More than a decade ago, Zhang Huaiyi traveled across a large part of China, eliminating a number of powerful elders who had survived from that era.
If it weren't for the Tangmen of Shu, who dispatched the former Yang Lie to sacrifice himself using Elixir Bite, Zhang Huaiyi might have continued his killing spree.
At that time, Zhang Huaiyi undoubtedly possessed top-tier strength in the world.
And Ruan Feng, like Zhang Huaiyi, was a possessor of one of the Eight Unique Skills, and he was still alive.
No one would doubt if this guy possessed peak-level strength.
To deal with a peak-level master, besides an ability like Elixir Bite that could achieve a one-for-one trade, one would have to invite another peak-level master to intervene to stop them.
Otherwise, it would be like when the masters of various factions pursued Zhang Huaiyi back then, and they were all wiped out.
To kill a peak-level master, either that person had to be the Old Heavenly Master, or multiple peak-level masters had to gang up on them.
Upon hearing this, Qingshui understood why Zhao Fangxu had come.
"Then how do you plan to persuade these masters?"
Qingshui took a sip of tea and asked, looking into Zhao Fangxu's eyes.
"Entice them with benefits."
Zhao Fangxu replied without hesitation.
"What kind of benefits can you offer? Just benefits alone might not be enough to sway those people. At least, I'm sure benefits won't convince the Old Heavenly Master."
"A conjecture, one related to the Jiashen Rebellion, the Eight Unique Skills, and Wugensheng. I know that most of Zhang Chulan's experiences in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley were deliberately concealed by him, but with Wang Zhenqiu's report, and the company's, even the nation's, related historical records over the years, I can probably discern some things."
"You mean Qu Tong is currently in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley?"
Zhao Fangxu nodded slowly.
Qingshui thought about it and found it quite reasonable.
Domestically, in various regions, the National Security Bureau, in cooperation with Nadou Tong, had searched everywhere.
Even abroad, personnel had been dispatched to search overseas.
Given East University's current strength and influence, finding someone like Qu Tong might be difficult, but it would be impossible for her to leave no trace at all.
However, after searching for so long and still not finding her, it indicated that Qu Tong was currently hiding in a place no one could find.
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley fit this description perfectly.
Unless guided by someone who had already been to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, it was virtually impossible for others to enter.
"Yes, with Ruan Feng there, she can find a way in. And the reason we discovered her is because a person we previously suspected of being Qu Tong's informant contacted Lu Liang of Quansheng outside.
A few days later, all of Quansheng secretly gathered in the Qinling Mountains and were taken in by Qu Tong's people.
It was precisely because we caught the clues left by those summoned Quansheng members that we followed the trail and uncovered other information. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that Qu Tong deliberately led us in.
It's just that Qu Tong's abilities are too dangerous, and the things she does are too harmful. If it weren't for the fact that even satellites couldn't locate the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, and equipment would malfunction there, I would have applied to deploy missiles and troops.
However, since troops cannot be deployed, to deal with Qu Tong and her group, we can only gather a large number of masters.
We have many ordinary masters, but when it comes to peak-level ones..."
Zhao Fangxu shook his head regretfully.
In fact, the official side did have peak-level masters; even if not as strong as the Old Heavenly Master, they were still in the league of being unrivaled below the Heavenly Master.
But those were not individuals Zhao Fangxu could mobilize, because they were stationed in Zhongnanhai, handling more important matters.
Qingshui asked again:
"The benefit you mentioned, is that benefit in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley?"
Zhao Fangxu replied:
"Precisely. The nation has collected the manuscript of True Man Ziyang's Golden Chapter of Awakening to Truth, left behind by the one who created the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley. The content is actually the same as the Internal Alchemy circulating outside, but at the very end, there are some vague mentions of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley. Scholars speculate that True Man Ziyang ascended here.
It's highly likely that Wugensheng obtained the opportunity for immortality left by True Man Ziyang here, and shared it with several other members of the Thirty-Six Thieves, allowing them to verify their respective knowledge and create the Eight Unique Skills."
Qingshui's eyes flickered slightly.
Connecting this to Zhao Fangxu's intention to lead so many people into the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, a guess immediately formed in his mind.
"Didn't they say Wugensheng destroyed those murals? Could it be that..."
"Yes, perhaps bringing the Eight Unique Skills back together in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley could recreate the opportunity for immortality."
Zhao Fangxu nodded, confirming Qingshui's guess.
"Aren't you very much against the Eight Unique Skills, considering them a source of chaos? If this opportunity for immortality appears, wouldn't it cause even more disorder?"
Qingshui asked curiously.
Zhao Fangxu sighed helplessly.
"Do you think I want this? But if Qu Tong isn't eliminated, this chaos will always be stirred up. So, we might as well be the ones to decide how it escalates, which will make it easier to manage.
In any case, with the Old Heavenly Master and Lu Jin present, they should be able to keep things under control. If possible, I hope we can directly eliminate that so-called opportunity for immortality on the spot.
Even if we can't eliminate it, it must be under state control."
"In that case, I'll go along as well."
Qingshui nodded slowly.
"No, it's too dangerous. No matter how capable you are, it's still a no-go."
Zhao Fangxu shook his head like a rattle-drum.
"Tsk, Old Zhao, what you're saying isn't quite what you're thinking, is it?"
Qingshui looked at Zhao Fangxu with a half-smile.
"Ahem, well, I know you have a cloning technique that can inherit most of your main body's strength, and your armor is a Magic Tool that isn't affected by Qi Bureau interference. Your abilities are no less than Old Mr. Lu's, so…"
Zhao Fangxu's intention was for Qingshui to send a Shadow Clone wearing the Platinum Armor.
Old Zhao was quite familiar with Qingshui's strength, because whenever Qingshui's power increased or he developed something new, the test site was always Nadou Tong's highest-security training ground.
Each spar involved the Shadow Clone, Yue Qian, and a few bodyguards, along with Wang Ye and some other Nadou Tong experts, practicing with Qingshui.
Fatty Zhao couldn't be sure of Qingshui's exact strength, but he knew that Qingshui was definitely a top-tier expert. Even just a clone would be a top-tier expert, albeit a bit more fragile.
With that armor, it would essentially be a normal top-tier expert.
If even a clone was so strong, Old Zhao couldn't imagine how incredibly powerful this great professor's main body was now.
Could the military and modern weapons deal with such a powerful individual whose clone alone possessed top-tier combat strength?
But Fatty Zhao knew that sending a Shadow Clone of Qingshui would be beneficial, not harmful. It would add a top-tier combatant to their side without any risk, providing an extra layer of insurance for this operation.
And given the other party's personality, they likely wouldn't refuse.
After all, this concerned the so-called opportunity for immortality, and Zhao Fangxu didn't believe Qingshui wouldn't be tempted.
In the end, this item could only fall into the hands of a few of the strongest top-tier experts.
If it could fall into Qingshui's hands, that would naturally be for the best.
With the strength of Qingshui's clone, even if it couldn't seize the item, it could at least hold out until the end to see what this opportunity truly was and who obtained it. Then, based on the situation, they could activate various pre-prepared contingency plans to address it.
It wasn't that the nation lacked the power to deal with top-tier experts; it was just that the cost was too great. Unless it was absolutely necessary to eliminate them, it wasn't worth it.
Previously, there was only the Old Heavenly Master, who stayed peacefully on Longhu Mountain. On a normal day, he either taught his disciples or attended meetings related to the Daoist Association or the Cultural and Tourism Bureau. He hadn't made a move in decades.
With the entire Longhu Mountain behind him, Zhang Zhiwei wouldn't overstep any boundaries, so naturally, it was a situation where everyone got along well.
As for the remaining owners of the Eight Unique Skills, they were untraceable. Aside from Zhang Huaiyi, who was forced out of hiding and had no choice but to act, their presence was even lower than the self-cultivating Old Heavenly Master, as if they didn't exist. There was no need to target them.
Once these people really caused trouble and revealed themselves, the nation had its trump cards. The official top-tier experts might be unwilling to fight another top-tier expert to the death, but there were also various high-grade Talismans and Magic Tools collected over decades. Entrusting these items to experts of the Ten Elders' caliber would still barely allow them to intervene in battles and influence outcomes.
Of course, doing so would not only use up a large number of high-level Talismans but also result in the deaths of many important experts. If it wasn't necessary, the nation wouldn't want to pay that price.
Whether or not to incur that cost this time would depend on what exactly happened in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, and what the secret to immortality left by True Man Ziyang truly was.
Facing Zhao Fangxu's suggestion, Qingshui pondered for a moment, finding nothing amiss, and then nodded in agreement.
There was no way the nation would let his main body take such risks. They would rather forgo the secret of immortality in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley than let him come to harm.
Immortality—how many people in ancient times achieved immortality?
Those great figures must have thought about it too, but how many people throughout history actually became immortals? Even emperors like Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang, who dominated their eras and could mobilize countless sects and cultivators from the Anomalous Human World with a single command to help them seek the chance at immortality, ultimately achieved nothing.
So why would anyone think that people now could succeed?
What's more, whether True Man Ziyang truly achieved immortality is still a matter of great debate within the Anomalous Human World. In fact, whether anyone has ever truly achieved immortality is already a major topic of discussion within the Anomalous Human World.
According to historical records, this individual lived from the Yongxi First Year, soon after the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, until the Yuanfeng Fifth Year, reaching the age of ninety-eight.
This was considered quite long-lived for ancient people, and within the Anomalous Human World, this patriarch, one of the Five Ancestors of the Southern Daoist School, was also a top-tier expert of that era.
According to Cuixuanzi, a disciple of True Man Ziyang and also one of the Five Ancestors of the Southern Daoist School, True Man Ziyang did not die of old age but voluntarily underwent Corpse Liberation and Ascension after his cultivation reached perfection.
As for whether "Corpse Liberation and Ascension" truly meant ascension or death, it's difficult to ascertain.
However, one thing is certain: these Eight Unique Skills indeed originated from the treasures left by True Man Ziyang in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley.
"An immortal's treasure that spawned the Eight Unique Skills—no Anomalous Human would refuse to investigate. Qu Tong was forced by us to initiate this plan early, but it's still an open conspiracy.
They have Six Storage Immortal Thief and Dual Hand. Ma Xianhong was once controlled by Qu Tong, and he didn't mind Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements being spread. I find it hard to believe Qu Tong couldn't produce an Anomalous Human who learned Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, like Chou Rang.
The Feng Family and Wang Family possess Spirit Control and Summoning. It's hard to say about Feng Zhenghao, but with the Wang Family's ambition, they'll definitely investigate once they hear the news. As for Qi Body Origin, currently, only Zhang Chulan explicitly knows it. Given his relationship with Feng Baobao, he'll surely want to investigate once he gets news.
Even if we wanted to block this news, we couldn't.
If we don't go, Qu Tong will certainly have other contingencies to spread the news and lure them there.
As for the remaining Wind-Rear Strange Gate, Tongtian Lu, and Great Luo Insight, the masters of these three unique skills are also specifically limited.
That kid Wang Ye is your person; he might go, or he might not, I'm not sure.
But Qu Tong, for insurance, definitely has a way to lure Zhou Sheng there. As for luring Old Man Lu, the method is even simpler: a word about Wugensheng's whereabouts is more effective than anything else.
On the other hand, Great Luo Insight... I imagine that woman also has a way to invite Gu Jiting. So, we need to be prepared for Gu Jiting and Zhou Sheng to also side with Qu Tong.
If that's truly the case, I'm afraid Old Heavenly Master and Mr. Lu Jin won't be able to handle it alone. Therefore, we'll need another top-tier expert to intervene and stop them."
"Alright, I agree. But to prevent any mishaps, my main body will guard outside the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley. At the very least, I can't let anyone grab the items and run off."
Qingshui nodded slightly.
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley was too peculiar a place; the nation would absolutely not allow his main body to enter.
Now, he was the nation's most precious asset, having created countless groundbreaking innovations that advanced human development.
As long as he remained outside, to prevent accidents and to protect what was inside the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, the nation would certainly not hesitate to deploy troops and a large number of Anomalous Human experts to station themselves outside.
If they were to encircle the Qinling Mountains, it would require hundreds of thousands of troops, creating too much commotion. However, if they only needed to set up defenses and monitor the perimeter of the Qinling Mountains, with current technology, it wouldn't require so many personnel.
With so many people fighting inside, the commotion when they retreated wouldn't be small. Even if someone managed to escape, Qingshui's main body would be waiting outside to ensure their capture.
"Hmm, as long as you don't go in, we can protect you outside, no matter what."
Zhao Fangxu pushed up his glasses and let out a sigh of relief.
He wasn't afraid that Qingshui wouldn't agree not to intervene; he was afraid that Qingshui's main body would insist on going inside.
If something unexpected happened and he got injured, then Zhao Fangxu, as the powerful chairman of Nadou Tong, would be at the end of his career.
But if this truly succeeded, it would be a major achievement, and his position could advance significantly further.
His rank was already quite high, and he was no longer young.
Without such a major contribution, ordinarily, in a few years, he would only receive a nominal promotion before retirement, a ceremonial position to improve his post-retirement benefits. A genuine promotion seemed unlikely.
However, if this time it succeeded, he could essentially advance further before that.
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