Chapter 159: The grand plan nears completion, the Dao Ancestor takes action!

The world bustles, all for profit.

The world rushes, all for profit.

Shao Yang proves this truth with his actions.

Painting pies out of thin air, hyping the future, hyping concepts……then financing and going public, starting a new stove, the Immortal Clan is born!

He skillfully united the neutral Great Adepts, even extending his claws into the Wu-Yao interior—like the Kunpeng……He integrated them, using false cultivation to achieve his foundation.

After a series of alliances and counter-alliances, a powerful force was forged from nothing.

And the most terrifying part is that this force sits openly before the Wu and Yao clans, yet it unconsciously causes their leaders to overlook it——

Everyone knows the Immortal Clan has appeared.

But few expected it to be run so large!

Perhaps in the eyes of many Great Luo, what's the big deal about establishing the Immortal Clan? Only Shao Yang as a single pillar—hard to achieve great things!

If anyone dares to have divided loyalties, we'll gather our forces and swarm him—he'll have no chance to live!

It's very deceptive.

He plays the 'dark under the lamp' operation with consummate skill.

Without a doubt.

Shao Yang Emperor is a hero-like leader, bold yet meticulous, his actions both unrestrained and steady; perhaps it is precisely this extraordinary courage that lets him leap left and right between the Wu and Yao camps, jumping while waiting for opportunity.

"Wait until the moment arrives——"

"Then let the Honghuang universe turn upside down, the gods spill blood!"

Shao Yang, having connected with one Great Adept after another, stood atop Kunlun, hands behind his back gazing at the stars, his eyes calm and indifferent.

"The Yao Emperor and Yao Marshal each lose half, the Twelve Ancestral Witches also lose half, the Great Wu-Yao God loses another sixty or seventy percent……that should be about right, we can launch."

"After sweeping away the most resolute opponents in one wave, we'll force the remaining Great Luo to make a pragmatic choice between breaking even and barely holding on……"

"Thus!"

"Great things can be accomplished!"

"But……"

"When facing the Nether River, fattened and wild‑hearted at that time……what should we do?"

The Emperor let out a long sigh, reflecting, 'One must have the intent to harm, but cannot lack the guard against others.'

These days, something called a 'teammate' is also a dangerous existence.

They're utterly useless, can't be moved dead or alive, making one want to vomit blood.

They're too greedy, always wanting more; after defeating the opponent, one still has to settle things with this teammate.

Even loyal subordinates are merely insufficient payment for betrayal……let alone a teammate?

Even blood brothers must settle accounts clearly.

What more of boon‑companions?

"Sigh……I overthought it."

Shao Yang suddenly gave a self‑mocking laugh.

"We must first control the situation, proceed step by step to that point, before we can talk about uneven spoils."

"In this process, if a mistake occurs……I'll be gone, and the Immortal Clan will be gone."

"If there's no loot, what's there to divide?"

"The Wu Clan and Demon Race leaders are easy to handle; I have like‑minded allies to throw off their rhythm, making the authorities confused."

"But there is one who, though in the game, yet steps half a pace outside the board, transcendent in identity and perspective……"

"The Heavenly Dao……Hongjun……"

The Emperor's eyes flashed with a hint of worry.

Hongjun!

The highest being, revered by the world as the Dao Ancestor.

In the eyes of all beings, this Dao Ancestor possesses the merit of saving the world.

When the Dragon‑Phoenix era was ending, the Demon Ancestor Rahu rampaged through Honghuang, a calamity of ages!

And yet at the most perilous moment……Hongjun, he stepped forward!

He held the Pangu Banner, stepped on the Supreme Ultimate Golden Bridge, wore the Jade Disc of Creation……just the three primordial supreme treasures, plus thousands of innate spiritual treasures surrounding him, fully displaying the 'opulent' ancestor's bearing!

Clad in that splendid gear, the Dao Ancestor quelled the demon calamity!

This is his most illustrious achievement!

Of course.

These are merely surface information, written for all beings to see.

——Just as innate divinity, all are models of morality.

Actually, whether morality is lofty or not……hard to say.

But hero‑like figures are indeed not few——especially those Great Adepts standing at the peak.

If one were truly naïve and innocent……unless there's a doting elder brother or dao‑companion behind, otherwise one would have been bled dry long ago; merely mixing into an ordinary Great Luo would be not bad.

Even a slight mistake could endanger one's life——Why do you look so like the innate spiritual treasure in my hand?

And so on.

Those divinities capable of becoming Great Adepts are all far from simple.

What more speaking of a Dao Ancestor!

Shao Yang Emperor, dare not slight him in the slightest.

"If we only measure scheming, I wouldn't fear him either."

Unfortunately, his strength gave his perspective too much of a boost…

The immortal clan's scheme might be partially seen through by him…

By that time, perhaps… I will be forcibly dragged out and killed, breaking the game in mid‑play?

That's not hard to do.

As long as a certain Dao Ancestor who refuses to reveal his name, in the Purple Cloud Palace, lists an account and specially "commends" someone for their outstanding contribution to Honghuang's peace, praising him as a natural-born leader of the immortals, supporting, encouraging, and even authorizing him to stand outside the witch and demon clans, granting him a renowned treasure… this will directly send him down the road of no return.

The originally planned "build high walls, delay proclaiming kings" scheme was instantly scrapped, and he was placed under a magnifying glass, being "granted" the qualification to rightfully rule Honghuang—a deadly qualification!

What should I do?

How can I, in such a possible situation, successfully reverse the disadvantage, expose part of the immortal clan's strategy, shift from open to covert, and gain space to breathe and develop?

The Emperor gazed at the heavens, blowing a cold wind all night.

Shaoyang has been thinking, strategically valuing the enemy, tactically valuing the enemy even more.

After all, he cannot afford to lose.

His opponent will never give a second chance.

Perhaps I have already understood…

When the morning sun rose, Emperor Shaoyang's face showed a smile.

"Purple Cloud Palace… holy seat…"

"It seems…"

"I should have my teammates act together in a grand play…"

"Let me think, whose name should go on the cast list?"

"Yuanshi?"

"Kunpeng?"

"Hongyun?"

"As for the script… the title could be 'Kind Deeds, Bad Outcome—The Tragic Life of a Great Good Person', or 'Yuanshi Bullies Kunpeng—Is This a Distortion of the Three Pure Ones' Divinity or a Loss of Morality?'"

"Mm…"

"Because of the Saint‑level administrator's authority, fierce clashes occur, and great divine ability wielders with mortal grudges over obstructing the Dao…"

"Who would dare imagine they'd actually be allies?"

Shaoyang's smile grew ever brighter.

"But… this still isn't enough."

"If we're going to act, let's do it thoroughly."

"Add Zhenyuan, add Minghe… what about their roles?"

"To avenge a close friend, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind… forget it, we're all old hands—I'll give a hint, they'll instantly cooperate tacitly, no need for me to worry."

"After the play ends, then offer me to heaven… in the eyes of the witch and demon clans, the immortal clan's affair should be considered settled, right?"

"Successfully fragment and hide behind enemy lines."

"Sea of Blood and Minghe develop in secret; Kunlun's Three Pure Ones covertly aid the Human Emperor."

"When the time comes, only see a wave of the arm—"

"Those who dare to use me as a heavenly sacrifice… all must come down to keep me company!"

"Just…"

The Emperor let out a soft sigh.

"Does it feel terrible to be offered to heaven?"

"I sincerely hope I won't have to resort to this backup plan… steady development is also wonderful!"

Shaoyang's rare sincere prayer.

But as soon as the prayer began, he stopped.

Who can he rely on?

No one can be relied upon.

"Ah… wasting feelings!"

"Better to rely on oneself than to ask others!"

"My life, Shaoyang, is the most inspirational!"

"He is a figure who struggled hard, rising from grassroots to the pinnacle… no matter how many enemies, what do I have to worry about?"

"Even if I lose this era, I can't not make a comeback in the next age!"

"Then I will record everyone who moved against me in this era in a little notebook… and settle scores one by one!"

……

As the saying goes, the good doesn't work, the bad does.

Sometimes, some things cannot stand being dwelt upon.

I don't know if Shaoyang has cultivated a divine ability that guarantees 100% prophecy fulfillment?

Or perhaps, in his concern for the evolution of the heavenly and earthly situation, a supreme being's attention surpasses his imagination.

Just as Shaoyang finished linking up and secretly gathered a few cards, someone twitched their nose—felt something off!

Although this feeling of unease flashed by, brief and swift, almost impossible to catch.

Yet a certain all‑time, worldwide‑attention supreme giant still grasped that flash of inspiration.

Not because his strategic layout surpasses Shaoyang tenfold or a hundredfold… but because of strength!

Overwhelming strength disparity!

As the saying goes, 'You rely on skill, I rely on cheats; no matter how you show off, I kill you in one strike'… how cruel a reality!

But if it's not cruel, how could it be called reality?

Only games talk about balance.

Reality never does.

Or put another way, this is a game that starts at purgatory difficulty.

Zixiao Palace.

This is the highest and most ancient hall of the entire Honghuang world, where three thousand Daluo once gathered, determining the future course of heaven and earth.

It resides in the most special region, the most transcendent interface, its shadow covering all past, present, and future spacetime, all worlds of the Myriad Heavens and all dimensions……

Through Zixiao Palace, one can cross different worlds, different spacetimes…… This is the ultimate ground of the Dao of the Honghuang world, the evolution of the source of the Heavenly Dao.

Likewise.

Those who can permanently reside here, aside from the revered and beloved Hongjun Daozu, there is no one else.

This is the highest honor.

Likewise, it is also the greatest responsibility.

Holding this position, one must plan its governance.

Then, what is the work of Hongjun Daozu, seated in Zixiao Palace where the source of the Heavenly Dao evolves?

Naturally, it is to assist in accomplishing what the Heavenly Dao ought to do!

Ensure the Honghuang universe operates long-term, not be tossed into chaos——constantly processing the endless feedback of cosmic rules, ensuring how the whole world develops smoothly and vibrantly, giving concrete, reasonable suggestions……

To whom should the suggestions be given?

Naturally, to the Heavenly Will!

Daluo!

Three thousand Daluo, three thousand Heavenly Wills, receiving the data fed back by the Heavenly Dao, summarizing objective laws, determining the future development path.

——Exactly.

The role the Heavenly Dao plays here is that of an ultimate data processor.

If we say Honghuang is a game, it is a game designed by the super designer—Pangu.

Then, the Daluo are the players.

The Heavenly Dao is the game's intelligence, responsible for constructing the main line, planning and maintenance work, striving to make the game sufficiently appealing to ensure long-term profitability.

It appears the Daluo have all the advantages.

But it's not entirely so.

After all, many times the players feel they are playing a game.

Actually, it is the game playing them.

The host and guest are reversed, only in an instant.

As Hongjun, the Daozu, wielding supreme authority over the Heavenly Dao in this era, he appears infinitely glorious——

Heaven knows how many times he secretly boosted his own drop rates, how many experience pills he popped, achieving the rank of number one on the game's power leaderboard, dominating the winds and clouds.

Highest level, divine gear fully equipped.

Alas, how much work does he secretly bear?

The Honghuang world is so vast.

How much information is fed back every moment?

In a day's twelve double-hours, even working overtime nonstop isn't enough; he must also automatically extend his own timeline, turning twelve double-hours into forty-eight, and simultaneously spawn 1.88 trillion small accounts to go online together for meticulous processing.

This is still normal circumstances.

——when no one is causing trouble.

If one day a few Daluo get drunk, their brains short-circuit, and they privately sum up——

How about we start a guild war?

The Heavenly Dao server would have to get busy, instantly spiking to peak operational load.

Hongjun Daozu, ever since he got involved in the work of the Heavenly Dao, hasn't had a few good days.

Look at his head full of silver threads……

How did this come about?

Appearance arises from the mind!

The fatigue accumulated in his mind reflects on his face, making him look aged.

The longer he stays in the position of overseer of the Heavenly Dao, the more he watches the saying "the Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Derivation is forty-nine, leaving one thread of vital chance," the tiny flame of anger in his eyes burns ever brighter.

"Wouldn't it be nice if everyone just stayed safe and sound?"

"Constantly throwing in variables, constantly stirring up vitality…… Do you know how many 'Heavenly Derivations' each thread of vitality pulls?"

"The dynamic data changes are increasing more and more; is this the rhythm that will wear me to death?"

"Each one only looking out for their own pleasure……"

"You're all happy, right?"

"Just wait and see!"

That's pretty much how it is.

At this moment, Hongjun wields the Jade Disc of Creation, feeling the sudden surge of variables that sprout and vanish abruptly, then suddenly disappear; ever vigilant, never daring to relax for a moment, he instantly becomes alert.

"This…… what has happened?"

"The Lich Great Tribulation…… at this critical moment, is there again some mischief?"

He extends a hand, grasping at the void to reset it, locking onto the variable, tracing the source of the anomaly.

But!

The first time, he messed up!

He didn't touch anything.

「Interesting…… So interesting。」

The Dao Ancestor gave a cold smile, then slowly rose from the cloud bed.

「This is playing a trick of deceiving heaven and crossing the sea right under my nose? 」

「But…… how many in the whole Honghuang can do this? Could there be as many as twenty? 」

「Who is it? 」

「What big move are you planning? 」

「All this sneaking around…… let me take a good look to see which one of you wants to give me a surprise!! 」

(End of chapter)