Witch Wind

Chapter 402 The Great Li Holy Dynasty (Part 1)

A loud roar came from afar.

Dian Wei's massive body staggered backward, a gruesome laceration on his neck gushing forth scalding blood. He wielded his halberd somewhat clumsily, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with ferocity as he glared menacingly at Ran Min.

Dian Wei was defeated.

The two clashed head-on, a real, straightforward confrontation without any tricks, and Dian Wei, Cao Mengde's head bodyguard and one of the most formidable generals of the Three Kingdoms period, was utterly defeated.

He was nearly beheaded.

Ran Min only had a dozen or so small wounds, each less than half an inch deep.

With a single breath, his wound healed instantly, leaving no trace. Ran Min pointed his halberd at Dian Wei with satisfaction: "Dian Wei? Heh, well-deserved reputation, truly formidable. In all these years, you're the first person to inflict such serious injuries on me in a one-on-one, head-on fight!"

Dian Wei stared menacingly at Ran Min.

He muttered incoherently, essentially saying that Cao Mengde's refusal to allow him to kill freely resulted in too few evil spirits imprisoned within his eighteen levels of hell, greatly hindering his cultivation progress. If he could slaughter trillions, Dian Wei's cultivation would be at least two or three minor levels higher, and he definitely wouldn't have lost to Ran Min so easily.

Ran Min burst into wild laughter: "Then go ahead and kill, you idiot... I'll be waiting for you. Next time, I hope you can take a beating!"

Dian Wei was furious and let out a long howl.

The images of the eighteen layers of hell, stretching for thousands of miles, rolled and overlapped layer by layer, returning to Dian Wei's body. The open wound on his neck healed rapidly, taking about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to completely repair itself.

Dian Wei brandished his short halberd, gestured at Ran Min, and then turned and left.

Dozens of long, narrow Cao Wei warships quickly approached. Several wounded Cao Wei soldiers helped each other board the warships. The long ships shimmered with a hazy, eerie light, and their huge sails billowed as they prepared to speed away.

Xing Tianli flashed and stood in front of Dian Wei's retreating fleet.

Ran Min's eyes widened, and he shouted, "Young Li, this fellow is a renowned hero, he shouldn't die at our hands!"

Dian Wei's eyes widened as he roared furiously at Xing Tianli, "That big guy, I can't beat him. You pretty boy, what, you want to try my methods too?"

Xing Tianli chuckled dryly, rubbing his hands vigorously. He laughed and said, "General Dian Wei in person? Uh, you probably can't write poetry and prose, but at least you can write calligraphy, right? How about you write a few large banners for this humble Taoist?"

Xing Tianli bowed respectfully to Dian Wei and said, "To tell you the truth, I come from the land of Kyushu. The old general was a figure from more than two thousand years ago. In history books, the old general was renowned, but unfortunately, his death was too unworthy!"

"Yes, I have no intention of being enemies with the old general."

"But the old general wants to leave here peacefully, so some banners and calligraphy must be left behind."

Xing Tianli glanced sideways at Ran Min.

Ran Min was taking the still-wriggling flesh and still-hot blood that he had previously chopped off Dian Wei's neck and body from his halberd and axe.

As for flesh and blood, they already exist. Within the Tower of Creation, they can manipulate and create clones with innate talents identical to Dian Wei. Xing Tianli has also mastered the vicious and unorthodox techniques of countless outer disciples of the Jie Sect, entrusting these clones with those astonishingly fast cultivation methods…

Sigh, several years from now, with a wave of my hand, a hundred million Dian Weis will roar out!

The scene was breathtaking!
Dian Wei's face turned bright red from Xing Tianli's words. He looked at Xing Tianli with extreme embarrassment: "What? You kid, you're from the ancient land of Kyushu? I'm famous in the history books? Hmm, well, well, well, back then, I was ambushed by a large army and died a rather unjust death... But, it's fine if you let me fight and kill."

A rare hint of embarrassment appeared on Dian Wei's rugged old face.

"Writing banners? Writing large characters? Aren't those things only old scholars do... cough cough. Never mind, never mind, since you, little Taoist priest, are so sincere. Cough cough!"

Dian Wei turned back and glared fiercely at Bai Luanxing, then sighed, "What a pity. But it doesn't matter. This campaign is just a side project by the strategists; I'm just here to join in the fun. Oh well!"

Dian Wei waved his hand casually and shouted, "Guards! Can't you see? There's a young fellow villager here asking this general for a calligraphy piece?"

Dian Wei was grinning from ear to ear.

A very subtle emotion arose in his heart—a fellow countryman from the very land of Kyushu was actually asking him, a roughneck, for a calligraphy... Ah, this kind of thing actually happened to him, Dian Wei. This feeling, ah, is wonderful!
“However, you’re saying that I’m a figure from over two thousand years ago in your little Taoist history book? Well, tsk… the world is indeed vast and wondrous!” Dian Wei picked up the huge brush and muttered, “We left that planet Tailan and entered the chaos tens of thousands of years ago, and after experiencing hundreds of worlds, large and small, we have finally found this place to settle down.”

"Hey, a million years? Or ten million years?"

"The ancient land of Kyushu, only two thousand years have passed? Hmm, does that mean we can still find our lord's grave?" Dian Wei muttered these words, seemingly lost in thought.

"Uh, Cao Cao's tomb, it seems it was... dug up." Xing Tianli smiled brightly. He was just a typical liberal arts student and not very sensitive to some news. He vaguely remembered that something like this had happened.

"Uh, it's not tomb raiding, it's archaeology, archaeology." Xing Tianli smiled brightly: "Legal archaeology!"

Dian Wei took it in stride. He instructed his subordinates, including the military commander and chief clerk, to unfold a large, exquisitely crafted sheet of paper on a very large table and to write with great care and effort, stroke by stroke.

Lived for so many years.

Having been through so much.

Such a high level of cultivation.

Such power is overwhelming.

Dian Wei's calligraphy was surprisingly vigorous and powerful, possessing an indescribable majestic and domineering aura. Each stroke was like a heavy axe cleaving through beautiful jade, exhibiting a captivating and ancient beauty.

However, he really didn't know anything about poetry or literature.

He gestured and wrote down Cao Cao's most famous poems and essays that have been passed down to the world.

He signed his name as "Dian Wei, the Martial and Valiant King of Cao Wei and General of Chariots and Cavalry," then took out his personal seal and stamped it vigorously on more than a dozen large sheets of paper.

Xing Tianli raised an eyebrow.

Cao Wei, King Wulie, General of Chariots and Cavalry Dian Wei?

Well, given Dian Wei's contributions to Cao Cao and the terrifying strength he displayed in the great battle against Ran Min, it is only natural that he received such a royal title and military rank.

Dian Wei casually handed over a dozen large sheets of paper.

Xing Tianli carefully put away these large pieces of paper, and then threw out dozens of vats of century-old Daughter Red wine. These wines were modeled after the finest wines brewed and aged by the old winery in Nanxun Town, Tailan Star. Along the way, Xing Tianli used his magical powers to create countless more imitations out of thin air.

Although these wines are created by the workings of nature, their taste is exactly the same as the century-old wines of the old winery in Nanxun Town—sweet, mellow, and richly intoxicating.

Dian Wei took the wine jar, broke the seal, and took a deep sniff.

His eyes widened, and he looked at Xing Tianli with an inexplicable surprise: "This is a century-old wine brewed with genuine Jiangnan craftsmanship... Alas, so many craftsmen in the palace used so many good materials, yet they still couldn't make such a genuine old yellow wine... Hey, this wine is worth a million gold coins a jar!"

Dian Wei nodded seriously at Xing Tianli: "My calligraphy is not worth this much wine. Little Taoist, if you have time, come to my Cao Wei. I'll take you to smash the doors of those old scholars. Heh, I'll teach them to write you a whole bunch of poems and essays."

Xing Tianli smiled and stepped aside. Dian Wei glanced warily at Ran Min standing to the side, then shouted, and the fleet accelerated at full speed, quickly turning into a point of cold light and plunging into the chaotic asteroid belt ahead, disappearing without a trace.

Xing Tianli watched the Cao Wei fleet sail away in silence, feeling an itch in his hands and heart, an itch that was unbearable to bear.

Even though he was a liberal arts student, he had played Three Kingdoms games.

In the game, everyone likes to collect stamps, and they like to recruit all the famous generals of the Three Kingdoms to their own ranks, so that they can conquer cities and territories and sweep across the world.

Oh dear, I almost made the same mistake again.

He almost targeted Dian Wei, capturing him alive and forcibly turning him into his subordinate.

Fortunately, Xing Tianli still has a bottom line—Dian Wei isn't just data in a game, but a living, breathing person; he wouldn't do something like kidnapping a real person.

Therefore, the only option is to use his flesh and blood to create a completely new clone.

Yes, it's better than nothing.

Moreover, if they were to truly join forces with Ran Min and defeat Dian Wei here—Cao Wei was a behemoth, with many generals on par with Dian Wei. And what about renowned figures like Cao Mengde? What had become of them?
If it were to provoke Cao Wei into launching a full-scale retaliation, Xing Tianli would shudder at the mere thought of it!

Fight, can't beat.

Even if he could defeat them, Xing Tianli couldn't bring himself to attack them!

Well, the Sima clan and Jiangdong Wu are exceptions. Xing Tianli would have no psychological qualms about beating them or even killing a few of them. But even among the Sima Jin Dynasty and Jiangdong Sun Wu, there are quite a few people that Xing Tianli would absolutely not be able to bring himself to do to emotionally!

For example, Xie Xuan.

For example, there's Zu Ti, who got up at the crowing of the rooster to practice martial arts.

To give another example, if Mr. Wang Youjun, who has a natural fondness for white geese, were to rush up to Xing Tianli with a calligraphy brush, shouting and threatening to kill him, would Xing Tianli actually attack him?
To truly respect the old gentleman, one must grovel and offer him all their fine wines, begging him to write ten thousand or eight thousand calligraphy pieces for them.

Fighting and killing is out of the question when dealing with those old gentlemen!
They're not like Qin Hui or Cai Jing, those scoundrels who can be killed without consequence... Some people, even if you show them the slightest disrespect, will have their Dao heart damaged and their Dao cultivation diminished!

Watching Dian Wei lead his army away, Xing Tianli swayed and, along with Ran Min, returned to Bai Luan Star.

In the distant asteroid belt.

Dian Wei, who had previously laughed wildly while writing large characters and gifting over a dozen large sheets of paper to Xing Tianli in exchange for dozens of jars of aged wine, now sat quietly at the bow of the boat, his face ashen, stroking the rough earthenware wine jar beside him.

A black-robed man, who had not appeared before, stood quietly beside Dian Wei, holding a jade-carved wine vessel, savoring the deep, amber-colored wine with a look of utter delight. He took a small sip, then exhaled, "Beautiful, beautiful, such a taste... Alas, King Wu Lie should write hundreds, even thousands more large characters to exchange for more fine wine."

The man in black robes said softly, "This wine contains the flavor of our homeland... This jar of fine wine is worth far more than a million gold pieces."

Dian Wei glanced sideways at the man in black robes and said in a deep voice, "This little Taoist is not simple... What kind of person is Ran Min? A head-on collision, a fair and just head-on clash, and I was almost beheaded by him with one halberd!"

"This is a true ruthless killer who has emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His path of slaughter is more brutal, more cruel, and more inhuman than the path I followed... But even such a person was very polite to that little Taoist!"

Dian Wei rubbed his neck hard and muttered, "Now, the four forces of us are roughly balanced in strength in this world... Only Shu Han has fallen into a moral trap and is the weakest and most constrained of the four forces."

"With the three of us joining forces, we have a great chance to swallow up the territory of Shu Han and force Liu Chang'er and his party to leave this land."

"But the arrival of this young Taoist priest has introduced a new variable!"

Dian Wei frowned and said seriously, "Is that Zhuge brat really that admirable? That little Taoist priest is clearly going to join forces with Shu Han... He's ruthless. What do you suggest we do?"

The man in black robes sipped his wine leisurely and said, "What can we do? Just watch and see..."

The man in black robes smiled broadly: "That little Taoist priest's cultivation is unfathomable, and the aura around him makes one feel a bit uneasy... However, he can be so enthusiastic in exchanging such fine wine for your chicken claw-like characters, King Wu Lie."

"It is clear that this young man only admires us and has no intention of harming us." The man in black robes said with a gentle smile, "He is indeed a variable, but this variable will not cause too much damage to Cao Wei."

After chuckling a few times, the man in black robes looked at Dian Wei in surprise: "Huh? King Wu Lie, you've really become extraordinary lately. You only glanced at that little Taoist priest, yet you were able to analyze so much? You've truly made great progress!"

Dian Wei raised his head and said arrogantly, "Having lived for so many years, even a pig would have become a spirit by now, right? Heh, you still haven't told me what you're doing following me here? You ruthless bastard, the most black-hearted and vicious. This time I brought people here to plunder, and you followed me here for no reason. What are you doing here?"

The man in black robes smiled and said, "Oh, you mean why I came to Bailuan Star with you? Well, I've done my job!"

Dian Wei stared in astonishment at the man in black robes: "You, surnamed Jia, what did you do? When did you make your move?"

The man in black robes smiled, raised his jade wine vessel, and took a large gulp with great relish: "Hmm, how much fine wine does this young Taoist priest have left? How can we exchange it all for his wine?"

The Tower of Creation shot forward.

The void trembled, and in an instant, Xing Tianli and the others arrived at a patch of stardust less than 300,000 miles away from Bai Luan Star.

This distance, for the Shu Han army composed entirely of three million celestial beings, if they were to fly at full speed, would probably take them about an hour to break through this stardust and reach the heart of the White Phoenix Star, delivering a heavy blow to the Sima Jin Dynasty's surprise attack army from behind.

However, Sun Wu's army, with nearly twenty times the strength, intervened and blocked this army.

If it weren't for Xing Tianli appearing halfway through, and with the strength of Zhang Bao, Zhang Lan, Zhang Zhu, and others, and Zhang Bao's reinforcements being blocked by Dian Wei, Shu Han would have truly suffered a major setback at Bai Luan Xing.

The towering creation tower, spanning hundreds of miles, roared and shattered the void, leaping out of thin air to the flank of Sun Wu's army.

Zhang Bao roared, and the Shu Han soldiers who had been released by Dian Wei shouted in unison, with banners fluttering in the air.

The deep sound of drums and horns rose into the sky, but Sun Wu's central army remained motionless. Lu Meng, dressed in a white robe, merely turned his head slightly and glanced at Zhang Bao and the others.

Amidst the vast expanse of stardust, thousands of dazzling spots of light shone forth, and massive, fully enclosed transport ships with a distinctly futuristic aesthetic burst forth, roaring through the dust. These transport ships, some twenty or thirty miles long and constructed entirely of metal, were adorned with heavy insignia.

Zhang Lan angrily shouted, "You bastards! Those are merchant ships of the Dingxiang Chamber of Commerce! This is a battlefield, what are these civilian ships doing here?"

Before Zhang Lan finished speaking, the planks on all sides of the transport ships suddenly opened, revealing a vast space inside. Inside the huge transport ships, there was no cargo piled up, only countless soldiers in armor, already densely packed in formation.

On those merchant ships, the heavy badges writhed like mercury, and in an instant, they transformed from flower-shaped badges into the distinct characters 'Sun' and 'Wu'.

Xing Tianli rolled his eyes.

It really is the same old trick... This Lü Meng, ha!

Thousands of large transport ships, with enormous interior spaces, and the tiny figures of the soldiers, each transport ship could easily accommodate nearly a million soldiers.

Thousands of transport ships simultaneously opened their decks, and immediately swarms of tiny soldiers surged out like a dark cloud, shouting and charging towards Xing Tianli and his group.

More than half of the soldiers charged directly at the reinforcements commanded by Ma Su and Ma Liang, surrounding them completely.

(End of this chapter)