The Ruin Realm Campaign, Both Sides' Schemes

Sima Huanyu listened to Ye Zhanqiu's words.

He stood where he was, silently watching the golden-red scripture scatter across the sky.

Advance? No. Retreat? Wouldn't that...

In the Ye Clan's ancestral hall, the figure wore a faint smile.

A flicker of bewilderment suddenly passed through Sima Huanyu's eagle-wolf eyes.

Forget it.

No need to act on a moment's anger. There's plenty of time yet; we can take this slowly.

The autumn wind rustled, carrying a trace of Blood Qi's warmth. As it brushed his cheeks, it felt like warm blood.

With a [Cloud Mist Qingming Heaven], plus a Lesser Yin, autumn-aspected [Autumn Unfolds the Clear Firmament Heaven],

it was best to play it safe in dealing with Jiangnan.

Today, Lesser Yin had taken in Sha, and the autumn aspect had become tainted with karma. At the very least, that could delay Ye Zhanqiu's Dao Path by a hundred years.

Besides, the Jin Imperial House's focus was in the north. Once his elder brother and the old ancestor had completely swallowed that Greater Yang Yellow Beginning, then found the seventy-two decoy tombs one by one and obtained Mingyang...

At the thought, he could not help feeling somewhat annoyed.

Damn Wei Wu... Why did he have to make seventy-two decoy tombs...?

Everything depended on the calculations in Luoyang producing results. As long as nothing went wrong in Huainan, that would be enough.

The lands of Jianghuai were as secure as a fortress of metal and a moat of boiling water. With Jianghuai in hand, how much trouble could Jiangnan stir up?

Once the undertaking succeeded, with the Greater Yang high overhead, the spring aspect at the height of yang, and the three Dao lineages of Luo River and Firmament illustrious,

Cangxuan would be ruled by the Sima Clan.

Sima Huanyu suddenly smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Qiuran, what fine methods. This lord is impressed."

"'Late Autumn Blood Sun Scripture.'" Sima Huanyu clapped his hands, his voice betraying neither joy nor anger.

Ye Zhanqiu withdrew his hands and stood there, his azure robe fluttering slightly in the autumn wind. His tone was mocking. "My methods cannot compare to yours, Fellow Daoist Huanyu. It is only a Purple Mansion cultivation method."

"Besides, if Fellow Daoist Huanyu likes it, surely Huainan will like this method even more. Cultivation with it advances a thousand li in a day. When the time comes, spread it far and wide. That would add more Purple Mansion fighting strength to the court, would it not?"

Sima Huanyu nodded and offered a noncommittal assessment, though his tone was somewhat cold.

"Another superior Divine Ability for the world's autumn-aspected cultivators. This [Autumn Sun Blood] should be usable as both a technique Divine Ability and a life-bound Divine Ability. It merely employs a few more cruel methods and incurs karma affecting one's nature. Even so, people across the world will surely call Fellow Daoist Qiuran-the Lesser Yin Devil Lord."

"My Huainan is royal land, governed by royal teachings. It cannot bear the sight of blood... I have said all I have to say, and it would be improper to trouble you further. Farewell..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sima Huanyu stepped into the sky, and his throne reappeared.

Water-aspected forces surged between heaven and earth, pattering as though raindrops were gathering. The Great Void was torn open, the rift carrying a bone-chilling cold.

Before leaving, Sima Huanyu seemed to remember something and spoke in a teasing tone.

"In two years, the court intends to open up the [Wind Abyss Ruin Realm] in Jiangnan. It is a wind-aspected Ruin Realm on the verge of breaking through within the superior grade. When the time comes, I hope the Cloud Mist Ye Clan will lend ample assistance..."

"Wind Abyss..."

Ye Zhanqiu murmured to himself.

"Zhanqiu... come quickly."

Inside the ancestral hall, the figure suddenly spoke.

Before long.

Above the sky over the Huainan garrison stood an enormous palace, blue throughout.

The words "Firmament Heaven" were written above its entrance.

Inside the palace.

Sima Huanyu sat high upon his throne, his face wreathed in a mass of mist. He still held between his fingertips a wisp of Autumn Sun Blood Qi that had touched him earlier, and he rubbed it lightly.

The blood-red substance sizzled in his palm, burning several charred holes in it. Then water from heaven and earth nourished his hand, restoring it as good as new.

The vast Luo River turned into an immense pressure that surged through Firmament Heaven.

"Well done, Ye Zhanqiu..." He looked down at his palm and suddenly smiled.

The Purple Mansion cultivator kneeling below, the official left in charge of Huainan, held his breath and bowed his head, not daring to let even his robes stir in the slightest.

"True Lord, this Ye Clan..."

"I lost one round, but he cannot be said to have won either," Sima Huanyu interrupted.

He rose, and with a thought, the Great Void inside Firmament Heaven was abruptly torn open, a spatial rift flickering.

Luo River Law Power gathered beneath his feet, forming jade steps. "This lord has delayed him for a hundred years. Those thirty million Ruin Realm lowlifes have some use after all. With Lesser Yin tainted by Blood Sha and the autumn aspect stained with karma, he will have to spend a hundred years sorting through and digesting it."

Sima Huanyu's words drifted through the hall, sounding especially cruel, as though those thirty million were merely a number.

He slowly stepped into the rift, leaving these words before he did: "Ye Qingming hid his strength quite deeply... At the peak of Golden Core, he sees the greater through the minute. No wonder Ye Zhanqiu succeeded... Presumably that old man Xiao intervened as well..."

"Keep watch over Huainan and let no trouble arise... I must return to Luoyang."

The official left in charge of Huainan knelt in the hall, watching Sima Huanyu about to leave. Only then did he ask carefully, "This subordinate obeys. But True Lord, what about the Wind Abyss Ruin Realm?"

"As planned," Sima Huanyu said calmly. "In two years, the court will launch its campaign against Wind Abyss according to law. That was decided long ago. A superior-grade wind-aspected Ruin Realm, nearly ready to break through... Heh, the Ye Clan certainly will not pass it up."

At that same moment, he suddenly stopped and swept his divine sense over all of Huainan. It had a strangely bewitching beauty.

The lingering autumn mood and Blood Qi still filled the air. A halo of blood-red sunset hung in midair, casting a bizarre, gorgeous glow over millions of li of Huainan.

"Former Wei cultivated the Greater Yang and stood for openness and integrity. It valued men of humble birth, recruited men of renown, selected for talent and aptitude, and left Rogue Cultivators a narrow path upward." Sima Huanyu suddenly brought up the past, his tone revealing no emotion.

"The Cao Household's ways... produced quite a few Purple Mansion cultivators of humble birth, even some Golden Cores... As a result, many in Cangxuan now look back fondly on the Greater Yang Wei Cao. A pity, though: the world has always belonged to immortal clans and Aristocratic Clans."

"How could the accumulation of thousands or tens of thousands of years be caught up with in a short time?"

The official left in charge of Huainan was a trusted confidant of Sima Huanyu, but how would he dare respond to such matters?

"But my Sima Clan is different." He smiled. "The Aristocratic Clans govern together, and the old ancestor used the Nine Ranks to establish their stations. The great immortal clans each control Dao lineages, ascend to their attainments, and enjoy the fortune of heavenly positions. The Aristocratic Clans guard the provinces and commanderies and share in the resources of the Ruin Realms."

"Those of humble birth and the Rogue Cultivators... are all our dogs and horses. Give them a few things and let them struggle their way to Foundation Establishment or Purple Mansion, and they are full of gratitude."

"My Great Jin ought to rule the world. How could Former Wei compare? The Wei Imperial House was benighted and incompetent, and its Mandate of Heaven had waned. This subordinate congratulates Great Jin and the world... What profound insight, True Lord."

After listening, the official left in charge of Huainan felt his vision go dark. Was this something I could be allowed to hear? But matters had come to this, and he could not help shouting his answer to show his loyalty.

"You are my trusted confidant. Do not worry," Sima Huanyu said, seeming to know what was on his subordinate's mind.

"Former Wei?" Sima Huanyu swept his sleeve, and space churned. His tone held a trace of mockery.

"My Great Jin joined forces with the Aristocratic Clans and sects to divide the Greater Yang three ways and carve up the summer aspect. Yellow Beginning Wei Wen is in the hands of my Sima Clan, Mingyang Weiwu's whereabouts are unknown, and Great Brightness Wei Ming is suppressed within the Great Peace Temple. All Greater Yang Dao lineages in the world are mortal enemies of my Sima Clan—kill every one we see."

"Do you understand?!"

"This subordinate obeys the True Lord's decree."

The vast Luo River emerged from the void, Greater Yang light hidden within it. Its imagery was adorned with carved dragons and painted phoenixes, with jeweled strands hanging from a ceremonial canopy.

Could this Wind Abyss Ruin Realm... also be a decoy tomb... or have a few little mice hiding in it?

Sima Huanyu nodded, stepped into the Great Void with a faint smile, and left one final instruction:

"Tell the Ministry of War to raise the military merit rewards for the Wind Abyss Ruin Realm by another thirty percent. This lord wants the cultivators of the world... scrambling to kill, fighting to die."

"If any trace of Mingyang is found within Wind Abyss, whoever it is, kill them without mercy!"

Inside the ancestral hall of the Cloud-Heaven Azure Palace.

The many elders of the Ye Clan had dispersed.

Only Ye Zhanqiu stood in the hall. He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment before slowly opening them.

"He's gone."

At some point, Ye Qingming had returned to the main seat at the head of the hall, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

"You will bear that hundred years of karma yourself," Ye Qingming said evenly. "Once the 'Late Autumn Blood Sun Scripture' is spread, the more people who cultivate it, the more widely the resentment will be divided. But that also means your Dao lineage will become more mixed."

"This child understands." Ye Zhanqiu bowed.

"Good." Ye Qingming set down his teacup. "Did Sima Huanyu notice?"

"In two years, there will be a campaign against the Wind Abyss Ruin Realm."

"That piece you played can buy our Ye Clan some time. As for Bright Yang Zi, I had originally planned to keep him a while longer." Ye Qingming tapped the teacup with a fingertip.

"The Wind Abyss Ruin Realm... The Ye Clan must take this realm. Its wind Dao origin is rich. If we can swallow it, our Ye Clan's [wind]-aspected heavenly position can become three parts more solid."

He looked up at Ye Zhanqiu. "But the court has its own plans and will likely scheme against our Ye Clan. The Wang Clan will act for the Sima Clan's promise of that [summer aspect]. Rogue Cultivators and those of humble birth throughout the world, the Great Peace Temple... even those of the Demon Race in the Southern Frontier... will all reach out for a share."

"Then each side can rely on its own abilities," Ye Zhanqiu said calmly.

"Rely on abilities?" Ye Qingming suddenly smiled. "Zhanqiu, you are now a Golden Core True Lord. There are some things... you can no longer personally enter the fray for."

Ye Zhanqiu frowned slightly.

"Golden Cores contend for the fortune of heavenly positions. Campaigns against Ruin Realms... must be fought by those below us," Ye Qingming said slowly. "Attacking Ruin Realms, guarding vital places, seizing origins-those tasks must be left to Purple Mansion and Foundation Establishment cultivators. Such a vast clan cannot depend on one person alone."

"What we do is play our game in the Great Void. We cannot enter the fray lightly; would that not be beneath our dignity?"

Ye Qingming paused, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"That child of yours is seventeen?"

"Yes." Ye Zhanqiu turned sideways, reached out, and made a grasping motion toward Qiuran Palace.

"Jinyu, come and pay your respects to the old ancestor."

Ye Jinyu was suddenly pulled into the Ye Clan's ancestral hall.

There were two people in the hall.

One was an old man; the other was Ye Zhanqiu, his father.

Ye Jinyu was no fool.

He immediately performed a proper grand salute. "Your grandson pays his respects, Grandfather."

Ye Qingming looked him over a few times, then suddenly reached out and pressed a hand through the air.

A gentle but irresistible force entered Ye Jinyu's body and circulated through it once.

"Dual wind and fire Spirit Roots, supreme grade... and at the peak of Fetal Breath Middle Stage?" A trace of surprise flashed in the old man's eyes.

"When did you begin cultivating?"

Ye Jinyu lowered his head. "In answer to the old ancestor, when Father returned home, he used origin Law Power to cleanse your grandson's marrow and temper his bones. Your grandson only sensed Qi fluctuations last night and was fortunate enough to break through."

"Not bad..." Ye Qingming smiled, then glanced at Ye Zhanqiu.

"You were quite willing to spend."

Ye Zhanqiu smiled. "My son should be the leader of this generation of the Ye Clan and the young master of our Cloud Mist Ye Clan. Besides, this vast family enterprise must eventually be handed over to these young people. And he was held back for ten years..."

"Ten years..." Ye Qingming repeated under his breath, then suddenly asked, "Little Jinyu, do you know what a Ruin Realm is?"

Ye Jinyu raised his head and thought for a moment. "Your grandson heard Mother mention them. A Ruin Realm is a world formed from fragments of the Principles of heaven and earth. It may be the remains of a realm or the manifestation of an origin. They vary in size and strength, and contain living beings, resources, and even complete Dao lineages."

"That is right, but not entirely." Ye Qingming rose and descended from the main seat.

He swept his sleeve, and a star map of intertwined light and shadow appeared in the hall.

Countless points of light flickered, some as bright as stars, others as dim as dust.

"This shows the distribution of Ruin Realms in the Great Void surrounding the Cangxuan Ancient Realm." Ye Qingming pointed to the star map. "Lesser Ruin Realms can produce Foundation Establishment cultivators at most. Their domains span no more than a hundred thousand to a million li, only the size of a single commandery in the Cangxuan Ancient Realm.

"Their Principles are incomplete. The Ye Clan has several hundred such Ruin Realms under its control, most granted to Foundation Establishment Aristocratic Clans that have rendered meritorious service, as vassal holdings."

Light and shadow flowed, and several larger points lit up.

"Intermediate Ruin Realms can produce Purple Mansion Early Stage cultivators at most. Their domains range from one million to ten million li, comparable to the territory of five commanderies in Cangxuan. Their Principles are relatively complete."

"Ruin Realms of this kind often have distinctive spirit materials and mineral veins, and may even give rise to special demon-aspected populations."

He looked at Ye Jinyu. "Our Ye Clan controls thirty-seven intermediate Ruin Realms. Each has a garrison cultivator, a post held by a Purple Mansion cultivator, with cultivators under them serving as soldiers, clerks, and officials."

Lastly, there were seven points of light at the center of the star map. Five shone brilliantly like the sun, while the other two were somewhat dim and lusterless.

"Superior Ruin Realms... are comparable to a province in size. They can produce Purple Mansion Peak cultivators, and their Principles are nearly complete. They may even contain a fragment of an origin. They greatly benefit our Dao lineages and the fortune of our heavenly positions."

"You must understand that the Principles and fortune of this world, and the origins of the various Dao lineages as a whole, are like a platter of delicacies. If you take a little more, I get a little less. To make the platter larger, there came to be campaigns against Ruin Realms..."

Ye Qingming's tone suddenly grew somewhat grave. "And this Wind Abyss Ruin Realm is likely the greatest hidden treasure of this century. Moreover, a superior Ruin Realm like this is wind-aspected... As the saying goes, if heaven offers and you do not take, you will instead bear the blame."

"Your father intends for you to represent our Ye Clan in two years and oversee the campaign. My own grandson, do you understand what you should do?"

Ye Jinyu stared at the star map, thinking it over. He suddenly asked, "Old ancestor, your grandson understands. I was only wondering about the living beings in those Ruin Realms... how do they see us? The people of the Ruin Realms are also somehow curious..."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Ye Qingming smiled, his smile genial, yet full of cruelty, coldness, and iron resolve.

"In the eyes of the people of the Ruin Realms, we are naturally evil devils, and this is an invasion," Ye Qingming continued.

"Which of these Ruin Realms was not taken through campaigns of blood and fire? What we contend for is origin, what we seize is the fortune of Dao lineages. It is a struggle of Daos."

"We must naturally kill all those unyielding Ruin Realm cultivators who refuse to be slaves, then support certain factions and expand the fortune of our Dao through teachings and faith."

"Of course, there are other methods: cripple the Ruin Realms' Dao lineages, control their inheritances and spirit lands and resources, so that if those Ruin Realm cultivators wish to break through to Purple Mansion, their only choice is to become dogs and horses for our Ye Clan, fight our battles, and fill ditches and level ravines with their bodies."

"Finally, if they render great service, they may leave the Ruin Realm, enter Cangxuan, and become Attendants at our Ye Clan's Thirty-Six Peaks of Cloudmist. They may also request cultivation methods from the main clan and continue guarding the Ruin Realm, but they must have a restriction placed on them before they are permitted to do so."

"Still, there are always some people with extraordinary fortune, favored by an entire realm... resistance, suppression, over and over again..."

As he spoke, Ye Qingming looked at Ye Jinyu, as though testing his grandson's mettle. "Is it cruel? If you were to lead the Ye Clan, what would you do?"

Ye Jinyu was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your grandson was only thinking... if I were a Ruin Realm cultivator, in their place, I would surely resist."

"But if your grandson were to govern the clan, I would mix the kingly and hegemonic ways, wield kindness and authority together, and make punishments and laws clear... so that the Ruin Realms could become wings to aid our clan..."