How was he supposed to get out of this situation? Subconsciously, Wei Yuan did not turn to the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World for help. Besides, how could he even issue a quest for something like this? Wouldn't that mean the Creation Immortal Venerable had to air his private bedroom affairs before the public? Over seven hundred thousand pairs of eyes were watching in there.
Without the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Wei Yuan had to rely on himself.
In this moment of crisis, Wei Yuan's thoughts raced like lightning, instantly hitting upon a solution: going with the flow. Since Bao Yun refused to let go of the incriminating evidence, why not grip that evidence even more firmly and press on until the deed was done?
If he used this tactic, Bao Yun would most likely take fright and no longer dare act so brazenly.
Yet a moment later, Wei Yuan thought a step deeper and decided to drop the idea after all, opting for a passive response instead.
Taking the offensive with that first method might indeed allow him to devour Bao Yun, but not a single problem that needed resolving would be solved, nor would any of her wishes be fulfilled. Down the road, there would only be endless trouble, along with an added layer of guilt.
So Wei Yuan made no further moves, saying, "This isn't my fault, it's my hand's fault. Look, this hand is about to give birth to a true spirit and develop thoughts of its own..."
Infuriated to laughter by Wei Yuan's shamelessness, Bao Yun said, "You actually dare say that? Unbelievable!"
Wei Yuan kept his composure and asked, "Is there any harm in a dharma idol conceiving a true spirit?"
Bao Yun rolled her eyes at him. "You really have zero common sense. More than just harm—it's downright fatal!"
Since it concerned Wei Yuan's safety, Bao Yun was indeed led astray by him and began explaining in detail.
Because the Bao family had built its foundation on Wood-phase Dao Foundations for generations, many of their Dao Foundations were composed of various divine trees and immortal flora. The spiritual nature of such immortal flora was extraordinarily potent, second among dharma idols only to those legendary divine beasts.
Once an immortal plant achieved a mindscape world, its spirituality would erupt even further. At that point, even a blade of grass within the mindscape world might possess the spiritual intellect of a learned mortal scholar.
In the history of the Bao family, there had been two dazzling geniuses who showed the promise of ascending to immortality right from the start. However, both possessed mindscape worlds with spirituality that was simply too immense, resulting in the birth of terrifying true spirits.
Once born, the true spirits gradually seized dominance. The first genius had his own consciousness wiped out by the true spirit in the end; the true spirit took his place and became him. Such a turn of events caught the Bao family elders completely off guard, leaving them at a loss—killing him felt wrong, but letting him live felt wrong as well.
The entire Bao family was swept into a grand debate over whether this person was still their original kin, arguing over whether 'the true spirit is me or not me.' The elders held conflicting opinions, none able to persuade the others. In the end, the man was confined to the rear mountain of the ancestral grounds until his passing.
The second Bao family genius met an even more tragic fate. Somehow obtaining a secret art of the Sea Li, the true spirit sacrificed the original host's soul to an ocean abyss to attain complete independence, after which it fled to parts unknown.
Within less than a millennium, two consecutive incidents occurred and two peerless geniuses fell, dealing a crippling blow to the Bao family.
Consequently, the Bao family was exceptionally sensitive to mindscape worlds spiraling out of control, intervening at the slightest sign of trouble. Although Bao Yun was still far from forming a mindscape world, her Seven Marvels Treasure Tree was the paramount Dao Foundation in the Bao family in several centuries, so she had heard plenty about such matters since childhood.
Now, once Bao Yun discovered that Wei Yuan's mindscape world was already self-contained and that the central city was practically a major human metropolis, she grew alarmed. If the hundreds of thousands of mortals in that city all possessed spirituality, Wei Yuan's current predicament might be no better than that of the two Bao family geniuses back then.
Listening to Bao Yun's explanation, Wei Yuan took it in stride, merely saying he would keep an eye on it, though for now letting nature take its course was the better approach.
Wei Yuan knew his own circumstances best. His mindscape world harbored far more than just a single true spirit—in truth, it had an entire crowd of them.
High above in the lunar shadow stood Maiden Yin-Yang. Counting downward, there were the celestial laurel tree, the Red Lotus Bodhi, and the mysterious seaweed, each distinct in its own right. There was even a tea tree whose acting skills were so sublime they nearly rivaled Bao Yun's.
By comparison, the Langya Divine Wood was quiet by nature; the several immortal orchids were busy with infighting; and though the Jianmu was already over a hundred feet tall, it was still essentially a sprout. The spirituality of these was slightly weaker, but they definitely met the standard of true spirits.
Longying hung in the middle, pacing just outside the threshold of becoming a true spirit.
In addition, many mortals, having idle time, had begun worshiping gods—one being Wei Yuan, another Tianyu, and the third the Sacred Toad. Given enough time, true spirits might be born from that as well.
In short, Wei Yuan's mindscape world was currently a chaotic dance of countless spirits. Even if a new true spirit emerged, making a name for itself would not be easy, let alone overpowering all the others.
After chatting a while longer and finally soothing Bao Yun, Wei Yuan suddenly noticed an open letter lying on the table.
Wei Yuan swore he had not peeked on purpose; a sweep of his divine consciousness had simply taken in everything before he could even react, leaving it impossible to forget.
The letter was from an elder of the Bao family. Judging by the form of address, she appeared to be a senior from Bao Yun's branch of the family and was now one of the clan elders. She wrote that the council of clan elders had ultimately decided not to involve themselves in Qingming, canceling the motion to take over Ding'an City.
She explained in great detail: after Zhao Fusheng returned, the island master of Mount Qiong Immortal Island was furious, believing the Bao family had slighted him, and went specifically to argue the matter with the Bao family's immortal ancestor.
Afterward, Mount Qiong Immortal Island went to great lengths to sway two elders who had originally stood on Bao Yun's side. Furthermore, whatever clandestine deal the two immortal ancestors struck, the Bao family's immortal ancestor turned a blind eye to Mount Qiong Immortal Island's aggressive maneuvers, which effectively amounted to tacit consent.
As a result, yet another Bao family elder switched sides, giving them the majority in the council of elders and vetoing the proposal to establish an enclave in the Western Regions.
Seeing this letter, Wei Yuan frowned. "Why is that fellow Zhao still pestering you? When he said he'd let go, I actually respected him a bit. Now he's clinging on relentlessly—utterly contemptible."
Bao Yun sat up, the gentle sway of her chest instantly wiping Wei Yuan's thoughts clean. With a solemn expression, she said, "This isn't Zhao Fusheng's idea. The island master personally spoke on this, so it's not Zhao Fusheng's call. For some reason, Mount Qiong Immortal Island has been frantically searching for clan members of supreme talent lately. I suspect some great figure on the immortal island is running out of lifespan."
"They want to reincarnate?"
"That's what I heard."
Wei Yuan understood then. If they were preparing a physical vessel for reincarnation, the natural talent naturally had to be as high as possible, and it needed to align with the original host to unleash its greatest potency.
Just like the reincarnation vessel Xu Wangu had prepared for himself: an Innate Sword Body endowed with the Sword Scripture of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns, carrying immense karmic luck and great karma. Among all reincarnations throughout history, Xu Wangu's vessel might very well rank in the top ten.
"So in other words, the Bao family really doesn't want Ding'an City anymore?"
A self-deprecating look crossed Bao Yun's face. "They don't want it, and the funding they planned to provide is gone too. However, the clan elders said they're willing to cooperate with us on Dao Foundation training. I've already turned them down on your behalf."
Wei Yuan sighed. "If they want Dao Foundations, we could just give them some. Once they taste the sweetness of working with us a few times, they'd gradually come over to our side."
Bao Yun shook her head. "We aren't begging them for scraps—why should we let them freeload? That old fogey wants to use our resources to advance a step further without firmly standing on our side. Wanting all the benefits without committing? In their dreams!"
Wei Yuan knew Bao Yun was remarkably unyielding at heart, so he pressed no further, saying instead, "It's fine. Even without the Bao family's resources, didn't we build Ding'an City all the same? Once we defeat the Shamans, it won't be long before those elders of yours realize what they've missed out on!"
Bao Yun nodded, much of the gloom vanishing from her face, and then said softly, "Since the Bao family won't provide funding, I don't have to agonize over status anymore either. So right now, I truly am living under your roof. If you make a demand, I wouldn't dare refuse."
Having fallen into her traps so many times, Wei Yuan resolved to stand firm this once. Laughing heartily, he said, "Just focus on cultivating your spirituality in peace. I have no demands of you."
Bao Yun gave a dazzling smile, leaned close to Wei Yuan's ear, and whispered, "I wasn't joking..."
Wei Yuan froze, and then his heart developed thoughts of its own, thumping wildly in his chest.
Chapter 553