Wu Shijiu came in haste, and just as quickly he departed, not lingering long on Shenxiao Mountain, and Pei Xuanjing did not ask him to stay longer.
At this juncture, they were both wholeheartedly dedicated to cultivation, and there was no need to dwell on such formalities. Since the purpose of Wu's visit had been fulfilled, both needed to prepare for their own affairs before the merger plan of the two realms commenced. Why delay each other unnecessarily? Whether it was Pei Xuanjing or Wu Shijiu, they had a long future ahead with plenty of opportunities to meet again, not limited to this moment.
The arrival and departure of Wu Shijiu had not greatly impacted Pei Xuanjing; however, some items Wu had left behind did pique Pei Xuanjing's interest.
"[Page of the Netherworld's Book*3, refining it can yield 3,000,000 Taoyun points.]" Pei Xuanjing held the Page of the Netherworld's Book, which was neither gold nor jade, his eyes filled with amusement.
This item had been brought by Wu Shijiu, but it was not actually his; instead, it was Zhu Houji who had used Wu Shijiu as a conduit to give it to Pei Xuanjing.
Initially, the Page of the Netherworld's Book had greatly aided Pei Xuanjing's rise, but as his power surged, the value of the Netherworld's Book to him diminished, becoming somewhat superfluous. Although he had instructed the disciples of the Shenxiao Sect to collect it, he wasn't particularly keen on securing it, harboring no deep sense of loss or gain.
The three Pages of the Netherworld's Book that Zhu Houji sent through Wu Shijiu were much thicker than those Pei Xuanjing had obtained from the Underworld, with each page's Taoyun value being more than ten times that of the originals.
Although the three million Taoyun points were but a drop in the bucket compared to the one hundred million points needed for a single simulation, the value of the Pages of the Netherworld's Book was not limited to that; the secrets they contained were even more crucial than the Taoyun points.
"Even if you are wholly devoted to the Tao, seeking the heart of longevity fiercely, as an emperor, you still value your own identity, constrained by being the Divine Dynasty Lord. The identity of the emperor outweighs your identity as a cultivator, which is why you entertain such doubtful thoughts," Pei Xuanjing mused.
He knew without guessing why Zhu Houji had sent the Pages of the Netherworld's Book—although Zhu claimed it was found accidentally and sent by his men, it was a treasure that countless disciples of the Shenxiao Sect had failed to find easily, and even as the Great Ming Divine Dynasty Lord, Zhu Houji must have expended considerable effort to obtain it.
Such an effort was clearly an attempt to ingratiate himself with Pei Xuanjing, seeking to mend the rift that had formed between them or, more accurately, the gap Zhu Houji believed had arisen from concealing the matter of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword.
However, Pei Xuanjing believed Zhu Houji was overthinking. He simply didn't care about such matters and found no need for Zhu to act in this manner.
In the end, the relationship between the two was built on mutual interests. Despite having the title of master and disciple, their bond lacked substantial sentiment. It was normal for Zhu to be cautious, and Pei Xuanjing found nothing strange or inappropriate about it.
Nevertheless, being an emperor and the Divine Dynasty Lord, Zhu Houji had to consider many things, especially when facing an unmatched and irresistible presence; he certainly needed to tread carefully.
This very fact also proved that their master-disciple relationship was merely nominal, lacking deep sentiment, which was what caused Zhu's concern. If it were Pang Hong, he wouldn't act this way. As a direct disciple who had followed Pei Xuanjing's path, Pang Hong held enough reverence for Pei Xuanjing to never hide or deceive him.
"Despite our nominal master-disciple relationship, as long as you don't go too far, if you were to really come to me at my doorstep in desperate times, would I truly have a heart of stone and turn a blind eye?" Pei Xuanjing sighed.
Zhu Houji still addressed him as Master Pei, a registered disciple who Pei had watched grow up—even if he couldn't compare to his direct disciple Pang Hong, when really at rock bottom and seeking Pei's help, wouldn't Pei, with his nature, offer aid? In urgent circumstances, Pei Xuanjing would certainly not hesitate to lend a hand.
But having been an emperor for so long, Zhu Houji had developed a suspicious nature, and as an emperor, he could not, or perhaps dared not, place all his trust in another; he remained apprehensive and fearful, unable to trust, hence the initial concealment of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword and now the gifting of the Pages of the Netherworld's Book as appeasement.
"Well then, let everything follow its natural course; it can't be forced." Pei Xuanjing decided to let the matter rest and not dwell on it.
Although the three Pages of the Netherworld's Book had their secrets, Pei Xuanjing was not in a hurry to explore them, as he had initially been working on something else when Wu Shijiu interrupted him, and he intended to continue that task.
The Martial Arts system, Mortal Martial, Spirit Martial, Immortal Martial; by following this path, one could be said to be on the Path of Human Immortal, battling against Heaven and Earth, becoming a paragon of Martial Arts, cultivating the body's acupoints to strengthen power, uncovering the body's Divine Hidden, forming a minor cosmos within the body, connecting with the vast cosmos, and ultimately breaking through the void, Opening the Heavens and Splitting the Earth.
To develop one's body and discover the limits within to ultimately reach an Indestructible body state, where the body endures even after Heaven and Earth decay, was no easy task.
By now, Pei Xuanjing had maximized the development of his acupoints and was condensing the smaller ones throughout his body. Even after refining all these smaller acupoints, he still had little idea on how to unlock his own Divine Hidden.
Not long ago, he forcefully eradicated the innate wisdom of an evil deity from the Innate Gods, sustaining a Dao injury. With the refinement from this Dao injury, Pei Xuanjing discovered another possibility to enhance his body—the transformation and strengthening of his physique, known as the Demonic God Physique.
"The Demonic God Physique signifies a qualitative change in the flesh, surpassing ordinary beings, comparable to legendary gods and demons. But, generally, there should be two types of gods and demons: one that arises later, and one that is innate," Pei Xuanjing pondered the things he had deduced: "The evil deity nurtured by the True Martial Sect, though called an Innate God, should actually be a postnatal God-Devil. The so-called innate ones should be born from the beginning, the entities born at the dawn of Heaven and Earth, nurtured by Chaos."
He wasn't certain whether his categorizations were correct. Without any reference, Pei Xuanjing could only combine his existing reservoir of knowledge with his understanding of Martial Arts and body cultivation to tentatively research.
Paving the way forward was, after all, a process of constant trial and error. Only through continuous experimentation could one ultimately uncover the true path.
What Pei Xuanjing aimed to explore now was a method he had conceived to continue strengthening his body.
Martial Arts cultivation begins outside of Mortal Martial by refining one's muscles, bones, and skin, and internally refining one's viscera and marrow, as well as changing the blood and being reborn from it. Once one condenses their acupoints and steps into the Spirit Martial Realm, they can fully condense the acupoints around their body, spiritualize their physique, and then reach the limit of their physical body to spy upon the entrance to the Divine Hidden and attempt to open it to ascend as a Human Immortal, becoming immortal and indestructible.
However, even though Pei Xuanjing had fully condensed all the acupoints in his body, he still found that he was unable to locate the Divine Hidden, and had no clue how to open it.
The Demonic God Physique gave Pei Xuanjing an inspiration. Combining the knowledge of science from his former life, Pei Xuanjing thought that perhaps condensing acupoints was not the physical limit, and that it could continue to condense further, such as strengthening one's own cells and particles.
The Path of Human Immortal is to battle the heavens and fight the earth, to break the void with martial prowess, yet it's not merely about proving the Way with strength alone. A Martial Artist's will can pierce the heavens and is sufficient to change the world. By unifying one's spirit and will, solidifying one's body to the level of Tao particles containing four hundred and eighty million Gods—perhaps that is what truly powerful means.
"Anything must be continuously tried and tested. Only through genuine attempts can one obtain real answers," Pei Xuanjing knew well that practice is the best method to carry out theory.
But at his level, even self-cultivation required a tremendous amount of energy and time, and now was not a simulated world of life, where he could have another chance. Pei Xuanjing couldn't directly use himself to experiment.
Perhaps others would be stumped at this step, only able to rely on experimenting on others to observe the differences. But Pei Xuanjing was different; his skill of deriving External Incarnations from flesh and blood once again found its use.
When Pei Xuanjing received the Nine Orifices Divine Gold gifted by the No Phase True Monarch, forged the Longevity World, accumulated countless forces of Faith Incense, and after refining the Divine Position with the Sanbao Jade Ruyi, creating an incarnation became very simple for Pei Xuanjing. Or to say, the battle power of simply using the flesh-derived External Incarnation skill was not as strong as these other methods, so Pei Xuanjing rarely used this divine power.
But now, this divine power was of great help to Pei Xuanjing. He himself could not cultivate, but he could use Avatars to attempt experiments. Even if a problem arose in the Avatar during the trial process of cultivation, Pei Xuanjing could detect it in time and make corrections. Even if the worst result occurred, causing the Avatar's physical body to collapse, such a collapse would be far less costly to Pei Xuanjing than a problem with his own body.
With a gentle wave of his sleeve, Pei Xuanjing completely closed off the Domain he had created to prevent anyone from entering. He immediately began to condense an Avatar to experimentally verify his cultivation concepts and ideas.
However, unlike before, the Avatar that Pei Xuanjing condensed this time was not one with great power. Instead, it was a Mortal physique, without a trace of strength within.
"Starting everything from scratch, trying all according to the skill I have created, forging the deepest foundation, accumulating enough heritage—only then will there be enough potential," Pei Xuanjing thought in his heart.
On his journey thus far, especially when in the Mortal Realm, the martial arts he learned were very mixed. Although they had been dispersed and tempered, and the foundation had been supplemented, he hadn't truly experienced them for an extended period. Hence, he needed this opportunity to experience them again, to perfect his Martial Arts.
While Pei Xuanjing was immersed in refining his Martial Arts and continuously practicing, Wu Shijiu also returned to the Great Ming Divine Dynasty.
"How did it go? I wonder if Sir's doubts have been answered?" Zhu Houji spoke to Wu Shijiu.
Wu Shijiu left Shenxiao Mountain after obtaining the answers he sought. Despite the urgency to return to seclusion and resume his cultivation, he had a duty to fulfill. It was incumbent upon him to report the outcome of his journey to Zhu Houji.
"All doubts are resolved, with no more confusion." A satisfied smile spread across Wu Shijiu's face.
Cultivation is of paramount importance. To any cultivator, encountering an insurmountable issue in their cultivation inevitably leads to panic and haste, an unavoidable predicament for all cultivators. That's why he had taken the liberty of visiting Shenxiao Mountain to seek an audience with Pei Xuanjing.
It was indeed an audience, for although he was many years Pei Xuanjing's senior, and both were among the supreme strong of the Nine Realms of Spirit, Wu Shijiu maintained his respect for Pei Xuanjing, daring not to belittle or neglect him. Even after rising to the ranks of the supreme strong, his awareness of Pei Xuanjing's fearsome power became clearer, especially after a recent event on Shenxiao Mountain wiped away the last traces of pride from his heart.
"As a supreme strong who broke through by taking shortcuts, my foundation is not truly solid until completely replenished, and there already exists a considerable gap between myself and those who have reached this level through their own strength. And what of someone like the National Preceptor, who can dominate over other supreme strong within the same realm?" Wu Shijiu felt a chill in his heart.
At that moment, he fully realized that his escape from the Witch Deity Teaching and surviving the pursuit of another supreme strong to reach the Ancestral Land wasn't due to his own strength. It was the calculations and schemes of the Witch Deity Teaching; otherwise, he would never have escaped from the Witch Deity Teaching in the first place.
"Master Pei has accepted the Page of the Netherworld's Book and has asked I to convey a message to Your Majesty, that no matter the circumstances, there still exists a master-disciple relationship between him and Your Majesty." Wu Shijiu suppressed his own thoughts and without waiting for Zhu Houji to inquire, volunteered the answer to the unasked question.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Houji fell into a brief silence, his eyes revealing a complex expression. Ripples disturbed the calm of his usually unruffled heart.
Master Pei, to think that you still remember our master-disciple bond.
His feelings were incredibly complicated at that moment. He vividly recalled his visit to Baiyun Temple's back mountain shortly after ascending the throne. The two had struck an agreement that allowed him, as a registered disciple, to leverage Master Pei's power to reform the court and consolidate his grip on power, thereby establishing his position.
Over the years, however, they had drifted apart. He was no longer the young emperor of those early days, but Master Pei remained as he was, still honoring their past bond, which softened Zhu Houji's otherwise steadfast heart.
But all this was fleeting, and Zhu Houji quickly recovered. He turned his gaze to Wu Shijiu, nodding slightly to show his understanding before posing another question.
"The Witch God Sect Leader has made his demands, wishing for me to restore the principal sacrificial position of the Witch Sacrifice lineage…"
Wu Shijiu, who was about to turn and leave, paused, his face revealing a sly expression: "Restore the principal sacrificial position of the Witch Sacrifice lineage? I wonder, how does Your Majesty plan to address this?"
The Witch Deity Teaching had given up quite a bit to cooperate with the Great Ming Divine Dynasty in the past. If they were to go back on their word now, it would indeed be an embarrassment. Furthermore, although the Great Ming Divine Dynasty is powerful, they might not be in a position to renege when facing the forces of the Witch Deity Teaching.
Anyone, any force, the more they invest in the early stages and the more indifference they show, the greater and more unacceptable the opponent's ambitions may become.
When the Witch God Sect Leader first came to collaborate with the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, the price they paid cannot be said to be small. Not to mention what they did to gain Pei Xuanjing's approval, nor the assistance in Wu Shijiu's breakthrough to the Spiritual Realm Level Nine Strongest Realm, but just the contributions made to the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and Zhu Houji alone were tremendously significant.
They presented to Zhu Houji the Witch God Sect's treasured cultivation methods, divine abilities, and cultivation insights from the Ancient Human Race Common Master—a collection of resources, especially the Human Path Treasures' top-level Divine Weapon, the Xuanyuan Divine Sword. Which of these could be easily quantified?
In addition to the offerings to the ruler of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, the full assembly of Council Elders, Civil and Military Nobles, and members of the Royal Family all received significant support from the Witch God Sect over the years of cooperation, gaining access to many of the Witch God Sect's skill resources.
Moreover, the cultivation of soldiers and military officers established within the Great Ming Divine Dynasty was also assisted by the Witch God Sect. In particular, the methods they shared for training warriors from the Ancient Era greatly enhanced the power of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty.
It can be said that in all these aspects, over the decades and nearly a century, the Witch God Sect's support for the Great Ming Divine Dynasty was particularly substantial. This brought the two entities closer together, thereby implying that the Witch God Sect held significant influence over the Great Ming Divine Dynasty.
To eat from someone's hand is to soften the mouth, to take from someone is to shorten the hand—especially when the other party has powerful strength as a guarantee, it's impossible for anyone within the Great Ming Divine Dynasty to completely turn their backs and renounce their debts to the Witch God Sect.
Even more frankly, there are quite a few within the Great Ming Divine Dynasty who have a favorable impression of the Witch God Sect. Should a real fallout occur, plenty of 'smart ones' might make some particularly special moves.
"Restoring the main position of the Witch Sacrifice lineage seems trivial, one divine decree from the lord of the Divine Dynasty could suffice. In reality, however, it is not so simple. If I truly issue such a decree, it will inevitably cause a huge uproar," said Zhu Houji with a calm expression.
The great affairs of the state lie in sacrifices and the military. These sacrifices represent the rites, and during the many years the Witch God Sect withdrew, the Confucian Gate, who took over the rites, has grown so strong that it coexists with the Dynasty and even survives beyond the fall of the Dynasty.
Even though Zhu Houji, as the supreme ruler who controls the Golden Book and Jade Scroll with authority to appoint all officials, the operation of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty is definitely not something he can handle alone. Without the support of all officials, the Dynasty simply cannot function; the two are symbiotically dependent on each other.
Now that the Witch God Sect Leader has made this request, it might not mean much to Zhu Houji, but it's a great taboo for the Confucian Gate, who manages the rites. Their authority is challenged and weakened, something they cannot accept.
The rites may seem insignificant, but they represent orthodoxy, the right to interpret, the right to speak. The Confucian Gate will absolutely not give up this crucial right.
You should know that the retreat of the Witch God Sect was not only due to the wariness and exclusion of the Divine Dynasty Lords but also because of the rise of the Confucian Gate. They fought over authority and the power of speech with the Witch Sacrifice lineage, relying on the support of the Divine Dynasty Lord to defeat the Witch Sacrifice lineage and force the Witch God Sect to retreat.
Although Zhu Houji had no direct experience of the previous struggles between the two, anyone with sense knows it's not a small contention. He certainly does not wish to see such conflicts replayed, especially with his Great Ming Divine Dynasty as the battleground.
However, should he refuse to comply, the Witch God Sect will certainly not let the matter rest. The considerable price paid by the Witch God Sect implies they have sufficient plotting and calculation, so their initial request being refused will undoubtedly provoke their wrath.
The Great Ming Divine Dynasty is simply not capable of facing the rage of the Witch God Sect. Should the multiple Supreme Strong intervene, Zhu Houji won't be able to resist. Whether Master Pei would intervene is another question, and as for Mr. Wu by his side, though they are close, in the end, he comes from the Witch God Sect and even advanced to the Strongest with their support. Thus, his stance in such a scenario would be quite intriguing; his neutrality or even favor would be a good outcome.
"Your Majesty, perhaps you're taking this matter too seriously?" Wu Shijiu said with a smile.
He didn't know what Zhu Houji thought of him, but even if he did, he would acknowledge it. After all, he no longer belonged to the Witch God Sect, but the ties between them weren't so easily severed, especially considering the Witch God Sect's leniency and help in his advancement to the Strongest Realm. Should a confrontation arise, it's very likely he would remain neutral.
Wu Shijiu knew that restoring the main position of the Witch Sacrifice lineage was not simple, yet it wasn't as difficult as the opponent thought.
"Does the master have any clever strategy?" Zhu Houji asked, looking at the confident Wu Shijiu for counsel.
Wu Shijiu spoke leisurely: "It is not just Your Majesty who has benefited from the resources cultivated by the Church over the years. So, since the Church has raised issues and demands, it shouldn't be Your Majesty alone who bears the burden. It might be better to discuss this matter openly on the Court floor and see how the noble officials respond."
Some issues are indeed serious when left for one person to handle alone; the pot is too big for a single individual to carry.
But when one person cannot carry the burden, it's necessary to find others, more people to share the load. That is the best approach.
"Master, you indeed have great talent; I have been confused," Zhu Houji immediately realized.
The benefits initially provided by the Witch God Sect were received by everyone in the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, not just Zhu Houji. While he gained the most, as the Emperor, he could be defiant, so when faced with a problem, he did not have to bear it alone; the others needed to shoulder it as well.
Keep in mind that although the Great Ming Divine Dynasty has ascended to a Divine Dynasty, many of its regulations continue from before. The Cabinet handles many affairs, so now this issue can be rightfully placed in their hands, without the slightest problem.
Therefore, there's no need for him to worry; he can simply lay everything on the Court and see how the Council Elders and Civil Nobles view it. Compared to him, their situations are often more awkward, particularly those Confucian disciples who have accepted benefits from the Witch God Sect. It'll be interesting to see how they react.
In such a case, Zhu Houji can extricate himself and position as an outsider for the time being, providing an additional layer of security to the situation, reducing the directness of the conflict, and allowing for a chance to de-escalate.