Having navigated the inner workings of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect for twenty years, Wang Yulou was naturally deferential in the presence of True Persons like Xuanzhuan and top-tier, crucial Foundation Establishnt cultivators like Yi Zouri. But outside the sect gates, Wang Yulou was no ordinary mid-level veteran.
He did not assu his new posts alone; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to secure them. From Clear Stream Market, he transferred Bailu, his first direct subordinate since stepping into the cultivation world.
With Xuanzhuan's permission, Wang Yulou pulled in another ten Foundation Establishnt cultivators from the sect's vast system, three of whom were seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
When the group arrived at Fragrant Bamboo Market, the local Town Guardian Cultivator reluctantly accepted the notice that his position had been usurped by Wang Yulou.
This man was also a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, but facing Wang Yulou—who had arrived to take office with an entire entourage of Foundation Establishnt cultivators—he did not dare voice any objections.
Just as there were disparities between Immortal Venerables, there were also vast differences among the Core Disciples of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. In principle, of course, everyone was a Core Disciple with no explicit division of rank.
Explicit ranks could not be used to properly motivate the ambitions of the Core Disciples, but an implicit hierarchy objectively existed. Absent in principle, yet undeniable in practice.
In Wang Yulou's eyes, the sect's Core Disciples were divided into four tiers. The highest tier naturally consisted of figures like Yi Zouri, who had entire factions backing them.
Within the entirety of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, there were only three to five people at this level. They either served as assistants to the sect master or held crucial offices, securing key positions to further their faction's interests and influence within the sect.
The next tier down included Wang Yulou and Wang Jingyi. Wang Yulou's status was even a notch higher than that of Ancestor Jingyi.
Because he was young, and youth ant infinite possibilities. By now, his past experiences were no longer a secret to anyone paying attention.
To them, his soaring cultivation speed was proof of Mang Xiang's high regard. Given that Wang Yulou simultaneously held four posts—four critical posts, no less—while arriving at the front lines of the two warring sects, his status among the Core Disciples could nearly rival that of Pi Lingxiu and Yi Zouri.
He might be one tier lower, but his potential was boundless. From this perspective, many even viewed the ongoing conflict between Wang Yulou and Yi Zouri as evidence that his status was rapidly approaching Yi Zouri's.
This subtle shift in status brought about no nominal changes, but everyone understood it in their hearts, and naturally, their attitudes toward Wang Yulou were exceedingly accommodating. Therefore, infighting was nothing shaful, as long as one erged victorious.
The third tier was the most nurous. Zhou Yingxi, Guo Baichi, and Jiang Baobian all belonged to this level.
They were the younger generation within their respective factions. With the older generation of seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators suppressing them from the second tier, and their own faction's strength insufficient to elevate them further, they were stuck at the third tier.
When Wang Yulou suppressed Guo Baichi and openly broke ties with Danri, wasn't he fighting for the intangible resources within the Mangxiang Faction? This kind of struggle was no more despicable or frustrating than outright magical combat.
Compared to magical combat—which seed hot-blooded but was ultimately foolish—infighting carried far less risk of perishing and having one's Dao vanish. The lowest tier of Core Disciples consisted of those who were no longer willing to kiss the feet of the Purple Palace True Persons.
There were always people who refused to accept their fate yet lacked the ability to resist. They could only oppose passively, and thus found themselves marginalized by the sect's power machine. Shen Guang had given Wang Yulou seven types of Purple Palace thods, betting that one day Wang Yulou would beco estranged from Mang Xiang.
When that ti ca, Wang Yulou would beco Shen Guang's man. Given his youth, once Shen Guang completed his grotto-heaven transformation, Wang Yulou might even beco the sect master of the Luminous Sect, wielding the Heaven and Earth of the West Sea.
Naturally, Wang Yulou was unwilling to choose this path. Ordinary people could not comprehend the sheer disparities between Immortal Venerables, but Wang Yulou had gradually grasped the underlying currents.
Shen Guang was a legend, ruthless enough to feed millions of cultivators to demonic beasts. That was why he could achieve his Dao; he was genuinely formidable.
Yes, he was a formidable legend, but were the other Immortal Venerables not the sa? Compared to Zhuzhao, Qingrui, and even Di Shui or Mang Xiang, Shen Guang still fell far short.
To have his head forced down in humiliation, his disciples wiped out without a single survivor, and finally, for Mang Xiang and Qingrui to toss him ten percent of the West Sea's profits like they were dismissing a begging stray dog by the roadside—it was as laughable as a clown.
Take Quasi-Immortal Venerable Mang Xiang, for instance. Previously, his lineage had boasted four Purple Palace cultivators at one point. If Old Li were counted, it would be five Purple Palaces in a single lineage.
There were many other things Wang Yulou had gradually co to understand, such as the war between Wondrous Peak Mountain and the Valley Spirit Sect. When the great war first broke out, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect did not support Wondrous Peak Mountain.
Later, they suddenly shifted their stance to back them. This pivot perfectly coincided with the ti when Old Ancestor Xianzhu of the Wang Clan led a team to the front lines.
Behind the scenes, it was Mang Xiang orchestrating things. Therefore, although Old Li belonged to Wondrous Peak Mountain, the true benefactor who helped him achieve his Dao was actually Mang Xiang.
A Quasi-Immortal Venerable like Mang Xiang might not necessarily be able to defeat Shen Guang—who had already reached the Golden Core realm—in terms of sheer strength. However, Shen Guang was in the middle of his grotto-heaven transformation and could not directly take the field.
Thus arose the situation where his head was forced down in humiliation. He never expected that he had been targeted from the very beginning.
Compared to Shen Guang, whose success relied heavily on opportunism and luck, Wang Yulou firmly believed that Mang Xiang embodied what a Purple Palace Grand Cultivator should look like when striving for the Golden Core.
Having multiple Purple Palace cultivators under his command, having the Red Lantern Illumination Sect backing him, and having Qingrui and a group of heavyweights from the Immortal Alliance's Conservative Faction standing beside him—this was exactly how a Golden Core seed within the Immortal Alliance system ought to be.
Inside the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor of Fragrant Bamboo Market, Wang Yulou was holding a preparatory eting for the Special rit Hall.
"Fragrant Bamboo Market is a bit more prosperous than Clear Stream Market. After all, this is the front line of the war between the two sects. With the Special rit Hall not yet officially established, the cultivators on the front lines do not have many places to spend their wealth."
For his assumption of office, he had brought three seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators: the Gu Family's second elder, Gu Tongming; and the two reliable workhorses, An Hening and Guo Chengtai.
The latter two were both inner disciples of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect. Though they were seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators, their status as re inner disciples ant they had practically lost all hope of advancing further.
Yet, bound by the developnt of their families and the coercion of their personal destinies, they couldn't just sit back and do nothing. They could only accept the sect's decree and co to the front lines to toil as beasts of burden for Wang Yulou.
They naturally wanted to beco the vassals of a Purple Palace cultivator, but Purple Palace cultivators did not want vassals without a foundation. Because every bit of protection from a Purple Palace was valuable, they would only take in loyal subordinates if it could be exchanged for even greater value.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, the specialty of Fragrant Bamboo Market is the eighth-grade Eternal Fragrance Spirit Bamboo, along with several other types of ninth-grade spirit bamboo. Two hundred years ago, I served as a mber of the security patrol here.
"You have now beco the Town Guardian Cultivator of Fragrant Bamboo Market, but you simultaneously hold several other highly sought-after positions.
"As I see it, it would be better to properly process the spirit bamboos of Fragrant Bamboo Market, refine them into spiritual artifacts or talismans, and stock them in the Special rit Hall for cultivators to exchange. After all, this place might be conquered by the Sky Serpent Sect in the future.
"Leaving these spiritual objects and spirit bamboos for the Sky Serpent Sect would be a complete waste. Naturally, I trust our fellow disciples on the front lines, but it is always better to be safe than sorry."
Everyone understood the art of conversation. The Red Lantern Illumination Sect didn't operate on a nurturing system; it operated on an elimination system. Although An Hening's current status was that of a beast of burden, his competence was anything but. Right off the bat, he offered Wang Yulou a suggestion akin to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs, and he had even prepared the perfect excuse for it—they could not leave the sparkling silver... no, the spirit bamboo, to the running dogs of the Sky Serpent Sect.
Involved in this was an extrely special authority that Wang Yulou currently possessed—the right to list items in the Special rit Hall. The Special rit Hall did not use the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's standard rit points, but rather the military rit system. Among the various items available for exchange, many could not be found in the regular rit Hall.
As the architect of the Special rit Hall, once the system was fully established, Wang Yulou would be able to rake in massive amounts of resources without lifting a finger—though, of course, the lion's share belonged to Mang Xiang. On the other hand, as the Special rit Hall Steward stationed on the front lines, Wang Yulou also needed to source more exchangeable goods to add to the hall's roster.
By processing the spirit bamboos of Fragrant Bamboo Market and listing them in the Special rit Hall, Wang Yulou could reap two separate waves of profit from start to finish. At the sa ti, this wealth would quickly buy the loyalty of the nurous Foundation Establishnt cultivators in Fragrant Bamboo Market, thoroughly centing his authority.
Wang Yulou pondered for a mont and said without hesitation, "Artifact refining might take too long to yield results. If we're really going to do this, crafting talismans is the better route. Old An, go find those assistant town guards and bring them over. We'll discuss this together and see if we should draft an official docunt to send to the sect master for a decision."
Killing the goose that laid the golden eggs was not exactly a viable long-term strategy.
But... tangible, in-hand profits were what was real.
Expected future profits were often nothing more than the moon's reflection on the water. Wasn't Shen Guang's destruction of Western Sea Immortal City in the West Sea the textbook definition of killing the chicken, taking the eggs, and swapping the bird entirely?
Although Shen Guang was ultimately suppressed and humiliated, the Immortal Venerable's actions perfectly corroborated the value of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs—he was a thousand-year-old veteran, and he certainly had the skill.
As for choosing to craft the spirit bamboo into talismans rather than refining them into spiritual artifacts, this was where the interests of Wang Yulou of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom lay. The Wang clan cultivated wood-attribute thods, and many of the spiritual artifacts they produced were wooden.
If they harvested all the bamboo to craft artifacts in Fragrant Bamboo Market, how would the Wang clan sell their own wooden artifacts? Soon, the other fifteen assistant town guards at the Foundation Establishnt realm stood with solemn expressions in the main hall of the Prefecture Cultivator's Manor.
Their eyes were fixed on the ground; none dared to even look at Wang Yulou. "Alright, Fellow Daoist Yuque has spoken.
"The battle situation is deadlocked, and we must make thorough preparations. Let's discuss this and see if there are any shortcomings in the plan to harvest the spirit bamboos for talisman crafting.
"Let's pool our wisdom."
An Hening still did not fully understand Wang Yulou. Just as the assistant town guards below were looking at each other in dismay, Old An heard Wang Yulou's instructions. He cursed Wang Yulou in his heart for being a bastard, his mouth going dry as he forced a hollow laugh and quickly corrected himself. "Ah, it wasn't Fellow Daoist Yuque who said it; I said it. Fellow Daoist Yuque is busy. Besides his position as the Fragrant Bamboo Market Town Guardian Cultivator, he also serves as the front line patrolling inspector and holds other posts. He does not fully understand the situation in Fragrant Bamboo Market yet, so he needs to hear everyone's opinions."
'You really are a bastard!'
'You're just completely shirking responsibility!'
What opinions could the assistant town guards have? Wang Yulou had already indicated that he wanted to jointly petition Huang Qiusheng.
Could they possibly stop him? For most of them, Fragrant Bamboo Market was a place they might only visit once in their lives.
Who was Wang Yuque? Why should anyone stubbornly oppose him?
"...Alright, since everyone agrees." An Hening looked at Yulou, who was sitting at the head seat intently drinking tea, and carefully asked, "Fellow Daoist Yuque, what is your intention?"
Wang Yulou smiled, nodded, and said,
"Since everyone agrees, then we'll do it this way. Additionally, is the formation array of Fragrant Bamboo Market stable?"
Among the assistant town guards, a middle-aged Foundation Establishnt cultivator with an honest and simple appearance, wearing an inner disciple's magical robe, stepped forward and spoke with total confidence.
"Junior Brother Yuque, rest assured. I personally reinforced the formation array. There will absolutely be no problems. Combined with the sect's support system on the front lines, even if the Sky Serpent Sect sends a hundred people to lay siege, we will easily be able to handle it."
'Junior Brother Yuque...' Look at this, this was a true technical talent.
Despite his humble origins, he was actually able to cultivate all the way to Foundation Establishnt with this kind of social perceptiveness. His attainnts in formation arrays had to be extraordinary.
"Junior Brother You Yuan, how can there be an unbreakable formation array in this world? Your formation array cultivation is still lacking!
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, as I see it, the formation array of Fragrant Bamboo Market should be reinforced!"
Guo Chengtai, the other workhorse Foundation Establishnt cultivator that Wang Yulou had brought with him to his post, spoke up. He had so history with this Foundation Establishnt formation array master, You Yuan, who clearly didn't understand the rules. Red Lantern Illumination was just that small. After all, everyone here had reached Foundation Establishnt. Across the entire Red Lantern Illumination sect, including its vassals and cultivation families, the number of Foundation Establishnt cultivators barely broke the ten thousand mark. Guo Chengtai didn't actually need to rescue him; perhaps because he himself was no longer simple, the current Wang Yulou surprisingly liked simple people. He pointed at You Yuan and said, "Your confidence is good, but the perils of war are unpredictable. We cannot afford to lower our guard. How about this: Chengtai, you will take my place as the Fragrant Bamboo Market Town Guardian Cultivator. You make the decisions for minor matters within the market. Co find for major matters. The formation array still needs to be reinforced further. In the West Sea, I personally witnessed the Immortal Alliance's grand array, the Vajra Western Sea Formation, instantly collapse and vanish."
It wasn't that Wang Yulou wanted to use reinforcing the formation array to rake in money. He was genuinely afraid that Fragrant Bamboo Market's formation array was all show and no substance, terrified that the people below would bungle things.
Therefore, he planned to have Uncle Rongyuan co over to take a look, at least to help him confirm whether Fragrant Bamboo Market's formation array was truly functional—the lesson of Western Sea Immortal City had been far too cruel. Upon hearing Wang Yulou's appointnt, Guo Chengtai's face instantly blood into a smile.
Being able to stay in Fragrant Bamboo Market was naturally a good thing. Protected by the grand array and accompanied by over a dozen fellow Foundation Establishnt disciples, it was extrely safe.
An Hening, on the other hand, didn't overthink it; he could easily read into Wang Yulou's appointnt. Obviously, this dog Wang Yulou wanted to use 'reinforcing the formation array' to line his pockets.
You Yuan, as the formation array master maintaining Fragrant Bamboo Market's grand array, was a character who might pose an obstacle. Putting Guo Chengtai in charge of this matter exploited the existing friction between Guo Chengtai and You Yuan.
It didn't an that Wang Yulou had any dissatisfaction with him, An Hening. After all, he had just displayed his utmost loyalty.
However, among the Foundation Establishnt cultivators present, quite a few understood the true aning behind Wang Yulou's appointnt. They now had a preliminary understanding of this highly renowned, up-and-coming heavenly genius within Red Lantern Illumination—his thods were extrely flexible.
Seeking personal gain and manipulating personnel were not despicable thods; they were an inevitable part of a cultivator's advancent within a sect's hierarchy.
"There's one more thing. Which of you understands the situation in the Southern Leaf Kingdom?"
This was what truly worried Wang Yulou. The matters of Fragrant Bamboo Market and the rit Hall were not difficult.
With Mang Xiang's endorsent, he could handle them relatively easily. Only the Southern Leaf Kingdom was different; it was a Red Lantern Illumination vassal with a Purple Palace cultivator presiding over it.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, I do. I previously repaired formation arrays for the King of the Southern Leaf Kingdom, Nan Ye Bashi san."
You Yuan looked at Yulou with so fear, speaking carefully. Logically speaking, as a formation array master, he shouldn't disclose his employer's information.
But he wasn't truly stupid. Having already offended Wang Yulou, if Wang Yulou found an excuse to slaughter him as a warning to the others, he would have absolutely no power to resist.
This was what the real cultivation world looked like. Wang Yulou was treated as at on the chopping block by Grand Cultivators, but these ordinary Foundation Establishnt cultivators were also at on the chopping block in front of Wang Yulou.
Facing Wang Yulou, who held multiple posts and had just returned from slaughtering so many people in the West Sea, these Foundation Establishnt cultivators were as obedient as could be. The news of his purge of Shen Guang's lingering influence in the West Sea had already spread throughout Red Lantern Illumination.
The cleaning squad, led by Immortal Alliance Steward ng Bai and the Behemoth Lineage's Wang Yulou, had sent everyone under Shen Guang's tutelage to be reincarnated. The struggles between Immortal Venerables were always like this.
If they didn't act, so be it, but once they did, it was a thunderous sweep of the enemy's lair, never holding back. Who wouldn't be intimidated after hearing such a thing?
"Nan Ye Bashi san? What kind of na is that?"
Wang Yulou was puzzled.
"The direct lineage under True Person Nan Ye is nad according to the order in which they step into Foundation Establishnt. Nan Ye Bashi san is the na of the eighty-third person in the Nan Ye family to advance to Foundation Establishnt."
Gu Tongming, being a mber of the Gu Family, understood a bit of everything. He hastily cleared up Yulou's confusion.
Wang Yulou shook his head. What was all this nonsense?
The Gu Family's generation characters could be sold or promoted. Qingrui Xianzun's family had no order for n but maintained generation nas for won.
Dripdrop Cave's Zhuo Clan allowed seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators to hold generation status. And as for the Nan Ye family, one had to reach Foundation Establishnt just to receive a generation na.
Corresponding to this generation status were also the systematic naming conventions within different sects: the Mountain Chief of Wondrous Peak Mountain, the Sect Master of Dripdrop Cave, and the Lantern Bearer, Bright Fire, and so on within Red Lantern Illumination.
The order within the Immortal Alliance hid trendous chaos beneath a veneer of stability, and this chaos served the Grand Cultivators, enduring only through their forceful intervention. Genuine guiding principles and norms perhaps never truly existed.
Every cultivator who was unwilling to accept their fate used their own thods and actions to challenge these norms. Given such developnts, just how stable could the Immortal Alliance truly be?
The system of symbols never existed independently or in isolation. Wang Yulou saw a great deal hidden within it, but he had no one to discuss it with.
"You know Nan Ye Bashi san. Do you know why the Southern Leaf Kingdom is unwilling to send people to the front lines to support Red Lantern Illumination?"
Wang Yulou propped his head up with one hand, leaning back in his chair as he looked down at You Yuan in the hall.
"The Southern Leaf Kingdom is located at the border of the two sects," You Yuan explained, kneeling on the ground with his rear end raised high and his head kept down. "They have year-round dealings with the Sky Serpent Sect. They wouldn't dare to outright betray the sect, but they are perfectly willing to simply put in no effort.
"Perhaps, for the Southern Leaf Kingdom, they know they will still have to deal with the Sky Serpent Sect after the war ends. If they fight too ruthlessly now, they will have a hard ti in the future."
Wang Yulou nodded thoughtfully. Sure enough, he still had to find the relevant people to truly understand the situation. The matter of the Southern Leaf Kingdom was going to be troubleso. Interests were forever the unavoidable key. Thinking of this, he raised a hand and shot out a stream of magical power, lifting the formation array master to his feet. "Focus on reinforcing the formation array well; there is no need to let your imagination run wild."
—— A day later, Sect Master Huang Qiusheng saw the joint proposal from the many Town Guardian Cultivators of Fragrant Bamboo Market within the front-line battle reports. He looked at the very last signature on the bottom row of the docunt and ultimately did not dare to reject it.
After all, the suggestion from the Fragrant Bamboo Market's Town Guardian Cultivators at least sounded flawless on paper; harvesting all the spirit bamboos early would prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Of course, if one were to ask why they couldn't just destroy the bamboos when the Sky Serpent Sect attacked, that would rely be showing one's ignorance.
If the bamboos were completely destroyed, how would Wang Yulou rake in his profits? Huang Qiusheng picked up a vermilion brush and drew a checkmark on the proposal.
Then, he blanked out for a mont before writing 'Approved for execution, do not delay' in the blank space. Finally, cursing inwardly, he stamped it with the Sect Master Seal of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
Huang Qiusheng did not want to sit in the position of Red Lantern Illumination's sect master for a single day longer. In the past, he had run around serving Mang Xiang for the sake of a Purple Mansion opportunity, setting his sights on the expansion that would follow Mang Xiang's attainnt of the Dao.
Now, Huang Qiusheng worried that Mang Xiang truly wanted to ignite an internal war within the Immortal Alliance. If a civil war broke out, even if he, Huang Qiusheng, beca a Purple Palace cultivator, he would still be nothing more than cannon fodder.
Therefore, Old Huang developed thoughts of retreating. The path to attaining the Dao was too difficult; every step was like walking through a mountain of knives and sea of fire.
Every day since the great war began, he had been roasted over the fire. It was so agonizing that, never mind giving up the sect master position, Huang Qiusheng had even harbored thoughts of dying just to find release.
After all, he did not dare directly tell Mang Xiang, 'Ancestor, I want to run away.'
Sect master?
No, it was a prison sentence!
—— anwhile.
On the two-sect battlefield, within the core defense node of the Northern Front, Hidden Dragon Market, Wang Yulou was eting with the Northern Front's town guard, Konggu.
"Senior Brother Konggu, the Special rit Hall will be established in the coming days. My intention is to set up five Special rit Hall nodes across the four-thousand-li front line. One will be established on the Northern Front. You will serve as the Assistant Steward, and you will be responsible for allocating the resources within it. The other four will be established on the Middle Front and the Southern Front; you will not need to worry about those. What are your thoughts on this?"
The Northern Front was a battlefront fully contracted by Wondrous Peak Mountain; all defenses were organized by Wondrous Peak Mountain. In reality, Fragrant Bamboo Market was also a market town protected behind the Northern Front's battle lines. It just wasn't as safe as Clear Stream Market, which was why it was equipped with twice the number of Town Guardian Cultivators. Completely outsourcing the Northern Front's Special rit Hall to Konggu was purely because Wang Yulou did not want to be constrained by others when handling affairs. Under the pressure of the great war, the distribution of interests within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was already complex enough. If Wondrous Peak Mountain was added to the mix, Wang Yulou feared he wouldn't be able to handle it.
"It can be done," Konggu said. "Since Fellow Daoist Yuque trusts so much, I am naturally willing to help. It's just..."
"Feel free to speak. I have a very good relationship with Martial Uncle Li. Your difficulties are my difficulties."
Wang Yulou calmly drew a pie in the sky, but before offering it, he preemptively warned, 'You had better not be too excessive with your just.' Therefore, Konggu wouldn't raise any unreasonable demands.
Konggu was indeed smart. He smiled and said, "It's not to the point of difficulties. It's just, Fellow Daoist Yuque, our Wondrous Peak Mountain has quite a few specialty magical artifacts and spiritual artifacts. I wonder if they can be placed in the Special rit Hall and sold to the fellow disciples on the front lines?"
Within the Immortal Alliance system, truly knowledgeable Foundation Establishnt cultivators made very similar choices.
In a world overwhelmingly suppressed by Grand Cultivators, there wasn't much aning for Foundation Establishnt cultivators to solely focus on studying magical combat. The path of ascension was monopolized, and it was an absolutely airtight monopoly.
Even if a Foundation Establishnt cultivator possessed stunning talent and carved out a path for themselves through overwhelmingly powerful magical combat, upon reaching the Purple Palace realm, they would still be among the weakest batch of Purple Palace cultivators. They still wouldn't be able to escape the fate of being served up on the table.
Fleeing the Immortal Alliance would similarly result in being served up on the table as a dish, because the surviving factions between Heaven and Earth were all top-tier forces presided over by nurous Immortal Venerables.
The Immortal Alliance suppressed Foundation Establishnt cultivators simply because they feared these cultivators would haphazardly establish their Purple Palaces and affect the interests of the Grand Cultivators above them. Other top-tier forces operated much the sa way; otherwise, Heaven and Earth could not have remained stable for so long.
Within such a landscape, any challenger who haphazardly opened a Purple Palace would face rciless strangulation. Overwhelming magical combat prowess simply could not withstand the long-term accumulation of the Grand Cultivators.
It was not the reliance needed to break the deadlock; it never had been. Moreover, there was another chilling reality—no one would ever tell you that overwhelming magical combat was rely a necessary but insufficient condition for opening a Purple Palace.
Purple Palace Grand Cultivators were unwilling to even promote their own family mbers. In reality, too many things could only be comprehended by the cultivators themselves.
"It can be done, but I cannot guarantee the profits from it," Yulou said.
Konggu was actually already very satisfied. Securing the outsourcing rights for the Northern Front's Special rit Hall was an unexpected delight.
As for everything else, that would naturally have to be fought for based on ability.
"Hahaha, this is enough, this is enough. Co, let us drink."
—— At Dripdrop Cave, holding the token engraved with the Wang Clan Jade Palace Dharma Seal, Gu Tongming effortlessly entered the grotto-heaven. He was here to transfer personnel on behalf of Wang Yulou.
Wang Yulou currently shouldered many positions. He did not want to slack off on a single one of them, but there were so he had no choice but to relax his grip on.
Therefore, acutely feeling the lack of available personnel, he decided to prematurely activate the forces he had cultivated within Dripdrop Cave. The direct lineage and outsiders of the Wang Clan could naturally be used, but Wang Yulou could not solely rely on the people of the Wang Clan.
Although it was possible, it was not the right way to do things. A person could not be so naive as to believe that everyone within the family could be molded into talent or useful tools.
Wang Yulou utilized a portion of the Wang Clan's people, but at the sa ti, he also needed outsiders to join his own small faction. Only with the boldness to gather worthy talents from all corners of the world could there be a continuous source of fresh water, thereby propping up extraordinary achievents.
Additionally, Wang Yulou needed to lay so groundwork for his future path to the Purple Palace. He currently had established connections with three Immortal Venerables.
Mang Xiang went without saying, Shen Guang was too treacherous, and Di Shui remained in the dark. But Wang Yulou had, after all, once been a disciple of Dripdrop Cave.
If Mang Xiang proved unreliable, then Di Shui, who had attained the Dao much earlier than Shen Guang, might be a good choice. If shouting 'Loyalty to Mang Xiang' failed to result in a Purple Palace opportunity, Wang Yulou could also shout 'Loyalty to Di Shui'.
He always had to have a backup plan. By pulling the disciples of Dripdrop Cave along with him as he moved forward, Wang Yulou would naturally possess a certain amount of influence under the tutelage of Di Shui Xianzun in the future, and many matters would beco much easier to negotiate.
Wang Yulou consistently believed that beneath the extre exploitation and profit calculations of the Immortal Venerables lay a Dao heart that approached absolute rationality. As long as he could bring benefits to the Immortal Venerables, attaining the Dao wouldn't be all that difficult.
Foundation Establishnt at thirty years old, and four hundred years to strive—Wang Yulou did not believe that he wouldn't be able to wait out an opportunity! Not ntioning anything else, Di Shui Xianzun currently only had two True Persons under her tutelage.
This seed a bit too few, right? If Di Shui Xianzun had a need, Wang Yulou would be extrely happy to be of service.
"This... Fellow Daoist Tongming, please sit, please sit."
After looking at Wang Yulou's token, Elder Zhuo Chi's head throbbed with a headache. He was now the sect master of Dripdrop Cave, but at the end of the day, this position was the result of Wang Yulou bearing the costs while the Zhuo Clan reaped the benefits.
Old Zhuo hadn't thought back then that Wang Yulou had the ability to collect the debt. The advantage had been taken, and they had assud they would only need to lightly compensate Wang Yulou in the future.
Thus, they watched helplessly as Wang Yulou took off into the sky. Every day since leaving Dripdrop Cave, Wang Yulou seed to be soaring.
In a re few years, he had skyrocketed to the tier of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's heavenly geniuses. Hence, facing Wang Yulou's demands for personnel and administrative transfers, no matter how difficult it was for Zhuo Chi to manage, he had to consider whether this was the best opportunity to repay the debt.
Otherwise, if they waited to repay it later, it might end up becoming an endless debt of gratitude to Yuque that they could never finish paying off. That would truly be the end of them!
"Fellow Daoist Yuque's aning is that if it's difficult to handle, specifically say what is difficult, and he can help resolve it—these are his exact words, I do not dare relay them falsely. Sect Master Zhuo Chi, consider it yourself; I am just an errand runner," Gu Tongming said.
Gu Tongming's expression was strictly business. He didn't want to be resented by others just for delivering a ssage.
Zhuo Chi gritted his teeth. Wang Yulou's aning couldn't be any more obvious: he was forcefully pressuring the Zhuo Clan, demanding that they pay up.
"Lin Ying's position as the stationed steward at Red Lantern Illumination is easy to arrange, but Wang Yaohai and Luo Changhe are not Fellow Daoist Yuque's people, right? Transferring them over, this..."
"Then I will go back and report this to him."
People, ah, were very cheap. Their inner desires were extrely deep and complex, and only when the pressure of reality pressed down on them could they clearly see their own cowardice and hypocrisy.
Zhuo Chi stopped Gu Tongming and hurriedly said, "Wait, we will arrange it all, arrange it all! Wang Yaohai, Luo Changhe, twenty high-tier Qi Refining cultivators, fifty mid-tier Qi Refining cultivators, all arranged!"
Seventy-two people. This was the number of people Wang Yulou plucked away from Dripdrop Cave with just a single token.
Human lives, the lives of cultivators—in this world, they were just this worthless. Without the corresponding status and identity, even seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators had to act as beasts of burden, let alone those in the Qi Refining realm.
What was even more miserable were those unlucky fools who had allied with Shen Guang. They had clearly done nothing wrong, but just because Shen Guang lost, they had to beco the price to be paid.
Therefore, when Wang Yulou took up his post on the front lines of the two-sect war this ti, he arrived with the absolute resolve to help Red Lantern Illumination win. He didn't know what the Ancestor was thinking, choosing to drag Red Lantern Illumination into a war.
However, the initiation of the war was already a reality, and Wang Yulou could not change it. Thus, he had to exhaust all thods and fully mobilize all the resources he could get his hands on to increase their chances of victory.
Of course, simultaneously strengthening his connection with Dripdrop Cave could also lay the groundwork for jumping ship to Di Shui Xianzun in the future. This did not conflict with Wang Yulou still being willing to shout 'Loyalty to Mang Xiang' right now.
—— On the Middle Front of the war between the two sects, the battle line stretched from Knotty Mountain to Great Solitary Ridge. The Middle Front was where the Sky Serpent Sect's attacks were the fiercest.
When Wang Yulou left Fragrant Bamboo Market and arrived at the Middle Front to et with Yan Keyi, he happened to encounter a fierce, all-out assault by eight hundred Foundation Establishnt cultivators from the Sky Serpent Sect.
"An all-out attack?"
Upon hearing the report from the cultivators within the Central Line Defense Pass, Wang Yulou's expression turned incredibly grim. Uncle Rongyuan held a post on the Middle Front.
It was called a post, but in reality, he was just making up the numbers. As an inner disciple of Red Lantern Illumination, the sect had deployed him to the battlefield.
Even the Wang Clan had no room to maneuver. The war had been initiated under Mangxiang's leadership.
As a vassal of Mangxiang, how could the Wang Clan dare to hide? Having received so many of the Ancestor's bestowed favors, Wang Yulou's cultivation had progressed incredibly smoothly over the past few years.
All of this demanded sothing in return. At a ti when the Ancestor needed the Wang Clan to show their utmost loyalty, they had absolutely no room to bargain!
The clan currently possessed nine Foundation Establishnt cultivators, and sending only three to the front lines was already considered a small number.
"Junior Brother Yuque need not worry. This kind of all-out attack has happened many tis, and most of the ti, nothing goes wrong," Yan Keyi said. "The defense nodes we established on the front lines are all protected by grand arrays at the top tier of the Foundation Establishnt level.
"Within each node, there are a full ten Foundation Establishnt cultivators standing guard. Behind the first line of defense, on the second line, another four hundred Foundation Establishnt cultivators are waiting to rotate in. They will advance to provide support if a crisis arises.
"Furthermore, we have the node support system. Every two hundred li, there are three core support squads.
"In each squad, there are five seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators among a total of twenty Foundation Establishnt cultivators. When a squad like that steps up, as long as Purple Palace cultivators don't make a move, any attack can be blocked."
Even though the Sky Serpent Sect was clearly launching an all-out attack, Yan Keyi, the Town Guard of the Middle Front, was incredibly calm, even having the leisure to invite Wang Yulou for a drink. Looking at the spirit wine in his cup and the many delicacies and spiritual fruits on the table, Wang Yulou's feelings were sowhat complicated.
War was never a dinner party. But that was only true for the expendable materials of the war. For Yan Keyi, war was precisely a dinner party.
If a hundred Foundation Establishnt cultivators died, they could just transfer another hundred over. With the additional distribution of the Ancestor's favors, the sect had no shortage of Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Moreover, if the war dragged on long enough, the Qi Refining cultivators on the front lines could also break through to Foundation Establishnt in large numbers, replenishing the attrition.
"I hope so, Senior Brother Shouli," Wang Yulou replied. "I ca this ti to discuss the issue of Special rit recognition. The situation on the Northern Front is complicated, so I handed the recognition work over to Senior Brother Konggu of Wondrous Peak Mountain. But the Middle Front is defended by our own Red Lantern Illumination. As to how the rits should be recognized, I hope Senior Brother can offer so suggestions."
Yan Keyi frowned slightly, reminding him, "Letting Konggu manage it... What if the people from Wondrous Peak Mountain falsely report military rits?"
Wang Yulou briefly explained his arrangent to transfer people from Dripdrop Cave.
"...I will send them to supervise. No major problems will arise," Wang Yulou concluded. "There will definitely be minor issues, but when doing things—as you understand—improvents must always be made step by step."
Hearing that Wang Yulou had transferred so many people from Dripdrop Cave to handle matters for him, Yan Keyi's gaze grew sowhat obscure. The Yan Family and the Wang Clan were both under the tutelage of Xuanzhuan.
Infighting was indeed an eternal the. If Wang Yulou could realize that Mangxiang did not want to see the Xuanzhuan faction monopolize power, how could an old-brand heavenly genius of the Behemoth Lineage like Yan Keyi not realize it?
However, the war before them was a major event personally driven by the Ancestor. Yan Keyi did not dare clash with Wang Yulou over such a matter.
If their infighting disrupted the Ancestor's overarching plans, it was entirely possible for the Ancestor to fly into a rage and wipe out the Yan Family entirely. Thinking of this, he smiled and poured another cup of wine for Wang Yulou.
"Mm, not bad, not bad. I think the military rits for the Middle Front can just be..."
—— At the sa ti that the Middle Front Town Guard, Yan Keyi, pulled Wang Yulou in for drinks, beacon fires burned everywhere and smoke signals covered the land across the one-thousand-seven-hundred-li Middle Front battlefield.
As an Upper-Path Sect, the combined Foundation Establishnt cultivators from the Sky Serpent Sect's direct lineage and its vassal sects and families had long ago surpassed ten thousand. Mobilizing eight hundred n to serve as expendable shock troops was a very simple matter.
But unlike one-on-one magical combat between ordinary cultivators, in wars involving large numbers of cultivators, the cost of an offensive was actually much higher than a defensive stand.
With the help of formation arrays, the tiered defense system, and the node support system, the defending side could use two-thirds of their strength to block the enemy's attack. The one-third saved was the advantage of defending.
Of course, this overall advantage for the defenders appeared exceptionally cruel to the individuals participating in the defense. Behind them lay the territory of Red Lantern Illumination and the sect laws of Red Lantern Illumination.
No matter how strong the opponent was, they could not simply run away; they had to hold the critical nodes and wait for support.
Although the escape speeds of Foundation Establishnt cultivators were incredibly fast, and all the front-line nodes—even the unluckiest ones—would only have to wait half an incense stick of ti for support after coming under attack, this short ti difference beca the turning point in the fate of many people.
As an ordinary early Foundation Establishnt stage cultivator, the defense node where Wang Rongyuan was stationed covered a range of rely thirty li.
Within the node, there were a full ten Foundation Establishnt cultivators, including two seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators, while over forty Qi Refining cultivators were densely scattered across that thirty-li area.
There were over sixty such defense nodes on the most critical stretches of the Middle Front, manned by over six hundred people in total. Over six hundred against over eight hundred.
Considering the defenders' advantage, the upper hand should have belonged to Red Lantern Illumination. However, the Sky Serpent Sect's all-out attack was not a brainless assault.
In this attack, the Sky Serpent Sect had thrown a full five hundred people against the dozen or so nodes surrounding Wang Rongyuan's position, while the remaining three hundred feigned attacks on other battle lines.
First, they used the feigned attacks to draw away the redundant forces within Red Lantern Illumination's tiered defense system and node support system. Then, they focused their main attack on the pre-selected protruding sections of Red Lantern Illumination's lines.
The Sky Serpent Sect's thod was simple, but with a tactical execution that treated lives as kindling, this simple thod exerted a massive effect. After slaying over a dozen attacking Sky Serpent Sect Foundation Establishnt cultivators, the grand array in front of Wang Rongyuan could no longer hold.
The grand array shattered, and more than twenty Sky Serpent Sect Foundation Establishnt cultivators surged in like ravenous wolves. Three Great Demons spearheaded the vanguard, their bodies wreathed in divine abilities.
Wang Rongyuan pushed his spiritual artifact to the limit in an attempt to block them. However, against the innate divine abilities of the Great Demons, how could a re early Foundation Establishnt stage cultivator like him possibly inflict any injuries?
Instead, his counterattack caught the attention of a white erkat. Recognizing Wang Rongyuan, it charged straight at the cultivator it had once taken a bite out of. Seeing that the situation was truly dire, the sect's laws were no longer important.
Wang Rongyuan gritted his teeth and activated several Escape Talismans, desperate to flee. As he ran, Wang Rongyuan unleashed a backhanded secret technique, striking another Red Lantern Illumination Foundation Establishnt cultivator by his side and sending him staggering backward.
"Wang Rongyuan! Fck you! I fck your grand—"
Before the Foundation Establishnt cultivator could finish cursing, he was swallowed by a Great Demon, dying without a burial place. In order to survive, 'better to let a Fellow Daoist die than this poor Daoist' had beco a necessary choice.
Upholding morality in the face of life and death was not a multiple-choice question. Wang Rongyuan still wanted to live, to survive and go further.
He didn't want to die, and so he resorted to any ans necessary. However, the Sky Serpent Sect's all-out attack was designed to annihilate Red Lantern Illumination's vital forces.
How could they easily let these Foundation Establishnt cultivators from Red Lantern Illumination go? Wang Rongyuan's escape speed was incredibly fast; despite only having an early Foundation Establishnt stage cultivation base, he was actually flying at the escape speed of a Peak Foundation Establishnt cultivator.
But the Great Demons and cultivators of the Sky Serpent Sect could also accelerate. The white erkat even unleashed a divine ability directly—Void Wondrous Escape—instantly shuttling through the void from several hundred ters behind Wang Rongyuan to appear right in front of him.
Such overwhelming divine abilities were usually exclusive to Purple Palace cultivators and Demon Generals. Even though it was the white erkat's innate divine ability, the price for a re Great Demon to unleash it was frighteningly high.
When the erkat Great Demon erged from the void, its body was covered in fine, dense bloody gashes. From its skin to its muscles, to its bone marrow, to its brain—everything had been devastated by the debris of the void.
However, Great Demons with their tyrannical demon bodies were not afraid of such injuries. As long as it recuperated properly in the future, it would heal.
Of course, due to the severity of these injuries, the erkat's strength dropped a notch from the high-tier of the Great Demon stage. Despite unleashing its full power, it still didn't completely intercept Wang Rongyuan.
But... this was already enough.
Because of the erkat's interference, Wang Rongyuan was delayed for a brief mont. This brief mont pronounced his death.
A seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator from the Sky Serpent Sect caught up and struck out. With just a single blow, Wang Rongyuan's Dao body was smashed to a pulp.
Under the heavy blow of the seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator, Wang Rongyuan fell into a near-death state, hurtling toward the ground like a blasted, broken ball. However, he didn't even have ti to hit the ground.
The erkat Great Demon intercepted the broken ball's flight path. Despite its small, kitten-like figure, it opened a bloody maw several zhang wide.
The broken ball flew into the mouth of the erkat Great Demon, and the dying Wang Rongyuan had no ability to put up any resistance. The erkat snapped its jaws shut and began to chew contentedly.
A trace of blood flowed from between its lips. Wang Rongyuan had died without a burial place.
It was exactly as the saying goes: Mangxiang draws his sword with a single thought, and boundless calamity falls upon the lives of Wunan.
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