Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Outside the hall, the crowd waited, extremely apprehensive.

Suddenly, there came a light laughter, emerging from the hall.

"Your Majesty, please take care!"

"Venerable Lord, please hold for a moment!"

Both men came out laughing in harmony.

Witnessing this, the attendants of the Longevity Star Palace Master and others, though filled with astonishment and doubt, dared not speak more; they could only step forward to greet them.

"Your Majesty!"

"Back to the Palace!"

The Jade Emperor spoke no more, smilingly bid Xu Yang farewell, and then rose in his chariot, heading back to the heavens.

Though each party had their own cunning plans, the goals were achieved with unexpected delight, and both host and guest parted satisfied.

Xu Yang returned to the temple, summoned Qingfeng and Mingyue, and handed them a stack of jade slips: "The academy is establishing the Dao, the Pill Origin is reopening. Invite friends from all around to come and share in the fruits of the Ten Thousand Dao Pill Origin."

"Understood!"

Qingfeng and Mingyue accepted the orders and left, as Xu Yang's figure blurred, instantly arriving at the Academy, where he approached the Broken Void Stele.

"Taoist Master!"

"Brother!"

True Monarch Fengming, Pure Yang Palace Master, as well as the Peony Fairy, Pure Jun Sword Lord, and others, had been waiting there for a long time.

Before the Jade Emperor arrived, the Wandao Academy had been preparing for an escape. Now that the dust had settled and both sides had agreed to cease hostilities, they could relax a little.

Xu Yang approached the stele, swept it with his horsetail whisk, and immediately saw streams of light forming nearly a thousand ethereal entities.

These were the Daoist Sun Gods, the souls of the academy monks who had fallen in the previous great battle.

As it was a battle to establish the Dao, crucial to future plans, they had to give their all, which is why the academy monks had personally piloted their Mecha, with the death of their bodies leading to the dissipation of their Dao, leaving no chance for recovery.

However, Xu Yang had prepared a contingency plan. Before the great battle, he had all the academy monks separate one of their Yang Gods and entrust it to the Broken Void Stele.

Unlike him, the academy monks, without various attributes to bolster them and only depending on their own Cultivation and this single Yang God, simply couldn't achieve resurrection through flesh and blood and continue their Dao journey; they couldn't even use the Possession Technique.

Luckily, they had him, the Taoist Master.

Xu Yang didn't say much and with a sweep of his whisk, he activated a Skill Characteristic, the power of reincarnation and revival, drawing upon the True Spirits within the Yang Gods, sending them to be reborn in this world.

The reincarnation and revival characteristic was not much inferior to Zhuanzhou Mengdie. It involved the Dao of Reincarnation and could help people be reborn, carrying the wisdom of their previous life and practicing anew, no different from living an additional lifetime.

Yet such a defiance of nature's Skill Characteristic was rarely used by Xu Yang, only for people like Shi Feixuan, Miss Xin Shisi, and a few other close associates and loyal disciples. It was reserved for cases of accidental premature death for those who had remains or had made great contributions.

The reasons were two-fold: firstly, involving reincarnation came with a tremendous cost and should not be used lightly, and secondly, reincarnation always led back to this world, affecting the situation of his true self. The connections were so extensive that he dared not use it recklessly.

But this time, he decided to make an exception, to reincarnate all those academy monks who had died for the cause, into this world.

Now in this world, his true self had established a foundation. Although he still had to consider the Immortal Sect Holy Land and the Mahayana Crossing the Tribulation, he also had some defensive capabilities, which meant he could be more relaxed in his endeavors.

Moreover, with this collective reincarnation, they couldn't and wouldn't directly retain their memories. Only when Cultivation reached a certain level, or through some coincidental opportunity, could they potentially awaken the wisdom from their past lives.

Therefore, Xu Yang didn't need to worry too much that these reincarnated academy monks might be coveted by those seeking their past memories, searching souls, and potentially exposing the secrets of the Wandao Academy and his true self.

On the contrary, these monks, after being reborn through reincarnation, could become hidden allies for various factions, eventually aiding his true self in strategizing the current world's affairs.

In the current world of Cultivation, with the five domains under heaven, only a corner of the Northern Domain had been seen, already replete with Sacred Places and Immortal Gates, as well as World-dwelling Calamity Immortals. Should all five domains be revealed and followed by a connection to the Upper Realm, then the Earth Immortal Realm would likely be even more profound and unfathomable.

In the face of such a situation, cultivating more aids was certainly no bad thing. Moreover, it could also serve to comfort and motivate the hearts of the academy monks—a double benefit that served all ends well.

...

In the Eastern Victory Heavenly Court, within the Jade Emperor's palace.

"Son-in-law pays respect to Mount Tai!"

Upon returning to the palace, the Jade Emperor saw his wife, the Jade Empress, standing beside a man—it was his father-in-law, the old Mount Tai, the Emperor of the North Pole.

The True Immortals of the Heavenly Court, the five Emperors, although each one a pillar in their own right, were often locked in overt conflict and covert competition, yet their lives were closely entangled and difficult to separate.

Take this Emperor of the North Pole, for instance. He had forged a marriage alliance with the Jade Emperor's father, Taihuang Emperor, bringing about the marriage of their children, now the Jade Emperor and Empress of the Heavenly Court.

In the inner palace, before this Mount Tai, the True Immortal Emperor, the Jade Emperor couldn't act high and mightily; he respectfully performed a full ceremonial bow.

Ever since the Taihuang Emperor entered seclusion, silent for ten thousand years, the Emperor of the North Pole had become the Jade Emperor's most powerful supporter within the Heavenly Court—no courtesy could be too great.

"Rise," said the Emperor of the North Pole, not wasting words. He lifted him to his feet with an effortless gesture, then cut straight to the point: "How did the talks go?"

"That person has deep plans and grand ambitions!"

The Jade Emperor's voice grew heavy as he recounted the agreement reached with the Wandao Academy to the Emperor of the North Pole.

"Heavenly Mechanics Methods, Immortal Spirit Armor Skills!"

Standing with his hands behind his back, his voice deep and intense, the Emperor of the North Pole highlighted the key points: "He wants to use these as resources to promote the Heavenly Crafts Natural Creation and forge the Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerate!"

"Indeed," said the Jade Emperor, nodding gravely. "By allowing him this, are we not at risk of nurturing a threat?"

"Whether we are nurturing a tiger for a calamity remains to be seen," replied the Emperor of the North Pole, shaking his head. "That Heavenly Mechanics Method seeks to usurp Heaven and Earth's Creation; it is arguably the greatest challenge there has ever been.

To push it to the Seventh Rank, one relies on that person's Heaven Reaching abilities and secondly on the laws of the Holy Tao of the Nine Rituals."

"The Holy Tao of the Nine Rituals?" Upon hearing this remark, both the Jade Emperor and the Jade Empress were intently focused. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"Indeed!" The Emperor of the North Pole continued: "Ordinary methods cannot integrate all the laws to achieve Heavenly Crafts Natural Creation. It is only through the power of the Holy Tao of the Nine Rituals, governing the three talents of heaven and earth, that one can hope to succeed!"

Jade Emperor furrowed his brow, "But by leaving him to his own devices, wouldn't that be akin to nurturing a tiger, only to invite calamity?"

"How could reaching the eighth order of all laws be easy?"

Emperor of the North Pole shook his head. "Even with the foundation of South Observance and the time difference between the two realms, to advance all myriad arts and laws to the eighth order would take who knows how many tens of thousands of years, not to mention the Heavenly Crafts Natural Creation.

On the contrary, with this mana point, our Heavenly Court can suppress the Monster Nation and Demon Abyss, gaining a significant advantage in the Heaven Reaching strife..."

Having said that, he looked at Jade Emperor with relief, "This was well handled!"

"Mount Tai overpraises!"

Jade Emperor humbly lowered his head.

Hearing this, the Jade Empress also spoke up, "With the Heavenly Court obtaining this mana point, the Monster Nation and Demon Abyss will be under great pressure. It's likely they may send troops to South Observance and put pressure on Wandao School. If this person can't withstand it and absconds with his private intentions..."

"Wouldn't such measures completely erode the people's hearts?"

Jade Emperor shook his head, "This person practices the way of the Sacred Emperor; he would certainly not sever his own roots like that."

Although that may be the case, according to this person's style, he is not one who cannot adapt and change!"

Jade Empress also shook her head, "Rather than resist the trend, it is better to go with the flow and confer a title upon him, solidifying his position as the guardian of South Observance?"

Jade Emperor was taken aback and probed, "What does the Empress mean by that..."

"If he has the abilities of a True Immortal, then he should be conferred the title and rank of an Emperor," said Jade Empress solemnly. "Why not change the Five Imperial Lords of the Heavenly Court to Six, and add an Emperor's rank for him? By doing this, we'll legitimise his guardianship over South Observance against the Demon Abyss, using the greater good as our rationale.

If he collapses without battle and absconds with his private intentions, then it will be a total loss of public trust. Moreover, it will also show our Heavenly Court's sincerity and deepen our cooperation with him..."

"This..."

Jade Emperor's brow furrowed tightly as he struggled to make a decision.

"This is an excellent move!"

On the contrary, the Emperor of the North Pole laughed softly, "By solidifying this name, if he betrays the Heavenly Court in the future, then it will be he who is unrighteous and rebellious first, which will inevitably obstruct his path. As for the Western Court, just as he said, that is a personal grudge. As long as we stay out of it, if he betrays, he will be the unrighteous one!"

"This..."

Jade Emperor was about to speak more, but upon seeing the look of the Emperor of the North Pole, and weighing all the intricacies involved—morally, rationally, and profitably—suppressed the pride that came with being the sovereign. "What Mount Tai said is very true, but I'm not sure what title should be given to him?"

"This..."

…

Three months later, Mount Longevity, Wuzhuang Temple.

The Pill Origin Gathering was held again, and the atmosphere was inexplicably tense.

All the cultivators gathered, silent and solemn, their expressions complex.

Indeed, it was complicated. In the three months that passed, someone had already sorted out the events, revealing the pattern at play. Everyone knew that they were mere pawns—be it the Pill Origin Gathering or the alliance of righteous paths, they were all Wandao School's means to unite against the Heavenly Court.

With this, one could imagine how the people felt!

Though it is common for social interactions to be driven by ulterior motives—whether for fame, profit, appearance, or lust—nevertheless, it was hard for everyone to accept, especially when they were ultimately excluded, unable to stand with the Peony Fairy, Zi Yang, and other intimate friends to face the enemy together.

This...!

The crowd remained silent, the atmosphere tense.

At that moment, a cloud of auspiciousness floated in, and dozens of figures appeared, descending to take their place at the forefront.

It was Xu Yang and the Mahayana of Wandao School.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Seeing the main character arrive, the cultivators still remained silent, not a single one responding verbally.

Xu Yang did not say much either. He bowed deeply and gave a great kowtow, "I had no choice but to deceive before. I ask for all Daoist friends' forgiveness!"

"Brother Dao!"

"Senior!"

"Great Immortal!"

Upon seeing this, the crowd was taken aback and hurriedly stood to support him, with Lord Chu Shan saying, "There is a reason for everything, we do not blame you, Brother Dao. But why didn't you inform us at the end? Do you see us as cowards, afraid of life and death, not daring to stand or fall with Brother Dao?"

"It's not like that!"

Xu Yang shook his head and sighed, "The strife with Heavenly Court was Wandao School's matter. Although I've interacted with all the Daoist friends for my own gains, I've never treated you as pawns to manipulate against Heavenly Court. Moreover, this battle was extremely dangerous, with uncertain victory and unknowable life and death. How could I involve you all?"

"This..."

"Brother Dao!"

The cultivators were at a loss for words upon hearing this.

Xu Yang sighed and continued, "Today, I reconvene the Pill Origin to establish the School's way. Though you did not abandon the School and came here, I am immensely grateful—beyond words. Let Heaven and Earth bear witness, my friends, I shall not fail you in this life!"

"Brother Dao...!"

The cultivators, upon hearing this, found it even harder to speak, feeling their resentment dissolving.

At the same time...

In the Eastern Victory Heavenly Court, within the Lingxiao Hall, the court meeting reopened.

The Jade Emperor sat upon Golden Que with the ministers arrayed in six rows, the atmosphere also inexplicable.

In front of the six rows stood a multitude of Immortal Kings and towering imperial figures, underscoring the extraordinary nature of this court meeting.

Suddenly, an attendant spirit official stepped forward, holding a jade decree, proclaiming loudly to the assembly.

"By the mandate of Heaven, Jade Emperor decrees: Heaven bestows grace, the sage aligns with destiny. The Honored Wandao has demonstrated his virtue. He is now promoted to Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerable, and one of the Six Imperial Lords. He will establish an Imperial Court in South Observance, aiding in upholding the state..."