Chapter 341: Yinglong Sends a Message Regarding the Sworn Brotherhood; Desiring to Become the Leader of the Seven Great Sages

Beiju Luzhou.

The former location of the Yuanyang Sect.

The blue sky is clear, facing the bright moon in the void.

Pine-covered cliffs and flying pavilions stand tall, interspersed with precious trees and spiritual fungi; flowers bloom slowly, and cranes and deer wander to and fro.

The frost is of varying shades, like clear, accumulated snow.

Just as the saying goes, "A mountain need not be high; it is famous if there is an immortal. A river need not be deep; it is magical if there is a dragon."

Fang Longye is, after all, a Taiyi Loose Immortal now; having stayed here for a long time, Heavenly Luck and earthly Qi have come to him spontaneously, long since changing the environment of this place.

Although it has only been about ten years or so in total, and Fang Longye even left for a time in between to wander elsewhere, not staying here the whole time.

It still allowed the once-desolate location of the former Yuanyang Sect to regain its spiritual vitality.

Although it still cannot compare to the original full scene, it is, in any case, better than how it looked after being ravaged by those Heavenly Soldiers and Generals under Zhenwu.

At this moment, Fang Longye's true body is sitting upright on the branch of a large cypress, his eyes bright and piercing, staring at a piece of space-time in the nether, a smile on his face.

Just look at that piece of space-time in the nether,

the world transformed from the remains of the Honghu is clearly visible; it seems round yet not round, flat yet not flat, like a seed, and also like a giant egg, hard to describe.

Originally, this Middle Thousand World lay there quietly; although it was leaping and changing inside at every moment, it appeared quiet to the outside, and the surroundings had always been as calm as water.

But for some reason, the power of space-time all around bubbled out like boiling water, becoming restless.

Sensing the might radiating outward from the Honghu Realm, which was countless times more piercing than before, Fang Longye was not surprised, but instead began to laugh.

"It seems the war to conquer the heavens that my avatar stirred up inside was not without impact on you!"

It is true,

after this turn of events, not only have seven or eight out of ten living beings in the entire world perished, but as for the Golden Immortal existences at the very top, only a few stragglers remain.

To say it had no impact on the world at all would be pure nonsense; even ghosts wouldn't believe it~

Just look, accompanied by the piercing momentum,

visible patterns spread across the World Membrane, and a phantom of a Honghu emerged, with magnificent feathers and crimson-gold sharp claws, holding its head high.

The vast and peerless figure emerged, suspended in the air, wings spread, firmly protecting the Honghu Realm beneath, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws at the outside world, especially at Fang Longye.

Fierce, piercing, overbearing, and arrogant.

And... thick with bluffing~

It looks countless times more piercing than before, but this baring of fangs and brandishing of claws reveals a kind of weakness, no different from burying one's head in the sand.

If one had confidence, one would not be like this.

Just like before, only when Fang Longye stepped forward to provoke it would the Honghu Realm react; it would not actively bare its fangs and brandish its claws like this.

Of course, the World Will is not a living being and has no so-called self-awareness, only ignorant instinct.

But precisely because it is ignorant, this stress response based on instinct is so genuine and unadorned that one can see the truth at a glance.

Not only could it not bluff Fang Longye, but it instead confirmed the true state of this Middle Thousand World for him.

It can only be said that the World Will of the Middle Thousand World is still too ignorant, convinced that his avatar belongs to a "savior," and thus it will support it to the end.

It would rather risk falling into weakness and being eyed by evil enemies outside the realm than fail to cultivate a world guardian with unprecedented combat power.

For this, it even abandoned the series of "Innate Spirits" it had previously nurtured, choosing Fang Longye's avatar in a desperate gamble.

Unfortunately, one only walks down a path until it hits a dead end.

Of course, one cannot entirely blame the World Will of the Honghu Realm for its desperate gamble.

Facing the provocations of Fang Longye's true body from the outside from time to time, the Honghu Realm was desperate to cultivate a world guardian capable of contending with him.

It is just that shallow water cannot raise a True Dragon.

The Honghu Realm is only a Middle Thousand World; even if it is nearly a complete Middle Thousand World, its nutrients are still limited, and it can only choose one target to cultivate.

If not for the avatar Fang Longye snuck into the Honghu Realm, the most suitable choice would naturally have been that Chonghua Heavenly Emperor, the first Innate Spirit of the Honghu Realm.

But with the avatar Fang Longye meticulously refined, the ignorant World Will of the Honghu Realm naturally chose the Fang Longye avatar, which it saw as having greater potential.

Unfortunately, Heaven's favor was misplaced, and the whole game was lost.

Fang Longye withdrew his gaze and ignored the baring-fangs-and-brandishing-claws Honghu Realm; the outcome was already destined, and it was only a matter of time before he took this Middle Thousand World.

No, it should be said that it is not far off~

According to the flow of time, in a year or a year and a half at most, the avatar inside the Honghu Realm will be able to ascend to the position of Heavenly Emperor of this realm~

By then, it will be time for him and his avatar to work from the inside and outside to completely take over the Honghu Realm.

A moment later, he stood up and leaped down from the large cypress beneath him, his steps light, his mood excellent, and he even hummed a little tune.

He had calculated that after seizing the fortune of this Middle Thousand World of the Honghu Realm, his own Inner World could become a Middle Thousand World.

And at that time, with the world feeding back, his cultivation would naturally not remain stagnant; condensing the prototype of his own Great Dao and stepping into the ranks of Taiyi True Immortal was a certainty.

That is to say, in about a year or a year and a half, he would be able to leave the ranks of Taiyi Loose Immortal, step into the ranks of Taiyi True Immortal, and truly embark on the right path.

Naturally, he was happy!

Fang Longye returned to the flying pavilion and had just sat down, letting out a sigh of relief, when before he could do anything else, he saw brilliant divine light shooting out from the void not far away.

It was coming toward him.

In an instant, it entered the flying pavilion on the cliff and arrived before him, circling left and right, appearing like a mirror surface.

Then, the mirror surface unfolded like ripples on water, and a graceful and noble female immortal appeared upon it.

It was none other than Yinglong Laozu.

"Laozu~"

Fang Longye hurriedly stood up to salute.

Yinglong Laozu nodded; she sat upright on a Cloud Couch, holding a Jade Ruyi in her hand, with Dragon Qi flourishing atop her head, layer upon layer.

"You are quite sharp, actually planting a piece on that Monkey ahead of time; not bad, not bad!"

Yinglong Laozu spoke faintly, her voice calm; when mentioning Fang Longye's preemptive move, her tone did not change in the slightest, yet her words were full of praise.

After all, as the Young Lord who would eventually succeed her as the head of the Dragon Clan, he needed not only peerless strength but also unparalleled cunning and a deep mastery of schemes.

Not to mention being deep-minded, at the very least, one shouldn't be schemed against by others without even realizing it, right? A naive fool has no qualifications to lead the Dragon Clan.

Fang Longye rubbed his head and feigned a foolish smile:

"I didn't think that much at the time; I just saw that Kanyuan Mountain was nice and planned to open a branch residence there. I never expected to hit the mark by accident~"

Yinglong looked at him deeply, not bothering to dwell on his feigned ignorance, and said straightforwardly:

"Since you saw the extraordinariness of that Monkey and made arrangements in advance, then this benefit I fought for shall be given to you!"

Fang Longye's heart stirred, but he did not ask any questions, merely looking at Yinglong Laozu with eager eyes, acting cute and clever.

Although she knew Fang Longye was just acting cute and clever, Yinglong Laozu, as his elder, fell for it, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright! I won't keep you in suspense anymore~"

She smiled, waved the Jade Ruyi in her hand, and brilliant, flawless light bloomed, condensing into a cyan-white Jade Talisman, which she transmitted across the mirror light.

"The specific information is here; see for yourself! I won't disturb you anymore, cultivate well~"

Having said that, Yinglong Laozu cut the communication, and the mirror light dissipated like a furnace melting snow.

Sandalwood incense curled, and for a moment, all was silent.

Fang Longye did not hesitate; his Dharma power sank into the Jade Talisman to stir the information within. He only gave it a rough glance before his brows furrowed, though they smoothed out a moment later.

After pondering for a while,

Fang Longye dropped the Jade Talisman, exhaled a breath of Turbid Qi, and said half-happily and half-depressed: "So the brotherhood of the Seven Great Sages has such benefits? It's just that, I originally wanted to pose as a senior expert in front of the Monkey!"

"Now it seems that won't work~"

Looking at his previous arrangements, one could tell a thing or two. His original plan was to have Yuan Hong use his friendship with the Monkey to mix into the group of those swearing brotherhood.

The requirements weren't high; he didn't need to fight for a ranking—Yuan Hong couldn't fight for one anyway—just follow behind the Monkey as the eighth brother would do~ In this way, as the tide rises, the boat floats; if one of his subordinates could call Sun Wukong brother, then he, the Yuanlong Lord, would naturally gain face~

If he wasn't a senior expert, what was he? Regardless of how others saw it—at least in front of the Monkey, his identity as a senior expert would be solidified.

Unfortunately, that won't work now~

According to the information sent by Yinglong Laozu, the benefits brought by swearing brotherhood with that Monkey are far more than just the fame of being called a Great Sage later.

The most important point is the distribution of massive amounts of Merit and Luck.

However, this Merit and Luck does not come from that Monkey, Sun Wukong, but from the Brahma sect.

It is because the Monkey's origins are extraordinary; although his birth was largely created and pushed by the Brahma sect, it does not mean he belongs entirely to the Brahma sect.

And to ensure the Monkey's allegiance to the Brahma sect, the Brahma sect will pour massive amounts of Merit and Luck into him.

This Merit and Luck comes from the Brahma sect and naturally carries the karma of the Brahma sect; while strengthening the Monkey's foundation, it will also refine his essence, making him lean toward the Brahma sect.

As for the matter of the brotherhood, it is a benefit the Brahma sect is spitting out to various forces for the sake of its own great flourishing.

The other six sages, including Niu Mowang as in the original story, actually act as tools for various forces to receive this Merit and Luck~ Of course, they aren't working for free.

Even an emperor doesn't starve his soldiers!

The power-holders of various forces are all reasonable people; they wouldn't be like certain capitalists from his past life who make the horse run without letting it eat grass.

Not only will they be greatly rewarded for their efforts, but as tools, they can also intercept a portion of the Merit and Luck they carry for their own use.

Even,

there is no restriction on how much they can intercept.

This is only because this Merit and Luck comes from the Brahma sect and carries strong Brahma characteristics and heavy Brahma karma; as individuals, it is very difficult to resolve, and no matter what, they cannot bear too much.

Therefore, no forces have placed restrictions on this; when the time comes, they will let these tools who receive the Merit and Luck intercept it themselves.

As for how much they can intercept? It all depends on their own capacity~ This also conforms to the daily internal style of all the major forces in the Honghuang.

The capable rise, the mediocre fall.

Nepotism exists, and special care won't be lacking, but you cannot be an A Dou who cannot be propped up.

It is just like giving benefits to subordinates.

The benefit is already placed before you; how much you can take is none of my business, it all depends on your own ability.

If your ability is insufficient, you cannot blame others.

"That's fine too~"

Fang Longye ended his contemplation, his eyes flickering, and he thought to himself: "Although I can't pose as a senior expert, being sworn brothers with the Monkey is not bad either~"

This way, the possibility of Sun Wukong actively seeking his help on the Journey to the West in the future will likely be greater, and perhaps he can gain a few more portions of Merit and Luck.

After all,

a senior expert is not as close as a brother or friend. This is a principle that holds true across the Four Seas.

Come to think of it, he was only thinking about showing off before and had some deficiencies in this regard.

"However,"

Fang Longye's thoughts shifted, thinking of the sequence after the ranking of the Seven Great Sages in the original story, and his eyes darkened as he thought to himself: "No matter what, I must be the eldest!"

Thinking of this,

Fang Longye spread his large sleeves, rose from the Cloud Couch, and came to the window, seeing the jade rabbit rising in the west, its cold light shimmering, clear and bright.

He wants to be the eldest, not because of his previous conflict with Niu Mowang and the need to suppress the other party.

The key is his status.

As the Young Lord of the Dragon Clan, although it currently seems to be just a title without any real power, he still has the status he should have in the Honghuang.

If there are no major changes, I fear the candidates for the brotherhood with the Monkey will still be those recorded in the original Journey to the West.

Among them, although Peng Mowang's status is extraordinary, he is ultimately not revealed to the public, and his position within Beiming Palace has not been truly confirmed.

If one were to truly discuss it, he still cannot compare to his own prominence as the Young Lord of the Dragon Clan.

And aside from Peng Mowang,

no one else can truly compare to his background and status as the Young Lord of the Dragon Clan.

If a dignified Young Lord of the Dragon Clan were to swear an oath of brotherhood with someone, and yet still rank behind Niu Mowang, a mere ordinary member of the Shangqing Sect, who knows how many people would be gossiping and whispering behind his back!

These people would not care that he is young and has only practiced for a short time; they would only ignore this objective fact and instead mock the Dragon Clan for having no successors, claiming that a dignified Young Lord is not even as good as an ordinary member of the Shangqing Sect.

He himself does not care about the words of such mediocre people. After all, mediocre people make up the majority of the world.

But if this were to bring shame upon the Dragon Clan and affect his reputation within the Dragon Clan, especially if it affected the views of those Daluo in the Dragon Clan toward him, that would be bad.

It would easily affect his status in the Dragon Clan.

Besides this, there is another aspect that can be said to be closely related to his own safety.

That is, since he is considered by the great powers of the heavens to possess the legacy of Xihuang, only by being strong enough, stunning enough, and arrogant enough can he dispel the malice of these wolves.

Once he shows any sign of decline when facing those of the same realm, these wolves who have been watching from the sidelines will definitely attack him in a pack.

They would gnaw him until not even a scrap remains—this is truly not him worrying needlessly.

As for the thoughts and ideas of these lurkers, Fang Longye can now at least fathom them a little.

You possess the legacy of Xihuang, so how could you fail to be invincible among those of the same realm?

Are you even worthy of enjoying such a heaven-sent opportunity?

What? You say there is still a realm between a Taiyi Loose Immortal and a Taiyi Golden Immortal! That the two are as far apart as heaven and earth? Nonsense!

To Xihuang, who is a transcendent, the entire Taiyi realm is something artificially divided; although times have changed, how could you, who possess the legacy of Xihuang, not be able to defeat those in a higher realm? If others cannot do it, how could you, with the legacy of Xihuang, not be able to? It seems you have not obtained the true fortune within the legacy of Xihuang! Is it that Xihuang did not fully approve of you? Perhaps Xihuang did not leave any contingency plans to ensure your safety? Then I shall have to test it.

Hand it over! You—this is likely what some great powers would think after seeing him fall into some sort of decline.

Even if it is not considered a decline in others, it is already a decline when it comes to him.

There is no help for it; it is just that harsh.

As for hoping that these great powers, upon seeing his decline, would stop believing he possesses the legacy of Xihuang and instead suspect that they had misjudged him before—

Fang Longye had long ago abandoned this thought.

The more he experiences, the more he can feel the madness hidden in the hearts of those great figures, their madness for the realm of transcendence.

For example, whether it is Yinglong Laozu, the great immortal Zhenyuanzi, or the big shot Hongyun whom he has met, their care for him far exceeds the level of concern for a junior.

Is it not because he possesses the legacy of Xihuang? Even though he himself has not confirmed it.

It can only be said that if there were no Xihuang, a truly transcendent being, these figures standing at the very top of Honghuang would not be like this.

But Xihuang happened to transcend right before their eyes!

This is like humans on the Blue Planet seeing aliens—no, it should be said, seeing a god. It would be strange if they weren't crazy! How does that saying go?

Better to kill the wrong person than to let one go! Not to mention, these figures standing at the very top of Honghuang have always been self-centered and only believe in their own ideas; it is very difficult for them to be swayed.

As long as they confirm a certain possibility and are certain of it themselves, they will be unwavering.

Even if they were swayed and suspected they had misjudged him, he would be even worse off—perhaps even Yinglong Laozu would turn cold and heartless and strike at him.

To see if he truly possesses the legacy of Xihuang.

He can only display the stunning, peerless, and unreasonable strength that these great powers believe someone with the legacy of Xihuang should have.

Only then can he make them have some reservations.

I can only say, what the hell—"I hope I am just worrying needlessly!"

But he really does not dare to gamble.

(End of this chapter)