Volume 4 Chapter 76

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Volume 4 Chapter 76: Past Connections

Fencheng City, once the capital of the most prosperous nation, Cheng Country, in bustling Middle-earth, was renowned for its splendor. However, fifteen years ago, Cheng Country was conquered by the inconspicuous Yunluo Country, and naturally, Fencheng City became a part of Yunluo Country’s territory.

When speaking of Yunluo Country, one cannot help but mention a man, who is both its great general and a legendary figure known for frightening children in the earthly realm, called Bai Lianye.

Yunluo Country was originally a small nation in the prosperous Middle-earth. As senseless wars erupted on the Shenzhou Continent, Yunluo Country inevitably got drawn into the turmoil. Of course, fifty years ago, as a small nation with less than ten million people and a land area under ten thousand miles, Yunluo Country could not act so freely. Even self-preservation was a luxury, so it could only survive by submitting to a dominant power like the Cheng Country, paying large tributes of gold and silver annually.

However, Cheng Country was not content with Yunluo Country’s submission. Forty years ago, it finally decided to invade Yunluo Country with an army. Yunluo Country had no choice but to fight back bravely. Yet the disparity in national strength was too great, and Yunluo Country could only retreat in the face of Cheng Country’s hundreds of thousands of troops.

But at this crucial moment, Bai Junhan, Bai Lianye’s father, appeared. It is said that Bai Junhan was originally just a recluse living in the mountains, unseen by the world for many years. However, when a defeated Yunluo Country troop fled into the mountains where Bai Junhan lived and saw his strong physique, they conscripted him into the army.

Bai Junhan quickly displayed his nearly invincible bravery and extraordinary military talent in the mundane world. Within just a few years, he not only expelled the invading forces from Yunluo Country but also seized some territories from Cheng Country. Bai Junhan himself was not only appointed as the great general of Yunluo Country, but he was also hailed as a venerable military god throughout the flourishing Middle-earth. Yet, the most talked-about story was how Bai Junhan mercilessly slaughtered a hundred thousand enemy prisoners after one battle.

Twenty years ago, Bai Junhan finally faced his first and last defeat. While inspecting the border, he was betrayed by his subordinates and surrounded by five thousand troops from Cheng Country and rebel forces, while he only had a thousand guards at his side. Although Bai Junhan fought with superhuman valor, he was, after all, not divine, and despite killing a thousand enemies, he was ultimately shot down by a storm of arrows.

With Bai Junhan’s death, the entire Yunluo Country was thrown into panic. Meanwhile, Cheng Country celebrated nationally. But when Cheng Country attempted to invade Yunluo Country again, Bai Lianye emerged out of nowhere. As Bai Junhan’s son, Bai Lianye was not only more courageous and militarily gifted, but he was also even more ruthless. Due to his father’s death, he harbored a deep-seated hatred for the people of Cheng Country.

Bai Junhan’s miraculous achievements were replicated by Bai Lianye, who drove Cheng Country’s army out again. Over the following decade, he continually waged attacks against Cheng Country, ultimately conquering its capital, Fencheng City, a decade ago. Cheng Country was destroyed, while Bai Lianye accomplished something even his father could not, becoming the new military god.

After capturing Fencheng City, Bai Lianye’s first order was to allow his soldiers to act as they wished without any prohibitions. Under this obviously deliberate command, the tens of thousands of residents of Fencheng City were massacred within just three days! Since then, Fencheng City has been called the Grave City, with its moat water running red as blood for three years.

Bai Lianye had a strong desire to conquer, and after destroying Cheng Country, did not stop his advances. Using Fencheng City as his base, he continued to invade other lands, causing Middle-earth to tremble with fear. Despite all alliances against him, no one could stop Bai Lianye, who was a master strategist. With his help, the small Yunluo Country expanded its territory tenfold over twenty years.

Liu Huaxiang’s third wish was about this very Bai Lianye, or rather, about the descendants of the Bai family.

Thirty years ago, while secretly gathering essential mystical elements for Xu Qingfan, Liu Huaxiang stumbled upon Bai Junhan, who was then leading troops against Cheng Country, and was greatly surprised.

Long ago, families like the Jiuhua Feng family, with Mythyical Beast bloodlines, were not uncommon. These families, proud of their power and unique cultivation methods, were arrogant in the cultivation world, dismissing even the major sects.

Ultimately, their high-profile actions led to disaster when the "Spirit Purging Cult" targeted these Mythyical Beast families. Except for the low-key Feng family associated with Jiuhua Mountain, most families were wiped out in the catastrophe, including the Qiongqi family.

Within the Mythyical Beast families, there were divisions: an alliance of Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Turtle families, and one of Chaos, Qiongqi, Taotie, and Taowu families. These opposing alliances often clashed, making them easy targets for the "Spirit Purging Cult."

To ordinary people, Bai Junhan was an undefeated God of War. However, to Liu Huaxiang, Bai Junhan was also a descendant of the Qiongqi family, a mythical beast lineage.

As one of the strong families in the fierce beast alliance, Qiongqi naturally had immense power, comparable to Feng Qingtian’s Feng family. Liu Huaxiang believed all Qiongqi descendants perished in the last catastrophe, so encountering one among mortals was surprising.

Noticing Jiuhua Mountain’s weakened state, Liu Huaxiang saw potential in Bai Junhan’s son, Bai Lianye, and wanted to bring him to Jiuhua Mountain, to be taken as a disciple by an elder. This would boost Jiuhua Mountain’s power with Bai Lianye’s talents over the years, adding another strong lineage besides the Phoenix family, and using the natural rivalry between Qiongqi and Phoenix to maintain balance. Also, by guiding the Qiongqi descendants, he could prevent them from becoming a danger if evil cultivators took them in.

Unfortunately, when Liu Huaxiang explained his intentions, Bai Junhan disagreed with letting his son Bai Lianye be taken away by Liu Huaxiang to cultivate immortality. Though the descendants of the Qiongqi family were known for their fierce nature, they valued loyalty and gratitude above all, swearing eternal allegiance to the Yunluo Royal Family, thereby refusing Liu Huaxiang’s request.

With no other choice, Liu Huaxiang secretly took the ten-year-old Bai Lianye away, intending to take him to Jiuhua Mountain. However, he didn’t expect Bai Junhan to be so fierce. On the day Bai Lianye was taken, Bai Junhan ordered the massacre of an entire city’s residents, publicly declaring that as long as Bai Lianye was not returned, he would wipe out a city a day, blaming Liu Huaxiang for the deaths of millions. Even if Liu Huaxiang were to kill him, his subordinates would continue to follow his orders.

Helpless, Liu Huaxiang had no choice but to return Bai Lianye, forever holding a grudge for not being able to bring the Qiongqi family under the Jiuhua Gate.

Liu Huaxiang’s third dying wish was for Xu Qingfan to find a way to accept the descendants of the Qiongqi family as disciples.

Xu Qingfan’s current visit to Fencheng City was precisely to recruit the Bai family’s descendants as disciples. By this time, ten years had passed since Liu Huaxiang secretly took Bai Lianye, and Bai Lianye’s child would also be around ten years old.

…

Fencheng City, after Bai Lianye slaughtered all the residents back then, became a ghost town. Yet, aware of its strategic location, Bai Lianye stationed hundreds of thousands of troops there, making it the center and command post for Yunluo Country’s invasions.

Later, some military families and traders began to arrive, and thus, besides soldiers, Fencheng City gradually regained some liveliness.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan stood silently above Fencheng City, hidden among the clouds, watching the bustling city below with a frown.

It turned out that when Xu Qingfan arrived in Fencheng City, he thought of taking Bai Lianye’s descendant away, just like Liu Huaxiang did back in the day, and soothing Bai Lianye by other means, as this seemed to be the most convenient method.

However, Xu Qingfan did not expect that shortly after arriving in Fencheng City, he would accidentally sense the presence of a cultivator there. Based on the intensity of the Spirit Qi fluctuations, this cultivator had at least reached the Fake Golden Core Stage.

More importantly, Xu Qingfan felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity within this Spirit Qi fluctuation.

However, this Spirit Qi fluctuation was fleeting. When Xu Qingfan tried to find out who caused it, all that was left at the site was a corpse. It belonged to an ordinary "Liuhe Gate" disciple, most of the body had been burned by spirit fire, and the cultivator who felt familiar to Xu Qingfan had vanished without a trace.

Facing such a situation, Xu Qingfan acted more cautiously, uncertain about the true intentions of this unknown Fake Golden Core Stage cultivator in Fencheng City and thus was hesitant to proceed.

In the skies of Fencheng City, Xu Qingfan used his Divine Sense to search for a long time but still couldn’t find the Fake Golden Core Stage cultivator, causing his brow to furrow even more.

"In such a short time, that cultivator couldn’t have gone far and must be hiding somewhere in Fencheng City. But what could this cultivator’s purpose be for hiding here? Could it be that, like me, they’re also after the Bai family descendant?"

Thinking of this, Xu Qingfan gave a slight, wry smile and muttered to himself, "I thought fulfilling this last wish would be the easiest, but it turns out to be quite troublesome."

Watching the troops patrolling back and forth below, Xu Qingfan felt a stirring in his heart and quickly sneaked into Fencheng City.

…

Wang Wei was originally just a farmer’s son, but his father was killed by the Cheng Country’s army during their last invasion. After hearing about Bai Lianye, he joined Bai Lianye’s army. His bravery in combat and loyalty to Bai Lianye were so remarkable that within two or three years, Bai Lianye personally selected him to join his personal guard.

Becoming part of Bai Lianye’s guard was an incredible honor for the soldiers of Yunluo Country, as only the bravest warriors in the army were chosen, giving them frequent contact with the legendary war hero, Bai Lianye.

Wang Wei was immensely proud of this achievement.

That night, just like any other, Wang Wei patrolled the grand general’s palace with a few ordinary soldiers. Though Bai Lianye’s prowess meant no one dared to attempt an assassination, Wang Wei remained ever vigilant and alert.

Suddenly, Wang Wei felt a wave of desolation wash over him, as if his head was splitting with pain. Despite his duty, he forced himself to continue the patrol. But inevitably, the pain worsened, making him stagger as he walked.

Finally, the soldiers behind him noticed something was wrong. One of the soldiers, closest to him, rushed forward to support Wang Wei, asking with concern, "Centurion, are you all right?"

Anyone assigned to Bai Lianye’s personal guard held the rank of centurion.

Wang Wei shook his head slightly, but the headache didn’t ease one bit. He forced himself to speak softly, "Don’t worry, I’m fine, just a bit of a headache."

Upon hearing Wang Wei’s words and seeing his pale face, the soldier said, "Centurion, you’ve been too exhausted these days. You should rest early. We can patrol on your behalf."

Wang Wei shouted, "Nonsense! Patrolling is my duty. How can I let someone else do it?"

The soldier replied, "Centurion, I know you are dutiful, but have you considered that with the general’s bravery, no one would dare to assassinate him? Even if someone did come, in your current state, you wouldn’t be able to handle it."

This soldier had joined the army with Wang Wei, so he spoke bluntly. Other soldiers also agreed.

Hearing the soldier’s words, and feeling a splitting headache, Wang Wei finally compromised, "Alright, you patrol for me, but be careful and stay alert. I’ll see the army doctor."

Saying this, Wang Wei refused company, and with worried looks from the others, he staggered off into the distance.

When Wang Wei disappeared from sight, Xu Qingfan suddenly appeared beside him. Before Wang Wei could react, Xu Qingfan pointed at him gently, and Wang Wei collapsed to the ground powerlessly.

Xu Qingfan softly said, "I’m sorry."

Then, Xu Qingfan removed Wang Wei’s clothes, put them on himself, used magic to transform his appearance into Wang Wei’s, and hid Wang Wei in a concealed spot, before heading towards the general’s palace.

Just now, Wang Wei’s sudden headache was actually caused by Xu Qingfan using some techniques he learned from "Art of Annihilation," employing the Original Soul for a direct attack. Although not very powerful, it was more than enough to deal with an ordinary person.