This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 415 - 413: Your Highness, Have Pity

Seize the opportunity to display myself as the inheritor of the Star God?

After the Heavenly Dao minor meeting concluded, Wu Wang sat in his tent for a long time without moving, pondering how to implement this strategy.

Many thoughts rose from the depths of his heart, only to be negated one by one.

Yun Zhongjun had given him a few suggestions: deliberately provoking a dispute with the Strong Gods and highlighting the figure of the Star God during a duel; or moving more often within the Heaven Palace and changing the slogan "I am here to change Emperor Shun" to "I come to reclaim the status that belongs to the Star God."

But regardless of the method, it would affect Emperor Shun’s attitude towards him and trigger a series of changes. His situation in the Heaven Palace might transform from its current smooth sailing to one of extreme difficulty.

But the smooth sailing today is just the foreshadowing of future difficulties. If I felt the resistance from Emperor Shun now, it would show that this path could truly threaten him. This is what gambits are all about.

Wu Wang thought quietly for half a day, and the general plan was set. Now I just lack an opportunity. I need to find an opponent within the Heaven Palace who is my equal. Beat the Thunderstorm God once more? That could be considered. Other opponents, like Liu Guang, are too swift; it would be easy to be countered during spars.

Many thoughts flowed through Wu Wang’s heart until his Immortal Consciousness detected Xiao Jian Daoist arriving on a cloud. He then stopped pondering, swung his legs off the bed, smoothed the hem of his long robe, and called out, "Daoist brother, please come in."

Xiao Jian Daoist, who was about to announce his presence and ask if it was convenient to enter, showed a slight smile at the words, bowed his head, and entered the tent.

Xiao Jian Daoist said, "Wu Wang, there is a small matter. In the Southeastern Region, more than thirty clan leaders would like to meet with you."

"Meet?" Wu Wang asked.

"You could consider it their audience with you," Xiao Jian Daoist said warmly.

"The Southeastern Region is actually controlled by the Human Domain but nominally supervised by the Heaven Palace. Emperor Shun had decreed for you to govern the Southeastern Region. The Human Domain is now also integrating the various forces of the Southeastern Region to become your followers.

"Now that you’ve returned, you could take the initiative to summon them.

"In doing so, the upcoming integration of the Southeastern Region could be achieved with half the effort."

Wu Wang gave it some thought and then agreed.

Xiao Jian Daoist suggested that he appear as a Divine Spirit, creating a profound and mysterious atmosphere—such as descending from the sky, wreathed by the Treasure Wheel—to awe the clan leaders.

However, Wu Wang laughed and corrected him, "To consolidate their allegiance, it’s not about treating these leaders as followers to be cultivated. The clan leaders stand in different positions than their clan members.

"When dealing with them, we should be more frank, letting them see tangible benefits.

"They already know how powerful the Human Domain is and how easily the Human Domain could obliterate their clans. We shouldn’t pressure them but rather engage in a partnership with them.

"To grow strong together, after all."

Xiao Jian Daoist pondered for a moment and then smiled, "That’s indeed a good approach."

"As for the details, Daoist brother, please arrange them," Wu Wang said seriously. "There’s no need for excessive pomp. If there are leaders of Large Family Clans worth drawing to our side, arrange for them to sit closer to me."

"Excellent."

Xiao Jian agreed, then added, "You need not concern yourself with such minor matters. Rest assured."

Wu Wang inquired about the reactions within the Human Domain, from top to bottom, regarding the recent battle in the Southeastern Region. Xiao Jian Daoist truthfully replied that the Human Domain was relatively calm.

Many people had wanted to kill those seven Innate Gods, holding them accountable for the bloodshed the Human Domain had previously suffered. However, when the Human Emperor Pavilion announced that retaining these seven Innate Gods was more beneficial to the Human Domain and that they could become allies for Wu Wangzi in the Heaven Palace, those voices of opposition quickly subsided.

With the Heaven Palace no longer secretly fomenting dissent or causing disarray, the entire Human Domain became more peaceful and united.

That night, on the edge of the great formation, a grand feast officially commenced.

Under Xiao Jian Daoist’s arrangements, squadrons of Immortal Soldiers escorted over a hundred experts from the Hundred Races.

The clan leaders from the more than thirty clans who had already pledged allegiance to the Human Domain came either with their spouses or with their sons and daughters, hoping to secure a promising future within the Human Domain.

These clans from the Southeastern Region had been secretly sending their young people to the Human Domain for cultivation for quite some time. As a result, many Cultivation Methods had spread to the Southeastern Region.

However, even if they obtained these Cultivation Techniques, not everyone could practice them.

The Human race itself had a majority of its people who could only live as mortals with lifespans of just a few hundred years.

Moreover, the Cultivation Methods of the Human race were diverse. Aside from the generally applicable Spirit Gathering and Body Refining Techniques, the Human race held an advantage in Cultivation methods involving Spiritual cultivation and comprehending the Great Dao.

In summary, the Human Domain’s influence on the Southeastern Region had been ongoing for many years. The current rapid integration of such a multitude of forces was also due to the groundwork and contributions of those who came before.

Regrettably, Ling Xiaolan, personally appointed as the ’commander-in-chief’ by the Human Emperor, was absent from this banquet as she was not currently in the Southeastern Region.

Wu Wang had left a seat beside him for her and waited all night, but she never appeared.

Cups clinked, and merry songs filled the joyous banquet.

Experts from the Hundred Races, each with unique appearances, continually approached Wu Wang to pay their respects, offer toasts, and speak words of praise. Wu Wang responded with a smile, periodically presenting gifts to the young men and women who came before him, complimenting them briefly.

As for the toasts, he naturally refused none.

Whether it was fine liquor from the Human Domain or the potent spirits of the Hundred Races, as long as it wasn’t the Daoist liquor from the old Human Emperor, Wu Wang’s capacity was immense.

In the deep quiet of the night, Wu Wang realized he had no further role to play there. He decided to entrust Xiao Jian Daoist and the others with discussing matters with the various clans. Using the excuse that he couldn’t hold his liquor, he rose and left the grand banquet on his own.

The night sky was densely studded with stars, and a few light clouds drifted afar on the night breeze.

Wu Wang, with nothing pressing to do, strolled along the edge of a large crater that had recently turned into a lake, pondering how to contend with the Heavenly Emperor and how to quickly gain authority within the Heaven Palace.

A squad of Immortal Soldiers patrolling from above spotted Wu Wang and hastily saluted.

Wu Wang smiled and nodded, then chose an even more secluded path.

As the wind blew past, calming his spirit, Wu Wang performed several chest-expanding exercises. His mood grew even more tranquil, and the thoughts deep within him stirred.

It was as if he could see the true form of the Candle Dragon, lurking high above in the Outer Sky.

He saw Emperor Shun in the depths of the Heaven Palace, embracing beauties, a mysterious smile on his lips.

It seemed he could even see the gates to the Nine Heavens and the Kunlun Ruins, where an Ancient God capable of driving the world to madness emerged from a pool.

How will I become the Eastern Emperor in the future? Will the Heaven Palace be destroyed, or will I completely transform it? What exactly is the Head Manager planning? Is the Wood God truly related to the Candle Dragon’s lineage? Moreover, what has Mother been hiding from me? When did the God of Destiny make contact with me? And why didn’t Zhong protect me?

Due to Zhong’s interventions, many events had transformed from a straight line into an intricate, tangled curve, impossible to unravel.

Cause and effect are hard to sever.

Wu Wang chuckled softly, not overly troubled by these thoughts. After all, compared to his ’ordinary self’ experiencing helplessness and despair when facing Emperor Shun, he was now much luckier and more at ease with Zhong’s protection.

He could almost envision the scene:

A bell, originating from some unknown point in the far future, journeyed backward against the stream of time. It pressed ever onward on its reverse course, leaving afterimages along the way. These afterimages then continually intersected and merged with his own self as he moved forward with the current of time.

The very body of that bell had paved a road, guiding Wu Wang towards a shortcut to victory that wouldn’t demand too great a price.

Especially the phrase, "My spirituality exists only in the past." It seemed to carry a certain emotion; the more he pondered it, the more intriguing it became.

A muscle near Wu Wang’s eye twitched. He immediately reined in his sprawling thoughts and looked towards the horizon.

A beam of rainbow light descended before him, transforming into a familiar-looking old woman.

She was one of the three crones who had previously been guarding Xiaolan.

"Elder, has Xiaolan returned?" Wu Wang asked.

The old woman nodded with a smile and spoke warmly, "Master Wu Wang, please accompany this old servant. Xiaolan has prepared a wine banquet."

"A wine banquet?" Wu Wang was somewhat puzzled. He laughed, "Is she really inviting me for drinks?"

"You’ll understand when you arrive, sir."

Wu Wang cupped his hands with a smile. "Then I’ll trouble you to lead the way, Elder."

Immediately, the white cloud beneath the old woman’s feet slowly expanded, carrying Wu Wang toward the southeast.

The cloud ascended, its speed gradually increasing until, after some time, it shot away like lightning, covering a thousand miles in what felt like an instant.

A towering ship, moored at the edge of a cliff, became their destination. It was enveloped in layers of Immortal Light, yet only a few squads of Immortal Soldiers stood quietly in the air above it.

If Wu Wang hadn’t sensed Ling Xiaolan’s unique Dao rhyme, and if he hadn’t noticed more than a dozen Elders from the Xuan Nu Sect hidden nearby, he would have suspected it was some sort of trap!

When events are out of the ordinary, there’s usually something strange afoot.

But the naive Young Master, at this moment, was instead thinking... Could it be that the Xuan Nu Sect also has a favor to ask of me?

With a trace of confusion, Wu Wang landed on the deck of the towering ship.

Immediately, two pretty young women came forward to greet him with a curtsy. The old woman had already concealed herself. They led Wu Wang straight to the most spacious middle level of the ship.

Wu Wang saw several large, red "Joy" characters. Unable to resist, he extended his Immortal Consciousness forward. In the spacious, flower-adorned hall, he saw only a single round table where seven or eight young women were seated, along with the couple Ji Mo and Le Yao.

Lin Qi naturally couldn’t show his face today; Lin Nuhao had just perished valiantly.

Wu Wang vaguely understood something. His Immortal Consciousness fixed on the lightly made-up Ling Xiaolan, and he felt she was exceptionally captivating tonight: her eyebrows finely drawn, lips lightly pursed, a touch of lotus-petal crimson on her cheeks like blood, her skin snow-white, purer than the frost’s chill.

"Master Wu Wang," one of the guiding young women said, "you may go in now."

"Thank you."

Wu Wang took out two Treasure Sacks from his sleeve and casually handed ’a little’ treasure mine and Spiritual Medicine to the two young disciples.

Just small tokens, nothing important, he thought.

Pushing open the wooden door before him, a wave of joyous laughter and rich floral fragrance washed over him.

Ji Mo shot up, wiggling his eyebrows and gesturing animatedly at Wu Wang. He shouted, "We’ve been waiting for you tonight, Brother Wuwang! Quick, come over!"

Wu Wang walked forward with a smile, pretending he hadn’t noticed today’s ’setup’.

Ling Xiaolan glanced at him once, then lowered her head in silence, a blush rapidly creeping up her pretty face. The female disciples from the Xuan Nu Sect all rose and performed a Daoist salute, saying, "Greetings, Master Wu Wang."

Wu Wang clasped his hands in return and said with a smile, "Everyone, there’s no need for such formalities. We should all be peers; addressing each other as brothers and sisters would suffice."

Le Yao chuckled lightly. "That won’t do, sir. You are a great benefactor of the Human Domain; we are the ones who will need your protection."

"Sister-in-law, you’re too kind," Wu Wang replied.

"Hey!" Ji Mo interjected, eyes wide. "I happen to be a few years your senior, you know!"

Wu Wang spread his hands. "But my cultivation level is higher than yours."

Le Yao covered her mouth and chuckled. Several female disciples beside her also giggled sweetly, all of them chiming in to support Wu Wang:

"Exactly! What does age matter?"

"We’re all cultivators of the same generation. Naturally, the one with the higher cultivation level is the elder brother!"

"Sir, you just left the previous banquet. I wonder how much more you can drink tonight."

"Sir, please take the seat of honor! Junior Sister Ling, why aren’t you getting up to greet him?"

Ling Xiaolan seemed unusually flustered tonight for some reason. As she stood up, the hem of her pink long dress settled slowly. She lowered her head and gave Wu Wang a slight bow, her movements somewhat stiff.

Wu Wang winked at her, but Ling Xiaolan offered no response whatsoever.

Absolutely no chemistry, he thought.

Wu Wang had a good idea of what this setup was about. This is probably Ling Xiaolan’s way of putting pressure on herself to overcome her extreme aversion to impurities, he mused.

He sat down beside Ling Xiaolan. Ji Mo chatted with him briefly about the banquet for the leaders of the Large Family Clans, while Le Yao, along with the Xuan Nu Sect disciples, playfully teased Wu Wang and Ling Xiaolan.

For a while, laughter filled the table, and Wu Wang found himself blushing several times.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of dishes, Ji Mo made his excuses, claiming he couldn’t hold his liquor, and was the first to leave with Le Yao.

The few Xuan Nu Sect female disciples offered some lighthearted blessings, then departed with giggles. Wu Wang started to rise to see them off but felt his sleeve being tugged by two delicate fingers.

Ling Xiaolan looked away, lightly biting her lip, but said nothing.

Wu Wang waited for a moment, then gently took her soft hand in his and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

"Let’s get married," Ling Xiaolan stated calmly.

If it weren’t for the slight tremble at the end of her words, I would have thought she was merely suggesting something like, ’Let’s go to the window and look at the view,’ Wu Wang mused.

If I hesitate even for a heartbeat now, I’m a complete fool, Wu Wang thought fiercely.

"Yes! When shall we marry? Which guests should we invite?"

"Tonight," Ling Xiaolan said, looking up directly at Wu Wang, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with starlight.

"Tonight?" Wu Wang was somewhat taken aback.

"Right here," Ling Xiaolan whispered. "Our guests were the ones who were just here. If you agree, this banquet table will be our wedding feast. Those senior and junior martial sisters are the ones I’m closest to in the sect."

Wu Wang was stunned for a moment. "And that’s it? That counts as our wedding?"

"Mhm," she said softly. "You and I are now husband and wife. Given the perilous situation, it’s not appropriate to hold a grand ceremony. We’ll keep everything simple for now and make up for the elaborate formalities later."

Wu Wang couldn’t help but feel a little lost.

Ling Xiaolan sighed softly, gently pulled her hand free from Wu Wang’s grasp, and used her power to draw two empty wine cups towards them. "Shall we..."

"Hmm?"

Having held herself together for so long, Ling Xiaolan’s composure suddenly shattered. In a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, she whispered, "Perhaps... we should go and rest now."

"Ah, alright. Should I take a bath first?"

"You could. There are many empty cabins here. In that case... I’ll be in the room upstairs... waiting for you..."

Watching Ling Xiaolan hurry away, Wu Wang stood dazed for a moment, then let out a few goofy chuckles.

He spread his Immortal Consciousness and deployed thirty-six Star Treasure Beads, completely enveloping the towering ship. Then, he found an empty cabin nearby and rummaged through his Storage magic treasure.

The Water Condensation Art was no problem for him; the strong smell of alcohol on him could also be instantly transformed into a pleasant fragrance.

After Wu Wang hopped out of the wooden tub, he instinctively lifted an arm and sniffed. Although there was no odor, he still chose to use a special fragrant oil to add a subtle scent.

Hmm, will using fragrance make me seem a bit effeminate? No, that’s not right. Who says a real man has to smell like sweat?

When it came to valuing his partner’s experience, Wu Wang had certainly done his homework.

He even took out many of Emperor Sanxian’s great works and quickly reviewed some relevant material.

After an hour of preparations, Wu Wang, dressed in a blue-green long robe, his long hair meticulously tied up with a Daoist hair circlet, knocked on the wooden door of the cabin where Ling Xiaolan awaited.

A soft call came from within: "Come in..."

Wu Wang pushed the door open and entered, walking with formal steps and an upright, dignified posture, his eyes searching for the lovely figure of his fair lady.

He turned his head and saw a Screen. Behind it, by the edge of the bed, Ling Xiaolan sat quietly. Her red dress showed not a hint of vulgarity; instead, it exuded elegance. The snow-white skin visible at her cuffs and collar seemed to glow with a dewy luster.

Her lovely lips were slightly parted, her breath as fragrant as orchids. The bedsheets behind her emanated a gentle Dao rhyme, and the Treasure Beads hovering above the bed cast a soft light.

THUMP. Wu Wang felt as if he could hear his own heartbeat.

He closed the door behind him with both hands and stepped towards Ling Xiaolan. With a gentle gesture of her hand, Ling Xiaolan used her immortal power to sweep up a tray and bring it before her. On it rested a pot of fine wine and a jade vial containing an Elixir.

She didn’t dare look at Wu Wang and said softly, "My strange ailment is still with me. But this ailment isn’t a curse or an injury; it’s something I trigger myself. It’s because I cannot tolerate impure things.

"So, I found this wine. A single cup can make one drunk, though not fatally so. It makes one feel as if they are drifting among the clouds.

"I don’t know if I’ll be affected by this ailment, or if a moment of impulsiveness might cause you further worry, so I also sought out this... Elixir."

"An Elixir?" Wu Wang asked.

"It’s... it’s..." Ling Xiaolan suddenly covered her face. "It’s an aphrodisiac I begged for from Miao Cuijiao."

"This?"

This is absurd, Wu Wang thought.

But Ling Xiaolan moved quickly. She uncorked the wine jug, tilted her head back, and took a large gulp, then reached for the medicine vial.

Wu Wang darted forward and snatched the Elixir away. "You don’t have to—"

"Heehee," Ling Xiaolan looked up at Wu Wang, her cheeks flushed. Her coquettish charm at that moment was beyond words, a hint of slyness in her eyes. "I knew you wouldn’t let me use it! So, I took it before you arrived!"

"You did... what?"

Ling Xiaolan said softly, "I possess the Xuan Nu Skill, which can help your cultivation. You are in hostile territory within the Heaven Palace, and this is the only way I can help you. Besides, it’s just a little sooner than planned."

She slowly stood up, her gaze tinged with apprehension.

Wu Wang opened his arms and embraced the woman before him, whispering reassuringly in her ear, "I will never fail you."

"My lord... please... be gentle with me..."