Chapter 448: Seizing the Kun Peng; Demon Court Crown Prince

That's not easy.

Fuxi chuckled, "Wanting to get hold of the editing and interpretation rights over text—where is that a simple matter?"

Laughing is laughing, fussing is fussing—don't treat the Kun Peng as a joke!

Does the Kun Peng not care about face?

He is now a proper and legitimate Demon Master!

Xihuang made a vague gesture toward heaven and earth, pointing to the Kun Peng Great Sage who is currently diligently pondering in the Beimu Sea, about to celebrate the holidays, and should launch what exquisite skin outfits on the gaming platform to make a small profit.

This Great Sage, currently belonging to the Demon Race, has merit that participates in creation, his strength is overwhelming—he can be said to shock heaven and earth, with hardly anyone daring not to fear him!

He has mastered the way of feng shui, roams the cosmos of xuanhuang, gallops across Honghuang heaven and earth, probes the realm of Taiyi, and marvelously transforms the mysteries of being and non-being.

Therefore, he was vetted by the Heavenly Court for his merits and granted the title and position of Demon Master!

—Which is equivalent to the head of the education system.

The Demon Race's writing, culture, and education are basically inseparable from him... His prestige is so great that the Daoist Heavenly Venerables and Buddhist Buddhas all must show him three parts of respect, being kept in check by him!

Of course.

Even as mighty as the Kun Peng Demon Master, he also has some nemeses.

After all, his clear amphibious nature—being a Kun in water and a Peng in the sky—has long been a prime target of keen gluttons.

There is a saying as proof——

In the Beimu Sea there is a fish, its name is Kun. The Kun is so big a pot can't stew it. When transformed into a bird, its name is Peng. The Peng is so big it needs two grills, one secret recipe, one mildly spicy……

This is a folk song that has been spread across heaven and earth since who knows when.

It lets the Kun Peng Great Sage clearly know that Honghuang is so vast; when he, Kun Kun, goes out, he must learn to protect himself, avoid fights, avoid trouble.

Otherwise, after just fighting someone, he'd be badly injured, dropping fish heads, wings, and such.

After the battle, does he plan to retrieve them?

That's not even worth thinking about.

As for this, those great divine beings who know the inside story all find it laughable and tears.

But no matter how the Kun Peng Great Sage's Kun-life situation is, full of slapstick comedy, he is still a formidable character not to be lightly insulted!

Not to mention his own efforts.

"The ability of Kun Kun and Peng Peng to grow big proves the Kun Peng's capabilities; he is indeed a top-tier figure in Honghuang heaven and earth."

Moreover, with years of "skin and meat" business, at critical moments he can surely summon reinforcements—that glutton is very trustworthy!

Thus, Fuxi's solemn reminder to Báizé came about.

Kun Peng... is not easy to deal with!

"He serves in the Heavenly Court, entrusted with an important mission by Di Jun."

"In terms of pulling strings and connections, there are certainly people in the Wu Clan."

"In a certain sense, he truly eats from both the Wu and Demon sides."

Fuxi sighed, "No matter which side wins in the end, the Kun Peng can have a complete outcome."

"In the great calamity, anyone could drop dead suddenly... but him?"

"As long as his head doesn't get hot and he isn't impulsive, he can probably muddle through the whole situation."

"If the Heavenly Court wins, he can tag along and coast to victory... but if the Heavenly Court's momentum is gone?"

"Lead the way in fleeing to become a quisling, or even actively click to surrender?" Báizé's mouth twitched.

"How can you say that?" Fuxi laughed heartily, "At that point the situation will be clear... how could his actions still be called quisling?"

"We should put it nicely—this is called welcoming the royal army!"

No problem.

The victor is king, the loser is bandit.

The victorious side's army is naturally the royal army.

Regardless of whatever supposed orthodoxy and righteousness before—after the dynastic change, why still cling to the former dynasty's good?

If the new ruler has magnanimity and confidence that he can rely on excellent institutions and systems to completely overwhelm the past, perhaps he'll laugh and not care about any lingering old-timers—when the tide is surging, why bother with a few ripples?

If the ruler is weak-spirited and narrow-minded, then he must absolutely exterminate the remnants of the former dynasty!

"At that time, the victorious Wu Clan will mostly not quibble with the Kun Peng, and will let him exit completely intact."

"……" Báizé shook his head speechlessly, his face showing utter helplessness.

"Unassuming as he may seem, this Kun Peng guy is anything but simple... the interests he holds can be gripped tightly." Fuxi smiled, "In this era, he has no hope of seizing Pangu's position, but he won't lose out either."

"Báizé, my old friend... do you want to intervene in the textual domain, then use this as a springboard to found a school?"

"But there are plenty of hurdles to overcome!"

"The first gate is enough to make you brash." Fuxi's eyes grew somewhat hazy, "Although I look at Kun Peng, he may not necessarily place much importance on absolute control of the text... his Pangu path might be to join forces with Nanhua Zhenren to create the virtual-reality realm of Wuwei."

"But chips—who would complain about having too many?"

"Especially substantial chips—those definitely need to be gripped tightly, waiting for the moment to sell at a sky‑high price."

"So, Báizé... you better prepare for massive losses!"

Fuxi said meaningfully, patting Báizé on the shoulder.

The Yao Marshal Báizé's cheek muscles twitched.

He casually flipped out his own Heaven‑Earth Bank account number and glanced at the balance.

Then he counted on his fingers, calculating possible future income.

After a while, Báizé's expression turned serious as he said, "If I don't want to suffer massive losses, can I rob him?"

Fuxi first stared, then laughed, then his expression changed again, and he spoke solemnly: "Not that serious, not that serious... how can you bring up the word 'rob' so casually?"

"That's not good!"

"Besides, Báizé, you're still a member of the Heavenly Court…… As a Heavenly Court worker, how can you hit a coworker with a blunt stick?"

"Such behavior lacking collective consciousness will be despised by the vast demon-god collective, eh…… Moreover, it will create a huge obstacle—the Heavenly Court now is thriving; where is there room for a troublemaker who breaks the rules?"

"As for defecting to the Wu Clan, that's pure nonsense…… Speaking of senior-level connections, Kunpeng will only have more than you, not less."

Fuxi put on a stern face, advising Comrade Báizé not to entertain wicked thoughts, to behave himself, and to reflect deeply.

"Laughing to the heavens as I walk out the door—are we not workers?" Báizé muttered, "My greatest ideal in work is to one day no longer have to work…… Saying the Heavenly Court is my home, speaking of collective honor—those are just lies to fool the lowly foot soldiers below; we high-ups all know what's really going on, don't we?"

"Loyalty? Doesn't exist, eh…… If it does, it's only because the price of betrayal isn't high enough…… If someone could get me a recommendation to Pangu, I could sell the Heavenly Court right now……"

"Too bad, no one can offer that price…… I can only rely on my own struggle, increase my own chances of obtaining Pangu."

"After finally seeing a glimmer of hope, I still hope that Daoist Kunpeng will behave himself and not ask for an exorbitant price……"

Báizé stroked his chin, his gaze deep, "Otherwise, if I'm pushed to the edge, it's not like I have no way to seize him……"

"There are connections and networks inside both the Heavenly Court and the Wu Clan…… So what?"

"On this era's chessboard, it seems only these two factions exist…… But in reality?"

"Who knows how many hidden players lurk behind the scenes, waiting to make small moves……"

Báizé's voice grew lower and lower, eventually fading to silence.

This Yao Marshal, a strategist of the Heavenly Court, seemed to have steadied his inner resolve, possessing the awareness to undertake great deeds.

Fuxi the Holy Sage's gaze was inscrutable—on one hand it seemed to lament the diverse hearts within the Heavenly Court, the troops being hard to lead; on the other it seemed like myriad bright stars, eager to try, fanning the flames, wielding the baton to direct the Great Calamity drama, with myriad gods and mortals dancing on stage.

"Comrade Báizé, you must absolutely not act recklessly……" With earnest, heartfelt advice, Fuxi muttered like an old mother, "Any slight misstep will bring you a calamity of bodily ruin."

"No matter how much you covet Kunpeng's person…… as a bargaining chip, you cannot force it."

"After all, Kunpeng is also under divine protection, having in past ages formed a karmic bond with Nüwa belonging to the Cauldron of Qiankun……"

"I know, I know……" Báizé chuckled, "I won't act recklessly, old friend—you needn't worry."

"By the way, what were we talking about earlier? Was it Di Jun becoming a father?" He stiffly changed the subject, not continuing on the topic of Pangu, which easily breeds contradiction.

"Alright, I believe with your intelligence you won't act recklessly in many matters." Fuxi sighed, then followed Báizé's line of thought: "According to my calculations, Xihe and Changxi are already showing pregnancy, so the time of bearing offspring is not far off."

"Yes, it's not far off." Speaking of this major affair of the Heavenly Court, Báizé became solemn: "These days I can sense that Di Jun seems to have begun making arrangements because of this."

"Within this, there are many details that, despite my years of experience weathering countless storms, I still cannot see through."

"This is highly unusual…… It makes me sense some cloudy, wave-like intrigue."

"You can't see through it either?" Fuxi raised his eyebrows.

"Yes……" Báizé's eyes flickered, "After all, I am also a strategist of the Heavenly Court, and due to the special nature of the Historian's post, I have high authority to inquire into human affairs…… How could ordinary movements escape my notice?"

"But it has happened now."

"This behind-the-scenes situation is very problematic!"

Báizé narrowed his eyes, "The only possibility capable of producing this outcome is involvement at the level of Taiyi."

"Only such a special Dao state, hovering between existence and non-existence, could cause my observations to have omissions and deviations."

"Di Jun himself is a Taiyi Daluo, as is Donghuang Taiyi…… Your observation encountering a problem is also normal." Fuxi comforted.

"No…… it's not that simple." Báizé shook his head, "They are indeed Taiyi, but having interacted with them for a long time, we have come to understand each other to some extent."

"They have variables, but I can still roughly estimate them. And now……" Báizé hesitated, then said uncertainly, "Many details appear the same as before, yet I always sense some very subtle changes, hard to put into words."

"The surface waves remain unchanged, but the undercurrents beneath have shifted—roughly that's the situation."

"I suspect Di Jun has made some deal with certain beings behind the scenes…… However, when I recently probed and questioned him, he flatly denied it, giving evasive excuses."

"That's why I say Di Jun this fellow's scheming and depth of mind have become too profound, giving off an air of being unfathomable."

Báizé sighed.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Fuxi chuckled, unimpressed, "As a qualified emperor, one must understand the principle of standing alone…… No one should be blindly trusted; one must have the quality of a player."

"Otherwise, if a major secret were leaked, causing the entire force to collapse in defeat, wouldn't that make one a great sinner?"

"What I worry about is whether leaking secrets is that simple?" Báizé rolled his eyes, "I fear that one day Di Jun will cease to act human, pack up the entire Heavenly Court and sell it off, dump it all into a pit, then laugh as he runs ashore, not paying a single cent of owed wages."

"Such things have happened before him—it's not as if there are no similar examples!"

"Hahaha……" Fuxi laughed loudly, yet said nothing in rebuttal or excuse.

"This is actually quite normal, you know……" The smile in Xihuang's eyes was thick, "Look…… you Heavenly Court high-ups, those top-tier great divine abilities, each of your lifelong dreams is not to toil forever as a worker; you all have lofty ambitions, wanting to go solo, to obtain Pangu, unwilling to be workers."

"Joining the Heavenly Court, one's thoughts are never pure—there are those accumulating entrepreneurial experience, those using organizational power to exclude dissenters and suppress competitors, and those relying on this platform to find like-minded collaborators……"

Do you think the one sitting on the throne wouldn't understand your thoughts? He too fought his way out of countless competitors.

"He understands very well…… he just doesn't want to expose it."

"If not exposed, there is operational space—using collective power to accomplish one's own affairs…… like dry tinder meeting a blazing fire, both sides instantly click."

"Until the moment everyone fulfills the shouted slogans, when it comes time to split the spoils…… that day will see who has the superior skill."

"You allies, the great scramble between you and the alliance leader…… will inevitably be staged."

"If not for Pangu, one remains a pawn in the game."

"So, you all need to be more careful…… either see the big picture clear, with advance and retreat having basis; or strive to become strong, strong enough that defeating you costs the enemy dearly."

"But becoming strong—how easy is that? Without taking some extra income, just going through the motions yields only that pace…… Still, discerning the big picture offers some clues." Fuxi sat calmly, "What do you think of Di Jun's frequent small moves—how does that matter?"

"His goal is so clear, laid out there—no matter how things change, he stays true to his essence."

"Look at how much concrete interest he has; work it backward and you'll have a good approximation."

"Also." Báizé chuckled sheepishly, "It was my momentary foolishness."

"Why bother managing how many slick maneuvers and positioning Di Jun has?"

"He is now the Heavenly Emperor of the Heavenly Court, and in the future will still contend for Pangu's position…… If we consider from these aspects……"

Báizé pondered slightly, then suddenly clapped his hands, "I've figured it out…… his child!"

"Fuxi, you say, will this Heavenly Court…… have a crown prince appear, wielding great authority?"

(End of chapter)