Chapter 165: Yunshu, You Ask Me to Let Them Go, But Who Asked the Ancestral Master to Let Me Go? |
"Yulou, splitting the family is easier said than done, and while our Wang Clan doesn't lack people, Rongsheng taking twenty or thirty clansmen to develop elsewhere isn't a simple matter."
"Have you considered how those separated clansmen will view the main family after the split? Furthermore, Hongmei has been under my control for many years."
"If he reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, will he retaliate against us?"
As the Patriarch, Wang Xianmao could be ruthless to outsiders, but he couldn't bear to be cold and heartless toward his own clansmen. Now that Mang Xiang was on the verge of reaching the Golden Core realm, the members of the Wang Clan generally believed that the family was on the eve of ascending to the heavens like chickens and dogs. At a time like this, how many would willingly leave to become members of a branch lineage? Wang Yulou and Wang Xianmao knew exactly what kind of beast Mang Xiang was, but they couldn't openly share this truth with the clan. Therefore, those who eventually left would inevitably hold grievances. Leaving with resentment to carve out a living in a foreign land thousands of miles away... no matter how you looked at it, their prospects were grim.
"Then we draw lots. We send out two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Patriarch, when it's time to act, you must be decisive!" Wang Yulou stated, his stance absolutely firm.
From a purely rational perspective, he shouldn't have proposed splitting the Wang Clan. For Wang Yulou, who had effectively become the core of the clan's leadership, keeping the clan's power undivided meant his interests could be fully realized through its people and system.
Dividing the Wang Clan to form a branch lineage was precisely the kind of move that would harm his own interests. The Patriarch naturally understood that Yulou's proposal was born entirely out of a sense of public duty.
Given his persistence, it was hard to refuse, but splitting the family was no small matter. The Patriarch decided he needed more time to think it over.
"I understand your thoughts. Jingyi and I will consider this carefully," Wang Xianmao said. "However, Yulou, since you have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, you should start cultivating your dao foundation. The clan will provide you with a stipend of twenty-four thousand spirit stones every year. That is twice as much as the other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the clan, and six times that of the guest elders. The dao foundation—"
"The sheer time required for this method eliminates the possibility of most cultivators ever reaching the Purple Palace. The dao foundation we painstakingly cultivate will ultimately just become nourishment for the Great Heaven, returned to the world once more."
"The Core Disciples under Xuanzhuan's tutelage are even required to pass away in meditation within his grotto-heaven, thereby feeding their cultivation back into it."
"What is the point of cultivating such a method?"
The bottom-tier cultivators had no real sense of the cruelty of the Wunan Cultivation World; merely surviving consumed all their energy. It was the vassals of grand cultivators, like the Wang Clan, who saw the reality much more clearly.
Those grand cultivators didn't just eat the meat without spitting out the bones; they wished they could swallow the marrow, the dirt, and the very air. The only reason they didn't force all their Foundation Establishment disciples to die within their grotto-heavens was because it would be too hellish.
Such tyranny would force their subordinates to alienate them, causing their faction to lose its competitiveness in the grand scheme of things—not because they lacked the ability to do so. Faced with Wang Yulou's cutting words, Wang Xianmao fell silent.
The end of the immortal path looked hopeful, but it was actually a dead end. The Wang Clan had walked it for twelve hundred years, and it had always been this way.
But... they still had to move forward, right?
What if there was a chance in the future? If they hesitated and stood still now, they wouldn't be able to grasp the opportunity when it truly arrived.
This kind of pragmatic, realistic thinking was what most people ultimately relied on.
"Yulou, you're different," Wang Xianmao urged bitterly. "You're only in your early thirties this year. You have enough time, don't you?"
Wang Yulou possessed a dual spirit root.
Cultivating the dao foundations for the water and fire meridians would take thirty years each, while the other three meridians would take one hundred and eighty years. It would only take him two hundred and forty years to fully cultivate his dao foundation, allowing him to begin the next step: the connection of the Five Elements Mutual Generation.
Once the Five Elements Mutual Generation was completed, he could begin to Absorb spiritual objects for the initial nurturing of a grotto-heaven.
Even overestimating the time required, assuming it took Wang Yulou a hundred years to complete the Five Elements Mutual Generation and the initial nurturing of the grotto-heaven, the entire process would total three hundred and forty years. Given Wang Yulou's current age, he did indeed have enough time.
The Wang Clan's support could easily allow him to live to four hundred years old. With Wang Yulou's management skills and the Behemoth Lineage's current upward trajectory, living to five hundred and rivaling An Ning in the future wouldn't be out of the question either.
That was why the Patriarch insisted that Wang Yulou had enough time.
"Patriarch, I still think this path is a dead end," Wang Yulou countered. "With a span of three hundred years, who knows how many accidents could happen at every turn. Rather than painstakingly cultivating the dao foundation, it would be better to take Mu Chunze's path."
Anyone with half a brain could see whether the new Purple Palace methods were truly a dead end. The massive investment of time and resources required for the old methods made them look like a terrible path no matter how you looked at it.
The Immortal Alliance creating new methods wasn't necessarily to help Foundation Establishment cultivators progress faster and better. The Immortal Alliance didn't serve Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Compared to the traditional methods, Wang Yulou was more optimistic about the Divine Ability Demon Transformation Purple Mansion Method. The sheer number of Demon Kings and Demon Gods among the Immortal Alliance's grand cultivators was the best proof of this.
Hansong was a Demon King, and Jin Shan was also a Demon King. Tianshe of the Sky Serpent Sect and the Whitebeard General of Hidden Dragon Abbey were both Demon Gods.
The Divine Ability to Demon Transformation Art appeared to be the true path to the heavens. At this point in time, Wang Yulou still didn't know the full extent of how many grand cultivators were actually Demon Kings and Demon Gods.
He didn't know that Mang Xiang, Qingrui, and Zhuzhao were also Demon Gods. But his observations of other grand cultivators had pointed him in a clear direction, leading him to his decision.
"Mu Chunze's path... a method of a human transforming into a demon. Yulou, it always feels wrong to me. What do you think?"
Wang Xianmao smiled bitterly. The Divine Ability Demon Transformation Purple Mansion Method naturally felt wrong.
If the cultivation world's alienation of humans during the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages manifested as systematic discipline, then the Divine Ability to Demon Transformation Art within the Purple Palace methods applied that alienation directly to the cultivators themselves. But there were only so many paths, and—
"Patriarch..." Wang Yulou began, "no matter what method it is, in the end, we still have to defer to the Ancestral Master's wishes. Neither the Immortal Alliance nor the sects will teach the Purple Palace methods to their Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"Our Wang Clan is, after all, the Ancestral Master's vassal. Whether I can reach the Purple Palace, and what method I use to do so, is still far, far too distant for me."
"I will not cultivate the new methods. Over the years, I've taken so many resources from the clan; I can't keep sucking the clan's blood."
Seeing that Wang Xianmao was about to urge him again, Wang Yulou immediately brought up another matter. "Moreover, the Ancestral Master wants me to participate in purging Shen Guang Immortal Venerable's forces in the West Sea, forcing me to break ties with him."
"This is the pressing matter at hand. Only by doing this well can I have a future, and can our Wang Clan have a future."
"Besides, Patriarch, I guess a Purple Palace formed through a demon transformation method can also be converted into a Purple Palace of the Grotto-heaven Law—"
"A demon transformation method Purple Palace?"
Seeing Wang Xianmao's surprise, Yulou realized his slip of the tongue and hurriedly explained. After hearing about the interaction between Wang Yulou and Xihai Zhongcheng of the Myriad Dao Origin Hub, the Patriarch finally understood why the Ancestral Master wanted Wang Yulou to completely break ties with Shen Guang's faction.
Heaven-Man Resonance Purple Mansion Method, Acupoint Connection Purple Mansion Method, Divine Ability Demon Transformation Purple Mansion Method, Dao Foundation Cave Heaven Purple Mansion Method... There were so many Purple Palace methods, yet the Ancestral Master and the two True Persons had never spoken of them to the Wang Clan.
"Yulou, why couldn't you have just entered the Immortal Alliance directly? Sigh!"
If Wang Yulou could have joined the Immortal Alliance directly, perhaps the Wang Clan wouldn't have to live at Mang Xiang's mercy. Yet, Wang Yulou remained incredibly calm.
Not having to look at Mang Xiang's face wasn't necessarily a good thing. Even if he joined the Immortal Alliance, he would ultimately still have to defer to other grand cultivators.
He said with a smile, "Patriarch, you needn't worry. This is the Ancestral Master's grand era, and it is also our Wang Clan's grand era."
"Twenty years ago, could you have imagined that I could hold authority in the West Sea with a cultivation base that had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage? The quota was fake, and the promise of ten Purple Palaces was also fake."
"But after the Ancestral Master reaches the Golden Core realm, his need and desire for new interests will be very real. As long as we do what we must, the Ancestral Master will naturally give our Wang Clan opportunities."
"Besides, True Person Xuanzhuan is the Ancestral Master's senior disciple. Setting everything else aside, our Wang Clan has followed True Person Xuanzhuan for many years."
"It's impossible for him to still be running around outside every day after the Ancestral Master reaches the Golden Core realm."
"This is also our opportunity."
Mang Xiang was a beast, but a ten-thousand-year-old monster like him was also very easy to reason with. As long as the Wang Clan could provide him with value, he would definitely give them more opportunities.
This was the inevitable behavior of grand cultivators acting rationally. In terms of loyalty, the Wang Clan's dedication to Mang Xiang was second to none.
Back when Huang Qiusheng helped the Ancestral Master distribute favors, the Wang Clan exhausted their entire family fortune to support him. In terms of capability and worth, the value the Wang Clan brought to Mang Xiang was second to none.
Leaving everything else aside, Wang Yulou alone had chosen to enter the game and act as bait, helping Mang Xiang severely scheme against Shen Guang. Furthermore, having reached the Foundation Establishment stage in his early thirties, Wang Yulou was practically the most extraordinary heavenly genius of the Behemoth Lineage.
That was why Wang Yulou decided against cultivating his dao foundation or adopting the Grotto-heaven Law to open his Purple Palace. Instead, he chose to wait for the Ancestral Master to arrange a different Purple Palace method for him. There was also a hidden logic at play: the Ancestral Master had been brewing his Golden Core for over twenty years.
It couldn't possibly brew for another two hundred years, right? Once the Ancestral Master reached the Golden Core realm, his chickens and dogs would naturally ascend to heaven with him. During that process, Wang Yulou was confident he would continue to slay generals and seize the banner, becoming the fastest-ascending dog!
"Yulou, starting to cultivate your dao foundation now is the safest bet. The Ancestral Master might not necessarily give you the old cultivation arts in the future," Wang Xianmao advised. His considerations were quite thorough, after all.
If Wang Yulou cultivated his dao foundation, he could still switch to the old cultivation arts later. The dao foundation enhanced one's base and wouldn't delay the cultivation of other methods.
If Wang Yulou didn't cultivate it, things would be fine as long as the Purple Palace method Mang Xiang eventually gave him belonged to the old cultivation arts. But what if it didn't?
"Patriarch, I am confident. The Ancestral Master even deceived his own senior disciple.
"Because of that, I can clearly see that True Person Xuanzhuan's arrangement is sincere—he intends for me to gain more experience within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and increase my influence there.
"As long as I handle matters diligently, True Person Xuanzhuan will naturally back me up."
It sounded reasonable, but it was actually nonsense; Wang Yulou was merely humoring Wang Xianmao. For one, he didn't want to waste time cultivating his dao foundation.
The Dao Foundation Cave Heaven Purple Mansion Method was far too slow, clearly not the best choice for opening the Purple Palace. Furthermore, Wang Yulou had always felt there was something inherently wrong with using the Grotto-heaven Law to reach the Purple Palace realm.
If a Purple Palace grand cultivator hid inside their grotto-heaven, they could easily bypass the limits of their lifespan and evade attacks from other grand cultivators. It sounded great, but was a grotto-heaven truly, absolutely safe?
If a Grotto-heaven Law Purple Palace was so excellent, why were so many grand cultivators Demon Kings and Demon Gods? In Wang Yulou's eyes, this method was incredibly bizarre.
Purple Palace grand cultivators who practiced the Grotto-heaven Law exhausted all their efforts to gather resources from the Great Heaven, nurturing their grotto-heavens. They raised them to be massive and rich—would the end result be similar to Mang Xiang swallowing An Ning's Minor Grotto-Heaven?
Judging from the brutal struggles among Golden Core Immortal Venerables revealed by Shen Guang, Mang Xiang, and Qingrui, Wang Yulou was inclined to believe that Purple Palace cultivators practicing the Grotto-heaven Law were merely cultivating resources for those Golden Core Immortal Venerables.
The fact that they weren't being harvested yet might simply mean the time hadn't arrived. The number of grand cultivators in the Immortal Alliance was clearly too high.
Given the long-term stable coexistence of the world's top forces, the internal resource distribution conflicts of the major powers would inevitably explode in the future. But this was, after all, only Wang Yulou's guess.
Even if it were true, telling Wang Xianmao would be useless; it would only cause the Patriarch unnecessary distress. Cultivating in a world where grand cultivators monopolized and controlled everything was bitter enough.
Ancestor Jingyi was also holding onto the pie-in-the-sky promise of achieving an old cultivation arts Purple Palace, and wouldn't be troubled by this grim possibility in the short term. Therefore, Wang Yulou chose to remain silent, finding an excuse to humor the Patriarch for now.
"Fine. At the very least, it should be true that the Ancestral Master wants to expand the number of Purple Palace cultivators under his tutelage. If a Golden Core Immortal Venerable doesn't have enough Purple Palace cultivators beneath them, they might end up like Shen Guang—bullied to their face without daring to turn hostile."
Seeing that Wang Yulou was determined to go his own way, Wang Xianmao stopped trying to persuade him. He figured that if the Ancestral Master could quickly reach the Golden Core realm, the turmoil within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and the Behemoth Lineage would finally end.
By then, Wang Yulou might change his mind. Besides, Wang Yulou was no longer a child.
He was the Seal Holder of the Punishment Court in the West Sea, the most extraordinary heavenly genius the Wang Clan had seen in a millennium. Even Wang Xianmao couldn't force Wang Yulou to do as he wished.
"Shen Guang didn't refrain from turning hostile because he lacked Purple Palace subordinates, Patriarch. He was lured into a massive trap by the Ancestral Master and Qingrui Immortal Venerable, losing the initiative.
"The instability of his own foundation was magnified. As the representative of the West Sea's many Demon Gods in the Immortal Alliance, he has offended numerous Immortal Venerables.
"He has no way to retreat and establish himself in the depths of the West Sea. If he returned, he would lose his special status within the Immortal Alliance and his significance to the West Sea's Demon Gods, effectively becoming a grand cultivator in name only.
"Ultimately, the time since he attained his Dao has been too short. The disciples under his tutelage are still at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he crossed too many lines too early.
"Therefore, he must endure and yield to remain in the Immortal Alliance. After all, the Ancestral Master and Qingrui Immortal Venerable still left him a ten percent share of the West Sea's profits."
Wang Xianmao pondered for a long time before sighing. "Yulou, you are now completely capable of propping up the Wang Clan.
"I hadn't thought of it that way. I merely assumed Shen Guang Immortal Venerable had gone too far and suffered such a loss because he was squeezed out by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect and Lotus Immortal City.
"But this matter of purging Shen Guang's remnants... must it really be done?"
Even though he knew the answer, the Patriarch still had to ask. He harbored an unrealistic hope—not out of ignorance or stupidity, but because he simply wished Wang Yulou's path wouldn't be so arduous.
Thinking of True Person Xuanzhuan's instructions, Wang Yulou smiled bitterly.
"It must be done. Old Ancestor Jinshan has already shouldered some pressure for me. Betrothing Mingdu to me was also a great help."
'Shen Guang, Mang Xiang, Jin Shan... West Sea, oh West Sea.'
It wasn't a good place, but it was also the best place, having nurtured people like Feng Jianxian and Mo Yunshu. The West Sea was originally the frontier of the Immortal Alliance.
Shen Guang had expanded it for many years, but now, the fruits of this land had been plucked by Qingrui Immortal Venerable and Patriarch Mangxiang. One could only say that the chess game of grand cultivators contested for an endless, unceasing tide, rather than momentary victory.
The Patriarch turned and looked at the vast sky in the distance. The world had no moral principles; the principles of the grand cultivators were the principles of the world.
'Could the Wang Clan, Wang Yulou, and myself ever reach the other shore?'
"Understood.
"But your cultivation cannot be delayed either. I will pass on all the Wang Clan's Foundation Establishment methods and divine ability incantations to you.
"It will be enough to sustain your cultivation for a very long time.
"You don't have to cultivate the dao foundation, but you still need to cultivate your acupoints. Gather all thirty-six acupoints as soon as possible, step into the late Foundation Establishment stage, and begin to further master your divine abilities. Only then will you possess greater strength," Wang Xianmao said.
The Foundation Establishment realm cultivated acupoints, while using the Grotto-heaven Law to open the Purple Palace required cultivating the dao foundation. These belonged to two separate paths.
Wang Yulou could skip cultivating his dao foundation, but his cultivation base still needed to advance. In truth, under the Wang Clan's system, a Foundation Establishment cultivator had to make contributions to the family to obtain its methods and divine abilities.
At most, they could only request an advance on a small portion. Wang Xianmao's action of directly passing all the Wang Clan's Foundation Establishment methods and divine ability incantations to Wang Yulou was against the rules.
But the rules themselves were meant to restrict others. And the "others" in the Wang Clan did not include Wang Yulou, the number one heavenly genius the clan had seen in a thousand years. Just as the vast majority of the Immortal Alliance's rules didn't restrict Golden Core cultivators, the Wang Clan's rules didn't restrict true Wang Clan heavenly geniuses.
"I understand. Additionally, Patriarch, I won't need the family's stipend either. Mingdu will bring a dowry of two hundred thousand spirit stones. I lack no cultivation resources."
Facing such an understanding Wang Yulou, what else could Wang Xianmao say? Truthfully, simply marrying Jin Mingdu and receiving that dowry was enough to recoup every investment the Wang Clan had ever made in him.
This was the unique trait of a heavenly genius.
Returning to Western Sea Immortal City, Wang Yulou and Wang Xianmao busied themselves once again.
Wang Xianmao needed to oversee Immortal in Wine House and prepare for the evening's wedding banquet. For tonight's banquet, Li Haikuo and Jin Shan would attend in person.
Aside from lending their support to Wang Yulou—Li Haikuo being a True Person of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect—their presence also served to pacify the people in the West Sea. The standard of this banquet was among the highest, not just in Wunan, but across the entire Immortal Alliance.
Golden Core cultivators did not easily emerge, and Purple Palace cultivators often hid within their grotto-heavens. A few days ago, when several True Persons entered the West Sea, the local density of True Persons reached a remarkably high level even by the standards of the Great Heaven.
For Wang Yulou's wedding, having two True Persons present carried extraordinary significance. What kind of person could truly be considered a core member of the Immortal Alliance?
Purple Palace and Golden Core cultivators? That was a one-sided view.
Wang Yulou now had four Purple Palace backers and one quasi-Golden Core backer—did that not make him a core member of the Immortal Alliance? Did someone say his cultivation base was low?
That was a one-sided view. In the war between the two sects, peak Foundation Establishment cultivators with divine abilities were little more than expendables.
The two Dragon-Tiger Guard commanders Jin Shan had assigned to him were exactly that—peak Foundation Establishment cultivators with divine abilities. Furthermore, Wang Yulou had reached the Foundation Establishment realm in his early thirties.
Was his cultivation base truly low? In terms of potential and his cultivation realm at that age, he rivaled many Purple Palace and even Golden Core cultivators within the Immortal Alliance.
Therefore, even though Wang Yulou had committed the shameless act of collecting gifts twice in two days, the people in Western Sea Immortal City who needed to show up still showed up. Fellow Daoist, you gave a congratulatory gift of four hundred spirit stones yesterday, and another five hundred today.
It was truly too much.
"Here, this is a payment voucher for Immortal in Wine House. It can offset thirty percent of your bill, up to a limit of one hundred and eighty spirit stones. Please, accept it."
Zheng Yan tallied the congratulatory gifts while handing out payment vouchers for the Immortal in Wine House. This was akin to a sort of "Wang Yuque subsidy."
Anyone who presented a congratulatory gift to Wang Yulou received a voucher worth twenty percent of their gift's value, incentivizing them to spend money at Immortal in Wine House. When it came to earning resources, Wang Yulou was completely serious.
The Wang Clan had a massive family and grand enterprises. The great figures looming above him also needed to be appeased.
These were all expenses. Without spirit stones, the Wang Clan wouldn't even be fit to serve as Mang Xiang's loyal vassal.
By the railing on the second floor of Immortal in Wine House, Mo Yunshu found Wang Yulou staring blankly ahead. He wore his Ten Thousand Nights Everbright Robe and a beautiful jade crown.
He gripped the railing with both hands, lost in deep thought. Immortal Maiden Yunshu pondered for a moment.
Unable to let go of her fellow Daoists in the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, she eventually stepped forward to strike up a conversation.
"What are you looking at?" Wang Yulou's expression was somewhat desolate as he replied, "Yunshu, one person is missing today."
Mo Yunshu hadn't expected that Wang Yulou, standing on the second floor of Immortal in Wine House, was actually counting the heads of the gift-bearers. Only an overbearing person like him would do such a thing.
But the task of investigating the Rogue Cultivator Alliance had been assigned to the Punishment Court. Even if Mo Yunshu didn't want to deal with someone as greedy as Wang Yulou, she had to bite the bullet.
"Both True Persons have come; who would dare not show up? Oh, are you talking about Xihai Zhongcheng?"
Mo Yunshu then remembered that Xihai Zhongcheng had been locked up by the Immortal Alliance Stewards. She felt a flash of shame, realizing she might have misunderstood Wang Yulou.
However, judging by Wang Yulou's inability to stomach Xihai Zhongcheng's plight, convincing him to let the Rogue Cultivator Alliance—to let her friends—off the hook shouldn't be too difficult. Wang Yulou turned his head. His eyes were as calm as a still lake as he pointedly said,
"No, it's Feng Jianxian. I've already lost one friend. Yunshu, I don't have many friends."
Fools couldn't survive returning from the demon hunting frontlines. Mo Yunshu was a smart person; she immediately understood Wang Yulou's underlying rejection.
So, he already knew why I came. Feng Jianxian had died because he had 'meddled in other people's business'.
Wang Yulou had lost Feng Jianxian, and he didn't want to lose Mo Yunshu, too. Of course, this 'losing' didn't mean Mo Yunshu would die.
Rather, if she made a proposal that put him in a difficult spot and he was forced to refuse, it might ruin their friendship. Was his friendship with Mo Yunshu important?
It was hard to say. From a purely utilitarian standpoint, it wasn't that important.
But Wang Yulou wasn't an absolutely rational Immortal Venerable. He hadn't become an immortal yet.
As a cultivator still making the climb, Wang Yulou naturally viewed a Fellow Daoist with a unique character like Mo Yunshu in a different light. That was why he gave her this preemptive warning.
Yunshu, don't make this difficult for me.
"Shen Guang Immortal Venerable isn't dead; he only lost temporarily. Yulou, you don't need to be like the Immortal Alliance Stewards. They—"
Wang Yulou raised his hand, and Mo Yunshu snapped her mouth shut. Her face carried a trace of determination, but mostly, it was filled with pleading.
The Rogue Cultivator Alliance had three thousand rogue cultivators, yet their life and death hinged on nothing more than a single word from Wang Yulou. Within the Immortal Alliance, the lives of rogue cultivators were not considered lives at all.
The lives of Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators were no different.
"Yunshu, I am also acting on orders. Say no more. You are from True Person Hansong's direct lineage; you, of all people, should understand my helplessness."
They were both disciples under grand cultivators. She clearly knew what a grand cultivator's Sacred Decree represented.
You can be kind, but I cannot use my own life to save the lives of others just to fulfill your kindness—Wang Yulou is not Turtle. The lives of three thousand people weighed against his own life—which was heavier?
Wang Yulou didn't think this was even a question. There were many ideological slogans and concepts in the world that could inspire their believers to nobly and voluntarily face death.
The dimensions of value judgment and moral judgment were incredibly complex. As long as there were enough preceding qualifiers, anyone could be painted as a 'demon' under a false logical context.
Whether an act was right or wrong, controversial or not, morally noble or not—these were acquired, one-sided dimensions of evaluation. In Wang Yulou's view, three thousand people dying so he could live was not a problem.
If reaching the peak of morality and justice required the actor to sacrifice themselves, then the supposed meaning of the climb never existed in the first place.
"Yulou, those rogue cultivators are inconsequential nobodies. They only joined the Rogue Cultivator Alliance for the convenience of demon hunting together. You know that going after them to cut off Shen Guang Immortal Venerable's wings is an overcorrection."
Of course it was an overcorrection, and one that Wang Yulou had actively chosen. Compared to dealing with Shen Guang's disciples like Xihai Qingfeng, Xihai Longhu, and Xihai Zhongcheng, he had targeted Zhang Heng strictly for his own benefit.
In the end, the Ancestral Master was forcing Wang Yulou to purge Shen Guang's remnants, hand over a proof of allegiance, and pick a side completely. Wang Yulou couldn't refuse.
The Wang Clan had a massive family and grand enterprises. In a situation where top forces like the Immortal Alliance were in a long-term stable standoff, moving up and continuing to develop required attaching oneself to a top force, to a grand cultivator.
The costs and risks of switching factions and changing allegiances were too high. Wang Yulou was trapped by his ambition of 'not becoming the price paid' and the Wang Clan's overall situation.
He had no choice but to purge Zhang Heng, a move that would ostensibly draw the least hatred from Shen Guang. Moreover, Zhang Heng was not easy to deal with.
The Rogue Cultivator Alliance had no shortage of fierce individuals. It was going to be troublesome...
"Exactly, you also said they're inconsequential. Since they are inconsequential, there is no need to plead for them, right?" Wang Yulou closed his eyes and spoke coldly.
He tried to use this demeanor to deceive his own heart, which had not yet completely hardened. He was neither a hypocrite nor a true villain.
Those evaluative dimensions didn't apply to cultivators. He merely wanted to fool the little conscience he had left.
From setting foot on the immortal path in Clear Stream Market, to actively committing evil in Dripdrop Cave, to now—being forced to take a side and begin a great purge amidst the overwhelming risks of grand cultivators wrestling for power—Wang Yulou's conscience had already been ravaged by cultivation until almost nothing remained.
He saw clearly that as he climbed upward, as he crept closer and closer to his goal of 'not becoming the price paid', the long and arduous journey would force him ever nearer to an unscrupulous state of acting 'at any cost'.
Yet despite this, despite the path ahead being so difficult, Wang Yulou still tried to stop a chariot with a mantis's arm—no, he was trying to protect himself by plugging his ears while stealing a bell. He wanted to protect the empathy and conscience instilled in him by those short decades of mortal experience.
At the entrance of Clear Stream Market, he had saved that baby girl. It was like the first tolling bell of fate, echoing within his heart.
He knew clearly he was burying his head in the sand, yet he stubbornly did it anyway. The complexity of human nature and the complexity of a cultivator were vividly displayed in Wang Yulou's choice at this moment.
"Since they are inconsequential, can't you let them go?"
Mo Yunshu hadn't expected her words to be interpreted that way. But she didn't dare anger Wang Yulou; she only cautiously tried again, attempting to persuade her friend to slightly raise the hand holding the butcher's knife.
"Yunshu, you ask me to let them go, but who will ask the Ancestral Master to let me go?"
Mo Yunshu couldn't answer Wang Yulou's question. Wang Yulou's father-in-law, Mu Chunze, was someone under Shen Guang Immortal Venerable's tutelage.
Mo Yunshu was clear about this. As a junior highly regarded by True Person Hansong and a native of the West Sea, she understood the vast majority of affairs in the region.
Because of that, she was even less able to answer Wang Yulou's question. Biting her lip, Yunshu felt a sharp sting in her nose.
She stubbornly raised her head, fighting back the tears in her eyes, her usually lithe figure uncharacteristically drained of strength. Wang Yulou looked toward the entrance of Immortal in Wine House and said,
"Mingdu is here. Yunshu, I have to go."
Seeing that Wang Yulou was about to leave, Mo Yunshu made one last pleading attempt. "Is there really no way?"
Wang Yulou didn't answer. He simply hurried down from the second floor.
There is, Yunshu. There is a way, but I cannot use it now.
Jin Mingdu was the quintessential lady from a prestigious family. Her temperament was completely different from Zhou Yingxi, who had grown up free-range in a grotto-heaven; she was much closer to a combination of Senior Martial Sister Lin and Qin Churan.
She possessed cunning, methods, and strength. Most importantly, she was beautiful.
Some people are like a rainbow; you only truly understand their brilliance when you encounter them. This perfectly described the Jin Mingdu of today.
However, since Wang Yulou had already married many times, Jin Shan didn't care whether the ceremony was grand or not. He didn't care about Jin Mingdu's status in Wang Yulou's household.
He only cared about completing his investment in Wang Yulou; that was enough. Therefore, today's ceremony broke new bounds of simplicity.
Wang Yulou and Jin Mingdu merely held hands and briefly met everyone, and that was considered married. However, the wedding was just a minor interlude.
Today's focus was on Jin Shan and Li Haikuo stepping forward to pacify the public. Western Sea Immortal City had been smashed, and the West Sea legend, Shen Guang, was suspected to be the mastermind behind the scenes.
He was even being jointly suppressed by Mang Xiang and Qingrui. To the cultivators in the West Sea, these events were akin to a bolt from the blue.
The darkness of the grand cultivators was often hidden behind the Immortal Alliance's laws and its mid-level leaders. The people of the West Sea still held profound respect for Shen Guang.
This brought a profound sense of disillusionment. Those who looked up to and revered Shen Guang felt completely shattered after realizing the truth.
If this mentality continued to spread over the long term, it would affect the West Sea's overall stability. That was why Jin Shan and Li Haikuo needed to step forward to pacify everyone.
"Everyone knows about Shen Guang Immortal Venerable's situation... The West Sea was not developed by any single grand cultivator."
"It was the Immortal Alliance's territory in the past, it is the Immortal Alliance's territory now, and in the future... The Guardian True Person and I will continue to stay in the West Sea to protect everyone here..."
"Lastly, we must strike down those who deceived Shen Guang Immortal Venerable and rectify the atmosphere of the West Sea... The Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda..."
"The Myriad Dao Origin Hub... The South City Expansion Department..."
"No one can wantonly trample on the Immortal Alliance's laws. The Immortal Alliance protects..."
"Striking down those who deceived Shen Guang Immortal Venerable doesn't mean we are going to point our blades at the cultivators of the West Sea. There are recent rumors..."
"In short, everyone can put their minds at ease. Nothing will change. The only thing that will change is that we will have a safer West Sea, and the West Sea will also have a brighter future!"
Li Haikuo stood in the center of Immortal in Wine House, spouting nonsense with a resounding voice. Halfway through listening, Wang Yulou poured himself a cup of wine and walked over to the table where Immortal Alliance Steward Meng Bai, the Patriarch, Jiuqu, and the others were seated.
"Martial Uncle Meng Bai, how goes the investigation on Xihai Zhongcheng's side?"
Meng Bai's attitude toward Wang Yulou was very good; they didn't have much conflict of interest.
"He still won't speak, but it doesn't matter. We've arrested all the hands at the Myriad Dao Origin Hub, and we're interrogating them all together now. We'll get results eventually. It's fine if Xihai Zhongcheng doesn't speak; it perfectly illustrates just how stubborn Shen Guang's running dogs are."
Meng Bai truly didn't fear death. If he died while faithfully fulfilling his duties, the Meng family would be well provided for.
His death would be heavier than Mount Tai. Therefore, he dared to speak recklessly, even directly humiliating Shen Guang with a mere Foundation Establishment cultivation base.
How smart was Wang Yulou? Without even needing the Patriarch's reminder, he absolutely wasn't led astray by Meng Bai.
"Fellow Daoist Jiuqu, from what True Person Haikuo implies, are we just going to pick this up, weigh it, and then set it back down this time? Is that it?"
Li Haikuo's words had given Yulou hope—a hope that he wouldn't be forced to completely pick a side. Thus, he wanted to confirm if he could proceed according to Li Haikuo's intentions.
Jiuqu's face turned completely green. 'Why are you asking me?'
'I have nothing to do with the mission to purge Shen Guang's remnants!'
"I don't know, Yulou. I'm just here to serve my master. I don't know anything else."
It was Meng Bai who answered Wang Yulou's question.
"Hahaha, this is what you don't know. Those words were meant for the cultivators of the West Sea to hear.
"When we handle things, we will naturally do what must be done. We won't get far without boldness.
"Shen Guang Immortal Venerable is very worthy of respect, and we should be afraid. But with the Immortal Alliance's laws backing us up, our spines are also very stiff.
"This is precisely a good time to share the Immortal Venerables' burdens.
"In the end, we can only blame those who deceived Shen Guang Immortal Venerable. They were too ignorant of the times."
Meng Bai shattered Wang Yulou's hope once again. The backing of the Immortal Alliance's laws... actually referred to Qingrui and Mang Xiang. The goal of purging Shen Guang's remnants and purging his direct lineage was to carve out a new space of profit in the West Sea.
This would allow Mang Xiang and Qingrui to reap rewards while simultaneously suppressing Shen Guang's influence in the West Sea. As for Li Haikuo's speech, that belonged to the category of 'singing for others to hear.'
They couldn't exactly tell people during a time of panic that Mang Xiang and Qingrui were going to enact a great purge in the West Sea; that would be inappropriate. Wang Yulou and Meng Bai were not outsiders, but people inside the game—people belonging to Mang Xiang and Qingrui.
What they had to follow was the direction set by the grand cultivators' Sacred Decree.
"But, Martial Uncle, the order Old Ancestor Jinshan gave me was to bring them to justice. Do you think this measure is appropriate?"
Bringing them to justice didn't mean killing them all, but this might not necessarily satisfy Mang Xiang. Even if there wasn't much room to maneuver, Wang Yulou was still trying to navigate the situation.
He and Meng Bai were colleagues in the 'remnant-sweeping team'. If they could reach a consensus, it would be easier for Wang Yulou to explain it to Mang Xiang.
Wang Yulou's idea was to kill half and release half. This way, he could provide an answer to his superiors while keeping half of the people alive.
"Yulou, those people who deceived Shen Guang Immortal Venerable hold massive power in the West Sea. I suspect they orchestrated the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda case.
"If we don't wipe them out, the West Sea will fall into chaos again in the future. By then, the two Immortal Venerables and your family's Ancestral Master will have to suffer a second time, and that will be your responsibility and mine.
"Tell me, can we let the two Immortal Venerables suffer a second time?"
Meng Bai once again shut down Wang Yulou's maneuvering. By bringing up 'suffering a second time' and adding subtle criticism, Meng Bai was kindly reminding him. He was afraid this young man, Wang Yulou, didn't clearly grasp the situation.
The essence of purging Shen Guang's remnants was to systematically strike and destroy the small system Shen Guang had built in the West Sea, breaking the profit chains within it. Only by breaking this system and its profit chains could Qingrui's own profit chain easily enter the West Sea.
The same applied to Mang Xiang. More importantly, this process would accomplish a massive change of blood among the powers in the West Sea.
Without purging the vested interests, on what grounds could the West Sea reshuffle the deck? To be accurate, where would the cards to reshuffle come from?
To reshuffle the deck, there must always be cards to shuffle!
"Of course not!"
"The True Persons have exhausted their minds and efforts for all living beings in the Immortal Alliance. They are already very busy.
"To share the True Persons' burdens is an inescapable duty for me, Wang Yulou!
"Additionally, I was the one who led the investigation on the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda case. In the end, it was... well, in short, no results were found. I didn't expect to cause trouble for you, Martial Uncle Meng Bai."
Meng Bai smiled faintly, looking thoughtful, and said,
"The past is the past. We just need to handle things diligently. Yulou, you don't need to worry."
The top leaders had already joined hands. Meng Bai gave absolutely no consideration to Lian Chengxian and Qiu Lianpu.
Between those two, one was an idiot, and the other had already been killed by his own mouth. They had nowhere near the prestige of Wang Yulou, the heavenly genius of the Behemoth Lineage.
"Aren't you going to quickly toast your Martial Uncle Meng Bai?" Wang Xianmao feigned dissatisfaction as he reminded Wang Yulou, then looked at Meng Bai and said, "Yulou is still a child. The Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda case was too complicated. It's normal that he couldn't investigate it clearly."
How could it not be complicated? Shen Guang had directed and acted it out himself, solely to test Mang Xiang's intentions and the intentions of the various big shots in the Immortal Alliance's Conservative Faction.
It turned out that everyone had a tacit understanding. They had actually beaten gongs, sounded drums, and sung a hymn of unity together to send Shen Guang right into the fire pit.
The few of them chatted for a long time before Wang Yulou returned to Jin Mingdu's side with a smile.
"The Ancestor has left. He also instructed me to give this Storage Bracelet to you, saying it's a reward for you."
Jin Mingdu handed a bracelet to Wang Yulou with a strange expression on her face. Yulou took a look and discovered that this Storage Bracelet indeed contained two hundred thousand spirit stones, all of which were high-grade spirit stones.
As expected of someone who could be the Immortal Alliance's West Sea Dragon-Tiger True Man. Truly generous.
Marrying off a direct lineage daughter of the clan was done with such straightforwardness.
"One hundred thousand each for you and me. You're also about to reach Foundation Establishment. With these spirit stones, are the resources enough for your Foundation Establishment?" Yulou asked softly.
Mingdu actually held some resentment toward Jin Shan. She had cultivated for so many years, yet the resources she had used didn't amount to the massive sum of two hundred thousand.
But just because Wang Yulou married her, Jin Shan gave him a reward of two hundred thousand spirit stones. 'Ancestor, oh Ancestor, what kind of matter is this?'
'Am I, a direct lineage daughter of the Jin family, worse off than an outsider?' But she hadn't expected Wang Yulou to accept the reward and immediately give half of it to her.
Words couldn't express how moved she felt in her heart. "Naturally, it's enough.
"I don't need a hundred thousand; thirty thousand is enough.
"It's just that I still have some distance before reaching Foundation Establishment. It might still take two years."
She was sold out by Jin Shan, yet she was helping Wang Yulou save money. Hearing that Jin Mingdu would be able to begin Foundation Establishment in two years, Wang Yulou began to calculate.
The Wang Clan's direct lineage had six Foundation Establishment cultivators: two from the Xian generation, three from the Rong generation, and one from the Yu generation.
Two Foundation Establishment cultivators with outside surnames: Tie Qinhuo and Zheng Yan. Two Dao Companion Foundation Establishment cultivators: Zhou Yingxi, and Jin Mingdu, who was about to reach Foundation Establishment.
Thus, that was ten people. The Ancestral Master's Golden Core was not yet formed, but the Wang Clan had already walked very far on the path of chickens and dogs ascending to heaven.
If the Ancestral Master's Golden Core were formed, how many Purple Palace cultivators would the Wang Clan be able to produce?