If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1437 Selling Advertising Space
—Is that bastard Taibai Xingjun plotting against me?
Grand Tutor Yu's sudden whim wasn't particularly strong.

Moreover, reason and logic alone would not lead her to such an association.

Grand Tutor Keyu's way of surviving during the great calamity of heaven and earth was to be a "persecution maniac": whenever something happened, he would try to think in the worst possible way.

Once she had this realization, she immediately thought of Princess Longji and Deng Chanyu from "The Investiture of the Gods".

With a thought, she immediately suspended the other methods of killing her adoptive father in the Purple Mansion and began to fully deduce the "Meeting Red Thread Breaking Method" of the Old Man of the Moon.

She currently has three urgent priorities. First, the black lotus mark left by Wutian in her soul is of paramount importance. Second, she needs to decipher the Jade Emperor's Nine Heavens Secret Technique, which is crucial to her own cultivation and forms the foundation of her practice. Finally, she needs to study the Heavenly Heart Mark of the Great Luo Immortal through the Nine Palaces True Man to enhance her capabilities when facing the Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Well, now that the Quasi-Great Luo Immortal is no longer a deadly threat, Xiao Yu has begun to target Great Luo Golden Immortals.

There was another one before, Zen Master Wuchao's "Golden Crow Escape". After studying it for several months, he made considerable improvements to "Soaring Ten Thousand Miles", but lacking the bloodline of the Golden Crow, he encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation, so he was removed from the "Four Primary Goals".

The matchmaker's red thread of fate is an innate spiritual treasure, and it is very difficult to break. Its effect is only to find a wife for Xi Juan, so it is considered to be of relatively low priority by her.

Now that her own fate is at stake, she has to act urgently.

With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, Xiao Yu showed no emotion on her face and did not continue the topic of Taibai Xingjun.

"Your Majesty wouldn't want me to revise the 'Proclamation to the People' in an attempt to restore the 'divine's' prestige among the people, would you?"

Master Zhang nodded first, then praised, "It is truly a great fortune for the immortal path that the Grand Master has such enlightenment!"

Xiaoyu sighed, "Instead of hiding the problem, we should figure out how to solve it from the root."

Isn't the Heavenly Court currently undergoing reforms?
I think the Jade Emperor could send a representative to the mortal realm to explain the Heavenly Court's plans and the Jade Emperor's thoughts in front of all living beings.

For example, you act as our representative, and we go to Xianyang.

Let us join hands and convene a public exchange meeting between the mortal court and the celestial divine court for all citizens.

If you feel uncomfortable, you can write your draft in advance and hand it to the clerks in the press office so they can ask you questions in public. You and I can debate based on our drafts without making any mistakes.

Then, a public announcement was issued to broadcast the contents of the exchange meeting to the world.

Finally, the historian recorded the exchange in the "Annals of the Heavenly Emperor" in the History of Qin.

When Zhang Tianshi first heard her mention a public debate, he instinctively felt it was absurd and wanted to sternly refuse.

But after listening to the end, and learning about the three-pronged approach of public communication, issuing a public statement, and leaving a mark on history, he only had to simulate it in his mind once before he immediately realized how enormous and effective the benefits of doing so were.

The only thing that can stand up to the "public trial of the immortal" is the "public trial" itself!

This unconventional "public trial," which only needs to be conducted once, can greatly enhance the Jade Emperor's prestige among mortals.

Only the Jade Emperor, not the entire celestial class, benefited.

Because the common people would subconsciously feel that the Heavenly Court was corrupt and decadent, while the Jade Emperor was flawless and a perfect sage ruler who reformed the system.

Secondly, if deities commit crimes in the future, and there is a public trial by the imperial court, the people will be able to understand and maintain their faith in the Heavenly Court and the Jade Emperor.

"The Grand Tutor's ideas are imaginative and seemingly absurd, but upon closer examination they are full of wisdom and admirable."

However, the Jade Emperor could not agree to this plan.

At least as long as the Qin Dynasty existed, the Jade Emperor would not hold a public debate with the rulers of earthly dynasties in front of all living beings.

Zhang Tianshi said with a complicated expression, "If the Heavenly Emperor does that, it will cause misunderstanding among the people of the world—that the Heavenly Emperor still recognizes the Mandate of Heaven for the Great Qin."

Even the gods would suspect that the Heavenly Emperor was "defying Heaven and defying destiny," siding with the immoral and tyrannical Qin Dynasty during this great calamity.

Grand Tutor Yu smiled slightly and said, "In that case, the Jade Emperor can rest assured and wait in heaven."

Decades later, when the world is at peace, we will send someone down to the mortal realm to speak with the 'Human Emperor'.

Zhang Tianshi sighed, "If the Grand Master continues to cause trouble for several decades, the distinction between immortals and demons in the hearts of the people will probably disappear."

I implore the Grand Tutor to show leniency in this 'Proclamation to the People,' and His Majesty will offer a reward."

He first recounted in detail the Heavenly Court's punishment of the Old Ghost of the Deer Cauldron.

"Haha, old ghost gets what he deserves, serves him right, how gratifying!"

Grand Tutor Yu, without any restraint, gloated heartily.

Zhang Tianshi glanced at her and said, "The Water Bucket Taoist has accumulated three million Heavenly Merits and two hundred Merit Lotuses through more than 100,000 years of arduous cultivation."

If he could gather four hundred merit lotuses, he could attempt to sever his last remaining corpse and attain the Great Luo Immortal realm.

"Where did this bucket get so much Heavenly Merit? An ordinary person only needs three to five hundred Heavenly Merit to have a chance to ascend to the Heavenly Court, yet he has accumulated three million. Could this fellow be lending money at exorbitant rates in the Immortal Realm?" Grand Tutor Yu exclaimed in surprise.

“What interest rate? The immortals in heaven are all respectable people, how could they lend money at exorbitant interest rates? Even the Heavenly Master can’t just lend money like that!” said Zhang Tianshi.

"It's the 'Cultivation Loan.' He cultivated his True Immortal Technique and now he has to repay the Heavenly Merit," Grand Tutor Yu said.

"Oh, this kind of karmic debt is quite normal. The 'Great Immortal of Heavenly Merit' who created the 'Great Dao of Karmic Debt' even received high praise from the Dao Ancestor."

The Primordial Celestial Venerable bestowed upon him five hundred merit lotuses, and the Supreme Lord Laozi gave him thirty-six Nine-Turn Golden Pills.

"As early as 80,000 years ago, the Heavenly Immortal had already attained the Great Luo Realm." Zhang Tianshi's eyes held both envy and admiration.

Grand Tutor Yu exclaimed in surprise, "I've never heard of the Heavenly Immortal before. I never imagined he could use such rules to attain enlightenment."

Zhang Tianshi really wanted to ask: Tiangong Daxian is a Da Luo Jinxian. You've only been in Shenzhou for a few years. How many Da Luo Jinxian do you know?
It's perfectly normal that someone from a different circle wouldn't know about the existence of the Celestial Immortal.

"The Grand Tutor must know about the two disciples of the Heavenly Immortal. One is Guan Zhong, the Prime Minister of Qi, and the other is Wen Zi."

Wenzi followed Laozi to learn the Tao, and then followed the Great Immortal Tiangong to refine his Qi and become an immortal.

If Guan Zhong had not been invited by the Three Sovereigns to suppress the human destiny at Huoyun Cave, he might have already been reincarnated into the celestial path.

The essence of karmic debt remains the Great Dao of Cause and Effect. It is not surprising to attain enlightenment through a branch of the Great Dao of Cause and Effect.

From the time of the Investiture of the Gods to the present day, tens of thousands of immortals have cultivated the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, and every forty to fifty thousand years, a great immortal has successfully attained enlightenment.

The same main road can have different branches.

The key point is that the Great Immortal Tiangong's Dao of Cause and Effect is extremely beneficial to the development of the Immortal Path.

Since the emergence of the Great Dao of Karma Debt, the growth rate of immortals has been increasing every year.

Grand Tutor, just 300,000 years ago, the Heavenly Court couldn't even muster 365 righteous gods.

Now look at today, a slightly larger grotto-heaven houses over ten thousand immortals.

Xiaoyu seemed to understand something.

The reason why the Great Immortal Tiangong was able to successfully attain enlightenment was not only because he found the right direction, but also because that direction was very "correct"—beneficial to the path of immortality and beneficial to the Pangu world.

For such a promising talent, the Dao Ancestor directly "guaranteed" him the position of Great Luo.

For example, the Four Friends of Qionglin have high talent and good fortune, but their Dao is relatively ordinary (not in terms of power, but in terms of scarcity or lack of urgent need). The Dao Ancestor would not even give them a "mere" Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill.

Zhang Tianshi added, "I have also seen the disciples of Lu Dingxian."

He did indeed create many true immortal techniques, and earned at least two million celestial merits through karmic debts.

The remaining million days of merit are all accumulated through diligent good deeds.

A look of admiration appeared on his face. "The Great Immortal Lu Ding's talent is not exceptional, let alone exceptional. A dwarf is someone born with incomplete limbs. Although he has a flawed immortal bone, he is diligent and persistent enough."

Aside from cultivating himself, he would go down the mountain to do good deeds, and he especially liked to help people become immortals.

Other Golden Immortals and powerful beings do not possess as many heavenly achievements as he does.

Xiao Yu asked, "Does the Jade Emperor intend to give me all two million Heavenly Merits and one hundred Merit Lotuses?"

Zhang Tianshi shook his head and said, "Give the Grand Tutor three thousand Heavenly Merits and one Merit Lotus."

Grand Tutor Yu's expression immediately changed.

He quickly explained, "It is not that Your Majesty coveted these heavenly achievements and merits."

It is not that I, a humble Taoist priest, have acted recklessly and secretly withheld the rewards His Majesty bestowed upon the Grand Tutor.

The remaining Heavenly Merit and the merits of Heaven and Earth must be poured into the 'Pool of Divine Transformation' and the 'Pool of Immortal Transformation' to compensate for the depletion of divine power in the faith of the Immortal Path caused by the sharp decline in incense offerings in the human world.

Besides, His Majesty isn't asking the Grand Tutor to go through hell and high water.

It was merely a matter of modifying or adding a few sentences to the "Proclamation to the People".

A single lotus of merit can allow an ordinary immortal to easily overcome the three calamities and five tribulations; three thousand heavenly merits can enable several people to ascend to the Heavenly Court!

"Fine, I'll do whatever benefits you give me."

Grand Tutor Yu nodded and said, "Help me exchange the Heavenly Merit for Immortal Treasures, and give me the Merit Lotus directly."

Then I added a story to the proclamation to the people—because of the previous 'Great Qin Celestial Master's Oath-Breaking Case,' the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother worked diligently to reform the corrupt system, promote reforms in the Heavenly Court, and strengthen control over the moral character of the immortals. Now that the Yan Wushuang assassination case has ended, the Heavenly Emperor immediately punished the Deer Cauldron Old Ghost according to the new Heavenly Laws and Regulations.

What does Master Zhang think?

Zhang Tianshi hesitated and said, "This section alone is certainly excellent."

But I want to see the complete "Proclamation to the People" first, to see if any other content is too sensitive.

Grand Tutor Yu said unhappily, "You get what you pay for. One lotus flower of merit, worth three thousand heavenly merits, can only buy an 'advertising space' at the end of the story."

Zhang Tianshi said, "Just now, I described in detail the Heavenly Emperor's punishment of the Deer Cauldron Immortal, and the Grand Master laughed very happily."

Actually, I don't need to tell the Grand Tutor these things in detail.

The exact amount of merit and virtue accumulated by the Great Immortal of the Deer Cauldron can remain a secret.

Telling the Grand Tutor the details is simply to let him know the terrible price the Deer Cauldron Immortal paid, so that the Grand Tutor will feel greatly pleased, isn't it?

—Providing me with a lot of emotional value can be considered a "reward" from the Heavenly Emperor? You're too stingy and shameless.

Grand Tutor Yu felt disgusted, but he knew that blaming Zhang Tianshi was useless; he was just an "angel" sent down to the mortal realm to do errands.

"Does Celestial Master Zhang understand the main purpose of this proclamation to the people? Or rather, does Celestial Master Zhang understand why I went to such lengths to have the Old Ghost of the Deer Cauldron publicly expose his 'true face' before the people of Yan?"

Zhang Daoling pondered and said, "The Grand Tutor's true target should be the group of Xuanmen immortals who are still alive, like Fuqiu Gong."

They deliberately slandered them, claiming that they were the masterminds behind the chaos in the world, and portrayed Shenzhou Qianlong as their pawn.

This not only diminished the legitimacy of the Hidden Dragons and damaged their reputation, but also confused the public, disguising the fact that the Great Qin had lost its Mandate of Heaven as a conspiracy by a "mysterious immortal who absorbs the fortune of humanity."

Grand Tutor Yu smiled and said, "I didn't slander anyone. They were the masterminds behind the scenes, and they did indeed use Qianlong as a pawn."

It is truly laughable, pitiful, and lamentable that heroes like Yan Wushuang and Chen Sheng were manipulated by them.

My "Proclamation to the People" will fully recount the detailed process of the public trial, letting the world know that there is a group of great immortals who use the land of China as a chessboard and the rebel king as a pawn, all for the sake of obtaining human fortune and helping themselves achieve the Great Luo.

As long as this core content remains unchanged, you can modify the other parts.

Zhang Daoling sighed, "By doing this, aren't you cutting yourself off from the Xuanmen (Taoist sect)?"
Guiding the great calamity and obtaining the fortune of humanity is not something only a few people are doing.

They guided the great calamity and indeed protected the mandate of heaven, which is beneficial to the healthy development of humanity.

Otherwise, where would the humane fortune come from to give them? Heaven isn't stupid, and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were even more shrewd.

Go ask the Holy Emperors inside the Fire Cloud Cave; they won't approve of your actions.

"In this great calamity, I am merely a pitiful person struggling to survive. When one is successful, one should help others. I am humble and weak, and I have no right to hesitate or look back," Grand Tutor Yu sighed.

Zhang Daoling's old face twitched slightly as he said, "Didn't you initially only plan to lead the Ying clan westward?"

Now you can easily achieve this goal.

As long as you announce your departure, Master Fuqiu and the others will surely give you a warm send-off, and may even shower you with countless celestial treasures to ensure you don't go hungry on your journey.

"If I don't fight, will they change their attitude? I'm only able to achieve my current situation thanks to the unwavering support of the Ying clan and the Qin Empire. If I don't give it my all, would I even be considered human?"

I was content when I was able to leave the Qin Dynasty with all the Qin people intact.

Now, if I were to lead the Ying clan westward, there's only one way—to storm Guanzhong and capture Xianyang!

Grand Tutor Yu's voice was gentle, yet his tone carried a resolute air, and he unconsciously exuded a chilling killing intent.

Zhang Daoling sighed softly and said no more nonsense, "Grand Tutor, please write the 'Proclamation to the People' first. After I have read it through, we can discuss the details."

"What about the Lotus of Merit?" Grand Master Yu asked.

The high-level item of Heaven and Earth Merit is especially important for high-level cultivators like the Great Luo Immortal.

Although she is not a cultivator who follows the Great Luo Path, her desire for Heavenly Dao Merit is no less than that of a Quasi-Great Luo.

Compared to all the Heavenly Dao merits on the old ghost of the Deer Cauldron, a single lotus flower of merit is indeed somewhat small, less than 1%, but its value is not low.

It's much more useful than "Three Thousand Days of Practice".

A few years ago, three thousand Heavenly Merits would have been an unimaginable fortune for Sha Manyu!

Zhang Daoling said, "We don't have the Merit Lotus yet. We need to press the Great Immortal of the Deer Cauldron onto the Slaughtering Platform and use the 'Heavenly Blade' to shave off the merits of heaven and earth from his body."

He's currently missing three of his souls, so we can't dismember him. The Grand Tutor must release his soul.

"To scrape one's soul with a heavenly blade? How painful that would be!" Just imagining that scene made Grand Tutor Yu feel uneasy.

"Too cruel, the Heavenly Emperor is too ruthless."

Zhang Daoling said, "The merits of Heaven and Earth are not the merits of Heaven. The military merits of the mortal world are determined by humans, while the merits of Heaven are determined by the immortals."

When the rules are different, the calculation method and result of the Heavenly Merit will also be different, and it can be changed and transferred by human intervention.

The merits of heaven and earth are the divine intervention by the heavens to transform the ethereal fortune into a kind of 'spiritual energy,' which is then directly infused into the soul.

In theory, outsiders cannot take it away at all.

If the Great Immortal Lu Ding doesn't cooperate, even if the Heavenly Blade were to scrape him until his soul is scattered, not a single drop of oil would be left.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "I've seen the merits of Heaven before. As the ruler of the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor should have even more sophisticated methods."

Just like the Buddha in the West, who built the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, soaking in it allowed one to directly 'extract' their merit.

(End of this chapter)