The man in the black robe and conical hat arrived at an island, turning his head to look at the sky, as if speaking to the air:
“Master, Huotu is not being honest.”
“He claims that his remaining life is dedicated to revenge, but as I followed him, I noticed he was taking detours, passing by temples dedicated to other gods, and lighting the altars.”
A featureless face condensed in the void, its mouth opening and closing, the voice resonating only in the mind of the man in the black robe and conical hat:
“Lighting the altars…”
“Heh, I think I know what he’s up to. Let him be.”
The man in the black robe was puzzled and humbly asked for guidance: “Master, could you explain the purpose of lighting the altars?”
The face in the void revealed a hint of a smile and said:
“Forty thousand years ago, before the first Human Emperor was born, the gods faced an unknown calamity. The glorious era of gods met its twilight. The high priest of the gods burned his entire lifespan to foresee the future. He saw a man stepping over the corpses of gods to ascend the throne.”
“That man was the prophesied first Human Emperor.”
“But the gods searched in vain for years. It wasn’t until the Human Emperor rose to power, unstoppable, that they realized the truth, but it was too late. The gods grew disheartened and eventually pooled all their resources to build the altars.”
“Lighting all the altars and sacrificing the divine essence of ten gods can gradually revive all the deities.”
The man in the black robe lowered his head in thought.
The more he thought, the more confused he became, and he asked in bewilderment:
“Lighting the altars, sacrificing ten gods to revive the deities… But currently, there’s only Huotu. Even if he wants to sacrifice himself, it wouldn’t be enough.”
The face in the void chuckled and said:
“Don’t underestimate those old fellows who ruled the heavens and earth for tens of thousands of years. Their wisdom is profound. If it weren’t for some unknown calamity, even the first Human Emperor at his peak couldn’t have ended them.”
“The high priest of the gods anticipated this. If only one god is revived, then he only needs to light one-tenth of the altars. With Huotu’s divine essence, it’s enough to awaken one-tenth of the gods.”
“Of course, this would be a preliminary awakening, where they have the ability to think but not to act, like statues.”
“The high priest considered this as well. The altars are like the flags of a formation. Therefore, lighting a portion of the altars is equivalent to restoring part of the formation’s function, gradually reviving the gods by drawing on the fragmented principles and powers of the world.”
Upon hearing this, the man in the black robe was shocked.
In short, Huotu lighting the altars aims to revive a portion of the gods, and he agreed to the Heaven-Watching Pavilion’s request to set foot in the Wilderness to die!
The revival of the gods…
Such a distant yet terrifying concept.
The eyes of the face in the void moved, noticing the hesitation in the man in the black robe’s eyes, and said:
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“Don’t worry, the revival of the gods is part of my plan. Originally, I intended to do it myself, lighting the altars to revive the gods! Heh, I didn’t expect Huotu to beat me to it.”
“Rest assured, they…”
“They won’t cause any trouble. They will become the path of corpses for the new Human Emperor to ascend! The Human Emperor will return, stepping over the corpses of the gods!”
“Hahaha…”
The face in the void laughed wildly and unrestrainedly.
…
…
Great Jin Dynasty.
Imperial Capital.
Meng Qingzhou was incredibly busy, successfully persuading the Moon Clan to join Great Jin and relocating the ‘Secret Realm of Lost Pearls’ to an uninhabited mountain range. He then had Dongfang Liuli issue a decree, announcing that the Moon Clan was now part of Great Jin.
Afterwards, he met with a group of elders from the Moon Clan to discuss taxation matters. The Moon Clan didn’t have Great Jin’s currency, so they had to use special resources as a substitute.
After finishing these tasks.
Meng Qingzhou immediately went to find Lian Yue, patting her shoulder and speaking earnestly:
“Lian Yue, you don’t want anything to happen to your master, do you?”
Lian Yue was instantly flustered.
Although she had come out to travel, she always considered the Ancient Divine City her home, and Sister Qiong, the Lord of the Ancient Divine City, was her guardian.
Who would want to see their family in trouble?
“Sword Saint, what do you mean by that?” Lian Yue asked in a panic.
Meng Qingzhou sighed and said:
“A great era is approaching. The Ancient Divine City is isolated, not aligning with either Great Jin or the Buddhist Kingdom. Do you intend to become spies for the Wilderness and guide the Sky State overlords when they arrive? That’s impossible, right?”
“Of course not! The City Lord is not that kind of person,” Lian Yue said firmly.
Meng Qingzhou nodded and continued:
“Exactly. If you don’t align with anyone, when war breaks out, even if the Great Jin Dynasty doesn’t intervene, what about the Buddhist Kingdom? What about the Sky State overlords? What about those manipulating from the shadows? They won’t just watch as a powerful entity like the Ancient Divine City lurks around, posing a threat. They will definitely eliminate such an unstable factor in advance.”
“You must understand, although your City Lord’s power is average, she controls the Ancient Divine City!”
“If the Ancient Divine City erupts, its minimum power is at the Sky-Reaching Realm, and its upper limit is unknown. Who wouldn’t be anxious with such a colossal entity watching?”
“Do you agree?”
Lian Yue nodded.
It made sense. Although the Wilderness was chaotic before, compared to now, where conflicts start at the Morning Glow Realm and peak at the Sky-Reaching Realm, it was just small skirmishes. The Ancient Divine City held a transcendent status and could afford to do nothing.
But the current situation was different. The unification war was in full swing. If they continued to do nothing, other forces wouldn’t agree.
Who knows if they are genuinely doing nothing or biding their time?
What if they suddenly backstab during a moment of mutual exhaustion?
Lian Yue nervously asked, “Your Majesty, what do you suggest…?”
Meng Qingzhou calmly analyzed:
“Look, you’ve experienced those lustful monks from the Buddhist Kingdom yourself. They’re a bunch of lecherous bald donkeys, practically stallions in monk robes. Your City Lord is stunningly beautiful. If she goes to the Buddhist Kingdom, just thinking about what those monks might do is chilling.”
“As for the Sky State, forget it! Aligning with them is equivalent to becoming traitors to the Wilderness, a disgrace for eternity.”
“So, in this situation, who should the Ancient Divine City align with?”
Lian Yue’s eyes lit up, and she blurted out without hesitation, “Great Jin!”
“Exactly!”
Meng Qingzhou clapped his hands and made a gesture of invitation, urging, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up.”
Lian Yue nodded hurriedly and turned to leave in a rush. Halfway through, she hesitated, muttering to herself, “Why do I feel like I’ve been tricked?”
Seeing this, Meng Qingzhou quickly reminded her:
“A great era is approaching, and no one can stay out of it. Relay my exact words to Sister Qiong, and do it quickly!”
“Oh, okay.”
Lian Yue shook her head, stopped overthinking, and immediately flew off, traversing the void towards the Ancient Divine City.
Meng Qingzhou sighed in relief, hands on his hips, and lamented:
“Managed to trick another one. Now, who else can I persuade to join Great Jin and strengthen the nation?”
…
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