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

Chapter 996 Beggar-thy-neighbor policy
Yang Chanqiong's nose wrinkled slightly as she read, "The righteous army enters Guanzhong."

Yu Fengxian nodded obsequiously, indicating her willingness to repay the favor, which satisfied her.

Everyone says that Yu Fengxian is an arrogant, vulgar, and unreasonable barbarian, but after seeing her today, I can see that's complete nonsense!

She was clearly a virtuous Jurchen woman who was knowledgeable, reasonable, grateful, elegant, and as beautiful as an orchid and as lovely as the moon.

However, she was not entirely satisfied with the content of Yu Fengxian's promise.

"Given the strategic importance of the Xiaohan Pass, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for the rebel army to enter Guanzhong."

Xiao Yu asked curiously, "If we don't enter Guanzhong, how can the Great Qin be destroyed? Third Holy Mother, please rest assured, everyone knows that the Great Qin has lost its Mandate of Heaven."

I have only a heart devoted to my duty and loyalty; I have no power to defy fate.

The Qin Dynasty was destined to perish; its demise would inevitably be a gradual process, and Xiaoguan and Hangu Pass would fall sooner or later.

Yang Chan said, "In the past, the six states of Shandong also formed an alliance to attack Qin, but they were always blocked outside Hangu Pass."

Although the Qin Dynasty has lost the Mandate of Heaven, its military strength far surpasses that of the six states during their alliance.

Xiao Yu waved his hand and said, "Today is different from the past. In the past, the Great Qin had the Mandate of Heaven, but now the Great Qin has lost the Mandate of Heaven."

No matter how fortified Hangu Pass may be, Heaven will always send a peerless general to breach it.

"If the Holy Mother doesn't believe in me, how could she not believe in destiny?"

Yang Chan sighed, "Although it is said that Heaven has decreed the downfall of Qin, I see no power in the current state of China that can bring about its destruction!"

Xiaoyu felt a little annoyed: "Listen carefully to what you're saying, and listen to what we're all saying?"
I am the Grand Tutor of Qin, and you are an anti-Qin tyrant. Why do you say things that sound like you've switched sides?

“Then I’ll make a different promise.” Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up with a sudden idea. “As long as someone from the six kingdoms outside the pass declares himself king and completes the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai, I will present the True Form Map to you with both hands.”

How about this one?

There's no need to breach Hangu Pass, or even to attack Guanzhong.

"As long as the land is divided and the kingdom is secured, the true map can be obtained."

Yang Chan nodded slightly and said, "This is much simpler than before. Does becoming king necessarily require performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai?"

Xiaoyu said solemnly, "We must perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai! Mount Tai is the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains and the gateway to heaven. Only by ascending Mount Tai and proclaiming to heaven and earth can one be considered a true 'Son of Heaven'."

Only the emperor was qualified to receive the True Form Map from the Qin Dynasty.

If it were just any random local tyrant, incompetent, immoral, shameless, and despicable, who knows how many years he could last.

They may ultimately become the king's vanguard, only to die and have their clan wiped out.

"It's better to leave the True Form Map in the Imperial Observatory in Xianyang than to entrust it to such a person."

“You can release the True Form Diagram; you don’t need to hand it over to the ‘True Dragon Emperor’,” Yang Chan said.

Xiao Yu pretended to hesitate and weighed the matter for a while before frankly telling the "truth": "No matter what the outcome of the Great Qin Dynasty is, as the Heavenly Master of the Great Qin Dynasty, I will definitely accompany the Ying royal family to the end."

If the Qin Dynasty still has a destiny and a possibility of being resurrected, I am willing to help it become great again.

If there is truly no way to reverse the situation, I will ensure that the ancestral temple of the Ying clan continues to exist.

If they can't stay in China, they can move to the west and establish the 'Western Qin Empire'.

In fact, this is the mission that Meng Zhenjun left me.

To accomplish this mission, three groups of people need to work together.

First and foremost, it's the Ying royal family. If they're unwilling, can I force them?
They wouldn't give up their illusions, accept reality, and leave with me until the very last moment.

Secondly, there are the old Qin people of Guanzhong.

The pioneering spirit, the journey to the West, and the establishment of a great empire cannot be achieved by the royal family alone.

Taking them and the Ying family's wealth away would be extremely troublesome.

Therefore, the new emperor's tacit approval, or even cooperation, is required.

I presented the Divine Landscape Map of the Qingyu Bureau, as well as the True Form Maps of the Five Sacred Mountains and Four Great Rivers in the Secret Treasury, with both hands, in order to curry favor with the new emperor and ensure that he will not pursue the sins of the Ying clan who migrated westward once he takes control of the country.

As for how to retrieve the True Form Diagram, let the new emperor discuss it with the great gods.

I reckon the new dynasty already has a map of the Qin dynasty's land, so there's no need to force them to preserve a true depiction.

Yang Chan suddenly realized and exclaimed, "Master Yu is indeed a loyal and righteous man."

Your considerations are very thorough and make a lot of sense.

This is both worthy of the Ying family and worthy of the Five Sacred Mountains Emperor's mercy shown today.

I'll pass on your message to the Five Sacred Mountains Emperors; they should understand.

"Thank you for your help, Holy Mother."

Xiao Yu's face was full of respect and gratitude, but in his heart he was sneering: I want to see what happens when the news spreads and the Chu-Han Contention arrives, and a group of outlaw kings take turns going to Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan ceremony, only to die and their kingdoms perish overnight.

Let these scoundrels bring down the "Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai" from its pedestal.

Let's see if you, Huang Feihu, can still be as arrogant as you are today!

Just as the Third Holy Mother left, satisfied, Master Guan came looking for her with a frown.

"Master Yu, has the Empress Dowager not summoned you yet?"

"The Empress Dowager is busy, I'm busy, everyone's busy," Xiaoyu said.

Master Guan handed her a document and said, "This is the current situation in Beidi County."

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake is about to strike, but Prefect Yin Shou is holding his position without doing anything.

Even in several counties in the central earthquake zone, the people have not yet been relocated.

If the earth were to turn upside down on New Year's Eve, who knows how many people would die or be injured.

What kind of rumors will circulate in the Northwest region then?

Even if the Empress Dowager didn't summon Master Yu, Master Yu should have gone to her, explained the situation to her, and persuaded her to order the pressure on Prefect Yin.

Xiao Yu took the document, glanced at it casually, and nodded, saying, "This kind of good-for-nothing certainly deserves a severe reprimand, but there's no need to relocate the people."

It's freezing cold, and it's New Year's Day; who would want to drag their family away from their hometown?

Master Guan exclaimed in shock, "This is a Yellow-level earthquake! It could collapse the city walls, causing millions of deaths and injuries. How can we celebrate the New Year then?"

Xiao Yu laughed and said, "Don't panic, Master. I said there's no need to relocate the people because there won't be an earthquake in Beidi County."

“The power of the earth’s veins has reached both banks of the Jing River and will soon be released, inevitably causing an earthquake,” Master Guan said solemnly.

"If we do nothing, of course there will be earthquakes, but we are not wooden stakes."

Xiaoyu got up and went outside, looking towards the Qinling Mountains in the southeast, and said with a smile: "The earth's energy needs to be released, but it doesn't necessarily have to be released to densely populated counties."

The Five Sacred Mountains, as the pillars of the Chinese nation, should share the burdens of the people!

Master Guan exclaimed in surprise, "Master Yu is going to actively guide the power of the earth's veins? Do you know this kind of Celestial Master technique?"
During the Qin Dynasty's golden age, with the cooperation of many immortals, it was barely possible to achieve this.

However, the losses outweigh the gains, and there may be unknown hidden dangers.

Nowadays, there are few immortals left in the Imperial Observatory, and the dragon vein of the Great Qin has also collapsed.

There wasn't enough time.

With only a few days left, isn't Master Yu being far too unrealistic?

Xiao Yu didn't answer his questions one by one, but only reminded him, "What caused the earthquake near the Jing River?" "That night, Master Yu resonated with the dragon energy of the Qinling Mountains, triggering a violent tremor across the thousands of miles of the Qinling Mountains."

Master Guan seemed to understand something, but he still couldn't believe it. "At that time, Master Yu didn't even realize that the aftershocks of the earthquake had reached the north bank of the Jing River, thousands of miles away."

Throughout the entire process, apart from gathering the dragon energy, everything else is beyond your control.

The aftershocks reaching Hokuchi County were merely a result of the Kyushu Earth Vein Map's monitoring; it was not something that was being guided by anyone.

What you're about to do is a hundred thousand times harder than discovering the aftershocks of the earthquake in the first place.

Xiaoyu smiled and asked, "How does it compare to yesterday's battle against the gods?"

Master Guan paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It's hard to say who has it more difficult, but these are two different things."

Being able to suppress the True Form Diagram does not mean one can freely manipulate the power of the Earth's veins.

Even the Five Great Emperors of the Five Sacred Mountains would find it difficult to do.

For example, the Great Emperor of the Western Peak can definitely control the earth's energy in the Huashan mountain range.

The Guanzhong Plain region, outside the mountains, is not far from Mount Hua, so the Golden Heavenly King was powerless to help.

What you need to do now is not to regulate the earth's veins in a certain area. If you just forcibly drain the earth's energy north of the Jing River, regardless of the consequences, you can give it a try.

But doing so would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul, potentially triggering even more devastating earthquakes elsewhere.

Xiao Yu said, "I did not completely suppress the dryness of the earth veins in Beidi County, but rather guided them to be released from other places."

What she's about to do is somewhat like a martial artist forcing out poison.

Treat the entire land of China as one person.

The restless energy of the earth's evil spirits is like toxins in the human body, which need to be released through the earth's veins.

Using internal energy, force the toxins in your stomach and intestines to your throat and vomit them out.

Toxins that have already flowed into the internal organs through the blood can then be forced back to the fingers along the blood vessels and meridians, allowing the fingertips to be cut and the toxic blood released.

Master Guan asked, "How confident are you, Celestial Master Yu?"

"I was thinking about this yesterday, but I didn't take action immediately because I wasn't 100% sure of the outcome."

"We're ready to take action now, because we're absolutely certain of success," Xiaoyu said confidently.

Master Guan said solemnly, "If this causes large-scale casualties, you may be punished by heaven. The Great Qin is not what it used to be; it no longer has the fortune to help you cleanse your sins."

At this point, he sighed helplessly, "This is also why the celestial masters of the Imperial Observatory do not seek merit but only to avoid mistakes."

Everyone seems to be just going through the motions, lacking ambition; it's truly a helpless act of self-preservation.

Even though Master Yu has succeeded to the position of Grand Tutor, he should still be cautious and careful.

Besides, Empress Dowager Zhao hasn't come to see you yet. What is she thinking?

Xiaoyu's eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled, "She's probably waiting for me to come to her. If she comes to me, it's because she's begging me; if I come to her, it's because I'm begging her."

Master Guan paused for a moment, then asked, "What does Master Yu intend to do?"

"I'm quite satisfied with the current state of the Imperial Observatory, focusing on my current tasks," Xiaoyu said.

She only lacks one thing now: time!

She has already gained too much: the True Form Diagram, the Gods' adoptive father, the immortals and strange men of Xianyang as adoptive fathers, the foundation of the Imperial Observatory, and the foundation of the Ying clan. There is so much that she has no time to digest it all, so what is she still messing around with?

Master Guan remained silent for a moment before asking, "Does Master Yu intend to unleash the power of the Earthly Fiends upon the Five Sacred Mountains?"

“The Five Sacred Mountains are the pillars of heaven. The meager power of the Earthly Fiends in the Northern Prefecture is like a tickle to the Five Sacred Mountains’ Divine Palace,” Xiao Yu said.

Master Guan gave her a deep look. "You just expressed your respect and humility to the Five Sacred Mountains Emperor through the Three Holy Mothers, and then you unleashed the power of a Yellow-level earthquake on the Five Sacred Mountains Divine Palace."

—What are their true intentions?
Xiao Yu sighed, "For the sake of the people of Kyushu, we can only let the Great Emperor of Dongyue suffer."

I've been to the Taishan Divine Palace, and I know it's a vast and incredibly hard place!

Mount Tai will surely withstand it, and the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, compassionate towards the people's hardships, will certainly understand.

Master Guan frowned and asked, "Should we write a memorial to the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak?"

Also, inform the governor of Taishan Commandery to prepare for an earthquake.

"I can control a mere yellow-magnitude earthquake, just as a martial artist controls his internal energy. Not a single bit of energy will be released into the residential area."

Seeing that he still looked doubtful and worried, and wanted to say something, Xiaoyu simply pointed to the Qingyu Division and said, "Master Guan, go to the Qingyu Division and keep an eye on the Nine Provinces Landscape Map. I will go adjust the flow of the earth's veins now."

Master Guan's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Very well! I will keep an eye on the landscape map, and if there are any abnormalities in the flow of the earth's veins, I will notify you immediately."

"I'm going to the Qinling Mountains. Let's begin immediately."

With a light leap, Xiaoyu disappeared from Guan Zhenren's sight in the next instant.

She first went to the Black Ice Terrace and asked the several Celestial Masters on duty to inform the Epang Palace and the Empress Dowager's Mausoleum—half an hour later, there was another small-scale tremor in the Qinling Mountains.

Let them take precautions to prevent further casualties.

The first time Xiaoyu achieved "unity of heaven and man" with the Qinling Dragon Vein was unconscious. At that time, Xiaoyu was only concerned with containing the dissipated dragon energy and using the Qinling Dragon Vein to let his thoughts travel through the earth veins of the land. He did not pay much attention to the runaway power of the earth veins.

Now, she has not only created "Huifeng Mixed Mountain and Water Refining Spirit" with the help of the True Form Diagram, but has also cultivated "Zhengyi Dharma Register". Her experience and cultivation are now on a completely different level.

Feeling as relaxed and at ease as if she were back home, Xiaoyu's consciousness once again entered the "Corpse of the Ancestral Dragon".

There was no obstruction or resistance whatsoever.

Sensing her arrival, the Earthly Fiend Dragon Qi spontaneously moved closer to her and converged into the "Ancestral Dragon Corpse".

It was as if his soul had returned to his body, bringing the First Dragon back to life.

After sensing for a moment, Xiao Yu controlled the corpse of the Ancestral Dragon to twist its body and assume the "Nine Bends of the Yellow River" posture.

It not only has the shape of the Yellow River, but also its spirit.

"Rumble~~" The Qinling Mountains began to tremble slightly again.

Xiaoyu intentionally controlled the force and direction, and the amplitude was far less than before.

"Bang~ bang~ bang~~"

On the Qinling Mountains ridge, there are eighteen points that look like burst abscesses, spewing out a stream of murky, foul-smelling water from the ground.

The fumes drove away wild animals and birds in the surrounding area.

But soon after, they were unconsciously attracted by the refreshing aura wafting from the "pus sac".

It is a cool, refreshing water elemental energy.

The Great Qin Celestial Master, who was patrolling the Qinling Mountains, also discovered something unusual.

"Huh, how come there's a spiritual spring here? Could it be that the earthquake earlier ruptured the water veins inside the mountain? The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is so strong, this is a celestial spring!"

But before they could rejoice for long, a stench of evil energy gushed out of the spring, nearly suffocating them.

"This spiritual spring definitely didn't form naturally; Master Yu must be doing something! Could it be clearing away the death energy and corpse energy in the Qinling dragon vein?"

At noon, Master Guan of the Weather Bureau was shocked to discover that the Earthly Fiend Power, which was supposed to be released in a few days, had disappeared from the Northern Prefecture.

"Master Yu has succeeded. Oh no, the power of the earth's veins is about to spread to Mount Hua. Master Yu is really going to harm his neighbors!"

(End of this chapter)