This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 348 - 346: As long as it doesn’t kill you, go all out!
Emperor Shun became serious.
Emperor Shun has become serious, was the thought that involuntarily surfaced in Wu Wang’s heart as he walked out of the highest Temple in Heaven Palace. This Heavenly Emperor, who had always been lofty, sitting at the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth and merely watching the gods squabble with a smile, had suddenly started to get serious.
Just now, in this Temple, Emperor Shun had delivered a highly provocative lecture. He used self-criticism as a starting point and the general trend of living beings between Heaven and Earth as an excuse, expressing his aspiration to reform the current system of Heaven Palace.
If one were to simplify Emperor Shun’s words, it was essentially about giving living beings a chance.
It was a chance for living beings to join the gods in creating a brand-new order for the world and, under the leadership of the Innate Gods, to elevate their status.
Essentially, however, this was Emperor Shun uniting the gods of Heaven Palace, putting external pressure on them, and further consolidating the Heavenly Emperor’s imperial power.
Wu Wang had initially thought that the gods of Heaven Palace, having lived so long, could surely see through the real intentions hidden beneath Emperor Shun’s rhetoric. But he quickly discovered...
He had somewhat overestimated most of the Innate Gods. Unless these guys were better actors than Emperor Shun!
Those lesser and Main Gods, who left the Temple with inexplicable emotions or even tears of gratitude, had eyes gleaming with hope.
It was as if they saw the great prosperity of Heaven Palace, saw Emperor Shun leading Heaven Palace to withstand the Candle Dragon again, reclaim the Human Domain, and usher in a more glorious epoch for living beings.
Of course, the expressions of the Strong gods were also somewhat excited, but their eyes mostly held a hint of contemplation.
It figured, Wu Wang mused. The Divine Spirits who managed to become Strong gods in Heaven Palace, aside from a very few with a strong ’innate advantage’ in their Great Dao, were all far from simple.
"God of Spring, please come this way."
The Earth God stepped forward again, leading Wu Wang from the Temple gate.
The Earth God showed Wu Wang a gentle smile and, for some reason adopting a tradition from the Human Domain, transmitted his voice directly to Wu Wang, "By His Majesty’s command, we are to change the God of Spring’s residence. His Majesty holds the God of Spring in such high regard, expecting that with your ability, you can build a pathway for dialogue between Heaven Palace and the Human Domain. This is indeed something I had not anticipated. From now on, we serve in the same hall, so I ask that the God of Spring not dwell on past events and offer your guidance in the future."
"The Earth God is too kind," Wu Wang said with a somewhat downcast expression, giving the Earth God a slight bow.
The Earth God showed a warm smile, while Wu Wang’s smile seemed somewhat forced, as if he were carrying a tremendous psychological burden. This was the response Wu Wang delivered with all his might after carefully pondering the mindset befitting ’an heir to the Human Emperor, one who carries ideals and inherits the legacy of Emperor Fuxi.’ His feigned true feelings were expressed naturally, without any hint of affectation or appearing out of place.
The Earth God gazed at Wu Wang for a few moments, continuing to wear that warm and impeccable smile, as his Divine Turtle approached, stopping at the third step before the Temple.
Side by side, the man and the god began to walk. Just as they descended the first tier of steps, a light, sweet fragrance wafted through the air.
"God of Spring?"
Wu Wang paused and turned his head to see the Goddess in a long dress emerging from the Temple gate. Her toes tapped lightly, her jade arms extended, and she floated before them like a feather. Her proper and elegant floor-length dress, shimmering with light, had most of its hemline vanish, reverting to a lively and spirited short black skirt, giving off a completely different impression.
"Young Master," Wu Wang forced an awkward smile.
"I know you might feel upset," Young Master said in a gentle voice. "May I accompany you to your residence? I might be able to offer you some consolation."
The Earth God couldn’t help but wonder, Should I leave then?
"Thank you." Wu Wang bowed, How can I ask Young Master to help lift the seal on my Primordial Spirit? he pondered. I didn’t come to Heaven Palace easily, and naturally, I can’t flee before achieving my goal or making some progress... Oh well, I figure I probably won’t be confined for much longer anyway.
An additional seat had appeared on the back of the Earth God’s Divine Turtle. The Earth God sat casually in the front, leaving the two adjacent seats behind for Wu Wang and Young Master. The seats were somewhat low, and Young Master kept her slender feet together, positioned a bit away from Wu Wang.
Wu Wang sank into his seat, his gaze distant and profound, as if enveloped by a thick nostalgia, facing immense psychological torment.
"Ah," Young Master sighed softly. "I suddenly feel that His Majesty isn’t so... so disagreeable. As the strongest in Heaven and Earth today, it’s already quite an undertaking for him to consider the plight of living beings."
Wu Wang nodded slightly. There you go, one of those "very few" Divine Spirits, he thought.
...
Inside the highest Temple, the Head Manager’s face was as dark as water, his eyes reflecting the Divine Turtle burrowing into the sea of clouds below.
He was furious! His fists clenched tight!
What kind of bewitchment has Wu Wangzi fed my sister? He was clearly putting on an act, garnering sympathy, after just receiving such enormous benefits! He really was!
"Head Manager."
The clear, melodious voice came suddenly. The Head Manager immediately turned to see Emperor Shun, who had not yet left his throne. Within the grand hall, only the ruler and his subject remained.
"Your Majesty!" The Head Manager quickened his pace, his form flickering several times until he was before the throne. "This Wu Wangzi harbors wolfish ambitions! His purpose in coming to Heaven Palace is by no means simple! Why would Your Majesty still employ him?"
"If not him for matters pertaining to the Human Domain, should I use you instead?" Emperor Shun remarked indifferently. The Head Manager’s face turned the color of dark soy sauce, but he was at a loss for words.
"Your concern for her is clouding your judgment, Head Manager. I understand that. However, you need to realize that Young Master is not your appendage. Your protectiveness as an elder brother is admirable, but if matters related to Young Master always leave you discomposed, how will you bear great responsibilities in the future?"
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty," the Head Manager said, his smile filled with bitterness.
"I appreciate Wu Wangzi, partly due to our past friendship and partly because I see a path in him."
"A path?"
"A path to solidify the order of Heaven and Earth through the Power of Living Beings." Emperor Shun chuckled softly, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he slowly descended from the throne. "The Human Domain is filled with hatred for Heaven Palace, yet it can become the final piece of my cosmic puzzle. By giving Wu Wangzi significant responsibility and having him pacify the Human Domain, his reputation there will plummet, costing him the chance to become Human Emperor. It can also show a clear path to the powerful individuals in the Human Domain. What do you think I’ve witnessed in my hundreds, even thousands, of reincarnations within the Human Domain?"
The Head Manager pondered deeply before replying slowly, "The divergence between the strong and the weak?"
"I’ve always had an ace up my sleeve, and now it’s time to use it on the Human Domain." Emperor Shun and the Head Manager stood side by side, the former gazing out of the Temple, the latter with his head bowed in thought.
"Your Majesty, this ace is..."
"It’s you," Emperor Shun said with a slight smile. "Your Lifespan Dao can grant living beings the fortune of prolonged life. This was actually the intermediate strategy I devised long ago, set to be implemented upon Emperor Fuxi’s fall. However, he disrupted it, delaying it for an entire era of Shen Nong."
"You’ve seen the results of our two forceful attempts to reclaim the Dao of Fire. Emperor Suiren bound the Dao of Fire to the bloodline of the Human race. To seize this Great Dao back, one must exterminate the Human race. However, if enough humans are killed, the Dao of Fire will use their souls as fuel. It will then coalesce within a human body in a form stronger than the original Fire God. It happened with Emperor Fuxi, and also with the Shennong Family. Should we suppress the Human Domain once more, the outcome would be the same. Therefore, my Order incarnation, after calculating all possible consequences, chose that path."
The Head Manager’s pupils shrank. Painful memories he wished to forget resurfaced, causing his body to twist in agony.
’You can devour the Great Dao of Death and become the supreme God, the second strongest in Heaven Palace. I give you this opportunity.’
’The Lin Family is a good breakthrough point. Go on, show the Human Domain some of your power.’
’Head Manager, although you have failed, you can still make the ultimate contribution to Heaven and Earth. Sacrifice your Great Dao to complete your sister. Once the Dao of Life returns, I will make your sister a transcendent existence in Heaven Palace, and the world will be completely stabilized.’
TAP!
Emperor Shun’s palm gently landed on the Head Manager’s shoulder.
"The Order incarnation exists only for order; it heavily embodies the will of the Dao of Order. I was trapped in the Human Domain at that time and had not returned. I am not a servant of order, but its master. Since we could jointly establish the current order, we can also surpass the Candle Dragon once more and forge a new one. Our alliance is fundamental."
"That time, you suffered."
"Your Majesty! I—"
"I don’t have many friends. You are one of them." Emperor Shun whispered into the Head Manager’s ear, "Even if this cosmic order lasts forever, what is the point if I sit here alone, merely admiring it? Go rest. Let that confident Head Manager, who strategizes for Heaven and Earth, return. Together, you and I can defeat the Candle Dragon. The Human Domain, by comparison, is a trivial matter."
"Yes! Your Majesty!" the Head Manager called out loudly. A sharp Divine Light gradually bloomed in his eyes, which had been dim for a long time.
"Oh, one more thing," Emperor Shun said with a smile. "Perhaps you should lower your guard and talk more with Wu Wangzi; he’s quite an interesting young fellow. He’s not merely a living being. You can consider him the Star God’s own flesh and blood, one of our kind. You can’t always stay by your sister’s side. Hasn’t she started to grow distant? Haven’t you noticed?"
The Head Manager slowly nodded, his eyes full of contemplation.
...
ACHOO!
In the southern Human Domain, inside Wu Wang’s cave dwelling at the Black Desire Door of the Wind Great Demon Sect.
Lin Suqing covered her nose and couldn’t help but blink. "Does the Young Master need attendance?"
With that, unmistakable worry surfaced in her eyes. She rose from the bed and walked outside the cave dwelling. Lin Suqing glanced at Jingwei’s residence, only then remembering that Jingwei had returned to His Majesty Shennong the previous day. Jingwei had said she needed to improve her dueling skills, so if Wu Wang ever got into trouble, she could go to Heaven Palace and storm the execution grounds or something.
Quite rational, indeed.
After wandering inside the cave for a while, she found Immortal Mu had once again cocooned himself in light. Lately, Mumu’s dedication to cultivation had caused Lin Suqing’s own progress to fall dramatically...
Lin Suqing strolled over to the Maidens’ room, hearing laughter from afar. Through her Spiritual Sense, she saw three of them engrossed in a lively card game with a few female Disciples from the Black Desire Door, so she chose not to disturb them.
I am the head of the Maidens, after all. I can’t just play around with them, she thought, though she felt a little envious.
Humming a cheerful tune, Lin Suqing walked with her hands behind her back over the jade bridge, like a warm breeze drifting through the thick doors of the cave dwelling. She busied herself for a while, brewing a cup of Cha Ming and adding some Spirit Fruit to it, experimenting with different flavor combinations.
Then, giggling, she sat in Wu Wang’s usual spot. Imitating his pose with one leg crossed over the other, she picked up the Cha Ming, blew gently on it, then took a sip, uttering in Wu Wang’s tone, "Hmm—a lingering fragrance between the teeth. Truly the finest."
This was followed by a quiet giggle, her increasingly fair and radiant face filled with contentment.
It was quiet inside the cave dwelling. Lin Suqing drank her Cha Ming, then sat there daydreaming for a while. She thought of the grassland and the two wooden houses, then of her time at the Clear Wind and Moon Sect. All the images slowly faded, coalescing into the figure of that young man wearing a bone hat, his eyes seeming to say, Is that all?
Suqing?
"Yes!" Lin Suqing instinctively stood up, only to find the cave dwelling still empty.
She stood in silence for a moment, then a gentle smile spread across her lips. "Time to cultivate," she said aloud. "I still plan to live for tens of thousands more years."
Soft footsteps sounded, and the light clinking of her Jade hairpin echoed as the woman, wrapped in an immortal skirt, hummed a tune and retreated into an inner chamber in the rock wall. Near the cave’s entrance, the pond’s water rippled gently. Some of its lotuses were already in bloom, while Spirit Fish beneath them swished their tails, diving under the lotus leaves.
...
In Heaven Palace, within a rather secluded yet high-level, vast Temple bathed in golden light.
Wu Wang’s forehead was covered with dark lines as he stood before the Temple door, which was a full thirty feet wide. His lips twitched uncontrollably as he silently raged:
Is this it? Is this the treatment in Heaven Palace? Where is the trust between gods? Can Heaven Palace even function properly anymore? Emperor Shun, that old... old, yet still somewhat handsome Lord of Heaven Palace, explicitly said he’d grant me, the fourth auxiliary god, real power. I was to mediate the relationship between Heaven Palace and living beings. So why couldn’t these restrictions on me be lifted in advance! In such a grand Temple, I have no Divine Power or immortal power. My Primordial Spirit is restrained, so I can’t fully utilize my physical strength. I’m left with mere brute force. How am I supposed to decorate this Temple? How am I supposed to travel? By leaping and bounding between Temples?
"Did the Young Master forget about this?" Wu Wang couldn’t help but mutter as he sauntered into the grand hall allotted as his dwelling.
On the way here, Young Master had chatted with him quite a bit, but their discussion had revolved entirely around how to protect living beings and how to make them peacefully accept the guidance of gods.
Wu Wang had almost wanted to retort, What right do Divine Spirits have to guide living beings?
In terms of understanding the Great Dao, most Innate Gods were inferior to the peak powerhouses of the Human Domain who were aligned with similar Daos. The virtues of Innate Gods? Not to mention anything else, how many beautiful men and women were kept in the various Temples throughout Heaven Palace? On his way, Wu Wang had even seen a few men in the Temples of male gods looking at him with curiosity, sending a chill through his Daoist heart.
Heaven Palace has existed for countless years, long enough for most Innate Gods to become corrupt and degenerate. If I were to consider the problem from Heaven Palace’s perspective, how could I help it reform? Wu Wang pondered deeply. He soon identified an issue that only treated the symptoms, not the root cause: the Great Dao and power of the Innate Gods were completely separated from the God positions they held. Heaven Palace could divide its authority to manage Heaven and Earth, setting up corresponding ’administrative offices.’ Each Innate God would compete for these positions, with evaluations every few hundred years. Of course, matters like frost, snow, and seasonal changes would still be handled by ’specialized’ Innate Gods. Those fixed God positions could certainly be managed this way. Then, Heaven Palace’s efficiency would skyrocket, its full power rapidly mobilized, and subduing the Human Domain would only be a matter of time.
Of course, I would never actually offer these suggestions, Wu Wang resolved. If the Heavenly Emperor later asks me for such ideas, I’ll definitely mention three things: First, centralize power with the Heavenly Emperor. Second, enfeoff the Strong gods. Third, reshape the old gods. My overall approach would be to benefit Emperor Shun, not Heaven Palace or the current order of Heaven and Earth! If my meddling doesn’t break it, then I’ll meddle until it breaks.
Wu Wang stood before the blank eastern wall of the Temple, pondering what to hang there. "Tsk."
A poem full of heroic spirit? No, that would be too high-profile. Besides, poetry is easily misinterpreted, which could be disadvantageous for me. A mural? There’s no suitable scene to depict, and I’m not skilled in painting anyway.
Wu Wang looked at the storage ring on his hand and was suddenly struck with inspiration.
Why not display the great works of Emperor Sanxian here? Although Emperor Shun is currently my greatest enemy, I need to deploy as many smokescreens as possible before we have a complete falling out. Later, when I can open my storage ring, I’ll hang paintings by Senior Sanxian on all four walls! What a scene that would be!
"Does the God of Spring find this place satisfactory?"
A bit of golden light bloomed, and even before Xihe’s figure appeared, her majestic yet gentle voice was already echoing in the hall.
