Chapter 672 Third Generation of Youth
"You've been caught off guard by the Grand Palace Master! Actually, I didn't expect that overnight, the older generation would push us into the limelight, to shoulder burdens that don't belong to us. I'm not afraid of your ridicule, but I'm under immense pressure right now, and I only dare to say it in front of you."
Nangong forced a bitter smile and said, "Three years of strife, ten days of struggle."
"The third generation of young people are responsible for territorial disputes and treasure disputes."
“Territorial disputes involve inscribing the cities, prefectures, mines, and so on in the disputed area onto jade tablets, which are carried by the Changsheng people. Each Changsheng person carries at least one jade tablet, which may represent the territory of a prefecture or county, or even an entire state.”
"The two immortal beings can only fight each other on disputed territories."
"For example, the disputed territory between the Demon Kingdom and the Holy Dynasty, the Wolf Desert, covers thirty-six states. The immortals from both sides who carry the Jade Book can only fight for the Jade Book on this territory."
"Judging from the current situation, the struggle in the Lone Wolf Wasteland should be concentrated between the seventh generation of immortals."
"The ninth generation of immortals in the Demon Kingdom will definitely focus all their efforts on seizing the Jade Book of Life Spring and the Jade Book of Fate Spring. This involves the rules of the competition for these treasures."
"The struggle for treasures is only open to the two parties involved, and there are no geographical restrictions. You can take the battlefield anywhere you want, such as to the East Sea, to the Lingxiao Realm, to the Canghai Rice Realm, as long as you dare to cross the Netherworld of the Dead."
"However, we cannot use the space teleportation array."
"Furthermore, you must not hide in pre-arranged formations, as there are many prohibitions."
Liu Ye said, "In reality, everyone is still confined to the Hundred Realms of Life because no one dares to venture deep into the Netherworld of the Dead."
Li Weiyi nodded slightly: "I understand what Mo Duanfeng meant when he said it was to train the younger generation! This is a struggle, but also a path of cultivation for the most outstanding geniuses of the human race. It is the human race's high-ranking officials honing the wisdom and problem-solving abilities of the young martial artists with the highest cultivation talent."
Then he asked, "Is it also possible to simply take the jade book and hide it for three years?"
"It's possible! But in reality, it's not."
Nangong continued, "On New Year's Eve this year, a grand ceremony to announce the results will be held in Xiaoyao Capital. All ninth-generation immortals who participated in the competition must go to receive their jade scrolls, or they will be considered to have forfeited."
"We have fifteen days to escape the Demon Kingdom. The battle will begin as soon as the Lantern Festival ends at dawn."
"During our time in Xiaoyaojing, the Demon Kingdom will definitely try every means to track our presence."
"Only the ninth-generation immortal can make a move, but who knows who is secretly tracking us! Although the older generation is forbidden from interfering, who could detect Yu Baxian personally sending a message to Gu Zhenxiang?"
Nangong smiled bitterly: "Of course, tracking a group of juniors like us doesn't require the Martial Emperor to personally intervene; that would be too shameful. Gu Zhen and the others are not easy to deal with; they must have a foolproof plan."
Liu Ye said, "No matter what, this rule is in our favor."
Li Weiyi's eyes lit up slightly: "Since such a rule exists, doesn't that mean there are many controversial treasures in the Hundred Realms Longevity Competition?"
“That’s right! These treasures are generally classified into different levels, and there are even supreme magical artifacts, true scriptures, and the remains of ancient immortal beasts,” Nangong said.
Li Weiyi was very confused: "Why would this happen? Why would you give away a treasure you've already got, only to have others fight over it?"
“Let me tell you a story. Do you know the seventy-two-page book, ‘The Book of the Ground’?” Nangong said.
Li Weiyi nodded and said, "Every page of what Zong Sheng wrote is priceless."
"If the seventy-two pages of the Earth Book were in its complete state, it would not only be one of the three great immortal books of the human race, on par with the Heavenly God Dao Diagram and the Immortal Canon, but also an immortal artifact of immense power."
Nangong said, "A thousand years ago, during the Great Calamity of the Netherworld, the head of the Zongsheng Xuehai Puyan family rushed to the border of the Sword Dao Imperial Court to help them resist the army of the departed spirits, but he died in battle."
"The Sword Dao Imperial Court sent the body back to the Puyan family, but kept the nine pages of the 'Earth Book' on the family head for themselves."
"Later, when the truth came out, the Puyan family went to the Sword Dao Imperial Court to reason with them. The patriarch went to support you when you were in the most danger and died in battle. However, you embezzled the true cultivation method that our family relied on for its survival."
"The Bai family of the Sword Dao Imperial Court responded that the nine pages of the 'Earth Book' were obtained by our ancestor from the dead after a near-death experience, and were not taken from the hands of the Puyan family head."
"Both sides have their own reasons. The two sides argued many times, and then suddenly broke into a fight, resulting in hundreds of thousands of innocent deaths and injuries, and the situation is getting worse."
"Later, the Puyan family amassed a large army at the border of the Sword Dao Imperial Court, preparing for a fight to the death."
"With things developing to this point, the Sword Emperor and the surrounding lords of the habitats could no longer sit idly by and began to urge peace. However, the problem has become even bigger because everyone is taking sides."
"The Bai family patriarch asked the people of the world: From now on, should all treasures seized from the dead be returned to their original owners?"
"The Puyan family asks the people of the world: if the spirits attack another region in the future, will the martial arts practitioners of the various living realms still come to their aid?"
"Finally, under pressure from all sides, the Bai family patriarch took the initiative to back down, and the nine-page 'Book of Earth' appeared among the treasures for the Hundred Realms' competition for immortality. The Puyan family was far weaker than the Bai family, and only dared to resist because they had the moral high ground. This result was barely acceptable, so they had no choice but to back down as well."
"From then on, the first person of the Puyan family in every sixty-year cycle made it his lifelong goal to reclaim the Book of the Earth."
"Such messes are commonplace in the more than one hundred habitats in southern Yingzhou. If the human race's leadership didn't take care of it, the various factions would have been fighting each other long ago. How could there have been a thousand years of peace?"
"There are hundreds or even thousands of treasures stored in the Hundred Realms Longevity Competition account."
Li Weiyi understood somewhat and said, "It's like opening a door for everyone to seek justice and reclaim their interests. If I accidentally seize a jade scroll containing a certain treasure, can it also belong to me?"
“No, the struggle for the treasure should be limited to the immortals on both sides of the dispute. The Hundred Realms Immortal Clash is meant to resolve the conflict. Introducing a third party would only complicate matters further,” Nangong said.
Li Weiyi immediately showed a look of disappointment.
“But… if you really did get involved by accident and accidentally found the jade book, you can go to one of the parties and exchange it for a generous reward. The premise is that the higher-ups of the human race feel that you haven’t broken the rules and won’t kick you out,” Nangong said.
Li Weiyi knew there must be loopholes in the rules, so he waved his hand and smiled, "Let's get back to our own business! How did that area on the border between the Demon Kingdom and the Holy Sanctuary become a disputed area?"
"It was proposed by the Demon Lord himself. That area is roughly the size of three states, with the Holy Temple Realm and the Demon Kingdom each taking half. The specific ownership will be determined during the Hundred Realms' Longevity Competition," Nangong said.
Li Weiyi laughed and said, "This was done on purpose! The goal is to make you set the battlefield in that area. Once we withdraw from Xiaoyao Capital, they only need to activate the array of the Great Wall of Arrays, and we will not be able to return to the Holy Temple Realm. We will be forced to fight in the Demon Kingdom."
"The clan leader has also considered this point!"
Nangong sighed softly and said, "But if we don't want it when it's given to us, we won't be able to have it all in the future."
Li Weiyi asked, "How should we deal with this?"
“We’ll circle back from the Chaos Zone,” Nangong said.
"This is tantamount to being relentlessly pursued while the enemy can wait in comfort, directly crossing the Great Wall of Formations, without worrying about us hiding. We've lost all our advantages, turning the tables and going from proactive to reactive." Li Weiyi didn't think this was the best option and fell into deep thought.
Nangong Youyou sighed softly, "What can we do? Go to the Holy Dynasty? Go to the Sword Dao Imperial Court? Faced with the Demon Lord's bounty, we have to be wary of some people in our own camp and control them with certain means. Can we trust other camps?"
The discussions continued in the afternoon.
Li Weiyi did not participate. After suggesting that Nangong "find an opportunity to establish his authority and establish the absolute right to speak as the leader," he went into seclusion to cultivate in a cave in the ancestral mountain of the ancient clan of the Years.
No matter what situation we face, the stronger we are, the greater our initiative will be.
Otherwise, let alone three years.
They might not even survive the first wave of attacks from the Demon Kingdom.
During this period, Li Weiyi could not cultivate in the Netherworld for long periods of time, nor could he enter the Time Cocoon. He stayed in the cave to refine the Dragon Soul Source Light and condense the fourth soul, "Power Soul".
Time flies, and six months have passed.
The two orbs of dragon soul source light were completely refined and absorbed.
Li Weiyi was awakened by the calls outside his cave. He examined his inner longevity elixir and carefully sensed the magical energy within his body, making a judgment. He needed to refine at least two more orbs of dragon soul source light to reach the mid-stage of the third realm.
As Yu Yaozi said, the value of Dragon Soul Source Light is getting smaller and smaller.
Fortunately, the power of the spirit is nearing completion, and reaching the fourth realm of the Holy Spirit Mind Master before the announcement of the results will not be difficult.
"Whoosh!"
Li Weiyi opened the stone door and looked at Nangong, who was standing outside the array's light veil.
Spring and summer had passed outside, but behind her breathtakingly beautiful figure lay a mountain ablaze with red leaves, autumn in full swing. As her cultivation level rose, time passed faster and faster, causing her to miss many precious moments in life.
"We're setting off! Tomorrow we'll head to Xiaoyao Capital, led by the Deputy Sentinel," Nangong said.
"There are still more than three months until the end of the year, right?"
"We need at least two months to prepare for the journey and study the evacuation route. And it's already very late; the Longevity Realm martial artists from all the major living realms have already arrived in Xiaoyao Capital. We must get there ahead of time to try to establish contact with the leaders of the major forces and discuss the possibility of cooperation."
Wearing a mask and mimicking Tang Wanzhou's attire—a high-necked black robe and a martial arts belt—Nangong exuded a deep and imposing aura, appearing very heroic and capable.
In the past six months, she has done a lot.
The ancient clans, the Holy Temple, and the three great sects—no one dares to defy her will anymore.
Li Weiyi stepped out of the array's veil of light and walked side by side with Nangong on the mountain path, stepping on fallen leaves, as they discussed in detail the arrangements and plans of the ancient clan of the past.
"So, you've decided to set the battlefield in the disputed area of those three states outside the Great Wall of Formations?" Li Weiyi frowned slightly, disliking the feeling of being led by the enemy.
Nangong said, "If we can't hold the disputed area, we can immediately retreat to the Holy Temple habitat. One reason is our geographical advantage, and another reason is that we have a second unique advantage: the Chun Silkworm."
Li Weiyi looked enlightened.
“If the battlefield is near the Holy Temple’s habitat, the clan can cultivate cocoons at any time and give them to martial cultivators who are close to breaking through, helping them to make great progress in their cultivation. If it is elsewhere, they will definitely be heavily hindered by the older generation of the Demon Kingdom,” Nangong said.
"I'm afraid things won't go as planned, and the enemy will definitely not let us have our way. I'm afraid I can't travel with you; I have to go back to Dongxu Camp."
Before heading to Xiaoyao Capital, Li Weiyi must first ensure that Yao Qingxuan obtains the identity of a Shaoyang Guard. Furthermore, now that over a year has passed, he can once again enter the Netherworld for cultivation, and he wants to seize every second to raise his cultivation level.
The next day, at the foot of the ancestral mountain of the ancient clan, a hundred-zhang-long black jade magical artifact ship stopped on the ground, shrouded in array clouds and mist.
Liu Tianchen, the master of the rainforest habitat, stood on the bow of the ship, looking down at the group of Longevity Realm martial artists who were bidding farewell to their parents, brothers, confidantes, wives, concubines and children. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
People from other realms who have achieved immortality can withdraw from the fight simply by handing over the jade scroll they possess and admitting defeat.
But can they?
The patriarch of the ancient clan must not have given them the option of the Jade Book of the Birth Spring.
The martial artists at the Longevity Realm below, along with their families, clearly knew that this journey meant a fight to the death. Therefore, everyone bidding farewell was filled with the anguish of parting from a loved one; children wept, refusing to let go. The elderly sighed, wanting to persuade them to stay but remaining silent.
"I will definitely arrive in Xiaoyao Capital before New Year's Eve and have wine and food prepared for me in the Heavenly Pavilion. We'll celebrate the New Year together and conquer the Demon Kingdom!"
"Alright, break through the Demon Kingdom!" Nangong and Liuye shouted in unison.
Li Weiyi smiled, still maintaining his optimistic nature. He waved goodbye to Nangong and Liuye, watching the magical artifact ships gradually disappear into the clouds. He then turned back to the ancestral mountain to find the Great Elder of the Ancient Time Clan and ask for the Cocoon of the Camellia.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
