fifth form

Chapter 3442 Pursuit
"My uncle's health is failing, and he is unwilling to practice the Yang Soul Transformation Technique!"

"What a pity!"

Zhang Xuezhou had not been back at his residence for long when the new emperor arrived.

His location was very close to the Sima Gate tower, and he was under the watchful eyes of the surrounding mansions. Anyone loitering around the mansions would inevitably be noticed.

To Zhang Xuezhou's surprise, the new emperor arrived quite quickly, and it was clear that the new emperor's abilities had undergone a qualitative change after entering the True Self Realm.

When Zhang Xuezhou carefully sensed the new emperor, he could even feel the impending storm approaching, the oppressive aura flamboyant, violent, and powerful.

If one is inferior in strength, or has something to hide, speaking with the new emperor will inevitably be a nerve-wracking experience.

As if aware of his own arrogance, the new emperor maintained a certain distance when communicating with Zhang Xuezhou.

He spoke with a pointed remark, to which Zhang Xuezhou could only sigh repeatedly.

"Do you think Daojun performed a ritual to break my uncle's body?" the new emperor asked.

"He has neither the reason nor the power to target the Prime Minister!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head, and the information he spoke brought a smile to the new emperor's face.

Zhang Xuezhou was undoubtedly the one who knew Daojun's physical condition best. Although he had already guessed, the information confirmed by Zhang Xuezhou still excited the new emperor.

Daojun is the sharpest blade in Beiju Luzhou. Without the restraint of this blade, the backbone of the Beiju Luzhou cultivator group is as if half of it has been removed.

Just as the Xiong Kingdom feared Li Guang's attacks the most, the cultivators of the Great Han Dynasty were equally afraid of being named by the Dao Lord. There were even rumors that some prominent cultivators had been killed by the Dao Lord.

Although the new emperor was well aware that most of these reports were fabricated, no one had actually confronted Daojun; Tian Fen and the Empress Dowager were prime examples.

"Unfortunately, even the Zhongdao Jun who used the flying knife could not escape death in the end!"

The initial joy was followed by sadness.

Tian Fen was stabbed and cursed by the Seven Arrows of Nailhead. Although he managed to withstand the injury from the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife thanks to the Supreme Ten-Ingredient Tonic Pill, and he was able to resist the Seven Arrows of Nailhead thanks to his True Self Realm cultivation, Tian Fen was still a little lacking in his ability to defend against both curses.

The Ten-Ingredient Tonic Pill can only stabilize the injury and prevent it from flaring up. Tian Fen's True Self Realm cultivation is slightly lacking, and he also lacks physical protection when he is under the spell.

In the short half month since Zhang Xuezhou returned to the real world, Tian Fen's health has deteriorated day by day, and now he can only lie in bed.

There was no elixir to cure Tian Fen's illness, but he had another path to take.

“To survive in the form of Yang Soul Incarnation, one must sever the connection with the physical body,” Zhang Xuezhou said. “Perhaps there will be other solutions in the future, but for now, this is the only way. If the Prime Minister wants to get rid of the curse on his body, this is the only way!”

“My uncle didn’t have the courage to kill himself,” the new emperor sighed.

"This kind of thing is difficult; I wouldn't have the courage to do it myself!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head, indicating that he couldn't do it either. Moreover, he lacked experience in surviving by relying on the Yang Soul Incarnation. What was the probability of him surviving by killing himself and separating from his physical body? How many years could the Yang Soul Incarnation survive? What was needed to survive? These were all unknowns.

The failure of Grand Master Wang Hui in pushing forward the experiment, and the madness of Dou Ying and Guan Fu, were indeed results that would deter people from trying. It is not surprising that Tian Fen stubbornly persevered.

“He is my uncle after all. Do you think you can help him?” the new emperor said.

“I have very little research in this area, so I can only rely on the Empress Dowager for this matter,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Don't be afraid of taking responsibility if you kill your uncle," the new emperor said. "To be honest, I have something important to tell you. My uncle is no longer fit to be prime minister. Are you interested in taking on the role?"

"Prime Minister? That won't do. I can help you if I keep you in the shadows, but if I put you in the open, you'll only harm yourself and others!"

In the vassal states, the best official position for practicing magic arts was the prime minister, a position that Dong Zhongshu held. In the imperial court, the best position for practicing magic arts was the chancellor, a position almost second only to the emperor.

The new emperor extended an invitation, but Zhang Xuezhou declined it after only a second of thought.

If he were to be impatient for quick success and pursue personal gain, Zhang Xuezhou would not hesitate to take any official position, even if it meant seizing an opportunity, rather than remaining mediocre for a long time.

But the thought of the soldiers and generals whose limbs had been cut off and used for cooking made Zhang Xuezhou realize he couldn't act recklessly. Top positions required truly talented individuals. The same principle applied to their real-world pairings: placing the right person in the right position, avoiding greed for credit or power, and ensuring an equal distribution of benefits were crucial for effective collaboration.

Zhang Xuezhou would not become arrogant or think he could do anything just because he had made some contributions.

He directly refused, and mentioned that his current advantage was that he was inconspicuous, which would make him less likely to attract attention.

The greater one's fame, the more severe the targeting becomes, making one feel constrained in their actions. Li Guang is a typical example of this, and at this point, it was difficult for him to turn things around.

Zhang Xuezhou had to use the case of Li Guang to persuade him. Li Guang was clearly a great cultivator who was capable of cooperating with the new emperor to kill Daojun and others, but he was always guarded against and targeted, which made it difficult for him to make contributions.

If the new emperor needs to put him in the public eye, Zhang Xuezhou will inevitably become the second Li Guang, and his performance may even be worse than Li Guang's due to his physical condition.

"Your current identity is now quite clear," the new emperor reminded him.

"The dead cannot speak, and the Dao Lord will not proclaim it; my reputation is currently unknown!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't envy the position of prime minister. He was currently entangled in many matters and couldn't afford to take risks like he used to.

Moreover, occupying a high position not only invites the attention, vigilance, and attacks of powerful cultivators from the Fiend Kingdom, but also presents the possibility of conflicts arising from their cultivation techniques. Zhang Xuezhou had ample experience in this area in his early years, and he did not want to get involved or try it out at the moment.

More importantly, Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly tested it in the real world and found that the ritual to promote the magic was simpler and did not require infighting.

His fortunes took a turn here, heading in another direction, making it impossible for him to agree to ascend to a high position.

"What would you like to order?"

Just as Li Guang guessed, if a person has no ambition for the court, the emperor cannot be at ease.

This is the mindset of the new emperor at this moment. Whether it is to break into the Dragon City Ancestral Land, defeat the Dao Lord, or push the new emperor to step into the True Self Realm, any one of these matters is extremely important.

If such merits are merely given casually, no one in the court will take them seriously.

"And what are your pursuits?" the new emperor continued to ask.

“I’ve been seriously considering my own pursuits lately,” Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. “I think my future pursuit is the stars in the heavens. There are other worlds beyond this world. I hope to explore and seek out each world, and to understand each world in order to absorb the advantages of each world!”

"Hmm? Specifically?"

"For example, I would trace back to which world the original ancient demons came from, to see how they came here, why they came here, and why their world was abandoned. I want to follow the traces they left in the long river of time..."

Zhang Xuezhou spoke eloquently, and confusion began to appear in the new emperor's eyes.

Ordinary people pursue high positions of power to gain money and beauty, while cultivators pursue the cultivation resources that power brings. These are the two most common situations.

At the very least, some seek refuge from their enemies and choose to rely on a powerful force.

Among all these groups, the new emperor had never met anyone like Zhang Xuezhou who pursued the stars and the sea.

The other party seems to have transcended vulgar tastes.

After listening for a long time, the new emperor still couldn't figure out what Zhang Xuezhou actually needed.

He initially thought Zhang Xuezhou was fooling him and had come up with a bunch of nonsensical reasons, but when he saw Zhang Xuezhou's bright and serious expression as he earnestly described his pursuit, the new emperor felt that what he was saying might actually be true.

There was no one like Zhang Xuezhou in the imperial court, but there were such people in history.

For example, there was Li Er, who went west out of Hangu Pass; Lie Yukou, who rode the wind and died in the depths of the sky; Zhuang Zhou, who buried himself in a dream; and Mozi, who tried to travel through the sky for a long time by relying on mechanical arts...

The ideas of each sage may seem unreliable, but these people were persistent in their beliefs, even at the cost of their lives.

The new emperor felt as if he saw the figures of future sages, yet he also felt that Zhang Xuezhou's figure was getting further and further away from him, as if one day they might separate again.