Chapter 67: Mountains And Rivers Collapse Incident
In the 31st year of the Shu Tian Calendar, the Prefect of Jiuyang Commandery reported that bandits, with the assistance of some heterodox path demons, along with “strategists” from prominent sect degenerates, all emerged to aid the tyrant, causing many wealthy households to suffer calamity.
At this stage, those reported by the Prefect as “plundered” were already renowned wealthy households with names and surnames.
And the wealthy households selected by the greenwood were all those meeting specific conditions.
The Li Family was a wealthy household in Jiuyang Commandery, a branch of the great Heluo surname that had settled here, with over three hundred disciples in the family. However, they had only taken root here for three generations, with shallow foundations.
What does shallow foundations mean? Among other wealthy households in Jiuyang Commandery, their family registers listed only about a hundred disciples, even appearing sparser than the Li Family’s population, but in reality, this was only the number of legitimate sons, while collateral lines, collateral concubine-born offspring, and descendants numbering over a thousand could be mobilized through connections. Among them were plenty living in local circles, some as peddlers, some as hunters, who in chaotic times joined the greenwood.
The greenwood themselves did not even know the exact relations their recruited brothers had with local families, hence they dared not strike lethally. But the Li Family, having just migrated here, was not like that; they had only proliferated two generations, so their local relations were all clear.
The Li Family, originating from a renowned noble family in the Heluo region, held themselves in too high regard. Their previous generation’s disciples were not proactive in marriage alliances with locals, instead leaning toward returning to the Heluo region for alliances with high gates, which also hindered their integration with the locality.
Narration: During the late Qin period, Old Master Lü’s operations after being forced from Qi Land were extremely correct and standard; marrying his daughter to the locally down-and-out Liu Bang was not because he saw dragon qi from the start, but because Liu Bang’s influence among local youths could at least protect the Lü Family from inexplicable bandit attacks.
The modern logic that money equals power is built on stable order and rules. Perfected rules and an authority system penetrating to the grassroots allow money to stably exchange for power. But in the feudal era, grassroots order was absent; the grassroots consisted of masses of poor wretches who did not mind scarcity but inequality. Newly arrived wealthy households from outside wanting to survive had to form marriage alliances with local forces.
The Li Family in Jiuyang Commandery had not anticipated such rapid changes in the situation. At least ten years ago, Da Yao’s national power showed no issues, because theoretically, as long as Da Yao remained peaceful for another century, the Li Family’s collateral concubine-born offspring would increase, allowing them to quietly integrate locally without needing legitimate sons and daughters to participate in the family’s localization task.
Just as the greenwood heroes prepared to act against the Li Family’s shops and merchant caravans, the Li Family internally sensed the impending storm.
The Li Family’s old master had already summoned the clan disciples to discuss, roughly summarizing two paths: first, defend if possible; second, if unable to defend, migrate back to the Heluo ancestral home—though they would become a collateral line there, in these chaotic times it would at least provide a foothold.
…Conflict divider…
In front of the Li Family manor, between ditches and earthen walls, greenwood heroes and the Li Family’s servants were in confrontation. The Li Family steward, behind the servants, promised “twenty wen reward money per person after repelling them,” but the servants’ hands gripping their knives still trembled; some even calculated in their hearts that if the enemy charged, a couple of clashes with knives would suffice for the Li Family old master, and they would find a chance to slip away.
The reason was that twenty wen was too little. The “recalcitrant slaves” all knew clearly: the steward himself gambled away hundreds of wen every month, yet now everyone was fighting desperately for just twenty wen—why didn’t he come up himself?! Hiding in the back pretending to be a big shot.
The steward saw the servants still listless and was furious, just like some 21st-century company leaders watching employees show no essence, qi, and spirit upon hearing of overtime, lacking the expected excitement and not giving face.
Steward: “Twenty wen per person, so much money, I won’t be able to go to the brothel for months.”
If orthodox military strategist disciples saw the Li Family as a bearish nest, they would surely be unable to hold back laughter. And the greenwood heroes besieging outside were also cautiously probing with spear shafts gripped tightly. The reason was the deep accumulated prestige of high-gate wealthy households locally.
Normally, the Li Family servants were not so timid; when bullying in groups, they were fierce and daring! Today kicking a beggar for “not watching the road for lord,” tomorrow pointing at a peddler, “lord eating your stuff is giving you face, you don’t know your place and dare ask lord for money?” Each one a Hung Hsing from Causeway Bay.
Thus it turned into this comical standoff, the balance lasting a short while, until someone jumped out from inside the Li Family manor.
This was a Li Family disciple who had just descended from the immortal sect, named Li Xuan. He rushed to the front line. At his waist hung a Demon Suppressing Division waist token; this waist token was the same as the military Killing Intent Repelling Talisman, an officially recognized status that allowed cultivators to cast spells in the mortal world without being tainted by that strand of killing intent. Sword light rolled out; as an outstanding third generation disciple, he sliced the spear shaft in mid-air, like a flying knife cutting a watermelon.
In an instant, the atmosphere reversed; the previously aggressive greenwood heroes retreated several steps at once, like a herd of wild boars forced to face tiger leopards.
The Li Family servants cheered, “Third Young Master is mighty!” while cursing at those outside, “You lowly breeds, get lost!” “Grandpa can already smell the piss stench from your crotches!”
Li Xuan looked at these countryside bandits, holding his sword horizontally. However, he felt apprehensive inside, already sensing the waist token heating up. The spell just now had only thirty percent of the power he could unleash at full strength on the mountain, but his magic power circulation was already strained, because his waist token, by military standards, was only camp team officer level.
Before descending the mountain, his sect senior brother, unable to persuade him to stay, could only give him this waist token and warn, “The mountain and the world below are different. Without a human dynasty token, our daoist arts in real combat in the mortal world would be tainted by killing intent, especially when participating in mortal world strife, invading the mind and heart. Do not remove the token thinking it constrains your daoist magic power! If the waist token cracks, immediately withdraw from the fight!”
Li Xuan glanced at his waist token; though he felt the magic power restriction was severe, he still gripped it tightly.
This waist token’s upper limit was set thus; even higher cultivation disciples would be constrained by the waist token.
At this time, the thugs confronting the Li Family, though their killing intent was insufficient compared to a true great army, was still stronger than their own side’s servants. The servants only bullied small households on the streets, killing when unhappy. These thugs had wreaked havoc across all of Jiuyang Commandery months ago, forcing tens of thousands of households to migrate, killing for fun when idle.
So in the confrontation, the greenwood heroes held the upper hand.
Li Xuan thought after scaring back the opposing thugs, the thugs parted to let a path through; a female thug with a red peach blossom tattoo on her face walked out, and upon appearing, she teasingly smiled: “Pretty boy.”
The female thug’s licentious words made Li Xuan blush.
But caught off guard, the female thug flung a peach blossom petal-like hidden weapon, and in an instant Li Xuan felt his essence, qi, and spirit lose control and swell.
The female thug then boasted something like: “You’ve been hit by my peach blossom killing intent.”
The waist token on Li Xuan’s body cracked from being tainted by this killing intent; rationally he knew to immediately retreat, but a strong emotion surged in his heart. Then sword qi erupted from his body.
Four thugs were slain by sword light, blood blooming like flowers in the air. The Evil Moon watched everything closely from the high sky, projecting its own blessing.
…Killing intent can permeate emotions, and the killing intent in chaotic lands is truly very dirty and chaotic…
The thugs were torn apart by carts, and that night the Li Family celebrated for their sect disciple; in a drunken haze, Li Xuan forgot all the sect’s clear rules and precepts, indulging in revelry. Yet a month later, inexplicably several women in the family had their chastity ruined by an unknown flower-picking thief.
Ultimately, disciples from other sects came to investigate, and all evidence pointed to Li Xuan.
After exposure, Li Xuan fully unleashed his martial arts; his cultivation continuously broke through several levels via yin-yang supplementation, and many could not restrain him, his eyes purple, clearly thoroughly demonized.
Subsequently, he was forced back by Demon Suppressing Division demon hunters and began to be wanted. As for the Li Family, they were levied by the Prefect; after handing over local industries, the family withdrew.
…Half a year later…
Xian Daoren watched the Li Family’s migrating caravan, revealing a playful smile.
And in the Li Family caravan, a young girl had a “peach blossom petal” just fall onto her neck, with a streak of blue veins on the peach blossom petal.
This Li Family legitimate daughter could not forget the scene months ago of her cousin entering her room to harvest her essence; though she held a strand of blue light needle given by an immortal in her hand, preventing her cousin from succeeding. But later with many women in the clan harmed, she was ultimately handled by the family, married off to an ordinary person, and she felt an inexplicable fear.
As for this protective magic treasure? One night, a mysterious blue-clothed young master saw her and gave her a concealing dharma gate.
The next day she passed the clan elder mammy’s check; she was extremely grateful and could not forget the touch of deep blue in the young master’s pupils who saved her.
…Blue feather floating, scene switch…
Beside Xian Daoren, Chang Wangri and Dai Tanyue flanked him like lackeys. This scheme to frame the Li Family was strategized by Chang Wangri for the greenwood heroes. It avoided directly charging in and triggering strong official army reaction, instead seizing the Li Family’s wealth through divvying spoils with the Prefect and other local wealthy households.
However, just as Chang Wangri and the many thugs thought about whether to rush over and rob some floating wealth and play with the female dependents while the Li Family left Jiuyang Commandery, he and Dai Tanyue were lightly tapped by Xian Daoren’s fly whisk—not heavy, but their foreheads felt as if pierced by steel wire in a tight hoop, painful for several hours.
These two demons who thought they had gained momentum recalled Xian Daoren’s unfathomably deep methods.
Xian Daoren: “The way of change requires gazing at the distant future; do not think senseless things, acting on whims.”
Xian Daoren’s seemingly mild “earnest instruction” made the two demons kneel in tearful gratitude.
Xian Daoren was helpless at the two demons’ begging for mercy, sighing: “Foolish.” Then he turned into a gust of wind and left.
After confirming Xian Daoren had left, the two demons looked at each other, then breathed a sigh of relief.
…In the eye of the future, those ignorant of the way of change rise and fall in an instant…
Jiuyang Mountain then began selecting the next round of victims but encountered a tough nut; after the sect learned of Li Xuan’s qi deviation, they began targeting the rampant local bandits. Just as Jiuyang Mountain thugs attempted to frame another family, several sect disciples with Demon Suppressing Division waist tokens formed a sword array, slaying four of Jiuyang Mountain’s leaders.
Subsequently, the Imperial Court dispatched five hundred soldiers to suppress, and local households all sent braves to assist.
Upon hearing the great army was coming, the Jiuyang Mountain bandit horde, claiming over ten thousand, had mostly fled; the remaining fierce bandits collapsed instantly upon clashing with the official army’s long shields, contradictions, and blood killing intent plaques, and in mere hours, the bandit horde was annihilated.
Chang Wangri and Dai Tanyue escaped in the chaos, and the government soldiers’ search yielded nothing.
For Xian Daoren, these two were still useful; he would not extinguish their auspicious qi, so this was merely a lesson.
…A multi-bird one-stone scheme…
After the Jiuyang Mountain bandits scattered like birds and beasts, Xian Daoren arrived at the foot of Jiuyang Mountain, gazing at this mountain range ravaged by thugs, smiling as he pushed aside the vengeful spirits in the clouds and began finger-pinching spellcasting. As his magic power surged, the sky clouds dispersed, revealing the starry sky, with a blue Evil Moon hanging in the sky.
This Evil Moon in the starry sky gradually bared its blood basin big mouth, targeting the mountain range pointed at by Xian Daoren.
…Thousands of li away…
In southern Zhenzhou, a vanguard troop of fifteen hundred advanced windingly; Wu Hengyu rode Wuzhui at the forefront, Wuzhui still in horse form—for this divine beast, horse form was a dormant state, reducing killing intent taint and maintaining its spirit beast essence.
As for the two Guiche crawling in the army at this time, they were already fully heart-invaded by killing intent, thoroughly war beasts. These war beasts stripped of intellect by killing intent had only one future righteous path: after this army returned from a hundred battles victorious, the war beasts, with their tamers’ hair white and uncontrollable, would be enshrined with incense and fire to become tamed beasts.
Once the tamed beasts gathered enough incense and fire to end the war karma, with blood drop from the next military strategist heir with commander bloodline, they would restore war form and continue conquering the human world.
But if incense and fire could not cleanse the karma? Then the tamed beast statue would weather, incense dwindling, ultimately collapsing under weathering, with bird droppings’ seeds sprouting in cracks.
Compared to Confucian and Legalist, the military strategist’s core is not entirely conquest but the great order exchanged after killing; thus, if unable to exchange enough long-term peace after killing, no matter how many exhilarating battlefield victories, it is still worthless.
War beasts as military strategist tools must ultimately prove themselves thus: tainted by war killing intent, when the Military Master ages and sets down the sword, the war beast becomes a tamed beast. But without incense offerings to absorb blood karma, ultimate liberation is impossible.
In each Great Tribulation, only one victor; in ancient times all camps had their war beasts, so today’s seen war beasts are but one in a hundred of ancient ones.
The accompanying army masters clearly disliked the Guiche’s killing intent.
…In the middle of the marching column’s supply wagons…
Bai Renfeng walked with his junior brother and junior sister, waist token at his side maintaining a keep-away aura, preserving his dao heart’s tranquility amid the army’s killing intent.
These days, they had figured out spell applications in the army: spells exceeding token limits gained little effect boost, and during operation, magic power leaked like a sieve, depleting rapidly.
Bai Renfeng now knew why the sect sent third generation disciples like them down the mountain instead of second generation martial uncles and seniors: the Killing Intent Repelling waist token’s status was only so much; martial uncles and seniors, though high in cultivation, could only channel so much magic power against killing intent.
It was like being crushed by a great mountain; birds were sometimes less agile than ants, as ants could find mountain crevices.
In this stifling environment, the quick-minded Huang Yao: “Senior Brother, there are strands of demon qi in the mountains on both sides; shall we go check?”
Qing Lin: “Junior Brother, don’t be reckless; we’re in the army now, we must follow rules.”
Huang Yao muttered: “Rules, rules, so troublesome.”
Han Jiangxue: “This northward journey is to Star Macro Sect territory; this sect is now also intervening in human world affairs, supporting Wei Guan.”
Zhu Yanming: “Now, which major sect isn’t entering the world? We of this generation of disciples have all descended for the sect to face the tribulation.”
Bai Renfeng: “Don’t discuss questioning the sect. How much can we juniors know of the Sect Masters’ considerations?” Then he stood and left.
Qing Lin, Han Jiangxue: “Senior Brother (Senior Brother), where are you going?” They asked in unison, then quietly glanced at each other.
Bai Renfeng: “I’m going to see the General (Wu Hengyu). The vanguard scouted some matters and summoned me to handle; you stay here and cultivate qi properly.”
……
In the vanguard, Wu Family Army cavalry dragged over a demonized monster; Wu Hengyu was poking at this fellow with a skeleton hanging on it and blood traces painted on its face using the Star River Spear.
Just as the great army was ahead, this guy was gnawing on what seemed a passing peddler; upon seeing the war horses, it charged without dodging, then was shot dead on the ground by bow and arrow.
Bai Renfeng arrived just in time; Wu Hengyu stepped aside and asked: “Senior Brother, what is this?”
Bai Renfeng: “An ordinary person who strayed into the heterodox path. Nowadays heaven and earth aura is turbid, the earth often surges with supernatural power; this supernatural power polluted by the sky’s Evil Moon, some ordinary people mistakenly acquire it without knowing orthodox dharma, thus impacted by the killing intent in the supernatural power, becoming neither human nor ghost. This one making trouble suddenly felt ‘killing’ grows power, so lost himself in it.”
This bottomless method of using power seemed extremely free. Compared to Bai Renfeng and daoist sect disciples who must constantly uphold dao heart, willing to let status limit their magic power, this method was immensely powerful after demonization, but encountering even more unreasonable military strategist killing intent, it was instantly crushed back to form, dragged here like a dead dog.
Wu Hengyu took a deep breath and slowly said: “The North’s mountains and rivers are severely collapsing.” He gazed at the withered grass underfoot.
Bai Renfeng to Wu Hengyu: “General has the heart to uphold under heaven, and we have the will to eliminate demons and guard the dao!”
Wu Hengyu paused, perfunctorily responding: “Yes, eliminate demons and guard the dao, uphold under heaven.” At this time with demons rampant in all directions, Wu Hengyu was deeply disappointed in Da Yao.
Yet at that moment, the sword tip in Bai Renfeng’s sheath sharply hummed.
And Wu Hengyu’s mount Wuzhui rapidly expanded, manifesting divine beast form; both stared toward the east, for on the eastern horizon appeared a blue light, this ray like a straw piercing from earth to sky.
Immediately after in the blue light, a black mass rose to the sky.
Cultivators’ eyesight was excellent; Wu Hengyu murmured: “This is~” Bai Renfeng in incredulous tone: “Mountains and rivers collapsing!”
…Perspective cut back…
Xian Daoren stood on this collapsing earth, eyes closed, using his third eye to watch Jiuyang Mountain Range collapse and ascend to the sky. Wind whistled chaotically, now east now west, like eerie laughter.
The massive peak blotted sky and sun; after levitating, internal cohesion insufficient, it scattered into massive fragments, with huge cracks on the intact peak; at this time the sky’s mountain stone shattering was earth-shatteringly loud.
Amid the mountain range rubble, spiritual vein airflow like a trembling swimming fish tried returning to earth but was inevitably scooped up directly by the sky Evil Moon’s power.
