Chapter 824: Former Subjects of the Previous Dynasty

Chapter 824: Remnants of the Former Dynasty

The fishing boat docked in Zhen E, and Nian Shangyou disembarked with Qiao Yi.

There was a train station by the port. Qiao Yi and Nian Shangyou boarded a train together, traveling for a full five hours through the mountains.

Nian Shangyou kept looking out the train window. He was eager to know what the former dynasty's capital truly looked like.

However, along the entire journey, he saw no sign of a city. He only saw dense forests and heavy snow. Aside from the railway tracks and platforms, he hadn't even seen any other buildings.

When the train reached central Kan E, Qiao Yi led Nian Shangyou off and they walked up a mountain peak.

Looking down from the mountain, Nian Shangyou was stunned.

He saw a massive ring, towering before him.

The ring's base rested on the wilderness below the mountain, while its top reached the mountaintop. A shimmering, shifting black mass in the center of the ring made Nian Shangyou dizzy, as if he could be swallowed by the boundless darkness at any moment.

Qiao Yi asked, "Shangyou, do you know what this is?"

Nian Shangyou fell to his knees with a thud, unsure whether to kowtow to Qiao Yi or the Grand Totem.

Although his mind was a whirlwind, his instincts, honed by years of training, remained. He continuously kowtowed towards the Grand Totem, while ceaselessly praising Qiao Yi:

"My Lord has erected towering platforms, built impenetrable fortifications, and rebuilt the Grand Totem! This magnificent feat will resonate through time!

My Lord strategizes with unparalleled wisdom, controls the very forces of creation! His breath stirs wind and thunder, and his gaze reverses rivers!

His grand strategy pierces the heavens, a flick of his sleeve settles the world! His prestige shakes the Nine Underworlds, and his might dominates all directions!"

"Stop!" Qiao Yi interjected, halting Nian Shangyou. "This is not my achievement alone. The False King's contributions here are indispensable!"

Nian Shangyou looked at Qiao Yi and said, "Does Your Lordship mean that the False King discovered Zhen E, giving you the perfect site to rebuild the Grand Totem?"

"No! Rebuilding the Grand Totem is not my achievement alone; the False King contributed even more than I did!"

Nian Shangyou still didn't quite understand Qiao Yi's meaning. "My Lord, are you saying the False King once advocated for rebuilding the Grand Totem?"

Qiao Yi shook his head. "He never advocated for it. If he had, wouldn't his intentions be completely obvious to others then? Do you recall that, according to old custom, practitioners from Pro Province first needed the False King's approval to cultivate in Great Shang?"

Nian Shangyou remembered that.

When the Saint was still in Pro Province, level nine practitioners going to Shang to ascend to level ten nominally required the Saint's approval. Even if they knew someone else in the imperial court, they still had to at least pay their respects to the Saint and go through the motions.

Nian Shangyou also remembered a detail: "At that time, the False King had the power to determine loyalty and treachery."

This power to determine loyalty and treachery meant the Saint could directly judge a practitioner's loyalty to Shang. If judged "loyal," the practitioner could find relatively easy work in Shang.

If the practitioner was judged "treacherous," they would face extremely arduous cultivation in Shang. Simply put, they lived a life worse than livestock. Many practitioners couldn't even reach level ten because the cultivation process exceeded their limits of survival.

Qiao Yi nodded repeatedly. "The inner workings of this power to determine loyalty and treachery were extremely subtle; they concealed the False King's full cunning."

Nian Shangyou said, "I've also heard that the False King's judgments had nothing to do with loyalty or treachery. It was entirely based on how close or distant someone was!"

"Not only that," Qiao Yi said, looking at the busy crowd below the Grand Totem, "those absolutely trusted by the False King were sent to Kan E to oversee the rebuilding of the Grand Totem."

Nian Shangyou was startled. "In that case, how many years has this Grand Totem been under construction?"

Qiao Yi replied, "Ever since the False King lost control of Pro Province, he began construction of the Grand Totem, day after day, without interruption. Because the False King acted meticulously, it remained undetected by the imperial court for all these years.

It wasn't until I entered the Grand Secretariat that I discovered some practitioners from Pro Province were in peculiar circumstances. For instance, the cultivator He Caiyuan was given a high official position after three years of cultivation in Shang due to his outstanding achievements. What these achievements were was unclear in the records, and no one knew where he went during those three years.

With He Caiyuan's son, He Haiqin, the situation was even more absurd. This man held a key official position within less than a year of cultivation in Shang. When asked for reasons, they were vague and evasive, and no one could explain clearly."

Nian Shangyou found it unreasonable. "And no one questioned this?"

Qiao Yi sighed. "Some did investigate, but they were all covered up by the False King's fabricated achievements."

"Achievements could be fabricated?"

Qiao Yi gave a bitter laugh. "He Haiqin once severely injured the Lu family brothers and protected Lu Maoxian and others when he was in Pro Province. Such incidents were also claimed as achievements by the False King."

Nian Shangyou had also heard of this. "Shouldn't that be considered a dispute among powerful families? That's common in Pro Province! How could that be considered an achievement?"

Qiao Yi gazed into the distance. "At that time, the False King was in Pro Province. If he called it an achievement, he could always find some justification.

Besides, everyone in the imperial court treated Pro Province practitioners as slaves. Who would argue with the False King over matters concerning slaves? Although the False King had lost power, he still held the title of monarch. When I investigated this matter, I faced countless obstacles.

Unexpectedly, the False King acted clever and moved Daogui Ridge to Saintly Peak, thinking he had gained a powerful weapon. He was unaware of his true capabilities. When Saintly Peak was occupied by the Blade Demons, he fled back to Great Shang in a panic, and only then did my investigation make progress."

Nian Shangyou quickly said, "It must be that the False King revealed a flaw, which Your Lordship discovered."

Qiao Yi shook his head repeatedly. "He didn't intentionally reveal a flaw. It's just that at the time, I kept wondering how he managed to escape from Saintly Peak back to Great Shang!"

Nian Shangyou thought back. "According to rumors, he used the Imperial Seal. He left the Imperial Seal at Saintly Peak and flew directly back to Chaoge."

Qiao Yi waved his hand. "Initially, I believed that too. But the timing didn't match. The False King returned to Chaoge much later than he left Saintly Peak.

Later, I repeatedly examined the Imperial Seal's craftsmanship, which proved things weren't that simple. The False King did use the Imperial Seal, that much is true, but it depends on how it was used. The Imperial Seal doesn't provide a means to come and go freely. Its correct purpose is to create passage documents to clear some special pathways.

These paths already existed, some even older than most areas of Pro Province, but they were originally impassable. Documents stamped with the Imperial Seal served as keys to open these paths. However, the cost of using the document was that the Imperial Seal had to be left behind."

Nian Shangyou felt this explanation was incorrect.

Everyone said the Imperial Seal possessed vast supernatural power, so why did its power seem to diminish so much when Qiao Yi spoke of it?

Nian Shangyou said, "The Imperial Seal is already lost in Pro Province. Can Your Lordship deduce its use simply by examining its craftsmanship?"

Qiao Yi chuckled. "It's not that I examined the craftsmanship; it was Grandmaster of Crafting, Duan Tielu, who looked at the Imperial Seal's craftsmanship. Do you still not trust his judgment?"

"No, it's not that your humble subordinate doesn't trust him, it's that Your Lordship..." Nian Shangyou stopped short.

A few days ago, Nian Shangyou had found out the whereabouts of the Grandmaster of Crafting. The Grandmaster had promised to fix the Grand Furnace within three months.

However, Qiao Yi had said he didn't trust him and didn't let him come.

Now, Qiao Yi was saying he did trust him. What could be the reason for this?

In such a short time, Nian Shangyou had learned so many things that his brain struggled to process everything at once. Some things he just couldn't figure out.

When he finally understood, he dared not speak easily.

Was Grandmaster of Crafting, Duan Tielu, putting on a double act with Qiao Yi?

He was right to think so; the two of them were indeed putting on a double act.

Qiao Yi trusted Duan Tielu and had been having Duan Tielu work on things during this time. Qiao Yi simply didn't want anyone disturbing him.

Nian Shangyou could now guess what Qiao Yi had Duan Tielu working on.

He had just mentioned the Imperial Seal and had shown its craftsmanship to Duan Tielu. So, had Duan Tielu now forged a new Imperial Seal for Qiao Yi?

With an Imperial Seal, one could become emperor.

He must not ask this question, and he must not guess the answer, otherwise, a single life wouldn't be enough to pay for it!

Qiao Yi looked at Nian Shangyou. "Scholar Nian, what are you thinking about?"

"My Lord!" Nian Shangyou immediately responded. "Your humble subordinate was wondering, where did the path opened by the False King actually lead?"

Qiao Yi frowned. "Shangyou, did I not explain it clearly just now, or did you not understand?"

"Your subordinate is dull-witted..."

This was the excuse Nian Shangyou could think of at the moment.

Qiao Yi said, "The False King was trapped in Saintly Peak and, with no other option, used the Imperial Seal to escape back to Great Shang. That path naturally led from Zhen E to Saintly Peak!

Anyone the False King trusted also traveled this path, going directly from Saintly Peak to Zhen E to construct the Grand Totem. This path already existed, but only by using the Imperial Seal could it be opened. Therefore, the people of Pro Province didn't know about this path, and were even unaware that the end of this path led to the Grand Totem!"

Nian Shangyou leaned forward to look down. "So many people walked this path, so many people saw the Grand Totem. Did no one leak any information?"

Qiao Yi patted the back of Nian Shangyou's head. "The Grand Totem can erase people's memories."

Nian Shangyou felt a chill shoot from the back of his head straight up his spine.

He felt he knew too much he shouldn't. He didn't want to know anything else now.

Qiao Yi looked at the Grand Totem and continued, "After the False King returned to Great Shang, he still wanted to make a comeback using the Grand Totem. But he couldn't obtain the Void Yuan Silkworm, so the Grand Totem was merely a facade, useless.

I went through immense hardship to discover the whereabouts of the Grand Totem. Then, I conferred Li Qi the title of Prince of Pingyuan, forcing the False King to turn against me prematurely, thereby expelling him from Great Shang and thus taking control of the Grand Totem."

"My Lord is wise and sagacious!" Nian Shangyou's lips trembled.

Qiao Yi grew more excited as he spoke. "The False King's trusted subordinate, He Shengdong, was subdued by me and revealed all the facts. With the Grand Totem and the path from Zhen E to Saintly Peak, this was a perfect opportunity to reclaim Pro Province.

Unfortunately, at the time, I couldn't obtain the Void Yuan Silkworm or the Imperial Seal, so the matter had to be put on hold. Now I have obtained the Void Yuan Silkworm and the Imperial Seal. Only one last obstacle remains to seizing Saintly Peak. Can you guess where this obstacle is? Shangyou, I trust you so much; you must not fail me again."

Nian Shangyou didn't dare speak carelessly this time. "Saintly Peak is under Cui Tik's control."

Qiao Yi nodded. "Cui Tik controls the Blade Demons, one of Pro Province's strongest forces. Saintly Peak is occupied by the Blade Demons, which is why I said Saintly Peak is the most perilous place in Pro Province.

If we take it by force, we would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses. Therefore, I must execute Cui Tik. But tell me, why didn't I kill him sooner?"

Nian Shangyou said tremblingly, "Your subordinate is dull-witted... Your subordinate dare not guess, cannot guess."

Qiao Yi pulled Nian Shangyou up from the ground. "Do you know the purpose of the Grand Totem?"

"Your subordinate does not," Nian Shangyou struggled to stand.

Qiao Yi rolled up his sleeves, lifted his robe, raised his hands high, and took a sideways step.

Nian Shangyou was bewildered; he didn't know what Qiao Yi was doing.

Qiao Yi's waist swayed, he spread his hands, and turned his head to the left.

This time, Nian Shangyou understood. Qiao Yi was dancing.

Why was he dancing?

Truth be told, his figure was quite good.

Qiao Yi glanced at Nian Shangyou. "Dance with me!"

Nian Shangyou couldn't dance, so he could only mimic Qiao Yi's movements. Fortunately, the dance wasn't too difficult; it was a sequence of different static poses. Each movement wasn't hard, but it was imbued with an ancient grandeur and power.

Led by Qiao Yi, everyone on the mountain peak began to dance, and those below followed suit. Everyone's movements were in perfect unison.

Qiao Yi spoke as he danced. "This is the sacrificial ritual of the former dynasty, and the proper way to use the Grand Totem. Unlike that fool Yu Zhuo, who collected departed souls and sent them directly into the Totem, causing countless souls to perish!"

Hearing this, Nian Shangyou quickly looked at the Grand Totem. Distracted, he missed a step and slipped, stumbling backward. Then he heard a low hum and sat directly on the ground.

The low hum came from the Grand Totem. Nian Shangyou saw a distinct change in the black mass at the center of the Grand Totem. Concentric halos shimmered around the black mass, gradually contracting towards the center of the Totem, until they finally disappeared.

On the wilderness, the ground continuously swelled, and figures emerged from the earth.

They struggled to crawl onto the ground, then crawled for a moment before slowly standing up.

People growing from the ground? Was this the Grand Totem's true purpose?

These people who had emerged from the ground were not quite the same. Although their figures were not well-formed, they all seemed to have three heads.

Could these all be royalty?

Were royal family members grown from the earth?

He must not think! Absolutely must not think such things!

He was indeed wrong to think that way. These people were not grown; they had already been prepared by the Grand Totem, just buried in the ground.

Nian Shangyou turned his head away, not wanting to look at the three-headed people. But Qiao Yi pulled him directly down the slope, all the way to the base of the mountain.

"My Lord, what are you doing? Your humble subordinate is dull-witted; I don't see anything unusual."

"Then look closely!" Qiao Yi pulled Nian Shangyou in front of one of the three-headed people.

Nian Shangyou looked at it. He recognized this three-headed person, and yet he didn't.

He recognized it because he knew the middle head; that was Lord Han Bin, of royal descent. He had followed Yu Zhuo in establishing the New Secretariat in Hao Province, and later died from a plague caused by Cui Tik.

He didn't recognize it because the other two heads were completely different from before. The left head looked like a high official, but Nian Shangyou couldn't remember his name.

The right head was even more unfamiliar. From its appearance, it seemed to be a commoner.

Qiao Yi led Nian Shangyou to another three-headed person. The left head was Lord Lei Pin, and the other two heads were an elk and a jackal. Its body resembled a bear.

After looking at dozens in a row, Nian Shangyou closed his eyes, daring not to look.

Qiao Yi lowered his voice and asked Nian Shangyou, "I'll ask you again: why do you think I didn't kill Cui Tik sooner?"

"Your subordinate... does not know..." Nian Shangyou didn't dare speak; he didn't even dare to think.

Qiao Yi said, "Say 'I don't know' again, and I'll kill you on the spot!"

Nian Shangyou, helpless, carefully weighed his words and uttered four characters: "Quell rebellion, amass troops."

These four characters hit the nail on the head.

If Cui Tik had been killed earlier, who would deal with the rebels in Hao Province? Many of these people were royal family members. If Qiao Yi personally dealt with them, he would surely bear the infamy of kinslaying in the future. Cui Tik was an imperial envoy, and someone working for the emperor was responsible for quelling rebellion; it was just and proper.

There was also something more important than quelling rebellion: amassing troops. The Grand Totem couldn't conjure soldiers out of thin air; it needed raw materials. Cui Tik had produced a lot of raw materials for the Grand Totem during this period.

Now, one crucial question remained: why did the departed souls of these people gather at the Grand Totem? The Grand Furnace was broken, so they should have become wandering ghosts. As far as Nian Shangyou knew, Qiao Yi hadn't deployed demonic cultivators on a large scale to gather souls. Zhen E was so hard to find, then how did these souls get here?

This led Nian Shangyou to another question: why wasn't Qiao Yi in a hurry to repair the Grand Furnace? The Grand Furnace had the ability to gather souls, but this ability was now completely lost, merely because Pro Province stole two leaves.

Was it really just because of those two leaves?

Nian Shangyou looked at the Grand Totem again. Was this Grand Totem really made of stone?

Could there be a part of the Grand Furnace here?

Anyway, Pro Province broke the Grand Furnace, and the Grand Secretariat would definitely send people to repair it. Anything removed during the repair could also be blamed on Pro Province. Then the Grand Totem could summon souls, and Pro Province could balance the accounts. "Have you figured it out?" Qiao Yi asked Nian Shangyou.

Nian Shangyou's body tensed up. "No, I can't figure it out—"

Qiao Yi shook his head. "You must understand, even if you don't. We are setting out today. Those who can leave this place must not retain memories of it. Those who can retain memories of this place cannot leave. Only you and I are exceptions. You understand military strategy; this army needs to be commanded by both of us. I'm telling you everything because you are the only one left I can trust."

Nian Shangyou looked up at Qiao Yi. In terms of height, he was a bit taller than Qiao Yi, but he couldn't stand straight and could only look up.

Perhaps the Grand Totem's halo was too dazzling, as Nian Shangyou gradually couldn't make out Qiao Yi's face.

But he knew that if he wanted to live, he must not say the wrong thing now. "Your humble subordinate is willing to follow Your Lordship's command."

"Good. Inventory provisions and weaponry, prepare to set out!"

Nian Shangyou felt it was too rushed. "My Lord, war is no small matter. A major battle requires two to three months, even half a year, of preparation. Setting out today will surely lead to many oversights."

Qiao Yi looked at Nian Shangyou and said, "Shangyou, this tough battle has been prepared for more than half a year. This contains my life's work!"

"But—" Nian Shangyou didn't know what to say. "These people have never fought in a war."

These motley people, when they were alive, had little to no involvement with battlefields.

Moreover, their blank expressions and vacant eyes made them seem mindless; they didn't look like they could fight at all.

Qiao Yi said, "Each of them possesses extremely powerful combat strength, because they all possess cultivation. If you teach them some simple formations, they will be invincible."

Were there such quick-to-learn formations?

Nian Shangyou was uncertain. "My Lord, can they learn formations?"

"Yes!" Qiao Yi was full of confidence. "Treat them as a Vanguard Battalion. If you put your heart into it, you can teach them the Thousand-Man Strength Formation!"

"The Thousand-Man Strength Formation?" Nian Shangyou shook his head repeatedly. "That's a formation only royal bloodlines can learn!"

Qiao Yi looked at the group of three-headed people. "Do you think they are not of royal blood?"

Nian Shangyou didn't dare speak rashly. "Your subject believes they should not be considered—"

Qiao Yi chuckled. "What kind of noble bloodline do you think royalty possesses? Shangyou, there's no need to worry too much. Some things, one try will tell."

Nian Shangyou said, "Then let's wait until they've learned the formations before going to Pro Province."

"No!" Qiao Yi refused sternly. "As I said just now, if they leave this place, their memories of it must be erased. We cannot expose the Grand Totem's location. Moreover, now that Cui Tik is dead, Pro Province will certainly grow suspicious. Wait one more day, and the news might leak, and all my efforts could go to waste!"

Nian Shangyou made one last request. "Without Cui Tik, even though the Blade Demons have lost their leader, they are still a group of fierce and valiant demons. We must have a strategy to fight them."

Qiao Yi said, "The strategy is to avoid fighting as much as possible."

This time, Nian Shangyou truly didn't understand. "If we don't fight, what then?"

Could they possibly persuade the Blade Demons to surrender?

Qiao Yi looked at the people around the Grand Totem, who were still dancing around it. "Remember these dances. This is the former dynasty's sacrificial dance, and it has an appealing power over the Blade Demons."

Nian Shangyou blinked. "Why would a former dynasty dance have an appealing power over the Blade Demons?"

Qiao Yi chuckled. "Guess where the earliest Blade Demons came from?"

"Also from the former dynasty?" Nian Shangyou's mouth hung open, and the beard around his mouth trembled continuously.

Li Banfeng sat in the snow, watching Yang Xiangjun drill his troops.

He had just returned from Haichi Ridge, bringing provisions and weaponry for the Gu cultivators, and a reward for Yang Xiangjun.

Yang Xiangjun was indeed a skillful commander. He first led his people to evacuate from the village, then launched continuous surprise attacks on it.

Alternating between engagement and withdrawal, the Curse cultivators couldn't keep up with the rhythm. They suffered repeated defeats and heavy casualties. It was estimated that in two more battles, they would completely collapse.

In this situation, Yang Xiangjun devised a new strategy. He decided to capitalize on the Curse cultivators' rout to force Hate Wuyou back, then, together with Li Qi, besiege him and eliminate future troubles once and for all.

Li Banfeng naturally agreed. After lunch, several family members watched Yang Xiangjun drilling the troops with Li Banfeng. Even Zhao Xiaowan couldn't help but praise him: "Husband, Yang Xiangjun has spent so many years in the martial world. I thought his military tactics had become rusty, but I never expected his marching and formation skills to be as good as ever."

Hong Ying quietly asked, "Was he famous back then? I don't remember."

Suishen Ju said, "Back then, he was purely a man's appearance, but now he's covered in makeup. It makes my heart tremble to look at him, how could I easily recognize him?"

Li Banfeng didn't understand much about marching and formations, and he was growing drowsy. Suddenly, he heard Jiu'er whisper in his ear, "My Lord, it's buzzing! Ah!"

Jiu'er's features contorted, cracks appeared on her face, and pus and blood oozed out.

Li Banfeng was startled. Just as he was about to save Jiu'er, he felt something was wrong with his surroundings.

It wasn't just Jiu'er; his wife, Hong Ying, Yang Xiangjun, and a group of Curse cultivators—everyone's skin was cracking, their flesh swelled beneath their skin, their limbs became short and thick, their eyes shrank, their lips thickened, and several fangs protruded from their mouths.

Ordinary people wouldn't recognize what kind of creature this was, but Li Banfeng was too familiar with it: these were Blade Demons.

Why had everyone around him turned into Blade Demons?

They circled Li Banfeng, dancing an ancient and primitive dance.

A blond man in a tailcoat said to Li Banfeng, "My friend, I always thought this was a dance I helped them create, but in reality, I had some sequential deviation in my perception and cognition."

It was Cui Tik, dancing with the Blade Demons.

"These dances might have originally belonged to the Blade Demons. Having spent a long time with them, I developed the same perceptions, but it led me to the misconception that I had created these dances."

Li Banfeng said, "Did you come to me just to convey a misunderstanding?"

"I came to tell you that it's the shared culmination of our wisdom. If they lose control, what would you do?"

"Why would they lose control? Get back from Inner Province now!"

"Seventh Young Master, what did you just say about losing control?"

Under Hong Ying's continuous shaking, Li Banfeng woke up from his dream.

"Husband, are you too tired?" Zhao Xiaowan took a handkerchief to wipe Li Banfeng's sweat. Both handkerchiefs were soaked, but his forehead was still damp.

"Why am I sweating so much?" Li Banfeng trembled continuously. "I need to go to Jianren Ridge!"

In Chapter 321, "Metamorphosis into a Butterfly," after He Haiqin reached level nine completion, he separated from his physical body, and his soul arrived at Saintly Peak. He received a document from the Saint and, through a cave in the back of Saintly Peak, went to a mysterious location where he began constructing the Grand Totem. His identity at the time was a carriage driver.

Boss Lu had used the Imperial Seal multiple times, and his method of use was also to create passage documents.