Chapter 212: Conscripted

At the Poison Gu Sect in the Shu Kingdom, Qu Xiong, Ye Ying, and Wei Nantian, three Core Formation cultivators, were deep in discussion, their expressions grave.

“Fellow Daoist Qu, is the news true? Is there really a medium-sized spirit stone mine in Myriad Snakes Valley? How could it have remained undiscovered for so long?” Ye Ying's beautiful eyes showed confusion.

“Absolutely true. Junior Brother Liu personally went to investigate, and there's no doubt. This spirit stone mine was originally discovered by the Li family, but cultivators from the Wei Kingdom also found it. The Li family intended to keep the news secret, but unfortunately, their opponents were too powerful. Unable to contend, the Li family fled back to our Poison Gu Sect for help.”

“Is it such a coincidence? Discovering the spirit stone mine at the same time?”

Qu Xiong smiled faintly and said, “That's not important. What matters is that it is indeed a medium-sized spirit stone mine, and the Five Sects of Wei Kingdom will certainly not yield it to us.”

Wei Nantian frowned, suggesting, “Our three sects are no match for their five. Why don't we jointly develop this medium-sized spirit stone mine? There's no need for a bloody battle.”

“Fellow Daoist Wei, you yourself said our three sects are no match for their five. How much could we gain by developing it together? The Wei Kingdom's territory is vast. Tang Kingdom is an old rival of Wei, and the Three Sects of Medicine King Valley have retreated to Chu Kingdom. I intend to unite the Tang, Chu, and Han Kingdoms—four nations against Wei. I refuse to believe Wei Kingdom can stand against four nations alone. What do you think?”

Qu Xiong's tone was filled with confidence. He wasn't blindly overconfident; Wei Kingdom currently held the largest territory, and other nations wouldn't idly watch Wei grow stronger. This medium-sized spirit stone mine was a death knell for the Five Sects of Wei Kingdom.

“I agree. We only need the spirit stone mine and two prefectures; the rest can be divided among the three allied nations. Contacting Tang, Chu, and Han will take some time. During this period, we must defend diligently and not repeat the mistakes of the Four Sects of Song Kingdom, who lost a Core Formation cultivator and had thousands of elite disciples captured at the start of the war.”

Wei Nantian was somewhat tempted. He suddenly thought of something and said with a troubled expression, “If we start a major war, how will we explain ourselves if our superiors hold us accountable?”

“Our superiors aren't tying our hands. If the Five Sects of Wei Kingdom seek death, who's to blame? Besides, a mid-grade spirit stone mine is enough to silence them. This is our guarantee for advancing to Nascent Soul; we must secure it.” Qu Xiong said solemnly, his eyes burning with fervor.

More than three months passed quickly.

Inside a secret chamber, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a futon, his complexion slightly pale. An oddly shaped magic tool hovered in mid-air. This magic tool was a small golden hammer. Its handle was about two feet long, engraved with a moon pattern, and its hammerhead was watermelon-sized, covered in spikes.

“It's finally forged. Chen Luhuo's ideas truly are extraordinary,” Wang Changsheng murmured to himself, his eyes filled with delight. The 'Chen Luhuo's Manual of Artifact Forging' contained many ingenious ideas for forging artifacts. This Golden Moon Meteor Hammer was forged based on one of those conjectures. Wang Changsheng had devised the forging method himself, succeeding only after one failure.

With a single gesture, the small golden hammer flew into Wang Changsheng's hand. He flicked his wrist, and the hammerhead shot out, connected to the handle by a long golden thread. The golden hammerhead accurately struck a nearby ape puppet, leaving several white marks on its body.

Wang Changsheng pressed the moon pattern on the hammer's handle. A golden blade, about a foot long, protruded from the end of the handle, instantly transforming it into a golden saber. Wang Changsheng was a body cultivator. The Blue Cloud Halberd was a close-combat magic tool, but in battles between cultivators, rushing blindly at an opponent was unwise unless one could teleport to their side. The Golden Moon Meteor Hammer compensated for this flaw. It could injure enemies from a distance; the greater the physical strength, the greater its power. It fully utilized Wang Changsheng's advantages as a body cultivator. It could also be used to entangle opponents with its thread, and for close combat, the handle could transform into a golden saber, making it a versatile tool. This Golden Moon Meteor Hammer was a mid-grade magic tool, essentially a combination of three mid-grade magic tools: a hammer, a golden saber, and a thread.

Wang Changfeng's voice suddenly rang out: “Ninth Brother, Changxue and several disciples from the Hundred Spirits Sect are here. They say they're conscripting our Wang family.”

Wang Changsheng frowned, put away his magic tool, and opened the door. Wang Changfeng stood at the entrance, his face filled with worry. “Conscripting? What's going on?”

Wang Changfeng gave a bitter smile and explained, “It's because of that spirit stone mine you discovered. Changxue said that the Five Sects of Wei Kingdom plan to invade Shu Kingdom and are conscripting cultivation families to the front lines. We've also received a conscription order. I'm not entirely clear on the details. Twenty-first Uncle is currently outside entertaining Fellow Daoist Su and his companions.”

Upon entering the main hall, Wang Changsheng saw Wang Mingjiang chatting with Su Cheng and a few others. Wang Changxue was also present.

“Fellow Daoist Wang,” Su Cheng said, standing up as he saw Wang Changsheng, his tone solemn, “I am here on orders from Martial Uncle Guang to conscript your Wang family to the front lines. You must provide at least one Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the number of Qi Condensation cultivators is up to you. Should any conscripted Foundation Establishment cultivator meet with an accident, our Hundred Spirits Sect will provide a Foundation Establishment Pill as compensation—one pill for each deceased Foundation Establishment cultivator. Those who achieve merits will receive additional rewards. Those who retreat from battle or neglect combat opportunities will be executed without mercy.”

Wang Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Compared to the Four Sects of Medicine King Valley, who were quite harsh, forcing people into battle with no compensation for deceased Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Hundred Spirits Sect's conscription terms were acceptable to him.

“Fellow Daoist Su, do we need to depart immediately?”

“Not necessarily immediately, but as soon as possible! Oh, and on Martial Uncle Guang's orders, as your family reported the discovery, we will first bestow upon your Wang family one Foundation Establishment Pill. After the war, further rewards will be given based on the merits you accrue.” As Su Cheng spoke, he took out a blue wooden box and handed it to Wang Changsheng.

“A Foundation Establishment Pill!” Wang Changsheng was a little surprised and quickly opened the wooden box to find a Foundation Establishment Pill inside. The Hundred Spirits Sect was quite generous; this Foundation Establishment Pill could easily have been given after the war. Although they provided a Foundation Establishment Pill, the Wang family had suffered heavy losses in the last major war, with Wang Yaozong killed in action.

“Fellow Daoist Su, you must be tired from your journey. Please stay at our Wang family residence for now. Once I've arranged our family affairs, we will depart.”

“Very well. We hope Fellow Daoist Wang will depart with your kinsmen as soon as possible.” Su Cheng agreed and left with his fellow disciples. Only Wang Changsheng and three others remained in the hall.

Wang Changsheng looked at Wang Changxue and asked, “Second Sister, how much do you know about this war?”

“Martial Uncle Guang summoned the leaders of the other four sects for a discussion. I'm not sure of the specifics, but soon after, Martial Uncle Guang instructed me to accompany Senior Brother Su back to Green Lotus Mountain to conscript our Wang family for the front lines. As for other details, I'm unaware. This war is inevitable.”

“Twenty-first Uncle, Elder Brother, this time I'll lead twenty clansmen to the front lines! You two stay and guard the family. During the last war, there were minor disturbances; I'll feel at ease with you both at home.”

Wang Mingjiang shook his head firmly and said seriously, “No, you are the hope of our Wang family. You cannot be harmed. For this war, I will lead the clansmen to the front lines, and you and Changfeng will stay behind to guard.”

“The family has supported me for many years, and I haven't yet contributed much! Twenty-first Uncle, Ninth Brother, I will lead the team. You two stay behind.”

The three argued for over half an hour. Eventually, it was decided that Wang Changsheng and Wang Mingjiang would lead twenty clansmen, while Wang Changfeng would remain at Green Lotus Mountain to guard against any minor disturbances.

After the discussion, Wang Changsheng went to bid farewell to his parents. Learning that he was going to the front lines again, Liu Qing'er's face was filled with worry, and she repeatedly urged him to be careful. Wang Changyue was somewhat reluctant for Wang Changsheng to go to the front lines.

“Brother, you must come back safely. I'll make you noodles with the Little Flame Array.” Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and promised, “Okay, Brother will definitely come back safely.”

Wang Mingjiang selected twenty clansmen. They then departed Green Lotus Mountain aboard the high-grade flying magic tool that Su Cheng had conjured. Out of concern for the family's stability, the newly acquired Foundation Establishment Pill was given to Wang Mingzhong to consume. If Wang Mingzhong successfully entered the Foundation Establishment stage, even if Wang Changsheng and Wang Mingjiang met with misfortune, the presence of three Foundation Establishment cultivators would ensure the Wang family's survival.