Chapter 337: Chapter 342: Dividing the World into Five Parts_1
"Ding, congratulations to the Host for occupying the Phoenix Domain! The sign-in system rewards you with Star of Celestial Pivot, Song Jiang. Do you want to summon?"
"Ding, congratulations to the Host for occupying the White Mist Domain! The sign-in system rewards you with Tiangang Star, Lu Junyi. Do you want to summon?"
"Ding, congratulations to the Host for occupying the Jade Rainbow Domain! The sign-in system rewards you with Star of Celestial Machine, Wu Yong. Do you want to utilize?"
"Ding, congratulations to the Host for occupying the Azure Underworld Domain! The sign-in system rewards you with the Tiangang Thirty-Six Formation. Do you want to learn?"
"Ding, congratulations to the Host for occupying the Battle Wolf Domain! The sign-in system rewards you with the Earth Evil Seventy-Two Formation. Do you want to learn..."
In the Imperial Study, Qin Wudao listened to the system’s prompts, a smile on his face. So far, he had summoned thirty-six individuals.
Song Jiang... isn’t he the leader of the one hundred and eight heroes of Liang Mountain? Can I summon them all this time?
Qin Wudao thought to himself, filled with anticipation.
Now that he had obtained the Tiangang Thirty-Six Formation and the Earth Evil Seventy-Two Formation through sign-in, which, interestingly enough, required exactly one hundred and eight people to deploy, it was highly probable that these corresponded to the one hundred and eight generals of Liang Mountain.
"System, summon everyone!" Qin Wudao secretly commanded. He was also curious about the strength of the one hundred and eight heroes of Liang Mountain, figures who had left such a vibrant mark on the history of Huaxia.
BOOM!
The Void trembled, tearing open a massive crack. Peering inside, it resembled a deep cosmos dotted with thirty-six brilliant stars.
In front of each star stood a terrifying figure. They emanated an intimidating aura as they stepped out of the void crack and into the Imperial Study.
Their attire and weaponry were diverse.
"Star of Celestial Pivot, Song Jiang, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"Tiangang Star, Lu Junyi, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"Star of Celestial Machine, Wu Yong, pays his respects to Your Majesty..."
Upon appearing, all thirty-six knelt on one knee in a respectful salute. They corresponded to the thirty-six Tiangang Stars.
Name: Song Jiang!
Cultivation: Mid-stage Semi-Emperor!
Cultivation Technique: "Celestial Pivot Star Art"!
Brief Introduction: The foremost hero of Liang Mountain, he twice defeated Tong Guan and thrice defeated Gao Qiu. He was steadfastly loyal to the nation. After accepting the imperial amnesty, he was forced to drink poisoned wine and died.
Name: Lu Junyi!
Cultivation: Early-stage Semi-Emperor!
Cultivation Technique: "Tiangang Stars Jue"!
Brief Introduction: A wealthy merchant from Daming Prefecture in Hebei, he was tricked by Wu Yong’s scheme into joining Liang Mountain, eventually becoming its second leader. Alongside Song Jiang, he accepted imperial amnesty and participated in campaigns against Liao, Tian Hu, Wang Qing, and Fang La. He was later framed and victimized by the treacherous minister Cai Jing.
Name: Wu Yong!
Cultivation: Early-stage Semi-Emperor!
Cultivation Technique: "Wisdom of the Stars Jue"!
Brief Introduction: Originally a private school teacher, he was renowned for his intelligence and strategies. He joined Liang Mountain after helping Chao Gai seize a valuable convoy. He then assisted Song Jiang in subduing many chieftains and actively promoted the imperial amnesty. After the amnesty was successful, Wu Yong followed the Liang Mountain army, pacifying numerous opposing forces and was appointed as a military commissioner. After Song Jiang was killed, he and Hua Rong committed suicide before Song Jiang’s tomb outside the south gate of Chuzhou; his body was buried to the left of Song Jiang’s tomb.
...
It took Qin Wudao a full quarter of an hour to read their introductions. All of them were Semi-Emperor Martial Artists; Song Jiang possessed the highest cultivation among them, having reached the mid-stage Semi-Emperor realm.
This was undoubtedly a powerful force for the Qin Ancient Court.
Moreover, these individuals were all exceptionally talented with boundless prospects. It was no exaggeration to say that any faction, with the support of these thirty-six people, could achieve monumental feats.
"Here’s a formation for you to study," Qin Wudao said with a smile, taking out the chart for the Tiangang Thirty-Six Formation and handing it to Song Jiang.
Song Jiang glanced at the formation chart and was overjoyed. He immediately expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for this gift, Your Majesty!"
He had a feeling that the Tiangang Thirty-Six Formation was tailor-made for them.
After some more conversation, Qin Wudao bid them to rest. He then issued an imperial decree, appointing Song Jiang as a Second-Rank Imperial Retainer and the others as Third-Rank Imperial Retainers.
...
As time passed, subsequent system rewards confirmed Qin Wudao’s suspicions: all the summoned Martial Artists were indeed from the Earth Evil Seventy-Two Stars of Liang Mountain.
Though the full contingent had not yet been assembled, he had summoned forty-three individuals so far.
This meant that the territory of the Great Qin had expanded by another forty-two Dao Domains.
Besides the Qin Ancient Court, the other powers were not idle. The Qionghua Sect occupied more than thirty domains, the Purple Cloud Sect over twenty, and the Ice Emperor Bear Tribe more than forty.
The four powers adopted a stance as if to carve up the East Border.
This unsettled the Kylin Holy Land. For several eras, they had considered the East Border their backyard. Now that conflict was erupting everywhere, if they did not act, they would lose their foothold entirely.
「Three months later」
The barrier of the Kylin Domain dissipated, and hundreds of thousands of disciples from the holy land began to annex the surrounding domains.
For a time, the flames of war engulfed the entire East Border.
This turbulent situation persisted for a year before gradually subsiding. It ended because all the weaker factions had been eliminated.
The powers remaining in the East Border were the Qin Ancient Court, the Kylin Holy Land, the Ice Emperor Bear Tribe, the Qionghua Sect, and the Purple Cloud Sect!
The land was divided amongst these five!
The Kylin Holy Land emerged as the largest power, controlling nearly two hundred domains. The Qin Ancient Court was next with over one hundred and fifty domains. The Ice Emperor Bear Tribe controlled over one hundred domains, followed by the Qionghua Sect with more than eighty, and the Purple Cloud Sect with over sixty.
The Kylin Holy Land was situated in the western part of the East Border, while the Qin Ancient Court resided in the east; their territories did not adjoin.
The Ice Emperor Bear Tribe occupied the northern part of the East Border, the Purple Cloud Sect was established in the central region, and the Qionghua Sect held the south.
Both the Kylin Holy Land’s and the Qin Ancient Court’s territories bordered these three latter powers.
For border stability, all five powers stationed troops along their frontiers, with deployed forces numbering in the hundreds of millions. However, perhaps due to the recent conclusion of major wars, or because their newly acquired territories had not yet been fully consolidated, all sides exercised restraint and refrained from initiating further conflict.
For a short period, it seemed there would be no wars, and the East Border enjoyed temporary stability.
「But looking at the continent as a whole, the chaos had only just begun.」
In the North Border, long-standing conflicts between the Exquisite Holy Land and the Snow Saint’s Court erupted into open war over territory. Several major battles broke out, resulting in the fall of multiple Emperor-level Martial Artists.
The Star Constellation Pavilion, situated in a remote corner and ostensibly observing the conflict from the sidelines, quietly began its expansion towards the Middle Region.
In the South Territory, the four major holy lands began to form alliances. The Saintess of the Saint Dragon Valley and the Saint Heir of the Demon Saint Temple became engaged. Separately, the Heretic God Sect and the Witch Sword Faction exchanged Core Disciples, cementing their own alliance.
As for the Middle Region, home to the most powerful factions, it descended into total chaos. The twelve major holy lands there engaged in constant warfare against each other. Emperor-level battles raged continuously, resulting in innumerable casualties.
The West Border was the only relatively peaceful area. There, the Thunder Sound Temple, White Horse Temple, and Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple—all stemming from the same original sect—formed an alliance, presenting a united front to outsiders.