In the western part of Liangzhou Province, amidst towering mountains, a vast circular valley spanning twelve miles in radius was carved out.
Under the gloomy sky, followers of the Taiping Sect with yellow turbans moved to and fro, their clanging and banging sounds echoing incessantly. Deep in the valley, a majestic stone statue, chiseled from the mountainside, was nearing completion.
When the Four Gods of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning arrived, Zhang Zhixuan stood on a plateau on the right side of the statue, gazing at it as if lost in thought.
"Sect Hierarch."
The four landed on the plateau, with Lei Kun stepping forward first to salute and then recounted what had happened, saying, "I am at fault for the loss of the Two Saints Temple in Shu County, tarnishing the reputation of our sect."
"Sect Hierarch, we are still fit to fight, but the Primordial Lord insisted on retreating. It is not the Thunder God’s fault," the Mother of Lightning imdiately interjected, voicing her prior discontent and defending Lei Kun.
In her view, even if protecting the statue of the Yellow Emperor was crucial, it shouldn’t have been done in such a suffocating manner, to the point of executing followers who carried out the orders.
There was nothing more humiliating than that.
To this, the Master of Rain remained silent, seemingly accepting responsibility.
After listening, Zhang Zhixuan pondered briefly, then suddenly smiled and said, "The sages had a saying: I have three treasures, which are compassion, frugality, and not daring to be ahead of the world. I, Zhang Zhixuan, am not talented, but I also have three treasures, which are letting go, endurance, and daring to lead the world."
"To let go is to gain; to endure is to provide relief; to lead the world is to have one’s fellow Daoists as allies."
"What the Master of Rain did is not bad, but rather, it’s good. It will make our ’friends’ anxious too."
"Is the Sect Hierarch saying to get them to lend a hand?" Marquis of Wind implied with his words.
The Marquis of Wind, one of the Four Gods, presented himself as a middle-aged man with a long beard, wearing a yellow robe that covered the upper half of his face. The three thousand laws of the Taiping Sect were under his jurisdiction, and all information gathered passed through his scrutiny. He was well aware of the details concerning those who aided in secrecy.
"Indeed."
Zhang Zhixuan nodded and said, "Now that we have co this far, our ’allies’ have invested a lot. If we were to fail now, those who would find it most unbearable would be them. Even if we want to fail, they will not allow us to fail. At least not before they achieve their goals, our sect will not fail."
As for what would happen after their goals were t, that would depend on their respective abilities.
Those who now assisted the Taiping Sect might not do so in the future. So only needed the Taiping Sect to rebel, not to succeed in the rebellion.
Therefore, it was ti to exploit their value for all it was worth.
"This is retreating in order to advance. It can not only summon help but also temporarily avoid being in the lilight. Our sect need only wait to achieve success," Zhang Zhixuan said.
He had always been patient, just as he had waited for the Emperor’s defeat and was now waiting for the active assistance of "allies." All he had to do was to remain concealed and patient, and opportunities would automatically fall into his hands.
"The only pity is the sacrificed followers," Zhang Zhixuan suddenly sighed softly.
"For the greater plan, their sacrifice is just," Lei Kun imdiately replied, "If necessary, one day, we, too, can be sacrificed. The sa goes for our disciples. Please do not be overly concerned, Sect Hierarch."
"Thunder God jests. I have walked this path piled with corpses. If I were concerned, I wouldn’t have made it this far. It is only a small pity," Zhang Zhixuan shook his head lightly, the look of regret on his face gradually fading away, returning to calm. He then brought up another matter, "Just now, the Master of Rain ntioned that Wuzhiqi has entirely sided with his demonic nature, which can be exploited. This Water Monkey is now the second Wuzhiqi. Given the relation between Wuzhiqi and Yu King, the task of breaking the Golden Dam might fall on him."
"With its cunning and selfish demonic nature, would Wuzhiqi beco our vanguard?" the Primordial Lord Rain Master inquired.
"The karmic ties between Dao Fruits are not so easily avoided," Zhang Zhixuan replied with a smile, "Moreover, how do you know Wuzhiqi is unwilling to be the vanguard? This Water Monkey has been renowned for over a hundred years, his Dao Fruit reaching perfection long ago. Only because he had not cultivated his ntal State out of fear of not withstanding the invasion of the Five Turbid Evil World, had he been unwilling to advance. Now that he has wholly followed the demonic Dao, he has compensated for his ntal State and lacks hesitation. His journey north is definitely for promotion."
For Wuzhiqi to advance, he would naturally need to focus on the elent of water.
This flood disaster could be the very step for Wuzhiqi’s ascension.
"The Sect Hierarch has an eye like a torch," Marquis of Wind said, bowing with his fists.
If Wuzhiqi truly intended to ascend, then he would undoubtedly be the undisputed vanguard. Just looking at Wuzhiqi’s character, one could tell he wouldn’t beco an upright being like the Wave Suppressing figure, maintaining peace and stability. He would more likely be a malicious god or beast causing chaos and turmoil.
And when it cos to ascension, it’s naturally the most important matter. Now, who would be most anxious but Wuzhiqi himself?
Being Cultivators themselves, no one understood the allure of ascension better than they did.
The world bustles for gain, and the world contends for profit. Ordinary people seek money and power, while Cultivators seek ascension. To achieve ascension, so are willing to pay any price, even forsaking life and death.
"..."
"..."
"Does Wuzhiqi wish to ascend?"
Outside Shu County’s Jun City, at the Two Saints Temple, Jiang Li was also privy to news related to Wuzhiqi.
After taking advantage of Heluo God, he sent Xiao Tian back to the Two Saints Temple and retracted his Divine Sense. Then a visitor arrived... it was unclear whether they were a welco or unwelco guest.
It was this visitor who brought news about Wuzhiqi.
Now, Jiang Li sat back in his wheelchair, eting with the guest in the Xuanyuan Hall.
The guest’s mount was crouching outside the hall, face to face with Xiao Tian, curiously sizing each other up.
The sight of a tiger, as tall as a person with hanging eyes and a white forehead, was quite striking, not to ntion that this tiger also bore dragon whiskers and harbored a majestic Qi chanism within its body. It was clearly not an ordinary beast, but a Cultivator tiger, its Realm even on par with Xiao Tian’s, a fifth-rank.
And with such a tiger mount, the only one in all the land was likely that downtrodden deity.
Daoist Shen Hou was standing not far in front of Jiang Li, with a distance of just over half a zhang separating them, leaving Jiang Li feeling quite insecure.
Despite his disregard for taboos, he remained highly vigilant around this individual, having personally experienced the Daoist’s potent shout. Had it not been for the Divine Farr’s Cauldron, Jiang Li would have likely been afflicted as well.
As a result, the wheelchair was discreetly moving backward...
"This little Fellow Daoist, despite , a poor Daoist, blocking the Marquis of Wind from the Taiping Sect for you, you show such mistrust. It truly chills my heart," Daoist Shen Hou said with so dissatisfaction, noting Jiang Li’s behavior.
Then he noticed Jiang Li retreating directly under the Divine Shrine, not bothering to disguise his actions any longer.
In comparison to putting on appearances, avoiding the Plague God was more important.
Had it not been for this individual blocking the Marquis of Wind and bringing crucial news, Jiang Li wouldn’t have even agreed to et him, instead claiming injury.
Reviews
All reviews (0)