This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 413 - 411: The Biggest Fence-Sitter in the Great Wilderness
Daoist Xiao Jian, at this moment, felt inexplicably guilty.
Inside the large tent, more than a dozen experts from the Human Domain stood before the ninety-nine treasure chests, their hearts echoing with Wu Wang’s parting message to the Wood God. For a moment, they were all rather embarrassed to proceed.
Just moments ago, Lord Wu Wang had instructed them, "I’ll take the Wood God to meet those seven gods, let him verify the goods. You all quickly collect these treasures and hide them well. Later on, let no one mention the existence of these ninety-nine boxes of treasures. Don’t worry, I definitely will not let those seven gods go."
What was this? Brazenly stealing the treasures of the Five Elements Gods? Did they really think the Wood God was without temper?
Daoist Xiao Jian was the first to snap out of it. He cleared his throat, and with a flourish of his sleeve, two Bracelets flew out. Immortal Light cascaded down, gathering all the treasures into the Human Emperor Pavilion.
With calm composure, Daoist Xiao Jian said, "Let’s not stand around stunned, everyone. Go wait outside the grand formation. Guard against any sudden assault from the strong gods of Heaven Palace, in case they injure Lord Wu Wang."
Everyone nodded their heads, but as they walked away, they couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty.
They had fought with Heaven Palace, struggled, and brawled until they were battered and bleeding, but this was the first time they had so openly... taken advantage of Heaven Palace.
It felt quite nice, actually.
An elder asked, "Should we invite some Pavilion Masters over? If the Wood God makes a move, none of us are a match for him."
"Isn’t the Young Master here?"
Daoist Xiao Jian’s Immortal Consciousness swept over a certain tent in the rear camp, and his confidence surged.
Although he didn’t understand how Wu Wang had managed it, the Young Master was getting along so harmoniously with Fairy Ling, chatting and laughing inside the tent. Furthermore, the God of Death named [Bear] Ming was frolicking and playing with several female Immortals of the Xuan Nu Sect...
If Daoist Xiao Jian had to describe this scene, he could only think of the word ’dreamlike.’
"TCH," Daoist Xiao Jian crossed his arms behind his back and couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle. "Tell me, how do you think Lord Wu Wang did this? Among the three great Daos of living beings, apart from the Lifespan Dao, they all stand with Lord Wu Wang."
A middle-aged female cultivator let out a snort of laughter. "And yet you can’t even protect your own junior martial sister."
"That," Daoist Xiao Jian laughed awkwardly, "my junior martial sister has her heart set on someone else. Senior Martial Sister, please don’t say more. Let’s go, let’s go and prepare to support Lord Wu Wang. Even though we can’t see through Wu Wang’s cultivation level now, we must still express our support for Lord Wu Wang and show how much we value him in the face of the strong gods of Heaven Palace."
"Well said."
"Agreed!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
The experts agreed and disappeared from within the large tent.
These ninety-nine boxes of various treasures sent by Heaven Palace had been allocated by Wu Wang to the Human Domain, to serve as consolation for the families of those who died in this war.
「Within the God-suppressing Formation.」
Wu Wang was walking forward with his hands behind his back, the Wood God strolling beside him, leaning on a walking stick. Both maintained faint smiles as if they were old friends of many years, like confidants in an age-old friendship.
The Wood God said with a smile, "God of Spring, you are so bold, bringing this old god here outright. Aren’t you afraid that this old god would just snatch them away and leave?"
"That cannot be," Wu Wang replied in a controlled voice. "Such an act would be of no benefit to Senior, so of course, you wouldn’t do it."
"Oh?"
The Wood God’s smile did not wane, and his voice was quite relaxed. "How could it be of no benefit when it garners His Majesty’s praise?"
Wu Wang said gravely, "For a strong god like Senior, it is the Heavenly Emperor who should be pleased to receive your praise."
"We mustn’t speak carelessly about that, definitely not," the Wood God replied, yet he couldn’t help narrowing his eyes into a smile.
He sighed lightly, the end of his wooden stick tapping gently on the light wall formed by the structure of the formation. His gaze slid past the minor god ahead without causing a ripple. In fact, the Wood God did not even unleash a trace of Divine Thought, appearing as an ordinary elder strolling with Wu Wang through this complex formation, intricately woven with the breath of countless living beings.
Wu Wang, picking up the topic of ’age,’ engaged in a lively conversation with the Wood God.
He had no intention of offending the Head Manager... Ah, forget it, he *did* intend to offend the Head Manager. He felt that the Wood God, in terms of both image and abilities, was more suitable to take charge of the Lifespan Dao than the Head Manager was.
The Wood God said with a gentle laugh, "Growing old is not exactly a good thing; I often feel that there is nothing rare or exciting left in this world, which can be quite dull.
"If it weren’t for the fact that this old god still has some unfinished business, I might have already joined those few old friends, heading beyond this world, wandering amidst the void, following the Third God King into oblivion.
"Alas, this old god ultimately lacks such boldness."
"The Third God King," Wu Wang asked with an innocent and harmless expression, "refers to the most powerful god of the Third Divine Era?"
"Indeed," replied the Wood God with a slight nod, a trace of melancholy in his eyes, murmuring, "He was a true powerhouse."
Right now, Wu Wang was certainly playing dumb to the extreme, far from likely to reveal what he knew, while also hoping to coax some stories out of the Wood God.
He asked, "If the divine era changed... Was the Third God King defeated by the Candle Dragon?"
"HAHAHA."
The Wood God stroked his beard and laughed. Glancing at Wu Wang, he said, "The Candle Dragon hardly has such ability. The realm of the Third God King is beyond what you or I can aspire to."
Previously, the Wood God had been on the back foot because of the matter with the seven gods, led by the nose by Wu Wang. Even with his excellent composure, he was somewhat frustrated. Now, seeing Wu Wang’s face full of ’I never knew such a thing,’ the Wood God couldn’t help but smile proudly.
This was the advantage of living a long life. After all, one could show off in front of the younger generation.
The Wood God spoke slowly, "This matter is a long story, and it actually involves a good friend of mine."
"Your friend is?"
"The great deity Nuwa, the Holy Mother of your Human race."
The Wood God showed a deep sense of nostalgia and continued slowly, "The Human race was created by Nuwa, and only afterward did many Innate Gods of the Third Divine Era create the Hundred Races.
"Nuwa’s creation of the Human race was essentially an inquiry into the Great Dao of Life, the final extrapolation of her own Great Dao. When her Great Dao was perfected, she broke through the void and departed.
"And it was precisely for this reason that many from the Third Divine Era who sought to probe the ultimate secrets of this world embarked on the path to create living beings.
"This is why plants, fish, beasts, and the Hundred Races are fundamentally different."
After pondering carefully for a moment, Wu Wang frowned and said, "I thought the Hundred Races were formed from fallen Innate Spirits."
"You must have seen some fragmentary records," said the Wood God. His smile gradually faded, and he sighed, his eyes filled with deep emotion as he murmured, "Creating living beings, especially intelligent beings like the Human race, is not so easy."
"What? Could it be that the Innate Gods..."
"At that time, because the great deity Nuwa took the final step, a theory spread throughout the world: by creating an intelligent race, one could glimpse the essence of the Great Dao of Life, thereby perfecting one’s own Great Dao and understanding why Divine Spirits exist."
The Wood God’s aged face grew even sadder.
The two gods had reached the edge of the formation but tacitly chose to turn back, continuing to talk as they walked along the side.
The Wood God’s voice became infinitely distant...
"Not everyone had the strength of the great deity Nuwa, but at that time, every powerful god in the world who had some authority was obsessed and crazed with the idea of creating intelligent life forms.
"Eventually, some gods chose their own path, obliterating their followers, the Innate Spirit race, to establish a race with flesh and blood, emotions, and private desires, similar to the Human race.
"Even more ironically, that god indeed glimpsed the essence of life, and his strength improved. Though the improvement was not substantial, it was enough to make other Innate Gods turn on the Innate Spirits.
"It was just a few short centuries.
"The carefree Innate Spirits, whom we Innate Gods had treated as mere Weapons, vanished completely, leaving no trace. In their place were the Hundred Races, dashing around the great earth, struggling to learn how to find food and reproduce.
"The death and injuries were immense."
Wu Wang frowned and asked, "Did the Third God King not stop this?"
"At that time, the Third God King had already departed."
The Wood God sighed, "If he were present, who would dare to act so recklessly? Who would dare to be so numb and heartless?
"But that Divine King, His Majesty, possessed aspirations that soared beyond the heavens. He couldn’t tolerate losing to the great deity Nuwa, with whom he was good friends. He forcibly entered the void, intending to comprehend its ultimate mysteries by contemplating the void, and then he never returned.
"Probably a few thousand years later, his Original Great Dao—the Dao of Time—appeared in the world. The Third God King vanished without a trace; otherwise, the Dao of Time, being his Original Great Dao, wouldn’t have reverted to its primal state.
"Thus, those gods who had long been restless seized the opportunity. Candle Dragon, Emperor Shun, Xihe, and other gods were the first to act against the Innate Spirits, using them as a foundation to create several races that have long since disappeared, thereby enhancing their strength. Other Divine Spirits followed suit."
The Wood God paused, revealing an embarrassed smile, and whispered, "My apologies, my apologies. This old god was remiss and accidentally called His Majesty by his name."
Wu Wang, now completely seeking guidance with a humble heart, spoke in a deep voice, "The Dao of Time, isn’t that the Great Dao of the current Heavenly Emperor?"
"His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, through his own comprehension and continuous cultivation, has only grasped half the mysteries of the Dao of Time. The Third God King was an Innate God born from Time itself; he was a truly mighty being."
The Wood God lamented, "This is also the greatest crisis facing the world today.
"His Majesty is strong enough to be the Heavenly Emperor, capable of suppressing an era. However, His Majesty at that time was not strong enough and left behind a scourge like the Candle Dragon. His Majesty’s semi-mastered Supreme Great Dao, combined with the Dao of Order, is no match for the Candle Dragon’s Dao of Yin Invasion combined with the Dao of Chaos.
"Moreover, the Candle Dragon seeks to destroy the world and restart everything from scratch; destruction is always simpler than protection.
"God of Spring..."
The Wood God paused as if he wanted to say something but then just shook his head with a smile.
Wu Wang felt a tinge of wariness in his heart and pondered over the Wood God’s words. He always felt that the Wood God knew something more, but he couldn’t yet grasp those clues.
Wu Wang thought for a moment and then had a bold idea. Win over the Wood God.
Without showing some sincerity, it would be tough to get any valuable information from the Wood God; the Wood God taking the initiative to go around in circles with him in this formation must have a deeper meaning.
"Senior," Wu Wang quickly stepped forward, blocking the Wood God’s path. He bowed with clasped hands and said in a low voice, "To be honest, Junior is quite perplexed. I am uncertain how to break through the obstacles ahead or what the future holds for all living beings. Please, Wood God, for the sake of the Holy Mother Nuwa, offer guidance to this junior and to the Human race out of this bewildering predicament!"
The Wood God waved his hand and replied urgently, "God of Spring, you are too polite. This old god is merely a piece of old wood. The great trends of this world are beyond my understanding, and I do not know the way forward."
"Senior," Wu Wang hesitated a bit but still took a step forward and reached out to grab the Wood God’s arm, whispering, "Please look, Senior. This is a fragment of my memory from a conversation with His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor."
Then, Wu Wang transferred a spark of Divine Light into the Wood God’s arm. It was his conversation with Emperor Shun. If someone else were to ’read’ it with Divine Thought, they would see the few sentences Emperor Shun had spoken at that time—when Emperor Shun threatened Wu Wang, saying he could leave the position of Heavenly Emperor at any time, hand the world over to the Candle Dragon, and scheme for the Human Domain to deplete the Candle Dragon’s strength, after which he himself would make a comeback.
As for his own secrets, Wu Wang naturally wouldn’t reveal them lightly. The alternation of order and chaos was an inevitable development in the Great Wilderness World. Emperor Shun now wanted to take a shortcut to victory, and the probability of him succeeding in this way was infinitely close to one. It was the kind of situation where victory was all but assured.
The Wood God’s expression did not change, but the look he gave Wu Wang was tinged with more emotion as he said in a low voice, "Our Heavenly Emperor truly is capable of such things."
Wu Wang showed an appropriately helpless expression, released the Wood God’s sagging arm, and whispered, "What should be done?"
"There is no solution to resolve this."
The Wood God shook his head and patted Wu Wang’s arm. "You’re still young and already quite astute and clever. However, His Majesty, after all, became the victor of the Fifth Divine Era by fighting from a position of weakness. In a situation where you are at a disadvantage at every turn, it’s impossible for you to best His Majesty. Child, you should make plans early."
"Plans? What kind of plans?"
Wu Wang smiled bitterly and sighed, "The attention the Heavenly Emperor pays to me is because he wants me to become his spokesperson in the Human Domain, to incite the Human Domain to take the initiative and clash head-on with the Candle Dragon. I went to the Heaven Palace to follow the path of Emperor Fuxi, aiming to change the Heavenly Emperor without disrupting the order of the Great Wilderness World."
"That is actually rather presumptuous."
The Wood God spoke gently, tenderly avoiding the use of the word ’naive.’
The Wood God warned, "If you harbor such thoughts, it’s better not to return to the Heaven Palace at all, as that would merely squander the chances of living beings."
"Then what should I do?" Wu Wang made a deep Daoist bow. "I beseech you to teach me, Senior!"
"This..."
The Wood God stepped aside, not accepting the gesture.
Wu Wang hurriedly took two steps forward and made another deep Daoist bow. "I implore you, Senior, for the sake of the Hundred Races, for the sake of the Holy Mother of the Human race, teach me how to break this impasse!"
"This old god actually cannot guarantee his own safety..."
The Wood God sighed, "If this old god’s other friend were still alive, that would be better. He was always full of strategies, even somewhat cunning. During the Third Divine Era, his few tactics led to the downfall of dozens of strong gods, and he followed the Third God King to the pinnacle of the world’s order. Unfortunately, he followed the Third God King and vanished into the void, leaving no trace. This old god has simply lived a long time. The secret to such longevity is to meddle less in others’ affairs, remain neutral, join whoever establishes order for a while, foster good affinities, avoid generating malice, and seek stability and prudence in all things. In this matter, I truly cannot help you much."
"Who was that great god?"
"The Cloud Dream God," the Wood God spoke softly. "His Great Dao is ’Qi,’ the breath, the origin of all things."
Indeed, Wu Wang thought to himself.
"Alas," the Wood God lamented, then said, "If you wish to avoid disaster for yourself, this old god could indeed lend you a hand. This old god and the Water God—the Candle Dragon’s right-hand, one of the Five Elements Origin Gods—are also close friends. If one day the order shatters and Emperor Shun escapes, this old god will simply not intervene and will seek refuge with the Water God. I can take you along at that time."
Wu Wang: ...
The Water God? It seems he also has some connections.
However, with the Wood God speaking this way, is he deliberately testing me, simply evaluating the situation, or has the Wood God already secretly communicated with the Outer Sky, finding a way out for himself? Wu Wang couldn’t come to a conclusion at that moment, but deep down, he became extremely wary of the Wood God.
If the Wood God was truly as he said, there was no need to deliberately try to win him over. Fence-sitters generally evaluate the situation themselves, and who knew how many Divine Spirits in the Heaven Palace harbored such thoughts.
Didn’t the Candle Dragon start devouring Innate Gods, which then caused the Innate Gods to fight to the death? The ranks of the Heaven Palace truly needed a thorough purification.
He continued to feign deep distress for a while, strolling and idly chatting with the Wood God in this place, so much so that the series of renowned paintings of the Great Wilderness had a new addition: "Each Harboring Their Own Schemes."
It was nothing less.
What Wu Wang didn’t know was that at this moment, the conversation between the Young Master and Ling Xiaolan would have such a significant impact on his life.
「In that tent.」
The Young Master turned his head and coughed twice, choked by the sweet and sour wine.
He looked at the woman before him with some astonishment, momentarily unsure how to answer the question posed by this ethereal Fairy Immortal.
Aren’t customs in the Human Domain regarding such matters supposed to be rather reserved? How come... how come when it comes to this topic, she directly mentions... ’aphrodisiac’...
