A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 622 Conspiracy, Calamity Approaching

Ancestor Ande and Emperor Huangyun didn't have a deep friendship, but they also didn't have many conflicts.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the vast majority of the emperors in the underworld never had any conflicts with Ancestor Ander.

This old fellow, who survived the great calamity of antiquity, did not become more and more irritable like other emperors during the more than 5 billion years of his life; on the contrary, his temper became more and more amiable.

When the Heavenly Emperor came to explore the Underworld, Ancestor Ande never had any conflict with them. If they happened to meet and asked him for directions, he would answer honestly, saying what he knew and not saying what he didn't know, never deliberately trying to harm them.

If some underworld emperors have planned in advance to set a trap to harm others, and it just so happens that Ancestor Ande stumbles upon it, then there is no need for others to take action. He will simply disappear far away, ensuring that even if others want to ask about things related to that place, they will not be able to find his trace.

Therefore, regardless of the reason, the powerful beings who were restricted to the lowest level of the underworld had no reason to target this old guy.

After thinking for a moment, Emperor Huangyun decided to appear outside and exchange greetings with Ancestor Ande.

"Fellow Daoist Ande rarely interacted with us brothers before, but recently we've been seeing each other more often because of the banquet at Jiufang Mountain. I wonder if you've come just for a casual chat, or if there's something else you want us to discuss at the Purple Bamboo Grove or Jiufang Mountain?"

Ancestor Ande chuckled and said, "There are indeed things to discuss, but we cannot go to those two places."

As he spoke, the tortoise shell beneath his feet expanded, growing to the size of a palace.

"I would like to invite you, fellow Daoist, to enter my remnants of this universe for a chat."

Emperor Huangyun was quite surprised upon hearing this.

When the Great Dao Realm is at its peak, the power of the Great Dao's blessing is most compatible with the creator, allowing them to do as they please and achieve their desires.

Whether someone launches a surprise attack from outside the universe or infiltrates inside to create some kind of disturbance, the Pioneer can easily use all his power to deal with it.

However, in the state of the World Remains, the power of the Great Dao's blessing is weakened, and it is not as flexible. Once a strong person of the same level enters the World Remains, it will undoubtedly become a major threat.

If the other party has any bad intentions, you will lose all your initiative.

Therefore, in the underworld, only figures like the Lord of Nine Directions Mountain, who can maintain the scale of a holy land, dare to expose their realm to the outside world for a long time.

Most of the others would collect the remains of the universe and dare not let others easily set foot in it.

"Fellow Daoist Ander, are you saying that I should bring my remains from my cosmic realm into the interior of your realm?"

Emperor Huangyun confirmed it again.

Ancestor An De stroked his beard and smiled: "It's alright if several fellow Daoists come in together."

The situation was unusual. Emperor Huangyun pondered for a moment, then called out his three brothers, asking Emperor Luwu to observe from the outside, while he led the other two brothers into the Xuan Turtle Realm of Ancestor Ande.

Inside the tortoise shell, the air was thick with turbid energy, but there was a single pillar standing firm amidst it, completely unmoved and showing no signs of being eroded.

At the top of the pillar, four continents extend outwards, three of which appear to be in the same direction, while the other continent is exceptionally vast and is in a different direction.

Ancestor Ande landed atop the Heavenly Pillar, presented several prayer cushions, and then got straight to the point: "Nine directions, regardless of distance, have invited guests and bestowed upon everyone wondrous techniques. How long has it been? The Green Lamp is directly helping us experience the wonders of these techniques."

"They're acting in such a hurry; it won't be long before they take us with them to storm the underworld. Fellow Daoists, are you truly willing to travel with them then?"

Emperor Huangyun remained calm and said, "So Fellow Daoist Ande wanted to talk about this matter. There's no need to be so secretive. Since we have received their favor, we have our own thoughts on it."

"Hehe, with my sincerity already shown, why are you all being so secretive?"

Ancestor Ande said, "Although we don't have a deep friendship, I've always enjoyed observing others, and I'm one of the few who can often exchange interesting stories with the emperors who come to explore the underworld. Naturally, I've heard about the deeds of the Six Hermits of Shangshan."

"You are all people of great loyalty and righteousness, and you even studied at the Xuanyuan Holy Land of the human race in your younger days. Can you really so easily disregard the morality of the human race and attack the myriad realms of humanity?"

The round-faced old man rarely showed such a serious expression, and said with certainty, "You have only been in the underworld for a mere 30,000 years, and you have four brothers watching over and helping each other. I don't believe that such a short time can wear down your character."

The Huang Yun Emperor and his brothers were of one mind. While listening to Ancestor Ande speak, they were already having all sorts of discussions in their hearts.

Emperor Yangguan: "This old fellow seems to have ulterior motives as well."

"But he is the most shrewd and has the most frequent dealings with the Lord of Jiufang Mountain, so it's impossible that he harbors any sense of human morality..."

Emperor Huangyun secretly transmitted his thoughts, "I think he's here to test us. If we reveal our true intentions, Jiufang, Qingdeng, and the others might come to ambush us soon."

Emperor Moqian said, "Brother, let's leave Jiufang aside for now. It is said that the Supreme Master Qingdeng can devour other emperors to improve his own condition."

"If Ander was truly acting under their orders, then the fact that he came knocking on our door right after the Purple Bamboo Grove Gathering only proves that they are most suspicious of us and have been keeping a close eye on us. Even if we vehemently deny it, do you think we can quell Master Qingdeng's appetite?"

Emperor Huangyun's brow twitched.

Indeed, when the Supreme Master Qingdeng entered the realm, half of his body had already become a celestial ghost. After cultivating the "Quicksand of Dharma," he reappeared and ate Jin Bixian in front of everyone from Jiufang Mountain, demonstrating his extreme ferocity.

It is said that the Lord of Jiufang Mountain only managed to intimidate this vicious man by borrowing the aura of the powerful figure behind him.

If the Six Hermits of Shangshan have truly become prime suspects, and Master Qingdeng has an excuse to deceive the forces behind him, he will likely face dire consequences on the spot. What use would the Six Hermits of Shangshan's disguise be then?

"Fourth brother."

Emperor Huangyun said, "Do you think that Ancestor Ande didn't tell Jiufang and the others his judgment, and that he came here this time genuinely to conspire with us?"

Whether it's genuine or not is unimportant.

Emperor Moqian said, "With just the four of us, the chances of us surviving if we betray our cause in battle are extremely slim. If we just hide in the Underworld, we will only be waiting to die anyway."

"If he is sincere, having one more accomplice will slightly increase our chances of survival. If he is not sincere, then we will only be fighting those people sooner and facing death sooner. Either way, we are not at a loss."

Fourth Brother! So you knew that it would be suicide for the four of us to betray you at the last minute? Then what were you trying to do by making this suggestion so confidently before?

Emperor Huangyun sighed inwardly, then suddenly smiled.

Since my brother is so kind, why not spend some time with him?

"Fellow Daoist Ander is right. We are certainly not so easily bribed by them for such small favors, turning ourselves into their weapons to attack the underworld and wreak havoc on the human world."

Emperor Huangyun said frankly, "Fellow Daoist invited us to a private talk, you must have other intentions. Why don't you tell me?"

Ancestor Ande smiled and said, "I am also unwilling to obey them, attack the Underworld, and counterattack the Human Realm. However, this opportunity of great calamity cannot be missed. If we can perform meritorious service for the Underworld at this critical moment, we can also gain a chance to escape, without causing a great disaster to the human world. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

This suggestion is remarkably similar to Mo Qian's idea.

However, Mo Qian knew he was going to die, and given An De's shrewdness, he was unlikely to be the kind of person who would share the same thoughts as Mo Qian.

Since the opponent was not his own brother, Emperor Yangguan thought to himself, "With just a few of us, if we want to make contributions to the Underworld in the great battle, we'll probably be crushed and suppressed by the forces of the Nine Directions as soon as we turn against them."

"Hehehe, of course we can't do it."

Ancestor Ander said, "But who says it's just us? During this great calamity, there will never be only one force that wants to control the destiny. If another force also wants to recruit the Emperor of the Underworld at this time, what will everyone think?"

"In such a time of great calamity, to wreak havoc on the human world is tantamount to making oneself the focus of the calamity. Even if one can accelerate the recovery to the peak period, what then? Most likely, it will still be a matter of life and death. I believe that among the many emperors of the underworld, there are others who are unwilling to take that step."

"Now that everyone can alleviate their condition by exchanging void, there is no longer such an urgent need to rush to the human world."

"If another force promised them that all they had to do was delay the Underworld's attack while Jiu Fang and the others were assaulting it, thus helping the Underworld get rid of the Remains of the Realm and sending them into the Realm Sea, without having to continue interfering with the Calamity, would they be tempted?"

Emperor Huangyun and the others all looked enlightened.

Compared to the forces behind Jiu Fang, the promises of this new force are undoubtedly less profitable, but they are also more secure.

Among the emperors of the underworld, there are many who want to take a gamble, but there are also those who want to escape the Taiqing Underworld as soon as possible and escape this great calamity, choosing the second path.

"The question is, does this new force possess sufficient authority?"

Emperor Moqian lowered his gaze to the celestial pillar they were sitting on, his expression somewhat peculiar, and said, "Or rather, does this new force truly exist?"

While his other two brothers were still wondering, Ancestor Ande burst into laughter.

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from Fellow Daoist Mo Qian."

Ancestor Ande laughed and said, "Although I can often chat with those emperors who come to explore the underworld, I am ultimately unwilling to clearly pledge allegiance to any side, so naturally no side is willing to truly value me."

"Having languished in the underworld for 5.6 billion years, my old friends from ancient times would no longer think of me, so I have absolutely no clue as to any second force."

Emperor Moqian naturally picked up the thread: "But we can fabricate evidence, fabricate signs that a second force is interfering in this operation."

He tapped the ground, which meant he was tapping the pillar of heaven.

"If I'm not mistaken, this pillar of heaven is actually the severed leg of the Dao Venerable Xuan Bird of the Immortal Spirit Clan during the ancient calamity."

Huang Yun and Yang Guan were surprised to hear this.

Many events from the ancient calamity have not been passed down, but the most renowned and powerful figures among them will not be easily forgotten.

At that time, the Heavenly Emperor had not yet achieved a complete Dao Fruit and was still the ruler of the human race. His strongest competitors were the Lord of Immortal Spirits and the Lord of the Great Wilderness.

Xuan Niao Dao Zun was the Lord of Immortal Spirits. Long before the Great Calamity of Antiquity, he had already reached the end of his Heavenly Venerable realm.

However, he was later killed by the Lord of the Great Wilderness, making the Immortal Spirit Clan the first of the three overlords to fail.

"The Lord of Jiufang Mountain has survived from ancient times to the present by cultivating spiritual fruits. Ancestor Ande, you must have relied on this Xuan Bird's leg, right?"

Emperor Moqian stroked the ground and sighed, "I have seen related records in the ancient books of the Xuanyuan Holy Land, but I never thought that I would be able to touch the remains of the Xuan Bird in my lifetime."

"After the Lord of the Great Wilderness killed our Dao Venerable, he broke through the final limit and cultivated a complete Dao Fruit. In fact, not much spiritual Dao essence remained in that one step."

Ancestor Ande looked nostalgic and said, "But even this little thing that was completely dead was not afraid of the erosion of the five turbid energies and helped me survive these 5.6 billion years in the underworld."

Emperor Yangguan said, "So you're trying to use this to create the illusion that a second force is involved?"

Emperor Huangyun shook his head and said, "Although this thing is of high quality, it has indeed withered completely and is obviously different from a normal Heavenly Venerable level expert. Directly borrowing its aura will not convince people."

Ancestor An De smiled: "Fellow Daoist Mo Qian, are you aware of my scheme?"

"My two elder brothers didn't like miscellaneous books back then, so they probably don't know that the Xuan Bird Daoist once had a lover who was a descendant of the ancient emperor Xuanyuan of our human race. The Xuan Bird's Daoist methods are also somewhat related to the Xuanyuan lineage."

Emperor Moqian said, "The Six Palaces Secret Technique that we brothers cultivate originated from the first chapter of the Suwen Treasure Book in the Xuanyuan Holy Land."

Emperor Huangyun's heart stirred slightly, and the phantom of the Qiheng Palace appeared on the surface of the divine tree behind his head. He then pressed his palm onto the ground.

This pillar immediately emitted a faint glow, condensing an aura that resembled both the mystical arts and ancient gods.

"The Immortal race did not perish after the ancient calamity, and the human race flourished after the calamity."

Ancestor Ande gazed at the faint light and said, "Using the Six Palaces Secret Technique and the Black Bird's Feet, the second force aura we have fabricated can be said to be an alliance between the human race and the immortal spirit race."

"In this way, we will have enough prestige to convince those underworld emperors who are unwilling to delve too deeply into the tribulation of our plans. Even if some people are tested and do not pledge allegiance to us, they will not dare to easily offend us."

Using a non-existent backer, they win over more underworld emperors, who then betray them at crucial moments.

This kind of thing is actually a bit like dragging everyone down with you, which isn't very fair.

However, for Emperor Huangyun and his group, it was already a stroke of luck to have the opportunity to uphold their bottom line. In the current situation, they simply did not have the luxury of nitpicking.

Moreover, although the promises of the second force are false, as long as there are enough people who successfully survive the first wave of attacks after turning against them, the underworld will definitely accept them.

Even a false promise can at least be half fulfilled.

"Okay, okay!"

Emperor Moqian had not expected things to take such a turn for the better.

This greatly increases their chances of survival.

"I never imagined our ancestor would be so righteous! Your special trip to find us is truly a timely help!"

Emperor Moqian rose and bowed to Ancestor Ande.

"There's no need for that. I'm not doing this for the sake of any moral code of the human race or the myriad worlds. I'm just looking for another patron and seeking some peace of mind."

At this point, Ancestor Ande added a heartfelt remark.

"Regardless of which side is behind Jiu Fang, or who is targeting the Underworld and challenging the Heavenly Court, I really don't want to stand against the Heavenly Emperor anymore."

That's terrifying.

Even if the Lord of the Great Wilderness of the Emperor Demon Pool returns to his Dao Fruit True Body state, the Buddha of the West suddenly goes mad, and the ancient Xuan Bird is resurrected and breaks through again...

All things considered, even Ancestor Ande didn't really think they had a reassuring chance of winning against the Heavenly Emperor.

Now that the two sides had reached an agreement, Ancestor Ander immediately used his long memory—which seemed to indicate that he didn't have deep relationships with anyone but had some understanding of everyone—to filter out some people who were more likely to be persuaded.

Then they went to each of them one by one and had private talks with them.

After agreeing to join their alliance, some people even proactively mentioned people they considered trustworthy, trying to test and win them over.

Before they knew it, they had won over twenty-one emperors.

The other underworld emperors were mostly prisoners of the Heavenly Court or people with exceptionally strange personalities, so the possibility of them defecting to the Heavenly Court was too small, which made them not dare to try rashly.

During this period, Guan Luoyang organized several more events to spread the Dharma and discuss the Dao, but because the topics discussed were not as useful as the replacement of the void, those who went each time only made a brief appearance and might leave halfway through.

However, nearly forty emperors always made sure to arrive each time, and after participating in the entire process, they would continue to linger, profoundly demonstrating their sincere desire to rely on the forces behind Jiufang Mountain.

On this day, Guan Luoyang was preaching on a lotus flower when the voice of a fake Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva came from within the Muni Bead.

"How's your layout coming along?"

Guan Luoyang smiled and said, "It's almost certain. Based on the time in the Underworld, if I proceed step by step with these plans, I can eliminate any hidden dangers in three months at most, and then practice the combined attack method for a truly usable Emperor."

The fake Ksitigarbha said, "Alright! However, there isn't that much time. You'd better get rid of those bad apples within three days."

"Why the rush?"

Guan Luoyang exclaimed in surprise, "I've been observing the Heavenly Tribulation, and it seems there's still much more to come..."

"Haha, if everyone could accurately predict the changes in fortune, how could it be called a great calamity?"

The fake Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said leisurely, "In three days, or even ten days, a great calamity could erupt at any moment. Those people's self-righteous calculations are far too wrong!"

"Fellow Daoist Qingdeng, hurry up and accomplish this task. In the future, when we go to the mortal world together, you will surely become a great talent who will be rewarded greatly by our side."

"To lead an army of your own, to guide all the heavens and myriad realms, to grasp the boundless Great Dao, and to appreciate the indestructible realm for countless eons—this is the achievement we have promised you!"

Guan Luoyang chuckled softly, his eyes filled with anticipation: "Then thank you very much."

"I'm about to get started."

(End of this chapter)