Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 968 - 798 Ulterior Motives

Chapter 968: Chapter 798 Ulterior Motives

Li Xuan naturally wouldn’t be careless enough to directly follow Amaterasu Omikami into Takamagahara.

He first let Takamagahara open its barrier, allowing his army to be stationed, and then gradually took control of all the strategic points within Takamagahara. He then sent Master Zhongliu and Divine General Taichong Yuanchen among others inside, who suppressed Takamagahara’s core areas.

Only when Takamagahara was completely open, like a woman who has been stripped of her clothes, lying flat and allowing others to dispose of her at will, did Li Xuan step inside.

This so-called ’Takamagahara’ is a void much like the Heavenly Court of Xuanhuang, but its area is much larger. It extends two hundred and eighty miles from north to south, and three hundred and twenty miles from east to west. Inside are mountains of clear waters and beautiful scenery, even vast plots of tillable land.

Compared to the Heavenly Court of Xuanhuang, this place is more akin to the dwelling of the Heaven Emperor.

What caught Li Xuan’s attention first was the two gigantic divine trees in the center, their heights unknown as they pierced deep into the clouded sky.

These were the Divine Trees of Fusou, which are recorded in "The Records of the Ten Continents" to have leaves shaped like those of mulberry trees, thousands of zhang tall, and their girth more than two thousand spans. The trees, growing in pairs from the same root, lean on and support each other; hence they are known as Fusou.

Therefore, Fusou is two trees, not one tree as people think, born from the same root, supporting and relying on each other.

The area surrounding these Fusou trees was a vast hot spring with a diameter of hundreds of miles and astonishing temperatures.

This is Yang Valley, also the place in mythology where the sun rises from the east, the bathing ground of the ’ten suns’ of ancient times.

"The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Eastern Oceans" states—There is Fusou above Tang Valley, where the ten suns bathe, north of Heichi.

Behind Li Xuan, Lv Qiluo was also looking into the distance; a cold sneer appeared in her eyes: "This man’s aspiration for the title ’Emperor of Fusou’ within the mortal kingdoms was indeed intentional. He is planning to refine both of these Fusou Trees into his own life-bound incarnations."

Walking ahead of them, Amaterasu Omikami didn’t hear Lv Qiluo’s words, and she made an inviting gesture with her hand: "Your Majesty, please follow me. My grandfather is waiting for your arrival."

Li Xuan smiled, his hand resting on the hilt of his waist blade, with a serene and confident expression as he walked towards the Fusou Trees.

He knew that the Fusou Emperor was his true negotiation partner.

Lv Qiluo, however, stopped. She couldn’t guarantee her identity would remain concealed upon approaching within fifty miles of the Fusou Emperor.

Li Xuan stepped forward alone, and when he came within ten miles of the Fusou Trees, he felt an immense oppressive force descending upon him.

This feeling was akin to when Randeng Buddha’s Law Body descended into the mortal realm,

but even more powerful, even more immense, as if the weight of an entire world rested on him.

Li Xuan felt every bone in his body crackling, every piece of his flesh crying out in pain.

The blood in his body began to coagulate, no longer circulating.

It seemed that in the next moment, he would be crushed by this force.

Yet at this time, Li Xuan did not fear but instead laughed.

He knew this was the Fusou Emperor showing off his power, asserting his dominance.

This Emperor also possessed a power similar to ’Randeng’s’ Law Body descended into the world, capable of sweeping through the mortal realm.

Therefore, both the present Takamagahara and the Fusou Gods were not without the strength to confront him.

Li Xuan did not move forward, but swept his sleeve with a hint of mockery: "If this is the Emperor’s way of receiving guests, then there is no need for us to talk. Both sides might as well get ready for another bout within this Takamagahara."

At that moment, a sweeping wind enveloped the space between heaven and earth in the entirety of Takamagahara.

About three breaths later, a silhouette about eight-feet-tall, dressed in elegant regal attire, with a dignified presence, appeared before Li Xuan.

His face, obscured by the headpiece and its dangling jewels, was unclear.

Li Xuan could vaguely make out a man with a clear and stern face, his impression of whom was indescribable.

Even though the figure stood between heaven and earth, Li Xuan felt as if the whole world was in his grasp.

The heavy pressure Li Xuan felt had, however, somewhat lessened.

Once this distinguished Emperor appeared, he scanned Li Xuan from head to toe.

Li Xuan, unfazed, scrutinized the divine ruler before him, a mythical being ascended to Enlightenment.

Ancient texts from "The Sutra of the Eastern Wasteland" describe: ’In the mountains of Donghuang, there is a large stone chamber, where Duke Dongwang resides. He is one zhang tall with white hair, human form with a bird’s face and a tiger’s tail.’

"The Sutra of the Eastern Wasteland" says that Duke Dongwang not only rides a black bear, but he also often exchanges throws of a hoop with an enigmatic jade woman as a game. With each throw of twelve hundred arrows, if any remain stuck without bouncing out, ’heaven’ sighs with frustration. If an arrow bounces out and they fail to catch it, ’heaven’ takes delight in the misfortune, laughing heartily.

It is said that Duke Dongwang and the West Queen Mother are derived from the Primordial Chaos Energy divided into Yin and Yang, each representing one side.

In contrast, the West Queen Mother is described in The Classic of Mountains and Rivers as ’resembling a human with a leopard’s tail, tiger’s teeth, skilled at howling, with tangled hair and wearing a victory ornament.’

Li Xuan surmised that both figures must be some kind of Divine Beast or supernatural beings ascended to Enlightenment.

But their true forms are now beyond the knowledge of this world.

"A bold one." The Fusou Emperor clearly saw that this mortal held no reverence for him, his face revealing neither joy nor sorrow: "I left the mortal realm millennia ago. Unexpectedly, in this era, there’s still someone like you in the world. A mere mortal, without any foundations, yet daring to aspire to the position of Heaven Emperor."

Li Xuan laughed: "Allow me to borrow a couple of famous lines. First, are the lords and nobles naturally born so? Second, live long enough and you’ll see everything."

"Are the lords and nobles naturally born so?" The Fusou Emperor’s lips curled with mockery, then he shook his head, reigning in his emotions: "Very well, speak. What is it that you want for attacking my Takamagahara this time?"

"I want many things," Li Xuan said unabashedly, his gaze aflame with intensity: "First of all, all the savings of the gods of Takamagahara, all their wealth, all natural treasures, all medicinal materials, must be handed over to me."

Especially the medicinal herbs, covering nearly three hundred miles in all directions of Takamagahara, most of which are medicine fields.

The output of spiritual medicine here even surpasses that of the Jinque Palace.

"Half!" Fusou Emperor didn’t hesitate to cut Li Xuan’s asking price in half, his expression cold, "Even this half is quite a lot, which by your mortals’ Silver Tael, amounts to two billion."

Li Xuan nodded without arguing, because even more stringent demands were yet to come.

With these two billion, his ’Kunpeng Warship’ would have a place to settle.

Looking back, this Fusou Emperor’s accumulated foundation is indeed formidable.

"The second condition, Takamagahara must cede half its territory to my disposal, the third condition, it must submit to me. What I want is not just nominal submission, I require the gods of Fusou to sign a divine contract with me, receive my investiture, and serve me. Those who defy orders will be subject to my punishment,"

Seeing that the Fusou Emperor remained silent and noncommittal, Li Xuan continued, "The fourth condition, I require all fragments of the Haotian Seal in Tensho’s possession, as well as the remnants of Haotian’s corpse. The fifth condition, I reserve the right to use this Yang Valley, with no time limit, and without restrictions on people. The Emperor must ensure there is no spying—"

Fusou Emperor finally showed emotion, a strange smile appearing on his lips, "Do you really think that my descendants and I are meat on the chopping block, for you to carve up at will?"

The oppressive force that had receded from around Li Xuan now not only returned, but it was stronger than before.

This time, the strong intent of the Fusou Emperor even directly assaulted the depths of Li Xuan’s Primordial Spirit.

Blood seeped from Li Xuan’s mouth, yet he still smiled back, "If Your Majesty is unwilling, you are free to refuse. Just to warn you in advance, once a battle starts, I will stop at nothing to destroy your Fusang Tree."

As these words were spoken, the expression on the ’Fusou Emperor’ across him instantly stiffened.

※※※※

About two moments later, Li Xuan withdrew from under the Fusang Tree and returned to the side of Lv Qiluo.

Lv Qiluo also sensed the will of the Fusou Emperor fading from this place.

Although the Emperor was in the process of refining the Divine Tree of Fusou, the method used was a spiritual one.

His soul’s seed was like a tree, germinating and growing within the Fusou. Until it matured, there was no consciousness to speak of.

Meanwhile, the true body of the Fusou Emperor was countless miles away, in the Outer Void.

"How did it go?"

Intrigued, Lv Qiluo asked, "Did he agree to everything?"

"How could that be possible?" Li Xuan chuckled dismissively, "The so-called ’asking a sky-high price to settle for a fair amount later,’ how could the Emperor agree to everything? However, the most important demand has been granted. You were right, the Fusang Divine Tree is his weakness. As for the rest, he’ll have to discuss them with his descendants."

Lv Qiluo suddenly perked up, what they needed most now were the fragments of the Haotian Seal and the remnants of Haotian.

With these items, Li Xuan’s chances would not just be to achieve a golden body and reach the heavenly level.

"And what about the other conditions?"

The other conditions were also very important, such as wealth. At this moment, every bit of wealth could fortify Li Xuan’s power even more.

The Fusou Emperor had profound resources, and now was a rare chance to take advantage of the situation, Lv Qiluo hoped Li Xuan would stay true to his style.

"Mostly cut in half."

Li Xuan clicked his tongue, somewhat dissatisfied, "The Emperor was only willing to give me wealth equivalent to two and a half billion, the gods of Fusou can submit to me, but their five prime deities are detached from mundane affairs, Izanagi and Izanami along with the Three Noble Gods can only submit in name, they will answer to orders but not be commanded. However, every hundred years, I can compel them to do one thing for me.

He also stated that the present territory of Takamagahara is the minimum requirement to sustain the Fusang Divine Tree and cannot be divided, though he agreed to three pieces of former Heavenly Court’s land, covering about seventy miles, that can be entrusted to me."

Lv Qiluo, unable to help herself, showed a look of joy. She thought Li Xuan had a real knack for negotiation.

Even excluding the deities Li Xuan mentioned, the gods of Fusou still counted over ten at the great heavenly position, a very powerful force.

"And what about your Haotian Seal? Any changes?"

Lv Qiluo had anticipated that if Li Xuan could subdue Fusou, then the ’Divine Power’ within the Haotian Seal should preliminary reach the ’Holy Heaven’ standard.

Without a Holy Heaven caliber rule, Li Xuan wouldn’t even have the means to withstand a gaze from those true Emperors in the future.

However, Li Xuan couldn’t help but chuckle, "Lv Qiluo, you’re too anxious, the divine contract has not been signed yet. How can there be any changes to the Haotian Seal now?"

Lv Qiluo paused, startled by this. This time Li Xuan didn’t address her as Lady Lv, but rather affectionately as Qiluo.

She felt a chill throughout her body, wondering whether this was Li Xuan growing in power, losing his reverence for her, or if there was another reason, another plot?

Just then, they saw Amaterasu Omikami approaching them with deliberate steps that seemed slow yet swift.

The goddess looked at Li Xuan with a complex expression, eventually presenting a jade dish to him very reluctantly, "Xuanhuang Emperor, I, Tensho, following the order of my grandfather, offer these two items to you."

Amaterasu Omikami’s attitude was incredibly stiff as she spoke, but Li Xuan understood.

Because the items he demanded could potentially cut off Tensho’s path of cultivation.

At this moment, his gaze was firmly captivated by the items on the jade dish, unable to look away even for a moment.

There were two items, their appearance extremely similar to the Yasakani no Magatama and Yata no Kagami, which are under the custody of the Fusang royal family, but the power hidden within them was undeniably superior.

They were precisely the items he had sought in his campaign against Fusou.