In the azure sky, the clouds suddenly dispersed, leaving only a clear expanse of blue. The force descending from the heavens and the yet-to-appear presence seemed intolerant of even the slightest imperfection.
In the world, a pair of eyes opened, filled with all-encompassing wisdom and unshakable composure.
Between mountains and seas, a hundred-zhang-tall ethereal figure appeared, wearing a Confucian robe and cap, with indistinct features and a flowing beard.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but the proud sun in the sky seemed to dim slightly.
This ethereal figure’s head touched the blue sky, while its feet stood upon the vast ocean.
As this figure emerged, a hundred li around Jing Mountain were enveloped in a clear aura, and the sound of scholarly recitation echoed through the void.
Compared to this, the accumulated aura of a thousand years from the Confucian academy was like the light of a firefly.
The Confucian Sage!
The founder of the Confucian system was a great man beyond classification.
For the first time in over 1,200 years since the Confucian Sage’s passing, someone had summoned his heroic spirit.
At this moment, the statue of the Shaman God trembled violently, and the entire altar and valley shook as if in an earthquake.
In this instant, all living beings within a hundred li of Jing Mountain City prostrated themselves, trembling with fear.
Yierbu and Wuda Baota, their bodies quaking and spines bent stubbornly refused to bow down—the last shred of dignity for Third-Rank Shamans.
Grand Shaman Salun Agu looked up at the towering ethereal figure, his lips quivering slightly. He murmured, “The Confucian Sage…”
Since the birth of human civilization, the evolution of etiquette and systems has been complex and chaotic. However, if we extend the “river of history” and view it from a macro perspective, the changes in human civilization can be simply categorized into two stages: before and after Confucianism.
Before the emergence of Confucianism, systems were unstable and ever-changing, existing in a relatively chaotic state.
After the birth of Confucianism, human civilization finally had a foundation, a fundamental principle that remained constant through countless changes.
In the tens of thousands of years following the summary of the Age of Gods and Demons, in terms of accumulating fortune, neither the ancient human emperors nor the countless rulers of later generations could compare to even a fraction of the Confucian Sages.
As the founder of human civilization, the Confucian Sage seemed to be born of destiny.
Wei Yuan’s eyes were replaced by a clear light, revealing a god-like indifference. His physical body cracked with fine fissures, while his Confucian cap and engraving knife emitted a clear light, repeatedly repairing his body only for it to crack again, in an endless cycle.
At this moment, he bore not only power beyond classification but also the most tremendous fortune since the birth of humanity.
It was not without reason that no one had been able to summon the heroic spirit of the Confucian Sage since his passing.
Wei Yuan raised his head, staring at Emperor Zhen De in the sky, and said calmly, “Why don’t you strike with your sword?”
Emperor Zhen De looked at him coldly.
A sword strike descended.
The sword’s light was dazzling, and time and space seemed to freeze at this moment. Never before had there been such a magnificent sword energy, for there had never been a swordsman beyond classification in history.
“Ah…” Screams erupted on the battlefield as several experts who had dared to witness this scene underwent horrifying transformations.
Some had sword energy suddenly shoot out from within their bodies, tearing them apart.
Some had their bodies turn iron-gray, becoming statues.
Some abruptly burst into flames, quickly turning to ash, leaving only two black, oily footprints on the ground.
Some dissolved into yellow sand; others had their flesh turn to wood, with skin developing wood grain patterns and leaves growing from their pores.
Zhang Kaitai and other experts quickly closed their eyes and lowered their heads, not daring to look at this sword light.
Fear exploded in their hearts.
A battle involving the highest level of power in the Nine Provinces world could easily turn a region into a wasteland.
The dazzling sword light arrived in an instant.
Wei Yuan raised his foot and stomped forward, his voice resounding like a great bell: “Who dares to be unruly before the Confucian Sage!”
The hundred-zhang tall ethereal figure synchronized its movements, taking a light step forward.
With this step, hundreds of zhang-high tsunamis suddenly rose in the ocean, Jing Mountain completely collapsed, mountains crumbled, tsunamis surged…
The might of the Confucian Sage’s single step leveled mountains to the ground and turned the earth into a flooded land.
The five-colored sword light shattered with a boom, transforming into pure Five Elements energy, painting the sky in a splendid, gorgeous display.
Salun Agu, Emperor Zhen De, Yierbu, and Wuda Baota, four super experts, were struck in the chest by a clear energy that seemed to sweep across this realm, scattering like leaves in the wind, their bodies rapidly decaying.
The four top experts stood still in midair, healing their injuries, but their auras had plummeted to the bottom, and their spirits were utterly defeated.
The combined sword strike of the four had reached a strength beyond classification, yet it had dissipated into nothing under the Confucian Sage’s single step.
The dispersed Five Elements sword energy directly altered the elemental laws of this realm: towering trees grew from the sea, streams flowed from rocks, flames burned on the sea surface…
It wasn’t that the sword strike lacked power.
The Confucian Sage was simply too strong.
Emperor Zhen De’s aura became unstable, the dark light enveloping his body transformed into black flames, turning back on himself.
He had cultivated the Way of Human Dao, which also made him susceptible to karmic fire. For the past few decades, he had relied on his status and position as the emperor to firmly suppress the karmic fire.
Just now, when struck by the clear energy, his aura weakened, and the karmic fire immediately retaliated.
He took a deep breath, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. His Yang Spirit body, which Daoist teachings claimed to be indestructible through countless calamities, emitted a golden light, extinguishing the karmic fire.
…
Wei Yuan’s face paled slightly. He no longer paid attention to the four defeated opponents and turned to walk towards the altar in the valley.
The power of the Confucian Sage was constantly ravaging his body. Despite having the engraving knife, the Confucian cap, and Zhao Shou’s blessing, it was still an unbearable burden for Wei Yuan.
Summoning a being beyond classification came at a price.
There was no mysterious spell backlash, only the simple principle of “carrying too heavy a burden.”
As Wei Yuan turned, the ethereal figure of the Confucian Sage synchronized its movement, turning towards the valley and striding forward.
No one dared to block the Confucian Sage’s path, not even those of the First Rank.
Salun Agu looked at the figure in the green robe, not angry despite the tide having turned against them. He remained calm and gentle, slowly saying:
“Wei Yuan, your talent is extraordinary. Even if the Shaman God breaks the seal, you could still preserve yourself. Why go to such lengths?”
When the Confucian Sage sealed the Shaman God years ago, there were great secrets involved. Throughout the Nine Provinces, those who knew these secrets could be counted on two hands.
How could one preserve oneself when faced with the destruction of a country and the extinction of a people? Wei Yuan ignored this and continued to advance steadily and slowly towards the valley.
He still had one enemy.
Wei Yuan moved forward through the void, but as he approached the valley, he was blocked by a barrier.
This barrier was intangible yet substantial, invisible but touchable. It kept Wei Yuan out of the valley.
Inside the valley was another realm, one that refused Wei Yuan’s entry.
Only something beyond classification could block something beyond classification.
The Shaman God was already able to influence reality, permeating its power.
Only fortune could block fortune.
Wei Yuan gripped the engraving knife and lightly tapped it against the invisible barrier. The energy wave resonated with a “hum,” repelling the knife.
Salun Agu watched this scene from afar and said:
“The Shaman God can already penetrate the seal and influence reality. It is not a helpless statue to be slaughtered at will. Unfortunately, your reaction was too quick. If we could have delayed for two or three years, the Shaman God would have been able to mobilize more fortune.”
Wei Yuan turned his neck to look at Salun Agu in the distance:
“Are you implying that I should exert myself to destroy the barrier, consuming this rare power of the Confucian Sage, leaving me with no means to seal the Shaman God?”
Salun Agu frankly replied, “Do you have any other choice?”
The corners of Wei Yuan’s mouth curled up: “Who says I don’t?”
…
In Jing Mountain City, the figure of a white-robed mystic appeared. He passed through the tightly closed city gates silently and arrived at the headquarters of the Shaman God Religion.
“Come… out…”
The white-robed mystic finished speaking haltingly, then lightly stomped his foot. A formation with him at its core rapidly expanded, enveloping the surrounding streets and houses.
Teleportation array patterns!
Iron cavalry suddenly appeared one after another, wielding steel sabers and wearing armor. At their head was a young man more beautiful than any woman.
The people in the city looked at these heaven-sent visitors in shock, recognizing them as Great Feng cavalry through details like their armor and appearance. Their faces immediately changed.
They couldn’t understand why Great Feng’s army had suddenly appeared in the city.
The Yan Kingdom shared borders with Great Feng’s three frontier provinces. Relying on their treacherous passes that were easy to defend and difficult to attack, they had been fearless, often joining forces with the allied armies of Jing and Kang to repeatedly invade the border, burning, killing, and looting. Even the common people could put their hands on their hips and mock:
“The Central Plains are like women, easily bullied at will.”
We could attack Great Feng, but there was no reason for Great Feng to attack us.
This phenomenon hadn’t changed even after the Battle of Shanhai Pass ended.
Nangong Qianrou raised her saber high, her demeanor cold, and shouted:
“In the 600 years since the founding of Great Feng, the Shaman God Religion has killed countless Great Feng civilians and abducted our women. The blood debt is too numerous to list. The people of the three northeastern provinces have suffered under the Shaman God Religion for too long. Great Feng soldiers, follow me and raze this city!”
“Raze the city!”
“Raze the city!”
“Raze the city…”
The deep roars converged, the sound waves shaking the heavens.
Ten thousand heavy cavalry charged into the streets, slaughtering indiscriminately, turning the city into a living hell.
Today, they would raze the city and repay blood debts with blood!
…
“Wei Yuan!!”
Seeing the raging slaughter in Jing Mountain City, the Enlightened Master Yierbu was furious:
“Only something beyond classification can seal something beyond classification. You, with your mortal body, are caught in between. Aren’t you afraid of death?!”
At this point, this Third-Rank expert felt a sense of helplessness from the depths of his heart.
You, Wei Yuan, are neither a disciple of Confucianism nor one of those mortal insects. A Second-Rank martial artist is enough to preserve oneself and live freely. Why seek your death?
“When I say I’ll attack your Shaman God Religion, I attack your Shaman God Religion.”
Wei Yuan’s gaze returned from Jing Mountain City and turned to Grand Shaman Salun Agu, smiling as he said: “The old soldiers used to call me the War God of Great Feng. I can’t disappoint them.”
Under conditions where there would be no supplies, he had broken through the treacherous passes of the Yan Kingdom, approached the capital, and attracted most of the forces from Yan and Kang. Then, he secretly crossed the ocean to Jing Mountain City.
He summoned the Jiao clan dragons to counteract the “Rain Master’s” terrifying waves.
He used the engraving knife to severely wound the First-Rank Grand Shaman, forcing Emperor Zhen De to appear.
He invited the heroic spirit of the Confucian Sage, severely injuring all the top experts of the Shaman God Religion.
He dispatched Nangong Qianrou to rendezvous with Sun Xuanji, killing their way into Jing Mountain City at the crucial moment, shaking the Shaman God’s fortune.
From the moment he set out on the expedition until now, how to march, how to divide the troops, which route to take, whose help was needed, how many enemies there were, who they were… he had calculated every step.
The Supervisor once said that in the current world, there were very, very few who could engage in a chess match with him and end in a draw. Wei Yuan was one of them.
With each person who died in Jing Mountain City, the fortune the Shaman God could borrow weakened a bit more.
Wei Yuan raised the engraving knife and lightly slashed at the barrier, which had already become as thin as an eggshell, breaking through the Shaman God’s barrier.
Yierbu and Wuda Baota watched Wei Yuan enter the valley, their faces full of unwillingness.
Salun Agu and the former emperor Zhen De watched this scene, the former with a calm gaze, the latter with cold eyes.
…
The altar was several dozen zhang high, only slightly shorter than the mountain peak.
Wei Yuan looked up, glancing at the towering altar. Stone steps rose layer upon layer, ninety-nine in total, leading to the god worshipped by the Shaman God Religion, the founder of the shaman system.
One of the few beings beyond classification after the Age of Gods and Demons.
To call it “god-like and demon-like” would not be an exaggeration.
Wei Yuan lowered his gaze and raised his foot, stepping onto the first level of the stairs.
In an instant, heaven unleashed its killing intent, earth unleashed its killing intent. This space was rejecting him, targeting him, bringing down terrifying pressure.
Wei Yuan paused, then stepped onto the second level of stairs.
The ethereal figure of the Confucian Sage sent down a clear light, neutralizing the pressure from heaven and earth.
Wei Yuan raised his head, bowing to the ethereal figure of the Confucian Sage: “No need!”
He had summoned the Confucian Sage not to kill enemies, but to seal the Shaman God.
Salun Agu had encouraged him to use the Confucian Sage’s power to break the barrier, intending to gradually weaken the Confucian Sage’s power. By the time they reached the top of the altar, how much strength would the Confucian Sage have left?
He, Wei Yuan, was not a tool, not just a vessel to carry the heroic spirit of the Confucian Sage.
On the contrary, he, Wei Yuan, was the one who would seal the Shaman God in this lifetime.
The Confucian Sage was his tool.
Second level, third level, fourth level…
After the twentieth level, with each step Wei Yuan took, a crack appeared on his body. The immortal body of a high-rank martial artist repaired the terrible wounds, barely maintaining balance.
After the fiftieth level, Wei Yuan resembled a pieced-together porcelain figure, his entire body covered in cracks, including his elegant and handsome face.
He finally stopped, either due to exhaustion or being unable to advance further under the pressure.
“Without transcending classification, one is still a mortal. How different is that from an insect?”
A faint sigh echoed, as if from ancient times.
Accompanying this voice, an irresistible force surged forth. Heaven and Earth united their efforts to destroy Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan faced two choices: The first was to use the Confucian Sage’s power to reach the top. Whether this hard-earned heroic spirit would have enough strength left to seal the Shaman God after reaching the top, only heaven knew. The second choice was to turn back and retreat with the Great Feng army.
…
“Gods, how impressive…”
Wei Yuan murmured, as a buried memory broke through the barriers of his mind.
Forty years ago, when Emperor Zhen De was still in power, a brutal war broke out in the three northeastern provinces.
The Shaman God issued a divine decree to destroy Great Feng and seize its fortune. At that time, the three northeastern countries mobilized 200,000 troops, capturing Xiangzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou. Every three days, they massacred the population, sparing neither the elderly, the weak, women, or children. Great Feng civilians were slaughtered like worthless weeds.
For a hundred li, there was no sign of human life. Dry bones were buried in the mountains and fields.
More savage and brutal than even the barbaric tribes.
To this day, that battle remains a shadow in the hearts of the elderly who had experienced the war.
It was also because of that battle that for the next ten years, the court stationed 100,000 troops in the three provinces. The common people preferred to become refugees rather than return to their homeland, truly terrified by the Shaman God Religion.
Afterward, when the court recreated the census records, they discovered that in the vast lands of Xiangzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou, nine out of ten homes were empty. The number of civilians who died in that war was in the millions.
Wei Yuan’s ancestral home was in Yuzhou.
Of the Wei family, only one young man survived.
As past events surfaced in his mind, he was no longer the young man in blue robes from those days. Wei Yuan laughed wildly:
“Looking back forty years, national hatred and family grudges come to this day. Now, I want to know, can a god truly trap this insect?”
The figure in blue robes ascended the steps. The cage of heaven and earth might as well have been decoration.
Ninety-nine levels climbed in one breath.
Standing before the statue of the Shaman God was now a broken human form.
Wei Yuan sneered disdainfully: “It seems that even gods are not so great.”
In the past 4,800 years, only two people from the Central Plains had ever ascended to the main altar of the Shaman God Religion.
The Confucian Sage 1,200 years ago.
Wei Yuan 1,200 years later.
Only these two.
…
Grand Shaman Salun Agu sighed, “Wei Yuan, the revival of the Shaman God is the trend of the times. The Central Plains are now lacking in talent, and Confucianism has weakened, unable to form a climate. Fortune is draining away, and the Supervisor is no longer at his peak. Why do you insist on being like an ant trying to stop a chariot?”
After speaking, he lightly ran his fingertip across his wrist, allowing fresh blood to flow. Forming a hand seal, his voice resounded like a great bell, echoing throughout heaven and earth: “Offer a sacrifice to the Shaman God.”
Beside him, Yierbu and Wuda Baota wore solemn expressions, each cutting their wrists and forming the same hand seal.
Fresh blood flowed from the wrists of the three high-rank shamans. The blood, like threads, did not drip but transformed into a scarlet radiance, floating in wisps towards the distant altar, towards the statue of the Shaman God.
The Great Blood Sacrifice Technique!
The Shaman God Religion’s Great Blood Sacrifice Technique.
Hearing the Grand Shaman’s voice and seeing this scene, the shamans understood that the Shaman God Religion was at a critical moment of life and death.
Hundreds of shamans left the battlefield without hesitation, cutting their wrists and forming hand seals, offering themselves as sacrifices to the Shaman God.
Nalan Yan felt his body temperature gradually cooling, his life force draining away with his blood, transforming into a scarlet radiance that floated towards the valley, merging with the statue that shamans had worshipped for thousands of years.
If the soldiers of your Central Plains Great Feng can be fearless in the face of death, how could we of the Shaman God Religion fear death?
The Shaman God Religion had ruled the northeast for over 4,000 years. When had they ever been so utterly defeated?
Even if they were to perish today, they would ensure that Wei Yuan and Great Feng failed at the last moment.
In his final moments, Nalan Yan suddenly turned his head, looking at the figure in blue robes, remembering his father who had fallen in the Battle of Shanhai Pass.
Who would have thought that father and son would die at the hands of the same man?
Nalan Yan slowly closed his eyes and passed away silently.
One shaman after another fell, turning into withered corpses. They died silently, without complaint or regret.
Their will merged with the statue of the Shaman God. This was the Shaman God Religion’s final resistance, the curse that the shamans cast upon Wei Yuan and the Confucian Sage.
…
Crack…
On the altar, the statue of the Shaman God began to crack, spewing fine stone fragments.
Streams of black smoke seeped out from between the statue’s brows, blotting out the sky and sun, turning day into night.
In an instant, this black mist enveloped a hundred li around Jing Mountain City, rolling endlessly like raging waves in a storm.
When a common man is enraged, blood splatters three feet. When an emperor is enraged, corpses pile up by the million.
What happens when a god is enraged?
The soldiers’ battle came to a halt once again. Around Jing Mountain City, the few survivors looked up, their faces filled with terror as they gazed at the black mist overhead.
The black mist suddenly collapsed downward with the force of a falling sky, condensing into a hundred-zhang-tall black shadow above the altar, its features indistinct.
Those who dared to look directly at the shadow died on the spot.
The hundred-zhang black shadow faced off against the hundred-zhang ethereal figure, like two giants from the dawn of creation.
“Confucian Sage!”
From within the black shadow came a vast, ethereal voice, filled with anger, hatred, and sighing.
With this voice, a clap of thunder sounded in the sky, and the weather changed dramatically. A terrifying storm descended.
“You will regret this.”
The vast, ethereal voice came again.
Wei Yuan knew this sentence was directed at him.
He remained silent, turning his head to look at the distant battlefield and the Great Feng soldiers engaged in combat.
These soldiers dying on the land of the Shaman God Religion, and those who had died in the Battle of Shanhai Pass – what they had shed their blood for, what they had died wrapped in horse hide for, ultimately boiled down to four words: for country and people.
Wasn’t I, Wei Yuan, leading them to their deaths for these same four words?
The black shadow looked down coldly from above, like a god surveying all creation, surveying insects.
The shadow raised its hand, its finger pressing down gently.
A god’s wrath is indeed terrifying, but what right do mortals have to experience a god’s fury? To a god, they are beings that can be crushed with a single finger.
How are they different from insects?
The sound of bones shattering rang out. Before the god’s attack even arrived, its mere presence had shattered all the bones in Wei Yuan’s body.
His spine suddenly bent, as if he were carrying a mountain on his shoulders, no longer able to raise his head.
At this moment, Wei Yuan was like a porcelain vessel on the verge of shattering, already covered in cracks.
This scene was strikingly similar to when the Buddhist Golden Body forced Xu Qi’an to kneel during the Buddhist confrontation.
At this moment, he seemed to hear Xu Qi’an’s roar, to hear the roar of tens of thousands of citizens in the capital.
Suddenly, a bright light shone in Wei Yuan’s eyes, clear and pure.
In this life, I have not revered gods, worshipped Buddha, or believed in emperors. I have lived only for the common people.
If gods are heartless, then they are my enemies.
Wei Yuan slowly straightened his back. All the bones in his body were shattered, including his spine. That he could straighten his back now was probably due to some belief supporting him.
In today’s Nine Provinces, few people know why the Confucian Sage sealed the Shaman God.
Few people know why the Founding Emperor went back on his word back then.
Few people know that in ancient times, the Shaman God once invaded the Central Plains, cutting off the fortune of the human race.
He, Wei Yuan, did not want the backbone of civilization to collapse, did not want the people of the Central Plains to bow their heads in slavery for generations to come.
The finger, condensed with a god’s wrath, descended from the heavens.
He tremblingly raised his hand, gripping the engraving knife, with crimson blood flowing like water.
A hand reached out from behind, gripping the engraving knife together with him.
At some point, the hundred-zhang-tall ethereal figure had disappeared, now appearing behind Wei Yuan, as if it were the most solid support for this great man of a thousand years later.
Wei Yuan’s hand no longer trembled.
A thousand years ago, there was the Confucian Sage. A thousand years later, there is Wei Yuan!
This scholar, full of spirit and anger, roared fiercely at the Shaman God:
“You, Shaman God, want to erode the fortune of my Great Feng, to cut off the destiny of the people of the Central Plains. Have you asked me, Wei Yuan?!”
Wei Yuan gripped the Confucian Sage’s engraving knife and gently thrust it forward.
The engraving knife burst forth with dazzling light.
It had been over 1,200 years since the Confucian Sage had last wielded this knife.
This strike spanned a thousand years.
Never again would there be such a brilliant blade light, nor such flamboyant spirit.
Power beyond classification exploded above the altar.
The sky collapsed.
The black shadow condensed by the Shaman God crumbled inch by inch, dispersing into terrifying waves that swept across heaven and earth.
This force rolled over hills, flattening them; swept across oceans, raising tsunamis; passed over cities, turning them into ruins.
Nangong Qianrou led the charge, commanding the heavy cavalry to retreat, her eyes red and her face contorted.
Adoptive father, you must survive.
Zhang Kaitai and other Golden Gong bearers and high-rank martial artists were also fleeing, racing against death.
Everyone was fleeing, escaping in panic.
Long, long after, this aftershock finally dissipated. Everywhere it had passed was leveled to the ground.
The Shaman God Religion’s headquarters and Jing Mountain City became history from this day forward.
Only the altar, protected by the Confucian Sage’s seal and the Shaman God’s power, survived this world-destroying wave.
Wei Yuan stood proudly on the altar, wearing tattered blue robes.
“Why…”
A faint voice echoed in the void, no longer vast and mighty.
The ethereal figure of the Confucian Sage behind him stepped into the statue of the Shaman God, and the cracks in the statue repaired themselves.
The Shaman God was sealed once again.
Why?
Wei Yuan turned wearily, looking towards the Central Plains. He had risen to prominence in the 6th year of Yuanjing, repelling the barbarian cavalry and becoming a new noble of Great Feng. Later, in the Battle of Shanhai Pass, he had planned strategies from behind the scenes, winning this grand battle that changed the landscape of the Nine Provinces.
Afterward, he abandoned his cultivation, entered the imperial court, contended with multiple factions, and used his status as a eunuch to subdue the court officials. Glory, achievements, power – all were in his grasp, brilliantly shining.
Looking back on his life, there were many aspects that his political enemies had studied for half their lives yet still could not understand.
He had no children, no family, completely alone.
The gold and silver that eunuchs viewed as their spiritual pillar, he regarded as dirt.
After decades of navigating the treacherous waters of court politics, was he truly without desire or pursuit?
Wei Yuan’s gaze seemed to penetrate through thousands of mountains and rivers, seeing the Yasheng Temple atop Mount Qingyun, seeing the stone tablet standing in the hall, seeing those four crooked sentences.
Why?
Wei Yuan said softly: “To establish the heart for heaven and earth, to establish destiny for the people, to continue the lost teachings for past sages, to open peace for all future generations.”
He closed his eyes and never opened them again.
…
In the autumn of the 37th year of Yuanjing, Wei Yuan led 100,000 troops to capture the Shaman God Religion’s headquarters and seal the Shaman God.
Jing Mountain City was reduced to ruins, and hundreds of thousands of lives were wiped out.
This was the first time in history that the iron cavalry of the Central Plains had broken through to the Shaman God Religion’s headquarters.
His name would be recorded in the annals of history.