Volume One: Turmoil in Yan Yun Chapter Ninety-Nine: Northern Yan Northern Yan (Part Six)

Feng Qi did not believe Feng Yue’s words, even if it was highly probable that he was the reincarnation of Li Jinxing.

Practice is the only criterion for testing truth; authority is merely a means to gain greater recognition from the masses. Before something truly exerts its effect, all conjectures remain unknowns. Therefore, he did not intend to argue with Feng Yue about the formation. Regardless, the Demon Lord’s southward march was already a foregone conclusion, and when that time came, it would be clear whether Li Jinxing’s words held any truth.

He was more concerned with another matter.

To move the Great Array of Yanbei, one must establish a prerequisite: the allied forces must be able to breach Yanyun. Currently, Yanyun held the advantage everywhere except for the West Gate. On what basis did Feng Yue believe that Yanbei would inevitably lose? He pondered this for a moment, but ultimately remained puzzled.

"The Battle of the Dao-Integration has begun." Feng Yue stared at the Chessboard of Mountains and Rivers, where several dazzling orbs of light, akin to scorching suns, soared into the high heavens. The clash was imminent.

Feng Qi remarked, "Three against three, plus the power of the wind and sand; Yanyun is bound to win."

Feng Yue smiled slightly. "Why do you assume it must be three against three?"

Feng Qi replied, "The Barbarians have only one Dao-Integration expert, and the grassland demon clans have only two divine beasts—the wolf and the snake. Where else could more Dao-Integration experts come from?"

Feng Yue asked, "Xu Hai?"

Feng Qi’s expression remained blank. "If Xu Hai could balance both Wuyang and Daoyuan, and still have a Dao-Integration expert arrive on the Yanyun battlefield, then every righteous sect in the world should die of shame."

Excluding Xu Hai, the existing great Dao-Integration figures of the human race numbered about sixteen: two each from Xueyun, Taixuan, Yihua, and the Divine Dynasty; Qi Luozhu of Jiangnan, He Sai of Kunlun, Liang Zhiyin of Tianxiang, the two Pavilion Masters of Qixue and Shehun, and Feng Susha of Shenwei. Then there were Li Jinxing and Li Shouli. Even if there were some powerhouses hidden in the mountains, the total would not exceed twenty. To occupy a corner of the world and still possess two Dao-Integration experts—if there were more, would it not put the sects that occupied the most strategic locations to shame?

Feng Yue thought of the Qingshi Tower, which at its peak possessed the top-tier strength of seven Dao-Integration experts. But since times had changed, he did not mention it, turning instead to ask, "And what of me?"

As the most wanted criminal of two dynasties, Li Jinxing naturally had his unique ways of surviving until now; no faction dared to ignore him.

Feng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly, "That depends on whether you are still that Minister Li who worries about the country and the people."

It felt somewhat strange to associate "worrying about the country and the people" with Li Jinxing, but Feng Qi knew he was absolutely worthy of those four words. The Ji Palace was inherently concerned with the nation and its people. As one who inherited five-tenths of the Ji Palace’s fortune, how could Li Jinxing be anything but a man concerned with the state?

If this war caused too much depletion, it would inevitably shake the foundations of the human race. A Dao-Integration figure had already fallen; if Yanyun were breached, and the Valley Master of Tianxiang, the Fortress Master of Shenwei, and the Wind God Guards suffered further losses, no matter how heaven-defying Li Jinxing’s strategies were, they would not be able to stop the iron hooves of the demon race a hundred years hence. His original proposal to slaughter half the common population was based on this consideration: when the world is powerless, one must supplement it with quantity. The number of human powerhouses could not be lightly risked.

Feng Yue sighed. "After a thousand years, I did not expect you to understand me."

Feng Qi did not feel he understood him, but just as he had debated with Feng Yang in Yanbei, he never believed that endlessly taking from heaven and earth was a good thing. To balance the gains and losses of the world, necessary attrition was required.

"It is often said that human power is limited; could it be that heaven and earth are truly infinite?" Feng Qi said softly. "If this battle were not taking place in Yanbei, I might even be in awe of the scale of this rebellion."

Setting aside his stance, Feng Qi actually admired this rebellion. Both the timing and the methods were superb, not to mention the coalition between Xu Hai, the Barbarians, and Bohai, which was no less formidable than the Scarlet Moon of the past. The problem was that the battlefield was currently in Yanbei.

Feng Yue said, "If it were not Yanbei, why would I have descended into the fray?"

This was the first time Li Jinxing admitted he had intervened in the Battle of Yanbei. He had clearly denied having any arrangements just moments ago. Could it be that his plans were only now beginning to manifest? Since Li Jinxing would not act personally, the only possibility was the other Dao-Integration figure who had always followed him: Li Shouli.

Feng Qi probed, "With the Wind and Sand Array, a single Li Shouli cannot change the outcome of the battle."

Feng Yue glanced at Feng Qi and chuckled, "Do you truly believe I intended to rely on him to turn the tide of the Yanyun battle?"

Feng Qi was startled, then suddenly realized.

***

Li Jinxing had not walked among humans for a thousand years, but Li Shouli had. The world’s understanding of Li Jinxing was generally confined to books; his merits and demerits were judged accordingly. His words and thoughts were indeed shocking, but he still had many followers who upheld his will. The appearance of Li Shouli might be a signal. A signal to those followers.

The question now was, how many followers did Li Jinxing still have? Thinking of the previous incident with Bai Jian, Feng Qi’s heart sank. He turned his head and looked at the Chessboard of Mountains and Rivers. Without him noticing, another orb of light, like a scorching sun, had appeared on the board.

...

...

Wind and sand filled the air above Yanyun City, blotting out the sky. A one-armed middle-aged man stood amidst the dust, his gaze indifferent as he looked down. Feng Muyun was also watching him.

The battlefield had undergone subtle changes after Li Shouli’s appearance. Everyone knew what his presence here meant. But not everyone knew what variables he would bring.

Li Shouli calmly reached out his hand. Sensing the pressure from him, the wind and sand above Yanyun grew denser.

"He is consuming the power of the array," Feng Muyun said in a deep voice. "Although it seems fine, I have a premonition of disaster."

After a brief pause, Feng Muyun asked, "After the incident with Bai Jian, I asked you to coordinate with the City Lord to verify the files of all high-ranking officers in Yanyun. Is it confirmed?"

Luo He stood beside him. "The Prince has been with them constantly; can you not tell?"

Such matters were sensitive. If the soldiers who had faced life and death discovered that the Prince they trusted most was investigating them, it would be hard to avoid resentment. But after the Bai Jian incident, Feng Muyun had no choice... No one wanted to face a comrade’s blade on a confrontational battlefield.

Feng Muyun watched Li Shouli and said softly, "At least with Bai Jian, I failed to see it."

Luo He was silent for a moment, then said, "There are no issues."

Feng Muyun asked again, "What about Uncle Gu's side?"

Luo He replied, "Nothing abnormal. He was met by the former vassal families of the Gu household. A detailed investigation revealed no abnormalities." Even if there were, it wouldn't matter; that family was thousands of miles away from Yanyun, and even if there were some unrest, it would not affect the current situation.

Feng Muyun did not speak. After a while, he said, "I feel I have overlooked something."

Luo He made a sound of query. Feng Muyun shook his head. "Thinking too much is useless. Since the four city gates have no issues, there shouldn't be any trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shouli took a step toward the North Gate. The wind and sand that filled the sky suddenly ceased, only to attack Li Shouli with even greater ferocity.

"Being comparable to a Dao-Integration expert is, in the end, not being one." Li Shouli reached out and grabbed a handful of sand, sensed it carefully, and let it scatter with the wind.

A sword hum suddenly rang out amidst the wind and sand. A divine weapon shot out from behind Li Shouli, emitting a clanging sound.

The wind and sand were briefly parted, revealing the deep blue sky above, before closing again in an instant. A giant eagle made of sand appeared in the sky. All things are interconnected; if the top weapons have spirits, the top arrays naturally have array spirits. The giant eagle was the spirit of the Wind and Sand Array. Apart from the Boundary-Breaking Domain, the power of heaven and earth it could mobilize was no different from that of an ordinary Dao-Integration expert.

The giant eagle let out a long cry and charged at Li Shouli.

Li Shouli shifted his intent, and his long sword danced rapidly, leaving thousands of dense sword marks between him and the sand eagle. The giant eagle did not slow down. The wind and sand filled the sword marks.

The sound of the sword and the cry of the eagle merged, turning into a thunderclap that exploded above Yanyun. Regardless of friend or foe, countless soldiers bled from their ears and noses, their heads buzzing.

Another thunderclap exploded. Feng Muyun hurriedly used the power of the wind and sand to protect the soldiers within the city. Meanwhile, the three opposing armies also used their own methods to block the impact of the Dao-Integration power on ordinary soldiers. Even if it was to die, it had to be a death that mattered.

The siege slowed down.

"Can we win?" Luo He shouted.

"How would I know?" Feng Muyun replied loudly. "However, the original purpose of the Wind and Sand Array was to defend against experts of the Demon Commander level. Since Li Shouli has not reached the Divine Concealment stage, I suppose there shouldn't be any problems."

Luo He was about to ask if he was certain, but was suddenly shocked speechless by the scene in the sky. Feng Muyun also looked at the sky, his eyes wide as bells. "The Thousand-Blade Sword Technique?"

On the Merit List of the Xiaoyao Pavilion, the Xueyun Sect had only two techniques in the top ten, both in the top five: the third-ranked Treading Snow Sword Technique and the fifth-ranked Thousand-Blade Sword Technique. At this moment, what Li Shouli was displaying was the Thousand-Blade Sword Technique. The divine weapon in his hand transformed into a thousand divine weapons, surrounding him and the sand eagle in layer after layer. From afar, one could only see a pillar of swords composed of countless blades.

The sword pillar not only blocked everyone’s line of sight but also isolated the fluctuations of the battle between the Dao-Integration experts. Although it was only for a moment, this gap was undoubtedly more favorable for the defenders. Batch after batch of new supplies were transported to the ramparts, and the slight damage to the walls was patched up by skilled craftsmen from the Casting God Valley.

Feng Muyun looked at the Barbarian army and demonic beasts reassembling in the distance, his gaze heavy. He had set several traps on the Barbarians' southward path; some, like at the Wind-Defense Pass, had dealt heavy blows to the allied forces, while others had not played the role he imagined. Compared to when they defended the Wind-Defense Pass, the number of Barbarian troops had decreased by less than thirty percent.

"Zhuyin Witches... truly troublesome," Feng Muyun said, frowning.

Luo He said, "We must find a way to light a fire within the Zhuyin Witches' arrays; otherwise, their defensive buffs for those barbarians are too high."

Feng Muyun said, "Although the catapults can throw oil barrels over, the priests beside them are not just for show."

Luo He suggested, "Perhaps we must sacrifice some people to carry out a counter-raid."

Feng Muyun shook his head. "The time is not yet right; there is no need to go all-in."

Luo He asked, puzzled, "It is said that they have already broken out of the East Gate. We are also at a stalemate; why can we not take a risk?"

Feng Muyun did not explain, only shook his head. "We shall discuss this matter again."