Chapter 190 Taking the Initiative—Is it to lure out the Rebellious Immortal? ...
After deciding to "rebel on imperial orders," Bitao acted very swiftly.
She immediately went downstairs and instructed the servants to prepare a grand banquet in her palace to celebrate her ascension to the rank of Grand Immortal.
Incidentally, they also spread the word that they were recruiting servants from all quarters, regardless of their celestial rank or whether they held any celestial position in the Six Ministries.
They even sent someone to find Guo Xiang, who was in charge of the celestial palaces, and asked him to reassign a mustard seed palace that matched the status of a Grand Immortal.
That very night, under the giant peach wood canopy of Juntian, a magnificent palace with dozens of floors was erected, a veritable heaven-shaking and earth-revealing structure. Thousands of immortals were invited to feast and make merry. In an instant, the palace of Bitao was bustling with activity, and the number of dignitaries was like clouds.
She drank and made merry with the immortals at the banquet, feeling extremely pleased with herself and radiating great power.
The gifts received from the immortals celebrating their ascension filled Bitao's four storerooms. In the middle of the night, he gathered over three thousand servants, all of whom were outstanding young immortals with official positions in the Six Ministries.
Bitao was naturally good at socializing, and now that she had been promoted to a Grand Immortal, she had none of the haughty airs of the other immortals. During the banquet, she was very friendly and open with those immortals who liked and flattered her.
Someone asked her how she came up with the idea of ascending to immortality by riding on the faith of the Eastern Qinghua Emperor when she clearly had no memory of the first competition.
Bitao, her cheeks flushed from drinking a lot of strong liquor, leaned back in her chair and chuckled as she heard this. "Actually, ascending to the top by riding on the faith of the Eastern Qinghua Emperor isn't the fastest way. If that cult hadn't used the name of the Eastern Qinghua Emperor in the first competition, I wouldn't have set things right. I would have used those cultists to create a new sect and gather my own followers."
“In that case, I won’t need that much time at all; I can be reborn and attain my position in three years at most.”
Bitao spoke lightly, but none of the immortals present doubted her words. Even if others couldn't do it, Bitao the Great Immortal certainly could.
Soon someone else asked, "Tao Tao, when you were dealing with Xi Egui in the second competition, did you plan to use Mingguang Xuanxian and the others' formation from the very beginning?"
What will you do if their formation fails?
Bitao took the wine pot and poured the wine into her mouth, glancing at the person who had asked the question out of the corner of her eye.
A pair of slightly tipsy peach blossom eyes were captivating and alluring. The female fairy and Bitao were old friends who used to chat together when they were still struggling. She had known Bitao for a long time, but at this moment, she was captivated by Bitao's smiling expression.
Bitao said, "My Mingguang... will not fail."
Bitao's words, "My bright light," caused all the immortals in the building to burst into laughter.
Just a few months ago, everyone knew about Mingguang Tianxian from Bitao Xinyue.
At that time, Bitao's affection was nothing but a fool's delusion.
When Bitao participated in the selection competition for immortals with the rank of Lingxian, she became a laughing stock in the Nine Heavens, and countless people were waiting to see her fall from grace.
Now, times have changed and the world has been transformed. Bitao has not only ascended from a celestial being to the realm of the Supreme Immortal, a realm that others have struggled to cross for thousands of years, but she has also completely captured the heart of the "Bright Light Celestial Immortal," making that high and mighty, always law-abiding deity, willing to risk his life for her and pour out his tender feelings.
Now that she has the best of both worlds, sitting in the magnificent palace that connects to the heavens, who would dare not respect her and address her as "Immortal Master"?
Until late at night, when everyone was drunk and flushed, the cups and glasses were scattered everywhere.
Bitao answered many questions about the immortal positions, and they became increasingly bold in their questions. Eventually, some even asked directly what kind of six general positions Bitao would choose after the third competition.
Now that Bitao has reached the rank of Taixian, she can choose any of the celestial positions in the Nine Heavens, except for the current leaders of each department.
Without even pretending, Bitao said without hesitation, "The Emperor of Fengdu reigns once every three thousand years. I have finally caught up with him, so naturally I should go down to the Netherworld and become the Emperor of Fengdu."
Before being asked, Bitao answered herself: "After ascending to the position of Emperor of Fengdu, if I don't go to Shangqing Realm in the next three thousand years, I will also have to compete for the position of Immortal Emperor."
As soon as Bitao finished speaking, all the immortals in the dozen or so-and-a-half-story palace fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.
They all felt that Bitao's words were too arrogant, especially at this time when the Azure Emperor had been taken away to be questioned.
But then they realized that if Bitao really succeeded as the Emperor of Fengdu, with her intelligence and talent, it would not be an exaggeration for her to become an immortal after three thousand years.
Moreover, it is now clear that the Immortal Emperor, the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms, and even the Great Emperor of Fengdu all favor Bitao ascending to the top.
Then he thought of how Bitao Taixian had even killed the Heavenly Dao of all realms in the illusion of debating the law, so he would no longer be overly surprised by what she might do or say.
After a moment of silence, someone boldly spoke up: "Then let us wish Immortal Bitao all her wishes come true!"
Once it happens, it will happen again.
When the voices of congratulations from everyone in the hall resounded through the heavens, the immortals who could hear the sounds of the nine heavens while sitting in their own palaces learned, through the words of the immortals, of Bitao's ambition to ascend to the peak and rule the world.
Some of the immortals scoffed, some frowned deeply, and others sensed an impending storm.
Many immortals hoped that the Heavenly Dao of the myriad realms, which was in charge of the Nine Heavens, would capture the arrogant words of the Great Immortal Bitao, who was too arrogant and wanted to ascend to the position of Emperor, and teach him a lesson.
Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms, Kunyi, had to rush to the East that very night to save the day when the constellations of the Azure Dragon in the East went off course.
No sooner had the Heavenly Dao of Myriad Realms departed than the fourth watch of the night passed when Bitao went to find her treacherous partner, Zhu Ming.
In the dead of night, Zhu Ming sensed someone outside and a familiar fluctuation of spiritual energy. He sat on the bed, his expression indifferent and calm.
He's used to it.
I don't know if his Jade Bone Palace is closed during the day or what, but whether it's Mingguang or Bitao coming to see him, they always have to come after midnight.
Zhu Ming put on an outer robe. He might comb his hair if he saw Ming Guang, but there was really no need for him to dress up when he saw Bi Tao.
As soon as he emerged from the inner room with his hair disheveled, he found that Bitao, that bastard, had already brewed tea and was drinking it.
Zhu Ming was furious when he heard it.
"You've brewed my plum blossoms again!"
"Now that you have been promoted to the position of Grand Immortal, what effect can I, a mere Mystic Immortal, have on you?"
Moreover, Mingguang even threatened Zhu Ming about this matter, forbidding Zhu Ming from making Bitao brew his true form to drink.
Bitao took a sip, turned her head to look at Zhu Ming, and said with a smile, "It smells good."
Zhu Ming: "..."
Zhu Ming snorted and sat down at the table. He grabbed the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea, using the soothing and healing properties of his Wood Spirit to calm his "fright" at being broken into by a stray dog in the middle of the night.
While drinking tea, Bitao looked at Zhu Ming. Her divine eyes scanned his body, examining his meridians before finally settling on his heart meridian.
Zhu Ming's heart meridian was blocked.
Bitao originally wanted to tell Zhu Ming the reason why he could not advance to the Immortal Rank, but she quickly followed the obstructed meridian and found that the blockage was connected to his spiritual sea of consciousness.
That's not simply a blockage in the meridians, but rather caused by the... Heavenly Soul Embryo Light within his spiritual platform.
The Tai Guang (胎光) star governs a person's will and emotions. ①
What emotions is Zhu Ming struggling to let go of? What tangled and unresolved issues are troubling him?
All the problems a celestial being encounters in their lifetime are just like the hardships a mortal encounters in their lifetime. Some involve external things and can be overcome with the help of others, but some are related to the "self" and cannot be dissuaded or helped by outsiders. They must be overcome and enlightened by oneself.
If Bitao rashly exposes the problem, Zhu Ming will be even more trapped in this predicament if he wants to be promoted, and may even become a demon or a plague in the future.
If he is content with the status quo and has no desire to risk being promoted to the rank of Grand Immortal, and Bitao rashly exposes his true nature, he will likely hate being questioned and scrutinized, and may even harbor resentment because of it.
So Bitao merely moved her lips, then covered her mouth with the teacup, ultimately remaining silent.
She quickly realized that Dong Wanggong liked Zhu Ming so much, or at least liked to use Zhu Ming. He was also a Taixian, yet he never broke through the blockage in Zhu Ming's heart meridian to help him advance. It was definitely not because he was afraid that Zhu Ming would be at the same level as him. He was probably just as Bitao was worried.
While it is true that a Tai Xian can directly observe the laws of heaven and earth, since being promoted to Tai Xian, Bi Tao has found that she can no longer be as unrestrained as she was when she was a Xuan Xian.
This means that the greater one's power, the more cautious one must be from beginning to end, and the more one must think thrice before acting.
"What's wrong? You didn't come to see me just to have tea, did you?"
Zhu Ming waited for Bi Tao to reveal her purpose, but Bi Tao remained silent, only looking at him with a strange gaze through the teacup. Zhu Ming realized that she could now directly observe the laws of heaven and earth, so she must have seen something in him, and he frowned with some resistance.
Bitao thought to herself, "As expected."
Fortunately, no one blurted it out.
Bitao smiled, making no attempt to change the subject or use flowery words to gloss over the issue. Zhu Ming was too clever, and the two knew each other too well; he could guess how Bitao would cleverly cover it up.
Bitao put down her teacup, sighed, and looked at Zhu Ming, saying, "I just miss you so much, and want to see you more often."
Zhu Ming: "..." His hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, not because he was moved, but because he was "sickly" touched.
He frowned as he looked at Bitao, who looked at him earnestly and said, "In that illusion in the Thunder Department, I changed my identity several times, trying to rebuild our friendship, but you were truly 'heartless,' completely ignoring me and even hating me for imitating myself as Bitao, and suppressing me repeatedly..."
Zhu Ming: "...That's just your own imagination."
"It's not just my imagination; you really would do that."
"Your Highness, the illusion of the Myriad Realms Heavenly Dao Kunyi is not an illusion, but an endless deduction based on the changes of time and the world. It is valid in any real point in time."
Zhu Ming didn't speak, but reached out and smoothed his hair in front of him, then tossed it behind him.
Although it appears that he and Bitao are in cahoots, exploiting each other, and there is no affection between them, there is nothing between them.
But the decades-long process of testing each other, gradually getting to know and trust each other since they met was definitely not something that anyone could replace Bitao by simply changing their appearance and getting close to him.
Bitao looked at him and said, "I was heartbroken at the time, but now that I've come to my senses, I'm quite moved. I never imagined that His Highness the Crown Prince would be so devoted to me, like 'nothing else matters'."
Zhu Ming: "Shut up! Tomorrow I'll set up a recording array in this room, and when Mingguang returns from his ascension, I'll show it to him so he can have a good look at what disgusting things you've been saying to me behind my back."
Zhu Ming always regarded Bi Tao as a junior. In the thousands of years since he became an immortal, Bi Tao was the only close friend he had with despite their age difference.
In fact, Zhu Ming was indeed more than eight hundred years older than Bi Tao. Every time Bi Tao spoke recklessly to him, Zhu Ming would have a distorted expression on his face.
Bitao laughed; this trick always worked.
Zhu Ming couldn't stand Bi Tao's "frivolous words." He was so disgusted by Bi Tao that he forgot about her "spying" on him with her divine eyes.
Bitao then waved her hand and set up several barriers in Zhu Ming's room to prevent eavesdropping.
Then he said to Zhu Ming, "I came to see you late at night because I have something important to discuss with you."
"Now that the new Heavenly Rules have been issued, the Azure Emperor has been brought to the Upper Clarity Realm to be held accountable for the calamity caused by the banishment of immortals in the third competition. Tens of thousands of immortals are unable to return to heaven and the great disaster caused by their lingering in the mortal world should not be underestimated. He may lose his qualifications to be a ruler."
Zhu Ming turned his head, frowned, and looked at Bi Tao with a look on his face—Are you crazy?
"Your audacity is growing ever greater, daring to speak ill of the Emperor..."
"What's there to be afraid of? How many people in the Nine Heavens can break the restrictions I've set up now?"
"Is His Highness getting old? He's going to bed too early. Look at Yin Han Gu. Right now, the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms is not in the Nine Heavens. The stars of the Eastern Azure Dragon Constellation have gone off track. We don't know when the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms will return."
Bitao rested her elbows on the table, her face full of arrogance: "Besides, among all the immortals of the Nine Heavens, not one can beat me, not even the Martial God of the Ministry of War."
Zhu Ming took a sip of tea expressionlessly: "What, the Emperor and the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms are not here, and no one in the Six Departments can defeat you. Are you going to beat them all up one by one to take revenge?"
Bitao stared at him and said, "Of course I have to take revenge. In the three competitions, there were countless ancient immortals who wanted to kill me. I don't believe that I didn't have the support of these old bastards behind me."
"But what's the point of just seeking revenge? Even if I fight them and beat them to a pulp, it's still not as dangerous as the harm I suffered when I was in the mortal realm."
Zhu Ming felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and looked at Bi Tao, asking, "So what are you going to do? Are you going to kill all the immortal masters?"
Bitao shifted her posture, propping herself up on her arms, and looked at Zhu Ming. She tapped rapidly on the table with her other hand: "Of course, we won't kill him... The will of Heaven is above, and killing someone who has attained immortality will result in capture and punishment."
"So what exactly do you want?" Zhu Ming asked.
He looked into Bitao's eyes and felt a strange sense of unease.
Bitao smiled and said, "I have been given a public post by the Celestial Emperor. He wants me to carry out the new Heavenly Rules and send those sinful immortals down to the mortal realm."
"Your Highness, we have been planning for many years, but even now, You Tian's merit-based immortal position has not yet occupied many important positions in the Nine Heavens."
“We have always acted openly and honestly, but they have repeatedly plotted against us behind our backs. Now that such a good opportunity is right in front of us, why don’t we play dirty tricks too?”
Zhu Ming's brow twitched violently.
Bitao said, "The new Heavenly Rules are to send all the immortals to the mortal realm in batches to undergo the tribulations of human life. Once hundreds of thousands of immortals in the Nine Heavens have successfully completed their tribulations, there will no longer be any distinction between ancient immortal clans and merit-based immortal positions in the Heavenly Realm."
"But that would be too slow. The Heavenly Realm governs all the public offices in the myriad realms. Those celestial positions that are sent down to the lower realms will eventually need to find someone to replace them. As a result, it would take several hundred years for all the celestial positions in the Nine Heavens to successfully undergo tribulations."
"Moreover, the Nine Heavens reacted strongly to these new heavenly rules. Your Highness, think about it: the ancient immortal clans have claimed to be ordained by Heaven and have held power for so many years. How could they possibly relinquish their power and descend to the mortal realm to become human?"
"They are power-hungry, obsessed with their positions, and filled with selfish desires. If they were to descend to the mortal realm, I dare say... less than one in ten would be able to return to heaven and be recognized as having attained their positions."
"I'm about to succeed as the Great Emperor of Fengdu, who controls reincarnation. Do you think these people will unite to resist the new Heavenly Rules once they realize this?"
When the Azure Emperor suddenly issued the new Heavenly Rules, Zhu Ming knew that implementing them would be extremely difficult.
Zhu Ming said without any surprise, "This is normal. Whether in the heavens or the mortal realm, all changes are a protracted war."
Bitao replied, "That may be true, but on what basis?"
"Why is it that those ancient immortal clans, who clearly disregard the wishes of the common people and only care about seizing power, still occupy high positions and suppress us immortals who truly listen to the voices of the common people? Is it because they were born immortals that they are more noble?"
"Then what do you plan to do?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Ming thought that Bi Tao really had some good ideas to deal with these ancient immortal clans and accelerate the implementation of the new Heavenly Rules.
He listened intently, leaning forward slightly and staring into Bitao's eyes.
Bitao then suggested to him, "Why don't we take this opportunity to frame the leaders of the six ancient immortal clans who haven't yet realized what's happening, and send them to the mortal realm?"
Zhu Ming: "..."
He rolled his eyes at Bitao.
He snorted and said, "Ascending to the rank of Grand Immortal, you really think you're so capable!"
"You even slapped a charge on these people and sent them to the mortal realm. What charges did you slap on them? Don't they have mouths? Can't they defend themselves?"
"No matter how many of the immortal leaders in each department are incompetent, they are still pillars of the Nine Heavens. You took advantage of Qingming and the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms' absence to cut down all the pillars of the Nine Heavens in one go. Are you tired of living? Do you want to be whipped by the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms and taste the feeling of your soul being scattered?"
Bitao waited for Zhu Ming to finish speaking before saying, "Who said I only want to cut down the beams and pillars? Can't I just tear off the whole roof?"
After Bitao finished speaking, she stared intently at Zhu Ming.
Zhu Ming snapped his head around to look at Bi Tao, and upon gazing into her eyes, he opened his mouth but was momentarily speechless.
The question, "Are you going to rebel?" stuck in his throat; he dared not utter it no matter what.
Has Bitao suddenly gone mad? If any random immortal could overthrow the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms and Qingming, the Heavenly Realm would have been in chaos long ago.
Even if Bitao is all courage and no brains, she still has some brains.
How can becoming a Grand Immortal still damage someone's sanity?
Zhu Ming opened his mouth as if to say something, but Bi Tao stared at him again and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Her expression was meaningful, and she slowed her tone: "Think about it carefully, really think about it. Is there a better opportunity than this?"
"Qingming has returned to heaven at some unknown time, and the Heavenly Dao of the myriad realms is no longer in the Heavenly Realm. At this time... if the six immortal leaders of the ancient immortal clans gather together to 'attempt to elect a new ruler' because they cannot accept the new Heavenly Rules, and I happen to discover this, wouldn't it be only natural for me to send them all to the mortal realm to undergo tribulations in order to quell the rebellion?"
Zhu Ming's mouth was slightly open, and he even forgot to breathe.
Bitao continued, "The ascension of an emperor has always been a necessary process over thousands of years. For example, after succeeding as the Great Emperor of Fengdu for three thousand years, one must be promoted to the rank of Immortal before being qualified to compete for the position of emperor."
"But this is all under normal circumstances. If a high-ranking immortal in the Nine Heavens rebels overnight because of disobeying the Heavenly Rules, and the two Supreme Immortals are not in the Heavenly Realm, wouldn't it be natural for me, the Grand Immortal who suppressed the rebellious immortals, to be elected by the immortals to assume the responsibility of the Emperor?"
Zhu Ming stared at Bi Tao's ambitious eyes, which burned with a raging fire, and after a long while, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "But if the Heavenly Dao of all realms were to return, it would be able to see through your schemes at a glance. Do you think you could withstand a few lashes from her?"
Bitao suddenly laughed.
"Have you forgotten? Now that the stars of the Eastern Azure Dragon constellation have gone off course, once I assume the responsibilities of the Emperor, I will definitely need to connect to the Yin-Yang Sundial of the Star River to assist the Heavenly Dao of all realms in restoring the stars to their proper order."
"The Milky Way revolves, and the sundial carries the life force of all worlds. If I were to become one with the sundial, ascending to the position of an immortal would be nothing more than a blink of an eye."
"Others may not be able to withstand the impact of the consciousness of the common people. Even if they secretly access the star dial, they will die from the tearing of their spiritual platform and the shattering of their soul. But I can."
"Have you forgotten? What beats in my chest is the heart of all beings that is immortal and indestructible, that has reincarnated hundreds or thousands of times, and that will never be extinguished even if I give up myself."
"If I were to merge with the star gauge, I would become the Immortal Emperor. Could the Heavenly Dao of all realms still defeat or kill me?"
"Qingming, who was in charge of Xinggui but caused the disaster of the banished immortals, even if he returns, can he forcibly separate me from Xinggui? What right does he have to ask me to step down?"
"Even if he forcibly takes back his position, when the time comes for You Tian's meritorious immortal position, will my attendants and protectors, including those leaderless juniors of the ancient immortal clans, choose me, who is willing to bow down and look down on 'all living beings,' as the emperor, or will they choose that cold, hard, and arbitrary Qing Ming, who is just a decoration?"
"No one can go against the wishes of the people, just as no one can go against the will of the common people."
After Bitao finished speaking, she kept her eyes fixed on Zhu Ming, her gaze fierce and piercing like a raging fire.
Zhu Ming was so burned that he could hardly sit or stand still.
He looked at Bitao and thought that she shouldn't be so radical and crazy. Although she had always wanted to climb to a high position, she always cherished her relatives and friends and did everything in a slow and methodical manner.
But Bitao's outrageous remarks still echo in Zhu Ming's ears.
In Zhu Ming's eyes, it was hard to tell whether she was serious about becoming the Immortal Emperor or just came to tease him in the middle of the night because she couldn't sleep.
Bitao then said, "Your Highness, I need your help. Make a decision quickly: do you want to fight me to the death, or do you want to continue your petty scheming and dealing with these incompetent old fogies?"
"We don't have much time to think about it."
"Tomorrow morning... or at the latest tomorrow night, I will send the immortals down to the mortal realm. It's not good to do bad things in broad daylight, so before dawn tonight, I will take action and arrest all the immortal leaders of the six ancient immortal clans who might affect our plans, and put the label of 'rebellion' on them."
"Moreover, merging with the star dial must be completed before Mingguang leads his people to ascend. Once he, the 'future emperor,' ascends, you and I will be out of luck."
Zhu Ming's expression kept changing.
But he kept looking into Bitao's eyes.
Listening to her "perfectly calculated plan" and going through it point by point, Zhu Ming was astonished to find that if her plan were actually implemented, it would have a more than 50% chance of success.
This is truly an unreal opportunity for a comeback, with perfect timing, favorable location, and harmonious relationships.
But would such an opportunity really exist? Throughout history, there has never been a successful attempt to usurp the throne of the emperor in the celestial realm.
Zhu Ming wondered if all of this was a conspiracy between Qing Ming and Kun Yi? Had they seen through Bi Tao's ambition and deliberately lured her into a trap?
Bitao is so smart, how could she not think of things that Zhu Ming could think of?
Besides... have Qingming and Kunyi been living peacefully for too long and want to cause some trouble for their amusement? Knowing Bitao's ambition, why did they still set up heavenly rules according to her wishes and even give her power and create momentum?
Zhu Ming, filled with doubts, was jolted awake when he heard Bi Tao say, "It must be completed before Ming Guang leads the people to ascend." It was as if he had been struck on the head with a stick.
Zhu Ming took a breath and looked at Bi Tao, asking, "Aren't you afraid that after you usurped the throne from Ming Guang's father, Ming Guang will break ties with you after his death?"
Bitao scoffed and said, "I'm already an emperor, why would I be afraid of him?"
"Once things are settled and you have power in your hands, what kind of man can't you have?"
"Besides, if I can force him once, I can force him again. As long as I marry him legitimately and slowly work things out, he will eventually soften."
After Bitao finished speaking, Zhu Ming slowly exhaled the breath he had inhaled.
He almost hit Bitao, but instead woke her up.
I can finally relax now.
Not a single word Bitao said was sincere.
She did force Mingguang, but that was only because Mingguang clearly had feelings for her but was unaware of them. She resorted to any means to break the ice.
Even so, Mingguang almost suffered a heart attack and died in despair.
Bitao's suggestion to force him again and then slowly wear him down is simply impossible.
The Golden Crow clan is not a canary that can be imprisoned in a cage. If Bitao really uses her schemes to rebel against the heavens, wrong the immortals, and usurp the throne of the emperor, then there will only be a fight to the death between her and Mingguang.
How could she bear to do that?
Zhu Ming felt somewhat relieved and pieced together the many strange things he had always found to be—Bi Tao was not plotting to usurp the throne; she was acting on orders from Kun Yi and Qing Ming.
The purpose of setting up this game is...
Zhu Ming closed his eyes, thinking about the "abnormalities" that had occurred on the field during the third match.
Thinking of the rebellious immortals who stole life force, both Bitao and Mingguang mentioned.
Thinking of the ridiculous ruling announcement from Jing Haiwang.
—Is this to lure out the rebellious immortal?
Although Zhu Ming still didn't quite understand why the Azure Emperor and Kunyi, with their boundless magical powers, would go through such a long and complicated process to use Bitao as bait.
He couldn't understand why Bitao didn't just explain the reason to him directly, but instead had to test his understanding and make him guess.
However, Zhu Ming was incredibly shrewd and perceptive; he saw through things but didn't say anything, and their cooperation was flawless.
Zhu Ming remained silent, lost in thought.
He pretended to be conflicted during the process, and at one point the veins on his arms bulged out.
After a long while, he slammed his hand on the table, the resulting spiritual energy shattering a teacup. As if he were going all out, he suddenly looked up at Bitao and said, "Youtian will live and die with you."
Bitao smiled.
She knew that Zhu Ming would definitely be able to understand her "implied meaning".
They had been like-minded and treacherous for many years, and although they had never spoken out, they considered each other close friends, their friendship as deep as that of brothers.
If Zhu Ming did not understand Bi Tao's "implied meaning" today, and thought that Bi Tao was truly blinded by greed and plotting a rebellion, Zhu Ming would definitely do everything in his power to stop her and make Bi Tao realize the truth at all costs.
But if Zhu Ming can understand her true intentions, he will definitely cooperate with her.
Sure enough, Zhu Ming's next sentence was: "I can persuade the Eastern King."
Given the nature of the Eastern King Duke, there's no need to persuade him. Just tell him that Bitao is going to rebel, and he'll conjure up his hands and clap his hands in approval.
Zhu Ming said, "We should act quickly. The generals of the Thunder Department and the Ministry of War are tough opponents. Once we take them down, the others are nothing special. We can use the token that Mingguang left me to retrieve the magical artifacts in the treasury that can imprison high-ranking immortals."
"Use the excuse that you are escorting the younger members of the ancient immortal clan who are going to the mortal realm for their 'tribulation' tomorrow and want to see them, then lure them to the Prison Palace..."
Based on the abilities and combat strength of these immortals, Zhu Ming quickly provided Bi Tao with a variety of strategies and formations to choose from.
Bitao has peach blossom eyes.
Zhu Ming's appointment as strategist and deputy general was also "flawless".
Moreover, based on some of the strategies he provided, Bitao could decipher that he had clearly harbored a long-standing grudge against these immortals.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, they resorted to numerous underhanded tactics, without a trace of ulterior motives, driven entirely by personal grudges.
Bitao was naturally happy to take this opportunity to fulfill all of Zhu Ming's selfish desires.
Having finalized the plan, Bitao returned to her palace, took a stroll around, and then brought out Zhan Kui and Xuan Jia, two star gods with absolutely formidable combat power.
Zhu Ming then directly summoned the Eastern King Duke.
Taking down the immortals of Lei Bing's two departments was a hundred times easier than Bi Tao and Zhu Ming had imagined.
Even though they harbored resentment towards Bitao, they had no choice but to give her face because she had been promoted to the rank of Grand Immortal and ranked among the immortals. They entered the Prison Palace overnight and stepped into the trap set for them.
As for why they lost so decisively, the main reason was that they never expected Bitao to dare to attack them so brazenly!
And the Eastern King Duke was also present!
Two powerful star deities were also there to protect Bitao, but they were no match for her.
Bitao squatted in front of the various generals, mobilizing the laws of heaven and earth to seal away these immortals and spirits who were imprisoned by magical artifacts.
They even changed their appearances, transforming them into the likenesses of the sinful immortals about to be sent down to the mortal realm.
Bitao scrutinized the several immortals with distorted faces and was quite satisfied.
The Heavenly Dao of Myriad Realms and the Azure Nether Emperor are extremely wary of the person behind it all. They have gone to great lengths to have her act as a tool to delay that person's ascension to the Emperor's throne. Presumably, that person behind it must be incredibly powerful, perhaps even possessing the same level of control over the Nine Heavens as they do over the Competition Star Realm, knowing everything.
Bitao originally wanted to win over the immortals first, using the momentum created for her by Qingming, Kunyi, and Daju to gather her servants, expose her ambitions, and make a show of force.
However, once the Azure Dragon Constellation of the East was in trouble and the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms left, Bitao knew that the person behind it was about to take action, and she had to strike first.
Her plan was to arrest these six immortals and falsely accuse them of plotting a rebellion, when in reality she was the one using her power to eliminate dissidents and intending to rebel.
If the person behind this truly possesses extraordinary abilities, then these ancient immortal clans must have their subordinates. Furthermore, he has overheard Bitao and Zhu Ming plotting a rebellion, and he will absolutely not allow Bitao to send his subordinates to the mortal realm.
Before Bitao sends these immortals down to the mortal realm, the people who try to stop her from exposing her are the ones who truly want to rebel.
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