Volume 1, Chapter 125: The Barbarian-Suppressing Pagoda
Rumble!
After Lin Yu left Wuxia Pass using the Teleportation Talisman, thunder roared in the sky. Dark clouds gathered, slowly forming a giant eye in the air. This eye, filled with coldness and venom, scanned the surviving beings in Wuxia Pass and the rubble-strewn ground, as if searching for something.
Su Miaozhen felt icy chills crawl over her body, as though watched by an immensely terrifying existence. Fear surged like a tide.
Moments later, after the eye swept over every瓦砾 (rubble) in Wuxia Pass, complex emotions—loss, surprise, anger—mingled in its gaze. Then a wind rose, and the cloud-eye dissipated.
Only then did Su Miaozhen exhale, unable to fathom the power of the being that had crossed space and time to form an eye from clouds.
"Should I tell the Zhou emperor that the Third Prince is the National Preceptor?" Su Miaozhen hesitated. Everyone in Wuxia Pass who had seen Lin Yu fight was dead. If she kept silent, no one would know the National Preceptor was a hostage from the Great Han Dynasty. Her eyes hardened as she made her choice.
In the Southern Wasteland of the Great Han Dynasty, the land was never flat, with endless mountain ranges. Imperial power struggled to penetrate, and barbarians ruled themselves, often raiding cities and massacring civilians—now a心腹之患 (fatal threat) to Han. This was especially true after the Third Prince's disastrous expedition, where 100,000 troops perished in the Southern Wasteland mountains, emboldening the barbarians to scorn Han.
Today was the annual barbarian celebration. Their chieftain and elders gathered in a narrow valley, with thousands of barbarians from various stockades. At the valley's center stood a ten-zhang stone pagoda built from huge rocks, its peak inscribed with a stele: "Barbarian-Suppressing Pagoda."
Beneath this pagoda lay the remains of Han's 100,000 fallen soldiers. The rocks came from 173 barbarian stockades, used to suppress Han's loyal souls and Southern Wasteland luck, condemning the buried spirits to eternal subjugation.
Surrounded by elders, the chieftain approached the pagoda, grinning. With a wave, the barbarians fell silent—his prestige had soared since defeating Han's army, making him unchallenged.
"We've lived in these Ten Thousand Mountains for generations; this is our promised land. No one will take it from us! Here, we defeated Han's southern expedition. Since then, Han dares not register us as subjects or levy taxes—but it's not enough. Today, we chieftains and elders have decided: we will build a nation equal to Han. The Southern Wasteland belongs to us barbarians—Han has no place here!"
The chieftain's impassioned speech revealed his long-planned nation-building.
"A nation! We'll have our own nation!"
"Wonderful! United, Han will never bully us again!"
"Bully us? If Han sends troops, we'll slaughter them and bury their heads here to be suppressed!"
The barbarians cheered—they had long awaited this day.
"The people are with us." The chieftain nodded to the elders, satisfied. Defeating Han's army had given them confidence—no one had expected to annihilate 100,000 troops, laying the foundation for barbarian dominance.
Just then, a golden light slashed the sky, falling straight into the valley. All froze, staring at the light to see what lay within.
"Auspicious omen! Heaven sends an omen on our nation's founding day—even the heavens approve!" The chieftain raised his hands, shouting.
"Heaven sends an omen! Our barbarian nation will prosper forever!" Elders echoed, and the valley erupted in thunderous cheers.
Lin Yu frowned at the deafening noise. He had teleported here with the Great Prince's head to祭奠 his fallen brothers, but it seemed like a gathering. Had the talisman misfired?
As the golden light faded, he found himself surrounded by thousands of barbarians. The terrain confirmed this was the valley from his nightmares—he could never forget it. But why were so many barbarians here?
His疑惑 (confusion) deepened as he looked at the stone pagoda.
"Damned..." Rage flared when he read the inscription. How dare these barbarians humiliate the fallen soldiers! "Barbarian-Suppressing Pagoda"—did they not know who was truly being suppressed?
This made him hate the Great Prince even more. If not for his betrayal, the 100,000 troops would not have died or been buried here in disgrace.
"Third Prince Lin Yu...!" The chieftain and elders gaped as Lin Yu emerged from the light, holding a grisly head. Their earlier "auspicious omen" now felt like a slap, their cheeks burning. Recognizing Lin Yu, the chieftain stammered: "Lin Yu, how did you get here?" His shock was natural—Lin Yu's arrival in a golden light was astounding.