The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings

Chapter 980: Chapter 928 – Chapter 929: Isn’t He Afraid I’ll Kill Him?_2 Chapter 980: Chapter 928 – Chapter 929: Isn’t He Afraid I’ll Kill Him?_2 So when Huang Jin conveyed the Emperor’s decree, the Prince of Xiang didn’t hesitate or make excuses and immediately went to look for Zhao Baiyang and others.

As if expecting the Prince of Xiang’s visit, Zhao Baiyang showed no sign of surprise when he saw him arrive.

When the Prince of Xiang asked about their intentions, Zhao Baiyang candidly told him that they wished to obtain a top mystical land of blessings from the Great Ming Divine Dynasty’s hands and were willing to pay a certain price for it.

This was something they had agreed upon long ago. No matter what, these mystical lands of blessings were in the hands of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty. Regardless of the methods they used or how much they tried to be indirect, when it came to the crucial point of obtaining the mystical lands, the other party would inevitably become aware of it.

Therefore, under such circumstances, instead of being roundabout, spending countless efforts and still having the other party find out, which could affect the outcome of the deal, it was better to express their purpose straightforwardly from the start.

Of course, this was only their initial plan. If the people of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty still bore grudges over past events and were unwilling to agree to the trade, they could start looking for someone to mediate early on.

“Given the circumstances, it is incumbent upon me to convey these requests to His Majesty, but as for how His Majesty will decide and what the result will be, that is not for me to determine,” the Prince of Xiang said to Zhao Baiyang and the others.

“Let the incident of the past be set aside for now. Nowadays, the situation between heaven and earth is chaotic. My Divine Dynasty may seem to be thriving, but in reality, it is in a delicate position, and should anything go wrong, it will inevitably fall into a state of irreparable calamity. Hence, please prioritize the Divine Dynasty in all matters, Uncle!”

This was what Huang Jin had conveyed on behalf of the Emperor when the Prince of Xiang had inquired about the Emperor’s attitude when deciding how to deal with Zhao Baiyang and the others.

After hearing this, the Prince of Xiang immediately understood the Emperor’s thoughts and attitude and knew how he should treat Zhao Baiyang and the others.

Although he was still not satisfied with these people’s assassination attempt on Emperor Wuzong in Tiandu, he understood the current situation. Moreover, while Zhao Baiyang and his group might not seem significant in the eyes of some immortal sects, their alliance was enough to cause turmoil within the Great Ming Divine Dynasty.

“That is only natural,” Zhao Baiyang nodded and said.

Interest comes first, personal grievances aside. This saying might be simple to say, but not so easy to put into practice.

If grudges and emotions could be suppressed so easily, there wouldn’t be so many cases of indignation leading to impulsive actions.

While Zhu Houji, as an emperor, should be able to discern what is truly important and what can be temporarily set aside, it’s not guaranteed. Being overwhelmed by emotions and acting on impulse is not an impossibility.

The Prince of Xiang received the answer he wanted and did not stay long. Another person might have reminisced about old times.

However, since he and Zhao Baiyang were not allies, just sitting down and having a peaceful discussion was already influenced by the current state of affairs — to reminisce like old friends was indeed impossible.

After leaving Zhao Baiyang and the others, the Prince of Xiang did not linger and returned directly to the Imperial City to seek an audience with Emperor Zhu Houji.

Upon hearing of the Prince of Xiang’s return, Zhu Houji immediately set aside his affairs and, after greeting the Prince of Xiang, listened to his account of the meeting and discussions with Zhao Baiyang and others.

“They want a mystical land of blessings?” Zhu Houji asked.

“Not bad,” nodded the Prince of Xiang.

“I wonder, what does Uncle think their objectives are?” Zhu Houji furrowed his brows slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes, as if he had some speculations.

Having received this response, during his journey back, the Prince of Xiang also pondered over what exactly Zhao Baiyang and the others were aiming for.

“They were unable to seize control of the Spirit Realm Cave Sky and, thus, settled for second best, hoping to obtain a mystical land of blessings,” the Prince of Xiang shared his speculation.

“Indeed,” Zhu Houji nodded, approving of this conclusion.

But he quickly added, “However, there is more to it. They are also testing me and even trying to probe into Master Pei’s thoughts behind this matter.”

Zhu Houji’s insight was keen; he quickly understood Zhao Baiyang’s thoughts. Indeed, they were ineligible to contest for the Spirit Realm Cave Sky and also incapable of creating a mystical land of blessings. Therefore, they chose to fall back and seek a top mystical land of blessings.

But this wasn’t the only reason, or to be more exact, this reason wasn’t sufficient to justify the price they were paying or the promises they were making.

“Does it concern the National Teacher?” the Prince of Xiang asked with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

He couldn’t have imagined that this matter would also involve an immortal, the venerable National Teacher. His curiosity only deepened.

“Not bad, they are betting,” Zhu Houji explained to him.

Zhao Baiyang and the others knew Master Pei very well and probably surmised that Master Pei had advised these actions of mine. They were betting that this was part of Master Pei’s plan, and if they could seize this opportunity, they would ascend to great heights and reap substantial rewards.

Indeed, these people were formidable and made bold decisions.

“So, should we agree to their terms?” the Prince of Xiang asked after hearing the Emperor’s thoughts.

It seemed that since this Mystical Land of Blessings was related to Pei Xuanjing’s behind-the-scenes plotting, it represented huge interests. In other words, the Mystical Land of Blessings, which seemed negligible to everyone else, was actually incredibly important.

So, should they cede the interests within to Zhao Baiyang and his group, especially when the National Teacher Pei Xuanjing had yet to express his stance? Would it not displease the National Teacher?

“There’s no need to give an answer for now. Let’s wait until Master Pei arrives in Tiandu, then we can decide,” Zhu Houji pondered before saying.

Although I am the master of this Spirit Realm Cave Sky and the many Blessed Lands, the actual distribution of these places relies on the will of Master Pei and the Witch God Sect Leader.

Of course, even without meeting Master Pei, Zhu Houji could roughly guess what his attitude would be—nine times out of ten, he would choose to agree.

When handling affairs, the philosophy of that Master Pei is to have more friends and fewer enemies, which is how one gets things done.

So, if there were people wanting to join, he would definitely not skimp on ceding a portion of the interests to gain more collaborators.

Especially this time, with the major task of advancing the Godsealing Plan and creating the Human Race Heavenly Court at hand, which involved not only internal struggles among various strong factions of the human race but also facing the external threat of the Demon Race.

Hence, Master Pei would definitely want to secure enough support from the human race to ensure the smooth completion of the Godsealing Plan.

While Zhu Houji was speculating, unknown to everyone else, Pei Xuanjing’s True Immortal avatar had already quietly arrived at the Taoist Academy in Tiandu.

Qingyang Zi entered the courtyard of the Taoist Academy’s Dean and saw a figure in a dark brown Taoist robe standing there.

Clad in the Taoist robe, Pei Xuanjing stood with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding the air of an immortal.

“I pay my respects to the Dean,” Qingyang Zi bowed and greeted him.

Although he was a disciple of the True Martial Sect, after the matters of the True Martial Sect came to an end, Qingyang Zi returned to the Taoist Academy once again.

His return to the Academy was not only a personal decision but also favored by many elders of the True Martial Sect, as well as his senior brother, Qingxu Taoist.

With the merger of the two worlds, the original Taoist Alliance gradually dissolved. For the True Martial Sect, even with the presence of Monarch Qingxu, a Supreme Strong who held the Divine Position of Devil-Sweeping Great Emperor, they were not considered top-tier in an era where True Immortals appeared.

Therefore, maintaining a good relationship with the Shenxiao True Monarch was extremely important for the True Martial Sect, and since Qingyang Zi held the position of Deputy Dean of the Taoist Academy, it was not something he could just relinquish.

For his part, Qingyang Zi didn’t refuse and chose to accept the offer.

On one hand, sitting as the Deputy Dean came with high-ranking authority and he wouldn’t have to worry about resources for cultivation. On the other hand, it also maintained the pivotal connection between the True Martial Sect and Shenxiao True Monarch—a win-win situation.