“Are these three the ones you mentioned as assistance, fellow Daoist?”
Wu Ming shot out three black chains, binding the three generals Qi Sha, Po Jun, and Tan Lang. Without even glancing at the remaining people, he directly flew with Yu Qing Daoist to a secluded place and asked straightforwardly.
“Exactly!”
As fellow Daoist high-level cultivators with the Celestial Eye open, it was practically impossible to hide anything, so Yu Qing Daoist admitted, “We must use these three’s heavenly fate to break the evil techniques!!!”
“No wonder these three have fading heavenly destinies yet still retain a thread of heavenly mystery—it’s all for the purpose of blood sacrifice!”
Wu Ming nodded, feeling somewhat disdainful toward the heavenly will of this world and Yu Qing Daoist’s methods.
A true king should lead an army of righteousness. Such underhanded methods, even if successful, would easily provoke criticism and become a stain on one’s entire life or even an entire dynasty. In the dynasty’s decline, such deeds would be especially highlighted as ammunition for attacks.
“Sigh… I understand your thoughts, my friend…”
Yu Qing Daoist, being a seasoned practitioner, naturally knew exactly what Wu Ming was thinking. He simply pointed toward the distant sky, where thick smoke billowed and fires raged through the forests. Not only were the main camps filled with ghostly cries and wolf howls, but the destruction was spreading endlessly, causing massive casualties.
Once this wildfire spread, it could last for days or even tens of days. Without the heavens showing mercy and sending down rain, an entire primeval forest might turn into scorched earth, permanently altering the landscape.
“The Overlord has set up eighty miles of camps, with countless wooden fortresses, a million elite soldiers, numerous officials, and mighty generals, yet now they have all turned to ashes…”
Sighed the old Daoist, “After this campaign, the Shang Dynasty will subdue all under heaven. Moreover, the twelve golden statues will suppress the land’s energy veins. If we oppose the True Dragon in the future, how could we possibly survive? Our disciples and descendants would never recover for ten thousand years!”
Originally, Wu Ming belonged to the rebel faction, while the old Daoist served King Wu Ji Yi. There had even been conflicts between them previously.
However, facing the overwhelmingly powerful Shang Dynasty now, uniting against a common enemy was indeed the best choice.
“Heaven has its constant ways; how can it tolerate defiance of destiny?”
Wu Ming, however, declared with passion, “The Shang Dynasty’s attempt to suppress heavenly fortune with golden statues will inevitably bring about a change in destiny!”
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, thick clouds had unknowingly gathered across the sky. Lightning danced wildly, and soon after, large raindrops poured down like water being scooped from a ladle.
No matter how fierce the mountain fire was, it immediately extinguished under the downpour. Mist rose, accompanied by a large amount of blue smoke ascending into the clouds. Some stubborn flames slowly diminished in the rain, creating a spectacular scene of rain and fire coexisting.
With the mountain fire extinguished, the Shang Dynasty’s offensive also paused, allowing the surviving rebel kings and soldiers to retain a bit of their last remaining vitality.
“Thanks to Heaven!”
Han Hu Lin couldn’t help but kneel as he looked at the rain, then pointed to the sky and swore by cutting his hair, “If I do not destroy the Shang Dynasty, may I never be considered a human again!”
He immediately ordered, “We return now. Even if we fight until our last soldier and last horse, we will never settle peacefully with the Shang Dynasty!”
“Understood!”
His subordinates roared in agreement, their morale greatly boosted.
They knew this was the time to seize the political and military legacies left by the fallen kings. Although they had suffered a devastating defeat before, with dozens of rebel kings having vast resources, even if each lost ninety percent of their strength, when combined, they would still form a tremendous force!
Especially this rain, which they saw as a clear sign of heavenly favor!
Otherwise, had the fire persisted for a few more days, the thirteen rebel kings and twenty-seven beacon fires would have been utterly obliterated, vanishing without a trace.
…
“What timely rain! Heaven’s will is indeed manifesting!”
Wu Ming said, almost sighing, “The Shang Dynasty defies Heaven—how can it possibly end well? My friend’s words seem somewhat exaggerated!”
A clear, jade-like glow surrounded them, keeping the ground dry despite the raindrops. Yu Qing Daoist looked at Wu Ming with even greater solemnity, “Never would I have thought your Dao cultivation had reached such a realm!”
A Heavenly Master, who aligns with the divine will (follows Heaven’s will and the people’s will), perceives the celestial forces and thereby cultivates reverence, may suffer harm to his Dao heart and stagnate in progress.
But Wu Ming’s approach was to dissect Heaven’s will as if it were flowing water, treating heavenly fate itself as a chess piece to be played!
With such audacity, he was already a seed candidate for an Earth Immortal!
“However, these twelve golden statues are divine treasures capable of suppressing national fortune. If they are further refined for forty-nine days and combined with the nineteen provinces’ great dragon veins, they will truly become invincible, subduing all under heaven!”
Yu Qing Daoist’s voice was cold between his teeth, “By then, even if Heaven’s favor is on our side, what can we do?”
“Oh?”
Wu Ming was inwardly startled, realizing he might have underestimated the twelve golden statues.
After all, historically the Shang Dynasty eventually fell, and even the twelve golden statues were destroyed. He had previously somewhat dismissed them. Now, hearing an expert’s explanation, he became serious, “Please, my friend, enlighten me!”
“Hmm! These golden statues were originally a concept from the Witchcraft Sect, said to be based on the legend of the ancient ‘Twelve Celestial Demon Array’…”
Since Yu Qing Daoist wanted to ally with Wu Ming, he naturally held nothing back, explaining everything thoroughly.
However, as Wu Ming listened, his expression grew increasingly solemn:
“These twelve golden statues… so they are actually the same kind of fortune-stabilizing treasures as the Suihou Pearl, although naturally, they are a hundred times, no, even a thousand times more powerful than my Suihou Pearl! They can suppress national fortune! However, their power is boundless, and their activation extremely difficult. This requires combining them with the land’s energy veins, drawing endless dragon-vein energy to resist Heaven’s will!”
He deeply admired this concept, as it was filled with the spirit of “defying Heaven through human effort”—the essence of human perseverance against fate!
“Heaven’s decree is absolute? I’ll still defy it, overthrowing Heaven’s mandate itself!
This is the essence of humanity!
“If that’s the case, the twelve golden statues must be destroyed! King Jie of Shang must be overthrown!”
But one man’s hero is another’s villain. One’s perspective determines one’s stance. Since that hidden hand was very likely hidden within the Shang Dynasty and had previously sent armies and experts to surround and kill him, Wu Ming naturally knew exactly what to do.
“Excellent!”
Yu Qing Daoist was delighted, “This old Daoist has already sent carrier pigeons. My lord, King Wu Ji Yi, will soon dispatch an army of one hundred thousand! Then, using these three ‘Killer Stars’ for blood sacrifice, although the golden statues may be forged, if they haven’t been connected to the land veins, they are only half completed—not yet invincible. There’s still hope for our great endeavor!”
“Oh? Why are these three so important?”
Wu Ming casually flicked his fingernails as he asked.
“Originally, heavenly secrets should not be revealed…”
Yu Qing Daoist hesitated slightly, then continued, “But now, since this old Daoist sincerely seeks your help, there’s nothing to hide… These three generals were originally heavenly calamity stars destined to bring chaos, rebel kings in times of turmoil, and are naturally opposed to the literary and martial paragons! The Fan Sect once took advantage of this old Daoist performing a spell to reverse the heavenly numbers, changing these three’s fates from rebellion to righteousness! They shifted Xu Zongwu to bear the rebel king’s aura and took the opportunity to probe into the Zhou Dynasty’s True Dragon’s lifeblood!”
At this point, recalling the losses, Yu Qing Daoist’s eyes turned blood-red.
“This poor Daoist made one careless move, allowing them to succeed. However, by doing so, the Fan Sect has left traces… If they can use causal techniques to deceive me, this old Daoist can also use their own methods against them!”
“Using these three as the key, performing the Great Immortal Art of Reversing Yin and Yang, returning their fates to their original roots, combined with the advancing army, is our only opportunity this time!”
Yu Qing Daoist earnestly bowed, “For the sake of all under heaven, please, my friend, assist me!”
“Oh!?”
Wu Ming casually dug his ear.
“You’ve agreed, my friend?”
Yu Qing Daoist was delighted.
“Wait…”
Wu Ming, however, waved his hand, “Although I agree to help you, capturing these three was no small feat. For you to simply take them away with a light word seems a bit too easy…”
Frankly speaking, he really wanted to ask, isn’t rebelling against the Shang Dynasty Heaven’s will, but what does the Zhou Dynasty’s rise have to do with the common people? What have the common people done to deserve being used by Yu Qing Daoist as a moral justification to pressure others?
With such a light remark, expecting others to sacrifice their blood, sweat, and even lives without pay was practically treating him like a fool.
“You…”
Yu Qing Daoist’s face turned blood red.
Thinking back, how many of his fellow disciples or comrades-in-arms had heard this and immediately come to die for the cause without a single complaint, ultimately perishing in heavenly tribulations?
Yet this Zhaixingzi, whom he had previously aided, dared to act like this?
“Truly unworthy of the cause, undeserving of humanity!”
Yu Qing Daoist, already seething with old and new grievances, was now furious, and since Wu Ming was merely a Heavenly Master, he was on the verge of attacking.
“My friend, have you thought this through? If you attack, after I escape, I will immediately defect to the Shang Dynasty!”
Wu Ming said coldly.
In reality, this was just a bluff. Knowing that the hidden hand was most likely within King Jie of Shang’s faction, going there would be tantamount to suicide.
However, Yu Qing Daoist didn’t know this!
Moreover, he had an escape route and choices, while Yu Qing Daoist did not!
By leaving this room for maneuver and showcasing his own strength, he immediately gained the leverage necessary for survival and negotiation.
Yu Qing Daoist was taken aback, and a slight sheen of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
“Moreover… even if I hand these three over to you, whether you can control them and keep them safe remains uncertain…”
Adding this sentence made Yu Qing Daoist even more hesitant in his heart, “Damn… I forgot that this Zhaixingzi comes from the Maoshan Sect, skilled in various sinister techniques. He might have done something to the Three Slaughter Stars. If my Great Immortal Art of Reversing Yin and Yang cannot gather the ‘Sha Po Lang’ trio, its power will be greatly diminished…”
Though his heart burned with rage, he forcibly restrained himself and asked coldly, “Then, what does my friend want?”
“My request is quite simple. If you meet just one condition, these three will be handed over to you!”
Wu Ming smiled slightly.
“Really? What condition?”
“Please, demonstrate the Immortal’s technique and transmit to me the methods of creating a blessed land!”
Wu Ming spoke each word clearly. Frankly speaking, with his current status, he could truly disregard wealth, power, or any promises of fortune.
Moreover, a true man establishes himself in the world—power, treasures, and authority should be obtained through one’s own efforts. Compared to cultivation, these external things were not even worth a single feather!
“You covet my Yu Qing Daoist techniques?”
Yu Qing Daoist was both surprised and angry, finally falling into a deep silence.
Needless to say, if Wu Ming had made this request before, there was absolutely no hope. But now, compared to the possible destruction of their sect and his own downfall, gaining a powerful ally was not a big deal at all.
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