Did Mang Xiang's attempt to ignite an era of civil war within the Immortal Alliance fail?
It was hard to say. From Wang Yulou's perspective, what he saw was that after Immortal Venerable Mangxiang struck, two genuine Immortal Venerables—the Frog Emperor and Zhuzhao—had both stepped in to intercept him.
How should one put it? Wang Yulou had pondered the implications of this event for a long ti before finally deciphering its true aning—no one could stop Mang Xiang on their own anymore, unless they were willing to personally enter the fray.
However, for the Immortal Venerables, it was perfectly fine for everyone on the Gathering Immortals Platform to oppose Mang Xiang together. But asking any one of them to stand against Mang Xiang alone? That would not do.
The crux of this gamble lay in the fact that when the pressure on Mang Xiang beca too great, he would inevitably be more willing to raise the stakes.
After all, Mang Xiang was a figure standing right at the threshold of the Golden Core realm. There were plenty of heavyweights willing to give him a hand. As long as the attacker couldn't crush Mang Xiang into oblivion in a single instant, he would always find an appropriate counterasure.
Entering the fray personally might not stop him, and attacking all together would play right into Mang Xiang's desire to ignite a civil war within the Immortal Alliance.
In Wang Yulou's eyes, the Ancestor's move felt very much like a probe.
The mont Mang Xiang struck, the thousand-li Middle Front instantly stabilized.
Although the arrival of an Immortal Venerable did not an the skies would suddenly clear, it ant the cultivators on the front lines would at least stop fleeing in terror.
Inside the Central Line Defense Pass, Xuanzhuan stood at Mang Xiang's side. Before the two Grand Cultivators, a sparse scattering of good-for-nothings lay prostrate on the ground.
If you were to ask why they weren't packed densely together, and whether it was because they lacked respect for the Immortal Venerable...
Friend, that was not the case.
Although True Person Gua had been turned into a three-legged toad—no, a three-legged golden toad—by Mang Xiang, the Middle Front had been thoroughly razed to the ground when his two previous volleys of the Great Annihilation Immortal Sound struck.
In fact, "razed to the ground" was inadequate to describe the terror of the Great Annihilation Immortal Sound. A Grand Cultivator at the Peak Purple Mansion stage striking without reservation, using the sound-path divine ability he excelled at most...
Under True Person Gua's Great Annihilation Immortal Sound, from the insects in the dirt to the birds in the forest, down to the people living within a radius of hundreds of miles behind the front lines—the vast majority of living beings had been vibrated to death.
The slaughter it caused was not on the level of hundreds of millions, but tens of billions, hundreds of billions.
Under such a terrifying divine ability, how many people could possibly survive on the front lines of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Middle Front battlefield?
How should one put it? Not many.
To give an example, the West Sea rogue cultivators Wang Yulou had brought to the front lines numbered over two thousand. More than half of them had been deployed to the Middle Front, the main battlefield.
After this battle, those rogue cultivators whom Wang Yulou had dragged from the West Sea to the front lines numbered fewer than a thousand.
Correspondingly, the number of people who could lie on the ground and be scolded as good-for-nothings by Xuanzhuan had also decreased by a great deal.
"...I can understand that you couldn't beat True Person Gua, but as the core Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the Central Line Defense Pass, the defensive line you built was flimsier than paper!
"True Person Gua lets out a single cry at the front, and the entire Middle Front collapses as a result. If he had cried a few more tis, would the Red Lantern Illumination Sect collapse too?
"Good-for-nothings!
"No, you're worse than good-for-nothings. Good-for-nothings only need to eat. What about you? The sect entrusted such an important task to you, and what have you made of it?"
Wang Yulou had rushed over with his people in a burning hurry to pay his respects, simply hoping to see the Ancestor and show his face more. After all, the Ancestor was a formidable figure who never liked to reveal himself. Junior disciples of his generation usually had no opportunity to get close.
Yet, the mont he arrived, he witnessed the scene of Xuanzhuan furiously berating the group of good-for-nothings.
As an experienced junior, Wang Yulou knew his place. Thus, he obediently shrank into a corner by the door, refusing to beco the unlucky bastard who would step forward and get sprayed directly in the face by Xuanzhuan.
"...Useless trash! With you acting like this, how can you shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the sect?
"In my view, this war ca at the perfect ti. The Red Lantern Illumination Sect has developed peacefully for so many years, which is exactly why you good-for-nothings were able to reach Foundation Establishnt.
"War is good. Fight on, grind everyone down, filter them out. Those who can't keep up can just die, saving the sect from wasting its resources.
"If you can't step up, there are plenty of others who can!"
Standing behind Mang Xiang, Xuanzhuan was berating them with absolute loyalty. It looked like he was cursing the Foundation Establishnt cultivators as trash, but it was actually all a setup.
A setup for what?
Xuanzhuan looked toward Wang Yulou and said, "I think Yulou is quite good. As long as the Red Lantern Illumination Sect cultivators on the front lines earn military rit, the exact amount can be verified within a week, and the corresponding rit points distributed to them.
"The Special rit Hall grew from nothing to greatness, from a makeshift crew to the anchor that now decides victory or defeat for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect on the front lines of this grand war.
"Wang Yulou, co, step forward. What are you shrinking in the back for? You are past the point where you need to be timid!"
There was no love without cause. Xuanzhuan loved Wang Yulou so much right now because that useless trash Yan Keyi had run away!
Why had the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Middle Front collapsed at a single roar from True Person Gua?
Because that massive idiot Yan Keyi had used the Ethereal River Divine Ability Talisman that Xuanzhuan had bestowed upon the Yan Family.
A divine ability talisman crafted by a Purple Palace Grand Cultivator was more than just powerful. When unleashed, its majestic power looked like the Heavenly River Inversion, and high-level cultivators with good eyesight could damn well see it from three thousand li away!
It was because they noticed the abnormal movent in the direction of the Central Line Defense Pass that the cultivators on both sides of the Middle Front had fled in utter confusion.
Then, Mang Xiang had been forced to strike, clashing directly with the two True Persons.
Yes, given Xuanzhuan's level, his insight couldn't possibly be inferior to Wang Yulou's. He naturally understood that the Ancestor had won big in this round.
But just because the Ancestor won, did it an that Xuanzhuan—who had grood a worker drone only for it to turn into the 'first-to-flee Yan Keyi'—was free of responsibility?
That was absolutely impossible.
Therefore, Xuanzhuan first dumped the bla for the Middle Front's collapse onto these living, unlucky bastards, and then with great fanfare brought out Wang Yulou, the junior under his tutelage, praising and complinting him in every possible way.
Was he trying to reward Wang Yulou? Was he acknowledging Wang Yulou?
Neither. He was purely using the 'outstandingly performing' Wang Yulou to offset the fleeing Yan Keyi.
"True Person, it is simply what Yulou ought to do.
"Thanks to the Ancestor striking, the situation on the front lines did not completely rot away.
"Yulou only hates that his own strength is weak. Otherwise, I would surely have stepped forward to fight that True Person Gua of the Sky Serpent Sect!"
Wang Yulou was incredibly tactful. Understanding Xuanzhuan's interests, he imdiately started singing in harmony with him.
"Enough!"
Mang Xiang finally spoke. Wang Yulou also plucked up the courage, putting on an expression of 'I am listening intently' to take advantage of the mont and sneak a glance at Mang Xiang.
This was the first ti Wang Yulou had seen Mang Xiang's true dharma body. Unlike the last ti he saw Mang Xiang, when it was an avatar made of white mist, the reason the Ancestor could turn True Person Gua into a three-legged golden toad was because his actual body had entered the Macrocosm.
There was nothing particularly extraordinary about Mang Xiang's appearance—he was just a bit taller, a bit handsor, his aura a bit more majestic, and his gaze a bit more unfathomable.
He just looked like a normal young man. Ten thousand years of lifespan had not left a single trace on this founder of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect; he was still just as young.
Mang Xiang's body exuded a unique rhythm. Just by standing there, he possessed a massive attraction, drawing the living beings around him to co closer.
Wang Yulou was more willing to call it vitality. The boundless vitality residing within a ten-thousand-year immortal was a trendous temptation for all cultivators yearning for longevity.
To them, longevity was like flowers in a mirror, moon in water—visible but unattainable. But Mang Xiang was the physical manifestation of longevity itself. How could he not be alluring?
"The grand war between the two sects will likely drag on for a long ti. The situation on the Middle Front must be rectified.
"How about this: Yulou, you will act as the town guard of the Middle Front. Properly sort out the situation here.
"Purple Palace cultivators should not strike again. The success or failure of the Middle Front will determine the outco of the two sects' grand war. You must do this well."
Mang Xiang's phrase "drag on for a long ti" ant that after the endless bloodshed, what followed would be even more endless bloodshed.
Respectfully accepting the Ancestor's grace, Wang Yulou, however, thought of his past affairs in the West Sea.
Compared to the number of cultivators dying in this grand war, purging Shen Guang's lingering poison seed like child's play.
"Ancestor, Master, I—"
At that mont, a familiar voice drifted over.
Wang Yulou did not even need to turn his head to know it was the fleeing Old Yan.
What Xuanzhuan had said was correct; the sect's long-term stable developnt had allowed too many people to easily ascend to high positions.
Old Yan wasn't stupid, but he was also foolish. He usually appeared incredibly shrewd, yet he dropped the ball at the critical mont.
Yan Keyi fleeing first and causing the front line to collapse seed like an accident, but it was the inevitable result of large clans expanding over a long period in a stable cultivation world. That is, the very randomness it displayed was itself the product of inevitability.
"Bang~"
With a soft sound, Old Yan, who had just stepped over the threshold of the main hall, turned to dust in the wind.
There was absolutely no explanation. The Immortal Alliance forbade Foundation Establishnt cultivators from attacking Qi Refining ones, but they never cared if a Purple Palace cultivator attacked their own disciple.
"Trash!"
Only after slaughtering Yan Keyi did the pent-up anger in Xuanzhuan's heart dissipate slightly.
Wang Yulou was slightly puzzled—Xuanzhuan didn't seem worried at all that Yan Keyi's older brother, Yan Keli, would turn the Yan Family against him after reaching the Purple Palace realm.
Why was that?
"Alright, you will all take orders from Yulou and do your jobs well. After I attain the Dao, the sect will need at least twenty Purple Palace cultivators to prop up the foundation for our expansion.
"Those of you who perform well will all have a Purple Mansion opportunity, not just Wang Yulou."
After painting this shocking, pie-in-the-sky promise, Mang Xiang's figure vanished right in front of everyone. He left in an incredibly stylish manner.
This was also one of the marvelous uses of the Formless Art, though Foundation Establishnt cultivators practicing the Formless Art could not achieve anything near the Ancestor's seamlessness.
Mang Xiang's empty promise was like tossing a bundle of dynamite into a cesspit; the entire front line between the two sects exploded.
However, the first to arrive at Wang Yulou's door, eager to collude, was the Southern Front's town guard, Pi Lingxiu.
"Fellow Daoist Jade Palace, we really cannot keep going on like this.
"The low-level cultivators on the Southern Front are running to your side in droves. Across a front line stretching thousands of li, there are barely over six thousand cultivators left. How are we supposed to defend it?
"I reported this to the sect master, and he told to co find you, saying he can't control you.
"Consider this older brother begging you, Fellow Daoist Jade Palace. Please be magnanimous and let off this once, won't you?"
Pi Lingxiu's expression was a sight to behold. His tone was as pitiable as a bullied young bride, falling just short of kneeling down and kowtowing to Wang Yulou.
But... Wang Yulou was very certain that he wasn't here because too many Southern Front cultivators were transferring to the Middle Front.
Old Pi was also a fascinating character. Upon learning of the Ancestor's promise of twenty Purple Palace spots, he was actually considering finding an opportunity to shout a phrase or two of 'Mang Xiang, absolute loyalty!'
Using official business as an excuse to discuss the possibility of defecting to Mang Xiang—from this alone, it was clear he didn't care at all about the number of cultivators on the Southern Front.
In fact, seeking out Huang Qiusheng to have Old Huang manage Wang Yulou was likely a calculated step by Pi Lingxiu.
Old Huang refused, but the matter still needed handling. Old Huang didn't have many options, the simplest of which was kicking the ball back to Pi Lingxiu. This way, Pi Lingxiu had a perfectly justifiable reason to et Wang Yulou.
"Alright, I will issue an order right now to halt the rule allowing Southern Front cultivators to transfer to the Middle Front. Senior Brother Pi can rest easy."
Never expecting Wang Yulou to agree so readily, Pi Lingxiu's preparations all fell flat. He chatted aimlessly with Yulou for a while longer before finally revealing his true objective.
"Fellow Daoist Jade Palace, I wasn't very sensible in the past. Idling away these past few years on the front lines, I've learned a great deal from you.
"To be honest, Fellow Daoist Jade Palace, I want to be friends with you, close friends. If you ever need anything in the future, just co to directly. I, Old Pi, will definitely help you with everything I have."
Yulou, there are too many people outside, and few people here. Your Senior Brother is kneeling to you.
Pi Lingxiu's eyes stared at Yulou, blinking, blinking. Unfortunately, Wang Yulou ignored him.
"Of course. But Senior Brother, Yulou still has matters to attend to today, so..."
Wang Yulou couldn't refuse Pi Lingxiu's attempt to draw close, because this might be the first domino of the Fu Yan faction's insiders defecting to Mang Xiang.
Low-level cultivators required restrictions to transfer fronts, but the core Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the middle ranks actually faced far fewer limitations.
Ultimately, these people—referring, of course, to the likes of Pi Lingxiu—were often uncut gems honed by years of struggle. They could shine brightly wherever they went, so they naturally held value in being roped in.
"Haha, please do as you must, Fellow Daoist Jade Palace."
After leaving the Central Line Defense Pass, Pi Lingxiu stopped smiling.
Purple Palace, Purple Palace, Purple Palace! Three hundred years of seeking the Dao, where is my Purple Mansion opportunity?
Fu Yan, if I attain the Dao, I will surely kill you!
"Patriarch, if I attain the Dao, I'll be able to save you."
Standing before the massive tree that Wang Xianmao had transford into, Wang Yulou's tone was as heavy as his mood.
The old patriarch had survived True Person Gua's Great Annihilation Immortal Sound, but due to the unique nature of special thods like Abandon Body, Transform to Tree, he had lost the possibility of ever advancing further.
Moreover, Wang Xianmao's current condition was steadily deteriorating. In just a short two months, the small tree he had transford into had already grown to four zhang tall.
During this process, the old patriarch's consciousness also gradually dulled. Sotis, Wang Yulou was not even willing to co see Wang Xianmao.
Every ti he saw him, his circumstances seed to grow just a bit more difficult. Wang Yulou naturally knew there was no causal relationship between the two, but he always harbored a kind of hope.
'Save ? I'm doing quite well right now. I'll be returning to the Wild Donkey Plains soon. Watching those silly donkeys every day is pretty interesting, too.
'However, Yulou, how is the investigation into Lian Chengxian's matter coming along? Do you know who the person behind it is?'
Wang Yulou shook his head.
"True Person Mile of Lotus Immortal City killed Lian Chengxian. His answer to was that the matter ends here; they are unwilling to investigate further.
"I have no other options. If I had to guess our enemies, I would guess Yuan Daoshen, Yi Zouri, or Pi Lingxiu, but it is hard to make a judgnt on exactly who it is."
Old Yuan was an old enemy, and Lin Ying was also soone from Dripdrop Cave. However, considering the changes in Old Yuan and Wang Yulou over the years, the chances of him pulling the strings were slim. As for Pi Lingxiu, it was because Yulou was sowhat hesitant about his intentional defection.
Guilty criminals often returned to the scene of the cri to confirm the results.
Old Pi was capable of sending wave after wave of cultivators to the front lines to die just for internal faction struggles. No one could be certain exactly what was going through his mind.
"Stop overthinking it. A cultivator trapped in regret cannot go far.
"Yulou, I can no longer walk the path. You must cultivate properly. Dwell less on regrets and go further. For , and for Xianzhou... take a look at the heights of the cultivation world."
Wang Yulou wanted to say that the patriarch could actually still walk, that the patriarch was wrong. What if there was a way?
But what was the point of saying such things?
"Patriarch, do not give up hope. Do not give up hope."
Wang Yulou preferred to call it vitality. The boundless vitality existing within a ten-thousand-year immortal was a massive temptation to all cultivators who yearned for longevity.
Longevity to them was like flowers in a mirror, moon in water—visible but unattainable. But Mangxiang was the concrete manifestation of longevity. How could he not attract people?
"The war between the two sects will likely drag on for a long ti. The situation on the Middle Front must be rectified."
"Let's do this: Yulou, you will go and serve as the Middle Front town guard, and properly straighten out the situation on the Middle Front."
"The Purple Mansion realm shouldn't strike again. The success or failure of the Middle Front will determine the success or failure of the war between the two sects. You must do this well."
A single phrase from Mangxiang, "drag on for a long ti," ant that what followed endless blood would still be endless blood.
Accepting the Ancestral Master's favor with a respectful bow, Wang Yulou instead recalled his past days in the West Sea.
Compared to the number of cultivators dying in the war between the two sects, it seed that purging Shen Guang's lingering poison was sowhat like child's play.
"Ancestral Master, Master, I..."
At this mont, a familiar voice drifted over.
Without turning around, Wang Yulou knew it was old Yan who had fled.
Xuanzhuan's words were not wrong; the long-term stable developnt of the sect had allowed too many people to easily ascend to high positions.
Old Yan wasn't stupid, but he was also stupid. Usually, he seed incredibly clever, but at the critical mont, he had dropped the ball.
Yan Keyi's behavior of being the first to flee and breaking the defensive line seed accidental, but it was the inevitable result of a great clan's long-term developnt and proliferation in a stable cultivation world. The randomness it displayed was itself the product of necessity.
"Thud."
With a soft sound, old Yan, who had just stepped over the threshold of the main hall, turned to dust with the wind.
There wasn't even an explanation. The Immortal Alliance didn't allow Foundation Establishnt cultivators to strike against Qi Refining, but it had never cared about Purple Mansion cultivators striking against their own disciples.
"Trash!"
Only after killing Yan Keyi did the pent-up anger in Xuanzhuan's heart dissipate slightly.
Wang Yulou, however, felt a bit puzzled—Xuanzhuan didn't seem worried at all that after Yan Keyi's brother, Yan Keli, reached the Purple Mansion realm, he would lead the Yan family to turn against him.
Why?
"Alright, you all will take orders from Yulou and do your tasks well. After I attain the Dao, the sect will need at least twenty Purple Mansions to support the basic frawork of the sect's expansion."
"Those of you who perform well will all have a Purple Mansion opportunity, not just Wang Yulou."
Once the shocking pie-in-the-sky promise was spoken, Mangxiang's figure actually vanished directly in front of everyone, leaving with absolute elegance.
This was also one of the subtle applications of the Formless Art, though a Formless Art cultivator at the Foundation Establishnt stage was far from capable of achieving the Ancestral Master's seamless smoothness.
Mangxiang's promise was like throwing a stick of dynamite into a cesspool; the entire front line of the two sects exploded.
However, the first to find his way to Wang Yulou's door, eager to negotiate, was the Southern Front town guard, Pi Lingxiu.
"Daoist Yuque, we really can't keep doing things this way."
"The low-level cultivators of the Southern Front are running over to your side in droves. Across a defensive line of over a thousand li, there are actually only six thousand-odd cultivators left. How can we possibly hold it?"
"I reported it to the sect master, and the sect master told to co find you, saying he can't control you."
"Consider it this old brother begging you, Daoist Yuque. Please stay your noble hand and spare this once, alright?"
Pi Lingxiu's expression was incredibly dramatic, and his tone was as lodious as an aggrieved young wife, just short of kneeling down to give Wang Yulou a kowtow.
But... Wang Yulou was very certain that he hadn't co because too many Southern Front cultivators were transferring to the Middle Front.
Old Pi was also a clever person. After learning about the Ancestral Master's ntion of twenty Purple Mansions, he was actually pondering whether he could find an opportunity to shout a phrase or two of 'Mangxiang, loyalty'.
Using official business to discuss the possibility of switching allegiances to Mangxiang—from this point of view, he didn't care about the number of cultivators on the Southern Front at all.
Even looking for Huang Qiusheng to have the old sect master manage Wang Yulou might have been a step that Pi Lingxiu had precisely calculated.
Old Huang would refuse, but the matter still had to be handled. Old Huang didn't have many choices, and the simplest among them was to kick the ball back to Pi Lingxiu. In this way, Pi Lingxiu could et Wang Yulou perfectly naturally.
"Very well. I will issue an order right now to halt the rule allowing Southern Front cultivators to transfer to the Middle Front. Senior Brother Pi can put his mind at ease."
Not expecting Wang Yulou to agree so readily, Pi Lingxiu's preparations all fell flat. He chatted idly with Yulou for a long ti before finally revealing his true purpose.
"Daoist Yuque, I wasn't very sensible in the past. Having wasted these years on the front lines of the two sects, I've learned a great deal from Daoist Yuque."
"To tell you the truth, Daoist Yuque, I want to be friends with you, close friends. If you have anything in the future, you can co straight to . I, Old Pi, will definitely help with all my might."
'Yulou, there are many people outside, but few people here with you; Senior Brother is ready to kneel to you.'
Pi Lingxiu's eyes stared at Yulou, blinking repeatedly. Unfortunately, Wang Yulou ignored him.
"Of course you can, but Senior Brother, Yulou still has matters to attend to today, so this..."
Wang Yulou couldn't refuse Pi Lingxiu's approach, because this might be the first domino of the internal mbers of Fuyan's faction beginning to turn toward Mangxiang.
The low-level cultivators wanted to switch fronts, which had to be restricted. But the core Foundation Establishnt cultivators of the middle tier, on the contrary, wouldn't face too many restrictions.
In the final analysis, these people—referring to those like Pi Lingxiu—were often fine talents produced through wasting ti. They could shine and heat up wherever they went, so they naturally possessed the value to be won over.
"Haha, Daoist Yuque, please suit yourself."
Leaving the Central Line Defense Pass, Pi Lingxiu stopped smiling.
'Purple Mansion, Purple Mansion, Purple Mansion. Seeking the Dao for three hundred years, where is the Purple Mansion opportunity?'
'Fuyan, if I attain the Dao, I will surely kill you!'
"Patriarch, if I attain the Dao, I will be able to save you."
Standing before the large tree that Wang Xianmao had transford into, Wang Yulou's tone was as low as his mood.
The old patriarch had survived under True Person Gua's Great Annihilation Immortal Sound, but because of the uniqueness of a special thod like Abandon Body, Transform to Tree, he had lost the possibility of taking a step further.
Moreover, Wang Xianmao's current condition was worsening step by step. In just short of two months, the small tree he transford into had already grown to four zhang high.
During this process, the old patriarch's consciousness also gradually dulled. Sotis, Wang Yulou was even unwilling to co see Wang Xianmao.
Seeing him once made his own situation feel a fraction harder. Wang Yulou certainly understood there was no causal relationship in this, but he always held a glimr of hope.
'Save what save? I'm doing quite well right now. I'll be returning to Wild Donkey Ridge soon. Watching those silly donkeys every day is also quite interesting.'
'But Yulou, how is the investigation into Lian Chengxian's matter going? Do we know who the person behind it is?'
Wang Yulou shook his head and said, "True Person Mile of Lotus Immortal City killed Lian Chengxian, and the explanation he gave was to let it end there; they are unwilling to investigate further."
"I have no choice. If I have to guess the enemy, I guess Yuan Daoshen, Yi Zouri, or Pi Lingxiu. But as for who exactly it is, it's hard to make a judgnt."
Old Yuan was an old grudge, and Lin Ying was also from Dripdrop Cave. But considering the changes in Old Yuan and Wang Yulou over these years, the possibility of him causing trouble wasn't high. As for Pi Lingxiu, it was because Yulou felt so hesitation regarding his intentional allegiance.
A criminal with a guilty conscience would often return to the scene of the cri to confirm the results.
Old Pi could send cultivators to the front lines to die wave after wave for the sake of internal factional fighting. No one could be sure what such a person was actually thinking.
'Stop thinking about it. A cultivator trapped in regret cannot walk far.'
"Yulou, I can't walk now. You must cultivate well, think less of regrets, and walk a bit further. For , and for Xianzhou, take a look at the cultivation world at the high peaks."
Wang Yulou wanted to say that the patriarch could actually still walk, that the patriarch was wrong, and what if there was a way?
But saying such words, what aning did it have?
"Patriarch, do not give up hope, do not give up hope."
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