Chapter 131: Returning to Canglan, Plotting Against the Bright Palace

Chapter 131: Return to Canglan, Plotting the Light

"Twenty years from now, the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons will open. I wonder if we can hold out until then." At this moment, He Wu's eyes held a trace of reminiscence.

"With the soul artifact left by our master, what does Your Honor have to fear?" Ling Yayi, also known as Nangong Dagou, was as flippant as ever.

"But... Your Honor commands ten thousand Sovereigns from the Ten Thousand Demon Realm." He Wu swallowed hard as he spoke.

Ten thousand Sovereigns—the very number sounded terrifying.

All the Sovereigns in the entire Liufeng Realm combined wouldn't reach that many.

Not to mention that the Northern lands were even stronger than the Southern.

Here, they simply couldn't hold out for long.

Hearing this, Ling Yayi's expression also turned grave: "In twenty years, our master will come here. I don't know... Ah, though I long to see him, I still hope he doesn't enter."

The Blood Lord was powerful, born divine.

Given enough time, their master might surpass His Honor, who possessed the Fate Tablet.

But that His Honor had no martial virtue, colluding with the Ten Thousand Demon Realm, commanding nearly ten thousand extra Sovereigns.

How could they fight that?

If ten thousand Sovereigns struck together, even the White Emperor would perish!

Their master was strong, but not that strong.

Though it was said that their master's innate divine ability was a Sovereign killer.

When the ability was unleashed, the Sovereigns of Liufeng Realm would have their heart demons burst forth, utterly defenseless.

But those ten thousand Sovereigns came from the Ten Thousand Demon Realm.

Their master's innate divine ability couldn't instantly kill them.

"Palace Lord of Tianxin Palace, do you hope our master comes in?" Ling Yayi looked at Ning Tao.

If there was anyone in this world their master cared for, it was Ning Tao.

Ling Yayi no longer muttered about their master remembering his name.

Even if he did, it would be Ling Yayi, not Nangong Dagou.

He Wu also looked at Ning Tao.

Ning Tao held a blood-colored longsword, her eyes clear and empty: "Hope and yet not hope."

Perhaps the golden canary hoped; she did not.

Meanwhile, deep within the fortress.

Bai Ze sat cross-legged in the deepest depths, his body like crystal, translucent and flawless.

Countless images from the Mirror of Ten Thousand Demons flooded into his mind, pain flickering in his eyes as a wisp of black aura silently rose.

At that moment, the Heartless Lotus emitted a faint radiance, dispersing the wisps of black energy emerging from his forehead.

Bai Ze's eyes regained some clarity: "Do not dwell on this matter. The urgent task... is to resolve the crisis of the Ten Thousand Demon Realm and Shang Yanran."

After about a dozen breaths, a Great Sovereign entered: "White Emperor, in recent days, His Honor's offensive has weakened—besieging without attacking. I wonder what it means."

Speaking of this, the Great Sovereign's face was full of worry, uncertain whether this was good or bad.

Besieging without attacking meant short-term safety, with no need for anyone to be wounded or die in battle.

But if His Honor launched a general assault, it would be a fierce strike, and likely none here could withstand it—Liufeng Realm would be in peril.

Bai Ze's gaze shifted, and finally he said helplessly: "Is she... waiting for our master?"

Twenty years later, the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons would open.

Their master would surely enter that gate.

"Yanran... killing cannot resolve the demonic calamity." Bai Ze sighed softly.

After the Buddha became a demon, the Great Demon was imprisoned within the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons.

But in the hearts of all people, demonic calamities had multiplied.

As the demonic calamities grew, this world would descend into utter madness.

When they reached a certain number, all living beings in Liufeng Realm would have no path to survival.

In his view, Shang Yanran had gone to the North to start the conflict between North and South, hoping to eliminate the demonic calamities in the mortal world through slaughter.

He did not support it, yet he could not stop it.

He always believed that killing could not resolve the demonic calamity.

There must be a better solution.

"Master... it would be best not to enter the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons."

...

In the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, within the Palace of Ten Thousand Demons.

Shang Yanran wore a simple white robe, her eyes narrowed, a faint smile playing on her lips.

The Sovereigns in the palace trembled with fear.

"Please punish me, Your Honor. It is my fault for failing to guard the Mirror of Ten Thousand Demons, allowing the White Emperor to seize it!" The Great Sovereign of the Violet Eye Hall knelt on the ground without any dignity, his spine quivering.

The Mirror of Ten Thousand Demons was one of Shang Yanran's treasures.

"Heh heh..." Shang Yanran laughed, making the Violet Eye Great Sovereign even more terrified. "What crime have you committed? If I hadn't deliberately let him obtain the Mirror of Ten Thousand Demons, how could he have gotten it?"

The Violet Eye Great Sovereign was stunned but still kept his head low, daring not to say a word.

Shang Yanran waved her hand in annoyance, and the Violet Eye Great Sovereign quickly rose and left with a sigh of relief.

The vast palace was left with only Shang Yanran.

Her eyes seemed to smile and yet weep.

She murmured to herself, looking quite sorrowful: "Husband, in the illusion, it was clearly our life together."

Sorrow turned into madness.

"Why, when I accompanied you in killing, accompanied you in dying, in the end... when you woke, you wanted to kill me?"

"Why... would you not even let me see your treasures?"

"Is it you who will redeem me, or I... who will possess you?"

A flicker of greed passed deep in Shang Yanran's eyes.

Bai Ze was the Buddha, the Great Demon!

And she... was the enchantress; enchantress was only one of her identities.

Back then, when Qi Yuan stepped into the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, the illusion he fell into was the Great Demon's countless lifetimes.

Only, it was Qi Yuan who played the role.

Qi Yuan was in the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons; the golden canary was in the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons.

In days past, she had accompanied the Great Demon through lifetime after lifetime, bringing calamity upon all living things, until the Great Demon awoke one day and sought to execute her.

Her grand schemes had turned to nothing but empty space.

"The Great Sun Light Buddha Child!"

"The Great Sun Golden Lotus!"

The greed in Shang Yanran's eyes grew even more intense.

The Great Sun Golden Lotus was the very sarira left behind when the Great Sun Light Buddha attained parinirvana.

If she could obtain the Great Sun Golden Lotus, her true form would be reshaped into a flawless, crystalline golden body.

This golden body would be imperishable in the presence of gods, indestructible as a diamond.

Once she achieved this mastery, the snake would swallow the dragon, and the Flowing Wind Realm she had plotted over for so many years would truly be devoured by her, completely becoming her paradise.

"For the sake of this world, you had better... give the Great Sun Golden Lotus to me!"

...

Within the City of No Return.

Qi Yuan sat there in withered solitude.

The broken sword in his hand continuously harvested the demonic abominations.

A helpless expression appeared in his eyes: "It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance to frugality. What kind of dog shit demonic abominations are these now?"

Nowadays, the demonic abominations on the conveyor belt did not even include Supremes.

There were only Terrestrial Myths, interspersed with a few protectors of the realm level abominations.

This made Qi Yuan, who had grown accustomed to eating the finest meats and drinking the strongest wines, feel somewhat maladjusted for a moment.

Finished with his complaining, Qi Yuan's hand gave a shake, and an ancient, simple stone tablet fell into his palm.

This stone tablet was the sub-tablet of the Tablet of Destiny, also known as the Tablet of Deceit.

[Sub-tablet of the Tablet of Destiny, its spirit has perished, buried in the hand of the Buddha.]

Every day, Qi Yuan would take out the Tablet of Destiny to glance at it, seeing if he could obtain any useful information.

He had not expected that the information obtained today would leave him somewhat surprised.

"Does the Tablet of Destiny have an artifact spirit?" Qi Yuan pondered, "Where is it now?"

Qi Yuan did not have many entanglements with the Tablet of Destiny.

But they had crossed paths a few times.

"Is it you... stirring up the wind and rain?"

Qi Yuan's gaze was profound.

There were still twenty years remaining before the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons would open.

Guarding the City of No Return would present almost no errors.

Twenty years translated to the Azure Billow Realm was a mere two days; he could even log off once.

Of course, before logging off, matters had to be properly settled.

"These twenty years, I must develop diligently and manufacture a few more Supremes.

After all, the enemy has ten thousand Supremes, while the Blood Palace only has thirty thousand Supremes. I do not feel at ease in my heart." Qi Yuan lacked a sense of security.

It was just like when he was at the Divine Light Sect, oppressed by the powerful Palace of Light.

He would shiver all over, unable to sleep at night.

Only by manufacturing more Supremes could he feel a greater sense of security.

"Big brother, the matter you entrusted to me has already been taken care of!" Chen Huan walked in, an excited expression upon his face.

After Qi Yuan returned from the White Emperor Palace this time, he officially became the number one hegemon of the Flowing Wind Realm, the Blood Lord.

This time, Chen Huan followed Qi Yuan's instructions to issue the Blood Decree!

Proclaiming to the world that demons from the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons were invading, and any Terrestrial Myth could come to the City of No Return to listen to the Blood Lord expound the Dao, step into the realm of Supreme, defend the Flowing Wind Realm, and march upon the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons!

"How many people do you think will roughly come to my Blood Palace?" Qi Yuan inquired.

"Roughly, at least fifty or sixty thousand, right?" Chen Huan guessed on the lower side.

The number of Terrestrial Myths in the Flowing Wind Realm was actually very, very large.

It could be said to be ridiculously large.

It was simply not something a world like the Flowing Wind Realm ought to possess.

"Fifty or sixty thousand, barely enough to scrape together an army of one hundred thousand," Qi Yuan muttered. "I just hope I do not make a mockery of myself like the Martial God of the Great Ming."

If that happened, his reputation would be ruined and his name dragged through the mud.

Chen Huan listened to Qi Yuan speak words he could not comprehend, a foolish grin upon his face. One hundred thousand Supremes?

He had never even dared to imagine it!

What kind of spectacle would that truly be!

"Big brother, when we march upon the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, bestow upon me the title of Grand Marshal. Your little brother also wishes to leave his name in the annals of history!"

"No problem." Qi Yuan nodded.

These were all minor matters.

People, after all, normally possessed a bit of vanity.

Chen Huan's expression was excited: "This battle will surely be victorious, shutting the Realm of Ten Thousand Demons outside our gates!"

Hearing this, Qi Yuan suddenly grew intensely nervous: "A matter of grave importance goes awry!"

"Big brother, what is wrong?" Chen Huan also grew somewhat anxious.

"If I remember correctly, when I was expounding the Dao a while back, was there not a Supreme named Wang Zhen?"

"It seems there was... Big brother, what is wrong? Could it be that there is something amiss with him?" Chen Huan hurriedly questioned.

"For this great war, do not let him go." Qi Yuan's expression was solemn.

"...Is he a spy?" A murderous intent flashed through Chen Huan's eyes.

"Not so, his name is inauspicious." Qi Yuan remarked, "If Wang Zhen is present, would I not become the true Martial God of the Great Ming?"

Chen Huan: "..."

He had already tried very hard, so why could he still never keep up with his big brother's train of thought?

Qi Yuan, on the other hand, felt his own decision was exceptionally wise and divine.

Upon the Blue Star, Zhu Qizhen, the Martial God of the Great Ming, under the egging on of the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, the eunuch Wang Zhen, led an army of two hundred thousand on a personal expedition, only to be defeated by an army of thirty thousand, with the Emperor Zhu Qizhen captured alive, known in history as the Tumu Crisis.

His current assault on the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, how incredibly similar was it to that?

"Anyone named Wang Zhen, I will not allow them to set out with our army!" Chen Huan declared.

Qi Yuan cast an appreciative glance at Chen Huan: "It is still you who understands me."

Chen Huan instantly broke into a radiant smile.

Now, he no longer thought of calling Qi Yuan "adoptive father"; it was better to call him "big brother."

After all, among those who had joined the Blood Palace, none dared to call Qi Yuan "big brother"—they all wanted to call him "adoptive father" or "godfather."

Even the White Crane senior, whom Chen Huan once had to look up to, he now outranked by a generation.

"I'm logging off to do something big. Remember to recruit more Land Mythicals!" Qi Yuan's expression turned grave again.

He had a premonition that this game was about to be cleared.

He would soon face the terrifyingly formidable Bright Palace.

He had to persist in his plan, for only then could he barely contend with the Bright Palace.

What a pity he couldn't take the people of Flowing Wind Realm out with him; otherwise, he'd bring his thousand-man suona band, block the Bright Palace's mountain gate, and play suona for them every day until they were sent off!

With Xiao Jia in his arms, Qi Yuan found a spot, dug a large pit, and leaped in, holding her close.

When the scene shifted, Qi Yuan was back in his familiar wooden cabin.

In his mind, countless memories and images surged like mountains and seas.

Qi Yuan's head ached.

"Forget!"

He immediately activated his innate divine ability, the Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra.

Only then did the memories subside, and his headache eased considerably.

"The Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra is truly a treasure. If I returned to Blue Star, I'd be the best doctor in the world—earning a million a month, marrying a fair maiden, and reaching the peak of life."

Used on dementia patients, it made them forget their dementia, and they became normal.

It was practically a miracle cure.

"Indeed, the innate divine ability I comprehended is still here."

"That soul artifact..."

Qi Yuan felt a stirring.

If he wished, he could summon the blood-colored longsword inscribed with the Heart Demon's Allure of the Void Realm's Sovereign.

But for now, the people of the Ten Thousand Demon Gate still needed that sword to face the enemy, so he naturally wouldn't do that.

Putting aside the game's affairs, Qi Yuan began to seriously scheme against the Bright Palace.

"In the game, I learned a trick: post to smear the Bright Palace!" Back then, Purple Heaven Mystic Maiden had constantly smeared him, calling him a great demon. He killed her, took her essence, and learned the art of smearing.

"I need to post curses in the Divine Flower Society, but I don't have any alt accounts." Qi Yuan was very cautious.

You couldn't curse with your main account; if discovered, he'd be finished.

Alt accounts?

He didn't have any!

"Junior Sister, save me!" Qi Yuan shouted, running out of the wooden cabin.

In the thatched hut, Jiang Lingsu opened her eyes, looking helpless: "Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

"Junior Sister, do you have any alt accounts for posting in the Divine Flower Society? I need help, urgent help!" Qi Yuan said anxiously.

Jiang Lingsu stared at Qi Yuan: "Speak human language!"

She had no idea what her senior brother was talking about.

"It's just alt accounts!" Qi Yuan kept explaining, and after several dozen breaths, Jiang Lingsu finally understood his meaning.

"What do you want... alt accounts for?" Jiang Lingsu asked, then added, "Forget it, I won't ask. I can give you some accounts.

But... these accounts aren't cheap. How will you repay me?"

Hearing this, Qi Yuan's heart leaped with joy: "Junior Sister, you're truly a living bodhisattva who saves the suffering."

His junior sister was like a golden thigh, always granting his requests.

"How about I renovate your thatched hut into a high-end wooden cabin like mine?" Qi Yuan pondered seriously.

Jiang Lingsu's mouth twitched: "Anything else?"

Then Qi Yuan whispered secretly: "I have an inside scoop to tell you."

In his past life's stock market, leaking inside information was illegal.

Qi Yuan was cautious.

"What scoop?" Jiang Lingsu grew interested.

"The Bright Palace... is doomed!" Qi Yuan said furtively.

"Ah?" Jiang Lingsu was stunned.

"A peerless prodigy is about to strike against the Bright Palace. Within three months, the Bright Palace will fall.

Now, go borrow a huge amount of spirit stones from the Bright Palace—you're sure to make a killing.

I know a few big shots who each borrowed hundreds of thousands of spirit stones from the Bright Palace." Qi Yuan used the Iceberg Dominatrix as a bluff.

"Really?" Jiang Lingsu was surprised.

She hadn't heard any such news.

"Absolutely true. If I'm lying, I'm a dog!" Qi Yuan said earnestly.

"Then I'll trust you this once. I'll go borrow a few hundred thousand spirit stones from the Bright Palace at high interest, just for pocket money." Jiang Lingsu said casually.

Qi Yuan couldn't hold back: "Junior Sister, how about investing in me?"

A few hundred thousand spirit stones, just pocket money.

Qi Yuan suddenly understood why Knife was always rummaging through trash piles.

His junior sister's trash pile was richer than his own home.

Comparing people, why was the gap so huge?

After obtaining a few jade-slip alt accounts from Jiang Lingsu, Qi Yuan felt quite pleased.

"I need to create some formidable personas!"

"Each persona will curse the Bright Palace loudly, putting pressure on it!"

Qi Yuan thought, registering several alt accounts.

He also racked his brains for suitable persona names.

Seven Desires Demon Lord, Blood-Robed Sword God, Mad Daoist...

"The Mad Daoist doesn't suit my style, but I need to design alt accounts that don't match me, so they won't connect them to me."

Qi Yuan praised his own cleverness.

Using the Blood-Robed Sword God account, he entered the Divine Flower Society's forum.

"Oh, why are there so many clickbait titles now?"

The first time I entered the forum, the post titles were all proper and restrained, sticking to the rules. Now, a bunch of them start with "shocking."

Qi Yuan felt like clicking on all these posts to see what had happened.

But then he remembered he had serious business to attend to and couldn't afford to browse.

Qi Yuan pondered, then posted his first thread.

"The Sword God Returns Home to Find His Daughter Living in a Doghouse—the Radiant Palace Has Gone Too Far!"

"I am the Blood-Robed Sword God, who once fought for Emerald Cloud Continent, guarding its borders, shedding blood and sweat.

A month ago, my communication jade chimed. When I answered, I heard my daughter's tearful sobs!

...

When I returned home, I discovered my beloved daughter living in a doghouse!

And all of this was caused by the Radiant Palace!

They stirred up a bloody war among a hundred nations, bullied commoners at will, and seized my cave dwelling. I, the Blood-Robed Sword God who bled for Emerald Cloud Continent, found my daughter in a doghouse!"

"I, the Blood-Robed Sword God, will surely seek justice!"

After posting, Qi Yuan quickly logged into another of his alt accounts to bump the thread.

"The Radiant Palace has done every evil deed. I am also a rogue cultivator from one of the hundred nations.

Though I am called the Seven Desires Demon Lord, I am kind-hearted. I don't even kill chickens—I keep a flock of stray chickens.

This time, an envoy of the Radiant Palace came to my country, took a liking to my chickens, and directly snatched them to cook and eat.

They didn't steal my chickens—they stole my family!"

After posting, Qi Yuan carefully reread it, growing more satisfied with each reading.

He felt his literary talent was brilliant; back on Blue Star, he could land a job as editor-in-chief of the People's Daily.

"I need to speed things up a bit," Qi Yuan thought, deciding to leverage the power of the Four Flower Emperors to have them bump his thread.

One more chapter, probably around nine o'clock. Sorry, sorry.

(End of chapter)