Chapter 153: Cooperation, the Destiny Tribulation Has Arrived!?

Wang Ping did not immediately answer Daoist Xuanhe's question. Instead, he opened his soul sea and displayed the Void Joy Non-Dual Guardian Consort Talisman.

"Hiss..."

Seeing this, Daoist Xuanhe drew in a sharp breath. When he looked at Wang Ping again, his eyes held a newfound respect. After all, most people who courted death so blatantly were already dead.

"The Wisdom King has seen you?"

Wang Ping nodded. "The Great Joy Wisdom King."

"Oh?"

Daoist Xuanhe paused in surprise, then nodded. "Then it seems you are well suited to join Bliss Immortal Peak. Not many catch that entity's eye."

"Do you know what this means? Once the Wisdom King has seen you, they can borrow your body to descend to the mortal realm at any time. Your location is completely exposed to them, and they can search your soul whenever they please... Tell me, you aren't a mole for the Brahma Cultivators, are you? Are you and Kongzhi in this together?"

"Don't worry, Senior."

Wang Ping opened his soul sea further, revealing the Life-Stealing Thief and the Time-Stealing Thief. He smiled. "As for soul-searching, they shouldn't be able to manage that just yet."

"Oh right, I almost forgot you had those two..."

Daoist Xuanhe's expression grew even more complicated. "Indeed. The Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman is extremely unique. It can counteract the mark left by the Wisdom King."

"You are truly bold."

Daoist Xuanhe sighed. "This is walking a tightrope. The moment either the Heaven-Stealing Thief or the Great Joy Wisdom King makes a move, you will fall."

Wang Ping naturally knew this. However, as the saying went, wealth is found in danger. The path of cultivation was one where one general achieves fame at the cost of ten thousand withered bones. Without money or backing, how could he climb higher without taking risks? Besides, with the Outer Heavenly Demon, he had countless lives. He was the most suited person alive to put his life on the line.

Of course, he couldn't explain this to someone without a cheat.

Thus, Wang Ping did not elaborate. Instead, he changed the subject. "Regardless, this mark was left on me by a true transmission of the Brahma Nation. His dharma name is Jin Hai."

"Jin Hai!?"

Daoist Xuanhe's expression changed. "How could it be him... He wants to kill me? Is he trying to prepare in advance for the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle? And he's starting by killing a furnace-watching disciple like me?"

Seeing his reaction, Wang Ping's gaze narrowed slightly.

'It seems Jin Hai is not a nameless nobody to the Immortal Gate either.'

'This works out even better.'

Watching Daoist Xuanhe grow visibly tense, Wang Ping struck while the iron was hot. "I know Senior must be doubting me, thinking I'm lying."

"But are you willing to gamble on that, Senior?"

"Gamble that I'm just telling lies to trick you into cooperating."

Daoist Xuanhe fell silent.

What a joke. As a proper disciple of the Immortal Gate, when it came to matters of life and death, the authenticity of the information didn't matter at all. Even if it was fake, he had to treat it as true!

At this thought, Daoist Xuanhe let out a long breath and lowered his voice. "Speak plainly. I no longer want this position as the furnace-watching disciple of the Eight Trigrams Furnace. But with true transmission Kunyun pressing down on me from above, I can't leave. If you want to cooperate, my only condition is that you solve this problem for me."

Wang Ping shook his head.

"I cannot solve this problem."

Then what was there to talk about?

Daoist Xuanhe immediately stood up and flicked his sleeves, ready to leave. Then, he heard Wang Ping continue, "However, the person who created this problem... perhaps we can find a way to eliminate him."

The person who created the problem?

Who? Me?

Or could it be...

"Hm!?"

Daoist Xuanhe froze. The corner of his eye twitched abruptly. With even greater speed, he sat right back down, staring intently at the perfectly composed Wang Ping.

"You mean...?" Daoist Xuanhe pointed upward.

"Exactly." Wang Ping nodded.

Daoist Xuanhe's gaze shifted rapidly as though he were calculating something. Then, he clenched his fist. "You want to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf—have Jin Hai kill Kunyun!?"

"No, it's not your plan, it's what Jin Hai willingly wants... Compared to killing me, Kunyun is a far better target. So you want to cooperate with me to have me lure the snake out of its hole, drawing Kunyun into Jin Hai's trap... You bastard, you actually want me to betray the Immortal Gate!?"

Daoist Xuanhe stood up for the third time.

"Don't joke around! I am completely devoted to the Immortal Gate. The Brahma Nation and I cannot share the same sky! Your despicable attempts to sow discord as a spy of the Brahma Nation will never succeed!"

Wang Ping merely smiled, saying nothing.

The fact that Daoist Xuanhe was still talking instead of storming off immediately proved that he was actually tempted. The louder his voice, the more tempted he was.

Of course, he couldn't push the man too hard.

"Senior, you misunderstand."

Wang Ping lowered his voice and chuckled. "I have also yearned for the Immortal Gate for a long time. Look at me, I've already cultivated magical power. How could I possibly collude with the Brahma Nation?"

"This is merely an expedient measure. It isn't colluding with the enemy, but rather using the Brahma Nation's people to eliminate a major threat for both of us. Besides, think about it, Senior. Whether Jin Hai or Kunyun wins, the victor will surely be a spent force. If we step out at that moment to kick them while they're down..."

Before Wang Ping could finish, Daoist Xuanhe finished the thought.

"Kunyun dies, and Jin Hai violently perishes..."

The former directly eliminated the person who created his problems, granting him boundless freedom. The latter was a monumental achievement by the Immortal Gate's standards.

"...That sounds incredibly pleasing to the ear!"

For a moment, Daoist Xuanhe's eyes narrowed as he couldn't help but lose himself in the fantasy. However, he quickly regained his clarity and stared straight at Wang Ping.

"Just Kunyun... is not enough!"

Daoist Xuanhe spoke again, instantly throwing his so-called 'only condition' from earlier right out the window. "Helping me is actually helping you."

"Kunyun is a problem for me, but he's an even bigger one for you. You have now inherited the destiny and fortune of the Child of Destiny. These are things Kunyun is determined to obtain... Therefore, strictly speaking, even if I don't cooperate with you, you still have to kill Kunyun. This cooperation is not equal."

Wang Ping's smile remained unchanged, but he cursed inwardly.

'This bastard... his reaction is too fast!'

He could only admit that the caliber of the disciples cultivated by the Immortal Gate was simply too high. When their own interests were involved, their noses were sharper than a hound's.

Fortunately, he still had bargaining chips.

"A true spiritual root."

Wang Ping pointed to his own dantian. "Senior needs this to be promoted to true transmission. It's indispensable. I can offer this spiritual root as compensation for our cooperation."

"And the fortune!"

Daoist Xuanhe pressed on. "In addition to the true spiritual root, you must split half your fortune with me. Those are my terms. Agree to them, and I will cooperate with you."

Wang Ping shook his head.

"Senior is too greedy. That price is too high."

"It's not high."

Daoist Xuanhe lowered his voice. "I am the furnace-watching disciple. Without me sending word, Kunyun won't come. You need my help to succeed!"

Wang Ping narrowed his eyes and smiled. "That's not right, Senior. Isn't killing Kunyun our shared goal? I want to kill him, and you want to do the same. How can you use that as a condition? Of course, Senior could always try capturing me right now and handing me over to Kunyun to complete your task. That would be much simpler."

"...Do you think I wouldn't dare?" Daoist Xuanhe's eyes darkened.

"I wager you wouldn't dare."

Wang Ping remained perfectly composed. Right beside him, a gentle breeze stirred at precisely the right moment. That single gust instantly extinguished every impulsive urge within Daoist Xuanhe.

"Crazy woman... Fine."

Daoist Xuanhe sighed in exasperation. "The conditions stand. At most, I'll compensate you with something else. Don't you want the Taiyin Form-Refining Heaven-Ascending Talisman Scripture?"

"Let's settle on that. How about it?"

As the words fell, Wang Ping was stunned.

A second later, he realized—this wasn't directed at him, but at the First Seat. The First Seat wanted this immortal scripture? He already had the damn thing!

Instantly, Wang Ping sharply raised his voice.

"No!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Daoist Xuanhe furrowed his brow, instinctively preparing to scold him. After all, in his eyes, the real person negotiating with him wasn't Wang Ping.

It was the First Seat standing behind Wang Ping.

However, he soon realized something was wrong... because in the face of Wang Ping's presumptuous outburst, the woman remained completely unresponsive, as if she hadn't heard him at all.

'What is going on?'

This unexpected twist left Daoist Xuanhe somewhat bewildered. 'If my calculations are correct, this crazy woman's lifespan is nearing its end. She should be incredibly anxious.'

'Why is she suddenly staying silent?'

He couldn't figure it out.

But seeing that the woman wasn't speaking, the initiative clearly fell to Wang Ping. Daoist Xuanhe could only go along with it. "Then tell me, what do you want?"

Wang Ping took a deep breath before speaking slowly.

"First, I want to enter the Immortal Gate."

"Not by sneaking in, but formally entering as an independent cultivator. You will claim I am a firewood-stoking disciple for you at the Eight Trigrams Furnace. The identity must be compliant and foolproof."

Daoist Xuanhe nodded without hesitation.

"Acceptable."

It was just an independent cultivator's identity. To him, it wasn't difficult at all. Ultimately, it was just bringing an extra person out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace. It was no big deal.

"Second." Wang Ping sat up straighter, finally revealing his true intentions. "You Xuexin. You must know this true transmission of the Immortal Gate. You are a furnace-watching disciple; it's impossible you didn't know she was refining a magical treasure in Longxing County earlier... I want you to help me find a completely isolated place and take her down!"

"...What did you say?"

Daoist Xuanhe blinked, almost thinking he had hallucinated. "Kunyun isn't enough, you want to deal with Senior Sister You as well, and you want to drag me into it?"

"It's different."

Wang Ping shook his head. "We are killing Kunyun, but not You Xuexin... Don't worry. All you need to do is create a window of time for me to be alone with her."

"I see..."

Only then did Daoist Xuanhe breathe a sigh of relief. The difference between killing and not killing was indeed massive. As long as no one died, there was room to negotiate many things.

Furthermore... if he really participated in ambushing and killing Kunyun, no matter what reasons he had, he would never escape the crime of betraying the Immortal Gate. It would be fine if he wasn't exposed, but the moment he was, death was certain. Thinking about it from that perspective, capturing Daoist Nun You alive didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.

"...Just those two conditions?" Daoist Xuanhe confirmed.

Wang Ping smiled.

"Just those two. Help me capture You Xuexin alive, and I will hand over the true spiritual root. Work with me to lay the trap to kill Kunyun, and Senior can take half the fortune."

"Alright... deal!"

Daoist Xuanhe squeezed the words out through his teeth. Recalling his previous conversation with Kunyun, a sudden look of ferocity flashed through his eyes.

Since you were unjust, don't blame me for being ruthless.

Throughout his life of cultivation, he had never sought out trouble and had always feared it. He valued the word "stability" above all else. But if they weren't even willing to grant him that sliver of "stability"...

Then he had no choice but to put his life on the line!

...

At almost the same time, within the Immortal Gate, out in the vast cosmic starry sky.

Inside a true transmission cave dwelling upon the gaseous planet formed entirely by the power of Divine Powers—a place Daoist Xuanhe had once visited—a young man with a high nose bridge suddenly looked up.

"How is this possible..."

He looked utterly bewildered. His gaze pierced through layers of the void, reaching straight into the torrents of destiny, yet all he saw was a massive, hopelessly tangled maelstrom.

This meant only one thing.

"...My destiny tribulation has arrived!?"