When Cui Zhengxing nodded, the matter was more than half-settled. Bai Kaishui, however, had barely spoken the entire time. Cui Zhengxing asked, "What does Palace Master Bai think?"
Bai Kaishui seemed somewhat absentminded. "Let us proceed as agreed," he replied.
Though Cui Zhengxing felt puzzled, mindful of the Sword Palace Master's status and dignity, he refrained from probing further. Turning to Wei Yuan, he asked, "Where do you think would be best to meet?"
Wei Yuan pointed beneath his feet. "Right here. Truth be told, I have no desire to encounter him outside Qingming."
Cui Zhengxing pondered briefly and nodded. "Fair enough. Brother Changhe has shown ample sincerity this time; you might as well look over the gift inventory first. I will arrange the time and location—it should be within seven days."
"I trouble Senior." Wei Yuan bowed in thanks, after which Cui Zhengxing and Bai Kaishui took their leave.
Wei Yuan remained standing where he was. With a single thought, he materialized in Yanshi's courtyard. As Wei Yuan appeared, Yanshi happened to finish pouring three cups of tea and beckoned Wei Yuan over to sit.
Also seated at the table was Zhu Yan, the view master of Haotian View. At that moment, a halo of tricolored immortal light revolved incessantly between Zhu Yan's brows, causing the surrounding space to faintly tremble in resonance.
This was a sign that his cultivation had reached the absolute pinnacle—his true spirit had sensed the authority of the Great Dao aligned with him and was resonating with it.
The moment he released his suppression, the heavenly tribulation of immortal ascension would descend at once.
True Monarch Zhu Yan was in an exceedingly peculiar state, appearing to indulge it deliberately as he sustained an undercurrent of resonance with the Great Dao.
Just as Wei Yuan was about to speak, Yanshi said, "Drink your tea first."
Wei Yuan did not understand, yet he drained the cup in one gulp as told. Immediately, an indescribable bitterness washed through him, followed by something mysterious slowly dissolving, rippling outward through his breath and vital energy. Even with Wei Yuan's current capabilities, he could not tell what those mysterious things were; he only sensed by pure intuition that something in the future or past seemed to have shifted ever so slightly.
Only after Wei Yuan finished his tea did Yanshi and Zhu Yan drink from their cups.
Holding the empty teacup, Yanshi drifted off for an instant before slowly setting it down. He seemed to have reached a decision—one as heavy as a thousand jun.
With a solemn expression, Yanshi said, "Presently, the Palace of Grand Beginning is tossed in wind and rain; the peril of collapse looms imminent. We know nothing of what arrangements the Palace Master is making outside, so we can only do our utmost to fulfill our own duties. View Master Zhu Yan has just conferred with me. He may enter the state of immortal ascension at any moment now. That way, the surrounding immortals will undoubtedly fix all their attention here, drastically easing the pressure and danger on your end."
A complex, unnamable feeling welled within Wei Yuan's heart. True Monarch Zhu Yan originally had a buffer of ten years, yet he had suddenly advanced into this threshold state of immortal ascension prematurely. Once the immortal light manifested, there was no turning back.
All enemies of the Palace of Grand Beginning would certainly realize this, and thus they would swarm in, waiting to strike the moment True Monarch Zhu Yan attempted ascension. Zhu Yan was renowned for conquest and war; no one wished to see him ascend, for doing so might produce another Demon Venerable Suchan or Palace Master Qingkong.
Although none of this was said aloud, Wei Yuan understood. Beset by compounding killing tribulations, it was for Wei Yuan's sake that Zhu Yan had stepped into this critical state ahead of time, drawing the enemy's scrutiny onto himself. And once the enemies clearly knew Zhu Yan was ascending, even if they did not seek to slay him, merely interfering would prevent him from achieving a perfect ascension—leaving behind another Yanshi.
Zhu Yan had already leaped clear of the snare and cage, yet now he had jumped right back into it. It was equivalent to sacrificing his own immortal path to become a towering tree, sheltering Wei Yuan from some of the wind and rain.
Lost in thought for a long time, Yanshi finally murmured, "Back then, when Senior Brother Tinghai resolutely marched west, I still harbored some incomprehension. Now that Junior Brother Zhu steps toward the immortal gate, I fully understand and agree. I only resent that it cannot be me this time."
Zhu Yan smiled. "Senior Brother speaks wrongly. Right now, I am the most carefree of all. Even if I fall like Senior Brother Tinghai, I will have no regrets in my heart, completely unburdened. As for you, Senior Brother, you must carry on living well on our behalf—yours is truly the hardest burden."
Yanshi sighed softly, not denying it.
Wei Yuan had not known what to say all this while, but from the words of Yanshi and Zhu Yan, he could surmise that the shift of great overarching momentum was ultimately converging to crush him.
In truth, all of this was already evident from his Spirit Abode Tribulation. Multiple mighty figures had intervened one after another; had Wei Yuan's mortal fortune not been as vast as an ocean and his means manifold, he would have been reduced to ashes long ago in the Spring Smoke Phantasm Wind Tribulation.
And under the shifting tide of the Heavenly Dao, the next killing tribulation would surely be far fiercer. Yanshi had undoubtedly calculated that Wei Yuan would struggle to survive it, which was why he conferred with Zhu Yan to exchange Zhu Yan's re-entry into the trap for a sliver of life for Wei Yuan.
Yet in reality, Wei Yuan had hardly met True Monarch Zhu Yan more than a handful of times.
Wei Yuan suddenly felt a sting of sourness in his nose, an emotion nearly impossible to endure.
Zhu Yan smiled at Wei Yuan. "Human desires are never satisfied. Since ancient times, ascending to immortality has offered a narrow escape from death; how could anyone avoid enduring killing tribulations? Mine is merely a tribulation in another guise—one I must pass regardless. You need not take it to heart. As long as you can weather this tribulation smoothly and ascend to immortality with composure, even if I fall because of it, it will have been entirely worth it."
Yanshi gave a gentle sigh. "Bow to the True Monarch."
Wei Yuan rose and knelt on the ground, performing three prostrations before Zhu Yan with the etiquette of a disciple to a master.
Zhu Yan accepted them calmly, then said, "In governing realms and bringing peace to the people, you have far surpassed us. Back then, when the Patriarch entrusted the boundary stone that established his footing to you, he truly did not choose the wrong person. Henceforth, you need not worry; simply do whatever your heart desires."
Yanshi gestured for Wei Yuan to stand and take a seat, then asked, "Did you come here today for any other matter?"
Wei Yuan recounted how he had pressed close to the Lu clan's ancestral lands, and how Lu Changhe had successively engaged Xu Youyi, Bai Kaishui, and Cui Zhengxing to plead for mercy.
Yanshi nodded. "This is a long story. Taking advantage of Junior Brother's manifesting immortal light and the trembling of the Great Dao, I can tell you about some past events. Once you have heard them, how you choose to respond will be up to you."
Wei Yuan straightened his posture immediately and listened with rapt attention.
Yanshi began, "Back then, the Martial Ancestor laid out a world-shaking grand design, trapping all the immortals of the human race within this realm. Though the karma of those days has been erased, according to my observations, it roughly resulted in two consequences. First, once the design was complete, the upper limit of human immortals was sealed; I have always suspected there are realms beyond True Immortal. Second, the lifespan of immortals was drastically truncated. Ancient texts record that if an immortal suffers neither ailment nor tribulation, they should enjoy a lifespan of a hundred thousand years. Yet for immortals today, ordinary lifespan has dropped to twenty thousand years; furthermore, suffering injuries or undergoing tribulations significantly reduces their years even more.
"To counter the suppression of the Martial Ancestor's grand design, after the Martial Ancestor passed away, mighty figures intervened in secret, heavily fostering the prominent aristocratic families. Only when the Seven Clans and Thirteen Prominent Families were formed were they able to counter the suppression of the Martial Ancestor's design, granting the world's immortals breathing room.
"These secrets are circulated among the prominent aristocratic families. That is why aristocratic True Immortals like Cui Zhengxing and Xu Youyi stepped forward, wishing to resolve the enmity between you and Lu Changhe. It is not because of any deep affection among them, but purely to oppose the Martial Ancestor's grand design. At present, Great Tang's decline is fully exposed, a grand edifice on the verge of collapse. They are all the more unwilling to see any upheaval befall the Seven Clans and Thirteen Prominent Families, which might restabilize the Martial Ancestor's grand design that was already nearing its ruin."
Only then did Wei Yuan understand the true reasons behind it all. No wonder the prominent aristocratic families mostly infiltrated and encroached upon the Nine Nations, in what clearly seemed like opposition—the root cause lay right here.
Finally, Yanshi asked, "How do you plan to handle this?"
Wei Yuan replied, "Upon returning, this disciple will study that gift inventory thoroughly. Since Lu Changhe himself cannot be touched, making him cough up some blood is good enough."
Yanshi nodded, then sent Wei Yuan back to Qingming.
Chapter 1133