Unlike Wang Yulou, a heavenly genius whose rise had been explosive and sudden, Ancestor Jingyi possessed a pragmatic nature. Her current achievents were entirely the result of taking things one step at a ti.
She never acted without a clear goal in mind. Given her relationship with Wang Yulou, she certainly wouldn't paint him a false picture by offering empty promises like, "Wait until I achieve the Purple Palace."
As family, there was no need for such pretenses. Therefore, when she told Wang Yulou, "Wait until I achieve the Purple Palace," Wang Yulou imdiately realized one thing—the Ancestral Master had already given her the Purple Palace thod. That was why he had taken the risk to explain the differences between the various thods, simply to confirm exactly which ones Mang Xiang had bestowed upon her.
There were countless Purple Palace thods out there. What if the thod the ancestor received was the kind ant to prepare a Dao foundation for soone else?
It was hard to say. At first, Wang Jingyi did not understand what Wang Yulou was implying, but when she realized he was using a tree as a taphor for Purple Palace thods, a question ca to mind: where had Wang Yulou learned so much?
Connecting this with Wang Yulou's typical caution and the nonsense Xuanzhuan had spouted when imparting the thod to her, Wang Jingyi ford a preliminary theory. Wang Yulou might be right; there truly were that many thods to open the Purple Palace.
Thinking of this, Wang Jingyi replied, "The first and the third, but most likely the third."
Yulou understood. Mang Xiang had given Wang Jingyi two Purple Palace thods: the Heaven and Human Resonance Purple Palace thod and the Divine Ability Demon Transformation Purple Mansion thod.
The Heaven and Human Resonance Purple Palace thod required a cultivator to shore up their foundation in old cultivation arts, which would likely be troubleso for Wang Jingyi. The Divine Ability to Demon Transformation Art, on the other hand, did not look dignified, but it easily granted an extended lifespan.
Furthermore, this increase in lifespan could supposedly be extended further by eventually converting to the Grotto-Heaven Purple Palace thod. By extending it again and again, living for several thousand years would be effortless.
If one were to call the Ancestral Master evil, it was true that with a single thought, billions could be buried along with his ambitions. From cultivators to mortals, once the stalemate on the front lines of the two-sect war broke, "massacre" wouldn't even begin to describe the ensuing devastation. But if one were to call the Ancestral Master benevolent, he had indeed given Wang Jingyi two Purple Palace thods: the Heaven and Human Resonance Purple Palace thod and the Divine Ability Demon Transformation Purple Mansion thod.
It clearly showed he was allowing Wang Jingyi to properly open her Purple Palace within the Immortal Alliance system. Of course, this benevolence also aligned with Mang Xiang's own interests.
After Attaining Golden Core, his faction's power would naturally need to expand, making the addition of a few more Purple Palace cultivators only logical. But regardless, upon confirming that the Ancestral Master had permitted Ancestor Jingyi to open her Purple Palace and had provided the thods, Wang Yulou finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Cultivation itself was never truly difficult. With sufficient resources, things like talent weren't all that important.
Shen Guang, who possessed five spirit roots and still managed to reach the Golden Core, was a pri example. Over countless years, untold numbers of geniuses had created countless cultivation thods.
No matter how poor one's talent was, with the support of a specific thod, they could always beco a genius in so particular direction. The true difficulty of cultivation lay in the fact that grand cultivators were unwilling to let newcors rise and take their places.
Amidst a web of interlocked interests, Purple Palace Grand Cultivators weren't even willing to give opportunities to their own clan mbers, let alone disciples with no blood relation.
"Ancestor, it has been a thousand years. After a millennium, the Wang Clan finally has a chance to open a Purple Palace."
Even though Wang Yulou had expected this, he still couldn't hide his excitent. Among Peak Foundation Establishnt cultivators, Ancestor Jingyi was an existence only slightly inferior to the absolute strongest tier.
After all, with the Wang Clan laying her foundation and a major power like the Red Lantern Illumination Sect nurturing her, her single spirit root aptitude gave her a massive advantage right from the start. With such strength, after reaching the Purple Palace, she would very likely be comparable to the current Li Haikuo.
A Purple Palace cultivator like Old Li looked quite wretched. Taking the field with re spiritual artifacts when a Demon General attacked even carried a hint of dark humor.
But even Old Li, who was essentially at the rock bottom of the Purple Palace realm in terms of strength, never failed to rake in profits wherever he went. Simply displaying a Purple Palace cultivation base was the best bargaining chip.
Under the current laws of the Immortal Alliance, the Purple Palace realm was the de facto ruling class. Once Wang Jingyi entered the Purple Palace, Wang Yulou would have an extra pillar of support when negotiating his own Purple Mansion opportunity with Mang Xiang in the future.
Grand cultivators were heartless, but that was predicated on their long lives, where their descendants were separated by countless generations. Wang Yulou and Wang Jingyi might have been distant in the past, but after all these years, Ancestor Jingyi's treatnt of Wang Yulou was absolutely beyond reproach.
How could Wang Yuque, who struck terror across the front lines of the two sects, not be seen as a good boy in Ancestor Jingyi's eyes?
Therefore, no matter what, at least at this very mont, Wang Yulou was delighted to see Ancestor Jingyi obtain the Behemoth Lineage's Purple Mansion opportunity, to the point of almost losing his composure from joy.
"Alright, don't celebrate too early. Can you tell where you studied this manual that introduces trees? Furthermore, you have no right to say whether this forest is good or not. As birds in this forest, we are already fortunate."
Wang Jingyi had understood Wang Yulou's taphor of a massive ancient tree with lush branches and thick roots describing the Immortal Alliance's situation. That was why she spoke up to warn him; she was simply looking out for his well-being.
As the sun set in the west, Wang Yulou pointed toward the West Sea, at the setting sun hanging low on the distant horizon, and said, "There."
Ancestor Jingyi nodded in understanding, but a new doubt arose in her mind.
The Formless World arose. Wang Jingyi took Wang Yulou and flew toward the Southern Front Defense Pass.
"You killed so many of that person's disciples; does he truly not mind?"
Actually, Wang Yulou guessed that Shen Guang might truly not mind all that much. If a vile creature like Shen Guang didn't even possess that much tolerance, he would be completely irredeemable, nothing more than a clown.
He had already lost. Throwing a tantrum at fringe characters after losing, aside from showing a lack of grace, seed quite pointless.
Of course, if Shen Guang enjoyed playing the fool, then acting like an idiot and finding trouble with the juniors of the Behemoth Lineage could be considered aningful in its own twisted way. But in the struggles between grand cultivators, was playing the fool really of any use?
Wang Yulou highly doubted it. It was hard enough for him to play the fool in front of Yan Keyi.
He couldn't imagine how much of a pretender soone had to be to maintain the facade of an idiot day after day for a thousand years in front of those old demons and immortals without having their true depths tested.
"If he wants to hate anyone, he should hate the Ancestral Master. If I didn't do those things in the West Sea, Yan Keren would have, and ngbai would have too."
Without acting as soone's running dog, there was no hope of seeking immortality. But by being a running dog, having one's hands covered in blood was only the beginning.
One even had to fight for the privilege to do it, fight to show loyalty, and fight to take on the responsibility. What a bastard of a world.
In the past, when Wang Yulou realized that the Jade Ruyi could not truly help him achieve the Dao in this world, he had felt a surge of despair. But later, he figured it out.
Struggling to cross the sea of bitterness, how could he expect so divine intervention to ferry him directly to the other shore? If such a thing really existed, would he, Wang Yulou, even be capable of protecting it?
In the end, he had to rely entirely on himself.
"It's just, why would he give you so many Purple Palace thods? I thought three or four kinds of Purple Palace thods were already the limit," Ancestor Jingyi asked.
Wang Yulou smiled bitterly. "Ancestor, taking this trip to the West Sea has actually made see the essence of the Immortal Alliance more clearly. All those slogans, ideals, and principles are just tools used to fool the people at the bottom. The Immortal Alliance is simply a playground for the top-tier grand cultivators; they can do whatever they want, whenever they want."
"That person lost, but he was unwilling to accept being sched against by the Ancestral Master. He gave the thods to hoping to sow discord, driving a wedge between the Ancestral Master and either or the Wang Clan. It's all malicious intent; there's no goodwill at all. Sigh."
It was all malicious intent with no goodwill at all; Shen Guang was truly that much of an animal. After all, one couldn't expect any morality from a vile beast who used the lives of millions as bargaining chips.
The Immortal Alliance was great, and its stated ideal was to serve all cultivators. However, there were more lies in the cultivation world than there were cultivators. Surviving in such an environnt, playing the ga of moral supremacy... Wang Yulou's close friend Feng Jianxian was a pri example of where that led.
Seeing that Wang Yulou was still sowhat unresigned to fate, Ancestor Jingyi urged him, "Don't dwell on these things. The matter of the Southern Leaf Kingdom is now in the past. Although you hold many positions, your main task right now is still to properly establish the Special rit Hall. The war between the two sects has already begun, and our Red Lantern Illumination Sect absolutely cannot lose."
"Even if the sect can afford to lose, the Ancestral Master cannot, and our Wang Clan cannot. Perhaps the Ancestral Master has so backup plans and hidden moves, but you and I have been appointed to key positions. We must simply do our own jobs well. Understood?"
The ancestor's advice consisted of practical experience, nothing out of the ordinary, but Wang Yulou could hear her genuine care for him. "Understood."
"I have a rough plan in mind," he continued. "Under the sect's jurisdiction, if independent cultivators and those from small families or small sects want to move up, the Foundation Establishnt realm is an enormous hurdle."
"The Red Lantern Illumination Sect does not lack resources. As long as the cultivators on the front lines are willing to risk their lives, I will fight for more Foundation Establishnt resources from the sect and open up military rit exchanges to everyone equally."
"By ensuring fairness, we can push the front-line cultivators to participate in the war more actively. After all, to them, the sect's ideals are nothing but a facade and a scam. Even coming to the front lines was forced upon them. Only tangible benefits can drive them to do their jobs properly."
Did the Red Lantern Illumination Sect lack resources? It lacked them severely. Grand cultivators, numbering one in tens of thousands, took away ninety percent of the profits. Of the remaining ten percent, ninety percent was divided among Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Those at the bottom truly survived on the hairs of a mosquito's legs.
Hongi's artificing path cultivation was impressive, wasn't it? Yet he still had to scrape together a living from those mosquito legs, refining simplified version magical artifacts to earn spirit stones.
But the Red Lantern Illumination Sect also did not lack resources. Mang Xiang scraped the earth bare just to squeeze out more profit. Compared to the bottom-tier cultivators, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was extrely wealthy, perhaps even boundlessly wealthy. For instance, the sect absolutely had the resources to easily produce hundreds of Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
But in the past, these Foundation Establishnt opportunities were only given to the Inner Gate Disciples of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect—and not even everyone got one; they had to fight for it too.
What Wang Yulou wanted to do was very simple: treat everyone equally. Through the Special rit Hall, he would give everyone participating in the front-line war a chance at Foundation Establishnt. As for the Foundation Establishnt cultivators, they could also be further reeled in, united, and driven under this equal distribution frawork, compelling them to actively throw themselves into the war and lay down the bricks for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's victory.
"Yulou, are you serious?" Wang Jingyi asked solemnly.
The normal, theoretically optimal distribution logic was that those with military rit should be rewarded, thereby motivating the warriors to fight hard.
But the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's model was completely different: those with deep backing received ten points of reward for three points of rit; those with average backing received ten points of reward for seven points of rit; and Inner Gate Disciples received ten points of reward for ten points of rit.
As for those on the periphery, disciples of Wondrous Peak Mountain might be able to get seven points of reward for ten points of rit. For ordinary independent cultivators, getting five points of reward for ten points of rit was already considered incredibly lucky.
The specific forms of execution might differ, but ultimately, so took more, and so took less. This was the realistic distribution logic, and it wasn't just the Red Lantern Illumination Sect; it was like this everywhere.
Fairness never existed naturally. Inequality was unprecedentedly amplified in a cultivation world where the disparity in individual strength was massive.
Therefore, Wang Yulou's casual phrase, "treat everyone equally," was more than just significant; it was a table-flipping reform of the distribution model. That was why Ancestor Jingyi was so serious.
"Of course. If we don't change the distribution model, the cultivators on the front lines won't risk their lives wholeheartedly. Feigned effort and true dedication are two entirely different things, and they will directly determine victory or defeat."
Wang Jingyi understood Wang Yulou's desire to make an impact. "Yulou, even if you change the distribution model and allow those conscripted independent cultivators and Qi Refining stage mbers of small sects and families to gain Foundation Establishnt opportunities... once they reach Foundation Establishnt, our Wang Clan doesn't have the power to draw them in. In the end, we'd just be taking on the risks ourselves to weave a wedding dress for soone else.
"Since the Ancestral Master dared to start a war, it ans he has a plan. We just need to do our own jobs well. There's no need to take risks, put ourselves in the crosshairs, and draw the hatred of others."
Wang Jingyi's remarks completely deconstructed Wang Yulou's "equal treatnt" reform from the perspective of his own interests and the Wang Clan's interests. It could be said there was absolutely nothing wrong with her logic.
Her analysis was extrely precise, fully displaying the caliber of a seasoned Foundation Establishnt cultivator. Furthermore, Mang Xiang's initiation of the war wasn't a secret to those on the inside, but starting a war was an incredibly serious matter.
Setting aside the death of the Wang Clan's Wang Rongyuan, since the start of the war and amidst the stalemate on the front lines, anywhere from dozens to hundreds of cultivators died every day. Once that stalemate broke, rivers of blood would truly flow.
Without a purge, where would they find new avenues of interest to distribute to the victors? It truly was a case of the Ancestral Master drawing his sword, leaving the common people to suffer asureless calamity.
In such a perilous situation, it was enough for Wang Yulou to just do his job. If he moved recklessly, he would be crushed by the sheer weight of the risks involved!
Actually, all this ti, Wang Yulou couldn't figure out why Mang Xiang had taken the initiative to start this war. Starting a war was easy, but once it began, Mang Xiang might not be the one who decided when it ended.
Going to war was a gamble; only soone desperate from a losing streak would gamble like that. However, considering Mang Xiang had just forced Shen Guang's head down and humiliated him in the West Sea, it didn't look like he was losing at all.
How could Wang Yulou not be confused? Now, however, an idea was gradually taking shape in his mind.
"Ancestor, could the Ancestral Master's decision to start this war be laying the groundwork for his ambitions after attaining the Dao?
"War can reshape the structure of interests among the Foundation Establishnt cultivators within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, cultivating a new generation of Foundation Establishnt cultivators who naturally demand an expansion of those interests. These people will beco the Ancestral Master's right-hand n in his expansion."
Those right-hand n were actually just fuel, but Wang Yulou ultimately didn't phrase it quite so explicitly.
"You an to say...?" Ancestor Jingyi sowhat understood. "Over the years, the number of Foundation Establishnt cultivators under the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's jurisdiction has nearly doubled.
"The older generation of Foundation Establishnt cultivators are a mixed bag due to the sect's long-term stable developnt, and the newly ascended ones are even weaker. The war is like a furnace. By throwing these Foundation Establishnt cultivators in and forging them for a ti, they will beco the Ancestral Master's sharp blade."
Seeing that Wang Jingyi didn't express a further opinion, Wang Yulou added, "Of course, it's also possible that starting the war was rely the Ancestral Master's way of demonstrating his toughness to potential opponents. But no matter what, if I work harder and execute things beautifully to secure a few more chances of victory for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, I certainly won't be in the wrong."
Looking at Yulou, who appeared ordinary on the outside but was brilliant on the inside, countless thoughts surged in Wang Jingyi's heart.
Finally, she said, "I still don't agree with you implenting this equal treatnt. Offending so many people for a fleeting, illusory opportunity... Yulou, it's too dangerous. It's far too dangerous!"
Wang Jingyi was right, but Wang Yulou also believed he was right.
"Ancestor, Yulou has grown up. Yulou has his own path to attaining the Dao."
Once those words were spoken, what else could Wang Jingyi say? She sighed in her heart, ultimately speaking up to express her support.
"Fine, do it. I support you."
Did she truly support the idea? Not at all; otherwise, why would she have tried to dissuade him ti and ti again?
But did she support him? She did.
The path Wang Yulou had chosen wasn't an easy one to walk, which was exactly why he needed the support of Wang Jingyi, the Assistant Guard of the Southern Front, all the more. Perhaps this was simply what it ant to be family.
Ancestor Jingyi clearly knew Wang Yulou was taking a risk, and she knew the kind of backlash he would face for acting this way, yet she still chose to support him.
"However, Yulou, you must promise two things."
"Please speak!"
"First, do not charge to the front lines yourself. Master has arranged quite a few people for you; use them to take the risks. That way, there will be a layer of cushioning. Why do you think those Purple Mansion True Persons still take in disciples? Because a buffer is necessary, and in many situations, it is extrely useful.
"Second, cultivation base is everything; strength is everything. Now that you have obtained the Ancestral Master's Formless Art inheritance, you must cultivate it properly. It is a thod that points directly to the Great Dao. With the support of the Ancestral Master and the two True Persons, as long as your cultivation base and strength are robust enough, whatever you want to do will be much easier to accomplish."
These two rules were filled with her earnest instruction. Facing such an ancestor, Wang Yulou condensed a thousand words of gratitude into a single sentence. "Yulou understands, Ancestor."
——
True Person Xuanzhuan sat there, quietly cultivating. Huang Qiusheng knelt below, reporting Wang Yulou's ideas in a low voice.
Treating everyone equally—for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, this was an act that defied the heavens. What Wang Yulou was shaking up were the very laws the Red Lantern Illumination Sect had operated under for thousands of years.
Of course, that set of laws—where grand cultivators and their running dogs took the vast majority, leaving everyone else to lick the plates—was quite beastly. But no matter how beastly the laws were, their ability to operate stably over the long term ant there was an inherent, stable frawork of interests behind them.
If Wang Yulou wanted to shake things up, he had to get Xuanzhuan's nod of approval and support, and even with that, he might not truly pull it off. After all, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was not just the Behemoth Lineage's Red Lantern Illumination Sect; it belonged to everyone.
"...True Person, in my opinion, Junior Martial Brother Yulou's ideas are too wild. How could his pair of shoulders possibly carry the weight of such a massive undertaking? If sothing goes wrong, the fallout will be disastrous."
Wearing an expression that scread he was doing this for Wang Yulou's own good and for the good of the Behemoth Lineage, Huang Qiusheng softly voiced his concerns.
"What's wild about it?" Xuanzhuan replied. "It's nothing more than running a trial within the rit Hall. A great war is a great war. For this battle, our Red Lantern Illumination Sect's bottom line is that we cannot lose. As long as Yulou's reforms are beneficial to the war on the front lines and beneficial to the sect, then they are good.
"Of course, the scope still needs to be restricted a bit. How about this: only the cultivators risking their lives on the absolute front lines will be able to enjoy this 'equal treatnt.'
"Oh, and you must emphasize to all the True Persons and the various factions in the sect that the rit distribution and exchange at the rit Hall are temporary asures set up for the war. Once the war ends, the system will imdiately revert to its original state. This way, everything will be appropriate."
Huang Qiusheng looked up in fear and asked, trembling, "True Person, will the war truly end?"
Old Huang was truly afraid—afraid that he would beco expendable fuel. Mang Xiang making such a huge move was clearly about more than just tossing things around to attain the Golden Core.
This was the very reason why the grand cultivators within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect hadn't supported Mang Xiang starting a war previously. The war had only just begun, yet Mang Xiang's faction had already started playing the "equal treatnt" ga on the front lines. Using the excuse of attaining the Golden Core and the war, Mang Xiang wasn't holding back in the slightest.
Would you say "equal treatnt" was Wang Yulou's idea and not Mang Xiang's? Child, please. Without Wang Yulou, there would be Yan Keyi, or Wang Jingyi, or... if worse ca to worst, there was Wang Xianmao, Guo Baichi, or Zhou Yingxi. The underlying logic of this matter was that Mang Xiang's strength was overwhelming, coercing everyone to follow his rhythm and allowing him to seize power using the war and his pursuit of the Golden Core as leverage!
Mang Xiang's ambition was utterly terrifying, yet Zhuzhao coincidentally supported him. The situation within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was already incredibly complex, and if viewed from the scope of the northwestern corner of Wunan, it was even more frightening.
Mang Xiang teaming up with Qingrui to suppress Shen Guang, and then bringing the Red Lantern Illumination Sect along to torture Tianshe—this looked exactly like a civil war. That was why Old Huang was thinking of making a run for it, and that was why Old Huang had asked that question.
"Of course," Xuanzhuan replied smoothly. "Go on, and do your job well."
Old Huang respectfully left Mang Xiang Spirit Mountain, but his mind was already set on leaving. Attaining the Dao was too difficult; he simply wasn't suited for it.
Perhaps only a madman like Wang Yuque could have the chance to be highly regarded by the True Persons and Immortal Venerables, right?
——
"I don't agree!"
Pi Lingxiu's words were concise and carried no reservations. "Qi Refining is useless. Qi Refining cultivators sent to the front lines are just there to serve as formation bases. Foundation Establishnt cultivators are useful, but you won't be able to reel them in.
"They're too smart. In the end, after spending the resources, the result won't be any different from how it was at the start!"
As the Town Guard of the Southern Front, Pi Lingxiu commanded over seven thousand cultivators. Wang Yulou had to listen to his words. Ultimately, people like Wang Yulou and Pi Lingxiu were already worlds apart from ordinary cultivators. They were the true rulers. To them, cultivation rely ant stacking resources—mindlessly stacking resources. When facing difficulties, they could easily overco them by seeking help from the big shots in their factions. Their cultivation process didn't require them to risk their lives searching for so-called fortunes. Their paths were either preordained long ago or unfolded around the grand cultivators within their factions.
But ordinary cultivators were different. Out of ten thousand Foundation Establishnt cultivators, nine thousand nine hundred had no chance of opening a Purple Palace. The Immortal Alliance collaborated with the sects to restrict Foundation Establishnt cultivators precisely to prevent them from easily opening Purple Palaces, and to stop them from resorting to unscrupulous ans to attain the Dao. Under prolonged oppression, Foundation Establishnt cultivators often saw the situation clearly, recognizing the grim reality that there was no path forward for them.
That was why Pi Lingxiu said that Wang Yulou's equal treatnt wouldn't be able to draw in Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Without the opportunity for the Purple Mansion, any temptation on a front line where lives were easily lost was no longer appealing. Furthermore, even without reforming the system, weren't those Foundation Establishnt cultivators already obediently serving as expendables for Mang Xiang's ambitions on the front lines?
"I understand that Senior Martial Brother has a different opinion, it's just..." Wang Yulou wanted to explain, but Pi Lingxiu waved a hand to cut him off.
"Enough. Your good Ancestral Master is using the war to seize power. I don't dare to block him, nor do I want to hear your explanations. Wang Yulou, they say you're smart, that you're the heavenly genius of the Behemoth Lineage. You're impressive, but I'm afraid you'll get killed. I don't lack resources or spirit stones either, so I won't stop you from reforming the system on the Southern Front.
"But rember this: I, Pi Lingxiu, understand the bigger picture, but the people below might not. You will be targeted."
As the eldest disciple of the Fuyan Faction, Pi Lingxiu didn't feel any need to truly communicate with Wang Yulou. From the perspective of interests and reason, he had an obligation to speak up for the disciples of the Fuyan Faction and stop Wang Yulou's reforms. But in the end, even the ancestor of his own faction was afraid of Mang Xiang... And since the scope of the current reform was restricted, the situation wasn't that bad yet, so Pi Lingxiu chose neither to support nor interfere.
Opposed in principle, but unwilling to stop him if he insisted on doing it—this was Pi Lingxiu's stance.
Wang Yulou hadn't expected the resistance to this matter to be this imnse. Fairness and distributing rewards based on rit—concepts he understood as natural and justified—were actually this difficult to push forward. He smiled helplessly, bowed respectfully, and said, "Yulou thanks Senior Martial Brother for his support."
Watching Wang Yulou leave, Pi Lingxiu snorted coldly and raised his hand to release his spirit bird, which was a majestic Great Demon golden eagle.
"Go. Tell Yi Zouri that Wang Yulou is stirring up trouble again!"
The golden eagle swiftly flew away from the Southern Front Defense Pass. Pi Lingxiu looked toward the Sky Serpent Sect, praying that the Sky Serpent Sect would crush the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
Why was it the Red Lantern Illumination Sect that launched the offensive on the Southern Front? Because Pi Lingxiu was acting loyal on the surface while undermining them in secret, attempting to whittle down the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's chances of victory through high attrition.
If the Red Lantern Illumination Sect lost, Mang Xiang would be the one to take the bla! Of course, Pi Lingxiu didn't dare to openly oppose Mang Xiang.
Even his tough stance in the face of Wang Yulou's reforms had been a fake. Why notify Yi Zouri?
Because Pi Lingxiu didn't dare lead the charge himself! The reason was simple: once Mang Xiang attained the Dao, the Red Lantern Illumination Sect would inevitably enter a dual-leadership model, and the Fuyan Faction would vanish!
Thus, the true web of interests for the direct lineage of the Fuyan Faction was to make the Red Lantern Illumination Sect lose the war and drive Mangxiang to his ruin, while simultaneously putting up the grand charade of Red Lantern unity to ensure they didn't openly clash with the Behemoth Lineage.
This was the very essence of Pi Lingxiu's response today. How massive was the gap between Wang Yulou and an ordinary cultivator?
Yuque Palace, located south of the Southern Leaf Kingdom's capital, was a perfect example. Gu Tongming supervised the work, the Southern Leaf Kingdom supplied the manpower, and with six Foundation Establishnt cultivators acting as laborers, Wang Yulou's Yuque Palace was fully constructed in just two days.
Old Gu was an interesting fellow. Wanting to flatter Wang Yulou, he made the scale of Yuque Palace so grand that Wang Yulou even frowned a bit upon seeing it.
"A jade palace and golden pavilion; it truly has the grandeur of a major sect."
Standing alongside Wang Yulou in the air, Old Gu smiled obsequiously. Fellow Daoist Yuque was no ordinary person.
Gu Tongming had painstakingly studied Wang Yulou's past experiences for a long ti to deliver this flattery so precisely. This bastard loved pomp, loved power, and loved showing off his status.
Therefore, building the palace as large as possible was definitely the right move. Of course, this was purely because Gu Tongming's cultivation realm was too shallow; he couldn't see the true purpose behind Wang Yulou's thods.
His pursuit of power was rely one facet of serving his cultivation. Once his status increased, his cultivation resources, thods, and future prospects would all naturally improve.
Specific arrangents in form and thod could help Wang Yulou accelerate this process of elevating his status—that was the substantive goal he was pursuing. Smiling, Wang Yulou shook his head.
"With a great war before us, this is a bit excessive."
Ah, Old Gu. He wanted to advance as well.
Old Gu had no delusional obsession with reaching the Purple Mansion, but he had a family, a small clan trailing behind him. Therefore, he focused entirely on flattering Wang Yulou.
"What's excessive about it? Fellow Daoist Yuque has exhausted his mind and body for the war between our two sects. With so many people under your command, it won't do if they don't have a place to settle down."
Wang Yulou nodded slightly. The Southern Leaf Kingdom was a good location.
Placing the center of his small organization here ant having Yan Keyi to the north, one of his own, and Wang Jingyi to the south, also one of his own.
"How are the preparations for the people of the Southern Leaf Kingdom coming along?"
Just because the palace was built well didn't an Wang Yulou was actually going to let the Southern Leaf Kingdom off the hook. If he let the Southern Leaf Kingdom slide today, there would be a Northern Leaf Kingdom doing the sa tomorrow.
If the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's vassals refused to supply people one by one, how could the war still be fought? Would there even be a chance of winning?
If Wang Yulou didn't handle these matters, who else could? Let Yan Keyi handle it?
Old Yan would probably take the job with a smile, then directly force the Southern Leaf Kingdom to double their manpower output. That would make Yan Keyi look loyal, and how would Wang Yulou advance then?
The treatnt of a heavenly genius—not having to worry about cultivation resources, cultivation thods, or future developnt—didn't co out of thin air. Wang Yulou had to put in the work!
"They have all been dispatched to the front lines. Two-thirds to the Middle Front, and one-third to the Southern Front."
Gu Tongming continued, "Nan Ye Bashi san didn't play any petty tricks; those who were sent are all capable. Although there are so Foundation Establishnt cultivators who temporarily joined the Nanye family among them, they are perfectly justifiable overall."
Wang Yulou's tense brows finally relaxed slightly. With the matter of the Southern Leaf Kingdom concluded, his next task was simply to organize the Special rit Hall. Bestowing Fragrant Bamboo Market was a True Person's reward for Yulou, not a mission. He only had two missions in coming to the front lines: shake down the Southern Leaf Kingdom and establish the Special rit Hall.
"Old Gu, Guo Chengtai will remain at Fragrant Bamboo Market, and An Hening will stay at the Middle Front. The affairs of the Southern Front need soone to take charge. What do you think?"
Gu Tongming didn't say much; he just dropped to his knees and gave Xiao Wang a solid kowtow.
"Fellow Daoist Yuque places great trust in . Tongming will definitely manage the Southern Front well for you, and I will absolutely not allow a single person to falsely claim military rits!"
To even share the power of resource distribution—the greatest power of all—how could Gu Tongming not shed tears of gratitude?
"Mm. There is a new situation now. I plan to promote a rit validation and exchange thod on the front lines that treats everyone equally."
Gu Tongming didn't quite understand. The phrase "treat everyone equally" seed a bit too niche for the cultivators of Wunan, or even the Immortal Alliance as a whole.
"Could you explain in detail? Tongming didn't completely catch that."
"Oh, it's just..."
Before Wang Yulou even finished, Gu Tongming's face had already turned deathly pale. By the ti he finished, Old Gu was drenched in cold sweat.
'Goddamn it, Wang Yulou, you beast! You're trying to send to my death!'
"There's no need for you to make things so troubleso. Couldn't we just abide by the old precedents as we've always done?"
Old Gu looked at Wang Yulou hopefully, his eyes filled with pleading. You're the heavenly genius of the Behemoth Lineage; nothing will go wrong for you!
But Old An and I, the two unlucky bastards you pushed to the front, we will die! Encroaching upon vested interests would inevitably invite a fierce backlash.
And as it happened, among those cultivators who occupied the positions of vested interests, there was no shortage of powerful beings. This logic was just like how Mangxiang had failed the five discussions on the Golden Core, yet the advantage still remained with the Immortal Alliance's Conservative Faction.
In the world of cultivators, numbers were an illusion; strength was the only truth. A hundred Qi Induction cultivators couldn't defeat a single Foundation Establishnt cultivator.
A thousand Qi Refining cultivators couldn't defeat a single Purple Mansion cultivator. Ten thousand Foundation Establishnt cultivators couldn't defeat even a single Immortal Venerable.
This didn't an that one hundred and one, a thousand and one, or ten thousand and one could win. It ant that in the face of an absolute disparity in strength, numbers were aningless.
Wang Yulou playing the card of "the Great Dao is just" encroached upon the interests of those already relatively strong individuals. Under these circumstances, Xiao Wang hiding behind the scenes might be fine, but Old Gu and An Hening really could end up dead!
"What's wrong? You don't want to do it?"
Wang Yulou couldn't retreat anymore. The overflowing risks of the great war between the two sects had directly crushed Wang Rongyuan to death.
The perilous situation was right here; there was no avoiding it. Furthermore, facing his internal competitor Yan Keyi, and his intra-sect competitors Yi Zouri, Pi Lingxiu, and so on, every single one of these people was an existence far more ferocious than wolves or tigers.
If Wang Yulou backed down, what he would receive wouldn't be carefree freedom, but likely a purge.
Internal strife, when it could no longer maintain a state of "fight without breaking ties," was far more cruel than external conflicts. Having entered the ga and obtained so much leeway, Wang Yulou could not easily extricate himself.
Therefore, he had to be the most loyal Mangxiang guard, demonstrating his value by changing the front-line rit distribution model and promoting a system of equal treatnt and the justice of the Great Dao.
By doing so, he would gain an advantage in the competition within his faction and sect, thereby helping the Ancestral Master inch closer to victory with a higher chance of success. Ten thousand Foundation Establishnt cultivators couldn't kill a Golden Core, but Foundation Establishnt had its own value.
Whether the Immortal Alliance erupted into civil war or not, Wang Yulou couldn't control it and couldn't figure it out.
But right now, the Immortal Alliance hadn't collapsed yet, and the great war between the Sky Serpent Sect and the Red Lantern Illumination Sect still adhered to the Immortal Alliance's bottom line for internal conflicts: the struggle did not escalate to the Purple Mansion level.
In such a perilous situation, Wang Yulou had the opportunity to build his own grand enterprise.
"That's not it, that's not it. It's just a bit sudden..." Gu Tongming said with a miserable face.
The Gu Family was also a Purple Mansion lineage. As an individual at the level of a second elder, he also had the corresponding awareness of where to stand—he had to act properly as a small pawn for the Gu Clan.
Looking at the reluctant Old Gu, Wang Yulou realized that appealing to emotion and reason was useless. These Foundation Establishnt cultivators, just as Pi Lingxiu had said, were incredibly shrewd one by one.
How could they be easily swayed? Ideals and beliefs were useless; he could only use benefits and fear.
With that in mind, he spoke. "Sudden? The war on the front lines is turbulent, Old Gu. Our actions must be as fast as possible.
"I plan to establish the Special rit Hall right here in Yuque Palace. Your and Old An's mission is to help validate the military rits of the cultivators across both front lines.
"Don't ss around and provoke the wrath of both heaven and man. I am already being targeted for pushing this reform. If your hands aren't clean, you'll beco the excuse for others to obstruct . At that point, I estimate I'll only have my stipend docked for a good few years, but what about you?
"You will die! Do your job well: you live, I prosper, and the Red Lantern Illumination Sect wins. Understood?"
'You live, I prosper, and the Red Lantern Illumination Sect wins.' Gu Tongming cursed Wang Yulou as a beast in his heart while cowardly accepting the order. What else could he do? Qiyuan Zhenren didn't pick sides and obeyed all the sect's commands. If Gu Tongming screwed this up and it eventually reached Qiyuan Zhenren, he would be punished.
After all, Old Gu was a mber of the Gu Family, but also not quite a core mber; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to the front lines to take orders from Wang Yulou. Why? Because generation nas and status within the Gu Clan could be bought! Of course, buying them wasn't all that useful. Gu Qiyuan used the family's skin to run a sect; internally, everything was judged by ability.
Another two days later, the disciples from Dripdrop Cave that Wang Yulou had requested were finally sent to the front lines by that bastard, Elder Zhuo Chi.
After Yuque Palace was completed, Wang Yulou used it as his stronghold on the front lines of the great war. Since Wang Yulou was a heavenly genius who had erged from Dripdrop Cave, and they were also the ones he had requisitioned to the front lines, these Dripdrop Cave disciples all ca here to pay their respects.
"Why did you co?"
Seeing Senior Martial Sister Lin Ying coming over with the crowd from Dripdrop Cave, Wang Yulou's mind suddenly went into a slight daze.
Leaving Dripdrop Cave, entering the West Sea, marrying Yingxi, Old Zhou going completely mad, the outbreak of war, the chaos in the West Sea, Shen Guang giving him the Purple Mansion thods, marrying Mingdu, returning to the sect, and heading to the front lines. Everything had happened so fast.
Swept up in the torrent of fate, step by step, Wang Yulou had soared from the very bottom to the ruling echelon of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect as if he were flying.
If there were a ranking for the status of Foundation Establishnt cultivators in the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, Wang Yulou figured he could comfortably secure a spot in the top ten, and breaking into the top five was only a matter of ti.
Looking back at it now, all those political marriages arranged back in Dripdrop Cave were completely superfluous. With fate being so unpredictable, how could Wang Yulou not feel a sense of lancholy?
After many years apart, his Senior Martial Sister was still that sa Senior Martial Sister, her features and bearing forever so dazzling. She wore that Wunan Dream Illusion Dharma Robe Wang Yulou had bought for her.
The magical robe was already stunningly beautiful, no worse than the Myriad Night Eternal Light on Wang Yulou's own body. Worn by Senior Martial Sister Lin, it made her look just like an immortal maiden who had descended into the mortal world, outshining all the Dripdrop Cave disciples beside her until they paled in comparison.
A spiritual artifact robe only ant its grade was higher than a standard magical artifact. In terms of pure aesthetics, a special high-grade magical artifact robe like the Wunan Dream Illusion was vastly superior to many spiritual artifact robes.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so beloved by female Foundation Establishnt cultivators.
"The sect master said that before I go to the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, I should co and see you."
Lin Ying gazed vacantly at her husband, subconsciously blurting out a very thoughtless answer. But she quickly realized it herself and hastily added,
"Also, I've missed you very much."
'I missed you very much... so I ca.'
Wang Yulou waved his hand, and those Dripdrop Cave disciples tactfully took their leave. He walked down from the golden steps, arriving in front of the beauty.
Amidst Senior Martial Sister Lin's bewildered gaze, he swept the long-lost beauty into his arms.
"The Patriarch told I shouldn't have agreed to a political marriage in Dripdrop Cave; that it was a mistake. He is my elder, so I could only smile and nod. But Senior Martial Sister, you know that in my heart, a political marriage was always just a formality.
"The feelings between you and are far more important than any gains a political marriage could bring."
The wedding night that had been delayed for ten years was finally made up for. However, the storm Wang Yulou had stirred up was absolutely not as simple as he imagined.
Looking at the battle report in his hands, Yi Zouri rembered sothing joyful and smiled very happily. The battle report was covered in dense, tiny characters. The na of Wang Rongyuan lay quietly in a remote corner.
"You want to treat everyone equally? Fine, then let the Wang Clan send another Foundation Establishnt cultivator to the front lines! Treat everyone equally, right? The Wang Clan is also a family under the jurisdiction of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, and they have so many Foundation Establishnt cultivators. Sending one more to the front lines is completely fair and reasonable. Since you love taking the moral high ground, I'll play along with you to the very end!"
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