Great Capital · Celestial Treasure Palace.

“The world’s great trends, when divided for a long time will unite, and when united for a long time will divide.”

Yue Dewen stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant mountains.

“Just like the Great Spirit Sect. Years ago, we tried to achieve this great endeavor, but unfortunately, we still failed….”

This is the highest point of the Celestial Treasure Palace, the pinnacle of the Lifeless Clearing Tower.

Standing on this second tallest tower, just below the tallest tower of the Spirit Court in the Great Capital, one can gaze far into the distance, seeing the general outline of the distant capital city.

“Old Yue, what do you want to do?”

A tall figure clad wholly in heavy black armor silently and gradually emerged from behind.

“You should understand, now is not the time.”

Even though he was clad in heavy armor, his every move was utterly soundless.

As if he were not wearing metal armor, but soft clothing.

“I’m so fat, what can I do? What dare I do?” Yue Dewen said with a cheerful smile, pressing his plump hand against the wall beside him.

On the wall was a map of the entire Great Spirit.

His hand, freshly greasy from eating a spiced beef leg, left a clear paw print on it.

Ah, it just so happened to land on the headquarters of the Western Sect and the Zhenyi Sect in the Great Capital.

Thumb on Zhenfo Temple, little finger on Taiji Palace.

“You want to become the second Eastern Sect?” The old voice inside the black armor rang out.

“How is that possible? The Eastern Sect has already collapsed.” Yue Dewen exaggeratedly made a face, as if to say, “Are you kidding me?”

“Then what exactly are you doing all this for?” the elder in the heavy armor solemnly asked, “You are well aware of His Majesty’s intentions. The Zhenyi Sect and the Western Sect are not easy to deal with. Without us, the Celestial Treasure Palace cannot withstand their actions.”

Indeed, without the support of the Snow Rainbow Pavilion, the Celestial Treasure Palace simply could not rival the other two sects.

“I certainly know. Isn’t this just talking for fun, making a joke?” Yue Dewen laughed.

He showed a helpless expression on his face, “Actually, I’m just dreaming. Don’t we already know the current situation? Our Great Dao Teaching…. is ultimately in decline, after all….”

“…” The armored elder was speechless, fine, if you say you’re in decline, then you’re in decline.

“Speaking of which, that kid Qiankun is hiding deep enough… His martial arts prowess is growing so fast. I don’t know what kind of fertilizer he’s using. Even a pig’s intestines aren’t that powerful. Clearly not a normal person.”

Yue Dewen stroked his plump face, squeezing and pressing, seeming to enjoy the feel of the flesh under his chin, playing with it like a stress-relief toy.

“I went to Citong to investigate.” The armored elder said gravely, “Over there, his prestige is very high, and his governance ability is strong. The new Western Sect monks have yet to get the situation under control. It’s unlikely they’ll reach his previous level within a few years.”

“And his martial arts? That kid is always obsessed with martial arts to the point of no return. He clearly knows that once Cultivation of Literature reaches the Refining God late stage, he can worship God and become a Spirit General. Yet he squanders his time and energy elsewhere.” Yue Dewen lamented, “If only he could focus, he might have already reached Nascent Soul Perfection by now. Waste, such a waste.”

“You’re overthinking. Cultivation of Literature isn’t so easy to practice, especially in the later stages. By the way, there seem to be some movements in Zhenyi recently, be careful.” The armored elder warned.

“Hehe, this is the Great Capital, no one dares to behave recklessly here. If there’s a truly safe place in the Great Spirit, it’s only here.” Yue Dewen said indifferently.

“Besides, though I’m old now, I’m not completely without strength to resist, and I still have you by my side. If same-level experts don’t come three at a time, they can forget about it.”

“That’s just saying. By the way, did you notice anything unusual when Qiankun returned this time?”

“A little, he’s grown taller. At this level of height, his physique is noticeably stronger, something’s up.” Yue Dewen nodded as his expression finally became serious.

When it comes to the most concerned disciple, he no longer jokes around.

“I suspect he’s secretly practicing the Golden Toad Skill. There are traces of Minor Achievement in Hard Skill and an Unbreakable Body. This is unreasonable.”

“Yes… The cultivation of Hard Skill requires grinding one’s muscles and bones from a young age, enduring over a decade of hardship; it’s impossible to catch up later and achieve the Unbreakable Body.

So the only explanation is that Qiankun has been secretly practicing Hard Skill for a long time and has high talent.

Later, upon arriving in Citong, thanks to an abundance of resources and money, he quickly broke through.” The armored elder explained.

“Yes, indeed… that kid’s talent is becoming harder to understand. I used to think his martial arts talent was just so-so, but now it seems, maybe it’s quite good?” Yue Dewen mused.

“So you sent him to Jade Void Palace to give it a try?” the armored elder asked.

“Yes, I don’t know much about teaching martial arts; that person is more suitable. My uncle was, after all, a legendary figure eighty years ago. Though he has some issues, his martial arts are indeed superb.” Yue Dewen nodded.

“Eighty years ago, he was ruthless and driven by desire, ultimately failing because he didn’t kill one last sibling. He never managed to enter the full Extreme Realm, only Half-Extreme Realm. After that, he worshiped God and disappeared from public view.

No one knows the extent of his power now after lurking for so long.” The armored elder sighed.

“You’re definitely not going to defeat him, anyway, our Great Dao Teaching is relying on the Elder to hold everything together now. Don’t think about it anymore.” Yue Dewen smiled.

*

*

*

Zhenyi Sect · Taiji Palace.

A nameless tea room, extremely isolated, reserved only for important guests, quietly stood amidst a verdant bamboo grove.

There were no plaques, no grandeur, only gentleness, nature, serenity, and harmony.

This tea house was entirely built out of bamboo, with a stream flowing beside it. Occasionally, birds and bamboo rats would come round and round to drink from the stream, not afraid of people at all.

At this time, Zhenyunzi, one of the Five Sons of Ming Mountain of the Zhenyi Sect, was dressed in a pure cyan Daoist robe, with his white hair tied high on a Daoist crown, holding a white piece in one hand and a black piece in the other, playing chess against himself on a bamboo chessboard.

Suddenly, the white piece in his hand paused, suspended in mid-air.

His eyes were slightly squinted, listening carefully.

The sound of the wind, the sound of water, the chirping of birds, and the rustling sound of bamboo leaves swaying and colliding in the wind.

Among them, there was also an unusual heartbeat mixed in.

Zhenyunzi smiled slightly and closed his eyes.

After three breaths, he opened them.

Seated cross-legged on the cushion opposite the chessboard was now a tall, burly man cloaked in black.

The cloaked man’s head and face were hidden in the hood, revealing only a vague glimpse of his face, covered in burn scars, ugly and hideous.

“Honored guest arriving unexpectedly, my apologies for not welcoming you from afar. Please forgive me.” Zhenyunzi spoke with a smile. He picked up a teapot from the side and poured a cup of green tea for the other with a bamboo cup.

The green tea had already cooled, and seemed to contain some kind of minty sweetness, emitting a faint, sweet fragrance.

“My plan failed.” The cloaked man’s voice carried no emotion, “Humans plan, Heaven laughs. Those fools under me, I originally thought they would scheme against each other again and not join forces to fight the enemy wholeheartedly. But I didn’t expect…..”

“You didn’t expect that it’s not your side’s fault, but rather that the Daoist of the Great Dao Teaching has some skills, right?” Zhenyunzi laughed.

“Forget it, these are past matters, losing so many top experts. I’ve already decided to withdraw from the Great Capital circle.” The cloaked man said deeply, “Earlier, I was intercepted by a mysterious expert from the Celestial Treasure Palace, and got a little injured, so I do need time to recuperate.”

“Mr. Demon Eagle truly has the generosity of the sea; your apprentice was killed, your plan was ruined, many of your good men died. Your businesses were also dug up. Even the layout of the grand plan was delayed and halted because of it. And you were injured as well. Tut tut tut….”

Zhenyunzi’s expression was calm, but his tone carried a strange sarcasm.

“….What? You invited me here just to humiliate me?” The cloaked man’s voice was suddenly more repressed.

“Of course not.” Zhenyunzi shook his head. “Next month, the Snow Rainbow Pavilion rotates its defenses, and the one from the Celestial Treasure Palace should also routinely return to handle family affairs.”

“So what?”

“Are you willing?” Zhenyunzi laughed, “Just Yue Dewen, a fat fool who only knows how to smile all day, managed to mess you up so badly with just a casual layout. Are you willing to be forced to retreat like this?”

“Are you saying?” The Demon Eagle paused slightly.

“Now, we have already secretly negotiated with the True Buddha Temple. We’ve discovered that most of our conflicts are incited by someone behind the scenes. Therefore, regardless of our individual issues, we plan to… take the troublemakers out first.” Zhenyunzi said lightly.

“…” The Demon Eagle remained silent, seemingly contemplating the feasibility.

“This time, you don’t need to worry, no need to act first. The Western Sect and we will take the lead. The origin of the Great Dao Teaching is not in the Great Capital, yet they stubbornly set up a Celestial Treasure Palace here to be an eyesore.

Now, it’s time to drive this guy back home.”

Zhenyunzi said it with such nonchalance, as if it was just dealing with a few insignificant people.

But the Demon Eagle understood.

If they really took action, it must be a coordinated move against the entire Celestial Treasure Palace and its thousands of people.

The scale of it would be indescribable.

Once successful, it could potentially reshape the entire religious layout of the Great Spirit Realm.

“The Celestial Treasure Palace is highly valued by the Spirit Court, how do you plan to handle that?” The Demon Eagle pondered for a moment and then spoke.

“Now is not the past….. Do you really believe that the Spirit Court sent experts from the Snow Rainbow Pavilion to protect the Celestial Treasure Palace?” Zhenyunzi said meaningfully.

“…..” The Demon Eagle had no words to counter, as an elder Grandmaster, he naturally understood the implications of Zhenyunzi’s words.

For years, the Zhenyi Sect and the Western Sect had been fighting, only to realize that they had unknowingly lost significant territories and top experts.

Meanwhile, the Great Dao Teaching had quietly eaten away at many territories during the truce, growing increasingly arrogant in the process.

Now, both sides had come to their senses and decided to teach the Great Dao Teaching a deeply memorable lesson.

“Yue Dewen is not simple, his strength is unfathomable…..” The Demon Eagle said again.

“As unfathomable as he may be, he’s already in his nineties, and he hasn’t deified, what’s there to fear? Even for a Grandmaster, at this age, his Qi and blood both deteriorate, leaving only one-tenth of his strength.

Besides…” Zhenyunzi smiled, “Besides, this time the Western Sect has suffered heavy losses, they’re quite furious, and have decided to deploy two senior monks from the ‘Yuan’ generation for a joint action.”

“….It’s just Yue Dewen, indeed. The opportunity is great.” The Demon Eagle considered carefully, without the covert protection of a Grandmaster from the Snow Rainbow Pavilion, so many people acting together.

With a thunderous strike, the expulsion of Celestial Treasure Palace seemed inevitable.

To kill Yue Dewen, the nominal Sect Leader, would also serve as a thorough warning to the Great Dao Teaching.

To prevent the maniacs from Ze Province from going mad again.

In fact, he didn’t really think the cunning Yue Dewen would genuinely meet his end because of it.

But as long as they injured him, it could significantly shorten his lifespan.

“If the opportunity arises, I will make a move.” With that, the Demon Eagle made a promise.

In his youth, Yue Dewen was formidable, but now, he is old.

Being old and still acting so recklessly, it’s time he understood that in old age and frailty, one should accept the fate of the weak.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep