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

Chapter 1188 The Struggle and Helplessness of the Chess Pieces
In the end, Fuqiu Gong was persuaded by Luding Xian.

Grand Tutor Yu is not in Xianyang. He may seem to be slacking off, but he has already put considerable pressure on them.

They must recognize a reality: she is already sitting on the opposite side of the chessboard, and has already set up her own game. They must take her seriously as an opponent, not only to actively break the deadlock, but also to be prepared to pay the price for doing so.

Trying to protect what you believe to be your destiny without getting hurt will only backfire, leading to more losses and greater damage.

Fuqiu Gong immediately summoned Gu Zhenjun.

He first analyzed the current situation with Gu Zhenjun, frankly explained his and Lu Dingxian's thoughts, and finally instructed him to immediately convey the order to start the uprising to Chen Sheng.

It wasn't a direct order; if it had been given directly, Chen Sheng would have certainly resented and resisted it.

Gu Zhenjun is now the "National Preceptor" of Tianzhu Peak, and as such, he can naturally offer advice to King Chen Sheng.

The day after the Qin Dynasty lost the Divine Cauldron, at dusk.

Dazexiang, Tianzhu Peak, the backyard of General Chen Sheng.

The leaders of Chen Sheng's group are gathered together to discuss the "Conference to Seize the Tripod".

Yes, the divine cauldron that should have belonged to them had fallen into the Dan River. At this moment, the Great Qin Celestial Masters were retrieving it; they intended to go and retrieve it.

“Your Majesty, with the uprising imminent, we should not disperse our forces and send a large army to Deng County.” Gu Zhenjun said solemnly, “Although Deng County is far from Xianyang, it is still considered part of Jingchu.”

But it's thousands of miles away from our Dazexiang!

Although the Qin Dynasty had lost the Mandate of Heaven, it was still the Qin Dynasty's domain at this time.

The county magistrate of Deng County will definitely listen to the Great Qin Celestial Master, not us.

Before Chen Sheng could speak, General Song Liu asked with a puzzled look, "Why did Master Gu change his mind? Deng County is indeed not close to Dazexiang, but our escape techniques are not slow either."

What use are ordinary county soldiers when they go underwater to search for the divine cauldron?

The Great Qin Celestial Master summoned the county magistrate, who could at most cordon off the scene and stop ordinary martial arts practitioners; he couldn't possibly stop us.

“We cannot give up. That is the Great Yu Divine Cauldron. For such a precious human treasure that can suppress the fate of the nation, it is entirely worthwhile to travel thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of miles,” Chen Yu said.

Gu Zhenjun sighed, "If there is any hope of finding the Great Yu Divine Cauldron, we will certainly do our utmost."

However, according to my calculations, the Divine Cauldron is no longer in the Dan River.

Either it will be taken away by Yu Fengxian, or it will fall into the Sishui River like the Xuzhou Ding back then.

When the Xuzhou Ding fell into the Si River, countless Qin soldiers saw it and went into the water to retrieve it.

We all know how it turned out.

The newly promoted Great Chu Immortal Master Qiu Mingzi glanced at True Lord Gu and vaguely understood something in his heart.

His mood worsened.

Chen Sheng, whom he allied himself with, held no real weight in Fuqiu Gong's heart.

He was just a bandit king who acted as a vanguard for the king.

Are you expecting this hidden dragon to fight against Yu Fengxian and protect him?
Unless Chen Sheng truly obtains the divine cauldron and undergoes a complete transformation in his status, he wouldn't be able to contend for the entire country, but at least he would need to secure his position as a "regional warlord."

Based solely on Chen Sheng's current position, he could become king or queen, but once his luck ran out and his destiny came to an end, his situation would deteriorate rapidly.

Chen Sheng's reign ended quickly. What did he do? Find another lord?
He had shown Chen Sheng the kindness of giving him the tripod, and since Chen Sheng's men failed to catch it, it was none of his business.

If he switches to another potential leader, how will he gain trust and achieve success?

Or rather, wasn't the divine cauldron he gave to Chen Sheng a complete waste?

Chen Sheng noticed his gloomy expression and said with concern, "Immortal Master Qiu Mingzi, you were the one who brought the Divine Cauldron out of Xianyang. You know the Divine Cauldron and the situation at that time best."

It was really taken away by Yu Fengxian.

But as you said, Yu Fengxian is not in Guanzhong; she is in Lujiang at the moment.

Is it possible to retrieve a three-zhang-tall divine cauldron from tens of thousands of miles away?

Before Qiu Mingzi could speak, Gu Zhenjun raised his voice and said, "Your Majesty, if it wasn't taken away by Yu Fengxian, then it's exactly the same as the Xuzhou Cauldron from back then."

The result was the same; they could never be found again.

Let's concentrate our forces and take Pengcheng as soon as possible!

By occupying Sishui County, an unbreakable foundation will be laid for the struggle for supremacy over the world.

This tangible benefit is more effective than any divine artifact or sacred relic.

Chen Sheng hesitated and remained silent.

Akiko spoke.

He asked calmly, "Fellow Daoist Gu, are you aware that besides the Tyrannical Qin Celestial Master, many other heroes from across the land and their retainers are also busy at the Dan River right now?"

He glanced at Zhang Er and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you have met many heroes from all over China in Xianyang."

For example, the Wei brothers and the four Tian brothers formed an alliance.

Has any ally sent someone to Dazexiang to inform us that they are going to the Danshui River to retrieve the Yu Ding, which now belongs to King Chen Sheng?

"What? The Wei family and the Tian family have already sent people to the Dan River?" Chen Sheng was shocked, then furious, and couldn't help but shout, "That is a sacred object of my Chu Kingdom. We risked being severely retaliated against by Grand Tutor Yu to steal it from Xianyang."

Gu Zhenjun frowned as he looked at Qiu Mingzi and said, "Even if they all go to retrieve the divine cauldron, what's the use if they can't retrieve it?"

The Bee Taoist cried out impatiently, "True Lord, you can't say that! Going to the Dan River to search for it doesn't guarantee we'll find it, but if we don't go, we'll definitely miss this opportunity."

Just think about Yu Fengxian, how terrifying she is!

When Yu Fengxian was mentioned, he couldn't help but show a look of fear. "Your Majesty, I'll be honest with you."

Even if you don't have the Divine Cauldron, I will still do my best to assist you in overthrowing the tyrannical Qin Dynasty and dominating the Central Plains.

I am not only supporting the imperial court, but also avenging myself.

The Qin Dynasty slaughtered 1,872 members of my Five Poisons Sect. I have a blood feud with the tyrannical Qin Dynasty.

However, I must face reality. If Yu Fengxian personally leads troops to conquer Dazexiang, and you do not have the Divine Cauldron to protect you, I will absolutely not dare to confront her again.

This humble Taoist priest will retreat three she (a unit of distance). If three she is not enough, this humble Taoist priest will flee for his life.

Chen Yu agreed, saying, "Fellow Daoist Feng's words sound like pessimistic remarks, but it is indeed true. We all know about Yu Fengxian's magnificent feat of conquering the heavens with the cauldron."

Only by mastering the Divine Cauldron can one counter Yu Fengxian's Cauldron Control Technique.

The other immortal masters chimed in in agreement.

Gu Zhenjun raised his voice and said, "Everyone, we have already discussed and reached a conclusion about the technique of controlling the cauldron to conquer the heavens."

The most terrifying thing about conquering the heavens with the cauldron is nothing more than the fate of humanity.

King Chen Sheng himself represented the divine mandate to overthrow the tyrannical Qin dynasty and the general trend of humanity.

If Yu Fengxian truly uses her humanistic fortune to sweep away King Chen Sheng, only she will die; King Chen Sheng will certainly be unharmed.

He stared at Chen Sheng and said in a firm voice, "I swear to Heaven on this point."

"To deal with us, the sweeping of human destiny is indeed of little use. But when she rode the cauldron to conquer the heavens, she also transformed into a ten-thousand-foot-long dragon, easily sweeping away 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals."

Our Dazexiang doesn't even have an army of 100,000.

"The strength of ordinary soldiers is no match for that of heavenly soldiers and generals," Zhang Er said.

Gu Zhenjun laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist is mistaken. The dragon vein is the essence of the earthly evil, and there are actually only 50,000 heavenly soldiers.

They were invaded by evil energy, their divine power was disrupted by the power of the Ancestral Dragon, and their divine laws were interfered with.

But neither the malevolent energy nor the dragon energy has any effect on us human soldiers.

The heavenly soldiers and gods are renowned for their might, and the mighty lions of the mortal realm, having fought countless battles, also possess their own advantages.

If celestial soldiers are necessarily stronger than mortal soldiers, how could Emperor Qin Shi Huang have dominated the mortal realm, forcing even the gods and immortals to avoid his advance?

The Bee Taoist said, "Yu Fengxian has returned from her conquest of the heavens, her might shaking the three realms, but we are still not discouraged."

Even the ancestral dragon who conquered the heavens was not omnipotent.

The willingness to continue fighting the tyrannical Qin dynasty and the search for the Divine Cauldron are not contradictory! With the Divine Cauldron, we will have more confidence and be more composed in dealing with invading enemies.

Even if we take a step back and don't seek out the Great Cauldron, but instead allow other heroes from across the land to obtain it and suppress their own destiny, even if we ultimately destroy the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, it will only benefit our 'allies' hiding behind the scenes.”

"The Immortal Master is right!" Chen Sheng nodded repeatedly. "We are indeed allies with heroes from all sides now."

But once the tyrannical Qin dynasty was overthrown, allies immediately became adversaries.

I don't mind being the first to raise an army, trying to attract the attention of the tyrannical Qin and create opportunities for other heroes.

But I don't want to be taken advantage of.

I raised an army to fight against the tyrannical Qin, while they hid behind, searching for the divine cauldron that rightfully belonged to me.

High above, Fuqiu Gong glanced at the dwarf beside him and sighed, "You see? Some things can't be accomplished just because we want them to."

Hidden talents are all exceptional individuals who cannot be manipulated. Forcing them will only breed resentment.

From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the present day, countless immortals have assisted human rulers.

Those who directly manipulate the monarch to serve their own interests are few and far between.

At least as long as the power of the Human King has not been abolished, manipulating the Human King brings no benefit, yet the cost is so high that even a Grand Luo Golden Immortal could not afford it.

The dwarf said calmly, "Yu Fengxian is manipulating Hu Hai. If we want, we can also 'guide' any potential dragon to obey destiny."

Fuqiu Gong said irritably, "How can these be the same? Hu Hai is an unfilial son, while Yu Fengxian is trying to rectify the situation, restore order, and save the collapsing edifice."

Hu Hai himself knew that the "Uncle" was right, and that he himself was wrong.

The former king of the Ying clan felt only gratitude and awe towards her.

Forcing Chen Sheng now will only make him hate me.

The dwarf said, "We are trying to reason with Chen Sheng so that he won't do anything foolish."

"What if he doesn't listen to reason?" Fuqiu Gong asked.

The dwarf said calmly, "He will listen."

Gu Zhenjun did indeed prepare "reasoning".

After Chen Sheng finished speaking passionately, he immediately said, "Your Majesty, the Divine Cauldron is very important, but seizing the Mandate of Heaven is equally important. You can't be short-sighted!"

The new ten-year policy is now being implemented in the Central Plains, and the eighteen princes of the Ying clan have almost surrounded us.

Although it does not directly border Sishui County, it is in sight of it from afar.

To the west was the King of Nanyang, to the east the King of Wu, to the south the King of Changsha, and to the north the King of Gaoyang and the King of Langya.
If we don't seize this opportunity while they're still establishing themselves, and instead allow them to spend lavishly to win over the people and recruit talented individuals, then once we obtain the Divine Cauldron, we'll be unable to break out and face certain death.
This is one aspect; there is also the divine mandate of being the "first to rise up."

Being the first to raise an army would naturally provoke a fierce counterattack from the tyrannical Qin dynasty.

The destiny of the first uprising can also bring the king immense fortune.

You were originally a commoner, unlike the descendants of the royal families of the six kingdoms.

Compared to those who have inherited their traditions for thousands of years, you are inherently inferior and lack depth.

Once the divine mandate of victory is lost, how can they contend for supremacy in the future?

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny? Mortals can cultivate immortality, and mortals can also become kings."

Chen Sheng was excited, his eyes resolute: "In terms of talent alone, I am no less than anyone else!"

"So you really don't want the destiny of 'initiating the uprising'?" Gu Zhenjun asked.

“Of course we must! The founding of the uprising is my destiny! They are all searching for the cauldron and haven’t launched an uprising yet, so we still hold the destiny of being the first to rise up,” Chen Sheng said.

Gu Zhenjun sighed, "Has Your Majesty considered the eighteen princes and the ten-year reform policy?"

Dazexiang was surrounded and attacked by the princes of the Ying clan, and other heroes of the land were also suffering.

If Your Majesty delays too long, and the eighteen warlords press closer, and the secrets of heroes throughout the land being exposed for hoarding weapons and raising assassins, forcing them to launch a rebellion, how will Your Majesty respond?

Chen Sheng's expression changed several times, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Only if it succeeds can it be called a 'first uprising'. Immortal Master Gu, the Great Yu Divine Cauldron is too important. It was so close, so very close, to reach Tianzhu Peak. I am not reconciled!"

Five days later, at the Imperial Observatory in Xianyang, the Weather Bureau.

"Master Guan, haven't you found Grand Tutor Yu yet?" Lu Jin Gong shouted anxiously before even entering the door.

Master Guan sat cross-legged in front of the Divine Land Landscape Map, looking exhausted, but he remained focused on the water vein map.

When Lu Jin Gong came in, he closed his eyes, gently pressed his temples, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's the best thing that Grand Tutor Yu hasn't returned."

Lu Jin Gong shouted, "The Divine Cauldron is lost, is that a good thing?"
Do you know that the banks of the Danshui River are now crowded with extraordinary people and feng shui masters?
We won't go into the details of Chen Sheng and the heroes from all over China.

They weren't afraid of us "Great Qin Celestial Masters" and openly conducted a massive search.

Now even the prefects and magistrates of nearby prefectures are secretly sending strange people to search for the divine cauldron.

What do you think they're thinking?

Master Guan said, "Do you think Grand Tutor Yu knows about this? But she remained calm and composed throughout."

"If she's calm, we don't need to panic."

Lu Jin Gong calmed down slightly, but his eyes were filled with suspicion as he asked, "Could it be that the Phoenix Cry Black Mountain Cauldron has been secretly returned by her?"

Master Guan said calmly, "Don't you know whether they've been sent back or not? These past few days, besides searching the Danshui River, many extraordinary people have also come to the Qinling Mountains."

Even the newly appointed Celestial Master of the Imperial Observatory secretly used his authority to sense the Qinling Ancestral Dragon inch by inch.

Lu Jin Gong was a little embarrassed, as he himself had secretly done the same thing.

“We also care about the Divine Cauldron. We didn’t run away that day, which proves our loyalty, doesn’t it?” he muttered.

"I didn't run that day, but I've run more than thirty more in the last few days," Master Guan said.

"With Grand Tutor Yu still not back, everyone is feeling uneasy!" sighed Lord Lujin.

"Brother Daoist, you've been quite free lately. How about you do me a favor?"

Guan Zhenren looked at him expectantly and said, "The River God has obtained the True Form Map of the Yellow River and has become increasingly reckless lately."

Take the Immortal Slayer Sword and go to the Yellow River Dragon Palace to tell him to behave himself.

We must obey the Heavenly Court's decree; that's fine.

But now that he's in the mortal realm, he has to take the decrees of the mortal court seriously.

Lu Jin Gongdao asked, "Has he violated the laws of Heaven and caused disasters outside the scope of Heaven's mandate?"

Master Guan shook his head. "No, he is meticulously fulfilling the divine mandate of 'a natural disaster in China,' not yielding an inch and giving us no chance to salvage the situation."

Fellow Daoists Jin Zhong, Jin Guang, and Jin Long traveled back and forth tirelessly.

But all their achievements were destroyed by the River God and the Rain God.

Lu Jin Gong hesitated, not wanting to get involved in the mess.

Five days later.

Still at Tianzhu Peak, high in the heavens, within the Fuqiu Immortal Palace.

A beam of divine light shot out from the northeast, landing and transforming into a majestic old dwarf four feet tall.

"Lord Fuqiu, the matters concerning Yan have been arranged. I hope you will cooperate."

Fuqiu Gong nodded and said, "As long as the matter in Yan is big enough to make Chen Sheng feel genuinely threatened, he will seize the mandate of 'first uprising' without needing anyone to persuade him."

The old dwarf sighed, "We certainly can't count on launching a large-scale uprising directly."

The former royal family and nobles of Yan had long been killed by Ying Zheng.

Recently, a shrewd and decisive King of Bohai has arrived, and the people of Yan have begun to call him the 'Wise King'.

Without external intervention, the Yan region would likely never experience turmoil.

(End of this chapter)