This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 358 - 356 Assistance from Shen Nong
Outside the God of Death’s Temple.
Wu Wang strolled slowly with his hands clasped behind his back. Young Master stood silently at the temple entrance, carefully emitting a faint divine radiance. This allowed the Resentment Power emanating from the God of Death to dissipate on the spot, so as not to disturb Wu Wang’s contemplation.
At this moment, Young Master had too many things she couldn’t understand. For instance, the attitude of the Heavenly Emperor, Emperor Shun, towards him, and the problem with the mirror—his attitude towards the Heavenly Emperor, Emperor Shun. Could there be hidden truths she was unaware of? The question should be how many hidden truths there were that she still knew nothing about.
Young Master couldn’t help but recall the few words the Heavenly Emperor, Emperor Shun, had said when he withdrew his Divine Skills and retreated...
’Wu Wang, I know I can’t earn your trust at this time. You have always been wary of Heaven Palace and me, the Heavenly Emperor. Just as the beings of the Human Domain are wary of Heaven Palace. This requires communication from both our sides, and a slow search for a balance point between Heaven Palace and the creatures. You have a long way to go. As for me, I will try to keep in step with you, prioritizing what my followers have gained.
’Regarding the matter of the God of Death, you can think of a solution first. If you come up with a solution and have more than ten percent certainty, we can then discuss how to build trust between us. How about that?’
Having said these words, the Heavenly Emperor had chuckled a few times, then nodded in acknowledgment to her, the God of Reproduction, and his figure drifted away.
The flow of time within the Death Temple returned to normal thereafter.
When Young Master looked at the God of Death then, she found the latter seemed to have fallen asleep, her pale and gaunt face now showing a touch of rosiness. This must have been the Heavenly Emperor’s doing, temporarily shielding her from the backlash of the Resentment of Living Beings.
Overall, Young Master felt that the Heavenly Emperor in this state was actually less repulsive than before.
"This really is a troublesome matter," Wu Wang lamented, having stopped pacing and now rubbing his brow.
Young Master asked softly, "Have you thought of an idea?"
"I have a lead, but I’m not sure about the chance of success." Wu Wang thought for a moment, then raised his hand to cast a Barrier to prevent their conversation from being overheard by the Divine Guards in the distance. He said, "What do you think?"
"About what?"
"About what the Heavenly Emperor said just now," Wu Wang sighed. "How trustworthy do you think his words are?"
Young Master pondered deeply for a while. "I don’t know."
"Neither do I," Wu Wang continued pacing and said, "I now have three doubts."
"Which three?"
Wu Wang raised three fingers in succession.
"First, why does Emperor Shun—ahem! Why does His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor think I can accomplish this task? He can stretch a moment endlessly, certainly because he has glimpsed the secrets of the Dao of Time. Does he know something?
"Second, if the God of Death truly becomes a normal Divine Spirit, what does she need to grow stronger? Death? Would the death of a large number of beings in a short period make her incredibly powerful? If it is as the Heavenly Emperor said, his only expectation of the God of Death is to grant the Candle Dragon the feature of ’being able to die,’ would he use means to make the Dao of Death flourish in a short period?
"Third, this question follows the previous one. Is the Heavenly Emperor not afraid of the God of Death?"
Young Master’s beautiful eyes were filled with confusion.
"Sorry, I suddenly said too much."
"Let me think this through." Young Master responded, pursing her lips as she started to ponder, carefully considering Wu Wang’s words. She quickly spoke, "I’ll answer your third question first."
"What is it?"
"The Heavenly Emperor does not have the trait of immortality."
Wu Wang was also taken aback.
"The Great Dao of the Heavenly Emperor is said not to be the most powerful," Young Master said softly. "Otherwise, when confronting the Candle Dragon back then, it would not have been the Star God who stood against it; it would have been His Majesty."
Wu Wang furrowed his brows and gazed intently at Young Master.
Young Master nodded slightly and sent a voice transmission: "Although few people mention this, all the gods in the Heaven Palace now know that the peak strength of the Star God and His Majesty, the Heavenly Emperor, at that time, was closely matched. It’s just that the Heavenly Emperor had a higher reputation and was the leader in resisting the Candle Dragon. The Star God also followed His Majesty’s orders. Consequently, His Majesty became the Heavenly Emperor, and the Star God obtained the Northern Wilderness. If the Heavenly Emperor’s Dao had been the most powerful, given the ferocity of the Candle Dragon, upon discovering this Dao, it would have torn apart the Divine Spirit of that Dao."
"No wonder," realization dawned on Wu Wang’s face as he muttered, "The Heavenly Emperor must feel that his rule is not secure, so he chose your elder brother to keep applying pressure, stripping away ministerial power to consolidate imperial authority. However, immersed in the Great Dao for many years, the Heavenly Emperor has now stepped into the ranks of the strongest using the Dao of Order."
"What do you mean by that?" Young Master asked curiously.
Wu Wang smiled and said, "It’s a simple tactic of power: the Heavenly Emperor picks a Strong God to come forth. Initially, he grants this Strong God substantial actual power to influence all his ministers. Then, little by little, he pressures this Strong God to bow, to retreat, to go from standing to bending, and then from bending to kneeling, to set an example for the other ministers. This Strong God will then become increasingly obedient to the Heavenly Emperor. In turn, he will do everything in his power to establish his own authority, ensuring other Strong Gods remain below him. Thus, the Heavenly Emperor can sit securely atop all the gods, and over time, his own authority will become increasingly substantial."
Young Master frowned slightly, staring at Wu Wang, and murmured, "How do you know so much about this?"
"You are too close to see clearly," Wu Wang laughed. "If I’m not mistaken, your elder brother, when the Heaven Palace was first established, was an elegant and charming God of Lifespan."
Young Master could not help but exclaim in admiration, "You even understand strategic planning!"
Wu Wang was speechless. He had directly confronted the Earth God, hadn’t he! True, the Human Domain’s victory at that time wasn’t exactly honorable. They had ample support, while the Heaven Palace had no geographical advantage in the Southeastern Region. Furthermore, Emperor Shun then only wanted the return of his ’true self’ and didn’t care about the Heaven Palace’s peripheral power loss. All these factors constrained the Earth God.
"We should still think of a method," Wu Wang looked towards the Death Temple, his gaze becoming exceedingly complex for a moment.
Previously, Zhong had already given him hints and confirmed the idea that had surfaced in his mind. This meant that if Wu Wang arranged things according to the idea in his heart, he had a good chance of creating a stable God of Death.
But for the situation of Heaven and Earth, the God of Death was far too critical. To pull at one thing was to affect everything else. Even with Zhong’s reminders, hinting that this was the most beneficial path for him, and that the God of Death would likely be enlisted by the Heavenly Dao in the end, Wu Wang still needed to see all of the issues clearly.
Being muddle-headed was not in his nature! He was the leader of the Heavenly Dao and could not afford to act haphazardly!
So, after thinking intensively for four hours...
The essence of being human is to occasionally play the fool.
Wu Wang looked toward Young Master, who was sitting on the base of a statue at the front of the temple, leaning against the legs of a mythical beast and sleeping. His thoughts gradually settled into calm.
A stable God of Death held extraordinary significance for the order of Heaven and Earth and for all living beings of Heaven and Earth. But the premise was that this force must be contained within a cage, not allowed to act recklessly or be used by the Heaven Palace to threaten living beings; nor must it become a weapon against the Human Domain.
So the key to the issue still lay in how he and Emperor Shun would haggle.
Wu Wang whispered in an exceedingly low voice, "Your Majesty, we can continue our discussion."
Immediately, the surrounding Heaven and Earth solidified, and Emperor Shun’s figure appeared in the corridor behind the temple door, as if he had never left.
"You’ve come up with an idea so quickly? That’s typical of you," Emperor Shun’s voice carried an element of surprise. "How certain are you?"
Wu Wang had been about to say seventy to eighty percent, but considering the complexity of the matter, he calmly said, "Two to three-tenths of certainty should be there."
"Oh?" Emperor Shun’s profound eyes burst forth with a compelling divine light. "If this matter can be achieved, my chances of defeating the Candle Dragon will increase by ten percent. Wu Wang, you may propose any condition you desire." In saying so, Emperor Shun even glanced at Young Master.
Wu Wang wondered, "May I be so bold as to ask, what are Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor’s current odds of victory over the Candle Dragon?"
"Ten percent." Emperor Shun’s eyes were filled with resoluteness. "Order is often replaced by chaos. When the seed of chaos awakened within the Candle Dragon, he was destined to become the ender of this divine era. Moreover, the Candle Dragon has been marshaling his forces in the Outer Sky; his humiliation and rage ensure that he and his subordinates never lay down their weapons. But in the Heaven Palace... the Fire God has perished, the Star God is in danger, and many Strong Gods have long grown weary, corrupted by comfort and ease. The issue with the Human Domain can eventually be resolved; it only depends on how much I am willing to concede to them. Seeking to form an alliance between the strong beings led by the Human Domain and the Heaven Palace is also something I wish to facilitate."
Thereupon, Emperor Shun sighed softly, his gaze becoming somewhat complex for a moment. "Now you understand, Wu Wang, why I am so wary of Cang Xue. You must think that I am concerned only with my own safety, not the order of Heaven and Earth. But think carefully, Wu Wang. If the Candle Dragon returns, unless I can directly defeat him, the only path left for me would be to exile myself into the void. Therefore, Wu Wang, you need not have so many reservations—act freely."
"But I still wish to discuss terms with Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor." Wu Wang nodded thoughtfully and, looking directly at Emperor Shun, said formally, "Once the God of Death raises his scythe upon the Human Domain, I would become a sinner of the Human Domain. I also ask Your Majesty to be understanding. I have come to the Heaven Palace in search of an escape for all beings, and I cannot block all the existing paths. Would that not be abandoning the essentials for the trivial?"
Emperor Shun could not help but let out a wry laugh.
Wu Wang returned it with a polite smile.
The Young Master, in her slumber, furrowed her brows slightly. She vaguely sensed a magnificent Great Dao. Upon this Great Dao stood two figures, quietly confronting each other, neither yielding.
The name of the Dao: Protection.
「Three days later, a message spread from the Heaven Palace, swiftly sweeping across the Nine Wildernesses of the Great Wilderness.」
"Wu Wangzi is about to help the Heaven Palace cultivate a new God of Death."
No one knew who released the message or who was pushing it from behind, but in a very short time, it reached the Human Domain, where it caused a considerable uproar.
Within the Human Emperor Pavilion, several Pavilion Masters hurried over, only to be stopped by Liu Baiyi outside the residence of the Human Emperor. Liu Baiyi was about to rebuke them when Shen Nong’s laughter came from the hall. "Come in. Why stand outside?"
The Pavilion Masters hurried in and were about to speak when they saw the graceful figure standing behind Shen Nong. It was Princess Jingwei.
Liu Baiyi immediately stepped forward and smiled at Shen Nong, "Your Majesty, you seem to be in good spirits."
"Not bad," replied Shen Nong with a chuckle, setting down the Jade Talisman in his hand. "I was just composing the story of Fire God Zhurong. My son has given me quite some inspiration."
Jingwei, standing beside him, couldn’t help but proudly puff out her chest and stand on tiptoe.
Liu Baiyi winked at Shen Nong.
Shen Nong said with a smile, "My son, I need to discuss the affairs of the Human Domain with your uncles."
"Alright, I will take my leave," Jingwei acknowledged. She bowed to Liu Baiyi and the others, then turned and flew out the side door like a spirited bird.
The grand hall was immediately enveloped by Liu Baiyi’s stable and profound Dao presence.
"What is it?" Liu Baiyi looked toward several Pavilion Masters behind him, each of whom pondered for a moment.
Feng Zhizi was the first to speak, "Your Majesty, according to the information sent back by our eyes in the Heaven Palace, the matter has been virtually confirmed."
"We do not doubt Wu Wangzi, but we wonder whether it’s possible that he has misjudged the situation, not fully grasping the dire consequences should this endeavor succeed?"
"Your Majesty, this old servant feels a need to remind Wu Wangzi to handle this matter with utmost caution."
Shen Nong, his eyes reflecting a trace of bewilderment, chided with a smile, "What are you all talking about? Playing charades here?"
"We dare not!"
"Your Majesty," Liu Baiyi said softly, "news has leaked from the Heaven Palace that Wu Wangzi is about to assist in raising the God of Death. This matter was announced by Emperor Shun himself during a congregation of the gods in the Heaven Palace. He ordered the Head Manager, Earth God, and other powerful gods of the Heaven Palace to support Wu Wangzi in every possible way. Wu Wang also greeted the Head Manager and Earth God, asking them to take good care of him. That Head Manager was so angry his face swelled up... so it’s said."
Feng Zhizi added, "We are concerned that Wu Wang might act rashly, falling into Emperor Shun’s trap, getting into a confrontation with the Head Manager, and overlooking the harmfulness of this affair."
"So this is what you were discussing." Shen Nong suddenly chuckled, rummaged in his sleeve for a while, and took out a Jade Talisman, which he tossed into Liu Baiyi’s hand. "Pass it around."
"Yes." Liu Baiyi examined the Jade Talisman with a smile that was not quite a smile and then passed it to Feng Zhizi.
The reactions of the several Pavilion Masters were similar: first sighing with relief, then contemplating with furrowed brows, soon looking slightly embarrassed, their old faces turning red.
"We have wronged Wu Wangzi."
"At such a ripe old age and still so unable to keep calm."
Shen Nong remained silent with a smile.
This Jade Talisman was a letter from Wu Wang to Shen Nong, sent openly from the Heaven Palace and delivered to the Human Domain.
"Asking Wu Wang to step in to help the God of Death was my decision." Shen Nong got up from his seated position, leaning on his wooden staff, and slowly walked down the steps. He spoke slowly, "This letter was brought to the border by the Divine Guards of Heaven Palace, and it was not hidden from the gods there. No matter the content, such actions already demonstrate to the Heaven Palace that he stands with the Human Domain, and stands with all living beings. The Heavenly Emperor is now proclaiming he will give living beings a chance. He says he will allow the strong from the Human Domain to become Main Gods of the Heaven Palace, even offering the promise of eternal life. However, these are all just tricks to divide and manipulate. Wu Wang is clear-minded and respectful towards the Human Domain. He merely stated the conditions given by the Heavenly Emperor and the concessions he had secured. For example, the Dao of Reproduction, the Lifespan Dao, and the Star God’s Dao would be used to place a triple seal on the Dao of Death. Then, this child asked me if he could assist the God of Death in taking form, giving the choice to the Human Domain right in front of the Heavenly Emperor. Having gone to such lengths, what else can we say?"
Liu Baiyi asked, "Can this letter be made public?"
"It cannot," Shen Nong replied. "He is currently constrained by the Heaven Palace. Sending this letter must have already incurred Emperor Shun’s displeasure. If we were to promote this matter widely, wouldn’t that be like using Wu Wang to slap Emperor Shun in the face?"
"Then, the people of the Human Domain will surely protest..."
"You may release a message to the public stating that Wu Wang was sent by me to the Heaven Palace to seek a possibility for the Human Domain to avoid the dark turmoil."
The entire hall suddenly fell silent.
Liu Baiyi urged anxiously, "Your Majesty, wouldn’t this affect your reputation!"
"Living beings are teeming, and many are prone to radical views! They will use the deep-seated hatred from past bloodshed of our predecessors to accuse Your Majesty..."
"It’s just my reputation." Shen Nong chuckled lightly, his gaze settling on the rolling mountains outside the hall, and he said slowly, "My lifespan is finite, but the Human race must not perish. By releasing such information, at the very least, Wu Wang will gain more initiative in the Heaven Palace. As for the reproaches? They cannot penetrate the dust of the earth, nor enter my coffin."
The Pavilion Masters displayed solemn expressions, each bowing respectfully, while Shen Nong let out a slight sigh, his face suffused with tranquility.
