I became an immortal in the mountains

Chapter 804 Feigning Compliance, Each Getting What They Need!

"Throughout the myriad realms and the three thousand Great Daos, each has its own merits. It's just that the scenery on the path of cultivation is slightly different," Gu Yuanqing said calmly.

Xuan Mingrui gently stroked the rim of the jade cup with his fingertips, and said with curiosity, "I have read ancient books that mention the separation between realms as an insurmountable chasm. The void outside the realm is even more chaotic and dangerous. In ancient times, some cultivators from my Nine Domains Divine Continent also entered it, but they all disappeared without a trace. It is truly admirable that you were able to reach this realm safely, fellow Daoist."

Gu Yuanqing glanced at Xuan Mingrui, seemingly in agreement, and said, "The ancient records are correct. I, Gu, also wandered aimlessly in the void for decades before encountering a Heavenly Demon and having the idea of ​​using the Heavenly Demon's original demonic thoughts to pursue it. Being able to enter this realm can be considered a fortuitous coincidence, and I am very fortunate!"

"Oh? Is that so? Fellow Daoist, you are indeed a person of great fortune." Xuan Mingrui said with a touch of emotion, "Alas, to be honest, my Nine Domains Divine Continent has been trapped here for millions of years, fighting against the Heavenly Demons year after year. The pollution of the Heavenly Demons' energy has turned most of this realm into demonic land. Many precious cultivation resources, especially the core spiritual materials used to refine high-level magic treasures and array plates, have long been scarce. If this continues, I'm afraid it will be difficult to sustain."

“It is indeed not easy,” Gu Yuanqing said.

"I've heard that your homeland is also threatened by celestial demons?" Xuan Mingrui asked again.

Gu Yuanqing glanced at him and said, "Your Highness is certainly well-informed."

"Since the Nine Realms Divine Continent has encountered the Heavenly Demon Calamity, we have paid more attention to this matter. Last time, when I heard my father mention this matter, I felt deeply..." Xuan Mingrui sighed softly, and then said, "Our Nine Realms Divine Continent has been dealing with the Heavenly Demon for millions of years. Although we are in a difficult situation, we have accumulated a lot of coping methods. Whether it is the formation to suppress demonic energy or the mental technique to purify demonic thoughts, it may be able to provide some reference for you, fellow Daoist."

He looked up at Gu Yuanqing and continued in a gentle tone, "If you need anything in this realm, please feel free to ask me."

"Your Highness is too kind." Gu Yuanqing raised his cup in thanks. "I thank you in advance."

Xuan Mingrui waved his hand and said, "We are both human and suffer from the same calamity of the Heavenly Demon, so we should support each other. If the two realms can truly exchange what they have and learn from each other, perhaps... we can find a way to resolve this calamity."

"Your Highness's words make sense. If there really is an opportunity, it is not impossible," Gu Yuanqing replied with a smile, but he did not reveal his true thoughts at all.

Seeing that Gu Yuanqing seemed to be keeping quiet about his intentions, Xuan Mingrui feared that his obvious intentions would arouse Gu Yuanqing's suspicion. So he changed the subject and asked in a seemingly sincere tone, "Fellow Daoist Gu, according to what Sect Master Ling said, you intend to cooperate with Da Hao to hunt down the Heavenly Demons together?"

Gu Yuanqing said, "That is indeed the intention. I wonder what Your Highness's opinion is on this matter?"

Xuan Mingrui laughed: "This is naturally a good thing. As long as it can kill the Heavenly Demon, I will wholeheartedly support it. So, what are your thoughts on our cooperation in hunting demons? Or, in what ways do you hope that my Great Hao can provide assistance?"

Gu Yuanqing didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I need information about high-level Heavenly Demons, especially the Xuan You Demon Lord and his Undying Demons, their strength, supernatural powers, and recent movements. The more specific the better."

Xuan Mingrui nodded and said, "The Dark Star Guards under the Sky Patrol Bureau should have some information on the relevant movements. However, fellow Daoist... do you really intend to venture deep into the Demon Realm to hunt them down?"

“That’s right.” Gu Yuanqing said calmly, “Hunting high-level demons is also a necessity for my cultivation.”

Xuan Mingrui reminded him, "Fellow Daoist's cultivation is profound, and Sect Master Ling has also praised it highly. However, the depths of the Demon Land are fraught with danger, and the Xuan You Demon Lord is even more unfathomable. Fellow Daoist, do not underestimate the power of his true body just because you fought with his clone before."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. I have my own considerations," Gu Yuanqing said.

After a moment's thought, Xuan Mingrui said, "In that case, I will have someone compile the relevant intelligence gathered by the Dark Star Guards and send it to you as soon as possible. However..."

At this point, Xuan Mingrui stared intently into Gu Yuanqing's eyes and said in a deep voice, "I urge you to be cautious and exercise restraint. Hunting down Xuan You's subordinates may be acceptable, but please do not be too aggressive. Otherwise, not only will you find yourself in danger, but if you awaken the other two Demon Lords who are still in slumber, the great calamity of the human race may arrive ahead of schedule, which would be a catastrophe."

Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

……

After the banquet, Gu Yuanqing got up to take his leave.

Xuan Mingrui escorted them to the outside of the hall, watching Gu Yuanqing and the Nine Heavens Sword Sect elders disappear from sight.

A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar approached from the side and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, do you really intend to send the information about the Heavenly Demons collected by the Celestial Observatory to this Gu Yuanqing?"

"Sir, in your opinion, can Gu Yuanqing truly be used by our Great Hao?" Xuan Mingrui asked calmly, looking into the distance with his hands behind his back.

The middle-aged man naturally knew that the Second Prince's use of those two words was not a simple cooperation, but rather a hope that the Second Prince would submit to the court and be at its beck and call.

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Difficult. This person is not from our Nine Domains Divine Continent. Moreover, his cultivation is profound, and he can deal with the Demon Lord's avatar. His ambition must be extremely high. Such a person is just like the cultivators of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect. They dislike being bound and governed by others. To make him submit to others and wait for orders is probably... absolutely impossible."

Xuan Mingrui's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked again, "If... we were to spare no expense and find a way to take them down within this human realm, what do you think, sir?"

Mr. Lin frowned and shook his head again: "This matter is too risky and probably not feasible. If what Sect Master Ling said is true, and this person can indeed fight against the Xuan You Demon Lord's avatar without being defeated, his strength is probably far beyond that of an ordinary Chaotic Undying Realm cultivator. To reliably capture him, unless His Majesty personally takes action, or invites the sect masters of the three sects and powerful Void Immortals like the Heavenly Pivot Palace Venerable to join forces, there is no guarantee of success. Otherwise, if we take action but fail to achieve complete success, he might escape..."

He paused, lowering his voice even further: "Perhaps harboring resentment, they might turn to colluding with the traitors of the Eclipse Moon Cult, which would be tantamount to creating a powerful enemy for our Great Hao out of thin air, inviting trouble upon themselves, with unimaginable consequences."

Xuan Mingrui was not surprised by this answer and said calmly, "That's also what Father Emperor means. Since we can't force them to stay, and taking forceful action is too risky, let's try another method."

"Perfect, using him will buy us some time and opportunity. We still need a few rare and precious materials to repair the Zhou Tian Star Tower: Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Sinking Star Iron, Nine-Patterned Void Mithril, and Nine Netherworld Profound Soul Crystal. We've almost exhausted all of these within our Nine Domains Divine Continent, and can only collect them from the Demon Lands, but those places are all infested with powerful demons. Letting him distract the demons will allow us to act covertly and perhaps achieve something."

Mr. Lin praised, "Your Highness's plan is brilliant, killing two birds with one stone. It can both restrain the Heavenly Demon and bring real benefits to our Great Hao. However... Gu Yuanqing may know the method to return to the homeland. If this plan is implemented and Gu Yuanqing unfortunately perishes at the hands of the Xuan You Demon Lord, wouldn't this possible escape route be cut off?"

Xuan Mingrui turned to look at the middle-aged man, a slightly mocking smile playing on his lips: "Sir, you don't really think that the man surnamed Gu, with his Undying Chaos cultivation, can actually stand up to the Xuan You Demon Lord head-on, do you?"

Before the middle-aged man could answer, he paused slightly and then said calmly, "The Xuan You Demon Lord is a peak Void Immortal, and only Father Emperor can truly contend with him. Even if it is just an avatar, how could the Chaotic Undying Realm possibly withstand it? The reason he was 'undefeated' before was simply because the Xuan You Demon Lord... did not want to really kill him. This can be seen from the fact that it retreated directly without making a move when Sect Master Ling encountered it twice."

It sees us humans as sustenance, just as mortals raise livestock; naturally, the fatter and stronger they are, the greater the harvest at slaughter. The only thing to watch out for is the Demon Lord Xuanyou planting a demonic seed in Gu Yuanqing, but perhaps… that won't matter. To survive, he'll have no choice but to seek help from my Great Hao. At that time, some things will be beyond his control!

……

Gu Yuanqing lingered in this beautiful city for several days.

The human race in this realm has no fundamental difference in bloodline from that in the Spirit Realm. However, due to their different living environment and after millions of years of brutal struggle against the Heavenly Demons, they have created a civilization and ideology that are quite different from those in the Spirit Realm and the Linglong Realm.

These are, in fact, the condensation of the unique thoughts and insights of the people of this realm regarding humanity, order, and even the universe. These insights may be limited by the predicaments of this realm, and may be somewhat biased or extreme, but it is precisely these fruits of civilization born under extreme pressure that contain immeasurable value for cultivators.

Cultivation is not merely the accumulation of magical power and the breakthrough of realms, but also the cognition and exploration of the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, the laws of all things, and even one's own origin.

Different civilizations are like different prisms through which we observe the world, reflecting different aspects of the great path.

He also purchased some ancient books from the city's bookstores. He seemingly put them into his storage bag, but in reality, he used the Heavenly Fishing Technique to send them back to the Northern Spring Cave Heaven for his own reading.

Although these classic texts do not contain any supernatural powers or magic, every word is a gem, representing the crystallization of the thoughts of ancient sages on the ways of heaven and the human heart.

These authors may have been ordinary people, but they shared their understanding of the universe from different perspectives, constantly verifying it with their own spiritual practice, as if it were a collision of ideas that transcended time and space.

These insights, though seemingly intangible, flowed like a gentle stream, constantly enriching his path and perfecting the foundation of his great Dao.

There were also many local delicacies in the city. Whenever Gu Yuanqing saw something he had never eaten before, he would try it. At this moment, he felt as if he were not a great cultivator, but an ordinary tourist from a foreign land.

This composure impressed the unsuspecting Nangong Xun. If it were him, alone in a foreign land, facing the danger of the Heavenly Demon, he probably wouldn't have been able to remain so calm and collected.

At noon that day.

Gu Yuanqing and Nangong Xun were having a meal at an elegant restaurant by the window in the city.

A middle-aged man dressed in a simple blue robe arrived and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Senior Gu, Elder Nangong." The visitor was respectful and presented a jade slip. "I am here on the orders of His Highness the Second Prince to deliver this to Senior Gu. It contains the information you require."

"Thank you for your trouble." Gu Yuanqing took the jade slip, scanned it with his divine sense, and knew that its contents were detailed and indeed the information he needed about the Xuan You Demon Lord and some of the Heavenly Demons above the Hun Tian Realm.

The man in blue bowed slightly and said, "His Highness has one more thing to say, which I would like to convey to you, senior. His Highness said that if you wish to take action, the best time... would be seven days from now."

Gu Yuanqing's gaze fell on the middle-aged man: "Oh? Could it be that your dynasty also has some plans seven days from now?"

The man in blue seemed to have anticipated this question and said frankly, "Senior is wise. The imperial court does have some plans and needs your help to attract the attention of the demons in order to succeed. If anything unexpected happens, the Great Hao Dynasty can also support you."

Gu Yuanqing gave the man in blue a deep look, as if trying to see through his thoughts and those of the person behind him. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, his expression indifferent, and simply uttered a single word: "Agreed."

Seeing that Gu Yuanqing had agreed, the man in blue smiled slightly and bowed again, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, senior. I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he quietly went downstairs and left.

Nangong Xun observed quietly from the sidelines. Although he was not skilled in political intrigue, with his level of cultivation, how could he not see through the intricacies? This was the first time the two sides had cooperated, so it was naturally a test to lay the foundation for further progress in the future.

Gu Yuanqing understood perfectly well what the Great Hao Dynasty wanted to do by taking advantage of his actions. He didn't want to investigate; to him, it was simply a matter of delaying his actions by a few days.

He came to this realm only to hunt down the Heavenly Demons. Right now, the Heavenly Demons are powerful, and even he has to be cautious about Heavenly Demons at the peak of the Void Immortal level. It would be a good choice to make appropriate use of the power of the Great Hao Dynasty.

If it would benefit both of them, he wouldn't mind helping out.

If the Great Hao Dynasty harbors ill intentions, then we can settle accounts later, but I doubt they would be that foolish!
"Fellow Daoist, do you really intend to go to the Demon Realm alone to hunt down the Heavenly Demons?" Nangong Xun finally couldn't help but ask.

Gu Yuanqing chuckled and said, "Since we're all idle, there's no harm in giving it a try. Besides, we used to search aimlessly in the Demon Land, but now that we have the intelligence sent by the Sky Patrol Bureau, our chances of success are much higher."

Seeing Gu Yuanqing's calm and composed demeanor, as if he were confident, Nangong Xun did not offer any further advice. Instead, he reminded him once again, "Fellow Daoist's cultivation is exceptional, and I admire such a feat. However, with the Xuanyou Demon Lord awakening, please be extra careful and do not be careless."

……

Five days later, Gu Yuanqing rode his escape light alone, passing through the great array barrier, and headed towards the Demon Land.

Ling Yi watched Gu Yuanqing's departing figure with his hands behind his back, his brows slightly furrowed.

Standing beside Ling Yi, Nangong Xun said with a complicated expression, "He actually went to the Demon Realm like that. Isn't he worried about a surprise attack from the Demon Lord of Xuanyou?"

The three Demon Lords were like three mountains pressing down on the hearts of the cultivators of the Nine Domains Divine Continent. This was the deterrent effect brought about by their standing at the peak of this world for millions of years. Even though Nangong Xun was an immortal being of the Chaotic Heaven and a sword cultivator, he still had a trace of fear of them from the bottom of his heart.

"Skill breeds daring, doesn't it?" Ling Yi glanced at Nangong Xun and continued, "Junior Brother Nangong, if you can't overcome the demon in your heart, this Path of the Immortal..."

Nangong Xun remained silent. He naturally knew what the sect leader meant. However, he could tell outsiders that he could also draw his sword fearlessly in the face of the Demon Lord, without fear of death, but he could not deceive his own Dao heart.

When cultivating the way of the sword, one should forge ahead without hesitation. If the demons in one's heart are not broken, one will not be able to condense the seed of the Dao. On the contrary, one may attract the descent of heavenly demons because of the demons in one's heart.

Within the Nine Provinces Realm, countless peak-level cultivators of the Chaotic Undying Realm perished in this calamity, becoming provisions for the Heavenly Demons!
After a moment, Ling Yi asked again, "Where are the people from the imperial court?"

"They must have secretly entered the Demon Land two days ago," said Patrolman Nangong.

Ling Yi nodded slightly. Entering the Demon Realm required caution. Otherwise, if the Eclipse Moon Sect found out, they might be surrounded by Heavenly Demons as soon as they entered the Demon Land. These wicked and rebellious people, in pursuit of so-called immortality, intended to use the power of Heavenly Demons. In reality, they were already puppets of Heavenly Demons and had lost their faith in humanity.

"The Star Palace Realm was almost thrown into chaos by the Eclipse Moon Cult, which wiped out my Nine Heavens Domain once again. If any Eclipse Moon Cult members are found, kill them without mercy."

"Yes, sir!" Nangong Xun bowed.

(End of this chapter)