Grand Preceptor Jiang raised his brows, his emotions surging. "Originally, there was no chance of victory, but the words of the outer god Chongxiao make me believe our previous thinking was correct. Whole-court ascension is absolutely feasible!"
Ruler and subject stood side by side, looking toward Mount Jiuyi in the distance.
The mountain bore scars of heavenly tribulation as well as a lingering ray of ascension glow, drawing their gaze.
The plan they had devised long ago to transcend tribulation and ascend was whole-court ascension.
The so-called whole-court ascension meant first refining Haojing into an immortal artifact—a grand, sprawling immortal city—using Haojing as a stronghold to confront the heavenly tribulation!
They had brought back an abundance of immortal gold and immortal ore from Kunlun to forge Haojing according to the distinctive cultivation arts and divine abilities of Great Zhou's three thousand Qi Refiners. Each of the three thousand soldiers occupied a portion of Haojing, while the Son of Heaven of Zhou and Grand Preceptor Jiang held the center and the pivot.
Each of Great Zhou's three thousand soldiers comprehended a different Shenzhou Dao manifestation. The mountains, rivers, and streams of Shenzhou, as well as the other continents and vast oceans beyond it, were all encompassed within the soldiers' Dao manifestations!
When the day of tribulation arrived, the three thousand soldiers would unleash their Dao manifestations to blanket the entire Yuanshou world. Shenzhou, the other continents, the oceans, and all else would be lifted by the Dao manifestations, facing the heavenly tribulation alongside Haojing!
When three thousand Ascension-stage Qi Refiners underwent tribulation together, the tribulation clouds would engulf the entire Yuanshou world!
Either they would ascend, or the Yuanshou world would shatter into ruin!
This was the primary reason Xu Ying called him a tyrant—they intended to hold all living beings hostage to cross their tribulation!
It was a mad plan, highly likely to end in catastrophe. Yet their conversation with Chongxiao made them realize its feasibility.
Chongxiao had said that when Xu Ying ascended toward the Immortal Realm, he confronted seven hundred and eighty-one overlapping heavenly tribulations by his strength alone!
Chongxiao had also said that the power of Heavenly Dao divine artifacts had an upper limit.
The might of seven hundred and eighty-one overlapping tribulations and three thousand overlapping tribulations would be the same; it could increase no further. In that case, surviving a super heavenly tribulation was indeed possible!
"If Brother Xu cannot master the heavenly tribulation, then whole-court tribulation is our only path. And if we take that path, we must reclaim our Great Zhou's Nine Cauldrons."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou looked at Jiang Qi. "The Nine Cauldrons are in the hands of the tyrant of Xianyang. That man's strength is formidable and unfathomable; dealing with him will be no easy task."
Jiang Qi said, "His goal is also to hold the Yuanshou world hostage to survive the heavenly tribulation. His wisdom alone rivals all of ours combined. Fortunately, he is only one man, though plotting against him will still not be easy."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou smiled.
Back then, he had led Great Zhou's soldiers to the other shore to gather immortal medicine, causing Great Zhou to decline. The later Sons of Heaven of Zhou lacked the strength to unite the realm under heaven, resulting in the loss of Great Zhou's empire to endless warfare.
Zulong seized the opportunity to rise, ending Great Zhou, annexing the various states, uniting the world, and taking the Nine Cauldrons that had originally formed a vital part of Haojing.
Therefore, if Xu Ying could not master the heavenly tribulation, a battle between the Son of Heaven of Zhou and Zulong would be inevitable!
Before they knew it, another ten-odd days passed. The outer god Chongxiao stood up and said, "Xu Ying, I have nothing left to teach you. Today, I depart Haojing. Let us go our separate ways."
Xu Ying smiled. "Though you have nothing left to teach me, I have Heavenly Dao runes I can teach you. Your Heavenly Dao runes are still incomplete; I can help you fill in many of the missing runes."
The outer god Chongxiao hesitated, then sighed. "If I accept your kindness, how could I face my fallen colleagues and comrades-in-arms? Moreover, you are a great villain. If I take benefits from you, wouldn't I be wallowing in the mud with you?"
Xu Ying clenched his fists, veins throbbing on his forehead. Only after a while did the veins slowly recede, and his fists gradually relaxed.
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Xu Ying said, "I will attempt to master the heavenly tribulation and help the Son of Heaven of Zhou cross his trial so he can become an immortal in the mortal realm. Given my current comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, what do you think my chances of success are?"
Chongxiao's purple hair drifted in the wind as He looked toward the Xiang River. After a long silence, He said, "Is Your Excellency putting a straw marker on your head to sell yourself off as dead meat?"
Standing beside Him and looking at the Xiang River, which curved gracefully like the contours of a woman, Xu Ying felt anger flare in his heart and malice surge from his gut. "Chongxiao, if you can't give me a proper explanation, I will eat my words and hack you into ten thousand pieces!"
The outer god Chongxiao glanced at him. "Doesn't look like you've grown fat from eating them."
A fierce glint flashed in Xu Ying's eyes.
Sensing his killing intent, Chongxiao finally said, "The heavenly tribulation is governed by the Heavenly Dao divine artifacts. The artifacts dictate the tribulation's strength, and their number matches the number of heavenly gods. There are as many divine artifacts as there are heavenly gods."
Xu Ying's eyes lit up. "Right now the gods have descended to the mortal realm, leaving the artifacts unmanned!"
Chongxiao said, "In the past, the artifacts were under the charge of our heavenly gods. Later, after the new gods seized power, high immortals of the Thunder and Fire Ministry of Works authorized the new gods to use them."
Xu Ying pondered. "You mean that even though the gods of the Heavenly Dao have descended to the mortal realm, there will still be high immortals of the Thunder and Fire Ministry of Works personally presiding over the divine artifacts to deliver tribulation, making it even more perilous?"
Chongxiao said, "That is only the first point. Second, your mastery of the Heavenly Dao runes is incomplete; there will inevitably be gaps. The divine artifacts corresponding to the runes you have not mastered will still bring down tribulation upon the one facing it."
Xu Ying paced back and forth, then suddenly halted. "How many Heavenly Dao runes does the Heavenly Dao world possess in all?"
Chongxiao said, "Three thousand Heavenly Dao runes."
Xu Ying wavered, remaining silent for a long time.
The Son of Heaven of Zhou came looking for Xu Ying again, but found neither him nor Yuan Qi nor the big bell there. So he went to see Zhu Chanchan to ask if she knew where Xu Ying went.
Zhu Chanchan was still leading the craftsmen in forging Haojing. On the way flying to the Cangwu Abyss, many giant magical treasures had indeed fallen off and were gathered by the Great Zhou Qi Refiners, who could not fit them back in place—she had to do it herself.
These past days, she had been refining treasures for Chu Xiangxiang, all delicate, fragmentary items like tiny pearls for hair ornaments—over a hundred pearls alone—as well as hairpins, jade pendants, and accessories. Though tiny, they were exceedingly intricate.
Refining such exquisite treasures was no easy task, costing her great mental effort and leaving her quite exhausted.
"Ah Ying? He's been sitting by the Xiang River these past two days, looking utterly depressed."
Zhu Chanchan summoned her Feilai Peak and set it beside Haojing. Sunlight cast down, its shadow draping Haojing. Hearing the Son of Heaven of Zhou asking for Xu Ying's whereabouts, Zhu Chanchan pouted her lips and said, "Xiangxiang saw he was unhappy, so she dragged him off to play in the water."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou frowned slightly and went to the Xiang River, but saw no sign of Xu Ying or Chu Xiangxiang.
Troubled in mind, he searched in all directions and found the outer god Chongxiao, who had not yet departed Haojing.
"I have nowhere to go, and I fear returning to the Benshi world would bring harm to the people there," the outer god Chongxiao said. "I can only stay with you for a few days. Rest assured, I will help you with work."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou asked, "Does Dao Brother know why Fellow Daoist Xu has been so downcast? These past few days, he has been constantly avoiding me."
The outer god Chongxiao said, "He asked me how many Heavenly Dao runes exist in the Heavenly Dao world, and I told him three thousand. Most likely, he lacks the confidence to master the heavenly tribulation, which is why he is so sullen."
A chill gripped the Son of Heaven of Zhou's heart. Despondent, he found Grand Preceptor Jiang and recounted the matter, saying, "Brother Xu cannot master the heavenly tribulation. It seems our only option is whole-court ascension. Zulong must be eliminated and the Nine Cauldrons reclaimed!"
Grand Preceptor Jiang pondered for a moment. "Your Majesty, Fellow Daoist Xu is not here. Why not wait a little longer? If we clash with Zulong, we may win, but there will surely be casualties."
The Son of Heaven of Zhou hesitated, then said, "We wait three more days! If Brother Xu has not returned in three days, we declare war on Zulong! Grand Preceptor, I need you to go all out!"
Grand Preceptor Jiang bowed and acknowledged the order.
The Son of Heaven of Zhou departed.
Grand Preceptor Jiang frowned slightly and immediately left the city to look for Xu Ying. Outside the walls, he found Zhu Chanchan sitting dazed on Feilai Peak.
"The Grand Preceptor is a wise man. Could you resolve my doubts?" Zhu Chanchan asked.
Because Zhu Chanchan had reforged the Tianzhu Sword for him, saving his life at the hands of God King Xuanhao, Grand Preceptor Jiang naturally dared not slight her. He smiled. "What doubts do you have, Heavenly Artisan Zhu?"
Zhu Chanchan drifted down and landed beside him. Seeing no one around, she whispered, "This Feilai Peak of mine is huge and heavy, with astonishing power. It was forged from everything I learned in my life."
Grand Preceptor Jiang glanced at Feilai Peak, then looked at Haojing nearby, nodding in agreement. "Feilai Peak is indeed astonishing. But where did so many materials come from?"
Zhu Chanchan wore a troubled expression and ignored his question, continuing, "Composing Feilai Peak are more than thirty thousand treasures, each with a different function, forged with all my heart's blood. But now Ah Ying taught me the Buzhou Mountain Dao manifestation, and I only just realized that forging so many treasures was entirely wrong. Yet if I destroy all the magical treasures on Feilai Peak to forge Mount Buzhou, I feel reluctant to part with them."
Grand Preceptor Jiang understood her dilemma and smiled. "So it is a matter of choice. My advice is to forge Mount Buzhou first. Once it is made, your vision and insights might broaden greatly, giving you a fresh perspective. When you look back at your past work then, you might no longer feel reluctant. Heavenly Artisan, where did so many materials for Feilai Peak come from?"
Enlightened, Zhu Chanchan said happily, "Thank you for the guidance, Grand Preceptor!" With that, she dashed off in excitement.
"The Heavenly Artisan seems to have automatically filtered out that question."
Grand Preceptor Jiang shook his head. Coming to the Xiang River, he pinched his fingers to divine for a moment, then set off upstream.
On the Xiang River, Chu Xiangxiang stood at the prow of a boat. The divine maiden had changed into palace attire, looking ethereal like an immortal maiden stepping forth from the bright moon. She smiled. "Uncle Xu, is my Xiang River beautiful?"
Xu Ying parted the bead curtain, stepped out of the cabin, and praised, "The Xiang River is truly beautiful."
Over the past two days, Chu Xiangxiang had accompanied him on this excursion to relax. Though the worry in his heart remained unresolved, his mood was much lighter.
Chu Xiangxiang said bashfully, "Now my magical treasures are perfected. If I run into that woman named Hua Cuoying again, even if she manifests her Twelve-Story Building, I will surely take her down!"
She was brimming with confidence.
Xu Ying's heart stirred slightly. Hua Cuoying hailed from Weixu; that woman was exceedingly mysterious, and her abilities were extraordinary.
*Nuo Yang fell into Weixu. Without Nuo Yang, my Yellow Court cave-heaven will never be complete.*
Just then, Xu Ying looked up and saw nine tall, graceful green peaks coming into view. Before he knew it, Mount Jiuyi had arrived.
"Xiangxiang, let's moor the boat. Accompany me up the mountain to see an old acquaintance," Xu Ying said with a smile.
Xiangxiang moored the boat, and the two walked up to the mountain summit, where a divine wutong tree came into view.
Atop the wutong tree was a sect filled with countless bird nests. Demon cultivators of formidable strength lived among them—some avian, some beastly, all having awakened their ancient bloodlines.
Surprisingly, there were even many human Qi Refiners studying here as well.
Feng Xian'er was the sect master of Jiuyi. Seeing Xu Ying arrive, she felt a sense of awe. Xu Ying asked, "Little Fengxian, where is Ah Fu?"
"Still spacing out."
Xu Ying found Fool Ah Fu lying inside a wutong flower, legs crossed, the trumpet-shaped blossom trembling gently with his movements.
Xu Ying lay down in another wutong flower. After a moment, he said, "In the Heavenly Dao world, there are three thousand Heavenly Dao runes. I have acquired one thousand four hundred of them. Under the heavens, I fear no one can match me."
Fool Ah Fu continued shaking his leg.
Xu Ying said, "The Son of Heaven of Zhou formed an alliance with me so that I could master the Heavenly Dao to help him cross the heavenly tribulation. But now I have discovered that I can only help him cross the tribulations brought on by one thousand four hundred Heavenly Dao runes. The remaining sixteen hundred runes are beyond my grasp. I have no confidence in whether the Son of Heaven of Zhou can succeed in his tribulation."
Fool Ah Fu still did not say a word, though the wutong flower stopped trembling.
Xu Ying continued, "Now that the Cangwu Abyss has vanished, traveling to other worlds has become an arduous, protracted journey, and finding the whereabouts of those heavenly gods is exceedingly difficult. It is impossible for me to spend decades or centuries tracking down every single god."
Still speaking as if to himself, he went on, "The Son of Heaven of Zhou helped me find those heavenly gods so that I could collect so many Heavenly Dao runes. As his ally, I must keep my promise and help him cross his tribulation. But I only have a thirty percent chance of success."
Fool Ah Fu remained silent.
"That is why I came to see you," Xu Ying said.
Silence still reigned within the wutong flower.
Xu Ying sighed and stood up to leave. Just then, Fool Ah Fu's voice came from behind him: "You do not have absolute certainty, so you are unwilling to risk undergoing tribulation."
Xu Ying halted and looked back. Fool Ah Fu had sat up at some point, perched on the edge of the blossom with his legs dangling down.
Xu Ying nodded slowly.
The large hole on Fool Ah Fu's forehead glowed as he said, "You are afraid of failure. You have already failed countless times. From your first lifetime onward, every one of your lives has been controlled by others, and every strike or rebellion of yours ended in failure. You waited through a thousand, ten thousand lifetimes just to obtain the opportunity in this life. You do not want to fail; you are even terrified of failing."
Xu Ying thought it over and nodded slowly.
Fool Ah Fu said, "I took everything into account and believed I had a hundred percent chance of success, which was why I faced the heavenly tribulation in the Jade Capital of Mount Kunlun. I calculated every possibility, but I failed to foresee that ascension spots were predetermined. Tell me, are your thirty percent odds really just thirty percent?"
Xu Ying frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Fool Ah Fu said, "You considered your own odds, but you forgot about the Son of Heaven of Zhou. When it comes to crossing tribulation to become an immortal, he is more fervent than anyone. For your thirty percent chance, he staked his life and fortune, not hesitating to offend the gods of the Heavenly Dao."
Xu Ying's eyes gradually brightened.
Fool Ah Fu said, "Likewise, for the remaining seventy percent chance, he will stop at nothing. Therefore, your odds of success are far more than thirty percent."
Xu Ying broke into a smile. "Thank you."
He turned to walk away. From behind him came Fool Ah Fu's laughter: "Lord Xu, I am very happy that you came to ask me."
Xu Ying turned back and answered him with a smile.
Chapter 299