Longzang

Chapter 1149 No Need for Courtesy
The mobilization of a large army is not something that can be accomplished in a short time or even a month.

Wei Yuan was not in a hurry. After arranging the military affairs, he found some oil paper, wrapped a few cured legs in it, and took off flying towards Taichu Palace.

Taichu Palace's main mountain remained shrouded in mist, its waters crystal clear. In the distance, the mountains rose in verdant layers, the sun setting behind their waists at dusk. The evening glow, carrying smoke and rising mist, cast a reddish light on the water. Deep mountain shadows and a breeze, carrying a rich, ethereal aura, swirled and wafted towards Wei Yuan.

As soon as Wei Yuan entered the mountain gate, the heavens and earth suddenly trembled, and countless spirit birds and immortal beasts turned their heads to look at Wei Yuan, showing signs of restlessness.

Fortunately, a divine thought swept by like a gentle breeze, calming all the spirit beasts and quieting the mountain gate down. However, the commotion had already alerted the entire mountain, and many young disciples were curious, wanting to know why the spirit beasts at the mountain gate had acted strangely.

Wei Yuan was taken aback. That divine thought, as gentle as a breeze, possessed an extremely high essence, truly befitting an immortal. Yet, it was also utterly unfamiliar; Wei Yuan had never seen anything like it before. Moreover, that divine thought was ethereal and elusive, impossible for Wei Yuan to grasp, yet it could still touch him. If this were a battle of magic, Wei Yuan would only be able to take the blows without being able to retaliate.

At that moment, Wei Yuan's vision blurred, and a refined young cultivator stepped out.

This cultivator was handsome with clear features and a bright, clear mind, which made him instantly likable, but that was about it. He was good-looking but not particularly outstanding, and his gentle demeanor prevented people from being hostile towards him, but overall he was quite ordinary, someone you would forget after seeing him.

But in Wei Yuan's eyes, this cultivator was constantly changing, and each change was extremely subtle, making it difficult for anyone below the level of an immortal to detect. Only with Wei Yuan's current cultivation level could he barely catch it.

As countless transformations accumulated, the young cultivator naturally changed his appearance. Therefore, his appearance was different every moment, making it impossible for others to remember his exact features. However, because each change was subtle and continuous, it was also impossible to discern that he was changing.

Therefore, when he walks through the bustling city, everyone remembers him as having a different appearance.

The changes in a young cultivator are not just about appearance, but also about cause and effect, making it almost impossible to pinpoint their location or launch a sneak attack.

Wei Yuan quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Immortal Lord Zhu Yan!"

Zhu Yan laughed and said, "I was able to ascend to immortality smoothly, and at least forty percent of that was thanks to your help! Let's put that aside for now. What did you bring this time that caused such a commotion among all the spirits?"

Wei Yuan took out a package sealed with oil paper and said, "I obtained some immortal ingredients and am returning to contribute them to my sect."

The oiled paper was just ordinary oiled paper. Zhu Yan swept it with her divine sense and laughed, "Xu Shuhe was arrogant and ruthless back then, but I never expected him to end up like this. Well, this immortal material has come at just the right time. A dragon rat was recently moved to the palace. It has already completed its cultivation and only needs one more opportunity to become an immortal beast. And then you came."

"That guy must have sensed the opportunity had arrived, which is why all the spirits were agitated."

Zhu Yan took the oil paper envelope from Wei Yuan, weighed it in her hand, and without opening it, simply made a hole in the air, stuffed it in, and then said to Wei Yuan, "You've come at the right time! When I ascended to immortality, I had some enlightenment and obtained a few strands of extra Dao truth, which I'll tell you about."

Wei Yuan immediately sensed something was amiss and forced a smile, saying, "This junior still needs to go to the State of Zhao to deliver some gifts. As for the matter of listening to the Dao, we can discuss it later..."

“Going to Zhao State later is the same. What could be more important than listening to the Great Dao?” Without waiting for a reply, Zhu Yan grabbed Wei Yuan’s arm and carried him toward the lecture hall.

When passing through the array barrier, Zhu Yan did not undergo any immortal power test, nor did she use the order of the Tai Chu Palace Master or Palace Master. She simply flashed through the gap in the array's vibrations, and the array was not triggered at all.

Not only did Zhu Yan pass by, but Wei Yuan also flashed along with her, passing through the array defenses and entering the lecture hall.

Inside the lecture hall, more than ten people were already seated, mostly the heads of various temples and halls, as well as those who had not yet taken office. Seated at the very front was the Immortal Lord Yan Shi.

Wei Yuan, now the master of Shuiyue Palace, has his own seat, but it is in the last row.

Zhu Yan did not delay any longer, and went straight up to the preaching platform, sat down in the center, and began to preach. Every time an immortal ascends to immortality, it is a supreme opportunity to come into contact with the origin of the Great Dao. How much true meaning of the Great Dao one can comprehend at this time has a significant impact on one's future path to immortality.

What Zhu Yan was about to say was the origin of the Great Dao that she had comprehended, and she would also show the true meaning of the Great Dao that she had collected, so that her fellow disciples could comprehend it. This was a traditional ceremony for every immortal after ascending to immortality. Under normal circumstances, Tai Chu Palace would also open its gates wide and invite loved ones and friends to come and listen to the Dao together. It was a grand event for the entire cultivation world.

However, the situation at Taichu Palace is special now, and Immortal Lord Zhuyan does not want people to know about his demeanor after ascending to immortality, so he only summons the imperial disciples within the sect to listen to the Dao.

Wei Yuan forced himself to sit down, and sure enough, Zhu Yan started talking with all sorts of numbers and symbols, and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

In Wei Yuan's eyes, the room was instantly filled with swimming numbers and symbols, which then passed through his body as if they were nothing, none of them lingering. Some mischievous symbols even formed their own formations, creating various patterns in front of Wei Yuan. Two of them, in particular, resembled two letters from an outer world, standing out starkly.

Leaving aside Immortal Lord Yanshi, the other temple masters and hall masters listened with rapt attention, nodding and swaying their heads. Only Wei Yuan felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, as if he had thorns in his back and a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Zhu Yan lectured for three days straight, during which Wei Yuan's mathematical skills slightly declined. Fortunately, Wei Yuan memorized all of Zhu Yan's lectures and stored them in the Prosperous World of All Realms, to study them slowly in the future.

Finally, Zhu Yan finished his sermon, and Wei Yuan, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, immediately fled. Zhu Yan's sermon style differed from others; since his time as a True Lord, he had disliked speaking and preferred to use mathematics to explain principles.

Zhu Yan's mathematical skills were already on par with Ting Hai and Yan Shi. After ascending to immortality, she could spout strings of formulas without uttering a single word of human language, much like the Buddha who, without leaving any written record, displayed the grace of holding up a flower.

It was impossible for Wei Yuan to understand, and memorizing was too easy, so he sat there for three days in a daze, feeling really sad, with a bitter smile on his face.

Zhu Yan then explained the situation, and Wei Yuan smiled bitterly, thus creating a classic scene.

Three days of quiet contemplation of the Great Dao were not without gain; at least Wei Yuan once again recognized his shortcomings. After the sermon, Yan Shi and Zhu Yan summoned Wei Yuan, and the three of them sat for a while in the Ancestral Hall.

Yan Shi then said, "Three days have passed, and Lu Changhe's immortal heaven has fallen, and the contents inside have been swept away. Most of the cave heavens have scattered back to the world, and a few cave heavens have left behind their cores, which should have been taken away by those people."

The Immortal Realm, formed from the Immortal's Heart World, and its various attached grotto-heavens, are assets second only to the Immortal Body. However, this world is located above the Immortal Realm, making it difficult for Wei Yuan to ascend. The best approach would be to report to the Palace Master and have an Immortal collect it on his behalf.

However, Yan Shi not only refused to go himself, but also detained Wei Yuan for three days under the pretext of preaching, until Lü Changhe's immortal heaven collapsed, at which point the matter was explained.

Wei Yuan was intelligent enough to know that there was more to the story.

Yan Shi then said, "Originally, I also had some ideas about Lü Changhe's Immortal Heaven and Grotto Heaven, but fortunately, I first asked the Palace Master of Mingwang to go and investigate. As a result, he couldn't find the way there no matter what he did, so I understood. After discussing it with Junior Brother Zhu, we decided to release this bait and detain you to prevent you from going to collect it."

Wei Yuan was puzzled and asked, "If you don't want me to go, you can just give the order. Why go to all this trouble?"

Zhu Yan then said, “This matter concerns cause and effect. The principle is not complicated; you should understand it as soon as I explain. Your knowing but not going is cause A, from which the following derivations can occur… leading to the following results… The most likely result is this one, let’s call it result A. Your not knowing but not going is cause B… leading to result B. And so on…”

Our overall assessment is that outcome B has the least impact on the current situation, resulting in a minor loss for the enemy, which is acceptable. Furthermore, the best way to obtain outcome B is through cause B, as this offers the highest probability, rather than through the transformation of other causes.

That's why there were three days of sermons, and to give you some additional knowledge. Did you understand?

Wei Yuan nodded; he understood the part that was spoken in human language.

Yan Shi then said, "Now there is a second matter, which is to tell you about Junior Brother Zhu's supernatural abilities, so that you will have a better understanding of them and be more targeted in your future plans. Although Junior Brother Zhu is not beyond our control, he is still quite difficult to predict and even more difficult to pinpoint."

Junior Brother Zhu can traverse most defensive formations in the world, appearing and disappearing without a trace. He will later take charge of several powerful immortal artifacts left behind by our ancestors in the palace.

Yan Shi explained in detail for a long time, basically saying that Zhu Yan's supernatural abilities are mainly for stealth and traversing dangerous places, but the power of a single strike is not strong enough, requiring a powerful immortal artifact to compensate. Zhu Yan's other supernatural ability is to burn an immortal artifact, sacrificing the artifact to deliver a fatal blow. This strike is much more powerful than an immortal artifact self-destructing, and ordinary immortals would find it difficult to withstand.

Wei Yuan understood immediately. This patriarch seemed to be a top-notch assassin, but his attacks came at a high price, requiring a celestial artifact for each strike.

No wonder the powerful being on the other side started by activating the Zhu Yan Ascension to Immortality opportunity ahead of time; their core reason was that they didn't want Zhu Yan to ascend to immortality. With someone like that around, most of the immortals in the world would have to live in constant fear.

After all, this is the first immortal with the killer style of Taichu Palace. Since the founding patriarch of Taichu Palace, they have always taken the path of crushing all who dared to oppose them head-on, and have never stabbed anyone in the back.

After Yan finished giving his instructions, Wei Yuan was able to leave and fly to the State of Zhao.

Wei Yuan was traveling on a rocket, his speed was no less than that of any immortal. The Zhao Kingdom was not far from the Taichu Palace's main mountain. By the time Wei Yuan flew into the Zhao Kingdom's capital, the powerful figures behind the scenes had not yet turned their attention to him.

Upon entering the capital, Wei Yuan sensed something and turned to fly towards the ancestral tombs of the Zhao royal family.

Immortal Zhao Li stood atop the mountain, gazing at the vast sea of ​​clouds before him. The clouds churned and rolled like raging waves, yet Immortal Zhao Li remained steadfast, his radiant light dazzling, his aura chilling. When Wei Yuan stood behind him, he didn't turn around, but said calmly, "Helping you that day was truly an impulsive act, and I deeply regret the actions of the seniors who helped us establish the Seven Clans and Thirteen Noble Families. I deeply regret this matter; there's no need to say more. You may leave. From now on, may we forget each other..."

Suddenly, Zhao Lixian felt something and turned around, only to see the two bundles of oil paper in Wei Yuan's hand.

In that instant, his auspicious supernatural power activated, and he reached out his hand, saying, "Look at you, you've already come all this way, why did you bring a gift?"

(End of this chapter)