In the royal hall, Emperor Xi was pleased with himself. He ordered his men to remove the old map from the table and replace it with a new one. On this map, the central region had turned completely red.
Recently, the expedition against the auxiliary elder's army had been very successful. He thought that with the support of the Lie King, it would be difficult to defeat him. He was even prepared to fight for a few years.
However, the result was unexpected. The auxiliary elder did not receive much support from the upper echelons. He could only rely on his remaining creator-level cultivators to fight against Emperor Xi. In the end, after a few tragic defeats and the loss of his creator-level cultivators, he did not have much power left. As a result, wherever the army attacked, they would give up on resisting.
The auxiliary elder could only lead the remaining flying ship fleet and retreat to the Lie King's territory.
Emperor Xi did not plan to pursue further. He was not ready to fight against the Lie King yet, but it would not take long.
The power he controlled now was much greater than before. After taking over the central region, it would be equivalent to taking over all the factories, land, and people. He could use these to build armor, flying ships, ring halls, and other war creations to prepare for the expedition to the north.
Even though the auxiliary elder took away all the skilled creator-level cultivators when they retreated, the creator-level cultivators in the Yang Capital were the most skilled. They were all with him, so he did not care about the losses outside.
However, he had a feeling that the battle against the Lie King would be a tough one. Even though it might not be as difficult as attacking the Yang Capital, the upper echelons might be more powerful.
"Your Majesty!" A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. When he came back to his senses, he saw Minister Song bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, the envoys from the Six Sects beyond the Heavens have arrived."
Emperor Xi said, "Arrange for them to stay in the envoy hall and treat them well. Do not tarnish the reputation of the Hao Clan. If I have time, I will summon them."
Even though the Six Sects were enemies, it was common for both sides to send envoys to each other. He would not make things difficult for them. Moreover, these envoys might be fake. It would be useless to kill them. It would only show that he was not a ruler.
After Daoist Yu and the rest settled down in the envoy hall, Daoist Yu said to the black-robed Daoist, "I need to visit Mister Tao first."
The black-robed Daoist said in surprise, "This is only the first day. You are going to visit him?"
Daoist Yu smiled and said, "Of course. Otherwise, how can we show how much we value him?"
He knew that he couldn't hide his whereabouts from Emperor Xi, but that didn't matter. It was better for Emperor Xi to know about this. He knew that it was very difficult to gain the trust of a ruler. To destroy trust, it might only take a simple suspicion. If the Emperor was suspicious of you, then there would be discord between them, and the rift would grow bigger and bigger.
However, he was completely wrong. Although Emperor Xi had become the emperor, his understanding had been completely reversed. Moreover, Xuanxiu had gradually infiltrated the Hao Clan. In a few more years, Xuanxiu might be the first to achieve the situation where the Six Sects wanted to rule the world with the Hao Clan.
He first ordered someone to hand over a name card to Zhang Yu. After obtaining permission, he brought a disciple along with him to Zhang Yu's residence on the curved track in the city.
There was already an attendant waiting at the door. He said politely, "Sir, please enter, Envoy Yu."
Daoist Yu followed the attendant into the inner hall. He looked around, but there was nothing special about the furnishings. It didn't look like a place for Daoists to cultivate at all. It was only when he entered the inner hall that he realized something was different. Other than the bookshelves, the surroundings were empty. There were no decorations.
In the middle, there was a young Daoist surrounded by clouds and starlight. He stood there with his sleeves behind his back. The hall was clearly monotonous and empty, but because of this person's existence, it gave rise to a feeling of vastness and boundlessness.
He was also knowledgeable. He recognized that the other party was only a shadow, and this shadow was no different from a real person. He couldn't help but feel reverence in his eyes. He bowed and said, "I am the foreign envoy, Yu Shiliao. Greetings, Master Tao."
Zhang Yu was conferred the title of Master. This was also the highest title a Daoist could have in the Hao Clan. In the past, the Daoist Protector was like this. Even the Emperor had to address him as Sir or Master. Although the actual meaning wasn't great, he didn't care.
He returned the greeting and said, "May I know which sect's Daoist Yu is from?"
Daoist Yu said, "I am from the 'Jade Formation Sect'."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly. This sect wasn't the most powerful among the six sects. However, because there were many martial arts in the sect, and they were keen on accepting exiled Daoists from the various sects from the Underground Continent, they had the most disciples among the six sects.
He invited Daoist Yu to sit down. He also sat down and asked, "What brings you here, Daoist Yu?"
Daoist Yu said, "I'm here to see Master Tao." He tried to ask, "May I ask Master Tao, when we attacked Guangdu last time, was it Master who was guarding there?"
Zhang Yu said with a natural expression, "It's me."
Although Daoist Yu had already guessed it, his heart skipped a few beats when he confirmed it. After all, during the battle that day, he didn't even see Zhang Yu's face before his fake body was destroyed. Recovering his Primordial Spirit was even further away. How could he not be afraid of this person?
He calmed himself down and said, "I'm here today because the Venerables of the six sects have long heard of Master Tao's reputation. Therefore, I was entrusted by the Venerables of the six sects to ask Master Tao some questions."
Zhang Yu nodded and said, "What do you want to ask?"
Daoist Yu said carefully, "I know that Master Tao is helping the Emperor of the Hao Clan. In the outer region, there are also many Celestial Beings who joined the sects and became the disciples of the six sects. However, I don't know what you are looking for in this world?"
He didn't dare to rashly inquire about the origins of these 'Celestial Beings' as it might involve a deeper level of secret. If he wasn't sure if they would coldly reject him, he wouldn't be able to continue the conversation. Although as he said, the six sects took in many Xuanxiu as their disciples, they couldn't force Xuanxiu to do anything since he could be reborn. It was even more useless to use supernatural powers.
Zhang Yu said, "You asked me what you want. I can answer you that apart from a few people, most people just want to cultivate peacefully. However, to have a peaceful place to cultivate peacefully, one must have their own martial power. I'm sure you understand."
Of course, Daoist Yu understood. He said, "I can understand where Master Tao is coming from. As Daoist cultivators, if we don't have the Dao Protection Technique, it's difficult for us to maintain our cultivation."
Speaking of this, he sighed slightly and said, "Our Daoist sects used to be all over the land and had no conflicts. However, after the change in Dao, the Hao Clan attacked us time and time again, causing us to be unable to cultivate peacefully. We had no choice but to fight back with all our might. For hundreds of years, we have been fighting with them non-stop. This was all forced by the Hao Clan."
Zhang Yu knew that although he was exaggerating, it was indeed the Hao Clan who attacked the sects first. However, judging from Daoist Qing Shuo's past, if this matter was related to the rise of the Hao Clan, then the six sects could be considered to have sowed their own seeds and reaped their own fruits. They couldn't blame others.
Daoist Yu said, "You seem to be helping Emperor Xi to unify the Hao Clan?"
Zhang Yu said, "There are indeed some Daoists who are doing so."
Daoist Yu said seriously, "Then I can't help but say one more thing. I hope Master Tao won't take offense."
Zhang Yu said, "Please say."
Daoist Yu said seriously, "The Emperor of the Hao Clan needs you now, so he is very courteous to Master Tao. However, can't Master Tao see that once the Hao Clan is united, the Emperor of the Hao Clan's next target will be our six sects? And if our six sects are destroyed, why would Emperor Xi need you?
Even if the current Hao Clan Emperor trusts you wholeheartedly, once Emperor Xi dies, the new Emperor won't trust you so much anymore. Maintaining a balance of power is the safest strategy. "
His tone was especially sincere. "We are all Daoists and should coexist in this world. Even if we have our own goals and conflict is unavoidable, it's not to the point where we have to eliminate one of the sects …"
His hint here was very obvious. He meant that both sides could fight, but there was no need to destroy one of the sects. This was disadvantageous to both sides. Instead, both sides had a bottom line, and both sides could rely on each other to survive.
Zhang Yu looked at him and said calmly, "Are you saying that you've already admitted that you can't fight against the Hao Clan?"
Daoist Yu didn't deny it. He sighed and said, "The Hao Clan is indeed powerful. The change in the Dao mechanism has already caused great damage to our Daoist sect. The upper echelons can't find a way out, and the hundreds and thousands of people in the middle and lower levels can't recover. We can only do this."
Zhang Yu said, "That's why your sect supports the Lie King in order to destroy the Hao Clan's situation from the inside."
Daoist Yu said seriously, "To be honest, Master Tao, although we're working hard to support the Lie King, it's not because the Lie King listens to us and supports him. It's because the Lie King's territory is controlled by our Daoist sect. The only voice the Lie King can make is the voice of our Daoist sect. That's why the Lie King also agrees to our attack on the Yang Capital."
Zhang Yu said calmly, "If the Lie King doesn't agree, then there'll be people who agree to stand out?"
Daoist Yu said honestly, "That's right. Master Tao, if the Lie King takes Tianxia, isn't that the best result?
The people of the Hao Clan will think that their upper echelons are still governing the Hao Clan, but in reality, the Hao Clan is only the people we left in the world to hold power on behalf of us. We'll never let them overtake us, and we can cultivate in peace. Isn't that a good thing? "
He looked at Zhang Yu again and said with a fervent tone, "Actually, the Daoist cultivators from your side can also join us. We'll welcome them. Both of us can work together to rule the world, and we won't have to worry about when these mortals will come and disturb us."
Zhang Yu didn't say anything.
Daoist Yu sat up straight and promised, "Of course, this can be discussed. If Master Tao isn't satisfied, then we only need to keep the Lie King's territory. In the future, your side will rule the south, and my side will defend the north. We'll incite internal strife in the Hao Clan. If this continues, the Hao Clan won't be united. Then, we can rest easy."
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