Chapter 542: Seed plan |
Xu Jinghui was pierced all over with flying swords.
Yet, the vitality of his immortal body was incredibly tenacious. Even though he was barely clinging to life, Xu Jinghui still managed to hold on without breathing his last. He glared at Du Ge, his eyes filled with resentment. "You scoundrel, you won't die a good death. Master Xu won't let you off..."
"I can save you." Du Ge opened his palm, revealing an elixir in his hand.
"......"
Xu Jinghui's voice came to an abrupt halt. He stared fixedly at the elixir in Du Ge's palm, his mouth twitching involuntarily.
At this moment, he truly understood the fickleness of fate and the capriciousness of life.
He wanted to muster the courage to curse a few words, but then he thought about how he had cultivated arduously for hundreds of years, endured countless hardships, barely survived the tribulations, and finally ascended to immortality, only to die so foolishly. It was truly unwilling.
Moreover.
The recovery ability of an immortal body was formidable. Even if his immortal spiritual power was exhausted, as long as a pill entered his stomach, his injuries could be mostly healed.
"You..."
Xu Jinghui's throat moved.
He looked at Du Ge, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.
His current predicament was all caused by the person in front of him. Should he really beg for mercy from his enemy in front of his disciples and descendants just to survive?
...
Sigh!
Seeing this familiar scene, Liao Jiulong silently turned his head away. The grandmaster was finished; the Heavenly Demon Patriarch always managed to hit everyone's weak spot precisely.
"Just kill me or give me a quick death. Why toy with me?" Xu Jinghui looked at Du Ge, thinking over and over but couldn't figure out why he would save him. He let out a cold laugh, discarding the unrealistic fantasies in his heart.
"Jin Kui, keep an eye on this guy. If he makes any move, kill him without mercy." Du Ge glanced at Xu Jinghui, pointing to the True Immortal follower, and instructed.
After speaking.
He wrapped Xu Jinghui in Dark God power and disappeared from the Tianshi Hall, arriving at the back peak of Dragon and Tiger Mountain. Finding an open space, he threw him down again.
"You scoundrel, what exactly do you want?" Xu Jinghui asked.
"To overthrow the three realms." Du Ge looked at the Mountain Protection Array flickering above Dragon and Tiger Mountain and said calmly.
"With just you?" Xu Jinghui laughed in anger, looking at Du Ge as if he were an idiot. "Dream on! Do you know how vast the celestial realm is? Do you know how many celestial soldiers and generals the celestial court has? Do you know how strong the Celestial Emperor is? To capture a small True Immortal like me, you had to use Master Xu's Mountain Protection Array... and now you're telling me you want to overthrow the three realms? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Xu Jinghui, how stupid must one be to think I would execute such a grand plan alone?" Du Ge looked at Xu Jinghui, his eyes full of mockery. "I'm just one of countless seeds. My task is the Celestial Master's Mansion and the Southern Emperor. Other Celestial Masters and emperors' traditions are handled by others..."
"......"
Xu Jinghui was stunned, then felt a chill down his spine.
He had witnessed Du Ge's methods, the Dao resonance entwining him, reshaping foundations with a flick of his hand. Such supernatural power was already astonishing, yet such a formidable person was merely a seed...
Gulp!
Xu Jinghui swallowed hard, suddenly feeling that this made sense.
Otherwise, even if he had full control of Dragon and Tiger Mountain, how could he contend with the Celestial Masters? But with a powerful organization behind him, it was different.
For a moment.
Xu Jinghui's mind filled with many thoughts, and he asked, "Are you demons?"
"Demons are part of the plan," Du Ge said indifferently. "They are responsible for stirring up the world and attracting the attention of the three realms. Think about it, if there was no one pushing from behind, why would demons suddenly emerge and become the primary target of the three realms?"
"......"
Xu Jinghui was dumbfounded.
At that moment, he was truly afraid, more so than when he was on the brink of death.
He was just a small True Immortal; how did he get involved in such a massive conspiracy?
To influence the decisions of the Celestial Emperor invisibly, the mastermind behind all this must at least be an emperor-level figure!
"Xu Jinghui, do you want to join us?" Du Ge extended the hand holding the elixir, while the other hand held a flying sword. "If this succeeds, every pioneer will have merit, far better than being a small True Immortal in the Celestial Master's Mansion."
Xu Jinghui looked at the elixir, then at the flying sword, stammering, "Patriarch, can you give me some time to consider?"
"Old Xu, I don't have much time," Du Ge said. "Every seed has its mission. The reason I'm recruiting you is simply because your surname is Xu, and your value is higher than those people on Dragon and Tiger Mountain."
"......" Xu Jinghui pressed his lips together, remaining silent.
"Old Xu, think carefully before answering," Du Ge said. "Once you join, you must be loyal to the organization. If you ever harbor thoughts of rebellion, even if I die, you won't escape the organization's retaliation.
So, make sure you think it through before answering.
If you don't join, you can die a quick death. If you join and then regret it, you won't even be able to die if you want to.
The organization is not something a small Celestial Master can contend with. Don't think about leaking the seed plan to gain merit; every seed acts independently and doesn't know of each other's existence.
Even if you speak out, the celestial court will only get my delusional words at most..."
Death?
A fate worse than death?
The two options left Xu Jinghui feeling like crying, a deep sense of powerlessness welling up inside.
Under Du Ge's deliberate guidance, he had lost the ability to discern truth from falsehood.
A floating ice isn't scary; what's scary is that the floating ice is connected to an entire unknown iceberg, and you don't even know how big this iceberg is!
"I'll join," Xu Jinghui said dejectedly.
"Old Xu, congratulations, you've made a wise choice." Du Ge smiled, placing his hand on Xu Jinghui's head, sending a wisp of Dark God power to his heart meridian, forming a small Chinese knot. "This is the organization's locator for you. Dispelling it means betrayal to the organization, so protect it well."
The Dark God power allowed Du Ge to sense Xu Jinghui's location within range, but it had no other effect. It could be easily dispelled with immortal spiritual power.
Du Ge was betting that the already terrified Xu Jinghui wouldn't dare to dispel this power.
Feeling the sinister, cold aura on his heart meridian, Xu Jinghui regarded it as a restriction, swallowing hard and saying with a mournful face, "Patriarch, rest assured, I won't touch it."
Du Ge's expression suddenly became gentle, personally feeding the elixir into Xu Jinghui's mouth.
He used Dark God power to pull out the flying swords one by one from Xu Jinghui's body, saying as he did, "Old Xu, don't blame me. I'm also forced by circumstances. The seed plan has just begun, and it needs time to take root and sprout, to erode from the bottom up step by step. This process is difficult, but once we get through this tough time, everything will be better."
As the elixir entered his mouth.
Xu Jinghui's injuries slowly began to heal. He looked at Du Ge silently, "Patriarch, what do we do next?"
"Cooperate with me to target the Southern Emperor," Du Ge said.
"......" Xu Jinghui was shocked, "Just the two of us?"
"And your little follower," Du Ge chuckled.
"Even with the three of us, it's not enough!" Xu Jinghui said tremblingly, "Even if the Southern Emperor's rank isn't as high as Master Xu's, he's been operating in the mortal world for tens of thousands of years. Who knows how many ghost gods he has under him, and he himself is a Heavenly Immortal. The three of us aren't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth."
"Old Xu, who said we need to kill the Southern Emperor?" Du Ge said, "Turning the Southern Emperor into one of our own is also a kind of scheme. What is a seed? A seed is meant to blossom and bear fruit, to intersperse, to sow, not to annihilate."
"......" Xu Jinghui looked bewildered, as if he wanted to say that this was also an impossible task.
"Old Xu, nothing in the world is difficult if you put your heart into it," Du Ge said with a face full of arrogance and confidence. "Three days ago, Dragon and Tiger Mountain was still calm, but now, Dragon and Tiger Mountain is entirely in my hands. Even you, a True Immortal, have been captured by me. As long as you dare to think and dare to do, there's nothing that can't be accomplished."
"But..." Xu Jinghui opened his mouth to argue.
He had just uttered a word when Du Ge interrupted him, "Someone will secretly cooperate with us."
Xu Jinghui was suddenly shocked.
Du Ge revealed the Dao resonance on his body, pointing to the sky, "The organization has spent countless efforts to cultivate us seeds. They won't just watch us throw ourselves into the fire."
Looking at the ethereal Dao resonance on Du Ge, Xu Jinghui pressed his lips together and nodded.
The reason he believed Du Ge was precisely because of these Dao resonances and the supernatural power to reshape Dao foundations at will, wasn't it?
These two supernatural powers were enough to overturn the entire cultivation world.
Perhaps the people behind the organization had the idea of replacing the Celestial Emperor because they mastered these supernatural powers!
"Fortune favors the bold," Du Ge retracted the Dark God power entwining Xu Jinghui and said slowly, "Old Xu, in the celestial realm, even if you fight to the death, you can't surpass Master Xu. But after the three realms are overturned, there will be many vacant positions.
The organization has means to improve cultivation aptitude. Why do you think Xu Jin Kui and the others dare to fight you? Isn't it because after reshaping the Dao foundation, they can smoothly cultivate into Golden Immortals?!
The organization won't mistreat any meritorious ministers. In the future, there's a chance to achieve Heavenly Immortal, Golden Immortal, or even Great Golden Immortal..."
The skill of subtly ruining people quietly activated.
"Old Xu, life is rare, so seize the opportunity," Du Ge said, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xu Jinghui, full of spirit. "Take a gamble. When the waves come, don't be someone who goes with the flow; be a surfer. Those who go with the flow will be smashed on the beach, but surfers might rise with the wind.
Old Xu, you don't want to be inferior to your disciples and descendants in the future, do you?"
Do I have a choice?
In the end, I'm just a small character!
Looking at Du Ge standing defenselessly beside him, then at the Dao resonance on him, Xu Jinghui smiled bitterly to himself, but unknowingly, he was somewhat moved, "Alright, I'll take a gamble!"
Seeing Xu Jinghui stirred up by him, Du Ge's lips curled into a smile. The skill of subtly ruining people was indeed a divine skill; no one could escape its instigation!
Once he got the snowball rolling completely, he might be able to influence the world's situation!
"By the way, Old Xu, the organization's matters are between you and me, don't speak of it, not even to Xu Jin Kui and the others," Du Ge seemed to remember something and reminded, "I have another identity with them."
"Alright." Xu Jinghui nodded, "What about Lou Zhen?"
"That follower who came with you?" Du Ge asked.
"Yes," Xu Jinghui replied.
"You take him, let the disciples of Dragon and Tiger Mountain make a pledge on him, I'll arrange the rest," Du Ge pondered for a moment and said, "To make him obedient, you must destroy his fighting spirit."
"Alright." Xu Jinghui nodded again. To be honest, he felt a bit uncomfortable that his follower was unharmed while he was pierced by ten thousand swords. Du Ge's arrangement ultimately restored some balance for him.
Du Ge and Xu Jinghui discussed some details and then returned to the Tianshi Hall.
Seeing the grandmaster return safely, Xu Jin Kui and the others, although mentally prepared, had somewhat unnatural expressions.
"Everyone, don't be afraid, the grandmaster is now one of us," Du Ge smiled, reassuring everyone. "Now your cultivation level can't keep up, we ultimately need to plant insiders in the Celestial Master's Mansion."
Insiders?
Xu Jin Kui and the others thought of Du Ge's identity, hesitated for a moment, and accepted this explanation. Putting themselves in his shoes, no one could refuse the recruitment of someone on par with the Dao Ancestor.
Only Xu Jinghui's follower, Lou Zhen, had a drastic change in expression, a look of panic, "Patriarch, I also wish to defect."
"Jin Kui, you and Jinghui take Lou Immortal, let the other disciples of Dragon and Tiger Mountain make a pledge on him," Du Ge ignored him and looked at Xu Jin Kui, "Those who dare to attack an immortal, let them stay, those who don't, kill them directly! What we're doing can't have any mistakes, or it will be a disaster, Dragon and Tiger Mountain must be united..."
After using the Mountain Protection Array twice, many people saw the scene of Xu Jinghui being assassinated. Ignoring the outer disciples was not an option. Du Ge had always been a cautious person.
"Yes."
Xu Jin Kui nodded. Even if Du Ge hadn't instructed, he would have done so. Who would be willing to entrust their life and death to someone else?
...
Soon.
Lou Zhen experienced the same ordeal as Xu Jinghui.
Many Qi Refiners and uninitiated disciples couldn't even break his defense, but that didn't stop them from showing loyalty to Dragon and Tiger Mountain by slapping him.
The tide of the times rolled forward. Under the Sect Leader's Mountain Protection Array and the threat of immortals, ordinary people had no chance to refuse and became accomplices to Du Ge, swept onto his big ship.
...
"Do you hate me?" Du Ge once again brought Lou Zhen to the place where he had just persuaded Xu Jinghui.
At this moment, Du Ge felt like a political instructor doing ideological work. He suddenly thought he needed to establish a dedicated place for persuading captives. The wilderness was too informal.
"No hate." Lou Zhen shook his head decisively. He had already decided that no matter what Du Ge said, he would agree. Even Xu Jinghui had betrayed the Celestial Master's Mansion; his persistence had no meaning.
Du Ge smiled, "Xu Jinghui sold me many secrets of the Celestial Master's Mansion to save his life. If you want to live, you have to offer something."
"Patriarch, I'm just a scattered immortal who just ascended from a small sect, with no connections in the celestial court, assigned to the Celestial Master's Mansion. How could I know the secrets of the Celestial Master's Mansion?" Lou Zhen said bitterly.
"Just say what you know," Du Ge smiled at him, "Like the personnel composition and layout of the Celestial Master's Mansion, or which faction Master Xu belongs to. Tell me what you know, I don't mind. I can use the information you provide to verify if the secrets Xu Jinghui sold me are true.
Lou Immortal, you have no background, no strength. Xu Jinghui has already betrayed the Tianshi Sect. One day, he will go back to infiltrate the Tianshi Sect. I think the one who wants you dead the most is probably him!"
Lou Zhen gritted his teeth, "Alright, I'll talk. Patriarch, my status in the Celestial Master's Mansion is low, the information I get is all hearsay, even I don't know if it's true or false. If I say something wrong, please don't blame me."
"Lou Immortal, just talk casually, like friends chatting," Du Ge smiled, "With me protecting you, you won't die. After all, you're the leverage I have over Xu Jinghui, aren't you?"
"......" Lou Zhen was suddenly shocked, quickly thanking him, "Thank you, Patriarch, for your protection."
"Good to understand." Du Ge nodded, "Go ahead!"
Leaving Xu Jinghui to suppress Xu Jin Kui and the others, making these guys who offended the grandmaster dare not have second thoughts; then using Xu Jinghui to suppress Lou Zhen, and using Lou Zhen to restrain Xu Jinghui.
Outside the story he constructed, he formed a perfect closed loop.
Double protection, there shouldn't be any problems.
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