"No matter how you look at it, the result has already been determined. Do you really think that if I write a memorial to the throne, it would change the Emperor's insistence?" Mr. Gu, Wang Boan, asked with a calm gaze.
After many years of ups and downs in the bureaucratic life, Wang Boan was no longer the naive young man he was before. As for the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, Wang Boan understood him very well. The emperor was not a King who easily listens to advice.
The reason why he wanted opinions from officials in the court on the cooperation with the Witch Deity Teaching was not to know something in particular, but rather to test the attitudes of the various ministers of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and to know which faction they belonged to.
Therefore, Wang Boan did not really care about writing this memorial because it was meaningless. The emperor wouldn't care about its content, he would only care about which faction you belonged to.
The position he currently held, with millions of troops under his control, could not easily shake the emperor's position under the current Divine Dynasty's system. However, the environment in which Wang Boan found himself was quite sensitive.
With these thoughts and decisions, he naturally had no interest in writing the memorial. Persuading was useless and might invite suspicion from the emperor.
"Bo'an, it seems you will have to write the memorial this time, whether you want to or not."
At this moment, someone entered the army tent and handed a letter to Gu Ji.
After Gu Ji finished reading the letter, a strange smile appeared on his face. He spoke to Wang Boan.
"Brother Gu, why do you say so?" Wang Boan frowned.
Without speaking, Gu Ji handed the letter to him. After reading it, Wang Boan sighed helplessly, "It's even worse than that."
The message on the letter was simple. It was a message passed down by Wang Qiong, the Minister of the Ministry of War. The emperor had dispatched Yan Weizhong, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, to personally tell Wang Boan to respond to the emperor's decision.
So after reading the message, Gu Ji said that regardless of whether Wang Boan thought this matter was meaningless, he still needed to give a response.
Wang Boan was also a little helpless. He did not expect the emperor to be so obstinate this time, even sending Yan Weizhong personally. Given Yan Weizhong's level of devotion to the emperor's orders, it seemed he would have to give the emperor a reply this time.
…
As Wang Boan was anxiously working out a response to the emperor, Pei Xuanjing had quietly returned to Shenxiao Mountain after leaving the Taoist Academy alone.
Shenxiao Mountain was once one of the famous mountains in the world. As the Heaven and Earth recovered, powerful being like Pei Xuanjing resided and attracted innumerable Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, which made Shenxiao Mountain even more prestigious and suitable for cultivation.
With the Heaven and Earth reviving to their peak, Pei Xuanjing, being a powerful entity in this world, had been favored by the will of the Daming World. Therefore, Shenxiao Mountain naturally received more blessing from Heaven and Earth, turning into one of the treasured cultivation places in the world and one of the Taoist Holy Lands.
The moment Pei Xuanjing descended onto Shenxiao Mountain, even though he did not deliberately alarm anyone, many cultivators in the Spirit Realm stationed at Shenxiao Mountain understood the arrival of their leader.
Not because these Spirit Realm cultivators were too strong, or that they could easily sense Pei Xuanjing's every move, but due to the change in the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi around them, and the arrival of the unspoken will of Heaven and Earth, which made them feel that understanding the Taoist Skill became easier.
At this moment, due to the continuous connection between the Small Thousand World Pei Xuanjing opened up and the Daming World, although Pei Xuanjing never agreed to merge the Small Thousand World into the Daming World, the divine favor he received from the Daming World gradually strengthened his authority.
It seemed like the will of the Heaven and Earth of the Daming World was tempting Pei Xuanjing, trying to attract him with these continuously strengthening authorities, hoping that he would offer the Small Thousand World in the end, as a boost for the promotion of the Daming World.
The moment he descended to Shenxiao Mountain, the Divine favor brought by him naturally triggered the transformation of Shenxiao Mountain. While this transformation is subtle, it is quite noticeable for the many cultivators in their cultivation. They almost instantly understood everything.
Pei Xuanjing also easily understood this. He didn't intentionally isolate the divine favor, since, at his realm, if he wanted to, he could completely isolate this force, at least not let ordinary cultivators easily perceive it.
He didn't summon any residing cultivators of Shenxiao Mountain, but just sent them spiritual consciousness, asking them to calmly cultivate. Then, he entered his own seclusion place.
After entering his seclusion place, Pei Xuanjing finally calmed down and recalled the various matters discussed recently with the Witch God Sect Leader.
Eventually, the two reached a cooperation agreement. Although the terms offered differed from what the Witch God Sect Leader initially anticipated, their cooperation was still as expected. At least, for now, both parties were very satisfied.
In addition to the conditions proposed by Pei Xuanjing, the Witch God Sect Leader also needed to provide Pei Xuanjing with enough Heaven and Earth Spiritual Materials and research on Divine Arts and Secret Skills.
Although the total value of these items was somewhat inferior compared with the path which increased the success rate of the Eightfold Spirit Realm cultivators ascending to the omnipotent Nine Realms of Spirit, those things were of no value to Pei Xuanjing. Only the things most suited to him were the most valuable.
"However, according to the Witch God Sect Leader, many powerful beings of the Ancient times have already fallen. Even if they have left behind things that rely on the survival of forbidden places and blessed lands, it's no longer them. They are more akin to a newborn." Pei Xuanjing thought of the words of the Witch God Sect Leader and pondered carefully.
For cultivators who cannot achieve longevity, especially those at the top, once they find their lifespan nearing its end, they naturally wish to go through the cycle of rebirth, hoping to live another life.
The initial fragmentation of the Netherworld Book was caused by powerful beings constantly fighting for it, hoping to use its power to live another life.
However, according to the Witch God Sect Leader, they didn't count these as a success. Even if there were powerful beings using the Page of the Netherworld Book for supposed reincarnation, in reality, they had already forgotten their past lives. This life was more like a new life, with no major entanglements to their past selves.
It was more like a similar leaf growing from a tree, not completely identical.
Based on the information gathered, Pei Xuanjing was clear that even if these powerful entities had left some traps behind, it really had no significant impact. Their rise also required time, and thus did not pose a threat to him and his allies.
"Instead, it's the existence of these Divine Dynasties. They were once endowed with the power to suppress Heaven and Earth. They would not just disappear so easily." Pei Xuanjing still clearly remembered the words of the Witch God Sect Leader.
The various forces of this world were exceedingly powerful. A supremely powerful being at the Nine Realms of Spirit could shatter mountains and rivers, and change the colour of Heaven and Earth with just rage. However, even so, against those Divine Dynasties in their heyday, they dared not express their anger and could only tolerate silently.
This only showed how terrifyingly strong were those Divine Dynasties at their peak.
The silver lining was that even though these Divine Dynasties were terrifying, their strength emerged largely due to circumstances and the sanction of Heaven and Earth. After losing the protection of Heaven and Earth's will, they naturally declined, and could no longer reach their peak.
Moreover, even the most prestigious Divine Dynasties were still trapped at the peak of the Spirit Realm, unable to step into the Immortal Dao Realm.
Therefore, even though the Witch God Sect Leader and others dreaded these Divine Dynasties, they weren't exactly fearful. After all, the Divine Dynasties, which lost the favor of Heaven and Earth, and lacked this sanction, could still be overcome even with their formidable power.
Moreover, the rise of the countless Divine Dynasties in the world often came at the expense of their predecessors. The grudges and conflicts among these Divine Dynasties were much more serious than those between them and other forces.
No one knew whether these Divine Dynasties were still hidden in the world. Even if they did emerge, they would probably be too occupied fighting amongst themselves, and would surely not have the time to deal with them.
Pei Xuanjing set these matters aside for the time being and turned his attention elsewhere. With a flick of his sleeve, the Taixu Mirror appeared in his hand.
Fffff…
The moment the Taixu Mirror appeared, it began to emit a humming sound, as if struggling and resisting, unwilling to submit to Pei Xuanjing.
Of course, this Taixu Mirror was refined at a considerable cost by the Taixu Sect as its sect-protecting magic treasure. It had been consecrated for thousands of years by the supremely powerful Taixu Venerable. As long as he was still alive, it would not easily submit to others.
Had Pei Xuanjing not suppressed Taixu Venerable with the Small Thousand World, and then suppressed the Taixu Mirror with the help of the Small Thousand World, even if Pei Xuanjing killed Taixu Venerable, the Taixu Mirror would have escaped and returned to the Taixu Sect at the last moment.
[Taixu Mirror, refinement will yield 10,000,000 Taoyun points.]
This simulator prompt was a significant temptation for Pei Xuanjing. After all, after his realm breakthrough, the Taoyun value required for life simulation had quickly reached 20 million points. Although he had more than 10 million Taoyun points saved up, those were exhausted by Deer Elder's guidance. Within this period, Pei Xuanjing had only accumulated less than a million Taoyun points, which was far from the needed 20 million points.
"Suppress!"
In the face of the constantly struggling Taixu Mirror, Pei Xuanjing was indifferent. He drew several runes in the void with his slender white fingers. The Heavenly Earthly Force descended and directly suppressed the Taixu Mirror. Without even using the Sanbao Jade Ruyi, he suppressed it.
Even though the Taixu Mirror was a top-tier magic artifact and possessed spiritual intellect, it had no wisdom after all. Faced with Pei Xuanjing's terrifying power, it was ultimately forced to submit.
Pei Xuanjing covered the Taixu Mirror with his Shenxiao Origin Qi, and circulated the power of the Golden Core within him. The power of the spirit began to erode the Taixu Mirror continuously. The Taixu Mirror continued to struggle, but the runes suppressing it on the mirror surface emitted a light that completely wiped out the mirror's struggles and left it meaningless.
"Pei Xuanjing, you deserve to die for trying to refine this seat's Taixu Mirror. Once this seat is out, I will cut you to pieces, shatter your Primordial Spirit, and you will never be reborn for eternity."
Inside the Small Thousand World, the Taixu Venerable, who was constantly being eroded by the forces of Earth Water Wind Fire, was struggling against these forces. He couldn't allow his origin to be extracted and wanted to break the seal and reverse everything.
However, at this moment, he felt the imprint he had left on the Taixu Mirror being eroded. He instantly understood that Pei Xuanjing must be up to something, having suppressed the Taixu Mirror, and aiming to refine it.
This was something that the Taixu Venerable could not tolerate. He had initially thought that the Taixu Mirror had broken away and returned to the Taixu Sect.
Discovering this now, the Taixu Venerable couldn't help but panic. He thought of a terrible possibility – that without his protection, if the Taixu Mirror did not return to the Taixu Sect, then the Taixu Sect would completely lose its suppressing power and be left vulnerable to future threats.
Originally, the Taixu Sect only had him, a supreme being of the Nine Realms. Only by relying on the enhancement of the Taixu Mirror could he move freely among many top forces. Now with him suppressed and the Taixu Mirror not returned, the Taixu Sect would undoubtedly suffer a severe blow to its strength.
"This seat is filled with hatred!"
"This seat should have descended directly in my true body to kill you. Then none of the events of today would have occurred." The Taixu Venerable was filled with remorse in his heart.
He now regretted fearing that the ancestral land had not awakened, and he did not descend in his true form, choosing to take action in an incarnate form, which gave his opponent the opportunity to grow.
If his incarnation was destroyed back then, he should not have hesitated and should have acted directly, descending to suppress and kill Pei Xuanjing immediately. Even if he was injured, it was better than ending up like this.
"It's a pity, you no longer have the opportunity. All of you will become the offering of this Small Thousand World, and your once glorious and respected Taixu Sect, having lost your protection, will also be destroyed." Pei Xuanjing's voice rang in the ears of the Taixu Venerable.
This Small Thousand World was created by Pei Xuanjing, and he was aware of everything happening in it. Even the Taixu Venerable, despite being suppressed, was not to be underestimated as a supremely powerful being of the Nine Realms of Spirit. Pei Xuanjing was always alert, closely monitoring every move he made, ready to respond accordingly.
Hearing the Taixu Venerable's curse, Pei Xuanjing was not angry. Instead, he simply responded indifferently.
However, his words drove the Taixu Venerable even crazier. His energy began to surge as he struggled to break free from the current situation. Sadly, apart from more of his origin being drawn out, his attempts were fruitless.
The power of a Small Thousand World, even a newly born one, was not something a cultivator could contend with.
Watching Taixu Venerable's continual resistance did not concern Pei Xuanjing, instead, his smile grew more abundant on his face.
That was exactly Pei Xuanjing's intention, to provoke the Taixu Venerable. If this Taixu Venerable continued to resist with all his might, even if the venerable could not break free, trying to plunder his source and transform it into nourishment for the Small Thousand World would take an incredible amount of time.
However, at this time, Pei Xuanjing stirred the other party's emotions, angering his Qingxu. The tactic distracted the venerable, allowing the Small Thousand World to speed up the process of refining the Taixu Venerable by drawing on his source, which accelerated the evolution of the Small Thousand World.
…
As time flowed on, it did not stop for anyone. While Pei Xuanjing was refining the Taixu Mirror and accelerating the erosion of the Taixu Venerable, the entire Sky Wasteland began boiling, undergoing many changes.
The Sky Wasteland had always been a temporary dwelling place chosen by many due to the revival of the Ancestral Land. Before the Ancestral Land anvoid, the Sky Wasteland became a holy ground for cultivators due to the abundance of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. However, after the revival of the Ancestral Land, the Sky Wasteland was vastly inferior to the Daming World.
Originally, with the revival of the Ancestral Land, these aging powers would join their Blessed Lands and transfer all their foundations to the Ancestral Land, preceding to maintain their glory. This was a matter of course.
However, with the complete revival of the Ancestral Land on the horizon and the opportunity for them to return, a reckless idea started circulating in the Sky Wasteland. It gained the pursuit of many powers, growing more fervently, as if it was the public's desire.
If the Sky Wasteland was destined to be abandoned, then why not try to integrate the Sky Wasteland into the Ancestral Land, making it a part of the Ancestral Land, to strengthen it further? Would it cultivate more powerhouses? Could it nourish Immortal Path powerhouses?
This idea was proposed by a strong character of the Demonic Way, at first, it was thought to be the greedy nature of the Demonic Way. However, as the idea spread and more people knew about it, it suddenly seemed like the opening of a new world, receiving the research and admiration of countless powerful beings.
Primarily for the top and first-rate powers, they control plenty of secret territories and Blessed Lands. They are well-prepared and can fully transfer the many resources of the Sky Wasteland back to the Ancestral Land without suffering much loss.
However, for the many second-rate powers and independent practitioners, they do not have these resources and cannot undertake such an audacious move. For them, returning to the Ancestral Land implicated abandoning many things and starting anew after returning to the Ancestral Land.
In this addition and subtraction, the gap between them and the top and first-rate powers will not decrease but will continue to increase. In this Great World, no power or person wants to fall behind.
If there was no previous solution and they could only passively endure, then at this moment, it has to be said that this idea has received the admiration of many powerhouses.
There are countless powerhouses in the top powers of heaven and earth, but that does not mean that there are no powerhouses among the independent practitioners. Those independent practitioners who managed to rise did so through various hardships. They may not be superior, but they are definitely on par with the powerhouses of the major powers.
When these independent practitioner forces unite, even many top powers would dare not underestimate them.
Therefore, when this news evolved to the point of today and could not be quelled, many of the top powers could only opt for a peaceful resolution. They invited numerous powerhouses to come together to try to collectively figure out whether this method could be successful.
After all, from their perspective, even with the help of the secret territory and Blessed Land to maintain their roots and return to the Ancestral Land, it also meant that they had to give up many things.
However, if this method works, the gains for them would be greater. So in reality, they were willing to promote this matter and were delighted to see it successful.
Besides this, the powerhouses had another idea in mind. That was the performance of Pei Xuanjing when he suppressed the Taixu Venerable that day, which had given them great inspiration.
At their level, their perception of the will of Heaven and Earth was extremely sensitive. The attention that Pei Xuanjing had received from the will of Heaven and Earth that day was so intense that it was beyond imagination.
If at first, they didn't think about the reason and simply assumed that it was because Pei Xuanjing held the Heavenly Divine Position, then after the event, they suddenly realized that perhaps the reason was that Pei Xuanjing had created the Small Thousand World, offered the Daming World, and finally received the favor of Heaven and Earth.
Therefore, these powers and powerhouses also wanted to have a try, following the footsteps of Pei Xuanjing in creating the Small Thousand World. If they could promote the integration of Sky Wasteland into the Ancestral Land, could they also receive the attention of the Ancestral Land, gain the favor of the will of Heaven and Earth, and receive the blessing of the will of Heaven and Earth to gain greater power?
It has to be said, this is a very tempting idea.
Sky Mechanism Pavilion, although one of the top powers and including the peak powerhouse Master Tianji of the Nine Realms of Spirit, was generally respected because it did not partake in the disputes of Heaven and Earth. They dealt only in intelligence trading, respected by all sides, and entrusted by all.
Therefore, the current meeting spot for all parties was directly decided to be one of the homes of the Sky Mechanism Pavilion, hosted by the Pavilion Master himself.
All the powerhouses of the Sky Wasteland gathered here, along with some powerful independent practitioners. Although it seemed like countless powerful cultivators congregated here, in reality, everyone understood that the outcome of this discussion would still ultimately be decided by the powerhouses at the peak of cultivation.
Regular cultivators of the seventh level of the Spiritual Realm, and even most of the eighth level cultivators, had no room for disagreement after the decisions made by the peak powerhouses of the ninth level.
At the highest peak of the Sky Mechanism Pavilion's residence, the Pavilion Master respectfully stood behind an old man with white hair. The elderly had an ageless face and a vigorous spirit. He held some ancient bronze coins that rolled non-stop at his fingertips. The bronze coins left some unexplainable marks…
The elderly man was no other than Master Tianji, the founder of the Sky Mechanism Pavilion, one of the supreme beings of the Nine Realms of Spirit in today's Heaven and Earth. Even though he rarely acted, he was considered by many as the overlord among the supreme beings.
"Master, the elders should be arriving soon," the Sky Mechanism Pavilion Master said to Master Tianji.