Witch Wind

Chapter 420 Letting the Wolf In (Part 1)

In the void, the entire army led by the Ninth Prince to quell the rebellion was annihilated, with none escaping.

After Liu Bei broke free from his shackles and freed himself from his own constraints, ascending to the throne, the invisible ropes that had bound the Shu Han dynasty for millions of years shattered inch by inch.

Without Liu Bei personally taking action or Guan Yu wielding his sword, with just a single order, 70% of the high-ranking generals in the Ninth Prince's army that was suppressing the rebellion defected on the spot.

The Ninth Prince, bewildered, was knocked down by the imperial guards beside him, bound like a dumpling, and brought before Liu Bei. He still didn't understand what had happened... When he finally figured out the situation, he struggled, he roared, he cursed, he wept, but no one gave him a second glance.

As far as Shu Han was concerned, the Dali Holy Dynasty, a dynasty composed of tiny people, was as weak as a child.

To the heroes of Shu Han, the methods, tricks, and schemes of the many high-ranking officials and nobles of the Dali Holy Dynasty, from the Holy Emperor Huangpu Buming down, were nothing more than children playing house, nothing more than a bunch of clowns jumping around.

If Liu Bei hadn't restrained them... with the capabilities of Shu Han, even a hundred Dali dynasties working together would have been easily defeated long ago.

Let's not talk about anything else.

If we only consider the story of Guan Yu single-handedly marching to Lixing and slaughtering the high-ranking officials of the Dali Holy Dynasty from top to bottom, thus bringing about a complete change of dynasty, it would probably be just like the story of "slaying Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm".

Xing Tianli's Tongtian Trading Company had only been open for a month when it completely shut down.

From Li Wu onwards, the massive Yellow Turban army directly changed its banner and joined the Shu Han army. Guan Xing, the eldest son of Guan Yu, led a group of Guan family generals who teleported in and began to reorganize this large but somewhat disorganized army on the spot.

Xing Tianli was also very generous, directly giving the million-strong fleet to Shu Han.

He recalled the 'ship spirits' that controlled these warships and reintegrated them into the Tongtian Yuling Banner.

Then, a point of clear light slowly bloomed in the void, and an incredibly huge creation appeared out of thin air—a terrifying creation with a diameter of nearly a billion miles, an extremely complex and exquisite internal structure, and a beauty that resembled a work of art.

The object is a unified whole, resembling a naturally formed planet. It is entirely cast from extremely rare innate spiritual gold. From the inside out, there are trillions of complex arrays layered upon each other. These arrays are inlaid together, and their fluctuations are nested and resonate with each other. Finally, on the outside of this giant object with a diameter of one billion miles, a Bagua diagram, clearly visible to the naked eye and formed from the primordial Qi, is formed.

This creation is a billion miles in diameter, while the illusory image of the Bagua array on its outer perimeter is a hundred billion miles in diameter.

Upon closer inspection, the seemingly simple Bagua diagram reveals that sixty-four hexagrams are derived from the Bagua, and from the sixty-four hexagrams, endless mysteries are derived. Layer upon layer of array gates open and close uncertainly, revealing that various phenomena of earth, water, fire, and wind surge and rage within the hexagrams, infinitely profound and full of killing intent.

Xing Tianli only looked at this incredible creation from afar, and felt his scalp tingle.

He briefly sensed the terrifying aura of this creation, then did some calculations with his fingers—with his current divination abilities, he calculated that if he were to fall into this creation now, let alone enter the metal creation itself at its core, simply being trapped in the outer Bagua formation would mean certain death.

The only way out is to activate Pangu's incarnation and violently break through the Bagua formation, which would offer a glimmer of hope.

Xing Tianli's eyes twitched.

"The Eight Trigrams Formation... Is this... The Prime Minister has arrived?" Xing Tianli took a deep, deep, deep breath, feeling his blood surging, but he didn't know what to say—could he tell the Prime Minister about the story of certain tickets with a fixed price of 263?
Or, tell the Prime Minister and Liu Bei that Liu Bei's grave was almost moved back then, because the Prime Minister's grave was right next to Liu Bei's tomb, which is why Liu Bei was able to continue to rest peacefully without being disturbed.
Cough, cough, cough.

Xing Tianli glanced furtively at Liu Huangshu, who was standing beside him, whose body was still surging with divine light and who had not yet emerged from the divine state of his ascension to sainthood.

Never mind, never mind, let's just take it easy.

Well, it's Liu Bei's big day, there are some things that can't be said out of politeness!
"The Prime Minister has arrived." Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said calmly, "This is Chenlong, one of the twelve colossal statues of the Twelve Divine Stars that the Prime Minister has personally crafted over the years... Over the years, the villains of the Great Li Holy Dynasty have always been a nuisance, which is very annoying... But no matter how much trouble they cause, as long as any one of the twelve Divine Stars wanders over Lixing, the seas and rivers will be calm and the winds will be still."

Xing Tianli's lips twitched violently.

Hmm, what a cunning prime minister.

Even with Xing Tianli's abilities, upon seeing this enormous metal creation, he could only think about how to escape. For those three-foot-tall children with limited talent and strength far inferior to cultivators of the same level from the Nine Provinces, the meaning of such a behemoth flying over their holy capital, Lixing, was roughly—'Be good, don't make a sound, or I'll wipe out your entire family!'
The Prime Minister possesses twelve such terrifying creations!

Twelve Yuan Chen!

"Such a colossal object..." Xing Tianli wanted to say something, but then he heard Guan Yu say, "The Twelve Yuan Chen are just the latest creations in recent years. In the past, the Prime Minister also crafted the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, and the Three Hundred and Sixty Star Lords... Well, even the weakest of the Three Hundred and Sixty Star Lords has a diameter of over thirty million li."

Xing Tianli tightly shut his mouth.

Come on.

What else could he say?

He stared wide-eyed, wisps of azure chaotic divine light seeping from the depths of his eyes. He wanted to glean some of the Prime Minister's secrets of weapon forging from this dragon. But the layers upon layers of densely nested formations—even with the profound knowledge that Xing Tianli had received personally from the Sage Tongtian—he couldn't understand the dragon's true nature.

Well, let alone the details, I've only roughly grasped about 20-30% of the most basic principles of the outermost formation.

Xing Tianli's expression was quite interesting. Even though he inherited the profound mysteries of the Great Dao from Tongtian Sage and specialized in swordsmanship, he had also dabbled in the unparalleled array formations of the Jie Sect.

However, standing on the shoulders of many array masters of the Jie Sect, Xing Tianli could not see through the profound meaning of the outermost array of the Chenlong array refined by the Prime Minister... This, this, this... The Prime Minister is indeed extraordinary and not human!
A hazy, clear light surged forth, and a figure in a crane-feather cloak and tall hat, holding a feather fan, sat upright on a small cart, surrounded by dozens of armored soldiers, slowly emerging from the light.

Xing Tianli felt his heart pounding and his face flushed. He was about to step forward to say something when Ran Min, this burly man, unexpectedly pounced on the Prime Minister before Xing Tianli could. Ran Min, his face still red, exclaimed, "I have admired the Prime Minister's reputation for many years… Alas, alas, if only I had one or two ministers by my side back then, they might have been even a hundred times more capable than the Prime Minister…"

Xing Tianli stared at Ran Min in disbelief.

This guy has no shame; his face is flushed, his eyes are red-rimmed, and there are even hints of tears welling up in them!
The Prime Minister gently waved his goose feather fan, his words as gentle as a spring breeze. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ran Min, his gaze fell upon Xing Tianli, and then on the gleaming gold warships that Xing Tianli had 'sold' to the Yellow Turban Army.

"Hmm, this thing is indeed quite mysterious. However, there seems to be a great problem." The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them, and slowly said, "I have heard that in the chaotic void there are beasts that can destroy all things, and a race that calls itself the 'Mechanical Overlords'. I'm afraid your warship will be restrained by them."

Xing Tianli raised an eyebrow and naturally moved closer to the Prime Minister, bowing and saying, "Prime Minister, your wisdom is boundless. Such a small trick could not be hidden from you. Seventy percent of the 'craftsmanship' of these warships was copied from the technology of those silicon-based life forms, and mixed with some refining techniques."

"I have observed that the Prime Minister's creation by the Dragon is exquisite and unparalleled. It is entirely forged from spiritual crystals, yet it has not been 'enlightened' by silicon-based life forms, and there is no risk of it being controlled by them. May I ask the Prime Minister, is it possible for me to learn this art?"

Xing Tianli cut to the chase and told the Prime Minister directly, "Your wooden horse and flowing ox technique is exquisite and unparalleled. I have taken a liking to it and want to learn it!"
Xing Tianli felt that with this kind of "wisdom bordering on the supernatural" old prime minister who had lived for millions of years, one should not try to outsmart him. If you want to do something, say something, or ask for something, just say it directly.

If it works out, great; if not, then we'll talk about other things. Never try to outsmart him—you'll only make a fool of yourself and embarrass yourself.

The Prime Minister looked Xing Tianli up and down, then slowly nodded and smiled, "Want to learn? Very well, young friend, would you be willing to linger a little longer? I will naturally teach you everything I know... Hmm, young friend, you come from the land of Kyushu? I wonder..."

Behind the Prime Minister, many armored soldiers also looked over with gleaming eyes.

Oh, my homeland of Kyushu!
How distant, how blurry, yet how familiar, how profound, like a knife, leaving such a deep and intense mark on the heart.

Xing Tianli looked solemnly at the Prime Minister, a comical smile gradually spreading across his face: "The Nine Provinces are at peace... cough, the tombs of Liu Bei and the Prime Minister are at peace!"

The prime minister was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed.

In the days that followed, the Great Li Holy Dynasty collapsed in a matter of days. The officials of Shu Han took over the entire Great Li Holy Dynasty, and Shu Han's civilization, like a torrent, destroyed the dams quietly erected by the nobles of the Great Li Holy Dynasty, sweeping over all its subjects. Numerous cultivation methods spread throughout the land.

Over the past million years, the numerous elixirs and spiritual items stockpiled by the Shu Han state have been distributed to the local little people with cultivation potential.

The existing order of the entire Dali Holy Dynasty vanished completely in just a few days, and the rules of Shu Han rose to prominence in this star field, becoming an unshakable iron law.

Giant wooden horses and flowing oxen appeared, carrying countless soldiers, and marched straight towards the territory of Sun Wu.

Xing Tianli followed the Prime Minister, learning his wooden horse and flowing ox techniques, as well as the array formations derived from them—he had the array formation inheritance of the Tongtian Sage, but he had never been able to truly begin to specialize in the study of array formations.

During his time with the Prime Minister, he learned an immense amount of knowledge.

He also compared and discussed the array formations of the Tongtian Sage with those of the Prime Minister. The array formations from the ancient and primordial Jie Sect Sage were exquisite, profound, and mysterious. Although Xing Tianli did not fully understand them, he was able to recount them in detail.

Having received Xing Tianli's retelling of the great principles of formations, the Prime Minister was so engrossed in the ineffable mysteries of these formations that he neglected all matters of military campaigns.

Gradually, Xing Tianli vaguely sensed that the Prime Minister was also developing an aura identical to that of Liu Huangshu—heaven knows what the Prime Minister had gleaned from the Tongtian Sage's Dao of Formations, but anyway, he was gradually starting to act somewhat inhuman.

The massive Shu Han army left the former territory of the Dali Holy Dynasty, paving the way with the enormous creations of the Twelve Yuan Chen, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals, the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, and the Three Hundred and Sixty Star Lords. The Shu Han army swept across chaotic stardust belts and asteroid belts, moving unimpeded, and headed straight for the territory of Sun Wu.

Ahead, a vast expanse of colorful starlight swirled, and enormous vortexes of stardust rolled and spun, releasing terrifying waves that could destroy everything.

Within that vortex of starlight, several faint black dots could be seen. These were several man-made metal fortresses with diameters of hundreds of thousands of miles. They formed a military formation that, in Xing Tianli's current view, could be considered rudimentary, and they held a tight hold on the entrance to a waterway with a diameter of only a million miles.

In this vast starry sky, a route with a diameter of only a million miles truly deserves the name 'a narrow, winding path'.

The creations brought by the Shu Han army, even the smallest of the 360 ​​Star Lords, were all over 30 million miles in diameter. These terrifying creations spewed out magnificent divine light and immortal light, slowly approaching this narrow channel.

Compared to these colossal creations, the six fortresses of Sun Wu guarding the passage seemed as insignificant as dust.

A ball of divine light rose from a fortress, rapidly tearing through the void and flashing as it leaped towards the sky.

With a simple face and a gentle demeanor, yet exuding an air of majesty and fortitude, Lu Su, dressed in a simple blue robe and with a sword at his waist, spread his arms and stood in front of the Shu Han army.

He said urgently, "Xuande, Kongming, is war really necessary? If this great war breaks out, those poor Jiao people, perhaps trillions upon trillions of people, will all be reduced to ashes... In this world, under these circumstances, why not put aside the grudges of the past?"

The Rat, one of the twelve Earthly Branches, is located inside a large, square hall.

Countless narrow bronze bamboo slips float in all directions, each engraved with intricate array patterns and shimmering with a mesmerizing light.

Streams of incredibly fine, five-colored divine sand, numbering innumerable quantities, surged like ocean currents, hovering around the Prime Minister and Xing Tianli. Each grain of sand was a node in an array, and the countless grains of sand surged and shifted unpredictably around the two, creating a series of profound and unparalleled arrays.

The Prime Minister shone with a mesmerizing, clear light. His pupils were slightly dilated as he intently deduced the Nine Turns Yellow River Formation, one of the most famous killing formations of the Jie Sect.

Lu Su's voice could be faintly heard coming in.

But the prime minister remained silent.

Xing Tianli glanced at the Prime Minister and listened carefully for a while—well, Liu Huangshu, who was on the expedition and stationed in the central army, didn't say a word.

Shu Han and Sun Wu, what a pair of in-laws, their love-hate relationship back then... tsk.

Xing Tianli really wanted to ask the Prime Minister—where is Sun Shangxiang?

But thinking about it, forget it, forget it, don't make a fuss about such things, or you'll get beaten up... As for what happened back then, Mr. Lu Su put it so lightly, 'It's better to let it go'?
How can I let it go?

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei had their 600-mile-long camp burned down by a single fire, and Guan Yu entrusted his son to Liu Bei in Baidi City.

lay down?

Xing Tianli pondered for a moment. If it were him, he wouldn't be able to let go of such hatred either... In fact, as time goes by, this resentment will only grow deeper and heavier, right?
Honestly, those scoundrels from Sun Wu are utterly inhuman!
Lu Su continued to ramble on, essentially advising Liu Bei that he was known for his 'benevolence and virtue,' and that his attainment of sainthood was a cause for celebration. However, he warned that if Liu Bei were to rise up in anger and start a massive war, 'the common people would suffer greatly!'
In short, Lu Su's words implied that he was using the lives of countless people in Sun Wu to morally blackmail Shu Han.

Xing Tianli glanced at the Prime Minister, who was deep in thought, shook his head—which had been nearly exploded by the profound mysteries of the formation these past few days—quietly got up, and silently floated out of the Rat constellation, arriving outside of it.

A banner hung high, and the three women, like three groundhogs, squatted quietly under the clear light emitted by the banner, huddled together shoulder to shoulder, holding wine bottles in their left hands and goose wings in their right, happily munching away.

“This is Lu Su, eh?” Liu Luan mumbled with a sigh, “A kind and honest elder, that seems to be the case.”

"I wouldn't dare say that," Liu Xing snorted coldly. "Can you really say how kind and honest someone is, someone who's recorded in history books?"

Xing Tianli also quietly approached the three women, squatted down next to Liu Jing, and took out a small jar of old wine, sipping it slowly: "Ah, what a grand occasion."

The three women, Liu Jing and her companions, puffed out their cheeks and nodded repeatedly.

Liu Xing then pulled out a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," pointed at it, and the entire book shattered, with pieces of paper flying everywhere, and names of people flying up from the pages: "The chaos of the Three Kingdoms, it's truly...exciting."

In the void, a streak of azure light slowly rose, heading straight for Lu Su.

It was Guan Yu, dressed in a green robe and wielding a long sword. He slowly walked up to Lu Su and said in a deep voice, "Zijing, please make way. This uprising is not because of any old grudges..."

After a moment of contemplation, Guan Yu slowly nodded: "But it is also for the sake of the grudges from back then."

Lu Su smiled wryly and said, "What do you mean by that?"

Lord Guan squinted his phoenix eyes and said softly, "Why does Zijing pretend to be confused? It's not about the grudges of the past. Of course, it's about who won and who lost when we fought back then. It's not worth worrying about. So, this uprising is not about the cause and effect of my defeat at Maicheng back then."

With a heavy sigh, Guan Yu said softly, "However, this uprising is also for the cause and effect of what happened back then... If I want to attain enlightenment like my elder brother, I must sever all the causes and effects of that year with one stroke, and cut them off completely."

The void rippled slightly.

A terrifying aura swept across the sky, surging directly towards Lu Su.

Upon being struck by this murderous aura, Lu Su's face turned deathly pale, and he staggered backward.

The thick, dark aura that filled the sky transformed into rolling black clouds, enveloping a towering, bearded giant who strode forward: "Lu Zijing, get out of the way, or I'll poke eighteen thousand holes in you!"

(End of this chapter)