Chapter 253: and the translation of the chapter title (the line [1] without the number

253. Chapter 253: Investigating the pitiful schemer

Xifang Dalu, Jieyin and Zhunti, after the assembly, promptly returned to Mount Sumeru first.

But unlike the others, they did not enter seclusion together to contemplate the Primordial Purple Qi; instead, they first packed their belongings and moved their Dao Chang.

The Bodhi treasure tree was uprooted root and all, the bitter bamboo that the two had painstakingly hidden was also moved, and the Eight Treasures Pond on Mount Sumeru suffered the same fate; the once flourishing western essence land is now a desolate scene.

"Senior brother, I am unwilling; with just one document from the Heavenly Court, Mount Sumeru could be turned into a Primordial Chaos Dao battlefield."

"Although we are people of the Mystic Gate, having taken the Dao Ancestor as our teacher, we still cannot but follow and relocate."

"All our past painstaking accumulation and efforts have been destroyed in an instant; my junior brother's heart is bleeding!"

Zhunti wept without cease; since embarking on the Dao, the two brothers have painstakingly cultivated on Mount Sumeru, seeking a trace of primordial energy for the West.

For this they discarded worldly concerns, played with secular karma, and went begging in all directions of the East; the hardship involved is unknown to outsiders.

Yet now, because of a single document, everything is destroyed in an instant; the Bodhi treasure tree is relocated, damaging its source.

The relocation of the bitter bamboo grove also entails loss; moreover, not only that, many descendants of the propagated bitter bamboo, the six pure bamboo stalks, are broken.

The Eight Treasures Pond was taken, damaging the mountain's foundation; future output will inevitably decrease, and even just this loss renders the two's decades of hard work wasted.

Jieyin's face showed sorrow and grief; his heart likewise ached, but facing his junior brother's weeping, he could only comfort him, saying:

"Now the Heavenly Court is mighty; we cannot oppose it; our relocation is merely a delaying tactic."

"We need to preserve our useful selves, awaiting the time to overturn heaven and change the sun; when we attain Primordial Chaos sainthood, that will be the day we settle accounts with the Heavenly Court!"

Zhunti naturally knows this is Jieyin's consoling words, but regarding the Heavenly Court, they can do no more than that.

Suddenly, Zhunti spoke out resentfully:

"They target us and Xifang Dalu thus, showing such bias; how can they be the lords of heaven and earth?"

"Such conduct, let alone the outside world, will surely breed resentment in Xifang Dalu; those few in the Heavenly Court are not short-sighted, the West's potential should be evident, so why would they act thus?"

Jieyin stared blank for a moment, instantly thinking of the Wu Clan running rampant in Xifang Dalu, feeling that there must be some scheme involved.

"Junior brother, are you saying the Heavenly Court targets the West because of the Wu Clan? Is Xifang Dalu a predicament set up for them?"

The two immediately fell into deep thought, feeling that there might be something they could do about it.

Zhunti waved his hands in the air, constantly pulling; clumps of karmic threads tangled together appeared in his hands, of various colors, exceedingly complex.

Zhunti's hand movements were extremely fast; he untangled this knotted skein of karma threads, saw that the turmoil in the West seemed too smooth, and could not help saying: "There is definitely a scheme here; the great turmoil in the West must have the Heavenly Court's hidden hand—just as in this skein of karma, though I have not found the Heavenly Court's thread, among all under heaven only the Heavenly Court possesses such power."

Jieyin also nodded and said:

Exactly so; initially we offended Di Jun, but the resulting consequence was merely to first harm the West to supplement the primordial wilderness, and he also promised that there would certainly be compensation later.

But now they have placed the Wu Clan here, then left it unattended, allowing chaos to arise in Xifang Dalu, even intending to let it remain, letting the war escalate into a Grand Luo Mixed Primordial battlefield.

Xifang Dalu has been dissatisfied with the Heavenly Court since the beginning; therefore we allied with Dong Wanggong, hoping to rely on the Immortal Court and the ever‑changing situation to break free from the Heavenly Court's control.

This time the Immortal Court's only place that can bypass the Heavenly Court's main forces and contend with it, following the Heavenly Court's past style, even so it would not easily abandon the West.

Something must have changed in the process, and it concerns the Wu Clan; indeed the Wu Clan itself is this change. After the Heavenly Court noticed it, they went with the flow and placed it into Xifang Dalu.

The two began to think continuously, wondering when this change had appeared; both seemed to think of something, and they spoke in unison:

The change in the Heavenly Court's fortune back then!

What Jieyin and Zhunti thought of was that back then Di Jun promised Luo Hui forgiveness, and at that moment Luo Hui leaked the heavenly secrets, heaven sent down punishment, and the Heavenly Court's fortune was lost.

Yes, exactly this matter; the Heavenly Court paid some price, then noticed the Wu Clan as an abnormal factor, worried that changes might arise, and thus threw it into the West.

Jieyin muttered to himself, while Zhunti beside him responded:

Exactly so; they noticed the Wu Clan's abnormality, which might affect the Heavenly Court.

Furthermore, at that time Xifang Dalu's reactionary fervor was extremely intense, and all the ambitious figures turned their eyes there, so they went with the flow!

They deliberately moved the Wu Clan to the West, promised to hand over the West to them, and aside from high taxes, there were no other demands.

This both guaranteed the Heavenly Court's interests and prevented the West from falling into outsiders' hands, which would have affected its tax revenue.

"At the same time, Xifang Dalu was poor, and the Wu Clan had never engaged in production, relying mainly on hunting and fishing; they were confined to Xifang Dalu, not allowed to leave, in order to restrict their future." Jieyin also nodded to show his agreement with Zhunti's idea, and added: "Most importantly, neither those ambitious figures nor the Wu Clan could possibly abandon Xifang Dalu, and they would inevitably fight over it."

The Heavenly Court detached the West from its control, thereby able to shrink its own strength, strengthen control over the remaining three continents, and force those who opposed the Heavenly Court to join this whirlpool in the West.

Moreover, by abandoning Xifang Dalu, even the subsequent immigrant balance, the three categories, repairing the earth veins, all support could be halted, reducing huge expenses!

By this point, the two's eyes were already red; the Heavenly Court's action was to make Xifang Dalu into an arena for beasts.

Let those who oppose the Heavenly Court and the Wu Clan, whom the Heavenly Court sees as a variable, become vicious beasts in the arena, allowing both sides to slaughter each other at will, so that the Heavenly Court may profit as the fisherman.

Regardless of how much each side loses, the Heavenly Court is always the party that gains while sitting idle.

Such a method of treating one realm as a chessboard, a continent as a cage, and all beings as chess pieces made Jieyin and Zhunti feel somewhat startled and trembling.

'Senior brother, do we truly have to oppose such a terrifying force?'

'Or rather, if we can entangle the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan, can we bring down those heavenly emperors who treat beings as straw dogs, dragging them into the mortal realm?'

Faced with Zhunti's question, Jieyin at this moment undoubtedly had some hesitation, but eventually still spoke:

Both of us have been chosen by the primordial purple qi; future sages can stand shoulder to shoulder with the boundless Mixed Yuan Great Luo Golden Immortals, the most exalted beings under heaven.

Now it is only a minor predicament; how could we easily become discouraged? Once we become sages, no matter how vast the Heavenly Court, it will ultimately be nothing but mundane.

Jieyin's words were both comforting Zhunti and somewhat comforting himself, continually affirming himself and giving them confidence to oppose the Heavenly Court.

After Zhunti hesitated repeatedly, he still spoke up to ask:

Given that the Heavenly Court's power remains unchangeable, senior brother, if we two go to the Heavenly Court, admit our mistakes, and cooperate with its schemes, could Xifang Dalu still have hope?

Perhaps we just need to quickly fulfill the Heavenly Court's plans, letting the Wu Clan and the Immortal Court suffer mutual defeat, and even go further by dragging those forces opposing the Heavenly Court into it as well.

As long as we appear then to testify, after both sides suffer mutual defeat, giving the Heavenly Court a reason to end it, perhaps they will grant Xifang Dalu some compensation.

Senior brother, if we wait until we become sages, just when will that be? And can we really save Xifang Dalu?

You should know that the Heavenly Court also has a Nüwa; her relationship with the Dao Ancestor is much deeper than ours, and her status within the Mystic Gate is also considerably higher.

Moreover, the Three Pure Ones are on good terms with the Heavenly Court; we, being few against many, can we truly change the Heavenly Court's allegiance and save Xifang Dalu?

Zhunti spoke to this point, the whole person wept uncontrollably; at this moment he did not want any noodles, did not want to worry about propriety anymore, he only wanted to save Xifang Dalu.

Even if we submit to the Heavenly Court and are blamed by outsiders for betraying trust and abandoning righteousness, as long as the West can regain peace and restore its former prosperity.

He can endure and tolerate all of this; perhaps it is precisely because of his mindset that the bulk of the West's fortune will gather upon them.

Jieyin looked at Zhunti, who was weeping uncontrollably before him; the sorrowful expression on his face deepened, two tears tracing down his cheeks, and after a moment he said, "If this can succeed, we have relied on each other for so long; how could I, as your senior brother, let you bear this alone?"

Zhunti could no longer bear it; the two clutched their heads and burst into tears, and Zhunti cried out while weeping:

"Our lives are bitter; in our early years we gained spiritual awareness, yet we dared not reveal it before others, and we could only struggle to survive under the hands of Mozu Luohu."

"I trembled in the Bodhi Precious Tree; you struggled to survive in the Bitter Bamboo Grove, not daring to leak a trace of spiritual awareness."

"Even though we have kept each other company for a long time, we still dare not communicate or speak; occasionally when Luohu goes out, we also dare not reveal the slightest bit."

"Now that we have finally survived Luohu, how could such a domineering power have arisen in the world again!"

"We are nourished by the West's earthly qi, receiving its grace; we were originally merely a single spiritual root, yet we fortunately gained freedom, intending to repay its kindness, yet we have endured many trials."

""How could our lives be so bitter!""

Jieyin heard Zhunti's words, feeling sorrow well up from his heart; his words were filled with various sufferings, but faced with the weeping Zhunti, he could only offer comfort, saying:

""Rest assured, junior brother; it's only some hardship that will eventually pass—Xifang Dalu, as long as we two, with my efforts, will surely, surely return to peace.""

Even if Jieyin wanted to comfort, he himself was choking up in his words; their eyes brimmed with hot tears, yet they rarely showed it.

How do outsiders view them? The two of them do not wish to pay attention, but regarding Xifang Dalu, they have truly exerted their utmost effort.

It's a pity that the two of them are unaware of the schemes entwined around them, being not merely the Heavenly Court. (End of chapter)