If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1187 Pressure from Grand Tutor Yu
Fuqiu Gong looked at Dong Dao Xiong carefully again; both legs were completely gone.

It looked as if he had been cut in half at the waist.

However, Brother Dong's wound did not originate in his waist or abdomen; it was located lower down.

There's still a little bit of his butt left!
If it were cut in half at the waist, it would definitely have no buttocks left.

Her fairy robes were tattered, soaking wet, and stained red with blood.

Although the intestines had fallen out from the lower abdomen where the hip joint had been lost, the internal organs remained intact.

It's not exactly intact, but at least it's neat and tidy, without any damage.

The Golden Immortal's body was mostly destroyed, and it would be extremely difficult to repair it completely. It would take a long time or a great price—consuming at least one Nine-Turn Golden Pill-level healing elixir and at least one large peach to replenish the lost pure Yang immortal essence.

Brother Dong's current state clearly demonstrates the outcome of his trip: he suffered a major setback.

"What happened? You were ambushed by Yu Fengxian? That shouldn't be the case. I'm quite certain that Yu Fengxian is still in Lujiang right now," Fuqiu Gong asked in confusion.

"I wonder if Yu Fengxian made the move directly." Dong Ye murmured, looking somewhat dazed. "Everything went smoothly at first. Yu Fengxian's Ancestral Dragon Secret Technique is applicable to all dragon veins."

After only a short period of adjustment, I used Chen Sheng's dragon energy to establish a connection with the divine cauldron.

Last night at 3:45 AM, I easily took away the Dayu Ding.

It's even safer than flying on a sword.

But as I approached the Dan River and was about to enter Deng County (Xiangfan), it was as if I had suddenly crashed into an invisible yet tangible wall, crushing my immortal body into a pile of minced meat.

Puzzled, Fuqiu Gong asked, "With your current level of cultivation and supernatural powers, what kind of wall could possibly crush a nearly immortal Pure Yang Immortal Body into a pulp?"

Dong Ye said, "There is no real wall. My immortal body was actually crushed by the Great Yu Divine Cauldron."

After cultivating the Ancestral Dragon Secret Technique of Yu Fengxian, my dragon energy, Chen Sheng's energy, and the three powers of heaven, earth, and man of the Nine Cauldrons merged into one, transforming into a beam of rainbow light in the form of primordial energy.

Without any warning, suddenly, I was forcibly separated from Jiuding. It stopped abruptly, as if it had crashed into a wall.

I was stuck between the Nine Cauldrons and the Invisible Wall, somewhat like a beginner swordsman learning to fly, experiencing the first time he merged with his sword, entering a state of sword energy and thunderous sound, moving at an extremely fast speed.

The escape technique failed halfway through, and the man and sword suddenly separated. The man was either cut in two or crushed by the immortal sword.

Fuqiu Gong understood a little. "If it's just that you failed to use the Ancestral Dragon Secret Technique and the person and the Divine Cauldron separated, the impact of the Divine Cauldron would at most injure you, but wouldn't crush half of your body into mincemeat."

This power far surpasses the duality of force and speed; it's not even simply force.

Dong Ye nodded and said, "It is indeed not the impact force caused by speed and weight."

The divine cauldron was a divine artifact of the human realm, and it was activated by dragon energy. At that time, it seemed to unleash a special kind of celestial authority.

It's somewhat like the power of an emperor.

Of course, it's only somewhat similar; I'm certain that it's not the authority of the emperor.

Fuqiu Gongdao said, "It should be the power of heaven and earth inherent in the human destiny."

A look of realization appeared on his face. "Even at our level, we still dare not provoke the Emperor's rule."

His imperial power is too strong; it can break our Great Dao Immortal Laws.

Our Pure Yang Immortal Body has reached perfection, nearly indestructible and indestructible.

Yet, before his imperial authority, he remained as fragile as a mortal.

If the Great Yu Divine Cauldron could also unleash similar celestial power, then crushing your physical body would be quite reasonable.

Dong Ye sighed, "It's probably just as you said, my immortal body has been broken."

If the Great Yu Divine Cauldron had been replaced with some other divine artifact, I wouldn't be in such a terrible state.

Fuqiu Gongdao said, "No authority can appear out of thin air. If it was the power inherent in the Great Yu Divine Cauldron, then since you already controlled the cauldron at that time, you should also be in control of its power."

How could your own strength harm you?
Were there any other people present at the time? If it was Yu Fengxian—no, it couldn't have been Yu Fengxian.”

Before he could finish speaking, he refuted his own deduction.

"Not only are Lord Wang and Lady Shangyuan keeping a close eye on the land of Lujiang, constantly sensing the changes in the earth's veins and water veins, but I am also divining for you."

Yu Fengxian is indeed in Lujiang; she hasn't even released a single clone.

Fuqiu Gong then asked, "Brother Dao, have you discovered who is plotting against you?"

Dong Ye looked somewhat embarrassed. "I wasn't paying attention. This unexpected turn of events threw me into a panic; all I wanted to do was escape as quickly as possible."

Although he severed his three corpses and reached a state of mind of non-action and naturalness, this did not mean that his fear, cowardice, and other emotions disappeared.

Severing the three corpses is not the path of heartlessness.

"Non-action and naturalness" means being completely natural, where joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness all originate from the true heart and occur naturally.

If it were Wang E, even if ten Yu Fengxian stood opposite him, sneering smugly, he would still glare angrily, showing no fear, and shout insults at her, brandishing his double maces to challenge her to a duel.

Because Wang E's true nature is one of unwavering fighting spirit and indomitable pride.

But Dong Daxian is not a brave and fearless warrior in essence.

Severing the three corpses simply means recognizing one's true nature, remaining unaffected by worldly affairs, and following one's heart in all things.

He was afraid, cowardly, and wanted to run away, so he took off running.

Even if others laugh loudly on the sidelines—you are a great immortal, a top figure in the Three Realms who is about to attain the Great Luo Dao, you have to have some dignity!

didn't work either.

Others' ridicule may make him feel ashamed and angry, but it will not change his "heart".

This is why both Taoism and the Heavenly Court need "spiritual officials".

In the Pangu World, cultivation seeks the Great Dao, not practical combat power.

Real combat power is only used to protect and defend the Way.

If one is not good at face-to-face, fist-to-fist combat, one can refine magical artifacts, create immortal formations, or cultivate spirit officials.

Half a day later, Akiko finally came looking for him in a panic.

"Master Fuqiu, how is Master Dong?"

"You are currently healing your injuries in the back hall. Have you brought the Divine Cauldron back?" Fuqiu Gong asked.

Qiu Mingzi wanted to shout excitedly: "Bringing back the Divine Cauldron was Dong Daxian's mission. He failed, causing widespread panic. Now I've come to find you in such a hurry, isn't it to 'demand an explanation'?"
He dared not confront them, but a surge of resentment rose within him, which he could not control.

"I came here in a hurry to find Master Dong because I wanted to ask him where he threw the Great Yu Cauldron?"

Fuqiu Gong recounted Dong Daxian's experiences in detail before saying, "At that time, the divine cauldron broke free of his control and crushed his immortal body."

He was worried that Yu Fengxian would plot against him, which is why he rushed back.

If the Divine Cauldron hadn't been taken by Yu Fengxian, it should have fallen into the Danshui River.

Since you have been traveling with him all the way, why don't you immediately go into the water and retrieve the divine cauldron?
The location where the divine cauldron fell was very close to Deng County in Nanjun.

Nanjun is located in the Jingchu region.

—What happened to the land of Jingchu? Is the land of Jingchu a forbidden zone for Yu Fengxian?
Even Master Dong has fled. Do you still expect us to stay there and fight Yu Fengxian to the death without fear of sacrifice?

If we were not afraid of death, why would we flee Xianyang out of fear of death?

Akiko harbored a lot of resentment.

After plotting for over a month, even breaking the oath to reveal the Heavenly Dao and paying a huge price, they still failed to take away the most important and crucial Great Yu Divine Cauldron.

"We did originally stay in the Danshui River to retrieve the Divine Cauldron. But before we found it, Master Guan caught up with us."

At first, we thought Yu Fengxian had arrived, so we didn't dare to stay or gather together. Instead, we scattered and fled.

Later, when I found that no one was chasing me, I sent a clerk to investigate.

It seems Yu Fengxian hasn't returned to Guanzhong; only Lu Jin Gong is leading a group of celestial masters, searching for the divine cauldron in the river.

Fuqiu Gongdao said, "Yu Fengxian indeed hasn't left Lujiang; you're just scaring yourselves." —If Master Dong wasn't afraid, would he have run away? If Master Dong ran away, how could we not be afraid?
"What should we do now?" Akiko asked.

Fuqiu Gong pondered, "If the Divine Cauldron really fell into Lujiang, it should have been found long ago."

Qiu Mingzi said, "The Great Yu Cauldron is a sacred artifact of humanity. It certainly didn't just smash a mud pit at the bottom of the river and get buried in it."

It can enter the earth's veins, and naturally it can also enter the water veins.

If you follow the Dan River channel into the surrounding mountains or underground waterways, it's perfectly normal to not find it immediately.

Fuqiu Gong thought for a moment and said, "Since you have decided to assist Chen Sheng, and the divine cauldron was prepared for Chen Sheng, you should go and discuss this matter with him!"

Akiko's eyes widened. "Senior, you're not going to get involved in this anymore?"

Fuqiu Gong said calmly, "I only concern myself with matters that defy the will of Heaven, while you have come to Dazexiang to support the Dragon Court."

Brother Dong, cooperating with you to move the divine cauldron was not what I wanted in the first place.

Now he has committed a murderous act, is seriously injured and unable to move, and it may even affect his future plans.

What else do you want from me?

He greatly admired Qiu Mingzi's act of leading a group of celestial masters to betray Yu Fengxian.

According to the predetermined destiny, the Qin Dynasty should not have so many immortals assisting it.

The Qin Dynasty lasted only three years.

Guiding the great calamity of heaven and earth to develop according to the "normal script" is the responsibility of this group of aspiring Grand Luo Immortals.

But they were merely guiding the great calamity, not supporting the Dragon Court.

They will only truly take sides when the future master of the "Southeast Emperor's Aura" appears.

Of course, they are only choosing the "soulmate" they believe in, and there is still a risk of choosing the wrong person.

Transporting the divine cauldron to Chen Sheng clearly violated the established destiny.

Chen Sheng was merely a vanguard for the king and was not worthy of possessing the divine cauldron.

However, since the Divine Cauldron remained in Yu Fengxian's hands, posing a greater threat to the predetermined destiny, he did not stop Qiu Mingzi.

He didn't actually intend to support Akiko simply by not interfering.

However, Dong Ye had been defeated by Yu Fengxian last time (in a gambling match), and he was still holding a grudge. He was somewhat angered by the loss, so he was persuaded by Qiu Mingzi.

Akiko left "Floating Hill Immortal Palace" feeling depressed.

Not long after he left, another beam of light flew in from afar, landing and transforming into the dwarf "Deer Cauldron Immortal".

“Fellow Daoist, I already know about the Divine Cauldron. Chen Sheng has lost all hope; it’s time to act immediately.”

Fuqiu Gong asked, "Have you ever seen Chen Sheng?"

The dwarf said, "I don't need to see him to guess what he's thinking right now."

He must still be obsessed with the divine cauldron.

The divine cauldron had been stolen from Xianyang and was about to fall into his hands, but it was lost right at his doorstep. How could he be willing to accept that?

Next, he will definitely send his Qi Refining subordinates to the Danshui River to search for the Nine Cauldrons.

They insisted on waiting for the divine cauldron to return to its rightful place before they would take any action.

But we can't let him keep delaying.

I even suspect that the loss of the Divine Cauldron to the Dan River might have been a scheme by Yu Fengxian.

She wanted to stall for time until her ten-year new policy became a reality.

We can't let her have her way.

Fuqiu Gongdao said, "Yu Fengxian is still reshaping the earth's structure in Lujiang. She can remain calm and collected, and we cannot afford to panic."

The dwarf exclaimed excitedly, "She's in Lujiang, but she's already successfully orchestrated this!"

The pieces she placed began to take effect.

With eighteen feudal lords on the outside and Hu Hai in charge of Xingyang, Li Si controlled the court.

The new policy is being implemented at an extremely rapid pace in all counties and prefectures of the Central Plains.

Its efficiency was so high that it even surpassed that when Ying Zheng was still alive.

Each of the feudal lords was so experienced and shrewd that it seemed as if they had been kings for hundreds of years.

I'm starting to worry that Shenzhou Qianlong might not be a match for them.

And then there's Li Si, who was supposed to be doomed and die young, but now he's experienced a second spring in his life.

Now, though old, he is still vigorous and experienced, and even more determined than before.

I heard that he only sleeps for two hours a day in Xingyang.

He was truly risking his life, fearing the extermination of his entire clan if he failed.

Damn it, Yu Fengxian is so young, how can she be so magnanimous?
Li Si repeatedly opposed her, but after she gained power, she not only did not kill him, but also promoted him greatly, allowing him to replace Zhao Gao, who was destined to rule, and take charge of the Qin Dynasty.

I now have this urge to emulate Yu Fengxian, transform myself, infiltrate the Li residence, and stab Li Si to death with a single blow.

"Brother Dao, do not act rashly! We can kill, but we must never assassinate. We can only kill those who have lost their destiny on the battlefield, honorably and openly."

Moreover, Li Si has an extraordinary destiny, and the cost of killing him would be too great.

"If we were to secretly kill Li Si, Yu Fengxian would probably laugh herself silly."

Even the usually calm and composed Fuqiu Gong now showed helplessness and bitterness on his face.

"What I mean is, we must treat Yu Fengxian as an opponent, a chess player."

We are playing a game of chess against her.

Fellow Daoist, when two people are playing chess, the worst thing is to be impatient and lose your composure.

She was leisurely dredging the earth's veins in Lujiang.

Since she can remain calm and collected, we should also adopt a wait-and-see approach.

Do not actively try to change fate, and avoid actively getting involved in the game.

Once we're in the game, we become pawns.

The dwarf took a few deep breaths and said in a deep voice, "She has already made her move. The ten-year reform, Hu Hai's control of Xingyang, and the eighteen princes assisting the central government are all brilliant moves. We must follow suit and make our moves even more skillful than her."

Fuqiu Gong sighed, "Following her lead in setting up a plan is already a step down from the best."

At this point, asking me to directly order Chen Sheng to start an uprising would be a grave mistake for the 'chess player'.

If I give Chen Sheng an order and he obeys obediently, I will bear all the consequences of his carrying out the order.

I was no longer playing chess; I became an ordinary immortal master serving the Dragon Court.

Grand Tutor Yu was able to issue orders directly because she was already involved in the situation and had become entangled in cause and effect and karma.

Fuqiu Gong and his ilk can and should be high above others.

Lu Dingxian said, "Brother Dao, can't you see the current situation clearly? Yu Fengxian is not to be underestimated."

To deal with her, we can't be completely unburdened and without any ties.

Faced with her pressure, we must be prepared to pay a heavy price.

If we remain timid and hesitant, and ultimately lose this battle, our fate will only be worse.

Fuqiu Gong looked stunned and muttered, "In just a few months, Yu Fengxian has already driven us to this point?"

(End of this chapter)