The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 554 Making the Most of Everything, Killing Several Birds with One Stone

The stone chamber was deathly silent.

The Gong family head and the others were astonished by Lang Jiuchuan's bold speculation. Although there was no real basis for it, the information they had at the moment was very close to the speculation.

This truth, so close to the facts, is too horrifying!
They wanted to refute and argue, but they felt speechless, as if their throats were being choked, and they couldn't open their mouths to say a word. No way.
Otherwise, how could there be so many coincidences, with a genius dying and surviving every hundred years? How could such a good thing happen, and how could it have continued for a thousand years?

Only human intervention can explain this.

The repeated possession must have a purpose: to repair the severely damaged soul, which makes sense.

The father and son simultaneously picked up the scroll of Tantai Shi again, their eyes falling on what it said: Tantai Wuji failed to break through to the Golden Core Dao and mysteriously disappeared along with his secluded cultivation place.

It is said that he went missing, but no one knows the truth. Even the Tantai clan itself does not know whether he has perished or not. Since this ancestor has not appeared, we can only assume that he has perished.

If he had only suffered a severe injury, he would have used every means to repair his soul and even his physical body in order to survive!

"Can a body that's a thousand years old really be preserved for so long? If he really wanted to ascend to the Boundless Heaven again, he'd spent a thousand years repairing his soul. If he could repair it no matter what, wouldn't the body he used be enough to allow him to ascend to the next realm?" Gong Tinglan frowned and said, "Take the present for example. He's already lived for over two hundred years with the status of the Imperial Preceptor. It's clear that his body isn't bad. Why go to all this trouble?"

The head of the Gong family then said, "That period was different from now. The spiritual energy was more abundant, and the cultivators were more pure. With secret techniques and formations, one could preserve the physical body from decay. If all else fails, a cold ice coffin could be used with secret techniques."

He paused for a moment after speaking.

In the past, cultivators who achieved high levels of cultivation did so not necessarily because their hearts were purer; they were mostly reclusive cultivators, unlike now, where the Xuan Clan is only thinking about how to maintain their status.

Putting the cart before the horse, no wonder your cultivation level won't improve!

Change is imperative.

Perhaps they should return to their former seclusion and seek the truth, for that is the true path.

Lang Jiuchuan continued the conversation from the Gong family head, saying, "Moreover, no one else's physical body is as compatible with one's soul as one's own. He had already cultivated to the Core Formation stage back then, which shows how powerful his Dao was, but he failed each time. If he had the chance to do it again, he would cultivate both his physical body and soul to their strongest level, aiming for a single, decisive strike. After all, not everyone has the opportunity to do it a second time. It's worth the effort to go to such lengths for a thousand-year plan."

As for whether he was aiming to break through to the Golden Core Realm and enter the Boundless Heaven to seek immortality, or whether he was seeking longevity, there must be one that he was pursuing.

For those who cultivate the Tao, these are the ultimate goals.

They don't know what he intends to do, so they might as well block the path to those ultimate goals.

"Let's assume your guess is true. Then where is his physical body hidden? Moreover, he has stolen so much of the fortune of powerful families, and even the fate of the nation is in his hands. Otherwise, such a tragedy as planting you as a life-sustaining stake wouldn't have happened. Most importantly, what we know now is only the tip of the iceberg. He has survived for so long, over the past thousand years. Who knows how much fortune he has seized, all in preparation for breaking through to the next realm? I'm afraid he is well-prepared!" The head of the Gong family said with a worried expression, "A general doesn't fight a battle unprepared. We are already a step too late."

His tone was filled with barely concealed worry. Not only was he slower, but in terms of cultivation level, he was far inferior to the Imperial Preceptor, and if the Imperial Preceptor was truly Tantai Wuji from a thousand years ago, he was even less capable.

At that time, who can fight him to the end?
Lang Jiuchuan then said, "Although we are not as well-prepared as him, he is still very shrewd. Now, haven't we seen through his conspiracy? Since we don't have the strength to confront him head-on, we should do our best to disrupt or throw off his rhythm, forcing him to disregard the timing. Once his rhythm is disrupted, his decision-making will also be disrupted."

The head of the Gong family shook his head: "It's not easy. He holds the fate of the Great Dan in his hands. Only when Great Dan is in turmoil will the fate of the nation collapse. But in that case, it is only the common people who suffer. We cannot be like that evil cultivator and regard the common people as ants. Even if we have to deal with such a great evil, it is our responsibility as cultivators to protect the common people."

Lang Jiuchuan bowed to him and said, “Our patriarch is benevolent and righteous. He covets the nation’s destiny and steals the fortune of aristocratic families. He has committed countless heinous acts for his own schemes, which is already a catastrophe for the common people. All we can do is to do our best to protect them. As for the outcome, we will leave it to fate.”

She tapped the imperial bell with two fingers in turn and said, "As for where his physical body is hidden, it must be in the place where he secluded himself to break through to the next realm. I suspect it is the current location of the Tantai Imperial Mausoleum."

Gong Tinglan raised an eyebrow: "How do you know?"

"The imperial mausoleum is the concentration of the Tantai clan's fortune. Built on a dragon vein, it already occupies a strategically important location with excellent feng shui. As such, if a grand formation is set up to repair and nourish that physical body, ensuring its continued vitality, what could be a better tonic for the nation's fortune and destiny? If it were me, I would do the same. Making everything beneficial to myself is the best strategy." As for whether it would be forcibly seizing the blessings of his descendants, if he cared, he wouldn't have repeatedly tried to possess their bodies!

The two remained silent.

They are all cultivators, so they naturally know that these are good things. Just like the merit incense made by Langjiuchuan, it carries the power of vows that can nourish the soul and the body.

Lang Jiuchuan's eyes were cold: "Besides the nation's fate and destiny, there is also me."

Gong Tinglan looked over, her gaze trembling.

She smiled self-deprecatingly: "Before he suppresses me and plants the seed, he wants to use me to harvest a wave of merits, incense offerings, and vows. This may nourish not only the dynasty's fortune, but also his body that has been dormant for thousands of years. Only in this way can he kill several birds with one stone and make the most of everything!"

This aligns with his meticulous planning, making the most of people, wasting not a single bit, until he squeezes out the last bit of value.

Her laughter was chilling, making the stone chamber seem even colder.

Gong Tinglan and the head of the Gong family exchanged a glance, stepped forward, pressed her shoulder with his hand, and said, "If he has really lived for a thousand years, you are just starting out and have grown up under his care since childhood. How could you possibly see through his sinister intentions? Don't be too sad."

"I'm not saddened, but I marvel at his deep cunning. Such a person, with such meticulous thinking, and able to endure for a thousand years, how could he not achieve great things?" Lang Jiuchuan praised sincerely, but then changed the subject: "However, he misused his intelligence and wisdom. Those who follow the righteous path will find many helpers, while those who stray from it will find few. No matter how much he has amassed over the years, no matter what methods he uses to evade the karmic consequences of Heaven, one day he will suffer the consequences."

Even if the heavens were to go blind, she would fight to the death for justice for those innocent people.

Her eyes blazed with a raging fire, a fiery inferno that sought to consume all sins.

(End of this chapter)