Chapter 909: Chapter 164: Realm of Ultimate Power
Then...
He couldn’t help but snort, "Letting you kid escape a disaster."
Not only did he steal his idea, but also dared to pirate in front of him, truly intolerable, yet he had to endure it in the end.
"Once you inherit the Emperor’s position, let’s see if I still tolerate you," Witch Zhen snorted.
With Great Zhou’s current precarious situation, even inheriting the Emperor’s position wouldn’t make one comparable to the Supreme ones of past Emperors through sheer force. By then, it would be time for the original Great Venerable to come out and deal with this little brother.
"If you could inherit the realm of Great Zhou’s Grand Ancestor, there’s a chance you could directly reach the realm of the Supreme, but unfortunately, Great Zhou’s Grand Ancestor was not an recipient of the Emperor Dao Fruit."
As a figure who established a dynasty and even overpowered the Jiang family to become Emperor, Great Zhou’s Grand Ancestor was naturally a third grade, and at that level of the Supreme. The Battle of Yong Province back then was both an attempt by the Military God to ascend to Warlord and a ritual for Great Zhou’s Grand Ancestor to ascend to Yellow Emperor.
Such a figure, if he could also pass down his realm through the Emperor Dao Fruit, could certainly make the successive Emperors the true masters of the Divine Country.
Unfortunately, the Emperor Dao Fruit itself is only third grade, inherently impossible to be held by a third grade Supreme.
It remains unknown if Jiang Li, by absorbing the insights of successive Emperors, can truly reach the level of those Great Venerables and Daoist Lords.
Witch Zhen pondered for a while, thinking it best to leave this question for the Great Venerable to consider, after all, his current avatar can no longer defeat Jiang Li.
...
...
Meanwhile, the white-haired ape walking in the city paused, then continued moving as usual.
In his mind, the received information was being sorted and assembled into a Qian Trigram.
’This divination...’
After Jiang Li roughly understood it, he realized it was actually a kind of magic, a Sealing Technique.
And a Sealing Technique that can relate to the Great Venerable is highly likely to be the method to unlock the Emperor’s seal.
’Is this anticipating that I will personally undo the seal?’
Jiang Li initially thought it would be the hidden arrangement of Feng Manlou in the Divine Capital, leading the Eldest Prince, Second Prince, and others to unravel the seal, then letting Jiang Li clean up. But now, it seems this good brother was determined that Jiang Li would personally unravel it and release the Emperor with his own hands.
This move made Jiang Li’s prior arrangements lose their effectiveness.
Jiang Li had been guarding against Feng Manlou, even secretly having the Princess ready to occupy the seal when needed, to prevent Feng Manlou from invading again. As for the Eldest Prince and Second Prince, they were insignificant.
Jiang Li’s real concern was Feng Manlou.
But now Feng Manlou seemed to be taking a bystander’s approach, was he so confident in the adversaries Jiang Li was about to face, forcing Jiang Li to embrace the Emperor Dao Fruit?
Or was this a smokescreen?
At this juncture, the Great Venerable’s sudden interference made Jiang Li ponder deeply.
’This troublemaker!’ Jiang Li cursed silently in his heart.
It seemed like nothing was done, yet Jiang Li had to divert his attention, one could only say the Great Venerable was reaching a place where ’no moves surpass having moves’ in this troublemaking art.
As he grew agitated, Jiang Li also realized that the development of the situation brought forth another significant variable.
...
...
Under the same night sky illuminated by light, Gongsun Qingyue had returned to the Jiang’s Ancestral Land.
She released the remaining troops from the Human Species Bag, ordered them to set up camp, treat the wounded, and casually decimated some captured enemy soldiers, while she herself entered the Jiang’s Ancestral Land.
At this moment, in front of Lie Mountain Hall in the ancestral land, Daoist Guang Cheng and Mo Sect Master had arrived first. Yin Tulong stood solemnly in mid-air, brooding, while the Heavenly Charm True God still carried a faint smile, exhaling clouds and mists.
Beside them, Li Qinglian slightly closed her eyes, with Sword Qi flickering around her, seemingly contemplating the Sword Dao.
"Gentlemen, I’ve arrived late."
Though facing figures who could be considered seniors, Gongsun Qingyue showed no sign of humility and directly approached, displaying the Wordless Heavenly Scripture in her hand, saying: "Let’s skip the small talk, my junior brother has already made arrangements for the next steps."
The crowd, a bit displeased by Gongsun Qingyue’s demeanor, calmed down upon hearing that Jiang Li had a plan and turned their attention to the Wordless Heavenly Scripture.
The scripture radiated with brilliance, projecting an image of Jiang Li.
"Both the Awakened of Buddha Country and Karma Tathagata have reemerged. Although Manjusri intends to leverage the relationship between Karma Tathagata and the Awakened to refuse a return to Buddha Country, the prowess of that realm’s Chief cannot be underestimated. He must quickly establish a foothold in Yong Province and decide to press the advantage."
Jiang Li’s image spoke, "Manjusri, Guanyin, and Jiang family’s third grade will directly target the Jiang’s Ancestral Land. Meanwhile, Tan Wuwei will oversee Da Xing, ensuring stability in the rear, and prevent Daoist Guangyuan from rejoining the battlefield to attack Buddha Country’s forces from behind."
Jiang Li showed an impressive awareness of Buddha Country’s third grade movements, surprising the audience.
This Jiang Sikong is truly extraordinary, theoretically still supposed to be outside Great Zhou, yet startlingly aware of the enemy’s movements. Even Daoist Guang Cheng, who had sent Shen Hou to infiltrate, didn’t know Buddha Country’s plans.
However...
"Tan Wuwei’s divine skill of Reverse Knowledge of the Future makes her guarding the rear seem unsuitable," Mo Sect Master objected.
Tan Wuwei had just advanced, and by strength, she should rank lower among the Buddha Country Great Masters, yet her divine skill provided Buddha Country with a prophetic advantage in confrontations. Although it didn’t guarantee dominance, it at least prevented unexpected defeats.
Assigning Tan Wuwei to guard against Guangyuan ensured awareness of Guangyuan’s movements, but seemed somewhat wasteful.
"Indeed, it seems inappropriate."
Jiang Li’s image nodded, agreeing with Mo Sect Master’s view, without stubbornly clinging to the gathered intelligence. He said, "Tan Wuwei’s divine skill suits covert action. She will likely hide, observe, and strike like before."
Previously, it was Tan Wuwei’s sudden attack, her divine skill penetrating Jiang Li. Had it been anyone else, they might not have emerged unscathed.
"Therefore, I plan to have Mo Juzi head to Da Xing to assassinate Tan Wuwei."
Jiang Li revealed his plan.
"Assassination won’t work on her," Mo Xuankong stated.
Even the greatest assassin loses effectiveness without stealth, rendering assassination like a frontal assault.
Assassins excel when there’s a significant disparity in strength; if not, assassination remains superior.
As for Tan Wuwei, she undoubtedly is the nemesis of all assassins. Despite her recent advancement, her divine skill ensures she never falls victim to stealth.
"Though assassination is ineffective, it suffices to verify Tan Wuwei’s presence in Da Xing City," Jiang Li’s image explained, "If she secretly joins the battle, Mo Juzi can slay the mid-to-upper-level Buddha forces. Should she be at Da Xing, Mo Juzi’s existence will keep her fully defensive, unable to act recklessly."
Regardless of Tan Wuwei’s location, this move would hamper her effectiveness.
Without her divine foresight, Mo Xuankong alone could kill all fourth and fifth-rank individuals. Tan Wuwei’s impact on Buddha Country monks surpasses that of other third grades.
Jiang Li’s arrangement indeed employs Mo Xuankong, the assassin, most appropriately. This way, Manjusri and others would lose the warning "eyes."
Yet, there’s always give and take, with Mo Xuankong’s departure...
Daoist Guang Cheng smiled wryly, "Looks like this poor Daoist must face the masses alone."
There’s still the option of involving Daoist Guangyuan, if the enemy reveals their third grade forces, Yuxu Temple could ensure security, and Daoist Guangyuan could join the fray.
Even so, it’s still two against three.
"And there’s still me," Jiang Li’s image said calmly.
His Sun-shooting Bow was already eager for battle.
