Indeed, after hearing Pei Xuanjing's voice, the avatar of Witch God Sect Leader no longer focused his attention on Wu Shijiu. Instead, he turned to address Pei Xuanjing, who'd appeared in the courtyard, saying, "How could I refuse an invitation from the Royal Advisor."
For the Witch God Sect Leader, Wu Shijiu wasn't worth consideration. If he'd really wanted to pick a fight, Wu Shijiu wouldn't have had the chance to escape from Witch Deity Teaching in the first place.
Since he didn't make a move back then, facing Wu Shijiu today, he naturally wouldn't make a move either, especially in front of Pei Xuanjing.
He knew why he was here today. Thus, he had just been teasing Wu Shijiu earlier, making him realize that he was not untouchable to the Witch Deity Teaching.
Now that Pei Xuanjing had come out, he naturally stopped there, greeting Pei Xuanjing with a smile instead.
"Please," Pei Xuanjing gestured.
At Pei Xuanjing's current realm, let alone within the Taoist Academy, he could easily sense many things in Tiandu, as long as he was willing to release the power of his Primordial Spirit.
However, Pei Xuanjing didn't have the habit of prying. He most often wouldn't do that, but even if he held back, many affairs within the Academy clearly fell into his perception.
The moment Wu Shijiu appeared earlier with the avatar of Witch God Sect Leader, Pei Xuanjing instantly felt something was off.
After all, according to Wu Shijiu, the messenger should be a cultivator from Witch God Sect at the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm. But the aura hidden within this person was much more than that, so Pei Xuanjing instantly understood that it was probably the avatar of the Witch God Sect Leader who had come ahead of schedule.
Therefore, when he saw Wu Shijiu acting so warily, he took the initiative to speak up, dissipating the tense atmosphere and inviting them in.
"I have some matters left unattended, I won't disturb your conversation." Wu Shijiu forced a smile, declining Pei Xuanjing's invitation.
Ignoring his fear of the Witch God Sect, it was originally not his intention to meddle in their conversation.
Wu Shijiu was perfectly aware of his own position. If it were some other time, he might be qualified to join in.
However, the matter these two were discussing was of great magnitude. If things did not go well, they might stir up a fight out of anger. Why would he willingly get himself involved?
Moreover, even if these two did agree to cooperate, there would undoubtedly be tremendous benefits involved, which he was not privy to. After all, sometimes the more one knows, the less safe it can be. Wu Shijiu was very clear about these things.
Therefore, the best move for him was quite simple. Introduce the two, then swiftly withdraw. Keeping his hands out of their affairs was the wiser strategy.
Hearing Wu Shijiu's response, Pei Xuanjing immediately understood his concerns and did not try to persuade him further, showing a sign of understanding.
Each person has their own rules to follow, and since Wu Shijiu didn't want to meddle excessively, Pei Xuanjing wouldn't purposely involve him either.
"Sect Leader, please!"
Pei Xuanjing and the avatar of the Witch God Sect Leader entered the hall and took their seats.
There was no need for anyone to serve tea. With a ripple of his sleeve, Pei Xuanjing summoned two cups of aromatic tea from thin air, which landed in front of them.
Pei Xuanjing had risen quickly, but despite his constant progress in the cultivation realm, his foundation and wealth were far surpassed by many top cultivators who had been practicing for thousands of years.
However, supressing the Taixu Venerable and killing the chief of the Canglang Palace earned him quite a bit. The tea he had just summoned came from the Taixu Venerable. Aside from its unique flavor and rich Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, it could also assist cultivators in understanding Taoist skills.
Of course, this was only useful for ordinary cultivators. For the supreme ones at the Nine Realms of Spirit, this tea could only satisfy some sensual desires. It wouldn't be very helpful in understanding Taoist skills.
"Oh? Is this the Taixu Tea from the Taixu Sect?" The Witch God Sect Leader, who was a connoisseur, immediately recognized the origin of this tea.
The Taixu Path Sect has an ancient tea tree spiritual root, which was nurtured by the Taixu Xuanqi. The tea it produced was very famous and helpful to many cultivators in gaining enlightenment in cultivation. However, owing to its scarcity, many cultivators could hardly get a chance to taste it, and even the Witch God Sect Leader himself had not had it many times.
"It seems the Royal Advisor has gained quite a lot on this expedition," The Witch God Sect Leader started with a bit of a laugh, his words laced with apparent implications, as he held the cup in his hand.
In this expedition, Pei Xuanjing had not only obtained numerous resources and treasures from the Taixu Venerable but also seized the sect's treasured device, the Taixu Mirror. It was unimaginably valuable.
Moreover, not long ago, Canglang Palace was destroyed by allied forces and plundered to the last drop. The sect's thousands of years of accumulation were all taken away by different forces.
However, these forces were not foolish. They knew that without Pei Xuanjing making a move, they wouldn't have had a chance to destroy the Canglang Palace.
As a result, they had arranged to present part of their spoils to Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing deserved this—it was also a gamble for them to curry favor with him, as well as appeasement to deter any potential threat—he knew that all the things in this world were controlled by powerful groups with supreme individuals behind them. Only when Pei Xuanjing accepted this would it represent his recognition of the whole ordeal, otherwise, future troubles were inevitable.
"Hehe, Sect Leader is exaggerating," Pei Xuanjing laughed softly.
The news from these people had not yet arrived, but they had already sent forward some things.
After pondering for a while, Pei Xuanjing decided to accept them. He was not afraid of Canglang Palace, but its existence had always been a problem. If they wanted to act against the Shenxiao Sect or the disciples of the Taoist School in the future, it would indeed have some impact.
So, since these people had wiped out Canglang Palace, it had unequivocally removed a worry from Pei Xuanjing's mind, eliminating any possibility of potential threats in the future.
Most importantly, Pei Xuanjing understood that it was virtually impossible to oppose all the forces in the Sky Wasteland. The fact that these people were showing goodwill might also be a test to see his response.
Accepting their offer would invisibly pull both parties closer together, which might be beneficial for his plans in the future. Those people may well end up standing on his side.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Pei Xuanjing primarily focused his attention on the avatar of the Witch God Sect Leader and got straight to the point. "Sect Leader, judging by your appearance here today, you must be quite confident about persuading me, huh?"
The avatar of the Witch God Sect Leader responded to him with a confident smile. "Witch Deity Teaching and the Royal Advisor originally have no grudges or animosity. If we have a common goal, why can't we cooperate?"
The Witch God Sect Leader was very confident in persuading Pei Xuanjing to cooperate, as there was no grudge or animosity between them.
Perhaps some people may think that Wu Shijiu is a defector from the Witch Deity Teaching, and since Wu Shijiu has a close relationship with the Great Ming Divine Dynasty and is acquainted with Pei Xuanjing, it would seem as though Pei Xuanjing and the Witch Deity Teaching ought to be on opposing sides.
This is not true, it's just a misunderstanding. Wu Shijiu and the Great Ming Divine Dynasty are intertwined due to mutual interests and not necessarily because of a deep-seated bond. Even if there were such a bond, how would it matter?
Despite being the National Teacher of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, Pei Xuanjing primarily identifies as the leader of the Taoist School and the head of the Shenxiao Sect. His connection with the Great Ming Divine Dynasty is also primarily based on mutual interests.
After studying Pei Xuanjing's numerous experiences, the Witch God Sect Leader concluded that Pei Xuanjing values many things, and like other strong characters, he sets his sights on exploring the Immortal Path and seeking longevity.
It must be known that during Pei Xuanjing's rise, he had disputes with numerous forces, including the Great Ming Imperial Family and the Demonic Cult. However, when a common goal and shared interests were at stake, Pei Xuanjing was willing to cooperate.
Therefore, Pei Xuanjing is not the sort of character who only prizes himself and is inflexible in his ways. As long as one doesn't cross his bottom line, and when there are shared interests, both parties can come together.
"It seems the Sect Leader knows me well." Pei Xuanjing responded to the Witch God Sect Leader's statement with a light chuckle, not indicating approval or disapproval.
Indeed, he had no grudges against the Witch Deity Teaching. The reason he had originally viewed the Witch Deity Teaching as a probable opponent was that he had accepted a favor from Wu Shijiu, promising protection, and thus needed to be prepared against the Witch Deity Teaching.
But now, with the changing times, even Wu Shijiu, who initially seemed irreconcilable with the Witch Deity Teaching, had let go of his grudges against the Witch Deity Teaching. If Wu Shijiu didn't care anymore about being pursued and attacked in the past, Pei Xuanjing cared even less.
Thus, as Pei Xuanjing said himself, he is not repelled by this cooperation. Everything depends on the conditions proposed by the Witch God Sect Leader and whether they are worth Pei Xuanjing's approval.
The Witch God Sect Leader did not take this personally and directly stated his purpose: "The Witch Deity Teaching wishes to establish itself within the Great Ming Dynasty, I wonder how the National Teacher views this?"
This is the attitude and demeanor of the strongest in the world. The Witch God Sect Leader did not beat around the bush but expressed his demands and conditions openly.
The Witch Deity Teaching wanted to establish itself within the Great Ming Dynasty, or rather, to join it and cooperate, which required Pei Xuanjing's approval.
"I'm curious about a few things, I wonder if the Sect Leader would like to enlighten me?" Pei Xuanjing, seeming unsurprised, asked directly.
In fact, upon hearing this proposal, some guesses and answers were forming in Pei Xuanjing's mind, but he required confirmation.
The Witch God Sect Leader was also quite forthright: "Of course."
He realized that the Taoist before him, despite only being in the Spirit Realm Eightfold, exhibited strength matching his own, suggesting the two were on equal footing.
Therefore, wanting to cooperate with such a person, he could not conceal too much. After all, if they truly cooperated, there would be more contact between them, and letting the other party discover the truth by himself, would necessarily lead to the collapse of the cooperation.
"Surely, National Teacher must know that my Witch Deity Teaching has been passed down since ancient times…"
…
Inside the Imperial City, Zhu Houji, Emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, stood before a detailed map of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty's territories. The entire hall was silent, not even his personal eunuch was present. Only the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Yan Weizhong, bowed slightly at a distance, standing by and waiting for a summons.
The usually calm and composed Emperor Zhu Houji currently didn't possess his usual equanimity. Instead, his expression reflected complexity and hesitation as if some matter preoccupied his mind and he was unsure how to proceed.
Yan Weizhong watched the back of the emperor quietly, feeling an incredible sense of majesty emanating from him, regardless of whether he was in his royal robes or dressed as a Taoist. This awe-inspiring aura permeated the entire hall, rendering everyone unable to look him in the eyes directly.
As a courtier who was promoted wholly due to Zhu Houji, Yan Weizhong found that, over the years, the emperor had become increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.
…
"Yan Qing, do you think my decision this time is right or wrong?" Zhu Houji's voice suddenly broke Yan Weizhong's train of thought.
Upon hearing the emperor's question, Yan Weizhong immediately responded: "Your Majesty's wisdom is comparable to the many wise monarchs throughout history. Your judgment will naturally be correct."
…
Zhu Houji looked over the map, laughed lightly, and said, "However, Hai Gangfeng sent a petition saying that the Witch Deity Teaching is definitely not benevolent in nature. Cooperating with them is like asking a tiger for its skin. One misstep could bring disaster to the entire Great Ming Dynasty."
…
Moreover, the conditions proposed by the Witch Deity Teaching this time are hard to refuse.
All bustling in the world is for the sake of gain, and all striving is also for the same purpose.
All things under Heaven and Earth, are at the core, about fame and benefit.
Even though Zhu Houji, the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, is no saint devoid of desires, his desires even surpass those of the common people, making them more intense, stronger.
Therefore, when the Witch Deity Teaching offered a big enough benefit, Zhu Houji hesitated and made some compromises.
Of course, an important point to note is that even though he, at present, has unparalleled strength by harnessing the power of the Divine Dynasty, he is still not a match for the top-tier force like the Witch Deity Teaching.
At this point, if he were to challenge such a frightening opponent, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty would definitely not have peace.
"Hai Gangfeng is nothing more than a corrupt scholar, indulging in empty talk, Your Majesty need not argue with him," Yan Weizhong said, shaking his head.
Like others, he also had an extreme distaste for Hai Gangfeng. Because he thought he himself was clean and upright, he expected everyone to be the same. Not a day passed without a large number of impeachment documents accusing Yan Weizhong's actions,.
To him, Hai Gangfeng's advice this time was just armchair strategising.
Everyone knows that cooperating with the Witch Deity Teaching is akin to asking a tiger for its skin, but, in the face of the Witch Deity Teaching, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty did not have much power to refuse.
Does he have to rely on National Master Pei Xuanjing to confront the Witch Deity Teaching?
But wouldn't that also mean entrusting the Great Ming Divine Dynasty into the hands of others, thus becoming a vassal of others?
If that's the case, wouldn't the efforts of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty over the years turn into a laughing stock?
The emperor stayed silent, not providing any comments on what Yan Weizhong had said. Yan Weizhong also went silent, refraining from further words.
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke, "You should personally go and meet Wang Boan, and ask about his thoughts."
Regarding the collaboration with the Witch Deity Teaching, although it had not been made entirely public, many officials of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty had understood quite a bit, subtly or otherwise, and had submitted petitions to express their views.
While some people agreed, praising His Majesty the Emperor greatly, some others disagreed, earnestly requesting the emperor to revoke the order. Everyone had their own perspectives.
Surprisingly, Wang Boan, who was leading the army outside, stayed silent about all of this. He had not expressed any opinions, remaining silent.
Therefore, Zhu Houji was curious as to what Wang Boan's opinion was. Even though he had already made a decision, he still wanted to hear how Wang Boan thought about this, seeing as nearly one third of the armed forces of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty were under his control, necessitating the emperor to consider his opinions.
"This servant obeys the decree," Yan Weizhong said respectfully.
After Yan Weizhong left, the spacious hall was left with only the emperor.
"Mr. Wu, do you think Master Pei will agree?"
All of a sudden, Zhu Houji's voice rang out again.
At that moment, Wu Shijiu appeared in the hall, providing a response to Zhu Houji, "How the National Master perceives this, is something that we cannot decide upon, and we do not have the authority to influence Master Pei's will. Ultimately, it all depends on the negotiation between the Witch God Sect Leader and Master Pei."
Zhu Houji nodded his agreement, "Indeed, neither Master Pei nor the Witch God Sect Leader, can have their decision influenced by us. Whatever they decide, will come from their heart."
"But since the Witch God Sect Leader was confident enough to make an appearance in person, he must certainly have the confidence to give Master Pei a satisfactory response."
"Can the Witch God Sect Leader fulfill the conditions he agreed upon?" Zhu Houji asked the question that he cared about the most.
As he spoke, he looked directly at Wu Shijiu, hoping for a precise answer. He needed to know that for this collaboration, he was putting everything on the line, and if he lost, everything could go up in smoke.
"The Witch Deity Teaching has existed since ancient times. It doesn't have to be anything else, but when it comes to the various cultivation methods handed down from the shared rulers of the ancient eras and the methods to break through realms, there must be some preservation," said Wu Shijiu after contemplating for a while.
Being from the Witch Deity Teaching, he knew just how immeasurable the Witch Deity Teaching's heritage is. If there was any place in the world that had the deepest understanding and research of the human-ruled Divine Dynasty, it was naturally the Witch Deity Teaching, with no one else being comparable.
The Witch Deity Teaching that had been handed down from ancient times, exactly what kind of secret things were being preserved there, no one could say for sure. They were in charge of sacrifices and have earned the trust of generations of human race's shared rulers.
"I hope so," said Zhu Houji, a gleam in his eyes.
The reason why he chose to agree to the collaboration with the Witch Deity Teaching was because of the conditions proposed by the Witch God Sect Leader. The Witch God Sect Leader claimed that he could help the Great Ming Divine Dynasty progress even further, allowing Zhu Houji to possess power comparable to that of the strongest in the Nine Realms of Spirit.
To Zhu Houji, this was an irresistible offer. For him, after witnessing the respect and status earned by Pei Xuanjing after suppressing the Taixu Venerable, he became eager to receive the same treatment.
To him, if he had such power, then neither he nor the Great Ming Divine Dynasty would need to rely on someone else. They could gain an adequate position and have their voices heard in this world.
"Everything under the heaven and earth, in the end, depends on strength. Without sufficient power, all words are empty," Wu Shijiu said seriously, "As long as one is able to stand at the pinnacle, then minor retreats and compromises are inconsequential."
They both compromised this time because the Witch God Sect Leader gave them an irresistible offer.
The Witch God Sect Leader promised to use the methods obtained from the ancient shared rulers of the human race and let the Great Ming Divine Dynasty progress, allowing Zhu Houji, the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, to possess power that is on par with the strongest in the Nine Realms of Spirit.
And for Wu Shijiu, it was to help him make the breakthrough from the Eightfold of the Spirit Realm and give him a chance to step into the Strongest Realm of the Ninefold of the Spirit Realm.
Such a deal was something that Wu Shijiu couldn't resist, and thus, he temporarily set aside his personal grudges.
The gap to the Ninth Fold of the Spirit Realm is as difficult as ascending to Heaven, preventing countless of talented individuals from crossing over for millennia. No one is confident of making the breakthrough, not even those who have already ascended to the Strongest Realm of the Ninefold of the Spirit Realm. They would not dare to say that they could reach it again if they had to start over.
If it were anyone else promising this, then Wu Shijiu would certainly sneer at their words, dismissing them as nonsense.
But when these words came from the mouth of the Witch God Sect Leader, he couldn't help but take it seriously, because he knew the Witch Deity Teaching was capable of making it happen. That's why he agreed without hesitation, choosing to cooperate with the Witch God Sect Leader, and persuade Zhu Houji, to take the initiative in acting as go-between with Pei Xuanjing.