Chapter 245: The Black Bird Comes from the West Bearing a Heavenly Decree; The Tiger's Head and Snake's Tail Vanish Without a Trace

It's all that Jinghe Xiaoer's fault!

If not for his power masking things, how would I, this old ox, have only just now seen this person's appearance and temperament clearly? I nearly made a huge fool of myself~

This Green Bull Divine Venerable muttered to himself in his heart, his eyelids drooping to hide his embarrassment.

Heaven have mercy!

In truth, the shadow that person cast over him was simply too great!

Just now, in a moment of distraction, he had misjudged, and it truly made his heart tremble with fear for an instant~

After exchanging greetings with Fang Longye, this Green Bull Divine Venerable from Guanjiangkou shook his body, vibrating away the space-time forces that were encroaching from all around.

His entire body was suffused with a different kind of power, standing in opposition to the Dharma Realm space opened up by the Jinghe Dragon King, as he arrived before the Jinghe Dragon King.

He snatched the wine jar from the table, took a long drink, his eyes lit up, and he praised: "It's actually Hundred Flower Immortal Brew~ Good wine!"

He immediately let out a hiccup, found a seat for himself, and said to Fang Longye with a smile: "Young Master guessed correctly just now~"

"Among the various Immortals and Gods gathered in the capital of the Han Court now, those few leaders, whether Immortal or God, all have their own agendas."

"They claim they want to storm Chang'an City to seek revenge, but in reality, it's just a posture of forcing the palace!"

"Oh?"

"Judging by your tone, Big Water Buffalo, you feel that their schemes are unlikely to succeed~"

The Jinghe Dragon King did not mind the Green Bull Divine Venerable's boorish behavior at all; he only heard the disdain, even contempt, in the other's words regarding this current spectacle, and could not help but raise his brows and smile broadly.

"Hmph!" Seeing the Jinghe Dragon King calling him 'Big Water Buffalo' repeatedly, the Green Bull Divine Venerable was instantly incensed. He did not answer the question but let out a cold snort and said: "You little mud loach have made quite a lot of progress over these years~ In terms of strength, I, this old ox, am indeed no match for you, this little mud loach, these days."

"But when it comes to experience and discernment, I, this old ox, have fought a great battle against Yu Huang; you should go eat a few more eons' worth of salt before you talk!"

"Enough!" The Jinghe Dragon King waved his hand with a smile: "Isn't it just that you caught the coattails of the Huai River Great God Wuzhiqi and survived a few clashes against Yu Huang? Look at how smug you are, hanging it on your lips all day long~"

This Big Water Buffalo would brag about his 'great achievements' to anyone he met, shamelessly claiming that even Yu Huang could do nothing to him.

But who didn't know he loved to brag? Especially since he knew the Big Water Buffalo's background quite well, even if others might not be particularly clear about it~

His first battle in the Honghuang was back when he followed the Mother Goddess Yinglong to assist Yu Huang in controlling the floods, where he successfully escaped from this Big Water Buffalo while only having just entered the Golden Immortal realm.

You must know, that battle at the time caused many people's jaws to drop and instantly drew the attention of various Immortals and Gods.

After all, compared to the Taiyi realm, the gap between someone who has just entered the Golden Immortal realm and the Taiyi realm is countless times wider than a chasm.

It is a pity that after so many years, he himself is only one step away from the gate of the Great Luo.

This Big Water Buffalo, on the other hand, has become increasingly lackluster; he hasn't even reached Taiyi Golden Immortal, only progressing one stage and still spinning around at the Taiyi True Immortal level~

It has made his originally glorious debut record seem much dimmer.

The Jinghe Dragon King's words choked the Green Bull Divine Venerable until his face turned red, and he could not find a way to retort.

Fang Longye, who was watching the two Taiyi-level figures bickering from the side with ease, finding the rare scene incredibly amusing, could not help but offer a step down to the innate water buffalo before him: "Senior, are you trying to say—"

"That these behind-the-scenes masterminds with their own agendas have conflicting interests, and with such a lack of unity, even the best methods will be discounted?"

Hearing the meaning of this innate water buffalo, Fang Longye had mostly figured it out.

In fact, although there appeared to be so many Immortals and Gods, large and small, ninety-nine percent were just a rabble, forcibly organized by a few people behind the scenes.

This also matched his guess; if no one had come forward to organize them, relying on the spontaneous gathering of Immortals and Gods would be too unrealistic.

After all, it wasn't as if some treasure had appeared; they were here to risk their lives for real. Who would be so enthusiastic? To have such a massive crowd swarm in.

Hearing Fang Longye provide the words, the Green Bull Divine Venerable couldn't help but look at Fang Longye with great favor and said: "That is exactly what I mean. Not to mention that the demands of those on the Immortal Dao and those on the Divine Dao are inherently inconsistent."

"Even just among the few Divine Dao leaders I know of, they each harbor their own treacherous schemes against one another."

"Take that water ape brat, for example; he clearly follows the Heavenly Immortal Path, yet he relies on a Divine Dao avatar to stir up trouble here."

"It's very likely that he is being directed by the one behind him, wanting to find an opportunity to break the seal~"

"If the Divine Dao is like this, I imagine the Immortal Dao side is no better~"

Hearing the words 'water ape', Fang Longye could not help but associate it with the mother of the Yurong Wang, whose life was known as Shuiyuan Niangniang.

"I wonder who Senior is referring to? Is the person behind them the former Huai River Water God Wuzhiqi?"

Upon hearing this, the Green Bull Divine Venerable was stunned for a moment, then began to chuckle; he realized from this that Fang Longye was not a native of this continent, but a visitor from another continent.

It was just as well to supplement some common knowledge unique to Nanzhan Buzhou for him, which could be considered a good karmic connection.

Even the Jinghe Dragon King on the side wore a smile, clearly sharing the same thought.

And then—

The two of them, one after the other, began explaining the backgrounds of various figures and the categories of sects in Nanzhan Buzhou to Fang Longye.

……

Outside Chang'an City.

In a space located in the nether regions.

Divine Light swirled, filled with the resonant and melodious sounds of bells and chimes.

In the vast space, cloud light was frost-white, rosy colors permeated, and lotus flowers were in full bloom everywhere, fragrant and rich.

At the very center was an immortal mountain, with various auspicious lights and mists at its peak, surging up and down like rainbows or waterfalls.

Moving back and forth, appearing both illusory and real.

Looking closer, there were suspended pavilions and flying platforms of a thousand different forms floating and sinking in between.

Inside, some people were resting quietly on couches, enjoying reading scriptures, others were playing chess, content and happy, or practicing sword arts with sounds,... and so on, each different.

Yet everyone displayed a sense of utter boredom.

This was precisely the place where the group of Immortal Dao practitioners who had gathered to block the gates of Chang'an City were staying.

Unlike the Divine Dao practitioners who, due to incense and faith, always considered themselves supreme and everyone else a heretic, the Divine Dao practitioners gathered in Chang'an were scattered in small groups of three or five, making it difficult to assemble on a large scale.

Although the Immortal Dao practitioners also emphasized orthodoxy and sects, they also valued heritage and could seek common ground while reserving differences.

Therefore, the group of Immortal Dao practitioners who had gathered to block the gates of Chang'an City were all here together!

However, not much different from the Divine Dao camp, most of the immortal figures were only acting according to the summons of a few people at the top, and they knew nothing about the specific reasons or the schemes hidden within.

At the very peak of the immortal mountain, inside a magnificent main hall.

There were over a dozen figures sitting opposite one another.

Behind each of them, bright light soared into the heavens, shining brilliantly. There were those wreathed in Divine Light, transcendent and refined, and there were also those with divine might like a prison, a stern presence, vastly different from the former.

They were, shockingly, the behind-the-scenes organizers of both the immortal and divine factions, gathered and flowing together here.

"It seems our calculations were correct! The Human King is indeed already strong on the outside but weak on the inside, merely struggling to maintain appearances!"

The one who spoke these words was a Daoist wearing an Imperial Crown and draped in an ochre-yellow Dharma robe, sitting upright in the center of the main hall; the others, whether immortal or divine, all vaguely treated him with the utmost respect.

One could see he had a jade face and large ears, a towering stature, and held a Gilded Green Jade Ruyi in his hand; within his pupils, layers of the universe and the vast heavens and earth were reflected.

Just by sitting there quietly, with auspicious clouds swirling above his crown, he possessed a presence that faced the heavens and earth.

"Heh heh heh! This brat Liu Che is entirely to blame for his own predicament! Doesn't he want the Great Han National Fortune to be long-lasting? With us here, it's just wishful thinking!"

The one who took up the Daoist's words was a deity with a sinister expression. His hair bun was slightly flame-red, his features distinct, and there was a black-green vertical mark between his brows; his body was over a zhang tall, and at first glance, he gave one a feeling of immense oppression.

Especially behind him, there were seven halos of different colors, swaying and wobbling, looking quite bizarre.

Anyone who caught even a glimpse would know in their heart that this deity was absolutely a fierce, overbearing, and aggressive character, and that keeping a respectful distance was a must.

"Originally, with Dragon Qi on his person, minor backlash and Curses could not harm the Human King at all. But for the sake of the Great Han National Fortune and the vitality of the Human Race, he chose to bear all the backlash and Curses himself." "He is indeed worthy of his people. It is a pity that in this world, being selfless and worthy does not allow one to live long." A beautiful female Daoist in purple robes and a bright skirt took up the conversation.

Her gaze was profound as she looked toward Chang'an City, in the direction of Weiyang Palace, sneering repeatedly.

One could see purple and green swirling there, with Dragon Qi misting and layering, and then, in the dark, the sounds of the faith of ten thousand people arrived one after another.

Among them, there were officials sitting in government offices, scholars reading aloud, and commoners working at sunrise and resting at sunset... and so on, in a thousand different forms.

It looked as prosperous as ever, but if one looked closely, one would realize there was an indescribable sense of superficiality.

The foundation lacked a sense of weight and had lost its staying power.

It had nothing to do with the dynasty's National Fortune, but rather that the Human King himself had developed a problem.

"Isn't that so? The Human King clearly doesn't have long to live!"

"However—"

This female Daoist flicked her sleeve, causing the small green bells on her snow-white wrists to shake incessantly. The sound was slow and steady, as if substantial, crystal clear, and bright green, colliding with one another.

She was born with beauty that went to the bone, her voice was delicate yet carried a hint of coldness, and the sneer on her face grew even more intense as she mocked, "Friends of the Divine Dao, some of you are also indulging in wishful thinking~"

"You actually think of directly destroying the Great Han, returning to the ancient tribal era, and herding the common people?"

"Has your brain been addled by incense smoke? You dare to have such thoughts~ If you want to seek death, don't drag us into it!"

"Vile wench, you—"

The previously mentioned deity with the slightly flame-red hair bun and sinister expression was instantly enraged, slammed the table, and was about to act, but was tightly held back by the deity beside him.

"What? You dog, I've given you face~ This lady is right here, if you have the ability, come at me!"

This female Daoist also slammed the table and scolded delicately.

Heh~

Could it be that she was wrong? Still thinking of carving up the people of the Great Han and returning to the ancient tribal era to herd the common people?

Does one really think that those Human Race ancestors in Huoyundong would sit idly by while history is reversed like this? "Mingli Xianzi, Jinglong was indeed lacking in consideration, but that does not mean you can wantonly provoke the anger of our Divine Dao side~"

The one who spoke in rebuttal was a handsome youth with rare silver-white hair; the water vapor around him was very thick, like clouds and mist, making his face unclear.

"Heh~ Water Ape Great Sage, you are but a Golden Immortal, relying on the one behind you, I usually give you a bit of face and call you Water Ape Great Sage."

"As a result, you've been given an inch and now you dare to take a mile? How dare you speak to me like this?"

"When this lady is in a good mood, I call you Water Ape Great Sage. When I am in a bad mood, I call you a dead Monkey, and you still have to answer~"

This female Daoist sneered repeatedly, her beautiful eyes carrying a sharpness.

"You—"

Upon hearing this, the Water Ape Great Sage's eyes were filled with murderous intent. However, the fact was indeed as the female Daoist said; he, who appeared incomparably glorious to others, really was acting by relying on a backer.

He truly had no means to deal with a Taiyi Realm immortal like the female Daoist.

He could only remain speechless.

And the female Daoist's behavior of scolding whoever she caught instantly incited the public anger of almost everyone in the Divine Dao.

The sounds of scolding and denunciation echoed incessantly.

Yet, one would not have thought that this Mingli Xianzi was truly a heroic figure, who, with the strength of one person, debated against the crowd without falling behind.

There was simply no need for the group of immortal friends beside her to help much.

For a time, the atmosphere was like a meteor hitting the earth, booming and ringing.

A single spark would be enough to cause an immediate explosion.

"Enough!"

Just as the people present were about to stage a full-blown brawl, the Daoist sitting in the center of the main hall finally spoke to stop them.

It was like a profound Dao sound, echoing repeatedly, with layers of halos unfolding, instantly permeating the entire hall, warm and moist like jade.

Under the clear light, the tense and explosive atmosphere in the hall was swept away, leaving only cloud light and mysterious sounds weaving into a scroll.

After resolving the conflict, the Daoist tapped the Jade Ruyi and said, "Although Junior Sister has a fiery temper and speaks a bit harshly, what she says is not without reason."

"Mutual destruction is only a last resort. All we want is to seize their weakness and force them to concede and compromise. You all must admit this much!"

Seeing that someone still wanted to speak, he waved his Jade Ruyi and said, "Don't forget! It was you of the Divine Dao who came running to us for help."

The Daoist thought to himself, if it weren't for the need to have a legitimate reason and to use the names of the victims from the Divine Dao to intervene.

There wouldn't be all this trouble~ He hadn't noticed before that the people of the Divine Dao were so extreme, one by one, with every word and sentence being about revenge.

Dealing with people who were either idiots or lunatics was truly exhausting! "That's it! Either we withdraw now, or we do it according to our wishes~"

This Daoist sitting in the center of the main hall directly revealed his bottom line and said decisively.

For a moment, there was silence.

Clearly, although the people of the Divine Dao were extreme by nature, they were not completely brainless.

They knew well that in the current situation, the severely wounded Divine Dao faction truly lacked the confidence to lock horns with the Immortal Dao side.

"Since no one objects, let us end this gathering here! Go back and consider things clearly~"

Seeing this, the Daoist smiled with satisfaction; it was finally resolved. He swung the Jade Ruyi in his hand, signaling for the people of the Divine Dao to take their leave.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, his heart stirred, a premonition arose, and his expression changed drastically.

The others present, whether immortal or divine, had the same reaction, their expressions becoming extremely unsightly.

They saw that the void surrounding the entire Chang'an City.

Did not know when, was clustered with strange phenomena.

Purple Qi from the east rose in curling wisps, moving back and forth, condensing into water-like ripples, stirring up tidal torrents across the entire world, from north to south, from west to east, gathering more and more.

It almost covered the entire firmament visible to the naked eye.

Auspicious signs and floating colors descended from thin air, vast and scattered, with no visible shore, soaking into the boundless space-time.

Even the space where they were located was dyed into a glazed jade color.

Immediately, black dragons twisted and turned, colorful phoenixes fluttered, spirit consorts scattered flowers, and golden boys tossed incense, chanting profound scriptures as they floated through the air.

In the end, the sun, moon, and stars exhaled fragrance, eight melodies of flying incense played, and a multitude of wondrous flowers rained down like clouds.

A Black Bird appeared from the darkness, holding a Heavenly Edict in its beak, and dived into Weiyang Palace.

It circled the hall, chirping softly, flapping its wings, with no intention of leaving.

The Daoist's gaze turned to the Heavenly Edict held in the Black Bird's beak; five inches of empty space in the front, vermilion seals formed into talismans, and black ink characters on the back, naturally formed.

Heaven descended an edict, and the precious seal covered the top.

The various strange phenomena from before were actually all caused by this single Heavenly Edict.

Unbelievable.

"That's enough! No need to discuss anything further~ Everything from before has become useless effort." The Daoist waved his hand in low spirits and said, "Go back and prepare well!"

For with the Black Bird arriving with the Heavenly Edict in its beak, the Heavenly Secrets suddenly cleared, indicating that Xiwangmu Niangniang was about to descend to the mortal world to celebrate the Human King's birthday!

What this meant went without saying.

Whatever schemes these people had, they were all declared void.

A grand beginning with a weak ending, all of it dissipated at the start~ (End of chapter)