Longevity Chronicles
Chapter 651 - 421: Cheng Arhat Wishes to Imitate the Buddha, Master Tao Goes Fishing Too (Extra for Leader Lu Ren Cross)

Sky-reaching Floating Pagoda, within the Central Buddha Tower.

Master Tao Qian of the Secret Demon Sect turned out to be an old monster, Red Eyebrow Sword Demon, Yuan Gong, his remnants of the soul hidden in a statue, listening helplessly to the exchange between a "master and servant" outside—from madness to normalcy.

"The True Master, you yourself are from Spirit Treasure Sect, the only direct disciple of Duobao True Monarch. How do you plan to deal with Spirit Treasure Sect, as well as Taishang Dao, Primordial Sect, Free Temple, Dharma Cakra Temple, Taishang Demon Sect..."

"The various Immortal Sects of this world, their control over Extraordinary Power is too dreadful for Mortals, and yet they are unbound and often Mutate and become Fallen, leaving the billions of the Human Clan utterly powerless."

"If we can't deal with them, we'll just observe for now. However, I already know the outcome of three—Xing Wen Daoist, Fire Jade Monarch, and Beast King Demon Path, all of whom perished in the struggle of the Absolute Immortal, with not even scraps left."

"The True Master, what about the likes of the Ruxiu Family, Si Family, and the Zhang Family, these thousand-year-old Great Family Gate? Is there a way to deal with them, preferably root and branch?"

"We can't deal with them either, let's just observe for the moment."

"True Master, what about the Alchemists then, is there a technique similar to the 'Yang Sui Uprising' that can eliminate them in one fell swoop?"

"No such thing, the abolition of the imperial rule can only be used once, but I've already dispatched a spy among the alchemists."

....

Master Yuan felt somewhat relieved halfway through listening. Tao Qian this fellow spoke nicely with grand ambitions of changing the heavens and earth, yet now when asked, he said he would not do this or that.

Somewhat comforted, he thought to himself,

"I knew it, this kid, though somewhat too kind-hearted, is still thick-faced and black-hearted by nature, quite similar to that old tortoise, Duobao."

"Don't loft the eagle before you see the rabbit, and even more when you get the treasures, you have to turn into a Pixiu, that 'only entry, no exit' nature, just like Duobao, how could he go mad just because of a few words from that peculiar mad junior. It must be a trick."

"But it's not good to delay any longer. Although it's kind of fun to accompany this kid around and continue to live on, the important matters take precedence."

"Today I shall force the kid to learn all of my 'Sacrifice Sword Skill.' Although I, Old Ape, shall thus turn to dust, I can take the opportunity to lure Old Lady Jiang here."

"With her scheming, she will surely trick the kid into joining Secret Demon Sect, with his talent he might as well be the reviving leader of my Secret Demon Sect..."

As Master Yuan contemplated this.

That peculiar master-servant conversation continued.

This time, Tao Qian was the one who spoke,

"Don't aim too high when the current struggles haven't been resolved yet. You're thinking of moving distant high mountains, how could that be possible?"

"This realm has too many secrets. Although we can see the plight of the Human Clan and know some of the problems, our Cultivation Realm is still too low. We certainly can't see the big picture, so we can't do too much for the time being."

"For now, the best plan is to solve the crises of Tiannan and Qiantang provinces first."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yin immediately became interested.

He had thought Tao Master had come here solely for Qiantang Province or for the Spring and Autumn Chariot, but to his surprise, Tiannan Province was also part of his calculations.

"How will you solve it?"

"Right, a great disaster is about to happen in Qiantang Province."

"Cheng Arhat, that fat monk, not content with merely being the nominal Lord of Buddha Country, borrows a treasure from Kongchan Arhat called the 'Demon Buddha's Magic White Bone Glaze Tower'."

"He plans to enter Zen Meditation inside for forty-nine days, absorbing the Heart Soul Wish Power of a million believers, mimicking the Buddha in a vain attempt to reach the Ultimate Happiness Realm overnight."

"Although this method is a shortcut, Cheng Arhat managed to get the support of Han Mountain Temple and Demon Buddha Temple, he indeed has the Wisdom Root Buddha Heart."

"With the support of Kongchan, Shipi, and Lian Sha, the Three Arhats, perhaps he might really make it."

"I've planned to look for an excuse to go to Qiantang City, gather my Magic Slaves who are common Mortals not detectable or predictable by magic, and just wait for him to show up, then kill him through the air with the 'Life-taking Curse'."

Hearing of a new secret, Tao Qian's expression changed slightly, and soon after, he pondered seriously for a moment.

Then he spoke again, the first sentence revealing yet another secret.

"The Gao Family of Tiannan Province is secretly allying with Demon Buddha Temple and Cheng Arhat, who sold the Devil Concubine Yuan Mingzhen and the rest of her faction, including the Spring and Autumn Chariot, to the Gao Family."

"Right now, they're in Steamed Buddha City, where the Three Ultimate Happiness Masters of the Gao Family each lead the Hundred Demons, Jade Demon, and Yang Demon armies, waiting to strike."

"The Gao Family has clearly been tricked."

"Demon Buddha Temple and Cheng Arhat, their ambitions are enormous."

"They deliberately trapped Yuan Mingzhen in the old site of Han Mountain Temple, using her as 'bait,' drawing various warlords and strong people there, wanting to craft the mighty Buddha Treasure 'Great Compassionate and Merciful Transcendent Bodhisattva.' Once it's crafted, not only would Qiantang Province be secured, they could also take the opportunity to swallow Tiannan Province."

"This situation is excellent, a perfect opportunity for us to move, playing off one against another, reaping the benefits like a fisherman."

Not only Zheng Yin, but even Master Yuan grew curious upon hearing this.

He took a serious look, this was the first time Tao Qian showed "ambition."

Moreover, he eyed two big provinces at once, both with formidable rulers.

Everyone here is trustworthy; Tao Qian didn't bother with defenses and mused aloud,

"Many of the warlords and strong people here are not worth worrying about for now. Neither the Demon Buddha Temple nor the Gao Family will let them off the hook."

"The Gao Family has Three Jile, so does the Demon Buddha Temple."

"If there is a way to make them turn against each other, the most crucial part would then fall upon those Great Compassionate and Merciful Transcendence Bodhisattvas."

Hearing this, Zheng Yin couldn't help but voice his doubts.

Because this strategy seemed useful but was actually far-fetched.

"Master, you must know that once you enter the Ultimate Happiness Realm, it is very hard for such betrayals to occur."

"Whether Buddha or demon, once someone's cultivation reaches the Ultimate Happiness and extends their life by a thousand years, almost every one of them cherishes their life immensely. Even if their relatives die out or their Daoist couple passes away, they do not wish to die themselves."

Tao Qian nodded at these words and added,

"Indeed, during the upheaval in Demon City, I lured Kongchan over to fight with Lingwa Master. Their hatred for each other was deep as the sea, yet in the end, both got away unscathed. This shows how much cultivators in the Ultimate Happiness Realm value their lives."

"However, if there are matters that are a matter of life and death, then they will have no choice but to fight for survival."

"The Gao Family from Tiannan is also part of the alchemist faction; their ancestor Gao Huan divided several provinces as their territory to extract resources from."

"Because of me, they have lost several provinces and only have Tiannan Province left."

"Gao Huan is actually one of the weakest among the strange alchemists. If we can find a way to lead three Arhats and their monk soldiers from the Demon Buddha Temple into Tiannan, to slaughter the descendants of the Gao Family and uproot their foundation, cutting off the blood connection between Gao Huan and Tiannan Province… Gao Huan would be gravely injured, and the Three Jile Monarchs of the Gao Family would similarly be heavily hit."

"Even more so, it's very possible that other old monsters among the alchemists will divide Gao Huan up amongst themselves."

"Such secretive information is being leaked by the Gao Family?"

"It's not difficult. Inside the Gao Family, I've also placed a spy. In fact, I can arrange for that Gao Family person to be the guide, lead the Demon Buddha's army to the Gao Family ancestral land, kill off Gao Family offspring, and destroy their blood source array."

"When that time comes, Gao Yang, Gao Zhan, Gao Wei, these three would not want to fight for their lives but will have to."

Hearing up to this point, Zheng Yin's face showed even greater shock.

He subconsciously wanted to ask: Master, how many families have you planted spies in?

Who would have thought, in the next moment, Tao Master Tao would volunteer the information,

"To carry out this strategy, we need someone whom both sides heavily trust, to pass the secret back and forth, causing the two sides to miss each other first."

"It just so happens, I can do this."

"The 'Master Wu Gou' I pretend to be comes from Steamed Buddha City; in the eyes of the Gao family, I am an ally of True Lord of a Hundred Demons Gao Yang, even saying that I'm kin wouldn't be too far."

"As for my relationship with the Demon Buddha Temple, it could be closer; another move or two should be made."

Having said this, Tao Qian suddenly raised his hand.

He pointed at the Sky-reaching Floating Pagoda under his feet and continued,

"This object, is that 'Great Compassionate and Merciful Transcendent Bodhisattva'."

"Today I wish to refine it and also use it as bait."

"I'll first lure over 'Bu Chi Buddha's Son,' a disciple of Kongchan. I intend to merge into the Demon Buddha, to gain the trust of those three thieving baldies, and this person is a good pretext."

...

Zheng Yin considered himself clever but still felt somewhat dizzy with Tao Qian's words.

In his mind swirled only words like spy, bait, double agent... these peculiar terms echoing.

But soon, he had thoroughly pondered and his complexion instantly became elated.

The plan Tao Qian spoke of seemed a bit rough upon closer inspection, but mysteriously, it felt feasible.

And in Tao Qian's heart, Master Yuan, who knew even more, after careful consideration, couldn't help but exclaim that this was bad.

"This kid... since when has he had such abilities? Such ambitions?"

"Is he only planning to trap and kill the Gao Family? It is clear he wants to play all the Gao Family three beasts, the three baldies of the Demon Buddha Temple, the monks at Free Temple, and the many warlords and strong people of the two provinces in the palm of his hands."

"Could it be he's learned all this directly from Duobao? When he saw that little thieving baldie named 'Shenxiu,' did he start scheming then?"

"What next, what will he do?"

"After swallowing Tiannan and Qiantang provinces, become an emperor, marry that Devil Concubine?"

...

ps: I'm doing my best to release extra chapters for the alliance leader, and continue to ask for double monthly tickets.