Refining the Dao into Godhood: A Tale of the Jie Sect
Chapter 168 - 165 [Xuanqing’s Scheme, Lieshan’s Proof of the Way] (Subscribe Please)

Chapter 168: Chapter 165 [Xuanqing’s Scheme, Lieshan’s Proof of the Way] (Subscribe Please)

Threat!

Barefaced threat!

Even as the solemn and innate sacred Mysterious Bird, who had lived for nearly a thousand eons and seen countless trials and tribulations, how could she fail to discern the threatening undertone in Xuanqing’s words?

Today, there were only two choices for them: one was to agree to Xuanqing’s conditions, and the other was to be encircled and slaughtered by Xuanming and Candle Dragon. Both choices were unfavorable for the Phoenix Clan.

Lihuang was particularly unable to suppress her rage, "Do you not fear that we might decide upon mutual destruction?"

"Mutual destruction?"

Candle Dragon, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but reveal a meaningful smile, "The fish may die, but the net might not necessarily be broken! Daoist Lihuang, do not overestimate yourself!"

Mysterious Bird, however, had an expression of helplessness, "Twenty Innate Spiritual Treasures, how about that?"

"Forty!"

Xuanqing slowly said, "In addition, I have heard that within the Phoenix Clan there is a top grade Innate Spirit Root! It would serve well for the Liéshān clan to study!"

"Impossible!"

Rage blazed in Lihuang’s eyes, her breath causing the surrounding void to tremble violently, "The Jian Mu tree is the top grade Innate Spirit Root that underpins our Phoenix Clan’s destiny, crucial to the stability of our Phoenix tribe. I would rather be destroyed together with you all!"

Xuanqing remained unmoved, merely casting a meaningful look toward Xuanming and Candle Dragon, "I wonder if the Witch Clan and Dragon Clan are interested in collaborating with the Primordial Human Race to annihilate the Phoenix Clan? Afterwards, the Phoenix Clan’s foundation could be equally divided amongst the three clans, how about it?"

"Interesting!"

Xuanming immediately nodded, "My Witch Clan’s warriors certainly do not cower before the Phoenix Clan!"

Candle Dragon also showed a hint of being tempted, "Although my Dragon Clan does not wish to accrue further karma, I believe there are many who would like to settle scores with the Phoenix Clan!"

But upon hearing their words, Mysterious Bird instead calmed down, "Thirty pieces. If you do not agree, then let’s all be destroyed together! Even if you can annihilate the Phoenix Clan, without anyone to suppress the Undying Volcano, you will gain no benefits!"

Upon hearing this, Xuanqing’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. Of course, he had no true desire to exterminate the Phoenix Clan. If the Phoenix Clan decided to drag both the Witch and Dragon Clans down with them in mutual destruction, offering up their cultural wealth, they would gain no real advantage.

Regarding the Undying Volcano, it was a time bomb ready to explode at any moment. If there was no Phoenix Cultivator to suppress it, it could potentially endanger the entire Primordial World.

After some thought, he spoke with an indisputable tone, "Thirty-five Innate Spiritual Treasures, plus one-third of the Jian Mu tree’s Origin Power! This is my greatest concession. If you do not accept, let the battle begin!"

During this period, he had also been watching the Phoenix Clan closely. Ever since he had inflicted calamities and set trials, a not-insignificant number of young Phoenixes had voluntarily faced the Washing Karma Tribulation... It was clear that the foundation of the Phoenix Clan was certainly not on par with that of the Dragon Clan!

He could fairly well estimate the bottom line of Mysterious Bird and Lihuang.

Silence!

A long, drawn-out silence!

Xuanqing did not know if his terms had reached the Phoenix Clan’s bottom line.

But seeing the two’s indecisive demeanor, he knew he had likely made the right gamble.

"Agreed!"

Who knows how long it took, but finally, Mysterious Bird uttered these difficult words, "However, only one female from our Phoenix Clan, Ting Yao, shall be the wife to the Liéshān clan!"

She had witnessed Xuanqing’s strategy and feared that he would set up a situation with multiple wives and concubines, even allocating the position of the Earth Emperor’s rightful wife to the Dragon Clan and Witch Clan.

"Agreed!"

Xuanqing covertly communicated with Candle Dragon, Xuanming, and Chi Jingzi before also agreeing to the terms.

Initially, he had indeed considered arranging multiple wives and concubines for the Liéshān clan, but if the Phoenix Clan was truly pushed to desperation, it would benefit none of them!

As for the Dragon and Witch Clans, if they wished to form matrimonial alliances with the Human Race, they could simply wait for the Human Emperor to emerge.

After all, in Xuanqing’s memory, Xuanyuan had the most spouses among the Three Emperors.

"Let Xuanyuan suffer a bit!"

Xuanqing thought to himself, and then requested the Heavenly Dao to witness their agreement with Mysterious Bird.

Before long, Mysterious Bird had someone deliver thirty-five Innate Spiritual Treasures.

In addition, one-third of the Origin Power of the Jian Mu tree.

However...

The delivered Innate Spiritual Treasures were mostly Middle and Low Grade, with very few High Grade, and not a single Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure as those were evidently in the hands of the powerful within the Phoenix Clan.

Nevertheless, for the Human Race, this was already an immense wealth!

There was no helping it—the rise of the Human Race had been too late; Innate Spiritual Treasures had long been divided among the other clans.

At present, in the Human Race, the few Innate Spiritual Treasures they possessed were seized from Ji Meng and Bing Yi during the initial conflict by Fu Xi and others.

And this was precisely why, despite nearly twenty eons of existence and the birth of dozens of Daluo, not a single Quasi-Saint had emerged from the Human Race.

Of course, Fu Xi, Xuanqing, and Xuandou could not be considered as ordinary members of the Human Race.

Fu Xi was the reincarnation of an Innate Sacred.

Xuanqing and Xuandou were disciples under the Xuan Sect, having been taught by a Saint.

Currently, within the Human Race, the cultivators closest to the Quasi-Saint realm were You Chao and Bing Yi, both belonging to the earliest of the Primordial Human Race.

Now, it all depended on which of the two could first step into the Quasi-Saint realm!

Originally, Xuanqing had considered distributing a few Innate Spiritual Treasures to the Dragon and Witch Clans... However, when Xuanming and Candle Dragon heard about it, they both declined with smiles on their faces!

Their foundations were profound, and compared to them, the Human Race was in greater need of these thirty-five Innate Spiritual Treasures.

Moreover, since the Witch Clan did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit, most Innate Spiritual Treasures were irrelevant to them, only weapon-like Spiritual Treasures could pique their interest.

Candle Dragon said with a smile, "In the future, if there are matters that can accrue Heavenly Dao Merit, Xuanqing Daoist must not forget us!"

In his view, for the Dragon Clan, Heavenly Dao Merit was somewhat more important.

"Certainly!"

Xuanqing also responded with a smile.

His relationships with the Dragon Clan and the Witch Clan had always been amicable, and even if the Phoenix Clan sought to share the fate with the Human Race through marital alliances, he had no intention of dragging them into competing for Heavenly Dao Merit.

The reason was nothing else!

Not all past causal relationships had been completely settled, and he was not the magnanimous type.

Suddenly, while looking at the "Red Thread of Destiny" in his hand and observing the Mysterious Bird and Li Huang conversing with the Lie Shan Clan, a daring idea uncontrollably emerged in his mind.

"If you can use this Red Thread of Destiny to scheme against the future Earth Emperor of the Human Race, then don’t blame this Taoist for applying your own medicine back onto you!"

"Watch me arrange a match of destiny for you two!"

"Especially for the Mysterious Bird — isn’t it said that the Heaven-sent Mysterious Bird descended to give birth to the Great Shang Dynasty? Well, this poor Taoist will intentionally arrange a marriage unrelated to the Human Race for you!"

"I want to see if the future will still evolve to give rise to the Great Shang Dynasty without the Mysterious Bird."

A thought crossed Xuanqing’s mind, and using the "Dao Yi Seal" to obscure the cause and effect of Destiny, one end of the two Red Threads of Destiny subtly fell upon the bodies of the Mysterious Bird and Li Huang.

"No, that won’t do!"

"Both are Primordial Golden Immortals, with wills far stronger than other creatures; forcibly suppressing their desires could lead to a catastrophic path of Dao enlightenment through spousal murder!"

"That would be causing harm to others!"

Any entity tied to the Mysterious Bird and Li Huang through a marriage destiny would indeed not withstand their vigorous influence.

Suddenly, Xuanqing’s divine thought swept across the "Pure Yang Sword" nourished within the celebratory clouds above him, and an idea struck him—an extremely suitable candidate came to mind!

Emperor Donghua!

As the foremost male immortal in the Primordial Era, slain by Emperor Jun and returned, he had a slight karmic tie with himself, and Feng Jiu of the Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox from Qingqiu was smitten with him.

Back then, when he set tribulations for the beings of the Primordial World, these two had taken action against him!

He was very vengeful indeed.

"Fine then!"

"You’re in for it now, two Phoenix sovereigns along with a Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox, fighting with jealousy over this foremost male immortal!"

"Let’s see if you can withstand this!"

In Xuanqing’s mind suddenly flashed a scene of "Three Women Vying for One Husband," and although the Primordial World lacked any monogamous system, the possessiveness of those female Great Divine Ability beings was not to be underestimated.

With a single thought, the other ends of the two Red Threads of Destiny fell onto the "Thunder Spirit Pearl."

This was the Innate Spiritual Treasure casually bestowed by Nuwa after assisting Fu Xi in his Dao illumination and connecting the Tongtian Jian Mu to the All Heavens and Myriads of Worlds, an object of little value to Xuanqing.

To plot against Emperor Donghua, and to scheme the Mysterious Bird and Li Huang, he had invested heavily, even using a High Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure as a bait.

He then manifested a strand of Pure Yang Qi, enveloping the "Thunder Spirit Pearl" with it, ensuring that within a certain range, Emperor Donghua could sense this Spiritual Treasure through the Pure Yang Dao.

Thereafter, Xuanqing quietly used an Escape Skill to inspect the territory near the Qingqiu fox Clan’s domain, casually dropping the "Thunder Spirit Pearl," tied with two "Red Threads of Destiny," into a great lake.

Soon after, Emperor Donghua and Feng Jiu chanced upon this place, feeling a faint resonance.

"Is this really an Innate Spiritual Treasure?"

Emperor Donghua never expected that a mere heart-clearing stroll would lead him to discover a High Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure within the fox Clan’s domain in Qingqiu.

Feng Jiu laughed and said, "It seems the saying ’when one extremity is reached, fortune turns’ certainly applies to you, Your Majesty!"

"Perhaps!"

Emperor Donghua sighed and started refining the "Thunder Spirit Pearl," unaware that two Red Threads of Destiny had briefly flashed and disappeared in the void.

To him, High Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures were typically beneath his regard in the past, the sort he would reward the immortal gods under his command with!

But now, left penniless, although Feng Jiu saved him, she could hardly draw on Qingqiu fox Clan’s reserves to restore his former Cultivation.

After all...

Although Feng Jiu was a Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox, she wasn’t the sole decision-maker within the fox Clan.

"Let’s go!"

Emperor Donghua spoke softly.

He was grateful for Feng Jiu and did hold some affection for her.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, he suddenly felt weary of her appearance!

Meanwhile, Xuanqing hid within the void, silently observing the scene, with the "Dao Yi Seal" masking the karmic cause and effect, Emperor Donghua did not detect anything unusual for the moment.

However, he could not maintain the "Dao Yi Seal" indefinitely; once his deployed divine skill expired, it should be time to see the Mysterious Bird and Li Huang coming forth.

On the other side, Lie Shan Clan and Ting Yao had officially held their wedding ceremony, establishing a connection between the destiny of the Phoenix Clan and the Human Race through this karmic tie.

Henceforth, the wives of the sovereigns of the Human Race would regard the Phoenix as their emblematic totem.

Years later, Ting Yao successfully bore Lie Shan Clan a daughter, not the anticipated Jingwei, but an imperial daughter named Wei Yang, born alongside boundless true flames.

Subsequently, Ting Yao fell pregnant again, giving birth to another daughter, christened Sang by Chi Jingzi!

By this time, Lie Shan Clan, with the aid of various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures provided by the Phoenix Clan, had opened an Original Space and once again elevated his Cultivation to the pinnacle of Taiyi Golden Immortal.

On this day, protected by Chi Jingzi, his Primordial Spirit harmonized with heaven and earth, and the "Sun Divine Tree" within the Original Space began to strive alongside him to break through to Daluo.

Immortal particles converged, Innate Undying Spirit Light shone forth, and to ensure a foolproof attempt, Lie Shan Clan also invested a great deal of Heavenly Dao Merit into the process.

This merit was associated with the transformation of the Western realms.

As heaven and human resonated and the Lifebound Spirit Root vibrated in harmony, after successfully surpassing eighty-one Heavenly Tribulations, Lie Shan Clan broke through to the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm.

And the "Sun Divine Tree" seized this opportunity to metamorphose into a Middle Grade Innate Spirit Root.

During this process, Lie Shan Clan further utilized one-third of the essence of the divine tree gifted by the Phoenix Clan to elevate the "Sun Divine Tree" into a High Grade Innate Spirit Root.

From Acquired to Innate, from Taiyi to Daluo, the path of the Agricultural Dao saw the birth of its first Daluo.

Heavenly Dao immediately bestowed Boundless Merit.

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