Chapter 201: The Yang Scheme of the Central State, the Central Heaven Gate Opens!

With the still-terrified Jingxin, you retreated back to the last cave heaven where the teleportation array was located...

When in doubt, first grab a local to gather information!

You casually found the local cave heaven's master and began asking about Mount Buzhou; under your cultivation pressure, the master, as usual, smoothly knelt... He seems to often encounter this, after a while he's grown accustomed to playing low and staying small.

Since becoming the master of the cave heaven beneath Mount Buzhou, encountering a true immortal asking for directions is as routine as a daily meal; it's long since become numb...

"With such strong Pangu's residual might, how did the earlier true immortals enter the Central Heaven Gate?"

"As soon as you opened your mouth, the cave heaven's master answered fluently, beginning to speak without needing to think, as if having rehearsed countless times."

"So that the upper immortal may know, it's said that at first the residual might wasn't this strong, so back then true immortals could fly up..."

"But later the residual might mysteriously grew stronger; we don't know the reason, yet true immortals indeed can no longer fly up."

Hearing his answer, you frowned: "Did none of the true immortals before me enter the immortal realm?"

"Not exactly..."

Saying this, the cave heaven's master pointed to Mount Buzhou and said solemnly: "Every so often, the Central Heaven Gate turns blood‑red; then Pangu's residual might briefly weakens, allowing true immortals to hurry up the mountain and enter the gate!"

Huh?

It weakens every so often? The Central Heaven Gate turns blood‑red?

The more you listened, the more confused you became: "What strange rule is this? Why does the Central Heaven Gate turn red? Why does its turning red cause the residual might to weaken?"

Also, why is Mount Buzhou's Pangu residual might stronger than before? Residual might, residual...... Shouldn't this thing fade with time, not grow stronger? There's no reason for it to increase the longer it lingers...

With a string of questions, you pondered a moment, then decided to test with your Mysterious Immortal cultivation whether you could directly ascend the mountain—the residual might can suppress true immortals, but not necessarily a Mysterious Immortal.

Thus, under Jingxin's worried gaze, you approached Mount Buzhou...... As you drew near, the very residual might that had pressed Jingxin into a mortal gradually pressed down on you as well!

Your body shuddered; your Mysterious Immortal mana vanished without a trace, and your divine sense disappeared as well!

Not only your mana and divine sense, but even your flesh was affected by the residual might; your powerful body strangely turned into that of an ordinary mortal......

You were greatly shocked by this!

Mysterious Immortal mana and divine sense cannot withstand the residual might; you weren't especially surprised, having braced yourself, but that even your flesh was pressed into a mortal state exceeded your expectations......

As a cultivator of the Immortal Way, your three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit are evenly developed; your long‑tempered flesh is not weak, and relying on the body alone you could thrash an ordinary heavenly immortal! This is not due to mana, but because the flesh has undergone sublimation and transformation.

So how can the flesh be suppressed? What principle underlies Pangu's residual might?

The more you thought, the more muddled you became; however, your plan to forcefully break into the immortal realm using Mysterious Immortal cultivation came to naught, so you withdrew from the residual might's range, waiting for your cultivation to gradually reappear while awaiting the so‑called moment when the Central Heaven Gate turns blood‑red......

Pangu's residual might?

Zhao Si thought carefully, opened the historical information from the previous two chapters, and tried to find a relevant description.

Unfortunately, he found no particularly useful information; in the chapters of Jiao Ming and the Three‑Number Little Bird, the so‑called Pangu residual might never appears.

In Jin Bing's chapter, however, there is some description: it says Mount Buzhou bears Pangu's residual might, so ordinary people find climbing it arduous, but the Wu Clan of Pangu bloodline can ascend easily; the Wu Clan is thus heavily exploited, being sent by the Heavenly Court to gather the mountain's heavenly treasures and earthly riches—this is a deliberate act of the Heavenly Court enslaving and oppressing the Wu Clan.

But even this still lacks a concrete description of Pangu's residual might.

From this, in the Wu‑Yao era on Mount Buzhou, Pangu's residual might was actually not strong, its influence limited, and certainly nowhere near as severe as it is in Xue Xiaohei's time!

"So, Pangu's residual might is actually gradually strengthening with the passage of time."

Zhao Si seemed to have an epiphany.

"As for the effect of the residual might...... I find it somewhat familiar."

With a vague recollection, Zhao Si turned to the passage in Jin Bing's final battle against Emperor Jiang.

Emperor Jiang used the essence‑blood of the other eleven ancestral witches as a guide, then called the Heavenly Dao to demand inheritance and borrowed its power to smelt Mount Buzhou.

Although the smelting process was forcibly interrupted by Jin Bing, Emperor Jiang was essentially a "little Pangu", and at that time he also surged heavenward with great force!

At that time his body was encircled by a layer of "Pangu divine power" capable of breaking myriad laws; Jin Bing's Calm Sea Pearl was directly shattered into glass marbles, and even the Seven Treasure Marvelous Tree, a sage's supreme treasure, nearly couldn't withstand it—one punch knocked it askew......

"Pangu divine power can break all laws with a single force; the Calm Sea Pearl shattered into glass marbles...... Pangu's residual might can also erase an immortal's cultivation, even suppress the flesh......"

Breaking laws?

Zhao Si narrowed his eyes:

"These two things, both related to Pangu, can destroy the 【Law】; the Calm Sea Pearl's water‑element principle counts as 【Law】, an immortal's mana and divine sense count as 【Law】, even a mighty body counts as 【Law】......"

"Although we don't know exactly how Pangu defines the 【Law】, this law‑destroying trait is undoubtedly Pangu's exclusive power...... Now Pangu's residual might is continually growing, even reaching a degree extremely similar to Emperor Jiang's Pangu divine power; does this perhaps indicate...... that Pangu is about to be resurrected?"

This is an astonishing hypothesis.

But upon further thought, it seems far‑fetched, because Pangu has in fact already been resurrected; from Jiao Ming and the Three‑Number Little Bird's experience we know that the Heavenly Dao is actually Pangu!

Although the Heavenly Dao in the original plot is a simpleton, He is merely foolish, not dead.

Already resurrected, what more is there to resurrect?

Zhao Si was puzzled by this, and then thought of something else:

"Also, the Central Heaven Gate's crimson glow...... again crimson, the last time that suspected Scarlet Cloud sage manifested his power as crimson qi, and now the Central Heaven Gate shows crimson again...... Could Scarlet Cloud be in the Thirty‑Three Heavens?"

What is he doing in there? Surely he isn't just creating spirit and various resources out of nothing to maintain the immortal realm's good life, right?

"The more I think, the more confused I get...... Better wait for Xue Xiaohei to go in and have a look before we say more."

Having heard the cave heaven's master's offhand answer, you and Jingxin still didn't grasp the principle, yet you decided to temporarily reside in the cave heaven, quietly awaiting the so‑called opportunity......

Only then did you notice that several hundred true immortals were already dwelling in this cave heaven, all of them waiting for the chance to enter the immortal realm.

You had no interest in idle chatter with them, after all they all follow the man‑eating heretical path...... Only Jingxin got along well with them, becoming familiar in just a few days, spending days discussing the Dao, chatting, touring mountains and playing in the water, having a great time......

Later he mysteriously found you and shared the information he had painstakingly gathered: from the words of these various immortals, he could confirm one thing.

"Just like the Western Wasteland, the other three wastelands are divided into orthodox and demonic paths, but regardless of which, they all cultivate by eating people!"

"Only the Central State is different, and it has never expanded outward this symbiotic model......"

He darkly speculated: "I believe the Central State is intentionally maintaining the hellish pattern of the Four Wastelands!"

"As for its purpose, it should be to use the miserable scenes of the Four Wastelands to frighten the Central State's mortals, so they won't refuse to surrender their souls, which would affect the Central State's revenue......"

You stared at him in astonishment; you never expected the seemingly carefree Jingxin to harbor such scheming—while appearing on good terms with the other immortals, he was actually using this to gather intelligence on the Four Wastelands.

【Furthermore, he also began to analyze Central Province's schemes……】

【You listened, your face showing a thoughtful expression: indeed, if Central Province merely wanted to bring benefits to mortals, they should have long expanded outward, rather than staying only in Central Province as they do now.】

【Central Province cultivators are very likely deliberately creating an internal-external disparity, using the dire straits of the Outer Wasteland to highlight the high happiness index of Central Province.】

【After all, the soul is eternal; if eaten, it would die completely, but if preserved, there might still be a chance for resurrection in the future……If there weren't a sufficiently strong contrast, would so many people really voluntarily give up the chance for resurrection and indulge in a lifetime of enjoyment?】

【In the hellish life, the mortals of the Outer Wasteland desperately wish for the Central Province model to save them; if Central Province were willing to expand, it would benefit both inside and out—Central Province could gain more spiritual energy, while the Outer Wasteland mortals would be spared the dire straits, a perfect win-win.】

【But the fact that Central Province could expand yet does not shows it is deliberately creating this situation: the Outer Wasteland mortals suffer dire straits, while Central Province's people enjoy happiness and health; fortunately we were born in Central Province, otherwise we would have endured that hellish life!】

【Under such a strong contrast, even if Central Province mortals are unwilling to sacrifice their souls for cultivators to eat, they must still agree to the terms, for if they refuse, the fate of the Four Wastelands mortals will be theirs……】

【This is an open scheme!】

【"If I'm not mistaken, Central Province cultivators should often describe the miserable scenes of the Four Wastelands to the mortals under their rule; when speaking of the Four Wastelands, it's inevitably 'the people cannot make a living,' and when speaking of Central Province, it's inevitably 'happiness and contentment.' Having received so many favors from the cultivators, offering up their souls as gratitude is, of course, a natural course of action……"】

【Jingxin Daoren analyzed Central Province's open scheme with great interest: this really means the kindness of Central Province can never be repaid……】

【You furrowed your brows but said nothing: neither praising nor condemning, for such is the way of the world; in the great backdrop of the Age of Dharma Decline, mortals being able to enjoy their blessings before death is already a fortune, and although Central Province may have intentional meddling, …… compared to the Outer Wasteland's heaven-defying hell, it is truly an earthly paradise.】

【"We are people of the Outer Wasteland; it's not appropriate for us to comment on this, after all, the Western Wasteland is still inferior to Central Province……"】

【You shook your head, ending this topic……】

【Thus, after waiting over a hundred years, the Central Heaven Gate on Mount Buzhou finally changed from white to a bloody red hue!】

【Bloody red like blood, radiantly bright, it illuminated the foot of the mountain as if it were an eerie realm……】

……

(End of Chapter)