Chapter 393: Chapter 393: Overturning the Chessboard
Shen Fang never expected the other party to propose such conditions. As a court official like him, the mere mention of immortal fate made his heart stir, let alone ordinary people.
Who was the other party? She was a legitimate disciple who descended from the Lotus Cloud Sect, an inheritor of an immortal family’s legacy! The so-called Immortal Master was just a title. Whether she wanted that title or not did not affect the credibility of her words.
Not to mention, she had demonstrated the ability to "promote others."
This was far beyond what Immortal Master Jiang Ning, newly appointed by the King of Qi, could compare to.
"Uh... can everyone have it?" County Magistrate Tang, shocked, instinctively asked, "Immortal Master Lord, didn’t you say before... that such a convenient path to ascension doesn’t exist in the world?"
In the past, Liu Shuyue would have been embarrassed by her inconsiderate remarks.
But now, she could calmly reply, "I didn’t say this method was convenient. It’s just that all the inconvenient parts are borne by me, and I pay the required price. For you, it’s all benefits without harm."
In a sense, she did not deceive the other party.
Hunting Great Demons was by no means a convenient path.
That day when she decided to eliminate the Cyan Dragon to buy a chance of survival for the fleeing people, she had already prepared to die, and surviving in the end was entirely unexpected.
This also made her realize one thing: as long as there was enough Great Demon blood, perhaps everyone in the world could sense Qi and cultivate.
However, at that time, Liu Shuyue was merely pondering the idea.
She had long heard about the numerous disputes among Loose Cultivators. Having power but not cultivating the heart and body resulted in the strong preying on the weak, creating chaos in the world.
If she were to step forward and teach the Loose Cultivators the secret techniques of the Lotus Cloud Sect, it would severely violate the sect’s prohibition and be considered an act of betrayal.
Besides, where could she find so many Great Demons to provide blood? Although there were many monsters in the Wanshan Wilderness, the Great Demons mainly lurked deep within. Only one or two occasionally invaded human kingdoms. Even if the Lotus Cloud Sect disciples went into battle in their territories, they couldn’t be sure of victory.
However, a year passed, and the situation changed.
The constraints of the Lotus Cloud Sect on her were no longer the same as in the beginning. She not only taught the villagers of Hot Pepper Village the heart method and cultivation experience, but now she also went against the grain by modifying many sect techniques, which had already deviated from the track of "all for the relief and salvation of the people," saying that she was disobedient was an understatement.
The Great Demon blood was no longer an extremely scarce resource. In the prolonged war between the Eastern and Western allied forces and the sea demons, over a dozen Great Demons had already fallen. Their blood, tendons, scales, and hides were all collected and stored in the sect’s tower. Given her relationship with Ji Yun and Ji Lian, "borrowing" a few hundred barrels of demon blood was not difficult.
Most importantly, she had witnessed a society entirely led by cultivators.
Many cultivators were not fighting all the time over minor interests. Instead, they were deeply involved in industries such as production, pharmacy, spell research, and commerce, making the public’s prosperity far exceed the level of the Six Kingdoms. Although this could lead to some cultivators becoming a new privileged class, it was much better than a royal family that valued blood relations.
"If cultivation were possible... then relocating the entire city might be feasible," pondered Shen Fang, stroking his chin. "But have you considered someone reneging? After all, living in the remote mountains presents many obstacles to overcome. What if there are escapees? How would you deal with that?"
"The obstacles you speak of are food, clothing, and daily needs, right?" Liu Shuyue replied nonchalantly. "Don’t worry, life on that side will be so comfortable, it’s beyond your imagination."
Shen Fang raised an eyebrow skeptically.
After all, he was a governor. What good things hadn’t he seen?
"When you walk into Hot Pepper Village deeply, you’ll naturally understand." She didn’t elaborate much because if someone hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they couldn’t imagine the grandeur of the mountain towers. As for daily needs... she still had Chen Xuan backing her. "I’m moving them to the village to keep them away from danger. If someone, after gaining the ability to sense Qi, still wants to leave Hot Pepper Village, then so be it."
Discovering the mountain towers was one of the pivotal factors prompting Liu Shuyue to make this decision.
If the mountain towers were well-utilized, they would be the strongest method for Hot Pepper Village to rapidly grow in scale. A mountain tower could accommodate twenty to thirty thousand people, and the amenities far surpassed civilian standards. However, activating all the features of the mountain towers required a large number of cultivators to provide Spiritual Qi. It was a mutually beneficial situation.
The population of Hot Pepper Village was too small, and they hadn’t even fully explored the first mountain tower. To accelerate the exploitation of the Wanshan Wilderness, increasing the total population was a necessary premise.
Another reason that made her decide was the change in the situation among the Six Kingdoms.
If she continued to manage her small village and ignored the policies of the King of Qi, what would happen? Her fellow disciples were constantly amassing their power, and someday they would make a comeback. Even if she could win, it would be built on the corpses of countless people.
So, why not take the initiative?
Given Hot Pepper Village’s current armed forces and the enhancements of the modified spells, capturing the Great Qi Palace shouldn’t be difficult. However, killing the King of Qi and the new Immortal Master wouldn’t end the disputes. With Lan Qin alive, the Luo Kingdom would continue to covet the Qi Kingdom. Even if Lan Qin perishes, there are still four other disciples outside.
Moreover, if she ever conquered and made the Qi Kingdom her territory, she would have to protect not only Hot Pepper Village and the Yunzhou Liu Family but also every state and city within Qi Kingdom’s borders. Today there might be an attack here; tomorrow, disturbances somewhere else. Would she save them or not?
In the end, what’s worth struggling over among the Six Kingdoms?
She didn’t want to be like her fellow disciples, confined by the Lotus Cloud Sect to this chessboard.
Liu Shuyue had made it clear: She sought to create a brand new kingdom... or rather, a colossal sect, in the Wanshan Wilderness. Here, everyone could cross the threshold of sensing Qi and cultivate spells. Even if their future achievements were limited, it didn’t matter. The Immortal Alliance had already proven that quantitative change would eventually lead to qualitative change. Coupled with the geographical advantage of the Wanshan Wilderness being easy to defend and difficult to attack, whether she was present or absent, any enemy troops sent to besiege it would be courting death.
"Leaving it to them seems a bit too lenient, don’t you think?" Shen Fang frowned slightly, "Without rules, there can be no order. If the people are not restrained, chaos might ensue."
"Then what do you think should be done?"
"I don’t know if the Immortal Family has any curses or spells that enforce a condition with severe punishment for violation... I think that if someone runs away within a year, they could face the death penalty, with punishments decreasing with each subsequent year," he pondered.
"Is Shen Magistrate agreeing to work for me?" Liu Shuyue smirked.
"Well—since you’ve decided to become the Lord of the Qing State, how could I refuse?" Shen Fang coughed lightly.
"Perhaps demons have such contract spells, but the Lotus Cloud Sect certainly doesn’t." She shrugged, "Moreover, I’m planning to relocate not just the citizens of Zhangwei. If even those closest want to run away, how can we persuade other states and cities to migrate?"
"I see." Shen Fang nodded, then suggested, "In that case, you’d better invest in appearances. If you can cause quite a stir in Zhangwei, you could set an example for Ascension."
"Like?" Liu Shuyue asked with interest.
"If I were you, I would first spread the news, create an atmosphere that the Immortal Master intends to support people in ascending, which could also offset the appeal of the new Immortal Master," Shen Fang contemplated. "Then you could perform a grand demonstration, like descending from the sky, letting your voice echo throughout the city, or creating visions that inspire awe in people’s hearts. The thunderstorm when you led the refugees was very persuasive... Finally, an on-the-spot fulfillment is needed; it doesn’t take many, maybe ten to twenty people gaining ascension power is enough..."
This person might not understand cultivation, but he certainly knows how to educate civilians.
Even if he achieved Qi sensing, his success in cultivation might not be great.
However, at this stage, he was indeed quite a useful person.
Liu Shuyue listened to Shen Fang speak while gazing in the direction of Kunlun Peak.
Did you see that?
Since the sect no longer meddles in the secular world, she might as well try to overturn the chessboard. When the world is filled with cultivators practicing spells more exquisite than the sects’, would the disciples sent by the Lotus Cloud Sect in a hundred years still be worthy of the Immortal Master title?
Without a national guardian Immortal Master, the sect and the secular world would no longer have a cause-and-effect relationship, and this cycle would finally unravel.
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