This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 432 has said it countless times: honest men with younger sisters should stay away from men surnamed Xiang.

"We won too easily, could we have been tricked..."

"Huh, isn't it better to relax? Why do I have this masochistic thought?"

Watching the Shangxuan Blood Lord dissipate in the wind, Xiang Yuan muttered to himself as he sheathed the Jinglan Blade. Because everything had gone too smoothly, he suspected that the death of the Shangxuan Blood Lord was also part of the scheme orchestrated by the mastermind behind the scenes.

He doesn't have a masochistic fetish; his suspicions stem from reality. When Baiyun Manor and Wangjian Manor were targeted for destruction, the mastermind behind them, even without showing up, remotely protected both manor.

The Blood Lord of the Upper Profound Realm is a cultivator of the Upper Three Realms. He is capable and loyal. How could he not have done anything to protect such an excellent subordinate?

But if it's all about scheming, wouldn't it be a waste to just throw away such an excellent subordinate?
Even if you're rich, you can't just squander money like this!

Xiang Yuan was suspicious and felt that he had been tricked, but he also felt that he was overthinking things. After pondering for a moment, he adopted the optimistic spirit of "if you can't figure it out, don't think about it" and "if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up," and prepared to go back to Bai Wuyan to have his fortune told.

Those long, white legs are so beautiful, it would be a shame not to make good use of them since we've already hugged them.

White House Chief, this is truly the last time!

After dispelling his doubts, Xiang Yuan saw that the Nine Blood Rivers, which stretched across the capital city, had not yet dissipated. He decisively raised his hand and smashed all the remaining Star Gazing Towers with a single punch.

Amidst the deafening explosion, wood chips and bricks flew everywhere, and the astonishingly expensive observatory became a thing of the past, leaving only its lonely foundation as a testament to its former existence.

Before the dust had settled, blood splattered into the sky.

Xiang Yuan frowned and looked towards the foundation.

The Star Gazing Tower is the central hub of the Grand Array of the Upper Yuan Capital, encompassing the profound principles of array formations. It is one of Li's masterpieces, with each level having its own explanation, and a new set of explanations after the ninth level.

Even the simplest eaves and brackets conform to the formation of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

The top glazed tiles are painted with many star patterns, corresponding to the stars in the sky, which represent the heavens within the array.

However, this is just the Shangyuan Li family's explanation to the outside world, a lie to deceive those with ulterior motives. The core of the Shangyuan Grand Formation is not on the floors, but hidden in the foundation using a method of reversal and inversion.

Xiang Yuan threw a punch at the Star Gazing Tower. After the bricks and stones on the ground peeled off, an array diagram cast in black iron was revealed, engraved with 365 stars, which were quite extraordinary and had a dazzling light.

At the core of the formation, a blood-red triangular shield undulated like a living thing, emitting red light. The red light, like countless strands of hair and blood lines, was deeply embedded in the corresponding star position like gnarled tree roots.

Then, with the Star-Gazing Tower as the central hub, the layout spreads throughout the entire Shangyuan capital city along a feng shui formation of four vertical and five horizontal lines.

At this point, blood flowed like a tide, and plague raged.

The triangular shield is an enlarged token, neither gold nor jade, with natural vein-like patterns covering its surface. The strokes of the characters 'Nether River' are blurred in blood red, as if slowly writhing. Through the blood-red light, one can vaguely see a line of small characters below, powerful as a knife, each stroke exuding a sinister aura.

Borrowing a path from the Nine Netherworlds, surviving amidst a sea of ​​blood!
"..."

After defeating the boss, you open a box containing an irresistible treasure. This... this is pure scheming!
Xiang Yuan stared at the triangular shield in front of him with a dark expression. His intuition told him that this thing was no ordinary object and must have a story behind it. It was left to him by the mastermind behind the scenes.

Or, to put it another way, let the young sect leader pass it on to the sect leader.

They accepted it, but there's a big problem.

No, we won't accept...

Xiang Yuan looked at the bloodstains still lingering in the capital city of Shangyuan. It was a multiple-choice question, so he had no choice. He then drew out the six-character mantra with his finger, used the golden tablet to suppress the evil spirits, and then put it into the jade space.

Without the Styx Token, the blood-red color of Shangyuan Capital instantly faded, the four waterways and five main roads returned to their original state, and the sky above the capital became clear.

"It's too calculating..."

"However, since you know you can't refuse, why arrange for a cultivator at the upper three realms to wait to die here? Is there some dissatisfaction with their work attitude?"

Xiang Yuan couldn't figure it out, so he focused his problem-solving efforts on Bai Wuyan. He figured that Bai Wuyan, being so concerned about her reputation, would definitely not refuse him.

With the blood-red light gone, Xiang Yuan retrieved the Pure White Golden Wheel and the Ninth-Rank Golden Lotus. This battle against the Upper Profound Blood Lord tested his own strength, and he felt that he was terrifyingly strong, so he did not use the Wujie Sword to summon Bai Wuyan to fight in his place.

They've roughly hit the lower limit, but the upper limit and their position within the three upper realms are still unclear.

The upper three realms of Qianyuan Realm are extremely rare, and a suitable opponent is hard to come by.

When Xiang Yuan retrieved the Mad Beauty Sword, he found an unclaimed magical artifact on the ground: two blood-red curved blades, the Blood Moon Sword.

This treasure is entirely crimson, like jade soaked in blood, with a dark gleam flowing at the edge. It was forged from the principles of heaven and earth inherited from the Blood Sea Dao, containing a boundless sea of ​​blood within. It has many wonderful uses and can even amplify one's cultivation by borrowing the power of the sea of ​​blood, making it a supreme treasure for killing.

Unfortunately, it was ruined by the crazy criticism of the Beauty Sword. The most crucial core of the magic weapon, the Blood Sea inside, is now dilapidated and churning with demonic energy. Not only are many of its wonderful uses ineffective, but forcibly controlling it also carries the risk of being contaminated by the dilapidated demonic energy.

Even if they wanted to sell, no one dared to buy!

Someone once said that even a pair of underwear or a piece of toilet paper has its uses. The Blood Moon is a magic weapon for cultivators in the Integration Stage, so even if it is damaged, it cannot truly become a piece of junk.

Xiang Yuan casually tossed it into the warehouse to gather dust, planning to use it to splatter demonic energy all over the opponent's face when he encountered a powerful enemy someday.

Soon, the four masters of the Li family arrived. Looking at the Observatory Tower that had been razed to the ground, all four of them were filled with tears and gained a deeper understanding of the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.

The intelligence report was accurate and very objective; wherever this guy goes, that family suffers.

Even so, Xiang Yuan protected the foundation of the Shangyuan Li family, and we must thank him for his great kindness.

Tell me, how many princesses do you want? We all share the surname Li, so just say it and don't be shy.

"Wait a minute, when did I become surnamed Li?"

Xiang Yuan was full of questions. After recalling for a moment, it seemed that he had indeed said that he referred to himself as Li in front of the masters of the six great families.

That's Li Xianyuan, using an unknown alias after encountering a powerful enemy. He has absolutely nothing to do with your Shangyuan Li Clan!

Xiang Yuan was about to refuse when he saw the six great family masters watching from afar, and then looked at the four patriarchs of the Li family who looked obedient. He had no choice but to nod against his conscience and admit that he was related to the Shangyuan Li family and occasionally shared the surname Li.

The grandmasters of the six great families were not fools. Seeing that the capital had been flooded with blood by cultivators of the third realm of the Blood Sea Dao, and considering the strange death of the old emperor's lineage, they immediately understood the current predicament of the Shangyuan Li family and the reason why the Li family was willing to be dogs.

Today it's the Li family of Shangyuan, tomorrow, shouldn't it be their turn?

Because of the mysterious and powerful external enemy, the six grandmasters no longer cared about weakening the Shangyuan Li clan. The Li clan could not fall; they had to be at the forefront of unifying the Southern Jin.

Aside from the external enemies, Xiang Yuan's overwhelming strength in defeating cultivators of the Upper Three Realms was also deeply ingrained in people's minds. They could see clearly that in the one-sided battle, the Upper Profound Blood Lord was at a disadvantage from beginning to end, giving people the feeling that cultivators of the Upper Three Realms were nothing special.

Xiang Yuan is a Grandmaster of the Tongyou stage, and so are they. If Xiang Yuan can defeat cultivators of the Upper Three Realms, so can they.

Anyone with a brain knows this is an illusion. It's not that the Shangxuan Blood Lord is too weak, but that Xiang Yuan is too strong. The Shangyuan Li Clan has latched onto this powerful figure, so they'll have to be careful with their volume when speaking to him in the future.

Upon further reflection, the six grandmasters were stunned to discover that Xiang Yuan also possessed the Water-Suppressing Iron Sword.

Good news: Li from Shangyuan has willingly fallen into depravity and become someone's dog.

Bad news: He's latched onto my leg.

……

Having resolved the hidden dangers in the capital and flexed his muscles a little, Xiang Yuan's trip became exceptionally easy. Invited by the six great families, he traveled around and made money along the way.

Bah, I'll just use this to suppress the flood.

When Xiang Yuan last came to Nan Jin to suppress the water, he had already decided to hand over the Water Suppression Iron Sword to the Qingyun Sect, so that they could suppress the water every year, and he would take 70% of it.

If our ancestor gets to eat meat, you'll get a sip of soup too!
Since the Zhenshui Iron Sword is still up-to-date with the current version, it was not sent to the Qingyun Sect. It is felt that given his current rapidly declining cultivation speed, the Zhenshui Iron Sword will be obsolete by next year.

Xiang Yuan did not leave Southern Jin immediately. Under the pretext of suppressing the flood, he wandered around the territories of the six great families and had friendly interactions with the masters of the six great families in the name of the Li clan.

News spread in the capital that the Li and Xiao families were of the same lineage and that the two countries were as close as family. Soon, a delegation would travel to the capital of Western Chu to sign a non-aggression pact.

Once this news reached Tai'an Prefecture of Northern Qi and was handed to Liu Che, it would be the time for Xiang Yuan to leave Southern Jin.

If you won't listen to reason and form an alliance, then I'll show you my fists and make you figure out how to sit down and talk yourselves.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Xiao He, on the other hand, was in a terrible predicament.

After the troops split into two groups, Xiang Yuan immediately headed to Southern Jin. On his way, he passed through Qingzhou and was detained by Sword Master Su Ran while looking for Zi Ping's fun. He received unexpected news and returned to Wushuang Palace. After a series of twists and turns, he finally arrived in Southern Jin.

Even so, he was still faster than Xiao He.

Xiao He was slow because, in addition to representing the Heavenly Emperor, he also represented Western Chu. To have an equal dialogue with Emperor Wu of Han, he needed a sufficiently influential status and had to follow proper procedures.

After a while, the speed slowed down.

Unlike Xiang Yuan, Ba Wang does things his own way. As the young sect leader of Tianzong, he doesn't need to care about procedures. It's the procedures that care about him. He gets things done in advance and then quickly changes the procedures afterwards.

After committing such a disgraceful act, they had to urgently mobilize renowned scholars to debate the classics overnight and scramble to clean up the mess. In short, Xiang Yuan had already begun traveling around, while the envoy team led by Xiao He had only just arrived in Tai'an Prefecture and been arranged to stay at the Liu family's post station, without being summoned by Emperor Wu of Han.

The answer is that His Majesty is extremely busy with state affairs and cannot spare the time.

Liu Che knew Xiao He's purpose. In principle, he wanted to meet Xiao He. However, in practice, whoever takes the initiative has no say at the negotiating table. Therefore, he put it aside for a few days to show that Northern Qi had no intention of negotiating.

It was your insistence that led me to take pity on you and meet with you. But you, instead of doing me a favor, are trying to take advantage of the situation and even want to negotiate with me!
What's there to talk about? It's pointless. Would my Northern Qi do something like this?
Get out of here, I'm not talking about it.

What, there are benefits?
You're hilarious! Tell me, what benefits would my Northern Qi possibly gain?
Hmm, what you're saying seems to make some sense.

The negotiation process was roughly as follows: Liu Che had already figured out how to control Xiao He, but when a piece of bad news came from the Southern Jin, he immediately became restless.

According to information released by the Southern Jin Dynasty, Xiang Yuan, a member of the Liu clan, has suddenly acquired the title of a member of the Li clan. He is currently selecting princesses in the palace, and will take whichever one he likes home.

This wasn't the original quote from the Southern Jin Dynasty; it's just diplomatic rhetoric, which always contains some exaggerated and unrealistic elements. But that's exactly what Liu Che meant.

This is outrageous! My Northern Qi doesn't even have that, so what is the Southern Jin? They don't even deserve it!

Soon, Xiao He entered the palace and met Liu Che. The latter had a gloomy face and his emotions were written all over his face. Xiao He felt a chill in his heart and thought to himself that he probably had no chance today.

It's not a big problem. He also received news from Southern Jin, and he envied... He disdained the way the three families of the Yuan family behaved like slaves.

Regardless of whether the news is true or false, Xiao He was impressed by Xiang Yuan's extremely high efficiency. With another bargaining chip added to the negotiating table, Liu Che would eventually change his mind, and the alliance of the three kingdoms was basically secured.

In Liu Che's territory, Xiao He's attitude was very proper. Gone was his usual joking and laughing face. He stopped telling jokes and addressed the Northern Qi emperor as "Your Majesty." He took out the map of the Three Kingdoms in Qianyuan Realm and deeply analyzed the advantages and disadvantages, speaking eloquently and persuasively.

Liu Che didn't want to hear such nonsense, and Xiao He didn't want to say it either, but that was the procedure; even knowing it was nonsense, they had to finish saying it.

During this time, Liu Che refuted Xiao He several times, referring to him as the Envoy of Western Chu, and then uttered a lot of nonsense.

They talked for a full half hour before finally finishing this part of the process.

Liu Che: This kid is eloquent and talented, much better than that other guy.

Xiao He: They're both emperors, but look at the emperor of Northern Qi, he's much better than that other one.

After laying down the preamble, Xiao He spoke first, presenting recently acquired intelligence to explain that Western Chu and Southern Jin had formed an alliance, and subtly hinting at the deeper meaning of the non-aggression pact.

translate:
Ah Qi, the Western Chu and Southern Jin have signed a non-aggression pact. Guess who they are targeting?

"I am not clear about this, and I hope Your Excellency can explain." Liu Che remained calm and composed, but his tone gradually turned cold.

Having observed the situation carefully, Xiao He was quite certain that Emperor Liu Che of Northern Qi was swayed by gentle persuasion but not by force. Threatening him with harsh words would be futile. He sighed and said, "Your Majesty, besides representing Western Chu, I am also here as the Inner Master of the Heavenly Sect. The young sect master is a member of the Liu clan and a fellow disciple of Your Majesty. Blood is thicker than water. Before coming here, he specifically instructed me that Western Chu should rather take two steps back than allow Northern Qi to take one step forward, and we cannot allow our own brother to be in a difficult position."

Liu Che sneered and threw out intelligence from the Southern Jin Dynasty: "Is this how the Xiang family has regressed?"

Before Xiao He could answer, he frowned and looked Xiao He up and down: "As far as I know, you have quite a connection with the man surnamed Xiang. Is that true?"

"There is some connection between them..."

Xiao He suppressed his displeasure and lied against his conscience, saying, "I became sworn brothers with the young sect leader in my early years and was his sworn brother. Later... we became even closer and I called him brother-in-law."

"Isn't he my brother-in-law?"

"..."

I used to really like the emperor of Northern Qi!

Seeing Xiao He's constipated expression, Liu Che narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "In that case, setting aside the differences in our national identities and positions, you and I are not exactly outsiders."

"I dare to say that His Majesty and I are indeed on the same side."

Xiao He's expression turned serious. Liu Che was Xiang Yuan's junior brother, and he was Xiang Yuan's elder brother. According to this relationship, the emperor of Northern Qi should call him elder brother!

Of course, it's best to just think about such a good thing in your heart; saying it out loud will definitely not end well.

"One of our own..."

Liu Che slightly curled the corners of his mouth and said meaningfully, "It's good to have our own people. We Qi people value loyalty and righteousness the most, unlike the Chu and Jin people who are mostly ungrateful."

Xiao He did not understand the deeper meaning of Liu Che's words. As an envoy of Western Chu, he had to uphold the reputation of his countrymen. He spoke some righteous words with his head held high, making Liu Che retract his previous words. Otherwise, if the king was angry, blood would flow like rivers; if a commoner was angry, blood would splatter five steps away.

"The cultivation level of a Grandmaster."

Liu Che replied indifferently that with Xiao He's abilities, even if blood splattered five steps away, it wouldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

"..."

Xiao He's eyes twitched; he didn't understand the situation on the Northern Qi side.

The emperors of Western Chu and Southern Jin were clearly just mouthpieces for their clans, simply piling up resources to get a Nascent Soul stage cultivator to put on a show and that was it. Only the Liu clan of Tai'an didn't play by the rules, and actually had a Grandmaster-level emperor.

According to intelligence, he is not an ordinary grandmaster; he is extremely skilled in combat.

Furthermore, the Empress was also a master.

With you two being so strong, doesn't the Liu clan have any objections?

"My lord, did the man surnamed Xiang give any further instructions, or did he say anything threatening to you to pass on to me?"

"There is such a sentence..."

Xiao He paused for a moment, then said the seemingly incomprehensible sentence: "The young sect leader said that if His Majesty avoids the topic, a Shaolin Taoist priest will surely come to visit him."

boom!
Emperor Wu of Han was furious and slammed his hand on the imperial desk: "This is outrageous! How dare he threaten me like this!"

You know he made threatening remarks, so why are you so angry?

Also, could you please explain to this honest outsider what exactly threatened you about that statement?

Xiao He was completely bewildered. Seeing Liu Che cursing and swearing, so angry that he was uttering profanities, he realized that Northern Qi had its own unique circumstances, and that "Shaolin Taoist" must be a very offensive term in Northern Qi.

After a moment, Liu Che regained his composure and, seeing Xiao He's meek and submissive demeanor, realized that this man truly knew nothing.

It’s okay not to understand!

For the sake of my Northern Qi, I have no choice but to wrong you, one of my own!
Liu Che, employing his usual method, calmly said, "As the head of the inner sect of the Heavenly Sect, you should know that in the present Western Chu, the capital is completely obedient to the Heavenly Sect. The man surnamed Xiang is the young sect leader of the Heavenly Sect and is also known as the Overlord. To show their loyalty, the Xiao family has offered two princesses for marriage."

Xiao He: “…”

you fart!
"Following the Xiao family of Shendu, the Li family of Shangyuan also has a marriage alliance..."

At this point, Liu Che closed his eyes to rest, leaving the rest to his men.

The Mirror of Reincarnation was far too sinister, and Liu Che remembered it vividly, especially the kind warning from the Holy Maiden of the Underworld, which he still couldn't forget.

Of course, Liu Che wasn't afraid of the Reincarnation Mirror; rather, a ruler's word is law, and having promised the Yellow Springs Saintess, he meant what he said. The rest would require Xiao He, as the envoy of both the Heavenly Sect and Western Chu, to plead earnestly, but Liu Che avoided the topic, letting his clan handle the matter.

Xiao He waited for a long time but Liu Che did not speak. As clever as he was, he understood the deeper meaning behind Liu Che's words and immediately looked disgusted.

It would be better to kill him than to let him help Xiang Yuan win the heart of his beloved, especially since this matter has reached the ears of his own sister...

You might not die, but don't expect to live a carefree life either.

Furthermore, Xiao He knew which princess Liu Che was in mind for the marriage alliance: Princess Wenying, Jiang Yingjun, whom he had once met with through literature and had Xiang Yuan serve as her bodyguard.

This is the Empress's own sister, your sister-in-law, practically your sister!

I've said it so many times: honest men with younger sisters should stay away from men with the surname Xiang and not get too close. How could you push your sister into a fire pit?
Do you know how much pain the previous brother is going through?
Xiao He, full of complaints, closed his eyes to rest, just like Liu Che, and the hall fell into a long silence.

"I am tired. If Your Excellency wishes to continue the discussion, I will arrange for the clan elders to discuss it with you tomorrow." Liu Che waved his sleeve and left, completely absolving himself of any responsibility.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At the same time, in Qingzhou, at Jianxinzhai.

The Sword Master Su Ran formed a sword with his fingers and annihilated the attacking extraterrestrial demons. After the demons died with a cry of agony, an object fell into the spring below the platform.

Su Ran, the Sword Master, frowned slightly. With a thought, the object that had fallen into the water was suspended in front of her.

A jade disc the size of a palm, with exquisite openwork animal patterns, such as coiled dragons and serpents. The patterns on both sides are symmetrical, and the workmanship is exquisite, as if it were made by nature.

Jade disc!

Jambudvipa!
Looking at the jade disc, Sword Master Su Ran immediately narrowed his eyes: "What a lowly servant girl. Since you have such a desire to compete, why shouldn't I grant your wish?"

(End of this chapter)