Dongxu Predicament

Leaving the mountaintop Camp Hall, Li Weiyi and Tang Wanzhou walked side by side down the winding stone path of Lingshan Mountain.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, especially such a captivating and extraordinary woman, Tang Wanzhou always seemed to possess a spirit that inspired admiration. One could admire her impeccable appearance and her untamed soul.

You get the kind of mood you get from the kind of people you're with.

Li Weiyi felt a sense of exhilaration, with high clouds and distant mists, and a beautiful figure so close at hand. He smiled and said, "I've heard that becoming Son of Heaven's Disciple brings unimaginable resources and benefits. Not only can one receive guidance from the Martial Path Son of Heaven, but one also enjoys the prestige and protection of the Martial Path Son of Heaven and the entire Sword Dao Imperial Court. The New Top Scholar, the leader of the three Son of Heaven's Disciples, will instantly become famous throughout the world once conferred the title. Why did you, Young Master, forgo the Imperial Court's top scholar title and choose to remain hidden in the shadows?"

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Given the close relationship between Tang Wanzhou and Li Weiyi, the two naturally had nothing to hide. She said, "The Immortal Dao Dragon Vein was the first to revive in the East Sea, and its influence is significant. The Sword Dao Imperial Court is separated from it by thousands of mountains and rivers, and is also blocked by the territories of the Demon Kingdom, the Du'e Temple, and the Dao Palace. It is difficult for them to cross these three boundaries and project a large amount of power to the area surrounding the East Sea. This is overstepping their bounds!"

"My father once trained at the Sword Martial Path Son of Heaven Sword Dao Imperial Court and was also Son of Heaven's Disciple of that Martial Arts Emperor. Counting all the Son of Heaven's Disciple of the Sword Dao Imperial Court from ancient times to the present, my father ranks third in age among those still alive, and his strength is about the same."

"After the Immortal Dao Dragon Vein was revived, the Sword Dao Imperial Court dispatched an envoy with a letter from the Emperor to the Lingxiao Shengjing. The Emperor addressed my father as his third disciple, granting him an unparalleled formal status. He then informed me that he wished to assist the Xue Jian Tang Ting in seizing the Lingxiao Shengjing. He offered to provide money, manpower, and resources as needed."

Li Weiyi asked, "What are the conditions?"

"No conditions were set," Tang Wanzhou said.

Li Weiyi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "There's no need to set conditions! If the Camel King, as his third disciple, seizes the Lingxiao Shengjing with the support of the Sword Dao Imperial Court, you will be at their mercy. What the Sword Dao Imperial Court needs is simply the right to intervene without going through the Demon Kingdom, the Du'e Temple, and the Dao Palace. My third disciple is over there; I have to help him."

Tang Wanzhou, with her light and quick steps, like a woman of the wind, said, "Although the swordsmanship of the Xue Jian Tang Ting originated from our own ancestors, my father did indeed receive this teaching and protection at a certain stage of his cultivation. Whether the Emperor wants to use us or treat us as pawns, we have no choice but to agree."

Li Weiyi asked, "Did the Camel King agree?"

"My father declined for the time being because of the return of the Mist Son of Heaven and the Great Palace Master, and the situation was unclear. But later, we came up with a middle ground plan: to take the Seven Prefectures of the North as our base, take the former lands of the Lingxiao Hundred States in the Seven Grievances Plain which were shrouded in the Netherworld of the Departed, and march eastward toward the East Sea. The restoration of the Netherworld will be handled by the Sword Dao Imperial Court, and we will send our army," Tang Wanzhou said.

Li Weiyi said, "This is a good thing. By working together to deal with the Netherworld of the Departed, we don't have to fight amongst ourselves. The Xue Jian Tang Ting and the Sword Dao Imperial Court are essentially getting what they need. As long as we conquer twenty states, that would be quite remarkable. If we could conquer the entire Seven Grievances Plain... that would be extraordinary."

Tang Wanzhou stopped and gazed at the mist-shrouded mountains. "Even the Sword Dao Imperial Court has intervened, which shows that in the next hundred years, or even several hundred years, Lingxiao Shengjing and the East Sea will inevitably be a land of slaughter and chaos."

"Given your personality, Young Master, you should like this kind of world, where heroes and villains compete, forging an immortal body in the flames of war, and carving out your own era with your sword. But judging from your tone, you seem full of worry and confusion," Li Weiyi said.

"Is that really the kind of person you see me as?"

Tang Wanzhou glanced at him calmly with her bright, clear eyes, then quickly walked down the mountain.

Li Weiyi immediately followed.

"If it weren't for the Great Palace Master's use of the Xiao Tian Order to plunge the world into chaos and cause widespread suffering, the Xue Jian Tang Ting would never have raised an army. Who doesn't want peace and tranquility? Who enjoys wars and killings where life is a constant struggle for survival?"

Tang Wanzhou continued, "The Mist Son of Heaven has returned! I witnessed her splendor in the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain. I felt that the Lingxiao Shengjing would soon return to peace and usher in the next golden age of martial arts. Three Hundred Prefectures would return and create a glorious nation. It was the revival of the Immortal Dao Dragon Vein that shattered that expectation in my heart."

Li Weiyi sensed another side of Tang Wanzhou's heart, a pursuit of beauty and a yearning for peace. "You still haven't told me why you didn't go to the Sword Dao Imperial Court, but instead came to Dongxu Camp."

"Because of you!"

Then she added, "Your trip to the Moon Dragon Island outpost with Tang Zhan can't be hidden from me. After the Great Palace Master is exposed, you will inevitably have to leave the Lingxiao Shengjing. Where else can you go besides the Dongxu Camp? For you, the Dongxu Camp is the safest place, and the only safe place."

Li Weiyi stared at her bouncing ponytail, inhaling the fragrance of her hair in the wind. "Are you still eyeing the Fusang Divine Tree?"

Tang Wanzhou once said that the Fusang Divine Tree could help her break the Longevity Lock at a faster speed.

"Not only that, there's also the Time Cocoon," Tang Wanzhou said with a smile.

Li Weiyi said, "Young Master, you really don't consider yourself an outsider. These two secrets are unknown even to my Fiancée Zuoqiu Hongting. I feel very guilty for letting another woman, who is both beautiful and talented, in so easily."

"You're the one who brought me in; you didn't treat me like an outsider. I thought we were already best friends, bound by life and death, fellow seekers on the path of martial arts. I rarely consider people as friends; I either see them as enemies or subordinates."

Tang Wanzhou added, "Sometimes you're not decisive enough. Since you feel guilty, follow your heart and call off the engagement! After all, you had another purpose in getting engaged in the first place."

"You really are my good friend," Li Weiyi said.

"Arrive!"

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Tang Wanzhou's expression turned solemn as he walked into the cave.

"Greetings, Sentinel Spirit."

Four sentries stood guard on either side of the cave.

Li Weiyi followed closely behind and entered the cave, where he saw dozens of coffins.

There were paper money and incense sticks on the ground; they were from a new coffin.

Tang Wanzhou said, "After you encountered Xie Wumian and Luo Pingdan, the Dongxu Camp dispatched three waves of forces to intercept and kill them, but all of them perished. Of course, it wasn't just those two they were dealing with; there was also Chu Yutian, the true Taiyin Sect."

Li Weiyi stared at the coffins before him. "Did we underestimate the enemy's strength?"

Tang Wanzhou shook his head. "Every time we learned of the enemy's whereabouts, the Dongxu Camp would send out several times the strength to deal with them. We wanted to teach the Taiyin Sect a lesson so they wouldn't cause trouble on Dongxu Camp's territory, but we were all wiped out and ended up being taught a lesson ourselves."

"Twenty-four sentinels were lost, eight lower-level sentinel spirits of the Longevity Realm were lost, and two Great Longevity were lost."

"Was the intelligence wrong, or did we fall into a trap?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "Logically speaking, the Dongxu Camp has been operating in the southern part of the Hundred Realms Life Domain for many years, and its intelligence network far surpasses that of the newly arrived Taiyin Sect. Moreover, the Dongxu Camp's intelligence is not obtained from a single source, but from multiple parties. No matter how powerful the Taiyin Sect is, it is impossible for all of its intelligence to be distorted."

"Could it be that there's a problem within the Dongxu Camp? Especially the Spiritual Pivot Group, which is responsible for intelligence gathering?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "If there are internal problems after each failed operation, they will definitely be found out. The Dongxu Camp has many measures for reverse investigation."

"Our intelligence network has already eliminated four people. This includes the whistle you brought back, and the Fourth Realm Great Longevity disguised in human skin."

"But you think it's just a matter of intelligence? Are all martial artists who can become Sentinels and Sentinel Spirits fools? Would they completely trust intelligence? Moreover, the Sentinel Spirit Army has also infiltrated the Taiyin Sect."

"The enemy is extremely cunning; their wisdom, courage, and strength are unparalleled."

"These coffins were personally delivered to the Crimson Bright Holy City by him. It's to tell us that he already knows the new camp of the Dongxu Camp is in the Chi Ming Realm. And he left a message saying, 'Anyone can bully the weak. The Dongxu Camp is too unruly, losing both substance and face.' He also instructed us to keep a good watch in the future and not to go and die again."

"Who?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "It is Chu Yutian, the true Taiyin Sect."

"Is this why the Dongxu Camp established the Lesser Yang Division?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou nodded. "What happened in Crimson Bright Holy City not only reached other camps of the Sentinel Spirit Army, but also the ears of some rulers of the living realms. Some extreme Lord of Life Realm cursed the Dongxu Camp as useless, a bunch of pigs, and wanted to reduce the cultivation resources provided to them each year."

"This is the consequence of sending the older generation of Great Longevity to take action. If they succeed, of course they can justify whatever they do. If they fail and are even killed in retaliation, then a tremendous backlash will follow!"

"The Dongxu Camp cannot afford the price of another failure if they send their veteran experts to fight again."

"We must rely on the younger generation to defeat or even kill Chu Yutian in order to regain our face."

Li Weiyi said, "By using the power of the world to deal with the Dongxu Camp and binding the hands of the older generation of experts in the Dongxu Camp, I have already felt Chu Yutian's power with just this one move. He dared to personally deliver the coffin to the Chiming Holy City, which shows his amazing courage. After delivering the coffin, he was able to escape, which shows his terrifying strength."

Tang Wanzhou said, "Everyone has weaknesses. The weakness of the Dongxu Camp is that it was established with the support of Various Life Realms, so it is subject to their control."

"What is Chu Yutian's cultivation level?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou gently shook his head. "The information we have so far is that he is at the third stage of the Longevity Realm. However, if the two Great Longevity Dongxu Camp died at his hands, then the information may not be true. There is also another piece of information: a month ago, Chu Yutian traveled in Dragon City with the True Disciple of the Dao Palace and purchased the Dragon Soul Origin Light from him. His cultivation is likely to advance by leaps and bounds again."

"The true teachings of the Dao Palace?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "It's not that Sheng Wulian, but rather that it's a new and true teaching."

"Who?" Li Weiyi asked.

Tang Wanzhou said, "All I know is that, apart from Wu Hongling and the Purple-clothed Woman, they've come up empty-handed. Besides Chu Yutian, it's said that Meng Quyi from the Saints Learning Sea Wenren Tinghai, the New Jia Explorer scholar of the Demon Kingdom, have both appeared in Dragon City to buy Dragon Soul Origin Light, Phoenix Leaf Fragments, and Immortal Dragon Bone."

Stepping out of the cave, Li Weiyi said, "If the Taiyin Sect already knows about the new camp of Dongxu Camp, wouldn't we be at risk of being attacked by the Departed Spirit Army at any time?"

Tang Wanzhou smiled, "It's not easy at all. First of all, the Sentinel Spirit Army has countless outposts in the Netherworld of the Departed. The large-scale gathering of the dead cannot be hidden from our eyes and ears."

"Secondly, the Departed Spirit Army just suffered a heavy loss at the old camp trap of the Dongxu Camp because of the intelligence from the Taiyin Sect. The two sides may have already had a conflict because of this. Who can guarantee that this is not a second trap?"

"Thirdly, the Chi Ming Realm has a population of several billion and is a medium to large-sized habitat. It is also adjacent to the Du'e Realm. If the Departed Spirit Army arrives in large numbers, the entire human forces in Southern Yingzhou will be alarmed."

"The power struggle among the Sentinel Spirit Army, the Taiyin Sect, the Netherworld of the Departed, and the Human Realm is extremely complex, with each having its own checks and balances, and internal oversight layers upon layers."

"With the resurgence of the Immortal Dao Dragon Vein Dongxu Camp, the camp can't be hidden anywhere. It's just a matter of time before the situation completely spirals out of control. The struggle between the Living Realm and the Nether Realm has always been like this, hasn't it? It has never stopped."

Li Weiyi asked, "Young Master, aren't you going back to the Sentinel Camp?"

"I am now the Chief of the Lesser Yang Division, and I have a lot of freedom," Tang Wanzhou said.

Li Weiyi said, "But you can't keep following me around, can you?"