Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 75 Nanling
In the southern part of Lingjiang, an eighty-man Claw People unit acted as the vanguard, scouting ahead and directing local Claw People who had pledged allegiance to the tribe to find rivers and water sources.

These Claw people north of the Lingjiang River all wore straw sandals, tied with straps, carried water jugs, and wore rattan helmets, looking quite imposing. As one of the earliest Claw people to be assimilated, they now looked down on their kinsmen south of the Lingjiang River.

Among all the clawed beings in the group, the one with the tallest head was Yikete. Three days ago, he was given a Spirit Awakening Pill made from Wu Fei's ashes. After his bones were reforged, he was basically no different from a human, except that the extra bones in his hands had not yet been refined. However, this did not prevent his fingers from being very flexible, and his claws could extend and retract freely like Wolverine's. If he did not deliberately expose them, no one would notice.

In issuing orders to the clawed people he led, Yikete also referred to himself as a great soldier.

Although it's true that as long as the mountains and rivers of Southern Xinjiang remain peaceful and prosperous, the various ethnic groups will gradually become more like the people within the Great Wall, Yikete has now avoided the detours of several generations, transforming himself directly from a barbarian into a powerful figure. In the current climate where opportunities abound in Southern Xinjiang, he has already surpassed other people from the start.

The term "barbarians" began to be used more and more frequently by the recruited auxiliary troops after the Wu family army won the Black Tide War. And as they ventured out of the pass year after year, their influence gradually spread to the entire area north of Lingjiang.

As Wu Fei's army approached Lingjiang in recent years, the southern ethnic groups on the north bank of Lingjiang, who were despised, quickly turned their contempt on their fellow tribes in the south of Lingjiang who were still living a primitive life.

Especially now that the Wu family army has crossed the river in full force and all the tribes have surrendered at the mere sight of them, these people who were the first to join the Wu family army will naturally carry on this winning strategy to the very end.

Because the "taste of victory" is a necessary source of psychological stimulation for every social group to maintain its cohesion.

Xuan Chong, the leader of the main force, observed the situation of the auxiliary troops and silently made notes.

…workbook…

Xuan Chong commented on the "religious spiritual victory method": In past history, the difference between mature and immature civilizations in this regard is that, after development stagnates, mature civilizations are more able to restrain their desires. Immature civilizations, on the other hand, seize every opportunity to humiliate and torment the weak, endlessly obtaining this kind of spiritual stimulation. They constantly make demands under the guise of instruction, but never give any weaklings a chance to join.

This results in the drawback that immature civilizations, during their periods of strength, are unable to unite and can only maintain division.

The various ethnic groups in Southern Xinjiang were never truly united. The Li Huo Sect violently gathered these slaves together by "lighting the only beacon in the darkness and fear." Under the tyrant's whip, everyone was treated as equals, like livestock. But when these "livestock" stood up and began to learn how to be human, they started to discriminate against and compete with each other.

…Back to the present…

Wu Fei was pondering how to resolve the ethnic divisions south of the Lingjiang River after taking charge of the region. Or perhaps he should control the conflicts to prevent them from becoming obstacles to regional economic and cultural exchange.

First: Continue southward, maintain the balance between civilized and uncivilized spheres, preserve the complete chain of contempt, and leave behind a branch of the "saint's lineage" here as a core of faith hundreds of years later.

Second: We still need to let the system of laws and regulations, through generations of education, push the line of civilization southward.

"General—" Yikete was already kneeling in front of Wu Fei to report. He quickly reported his discovery: there were three paths in the jungle ahead that led to Cloudcutting Valley.

Yike looked at Wu Fei with trembling eyes.

Two days ago, when the "advance mission" was issued in the main camp, the auxiliary troops were very excited. The various teams almost came to blows on the training ground over this mission, which was expected to reach the "yellow" level.

In the end, they had to wear rattan armor and play a game of rugby to decide who would take the task. Ultimately, the physically strongest Yiket team won the collision and shouted, "It's ours!"

Sitting on the fallen tree trunk, Wu Fei began to complete the map on the silk scroll: "Of these three paths, which one is the most dangerous?"

Yikete paused for a moment, then immediately drew a line, puzzled as to why Wu Fei had chosen this path.

Wu Fei: "You'll explore this route. Since it's the most risky, there are many tribes along the way, right?"

Wu Fei ran his finger across Yikete's head, as if stroking a hamster: "Take a good look at the tribes around this road, and subdue their leaders. I'll give you ten merit points."

Yikete responded loudly, "Yes, sir!"

After Yikete left, Wu Fei said to Angri, who was standing next to him, "Let's take the safest route."

Let the auxiliary army explore the most complex routes; let the tribes hidden in the southern borderlands, whether hostile or neutral, know that we have arrived!
…Six hours later…

When the legion arrived at Cloudcut Valley, which the surrendered tribesmen had pointed to, a giant eagle carrying people landed in the sky. All the soldiers immediately raised their shields, then set up their crossbows and spears, preparing to fight like hedgehogs.

However, a Taoist priest, quite different from the Da Yao people, sat on the large bird. This priest stepped down, held up a peace banner, and approached, being escorted by soldiers on both sides to show that he had no ill intentions.

The unexpected monk got straight to the point: "I am Cangmeng, it is an honor to meet you, General."

According to the mage, he was from the Feathered People Kingdom, which was much more distant to the south. He used to trade with the Li Huo Sect every year, but now the Li Huo Sect had inexplicably become a land of death. He wanted to know what had happened.

Although Wu Fei was very suspicious of this Taoist priest of unknown origin, adhering to the principle of not meddling, he still bowed. As for the Taoist priest's request to "invite him into Cloud Cutting Valley," Wu Fei avoided the topic and asked Ang Ri to receive him.

In the sky formation, Angri and the winged man exchanged glances. One of them looked at him with suspicion, while the other was full of interest. However, after Cangmeng made a hand gesture, Angri paused slightly and whispered, "You have received the decree of the Moon Queen."

Cang Meng countered, "Are you the chosen one?"

Angri paused for a moment, then shook his head and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ang Ri transmitted a message to Wu Fei, who was watching them, saying, "He is a fortune teller. This profession is mysterious and eccentric, but we can't rule out that he has some skill."

Wu Fei nodded and asked Jia Mude about the diplomatic situation of the Li Huo Sect.

Jamud glanced at the exchange between Angri and the newly arrived Feathered Mage, and advised Wu Fei: "The Li Huo Sect has indeed dealt with the Feathered Clan in the south, but it was mostly about buying and selling slaves. The two sides don't have a good relationship."

Jamud glanced at Cangmeng, then suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up, and he immediately blurted it out like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

“Perhaps he is related to Chi You’s army,” Jamud said at the end.

…An hour later, the secret was revealed…

Outside Cloud Cutting Valley, Cang Meng, who was being held by soldiers of the Great Yao Army, was accepting Ang Ri's invitation to stay on the outskirts for tea.

At this moment, he was quite fond of the magical leaves from the north, and after drinking them, he appeared completely content, showing no concern whatsoever about the Wu family army turning against him. Before an incense stick had burned, Cang Meng respectfully handed over a copy of the "Transformation Record" and explained in detail the ancient origins of the hundred races.

The "Transformation Record" is the intermediate process of how humans transformed into various races after entering the southern border. The record marks the transformation process of various organs. The pictures and texts are obviously the product of dissection and have considerable medical value.

Cang Meng's original narration: Legend has it that long ago, the birth of the hundred tribes of Southern Xinjiang originated from an ancient evil being who descended upon the Xi Ren Realm and carried out diverse racial modifications. At that time, not only Southern Xinjiang, but all the tribes of the Xi Ren Realm were thus mixed with a large number of demon bloodlines. Ultimately, this perverse behavior attracted the correction of the "Human Ancestor" lineage. And it was at that time that this realm was called the Xi Ren Realm.

However, the various tribes of that time remained and formed a unique way of life that adapted to the mountains and rivers of southern Xinjiang.

Heaven cherishes life, and the ancient ancestor Xi Huang did not annihilate these hundred races. Instead, he summoned the "Four Spirits" to guard the four directions, ensuring that a path was left for these mutated races to return to humanity.

This plan was effective. Under the guidance of the Four Spirits, all races returned to human form and successfully intermarried with humans. Their bloodlines were continuously purified under the order of heaven and earth. At least by the time the Great Cheng was established, the world was basically filled with people who looked human.

However, these demonic forms will still appear when the order of heaven and earth is disrupted.

Among the Four Spirits, the Vermilion Bird, which guards the southern border, is skilled at providing sacred fire and offering Nirvana methods to humans tainted by demonic energy, restoring them to human form. It seems to have the fastest healing speed, but only one in a hundred can survive the burning of the sacred fire. Therefore, the hundred tribes of the southern border still worship the Vermilion Bird to this day.

However, when the Vermilion Bird purified the bloodline of the demon race, most of the demons who were purified took shortcuts and completed their transformation by stealing the Vermilion Bird's remaining ashes.

Although they transform into human form within a generation, their demonic blood remains; and with each generation, it still manifests itself due to the changes in the mountains and rivers.

Azure Dragon's method was far more sophisticated. He used his own bloodline power to analyze the bloodlines of all the demons, enabling his offspring to mat with all the demon races. He then began to educate all demonized humans without discrimination, providing them with methods to purify their demonic power. These demonized descendants discovered that once their bloodlines were purified to a certain degree, they could mat with Azure Dragon's offspring to produce dragon offspring.

In this way, all the humans with the strongest demonic bloodlines gradually transformed into dragon descendants through generations of alliances with the dragon race. Dragon descendants can fly through the skies and travel to other realms (other planets) with their Azure Dragon offspring.
As the dragon descendants cherish their bloodline more and more and do not intermarry with humans, the human bloodline in the Xi Ren Realm is restored to its purity. Therefore, the human bloodline in the north of the Great Yao rarely mutates into the distinct ethnic groups of the southern border.

By the time of the Great Cheng Dynasty, which was seven thousand years ago, humans and demons still coexisted, but there was a clear distinction between humans and demons in the north. When the Great Yao was established, the dragon descendants left, and the human race was at its purest.

Cang Meng inadvertently revealed her personal opinion: Although Qinglong's method was roundabout, it could be said that he perfectly accomplished his mission. With the establishment of the Great Yao, the dragon descendants migrated and left the Xiren Realm. As for Zhuque? Impatient for quick success, seeing that Qinglong had left, he left a wisp of embers in his own territory to create the illusion that he was still there, and then quietly slipped away as well.

Wait a minute, that's what Cang Meng thought before, but as he was drinking tea, he looked up and saw Wu Fei heading towards the interior of Cloud Cutting Valley along the steps, and Cang Meng suddenly realized that he had misunderstood Zhu Que.

Cangmeng: Zhuque, you didn't leave?
…walking on the axe-cut steps of Kumogiri Valley…

Wu Xiaoque, who had obtained the ancient secrets, was quite speechless. She didn't know if Zhuque had left, but she knew that she was probably going to become a substitute.

Wu Fei asked the system, "Will there be any problems if I disguise myself as Suzaku?"

System: "It has been perfectly sealed."

Wu Fei: "What the hell is the Vermilion Bird?!"

System message: "Biology lessons are not allowed to be discussed during history class."

Wu Fei: "So, where will this imposter go next? Will I be burned to death by the Vermilion Bird Fire?"

The system remained silent, then opened the credit redemption list for Wu Fei, which included several items worth three or five credits. It also stated that these "slingshots" could shoot down the Vermilion Bird. ...From an outsider's perspective...

At this moment, Angri and Jiamude, along with Wu Qing, accompanied Wu Fei up the last steps.
The various clouds of vengeful spirits that Angri saw a few days ago all disappeared after Wu Fei arrived. Therefore, what everyone saw was very different from what Angri described.

Cloud Cutting Valley was not the demonic cave it had imagined. The Wu family army found that the place was lush with fragrant grass and teeming with birds and beasts.

However, the other two mages did not accuse Angri of reporting inaccurately, because they saw a pure fire energy above Wu Fei's head forming a canopy-like fire cloud above Yunqie Valley.

Upon arriving at the center of Cloudcutting Valley, Jamud pointed to the sacred cave and said, "This is the sacred ground of our sect."

Looking in the direction he pointed, there was a sudden sinkhole, with the edge of the sinkhole formed by melting and collapsing, like the burn marks left by incense flames.

Wu Fei suddenly realized: the entire mountaintop had been burned through from the center by a terrifying burst of fire, collapsing underground. It was just like a molten core falling into the ground during a nuclear leak.
Wu Fei suddenly asked in surprise, "Your ancestor is right here?"

Jamud paused, looked at Angri with a puzzled expression, and then said, "It should be here."

Based on Angri's account, Jamud deduced that the Ancestor was in the cave, likely being devoured by numerous mist-like ghosts. However, the Ancestor possessed remarkable vitality and could probably survive being gnawed at for ten years or more, but where were the people now?

Angri was also surprised by the image transmitted through the crystal ball by Gongshuwang. When he came, the pit was densely packed with people, but now there was nothing left.
But then strange phenomena came from the cave, which made him vaguely sense the reason.

He now saw that as Wu Fei approached, the cave seemed to emit light, and this light moved like a mirror as Wu Fei moved.

Angri paused for a moment and understood; this was "reignition." As the Vermilion Bird Fire approached, the residual power of the cave, scorched for thousands of years, was activated. As for the original vengeful ghosts and the old demon who had devoured the life force of others to survive for thousands of years, how could they withstand such a magnificent holy flame? They might turn to ashes when Wu Fei got within a hundred meters.

As Wu Fei gets closer, the rekindled Vermilion Bird Flame will emerge and lick at Wu Fei.

Angri wanted to perform divination for Wu Fei, but Gongshu Wang stopped him. Angri was puzzled. Gongshu Wang said, "This is the time for (Wu Fei) to receive the mandate of heaven. (You) cannot go forward unless you have great fortune."

...step by step, they approached the rock pit cave...

As Wu Fei approached the cave, he discovered numerous deep cracks within. He then ordered his soldiers to check if other cracks were similar.

Meanwhile, Wu Fei carefully walked towards the sinkhole, making sure no one was behind him (fishing requires wearing a helmet and checking behind you when you reach the edge of the sinkhole) before peeking out.

Wu Fei peered through the crack: the pit below glowed red as it stretched vertically downwards. Based on the hand gestures and shouts of the soldiers on the other side of the pit, Wu Fei knew that the cracks on the other side of the fire pit were the same.

However, in just a short while, the fire in the pit grew even brighter.

Wu Fei lay down and looked closely. In the bottomless crack, there was a glimmer of fire, and he couldn't help but feel a chill. Such scorching material was continuously sinking downwards. Could it be that it would burn through the earth's crust and form a bottomless pit that stretched for three hundred miles?
Just as Wu Fei was carefully retracting the rope, a wave of heat suddenly swept over him from the pit. Suddenly, a red light shone out from the bottom of the pit. Just as Wu Fei was about to back away, he suddenly realized that the red light was tangible and was lifting him up.

Wu Fei looked down and felt his feet leave the ground, and heard the sounds of wind and thunder all around him.

Wu Fei immediately thought: This is bad. He immediately activated the system, ready to exchange for a way to save his life at any time.

Xuan Chong: "I'm going to die, I'm going to die!" However, the system list popped up slowly. Lines of small text appeared one after another, like bullet comments.

Suddenly, as if a volcano had erupted, the fissure erupted from the crack, unleashing a torrent of intense heat that had been hidden deep within. The soldiers observing nearby were swept away by the invisible force, landing twenty feet away, kneeling on the ground, too afraid to move.

Wu Fei felt himself being hit directly and pulled in by the force. He then noticed red footprints where he had walked before. After confirming that they were his own footprints, the rocks beneath them melted like butter.

Then he landed on the molten ground. Just as he was about to escape, it felt as if a tangible substance was constantly seeping into his body, making him feel increasingly solid. So much so that stepping on the molten rock felt like stepping on a cream cake.

As Wu Fei touched these cream cake-shaped rocks, the point of impact quickly began to melt, and then the melting spread, with the entire rock mass melting and falling off.

What made Wu Fei feel even more desperate was that the melting around him seemed to be faster than the other edges. Within a ten-meter radius, everything collapsed like a cream cake baked in a microwave oven. Just as he was about to fall with the large area of ​​softened mud, a sudden upward force lifted him up, and this lift brought him directly to the very center of the pit.

When Wu Fei saw the molten mud beneath his feet crashing against the pit walls, producing plumes of gray smoke and brilliant red flames, he realized just how terrifying the temperature of this molten mud and stone was.

After Wu Fei fully activated his "strong oxidizing" ability, he was surprised: how come he didn't feel such a high temperature?

In mid-air, Wu Fei pinched his arm; it was still soft, just a mortal body.

Wu Fei was unaware that what he was encountering was indeed stellar-level energy. Such an energy level would vaporize any matter on the planet upon contact, but it had no destructive power over organic matter in a certain quantum frequency band.

When this energy from the Earth's core comes into contact with organic matter of a specific spectrum, it rapidly transforms into mass according to the mass-energy equivalence equation, thus forming a stable and balanced region around Wu Fei that would astound even industrial equipment. This is why Wu Fei's clothes didn't burn—his body absorbs energy so quickly.

Due to the continuous absorption and removal of energy, Wu Fei's current "mortal body" had already become denser than metallic aluminum during the process. After an initial moment of panic while floating, Wu Fei realized that struggling was useless, so he began to give up and look at the world outside the red filter.

Then, Wu Fei realized that the power of the pit seemed to be trying to pull him into the starry sky, but as Wu Fei steadily looked at the ground and thought about landing, he was able to steadily move towards the edge of the pit.

So, a tug-of-war began, with Wu Fei, like a fish unwilling to take the bait, struggling against the fisherman. During this process, Wu Fei glanced around and saw a large number of people kneeling on the ground at the edge of the pit, kowtowing to him.

At this moment, the fiery cloud carrying Wu Fei toward space seemed to be losing its strength and had to put Wu Fei back on the ground.

Yes, the speed at which Wu Fei's body "converts energy into mass" far exceeded the expectations of the Vermilion Bird Fire's master. It was like a starving child who wasn't satisfied with finishing a bottle of milk and kept absorbing stellar-level energy.

It was precisely because of this perfect fit that Wu Fei felt no fear of such terrifying energy; he only wondered why he was floating.

Those second- or third-generation Vermilion Bird bloodlines have to have all the incompatible organic matter in their bodies burned off, enduring excruciating pain, before they can achieve compatibility.

When Wu Fei landed on the ground, he felt that his boots were very flimsy and broke in an instant. His foot crunched as he stepped on the "flimsy" stone, causing him to stumble and slide a couple of steps, leaving a noticeable mark on the stone.

At this moment, the red filter was removed, and the red light released Wu Fei, who then began to disappear into the air. Only then did Wu Fei look up and see clearly that the fiery cloud that had enveloped him was in the shape of a bird, and that he had just been swallowed by it.

After circling Wu Fei once a thousand meters in the sky, the firebird seemed reluctant to leave. It swatted at Wu Fei twice with its fiery tail feathers. Wu Fei dodged once but failed, and then stopped trying. He felt that this action was like an elder helping a child brush dust off their clothes.

Eventually, the giant firebird returned to the cave. Then, the red light within the crack gradually dimmed, clearly indicating it had gone back down.

Narrator: As for this "sacred flame," Wu Fei consumed a large portion of the energy it had just drawn from the crust of this star, and it needed to replenish its nutrients.

…The fledglings don't want to leave the cradle…

However, when Wu Fei returned from the sinkhole, he found that things were different. The auxiliary troops and the leaders of the southern border tribes who had led the way were kneeling in front of him, trembling.

If before it was a mixture of awe and trepidation, now it is as if one has seen an ancestral god.

Wu Fei beckoned Jiamude over and asked, "What's going on? Why are all the locals around your wife keeping their heads down when they see me? Am I the midday sun, blindingly bright?"

Jamud glanced at Wu Fei: "General, just now, you saw the Vermilion Bird?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Fei's expression turned serious: "That's exactly what I was about to ask you. I just saw that ball of fire in the sinkhole turn into a bird! It seems you knew about it. Why didn't you tell me such important information? I almost got swept up into the sky just now."

Jamud paused slightly, then slowly said, "My lord, you didn't go along with Suzaku just now?"

Wu Fei scrutinized his cheap brother-in-law with a petty gaze: "What, you want me to kick the bucket?"

Jamud: "No, it's just, it's just—" he stammered a few times before saying, "The Vermilion Bird hasn't appeared for thousands of years. It must have been trying to take you to ascend to heaven just now."

Wu Qing, accompanied by numerous auxiliary troops and guides from the Southern Frontier, lowered his head and said, "My lord, since you have not left, you are now the supreme ruler of our Southern Frontier, and your bloodline is now that of a holy descendant."

The snake-woman's words were met with no opposition from the other races. Some even collected the fragments of Wu Fei's broken boots and tucked them into their pockets.

...people began picking up relics from the crowd...

After a few words, Wu Fei confirmed that he had just been in this world and had encountered the "divine right of kings".

Wu Fei quickly calculated in his mind: He had originally planned to spend more than ten years achieving military unification, and then gradually eradicate the influence of heretical religions in the area that differed from Da Yao. His original mission was even to use explosives to destroy the sinkhole, bury this fiery pit, and completely eliminate feudal superstition. But—suddenly, the one who was involved in the cult was himself.

Oh, the Vermilion Bird is one of the Four Symbols, so it's not considered an obscene worship. Wu Fei "flexibly" revised his religious stance.

…light-year dividing line…

6844 light-years away, on the core of a red giant, Zhuque, through the coordinates left on the Xiren Realm, once again confirmed that he seemed to have overlooked the child's grade. He was very conflicted and doubtful because the coordinates sent a message that the bloodline and intelligence development of the child he had overlooked were unexpectedly good.

But there are still eggs to hatch in the nest, so I can't go there myself.

(End of this chapter)