Dragon Canon

“Wait!” The woman cried out in alarm, shoving Wei Yuan away as she tried to escape. But just as her feet touched the floor, her upper body lurched backward. It was Wei Yuan pulling her down and pulling her toward him. Despite her legs flailing in the air, she was still dragged back onto the bed, chi by chi.

The animal hide billowed, and straw flew everywhere.

Amid heavy panting, Wei Yuan suddenly let out a cry of pain, and the woman seized the opportunity to escape.

This time, having learned her lesson, the woman leaped off the bed like a swimmer instead. However, before her hands touched the ground or her feet had fully left the bed, a large hand seized her slender ankle!

In a flash, the woman vanished back into the straw.

In the darkness, the woman said haltingly, “Wait, wait a minute! Don’t be in such a hurry—we’ve got plenty of time!”

Wei Yuan disagreed. “Do we? We’ve got two boys and two girls to make!”

The woman mustered all her strength, rolled over, and pressed herself against Wei Yuan. She began by kissing him lightly on the lips, then on his cheek and neck. Her hands parted the front of his shirt, kneading his muscles as they gradually moved downward.

Wei Yuan shuddered, feeling as if he were about to soar to the heavens and plunge forever into the abyss at the same time.

The next moment....

“Argh!!”

Wei Yuan let out a howl and curled up into a ball like a shrimp.

The woman sprang from the bed, planted her feet against the wall, and shot toward the door like an arrow. Those two legs—a perfect blend of roundness and slenderness, and so white it was as if they were glowing—caused the entire room to brighten for an instant.

It was at this moment the air in the room suddenly grew murky and profound, as if the nine heavens themselves had descended to earth. All sensations transformed into shades of black and white, and a grainy texture appeared on every object, as if composed of countless particles. Even the people were no exception.

The woman abruptly froze mid-air, gliding toward the door very, very slowly. Panic flashed in her eyes, yet her body remained completely beyond her control.

Strangely, the bizarre phenomenon did not affect Wei Yuan in the slightest. He appeared beside her in a flash and uttered through gritted teeth, “Woman! You’re playing with fire....”

But Wei Yuan immediately recalled that in Xu Wenwu’s materials, this exact phrase had been cited as a cautionary example. Perhaps he had blurted it out without thinking because it had left a profound impression on him.

Wei Yuan clamped his mouth shut and said nothing more. He proceeded to completely disarm her and carry her back to bed.

The woman raised her fist, intending to hit Wei Yuan in the back, but her movements were so slow it was as if she was moving in slow motion. By the time the feeble punch finally landed, it was already too late.

The ship had sailed.

In the darkness of the night, the elderly woman watched from afar. In her line of sight, the crude little stone hut was shrouded in deep gloom, and the faint aura emanating from it made even her shudder.

It wasn’t true darkness, no. Rather, some force had severed that space from the rest of the world, making it appear as nothing but darkness. As for what was happening within that darkness, no one knew.

The old woman silently returned to her hut, and the other ghostly figures gradually faded away as well.

Inside the stone hut, Wei Yuan withdrew the Yin Yang Domain he had manifested. Only then did everything return to normal.

The woman was finally able to move again. She gave Wei Yuan a powerful shove, but he didn’t budge even a little. Suddenly, her presence shifted, and she barked in a deep voice, “You dare!”

Instinctive terror coursed through Wei Yuan, and his flagpole nearly snapped then and there!

But the change in the woman’s presence lasted only an instant, leading Wei Yuan to believe it was only a figment of his imagination. In the blink of an eye, she reverted back to her mortal self, gritting her teeth and mustering every ounce of strength to try and push Wei Yuan off herself.

But Wei Yuan’s physical prowess was one-of-a-kind. In fact, if he wasn’t suspending his body with Dao energy, the sheer weight of it would have crushed the woman to death. There was simply no chance she could ever push him off.

Moreover, the human body possessed a natural mortise-and-tenon structure. It was a form of primal simplicity that approached the Dao itself. In fact, this was what inspired the people of ancient times to build towering structures. Without first unlocking this mechanism, it was simply impossible to push a person off.

But the woman was stubborn, so she kept pushing with all her might. She refused to relent even when she was panting heavily and gritting her teeth.

A couple pushes like this later, Wei Yuan grew excited.

And so the woman plunged into the abyss—and soared to the clouds.

The night was long.

Wei Yuan lost track of the passage of time, so he sensed the world outside. All was quiet, the birds were still asleep. Not a single chirp could be heard anywhere. Winter nights in the north were indeed long. Satisfied with his findings, Wei Yuan continued to toil away tirelessly. As someone who still retained a shred of conscience, he was unwilling to be ungrateful unless absolutely necessary.

Dawn... finally broke.

Wei Yuan stood up and let out a long breath. Though the world before his eyes was still shrouded in darkness, a light had dawned within his heart.

Wei Yuan got dressed and said, “There’s meat broth in the pot. You should sleep a little longer. I’ll go to the temple by myself today.”

The woman turned her back to him and ignored him.

Wei Yuan didn’t take it to heart. He laughed three times and pushed open the door to leave.

Today, the undead monsters in the temple were in for a world of trouble. Wei Yuan strolled in as if taking a leisurely walk, harvesting yin qi and gradually strengthening the spirituality of his Dao Foundation as he ventured deeper and deeper.

Since the day he attained the Great Realm, Wei Yuan had become an incredibly ambitious person. This ambition had only gotten stronger under Zhang Sheng’s daily influence. Now that he had a way to slay the undead monsters and harvest their yin qi, he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity as a matter of course.

From the moment the earth of the Great Realm attained spiritual awakening, his Dao Foundation already had become an absolute monster. However, Wei Yuan still felt it lacked a touch of dominance. After all, it was neither the heavens nor the primal chaos that had gained sentience, and even these two were considered the absolute pinnacle. Only the “Nothingness” prior to “The Dao Gives Birth to One” was, in theoretical terms—as discussed by lower-level cultivators in their “scholarly” debates—the strongest.

His earth might now be sentient, but it had not yet reached the level where it could overwhelm an entire era. At most, it had given him a firm edge over Xiao Yu.

Thinking of Xiao Yu brought to mind his old friends. Even as the corners of his mouth turned up, a pang of sorrow pierced his heart once more.

Upon entering the passageway, the Dao Foundation stage warrior appeared at Wei Yuan’s side. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were sharp and alert. He wielded a sword and shield, and on his back was a gun-spear capable of firing flying swords.

The Dao Foundation stage warrior led the way into the passage, and Wei Yuan followed behind it, spear in hand. The two advanced at a steady pace, mowing down the undead monsters.

Wei Yuan carefully calculated every ounce of Dao energy that was generated and expended, striving to minimize the amount that was needed to eliminate each undead monster.

Just then, an undead monster intruded into Wei Yuan’s perception. Through the Dao Foundation stage warrior’s eyes, he was able to get a clear look at the creature. It still retained a human form and was clad in a leather coat that hadn’t yet completely rotted away. This undead monster possessed only early-stage Dao Foundation stage strength and was clearly a cut weaker than the others.

Wei Yuan continued deeper, returning to the spot where he had encountered the Avatar-stage monster. The cave was littered with scattered bones—some human, some animal—that had likely accumulated over countless years.

Wei Yuan passed through the area and pressed onward.

The Dao Foundation-stage warrior ahead of him wielded a heavy shield, so his defensive power rivaled that of Wei yuan’s. With him taking the lead, they could withstand even a head-on collision with another Avatar-stage monster.

......

Qingming, the Shattered Realm.

The place resembled a wasteland, scarred and ravaged by catastrophe.

The cultivators of the Palace of Absolute Beginning were gathered in the council chamber once more. This time, though, their auras were weak, and some of them still bore unhealed wounds. They looked utterly pitiful.

Standing in front of the group was a middle-aged man who was full of vitality and in perfect health. He exuded an air of extreme arrogance as he looked down upon the broken group.

Facing the Palace of Absolute Beginning cultivators with his nostrils, he declared, “The Ancestor of my Xu Clan, in his mercy, has decided to specially grant the lot of you three favors. Once you’ve knelt and expressed your gratitude, he will naturally ensure your safety. If you refuse, our army will immediately march into your realm, but do not blame us for showing no mercy. We will leave no one alive, not even the chickens and dogs!”

He cleared his throat and continued, “These three favors are as follows: First, you are granted the right to choose whether to join the Xu Clan and receive the Xu surname or not. Should you join us, each of you will receive a technique of the Myriad Vicissitudes Sword Canon!”

“Ptoeey!” Cui Yu spat a mouthful of saliva right at him.

The envoy scrambled to dodge, fuming, “Don’t push your luck!”

Cui Yu sneered. “I am a member of the Cui Clan, and you’re asking me to change my surname—who does the Xu Clan think they are?”

The envoy retorted immediately, “If you were Cui Tianlin, I certainly wouldn’t be saying this! If this conversation is taking place in the Cui Clan’s territory, I wouldn’t have said this either. But right now, you’re standing in Qingming, on the territory of my Xu Clan. You are a mere heavenly foundation—aren’t there dozens or even hundreds of them in every noble clan, distinguished or not? Who even knows who you are? Who even cares who you are?!”

Cui Yu’s face turned ashen with anger; this was the first time ever he’d been bested in a verbal spar. Just then, Trueman Chu He tugged at his sleeve and said, “Let him finish.”

The envoy harrumphed and said, “You’re a man who knows when to back down, Trueman. I’ll certainly speak highly of you when I return. This second favor is that my clan will send someone to take over the post of military commissioner. All official positions under the military commissioner will remain unchanged, though the personnel may be replaced.

“Third, registration. Anyone within the realm who has undergone Body-tempering will be granted the status of a private subject of the Xu Clan. From then on, they will no longer be required to pay the poll tax or household tax. They need only pay taxes to the Xu Clan.

“Should you accept these three favors, the Ancestor will step in to offer protection, and those within the realm may live and work in peace. They will no longer need to fight to the death as before.”

Trueman Chu He asked, “What if we refuse?”

The envoy sneered, “Right now, one hundred thousand private troops and one hundred official troops are stationed just outside Qingming. If you refuse, the armies will naturally march in and cut down the rebels! Once we’ve wiped out all of the rebellious scoundrels, this land will still belong to us.”

Killing intent was gradually rising from the Palace cultivators, but the envoy showed no fear. He merely sneered and continued, “Without Wei Yuan, you can no longer harness the power of the realm, and your previous lethal tactics are unusable. The mortals will just be that—mortals! On top of that, Zhang Sheng is dead. What else do you have to stop the many Avatar-stage elders of the Xu Clan? I needn’t spell out the outcome of this battle, do I?

“Don’t count on your sect either. The Palace of Absolute Beginning is currently struggling to survive, and the one who protected you last time is also gravely wounded. With True Lord Tao Tie[1] keeping a close watch, there is no way she could act.”

After the envoy finished speaking, Trueman Chu He said, “What you say indeed makes a lot of sense! It is as the saying goes: when a person is about to die, their words are certainly sincere.”

The envoy grew increasingly uneasy as he listened and snapped, “What do you mean by that?”

Trueman Chu He laughed and said, “To tell you the truth, this old Daoist is a coward and a sloth who cannot stand being tied down. So, the best way to keep my spirit unburdened is really to kill you all, then pack up and make a run for it. As for how many mortals die here, that has nothing to do with me. You’ll be the ones to bear the karmic debt after all. All this old Daoist can do is to avenge them a little by killing a few more people surnamed Xu.”

The envoy’s arrogance immediately took a dip. If an Avatar Trueman chose to be shameless, they could definitely become a headache, so much so that even a True Lord might not be able to deal with them. Besides, the Palace of Absolute Beginning wasn’t without True Lords of their own. In fact, their numbers far exceeded those of the Xu Clan.

Just then, a voice from outside the door said, “When two nations are at war, envoys are not to be killed. This fellow is merely a lowly envoy; though he speaks with arrogance, killing him would serve no purpose. Go back and tell your master that if he wishes to go to war, I have twenty thousand elite soldiers from Southern Qi with me. Trust me when I say that they are raring to test their mettle against your private army!”

1. Taotie is one of the ”Four Fiends” of ancient Chinese mythology, renowned as a symbol of gluttony, greed, and insatiable appetite. According to ancient texts like the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the creature is typically depicted with a sheep or ox-like body, a human face, tiger-like teeth, and eyes located under its armpits. ☜