Chapter 141: Editor! Destiny! Lethal Poison Plot!

The grudges between Fengxi's tuba and trumpet are set aside for now.

On the other side, Hougang, a new‑generation individual with a spirit of self‑dedication, who knows how to work hard to enrich himself and expects future blessings, has embarked on the path of publicity.

"Work makes me improve, improvement makes me happy…… I'm not unhappy at all, and I even want to laugh out loud."

"How much hidden virtue did I accumulate in my past life to exchange for such blessings in this life, to have the opportunity to undergo such training and improve my work abilities……"

"Sigh…… I can't keep consoling myself anymore!"

Hougang choked up.

No excuse can smooth over the wound and pain in his heart.

"These guys, what lousy teammates are they?"

"They usually look unimpressive."

"When they shift blame, their intelligence shoots up."

"Once someone leads the team and they start a smooth‑sailing battle, most people unleash their violence in a thoroughly exhilarating way!"

Hougang's figure paced outside the camp, opening his mouth to spew endless pleasantries.

The little witches beside him each lifted their heads to gaze at the sky, not looking askance.

They heard nothing.

After all.

Hougang facing off against the painter, then against Fengxi…… that's a boss fight.

If these ordinary witches dare to wade into this muddy mess, who knows what will happen—they might be sent to a dangerous area of constant conflict.

Hougang can't even handle Fengxi, so how could he possibly manage them?

In the long ages, many witches who later joined the work here have realized——there's a small bunch whose style differs from theirs.

One old schemer after another…… no, they are cunning and crafty, adept at trapping people unseen.

For such a role, there is only one fitting description.

——Born to be a ruthless person fit for a leadership position!

They are candidates for Human King, Holy Emperor, and Heavenly Emperor.

Having ability isn't enough; when necessary, they must be ruthless enough to break limits and spare no means……

Can they be provoked?

So, Hougang keeps criticizing here—what can they do?

They can only be tossed aside.

In the left ear and out the right.

After Hougang's venting subsided, he looked weary and fell silent, then a witch cautiously spoke up.

"Vice Chancellor Hougang, how should we complete our publicity work?"

"Considering the schedule of the Sports Meet, it seems…… a bit too tight?"

"Or else, use some clone‑like divine abilities to go to each group simultaneously?"

Witch after witch made proposals, contributing their modest strength.

Hougang shook his head repeatedly, "How slow is that speed?"

"Moreover, there are hidden dangers."

"You praise this group as good, then praise that group as good…… after both sides catch their breath, do we think we're not just monkeying around with them?"

"Although we are indeed monkeying around…… we can't treat the demons as fools."

"We still have to put on a show."

"It shouldn't come to that, right?" a little witch wondered, "For a somewhat stronger ethnicity, the work on ethnic pride and civilizational belonging is already quite solid——as long as they aren't hit by a massive shock."

"In the past we've praised and lauded them; even if the demons know there's a problem, the general populace's grassroots understanding doesn't think that deeply…… I suppose no discerning person would dare to stand up and pour a bucket of rational cold water on their own people."

"Otherwise, by then we wouldn't need to act; their internal squabbles and curses would be enough to fill a pot."

"To pamper‑kill a group, make them think they're perfect incarnations, then truly delude them into lameness—similar examples abound throughout the vast River of Time."

This little witch is no pushover either.

He pointed out the crux and gave an answer, based on human hearts and nature, which is reasonable.

"You're absolutely right." Hougang glanced at him, nodded, and said, "Normally speaking, this poses no problem and is feasible."

"But……" Hougang's tone shifted, "We're not just finishing with simple publicity work anymore."

"We still have opponents——the think‑tank entity under the high‑level of the Demon Race!"

"We can't pretend they don't exist."

"Faced with the current situation where the enemy is hidden while we are exposed, the clearer our action direction, the larger the loopholes we reveal……"

"If they strike at those gaps, we'll have a huge headache…… the key is the time gap is too large, leaving us little room for remedy."

"So, to truly launch publicity efforts, we must blur the focus as much as possible and choose more general publicity angles."

"The less we say, the less room the opponent has to find fault."

Hougang said it and then laughed.

"I already have a draft in mind—it saves time and effort, and the effect should be pretty good…… afterwards, you just follow it."

As soon as he said that, all the little witches following him had uneasy looks.

——Since you already have a full plan, are confident you're excellent, and can easily finish the work…… then what was all that furious street‑scolding earlier about?

Why?

"What's up?" Hougang raised his eyebrows, "What's wrong with me cursing them?"

"I can finish the work within the allotted time with super‑high efficiency…… that's my ability."

"That doesn't mean they have justification to pile on a massive workload for me!"

The "greater ability, greater responsibility" theory is utter nonsense…… What era is this, still hanging it on people's lips to fool them?

It's clearly "the greater the power, the greater the responsibility", but then some jerk went and altered it, spreading it around, using it as an excuse to morally blackmail and exploit subordinates' labor.

Hougang grew angrier the more he spoke.

But…… you're also one of the ten deputy chiefs here, aren't you? That authority isn't small by any measure.

A Wu spoke up softly, his words like a dagger, stabbing straight at the waist.

Hougang fell silent.

He slowly turned his head, glaring at the Wu who spoke blatant truths, drew a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and spoke each word with a pause.

If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute…… got it?

Under Hougang's intensely oppressive gaze, this little Wu voluntarily shut his mouth.

Because he felt that if he didn't shut up, something very bloody might happen.

——On some day, some month, some year, a certain Wu died at home, his body chopped into dozens of pieces.

Don't ask; if you ask, the answer is suicide.

After the honest people quieted down, Hougang satisfiedly withdrew his gaze, to those on either side.

The work of outward publicity is very important…… so, to demonstrate its importance, starting now, your title for me, drop the 'deputy' from 'deputy chief'…… understand?

Understood! Chief Hou!

A savvy little Wu spoke up cleverly.

Afterward, a string of "Chief Hou" titles made Hougang's face break into a smile.

Through the method of spiritual victory, he fully vented the anger he had suffered at Fengxi's place.

"Now it's spiritual victory, but who knows about the future……"

Hougang turned back to look at the Wu Clan's station in Kunlun.

"The days are still long."

"Right now you're all over the place, ordering me around, exploiting me…… wait until I rise to a higher position than you?"

"Hah!"

"Let you be smug for a few days……"

……

Extra! Extra!

Important information you cannot be unaware of, the viewpoint of peerless powers looking upon all tribes of heaven and earth!

Famed journalist "Xibeifeng" interviews the Wu Clan's great divine adept, and the Ancestor Witch Houtu says this!

Even golden immortals dare not believe it, mystics are confused, only those of the Great Luo truly comprehend…… the theme of heaven and man in this era is actually it!

"……"

After Hougang's solemn promise.

Soon, his actions unfolded.

A sky-covering newspaper publicity campaign kicked off, paired with some eye‑catching headlines that let demons, half‑believing and half‑doubting, read on to learn the so‑called important information linking them to great powers, great divine adepts, and Great Luo administrators—the theme of heaven and man.

The Ancestor Witch Houtu was made to say things she never actually said, all to the nonexistent journalist Xibeifeng.

Heaven's creatures must be substantial according to their material.

Thus, the planters nurture them, the toppled are overturned.

In short, heaven gives birth to and nurtures all things, and will surely treat them well according to their qualities; those who can become useful are cultivated, those who cannot are eliminated.

My heaven‑given talent must be useful!

Because the useless have already been swept away by the flood of the River of Ages.

Therefore, in today's grand era, any tribe that can still frolic about has something commendable, possesses unique strengths, and in the judgment of the heavens is considered talented.

Because they have talent, heaven will bestow blessings, protect them, employ them, and in the future give them great missions—all bearing the mandate of heaven, destined to have a place on this era's stage, to command the winds and clouds!

"May blessings be upon the mandate, issued from heaven!"

The Ancestor Witch Houtu was made to speak by a corrupt little editor, uttering a lot of grand principles.

And that corrupt little editor, building on this, extended and expanded it, enumerating many detailed data points to prove it, giving countless tribes a shot of adrenaline, making their minds swell with pride.

Because, these proofs look very reliable.

——Examining the history of certain tribes, how many times, thanks to their special advantages, they have survived calamities and continued to propagate to this day.

——Again examining certain tribes' pasts, they could grow from a remote small clan to the hegemon of several mountain ranges, all thanks to their racial specialty—group consciousness!

Hou Xiao Bian's argumentation of the Ancestor Witch Houtu's principles draped each tribe in a heavenly mandate's radiance, looking quite proper.

Of course, after all that talk, the fox's tail still showed up in the end.

"We will join hands with the training platform to hold the greatest ever myriad‑tribe event in the history of the Kunlun Mountains!"

"Gathering to broaden horizons, increase knowledge, and debate the high and low of heavenly mandate in one body, this is an event one cannot miss——"

"The Doti Cup Sports Meet!"

Hou Xiao Bian clung tightly to the two words "heavenly mandate"; any tribe that doesn't come is damaging its own heavenly mandate, a race that hasn't even clearly defined its own strengths and advantages, a inferior race destined to be eliminated in the future!

This, combined with the theory previously "mentioned" by the Ancestor Witch Houtu, forms a perfect closed loop, tightly centered, making it an excellent piece of propaganda.

The tribes of Kunlun Mountain, whoever can obtain this newspaper, must give it some thought.

After all, the vast majority of tribes are not like the Dragon and Phoenix tribes, top‑tier powerful races whose clans still have Great Luo suppressing the qi flow, so they can scoff at this.

Under the wave kicked off by this report, combined with the Wu Clan's long‑accumulated prestige, it subtly became a major trend.

If one is muddledly labeled an inferior race lacking heavenly mandate…… who knows, anyone might dare to bare their teeth.

Relying on the trend to bully people!

Moreover, the more confident and powerful a tribe is, the less it fears these challenges.

They still need a suitable stage to display their clan's superiority before the myriad races!

Under the gaze of all, to achieve a glorious victory…… what immense boost it is to a race's overall confidence?

From now on, no matter what they do, their morale will first increase by three points, gaining a positive buff.

This counts as destiny!

The destiny they fought for!

Mindset—sometimes it's not important, sometimes it's the final brick on the road to success.

Which clan that can clearly understand these principles would dare to ignore them?

……

"What if a clan really dared to ignore it?" Fengxi stood on the mountaintop, hands behind his back, gazing at the vast mountains and rivers, and suddenly asked Hougang a question.

"I already said…… this is related to destiny." Hougang chuckled lightly, "Those clans that don't come are abandoning destiny."

"As for destiny, it's now being promoted and fermented; everyone who should know already knows…… saying absolute belief is bragging, but most are half-believing, half-doubting."

"If any clan doesn't take it seriously and flaunts its refusal to play with the Wu Clan…… then let it be the chicken we kill to warn the monkeys."

Hougang's face bore the expression of a godman: "This clan has lost its destiny and thus deserves heavenly destruction…… on the day the sports meet is held, a daytime star will fall, exterminating all its high-ranking members!"

"Once their high-ranking combat power is lost, this clan surely won't last long…… fulfilling the words of destiny."

"Are you thinking of letting Great Luo take action?" Fengxi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Of course……" Hougang said offhandedly, "Destiny, destiny…… what is Heaven?"

"Great Luo taking action is natural and justified."

"Besides, I reckon those clans already dazed by my destiny rhetoric won't let us come to this point."

"After all, to ensure effect, we deliberately scheduled the sports meet to coincide with the lecture of Lingbao Celestial Venerable……" Hougang chuckled, "After listening to Great Luo's lecture, those who came for the fun haven't left yet, and the sports meet is held…… there's no issue of not coming because their homes are too far."

"Speaking of reason."

"A grand lecture by a great cultivator is far more attractive than our newly held sports meet."

"Are we just hype‑chasing?" Fengxi chuckled.

"Just hype‑chasing then." Hougang didn't mind, "Over the years our contributions to the Daoist sect of the Three Pure Ones mean that hype‑chasing their popularity is merely an equivalent exchange, mutually beneficial."

"Quite right." Fengxi nodded, gazing into the distance with a hint of worry in his eyes, "This time it's of great importance…… I hope nothing goes wrong."

"Let's hope so." Hougang shook his head and sighed.

……

"Fengxi? Hougang?"

"Destiny?"

"Interviewing Houtu?"

"I planted a spy in the Wu Clan, and after three years, then another three, I'm nearly at the top—how could I not know about this?"

"These youngsters…… have a lot of gall!"

The towering, sprawling palace complex— in the central supreme hall sits a majestic, extraordinary divine figure on the highest seat.

He looked at the information in his hand, pondered for a moment, and for some reason chuckled softly, saying, "Quite interesting…… you agree, right? Fellow Daoist Báizé."

"Quite interesting, Your Majesty Xihuang." Báizé the Yao Marshal replied, "One plays with people's hearts in the palm of their hand, another combines celebrity effect and survivor bias for publicity…… truly a talent emerges in the Honghuang era."

"My Dao is not alone…… my Dao is not alone!"

Báizé let out a long sigh, "This scene inexplicably gives me a feeling of antiquity. Recalling the past, the era of Dragon and Phoenix……"

"Enough, enough……" Xihuang laughed and interrupted, "Since it's the past, let it drift away with the wind…… no one should dwell on it."

"Exposing the dark history makes nobody look good."

"Your Majesty's words are quite right…… it was my oversight." Báizé respectfully agreed, "Past events are too heavy; they ought to be buried at the deepest part of the River of Time, never to see daylight again."

"A new era naturally calls for a new atmosphere."

"That's right…… alright, no need to dwell on this; let's return to the main topic." Xihuang leaned back, crossed his index fingers in front of him, resting them on the table, and said, "Regarding the actions of these little rascals of the Wu Clan, what do you think…… how should we respond well?"

"This is quite easy." Báizé waved the feather fan in his hand, "These two little rascals indeed have ability."

"Too bad, they're still not mature enough."

"Moreover……"

"Sometimes, achieving success is hard, but causing trouble…… is too easy."

Báizé the Yao Marshal, with confidence and wisdom in hand, already had a plan to sabotage the event.

"I have a plan: need no vast armies, just one person acting, carrying an object to Kunlun, and this will cause the sports meet to fail, rendering the Wu Clan's efforts wasted."

"What good plan is that?" Xihuang sat upright.

"Create a panic incident!" Báizé the Yao Marshal laughed.

At this moment, the Yao Marshal's lips curled in a smile, yet his tone carried an ultimate chilling dread, capable of freezing hearts and destroying souls.

"The Wu Clan isn't planning to hold an enormous sports meet, is it?"

"I suppose that time will surely gather countless beings."

"At least the myriad races!"

"Besides the spectators, there will also be many heavenly talents and sturdy experts from various clans…… Your Majesty, you say, if something goes wrong for them in the Wu Clan's territory, how will the myriad races view the Wu Clan?"

"Quite evident, a very bad impression will be left." Xihuang followed Báizé's line of thought.

"Exactly." Báizé nodded, his smile undiminished, his killing intent greater, "At that point, merely dealing with such a massive disaster would surely drive the Wu Clan's people in Kunlun mad."

"Moreover, at this critical moment, adding a couple or three rumors spreading…… hah."

Báizé the Yao Marshal didn't finish speaking.

Because, there's no need for him to finish.

Those who understand, understand.

"The Wu Clan has a Great Luo." Xihuang tapped the table.

"It would be fine if our Great Luo didn't make the first move…… This matter will be handled by the subordinates, exchanging the low for the high." Báizé said.

"Look."

"The Wu Clan spent enormous effort to unite and consolidate people's hearts, and in an instant it all became our wedding dress."

"The National Games?"

"This is the stage of our demon race."

"This is the stage where we high-level members display benevolence and righteousness!"

"This is the stage to display the Wu Clan's incompetence!"

"The starkest contrast: those low-level demon spirits who fundamentally don't understand the truth, besides being led by the nose by us, is there any other possibility?"

Báizé spoke calmly, quite possessing the aura of vanquishing foes with ease amid talk and laughter.

"The Wu Clan previously took some small advantages…… but what does it matter?"

"We high-level demon race members hold a great hand!"

"Even if we each have our own thoughts and schemes…… even if we play the cards one by one, we can still drive the Wu Clan side into self-isolation."

"The top-tier think tank."

"The deepest foundation accumulated from the era of the Dragon Phoenix Great Calamity."

"Hongjun Daozu's martial support."

"So many, so many advantages."

"If it weren't for the Wu Clan tightly grasping Pangu's last testament, their founding slogan was to sacrifice to Pangu, and furthermore they hadn't yet committed slaughter, giving us a handle..."

"Hongjun Daozu had long since mustered the troops, gathered everyone, and marched up Mount Buzhou…… how could it still be like now, giving them the chance to grow?"

"What a pity."

"There are too many Great Luos who scheme for petty gain."

"Not wanting to see Hongjun Daozu go so smoothly, there are not a few who trip him up and hold him back."

"Moreover, there are those who contemplate stirring up the Great Calamity, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to scoop up corpses en masse, fattening and strengthening themselves like vultures."

"Hah."

"Only then did we have today's murky waters."

Báizé sighed, worried about the demon race's internal situation.

"Can the demon race high-level members muster their strength, defeat the Wu Clan, and succeed?"

"Of course we can!"

"The Wu Clan today is still rather immature."

"However, such a victory result is beneficial to the demon race as a whole."

"But for some individuals, it's not so good."

"Without a windfall, how can there be explosive growth?"

"Ordinary Great Luos want to become Great Divine Ability users; Great Divine Ability users want to find an opportunity to ascend to Supreme Titans. Normally, these require long years of tempering."

Ordinary Great Luo wants to become a wielder of great divine abilities; a wielder of great divine abilities wants to find an opportunity to ascend to the supreme titan…… Normally speaking, all of these require a very long time to polish.

"The fall of some peers and even stronger experts brings promotion opportunities immediately!"

"So…… the Great Calamity?"

"Let it come!"

"Let it come in a grand and mighty way!"

"All the Great Luos who come to participate in the high-stakes gamble believe they can win."

"As for not being able to win?"

"Hmm……"

"At worst, lose me."

"After the boundless Great Calamity, there will be another good man!"

"(End of chapter)"

(End of chapter)