The main hall of Renhuang Pavilion was filled with golden light in every corner of the underground training ground.

The sound of dragon chants and the clear sound of flutes filled the air, and the laughter of the rich old man continued without interruption. The young man surrounded by golden dragon shadows occasionally flashed by his side.

It was Wu Wang and Liu Bairen.

At this time, it was already the second night that Wu Wang had seen the girl from Qingqiu Kingdom. He secretly returned to the main hall of Renhuang Pavilion with a few people.

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

It was not to come and look for trouble, but because of a reminder from the Great Elder, Wu Wang remembered that he still had 70% of his divine power that he hadn't taken. He came to "have a meal".

After a brief battle, Wu Wang seemed to become more and more brave, with a sense of soaring ambition.

Liu Bairen sneered, his big hand was like thunder and mountains, and he slapped Wu Wang to the ground.

The rolling waves of energy caused the six-sided formation walls to constantly flicker, smashing him into the carefully crafted ground, and he couldn't get up for a long time.

"Hmm, out of practice."

Liu Bairen calmly put on his Daoist robe and looked at Wu Wang with a smile that was not a smile. "You slept for two years in the North Wilderness, why are your claws so dull?"

Wu Wang struggled a bit, but was pulled up from the ground by the cheerful jumping musical notes. He sat on the ground trembling.

He grinned and gathered strands of water vapor with his hand, condensing them into a water ball, and poured it over his head, feeling a chilling sensation.

The method he used to condense the water ball was quite familiar to Ling Xiaolan.

Wu Wang smiled and said, "It's just to save face for the Pavilion Master... What about the divine power? Give me some, I've absorbed all the ones here."

Liu Bairen narrowed his eyes, "You want to get paid without doing any work?"

"Hey, Pavilion Master Liu, you're being unreasonable!"

Wu Wang jumped up straight, dried the water on his body, took out a robe, and muttered, "You have a bit of a black heart! I've worked hard as the Lord of this palace!"

"What about the wound?"

Wu Wang silently pulled out a strand of hair and leaned forward to examine it.

Ling Xiaolan in the corner covered her mouth and chuckled.

Liu Bairen laughed and scolded, "Alright, alright! Stop with these useless things. Let's go, let's go. The fairy is waiting here, we'll be back soon."

Ling Xiaolan naturally lowered her head and began to meditate in mid-air.

Immediately, Liu Bairen led Wu Wang to a corner of the underground training ground. After some manipulation, he summoned the portal to enter the small world, and the training ground disappeared.

As soon as they entered, Liu Bairen frowned and looked at Wu Wang, muttering, "Wu Wang, what do you mean?"

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

"That fox woman!"

Liu Bairen frowned, "Didn't you have someone send the Qingqiu fox woman here yesterday? I understand your little thoughts. I transferred her to the Punishment Hall for you. She is now in the dungeon of the Punishment Hall and you can take her away at any time. Why did you bring Ling Fairy here today?"

Wu Wang:...

"You're quite good at making up stories. Even the companion fox spirit came out. If she really is a seventh-grade companion fox spirit, Qingqiu Kingdom would definitely treasure her and wouldn't let those bugs catch her."

Liu Bairen squinted at Wu Wang, making him feel mixed emotions.

The Pavilion Master was really not serious.

At this point, Wu Wang could only thank the Pavilion Master and sigh:

"Pavilion Master misunderstood. That girl from Qingqiu Kingdom is indeed a seventh-grade companion fox spirit. The environment in Qingqiu Kingdom is somewhat special, and the birth of a companion fox spirit is unpredictable. I asked the Great Elder to send her to Renhuang Pavilion for disposal. If she is released, it would undoubtedly be cultivating a powerful expert for the Heavenly Palace. But she hasn't done anything harmful, she just studied in the Human Realm's Flower Pavilion for a few years. It wouldn't be reasonable to kill her directly. It would be better to find a beautiful place, seal her bloodline, and let her live out her life."

"Is that what you really think?"

Liu Bairen looked puzzled, looked Wu Wang up and down, and smiled, "Alright, if that's what you think, don't regret it."

"What's there to regret?"

Wu Wang couldn't defend himself, "In the eyes of the seniors, am I such a frivolous person?"

"Well," Liu Bairen nodded seriously, "Before you came to Renhuang Pavilion, I had already sent my granddaughter away."

Wu Wang laughed, "Oh? You have a granddaughter?"

"I don't! Don't ask! Let's go get the divine power!"

Liu Bairen waved his hand and pulled Wu Wang towards the lonely palace.

The place was gray and the Dao stored here was relatively simple, barely maintaining the existence of this small world.

A palace was suspended on the huge body of Qiong Qi, and chains extended from below the palace. At this moment, Qiong Qi only had six heads left.

Wu Wang first saluted the figures above the palace, then carefully looked at the palace.

He didn't notice many details last time, but now he saw them clearly.

Within the circle of stone pillars, there was no entrance to the palace.

"How many are we taking this time?"

"Still three. The divine power that this necklace can store is limited."

Wu Wang didn't dare to look around, took off the necklace from his neck, held it in his hand, and followed Liu Bairen to pick the flowers.

After absorbing 30% of Qiong Qi's divine power and surviving the Heavenly Tribulation, Wu Wang's physical strength at this moment was comparable to that of a late-stage Heavenly Immortal.

Whether it was deliberately done by Shen Nong or a fortunate coincidence, Wu Wang's Divine Mansion, where his primordial spirit resided, was enveloped in fluctuations of the Fire Dao.

This way, it would be convenient for Wu Wang to hide his own Dao in the future.

Show weakness with the Fire Dao;

Fight back with the Stellar Dao.

After taking the divine power, Liu Bairen took Wu Wang out of this hidden small world and took him and Ling Xiaolan to the Immortal and Mortal Hall to discuss important matters.

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

Ling Xiaolan, who was traveling with him, was also constantly thinking and pondering. When Liu Bairen called her name, she could also articulate her thoughts clearly and logically.

Wu Wang didn't expect the Heavenly Palace to act so swiftly.

In less than half a month, signs of drought and flooding began to appear in various parts of the Human Realm.

A lake mysteriously dried up, a river's flow inexplicably increased, ice and snow on mountains melted, and hundreds of trees in the deep forests died.

When Liu Bairen mentioned these, his expression was very calm.

It was all part of the daily routine.

In a pavilion, Liu Bairen sat with the hem of his robe lifted, gesturing for the two to sit down.

Ling Xiaolan naturally refused to sit. Seeing this, Wu Wang also pretended to be lazy and casually leaned against the railing.

Liu Bairen spoke slowly, "Wu Wang, Xiaolan, what do you think about the secret negotiations between us and the sixteen countries of Central Mountain and East Wilderness?"

Wu Wang looked at Ling Xiaolan, who nodded slightly and opened her thin lips:

"In my opinion, the Heavenly Palace must be aware of this matter, but I don't know what they intend to do.

It's possible that the Heavenly Palace sent them to test the Human Realm, but I can't see what good can come from such a test.

Alternatively, it could be that these sixteen ancient countries are secretly contacting each other, intending to emulate the Human Realm and resist the Heavenly Palace.

The previous incident with the Rain Master's concubine's country has indeed left a bad taste in our mouths; I really don't know what those countries that serve the Heavenly Palace think."

Liu Bairen and Wu Wang nodded with smiles, each giving Ling Xiaolan a thumbs up.

Ling Xiaolan's face turned slightly red. She felt that the old and young men were teasing her, but due to Liu Bairen's presence, she couldn't lose her manners and could only look away with pursed lips.

Is the fairy angry?

It's quite a sight.

Wu Wang laughed, "Let me add a few words, ahem, I think, the Heavenly Palace might be trying to establish its authority."

"Establish its authority?" Liu Bairen's eyes revealed a hint of amusement, "How so?"

Wu Wang pondered for a moment, then said seriously:

"We already know that the Heavenly Emperor Di Shun has not shown himself for tens of thousands of years, presumably busy dealing with the return of the Candling Dragon deity.

Most of the Heavenly Palace's plans are devised by the Deputy Deity of Lifespan, who now has the power to convene the gods for discussions and holds great power.

Therefore, when we study the strategies of the Heavenly Palace, we can consider the Deputy Deity of Lifespan as our opponent, summarize and infer from the actions of the Heavenly Palace in the past, and figure out the Deputy Deity of Lifespan's habits and perspectives.

Then, for the current situation that we can't figure out, we can look at it and consider it from the Deputy Deity of Lifespan's perspective, and perhaps we can make better predictions."

Liu Bairen asked, "What are your insights?"

Wu Wang's eyes revealed a hint of emotion as he said slowly, "To be honest, the Deputy Deity of Lifespan is a tough opponent, and I'm a bit at a loss, but this innate god has a flaw, which is his fickleness."

"Oh?"

"His strategies lack a unified direction."

Wu Wang made a fist with his right hand, holding an imaginary long sword and drew a horizontal line on the table, then added a slant and a hook, turning it into an arrow.

"This is the strategy that the Deputy Deity of Lifespan followed when he appeared and was injured by the emperor — paralyzing the Human Realm, causing internal conflicts in the Human Realm, and reducing the combat power of the Human Realm."

Liu Bairen and Ling Xiaolan nodded in agreement.

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

"This can be seen as a series of strategies that the Deputy Deity of Lifespan followed afterwards, sending the Evil God to cause trouble, inciting people's hearts, but his little Evil God Qiong Qi was defeated and hid after we chased him for a while.

It can be said that his subsequent plan was a failure."

"Correct," Liu Bairen said seriously, "It is indeed so."

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

Wu Wang said, "This represents his strategy of presiding over the Seven Disasters and Six Calamities. The Human Realm is in crisis, and the internal unity of the Human Realm will naturally become tighter. The death and injury of many mortals will also arouse the sympathy of cultivators.

This strategy seems more ruthless, but in fact, it is the Heavenly Palace that is consuming divine power to do it, and it will make the efforts of the first strategy go down the drain."

In the course of his speech, Wu Wang drew two more arrows, parallel to the third one, representing [forcing the Rain Master's concubine's country to submit] and [creating a new deity].

"In this way, we can see what the Deputy Deity of Lifespan is thinking at the moment."

Ling Xiaolan hummed a few times and asked in a crisp voice, "What prompted the Deputy Deity of Lifespan to change his strategy?"

Liu Bairen lifted his chin towards Wu Wang.

Wu Wang said, "It has little to do with me. I only fought with Qiong Qi, who is just one of the Ten Evil Gods. At that time, the Deputy Deity of Lifespan had not fully started his attack.

We can pay attention to two time periods. The news from the Heavenly Palace before was that the Human Realm would be destroyed within a hundred years.

And the recent news is that the Human Realm will be destroyed within fifty years.

What forced the Deputy Deity of Lifespan to abandon his previous strategy should be the real master of the Heavenly Palace, Emperor Di Shun."

Wu Wang put away his long sword and pointed at the end of all the arrows.

"What the Deputy Deity of Lifespan is following is the will of the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor can't wait any longer."

Liu Bairen and Ling Xiaolan nodded in agreement.

Liu Bairen even looked Wu Wang up and down, wondering, "Why do I feel that after you became an immortal, you've been working hard? I've never seen you work so hard before."

"Isn't this a direct feud with the Heavenly Palace?"

Wu Wang laughed awkwardly and brought the topic back on track:

"One of the problems the Heavenly Palace is facing now is also a pit that the Deputy Deity of Lifespan dug for himself.

They first implemented a strategy of showing weakness to the enemy, how could the various tribes not have doubts? Afterwards, they tightened their control over the tribal forces, naturally arousing dissatisfaction among the tribes.

This time, the secret communication between us and the sixteen countries is very likely a result of the Heavenly Palace's deliberate indulgence.

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

The reason for these flaws is actually due to the gods' contempt for the living beings.

The Great Wasteland in the eyes of these innate gods is not the same as the Great Wasteland in our eyes."

Liu Bairen frowned, "Are you saying that the Heavenly Palace might want to establish its authority through this matter?"

Wu Wang shook his head and said softly:

"It's just a possibility, we still don't know how things will develop in the future.

The new Ten Evil Gods just took office, they need to make some noise. If I were the Deputy Deity of Lifespan, I would definitely want to prove to the tribes that the Heavenly Palace is still the same Heavenly Palace."

"What I'm uncertain about now is, if the Deputy Deity of Lifespan deliberately wants to kill some of the top warriors from the hundred clans to establish his power, should we intervene, and to what extent can we do so, and what impact will it have on the Heavenly Palace."

Ling Xiaolan said, "The hundred clans are nothing more than vassals of the Heavenly Palace."

"No, the hundred clans have great potential."

Wu Wang said seriously, "Just as His Majesty said when he was drinking and chatting with me, the living beings replacing the gods as the masters of the Great Wasteland is the trend of this world.

We in the Human Realm have long known and firmly believed in this, but the hundred clans do not know, nor do those living beings imprisoned in various places in Central Mountain.

This is the main reason why I said so much today.

My lord, this time, it might be an opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

"The opportunity for the Human Realm to counterattack."

Wu Wang leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with sharp light:

"First, the right of living beings to survive in the world;

Second, all living beings are free, not vassals of the gods;

Third, every independent consciousness should be respected. When the living beings of the Great Wasteland unite, the era of divine rule will eventually pass, and it will be ended by the hundred clans."

Liu Bairen seemed to have touched something, his eyes full of light.

"Speak! How many top warriors do we need? I will go to His Majesty for permission right now!"

……

【What else can we do to the Deputy Deity of Lifespan?】

While waiting for Liu Bairen to mobilize his troops, Wu Wang had some free time. He strolled around the Punishment Hall, greeting some familiar faces.

The matter of the women from the Kingdom of Women, Wu Wang could only put it aside for now.

With so many things pressing on him now, Wu Wang also felt the weight of the title of the Master of the Punishment Hall.

It's not that he hadn't taken the struggle between the Human Realm and the Heavenly Palace seriously before. In fact, many times, he had the illusion of watching a play from the outside.

Whether it was the initial Kingdom of Women or the later Rain Master's Concubine Kingdom, he was just a bystander.

Wu Wang categorized this feeling as - he lacked a sense of immersion in the world of the Great Wasteland, always feeling like a wanderer from the Blue Star.

He hadn't taken the heavenly tribulation of becoming an immortal too seriously before, but he was made to suffer so much. Unexpectedly, Wu Wang felt like he was struck by those thunderbolts, from outside the curtain, into the 'painting'.

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

He could see the intricate patterns on the feathers of the sparrows in the clouds, the fabric patterns on the robes of the immortal soldiers, and even more so, how delicate the skin of the fairy beside him was.

Wu Wang truly felt alive in this world.

And he wanted to live longer, to take steady steps and keep going.

Powerful enemies wouldn't spare him just because he had only lived for a few decades;

The Deputy Deity of Lifespan, one of the top few powerful beings in the world, wouldn't let him off just because he hadn't become an immortal yet.

There wasn't so much 'my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens', nor was there so much 'don't bully the young and poor'.

Now, he was officially at odds with the Deputy Deity of Lifespan.

The Human Realm is currently on the defensive and unable to counterattack Central Mountain? Then let's start with ideological warfare first. The Human Realm will use all available means to do ideological work for the hundred clans.

This is the precious experience that Wu Wang brings, and it's a 'brand new' idea that has never been seen in the Great Wasteland.

In fact, after careful consideration, Wu Wang felt that the gap between him and the Deputy Deity of Lifespan wasn't that big.

Thanks to the love of his mother, he had already mastered the lifeblood of the Heavenly Palace - the Star Path of the original Star God, and held the key to summoning the return of the Candling Dragon God system.

This was Wu Wang's trump card and capital.

Moreover, if the Human Realm is compared to the Heavenly Palace, and the Human Emperor is compared to the Heavenly Emperor, the position of the Deputy Deity of Lifespan is equivalent to the position of Liu Bairen in the Human Realm.

- Suddenly, he seemed much more approachable.

"Brother Wu Wang?"

"Hmm?" Wu Wang came back to his senses and turned to look at Ling Xiaolan.

"I won't be going to the northeastern border this time," Ling Xiaolan raised her hand to adjust her hair, her eyes filled with a hint of apology, "I want to return to my sect to cultivate for a while, to adjust my Dao heart."

"What's wrong?"

Wu Wang was puzzled, "Did you encounter obstacles in your cultivation?"

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

Ling Xiaolan said with a smile, staring into Wu Wang's eyes.

The two were standing next to a flower garden, the breeze carrying the scent of flowers blew past, her long skirt swaying gently, her almond eyes filled with a touch of loss.

She whispered, "Actually, I feel that I have too many shortcomings, whether it's knowledge or ideas, they are far behind Brother Wu Wang, I want to follow my sect leader and master to cultivate more.

Can we set a three-year appointment?"

"A three-year appointment?"

"Yes," Ling Xiaolan stared at Wu Wang, speaking slowly, "I'll come to find you in three years, and tell you something on my mind."

Something on her mind?

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

"Well, let's decide on that, see you in three years."

Ling Xiaolan said this, lowered her head and turned around, her figure turned into a streak of fairy light, flying away quickly.

"Hey! Fairy!"

Wu Wang called out, but only saw her fairy light wrapped figure disappearing around the corner of the grand hall.

He stood in place for a moment, until someone called out the name of the hall master from the side, then Wu Wang came back to his senses.

"Master, the lord is looking for you."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Wu Wang suppressed the thoughts in his heart that had nothing to do with 【dealing with the Deputy Deity of Lifespan】, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the upcoming major event.

This time, as long as the Deputy Deity of Lifespan gives him half a chance, he will tear open a gap in the sphere of influence of the Heavenly Palace!