and replied, “A little over two thousand li. Though, it won’t be happening for many years yet.”

Wei Yuan wasn’t lying; it was indeed slightly more than 2000 li at the moment. As for the realm stone’s self-proclaimed ability to extend its borders over 10,000 li, it hadn’t happened yet, so how could he be sure?

With this matter settled, Lee Zhi continued, “I see your realm is lacking in everything right now. Your people don’t even have enough clothes to cover themselves. I also heard that the commandery administrator, Yan Qingyan, has been blockading you. Here’s what we’ll do: the southern part of the Shattered Realm borders the seat of Yuyang of Zhao. The Pacification Commissioner of Yuyang, Cui Shutong, is a hot-tempered and greedy man. I’ll contact his deputy general and have them send a caravan over. Tell me what you need, though it’ll cost you a bit more.”

“I need cloth, farming tools, essence of five metals[4], and spirit plants.” Wei Yuan rattled off several items in one breath.

“No problem. I’ll make the arrangements as soon as I return. This mission will likely lead to some clashes with the garrison troops. When the time comes, I’ll send some men in disguise to escort them. Even if they can’t make it through, I’ll ensure that a fight breaks out. Yuan Qingyan’s blockade has cut off Cui Shutong’s source of income, so there is little chance he will let this go.”

Wei Yuan added, “I’ll also send some men in disguise to assist you. That way, a fight will happen, and the caravan will get through.”

Lee Zhi and Wei Yuan exchanged a glance. It seemed they were on the same page. Unfortunately, it would seem that the people’s image of the Shattered Realm—that it was a place being plagued by rampant horse bandits—wasn’t going away any time soon.

1. You poor sod.... ☜

2. It’s the middle stage name. ☜

3. Meaning “protector of mountain”, or “protector of the realm”. ☜

4. This’ll be explained in the next chapter. But in our world the five metals are: gold, silver, copper, iron and tin. ☜