Longzang

Chapter 1122 The Best Strategy
As Wei Yuan left the ancestral tomb of the Zhao state, he again sensed a subtle, watchful gaze. It seemed that a great upheaval was indeed imminent, and many powerful figures were no longer concealing their intentions and were beginning to take action.

Wei Yuan had initially felt confident that with the fate of two hundred million people in his grasp, everything was under control, but now he was less so. Zhao Li Xianren's talk of fleeing overseas wasn't just empty words. Faced with such a calamity, the instincts to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune were essentially the same.

The fact that Zhao Li Xianren wanted to go overseas shows that he instinctively didn't think much of the current situation, which is why he felt that overseas was the only auspicious place.

Upon returning to Qingming, Wei Yuan was still riding the celestial chariot, his unparalleled elegance unmatched. He was flying freely and unrestrained, and before he could even recite "Patrolling the heavens to gaze upon the three thousand rivers," a sudden illusion appeared before his eyes. He watched helplessly as his own image rode away on the chariot, while he himself continued to rise. Then, the scenery before his eyes changed, and he was already standing in Yan Shi's small courtyard.

At this moment, Wei Yuan was only the size of a speck of dust. Seeing that Yan Shi, Zhu Yan, Xuan Yue, Dan Ming, and Feng Yuan, the True Monarchs, had all arrived, each of them like a colossal mountain of creation, he remembered that he had not yet transformed back into his true form and quickly manifested.

Yan Shi also stood up to greet them, and surprisingly, Wei Yuan also had a seat in the courtyard. Seeing that Xuan Yue Zhenjun had also stood up, Wei Yuan hurriedly stepped forward and performed the master-disciple salute, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Xuan Yue Zhenjun accepted the offer with a smile, and sat down immediately after Yan Shi. He stroked his beard and said with a smile, "My lineage has quite a few talented people. Even my great-grand-disciple is already sitting here and discussing matters with you fellow Daoists. I also have a grand-disciple, but I'm afraid there's nowhere to put her, so I had to send her to the Sword Palace as a co-palace master. In the end, there's only one disciple who is not good enough. Even if he cultivates hard for another one or two hundred years, he can probably only inherit the Azure Sky Palace and will hardly make any further progress."

All the temple masters and shrine masters rolled their eyes, yet they were helpless. It was now universally acknowledged that, barring unforeseen circumstances, Wei Yuan would be the future Palace Master of the Taichu Palace. Furthermore, if Zhang Sheng could go out and take up the position of Vice Palace Master of the Sword Palace, the Taichu Palace and the Sword Palace would become one, far better than him remaining as Vice Palace Master of the Taichu Palace.

It must be admitted that the lineage of Xuan Yue Zhenjun Tianqing Palace is terrifyingly strong. Even the seemingly mediocre Fen Hai is among the top ten in his previous generations, and he is qualified to inherit the mantle of Tianqing Palace in the future.

Since none of the cultivators paid any attention, True Lord Xuan Yue also stopped pushing his luck and quieted down to prepare for the meeting.

Immortal Lord Yan Shi first returned to his house, took out two swords belonging to the Ancestral Master, and placed one in the air and the other on the ground in the courtyard. He then ordered Wei Yuan to sit at the courtyard gate. This action was in accordance with the secrets of Heaven. The Ancestral Master's swords were used to seal off Heaven and Earth, and Wei Yuan, who carried the destiny of humanity, was allowed to block the only entrance and exit with his body. This isolated Heaven and Earth and sealed off cause and effect, so that the content of their discussion would remain unknown to others.

Once everything was arranged, Yan Shi's expression turned serious, and he said, "Junior brothers, the reason I have gathered you all here today is because it is a matter of life and death! Originally, the Lord of the Mingwang Palace should also be present, but he cannot come."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression turned solemn. Those present all knew of the Mingwang Palace Master's supernatural powers. His inability to come meant that this place had become a place of life and death.

Immortal Lord Yan Shi continued, "The great calamity is approaching, and I must reveal the truth to everyone so that you may clearly understand our current trump cards. What we can rely on now is nothing more than the two immortal swords left by our ancestor. One of the important reasons why I ascended to immortality and became the palace master was that under my Heavenly Secret Technique, no matter who the opponent was, they would not be able to escape the slash of the immortal swords."

Everyone believes that my Taichu Palace still possesses two immortal swords, but in reality, only the last one remains.

All the cultivators paled, but Wei Yuan remained unmoved. He already knew the truth from his previous meeting with Immortal Lord Yanshi. It wasn't that Immortal Lord Yanshi was showing favoritism, but rather that Wei Yuan was truly fighting on the front lines of the Taichu Palace. Qingming was already showing signs of becoming the fourth mountain gate, and in terms of strength, Qingming was no less than the Nine Kingdoms. That's why Immortal Lord Yanshi had revealed the truth to Wei Yuan to prevent him from making any misjudgments.

"Where was that immortal sword used?" Zhu Yan asked first.

Immortal Lord Yan Shi said, "Back then, the Grand Palace Master quietly emerged from seclusion and used this sword to sever the last thread of cause and effect in this world, thus completely escaping from cause and effect and becoming someone who no longer exists in this world. As for why the Palace Master went there, he did not say. But both I and I, back then and now, believe that the Palace Master was most likely going there for the great calamity. As for what he did, I do not know."

The cultivators, however, relaxed, saying, "It's good that the Palace Master was able to plan ahead and make arrangements in advance. We'll just have to weather the crisis. At worst, we'll abandon our cultivation paths and achieve unity. Do you think they can kill us all?!" While they said this, the Palace Master and the various Palace Masters all understood the vast difference between two immortal swords and one. No force, even an alliance, could withstand the consecutive deaths of two immortals, or the severe injury of a heavyweight immortal. With only one immortal sword in hand, many would have reservations, as the temptation to destroy the Taichu Palace at the cost of an immortal's death was simply too great.

Yan Shi slightly raised his hand, and after the cultivators quieted down, he said, "The sudden appearance of Junior Brother Zhu Yan's opportunity to ascend to immortality this time is not accidental, but rather a deliberate act by his opponent. Therefore, the opponent has already made their move. If you miss this opportunity, Junior Brother doesn't know how long you will have to wait for a perfect opportunity to ascend to immortality. But if you seize this chance..."

All the cultivators felt a chill in their hearts, recalling a legend that circulated only in a very small circle: the reappearance of the three immortals in the Taichu Palace would mark the time of its destruction.

This rumor wasn't entirely unfounded; if the three immortals of Taichu Palace were to gather, their strength would far surpass that of other immortal palaces. At this time, all the immortal families who had ever been enemies of Taichu Palace would undoubtedly feel threatened.

Moreover, with the great calamity imminent, all parties have already secretly formed an alliance. The alliance is now in place; all that remains is to strike swiftly, just as they did when they ambushed and killed Immortal Lord Tinghai. As Zhu Yan ascends to immortality, the heavenly tribulation will inevitably be tampered with as well. At that time, Yan Shi will likely have to exert all his strength to protect the Dharma, which will be his weakest and most dangerous moment.

Therefore, the enemy's target is not only Zhu Yan, but also Yan Shi.

Furthermore, if the three immortals were to gather together, it could potentially trigger unpredictable changes in the Heavenly Dao. This is something that the side that has secretly laid the groundwork and already gained the upper hand would absolutely not tolerate.

Zhu Yan quickly understood the whole story and immediately said, "I understand. I'll give up this opportunity to ascend to immortality! I'll force myself to ascend after the opportunity has passed, and my life and death will be up to fate!"

All the cultivators were moved. In this way, Yan Shi could be preserved, and Zhu Yan's own path would end at the point of ascending to immortality. The so-called opportunity for ascending to immortality was the approval of Heaven and Earth, the easy acquisition of the Great Dao authority, and it was suitable for Zhu Yan's path.

The saying goes, "If Heaven grants an opportunity and you do not seize it, you will invite disaster." If Zhu Yan does not seize this opportunity to ascend to immortality, the most suitable authority for him may never appear again. And if he forces himself to ascend to immortality afterward, he will inevitably offend Heaven and Earth, greatly increasing his risk of demise.

The enemy's powerful methods were indeed terrifying; this move, combining defense and offense, immediately put the Taichu Palace in a dilemma.

Seeing the solemn expressions on Zhu Xiu's face, Yan Shi calmly said, "The enemy's hasty attack underestimated me. Although I haven't obtained the authority I deserve in the Dao of Heavenly Secrets, I still have a certain power to resist. I can make some arrangements, using the power of the Azure Netherworld to alter the Heavenly Dao and change the time for this ascension from one year to ten years. Within ten years, Junior Brother Zhu may ascend to immortality at any time, which will surely tie down a lot of the enemy's energy and disrupt their plans."

All the cultivators were invigorated. Yan Shi then gave them some instructions on precautions for when the great calamity arrived. Afterward, he let the temple masters and hall masters return to Taichu Palace on their own, leaving Wei Yuan behind.

After the cultivators left, Yan Shi's face showed worry. He said, "My forced postponement of my junior brother's ascension to immortality was probably within their expectations. So this is just a temporary measure out of desperation, and we will definitely be on the defensive from now on. You are known for your foresight and wisdom. Do you have any good strategies to break this deadlock?"

After pondering for a moment, Wei Yuan said, "At this moment, all signs indicate that the other side has a clear advantage. Therefore, our best course of action is to try to disrupt the situation and increase the variables as much as possible."

(End of this chapter)