On returning to the Khitan army camp, it was already dusk.
Chen Yun, along with Xiao Gouteng, immediately saw stacks of Khitan corpses lying outside Beizhou City, blackened earth like it had been burned, and the camp full of wounded.
On the other hand, it seemed there was no damage to Beizhou City.
Chen Yun guessed that the Khitan army failed to capture the city, which is why it was like this.
He actually hoped that the Khitan army would succeed in capturing the city.
It is just that in wars between ordinary people, cultivators and saints generally do not get involved, at most they would block the enemy's advance during city defense, or if they encountered cultivators on the other side, they would step forward to engage in a magical battle to resolve the situation.
As for other matters, they are of little concern to cultivators and saints.
Of course, Chen Yun would not invoke great laws to help the Khitan army capture Beizhou City.
He returned to his living tent.
Niao Zha, Li Jing, Niu Pingtian, Niu Dali, and others had already been waiting.
Seeing Chen Yun return, Niu Dali immediately went up to say, "Zen Master Chen, how was your trip to Kunlun Mountain?"
Zhang Qian, Lin Chen, and Jiao Dao Ren looked over towards Chen Yun.
While leading Xiao Gouteng into the camp, Chen Yun said casually, "It was relatively smooth, and my ancestors did not blame me."
He sat down at the desk.
He pointed to the side with a casual gesture and said to Xiao Gouteng, "You can sit down too."
"Oh." Xiao Gouteng sat down to the side and looked at everyone with wide eyes, as if he was very curious.
Everyone had noticed Xiao Gouteng and all showed great curiosity.
Niao Zha, being straightforward, asked, "Brother Chen, who is this child? Could he be your son?"
Niu Dali, Jiao Dao Ren, and Zhang Qian all looked confused.
As Chen Yun's disciples, they didn't remember seeing the child before.
Chen Yun smiled and said, "He is Gouteng."
"Er!"
"Gouteng?"
"Why does he look like this?"
Li Jing, Lin Chen, and Bai Dao Ren all looked stunned at once.
Chen Yun told some of the things that happened at Xiwangmu's place.
He certainly wouldn't disclose important matters; he only mentioned the parts related to Gouteng.
After listening to what Chen Yun said, everyone finally understood the situation. They all marveled at Xiwangmu's boundless power and how she could bring the dead back to life after dispersing their souls.
After a brief chat, Chen Yun changed the subject and asked, "Did today's attack on the city fail?"
Li Jing helplessly shook his head, "The city of Beizhou is prepared with kindling and flammable oil. As soon as the Khitan army began to attack, they were immediately thrown fuel soaked in flammable oil, burning all the siege equipment like battering rams and ladders clean. Now, without any siege tools in the army, General Zhao says we should wait for the Khan's large detachment to arrive."
Chen Yun furrowed his brow and said, "In the morning, our cultivation disciples fought with the cultivators of Beizhou City. We could see that they were delaying time. If we wait for the main force to arrive, there may be a change of fortune, and if we cannot quickly capture the city, I fear that our vanguard army will be defeated completely, or perhaps we will encounter a very powerful opponent who is unbeatable."
Niao Zha seemed to know something, "If I'm not mistaken, Kuai Wu Lang is waiting for the other eight star officials from the Qi constellation to arrive. They cannot leave their posts without authorization and must arrange for the star movements to run smoothly. Therefore, I guess they will arrive in two to three days."
Nine-Headed Niurong Wang said, "If we cannot break through Beizhou City within three days, will we then have to face the nine star officials of the Qi constellation?"
Li Jing nodded slightly and said, "Yes."
This statement made the mightiest figures in the tent, Niao Zha, Li Jing, and Nine-Headed Niurong Wang, all fall silent.
The main deity of the nine star officials of the Qi constellation is Kuai Mu Lang, who belongs to the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions.
Although not all eight of the other star officials are part of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, among the sixteen stars in the Kuai constellation, there are only eight star officials, and it can be imagined just how powerful they are.
The most terrifying thing is that these star officials may or may not bring their divine weapons and generals from the Qi constellation.
If they really bring the divine weapons and generals from the Qi constellation, the only possibility for Chen Yun, Niao Zha, Li Jing, and others to break through is for Li Jing to raise the treasure tower.
The problem is that this treasure tower cannot be used easily.
The Buddha only bestowed Li Jing with the treasure tower to guard against Niao Zha, not to use it for subduing demons and spirits.
Chen Yun knew that the ordinary army must capture the city within three days, otherwise, the situation would become unfavorable.
Without showing any emotion, he asked, "Who is familiar with the situation inside Beizhou City? Please explain it to me in detail. I want to think about how to break the city."
Li Jing was taken aback and reminded, "Zen Master Chen, we cultivators and saints are not allowed to participate in the mortal war. You won't forget that, right?"
"I naturally remember," Chen Yun said with a smile. "I didn't say that we would use magic to help break the city, nor would I provide additional intelligence. I'm just thinking from the perspective of ordinary people."
Li Jing sighed in relief and said, "Since it's like that, then there's nothing to worry about. I remember some of the situation inside Beizhou City, and I'll explain it to you in detail."
He carefully explained the situation of Beizhou City.
Niao Zha, Nine-Headed Niurong Wang, Niu Dali, Zhang Qian, and the others were listening attentively.
In fact, these pieces of information Chen Yun had already heard before.
In simple terms, it was just a thousand militiamen and a thousand soldiers in Beizhou City, led by Chen Lang and Zhang Xu respectively.
The previous city defender was a deputy general named Shao Ke, but for his brutal nature, he was later removed from his post by the military governor Wang Lingwen and has since become a close associate of Wu Luan.
The current situation of Beizhou City's defense is that Wu Luan personally guards the east gate, militiamen leader Chen Lang guards the west gate, attendant Yang Pu guards the north gate, and Shao Ke guards the south gate, which is considered the most insignificant.
The spring chill was biting, and the wind blowing from the newly thawed moat still felt like a razor on one's face.
Under such conditions, attacking the city is already extremely difficult.
Furthermore, Beizhou City has prepared in advance and burned the Khitan army's siege equipment.
It seems that there is no possibility of breaking the city.
Li Jing quickly finished explaining the situation.
The rest of the people shook their heads, feeling that it is impossible for the vanguard army to achieve great achievements before the main force arrives.
Chen Yun sat for a while, pondering carefully, and suddenly asked, "Why was Shao Ke removed from his post by Wang Lingwen?"
Li Jing said, "Shao Ke was violent by nature and was impeached after being reported by his subordinates. He also had a bad relationship with Wang Lingwen, so it was only natural for him to be removed from his post."
Chen Yun nodded, seemingly thinking deeply, and asked again, "Where is Wang Lingwen now?"
Li Jing replied, "He returned to the court and was assigned as the governor of Beizhou City. Wu Luan is the current governor of Beizhou City. Don't you know this, Master Chen?"
Chen Yun blinked and said, "Wu Luan actually dared to let Shao Ke guard the east gate?"
Li Jing was quite surprised and asked, "Why not?"
Niao Zha, Niu Pingtian, and Niu Dali also had the same view.
Chen Yun counter-asked, "General Li, if you were impeached because you didn't get along with your superior, and your superior was flourishing, would you have a chance for revenge in the long run?"
Li Jing suddenly realized, "Zen Master Chen, you mean to secretly bribe Shao Ke?"
Chen Yun nodded slightly and said, "That's right. Shao Ke was once removed from his post by Wang Lingwen, which certainly filled him with resentment. However, he is of low status and has never been able to repay this grudge. If my associates can secretly bribe him, we can have him open the east gate when we attack the city. With five thousand vanguard troops pouring into the city, how could one thousand soldiers and one thousand militiamen resist us?"
Li Jing's eyes lit up and said, "I think this plan can work. As long as we find someone to infiltrate Beizhou City, persuade him with reason and lure him with benefits, there is a high possibility that Shao Ke will betray the city."
Although Niao Zha, Niu Pingtian, and Niu Dali didn't understand military matters, they still understood interpersonal relationships.
How could Shao Ke's heart not be filled with resentment after being removed from his post unexpectedly?
If someone were to add fuel to the fire at this moment, stir up trouble, and promise him gold, silver, jewels, and an official position, while offering the hope of taking revenge on Wang Lingwen, it's likely that Shao Ke would be more willing to breach the city than anyone else.
Chen Yun said, "If Your Majesty thinks it's feasible, then this plan is set in stone."
Upon reaching this point, he turned to Zhang Qian, "Brother Zhang, I need you to go find General Zhao and convey my suggestion to him along with Commander Li's proposal."
Zhang Qian quickly said, "Okay, Brother Chen, I'll go find General Zhao and bring him to see you."
Chen Yun waved his hand and said, "There's no need to call him here. I still have some things to do. Just tell him about the plan."
Zhang Qian replied, "Alright."
After saying that, he turned and left the tent hurriedly.
Chen Yun looked at Lin Chen and said, "Brother Lin, could you please help take care of Gou Teng?"
Lin Chen replied, "Okay."
Everyone saw that Chen Yun had something to do and didn't disturb him further. They all left one by one.
After everyone left, Chen Yun was left alone in the tent, so he sat down and began pondering over the fifth turn of the "Internal Daoist Technique" written by Master Chen.
"My internal alchemy technique is not just about cultivating the golden elixir and the spiritual soul, but also about combining it with the 'Pan Gu True Body Technique' to refine the physical form."
Chen Yun kept thinking, "The two most important things at the moment are first, cultivating the Yang Shen, and second, refining the physical form. Therefore, the fifth turn's techniques must be designed around these two points."
The method to cultivate Yang Shen is included in the "Song of Breaking Delusion and Following the Right Path".
The West Empress also informed me of another method.
He naturally doesn't have to worry about it.
Now, Chen Yun needs to figure out how to combine the fifth level of the "Pan Gu True Body Technique" with his current techniques.
"At this level, it is difficult to enhance my physical body anymore. Unless I can use the fifth level of the 'Pan Gu True Body Technique' to completely replace my bones with celestial bones, I can continue to grow stronger."
He kept thinking, "To replace my bones with celestial bones, it's not about extracting my bones and then condensing celestial bones into place using a powerful technique. Instead, I need to utilize the solar Qi to exchange yang sand for bones. This will cause my mundane bones to disappear with sweat. Once I can achieve this step, my physical body will be so formidable that it's almost unbelievable. Even deities like Er Langshen and Xie Ziruan, who have achieved physical enlightenment, may not have as strong a body as mine."
Chen Yun did not rush; instead, he continued to ponder the similarities between cultivating the Yang Shen and bone replacement that could be integrated.
Actually, there is one thing that they all have in common, which is that they all require the use of the solar Qi.
He thought that he could work on the solar Qi.
After thinking for several hours, it was already pitch black outside.
Suddenly, Chen Yun roughly calculated, "I need to establish an 'palace' for my Yang Shen. My spiritual soul can then use the solar Qi to purify the yin substances within it. In order to build an 'palace' for my spiritual soul, my physical body must be pure Yang on both the inside and outside."
Fourth turn nurtures internal yin, third turn nurtures internal yang, fifth turn reaches the balance of yin and yang.
This is the work of creation. If successful, both the spiritual soul and the physical body can truly become completely pure Yang.
While combining numerous divine arts to try on himself, Chen Yun recorded the experimental results and corrected any mistakes.
……
Time ticked by, and soon it was morning.
Because all the siege weapons were burned, the Khitan army did not attack the city today.
Chen Yun knew that Zhao Yanzhou was not idle and was following his plan, secretly sending someone to infiltrate Beizhou City, find Shao Ke, persuade him with reason and emotion, and lure him with benefits. The aim was to get Shao Ke to help the Khitan army achieve its objectives.
From the current situation, it seems unlikely that the Khitan army will launch an attack on the city today.
Of course, he is hiding in a tent and has no intention of leaving.
He continues to ponder over the techniques of the fifth turn of the "Internal Daoist Technique" written by Master Chen.
Actually, even before a year and a half ago, when he first emerged from the Sun and Moon Spring Cavern, he had already been contemplating the fifth turn of the mystical arts. However, he had never put it into action, only having some ideas in his mind.
These concepts might not be very useful in everyday life, but when he was contemplating the fifth turn of the art, they suddenly became apparent and allowed his thoughts to travel at lightning speed.
Around the time the sun was just setting in the afternoon, Chen Yun completed the initial draft of the "Internal Daoist Technique" written by Master Chen for the fifth turn.
"Not sure if it will work, but I'll write it down first."
Chen Yun fetched the four treasures of the writing desk, then performed a spell to isolate the possibility of external observation, before picking up a brush to start writing.
On the ninth, nineteenth, and twenty-ninth day of each lunar month at noon, ascend to a high place facing south, kneel on the ground with one's palms placed together, close your eyes, and sit facing the sun. Wait until your breath is steady, close your breath so that there is no flow of qi in or out of your body, fill yourself with it internally. Intend that the inner true fire communicates with the outer true fire. Your whole body will turn red and radiant light will fill your seat. After twenty to thirty minutes, you will gradually feel a cool qi (dan qi) rising from your Dan Tian to your heart, like a crystal ball inside you. Then open your eyes and breathe in solar qi through your nose. Intend that it goes back to your heart and intersects with true water. Repeat this process ninety-nine times (which equals eighty-one) and stop when done.
This is the basic method of practice, but in reality, it contains many other methods of practice that have not been written out in detail.
After writing the basic method, Chen Yun wrote down below the text what he believed were the possible effects that could be achieved through it.
Five turns of yin and yang create essence, and the infant plays with solar qi.
Dreaming across the seas, upon waking I know where to go; going or staying, I walk without a care.
