Immortality begins with meditation puppets

The people who came were not ordinary people.

Wearing a crown adorned with auspicious clouds, a belt wrapped around his waist with coiled dragons, and shoes with mixed primordial energy, he held the Heavenly Emperor's Sword in his left hand and the Human Emperor's Spear in his right, with the Xuanyuan Bow hanging on his shoulder. His face was as fair as jade, and his eyes held the stars. His attire was unparalleled in the world, and his appearance was unmatched.

Who else could it be but Su Qing, the seventh-rank puppeteer who was the candidate for Heavenly Emperor and Human Emperor and the acting head of the Dragon and Witch clans?

Given his identity, strength, and status, after the three sects of the Dao lineage gave up their efforts to mediate, he should be the only cultivator in all the heavens and myriad realms who still has hope of mediating this dispute.

Before this, none of the various sects in the heavens who wanted to mediate this great war thought of going to the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom to ask Su Qing to come and settle the matter. Even now, when they saw Su Qing arrive in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, the cultivators did not show any joy, but instead appeared more worried.

"Damn it, who let Su Qing out? This is really going to be a disaster! Given his temperament, if he sees that his precious Lingxiao Palace puppet from the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom has been destroyed, he'll definitely cause a huge uproar!"

"This guy is always one to hold his ground when he's in the right. He considers it a loss if he doesn't gain an advantage. This time he's really suffered a loss. If the Eastern King Sect doesn't back down, I'm afraid this matter will never end peacefully!"

"That would be terrible. Normally, with the strength of the Tianyuan cultivation world, the Eastern King Sect would only need to send the Wu family's forces. But if Su Qing gets involved, the Wu family alone will definitely not be enough. The Eastern King Sect will definitely send more forces to Penglai Immortal Kingdom to participate in the war. If Su Qing gets desperate and drags in the forces of the Witch Clan and the Dragon Clan, the scene will be unimaginable!"

Everyone knows Su Qing, and the sects that have dealt with him are also familiar with his character. Based on their understanding of him, it is unlikely that he will come to Penglai Immortal Kingdom to settle things; he is more likely to cause trouble. He is not here to quell the conflict; he is definitely here to add fuel to the fire!

Just as the cultivators were expressing their concerns, someone else spoke up:

"That's not necessarily true. Regardless of Su Qing's usual character, what he currently seeks is the throne of the Heavenly Emperor and the Human Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor must consider the well-being of all living beings in the world, while the Human Emperor must strive for the happiness of humanity and all living beings. If he wants to become the Heavenly Emperor and the Human Emperor, he must consider the overall situation and not allow the interests of one person or one country to affect the well-being of all living beings. This time, he must show his character and endure any losses himself, and do his best to mediate this great war!"

Upon hearing this, all the cultivators were immediately delighted, even Guangxian Tianjun, who had not originally expected to be able to mediate this great battle, had his eyes light up:
"That's right. No matter how bad Su Qing's personality is or how despicable his character is, if he wants the Heavenly Emperor and Human Emperor throne, he has to pretend to be great and righteous. If we use the Heavenly Emperor and Human Emperor throne as a threat, I don't believe he won't back down. And with his prestige in the Tianyuan cultivation world, and with the cooperation of the three sects of my Dao lineage, it's not impossible to make the Tianyuan cultivation world bow down and admit its mistakes!"

The Heavenly Lord Guangxian was well-versed in the art of mediation. He knew that in handling most disputes, it was difficult to satisfy both parties. In such cases, in order to quickly resolve the conflict, it was only necessary to subdue the weaker party and make them back down, which could also achieve the goal of resolving the dispute.

This method had been used repeatedly by their Yuanshi Sect without fail, with countless successful precedents. At this moment, realizing that they could use the Heavenly Emperor and Human Emperor positions to control Su Qing and force him to lead the Tianyuan cultivation world to submit to the Dongwang Sect, Guangxian Heavenly Lord immediately perked up and, together with Gule Heavenly Lord, the three Heavenly Lords headed towards Su Qing.

Landing in front of him, he glanced at his mount with a hint of curiosity, as if he had seen it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it. That wasn't important. Right now, the most important thing was to explain the pros and cons to Su Qing, to make him understand the impact of this battle, and the advantages and disadvantages of his corresponding choices.

"Fellow Daoist Su, I have always known that you are a person who understands the big picture and the overall situation. Back then, in order to fight against the evil demons, you were able to put aside your grudges with the Penglai Immortal Kingdom and help the Immortal Kingdom resist the demonic disaster, thus saving countless lives. Such magnanimity is admired by all living beings in the world. Everyone says that only a person with the virtue of Fellow Daoist Su can become the Heavenly Emperor and the Human Emperor."

Now, the heavens have been at peace for only a short time, and a new storm has already arisen. This great war in Penglai has far-reaching implications and immense harm. For the sake of all living beings and for the sake of the great cause of resisting demons, I implore Fellow Daoist Su to join me in quickly quelling this great war!

"Oh, then in Fellow Daoist Guangxian's opinion, how should I mediate?"

Knowing Yuan Shizong's style of doing things well, Su Qing pretended to be confused and asked with a smile.

"The Eastern King Sect has suffered a major blow and lost a great deal. If they do not receive satisfactory compensation, they will not be satisfied. In my opinion, since they previously occupied two rings of territory in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, perhaps we could allow the Penglai Immortal Kingdom to expand outwards by three to five rings on the basis of their original territory."

However, simply ceding territory might not satisfy the Eastern King Sect's appetite. Each of the participating factions in the Tianyuan cultivation world should contribute several hundred million spirit stones as compensation. Furthermore, Fellow Daoist Su, you should represent the Tianyuan cultivation world to apologize to the Eastern King Sect.

In this way, with the intervention of our three sects, we can surely satisfy the Eastern King Sect and quell this great war that is affecting the cause of resisting demons and is about to have serious consequences.

Once the war is over, the Anti-Demon Alliance will surely proclaim to the heavens, informing all living beings of Fellow Daoist Su's contributions, so that Fellow Daoist Su may ascend to the throne of the Heavenly Emperor as soon as possible!

Guangxian Tianjun shared his thoughts with Su Qing. According to him, Su Qing only needed to make a small sacrifice on behalf of the Tianyuan cultivation world to gain the gratitude of countless beings in all the heavens and myriad realms and take a big step forward on the path to becoming the Heavenly Emperor and Human Emperor. As long as Su Qing had any brains, he would not turn down this paved road!
Su Qing's reaction, however, was completely different from what he had expected. Upon hearing her words, her face turned angry, and after she finished speaking, she shouted even more sternly:

"What brilliant ideas does Wudaoer Yuanshizong have? It's all such irresponsible and baseless nonsense. Let me ask you, what caused this great war, and whose fault is it!"

Su Qing's words were stern and resounding, and Guangxian Tianjun was somewhat taken aback by his sudden display of righteousness and majesty, but he quickly recovered and tried to continue persuading him:

"Whether it's right or wrong isn't important; what's important is solving the problem. The Eastern King Sect is powerful and difficult to persuade. As for the Tianyuan cultivation world, the main victim is the Penglai Immortal Kingdom. If the Penglai Immortal Kingdom is willing to make concessions, it will be easier to persuade the other immortal kingdoms. With the strength of the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, if we put a little pressure on them, they will not be able to withstand it and will definitely make concessions for the greater good, thus ending this conflict!"

"Oh, I understand what you mean, fellow Daoist. Right and wrong are not important, justice is irrelevant. The rope is used to strangle the unfortunate, and the persimmon is always picked on the weak. The Eastern King Sect is powerful and mighty, so it can ignore the rules of the Anti-Demon Alliance, disregard right and wrong, and bully a soft persimmon like the Penglai Immortal Kingdom. And a soft persimmon like the Penglai Immortal Kingdom is just bullied? Is it a sin to fight back? Is that right?"

Su Qing asked in a stern voice, his words sharp and resounding. By the end, his voice had drowned out the thunderous war in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom. Countless cultivators heard his question, the cultivators of the heavens seemed to ponder it, and the cultivators of Tianyuan were filled with grief and indignation at it.

Guangxian Tianjun, who was being rebuked, was speechless at this moment.

There are some things that can be done but not said. If they are done and packaged, they can still silence public opinion. But if they are said outright, the right and wrong become too clear. Su Qing should understand this principle.

In this dispute, does the Heavenly Lord Guangxian not know who is right and who is wrong?

In his view, the actions of the Dongwang Sect warranted expelling them from the Tianyuan Realm, removing them from the Anti-Demon Alliance, and making them kowtow and apologize to the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

But that's not how it works.

If the strength of the various sects in the heavens were ranked, the three sects of the Dao lineage would be in a class of their own, while the Eastern King Sect would be in the second class, just below them. Below them, there would be two or three classes of gaps before the so-called first-class forces such as the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom, the Peach Blossom Sect, and the Taiyi Sect.

Can the Yuanshi Sect eliminate the Dongwang Sect? Yes, they can, but what will the consequences be? To uphold justice for the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, the Yuanshi Sect will mobilize its entire strength to fight against the Dongwang Sect. In that case, the Dongwang Sect will certainly pay the price for what it did in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, but the Yuanshi Sect will also suffer heavy losses, and the power to resist demons in the heavens will be greatly diminished. If the demons launch a decisive battle against the living beings at this time, who will make up for the lost power? Can the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, which seeks justice, replace the Dongwang Sect, or can Su Qing's Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom make up for the Yuanshi Sect's losses?
No one can bear the consequences. Since that's the case, we can only compromise. The fight against the demons requires the Eastern King Sect, and the role of the Eastern King Sect is crucial. Therefore, the Eastern King Sect's mistakes can be let off lightly. The fight against the demons does not necessarily require the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, so the fairness of the Penglai Immortal Kingdom can also be ignored.

From the perspective of the overall situation, sacrificing the insignificant interests of the Penglai Immortal Kingdom to quell the anger of the Eastern King Sect, a major sect of the heavens, was not a problem for Guangxian Heavenly Lord. He thought that Su Qing, who thought there was a problem, was too naive and immature. He should have known this principle long ago and applied it to all aspects of dealing with the Kaiyuan Immortal Kingdom!

However, he could not voice his thoughts, because in the end, most of the world's forces were small and medium-sized powers like Penglai Immortal Kingdom whose interests could not be guaranteed. When this naked truth was laid out before them, they would definitely be angry, dissatisfied, and even resentful towards his Yuanshi Sect!

No, that little thief Su Qing might actually be after that!

Yes, given what he's done all these years, he's hardly a moral guardian. He even stole Liu Gandang's daughter-in-law from Penglai Immortal Kingdom. This kind of person is now putting on this act of speaking out for justice, but he's deliberately letting Yuanshizong play the villain, letting him win people's hearts, and then pretending to be forced by Yuanshizong to do things reluctantly!

Following normal logic, Guangxian Tianjun deduced Su Qing's thoughts and, besides finding him treacherous and cunning, also didn't want his scheme to succeed. Therefore, he simply feigned indifference and said:
"Since Fellow Daoist Su is unwilling to do so, then let's all wait. Let's wait until the Eastern King Sect and the Tianyuan cultivation world are fighting tooth and nail, until the Western Sea is stained crimson with blood, until one side is completely defeated, then we'll clean up the mess, disperse, disperse, let's all disperse, clear the area, let them fight without restraint, fight as they please, fight for ten days or half a month, until a result is reached!"

When Guangxian Tianjun uttered these reckless words, Su Qing's expression changed. Just as he was about to speak again, the cultivators from other sects in the heavens couldn't help but speak up.

They disagreed with what Yuanshizong had just said. In the eyes of these small and medium-sized forces, justice was certainly important. Without justice, wouldn't those great sects of the heavens bully them to death? However, they also agreed with the approach proposed by Yuanshizong because it was clear that the justice of Penglai Immortal Kingdom was not as important as the cause of resisting demons. Stopping the war as soon as possible was in the common interest of all the heavens and myriad realms.

“Su Tianjun, we know you are willing to speak out for the weak and denounce injustice, but sometimes you have to recognize the situation…”

"Let the Penglai Immortal Kingdom surrender. It's not shameful that they can't defeat the Eastern King Sect. Just bear with it, and it will pass. That's how we've managed all these years. As for reparations, we can help them raise some!"

"If this fight continues, Penglai Immortal Island will be driven into the sea. Even if we don't think about all the heavens and myriad realms, we should think about the immortals on Penglai Immortal Island. They are so innocent, why should they become victims of this great war!"

All the sects and cultivators came to persuade him. Su Qing looked around and knew that they were not unable to distinguish right from wrong, but rather that they knew they could not persuade the Eastern King Sect, so they came to persuade him and the Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

Weakness is a sin, as it has always been.

But does that mean it's always been this way? Not necessarily!

"Who says that discussing right and wrong makes it impossible to resolve this conflict? Today, I want both justice and an end to the war!"

"You, Su Qing, who are you to argue right and wrong with my Eastern King Sect? What makes you think you can do such a thing as right and wrong?"
My Eastern King Sect, with the good intention of supporting the development of the immortal path in the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, came here to establish a branch sect. Over the years, we have been spreading the Dao and resolving doubts for the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, and fighting against evil spirits. We have done no wrong to this immortal kingdom.

However, this immortal kingdom has no gratitude and repays kindness with enmity. It killed my Eastern King Sect's Refining Void Heavenly Venerable and destroyed the foundation of my Eastern King Branch Sect that had been built up over many years. My Eastern King Sect was forced to retaliate, which led to this great war. Therefore, the fault does not lie with my Eastern King Sect, but with this Penglai Immortal Kingdom.

"Heaven's justice is clear, and retribution is swift. Su Qing, listen carefully! Today, the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, including all forces that assisted it in killing my Dongwang Sect disciples, must give my Dongwang Sect a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise, I will personally lead my Dongwang Sect disciples to act on behalf of Heaven!"

Seeing Su Qing speak, Wu Renxin, who was dealing with Hu Dan, Xiong Er, and Gao Erqiang's attacks, also took the opportunity to express his attitude.

"Your ability to distort the truth is truly remarkable, as expected of the great sects of the heavens. Fine, then I'll give you a proper discussion of right and wrong today!" Su Qing sneered.

"Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Ask your fellow Daoists in the heavens who is right and who is wrong!" Wu Renxin said confidently.

Su Qing didn't want to see the attitude of the myriad cultivators of the heavens, because he understood that these people would only obey the will of the Eastern King Sect for the sake of the great cause of resisting the demons.

He patted the Five Virtues Qilin puppet beneath him, wanting to show Wu Renxin, the Eastern King Sect, and indeed all the myriad realms what justice truly is! (End of Chapter)