Chapter 277: with translation of chapter title

277. Chapter 277: Luo Hou sealed, heaven and earth greatly changed.

The conflict on Xifang Dalu grew ever fiercer, but Qi did not care too much about it.

Everything proceeded within his plans; there were no unexpected changes, so naturally no further mental energy was needed.

What Qi valued most now was entertaining an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time, Yang Mei, and the companion accompanying him was beyond Qi's expectation.

Qi never imagined that Luo Hou, in Yang Mei's hands, could still retain his life.

Although Qi did not know what had happened between them, seeing Luo Hou's condition made clear why Yang Mei spared his life.

At this moment Luo Hou's spirit was inwardly gathered, returning to simplicity and truth—an aspect cultivators strive for—but it ran contrary to the divine.

Those who are divine and enlightened value light form and light qi, with spirit complete and qi full, manifesting without flaw.

If Luo Hou's bearing were that of an Immortal Dao practitioner before attaining immortality, it would naturally be flawless, but he is an innate divine being.

He originally possessed a flawless dao fruit, but now traces of artificial polishing have appeared, exposing a flaw; if he does not awaken, the Great Dao will come to a halt here.

Qi looked toward Yang Mei, but heard him laugh and say: 'Although this is my doing, it is also his own choice; cutting off the tail to seek survival, the form is imperfect, yet even with its deficiencies it is not without a good path.'

Upon hearing this, Qi understood: Luo Hou had long had no choice; he likely foresaw the present situation, and whether he can break through depends on himself later.

Qi did not want to say more on this; the ancient innate divine beings and their karmic entanglements were not something he wished to join, and he merely smiled: 'So it is; then I too will not take part. I do not know how long the great one will stay this time, but we can entertain him a bit more.'

Faced with Qi and the others' entreaties, Yang Mei merely smiled and refused: 'No, no; given my current realm, I cannot linger long in the wilderness, and to stay until today is already to have basked a little in Luo Hou's light.'

'These matters are settled; if we stay longer, I fear your Dao Lord will come knocking, and then a conflict will arise, needlessly creating trouble.'

Qi felt a bit regretful, but also knew the circumstances were different now; since he could not retain them, there was no need to pretend and disturb everyone's feelings.

Although Qi wished to meet Yang Mei again, since he was leaving, Qi could only bring out a jug of wine, his words filled with reluctance:

'Since the great one must leave, we, occupied with wilderness affairs, have little to see him off with—only this jug of muddy wine to casually express our lifelong friendship.'

'I only hope that in the future we may have the chance to drink and chat in the wilderness, as carefree and at ease as we were back at Cloud Dream Marsh.'

Yang Mei nodded slightly, smiling lightly, and said:

'What you seek is also what I seek; if the opportunity arises someday, there will be no objection.'

'When you previously sought me in Chaos, I knew what you asked for; the matter concerning Taiyi's life, I will guarantee.'

'But do you know that among the five of you, Nüwa possesses the deepest blessings; she is the most indispensable among the Heaven‑mandated sage fruition states, her Dao unsurpassed and irreplaceable. In the great calamity, her life will be safe.'

'If she can attain sage fruition before the great calamity, then Fuxi will at least be able to preserve his true spirit during the calamity.'

'That brat Di Jun, through karma exchange, you have already sought Hongjun; as for that scoundrel Taiyi, you have also entrusted him to me, and the two of them can preserve their vital spark in the great calamity.'

'But Qi, have you ever considered how you yourself will survive in this great calamity?'

'One must know that the situation faced by the protagonist of the great calamity and that of a mere participant are two different things; merely participating allows one to rely on calamity‑coping methods, but the protagonist must cope on his own.'

'What you have witnessed is not much, just like your personal experience of these two calamities. The divine reverse of the life‑death way fades, Luo Hou's methods are superb, he has many later moves, yet even so the Great Dao comes to a halt.'

'My fellow Daoists suffered even worse; being reduced to ashes in the great calamity would be bad enough, but their treasures all fell into Hongjun's hands, forging the foundation of the Mysterious Gate.'

'Do you really have such confidence that you can survive the great calamity unharmed?'

Yang Mei glanced at Qi, then shook his head and said:

'I see it as difficult; if you truly had such means, you would have joined the great war of the three clans early to earn merit, and there would be no need for my calamity‑coping method.'

Qi merely gave a bitter smile and said:

'How could there be a perfect, safe method in today's world? The great calamity is perilous, and certainly not easy to get through.'

'Great one, I won't hide it: I have some confidence in surviving this calamity, but I dare not claim I'll be unharmed; I merely have a few more methods than Nüwa and Fuxi.'

'Compared to myself, I am still more worried about Nüwa and Fuxi.'

'Di Jun entrusted Hongjun to the Dao Ancestor, Taiyi has the great one looking after him, and Qi has his own means.'

'What Qi worries about now is that the great calamity might erupt too early, before Nüwa has attained sage fruition, which would cause both of them to fall into the calamity.'

Yang Mei heard this, let out a long sigh, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness, and finally could only sigh:

'Enough, enough; I now somewhat regret having passed the Tai Huang method to Di Jun, for our bond is deep, and seeing you all flourish only makes me worry all the more.'

'But since your mind is made up, there is nothing else to be done; I must go.'

'As for the matter of Luo Hou that you and Hongjun spoke of, you need not concern yourselves further; he already follows me, and Hongjun has long known this, so sending him back to Chaos would be pointless.'

Qi nodded, just as he turned to look at Luo Hou on the side, he saw Yang Mei waving his horsetail whisk, countless willow branches dancing, directly binding and sealing Luo Hou in the Heaven of Divine Thunder.

Yang Mei then said: 'This fellow is utterly deceitful; the secrets we have shared are too many, leaving him here would inevitably be a disaster.'

'Killing him would be useless; better to keep him sealed, for after the great calamity the seal will lift on its own, which can be seen as venting a bit of spite for us.'

Qi naturally agreed, having no other opinion; Luo Hou, at heart, is not of one mind with the Heavenly Court.

Moreover, his scheming is too deep, his foundations too rich; Qi dare not truly trust him, so his being sealed is also a good thing.

Yang Mei reached out to take the wine jug, and together with Qi they bowed in salute, then transformed into a fleeing light and vanished.

Only after the fleeing light disappeared did Qi turn and leave, without informing Di Jun and the others that Yang Mei had come, merely acting as if nothing had happened.

Discussing the great calamity now would be premature; Qi merely made plans in advance, whether they will be usable is unknown, and since the retreat route has already been arranged, there is no need to speak of it and burden them—after all, as friends and companions, one need only think of their welfare; there is no need to worry about repayment, for if they knew, who knows what trouble they might stir, only disturbing the peace.

Qi gazed silently at the sky; though clearly separated from the heavenly realm, he seemed to already see the wilderness, a longing he had never felt before, hoping that Hongjun would soon unite with the Dao.

Since Hongjun does not unite with the Heavenly Dao, a great mountain forever presses upon the head of the Heavenly Court, leaving Qi and the others unable to act, able only to scheme in trivial matters to drive changes in the wilderness situation.

'Let us wait a while longer; this great mountain will eventually shift, and only then will the Heavenly Court have room to expand, allowing us to act freely.' Qi felt the Great Dao between heaven and earth growing ever clearer, as if it were already before his eyes, and he murmured to himself:

As long as Hongjun retains even a single day of freedom, all changes in the wilderness situation will remain under his control.

Whenever Qi and the others wish to act, they must first consider what Hongjun might think, just as with the previous Immortal Court.

Although Qi had long discussed this with Hongjun, and Hongjun had made his position clear early on, before the Immortal Dao had yet to flourish, the Heavenly Court still dared not act directly, and the reason is precisely this.

Before the other party's responsibilities are fulfilled, if the Heavenly Court wishes to act against him, it must take Hongjun into account—this is also why the Eastern King Duke initially acted recklessly.

Nevertheless, Qi and the others still employed means, driving him westward, which saved them considerable effort later and gained them much more time for peaceful development.

Until after parting with Yang Mei, twelve yuan-hui passed in an instant, and the wilderness changed beyond recognition in a short time.

The innate divine beings of the wilderness, the lord of Western Kunlun returning to join the Primordial Dao, the Three Pure Ones entering the Primordial Dao, the lord of the Sea of Blood, Ming He, entering the Primordial Dao, Zhunti entering the Primordial Dao…

Regarding the Heavenly Court, Kunpeng and Bai Ze entered the Primordial Chaos Dao; half of the Ten Great Generals entered to become Quasi-Sages; Qiming Changeng lightly split his three corpses into two, becoming a Quasi-Sage; Xihe and Changxi attained Quasi-Sage status.

As for the Immortal Court, it was even stronger, together with Dongwang Gong included, they altogether had fourteen Quasi-Sages.

Originally there were fifteen, but their fortune was poor; when they went out, they chanced upon three Ancestral Wu and were slain on the spot.

Among the twelve Ancestral Wu, half were comparable to the Primordial Chaos Dao, while the other half were no different from ordinary Quasi-Sages, even slightly superior, and they were especially strong in their physical bodies.

Meanwhile, the Immortal Way flourished greatly; almost every place of auspicious mountains and waters had a gathering of Taiyi Golden Immortals, and the Great Luo Dao Fruit could be seen everywhere, unlike before when it was hard to find.

Dao lectures prevailed, seekers of immortality and the Dao were everywhere; one need not travel far, and after a journey of a year or two, one could see minor lectures by Heavenly and Mystic Immortals.

If one were determined to travel far, within a thousand years they would at least encounter a lecture by a Golden Immortal, who would open the mountain gates and recruit disciples.

Those of outstanding talent could all enter its doors; if one's fortune and foundation were exceptionally good, one might even meet a Great Luo Golden Immortal, who would recruit inheritors of the Dao lineage.

In the past, cultivators, the innate deities mostly had lofty standards; even a bit of auspicious immortal herbs would not catch their eye, and vermilion fruits were considered merely thirst-quenching.

Now, however, it has become a boon for those newcomers just starting to seek the Dao; seeing them counts as a not-small opportunity.

Fortunately, there are many people of good conduct who never pluck them to extinction; most merely pick the fruit and leave the root, waiting for those who come after.

For a time, the Prosperity of the Profound Gate was unmatched under heaven, occupying almost all the fortune of the Primordial Wasteland, and the world's situation split into three.

The Heavenly Court occupied the Heavenly Realm and the starry skies; moreover, on the land of the Primordial Wasteland it held sway over the three continents of the southeast, north, and west, its long rule, its majesty and vastness, almost establishing its dominion over the Primordial Wasteland.

The Heavenly Realm was moreover regarded as the sacred land of the Primordial Wasteland, the holy ground most yearned for by cultivators.

The heavenly statutes and regulations were likewise like inviolable rules of cultivation, carved into the hearts of the beings of the Primordial Wasteland, establishing for them ethics, morality, and codes of conduct.

During this period, the Heavenly Court's loftiness and orthodoxy were also confirmed; on the southeastern, northern, and western continents, it established absolute rule and majesty.

As for Xifang Dalu, it seemed isolated from the world, out of step with the Primordial Wasteland, yet the reputations of the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan occasionally spread.

However, within those three continents, Xifang Dalu was actually a long-torn, polluted land; beings knew only that it was not a good place, extremely dangerous.

Moreover, those who frequently migrated from Xifang Dalu only affirmed the beings' understanding all the more.

The slaves fleeing the Wu Clan, and the ordinary folk under the Immortal Court's rule who were dissatisfied with the warfare, all used their personal experiences to confirm these rumors.

Naturally, this also made Xifang Dalu renowned as a major martial hub of the Primordial Wasteland, and the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan were regarded as the two strongest forces under the Heavenly Court in the Primordial Wasteland.

Moreover, thanks to the special nature of the Immortal Court's propagation of the Dao, it also enjoyed considerable good reputation in the three continents beyond the west, attracting many cultivators to go there and join the war against the Wu Clan.

However, in the recent couple of yuanhui, some changes have occurred; suddenly, rumors have spread throughout the Primordial Wasteland, directly pointing at the Immortal Court.

They believed that the Immortal Court's propagation efforts were meant to deceive the cultivators of Hongjun's remaining three continents, regarding them as cannon fodder to be thrown into the war.

With the connivance of interested parties, this spread widely throughout the Primordial Wasteland; as for this, Dongwang Gong, Jieyin, Zhunti and others nearly burst out in curses.

But they knew that the Heavenly Court's shadow was inevitably behind it, yet they could not readily blame it further, so they could only grit their teeth and endure.

At the same time, they continued to strengthen their propagation, hoping to attract more elites from the three continents to join the Immortal Court, thereby alleviating their pressure from the Wu Clan.

One must know that besides the Ancestral Wu, the Wu Clan's great shamans are also not easy to deal with.

Among the foremost few, such as Dayi, Xingtian, Chiyou, and Kua Fu, they are now comparable to Quasi-Sages.

Fortunately, in recent years the confrontation between the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan has eased considerably, after all, their prolonged war has drained too much energy, and now they have begun to gradually reach parity.

While they maintained the confrontation, they also intentionally limited its scale.

After all, there is only one Xifang Dalu; although it has recovered somewhat, wanting to sustain the struggle between the two great powers is still somewhat beyond their capacity.

The war spurred their strength to advance rapidly, but likewise limited their upper bound.

At least up to now, within the Immortal Court, aside from Dongwang Gong, no second person has yet appeared who has slain the second corpse.

Conversely, in the Heavenly Court, Qiming Changeng, Xihe, and Changxi have already slain the second corpse; likewise, some solitary innate deities in the Primordial Wasteland have done the same, and there are not a few who have slain the second corpse.

Faced with the Heavenly Court's gradually widening gap in strength, the two sides, amidst their struggle, seem to have faintly sprouted a hint of cooperation.

However, this phenomenon has only just begun to show, and even both sides have not yet realized it.

Even the Heavenly Court has not yet noticed this; but as soon as the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan show such a sign, they will surely incur the Heavenly Court's thunderbolt strike.

At this moment, the Immortal Court and the Wu Clan are even still arguing over the payment of taxes.

This is because the Wu Clan occupies half of Xifang Dalu, yet they must pay the full tax levied by the Heavenly Court, which they feel is unfair.

Moreover, the yearly increasing tax has already caused the Wu Clan to feel pressure; those who possess only half of Xifang Dalu have already begun to feel dissatisfied with this.

Even if they rely on enslaving the western beings, the yield they obtain still has a surplus. (End of chapter)