Chapter 9: Attack Outside the Circle (Patreon)

Unlike his two daughters, Dongfang Guyue understood exactly who Gusttave really was.

Dongfang Guyue had wandered the martial world for decades and crossed paths with countless powerful cultivators.

Yet only now, standing before Gusttave, did he truly understand what it meant to be "unfathomable."

The man's body gave off not a trace of spiritual energy — even his breathing seemed to merge seamlessly with heaven and earth, as though he weren't standing before you at all, but was simply part of the world itself.

"Dongfang Guyue of Divine Fire Manor greets the Daoist of Great Peace." Dongfang Guyue clasped his fists in salute, respectful but not servile. "Thank you for saving my daughter, and for seeing through that beast Jin Renfeng's scheme."

"It was simply my duty — no need for thanks," Gusttave said, waving a hand. "You're a lawful citizen under the Way of Great Peace, after all. Protecting your life is our responsibility."

"Jin Renfeng is locked up in the Public Security Bureau's cells, waiting for you to deal with him. You're the wronged party — under the Way of Great Peace's rules, you may carry out the sentence yourself, or leave it to the Bureau to execute on your behalf."

A flicker of killing intent passed through Dongfang Guyue's eyes, quickly suppressed. "May I ask, Daoist — did that beast harm my daughter?"

"No," Gusttave said flatly. "He was caught before he could act."

Dongfang Guyue let out a long breath, as if a great weight had lifted off him, then clasped his fists again. "In that case, please allow me to deal with this traitor myself."

Gusttave nodded. "Follow me."

Meanwhile, Wise and Belle watched their father treat Gusttave with such deference, and heard him address him as "Daoist of Great Peace" — the four words leaving no doubt about who Gusttave really was.

Gusttave was none other than the Earthly Immortal who had single-handedly founded the Way of Great Peace and subdued the Yao Sovereigns by his own strength — the Daoist of Great Peace.

To explain why Gusttave hadn't aged in all these years, the Way of Great Peace's official line was that his cultivation had reached perfection, elevating him to the rank of Earthly Immortal.

And an immortal, naturally, did not age.

The Public Security Bureau's prison stood in the city's north, its outer walls coated in grayish-white lime. Two enforcement disciples in dark blue uniforms stood ramrod straight at the entrance, standard-issue longswords at their hips. The moment they saw Gusttave, both snapped to attention and saluted crisply.

"Which cell is Jin Renfeng in?"

"Reporting — Cell A-3. Chief Tie is personally guarding him."

Gusttave nodded and led Dongfang Guyue into the prison.

The cells lining the corridor held a handful of dejected prisoners, both human and yao, who shrank back at the sight of Gusttave.

The name "Daoist of Great Peace" struck more fear here in the prison than it did outside.

Cell A-3 was at the end of the corridor.

Tie Shan sat in a chair by the door, cradling a bowl of cold tea. The moment he saw Gusttave, he shot to his feet and saluted.

He slid open the small window in the iron door, and dim yellow light spilled out from inside.

Dongfang Guyue leaned close to the window and took in the sight within.

Jin Renfeng hung chained to the wall, his once-crimson Daoist robes now filthy beyond recognition. His hair hung tangled over his face, and the half of his face left visible was mottled with bruises — he'd clearly suffered.

At the sound, he slowly raised his head. The eyes that had once held nothing but arrogance snapped wide open the instant they met Dongfang Guyue's gaze.

"Ma... Master..."

His voice was hoarse, as if he'd swallowed a fistful of sand.

Dongfang Guyue looked at the disciple he had raised with his own hands and said nothing for a long time.

So long that Jin Renfeng began to think he wouldn't speak at all.

"Why?"

Jin Renfeng's lips trembled, and then he laughed.

The laugh looked worse than crying, mixed with the blood on his face, radiating the madness of a man with nothing left to lose.

"Why? Master, you're asking me why?" His voice rose. "I served you for twenty years, worked harder than anyone, was more loyal than anyone! And you? You'd rather pass the Pure Yang Flame manual to your two daughters than to me, your own disciple! Just because I don't carry the Dongfang bloodline!"

Dongfang Guyue closed his eyes.

"The Pure Yang Flame requires the bloodline of the Dongfang Spirit Clan to reach its true power. Even if I passed it to you, you couldn't use it. That's a limitation of blood, not favoritism on my part."

"And so what!" Jin Renfeng roared. "I found a way to exchange blood! Once I replaced this lowly blood of mine, I'd have the Dongfang bloodline! I'd be worthy of the Pure Yang Flame! Worthy of your daughters!"

Dongfang Guyue opened his eyes, his gaze calm as a stagnant pool.

"So you planned to kill me, marry my daughter, and turn the Dongfang family into a stepping stone for your Jin family?"

Jin Renfeng opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Dongfang Guyue turned away, no longer looking at him.

"Daoist, I have nothing more to ask."

Though he'd said he would carry out the execution himself, now that the moment had come, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

After all, this was a disciple he had raised for over twenty years — not his own flesh and blood, but close enough.

Gusttave gave Tie Shan a nod.

Tie Shan unlocked the cell door and stepped inside. A moment later came a dull thud, followed by a long silence.

By the time Tie Shan wiped his hands and walked out, Dongfang Guyue had already reached the end of the corridor.

His back was still straight, but his steps had grown far slower than when he'd come in.

[March 7th: Jin Renfeng definitely deserved it, but making Manor Lord Dongfang deal with the disciple he raised himself... that can't have been easy, no matter how you look at it...]

[Zhongli: Purging one's own house is both a master's duty and a sorrow.]

[Chongyun: If I were Dongfang Guyue, I don't think I could do it either. You raise something for twenty years, even a dog, you grow attached.]

[Hu Tao: This Director thinks Manor Lord Dongfang did the right thing. Jin Renfeng was about to kill his entire family — what's there to talk about, master-disciple bond?]

Outside the prison, sunlight stung the eyes.

Dongfang Guyue stood on the steps, tilting his head back to look at the clear sky. He drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

As if trying to purge whatever had been building up inside his chest for twenty years.

Gusttave came to stand beside him without offering any comfort. Some things didn't need consoling.

"Daoist." Dongfang Guyue suddenly spoke. "Can Divine Fire Manor still be saved?"

"Jin Renfeng's crimes don't implicate the Manor," Gusttave said flatly. "But as its lord, you did fail to keep him in check — that's a fact. The Way of Great Peace won't hold it against you, but you'll have to earn the Manor's reputation back yourself."

Dongfang Guyue fell silent for a moment, then cupped his hands. "I ask the Daoist to point me toward a way forward."

Gusttave spoke two words: "The frontier. Beyond the Circle."

Dongfang Guyue's head snapped up, staring at Gusttave in utter shock.

As a member of the Dongfang Spirit Clan, Dongfang Guyue naturally knew something of what lay Beyond the Circle, and hearing those words sent a chill crawling across his scalp.

Gusttave paid no attention to his reaction and continued on his own. "The human and yao races shouldn't remain confined within the Circle forever. It's time we pushed Beyond it."

"You come from the Dongfang Spirit Clan and know something of what's out there. Your clan, after all, was an attempt by the Third Young Master of Aolai to create something capable of fighting the creatures Beyond the Circle."

"On top of that, you're one of only two Yao Sovereign-level powerhouses among humankind. No one's better suited to lead the assault Beyond the Circle."

"But don't worry — I'll have that fellow Shouzhuo hold the frontier, and he'll join you when it's needed."

Over the years, Dongfang Guyue and Wangquan Shouzhuo had both grown into the only two Yao Sovereign-level powerhouses humankind possessed.

Second in strength only to Gusttave, the Earthly Immortal.

In truth, Gusttave's cultivation was actually still at the Yao Sovereign level — but thanks to the Trait, Strictest Father of Another Race, his combat strength was by no means inferior to the Third Young Master of Aolai.

This was why Gusttave alone had been able to subdue the entire yao race and force the Three Great Yao Sovereigns to sign a treaty.

Because the three of them combined still couldn't defeat him.

And in this world, aside from Gusttave and the four of Aolai, the strongest was Sand Pup at the height of his power.

That was genuine Greater Yao Sovereign-level power, terrifying strength truly capable of annihilating a nation in an instant.

Even the present-day Huohuo couldn't match him.

Setting Aolai aside, the human race — with one Transcendent and two Sovereigns — was currently the mightiest realm.

The second strongest was Xixiyu, home to Fan Yunfei.

Third was Northern Mountain.

Fourth was Tushan — though that ranking only held because the three sisters hadn't yet fully grown into their strength, leaving Huohuo as its sole Yao Sovereign.

The weakest was the Southern Kingdom, held down by Huandu Qingtian alone.

Dongfang Guyue drew a deep breath. When he raised his head again, only resolve remained in his eyes. "Good. I accept. Divine Fire Manor, every last one of us, will follow the Daoist to the frontier — to guard the nation's gate and fight Beyond the Circle."

Hearing this, Gusttave cupped his hands to Dongfang Guyue. "Then, on behalf of every human within the Circle, I thank Manor Lord Dongfang."

[March 7th: Beyond the Circle? What kind of place is that? Sounds dangerous.]

[Dan Heng: It probably is, judging by the barely noticeable gravity in both their tones.]

The light screen continued to play.

After dealing with Jin Renfeng, Dongfang Guyue left without a moment's delay, not even taking Wise and Belle with him.

After all, where he was headed was Beyond the Circle — far too dangerous. He didn't want his daughters risking their lives alongside him.

Meanwhile, the Wangquan family had also received orders from the Way of Great Peace, instructing Wangquan Shouzhuo to take the Wangquan Sword and the clan's forces Beyond the Circle to coordinate with Dongfang Guyue.

Wangquan Shouzhuo, clad in Daoist robes, gripped the Wangquan Sword as he stood in the training grounds, looking out over the assembled disciples of his clan, his tone calm but brooking no argument.

"The Way of Great Peace has given its order. Effective today, the Wangquan Clan marches for the frontier to guard against what lies Beyond the Circle."

The crowd erupted into murmurs.

Everyone knew what lay Beyond the Circle — a death zone that even Yao Sovereigns dared not tread lightly.

"Clan Head, a place so perilous..." an elder couldn't help stepping forward. "Our Wangquan Clan has guarded the interior of human territory for generations. Why must we wade into such troubled waters?"

Wangquan Shouzhuo raised a hand, cutting him off.

"The Daoist of Great Peace single-handedly pacified this chaotic age, established the Human-Yao Accord, and protected all under heaven. Now he means to push Beyond the Circle — our Wangquan Clan will stand sword in hand, and we will lead the charge."

He reached up and gripped the hilt of the Wangquan Sword. Clear light surged along the blade, a fierce sword intent shooting straight into the clouds.

When he finished speaking, no one dared say another word.

Partly because it was an order from the Daoist of Great Peace, and partly because of Wangquan Shouzhuo's own authority as clan head.

Wangquan Shouzhuo had only fully secured control of the Wangquan Clan after single-handedly defeating every ancient monster in the Sword Tomb.

That was why his authority within the clan went unquestioned.

Within a single day, the entire clan had armed itself, its elite forces mobilized, racing toward the northern frontier.

[Eula: Is the Wangquan Clan really throwing its whole house into danger like this? If the Lawrence Clan had ever shown this kind of resolve, we probably wouldn't be in our current situation.]

[Undying Path: This Wangquan Shouzhuo really is a man who takes responsibility.]

[Varka: Sword in hand, guarding the nation's gate — living up to the name of a great clan.]

The frontier. Tianmen Pass.

This mighty pass was built at the border between human territory and the land beyond, and three hundred li past it lay the true, legendary reaches of Beyond the Circle.

Beyond the Circle — an unknown land sealed by a restriction the Kingdom of Aolai itself had set. For a thousand years, whether human or yao, anyone who stepped into it had almost no chance of returning alive.

This place had once been held by the Old Man of Tianmen, a Greater Yao King-level guardian, whose task was to keep creatures from Beyond the Circle from breaking in — and to stop reckless fools who didn't know their own limits from breaking out.

Now, Tianmen Pass — normally so quiet — bustled with activity.

Wangquan Shouzhuo leaned on the Wangquan Sword, standing atop the city wall, gazing into the distance.

The Wangquan Clan's head had grey streaking his temples, but his spine remained straight as a rod, his ink-black robes snapping in the frontier wind.

Beside him, Dongfang Guyue stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his deep crimson robes billowing in the wind like a silent flame.

"How many have arrived?" Dongfang Guyue asked.

"Three hundred elites from the Wangquan Clan, two hundred disciples from Divine Fire Manor, and two hundred thousand cultivators from the Yiqidao League's military. Plus the Way of Great Peace's supply corps — twelve thousand strong." Wangquan Shouzhuo's voice was aged but steady.

"How—how many?!" At Wangquan Shouzhuo's words, Dongfang Guyue's eyes went wide. "Two hundred thousand! You're telling me the Yiqidao League sent two hundred thousand cultivators?!"

He knew that, in the past, the Yiqidao League's registered cultivators had numbered barely ten thousand in total, most of them from immortal sects or great clans.

And now, out of nowhere, Dongfang Guyue was being handed two hundred thousand cultivators — it was, as the crude old saying went, a real eye-opener.

Seeing Dongfang Guyue utterly stunned, Wangquan Shouzhuo nodded ruefully. "At first I felt the same disbelief you do now — I even wondered if the Daoist of Great Peace was just fobbing us off with two hundred thousand mortal soldiers."

"Turns out I was wrong. These two hundred thousand aren't just genuine cultivators — every single one is elite. Even the division commanders have Greater Yao King-level combat strength."

"The regiment and battalion commanders beneath them all have Yao King and Lesser Yao King-level strength."

"Put it this way — leaving me aside, a single division of the Yiqidao League's military could wipe out the entire present-day Wangquan Clan. And the military has a full fifty divisions like that."

The Yiqidao League's military consisted of ten armies in total, each with five divisions under it — five hundred thousand troops altogether.

Now, four armies — twenty divisions — had been dispatched to the border.

The remaining six armies had been stationed by Gusttave throughout human territory, standing guard against the other three yao kingdoms at all times.

Though a treaty had been signed between humans and yao, even a Yao Sovereign couldn't control every yao under his banner — especially the powerful ones, who often paid no heed to their sovereign's commands at all.

These legions existed to guard against exactly that, and could be sent to reinforce the border at a moment's notice.

Besides, humanity had money to spare these days — it could afford them.

Dongfang Guyue stood atop the wall, taking a long time to gather his wits.

He'd assumed Gusttave sending him to attack Beyond the Circle was, in truth, sending him to his death — after all, even with Yao Sovereign-level strength and Divine Fire Manor behind him, he could hardly make much of a splash out there.

But it turned out Gusttave meant it for real — sending an army of two hundred thousand cultivators straight at the land Beyond the Circle.

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