Shangyuque

Chapter 214 The Water Lord's Scheme Spanning Ten Thousand Years, A Mistake in the Jade Palace: Is There Life or Death?
Time is a terrible thing.

Tens of thousands of years can hold too many secrets.

There are probably fewer than fifty beings in the world that have survived from 50,000 years ago to the present day.

Theoretically, Golden Core Immortals have an infinite lifespan, but the existence of Heavenly Tribulations limits this carefree existence. Countless Golden Core Immortals have been submerged in the dust of history by Heavenly Tribulations.

What was submerged by the calamities of time and the heavens was not only the dead Golden Core cultivators, but also countless secrets.

The truth about the past Golden Valley Garden Deity is something that, apart from the two parties involved—Golden Valley Garden Deity and Taihe Water Deity—could not possibly be known by anyone else.

The great cultivators within the Immortal Alliance thought that Taihe Shui was a beast for not allowing his disciples to attain the Golden Core stage, never considering that Taihe Shui Venerable might already have disciples who had attained the Golden Core stage.

This isn't because of their food, but because Taihe Water Vessel is so good at storing things.

Even Bai Li was completely fooled. She thought that the scheme involving the Golden Core Immortal Venerable might span hundreds or thousands of years, but she was wrong. She also fooled Wang Yulou.

It's not that Xiaoyu is stupid; it's just that she's ignorant.

After all, she was still too 'young' in age—by the standards of an old master who had cultivated for over ten thousand years, Di Shui, who had cultivated for over ten thousand years, might have only just begun.

The turbulent era she experienced was unique.

How could such a white carp possibly imagine that the Golden Valley Garden God, a giant of the Immortal Alliance Dragon Clan, a conservative leader, and one of the Three Dragon Kings, was a disciple of Taihe Water, that old scoundrel even more beastly than a raging elephant?
Not only was she surprised, but there wasn't even a third person in the entire Immortal Alliance who knew about the relationship between the Water Venerable and the God Venerable!

"How are things? Has anyone contacted you?"

Taihe Water was certainly not something Wang Yulou was asking about.

Although Wang Yulou's name had the good fortune to reach the ears of Taihe Shui, he was, after all, just a minor Wang.

Eighty-seven-year-old Xiao Wang is too young. In the eyes of the old bastard who has lived for more than 60,000 years, Xiao Wang is not even a baby, but at most a fertilized egg.

Ultimately, Wang Yulou was an unlucky guy who was pushed up by the tide. If it weren't for Mang Xiang and his reforms, would he have been worthy of the position of vice leader?

That's impossible.

Therefore, Taihe Shui was definitely not asking Wang Yulou.

"Master, you guessed right, someone has been contacting me in secret."

Two forces: Tu Baiwan of Tianlong Hall and Xiaomiangui, a disciple of Bifang.

Tianlong Hall has its eye on your Dharma body and offers a 1:9 split, with me taking 1 and the other dragon gods taking 9.

But I guess this was something Tu Baiwan did himself. The people in Tianlong Hall are too scattered and can't accomplish anything great.

The Smiling Ghost's condition was that all his schemes be abandoned hereafter, and he would only consider you from now on. After the deed was done, the Immortal Kingdom and the Immortal Alliance would be merged, and he would be allowed to become the King of Huzhou.

At this point, the bronze Dharma Body paused, awaiting the admonition of the Supreme Water Venerable.

However, the middle-aged-looking Taihe Water Vessel remained silent in thought, showing no intention of speaking.

At their level, even a slight movement can cause a major upheaval. Regardless of whether Tu Baiwan of Tianlong Hall and the Smiling Ghost under Bifang are trying to take advantage of the situation, Taihe Shuizun must take them seriously.

The significance of having the Golden Valley Garden God as a disciple lies in this; the master and disciple acted very convincingly, fighting for over 40,000 years, from the beginning until now.

The power of the deity, along with its dragon king allies, is located in Huzhou, next to the Taihe Water Palace.

Those who plot against Taihe Shuizun would consult with the Golden Valley Garden Deity and try to win him over.

As long as the Golden Valley God has no ulterior motives, any enemy who shows hostility towards Taihe Water or prepares to take action will be immediately detected by Taihe Water.

Under such circumstances, combined with Taihe Shuizun's strength and influence, his safety level is at its maximum.

Seeing that Taihe Shuizun did not express his opinion, Jinguyuan Shenzun continued.

“Master, the Mangxiang Reform might be a smokescreen, deceiving the lower classes and us as well.”

The Immortal Alliance is in chaos, and other surrounding forces are coming to tear us apart, which will put us in trouble.

Another possibility is that Bifang is eager to take things further, a possibility that must also be considered.

It's a game of mutual scheming, and everyone involved is under immense pressure and feels uncomfortable.

Mangxiang is a little bastard, Taiheshui is an old bastard, Jinguyuan is a real bastard, everyone is a bastard, and everyone is afraid of being made a sacrifice by other bastards.

"Whether it's true or false, it's not that important; the reform still needs to be implemented," said Taihe Shuizun.

At his level, what is real and what is fake will change once he takes action.

This is why when Bi Fang helped Mang Xiang devour Jia Lingxiao, the great cultivators of the Great World all took notice.

These senior Golden Core cultivators are all incredibly influential, in every sense of the word.

The truth and the falsehood are important to Wang Yulou, but not to Taihe Shui.

No matter what kind of conspiracy it is, in the end it still comes down to strength.

Bi Fang thinks he's strong, so why not come to Huzhou and give it a try?

Even if those beings that could threaten Taihe Water suddenly acted foolishly and became idiots.

Suddenly they're willing to help Bi Fang go a step further, and they actually come to Huzhou with Bi Fang to confront Taihe Shuizun. Are they really a united front?

It's difficult to expect all the great cultivators in this world to unite as one!
Therefore, Taihe Water Vessel is not too afraid.

Let them fight. He's not afraid even if they whittle him down little by little. When the disciples of Taihe Water Palace are exhausted, he'll just bring them out from the cave.

The middle-aged man looked in the direction of Qunqing Plain and said quietly.

"Whether it's chaotic or not, it's not a big deal. But Bifang, Bifang, you've lived long enough."

Bi Fang sent the Smiling Ghost to plot against Taihe Water Venerable, but even senior and lowly creatures like Taihe Water Venerable, who had the power to threaten Bi Fang, were actually thinking about how to get rid of Bi Fang.

The closest being to transcendence.
Given Bifang's arrogant nature, if it were to truly reach a higher level, all living beings in the world would become its slaves—even those who achieve the Golden Core stage.

Don't give it a hand—note that here we mean pull it down.

If we don't lend a hand, wouldn't a senior Golden Core cultivator like Taihe Shuizun be wasting his lifespan like a dog?
"Master, you mean...?"

Jinguyuan could certainly understand the unfinished meaning of Taiheshui.

Bifang has lived for too long. If he doesn't die soon, no one can sleep well!
"It's not the right time, it's not the right time. Bifang has survived so many eras of chaos among immortals, it's not someone to be trifled with."

I've been watching it for over 50,000 years.

Every time chaos erupts, someone drags a bunch of unlucky souls to settle scores with Bifang, but Bifang just keeps getting bigger and bigger from eating.

I even suspect that these people who are causing trouble for Bifang were all handpicked and brought there by Bifang, just so that they could have a better meal.

That bastard is really smart, and he can really eat. We can't be the ones to stick our necks out.

Taihe Water has been watching Bifang for over 50,000 years, spanning several major eras of the cultivation world, and has managed to study it up to the present day.

From this perspective, compared to the competitive environment faced by Bi Fang, the pressure Xiao Wang is currently facing is nothing.

It's nothing more than people studying my past experiences and spreading some unsavory anecdotes about me.

Bifang is different; it requires every movement to be recorded, and then an entire team, led by a Golden Core Immortal, conducts in-depth research and study on it.

More than 50,000 years is not the limit of Taihe Water, but only because Taihe Water has only attained enlightenment for more than 60,000 years.

In the future, as long as Bifang and Taiheshui live, Taiheshui will keep an eye on Bifang.

It can be said that the person in the entire world who misses Bifang the most is probably Taihe Shui. There may be others like him, but they are very few in number.

"You mean it brought people to surround and kill it?"

Jin Guyuan understood what Taihe Water meant, but she still found it hard to believe—it was too despicable.

"It was that little rascal Wang Yulou who reminded me. Before, I only had a vague guess."

But now that I think about it, none of those people who were dragged there to kill Bi Fang were stupid. If it wasn't a carefully planned scheme, how could they have been so easily dragged there to their deaths?

This meticulously designed process could only be initiated and interfered with by Bi Fang himself.

Do you remember? More than 5,000 years ago, there was a rumor that Bifang laid three eggs.

The plan is to use the blood and bones of three individuals to cultivate three supreme incarnations, and then break through to a realm beyond transcendence.

However, because the method came at a heavy price, it damaged its vital energy. In the end, as you know, it allowed Bifang to have another hearty meal. Bifang's image in the cultivation world is that it's always a scoundrel, someone always wants to fight it, and then it always gets to have a hearty meal.

He ate his way up for tens of thousands of years, eventually becoming the number one being in the world.

The process may seem ordinary, but it is actually quite extraordinary. The beings that Bifang ate were all exceptional talents and legends.

Those extraordinary cultivators ascended step by step, and then, by a single misstep, they entered Bifang's belly.

"Understood. I will continue to feign compliance with them. However, Master, Wang Yuque's men will be arriving in Huzhou soon. How should we deal with them?"

The Golden Valley God asked this question simply to express obedience; of course, it could see clearly what Xiao Wang wanted to do.

It's simply a matter of whether to fight or not; if they fight, the conservative faction will remain stable. Wang Yulou will just have to play the fool and appease them.

"He borrowed something, it's not important, he proposed a reform initiative of 'recommendation first, selection later'."

This is a great idea! Cangshan doesn't support it, but I want him to give it a try.

Whether it was a mountain of gold or a desolate sea, at least one of them secretly poured into Taihe Water, or at least expressed its submission to Taihe Water.

The key here is that those beings who least want chaos are the weakest among the Golden Core Immortals and Great Cultivators, while Taihe Water is not weak.

Chaos is a ladder, and for cultivators at the bottom, this ladder requires risking their lives.

For Taihe Shui, as long as he is a little cautious, this ladder can help him move forward steadily.

"I'll give you the requirements? And then we'll go with the flow?" Jin Guyuan asked.

Forcibly reversing reform measures is a difficult task, even for this master and apprentice pair.

The general trend is real and cannot be changed by the strength and will of any individual.

The Mangxiang Reform found the greatest common denominator among the great cultivators, and Taihe Shui wanted to intervene, but brute force alone was not enough.

Therefore, Jinguyuan suggested that they could go with the flow.

However, Taihe Shuizun shook his head and said.

No, we'll do it this way.
-
The master and disciple who had deceived everyone in the world began to plot.

The ignorant Xiao Wang was still somewhat smug about his 'high-level game strategy'.

Clearly, compared to the brute, Xiao Wang needs more training.

In the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Vice Leader is hosting a farewell banquet.

After all, these unlucky guys are being sent to bear the pressure, so we should at least treat them well before they go to Huzhou, otherwise they might ruin Wang Yulou's big plan...

Superficial work isn't important, but doing it is better than doing nothing.

"The Immortal Alliance governs six states, and within these states are trillions of living beings and ten million cultivators."

Bearing so many expectations and trust, we must certainly live up to that trust.

Your journey to Huzhou is for the sake of the people of Huzhou. Mediation between the two sects is very difficult. Even if you suffer some grievances, do not be rude because of your status as cultivators of the Immortal Alliance.

Serving all cultivators should be put into practice, not just talked about; otherwise, I will deal with you first, without the cultivators of Huzhou needing to deal with you.”

No sooner had Wang Yulou finished spouting his high-sounding nonsense than Fang Xinqian immediately did the mental calculation: Go and play the subservient fool properly, or I'll settle the score later.

"Yang Shi will obey the Alliance Leader's decree!"

Chen Yangshi let out a strange cry and shouted "Loyalty!" followed by several loud bangs—the familiar symphony of his head hitting the floor.

"On this trip to Huzhou, I will certainly live up to the leader's expectations!"

Originally, Fang Xinqian felt somewhat ashamed about competing with his good brother for opportunities, but seeing that scoundrel Chen Yangshi was so proactive, he immediately threw that bit of shame aside.

“A devout heart…”

After a long, loud banging, the unlucky guys who were going to Huzhou to cope with the pressure were putting on quite an energetic show, which made Yu Hongdou's brows furrow.

They're so dedicated, what am I supposed to do?
“Fellow Daoist Hongdou, they are all young people, please take good care of them.”

Wang Yulou, the youngest person present, is not qualified to say this due to his age, but he is the vice leader, which makes sense.

"Don't worry."

The fifteen strands of celestial essence had not yet condensed, so Yu Hongdou's face was naturally cold. However, despite her coldness, she was still as beautiful as ever, exuding the aura of a cool and aloof beauty.

She had a feeling that she might not be able to get her fifteen strands of the essence of the cave again.

But it was a good opportunity to participate in the history of the Immortal Alliance, and it would be a pity not to go, so even at the risk of being taken advantage of, she still had to go.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the two individuals involved in the case in Huzhou had already secretly planned everything.

--------

The Immortal Alliance's Huzhou Mediation Special Team has already set off, and a huge weight has finally been lifted from Wang Yulou's heart.

He summoned Guo Chengtai, Qin Churan, and Li Changming to discuss another matter.

"...Once Yu An came to the Immortal City, my attempt to differentiate and compare the training of younger generations was delayed."

But as the vice leader of the Immortal Alliance, the number of cultivators under my management has actually increased by several orders of magnitude compared to before.

The Immortal Alliance's methods for cultivating cultivators are vague, resulting in a significant misallocation of resources.

Therefore, we still need to continue to compare and contrast differentiated training programs to find the relative advantages of each other; this is very important to me.

The three of you: Lao Guo is in charge of finding a Foundation Establishment sect, Chu Ran is in charge of keeping an eye on things for me, and Chang Ming is in charge of the specific implementation.

"Let's find it in Qunqing Plain and get this done as soon as possible. Is that difficult?"

Of course not. The power of the vice leader is almost unlimited when it does not involve major interests or great cultivators.

"I understand, I..."

Just then, Jinshan suddenly entered the quiet room where Yulou was, uninvited and somewhat presumptuously.

He looked up and saw that Guo Chengtong and the others had just left.

Then, Jinshan looked at Wang Yulou, who had a puzzled expression, and said.

"You are the leader of the alliance. The Immortal Alliance does not lack your resources. Setting up an array is not difficult and will not cost you any money. Why not do it?"
"If it were me, wouldn't you be risking your life?"

The Qunqing Pavilion was prepared for immortals, so it naturally did not need defensive formations, but Wang Yulou was not an immortal.

Jinshan had mentioned the formation last time, which is why he brought it up again today with some dissatisfaction.

Xiao Wang is the one who invested in him. If the investment fails halfway through, he won't make any money—wouldn't not making any money be the same as losing money?

Jinshan wasn't concerned about Wang Yulou at all; he was afraid Wang Yulou would cause him to lose money...

As if he hadn't heard Jinshan's concern, Xiao Wang simply smiled, stood up, bowed, and asked.

"Ancestor, what brings you here today?"

Speak your mind directly, don't act like an elder.

You're only half an ancestor of mine, not a full ancestor. Get that straight!
Jinshan shook his head and spoke with a clanging voice.

“I told you to keep a low profile, but you didn’t listen at all, Yulou, you’re too hasty.”

"You can pretend you don't know anything about the Water Venerable and the God Venerable; the other cultivators will naturally understand your predicament."

Or it was for his own sake...

A half-baked ancestor is indeed a half-baked ancestor; he's definitely lacking in skill.

"Ancestor, is this what you came here to say?" Wang Yulou asked, feigning surprise.

Their interests are not aligned. Jinshan didn't pay any price, so why should Wang Yulou revolve around his interests?

After studying Wang Yulou's face for a long time, Jinshan finally spoke.

"Just yesterday, Mu Chunze took office as the Prime Minister of the Immortal Kingdom ahead of schedule. You two are quite extraordinary, don't you think, Yu Lou?"

(End of this chapter)