Chapter 318: Biding One’s Time

The Palace of Absolute Beginning.

Ji Liuli walked into the familiar small courtyard and glanced around for a bit.

She hadn’t actually been away for very long, but these past few months felt as if several years had passed. To say that far too many things had happened during this time would be an understatement; just the endless battles alone was enough to drain one of their energy.

The young Daoist was neither sitting in the courtyard nor meditating on his cloud bed. Instead, he was standing at the edge of a sheer cliff, gazing northward as he silently calculated something.

The relaxed atmosphere of the small courtyard was nowhere to be found. Instead, it had been replaced by an inexplicable sense of oppression and suffocation.

It wasn’t until Ji Liuli walked up behind him that the young Daoist—True Lord Yanshi in his youthful appearance—said, “You’re back.”

Ji Liuli replied, “I should be, but... I would like to postpone my return a while longer.”

“Oh? Now is precisely the time for you to come back and make your breakthrough. Why have you changed your mind?”

Ji Liuli answered, “I’ve recently gained new insights and feel that my Dao Foundation can be strengthened further. That is why I’d like to stay in the western regions a little longer.”

“Why the western regions?” True Lord Yan Shi furrowed his brow slightly.

“I have discovered my opportunity to attain the Dao in the western regions. It stands to reason that the perfection of my Dao Foundation should also happen there.”

True Lord Yan Shi returned to the small courtyard and sat down at the center. In the brief time it had taken him to take those few steps, the entire courtyard seemed to have undergone a complete transformation and looked entirely different from when Ji Liuli first entered.

True Lord Yan Shi said slowly, “Your Dao Foundation is already close to the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, possessing numerous wondrous applications and supreme power. After years of refinement, I have no doubt that your power has risen to a new level. However, that is precisely why the difficulty of attaining your Avatar has also increased. For every marvelous power you add to your Dao Foundation, for every increase in strength, it will only become harder for you to attain an Avatar. As the saying goes, ‘Too much is as bad as too little’—I’m afraid that applies to you now.”

“This disciple knows and accepts the risks.”

True Lord Yan Shi nodded. “As long as you know. So, what new power have you grasped this time? Show me.”

Ji Liuli released the Devil Suppressing Nine-Level Pagoda. At the moment, the small pagoda appeared faintly translucent and gave off a particularly lively and spirited aura much like a lapis lazuli treasure. Just being near it brought clarity of mind and accelerated one’s train of thought.

Ji Liuli explained, “During my time in the western regions, I had used my pagoda to simulate the properties of heaven and earth, deduce their transformations, and enhance its exquisiteness. I’m planning to conduct further deductions and continuously strengthen this function until I can simultaneously deduce the transformations of tens of thousands of physical properties and attain the Dao of Exquisiteness. When the time comes for me to manifest my Avatar, I will be able to achieve the Devil Suppressing Nine-Level Treasure Pagoda of Exquisiteness.”

“The Dao of Exquisiteness is no trivial Dao. Doing so will make it exponentially more difficult for you to attain your Avatar. Are you sure about this?”

“Relax, your disciple’s innate foundation is peerless. This extra bit of burden is nothing to me.”

“That may be so, but you should still spend less time by Wei Yuan’s side. If you must stay, then I ask that you return here from time to time.”

“Why is that?”

True Lord Yan Shi casually scooped up a handful of white sand from the flower pond and scattered it from the palm of his hand.

The white sand coalesced in mid-air into a mountain peak that was surrounded by bottomless darkness. Grains of sand kept sliding down the peak and falling into the dark abyss below, yet new grains kept forming at the summit. It was a most eerie sight.

True Lord Yan Shi explained, “Think of this mountain peak as Wei Yuan. For some unknown reason, his true fortune keeps piling higher and higher, yet only extraordinary people could perceive this unusual phenomenon. As a result, the area around him has become like the surroundings of this mountain: a valley of misfortune. Even those closest to him are like the grains of sand on this peak—they may not fall right away, but they cannot remain there for long. Over time, they will inevitably plunge into the abyss.

“If you remain by his side, you may not feel the impact yourself, but a major mishap might occur when you are preparing to ascend to the Avatar-stage. Since I am currently devoting most of my attention to the north, I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you in time. That is why you need to return frequently to purge yourself of the negative fortune.”

“This disciple will be careful.”

True Lord Yan Shi nodded and said, “Then go.”

Ji Liuli was about to leave when she caught herself and voiced her concern, “Is the situation in the north that urgent?”

"The current Preceptor of Northern Liao intends to strip away the fortune of our northern mountain gate. Of course, I cannot allow him to succeed. We’ve just wrapped up two duels lately, and a third may happen very soon.”

True Lord Yan Shi’s voice carried a sense of ease and overwhelming confidence, which lifted Ji Liuli’s spirits as well. Only then did she take her leave.

Western Jin, Autumn Hunting Grounds.

Dawn had broken. Guided by a palace eunuch, Wei Yuan located his cavalry’s camp and rejoined his riders.

He went to the central command tent and unfolded a map on the table. It had just been delivered to Wei Yuan this morning. It showed the starting position of his forces and three small sword symbols marking the three central mountain peaks.

The three sword symbols each concealed a hidden treasure: one held a trove of immortal silver, another the official seal of a vacant fourth-rank post, and the third a treasure vase containing a speck of Jin fortune. Although it was just a speck, it was sufficient to bestow three chi of fortune upon a single person. For example, if a person originally only had seven chi of fortune, acquiring this national fortune would allow them to break through the one zhang mark and become a Chosen One.

These three hidden treasures were highly attractive even to military commissioners like Xu Tongshou and Fan Wenbai, as they could be used to create a subordinate with real power out of thin air, or propel a relatively talented young member of their clan into the ranks of geniuses instantly.

However, these were just the hidden treasures. Compared to the wealth of national fortune that would be awarded to the overall victor of the autumn hunt, the tiny speck stored with the treasure vase might as well be worth nothing.

A total of 9 factions would be participating in this hunt, with each limited to just 500 troops. There were no restrictions on troop types or equipment. The map Wei Yuan received showed only his own starting position and no one else’s.

The participants included the three princes, three military commissioners (including Wei Yuan), the forces of King Ying and King Cheng, and a border garrison from the northern frontier. Essentially, all the key figures in the Western Jin military were present.

The target of the hunt was a group of over 10,000 Liao tribesmen, most of whom were able-bodied men and women that had been kidnapped from their tribes, though some of them were prisoners of war. They were scattered throughout the vast mountain regions where multiple secret caches containing weapons and supplies had been hidden. It was entirely up to chance what the Liao tribesmen might find.

Looking at the map, Wei Yuan immediately ruled out the three marked hidden treasures. Since he was determined to finish last in this hunt, he naturally had no intention of raiding them.

Wei Yuan had been assigned a position right in the center of the northern sector. Just a few dozen li to the south of his position lay one of the hidden treasures. Objectively speaking, his starting location was practically cheating—if Wei Yuan chose to launch a full-speed raid, it would be nearly impossible for any other group to reach the treasure before him.

However, Wei Yuan was considering heading west or east, not south. He felt that his position was a bit too close to the center, and it was only a matter of time before some unit would pass through the area. That was why he needed to move to the periphery.

However, Wei Yuan couldn’t just move all the way to the edge either—he had to at least give the King of Jin some face and put in a token effort. So, he planned to choose a hilltop and lie in wait for reap whatever prey might come his way.

A quick glance at the map revealed a small river in the northwest corner, with a hill right beside it. It was a location that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it an ideal campsite.

Since the spot was so perfect, he naturally had to keep a safe distance away from it. Instead, Wei Yuan decided to head east, where there was a barren hill that looked as neglected as it could be. It was perfect for a few days of peaceful sleep while he bided his time during the hunt.

As day broke and the sound of horns rang out continuously, Wei Yuan led his troops out of the camp and straight for his chosen hilltop—the hunt had officially begun.

The mounts Wei Yuan had brought this time were all from the Xu Clan’s private army. They were tall, sturdy horses a grade better than even those of the Western Jin’s regular cavalry. Although they were marching through rugged, undulating mountain terrain, they had already covered over 100 li in less than 2 hours and reached their designated area.

They encountered only a few scattered groups of Liao tribesmen along the way. Wei Yuan did not waste time with them and instead accelerated their march until they finally reached the small hilltop.

The hill was not high—only several dozen zhang—but it was the only hill within a 20-li radius.

Wei Yuan surveyed the area once and was very satisfied with what he found. He ordered, “Scale the hill, set up camp, and first build shelters for the horses!”

The riders rode their horses up the hill and dismounted. At the summit, they found a hollow spot to serve as a stable and gathered their warhorses there. Wei Yuan materialized a large number of flat cauldrons and set them down. Although they were technically flat cauldrons, he had summoned them for his men to use as shovels. After all, it was less than a finger thick with sharp edges along the outer rim.

Regardless of its shape, the object embodied the true intent of a cauldron, so it was a cauldron.

The Great Realm was currently in a state of stillness. The objects he manifested no longer possessed any mystic quality whatsoever and could only be used as shovels. Even so, it saved his soldiers the need to carry an extra tool.

500 riders immediately set to digging with all their might. Trench after trench were created at an incredible speed, and within just the span of two hours, the entire hilltop was pitted with holes and trenches.

Wei Yuan glanced at the sky and sensed that a heavy rain might fall tonight, so he manifested several large cauldrons and placed them in the center of the camp to collect rainwater. There were no water sources on the mountaintop, and the hunting rules prevented participants from bringing their own food and water. They could only search the hunting grounds for food that had already been hidden there in advance.

However, this rule had little impact on Wei Yuan. The 500 riders he had brought were all Dao Foundation stage cultivators; a single hearty meal could sustain them for seven or eight days. That said, they still needed to drink water.

Ironically, they would have to eat more and have a much lower tolerance for hunger if they were in the Body-tempering stage. This was why the human race’s elite forces placed such importance on provisions. In fact, history was replete with examples of crushing defeats caused by running out of food supplies.

The hunt probably wasn’t going to end in a day or two. If things dragged on, it could easily last three to five days. Therefore, they had to search for a water supply first. Unfortunately, Wei Yuan swept his perception across the area and could not find any hidden supply caches within a 10-li radius, so he didn’t waste any more effort searching.

As the fortifications on the hilltop gradually took shape, the riders opened their backpacks, took out the steel-barrel guns and ammunition wrapped in oiled paper, and laid them out on the battlefield. According to Xu Wenwu, it would be best to place several layers of barbed wire and landmines in front of defensive positions. However, Wei Yuan felt that both items were quite useful, and there was no need to display them to the King of Jin at this time. Should a conflict arise in the future, he could use them to give the Jin army a proper surprise.

By now, the riders had become quite proficient at constructing defensive positions. Every soldier in the realm of Qingming knew that to fight a war, one must first dig. Dao Foundation stage cultivators were particularly skilled at digging and could remove hundreds of catties of earth with a single shovel. During the previous battle, had Yue Jinshan’s iron cavalry arrived even just half a day later, he could have dug another three trenches and avoided the 300 casualties.

Wei Yuan inspected the lines back and forth with growing satisfaction. Even he could find nothing to criticize.

As he surveyed the scene, he declared, “Good job, everyone! Once the positions are dug in, you may set up your tents and rest. We’re not going anywhere for the next few days; we’re just gonna hold our ground here and try to avoid any casualties. Once the autumn hunt is over, we’ll head home and... Hmm??”

Suddenly, Wei Yuan spotted a military unit appearing about a dozen li away from his position. They were marching straight past him. It looked like they were headed for one of the three hidden treasures to seize the rewards.

As soon as he saw the unit’s banner, a murderous glint flashed across Wei Yuan’s face—it was none other than the force of Lü Wenbai, Military Commissioner of Yun Xiang!

Wei Yuan spun around and barked, “Grab your weapons and mount up! We’re gonna ambush that unit from behind and wipe them up! If anyone resists, just kill them—there is no need to show any mercy whatsoever!”

Wei Yuan led out his blue steed and swung himself into the saddle. A palace eunuch who had been accompanying the troops this whole time quickly grabbed Wei Yuan’s leg and pleaded repeatedly, “Lord Wei, please think thrice! In-fighting is going to cost you your evaluation! My lord, think about the bigger picture, please!”

Wei Yuan kicked him away and snapped, “To hell with the bigger picture! I’ve always settled my personal scores first!”