Chapter 398: This Isn't About Money!

Once, the Phoenix was also one of the leading figures who dominated the primordial world of Honghuang.

Back then, when a hundred birds paid homage to the Phoenix, what a glorious sight it was!

One Great Luo after another guarded the vast power she had established.

Among them, the innate divinities taking avian form numbered no less than a hundred; they joined the divine dynasty she had built, venerating the Phoenix Clan as the royal line, as their own small entourage.

Vermilion Bird, Azure Luan, Mysterious Bird, Great Wind… there were far too many.

Even Qin Yuan and Shangyang, who while away their days in the Heavenly Court, were among them, holding high posts and enjoying great trust!

Indeed.

——Without this sufficient 'first pot of gold' to snowball, how could they have the capital to secure their positions as the Heavenly Court's Ten Yao Marshals in this era?

We are all Great Luo Supreme Emperors, all innate divinities—whose talent could possibly be lacking?!

All have reached the pinnacle, all perfect… even if they once had any flaws or regrets in cultivation, under the power of Great Luo they have long been made good.

The only thing that cannot be made up for is the industry they control that involves mortal beings, and the share it occupies in the world of Honghuang—this is the root of the contention over the Great Dao.

Without an industry, how can one practice one's own path?

Great Luo already stands at the peak of the Dao. Even Pangu, in fact, is a Great Luo.

As for basic knowledge reserves, everyone is on the same level, all meeting the requirement of literacy.

What truly separates the high from the low is the skill of using 'words' to summarize thoughts and write down concepts. This cannot be produced by shutting oneself away and tinkering; one must have ample practice, subduing each dissenting Great Luo opponent, winning their hearts and minds.

This requires an operational platform.

Therefore, usually speaking, the mighty figures who manage to stand out in the vast expanse of Honghuang had already made a great name for themselves in the earliest ages, carving out a rich slice from the era's feast, and have continued to operate it to this day.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches are no exception.

The Heavenly Court's Four Great Yao Sovereigns and Ten Yao Marshals are likewise.

Many of the big shots among them once kept company with the Dragon and Phoenix camp, being the charismatic figures of their time.

Regardless of what they thought in their hearts, upon meeting they would generally show respect to the Dragon Ancestor and the Phoenix Ancestor—after all, they were nominally the elders!

What a pity.

The Kunpeng has something to say——

Fortune turns like the wheel!

When the dragon plays in the shallows, the fish and shrimp frolic.

A plucked phoenix is no better than a chicken.

The times have changed!

The Dragon-Phoenix Great Calamity is over!

These days, are the Dragon clan and the Phoenix Clan already obsolete……? Not yet.

But the new stance has already replaced the old one.

So at this moment, facing the Phoenix's demand, the three Yao Marshals shook their heads like rattles, leaving afterimages, saying 'No, no!'

"Yuan Huang elder sister……" Shangyang's address was very affectionate, his eyes narrowed into crescents, "Just don't make things difficult for me."

"Today we cannot let you off; we must intercept you."

"Who let His Majesty Di Jun and His Majesty Taiyi personally take the field? In this situation…… do you think we are fit to put on an act?"

Shangyang spoke very bluntly.

They too have to be particular, after all the top commanders have all been dispatched, now locked in fierce battle with Nüwa, hoping to win a splendid little victory and seize the opening triumph in the Wu-Yao War.

"We can't let you go support Elder Sister Nüwa…… the basic rules of the game, we still have to obey, right?"

"Yuan Huang elder sister, you agree, don't you?"

Shangyang smiled, eyes narrowed.

"Support? What support? It doesn't exist! Nothing of the sort!" This time Yuan Huang shook his head vigorously, "When did I ever say I would go support Nüwa? Don't you all go making up wild guesses, eh!"

"I am merely a weak, pitiful, and helpless Phoenix…… because I was anxious to return home, I intended to take a shortcut."

"But I never thought of interfering with that battlefield."

"Could it be that the Heavenly Court has become this overbearing nowadays, blockading roads and cutting off traffic at a whim?"

The Phoenix, eager to turn the tables, appeared indignant and righteous, "This is too much! The Dao Ancestor has just united with the Dao not long ago, and the Heavenly Court's conduct has already turned awry—you let the Dao Ancestor's heavenly spirit…… uh, wait, that's not right, uh…… actually I didn't misspeak, it is indeed the heavenly spirit…"

"Cough, cough!" Yuan Huang gave a light cough, gathered his thoughts, "You let the Dao Ancestor's heavenly spirit—can it rest in peace?"

"I reckon he can." Qin Yuan the Great Sage replied, "Even if he doesn't want to rest in peace, we'll nail shut his coffin lid, giving him no room to move about."

This Yao Marshal is even more ruthless than the Phoenix, his words ten times sharper.

Many elementary and middle school Great Luos, watching and listening, fell silent as cicadas in winter, eyes on nose, nose on heart, daring not to utter even a word of opinion.

They simply dare not get dragged into this muddy affair.

At the same time, they cannot help but sigh—truly, the top-tier mighty ones are lawless and heaven-defying.

Before them was the spirit hall band, gongs and drums clamoring loudly.

Behind them came the bold and outspoken, all pretense discarded.

"Uh…… okay." The Phoenix let out a long sigh, "The Dao Ancestor's signboard no longer works…… after falling into the Zi Xiao Palace, it's impossible anymore to lift a hand, slap a slander charge on someone, then strike them dead with a palm—its deterrent power has greatly diminished."

"However, I myself still possess some measure of strength."

Yuan Huang asked with interest, "You three, are you really determined to block my divine carriage?"

"Seriously provoking the dignity of my Phoenix Clan?"

"Then I will undertake legitimate defense and launch unlimited counterattacks!"

"We respect the Phoenix Clan under the command of Divine Lord Yuan Huang ten thousandfold—for its indelible contributions to the development of the world of Honghuang." Yao Marshal Gui Che spoke at this moment, expression solemn, words very formulaic, "And our Heavenly Court is certainly not a self-aggrandizing, arrogant and overbearing force; we will not wantonly oppress our elders and heroes, and it is utterly impossible for us to block the divine carriage of Lord Yuan Huang, committing acts of roadblock robbery, provocation and troublemaking."

Yao Marshal Gui Che, dead serious, had prepared his buck-passing excuse to a T: "We are intercepting only the Wu Clan's ancestral witch Gou Mang."

"……" Yuan Huang blinked, looked down at himself, then lifted his gaze again to the opposite side, "You're intercepting Gou Mang—what does that have to do with me, Yuan Huang?!"

"Yuanhuang elder sister," Shangyang glanced at her, "don't try to fool us."

"Our eyes aren't blind."

"As for what building material the Wu Clan's Jumang Ancestral Wu's sleeping palace is made of, we couldn't be clearer."

"They call it the Jumang Palace, but it's actually the Paulownia Hall!"

Shangyang sighed, "Paulownia, I'm too familiar with it."

"Back when you started your business, Elder Sister Yuanhuang, wasn't it right under a paulownia tree?"

"You even took this innate spiritual root as startup capital, occasionally plucking some branches, leaves, flowers and fruits to give as wages and bonuses to your subordinates… This is practically your lifeline, guarded more strictly than anyone else."

"Then the problem came."

"Despite your tight defenses, Jumang Ancestral Wu still managed to snatch away such a huge piece of paulownia wood… Tsk, we can't look too deeply into it!"

"Could it be that Jumang Ancestral Wu is a peerless powerhouse like August Emperor Majesty? With a swing of his axe he struck the paulownia tree, forcing you to endure it out of sheer power disparity?"

Shangyang the Great Sage chuckled.

"This, I think I can explain," Fenghuang said with a bitter face, "Let me make up… uh, I mean recall the reason."

"No need," Qinyuan the Great Sage smiled faintly, "Regardless of the reason."

"Elder Sister Yuanhuang, whether you admit it or not."

"Anyway, from now on the three of us will collectively come down with an eye ailment."

"Suffering vision impairment and visual distortion, we mistook Elder Sister Yuanhuang for the Wu Clan's Jumang Ancestral Wu, and, due to the mission orders from our superiors Di Jun and Taiyi Majesties, we intercepted and attacked."

"Afterward, our eye ailment will heal on its own, we will realize the absurd mistake happening now, and feel deep regret."

"So, we brought precious gifts and condolences, ascended Phoenix Resting Mountain, and sincerely expressed our repentance."

Qinyuan recited the script with rising and falling tones, clearly telling Yuanhuang what they would do.

"Doing this, you not only have eye problems, but ear problems too… Mentally, you're even more messed up." Fenghuang rolled her eyes, "You might as well follow the story and just go berserk, suddenly go mad!"

"We originally planned to do that too," Shangyang said with a look of deep agreement, "But after thinking it over— it's not appropriate!"

"There's already a demon-possessed Kui ox up front, gone mad and swinging at people randomly, even in broad daylight."

"If we go 'sick' again, what then?"

"Probably by tomorrow, the Heavenly Court's reputation will be hard to salvage."

"The uninformed might even think our Heavenly Court is a mental asylum… How bad is that?" Shangyang spread his hands.

"Actually, there's nothing really appropriate or inappropriate," Qinyuan sighed lightly, "As long as the approach is wild, nothing can't be brushed past."

"After all, if anyone really questions it, we can just say— sudden madness, important Heavenly Court officials going berserk, it's all because of usual work pressure being too high!"

"Worrying for heaven and earth, worrying for the myriad beings…" Qinyuan's face showed a hint of holiness, "Working day and night, twelve double-hours a day, the Heavenly Court's yao gods work overtime to twelve hundred double-hours, constantly teetering on the brink of sudden death, thus accumulating immense mental pressure."

"Sensitive, quick-tempered, poor mental resilience… That's exactly why, under the evil methods of the demon ancestor Rahu, problems arise and they go berserk."

"Even so, when Heavenly Court officials become high-risk occupations, we yao gods and yao marshals still refuse to lay down our burdens, striving to contribute to the human cause, hoping to die at our posts!"

Having said that, Qinyuan let out a "pfft" laugh, "Fenghuang elder sister, see? Isn't this already settled?"

"It's just that this is ultimately exaggerated; fooling the common folk is fine, but the Heavenly Court's appearance looks rather ugly." Shangyang echoed in unison, "Always being mental patients and temporary workers isn't good either."

"Or we could change the reason—let us few take the blame for the Heavenly Court, make a small sacrifice… Afterwards we package it, having suffered an eye ailment yet still holding the battlefield, and a good image will be established."

"Shangyang, Qinyuan, you've learned to be corrupt!" Yuanhuang stared, somewhat dumbfounded, "In the current Heavenly Court, you've actually become so slick?!"

"What are we? Actually the slickest is none other than Elder Sister Nüwa…" Shangyang muttered, "and August Emperor Majesty."

"These two often take leave in the Heavenly Court, they're the source of many improper practices. Moreover, the most interesting part is that each of their leave requests has a different specific reason."

"We've recorded this: August Emperor Majesty has submitted leave requests over 179,000 times just to avoid work…"

"Sick, injured, lost… This looks unreliable."

"Elder Sister Nüwa is even more outrageous!"

"She always says that in her kitchen there are all kinds of suddenly appearing injured small animals, urgently needing her surgical treatment, to carry out rescue…"

"Yesterday it was a danshen dog, today it's swapped for a krypton goose…" Qinyuan added on the side, "She says it's always because her medical skill isn't refined; treating and treating, she ends up killing the little animals, thus she's heartbroken to the extreme, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, unable to muster the spirit to make up work…"

"You don't need to keep talking about Nüwa's affairs… she lives on Phoenix Resting Mountain, I know it better than you." Yuanhuang muttered, "She cries in sorrow, then chokes down three big bowls while holding back tears. Occasionally there'll be an old geezer nearby, tapping his bowl to have her voluntarily add rice, doing the work a sister should do…"

"Cough!"

"A neither light nor heavy cough, like a thunderclap exploding, made the several female powerhouses who were facing off, their instincts triggered and gossip spirits stirred, sink in their minds, and the entire deities were dazed for a moment."

"I don't know which deity it was, but they weren't very satisfied with their gossip about family matters."

"When the several goddesses' consciousness cleared again, Yuanhuang blinked, also not wanting to stray further, she gazed clearly at the opposite side and let out a sigh."

"Really can't make way?"

"Work duty."

"I'll pay… tell me, how many tens of millions do you want? This seat lacks no money!"

"... We are loyal and devoted to the Heavenly Court."

"Several hundred million?"

"... Elder Sister Yuanhuang, we know you initially landed in the greatest treasure-rich land of all Honghuang—the Honghuang Heaven and Earth Bank—where you served as president, your authority so great that even Jieyin, who oversees the four departments in charge of finance, research, credit management, and defense, is far inferior to you… but this isn't a matter of money!"

"Several tens of billions?"

"Ah this?! We need to discuss… after all, everything in this world is possible; we believe with our wisdom we can certainly find a win-win solution…"

"Good."

Yuanhuang took human form, draped in rosy robes, wearing sunglasses, "You've made a correct choice…"

"Cough cough cough!"

Fenghuang's words weren't finished before she was interrupted again.

The Heavenly Court's Donghuang, this demon monarch who is currently assisting and strategizing for Di Jun, is now coughing wildly.

This seems to be hinting to certain people, pay attention to your current position, don't be knocked down by the enemy's sugar-coated shells!

"Ah!"

Shangyang, Qinyuan, and Guiche all sighed.

Looks like we won't make a fortune this time.

Yeah, Taiyi is watching so closely, right under our noses—it's really hard to handle.

Besides, our virtue is noble; we cannot be addicted to wealth and honor... In the end, moral integrity ultimately outweighs the desire for luck and merit.

Unless our skills are lacking.

Otherwise, Yuanhuang won't even think of getting past our defenses!

The three Yao Marshals, exchanging words, fully displayed their mettle.

Upon hearing this, Yuanhuang's eyes lit up.

(End of chapter)