Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Chapter 129 System Explanation!

The main hall of the Ningguo Prefecture Court.

Niu Lian, Hou Xiaoli, Chen Hao, Jia He, and other third-level True Immortals closed their eyes for a short rest, while below, Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, and other leaders held books of exotic cultivation techniques in their hands, chatting in low voices with beaming smiles.

At the end of the seats, Niu Chengxian, Liu He, Hou Zunqi and other fourth-generation direct descendants stared intently at the direction of the underground chamber, their gazes seemingly penetrating the surface of the earth to see the changes that occurred during the breakthrough!

Suddenly, several third-level True Persons opened their eyes, their faces filled with joy, and they looked up at the sky with smiles on their faces.

"Excellent! Yu Yin—no, General, has broken through! He's broken through!"

"Third tier, in his early twenties!"

"Hahaha, the great power of the eight prefectures of the Immortal Capital is finally achieved!"

Upon seeing this, everyone in the hall knew that there was good news, and they were all overjoyed.

Just then, in the center of the head seat, Jia Tang appeared in the blink of an eye. Overall, he was no different from usual, except that his temperament was more reserved and slightly bland. However, the bright light and oppressive feeling in his eyes made it impossible for people to look directly at him!

"How long has it been?"

"Three days and three nights!"

Jia Tang nodded slightly. It took him a day longer than Jia He to break through, but that was understandable.

"I have broken through. Next, all the cultivators in each prefecture, regardless of whether they are at the third, second, or first level, will be supplemented accordingly."

"only!"

Jia Tang paused, then asked, "Old Chen, have you communicated the situation from Old Niu and the others over the past two months?"

Chen Hao nodded and said, "I have already told you everything."

Upon hearing this, Niu Lian continued, "General, do you need more manpower to support Xuanfu and Qinghuai?"

"Not for now. Even if the barrier weakens again, it will only be a first-tier battlefield. One third-tier commander is enough for each side."

"What I'm thinking about now is dealing with the Blood Ground and Blood Pills that Chen Kong created; that's something we need to take care of first!"

Hou Xiaoli snorted coldly upon hearing this, her voice brimming with barely suppressed killing intent.

"Our Wu Xun clan only cared about annihilating the enemy, earning us a bad reputation. But those who secretly used the common people's blood-refining pills to break through their limits are revered by the world!"

"The royal family and Emperor Wenzong naturally have the advantage of upholding the greater good."

Niu Lian smiled and said casually, "But it doesn't matter. History is the praise of the victors. If we can win, it's fine no matter what. If we can't win, fame is useless."

"Indeed!"

Jia Tang nodded and chuckled, his eyes cold and indifferent: "Now that everyone has returned, it's time to collect some interest. But you should all go back to your residence and rest for a couple of days to recharge your energy. We'll discuss what to do then when Jia Kang sends us the latest intelligence from the Northwest."

"only!"

Upon hearing this, everyone got up and left, returning to their respective residences via the secret passage. Since everyone's residences were quite close, and each residence had someone who had mastered the art of transmitting messages, they could come over anytime if needed.

Inside the hall, Jia Tang looked at Jia He, who seemed hesitant to speak, and laughed and scolded, "Why are you still being coy after going to a foreign land? Just spit it out!"

'

Jia He sighed and said, "Due to our lack of martial arts skills during this trip to another region, the various forces there have been constantly inquiring about us, especially after they learned that you led the team last time. They've been asking us questions behind our backs."

"Testing the waters, arranging marriages, forming alliances, and enticing with benefits—"

"We used all sorts of methods in turn, but luckily those who went were all kind-hearted people, and I didn't let them rest much, otherwise things might have gone wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang looked enlightened. This was to be expected. A family alliance with four Nascent Soul cultivators and numerous Golden Core cultivators would be something anyone would try to win over.

However, with the jade tablet, no amount of other methods will be of any use!

"That's one point."

Jia He raised his head and said earnestly, "The second reason is the difference in systems!"

"My lord, the entire foreign land resembles a giant military camp—no, more like a merchant guild!"

"They each had their own duties: some screened and searched for those with talent, some taught and preached the Dharma, and some practiced asceticism to prepare for battle—"

"Moreover, they have specific training standards. After their talent is assessed, they have a general idea of ​​how much salary to receive, how much work to do, and how much their cultivation can increase. It can be said that everything is under their control."

"But what about us? Everything is uncertain!"

"Who can cultivate? We'll try them little by little! What about their talent? We don't know! Resource allocation? It's the same regardless of whether it's good or bad!"

"Most importantly, apart from the power of qi and blood, we have no means to forcibly boost our combat strength."

"Over there, they clearly see how many resources are needed for each stage from the initial stage to the breakthrough, and they can simply pile them up when disaster strikes! Here, we slowly absorb vital energy over time, using vital medicine to gradually break through!"

"The biggest problem here is that we don't have enough spirit stones, or our elemental stones!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang nodded repeatedly. After Jia He calmed down, he said, "I understand what you're saying. To put it bluntly, our cultivation world here doesn't have the unified resources to do what they do."

"But our world has only been restored for less than two hundred years. The spirit stones are dug up in the secret realm, the cultivation methods are also picked up inside, and even the weapons are the same."

"The path of cultivation is something our predecessors explored step by step through ancient methods. That's why the early third-stage cultivators of our Eight Prefectures all had the foundation of refining mortals. Someone like you, who has just entered the advanced stage of cultivation, can easily take on two opponents. Is it because your talent is better than theirs?"

"uncertain!"

Jia He nodded silently; he had only benefited from the general's influence.

"Given that Yuan Stones are strategic resources and Yuan Weapons are clan treasures, it's impossible to test the consumption required for each stage of breakthrough. But Yuan Qi is free; we can just absorb it slowly, since we can't run out of it!"

"This is just like the rebellions of the past. Without gold and silver to train a regular army, they could only coerce the people into forming a displaced population and a mob, which would then snowball."

Jia Tang rubbed his temples and said, "Of course, this is an unavoidable problem in the future, so we should plan ahead."

"My current hope is that these two places where the sky fell can preserve a complete cultivation system and a hundred martial arts techniques similar to the myriad arts of immortal cultivation!"

Jia Tang knew everything Jia He had said, but there was nothing he could do now. The world had just been restored; how could things be fixed in one step?

Just like how holy lands and major sects in other realms, where Nascent Soul cultivators reside, are located in blessed lands, and further down there are True Lands, Spiritual Lands, and Dharma Lands, isn't that just the spiritual vein level corresponding to the cultivator's rank?

As for Da Zhao, there are ley lines beneath the city of Xianjing that can be absorbed by cultivators of the first and second tiers, as well as the third tier.

What rank is it? I don't know!

Jia He breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the drawbacks of the universe, but he only wanted to give his lord a warning.

"It is my fault for speaking out of turn that the lord has ulterior motives."

"That's unnecessary."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

The next moment, Jia Tang's smile vanished, his eyebrows furrowed, and his expression turned somewhat surprised.

"Fourth brother, what's the matter?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a crack appeared in the array above the mansion, revealing Jia Kang's figure in the hall.

His face was cold, his eyes were menacing, and his words were filled with barely suppressed killing intent.

"A centurion from Tongguan Guard discovered a bloody site, but was killed by bandits."

"When I arrived after hearing the news, the other party had already fled, but the distinctive fishy stench emanating from him had not yet dissipated. So I secretly chased him all the way to Lintao Prefecture in Shaanxi Province, but lost him!"

"Just as I was pursuing this barbarian, Anda, the leader of the Tumed Tartars outside the pass, led 30,000 households of the right wing of the Tartars to invade the border and break through the pass!"

'

"The enemy dispatched second-tier cultivators, who tore through the front lines. After Deputy Commander Zhou Yi was surrounded and killed by the Tartars, Commander Qi Erdong finally led his troops to reinforce them!"

"Tongguan Guard is the decoy! The third-tier Qi is the bait! The purpose is to drag Taiyuan Town into the quagmire of war!"

Jia Tang frowned slightly, his eyes flashing coldly, and asked, "What is the strength of the troops? Where are the messengers from the town?"

"The three Tartar tribes, each with ten thousand households, have mobilized their troops together, boasting 150,000 iron cavalry!"

Jia Kang replied, "As for the messenger, he just arrived in the capital under my secret escort!"

Jia Tang narrowed his eyes and sneered, "It seems there's a lot of bloodshed in the Northwest. They're willing to incite the Tartars to march south for it. Is this Qi Er Dong the son-in-law of the Chen family?"

"The husband of Emperor Chongwu's third daughter!"

"And what about this third princess?"

"In the territory of the Qierdong tribe."

"Where is the clan's territory? Find it and execute them!"

Just then, the bells in the capital city rang loudly, summoning all civil and military officials to wait in front of the imperial city gate.

Upon hearing the sound, Jia Tang turned his head to look at the brightly lit, glittering palace.

"Let's go, let's see how the Chen family puts on this show!"

Emperor Changwu stood silently before the enormous map, his eyes filled with uncertainty as he looked at the black flags planted in Taiyuan Town and the towns of Datong and Yulin on either side.

Why has war broken out again?

Why is it that as soon as he came to power, the country became unstable and the borders were not peaceful?

"The heavy footsteps and the soft scraping of armor plates rang out. The chief eunuch, Xia Shouzhong, led a group of civil and military officials into the hall and paid their respects to Emperor Changwu."

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"No need, let's look at the map!"

The civil and military officials stood on either side of the massive map, looking at the military affairs affecting the three towns, their heads bowed and eyes lowered, awaiting instructions.

"Xia Shouzhong, read the Red Feather Military Report!"

"only!"

The chief eunuch took the military report from the side and read it aloud:

On the eleventh day of the fourth month of the seventh year of Changwu, at the third quarter of the hour of You (5:45 PM), the bandit chieftains Anda, Jinang, and Kunduliha, along with the 30,000 households of the Mongol Right Wing, the Tatars Tumed, Ordos, and Yongxiebu, raised an army of 150,000 and brazenly attacked Piantou Pass in Taiyuan Town.

From Shuiquanyingbao, Baliushubao, and Laoyingbao, which are located at the border of Datong and Taiyuan in the east, to Tangjiabao and Yangtubao, which are located at the border of Taiyuan and Yulin in the west, the flames of war spread across the land in an instant.

At 1:15 AM on April 12th, Anda dispatched six second-tier cultivators to launch a strong attack on Laoniuwan Fortress in Taiyuan Town. Zhou Yi, the deputy commander guarding Piantou Pass, led three second-tier cultivators to defend using an array.

At 7:45 AM on April 12th, the Taiyuan Zhenyuan Stone inventory was running low, and the array's power was constantly weakening. As a result, Zhou Yi led his troops out to fight the enemy and killed two second-tier enemy generals. However, Zhou, the deputy commander, also died in battle!

At 3:45 AM, General Qi Erdong led his troops to reinforce the area and successfully repelled the Tartars who were about to invade Piantou Pass!

At the same time, unusual movements occurred among the Oirat tribes northwest of Yulin Town, and other small Tatar tribes outside Datong Town also showed clear signs of gathering.

The civil and military officials seemed stunned, and the atmosphere instantly became silent and oppressive, with Xia Shouzhong's shrill voice echoing in the hall.

Seeing this, Emperor Changwu patted the table with the chariot pattern and asked, "What good strategies do you have?"

Grand Secretary He Xinyi sighed upon hearing this and replied, "Your Majesty, this matter is strange. It's only been a short time since the beginning of spring. Logically speaking, the Tartars shouldn't be heading south, but instead—"

Jia Tang snorted coldly upon hearing this and replied, "But they went south, not long after I left Liaodong. How many third-tier beings do they have left?"

The indifferent tone, coupled with an intense killing intent, sent a shiver down everyone's spines.

Yes, the foreign tribes are the most bullying of the weak and fearing the strong. With Marquis Weihu leading the charge and slaying the third-tier and many second-tier Jurchens, the eastern front of Liaodong has been extended by more than a thousand miles. There is no need for Anda to take such a risk.

unless----

Liang Pei's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled twice to break the oppressive atmosphere, saying, "It's normal for barbarian tribes to be ignorant of fate. If what you say is true, Marquis, wouldn't every border conflict be problematic?"

"In my opinion—"

"You speak, I'm listening!"

Jia Tang interrupted Liang Pei first, taking out a gold-inlaid tiger-patterned jade belt from his waist and clutching it in his hand: "If you don't give me a straight answer, I'll knock your teeth out!"

Liang Pei's eyes narrowed, his face turned ashen, and he was about to speak when the Prime Minister raised his hand to stop him.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Why bring up the past?"

He Xinyi gave Liang Pei a warning, and then said, "Your Majesty, gentlemen, as things stand, although Taiyuan Town was caught off guard, it has stopped the Tartars' momentum. Moreover, with the support of Datong and Yulin Towns, the enemy's forces number only 150,000, so we should be able to defend against them."

Caught off guard?

Upon hearing this, Jia Tang retorted: "In the fifth year of Changwu, Liaodong was caught off guard by the Tartars; in the sixth year of Changwu, it was caught off guard by the Jurchens; and now Taiyuan is caught off guard by the Tartars again."

"Every dangerous battle is simply dismissed with a flippant 'caught off guard'? And then the soldiers are driven away? Did the border troops die in vain?"

At this point, Jia Tang paused, his tiger-like eyes narrowing slightly, his expression sinister.

"This governor proposes that the royal family and Wu Xun take the lead, dispatching third-level True Immortals, drawing second-level Great Cultivators from the civil and military families within the territory, and using first-level Qi cultivators as soldiers, to start from the northwest and fight all the way to the northeast, wiping out all the foreign tribes outside the pass. Only in this way can we be safe and secure."

The civil officials were shocked and vehemently refuted these claims.

"No!"

"absurd!"

"The Great Zhao Dynasty has agreements with foreign tribes."

Jia Tang stared at Lü Guanliang of the Censorate, who had proposed the binding treaty, and retorted, "This old servant tore it up, and the Tartars tore it up too? What use is this treaty, other than allowing the foreign tribes to recuperate?"

"boom!"

These words struck everyone like a thunderclap, and this was one of Emperor Chongwu's most celebrated achievements during his reign.

Jia Tang's words completely negated his achievements and even included a scathing remark directed at him.

Those inside the hall stole glances at Emperor Changwu, only to find him expressionless and unmoved, as if nothing concerned him.

The next moment, the two rows of tall candles in the hall flickered twice, and a tall and magnificent figure suddenly appeared in front of Emperor Changwu. He was wearing a five-clawed golden dragon robe, a golden dragon wing crown, and his beard and hair were half black and half white. His face was majestic and his eyes were sharp. Just standing there quietly, he gave people a sense of oppression that made their legs go weak.

It was none other than Emperor Chongwu, Chen Ke!

He glanced around, and the civil and military officials all made way, then looked directly at Jia Tang with a smile on his face and asked, "Oh? Useless?"

"Lord Weihu, could you please explain to me what you mean by that?"