Dragon Canon

Sun Yu couldn’t explain why this phenomenon had occurred. Wei Yuan immediately inspected the entire new city afterward but could not find a single unusual trace, much less discover the source of the burst of yin qi and sinister aura. Zhang Sheng and Trueman Chu He, who arrived later, also found nothing.

Left with no choice, Wei Yuan set the matter aside for the time being. He ordered his men to take good care of the girls who had suffered miscarriages due to fetal death, then moved the surviving girls to another camp with stricter defenses. He stationed guards to watch over them day and night and set up a defensive array that was powered by fortune. However, this still wasn’t enough to satisfy him. He further ensured their safety by imbuing each of the three hundred surviving girls with a wisp of fortune as an extra precaution.

By the time all this was done, dawn had broken.

In the early morning light, two Cui Clan ships entered the realm of Qingming and parked at the designated plaza. Both flying ships were loaded to the brim with supplies, primarily textiles of various grades—all of which required considerable time to produce in large quantities—as well as 10,000 catties of aged herbs of various types. They were the compensation for training their clansmen.

Wei Yuan had produced a total of 33 Dao Foundation stage cultivators—almost one-tenth of the total number of clansmen who showed up—in this batch. Although the results weren’t as spectacular as those in the first batch, only 15 people had died. It was a significant drop in the mortality rate and not even 5% of the overall number.

The representatives from the Cui Clan who came to receive the successful clansmen could find no fault with the results. After all, the results of the first batch spoke for themselves. If half the participants had died, then the overall success rate was just over 30%, or over 50% if calculated based on the total number of survivors. Among the 20-plus who paid for death immunity, only 1 had succeeded.

Therefore, the amount of deaths were proportional to the amount of Dao Foundation stage cultivators that were produced. However, the mortality rate of the first batch was way too horrifying, which was why they had asked Wei Yuan to tone it down. And he had succeeded. The mortality rate for this second batch was perfect.

Accompanying the two ships were over 400 people, including over 50 elderly people who were all between 60 or 80 years of age. These elderly people were the ones Cui Luoyu had mentioned previously—Cui Clan elders seeking to extend their lives at Qingming and were willing to pay a hefty price for it.

The rest were Cui clansmen who had come via normal means to train. They numbered 400 in total. Together, they represented the third batch.

By now, Wei Yuan had established a set of standard procedures for training Dao Foundations. Everything could be handled based on past experience.

Originally, the second batch of Cui clansmen were supposed to return on these two flying ships. However, while the supplies were being unloaded, one stunning young woman from the second batch approached Wei Yuan and explained that she and several others had sensed the opportunity to establish their Dao Foundations. However, they needed more time. She believed that, if they cultivated a bit more and chose the correct Dao Foundation, they still had a chance of achieving a breakthrough. Overall, they wished to stay for another term.

“What do you mean, choose the right Dao Foundation?” Wei Yuan didn’t quite catch on at first.

The young woman bit her lip, lowered her voice, and leaned close to his ear before whispering, “We’re all going to cultivate the Bright Sword this time!”

This time, Wei Yuan understood her meaning. Glancing at the dozens of people standing behind her, he finally recalled that these youngsters were all people who had been confident and arrogant enough to think that they could establish their own unique Dao Foundation and so refused to cultivate the templates he had prepared for them. But after their failure, it seemed these people had finally come to terms with the reality that they lacked talent and decided to forge the Bright Sword; the easiest Dao Foundation to attain at the moment.

“All right. You can train with the third batch and make another attempt in a month’s time. However, you will have to pay extra for this.”

“No problem!” The stunning young woman agreed readily.

No sooner had he sent her on her way than another young woman from the Cui Clan—a somewhat innocent-looking girl with delicate features and a striking figure—stopped Wei Yuan.

“Realm Lord, I... We’d also like to stay and continue participating in the training, but we don’t have any silver left. After much consideration, I decided that the only way I can pay for it is... is... sigh!”

The girl shyly lowered her head and stamped her foot, causing her chest to jiggle vigorously.

“Did you say, ‘we’?” Wei Yuan keenly picked up on the key point.

The girl pointed toward the distance where dozens of people were standing and looking this way expectantly. Several of them were gesturing to the girl and cheering her on.

The girl’s cheeks flushed crimson as she added, “If you like, then she—I mean they—would be fine with it as well. This includes the guys—assuming you swing that way, of course.”

Wei Yuan really didn’t understand what she was talking about.

Hearing no response from Wei Yuan, the girl hurriedly added, “As long as you agree, my lord, we’ll answer your summons whenever and wherever you want!”

Finally, Wei Yuan understood what she was trying to say. Such was his shock that he unconsciously covered his face with his hand while he processed the outrageous thinking that was the girl and her group. If it hadn’t been for that nightmarish afternoon he had endured in the Spring Blossom Hall, Wei Yuan was sure he would have blushed himself.

In the end, Wei Yuan couldn’t keep his impulse in check. He glanced at the group in the distance, took in everyone’s features, and ultimately steeled his resolve to handle the matter strictly by the book.

“Are you the only ones who don’t have money but still want to try another term?”

The girl replied, “In fact, there are a few others. It’s just that some aren’t willing to make the sacrifice, while others simply aren’t qualified.”

Wei Yuan had the girl summon everyone who lacked the funds but still wished to try. Soon, he noticed that several of them were indeed unqualified to make the sacrifice.

Once everyone had gathered, Wei Yuan said, “If you’re willing, you can train for another term free of charge, on the condition that you must work for Qingming for five years after establishing your Dao Foundation. If your Dao Foundation is suitable and you’re willing to participate in combat, then you’ll only need to serve for two years. So, who’s willing to stay?”

The group exchanged glances, and the vast majority of them agreed immediately. However, someone asked, “What if we don’t succeed?”

Wei Yuan replied, “If you fail to establish your Dao Foundation, then you’ll only need to work for Qingming for a year.”

It was an extremely lenient condition, and this time everyone agreed. The fact that they couldn’t afford even a single term of tuition despite being a member of the Cui Clan showed just how marginalized they were within their families and clan. That Wei Yuan was willing to negotiate with them at all was already generosity on his part.

Seeing that everyone had agreed, Wei Yuan asked Cui Yu to bring over a stack of blood contracts and had everyone sign them with a drop of blood. This way, if they dared to go back on their promise, the blood contract would take effect and make them suffer worse than death.

It was at this moment the innocent-looking girl approached Wei Yuan once more and whispered, “Can I skip signing the contract and just stay with you instead?”

Wei Yuan kept a blank expression as he shoved a blood contract into her hands.

At the summit of the central peak, Zhang Sheng nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze elsewhere[1].

After a flurry of chaos, accommodations were finally arranged for the Cui clansmen who had just arrived and provided with all the basic necessities of daily life.

By dinner time, the special class elders, along with dozens of patrons who were willing to pay extra to improve their chances of establishing a Dao Foundation, were led to a lecture hall. In a moment, Wei Yuan would personally explain the specially crafted Dao Foundation template to them.

Knowing how efficiently Qingming operated, everyone felt an inexplicable surge of confidence.

In the center of the lecture hall, Wei Yuan faced his patrons with a smile and summoned an immortal sword with a blade that was shrouded by a faint layer of fire. The moment it appeared, the entire hall was bathed in strong light!

Everyone’s eyes lit up instantly, but they also felt that such a magnificent-looking Dao Foundation must possess boundless power—far beyond what the likes of them could ever possess.

Wei Yuan pointed his finger, causing the sword to circle around the lecture hall one time so that everyone could get a clear look. Then, he said, “This is the special Dao Foundation template we’ve prepared for you all. It is called the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword!”

......

Over the next few days, the Cui Clan young and old alike devoted themselves to cultivation.

Days ago, Wei Yuan had had a flash of inspiration and altered the properties of the Bright Sword, enhancing its luminosity and renaming it to the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword. Since then, the acceptance of this Dao Foundation had risen significantly, and nearly everyone was willing to choose this template.

This came as a relief to Wei Yuan. Templates didn’t exist during the first term, so it wasn’t an issue. But in the second term, many in the second batch had been unwilling to settle for a template. As a result, the success rate of establishing a Dao Foundation plummeted, and his reputation was nearly ruined. Now that the Radiant Devil-Subjugating Sword exists, the success rate for the third term should increase significantly.

Once the results were in, Wei Yuan felt he might be able to negotiate some terms with the Cui Clan.

Amid the hustle and bustle, a long convoy left the realm of Qingming, carrying 100,000 catties of grain to set up food relief centers in Bianning Commandery and recruit refugees.

On the fifth day, the cultivators stationed at the western border reported that a large group of humans were approaching.

When Wei Yuan flew to the edge of the border, he spotted Tianyu, who was two days late. At the far end of the road, a billowing cloud of dust were rising to the sky, and countless people were slowly approaching the borders.

“I’ve brought three thousand superior sacrifices, ten thousand mid-grade sacrifices, thirty thousand lower-grade sacrifices, and one hundred twenty thousand substandard sacrifices in exchange for every Shaman civilian in your possession.”

After saying everything in one breath, Tianyu added with a hint of apology, “I apologize for going over my own deadline. For some reason, superior sacrifices have been in extremely short demand as of late. Rumor has it that the Sky Warlocks have taken many of them probably to hold some sort of sacrificial ritual.”

“It’s no problem. I accept this exchange.” In truth, Wei Yuan would have considered it a worthwhile trade even if Tianyu had only brought 10,000 or 20,000 humans.

Soon, the large group drew near. The grade of the sacrifices were marked by the colors of the clothing they were wearing. It made it very easy to distinguish them.

The superior sacrifices were all youngsters around the age of 10, while the mid-grade sacrifices were adults no older than 40. The lower-grade sacrifices generally had poorer physical condition, though they still exhibited some signs of Body-tempering.

Finally, there were the 120,000 substandard sacrifices. These people had just been captured and brought to the Shaman realm and hadn’t yet been fattened up, so they were a mixed bunch. There were even children who had not yet reached waist height. They were also still wearing their own clothes, unlike the graded sacrifices who were dressed in uniform colors.

All superior sacrifices were born to those who were penned and raised within the Shaman realm. Some of the middle-grade sacrifices were the offspring of the human livestocks, while others were the strongest and healthiest of the captured humans. The people in both of these grades were standing motionlessly and expressionlessly at the moment as they awaited further orders. When a human had become a sacrifice, the Shamans would administer medication to them at regular intervals. Over time, the drugs caused them to lose all emotion and turn into mindless zombies who knew only how to obey orders.

The moment he learned of Tianyu’s arrival, Wei Yuan had immediately ordered his men to round up the Shaman captives. First, they headed north to leave Qingming’s domain. Then they headed west where Tianyu ordered 5,000 cavalrymen to receive them. At the same time, Tianyu arranged for the 100,000-odd humans to enter Qingming.

Standing on an elevated ground by the roadside and watching the horde of humans filing in one after another, Wei Yuan suddenly noticed that the 120,000 substandard sacrifices—aside from a few children—were almost exclusively adult men and women. There wasn’t a single elderly person in sight.

Wei Yuan looked at Tianyu, and Tianyu said, “I know that you don’t actually have a use for elderly people, but I also know you wouldn’t say anything about it. That is why I took the liberty of not bringing anyone over fifty.”

Wei Yuan stayed silent for a moment before replying, “Don’t worry about that next time. Now that I’ve survived the initial stages, I can afford to accommodate the elderly.”

Tianyu spread his hands. “I certainly hope there won’t be a next time.”

Wei Yuan cracked a small smile and said, “If you don’t come, there naturally won’t be a next time.”

But Tianyu disagreed with the logic and shook his head. “Even if we hadn’t come to you, you would have come to us anyway.”

Caught off guard, Wei Yuan realized he was right and could not say anything in retort.

Just then, the human sacrifices who had entered the realm of Qingming sensed the long-missed comfort of the Pure Realm of Humanity. The vibrant vitality especially caused tears to well up in their eyes before they knew it. They had thought they would never return to the human realm in this lifetime, yet here they were.

Some of them pulled aside the Qingming cultivators to ask questions and eventually learned that the figure standing on the elevated ground was the Realm Lord. Suddenly, countless people dropped to their knees and began kowtowing repeatedly to Wei Yuan. In the blink of an eye, the ground was covered in a sea of kneeling figures.

Wei Yuan was just about to say it wasn’t necessary when blue fortune started sprouting like weeds in the Great Realm. He had no choice but to abandon his original intention to leave and instead assumed a solemn posture to better absorb the fortune. Of course, such pretense left him feeling somewhat ashamed.

After the crowd had paid their respects to Wei Yuan, they noticed that Tianyu was standing next to him. It was obvious at first glance that the Shaman was no ordinary person. In fact, some knew that Tianyu was the one who had escorted them to the realm of Qingming, and because of his humanoid appearance, those who didn’t know better even thought that he was one of Qingming’s leaders. But whether they knew the truth or not, they all started to kowtow to Tianyu.

Suddenly, Tianyu turned as pale as death. Then, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood then and there!

Thousands and thousands of people were kowtowing to Tianyu right now. Every time their heads dipped, the Shaman’s life force would dwindle a little more. In the blink of an eye, it had nearly run out!

Fortunately, Wei Yuan reacted with lightning speed. First, he used Jia Wood Nurtures Life to keep Tianyu alive. Then, he scooped him up and flew toward the nearest border. They were dozens of li away from the scene and back to the Shaman realm in an instant. Had he been even a fraction slower, Tianyu would likely have perished on the spot!

Having narrowly exhausted death, an utterly exhausted Tianyu asked while trembling with fear, “What kind of great curse was that just now?!”

1. Heh. ☜