Dragon Canon

Two disciples led Wei Yuan to the abode assigned to him. It wasn’t large, but it had everything he needed. The front half of the residence was a courtyard, while the back half was carved into the rock face and contained a cultivation chamber connected to a spirit vein.

Wei Yuan first checked his total Heavenly Merits. Sure enough, it had gone up by 20,000, 10,000 of which had been gifted by True Lord Dan Ming. This increase was entirely within Wei Yuan’s expectations, so it came as no surprise.

Although he had been unable to update his Heavenly Merits in real time while in the north, Wei Yuan already had a rough idea of how much he would receive—the discrepancy would not exceed 1,000. However, judging by the final amount, Dragonhawk was slightly stronger than he had imagined, and the amount of Heavenly Merits he gained was also greater than expected.

Having acquired so many Heavenly Merits, Wei Yuan’s first thought was to repay a portion of his debt. However, he ultimately thought it would be best to delay the decision until after Founder Xuan Yue emerged from seclusion and consult him about it.

After bathing and changing his clothes, Wei Yuan left his abode to visit Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng’s abode wasn’t far away. At the moment, she was reading by the window in her study, calm and focused, her profile so graceful and smooth that it almost seemed like she was glowing faintly.

Wei Yuan entered the study. He had originally walked to her side, but a single glare forced him to take two steps back and sit in the guest seat.

Zhang Sheng set down the book she was reading and said, “How many times have I told you that once we return to the mountain gate, you must never overstep the bounds of propriety? The True Lords hold the power here, and they possess the ability to oversee every corner of the mountain gate. They might be more lenient under normal circumstances, but we are at war right now, so they’re certainly not going to hold back. They will certainly scrutinize every corner of the mountain gate to prevent enemies from infiltrating and causing chaos. Who knows, one or more of them might be watching us right now. But of course, given their status, they probably wouldn’t eavesdrop on our conversation.”

Wei Yuan argued, “Sure the True Lords can’t see everything? Besides, we’ve just returned from a bloody battle in the north—why would they be watching us so closely?”

Zhang Sheng replied, “It’s precisely people like us who need to be watched closely. Until they are certain that there are no hidden schemes planted by the enemy on our persons, they will not ease their surveillance, and that is going to take some time.”

There were plenty of such examples in the history books. Anyone returning from enemy territory be it an undercover agent, an expendable spy meant to convey false information, or a prisoner that had been recently released from captivity, it was inevitable they would face numerous trials upon their return and even more suspicion and mistrust.

Although Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan’s background were unblemished, no one could be certain whether the enemy had planted a hidden scheme on them. Even the True Lords had let something slip past them before.

Though Wei Yuan was a bold and decisive man, there were things even he couldn’t do while the True Lords were watching.

He could only sit still and say, “Abbot Dan Ming mentioned that there’s a problem with your Dao Heart?”

Zhang Sheng shot him a sidelong glance and said, “Don’t read too much into it; less than one-tenth of it has to do with you. To put it simply, I had previously used my immortal swords to nurture a Dao Heart of Invincibility. But after my battle against a Sky Warlock across the void, my Immortal Swords shattered, and even my sword array was destroyed. The real crux of the matter, however, was that I realized even if I were to follow this path until the end, I am ultimately still no match for a Sky Warlock. That is what caused my resolve to waver and led me to rethink my path forward.”

Wei Yuan was silent for a moment before answering, “That Sky Warlock—they had to rank among the top in this generation, wouldn’t they?”

“Correct.” Zhang Sheng nodded.

A Sky warlock capable of unleashing a Great Karmic Curse—among the human race, there were likely no more than three true immortals who could stand a chance against them. And Zhang Sheng was saying that her Dao Heart was affected because she thought she wouldn’t be able to beat him in the future?

But that was just Zhang Sheng—no matter where she stood, she would always look toward greater heights.

His shifu was preparing to chart a new Dao path, and Wei Yuan had no good advice to offer. This path was bound to be fraught with hardships, though. Zhang Sheng had already been able to outshine countless gifted immortal foundation cultivators with just her three Immortal Swords, and after her fourth immortal Sword emerged, she had ascended to the very pinnacle. Looking at several generations past and present, only Ji Liuli and Feng Chutang could hold a candle to her. Had it not been for the emergence of the Great Realm, the moment her sword array was complete, she would have become the undisputed number one immortal foundation cultivator of the Palace of Absolute Beginning.

To ascend further from such a lofty foundation—how incredibly difficult that would be!

At that moment, Zhang Sheng was bathed in sunlight, radiating a beauty of the utmost simplicity that was in no way inferior to anyone else’s. Her hands, in particular—whether cradling a book or casually resting on an armrest—were impossible to look away from.

Wei Yuan quietly shifted his chair, moving silently and slowly closer to Zhang Sheng.

Zhang Sheng looked up at him, her gaze naturally commanding respect without having to resort to anger. Wei Yuan had no choice but to halt his approach, though he was still staring intently at her hand.

Suddenly, Zhang Sheng spread her fingers and raised it slightly.

It took Wei Yuan a moment to grasp her meaning, but when he did, he was both surprised and delighted. He reached out his own hand, but hesitated at the last moment, asking, “Is this okay? Won’t the True Lords find out?”

“When a True Lord takes control of a mountain gate, their perception would become akin to a mountain gate’s artifact spirit. It possesses its own sentience and won’t report every little detail to them. They won’t pay any mind to such a trivial matter.”

So, Wei Yuan plucked up a little more courage and took her hand.

Outside the window, the sunlight was gentle, and the breeze carried a warm, soothing touch. Soft light flowed over the two of them as they sat holding hands, like a glowing stream, transforming the scene into a painting that slowly unfolded before the eyes.

It was unclear how much time had passed. When the wind rustled the flowering trees outside the window, and a few petals drifted through the opening and landed on them, the silence was finally broken.

Wei Yuan suddenly realized he had lost track of time. Without noticing, two full hours had passed. The book in Zhang Sheng’s hands had remained open on the same page the entire time as well.

Zhang Sheng suddenly flashed him a faint smile and said, “It’s actually quite nice to be able to waste time like this.”

Wei Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he silently thought: Oh no. He said, “I think a True Lord’s perception just swept over us. They... surely they haven’t found out yet, have they?”

Zhang Sheng replied calmly, “It doesn’t matter. They’ll find out sooner or later anyway.”

Wei Yuan’s anxiety suddenly settled just like that.

Zhang Sheng said, “There are still a few days before the founder emerges from seclusion. If you have nothing else to do, you could help defend the northern mountain gate, make a contribution to the sect, and refine your cultivation at the same time.”

“I will,” Wei Yuan replied.

As evening fell, Wei Yuan flew all the way to a camp on the front lines and handed his identity token to a Daoist there. The Daoist was wearing heavy armor and carrying a long saber at his waist. He had several blade scars on his face that gave him an exceptionally fierce and menacing appearance.

He examined the identity token and the official document from the Palace that Wei Yuan had presented, then scrutinized Wei Yuan from head to toe before saying, “Are you Wei Yuan, the one who established Qingming in the west and wiped out hundreds of thousands of Shamans and Xu Clan’s private army?”

“That is correct.”

The Daoist laughed heartily, his voice booming like a great bell. He slapped Wei Yuan’s shoulder hard and said, “This humble Daoist is Xuan Tongzi[1], a War Daoist[2]! Other things aside, there is no one I admire more than people who have slain the most foreigners! Wait... y-your cultivation level....”

Xuan Tongzi examined him closely again, and this time, Wei Yuan made no attempt to conceal himself. Spirituality rose from his Dao energy like wisps of luminous mists, and faint glimpses of various immortal-like scenes flickered within. They were all clear signs that Wei Yuan had attained completion of his spirituality and Dao energy. He was now only a single step away from attaining an Avatar.

Xuan Tongzi then looked at Wei Yuan’s jade identity token again, unable to quite believe his eyes. Even if Wei Yuan was planning to take another two or three years from now to form an Avatar, he would still be under twenty. An Avatar Trueman under the age of twenty—that was truly a stunning feat.

A thought crossed Xuan Tongzi’s mind, and he immediately understood. “You’re planning to consolidate your cultivation while alleviating the Palace’s burden at the same time, right Junior Brother? In that case, you may choose any one of these positions and hold it for seven days.”

The Daoist led Wei Yuan to a massive defense layout map and pointed to several spots. They were all critical positions.

Wei Yuan asked, “What is the current state of the war?”

The Daoist unfolded another map, one that covered a much larger area and encompassed the entire northern mountain gate and part of the borders of various nations. It marked the current front lines and the distribution of troops at key nodes.

“The Liao have been continuously reinforcing their troops this time, mobilizing dozens of tribes and millions of cavalry in total. Nearly two million of them are surrounding our northern mountain gate alone. The True Lords’ strategy is to hold out ground and keep inflicting casualties on the Liao. Every day, we fight on the ground while the True Lords fight in the Beyond—at this point, it’s a matter of attrition.”

On the map, the yellow area representing the Liao forces had been steadily advancing from both flanks deep into the south. The northern mountain gate of the Palace of Absolute Beginning now resembled a mushroom, with only a terribly narrow strip remaining connected to the other human nations.

The camp where Wei Yuan was stationed was located at the base of this “umbrella”. If it were breached, the Liao would be one step closer to completing their encirclement. Upon seeing this map, Wei Yuan finally realized just how dire the situation at the northern mountain gate had become. If the Liao successfully broke through the “umbrella pole”, and their eastern and western forces were able to meet up with each other, they would completely encircle the northern mountain gate.

The northern mountain gate originally spanned a radius of 6,000 li. Now, over 1,000 li of its outer perimeter had already fallen into the hands of the Liao.

Wei Yuan, having led large armies into battle himself, could see from the map that the True Lords of the Palace of Absolute Beginning were gradually ceding frontline territory in exchange for killing more Liao troops.

However, once the Liao had occupied a land, they would move their armies there to garrison it. The land tainted by army aura would lose its moisture and turn into lifeless, useless yellow earth. This type of earth was so useless that it was difficult to grow anything on it even with a constant water source. It would take years of repeated fertilization to restore its fertility.

Thus, both sides’ strategies were clear: The Palace of Absolute Beginning sought to eliminate the enemy, while the Northern Liao sought to destroy the land. It all came down to which side would give out first.

“In our sector, which powerful figures do the Liao have?”

Xuan Tongzi replied, “The primary threat would be the myriarch, Cang Lei. He commands twenty chiliarchs, and his forces comprise thirty thousand elite cavalry, one hundred thousand light cavalry, and one hundred thousand infantry. Our defensive forces are distributed across more than a dozen military forts, totaling fifty thousand.”

Wei Yuan studied the map and finally said, “I can only stay here for seven days before I must return to the western regions. Until then, my primary objective would be to inflict casualties upon the enemy.”

“There is no need to take risks, Junior Brother. Hold the position first, and we can discuss the rest later,” Xuan Tongzi advised.

Although Xuan Tongzi was an Avatar, Wei Yuan was only a step away attaining that level himself. That was why Xuan Tongzi regarded him not as a junior, but an equal.

Wei Yuan said, “Take me to the warehouse first. As long as you provide me with sufficient military supplies, the rest is just a matter of tallying the military merits.”

Two hours later, Wei Yuan, accompanied by 50 elite Dao Soldiers and four massive carts of supplies, arrived at the forwardmost military fort before nightfall. After meeting up with the garrison general over there, Wei Yuan officially took over command.

Wei Yuan then surveyed the terrain, assessed the troop strength, distributed the military supplies he had brought, and prepared to bleed the Liao dry.

This was a critical juncture of the Palace’s survival, and the completion of Wei Yuan’s cultivation was nigh. It was time he paid back the sect. Even if it were only for a few days, as long as he could exert even the slightest influence on the course of the war, it would be worth it.

1. Oh this is a name/title I’ve never seen before, it means Profound Bronze. ☜

2. “A” War Daoist cuz it’s a position. ☜