Chapter 406: Divine Being

Liangzhou, Dingyang Prefecture.

“Greetings, my lord!” The civil and military officials bowed in two rows.

“There’s no need for such formalities.”

Li Yu sat at the head of the hall, raising a hand with a smile.

He was none other than the former Huangfeng Stronghold Chief of the Qilian Six Strongholds. The previous Heifeng Stronghold Chief, Song Gong, had been loyal to the Great Yu and let the Black Flood Dragon Army—who were out gathering blood sacrifices—go free. For this, he was executed by Fang Rui. Li Yu, on the other hand, had simply kept his head down and hadn’t gone tattling to Fang Rui. By simply lying low, he had lucked into becoming the leader of a Rebel Army faction.

Now, his position nurtured his presence, and he had developed the aura of a ruler.

If someone with Mastery in the art of Qi-gazing were to look at him now, they would surely discover that Li Yu’s Qi Fortune had taken the form of a python with a bulge on its forehead, a clear sign it was evolving into a Flood Dragon. It was further supported by his military and government, manifesting as an auspicious cloud of black and red Qi Fortune.

“First on the agenda for today’s meeting: the food shortage in Changping County…”

“We’ll allocate grain from Guanghua County…”

…

“The Court has blockaded the trade routes of our Dingyang Prefecture…”

“We can temporarily borrow a route through Yunshang Prefecture…”

…

“There are bandits causing trouble in Gujiang County…”

“Send a hundred soldiers from the Demon Army to suppress them…”

…

One by one, issues were raised, discussed, and resolved.

Just then, someone spoke up. “My lord, we now hold all of Dingyang Prefecture. Our troops are strong and our horses are sturdy. Why not continue to expand outward?”

“That would be difficult.”

A troubled look crossed Li Yu’s face. “The great Demon Ancestor has said that holding a single prefecture is our current limit. Any more, and we’ll be targeted by the Great Yu Court…”

“My lord, I must disagree! Right now, Liangzhou is crawling with Rebel Armies. Even if we expand, we won’t necessarily be targeted…” someone immediately objected.

“Indeed! We were the first to rise up, but we missed our chance and are now being overtaken by other rebel factions. My lord, if we hesitate any longer, we’ll be left behind!” another person lamented, wringing his hands.

“But we have advanced steadily and built a solid foundation, unlike those other rebel factions.”

“The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. The great Demon Ancestor’s concerns are reasonable.”

“This is a struggle for supremacy on the Human Path! Why do we need some Demon Ancestor interfering and telling us what to do?” This was a young man who had joined later and had never witnessed Fang Rui’s terrifying power.

“Insolent! How dare you be disrespectful to the great Demon Ancestor…!”

…

‘There are treacherous officials here trying to harm me!’

‘I only achieved my current glory because I was obedient. If I showed any disloyalty, forget the Great Yu Court, I wouldn’t even make it past the great Demon Ancestor.’

‘Song Gong’s case is a cautionary tale!’

Li Yu thought to himself, his mind clear as he swept a cold gaze across the room, distinguishing who was genuinely considering his interests and who was hiding treacherous intent.

After a round of debate.

He finally spoke. “Enough. Regarding this matter…”

“Report!”

At that moment, an Order Soldier suddenly arrived. “A message from the State City! It is said that the ancestor of the Liao Family, a State City Noble Family, has been executed by the great Demon Ancestor…”

The next moment.

It was as if someone had pressed a pause button; the entire hall fell instantly silent.

These people from Liangzhou all held the lofty Half-Immortal Liao Family in a certain degree of awe and fear. And yet, the ancestor of such a Noble Family, a world-shaking Great Power, had been killed by that mysterious Demon Ancestor?!

A show of force like that was enough to extinguish the little schemes in many people’s hearts.

…

「After the meeting.」

Li Yu returned to his rear courtyard. Recalling his first meeting with Fang Rui, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter, sighing laugh. “I knew from the beginning that the great Demon Ancestor was no mere fish in a pond. And look now… When he doesn’t make a move, all is quiet. But when he does, it’s truly heaven-shaking.”

“A man like a riddle, a man like a god!”

At that moment, the Tribulation Demon Black Eagle that Fang Rui had dispatched returned.

“SCREECH!”

This was an exceptionally strong Tribulation Demon Black Eagle, its wingspan measuring over ten feet wide.

“Honorable Demon Envoy, what instructions does the great Demon Ancestor have?”

Li Yu asked respectfully, cupping his fists.

He knew full well that these ‘Tribulation Demon Black Eagles’ were intelligent. Even setting aside their role as trump cards on the battlefield, he had to provide them with good food and drink to keep them happy, lest they go and tattle on him to Fang Rui!

Moreover, this particular Tribulation Demon Black Eagle was a Thousand Demon General, with strength comparable to an Upper Grade Martial Artist. In a one-on-one fight, he wouldn’t even be able to defeat it.

CLATTER!

A Spirit Ring was tossed down.

“This is from the great one for me?! Someone, come! Serve the Demon Envoy the best food and drink! I must burn incense and bathe before I open the Spirit Ring the great one has bestowed upon me…”

「A short while later.」

Having burned incense and bathed, Li Yu took a deep breath and opened the Spirit Ring.

First was a Golden Decree. When he unrolled it, characters emerged one by one, forming a light projection in mid-air. It remained for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before exploding into motes of light.

“This…”

After reading it, Li Yu’s expression was one of excitement. “The great one means that the Liangzhou Court’s forces are now too busy to handle anything else, so I can continue to expand?!”

“This is an opportunity for the other rebel factions, and it’s my opportunity too!”

He could already foresee a new round of great expansion about to begin. The situation in Liangzhou was about to become incredibly turbulent.

“And also, a Divine Medicine, a Cultivation Technique…”

Li Yu took out a lotus flower radiating a seven-colored brilliance and a single-use Jade Talisman from the Spirit Ring.

“The Seven-Colored Treasure Lotus, and the *True Martial Divine Skill*?”

“The great one is truly generous, to so easily bestow such a great treasure upon me…”

A blazing ambition rose in his heart, but it was immediately replaced by a feeling of powerlessness. ‘From another perspective, isn’t this also a display of the great one’s confidence?’

‘A single man can be the Master of Ten Thousand Beasts; a single action can disrupt the laws of a hundred generations. That is the great Demon Ancestor! Compared to him, I am but a firefly to the bright moon. How could I dare to have any disloyal thoughts?’

…

Naturally, Li Yu’s faction was not the only one to receive Fang Rui’s order to expand and a subsequent investment.

「In the days that followed.」

The various rebel factions that Fang Rui was cultivating, like wild horses with their reins cut loose, unleashed their full power, igniting the flames of war all across Liangzhou.

The war reports came in fast and furious. The Liangzhou State City was shaken by three major alarms a day, and large swathes of territory fell into the hands of the Rebel Armies.

The news even reached the Great Yu Central Hub, drawing attention.

…

「Divine Capital.」

Several Innate Supreme Treasures combined to form a temporary Alternate Space, creating a paradise.

Amidst a hazy, misty rain, surrounded by the boundless spring scenery of a lake.

A majestic man in a Dragon Robe and a White Eyebrow Daoist sat facing each other on a lotus leaf. They were none other than Emperor Yongding of Great Yu and Wuji True Monarch.

“Ancestor, the Liao Family are truly useless. Master Yuanhua is dead, the situation in Liangzhou has spiraled out of control, and the mission to reduce the population has not been completed. They’ve utterly disgraced themselves. It’s a stain on all Half-Immortal Families.”

Emperor Yongding sighed. “I’m afraid our Royal Family will have to clean up their mess for this Qi Fortune harvest in Liangzhou.”

However, although his tone was angry, a closer look would reveal no worry on his face. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the show.

The reason?

In Emperor Yongding’s eyes, the chaos in Liangzhou was nothing. It could be crushed with a flip of his palm. Only from his position could one truly understand the terrifying depth of the Great Yu’s foundation.

Since it wasn’t a real problem, watching a Half-Immortal Family like the Liao Family lose face was pure entertainment.

Besides, cleaning up the Liao Family’s mess was not without its benefits.

As expected, Wuji True Monarch spoke calmly, “Since our Royal Family has to cover for them, we’ll just take the Liao Family’s share of the Qi Fortune from this harvest.”

“Also, what do you make of this leader of the ‘Demon Alliance’?”

“For the Demon Alliance leader to be able to kill the Liao Master—whether it was because the Liao Master was careless or because the Demon Alliance leader set up an ambush with a military formation—it means the man himself is not weak. He must be Super Grade… In the current world environment, how could a ‘wild’ Super Grade possibly emerge? Not to mention, the Demon Alliance leader has a technique for turning beasts into an army, which clearly indicates he has a legacy…”

Emperor Yongding stated decisively, “Therefore, in my opinion, the leader of the ‘Demon Alliance’ must be a member of another Half-Immortal Family.”

“I just don’t understand it. A few days ago, this person caused a scene with the Zhen Family in Wuzhou, so why is he now in Liangzhou making trouble for the Liao Family?”

He shook his head and laughed. “These Half-Immortal Families are truly getting out of hand. Especially at a time like this, during the Qi Fortune harvest, they really don’t know their place.”

“Indeed. If they don’t know their place, then let’s issue a wanted notice.”

Wuji True Monarch said this, clearly intending to let them off lightly.

A Half-Immortal Family that didn’t know its place had broken the unspoken agreement among their kind, which in turn allowed the Royal Family to reap the benefits. One’s position determines one’s stance, after all. They naturally hoped that this ‘oddball’ from a Half-Immortal Family would keep up the good work and cause even more chaos.

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

Just then, five deep, resounding bell tolls suddenly rang out, piercing directly into the temporary Alternate Space.

“Five tolls from the Heaven-Opening Bell… Is the one from the Purple Cloud Pavilion leaving the capital?”

“You know about the peculiarities of the Qi Fortune harvest in Rao State. Yunlan True Monarch is going to investigate… Originally, she went for the matter in Shangluo last time, so it was my turn. But she said she had been still for too long and was itching for some action, so I let her go.”

“So that’s how it is.”

As Emperor Yongding and Wuji True Monarch were talking—

「Above the Purple Cloud Pavilion.」

“KREEE!”

A clear cry, pure as a chime stone, tore through the air and pierced the heavens.

‘The matter in Rao State, and that variable… On this trip, I must determine whether it is one of the Saint Emperor’s arrangements…’

Yu Yunlan’s cool eyes gazed into the distance. She slapped the Phoenix she was riding, and in a flash, they vanished, leaving only streaks of shimmering light that drifted down like jeweled necklaces and flower garlands.

…

「Liangzhou State City.」

“Report! Qu Tao County has fallen!”

“Report! Longtai County has fallen!”

“Report! Daming Prefecture City has fallen!”

…

“More news of lost cities and territories? Then don’t bother saying it.” The Liao Family Patriarch waved his hand wearily.

“No, Father. This time, it’s an inquiry from the Court…”

“Explain our difficulties to the Court. Play up our misery. Ask the Half-Immortal Families close to us to speak on our behalf in the imperial court. We’ll give up our entire share of this Qi Fortune harvest…”

“Father, isn’t that too humiliating?”

“So what? In our current state, we can’t hold onto it anyway. If we give it up willingly, we can at least save some face. If we don’t…” The Liao Family Patriarch shook his head and didn’t continue.

“It’s all the fault of that Demon Alliance leader! If he hadn’t used such despicable means to ambush our ancestor…”

“There’s no need to say that. The winner becomes king, the loser is a bandit. The other party was simply more skilled. The leader of the ‘Demon Alliance’? Heh!”

The Liao Family Patriarch’s line of thought was similar to Emperor Yongding’s. He guessed that the leader of the ‘Demon Alliance’ was either a member of another Half-Immortal Family or someone from the Great Yu Court…

But regardless of which it was, the current Liao Family could not afford to provoke them.

“Third Son, to be honest, as long as that Demon Alliance leader doesn’t come looking for more trouble with our family, I’ll be burning incense in thanks.”

“Father, has our family truly reached such a life-or-death crisis?”

“It’s not that dire. If my guess is correct, the other party won’t try to wipe us out completely.”

A glint flashed in the Liao Family Patriarch’s eyes. “The most urgent task now is for me to inherit the title of ‘Yin Yang Qingwei Master’ as soon as possible and break through to the Semi-Immortal Realm…”

“Then are we to completely ignore the situation in Liangzhou?”

“How can we ignore it? Even if we’re asking someone else to clean up our mess, we still have to show our commitment. Have our family’s experts accompany the army and do their best to contain the situation in the state…”

…

“The green mountains cannot block it; after all, it flows to the east.”

Fang Rui and Xin Xue’Er rode on the back of the Purple Feathered Crane, looking down on the rivers and mountains. “The great trend has gathered and become a surging tide. It can no longer be stopped by human hands!”

“Mhm. The Half-Immortal Liao Family can’t contain the situation in Liangzhou. The Great Yu Court, perhaps they can.”

“However, even if the Great Yu Court does make a move, it won’t be this early. In any case, I’ll definitely get my share of Tribulation Points from this.”

His gambit in Liangzhou was complete. Fang Rui planned to slip away.

This feeling of setting a fire and then running away could be described in one word: thrilling!

As for the wanted notice?

‘The wanted notice is for the Demon Ancestor, Chu the Madman. What does that have to do with me, Fang Rui?’

That’s right. Fang Rui had long since changed his appearance, adopting a new look. Even Xin Xue’Er had been disguised with a Limit-Breaking Level Disguise Technique.

“Uncle, where are we going?”

“To Rao State.”

“Where’s Rao State?”

“Rao State… is just Rao State. Its resources are abundant, and it’s crisscrossed by rivers. Even with the drought and locust plagues in the Three States of the Southwest this year, it has been the least affected. We’ll go and see the local culture and scenery there.”

“SCREECH!”

Beneath the golden morning sun, the Purple Feathered Crane let out a clear cry and soared away, breaking through the sky.