This Human Immortal Is Too Serious

In the Main Hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, golden light filled the underground training ground. Dragon roars and crisp flute melodies resonated in the air. The portly elder's jovial laughter was incessant. Around the young man, who was wreathed in the shadows of golden dragons, ephemeral draconic images flickered from time to time.

It was Wu Wang and Liu Baiyi.

At this time, it was the second night since Wu Wang had met the woman from Qingqiu country. He had brought a few people back to the Main Hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion in secret.

He hadn't come back looking for a beating; rather, reminded by a word from the Grand Elder, Wu Wang remembered that he still had seventy percent of the Longzhi's Divine Power to retrieve and had come to pick up some 'food'.

After a brief battle, Wu Wang seemed to grow increasingly valiant as the fight went on, exuding an aura as if he could split the heavens.

With a sneer, Liu Baiyi's hand moved like thunder, like a mountain, and he pressed Wu Wang to the ground with one slap. The rolling air waves caused the six-sided array walls to flicker continuously, smashing him into the meticulously refined ground, and he was unable to get up for a long time.

"Hmm, I'm out of practice," Liu Baiyi said, calmly donning his Daoist robe and looking at Wu Wang with a smirk. "You slept for two years in the Northern Wilderness, and your claws have been dulled?"

Wu Wang struggled a little, then he was pulled out of the ground by those lively, leaping musical notes, sitting on the ground trembling for a while.

He grinned, casually gathered strands of water vapor, formed a water orb over his head, and drenched himself to the core.

To Ling Xiaolan, the manner in which Wu Wang gathered the water orb seemed rather familiar.

Wu Wang laughed and said, "Isn't this me, giving some face to you, old Master... The Divine Power? Let me have some, will you? I've absorbed all there is here."

Liu Baiyi glared. "You want to take your salary without doing the work?"

"Hey, Master Liu, you're being a bit too heartless and unreasonable!"

Wu Wang jumped up straight, steamed dry the water on his body, pulled out a long robe to put on, and complained indignantly:

"Just consider how hard it is for me to be this Hall Master!

Not only do I always have to guard against that Qiong Qi, but I was also half-killed by a major Heavenly Tribulation. Even when I returned to the Northern Wilderness, I brought back important news of an impending disaster from the Heaven Palace.

We must be conscientious! I've bled for the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion!"

"Where's the wound?"

Wu Wang silently plucked a strand of hair and leaned forward a bit.

In the corner, Ling Xiaolan covered her mouth and chuckled quietly.

Liu Baiyi laughed and scolded, "Enough with you! HAHA! Stop with these useless antics. Let's go, let's go. Who else would I leave this Divine Power to, if not you?"

After speaking, Master Liu specifically added, "Fairy Immortal is waiting here. We will be right back."

Ling Xiaolan naturally bowed her head slightly and began to meditate, floating in mid-air.

Then, Liu Baiyi led Wu Wang to a corner of the underground training ground. After fiddling with it a bit, he summoned the portal to that small world, and they disappeared from the training ground.

As soon as they entered, Liu Baiyi frowned at Wu Wang and muttered:

"Wu Wangzi, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"What do you mean?" Wu Wang was a bit confused.

"That fox woman!"

Liu Baiyi frowned and said, "Wasn't it you who had people bring that Qingqiu fox woman over yesterday?

I can clearly see through your little schemes. I've transferred her to the Punishment Hall for you, and now she's in the Punishment Hall's cells, ready for you to take away whenever.

Why then, today, have you even brought Fairy Ling here?

Wu Wang, you must think carefully before you act. The Xuan Nu Sect is not to be trifled with and must not be insulted lightly. Don't have any complicated ideas!"

Wu Wang: ...

"I just—"

"You even concocted a believable story, producing an accompanying fox spirit. If she really were a Seventh-grade accompanying fox spirit, Qingqiu would treasure her. Could those pests have caught her?"

Liu Baiyi winked and gestured at Wu Wang, who felt a mix of emotions.

The Pavilion Master is really too frivolous.

With things having come to this point, Wu Wang had no choice but to clasp his hands and thank the Pavilion Master, letting out a sigh.

"Master, you've misunderstood. That woman from Qingqiu really is a Seventh-grade accompanying fox spirit. The environment in Qingqiu is somewhat peculiar, and it's difficult to predict the birth of accompanying fox spirits.

I had the Grand Elder bring her to the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion so that the pavilion could handle her case.

If we let her go, under the current situation, it's undoubtedly nurturing a powerhouse for the Heaven Palace. But she hasn't done anything heinous, just spent a few years cultivating in a brothel in the Human Domain. To kill her directly wouldn't make sense.

It would be better to find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, seal the bloodline within her body, and let her live out the rest of her life."

"Do you really think so?"

Liu Baiyi looked doubtful, scrutinizing Wu Wang for a few moments, then laughed. "Alright then, just don't regret it."

"What's there to regret?"

Wu Wang was at a loss for words. "In the eyes of my seniors, am I such a frivolous person?"

"Mhm," Liu Baiyi nodded solemnly. "Before you joined the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion, I made early arrangements to send my granddaughter away."

Wu Wang smiled and said, "Oh? You have a granddaughter?"

"I don't! Don't ask! Come with me to retrieve Divine Power!"

Liu Baiyi swept Wu Wang up with a grand wave of his hand and headed towards the solitary Treasure Hall.

The place was shrouded in a gray haze, and the Great Dao that sustained it was relatively simple, barely maintaining this small world's existence.

A Treasure Hall floated above the massive body of the Longzhi, with chains extending from beneath it. The Longzhi now had only six heads remaining.

Wu Wang first made a respectful Daoist bow to the figures above the Treasure Hall, then examined the hall closely.

Last time he hadn't noticed many details, but this time he saw them clearly.

Within a circle of stone pillars, that Treasure Hall had no doors.

"How many flowers shall we take this time?"

"Still three. The necklace can only store so much Divine Power."

Wu Wang dared not look too closely. He took off the necklace from his neck, held it in his hands, and followed Liu Baiyi to pick the flowers.

Having absorbed thirty percent of the Longzhi's Divine Power, plus having survived the Heavenly Tribulation, Wu Wang's body was now as strong as a late-stage Heavenly Immortal Realm body cultivation expert.

It was unclear if Shen Nong, his predecessor, had done it deliberately or if it was a serendipitous mistake. When the last remnant of the Star God's soul burned on Wu Wang's Spirit Platform, the God's Mansion Immortal Platform, where Wu Wang's Primordial Spirit resided, was now enveloped by the fluctuation of the Dao of Fire.

This was, indeed, convenient for Wu Wang in hiding his Great Dao in the future.

Display weakness with the Dao of Fire;

Strike hard with the Star Dao.

After taking the Divine Power, Liu Baiyi led Wu Wang out of the secret little world and, along with Ling Xiaolan, went for a stroll in the Immortal Mortal Hall.

A Pavilion Master and a Hall Master naturally had important matters to discuss—

The method Wu Wang proposed to counter the Seven Disasters and Six Calamities.

Ling Xiaolan, who was accompanying them, was also continuously contemplating and formulating ideas. When Liu Baiyi called on her, she was able to contribute several discerning insights, speaking coherently and logically.

Wu Wang hadn't expected the Heaven Palace to act so swiftly.

In less than half a month, signs of drought and floods began to appear in various places in the Human Domain.

Lake water dried up without reason, rivers surged unexpectedly, ice and snow on mountains melted away, and in deep old-growth forests, hundreds of trees withered and died.

While Liu Baiyi reported these events, his expression remained surprisingly calm.

It was business as usual.

In a cool pavilion, Liu Baiyi, lifting the hem of his long robe, sat down and gestured for the two to join him.

Ling Xiaolan, naturally, was unwilling to sit. Seeing this, Wu Wang also feigned laziness and casually leaned against the railing.

Liu Baiyi spoke slowly, "Wu Wang, Xiaolan, regarding the sixteen countries from Central Mountain and Eastern Wilderness who covertly came to connect with us, what are your thoughts?"

Wu Wang looked at Ling Xiaolan, who gave a slight nod and, parting her thin lips, began to speak:

"In my view, there's no escaping the Heaven Palace's notice of this matter. It is still unclear what the Heaven Palace intends to do.

It could be the Heaven Palace testing the Human Domain, yet such an inscrutable test seems to hold little advantage.

Alternatively, it's possible that these sixteen ancient countries are truly collaborating in secret, wanting to emulate the Human Domain and rebel against the Heaven Palace.

The recent events with the Rain Mistress Nation have indeed made people somewhat resentful. Those ancient nations serving the Heaven Palace surely have their own sentiments."

Liu Baiyi and Wu Wang nodded with a smile, each giving Ling Xiaolan a thumbs-up.

Ling Xiaolan's pretty face flushed slightly. She felt they might be teasing her, but due to Liu Baiyi's presence, she couldn't lose her manners and could only purse her lips, turning away.

Was the Fairy Immortal angry? It was actually rather charming.

Wu Wang said with a smile, "Let me add a few words. Ahem, I think the Heaven Palace might want to assert its authority."

"Assert its authority?" Liu Baiyi's eyes revealed a hint of amusement. "How so?"

Wu Wang pondered for a moment and said earnestly,

"We generally understand that the Heavenly Emperor, Emperor Shun, has not shown himself for tens of thousands of years. He is presumably busy resisting the return of the Candle Dragon Divine Faction. The Heaven Palace's strategies mostly come from the Head Manager, who can now also directly convene the gods for discussion, holding great power.

Therefore, when analyzing the strategies of the Heaven Palace, we can consider the Head Manager as our opponent. We can then summarize and infer from the Heaven Palace's previous actions to grasp the Head Manager's habits and perspectives.

Afterwards, regarding the current inscrutable situation, if we put ourselves in the Head Manager's place to observe and consider, perhaps we can develop better predictions."

Liu Baiyi asked, "Do you have any sharp insights?"

Wu Wang's eyes showed a trace of emotion as he spoke slowly, "Honestly, the Head Manager is a tough opponent, and I also find it difficult to grasp his thoughts fully. But this Innate God has a flaw: he is extremely fickle."

"Oh?"

"His strategies lack unity in their overall direction."

Wu Wang's right hand made a grasping motion, as if holding a Longsword, and drew a horizontal line on the table before adding a tick and a stroke to form an arrow.

"This represents the Head Manager's strategy when he revealed himself and was injured by His Majesty—paralyzing the Human Domain, stirring internal conflicts, and reducing the Human Domain's combat power."

Liu Baiyi and Ling Xiaolan nodded simultaneously.

Wu Wang then drew another arrow, forming a slight angle with the first one.

"This can be seen as a series of strategies employed by the Head Manager after that incident: sending Evil Gods to wreak havoc and incite the hearts of the people. However, his lesser Evil God, Qiong Qi, nearly succeeded before we chased it into hiding.

It can be said that his subsequent plan failed."

"Indeed," Liu Baiyi said with a serious expression. "That is exactly so."

Following that, Wu Wang drew a third arrow, completely opposite to the first one.

Wu Wang said, "This represents his strategy of bringing down the Seven Disasters and Six Calamities. When the Human Domain faced this crisis, its people would naturally unite more closely. The death and injury of a large number of mortals would also evoke the empathy of cultivators.

This strategy seems more ruthless, but in fact, it is the Heaven Palace that is expending Divine Power to execute it, and it will cause the efforts of the first strategy to go to waste."

As he spoke, Wu Wang drew two more arrows parallel with the third, representing "forcing the Rain Mistress Nation to bow" and "creating a new Divine Spirit."

"Now we can see what the Head Manager is currently thinking."

Ling Xiaolan hummed softly and asked in a crisp voice, "What prompted the Head Manager to change his strategy?"

Liu Baiyi lifted his chin slightly toward Wu Wang.

Wu Wang said, "It doesn't have much to do with me. I only clashed with Qiong Qi, who is just one of the Ten Evil Gods. At that time, the Head Manager had not fully made his move.

We should pay attention to two time periods. Previously, the news from the Heaven Palace indicated that the Human Domain would be destroyed within a hundred years.

But the news we have received recently is that it will be destroyed within fifty years.

What forced the Head Manager to abandon his previous strategy must have been the true master of the Heaven Palace, Emperor Shun."

Wu Wang sheathed the Longsword and pointed at the end of all the arrows. "The Head Manager is following the will of the Heavenly Emperor; the Heavenly Emperor can no longer wait."

Liu Baiyi and Ling Xiaolan nodded their heads in agreement.

Liu Baiyi looked Wu Wang up and down in puzzlement and said, "How come I feel like you've become much more forceful since becoming an immortal? I've never seen you work so hard before."

"It's because I've basically made an enemy of the Heaven Palace."

Wu Wang chuckled awkwardly before steering the conversation back to the main topic,

"One of the problems the Heaven Palace is now facing is also a trap the Head Manager dug for himself.

They first executed the strategy of showing weakness to the enemy. How could the Hundred Races not harbor dissent? Afterwards, when they tightened control over the Hundred Races, they naturally aroused dissatisfaction among them.

The fact that sixteen nations secretly communicated with us this time is very likely a result of the Heaven Palace's deliberate laissez-faire attitude.

The Heaven Palace's rule is built on the unconditional domination of gods over living beings. To consolidate their rule, they will inevitably show their fangs.

The reason these flaws have emerged is actually rooted in the gods' contempt for living beings.

The Great Wilderness in the eyes of these Innate Gods is different from the Great Wilderness in our eyes."

Liu Baiyi frowned and said, "Are you suggesting that the Heaven Palace may be seeking to establish authority through this incident?"

Wu Wang shook his head and said in a low voice,

"It's just a possibility; we still don't know how things will develop.

The new Ten Evil Gods have just taken office; they need to make some noise. If I were the Head Manager, I would certainly need to prove to the Hundred Races that the Heaven Palace is still the same Heaven Palace.

What I'm not sure about now is, if the Head Manager deliberately aims to kill some experts from the Hundred Races to establish authority, whether we should try to save them, to what extent we can do so, and what impact it would have on the Heaven Palace."

Ling Xiaolan said, "The Hundred Races are just vassals of the Heaven Palace, after all."

"No, the Hundred Races have great potential," Wu Wang said seriously. "Just as His Majesty mentioned when we were drinking and chatting, living beings replacing Divine Spirits to become the masters of the Great Wilderness is the great trend of this world.

We in the Human Domain have known and firmly believed in this principle for a long time, but the Hundred Races do not know, nor do those living beings imprisoned throughout Central Mountain.

This is the main reason I've said so much today.

Pavilion Master, this time, it might be an opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

"The opportunity for the Human Domain to counterattack."

Wu Wang leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with sharp light, "First, the right of living beings to survive in the world;

Second, living beings are free and not vassals of gods;

Third, every independent consciousness should be respected. The living beings of the Great Wilderness will unite. The era of divine rule will pass, and it will inevitably be ended by the Hundred Races."

Liu Baiyi seemed to have grasped something, his eyes filled with light. "Speak! How many experts do you need? I will go to His Majesty to request a decree right now!"

...

What other aspects could we use to pressure the Head Manager?

While waiting for Liu Baiyi to marshal his forces, Wu Wang enjoyed some free time, strolling around the Punishment Hall area and greeting some familiar faces.

The matter of the woman from the Qingqiu nation, Wu Wang could only set aside for the time being.

With many matters weighing on his hands, Wu Wang also felt the gravity of the title "Hall Master of the Punishment Hall."

It wasn't to say that he hadn't been serious about the struggles between the Human Domain and the Heaven Palace before; quite often, he had the illusion of watching a play from behind the scenes.

Whether it was his initial involvement with the Women's country or later with the Rain Mistress Nation, he had always been an observer.

Wu Wang attributed this feeling to a lack of immersion in the world of the Great Wilderness; he always felt like a wanderer from Blue Star.

Previously, he hadn't taken his Immortal Ascension Tribulation too seriously, yet he was unexpectedly caught in such a plight. It was as if the thunderbolts had struck him from behind the curtain and into the 'picture' itself.

After becoming an immortal, the whole world seemed much clearer and also much more real.

He could see the intricate patterns on the feathers of sparrows in the clouds, the weave of the fabric on the robes of the Immortal Soldiers, and even more so, the delicate smoothness of the skin of the Fairy Immortal by his side.

Wu Wang truly, tangibly felt alive in this world.

Moreover, he wanted to live longer, much longer, and to walk forward steadily, one step at a time.

Mighty enemies wouldn't show leniency just because he had only lived for a few decades.

The Head Manager, one of the top echelon in the world, wouldn't turn a blind eye just because he hadn't become an immortal yet.

There wasn't so much 'My fate is mine to command, not dictated by heaven,' nor was there 'Do not bully the young for being poor.'

Now, he was formally at odds with the Head Manager.

The Human Domain is currently on the defensive and can't counter-attack Central Mountain? Then we'll start with an ideological offensive first, using all available means in the Human Domain to work on the ideology of the Hundred Races.

This was the valuable experience Wu Wang brought, and indeed a 'brand new' approach that had never existed in the Great Wilderness.

In fact, after careful consideration, Wu Wang realized that the gap between him and the Head Manager wasn't that large.

Thanks to his mother's favor, he had already mastered the lifeline of the Heaven Palace—the Star Dao of the Original Star God—and held the key to summon the return of the Candle Dragon Divine Faction.

That was Wu Wang's trump card and capital.

Furthermore, if the Human Domain was compared to the Heaven Palace, and the Human Emperor to the Heavenly Emperor, then the Head Manager's status was roughly equivalent to Liu Baiyi's within the Human Domain.

He suddenly seemed much more approachable.

"Brother Wuwang?"

"Hmm?" Wu Wang snapped back to reality, turning his head to look at Ling Xiaolan.

"I won't be heading to the northeastern border this time," Ling Xiaolan said, lifting her hand to tuck a strand of hair, her eyes carrying a trace of apology. "I want to return to my sect for some time to practice and adjust my Dao heart."

"What happened?"

Wu Wang asked curiously, "Are you encountering obstacles in your cultivation?"

"Not exactly. It's just that I haven't been back for a long time."

Ling Xiaolan spoke with a smile, gazing into Wu Wang's eyes.

The two stood beside a flower garden. A breeze carrying the scent of flowers passed by, her long skirt gently swaying, those almond eyes tinged with a touch of melancholy.

She whispered, "Actually, I feel I have too many shortcomings. Whether in insight or ideas, I am far behind Brother Wuwang. I want to spend more time cultivating under the guidance of the Sect Master and my master. Could we agree on a three-year period?"

"A three-year period?"

"Yes," Ling Xiaolan fixed her gaze on Wu Wang, speaking slowly. "In three years, I will come to find you again and tell you a matter of the heart."

A matter of the heart?

Wu Wang said, "Fairy Immortal, you..."

"Then, it's settled. I'll see you in three years."

Ling Xiaolan said this, then bowed her head, turned, and her figure transformed into a streak of Immortal Light, rapidly flying away.

"Hey! Fairy Immortal!"

Wu Wang called out, but only saw her figure, enveloped in Immortal Light, disappearing around the corner of the hall.

He stood still for a moment, until someone nearby called out "Hall Master," at which point Wu Wang returned to his senses.

"Hall Master, the Pavilion Master is looking for you."

"Hmm, I'll go right away."

Wu Wang suppressed the thoughts in his heart unrelated to [dealing with the Head Manager] and devoted himself entirely to the upcoming major events.

This time, if the Head Manager gave him even half a chance, he was determined to tear a hole in the Heaven Palace's sphere of influence!