Talisman Realm: Shut the Door and Beat the Dog

Ten thousand horses and a thousand soldiers fought against Shu Han; Xia Hua's iron cavalry trampled across the plains.

Swords flash and blades gleam as they vie for supremacy, their blood staining their battle robes against the rosy sky.

With the enemy at the gates and the flames of war raging, the two sides fought a decisive battle at Linyang City.

In chaotic times, heroes fall like rain, but who will pity the corpses strewn across the fields?

At first, no one took the Linyang battlefield seriously.

After all, the Great Peace Way Dao mobilized a total population of 600 million and a total military force of over 30 million, Taiheng Sect mobilized over 200,000 Outer Disciple and gathered over 6 million Body Refinement Realm disciples from its subordinate sects.

The scale and ferocity of their war far exceeded the imagination of the Taiheng people.

Because one side of the war was called Great Peace Way and the other Taiheng Sect, the war was called the Hengping War on the internet, or the Two Tai Civil War.

Compared to the wars between the Great Peace Way and the Taiheng Sect, the Eastern Victory War of that year was much smaller in terms of both the number of participants and the scale of the war.

The only area where the Eastern Victory War was superior to the Hengping War was that the main force of the Eastern Victory War consisted of Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

Compared to the war that involved tens of millions of people and affected an area of 6 million square kilometers, the Linyang War, with only 140,000 participants and a battlefield of just one small city, was child's play.

But on the very first day of the Battle of Linyang, the sheer willpower and the bloodshed on both sides shocked the entire live stream!

Xia Hua's side had five armies, totaling 86,000 men, participating in the battle.

On the Shu Han side, Zhao Yun led 30,000 infantry, Guan Yu led 10,000 cavalry, and Zhang Fei led 20,000 infantry as reserves.

Both sides began probing attacks in the early morning, and by 8:30 a. m., they launched a full-scale assault. Zhang Fei's reserve force only observed the battle from the city wall for less than half an hour before rushing out to join the fight!

For 164,000 years, humans have been crammed onto a relatively small plain, fighting fiercely to advance.

During the battle, no one retreated, no one fled, and neither side set up a command post, but the soldiers on both sides fought to the very last moment!

If your knife gets dulled, steal from the enemy; if your gun breaks, use your fists.

If your arm is broken, use your feet; if your feet are broken, use your teeth!

"How... how is this possible? Is this what war is like?"

"What kind of force can train soldiers like these?"

"And there were two of them at once!"

In recent years, on the Tai Heng Star, there was first the Great Tai Array, where two million Outer Disciple from various sects engaged in chaotic battles.

After the two wars, the viewers in the live broadcast room were already quite familiar with war.

But this is the first time we've seen two sides treat each other like enemies, determined to take a piece of the enemy's flesh even at the cost of their lives!

The Great Peace Way and Taiheng Sect have seen plenty of deserters, and it's not uncommon for soldiers to wet their pants on the battlefield.

But such a situation did not occur at all on the battlefield of Linyang!

At this moment, Hui Shang, the head of the Huijia Family, was also furious.

"What? It's only been a short time, and you're telling me all twenty-odd people are dead?"

"What can I do?" Huizhou also felt wronged. "There are Qi Refining cultivators on the other side. Huijun was killed with a single strike. The others are not even as strong as Huijun, so how could they possibly be a match for her?"

Hui felt a bit of a toothache.

The war between the two families lasted a year and a half, and not a single member of the Huijia Family died.

As a result, less than three months after the strategy was changed, more than twenty people died!

"Wait, Qi Refining Stage cultivator?" Hui Shang was taken aback. "Didn't Hengming prohibit Qi Refining Stage cultivators from entering or leaving the Great Ming Kingdom?"

"But he's not an outsider Qi Refining cultivator, he's a local!" Huizhou said. "And there are several of them! Since Guan Yu is one, the four Five Tiger Generals of the same level should be too, and his elder brother Liu Bei, and that Zhuge Liang, are probably all Qi Refining Stage cultivators as well!"

"That damned Zhang Jiao!" Hui cursed.

It's no wonder Zhang Jiao was blamed; he actually posted the "Scripture of Great Peace" online when he was just starting Great Peace Way, which led many people in the Ming Dynasty to embark on the path of cultivation.

In four and a half years, most people can only cultivate to the third or fourth level of physical body, while those with more resources can only cultivate to the fifth or sixth level.

But there are geniuses in this world who can not only cultivate to the eighth or ninth level of physical body, but some can even successfully Qi Induction and advance to the Qi Refining Stage!

The Spirit Vein that originally belonged to Southern Forest in the Great Ming Kingdom had been taken away by the Taiheng Sect, but the Hengming Tower began to absorb Spiritual Qi for the Great Ming Kingdom, still ensuring a good cultivation environment.

Although the probability of a genius being born is very low, the Ming Dynasty had a total population of 2.2 billion!

The number of people of suitable age for spiritual practice must be at least 100 million!

Even if only one in ten thousand geniuses are selected, there should still be ten thousand geniuses!

"Father, should we just let it go?" Huizhou asked. "After all, not only are our opponents Qi Refining Stage cultivators, but I've also discovered that Xia Hua has one. With my current strength, I'm unlikely to be taken seriously!"

Hui gritted her teeth, then said resolutely, "We can't back down. If we back down, the Huijia Family is finished!"

He's no fool to be the head of the family.

Hengming blocked all communication Great Ming Kingdom territories, while some people within the Great Ming Kingdom were spreading Buddhist teachings everywhere.

The result of doing this would be that everyone in the Great Ming Kingdom would practice cultivation.

Currently, only Qi Refining Stage cultivators have appeared. In a few hundred years, Spiritual Law Realm cultivators should appear!

Given the massive population of the Great Ming Kingdom, how many Spiritual Law Realm cultivators will emerge by then?

Once there are more cultivators at the Spiritual Law Realm, which one—the Great Ming Kingdom or the Taiheng Sect —is the true successor to the Taiheng lineage?

Taiheng had already taken action to suppress it, but they didn't expect to act too late. The Great Peace Way Dao had already gained momentum, and Taiheng Sect was unable to suppress it!

Qi Refining Stage cultivators have already begun to appear. These cultivators haven't shown up on the battlefield yet, but if they do join the fight, the Taiheng Sect will likely be defeated in an instant!

If Taiheng wants to nip the Great Ming Kingdom in the bud, he must deploy cultivators at the Spiritual Law Realm to kill all cultivators and erase all their lineages.

However, doing so would mean going against Hengming.

Once you go against Hengming, let alone whether you can defeat Hengming, the Tianyi Sect across the ocean will definitely not let go of this good opportunity to conquer Taiheng!

Therefore, the Taiheng Sect would never oppose the Hengming Tower!

Given this situation, the Taiheng Sect is helpless against the Qi Refining Stage cultivators who have appeared in the Great Ming Kingdom, as well as the Spiritual Law Realm cultivators who may appear in the future!

This means that the rise of the Great Ming Kingdom was unstoppable!

Huijia Family needs to do is participate in the rise of the Ming Dynasty and then occupy a high position within the Great Ming Kingdom.

In this way, even if Taiheng declines, the Huijia Family can still guarantee their wealth and resources!

This is the survival wisdom of the Aristocratic Clan.

But now that Shu Han and Xia Hua's camps have Qi Refining Stage cultivators, he's only sending Body Refinement Realm stage disciple. How can he maintain a high position like that?

"The problems I'm facing are probably the same problems other Lineage are facing too!" Hui Shang pondered, and then came up with a solution.

He first used his phone to add the other Lineage leaders to a group chat, and then shared his ideas with them.

After some discussion, the clan leaders jointly submitted a petition, requesting the sect leader to make a decision.

Qu Heng also encountered this problem.

The Qu Family members joined a force called Great Qin, thinking that with the power of their Aristocratic Clan, joining a small mortal force like Great Qin would surely make them treat each other like royalty.

But once he entered the court, he discovered that this Great Qin was also full of hidden talents. All the high-ranking civil and military officials were at the Qi Refining Stage. With the strength of the Qu Family members, they could only be ranked at the bottom. When attending court, they could only stand at the gate, far away from the First Emperor.

If Qi Refining Stage disciples cannot enter the Great Ming Kingdom, then these Lineage's dream of holding high positions in the Great Ming Kingdom is just wishful thinking!

Qu Heng could only invite Hengming, who had already returned to his sect after the Li Han Grand Assembly ended.

"Lord Hengming, have you noticed the various wars and chaos within the Great Ming Kingdom at this time?" Qu Heng asked with a pained expression, deeply concerned for the country and its people. "My lord, don't you think this is cruel? Those who have died because of the war are all my Taiheng's people!"

Hengming, haha, he's not the naive and innocent boy he used to be. He's been playing on his phone all year round, studying every day, and constantly improving, okay!

They relentlessly exploited the people, not only preventing them from practicing their spiritual cultivation, but also denying them the opportunity to earn more food and money. Every year, countless ordinary people froze to death, starved to death, or were beaten to death by the landlords!

How could we not have imagined back then that they were subjects of Taiheng?

Now that his own people are dying and his own interests are no longer guaranteed, he's suddenly starting to care about the people of Taiheng?

Although he thought this way, Hengming nodded. "You're right, war is indeed bad!"

"Then we should let our Taiheng Sect enter the arena and suppress all injustice!" Qu Heng immediately said.

"But didn't you start the war?" Hengming asked.

"But it was the Great Peace Way Rebellion that first massacred the people and aristocratic Aristocratic Clan in the city!" Qu Heng hurriedly said, "These scions of the Aristocratic Clan are the source of fresh blood for our Taiheng Sect, the cornerstone of our Taiheng!"

"But you showed no mercy when slaughtering the Lin family's affiliated Lineage, the nation, and sects!!" Hengming shook his head. "How are you any different from them?!"

Qu Heng was speechless, but then he understood.

During a previous meeting, Hengming blurted out that he wanted to take over Southern Forest, but he didn't explain why.

Now he finally understood: it was because their methods of purging the Nanlin Lin Clan were too brutal and bloody that Hengming was dissatisfied.

But you were the one who attacked the Lin family first; we were just cleaning up the mess.

Don't you understand the saying, "If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back after the spring equinox"?

He only thought these words to himself, but dared not say them aloud.

Emotional Intelligence!

He had to come up with another reason.

"In that case, on behalf of the Taiheng Sect, I am willing to do my part for the Ming Dynasty and make up for the damage caused back then! What do you think?" Qu Heng asked.

"How are you going to make it up to?" Hengming asked.

"For example, we could send disciples into the Ming Dynasty to support new Lineage and help the nation rise!" Qu Heng earnestly said, "And incidentally, quell the current war."

Hengming didn't answer, but his clone on the other side was communicating with Yang Ning.

"So this is the leader of the Taiheng Sect! He's got some skills, but not much!" Yang Ning shook his head and commented.

When Qu Heng gave him the "Soaring Snake Hidden Dragon Technique" back then, he thought Qu Heng had a discerning eye and was a good sect leader.

When Lin Tianheng blocked Qu Heng at the entrance of the Taiheng Palace, and Qu Heng remained silent, Lin Tianheng realized that Qu Heng was nothing more than a puppet put forward by the Aristocratic Clan who actually ruled Taiheng Sect.

When Qu Heng assigned him a mission and they were ambushed overseas, Yang Ning realized even more that this man was unreliable.

Whether it was being favored before, receiving Divine Ability, or now ruthlessly killing him, Qu Heng's choices were never made from Tai Heng's perspective; they were all for his own and his Lineage's benefit.

He's been acting solely for his own and his Lineage's benefit for too long; he's even forgotten how to be dignified and how to stand on the moral high ground!

So much so that they couldn't even come up with a reason to send a Qi Refining Stage cultivator into the Great Ming Kingdom!

"If it were you, how would you convince me?" Hengming somewhat curious, after all, he acknowledged Yang Ning's eloquence; Yang Ning was capable of persuading him to the point of directly bringing up the Great Ming Kingdom alone.

You look down on Qu Heng so much; if you were in his shoes, what would you do?

"First, I will define the Great Ming Kingdom as part of Taiheng!" Yang Ning said.

Hengming nodded. "And then?"

"The reason why Taiheng sent troops to attack Great Peace Way was not because Great Peace Way indiscriminately killed landlords and destroyed Aristocratic Clan, but because Great Peace Way wreaked havoc on the people, making it impossible for the common people to survive. My sending troops to suppress Great Peace Way is an act that is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the people!"

Hengming was taken aback. "But the Great Peace Way hasn't caused any harm to the people. With them around, the lives of ordinary people should be better!"

"Are those landlord Aristocratic Clan the common people?" Yang Ning asked.

Hengming was taken aback. Oh, right!

Since the landlord Aristocratic Clan has been ruined, it must be causing chaos among the people!

"We are attacking the Great Peace Way for the sake of all living beings, and we are attacking other righteous armies for the same reason. However, some of these righteous armies have actually produced Qi Refining Stage cultivators, so we no longer have enough Body Refinement Realm cultivators. Therefore, I am requesting that you send Qi Refining Stage disciples into Taiheng to continue saving the people!"

Hengming was speechless. If that's how you put it, I really have no reason to refute it!

He didn't realize how incompetent the Taiheng Sect Leader was until he compared them.

"It seems my decision back then was right!" Hengming Heart Dao.

With such a wise and insightful leader, the Taiheng Sect was able to regain its greatness and return to its peak.

Although Qu Heng's words were rather mediocre, Hengming still nodded. "In that case, I grant your request!"

Qu Heng was overjoyed. "Thank you for your understanding Lord Hengming!"

"However, I also have conditions!" Hengming interrupted Qu Heng's excitement.

"Please speak, my lord!" Qu Heng immediately bowed.

"Entering the Great Ming Kingdom is permissible, but the disciples sent should not be too highly skilled!" Hengming.

"Huh?" Qu Heng frowned. "If cultivation levels shouldn't be too high, how can the war be ended?"

"As disciples of major sects, isn't it common for them to challenge those of higher levels? It's a good opportunity for them to gain experience!" Qu Heng's own reasoning was so weak that Hengming's proposed restrictions were also somewhat awkward.

However, Qu Heng didn't realize it. He just felt that Hengming's heart was still with the Taiheng Sect, and that he was still thinking about letting his disciples gain experience.

"In that case, let's follow your advice, sir. What cultivation level would be appropriate?" Qu Heng asked.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining, Talisman Realm, I suppose!" Hengming.

"Disciples at the Talisman Realm definitely need more experience!" Qu Heng nodded. "Then let's set the limit at the sixth level of Qi Refining Talisman Realm stage!"

Yang Ning smiled. He set his cultivation level at this level not because disciples in the Talisman Realm needed training, but because he and the highest cultivation level among Qi Refining in the Great Ming Kingdom had already reached the Talisman Realm.

The amount of Spiritual Qi required to progress from the Supernatural Power Realm to the Talisman Realm is extremely terrifying. Ordinary cultivators need to accumulate it for three to four hundred years, while those cultivating in an environment with abundant Spiritual Qi like the Taiheng Sect need about one hundred years.

If one has abundant cultivation resources at home, and consumes elixirs like candy, the time required to cultivate can be shortened to one or two decades.

Yang Ning lacked resources and was not affiliated with the Taiheng Sect, but he possessed the White Dragon Swallowing Absorption Technique and his own researched technology for converting Star True Force, which was equivalent to being in a Spiritual Qi rich environment with ample resources.

Combining the two methods can shorten the time to about ten years.

But it's only been a year and a half since he advanced to the Supernatural Power Realm!

This is all thanks to the Deep Blue Contract.

Every bit of cultivation Spirit Realm cultivator makes is reflected back to him, and with the added effect of the <Great Supreme Art> using luck to increase cultivation speed, he reached the Talisman Realm in just one and a half years!

Even with such a huge advantage, he was still not the fastest cultivator.

The person who was promoted the fastest Li Dan, also known as Laozi.

They were all in the same environment and practicing the same Divine Ability, but Li Dan had far fewer supernatural Divine Ability than Yang Ning.

Even so, Li Dan's cultivation advancement speed was still unparalleled in the Spirit Realm.

The second person to be promoted was dressed in white and wore a bronze mask. All that was known was that she was a girl, but no one knew her name.

She combined the White Dragon Swallowing Absorption Technique with some Evil Dao Cultivation Method to create Divine Ability that could absorb the Law Power of others, known as: Heaven Devouring Demonic Art!

Others cultivate by themselves, but she cultivates by relying on everyone, so her cultivation progress is naturally very fast.

There are now sporadic reports of the Heaven Devouring Demonic Woman online, but they are immediately buried at the bottom of forums and never get any exposure.

After the two of them advanced, Yang Ning's Law Power feedback increased rapidly, and then he caught up with a few abnormal individuals, becoming the third person to advance to the Talisman Realm.

His promotion means that there are no more secrets from the Talisman Realm cultivators in front of him, and he can develop countless methods to target Talisman Realm cultivators.

Moreover, his insights from the advancement will be synchronized to the Spirit Realm, which is equivalent to everyone advancing once.

The difficulty for others to advance to the Talisman Realm will be greatly reduced in the future. It is foreseeable that there will be an explosive increase in the Talisman Realm cultivators in the next two years.

At this point, let the Talisman Realm cultivators of the Taiheng Sect in.

Close the door and beat the dog; catch the turtle in a jar!

Lure people in and then kill them!

That's all for tonight. Back to work tomorrow with 10,000 words, until the end of the month.