The amount of blood and energy he absorbed from the battle was roughly equivalent to the blood and energy of two or three innate masters.
If he could have another hundred battles of this scale, his Xuan Yin Incarnation would be able to break through completely.
Chapter 84 Attacking Wagang Village!
Wang Xuan and his men's defeat of several thousand government troops is tantamount to officially raising the flag of rebellion.
Since that was the case, there was nothing more to worry about, and he led his men straight to Jindi Pass.
Jindi Pass is strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it an ideal place to settle down and make a living. In the original story, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, and their group first captured Jindi Pass, then conquered Washan Village, raised the banner of righteousness, and became one of the most powerful rebel leaders.
A few days later, they arrived at the foot of Jindi Pass and saw banners fluttering inside, indicating that countless elite troops were gathered there awaiting orders.
Wang Xuan glanced at Cheng Yaojin, and without him saying anything, Cheng Yaojin wisely stepped forward to challenge him.
He pointed at Jindi Pass and shouted, "You corrupt officials inside, do you dare to come out and have a go at your Grandpa Cheng?!"
Seeing that Wang Xuan and his men were few in number, the garrison commander inside Jindi Pass was not afraid at all. He opened the city gate and led his troops out.
Wang Xuan didn't pay much attention at first, but upon closer inspection, he was quite surprised, because the garrison commander in Jindi Pass had also reached the early stage of the Innate Realm, the same level as Cheng Yaojin!
"Who is this enemy general?" Wang Xuan turned to ask You Junda.
You Junda was, after all, a notorious bandit leader who dominated Shandong, and his intelligence gathering was quite impressive. Without much thought, he blurted out, "This man is named Hua Gongyi, and his weapon is a halberd. He is as brave as ten thousand men."
Wang Xuan looked up at the sky and felt a deep sense of malice. Before he arrived in the Sui and Tang world, apart from zombies and otherworldly powerhouses, the strongest person in this world, Li Yuanba, only had the cultivation level of the early stage of the Innate Realm.
But how long has it been? Innate masters have become so abundant. In just one or two months, countless innate masters have appeared in the world, and how many can compare to those who have attained the Dao through martial arts?
This must be the will of Heaven in the Sui and Tang world sensing a crisis, which is why it spared no expense in consuming the world's essence to forcibly create a group of experts.
While Wang Xuan and You Junda were talking, Cheng Yaojin had already started fighting with Hua Gongyi.
Cheng Yaojin wielded his Bagua Xuanhua Axe with great skill, and Hua Gongyi's halberd was equally impressive. The two fought fiercely, their powerful energy sweeping across the surrounding area, causing sand and stones to fly and creating chaos.
The social hierarchy in the Sui and Tang dynasties was limited, and there were no exotic beasts like the Dragon Scale Horse. Whether it was Cheng Yaojin or Hua Gongyi, the warhorses they rode could be considered fine horses, but how could they withstand such abuse?
You should know that a master at the early stage of the Innate Realm has the strength of tens of thousands of jin!
They exchanged only a few blows before their warhorses simultaneously let out a mournful whinny, collapsed to the ground, and died.
Cheng Yaojin and Hua Gongyi had no choice but to dismount and fight on foot, and they quickly exchanged more than a dozen blows.
However, Cheng Yaojin only learned half of the axe technique. After he had used up his three axe blows, Hua Gongyi saw through his weakness and stabbed his left arm with a halberd.
Masters with innate abilities naturally possess innate protective energy. Although Cheng Yaojin was struck by the halberd, his injuries were not actually very serious. He could recover after a few days of recuperation using his innate true energy.
But Cheng Yaojin screamed and turned to flee, shouting as he ran, "Boss, come quick and save me!"
Wang Xuan covered his forehead with his hand. His underlings were too useless. He even had to personally deal with Hua Gongyi.
If they encounter masters like Li Yuanba, Yuwen Chengdu, Pei Yuanqing, and Xiong Kuohai in the future, will he, as the leader, have to deal with them all?
It seems we still need to find a couple of capable underlings to keep things under control. It's a pity we got separated from Li Yuanba back then; otherwise, with Yuanba's disciple here, there would be no need for him to take action personally.
Although Wang Xuan cursed Cheng Yaojin in his heart for being useless, he did not stand idly by. His Xuan Yin avatar stomped on the ground and instantly rushed towards Hua Gongyi like an arrow released from a bow.
He didn't need to use a weapon; he simply threw a seemingly ordinary punch. This punch contained power comparable to a perfected Daoist master, enough to crush everything.
Hua Gongyi was chasing Cheng Yaojin when a black-robed figure suddenly appeared in front of him, which startled him. He immediately raised his halberd and slashed at the figure.
"Bang!"
A clang of metal rang out, and the halberd in Hua Gongyi's hand, forged from refined steel, broke in two. Meanwhile, the iron fist of Xuan Yin's incarnation continued its momentum, slamming directly into Hua Gongyi's chest.
The incredibly powerful punch erupted, and Hua Gongyi died instantly without even uttering a sound.
Xuan Yin's incarnation held Hua Gongyi's corpse in one hand, and a dark red energy surged within his body, refining all the essence within the corpse for his own use.
With the death of their commander Hua Gongyi, chaos erupted within Jindi Pass.
Wang Xuan commanded his Xuan Yin avatars to seize the pass, while Cheng Yaojin and You Junda quickly led their men to rush in and provide support. It didn't take them long to capture Jin Di Pass.
After capturing Jindi Pass, Wang Xuan manipulated his Xuan Yin avatar to recruit and accept defectors, and his troops multiplied several times over, reaching as many as 10,000.
Although Jindi Pass is strategically important, it is not a large city and does not have much grain stored up. If one wants to achieve something great, one must first conquer the nearby Wagang Village.
Wang Xuan didn't rest much, and three days later he set off with Cheng Yaojin and the others, heading directly towards Wagang Village.
Upon arriving at Wagang Village, without Wang Xuan's prompting, Cheng Yaojin took the initiative to mount his horse and leave the camp. As soon as he reached the pass, he shouted, "Soldiers on the pass, quickly inform the garrison commander that my grandfather Cheng is challenging us to battle!"
Not long after, the city gates swung open, and a general wielding a large sword rushed out. Upon seeing Cheng Yaojin, the general shouted, "Who goes there, you ugly devil?"
How dare you say I, Cheng Yaojin, am ugly? This is outrageous! Cheng Yaojin roared in fury, "I am Cheng Yaojin, the one who sells smuggled salt, robs the royal convoy, and rebels against Shandong! And who are you, you scoundrel?"
The enemy general replied, "I am Ma Zong, the younger brother of Ma Sanbao, the Grand Marshal of the Great Sui Dynasty."
Cheng Yaojin said, "No matter what kind of horse you are, take this axe!"
Then Cheng Yaojin raised his axe and swung it at Ma Zong's face. Ma Zong parried with his sword, but Cheng Yaojin broke the sword handle in half. Caught off guard, Ma Zong was chopped down from his horse by Cheng Yaojin's axe.
Cheng Yaojin, having won his first battle, had no intention of stopping and continued to challenge others from below the city walls.
Not long after, another person rushed out of the city, galloping towards Cheng Yaojin.
This time, Cheng Yaojin didn't waste any words with his opponent. He spurred his horse forward and swung his axe at the enemy's head.
Before the enemy general could even raise his weapon, Cheng Yaojin chopped him off his horse with an axe.
According to previous intelligence, there were three chief generals in Wagang Village, but Cheng Yaojin killed two of them in a short time.
Wang Xuan didn't wait any longer. Before the city gates of Wagang Village were closed, he directly commanded his Xuan Yin avatar to rush over.
As the Xuan Yin incarnation approached the city gate, a hail of arrows shot out from the city wall, aiming at his vital points.
But how could these ordinary arrows possibly break through the defenses of the Xuan Yin incarnation?
Xuan Yin's incarnation rushed into Wagang Village and wreaked havoc. Cheng Yaojin, You Junda, and others also led their troops into the city to provide support. Before long, the remaining government troops surrendered one after another.
Chapter Eighty-Five: Sacrificing to Xuan Tian, Destroying Huang Tian!
With the overwhelming power of the Xuan Yin incarnation suppressing them, they conquered cities and strongholds along the way, gathering a large number of people and becoming one of the "Eighteen Rebel Kings" and "Sixty-Four Rebels" at the end of the Sui Dynasty.
Meanwhile, Wang Xuan's true form quietly left Wagang Village and headed alone towards Luoyang, the eastern capital.
After a month or two of rest, although his spiritual trauma has not yet fully healed, it has recovered to a large extent and no longer affects his ability to perform.
The karma Wang Xuan had forged with Yang Guang was now ripe for reckoning. That's why he left his Xuan Yin incarnation behind to maintain order, while he himself went to Luoyang.
With Wang Xuan's current cultivation level at the Perfected Innate Realm, a journey of several thousand miles was nothing to him. A few days later, he arrived in Luoyang, the Eastern Capital, and used the Lingxu Step to fly through the air into the imperial palace.
As soon as Wang Xuan entered the palace, he saw Yang Guang playing with several young ladies from a distance, with palace maids performing dances and music. It was incredibly enjoyable.
Although the Sui Dynasty was engulfed in war at this time, Yang Guang was still living a carefree life. He had even ordered Li Mi to build dragon boats, planning to go to Jiangnan to see beautiful women once the boats were completed.
Wang Xuan watched this scene with extreme displeasure—he would never admit to the envy, jealousy, and hatred in his heart.
"Yang Guang's disciple, how have you been?!" Wang Xuan shouted softly, but secretly he mustered his innate true energy, and his voice boomed directly in Yang Guang's ears.
Yang Guang was startled, and the glass cup in his hand fell to the ground, exposing himself. He cursed loudly, "Which blind fool dares to disturb my refined pleasure?! Where are the guards? Drag that person out and behead him!"
"Oh? It's only been a short time since we last met, and you've already grown so bold as to want to kill your own master?!" Wang Xuan's face darkened, and he gestured around with his hand. Instantly, several bolts of lightning flew out from his hand, killing all the guards who rushed to attack him.
Wang Xuan made no attempt to conceal his identity this time, revealing his true face directly. Yang Guang recognized him immediately after finishing his tirade, his face turning deathly pale in fear that Wang Xuan would attack him.
Although only two or three months have passed since Wang Xuan began spreading his teachings and martial arts at the Golden Summit of Zhongnan Mountain, the strength of all the martial arts masters in the world has more than doubled during this time. People like Li Yuanba, Yuwen Chengdu, and Pei Yuanqing are already capable of single-handedly defeating thousands of troops, let alone Wang Xuan, the one spreading his teachings.
Yang Guang was, after all, an emperor. After a brief moment of fear, he quickly calmed down, dismissed the palace maids around him, and respectfully bowed to Wang Xuan.
"I did not know it was you, teacher. I was rude just now, please forgive me."
"I was unaware of your presence, Master. Is there anything you wish to instruct me to do?"
Wang Xuan sighed inwardly. Yang Guang was quite clever. If he hadn't been so eager for quick success and had been more considerate of the people's needs, he might have become a wise ruler.
Yang Guang's merits and demerits will be judged by future generations, and Wang Xuan didn't care about that, directly stating his purpose.
"I have come to you today because I have something to instruct you to do."
"I want to establish Xuantian in this world and abolish Huangtian. I need you to represent the entire Sui Dynasty and perform the sacrifice to Xuantian!"
Indeed, Wang Xuan was already preparing to defy fate. While the Sui Dynasty still possessed its own fortune, he would have Yang Guang perform sacrifices to Xuantian and abolish Huangtian.
While this wouldn't allow Wang Xuan's nascent Heavenly Dao to replace the will of this world, it could severely damage the will of heaven and simultaneously strengthen his nascent Heavenly Dao.
Wang Xuan could reap substantial benefits, but Yang Guang was a different story. If he were to actually do as Wang Xuan suggested, it would be nothing short of a betrayal of this world, and he would certainly not have a good end. Even the remaining national fortune of the Sui Dynasty would be instantly depleted!
Although Yang Guang was unaware of these things, his instincts resisted, and he exclaimed, "This is absolutely unacceptable! Heaven is the supreme deity, and I am the Son of Heaven. How can a son depose his father?!"
The Chinese nation has worshipped Haotian, also known as Huangtian, since ancient times. Emperors even called themselves the Son of Heaven, and every emperor had to offer sacrifices to Huangtian and Houtu when he ascended the throne, symbolizing that he had gained the recognition of heaven and earth.
Yang Guang's refusal at this time was not unexpected by Wang Xuan.
Wang Xuan sneered, "Haven't you seen it clearly yet? Your Sui Dynasty has long lost the favor of Heaven. Heaven's will is not with you. The Sui Dynasty will surely perish in your hands!"
"If you are willing to listen to my advice on sacrificing to Xuan Tian and abolishing Huang Tian, you still have a chance to fight back!"
Wang Xuan wasn't entirely fooling Yang Guang. If Yang Guang were truly willing to offer sacrifices to Xuan Tian, it would not only strengthen the nascent Heavenly Dao in Wang Xuan's hands, but also allow him to gain some control over this world.
Although Yang Guang will have completely lost the favor of Heaven, he will have gained the approval of Xuan Tian. Although the Sui Dynasty will soon fall apart, as long as Wang Xuan refines the entire world before that happens, he will naturally be able to help him defy fate.
Yang Guang's expression changed several times. In fact, with the world engulfed in war during this period, he had a vague sense that the Sui Dynasty was likely to perish in his hands. That's why he had given up and indulged in sensual pleasures.
Now Wang Xuan has given him a chance to defy fate, and he doesn't know whether he should gamble with the destiny of the Sui Dynasty.
After waiting for a while, Wang Xuan saw that Yang Guang was hesitant to make a decision and, not wanting to waste any more time, directly threatened him: "This matter is not up to you. You have to do it whether you want to or not!"
Do you really think Wang Xuan is a kind-hearted man or woman? If Yang Guang refuses, Wang Xuan wouldn't mind letting the Xuan Yin incarnation unify the world while he himself performs the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven.
Yang Guang froze on the spot. Only then did he realize that he had no choice but to board Wang Xuan's pirate ship.
Wang Xuan gave Yang Guang some instructions, then took out a blueprint from his spatial ring and told Yang Guang to build the altar according to the blueprint.
The altar that Emperor Zhuanxu of the Water Margin world built when he gathered the will of all living beings to challenge the will of Heaven was of this kind. Wang Xuan obtained this blueprint after communicating with the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao.
Although the Sui Dynasty was in chaos at this time, the foundation laid during the Kaihuang era was still there, and it would not take long to build an altar.
About ten days later, the altar that Wang Xuan had requested was completed. The altar was nine zhang, nine chi, and nine cun high, square in shape, and Wang Xuan personally carved Dao patterns all over it.
With these Dao patterns, one can guide the imperial dragon energy within Yang Guang's body to worship Xuan Tian and challenge the will of Heaven!