Chapter 1965: Using Every Possible Means

Tongming Zhenjun fell silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

For over a hundred years, Qingyang had held high authority within the world's strongest nation; even the Heavenly Gods could not have imagined that someone with such breadth of vision, demeanor, strategy, and nature could suddenly resort to any means necessary, abandoning all sense of shame.

The room was very quiet, only the clear sound of a spoon tapping against a porcelain bowl.

After a long while, Tongming Zhenjun let out a long sigh:

"Let me lay it out for you. Actually, not all Heavenly Gods care deeply about the Flash Gold war in Jiuyou. Or rather, most Heavenly Gods don't care about this matter at all."

Qingyang was not too surprised, merely shifting his gaze slightly: "Why?"

"You know, Flash Gold has been split for nearly a thousand years, with no foundation for unification. Don't underestimate the inertia and wildness of this plain; that surname He is most likely engaging in futile effort, launching a grand uprising only to end in haste."

"Even if he could tear down the old and establish the new, rebuild an empire. But such a vast war would inevitably contribute massive amounts of nightmare energy. Look, the powerful factions you recently negotiated with will soon stir up a new round of turmoil—why wouldn't the Heavenly Gods welcome it?"

Qingyang remained silent. Regardless of He Yao's future aspirations, in the process of waging war on the Flash Gold Plains, massive casualties would objectively occur, and indeed, nightmare energy would be output to Tianluo Star.

"He intends to stop war with war, once and for all." Qingyang shook his head. "Not intervening now will only create future troubles. Don't forget—his relationship with the Great Square Vase!"

"The Great Square Vase?" Tongming Zhenjun gave two low chuckles. "Indeed, anyone related to the Great Square Vase counts as a disaster, but so what?"

"What became of Yuan State? It instantly contributed massive amounts of nightmare energy to us, leaving three thousand li of scorched earth, and to this day remains barren."

"What became of Panlong City? It also contributed large amounts of nightmare energy to us, turning the Panlong Wasteland into a desert, with no further threat."

Tongming Zhenjun smiled faintly: "Even stepping back a hundred paces—suppose He Yao could establish a state in Flash Gold, suppose he could bring peace and end conflict there—still, it could not last long. In the Heavenly Gods' view, this period is like a white horse passing through a gap; once it collapses and crumbles, the nightmare energy we are owed but have not yet received will still be sent to Tianluo Star. Whether taken early or late, what difference does it make?"

Compared to humans, the Heavenly Gods' lifespans are nearly infinite—why quarrel over a few years or decades of morning and evening?

Qingyang lifted the corner of his mouth: "I recall you all kept tight control over your own plans—how is it that when it comes to He Yao, you're suddenly not in a hurry?"

"Tight or loose, fast or slow—these are all relative." Tongming Zhenjun clearly understood the mindset of his peers: "To put it plainly, Heavenly Gods are not just one or two, but thousands upon thousands, each very busy. He Yao has not yet caused any substantial harm to the Heavenly Realm, so they cannot be bothered to even glance at him properly."

So far, what has He Yao actually done?

He burned the Plucking Stars Pavilion, stole the lid of the Great Square Vase from the Heavenly Palace, causing damage to Lingxu City; he also operates the Yangshan Islands, coming to the Flash Gold Plains to stir trouble and seize territory.

Ask: among the above actions, which one directly harmed the Heavenly Gods' interests, making them feel the pain personally?

Qingyang counted them up and found—actually, none!

Although He Yao proclaims across the world that Miao Zhantian died by his hand, no Heavenly God truly believes it.

So no matter how she shouts, He Yao will certainly be a scourge to humanity, certainly your greatest enemy; most Heavenly Gods, upon hearing this, merely nod slightly, but in truth take it to heart. Meanwhile, Lingxu Shengzun, Tongming Zhenjun, and a few other Heavenly Gods are precisely the ones who ordered Qingyang to quickly eliminate this scourge.

Only when a knife cuts into one's flesh does one know pain—this point, Heavenly Gods and humans are no different.

"They think you're making a fuss over nothing. In the matter of overdrawn divine credibility, you have indeed gone too far." Tongming Zhenjun spoke slowly, "He Yao poses no such great threat to us."

Qingyang set the bowl back on the table: "Still saying humans are short-sighted? I see you're no better—indeed, you have several extra layers of arrogance compared to humans!"

Tongming Zhenjun was dissatisfied: "Mind your words!"

Qingyang's indifference finally dropped its pretense: "Say I'm making a fuss over nothing if you like—I did these things not for you Heavenly Gods at all!"

This so-called Heavenly Palace Guardian is merely an empty title; her loyalty has never been to the Heavenly Gods.

She differs from Bai Ziqi.

To deal with He Yao, she can resort to any means necessary, even selling the Heavenly Gods' credibility.

"Heh, you're doing this for whom? For Between Between Between Beijia?" Tongming Zhenjun gave a cold laugh. "The Between Between Between Beijia court is also full of endless quarrels; those ministers have no intention of sending anyone to the Flash Gold Plains, let alone wasting any effort on you!"

Qingyang slightly closed his eyes: "They don't matter. In my heart, they're no different from scabies."

A bunch of foolish fantasies—do they even deserve to point and gesture at her in the imperial court?

She didn't want to dwell on this topic, eased her tone, and returned to the matter at hand:

"The boat is built, the 'Divine Descent Body' has already been dispatched—there's no turning back. If you don't wish to descend personally, you may still casually assign a deity, send out a thread of divine thought. At worst, even if they blame someone, they'll blame me—I am the one who falsely conveyed divine will and fabricated the divine body."

She gave a faint smile: "There are plenty of ways to deceive them—you lot are naturally adept at this."

No mistake, no single character, no single stroke, no single inner part, no single content, no single existence, no single one, no single look!

Tongming Zhenjun pretended not to hear the sarcasm in her words: "Let's return to strategy—besides inciting Flash Gold's natives against Jiuyou, what other plans do you have?"

"As I know it, after He Yao emerged from the Overturned Sea, he indeed has some powerful allies nearby." Qingyang spoke slowly, "To kill this man, it's best to first cut off his wings."

"You mean those few immortals from the Huan Sect?"

"The earth-hole spider queen by his side also reaches immortal level." Qingyang's eyes flashed, "Next, the local powerful factions of Flash Gold will rise in chaos simultaneously; He Yao, stretched thin, can only dispatch these strong ones to suppress rebellions and restore order."

"When these strong ones gather around He Yao, I can only flee with the wind; but once they scatter, this bit of strength I hold will have its use." Qingyang mused, "When I set a few traps to lure them into the urn, I can divide and conquer them!"

Miao Zhantian took all the capable ones with him; Qingyang's hand holds only inferior cards.

But it doesn't matter—so long as strategy is sound, even inferior cards can become surprise troops.

When she opened the door and stepped out of the courtyard, her expression was again calm and composed.

Yuan Xun followed behind her, gazing at her thoughtful profile, feeling admiration in his heart.

The Palace Master herself has no troops in the Flash Gold Plains, thus no real authority—only an empty title granted by the Heavenly Palace. With just this little thing, others would have no hope, yet the Palace Master can make something wonderful out of it.

Even if she drank poison to quench thirst, but for now, she has indeed quenched her thirst, indeed able to mobilize the entire Flash Gold to oppose the Great Emperor of Jiuyou. Future problems, future talk—take one step at a time. As long as she can stay one step ahead in wearing down He Yao, what she drank will not be poison, but honey!