Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 64 Immortal Sect Enters the World
In August of the 30th year of the Tianli reign, in Donghua County, a key town once garrisoned by the Northern Route Wu Family Army, Wu Family Army officials were recruiting new soldiers. Groups of ragged young men entered the camp, their eyes fixed on the army's captains, hoping to be accepted into their ranks.

However, the captains were impartial and led the soldiers to various testing points, which included height measurement and jumping over sand pits.

Some soldiers who weren't recruited immediately knelt down, begging for another chance. If Xuan Chong were to witness such a scene, he would be reminded of online recruitment in South Asia in his previous life. Oh, that was the situation in a country with high stability but also high hunger levels.

The same applies to the major hexagram. In the north, the calamity is intensifying, and the imperial court has issued an edict to increase taxes in many of the still relatively peaceful southern prefectures. This drastic increase will leave tens of thousands more families ruined in the southern counties. These self-cultivating farmers, abandoned under the weight of taxes, choose to become servants of powerful clans in this chaotic world. However, in recent years, the powerful clans in various places have become saturated, and only the Wu family army's camps are still recruiting.

During this major disaster, a lot of grain transported by merchants from the south arrived in Donghua County, and soup kitchens were set up inside the Wu family army's camp.

If a conscript was selected, he could go in and drink porridge. Oh, and not only that, he could also bring his entire family of four with him. Of course, the southern merchants didn't take them in for nothing; the whole family would be registered as slaves and incorporated into the southern reclamation group.

In the midst of the bustling camp, Wu Hanluan was reading the imperial dispatches in his tent. He was focused on a particular news item: the court had dispatched a prince to oversee military affairs in Jizhou and Donghua County.

"What exactly is the court's intention?" Wu Hanluan once again missed the days when Wu Fei was by his side helping him make decisions.

Just then, Wu Hanluan received a letter from his family yesterday, containing some complaints from the elders of his clan.

After reading the letter, Wu Hanluan thought: "Oh, he wants to marry a noblewoman from a powerful family in the Central Plains. Hmm, that's ambitious. In that case, let's wait for now."

Wu Hanluan now "dotes on" Wu Fei, because in this chaotic world, everyone wants a disciple of a military strategist who has mastered the skills! Wu Fei has the right to make demands.

The Wu family has been a military family for generations, with strict family rules and precepts that demand absolute obedience from its members. Only those who are beaten are broken; they are never spoiled. However, even so, not all members of the family achieve great things. They still need to hone their skills in the military, under the guidance of veteran generals, to learn about human relationships, strategize, and face the elements.

Even so, to truly stand on one's own, one needs a certain talent, and Wu Fei happens to possess that talent.

At this moment, the imperial court intends to directly train a large army, but without generals, no matter how many soldiers are recruited, they will only be a rabble.

Since the major incident in the northern border two years ago, the imperial court has become hesitant to allow members of the royal family like Prince Zhou to strategize and command. At most, they are only allowed to manage generals.

For example, the Prince of Langya, whom the imperial court has now sent to Donghua County, may seem to be placing a superior above Wu Hanluan, but he will never come to manage the northern camp of Donghua County.

Wu Hanluan also roughly found out the situation from his inside sources in Changcheng. This Prince of Langya was sent by the Emperor to investigate the finances of the south, which of course involved taking advantage of the conflict between the Wu family army and the powerful clans of Jizhou.

Because the governor of Jizhou is a member of the Empress's maternal family, he has deep roots in the region. The Emperor needs a henchman if he wants to take action against Jizhou.

In this chaotic situation, how should the Wu family plan? This is why Wu Hanluan wanted Wu Fei to offer advice.

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and Wu Hengyu walked in. He said, "Father, the senior brothers from the Qinghua Sect are waiting outside the camp."

Wu Hanluan stood up: "We've arrived? Please come in quickly."

…Spiritual Influence Dividing Line…

Outside the camp, five cultivators from the Qinghua Sect—three men and two women—all were immortals. But only they knew what the revered immortal sect was currently facing.

One of the senior brothers suddenly looked towards the north side of the camp, and his junior sister asked, "Senior brother, what's wrong?"

Senior: "There seem to be people to the north!"

Everyone used their spiritual eyesight, but due to the heavy baleful aura in the military camp, they were unable to pinpoint their specific targets. Instead, their spiritual eyes were stimulated, causing tears to stream down their faces.

The malevolent energy in the military can enhance the power of spells, but it does not benefit cultivators in circulating their energy. If a cultivator does not have appropriate items to ward off malevolent energy, prolonged exposure to it will cause disharmony in their blood, energy, essence, and spirit.

…On the other hand, good and evil cannot coexist.

In the main camp, Wu Hanluan saw a paper phoenix on the table, as well as the waist tag that originally belonged to the camp's military advisor.

The voice of the Daoist Master came from the paper phoenix: "General, there are matters within my sect that I cannot take my leave in person."

Wu Hanluan paused for a moment, then said to Zhi Luan, "Sir, you are too kind. Over the years, my army has relied on you in many ways. I have been busy with military affairs recently and have not considered your situation. I hope you will forgive me. After you have finished your business, I hope you can come to my Wu family. I will prepare a small feast to express my gratitude."

Zhi Luan nodded slightly, indicating that she would remember the commander's appreciation and would definitely return after the sect's affairs were settled.

Logically speaking, an army isn't a place where they can "come and go as they please." Xian Daoren's departure without saying goodbye, to put it bluntly, constitutes desertion. However, in this exchange, neither side has brought up that aspect. At this moment, Wu Hanluan has even adopted a humble stance, indicating that it was his own oversight.

These days, after many sects in the north suffered the great calamity of the Evil Moon, the sectarianism between orthodox sects and unorthodox sects has become particularly deep.

Five disciples from the Qinghua Sect came to visit. Xian Daoren, this unorthodox Taoist, well, the magic he uses is the same as the most arrogant blue evil moon in the sky today. If you don't want to cause conflict, then you should naturally stay away.

To some extent, Xian Daoren did Wu Hanluan a favor. If the two factions of mages in the army were to fight, as the commander-in-chief, suppressing one side would offend the other. If they did not help each other, the disruption to the army's discipline would be far greater than the disruption caused by Xian Daoren's sudden departure.

……

In the military camp, Wu Hanluan had met these five highly skilled disciples of the Qinghua Sect. Coincidentally, their main cultivation methods were based on the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The five were Bai Renfeng, Qing Lin (female), Han Jiangxue (female), Zhu Yanming, and Huang Yao. They were all third-generation disciples.

Qinglin followed her senior brother Bai Renfeng into the depths of the military camp. As the malevolent energy increased to a higher level, she suddenly felt that her magical power was mixed with impurities. She couldn't help but say to her senior brother, "The military is too fierce."

Bai Renfeng: "This is how it is in strategically important places. Be careful with your aura and don't be as reckless as you are in the mountains. These soldiers may not seem to have any magical power, but they are all warriors. An ancestor once said about the supernatural powers he cultivated: 'It is easier to shake a mountain than to shake an army.' Our sword energy can split a boulder weighing ten thousand pounds in the mountains with a single sword. But in the army, it will be weakened by a hundred percent. When it clashes with a general's weapon, the magical weapon will be damaged instantly."

Zhu Yanming: "Isn't that the same as having no magic power? What is the purpose of our coming to the army?"

Just then, a voice came: "After you have obtained the military token, your magic and supernatural powers will no longer be suppressed. Of course, when facing the enemy, you still need to be careful in dealing with the enemy's formation and forces."

Wu Hengyu revealed himself, while Huang Yao bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for coming to lead us into the camp."

Ten breaths later, they paid their respects to Wu Hanluan, who warmly welcomed the allegiance of these immortal sect disciples and quickly bestowed upon them waist tokens.

……

Xian Daoren stood outside the camp, watching another paper phoenix burn to ashes. He glanced at the few dull-witted disciples of prestigious sects, a mocking smile appearing on his face, and with a flick of his sleeve, headed north. He intended to ignite more conflict.

As he walked, he sang: "What the masses hate, is close to the Way. Dwell in a good place; let your heart be deep; give with good faith; govern well; do things skillfully; act at the right time. Only by being impure can one avoid blame." His song was strange and whimsical, seemingly laughing yet tinged with sorrow.

Xian Daoren is now very satisfied with the performance of the prestigious sects in the Central Plains. These immortals who have been cultivating in the mountains, oblivious to the passage of time, are now filled with fear!

The standard for widespread chaos is this: a corrupt court at the top and bandits rising up in the countryside at the bottom. In this state of moral decay, demons emerge, but even more terrifying than demons are the kings, nobles, and generals. These powerful local clans, officials, and generals, who have fallen into evil ways, occupy high positions of power, plundering and enjoying more resources, and they are precisely the ones with the ability to perform rituals to appease the spirits. Meanwhile, the common people, displaced and starving, have no offerings to offer; instead, they are sacrificed to these wicked people.

Xian Daoren's third eye is like a search engine, gathering all sorts of "wonderful things" on the land of Da Yao. He was quite frustrated here in Wu Hanluan a few days ago.

One story after another entered Xiandaoren's eyes.

1: Six days later, the mountain god eight hundred miles away and the river god six hundred miles away were corrupted when they were drawing on the power of wishes, and became evil gods. They began to demand young boys and girls from the villagers under their protection. —Xiandaoren: Interesting, interesting.

2: A month later, in the Beiman Mountains, the mountain lord began to be obsessed with blood offerings. Xian Daoren said: This greedy ghost, he drew a line on the tiger's forehead with the tip of his pen, helping the tiger awaken its talent for recruiting cougars.

3: A fox spirit seeking an official title will appear at Liu Yaoshan. After some thought, Xian Daoren decides to play a joke on the innocent fox spirit by having a drunkard bestow the title upon her instead of the scholar she is waiting for.

4: Six months later, in that deserted fishing village to the east, some old bachelors will encounter female ghosts and demons who "accidentally" carry them home—Xian Daoren wrote a few more strokes to accelerate the transformation of the female ghosts into vengeful spirits.

……

The Daoist Master began to trigger these bizarre events that were about to happen in the future, as if he had been given a cheat code.

His unbridled actions signify the beginning of a cataclysmic event for the world.

In the past, during the Great Cheng and Great Yao periods of ten thousand years, the disorder among all human beings was still relatively controllable and did not threaten this world. This period was a time of great upheaval.

But today is different; an evil moon has appeared in the sky. This is because the immense resentment on Earth has now connected to the heavens, to the world within that moon. Demons and monsters are rampant on Earth, no longer giving rise to native spirits; instead, mountains and rivers are collapsing.

…The imperial court is currently unable to cope with this…

Several months ago, after a number of mountains, including Aotianling, collapsed, an evil moon appeared in the sky. The astrologers from various sects noticed that there were additional mountains corresponding to the evil moon.

While military formations can breach mountain gates and Confucian scholars can use their pens to prevent mountain gods from showing favoritism and protecting sects, Legalists use a thousand words to make the formations of mountain gates directly reveal their structure and become solvable.

However, during the great calamities of the past in the Xiren Realm, the major sects were able to close their mountain gates and block those reckless rogue cultivators. Then they would send true cultivators to warn nearby military commanders and kings who lacked virtue to follow the Way of Heaven. In fact, this was also a warning that after the disorder of humanity, all parties should not involve their own sects. This defensive posture allowed the immortal sects to avoid many, many things.

With the arrival of someone like Xian Daoren in the mortal world, the great calamity of evil spirits in this era will no longer be a problem that can be solved by the various immortal sects simply standing by and doing nothing.

Soon a particular evil path will become popular, involving the sacrifice of living beings, the destruction of the earth's veins, and the rise of sects to gain power.

Ironically, the place capable of nurturing immortals who could split mountains and shatter rocks was the first to be destroyed by Xie Yue's earth-shattering power due to its active energy. The grand formations and restrictions of various sects on their mountain gates became ineffective, and massive amounts of spiritual energy overflowed into the mortal realm like a flood.

Xian Daoren grinned wickedly: Only by involving these sect cultivators in this chaotic world can the "disorder of the Heavenly Dao" be further amplified.

…From the mundane world to the ethereal realm…

On Mount Qinghua, the disciples of the sect, the elders with lifespans of a thousand years, were observing the world using their magical artifacts. Their observations revealed that the spiritual veins of the world were now unstable. After a breach appeared in the north, the spiritual energy of various mountain ranges was declining. Meanwhile, in the starry sky they were divining, the remains of the three destroyed spiritual mountains in the Central Plains were suspended in the sky in an unimaginable manner. Their main veins had already been swallowed by the Evil Moon, and the remaining fragments were slowly turning into meteors and falling into its depths.

Although all the sacred mountains suffered a great calamity, it did not mean that the Xiren Realm was devoid of spiritual energy. On the contrary, the spiritual energy in the Greater Yao Human Realm rose, but it was mixed together, extremely chaotic, and polluted by the unknown evil moon in the sky.

This polluted spiritual energy caused the beasts of the mountains and forests to mutate into spirits, either growing larger or gaining the ability to speak human language. Those who originally lived in populated areas, unable to survive due to oppressive taxes and levies, also mutated into monsters on their last breaths; some grew rat-like teeth while gnawing on trees, while others grew fangs while eating vegetables.

All of this is developing towards a state of barbarism beyond the Great Yao Domain, and the Southern Frontier is such a barbaric place, where the human race has been corrupted into a hundred races.

The first of all spiritual mountains in the world, Jieqiong Mountain, has been bestowed its title. The leaders of various sects are now sitting on the clouds exchanging ideas. On the white jade registers in their hands are scenes of batches of disciples entering the world and cooperating with other sects.

An elderly man with white hair sighed, "The Legalist school has also collapsed; all its laws can only be effectively implemented in large cities."

Note: During the day, Legalist officials, including the Imperial Censors, managed the Six Doors and the Inspectorate. At night, they commanded the Night Watchmen and the Exorcist Bureau. When Legalism was powerful, these departments had direct access to the countryside. When Taoist practitioners encountered demons or evil spirits, they would hand them over to the Night Watchmen and the Exorcist Bureau for resolution. Of course, Legalism was not only represented by individuals in the imperial register, but also by local city gods.

Then another female scholar in palace attire sighed, "The Confucian school has lost its noble spirit of bringing peace to the world. Each academy is clinging to its own narrow-minded ways, and Confucian scholars are only concerned with their own self-interest."

These highly respected sect leaders now avoid discussing "military strategists," but their calculations all include those of the military school.

In a time of moral decay and legal collapse, military strategists are the key to stability. Therefore, all sects have unanimously sent disciples to renowned military strategists. To put it another way: when the spiritual veins of all sects are crumbling, simply stationing a military strategist at a corresponding astrological point can at least stabilize a radius of several hundred miles.

On the other hand, if military strategists clash with each other, the mountains and rivers hundreds of miles away are very likely to be affected by the evil energy, leading to more severe collapse of the mountains and rivers.

In the countless eons of past calamities, the dangers of war only caused droughts and floods within the human realm. Today, with the evil moon overhead, the magnitude of this calamity has been elevated to a new level. The dangers of war will no longer determine the peace of the human realm, but will also affect the heavenly realm.

In the ethereal clouds, the various hypocritical Daoist sects now utterly silence about military matters, not because they turn a blind eye, but because they have become the first targets of the "danger of war," and these immortal sects dare not speak recklessly.

Just as major powers in the 21st century don't readily discuss nuclear weapons, in practice, no one treats nuclear weapons as non-existent.

On the spiritual network surveys of these powerful cultivators, the southern territory is currently inconspicuous, but it is specially marked because the evil sect located there is now being suppressed by the Great Yao Bing family.

…The perspective shifts to the north…

On the beacon tower in Fengcheng, Pu'e arrived at the military camp, where Zhao Cheng was dressed in full military uniform. On the sand table were the many passes of the northern frontier. Zhao Cheng had already mustered his troops, ready to launch an attack.

Pu E was clearly there to explain the current state of affairs to Zhao Cheng.

However, Zhao Cheng disagreed: "The people have their wishes, so why not let our army take advantage of the situation and sweep through?"

Pu E: "I believe in the general, that he can win every battle and turn defeat into prosperity! But people's hearts are restless, and all things are prone to evil. Our army will encounter many demons on our southward march."

Zhao Cheng glanced at her, then said with absolute certainty, "If the momentum is strong, everything can be swept away; if the momentum is weak, everything will be a disaster."

In Zhao Cheng's eyes, this was the strategic window through which Guotai sought to replace Dayao. As for the collapse of the mountains and rivers, the longer it dragged on, the more difficult it would become. Currently, the collapse and turmoil were concentrated in remote, famous mountains and rivers, and the harm to the common people was still manageable.

Zhao Cheng looked at Pu E, the firelight in the bronze pan in the camp flickering, but Pu E shook her head, not giving permission.

As Pu'e left, Zhao Cheng suddenly drew his sword in the tent and slashed at the copper basin, extinguishing the fire inside.

Zhao Cheng angrily retorted, "How can you plan something important if you can't make a decision when you should!"

(End of this chapter)