As Cui Baihao huddled in the frontline trenches, shivering while he ate a stead bun, he finally saw clearly that Wang Yuque's favor was no favor at all.
From beginning to end, Wang Yulou had given them nothing. He had rely transferred them from the West Sea front lines to the front lines of the two-sect war.
"You're still eating?! The snake demons are here!"
A Hongdengzhao inner gate disciple at the Peak Qi Condensation realm slapped the bun out of Cui Baihao's hand and cursed.
"Idiot! Hurry up and hold the line. If the formation array breaks, we're all going to die!"
Cui Baihao didn't dare delay. Alongside the three surviving Qi Refining cultivators in his squad, he stepped into the formation array's nodes.
There were many ways to lay out a formation array. The most basic setups didn't even require spiritual materials; they could be established by relying solely on the natural terrain and environnt, though the process continuously drained the cultivator's magical power.
Naturally, this kind of array was also extrely weak.
Better formation arrays required a foundation, which contained the nodes that structured the array. Cui Baihao and his companions were currently acting as these living nodes.
Using standard or high-grade spirit stones as nodes was naturally possible, but spirit stones were too expensive. Compared to spirit stones, human lives were much cheaper.
Besides, deploying a Qi Refining cultivator to the front lines only required a single transfer order from Hongdengzhao.
Sotis, even a transfer order wasn't necessary. As long as word got out that Hongdengzhao was offering opportunities for promotion to inner gate disciple, independent cultivators eager to advance would voluntarily rush to the front lines to fill the ranks.
There were already two Qi Refining cultivators occupying the array nodes here. Now that Cui Baihao and his three companions had joined them, the node's defensive capacity increased by another level.
However, their defense node faced the brunt of the Sky Serpent Sect's full-scale offensive. Even with the nurous Qi Refining and Foundation Establishnt cultivators inside the formation array resisting with all their might, they still couldn't hold the line.
After they managed to kill more than ten of the Sky Serpent Sect's Foundation Establishnt cultivators, the formation array finally broke.
While the Foundation Establishnt cultivators engaged in magical combat in the sky, that old coot Cui Baihao completely disregarded sect rules, turned right around, and ran.
He activated all sorts of talismans and secret arts as if his life depended on it. Pushing his speed far beyond his peers, he actually managed to reach the very front of the fleeing Qi Refining cultivators.
However, although the Sky Serpent Sect's Foundation Establishnt cultivators were tied up pursuing and killing Hongdengzhao's Foundation Establishnt cultivators, swatting down a fleeing Qi Refining cultivator was still effortlessly easy.
A flying shuttle, controlled by an unknown Sky Serpent Sect Foundation Establishnt cultivator, heavily injured Cui Baihao with a single strike.
Yet, even though the Redwood Sect was small and hadn't produced a Foundation Establishnt cultivator in many years, its ancestors had, after all, been a minor Foundation Establishnt sect.
Wunan's long-term stability ant that while it was difficult for bottom-tier cultivators to climb the ranks, they could still relatively easily acquire so low-level treasures.
After the sect disbanded, Lao Cui had hoarded all of the sect's inherited treasures for himself.
He activated a Divine Ability Treasure Talisman crafted by a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator. Dragging his heavily injured, near-death body, he forcibly dashed out seven or eight li in a matter of a dozen breaths.
The war between Hongdengzhao and the Sky Serpent Sect was extrely unique. Ultimately, there were simply too many cultivators in Wunan. At the front lines of the battlefield between the two sects, both sides had fortified their defenses like iron barrels.
Although the Sky Serpent Sect's full-scale offensive was fierce, given the flight speed of Foundation Establishnt cultivators, the Sky Serpent Sect only managed to seize a fleeting window of tactical advantage.
Cui Baihao had fled extrely quickly and coincidentally ran into Hongdengzhao's support reinforcents, which was how he managed to preserve his life.
After listening to Cui Baihao's account, Wang Yulou's expression remained terrifyingly cold. He pressed on, "Are you certain you saw a white erkat eat Wang Rongyuan?"
Although the front lines had suffered heavy casualties, Yan Keyi was not panicked at all. He even had the mood to stay inside the Defense Pass to watch Wang Yulou suffer a setback.
However, since he belonged to the sa sect and faction as the Wang Clan, he couldn't just stand by and say nothing.
"Don't rush. Speak clearly and tell us exactly what you know. Fellow Daoist Yuque wants to know the true situation, so you mustn't speak carelessly," Yan Keyi emphasized from the side.
Under the pressure of two prominent Foundation Establishnt cultivators, Cui Baihao fearfully hunched his shoulders and gritted his teeth. "I'm not certain if it was white. It looked white at first, but later, when it ate Senior Rongyuan, the erkat turned red."
However, Wang Yulou didn't care about the color at all.
"So, you can confirm that the Great Demon was a erkat?"
Cui Baihao was puzzled, but after thinking for a mont, he stated with considerable confidence, "Senior, I survived in the West Sea for a few years, so this junior can naturally distinguish the erkat clan of the West Sea clearly.
That Great Demon erkat was no different from the erkats of the West Sea, except that it was moving together with the cultivators of the Sky Serpent Sect instead of its own kin."
Yan Keyi also realized the severity of the problem.
The Sky Serpent Sect might have pulled in a lot of external aid from the West Sea!
Actually, this wasn't strange. A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit. The war had already begun, and neither side wanted to lose, so naturally, they would both deploy their full capabilities and exhaust all their thods, right?
Colluding with foreign forces wasn't so major cri anyway. Moreover, given Tianshe's status, it was impossible for them to be convicted of a major cri within the Immortal Alliance's system.
The Gathering Immortals Platform, jointly ruled by the Immortal Venerables, couldn't control a figure like Tianshe who possessed a massive following.
"Go. Heal your injuries."
Wang Yulou had remained silent for a long ti before finally waving his hand, telling Cui Baihao to scram.
Lao Cui wanted to ask if he could receive so reward, but apprehensive of Yan Keyi's presence, he ultimately didn't dare to bring it up.
As a cultivator who had once been a sect master, Lao Cui possessed a thorough understanding of the complexities of the cultivation world.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque, please accept my condolences. Your most important task right now is still to establish the Special rit Hall. The warriors on the front lines have bled dry for the sect; we cannot let them shed tears as well.
I know you might not be able to accept this reality right away, but even the moon waxes and wanes, let alone insignificant cultivators like us."
Yan Keyi comforted Yulou emotionally, but Yulou only smiled and said, "Senior Martial Brother Keyi, you exaggerate. I was rely feeling sowhat dispirited at the thought of the Sky Serpent Sect bringing in the West Sea demon race to aid in their battles.
As for Wang Rongyuan, hah, he was just an ordinary Foundation Establishnt cultivator of the Wang Clan, nothing major.
Dying for the ancestor's war is the honor of a child of the Wang Clan; it was his duty."
Even soone with Old Yan's level of scumbaggery was disgusted by Wang Yulou's nauseating declaration.
You really aren't human!
Your own clan uncle died, yet you didn't say a single word of mourning for him, only claiming that you cared about the West Sea demon race joining the Sky Serpent Sect.
Wang Yulou's cultivation trajectory was plain and clear in the eyes of observant people.
From when he first entered Clear Stream Market to his actions in Dripdrop Cave, Yan Keyi actually understood it all.
He naturally knew that Wang Rongyuan was the guide who led Wang Yulou into the Dao, but exactly how deep their relationship ran remained hard to say.
However, Wang Yulou's statent made Yan Keyi realize that this son of the Wang Clan was probably a cold-blooded, ungrateful beast.
Because, even if Wang Yulou was acting, to put on such a cold-blooded facade showed that deep down, he probably wasn't soone who valued the Wang Clan; instead, his desire to pursue the Dao occupied the dominant position.
"Yes, sotis I also wish I could don my battle armor and charge deep into the Sky Serpent Sect to slaughter my way through.
But now that I'm the town guard of the Middle Front, many things are out of my control. If I were to disappear, the Middle Front would fall into chaos. Alas, there is no freedom.
It's just that regarding this matter, how should we report it to the sect? Or should we..."
Wang Yulou shook his head and emphasized, "Senior Martial Brother, you are the town guard of the Middle Front. You can handle the reporting yourself; I won't interfere."
He pointed at An Hening and, right in front of Yan Keyi, assigned a task.
"Let him be the assistant steward of the Middle Front's Special rit Hall. He will be responsible for validating the military rits and rit points on the Middle Front. I hope Senior Martial Brother can look after him a bit.
Finalizing the reward asures early will also motivate the cultivators on the front lines and improve their execution."
Having been granted such imnse authority, An Hening was trembling all over. He wanted to laugh out loud, but out of consideration that Wang Yulou's uncle had just died, he desperately held it in.
In the end, his entire face flushed beet red.
"Hening will definitely not fail Fellow Daoist Yuque's trust!"
Looking at An Hening kneeling on the ground, Wang Yulou felt a montary daze.
"Yulou will definitely not fail Uncle Rongyuan's trust!"
He was thirteen that year. After parting ways with Wang Rongyuan at Clear Stream Market, they had never spent any significant amount of ti together again.
Years had passed, and now they were forever separated by death.
For a rare mont, Wang Yulou failed to control his heart.
A fla rose, burned, and expanded, detonating with a muffled blast within his chest.
It was silent, yet like a thunderclap, it blasted away the fog before Wang Yulou's eyes.
Ambition was growing. For the first ti, he thought—thought about how to face that person. No, he might not even be human anymore.
However, Wang Yulou's expression remained perfectly calm as he quietly turned and left.
With shocking waves churning in his chest but a face as placid as a lake—this, too, was his cultivation base.
He couldn't vent, couldn't even show his anger.
He had to be obedient enough just to survive.
Back when Wang Yulou's cultivation base was only at the Qi Refining stage, he had constantly thought about how to obtain the opportunity to reach the Purple Palace.
Now, as Mangxiang stirred up the winds and clouds of Wunan by starting a war, and as Mangxiang's pursuit of attaining Golden Core beca an increasingly open secret, the Purple Mansion opportunity for Wang Yulou—this heavenly genius of the Mangxiang Faction—was no longer a major issue.
A new problem lay before Wang Yulou.
Cultivation could allow him to walk step-by-step to the shore where he would no longer be seen as a sacrificial pawn, but as long as he continued to follow Mangxiang, he would forever be forced to submit beneath him.
How was he to surpass Mangxiang?
At present, Wang Yulou still couldn't see a clear path.
However, he already had a clear goal.
Mangxiang, Mangxiang, perhaps only when I surmount this mountain of yours will I truly attain the Dao.
——
"To arouse their desires, we must mold a few typical representatives.
For example—a legendary independent cultivator who made great contributions on the battlefield, reached the peak of their life, beca a prominent figure within Hongdengzhao, and changed their destiny.
Letting stories like this spread will naturally attract more independent cultivators to co and fight on the front lines."
The two seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivators who had escorted Wang Yulou to assu his post had already obtained positions, so Gu Tongming also needed to sche for a position for himself.
Therefore, on the way to the Southern Leaf Kingdom with Wang Yulou, Old Gu very proactively proposed a propaganda plan.
Actually, this plan of his was quite intriguing.
Fabricating stories, guiding public opinion, and fooling the ignorant bottom-tier independent cultivators—this kind of work perfectly matched the Gu Family's channels in the intelligence trade.
Wang Yulou naturally saw through Gu Tongming's angle. Standing from the perspective of Hongdengzhao's interests, Old Gu's suggestion was a very good one.
It was just that the sect's interests and Wang Yulou's interests were two entirely different matters.
"These matters don't seem to fall within my scope of authority, do they?"
Wang Yulou already held enough prominent positions. Before sorting out the affairs of the Southern Leaf Kingdom and the Special rit Hall, he was unwilling to recklessly grab power from others, as that would only make enemies.
"Ah, Fellow Daoist Yuque is mistaken. You are now the patrolling inspector of the Hongdengzhao front lines; naturally, you can make proposals to the sect.
Furthermore, bearing multiple positions, you should establish your own palace compound behind the front lines, just like Yan Keyi, so you can coordinate and dispatch forces from a central hub.
I think it should be established in the Southern Leaf Kingdom and nad Yuque Palace. What do you think?"
Old Gu was highly attentive. In his view, although this bastard Wang Yulou was a piece of work, he was truly generous when it ca to distributing power.
If he could expand Wang Yulou's authority even slightly, he, Old Gu, could also receive a larger share of power from Wang Yulou in return.
Just look at An Hening's example: Old An had ascended to heaven in a single step, acquiring managent authority over the Special rit Hall on the Middle Front. He had effectively jumped two ranks straight from being a beast of burden, leaping ahead of most of Hongdengzhao's Core Disciples.
This change in status couldn't help them achieve the Purple Palace, nor could it even help them improve their cultivation base, but it could tangibly elevate their influence.
Influence could be monetized, and those monetized resources could be freely controlled.
When Wang Yulou's power grew, he would need people to act as his proxies. If Old Gu served as a proxy, he could leverage that authority for rent-seeking. If successful, even by taking just thirty percent of the earned spirit stones, he could drag his idiotic son up to Foundation Establishnt.
Serving the sect and serving his fellow Daoists was naturally important, but giving his own son a hand was also crucial.
Cultivators, after all, were not true immortals. It was completely normal for everyone to have their own little sches.
"Forget about Yuque Palace. 'Que' already carries the aning of a palace. Let's just go with Yuque. This will also make it clearer when transmitting orders that the commands are coming from .
It's just that I still have no plan on how to persuade True Person Nanye. It's difficult."
Wang Yulou shook his head, using the difficulty of dealing with the Southern Leaf Kingdom to sidestep Gu Tongming's suggestion.
The situation in the Southern Leaf Kingdom was indeed tricky to handle.
Many things could not be resolved just by him standing there and saying, 'I am Mangxiang's little general.'
The Southern Leaf Kingdom was situated at the border of the two sects and had profitable dealings with the Sky Serpent Sect. Not entering the ga was exactly where their interests lay.
If they truly forced the Southern Leaf Kingdom and Nan Ye Ke into the Sky Serpent Sect's arms, the ancestor might be the first to make an example out of Wang Yulou.
Posturing with Mangxiang's na inside Dripdrop Cave had worked because the level of interests involved back then was not high enough.
In the West Sea, Mangxiang's na was no longer so easy to use.
Later on, the great purge in the West Sea was also orchestrated by Mangxiang teaming up with Qingrui. Most of Shen Guang's disciples were slaughtered by ng Bai and his n, which had nothing to do with Wang Yulou.
After returning to the sect, Yi Zouri had directly jumped out to stubbornly interfere, almost ruining Wang Yulou's grand sche.
The Sky Serpent Sect and Hongdengzhao were local power factions within the Immortal Alliance, while the Southern Leaf Kingdom was a local power faction within Hongdengzhao. It was perfectly normal for the Southern Leaf Kingdom to be unwilling to expend massive effort to help Hongdengzhao fill its battle lines.
"If the Nanye family is unwilling to send out their own direct lineage, then just let the independent cultivators in the Southern Leaf Kingdom go. Anyway, as long as you deliver the people to the front lines, your task will be completed.
By the ti the Southern Leaf Kingdom's independent cultivators are mostly dead, the situation inside Hongdengzhao will likely be similar. How things are handled then will no longer be sothing you need to consider." Unafraid of karmic retribution, Gu Tongming imdiately offered a thoroughly unconscionable suggestion.
If you couldn't extort the local gentry, then you squeeze the poor first!
It was a transfer of pressure: Mangxiang pressured the Southern Leaf Kingdom, and the Nanye family pressured the bottom-tier cultivators within the Southern Leaf Kingdom. It was rational, but extrely heartless.
However, Gu Tongming's suggestion was still useful. At the very least, he helped Wang Yulou eliminate a wrong direction for solving the problem.
"If we negotiate like that, Nan Ye Bashi san will say the Southern Leaf Kingdom's independent cultivators are too weak and would be useless on the battlefield. You step back once, twice, three tis... You can retreat, but I cannot retreat.
The ancestor handed this task to . Even if I, Wang Yulou, have to die, I will still complete this task perfectly!"
Closing his eyes numbly, Wang Yulou firmly declared his stance to Mangxiang, who was currently deep within the West Sea.
He didn't know Mangxiang was in the West Sea, but he still had to treat loyalty as a daily routine, performing it with all his might.
Sotis, Wang Yulou felt he was living like a joke.
But at other tis, he firmly believed that this, too, was actually cultivation.
If one couldn't cultivate imnse endurance, how could they possibly walk the ascending path that was like a mountain of knives and sea of fire?
It was impossible.
"Are you saying...?" Gu Tongming wasn't entirely sure if he had understood Wang Yulou's aning.
Wang Yulou raised his arm, looked at his flawless, jade-like hand, and spoke calmly.
"Mm. I am, after all, the sect-appointed assistant to the ruler of the Southern Leaf Kingdom. If Nan Ye Bashi san is truly unwilling to send people, I will personally snatch them."
In the West Sea, he hadn't wanted to stain his hands with blood, yet they had been stained all the sa.
His hands did not belong to him, nor did he fully belong to himself. He was a disciple of Mangxiang.
Wang Rongyuan's death was a reminder to Wang Yulou.
The ancestor's favor had to be repaid. The Wang Clan currently had three people in charge: Wang Jingyi, Wang Xianmao, and Wang Yulou.
None of the three could afford to retreat. Retreating wouldn't just implicate themselves; it would also implicate the tens of thousands of clansn in the Wang Clan, including its mortal mbers.
Being neglected, marginalized, experiencing a decline in strength, failing to protect their interests, and being torn apart by a pack of wolves—this was not alarmist talk.
"If it can be negotiated, it's best to talk it out."
Gu Tongming was sowhat speechless. He hadn't expected Wang Yulou to ultimately choose the most brainless, simplest, and most idiotic approach.
——
The Southern Leaf Kingdom.
In the center of the bustling capital stood a magnificent complex of palaces.
These were not mortal palaces, but immortal palaces. Within them, nurous cultivators stood guard.
Riding his Black Dragon Steed, Wang Yulou landed right in the center of the immortal palace. He didn't care about the hostile glares from the Southern Leaf Kingdom's cultivators; the Ten Thousand Nights Everbright Robe on his body was the best entry pass.
As for their hostility, there was even less need to care.
Wang Yulou was like a grim reaper walking into the household of the Southern Leaf Kingdom. How could the Southern Leaf Kingdom's cultivators not be hostile toward him?
The Great Demon, the Black Dragon Steed, actually felt a trace of long-lost battle intent amidst the hostility of the nurous cultivators.
It strutted forward with its head held high, deliberately leaking its Great Demon aura. This gave the Southern Leaf Kingdom's cultivators a massive fright—they thought Wang Yulou was about to attack.
"You must be Yulou?"
Nan Ye Bashi san finally couldn't sit still anymore. Wang Yulou really didn't treat himself as an outsider. Taking over a dozen Foundation Establishnt cultivators for a stroll right through the Southern Leaf Kingdom's Immortal King's Palace made it look as if he were the master of the place.
Looking up at Nan Ye Bashi san in the sky—standing in the void, robes fluttering, face like the morning star, bearing an extraordinary deanor—Wang Yulou didn't say a single word.
"Snort~"
The Black Dragon Steed snorted loudly, as if expressing its fearlessness.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque ca here to discuss with the King about sending people to the front lines to aid the battle, hahahaha."
Gu Tongming finally understood Wang Yulou's intention. Only now did he realize that he probably wouldn't have any chance to open his Purple Palace in this lifeti.
A young lad in his thirties—how did he dare?
"Fellow Daoist... Yuque?"
Nan Ye Bashi san repeated the title playfully, but vigilance rose in his heart.
Was this Wang Yulou a fucking idiot?
Actually, the way many of his Hongdengzhao fellow disciples addressed Wang Yulou was extrely interesting.
It was no longer known who first called him Yuque.
But most of those with a higher cultivation base than Wang Yulou would tacitly address him as Fellow Daoist Yuque, instead of Junior Martial Brother Yuque or Junior Martial Brother Yulou—You Yuan had called him that once and had nearly scared himself to death.
This kind of title reflected profound respect and was an extrely clever way to address him.
In reality, this was also a situation Wang Yulou intentionally cultivated. A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree.
When the tree is tall, its shadow is long; when a person's reputation is high, their status is high. It was all the sa principle.
"King, our Southern Leaf Kingdom needs to dispatch three hundred Qi Refining cultivators and twenty Foundation Establishnt cultivators to the front lines. This is the ancestor's decree."
Wang Yulou sat disdainfully on the robust Black Dragon Steed. Though his voice was not loud, it carried a deterrent force that silenced the entire scene.
Three hundred Qi Refining cultivators and twenty Foundation Establishnt cultivators—this was practically conscripting a third of the Southern Leaf Kingdom's core manpower at once (the Qi Refining cultivators would definitely be mid-to-high tier).
Such a large-scale conscription, even at the juncture of a two-sect war, seed excessively terrifying.
To put it this way, if they were conscripted twice, the Southern Leaf Kingdom would be finished—its unity would collapse.
People followed the Southern Leaf Kingdom for the sake of cultivation. If they were exploited too ruthlessly, the kingdom's cultivators would run away.
The past Wondrous Peak Mountain was an example of this.
Before Old Li opened his Purple Palace, he repeatedly squeezed Wondrous Peak Mountain. He'd even scrape a mosquito's leg twice. The exploitation forced Wondrous Peak Mountain's Qi Refining cultivators to go out and beco rogue cultivators, and one of them even ended up trying to rob Wang Rongyuan.
Under such ruthless exploitation and extortion, Wondrous Peak Mountain's Qi Refining disciples abandoned the sect in droves. As a result, after the Valley Spirit Sect declared war, they fought all the way to Wondrous Peak Mountain's main gates.
"Impossible. That's too many. At most fifty people: forty-nine Qi Refining cultivators and one Foundation Establishnt cultivator!"
Nan Ye Bashi san replied loudly. His voice bood, instantly spreading inside and outside the Immortal King's Palace.
His tough stance slightly steadied the anxious hearts of the nurous cultivators in and around the Southern Leaf Kingdom's Immortal King's Palace.
If given a choice, nobody wanted to go to the front lines—they would die!
"Nan Ye Bashi san, do you really think you can bargain over an Immortal Venerable's Sacred Decree?"
Wang Yulou was playing a ga of extre pressure. How could he easily relent? He directly brought out Mangxiang's na.
The great war was instigated by Mangxiang, and Wang Yulou had co to the Southern Leaf Kingdom to pull manpower on Mangxiang's behalf. Thus, using Mangxiang's title was perfectly justified.
Nan Ye Bashi san remained silent for a mont. He was also afraid.
Nan Ye Ke ultimately didn't speak. Having not received an order from his ancestor, the ruler of the Southern Leaf Kingdom looked down condescendingly at Wang Yulou and said, "Where is the Sacred Decree?"
It couldn't be that just because you, Wang Yulou, claid it was an Immortal Venerable's Sacred Decree, it was automatically true, right?
There was no such logic under the heavens.
If things could be handled so simply, then the mont Wang Yulou opened his mouth, it would beco unalterable law. How would anyone else live?
Bullshit!
Wang Yulou steered the Black Dragon Steed into the air, overlooking the Southern Leaf Kingdom's capital, and channeled his magical power to threaten, "The Southern Leaf Kingdom has long had dealings with the Sky Serpent Sect. Now that the war between our two sects has begun, you are unwilling to send even a single person to the front lines.
The Immortal Venerable understands your intentions. My coming here to conscript forces is your last chance.
It's either Hongdengzhao or the Sky Serpent Sect. There is no room to sit on the fence.
If the Southern Leaf Kingdom harbors disloyal intentions, the entire nation, top to bottom, will be burned to ashes in red candle flas."
Hearing Wang Yulou's ruthless words, Nan Ye Bashi san was dumbfounded.
He completely couldn't comprehend how things had escalated to this point.
You blow up after just three sentences. Isn't that inappropriate?
Shouldn't we negotiate a bit, tug back and forth, and then find a scale of compromise between you and ?
Is there a need to risk everything like this?
With you threatening us like this, if we truly betrayed Hongdengzhao, wouldn't you be dead for sure?
Wang Yulou certainly could die, but he fundantally had no way of retreating.
He either had to get it done well, or ss it up completely.
The Immortal Venerable was not short of geniuses under his command. When the Immortal Venerable used people, he only used the most capable ones who could squeeze out the most benefits for him.
Yet, the rare rewards the Immortal Venerable was truly willing to bestow upon his subordinates were inevitably pitifully scarce.
Under this kind of competitive chanism, not being good enough was equivalent to failure.
"Wang Yulou, what is the aning of this?" Nan Ye Bashi san demanded furiously.
What else could it an? Betting his life, Gu Tongming thought inwardly. For the first ti, even his gaze toward Wang Yulou carried a bit more awe.
Wang Yuque's move here was not only forcing others to submit but also forcing himself into a dead end.
If Nan Ye Ke didn't comply, Wang Yulou's performance would make him completely lose the initiative in negotiations over the Southern Leaf Kingdom aiding Hongdengzhao.
Extre pressure was very effective, but once the string of balance snapped, the price would be massive.
Threatening an opponent with 'I will kill you' and engaging in real, deadly combat with live weapons were two different matters.
Wang Yulou's eyes were filled with coldness as he spoke sinisterly, "Either submit, or die. Senior Nan Ye Ke, do you also believe that your destiny is your own?"
That rage surging within his chest, with nowhere to vent, finally poured out.
It poured out onto the Southern Leaf Kingdom, onto Nan Ye Ke.
I can't declare 'my destiny is my own.' I have to endure; I have to play the subservient grandson.
On what basis do you, Nan Ye Ke, get to sit on the fence in the middle?
Are you worthy?
On what basis do you, Nan Ye Ke, get to pretend to be unfettered and free?
What, is your destiny your own?
With the extre pressure having reached this point, Nan Ye Ke ultimately couldn't hold back anymore.
High in the air above the Immortal King's Palace, a profoundly deep, pitch-black portal appeared. The founding ruler of the Southern Leaf Kingdom, Nan Ye Ke, erged from within.
This Purple Palace Grand Cultivator looked to be in his forties or fifties. Dressed in plain purple clothes, his full head of white hair was simply tied behind his back, giving him the appearance of an ascetic mountain cultivator.
"Ancestor!"
"King!"
"Immortal King!"
Seeing this legendary figure appear, the cultivators of the Southern Leaf Kingdom knelt one after another to pay their respects.
Hearing the title 'Immortal King,' a spark of inspiration hit Wang Yulou. He imdiately questioned aloud, "Senior Nan Ye Ke, the Golden Core experts of the Immortal Alliance are respectfully addressed as Immortal Venerables.
"Yet you've crowned yourself Immortal King. What, do you want to be a king among Immortal Venerables?
"Do you truly believe your destiny is your own?"
Having applied such extre pressure, Wang Yulou truly couldn't back down now.
To retreat would an wasting all his previous efforts!
As for whether hostilities with Nan Ye Ke would bring trouble for Mangxiang...
Wang Yulou wasn't overly concerned. If the ancestor couldn't even handle Nan Ye Ke, what Golden Core was he trying to attain?
Moreover, forcing the Southern Leaf Kingdom to join the battle was critical. The Southern Leaf Kingdom was, after all, a vassal of Hongdengzhao. If it continued to sit on the sidelines and watch, wouldn't the other Purple Palace lineages within the sect develop disloyal thoughts?
Dripdrop Cave might heed deploynts but refuse direct summons, yet they were a sect overseen by multiple Purple Palace cultivators and an Immortal Venerable. Could the Southern Leaf Kingdom compare to Dripdrop Cave?
Seeing Wang Yulou dare to treat a Purple Palace Grand Cultivator like this, the Black Dragon Steed trembled. For the first ti, the thought of fleeing back to the West Sea rose in its mind.
Were the cultivators within the Immortal Alliance always at each other's throats like this?
This was too ruthless!
Wang Yulou, a re Foundation Establishnt cultivator—on what grounds did he dare humiliate a Purple Palace Grand Cultivator right to his face?
In truth, the situation was far more complex.
Wang Yulou was currently the public pillar of the Mangxiang Faction. He had to charge forward to protect its interests.
Wang Yulou didn't understand why the ancestor had started the war.
But now that it had begun, they couldn't lose. He understood this much perfectly.
If they lost, Mangxiang's path to attaining the Dao would suffer a massive blow, and the Wang Clan would suffer by extension.
Given the enormous waves Mangxiang had stirred up, if his giant ship were to capsize, the Wang Clan might even face extermination!
With such massive intertwining interests at stake, how could Wang Yulou not risk his life?
From Fragrant Bamboo Market, to the Central Line Defense Pass, to the Southern Leaf Kingdom, Wang Yulou had been striving for Hongdengzhao's war effort every step of the way.
Xuanzhuan had arranged so many Foundation Establishnt cultivators to assist him, likely expecting Wang Yulou to play exactly this sort of role.
Applying extre pressure was the strategy Wang Yulou had chosen; after weighing nurous options, it offered the best chance to maximize their gains.
There were certainly risks, but if he played it completely safe, he would only end up eating cold leftovers at the victory banquet—assuming he even lived to see it.
Hearing Wang Yulou continue to humiliate the ancestor even after his appearance, Nan Ye Bashi san directly sent a voice transmission to ask for instructions. 'Ancestor, this brat is pushing things too far! I will kill him for you and bear the consequences myself!'
The Purple Palace realm was powerful. For Nan Ye Ke to crush Wang Yulou to death would be as easy as squashing an ant.
However, if a Purple Palace cultivator made a move, the fallout would be far too great. The fact that Wang Yulou had co to the front lines bearing so many titles proved that he was Mangxiang's crucial pawn.
Even if Nan Ye Ke had a valid reason, he wouldn't dare lightly dispose of such a pawn.
Setting everything else aside, Nan Ye Ke was well aware of the incident when Mangxiang slaughtered his way up the Sky Serpent Sect. He understood Mangxiang's strength all too well.
'Stupid beyond belief. As long as he's on the front lines, there will be opportunities. Let the Sky Serpent Sect kill him.'
After secretly rejecting the proposal to eliminate Wang Yulou himself, Nan Ye Ke finally spoke. His calm tone carried no anger, only the tranquility of soone who had seen it all.
"Wang Yulou, I know of you, and I also understand Mangxiang.
"I will treat your words as the reckless ramblings of the young and ignorant.
"As a vassal of Hongdengzhao, the Southern Leaf Kingdom naturally should send people to participate in the two-sect war and support the sect.
"However, three hundred Qi Refining and twenty Foundation Establishnt cultivators are too many.
"How about we send two hundred Qi Refining and twenty Foundation Establishnt cultivators?"
Nan Ye Ke completely ignored Wang Yulou's accusations. He had hurled just as many accusations at others in his own past; he thoroughly understood what an ambitious, reckless young man like Wang Yulou was thinking.
Therefore, Nan Ye Ke directly offered his own terms.
Wang Yulou treated the 'young and ignorant' remark as pure bullshit. The key point was that his extre pressure strategy had finally taken effect.
Gu Tongming's strategy of extorting independent cultivators at the bottom was also garbage. When facing local tyrants like the Southern Leaf Kingdom, compromising would only make one appear cowardly.
"True Person, the Southern Leaf Kingdom lacks no Qi Refining cultivators. How about this: send an additional one hundred independent Qi Refining cultivators. Independent cultivators will suffice."
Nan Ye Ke stared at Wang Yulou for a long ti, but Wang Yulou remained incredibly composed. If not for the fact that the Black Dragon Steed had already pissed itself, Wang Yulou's imposing aura might have been even more impressive.
Finally, Nan Ye Ke withdrew his gaze and slipped back into his grotto-heaven, leaving a single word echoing above the Immortal King's Palace.
"Fine!"
This founder of the Southern Leaf Kingdom was ultimately afraid.
Old Zhou was dead, Shen Guang had bowed his head, slaughter had erupted in Heavenly Serpent Valley, and the two-sect war had begun.
Mangxiang had yet to even reach the Golden Core realm, but he had already thrown the northwest corner of Wunan into absolute chaos.
If Mangxiang truly achieved Golden Core, and the Southern Leaf Kingdom refused to aid the battle today, they would surely be added to his list of scores to settle.
Nan Ye Ke didn't care whether the disciples and clansn of the Southern Leaf Kingdom lived or died. What he feared was being put on Mangxiang's list himself...
Defecting to the Sky Serpent Sect was an option, but doing so would instantly turn the Southern Leaf Kingdom into the focal point of the front lines. It was better to just dispatch people to aid Hongdengzhao.
Why did Wang Yulou dare to apply such extre pressure?
Because the strategy had a very high probability of success.
Faced with the Mangxiang Faction's aggression, the Southern Leaf Kingdom had to either defect to the Sky Serpent Sect and beco cannon fodder on the front lines, or send troops to aid Hongdengzhao.
It was actually a very easy choice.
Naturally, Wang Yulou didn't credit himself for forcing Nan Ye Ke's submission.
The extre pressure succeeded because Mangxiang was formidable, not because Wang Yulou was. He was extrely clear-headed about this.
At this thought, another layer of gloom settled over Wang Yulou's heart.
He couldn't possibly be Mangxiang's dog forever.
But how was he to surmount a mountain like the ancestor?
Hard, hard, hard! It was far more than just hard...
However, that was a matter for the future. Wang Yulou wouldn't let a distant fear drag him down. He looked at Nan Ye Bashi san and said, "King, I am now also the assistant to the ruler of the Southern Leaf Kingdom. Could you arrange a palace compound for within the Immortal King's Palace?"
Among Gu Tongming's suggestions, one was absolutely correct.
The responsibilities Wang Yulou bore now were extrely heavy. He needed to establish a small network centered around himself to coordinate affairs.
The Middle Front was Yan Keyi's territory; it wasn't suitable.
The Southern Leaf Kingdom was located at the northern section of the Southern Front. It could not only project influence toward the Middle Front but also receive assistance from Ancestor Jingyi. It was an excellent base of operations.
"Unfortunately, the Immortal King's Palace is full. How about this: I will send people to build a new palace for you outside the city. How does that sound?"
How could Nan Ye Bashi san possibly keep an annoying bastard like Wang Yulou by his side? He imdiately rejected the request, though he saved face by offering an alternative.
Living outside the city—this way, if a Sky Serpent Sect cultivator sneaked over and assassinated Wang Yulou, the Southern Leaf Kingdom would have an easy ti explaining it to Hongdengzhao.
This was the exact price Wang Yulou had to pay for participating in such a high-stakes gamble.
The greater the interests at play, the more fatal the associated risks. From this perspective, Xuanzhuan was indeed quite good to Wang Yulou; many of his suggestions genuinely took Wang Yulou's survival into account.
"That works. Tongming, I still need to visit the Southern Front Defense Pass to pay my respects to Senior Martial Brother Lingxiu. You will stay in the Southern Leaf Kingdom and help the King select the cultivators being dispatched to the front lines."
Gu Tongming hadn't expected to be relegated to such a nial task. He felt incredibly bitter, but he could only respectfully accept the order.
Wang Yulou looked back at Nan Ye Bashi san. "King, I expect you to dispatch the Southern Leaf Kingdom's auxiliary combat cultivators to the front lines as soon as possible. The Sky Serpent Sect is launching a full-scale offensive on the Middle Front, and the casualties there are not small."
'Fight well! It would be best if all you Hongdengzhao direct lineage mbers were slaughtered clean!'
"Understood."
Nan Ye Bashi san wore a strictly businesslike expression, giving Wang Yulou no face whatsoever.
Wang Yulou didn't care. Riding the Black Dragon Steed, he headed straight for the Southern Front Defense Pass.
——
His eting with Pi Lingxiu dealt with nothing more than Special rit Hall affairs and concluded very quickly.
However, Wang Yulou's main purpose in coming here was to see Ancestor Jingyi.
Over two years had passed since they parted ways in the West Sea.
Back then, under Mangxiang's arrangent, Wang Yulou had clung to hope amidst imnse hardship.
Now, the situation was completely different. The crises of the past had paved Wang Yulou's path, allowing him to rise as a new legend in the West Sea.
Yet, Ancestor Jingyi was still the sa Ancestor Jingyi. In front of her, Wang Yulou would never dare address her as senior martial sister.
"You shouldn't have been so reckless!" Ancestor Jingyi said with deep concern after listening to Wang Yulou's account.
"I understand your reasoning, but those matters are still incredibly far off. Wait until I reach the Purple Palace realm; no matter how much trouble you stir up then, I'll at least be able to protect you."
Wang Yulou imdiately caught the key implication. His eyebrows twitched as he asked, "Speaking of which, I've walked all around the front lines, but I still haven't stepped onto the actual battlefield. Ancestor, I wonder if you could take to have a look?"
"What are you going to the front lines for? It's danger—"
Ancestor Jingyi was the type with a cold exterior but a warm heart, and was naturally dismissive of his request. However, halfway through her sentence, she noticed Wang Yulou's hand.
He was making the Wang Clan's secret hand sign. It ant sothing was wrong.
Although she hadn't detected anything amiss, Ancestor Jingyi chose to trust Wang Yulou.
Smoothly changing the subject, she said, "It's dangerous there, so logically speaking, I shouldn't let you go. But you are at the Foundation Establishnt stage now, so it wouldn't hurt to broaden your horizons."
It wasn't exactly a wasteland of exposed bones, nor a desolate land devoid of life. The front lines sounded terrifying, but they weren't quite that horrific.
Wars between cultivators were not like mortal wars. Tens of thousands of troops didn't line up in formations to charge and slaughter each other. For one, their numbers were far smaller; for another, Wunan hadn't seen a major war in a very long ti.
In short, the front lines currently presented a scene of mild spring weather and bright scenery. Wang Yulou, however, pointed at the trees in the forest and began explaining sothing to Ancestor Jingyi.
"I recently read a classic text about trees and learned quite a few things.
"Look, this forest isn't healthy. There are too many ancient trees.
"Having so many ancient trees isn't a good thing. They live for thousands or tens of thousands of years. Their branches block out the sun, and their roots drain all the nutrients dry.
"As a result, it becos extrely difficult for the new saplings to grow."
Wang Jingyi nodded thoughtfully but said nothing, simply waiting for Wang Yulou to continue.
"However, if one wants to grow tall, there are still thods.
"The first thod: look, this tree here had good luck. The ancient tree next to it was struck dead by lightning. Favored by heaven and earth, it finally received sunlight.
"The second thod: that tree over there...
"...The seventh thod belongs to the slowest-growing trees. This type was only discovered a few years ago. If they want to grow tall, they need to accumulate the essence of the five elents within their bodies. The entire process takes a dreadfully long ti. The only benefit is that once they finally mature, it's very difficult for them to age."
Using trees as a taphor for Purple Palace cultivation thods, Wang Yulou racked his brains, exhausting every ounce of his effort just to clearly explain the differences between them.
After explaining all seven Purple Palace thods, Wang Yulou finally looked at the ancestor and asked, "Ancestor, which thod do you prefer?"
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