Chapter 1452 - 520: All Foreshadowing Revealed (Part 2)
"There will be turmoil there, and the great calamity will hinge on the survival of the Shang Nation.
"I will send you to the Shang Nation shortly, go now; don’t wait for the Skycutter Great Array to activate. What you need to do is conceal your identity as an Immortal and seek a position as a Military General there. Keep the position not too high, just aim to become a General of one locality.
"Then you need to marry and have children. This is the most important, have as many children as possible.
"Remember, everything is for the Heavenly Court to gain more initiative during the great calamity."
Li Jing nodded gravely and said through voice transmission: "I accept the order!"
"Do you have any reliable candidates?"
Li Ping’an asked casually:
"We should place as many as we can, all must be absolutely loyal to the Heavenly Court."
Li Jing thought for a moment and replied via voice transmission: "I have a few brothers with deep ties, but..."
"But what? Don’t be hesitant, there are no outsiders here."
"They are from the Demon Infant Army."
Li Jing looked a bit embarrassed and said via voice transmission:
"You might not know, the Demon Infant Army is made up of the tens of thousands of Demon Infants you once rescued. Although they have now joined the ranks of the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, they are still often looked down upon.
"I used to be responsible for supervising the Demon Infant Army and occasionally interacted with them. Over time, we became familiar and often drank together."
Li Ping’an pondered slightly.
The Demon Infant Army, could it be?
"What are their names?"
"Originally, they had no surnames, so they simply called themselves the Four Demon Brothers."
Li Ping’an: ...
It turned out the Demon Infant Army had such a name?
Li Jing looked anxious and said via voice transmission: "Your Majesty, if you have any misgivings about the Demon Infant Army, I can vouch for them. Since their transformation, they know their true spirits have been included in the living beings’ sequence. When previously fighting in a minor world, they were often the fiercest in battle, just so they wouldn’t be looked down upon."
"It’s not about that."
Li Ping’an said:
"I have an adopted sister you are aware of, she is the leader of the Demon Infant Army. How could I have misgivings about them?
"It’s just that many of the Demon Infants lack full intelligence."
"What Your Majesty referred to as lacking intelligence was an issue from three or four hundred years ago. After Princess Yao Ji entered the Realm of Heavenly Immortal, the Demon Infant Army was completely liberated."
Li Jing explained:
"They are now no different from ordinary people."
Li Ping’an nodded: "Then take them with you and give them my token to ensure their loyalty."
As he spoke, Li Ping’an took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, enveloped in his unique Dao Charm and a faint Heavenly Dao pressure.
"Inside are five Nine Revolutions Golden Pills, refined by Lao Jun, this can save lives."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Li Jing bowed and placed the jade bottle into his sleeve.
At this moment, his eyes shone brightly, a stark contrast to before.
Li Ping’an also roughly understood Li Jing’s nature.
To put it simply, he was just unwilling to be mediocre.
"Remember to study military strategy and tactics often."
"I shall remember!"
...
In Dong’an City, in a prosperous restaurant.
Qing Su sat in her private room, outside were rows of maids, each holding a jade disc with automatic preservation enchantments, containing various new dishes.
Yun Bing Xianzi’s reputation as a food critic was already well-known in Dong’an City.
Any dish that could make her a repeat customer would be popular in Dong’an City for a period.
Suddenly, shouts were heard from outside the door:
"The Heavenly Emperor has appeared at Casting Cloud Sect!"
Then there was a cacophony of voices, as a group of excited Qi Cultivators began calling out to their friends and rushing towards Casting Cloud Sect.
Qing Su felt a bit puzzled.
Her disciple, was he something rare worth such a big fuss?
Though she indeed missed her disciple a bit when Li Ping’an secluded himself for dozens or hundreds of years without meeting her, visiting Xuan Capital City to stay a while, seeing him would put her mind at ease.
’It’s just a master’s care for her disciple.’
Qing Su explained to herself.
The noise from outside the window gradually faded away, and countless streams of light indeed flew from Dong’an City towards Casting Cloud Sect.
"Eh? What excitement are they going to see?"
Guilingling’s slightly childish voice came from outside the door.
Two maids bowed their heads to make way, and Guiling, wearing a short green skirt, hopped over to Qing Su.
"Wow, so much delicious food! Get me a pair of chopsticks!"
Qing Su slightly pursed her lips with disapproval: "Don’t you need to stay by the Saint teacher’s side?"
"Hmm—"
Guiling stretched lazily, the white inner lining of her short skirt shining brightly.
"Master is worried, we disciples can’t really help.
"The Daoist Celestial Consecration Tribulation is about to arrive, within one or two hundred years at most, the catastrophe will fall, and all Taoist sects’ immortals will be caught in it."
Qing Su pondered: "Things are not peaceful in East Continent either, there was a major conflict between Chan and Jie factions before."
Guiling, sitting to the right of Qing Su, took the chopsticks presented by a maid and tasted the delightful spread on the table, softly saying:
"I asked the senior brother about this; some sects were arranged by us, some weren’t.
"Others are trying to fish in troubled waters, deliberately stirring things up."
Qing Su asked: "Western Sect?"
"It’s possible," Guiling pouted, "this matter runs deep, the Human Race no longer has the protection of the Human Emperor, each sect is now emphasizing their supposed Great Sect and Dao inheritance, many claiming to inherit from Chan Teaching and Intercepting Sect Immortals, just to glorify themselves for recruiting disciples."
Qing Su put down her chopsticks and thought carefully.
Guiling whispered: "Qing Qing, do you have something on your mind?"
"I’m just thinking about the great calamity."
Qing Su’s mouth didn’t move, but her lovely face seemed to convey a smile.
She softly said: "Receiving the ruler’s salary, as a Heavenly Court Immortal, we must consider these things, preventing demons from causing havoc, and keeping the powerful from oppressing the weak; this is what heavenly immortals should do."
"Yes, yes, my great heroine."
Guiling made a funny face:
"I am also a Heavenly Court Immortal, but I don’t worry about these things.
"Eat what you should eat, drink what you should drink, let nothing weigh on your mind, when disaster comes, run and head straight for safety!"
Qing Su almost laughed out loud.
Guiling whispered: "But there is one thing I am hesitating to tell Ping’an."
"What is it?"
"My two elder sisters are considering whether to find ways to sway Ping’an towards our Intercepting Sect."
"Sway him towards Intercepting Sect? That’s unlikely, you know his temperament."
"Yes," Guiling sighed, "as the beneficiary of the Dao Immortal Tribulation, Heavenly Court stepping in personally would certainly be criticized; doing nothing might actually be the best... but, the two elder sisters decided to use some extraordinary means."
"Extraordinary means?"
"It’s said in the Desolate Era, the Heavenly Emperor is not fond of women, but admires powerful women."
Guiling’s pretty face blushed as she whispered:
"We have plenty of powerful women in Intercepting Sect, they want to choose a female immortal from the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm, to become ambiguous with Ping’an, just like Lady Ba."
Qing Su was momentarily at a loss for words.
This method indeed seemed like something the Intercepting Sect Immortals would come up with.
Guiling quietly asked: "What do you think of this method?"
"It’s not good."
Qing Su gently knocked the edge of the table with the end of a chopstick, and the maid outside hurried forward to clear the table, replacing it with new dishes.
She couldn’t help but criticize:
"You know his true nature, and such stories about powerful women are baseless.
"After he made the Great Vow, he had entanglements with Zi Yao’s true form, he then made an alliance with her, which gradually led them to become husband and wife.
"Previously, when news spread about his coming out of seclusion, you understand why the Queen Mother was so nervous? It was because she feared he might find too many heavenly rules and, with her usual harsh punishment of sinful immortals, mistakenly believe her to be harshly severe.
"But compared to the Queen Mother, he still prefers the very obedient Ningning.
"Acting with such intentions will only earn his disdain."
Guiling blinked: "And you?"
Qing Su’s action of picking up food paused slightly, before she naturally continued.
"I am his first teacher, he is my disciple, and that is enough. I don’t want to serve him like an old master."
Guiling giggled: "Alright, then I’ll pass the message along... Ehh?"
Qing Su asked: "What’s the matter?"
"The restriction from Yao Ji’s side has been triggered," Guiling blinked, "she has come out of seclusion from the Immortal Isles of the East Sea, heading towards East Continent, should I go meet her?"
"Aside from here, where else could she go?"
Qing Su softly continued:
"She’s old enough, no need to continue watching her as in the past, how’s the new dish?"
"Alright."
Meanwhile, in the West’s Spiritual Mountain.
In the Saint’s small courtyard, Zhunti’s lips curved with a faint smile, a lotus flower drifted out around him, soon disappearing into nothingness.