Chapter 330 - 309: Crash Course
「Great Cang Imperial City, Diligent Governance Hall.」
The night was deep. The light of the Everlasting Lamps bathed the hall in a dim, yellow glow, casting the elongated shadows of the two men within onto the cold, smooth Golden Bricks of the floor.
Zhao Xuanji sat upright behind the Purple Sandalwood Dragon Desk, the Star Map Fortune Scroll still spread open beside his hand. The crimson markings and calculation lines upon it now seemed to carry a certain glaring irony.
He stared at the deep blue figure standing not far in front of the Dragon Desk, hands clasped behind his back, a calm that bordered on indifference. Zhao Xuanji’s chest rose and fell slightly.
Upon his usually composed face was a rare, clear gravity and... a hint of forcefully suppressed rage.
"Pause the plan?
Why?!"
His voice was not loud, yet it sounded exceptionally clear in the silent hall, carrying a heavy, questioning weight that made every word land hard on one’s heart.
"Because circumstances have changed."
Qi Yun slowly turned, his gaze placid as he met Zhao Xuanji’s sharp eyes—eyes filled with shock, bewilderment, and even a hint of offense.
He was not the least bit moved by the emperor’s authority. His tone remained as still as water in an ancient well, yet it carried an unquestionable finality.
"The Cangque Celestial Will is likely not as simple as we previously understood. There may be a deeper, hidden story behind it.
Based on our current plans, even with the addition of me as a ’variable,’ the success rate... is still not high. In fact, it’s minuscule."
He paused, staring directly into Zhao Xuanji’s suddenly constricted pupils, and said word by word,
"Acting rashly now would not be a fight for a sliver of hope.
It would be... courting our own demise, a total and utter defeat."
"How much longer must we wait?" Zhao Xuanji’s fingers unconsciously tapped on the edge of the Dragon Desk, the dull sound revealing his inner turmoil.
"Qi Master, do you know how many generations my Great Cang Royal Family, along with numerous like-minded allies, has been secretly planning for the ’Jingzhe’ opportunity?
How much blood, sweat, and tears have we poured into this?
How many voices of internal doubt and opposition have we silenced?
The sixty-year cycle is approaching, the celestial omens are already apparent, and now you say to pause..."
His voice grew deeper, laced with a heaviness that bordered on anguish.
"The success of a plan is not directly proportional to the time spent on it.
Besides, the point of scheming is to win.
Since we already know the chances of victory are slim, why force the issue?" Qi Yun interrupted, his tone still even.
He no longer looked at Zhao Xuanji, his gaze shifting to the deep night outside the hall. He slowly raised his right hand, in which a Glazed Treasure Bead had appeared. It was about the size of a longan fruit, its body a pure, platinum-gold color with a misty radiance swirling within.
Zhao Xuanji fell silent, his body leaning back slightly into the massive dragon throne, but his eyes never left Qi Yun.
The flames of the hall’s Everlasting Lamps danced in his eyes.
They reflected the complex, churning thoughts within.
’Pause the plan?’
’This meant that the centuries of preparations, the silent sacrifices of countless people, and even that all-or-nothing conviction might have to be re-evaluated, or even completely overturned.’
’This would be no easy feat. It would trigger unpredictable shockwaves, both internally and externally.’
’However...’
His gaze swept over Qi Yun, and his mind involuntarily replayed the scene of Mo Wenxuan’s return, the memory of his report delivered with lingering fear and unconcealable reverence—
"...Your Majesty, that Qi Master... he’s unfathomable!
Hao Yue Master of the Moonlight Sect arrived in person, his might like a great sun burning the heavens. I thought I was doomed... but Qi Master... he only made a single move!
That Hao Yue Master... was... was utterly annihilated! Not a bone was left, and his Divine Soul was completely extinguished!"
Mo Wenxuan’s words, along with the memory of his face—ashen-white from the yet-unhealed injury to his Divine Soul—now echoed with utter clarity in Zhao Xuanji’s mind.
’Killing a Yang God with a single gesture!’
If these words had not come from Mo Wenxuan, and if the injury to his Divine Soul had not been undeniable, Zhao Xuanji would have never believed it.
A Yang God Great Power was already the acknowledged peak of cultivation in the Cangque Realm.
They were powerful enough to found sects and dominate entire regions.
’For such a figure to be so casually erased by this man?’
This level of strength had already surpassed his original expectations for the "variable," reaching a level he could barely fathom, a level that even instilled a hint of fear in him.
It was precisely for this reason that he had not immediately flown into a rage when Qi Yun proposed to "pause the plan."
He knew that this seemingly young, unfamiliar Master before him possessed the power to shatter his worldview, to flip the entire chessboard.
Cooperating with such a person was, in itself, like bargaining with a tiger.
It required absolute caution, and even... a certain degree of compromise.
The silence in the hall lasted for about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
The only sound was the occasional, faint crackle of a lamp wick.
Finally, Zhao Xuanji slowly let out a long breath. The intense emotions in his eyes gradually subsided, replaced once more by the profound calm of an emperor.
He spoke in a deep voice, tinged with a slight hoarseness:
"What is this ’hidden story’ you speak of, Qi Master?
Is it related to the abnormality of the Celestial Will?"
He did not directly agree or object to the "pause," but instead asked for the reason.
This was a subtle shift.
It meant he was beginning to seriously consider Qi Yun’s opinion.
Qi Yun’s fingers, which were stroking the Treasure Bead, paused for a moment. He didn’t answer Zhao Xuanji’s question directly, saying instead,
"Does Your Majesty trust me?"
Zhao Xuanji’s gaze narrowed.
"Why do you ask, Master?"
"If you trust me, then I ask Your Majesty to find some people," Qi Yun said slowly, his gaze returning to Zhao Xuanji, calm yet carrying an invisible pressure.
"People whose innate talent, disposition, and willpower are all of the Upper Grade. The number need not be large, but they must be elite and reliable.
Their Cultivation... can start from the Manifestation Realm, and up to the Exorcism Realm would be ideal.
If there are any at the Yin Spirit Realm, all the better."
Zhao Xuanji’s brow furrowed.
"What do you mean by this, Master? Why are we seeking these people?"
"The act of Heaven’s Fall cannot be accomplished by the strength of one or two people alone.
Even with a brilliant strategy, you still need strong soldiers to be your blade." Qi Yun’s words were like a stone cast into Zhao Xuanji’s heart, sending ripples through it.
"I intend to personally train a group of people for you.
In the future, when the time comes for Heaven’s Fall, these people may become... the true tip of the spear, of great use."
’Personally train them?’
’To become the tip of the spear for Heaven’s Fall?’
Zhao Xuanji’s heart skipped a beat!
’Could it be that this Qi Master has mastered some kind of Secret Skill that can rapidly increase one’s Cultivation, or even break through bottlenecks?’
’Considering his power to so easily kill Hao Yue Master, it wasn’t impossible!’
’If they could truly nurture a group of powerful Death Warriors and experts loyal to the Royal Family, it would be a tremendous boon for the ’Jingzhe Plan’!’
’Far more reliable than acting hastily now, depending on those allies whose motives are so hard to read!’
’But... this would require time.’
’Is this the reason he suddenly wants to pause the plan?’
"How long do you need, Master?" Zhao Xuanji’s voice unconsciously lowered, carrying a trace of suppressed urgency.
Qi Yun pondered for a moment before looking back at Zhao Xuanji and saying slowly,
"At the shortest, ten years. At the longest... a sixty-year cycle.
It depends on the individuals."
He had come up with this idea after grasping the key to this realm’s process of a Yin Spirit Transforming into Yang.
He possessed the Soul-Shaking Potion, a superior treasure for nourishing the Divine Soul, which he had obtained from the Black Slaughter Master.
If he used the Soul-Shaking Potion as fuel and supplemented it with the guidance of his Mastering All Skills Divine Technique to regulate their bodies,
and then add in his mastery of the Thunder Talisman, he could bypass the limitation of needing the Celestial Will to receive a baptism of lightning.
He could absolutely create a batch of combatants with Yang God-level power in a short amount of time!
Although these Rapidly Cultivated Yang Gods would be much weaker in terms of the stability of their Dao Foundation, fine control over their power, and future potential,
they would surely be inferior to a genuine article like Hao Yue Master, who had painstakingly cultivated every step of the way and undergone a true baptism of celestial lightning.
But, so what?
The battle for Heaven’s Fall was a life-and-death struggle to begin with.
What was needed was "combat power"—forces that could step up at critical moments, establish a numerical advantage, and execute key missions.
These Rapidly Cultivated Yang Gods might not be a match for their veteran counterparts in a one-on-one fight.
But if they were in groups, complemented by coordinated attack Arrays and special Magical Treasures, the role they could play should absolutely not be underestimated!
If they couldn’t win one-on-one, what about two-on-one, or even three-on-one?
One sixty-year cycle—at most.
He was confident he could forge a... "Yang God Legion" that would make any power, even the "substitute Celestial Will" itself, take notice!
And this was the source of his confidence—the reason he dared to propose pausing the plan and the foundation for his belief that he could dramatically increase their odds of success when they finally made their move!
Zhao Xuanji stared intently at Qi Yun, trying to read more from those calm eyes.
He saw confidence, he saw some kind of unfathomable scheme, and he also saw a trace... of an almost ice-cold resolve, a willingness to do anything to achieve a goal.
He felt a chill in his heart, yet it also pounded with excitement.
Finally, he rose slowly from the dragon throne and, facing Qi Yun, offered a solemn, formal salute.
"If that is the case... then I must trouble you, Master."
"I will find the people as soon as possible."
He did not ask about the specific methods, nor did he question the feasibility.
This was a gamble, one based on an assessment of power and circumstance, and it was another wager placed on this mysterious "variable."
Qi Yun nodded slightly, tossing the platinum-gold Glazed Treasure Bead in his hand up and catching it again.
"The candidates must be chosen with extreme care.
This matter is absolutely secret."
Outside the Diligent Governance Hall, the night grew deeper.
Inside the hall, a new plan had silently begun to sprout.
And the sword of the "Jingzhe" plan, once aimed at the heavens, had temporarily retracted its sharp edge, only to begin silently forging a new, more lethal, and more secret blade deep underground.
...