Dragon Canon

The Shamans were retreating, but Wei Yuan did not pursue them. He merely ordered a detachment to follow slowly behind them and keep watch. Then, he instructed everyone still capable of movement to begin excavating Xuanwei Six.

Body after body was carried out. There were both humans and Shamans, though the latter outnumbered the former.

After an unknown amount of time, someone came to report that the lowest level had been fully excavated. Wei Yuan snapped out of his daze and went to inspect the scene.

The lowest level had been fully dug up. There were several hundred human corpses here. It was evident that half of them had suffered severe injuries and died in the small hall just before the escape passage. The rest were scattered throughout the level, surrounded by Shaman corpses.

A Mastercraft Hall disciple, who was in charge of directing the excavation, spoke with a heavy heart, “They planted gunpowder at the pillars on every level. After the detonation, it destroyed all the support structures, causing the collapse. Even before that, the escape passage had already been blown up.

Wei Yuan listened, his gaze fixed on two corpses stacked on top of each other. The one below was Yun Feifei, the one above was a young master from one of the noble families. The young master had thrown himself over the woman in an attempt to shield her from the falling debris, but how could he possibly withstand the crushing weight of millions of catties of earth? His elbows and knees were shattered, yet it still wasn’t enough to save them.

The young master was one of the sixteen scions who had accompanied Cui Yu to the realm. Before the battle, he had volunteered to guard Xuanwei Six. Wei Yuan had allowed it since he had always intended to distribute these scions across various units. Having endured numerous bloody battles, they had shed their spoiled, pampered ways and were now capable of holding their own.

Yun Feifei’s abilities spoke for herself. She possessed deep cultivation and incredible cunning. She was a formidable figure even before she met Wei Yuan. That was why he had assigned her to command the battle at Xuanwei Six—a position of critical importance.

In the past, Yun Feifei had escaped countless life-and-death crises. Even the Xu Clan had failed to capture her despite years of trying. That was why he thought she would survive this crisis as well.

Just then, the two corpses were separated and carried to the surface. The scion of a noble clan had died in battle, so an explanation had to be given to his clan—a matter for which Cui Yu was responsible.

But looking at Yun Feifei’s face, Wei Yuan couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was dreaming.

She planted explosives in the pillars of every level?

She blew up the escape passage first?

She detonated the explosives herself?

These questions kept swirling through Wei Yuan’s mind, making him feel as though he had never truly seen Yun Feifei for who she really was—or perhaps, the person he thought he knew was a different face entirely.

Had she allowed those ten thousand elite troops to return to the surface, the consequences would have been unimaginable. At that time, Qingming’s ground forces had already reached their limit, and both sides were engaged in a massive, all-out slaughter. Had those ten thousand elite troops joined the fray, it was highly likely that Qingming would have collapsed first. More importantly, Rock Heart might not have entered the fray if those elite troops survived. And as long as he did not enter the fray, the battle could never end.

Wei Yuan suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of weariness, the kind that seeped from within and spread to every corner of his body. It also felt as though a small piece of his heart had gone empty.

If only he had a few more troops at his disposal, if only he could have sent three thousand more elite troops underground, if only he could have built more firearms....

If only he had a bit more time....

But there were no “ifs” in this world, just as there was no turning back on the path to immortality. Once you set foot on it, you must walk it to the end, until your demise.

Some who left would return, but others, once gone, were gone forever—like Fang Hetong, like the demon horse. Not everyone had gone, but who knows when they would depart as well?

Wei Yuan reached out to wipe the dirt from Yun Feifei’s face, beautiful and lively as a fairy even in death. He wondered if she had any regrets when she departed this world.

Probably not... right?

A chilling wind began to blow in the Great Realm once more. Shamans with vacant stares began appearing everywhere, marching in squads and groups toward the jade hill.

The black water boiled, and countless black particles rose from its depths. Then, a tree emerged from the water, growing ever taller. Its entire form was a profound, bottomless black, so much so it was impossible to tell whether that blackness was a void capable of devouring all, or simply a black trunk.

Embedded within the trunk of the tree was a portal. Its doors were tightly shut, and there were enigmatic symbols above it. The tree only had a few branches bearing a solitary handful of leaves that quivered without wind, as if ready to wither at any moment.

At the same time, black qi continuously seeped out from the full moon, eventually coalescing into a total of eighteen wisps of advanced fortune. Whether this was a reward for the emergence of the strange black tree, or an attempt to soothe Wei Yuan’s still-bleeding heart, was unclear.

Meanwhile, the people from Yong’an City and other cities had already arrived. They were all mortals. Even with Life is a Flash, they possessed little combat strength. That was why Wei Yuan had deliberately delayed their entrance into the battlefield. If even they were forced to take up arms, then it would mean the realm had exhausted all of its resources, and their primary objective would shift from survival to mutual destruction.

But they were not at that point yet. Now that he had a sufficient number of Body-tempering stage cultivators at his disposal, Wei Yuan no longer sent mortals into battle lightly. In previous engagements, even with firearms and an underground terrain, it had taken at least three or four mortals to take down a single Shaman.

The groups started clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded as soon as they arrived. They had done this enough times at this point that they had become highly proficient at this.

However, Wei Yuan noticed a different expression on some of their faces.

Wei Yuan approached a young man and watched as he skillfully searched the body of a fallen human fighter for his personal belongings, verified his identity, and recorded the details.

After observing for a moment, Wei Yuan suddenly asked, “What are you thinking about?”

The young man turned and startled when he saw it was Wei Yuan. He quickly bowed in respect, but did not answer the question.

“Go ahead. It’s all right.”

The young man clenched his teeth, and his face suddenly contorted into a rictus of rage. Pointing at Wei Yuan, he snarled, “We fight every single day! Every single day! Ever since this damned realm came into being, there hasn’t been a moment where we’re not fighting a war! My dad, mom, older sister, and two older brothers are all dead! They all died in battle, and it’s all your fault! If it weren’t for you, we’d still be living peacefully in Willow Ash Town!”

Cui Yu was standing nearby. When he heard this, he kicked the boy hard and sent him flying, shouting, “You call that living? Pigs and dogs lead better lives than you in Willow Ash Town!”

The boy got back on his feet and said stubbornly, “It’s worse than dogs and pigs, but it’s still living!”

“You call that living?” A harsh laugh escaped Cui Yu’s throat in his fury.

The boy threw all caution to the wind and shouted, “It’s not our fault we were born in the mud! Does being born in the mud mean we don’t deserve to live? That it’s wrong for us to want to live? If I’d been born into a rich family like you, I might not necessarily do worse than you! The only reason you’re standing here lecturing me is because you were lucky to be born into a rich family!”

Cui Yu was usually eloquent, but right now he was so enraged he couldn’t speak. He even wanted to draw his sword, but felt it would be unwise.

Suddenly, a sharp slap echoed in the air. An elderly mortal had given the youth a hard slap across the face. Then, he knelt down, bowed his head, and pleaded, “This child has a good heart; he just lacks proper guidance because he recently lost his parents and siblings. This old man is willing to take him in and promise to strictly discipline him from now on!”

Blue qi was continuously growing in Wei Yuan’s sea of consciousness, but of the thousands of wisps he gained, several had vanished once more.

Wei Yuan walked up to the youth, looked him straight in the eye, and said coldly, “The war here is not without meaning, and those who have died did not die in vain! Whether you understand it or not, the meaning is there. Guards!”

Wei Yuan then pointed at the youth and declared, “Take him to the Labor Camp for the crime of disrupting military morale. If he survives three major battles, then his crime will be pardoned.”

The Labor Camp was originally established by Cui Yu and Xiao Yu to punish offenders. Its inmates performed daily labor and fought in the most dangerous sectors during wartime. Anyone who survived three battles would be pardoned from their crimes and released. Furthermore, any military merits they earned in the Labor Camp were recorded and awarded to their family members.

The guards came and dragged the youth away. Wei Yuan remained silent for a moment before saying to Cui Yu, “See? I told you I’m not one to show mercy. It is you who hesitated[1].”

Cui Yu sighed. “He’s not entirely wrong in what he said.”

Wei Yuan gazed at the endless stretch of corpses and said slowly, “‘Ifs’ and ‘what ifs’ are meaningless. We are born the way we are; it cannot be changed. All we can do is stand where we are and keep moving forward. What he said may be true, but it is also meaningless. Some people may be willing to lead a life worse than that of a dog or a pig, but there are also those who don’t. If I could start over, I would still relocate everyone from Willow Ash Town to the realm of Qingming. No matter how many times I’m faced with this choice, the result would be the same!”

Cui Yu nodded and said solemnly, “I’m glad that you think that way.”

The wind in the realm was fierce. The night was not yet over, and tonight’s wind was unusually cold, sporting a chill that cut to the bone. Countless living souls were walking among the dead, not knowing when they too would fall and become one of those lying on the ground, waiting to be registered as a name or a number.

Wei Yuan did not believe that the youth was wrong. However, they were living in an era where the human race was still fighting for survival and reproduction. Thus, simply being faultless wasn’t enough.

Since establishing Qingming and standing on the front lines against the foreign races, Wei Yuan had truly come to understand the human race’s predicament. Behind the facade of splendor—where the flowers of abundance bloomed and the flames of prosperity blazed—lay the ever-present threat of a crushing defeat, and the harsh reality that countless people were still being sacrificed and slaughtered as a spectacle.

Just 3,700 years ago, four Immortal Lords of the Palace of Absolute Beginning had fallen in battle. While their actions were driven by a greater cause, they might also have been an element of helplessness in play—a necessity born of circumstances.

Wei Yuan harbored no hatred toward the Liao nor the Shamans. Both sides were born into their roles, each fighting for their own people. Had he been born into the Shamans, he too would have fought to the death for his kin.

But now, there was hatred in Wei Yuan’s heart!

From the moment he saw Yun Feifei’s body, he had been thinking: if only had a few more troops at his disposal. He didn’t need many—just five thousand, or even three thousand—and she wouldn’t have had to die. So many others wouldn’t have had to die.

However, there was an allied force of over one hundred thousand not far away from them! The nearest one could have arrived within an hour! But they simply stood there and did nothing!

For the first time in his life, the hatred in Wei Yuan’s heart was so thick, so clear, so unceasing!

What’s more, he never imagined that the source of all this hatred... would be humans.

1. Refer back to chapter 214 for their conversation. ☜

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