Chapter 383: The True Monarch's Asking

At this very moment, Meng Changqing's facial muscles twitched slightly.

Saying he wasn't relying on asking for favors, yet pointing out how he had helped this side—wasn't this clearly intended to create a moral burden, specifically targeting someone like me who still has a conscience? "... What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Heh, feeling the pressure, are you? This is actually quite normal. The main territory is just a mess left behind by Master, while the Myriad Worlds and Stars are where their fundamental interests lie. Since you have grown up and have capable subordinates, if you want to try and accomplish more, you will naturally face real storms!"

The way True Monarch Cheng Ru assumed this "elder brother is like a father" posture made Meng Changqing's mood grow increasingly foul.

However, he knew when to stop, quickly changing the subject: "Junior Sister Huiqing's layout in Queguang was an accident. After all, that place is a special case; she suffered a crushing defeat there once. It looks like she still has complete control, but in reality, it is a tree without roots, and we will be paying extra attention to that side."

"After all, that is the only instance where Junior Sister was defeated head-on, and by someone whose cultivation was far inferior to her own. So, truthfully, I have some regrets. If I had known such a figure would be born there, I certainly would have tried to bring Queguang under my own jurisdiction, or let Junior Brother Zhuding take charge."

Are you ever going to finish, you guy? Seeing True Monarch Cheng Ru rambling on like this, Meng Changqing only grew more impatient.

Then.

"I want the Lock of Moju!"

This True Monarch went straight to the point, exceptionally brief and to the point.

Meng Changqing's pupils constricted slightly.

Because judging by the rambling from just before, he had thought the other side was still only circling the periphery; he hadn't expected them to have already delved into the core. When exactly did they find out about these things, and how did they come to know so much?! He felt immense pressure, feeling incredibly grave.

"You think I will give it to you?"

"You will."

True Monarch Cheng Ru's words were firm and certain. In a daze, Meng Changqing felt as if he had returned to the Fourth Peak, facing True Monarch Buyi.

When he came back to his senses, the annoying guy before him had already vanished.

"Little Junior Brother, think it over for a few days. This is something we can cooperate on. If you still want other things to trade with, I won't let you suffer a loss. Whatever you want, I'll give it—even if it's the resources to build one and keep one, that's fine!"

Build one and keep one—what is that? Naturally, it refers to Moju City!

True Monarch Cheng Ru was extremely generous and determined to succeed. He wasn't just starting from the intended goal; he was piling on chips with actual benefits. It must be said, Meng Changqing had been unable to help but feel a bit shaken just now.

What he offered was simply too much! To build one and keep one—that would be twice his own net worth!

"Moreover, if it's something I'm to cooperate on, then besides matters related to the Resentful Evils, it would be that old immortal's side, tsk..."

Feeling like he was being tightly held in someone else's grip, Meng Changqing felt very unhappy inside.

However, since things had reached this point, continuing to haggle wasn't actually impossible.

"Even if I just maintain the current price, at the very least, the fifth-rank spirit beast Du En needs is settled. Plus, Moju City can be repaired faster, and for others, in other aspects, the consumption over the next few hundred years will be no problem at all..."

With just one transaction, the difficulties of the Meng Sect would dissipate significantly, and there would be no obstacles to future development.

However.

"I still need to carefully confirm his intentions."

This was also the reason the other party left a few days for this side.

Furrowing his brows, Meng Changqing walked with hurried steps.

When he returned to his own Fifth Peak, he bumped into someone.

"Greetings, Resolution Counselor."

The visitor was quite rigid and formal, bowing respectfully to Meng Changqing. However, their overall appearance was not so neat; instead, it was quite disheveled and battered, and their aura was clearly withered. It was evident they had suffered a heavy blow and a crushing defeat.

It was Nangong Sheng!

And for him to come here, there was naturally only one situation.

He had already broken through to the Soul Formation stage and came to challenge Du En! As for the result, although this person fought incessantly, there was clearly still a gap compared to Du En. The time it took to finish the match was less than the time Meng Changqing had spent talking to his two senior brothers, and he had already lost completely and cleanly.

When it came down to it, he was even inferior to Jiang Ying!

However, Meng Changqing raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling quite moved: "You are about to become a heaven-proud one!"

"Yes, I came this time solely to seek defeat."

Nangong Sheng did not have the unwillingness or dejection after a failure, nor did he carry the hidden drive and indomitability as he had in the past; instead, he admitted defeat and conceded quite sincerely.

This did not conform to the essence of the *Battle Canon*, but he had been able to reach Soul Formation through it, clearly having found the right path, which highlighted something exceptionally unusual.

"Changed direction, or rather, clarified the scope?"

"I truly cannot hide anything from you. After I returned from the Dragon Palace, I grasped a new opportunity for a breakthrough and went into quiet seclusion for a year. When I sought the *Canon* again, I had a completely different view on fighting, on battle, and on victory. So, I broke through naturally. It has been more than half a year since then. Coming here this time was to completely let go of personal small victories."

"Big victories and small victories, the big picture and the small picture—these cannot be simply separated. You feel you have let go of small victories and small pictures today, but in the future, Du En will still be looming ahead. That will still be a personal victory or defeat, yet it will already be a big victory and a big picture!"

"... Indeed, big and small victories and defeats are dynamically changing. It seems I was still too attached. I shouldn't have spoken of anything as being absolute. Many thanks for your guidance, Resolution Counselor."

Nangong Sheng seemed to have realized something and offered a sincere bow of thanks.

Meng Changqing waved his hand, his face pulling slightly: "And then? What does my Second Senior Brother want to say? Don't tell me that sending you here at this time was really just as simple as having a fight with Du En."

Everyone was making moves, all calculating their own plans; Meng Changqing sighed with some helplessness.

Regarding this, Nangong Sheng chuckled slightly and only said: "I dare not speculate on what the True Monarch is thinking. I did not receive any instructions from the True Monarch to come here this time. It was just that while I was looking for a place to cultivate in Zhongdu, I sensed Du En's presence from afar."

"Just happened to, it just happened to be that coincidental?"

"To me, it was very coincidental."

So he timed it, felt it was about right, and came to challenge him.

For this side, it was just like that.

For True Monarch Zhuding, it was clearly just a greeting, a signal, without any overly active or aggressive signs yet.

To tell the truth, Meng Changqing felt a bit relieved.

If everyone suddenly made some actual move, he really would feel unable to cope.

As if sensing that the mood here was actually not very good, Nangong Sheng's mind turned, and he began to sigh sincerely: "But having said that, although I came to seek defeat, Du En's changes are far beyond imagination. He was actually able to defeat me relying only on his spirit body, even though my fighting spirit is incessant, one could say it is undying!"

Once he said this, it immediately scratched Meng Changqing's itch.

Meng Changqing laughed and nodded: "Indeed, when you cultivated the *Conquest Battle Canon*, you had already cultivated a hint of the undying. Now, it can be said to be a pseudo-undying!"

"True undying, how could it be that simple? I used to think I had touched upon the true undying, but upon reaching the Soul Formation stage, understanding great magical power and sensing the principles of self-depiction, I realized that was false and superficial. One could even say that any great cultivator who can cultivate a bit of a knack can have some signs of pseudo-undying."

Nangong Sheng sighed sincerely, his eyes gleaming: "But according to the battle I just had with Du En, he was like light suspended in the sky, like the great sun dazzling the eyes, as if it would be like that forever. It truly has a bit of the atmosphere of the true undying!"

"Hahaha, you don't understand this; he's barely even started. At most, he has the prototype of a True Indestructibility. Come to think of it, it was only after going to Queguang this time and coming into contact with the peerless figures there that he was able to grasp the essence of it!" Meng Changqing seemed to be in a cheerful mood; the more others praised Du En, this capable subordinate of his, the more his face beamed with joy. After all, this was equivalent to praising his own eye for talent back then.

And then, he secretly misled people again.

To be precise, he was misleading True Monarch Zhuding, who would definitely know about this conversation when the time came.

That guy might not necessarily believe it, but since it involved True Indestructibility, he would inevitably care and start making associations.

After all, what is the most direct and obvious True Indestructible being right now?

It is the Grudge-Evil!

And there really was someone on the Queguang side who came into contact with True Indestructibility; who was it?

It was Mo Ju! At the same time, these two had a direct connection because of the Spirit Mother... Following these logical associations, he would likely believe that the True Indestructibility on Du En's side came about this way. After all, there was also a factor here: that divine ability of "Burying Death to Flourish Life" had some connection to the Grudge-Evil.

That burial ground in the Nanmo Border City! Couldn't it all be connected? Of course, tricking True Monarch Zhuding into this was still just a hidden, seemingly secondary intention. As for the seemingly primary goal, it was to drive this True Monarch to find trouble with True Monarch Chengru.

"It would be best if dogs bite dogs!"

Meng Changqing sneered inwardly, quite looking forward to such a development.

Of course, he actually understood that at most, this would just drag in someone to muddy the waters and invisibly raise the stakes, because True Monarch Chengru seemed determined to win, and would likely play some move he couldn't refuse.

"A weak spot! Who told me I can't be as insane as them? Who told me my ambition and schemes are greater than theirs?"

Meng Changqing sighed in his heart, chatted with Nangong Sheng for a few more sentences, and then they parted ways.

Returning to his own fenced courtyard, at a glance, he saw Jiang Ying unable to help but look smug.

"That guy Nangong Sheng has now been left behind by this young lady. Hmph, in this way, there's only one guy left!"

Clearly, as a bystander, once she determined that she could beat Nangong Sheng in a normal state—and quite easily at that—she couldn't help but act like this.

Looking at Du En's expression, which was calm with a faint sense of speechlessness, it was clear that Jiang Ying had expressed this sentiment more than once.

And the reason she kept saying it wasn't because she was too conceited, but because she was curious about something and was beating around the bush to get an answer that would satisfy her curiosity.

That matter was that among the five "peers," the candidates for the championship in the previous grand competition, four had already successively broken through to the Deity Transformation realm, showing that this generation's competition was very vigorous.

However, only Lou Shuyue was missing and was likely dead... Even Jiang Ying could tell who did it now, so she was beating around the bush with Du En.

She didn't want to seek justice; she just wanted to satisfy her curiosity and know the specific details.

The less Du En wanted to talk, the more she wanted to know! I'm afraid you won't have this kind of leisure time anymore!

Seeing this, Meng Changqing couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Nangong Sheng just came over and mentioned that Sheng Zhaoshui had long since broken through to the Deity Transformation realm, but he couldn't find a trace of her and couldn't challenge her."

Du En's opening remark seemed somewhat redundant.

Because Meng Changqing's true body was still here; according to his past performance, he should have known about the situation here, not to mention there had just been a burst of energy.

However, it was precisely because of that burst of energy, which seemed like he was about to come out of seclusion, that made Du En feel that this immediate superior was currently adjusting and recovering.

"You noticed, huh? I even specifically restrained it..."

Meng Changqing muttered a bit. Although he had postured at that time, he had restrained and concealed himself; people nearby shouldn't have noticed, yet Du En had detected it.

"Hmm... Sheng Zhaoshui's whereabouts? Perhaps it will be a handle she left for me; I will follow it to investigate next."

Skipping the topic of being noticed, he then spoke about his own experience, basically reporting it as it was.

In an instant, Jiang Ying's smugness and curiosity quickly dissipated completely.

"Ah? Do, do you want me to participate?"

Regarding the situation of jumping back into the fire pit, she was extremely unwilling, but knowing there was no other choice, she sighed and became dejected after speaking, "Fine, I know I can't refuse, sigh!"

"Then wait for a while."

Du En remained as calm as ever, without any ripples at all.

He was more concerned about other matters.

"True Monarch Chengru controls the Central Capital and restrains the Supreme of our sect?"

"Correct."

Meng Changqing didn't explain much now, because the time hadn't come yet.

So Du En didn't ask, closed his mouth, and stopped talking.

This left Meng Changqing a bit stunned: "Uh, you aren't asking about the Mo Ju Lock?"

Because whether it was the Mo Ju Lock or Mo Ju City, they were actually Du En's gains.

He was clear-headed about this, so he found it a bit hard to believe.

How did the Pixiu's temperament change?

"That is not something I can study right now anyway, so exchanging it for equivalent resources is not impossible. I believe the resolution won't let me suffer a loss."

Du En only said this, making Meng Changqing subconsciously think that he definitely wouldn't let him suffer a loss, and then he couldn't help but wonder if this was his strategy of "to let go, one must first gather."

After all, he had a criminal record; in the past, in order to obtain resources, he was unscrupulous, not caring about his reputation, nor would he care about things like hierarchy.

But it felt a bit different... So, has he actually changed a bit now?

Did the trip to Queguang give him some different inspiration?

Meng Changqing thought this, and suddenly had the feeling of a daughter-in-law finally becoming a mother-in-law.

The most headache-inducing thing here was exactly this!

Du En was good in every way, but this policy of conduct was not quite right, still leaving behind hidden points of conflict!

"Haha! Don't worry! Everything that should be there will be there, just wait for my good news!"

Meng Changqing gave his full guarantee.

As for now, it was of course returning to the right track.

Du En turned around without any hesitation, the meaning was clear.

Time acceleration and expansion, it could begin.

(End of this chapter)