by <unknown>
"Surrender to the central dynasties, learn their culture and techniques, build up our own strength in secret, and wait for the internal conflicts of the central dynasties. Then, take the chance to rise and replace them!
"That's exactly what all the barbarian regimes did when they marched from the remote areas to the central plateaus in the history of the Ancient Sages Sector!
"When the Dark Cloud Prairies were under my lead, I was preparing to do the same, too!
"It appears that Big Bear has also done quite a good job with that, doesn't it? Hahahaha!
"In such a case, after realizing our capabilities and our current situation, why can't we do exactly the same and regard the Ancient Sages Sector as a 'barbarian regime' and the deities' realm as a 'central dynasty'? We will surrender to them temporarily and learn from them modestly, until we swallow all their essence and challenge them later!"
"Well—"
All the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were shocked by Meng Chixin's determination.
While other people were still shocked at the vastness, formidability, and mysteriousness of the deities' realm, Meng Chixin was already bold enough to consider challenging it!
He truly deserved to be a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator who had dominated the prairies a hundred years ago. He also deserved his nickname as the 'Wolf God', because he was a fearless and ferocious as a voracious wolf!
Chapter 1514: The Altruistic Traitors! |
"Excellent!"
Heaven Battering King Qi Changsheng had been the first one to jump to his feet, shouting to fight the deities. He was also the first to respond to Meng Chixin at that moment. The leader of the bandits scratched his head and laughed. "I was wrong just now. Senior Meng, you're right. In any case, as long as we preserve our strength and live on despite the humiliation, there will always be a chance to rise again!
"If this is just a false surrender, I don't think that it is entirely unnegotiable under appropriate terms. I surrendered many a time when I was hunted by the court's army and the b*stards from the world of Cultivators before. What's the big deal? It was just a means to an end! In the end, when I found the opportunity later, I still crushed those b*stards, didn't I? Hahahaha!"
Crack!
Biting the tobacco tube hard, Ba Xiaoyu glared at him. "Who are you calling b*stards?"
Qi Changsheng glanced at him and chuckled. "Those who hunted me before are the b*stards. Old beggar, you were never involved in the business between me and the main sects before. Why are you jumping up in such a hurry?"
Ba Xiaoyu sniffed. "Because I don't like hypocrisy! Your Heaven Battering Army first rose up based on the homeless peasants when you were under the tyranny and forced to do so. However, you committed as many crimes later after your force grew huge! Had it not been for the upcoming deities and devils and the great crisis that the Ancient Sages Sector is faced with, I would've chopped off your stupid head a long time ago!"
"Ha?" Qi Changsheng's eyes were glittering. He extended his head toward Ba Xiaoyu and slapped his neck hard with his palm. "Come on. Here. My great head is right here. Why don't you come and take it away?"
"You—" Flames of spiritual energy began surging out of Ba Xiaoyu's body immediately!
"Why are you stammering?" Qi Changsheng was not worried at all. He grinned hideously and said, "Didn't I committed many crimes? Do you have any idea what crimes are? Don't think that you are truly a beggar who understands the life of ordinary folk and their suffering after you put on dirty, ragged clothes and added a few ulcers to your body intentionally!
"Let's face it, Ba Xiaoyu. You are just an honorable aristocrat with quirks. Even though you can pretend to be a humble, devastated beggar, you are a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator deep to your bones! You will never feel the oppression, pain, and hatred that the real homeless peasants, beggars, and poor folk are enduring! Never!
"You have no idea what happened in the northwest in the past. You don't know how the unscrupulous officials and the scumbags among the Cultivators dealt with the Heaven Battering Army and our family!
"You are just a noble wearing the clothes of the poor who thinks that he is serving justice, yet you are talking about 'crimes' with the people who have really been suffering all this time? That's hilarious!
"What? Do you feel that it is a great and gratifying cause to help the weak when you hang around with the people, especially when the bullies don't recognize your formidability? Hehe. It's your own business if you prefer to play the role of a beggar. By all means! But don't swagger condescendingly in front of me because I know exactly what you're made of!
"If you are really capable, just overthrow all the officials and Cultivators who are exploiting the ordinary folks in the northwest and give us the justice that we deserve! Otherwise, get lost with your haughty, pretentious attitude, and don't mind how the poor people are going to save themselves and retaliate against the bullies who have oppressed us before!"
Ba Xiaoyu was rendered speechless before Qi Changsheng's sharp tongue. There was frustration on his face!
"Fellow Cultivators, let's all calm down for a moment. There's no need to quarrel." Master Bitter Cicada stood between the two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, separating them from each other. He pondered for a moment and said, "I believe that, despite all our differences and grudges, we share at least one thing in common—we hope for the happiness of the people and do not wish to see the destruction of the Ancient Sages Sector.
"If there is a way to relieve the Ancient Sages Sector of the torture of wars so that all ordinary folk can live in peace and prosperity, even if it is 'surrender', such a way is definitely worth considering, too.
"After all, just like Fellow Cultivator Wu and Fellow Cultivator Meng said, the extraterrestrial land is too vast, and the deities there are too formidable. Other than anything else, if they simply land two hundred Cloud Qin Gold Statues on the Ancient Sages Sector, how are we going to deal with them?"
Master Bitter Cicada's question was quite sharp. He depicted part of the capabilities of the deities' realm in a way that everybody could understand.
Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment, deep in thought.
It was indeed a good question. One Cloud Qin Gold Statue had already caused major trouble for them. The Cloud Qin Empire in the past had even claimed the entire world with only twelve Cloud Qin Gold Statues!
How many Cloud Qin Gold Statues were out there in the deities' realm? Presumably, at least one to two hundred!
What were they going to do if a hundred Cloud Qin Gold Statues landed on the Ancient Sages Sector?
"Whether we consider the surrender to be a necessary step so that we can challenge them later or sincerely surrender to a formidable force in the deities' realm in exchange for their protection in order to ensure the happiness of the common folk of the Ancient Sages Sector, both of which are viable options, there is one thing that is yet to be answered—"
Looking at Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun in the eyes, Master Bitter Cicada asked, "How can we be certain that they will be willing to accept our surrender?
"If the Ancient Sages Sector is but a grain of sand in their eyes and the Cultivators here are merely ants, they may not need our surrender at all. In such a case, aren't we fooling ourselves right now?"
"That's probably not the case!" Meng Chixin shook his head. "There's need to underestimate ourselves. Perhaps Wu Suiyun and I overstressed something just now, which misled you into thinking that we boast absolutely no way to fight back against the deities' truth. That's not necessarily true!
"This 'Deity Raincloud' here is our first clue. If we are just ants for the deities' realm, it should've been easy for her to stomp on us and kill us!
"However, Deity Raincloud and her subordinates seemed to count on the formidability of their weird armor and the Cloud Qin Gold Statue too much. If they are deprived of their armor and their Cloud Qin Gold Statue, they might not even be as good as you. What do you say, emperor?"
Emperor Phoenix lowered his head and replied dutifully, "Yes. When 'Deity Raincloud' taught me the arts of the deities' realm, I felt that while the deities' realm attached great importance to the power of the armor and magical equipment, their own Cultivation was not necessarily much higher than ours."
"That's right." Meng Chixin pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps the Ancient Sages Sector is incomparable to the deities' realm in terms of overall capabilities. For example, the Ancient Sages Sector only has two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators and three hundred Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, and the deities' realm may have hundreds of Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators and ten times more Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, which is quite likely.
"However, a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator is a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator wherever they are, and the same goes for a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. We, as the top-tier experts of the Ancient Sages Sector, can't be too weak even by the standards of the deities' realm. At the very least, we are of value to be exploited. Otherwise, Deity Raincloud wouldn't have hesitated to kill Han Baling, Qi Changsheng, and Wan Mingzhu at the cost of ending on bad terms with the emperor!"
Qi Zhongdao's eyes suddenly glittered. "Senior Meng, are you suggesting that Deity Raincloud is trying to take advantage of us and ask us to fight for her in the deities' realm?"
"Most likely!" Meng Chixin nodded. "It is not scary to be taken advantage of. As long as we are of value, we will be able to negotiate with them using our 'value'. Just like Qi Changsheng said, even if we surrender, we will still be able to reach a deal that is in our favor!
"As long as the reward is good enough, what's the big deal with being made use of? When the tribes on the Dark Cloud Prairies suffer natural disasters and all the livestock are killed in the freezing weather, it is a common practice for us to be hired by the sects and forces in the central plateaus and fight for the people of the central plateaus, isn't it?"
"In such a case…" Qi Zhongdao's eyes remained as sharp as before. They were not wavering at all even if he was faced with a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator. "Senior Meng, you have long been prepared to surrender. Then, why did you kill those people who surrendered to Deity Raincloud?"
Meng Chixin was amused. He casually replied, "Surrender and surrender can be different. It's true that I made the most sensible judgement after recognizing the vastness of the deities' realm and the formidability of the deities, which is that the Ancient Sages Sector does not have a second way out except to surrender to the deities' realm!
"However, the surrender that I have in mind is to submit the Ancient Sages Sector as an integrated whole. We will surrender together and negotiate the terms together so that we can fight for the best interests of our world!
"I dare not say that I'm utterly selfless, but I can swear to the infinite sea of stars over my head that I, Meng Chixin, have never placed the fate of the Ancient Sages Sector above my selfish interests, and I will never do so in the future!
"But those guys who surrendered to Deity Raincloud were different.
"Those selfish, shortsighted, and shameless scoundrels became dogs wagging their tails, begging for mercy, after Deity Raincloud tossed out some petty benefits. They would bite anyone they were asked to, even their comrades and siblings!
"They surrendered only for themselves. As long as they could gain the tiniest benefits from it, I have no doubt that they would sell the entire Ancient Sages Sector without blinking their eyes!
"Let me put it frankly. Our target right now is to sell the Ancient Sages Sector at a good price. However, those shameless scoundrels would only consider for their personal gains, and they would sell the Ancient Sages Sector cheaply at the first opportunity if they were kept alive!
"That's what Wu Suiyun and I said just now. United! We have to be united!
"Surrender can be an art, too. Such things often happened when the tribes on the prairies surrendered to the central dynasties—the central dynasties would buy part of the tribes over with some petty benefits and consider them the spies on the prairies before the central dynasties instigated trouble among the tribes, making them fight against each other and be divided and diminished together!
"Eventually, the central dynasties tamed the entire prairies with the least effort. But then, the tribes who had been bought over in the beginning would be useless and dealt with immediately!
"Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, I believe that such things are anything but unusual in the Southland of Sorcerers as well, right?"
Chapter 1515: Backgrounds of Deity Raincloud |
Li Yao's heart changed quickly between pounding and absolute stillness. Solemnly, he nodded and replied, "Exactly. Divide and conquer is the best play of the central dynasties. If all the barbarian tribes were united wholes, they would be a major headache for the central dynasties!"
"It's not just the barbarian tribes. The bandits are treated exactly the same way!" Qi Changsheng spat on the ground resentfully. "A few years back, the Heaven Battering Army was not the only force of homeless peasants in the northwest. There were also almost thirty different armies!
"At that time, I tried to talk sense into the leaders of those armies. It didn't matter if they surrendered to the court, but they had to make clear who they were exactly. Would the court ever sincerely trust us?
"Therefore, we must be united. Even if we had to surrender, we would only surrender for a decent price. Also, we must not attack each other even after we surrendered!
"The fine bows will be hidden after the birds are all shot down, and the hounds will be cooked after the cunning rabbits are caught. The court only accepted the surrender of some armies of homeless peasants because there were more armies of homeless peasants that they needed to deal with! If all the homeless peasants were annihilated, what could the people who surrendered in the beginning do?
"However, some of the leaders just wouldn't listen to me. Not a moment after the court had thrown a meatless, flavorless bone to them, they wagged their tails impatiently, begging for mercy. After their surrender was accepted, they immediately changed their banner and really thought that they were with the court. They went back and attacked the poor brothers whom they used to fight side by side with!
"That is what happened several years when the armies of homeless peasants fought each other brutally in the northwest. They nearly wiped out each other before the court was able to do so! Last winter, my Heaven Battering Army was crushed by those traitors, and even I could only hide in the caves like a rat!
"In the end, guess what? The bandit leaders, who attacked their companions in the past without any reserve, slowly lost all their subordinates during the fierce battles! They thought that they would be rewarded by the court for their contribution in annihilating the bandits, but they were all executed by the court for the crime of rebellion before I was killed! Hahahaha. Little emperor, was it your idea?"
Emperor Phoenix narrowed his eyes and coldly said, "They are unpardonable, insane criminals in the first place. They were only a means to an end. How could they ever be appointed as real officials of the court?"
"The southeast is exactly like the northwest!" shrieked 'Mother White Lotus' Wan Mingzhu. "There were traitors in the White Lotus Cult who sold the organization out and surrendered to the court just for petty benefits. However, those blind, gutless fools didn't gloat for long before they were thrown away like ragged clothes after all their value had been exploited! Their outcome was miserable!"
"Well said, everybody. They are the best examples to demonstrate how a community will fall apart when external enemies take advantage of our division!" Meng Chixin concluded. "Now, you should understand why we must kill those selfish, wavering, shameless weasels, right?
"To surrender or to fight a bloody battle, and which force to surrender to even if we decide to surrender… Such questions can be discussed slowly, and the final result, whatever it is, will be acceptable for everybody.
"But we
have to be united and face the deities' realm with a common stance no matter what!
"The Ancient Sages Sector can only have one voice. Nobody is to get in touch with the deities' realm surreptitiously and surrender for their own benefits with no regard of the big picture of the Ancient Sages Sector!
"If such traitors do appear, they shall be executed without delay!"
In the end, Meng Chixin was almost yelling. The magnificent killing intent of the 'Wolf God' swept across the entire room like a storm of daggers!
Including Li Yao, everybody felt that dozens of sabers were churning brutally inside their chests and heads. They could not help but tremble hard.
"Alright. The situation is basically clear to everybody right now. Let me summarize and see if we can reach the most basic consensus."
Wu Suiyun stood in the middle of Meng Chixin and the ten Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, slightly easing the atmosphere. She calmly said, "Firstly, regardless of your side and stance, and despite your past conflicts, I believe that you are willing to consider the big picture of the Ancient Sages Sector instead of only your personal interests, right?"
The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators looked at each other. Master Bitter Cicada was the first to nod. "If the Ancient Sages Sector can be safe and sound, I will not hesitate even if I have to be minced apart and confined to hell forever!"
The other Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, although not as benevolent as the monk, were certainly much better than the selfish scoundrels from the six major sects. They all nodded.
"Alright, since we are all considering the future of the Ancient Sages Sector, in order to save our world, we can resort to anything possible. Fight, surrender, schemes, betrayal… Even the most whimsical ideas should be up for discussions. We should have no concerns or be bound by any rule or law in the world. Do you concur with that?"
The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators pondered for a moment and all nodded one after another.
Saving the Ancient Sages Sector was of course the top priority. What rules could eclipse one's own world?