Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In a mansion somewhere in China, a beautiful woman in modern attire was in the middle of a phone call.
“Elder Immortal Ling Yunzi, that younger sister of mine has betrayed us and went to depend on Vigilante A, so you better be careful. Where have you been living recently?”
“Hmm, everything is going just as I expected. Vigilante A is like a grasshopper at the end of fall, so he’ll only be active for a few more days at most. Let him enjoy himself while it lasts. As for my location, there’s no need for you to worry about it. Just continue living your life peacefully in China.”
In a white villa somewhere on the other side of the ocean, an old man in a black Taoist robe spoke calmly into the phone.
“Are you saying another powerful being will be descending soon? And that even Elder Immortal’s ability would be no match for them? The limit of power in this world is loosening, so what type of powerful being would descend? Would it be possible for Elder Immortal to reveal a bit or two? At least enough for me and my sisters to make the proper preparations.”
“Hmm, very well, just to avoid any conflict with this powerful being. I’ll be straightforward—the powerful being is one of the treasured sons of Taoists in the Upper World. When he descends onto Earth and into China, he will unite all cultivators in China,” revealed Ling Yunzi confidently.
“Hiss…” Meng Xi, the first palace mistress of Liu Yun Palace was shocked at this news and she continued in disbelief, “Heavenly Treasured Children are apparently Heavenly Beings left for the future by the Heavenly Axiom of the Upper Realm, so why would they be willing to let one descend so soon? Besides, the Heavenly Axiom of the Lower Realm just recently loosened, so it isn’t too relaxed yet.”
“Haha, who knows what the Three Taoist Saints think? Maybe they feel like the timing is ripe for action and that any inaction will result in delays. People like us from other sects can merely watch them from the side, since we wouldn’t want our passion to be met with a cold shoulder,” said Ling Yunzi simply.
“Ugh…” Meng Xi could not help expressing disgust at what she heard. Elder Immortal Ling Yunzi was getting more crude with age, although one could also call it being fickle-minded and volatile. However, she swallowed her temper and continued, “Thank you for your reminder, Elder Immortal. We will not go near this Big V Player.” (TN: Big V Player is a slang that is used by Chinese netizens to refer to verified accounts with a legion of followers on websites like Weibo.)
“Haha, you lot learn quick.”
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do, as they say. If we don’t act this way, how will we integrate ourselves into this world quickly? After all, the man who can recognize the facts of a situation is a paragon of men,” replied Meng Xi calmly.
“Alright, it’s up to you lot now. I still have some errands to run, so I’ll hang up first.” With that said, Ling Yunzi ended the call.
He then shook his head—was he not the same as well? It’s only been a month or so, and he’s already learned how to use human technological products.
However, doing so at least allowed him to save his magical energy and spiritual sense; a bit saved has always been better than nothing saved. Any of his magical energy and spiritual sense that were saved went into reserves that would be used in times of war or need.
For example, if a great war were to break out tomorrow, the magical energy he saved today could be used for one more spell that would tip things in his favor or maybe grant him a chance to escape.
If one were to look at things a certain way, despite the fact that the Era of Vitality had begun, human technology and science should not be given up at all…
Ling Yunzi was a powerful being from the Upper Realm that has been alive for more than a thousand years, so he was not like those idiotic human leaders who were short-sighted and viewed all technology as diabolic tricks and wicked craft.
On the contrary, he was like those that were sharp enough to discover the true use of things without excluding them completely.
Age granted intelligence, and as long as an old person did not suffer from dementia, the longer they lived the more they experienced, which meant that the probability of them being more intelligent than most was higher too.
Of course, there were certainly some foolish ones as well. However, if one were not more than a thousand years old, one would have been long eliminated from the ever-changing world of cultivation…
After hanging up the phone, Ling Yunzi moved to the living room of the villa, where a few people awaited his arrival.
There was a middle-aged man in a black robe, a Caucasian woman, and a young lady of Asian descent.
“Ling Yunzi, you said you wanted to work with us. How do you propose going about that?” asked Black Robe coldly.
There was a saying in this world—evil retreats when Taoism advances, Taoism retreats when evil advances. It was as if both parties were irreconcilably hostile to each other, which was greatly disapproved in the Upper Realm.
The people on earth did not practice cultivation, and nobody has even lived past 200 years; even Peng Zu (TN: Peng Zu is a deity in Chinese myth who had supposedly lived for more than 800 years and was said to be the reincarnation of the God of Longevity.) who had supposedly lived for more than 800 years was nothing more than a myth, a legend incorrectly relayed from one generation to another.
However, what they did not know was that the citizens of the Upper Realm, be it Taoists, devils, or even Buddhas, only knew how to scheme their way through things. They only had one aim in mind, bringing their achievements to fruition and achieving longevity.
Therefore, it did not matter if you converted into a devil from being a Taoist or vice versa, since people like this were everywhere; there were even those that cultivated the path of Taoism, the path of Devils, and the Path of the Buddha altogether. Depending on the Cultivator, they would walk down whichever path that they felt was the most suitable for them.
In the eyes of a true Cultivator, they would never care about the views from different views. The various imagined scenarios that the people of Earth came up with in accordance with their respective cultures could not be further from the truth.
With a smile on his face, Ling Yunzi replied, “Haha, my black-robed brother, spare your indifference. We’ll both benefit from cooperation, and we don’t cooperate, it’ll be a loss for us both as well. I’ve always admired Devil Lord Zhi Nan’s intellect, unfortunately there isn’t a sect under him, and I’m sure he would never spare a thought for an old and useless person like me.”
“Hmph, at least you know your place. You’re nothing more than a b*stard that depends on extorting and scheming against disciples in actual sects to practice cultivation. Tell me, why would my Owner ever take a liking to you?” huffed Black Robe arrogantly as he crossed his arms.
Hearing these words did not make Ling Yunzi embarrassed in the slightest, for his smile remained as he continued, “You really are one straightforward man, brother. I had no other choice, I was born to mortal parents, so I could never compare to those Heavenly Treasured Children. Those are blessed by the Heavenly Axiom, they would be able to pick up treasure or a Lingzhi mushroom even if they tripped out of nowhere… I had to resort to some schemes to obtain materials so that I would be able to maintain the appearance of a Cultivator.”
“What are Heavenly Treasured Children? Reincarnation happens endlessly in both Heaven and on Earth, so what if they are the Treasured Children? People always say that the cycle of reincarnation goes on endlessly, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a Heavenly Treasured Child or a Heavenly Dumpling (TN: Heavenly Treasured Child is written as 天之骄子, while Heavenly Dumpling is written as 天之饺子. Both 骄子 and 饺子 sound the same in Chinese), you’ll only be eaten in the end,” retorted the black-robed man.
Black Robe was created by the Devil Lord using a combination of the Upper Realm’s memories and Earth’s myths. The height of his qualifications was hard to say, but his origin was strange, one could even call it a rare sight in both worlds.
In his eyes, nothing was bigger than his Owner, not the sky above him or the ground beneath him; what were these Heavenly Treasured Children to him anyway?
Ling Yunzi immediately complimented, “That’s definite. When faced with the deep intellect of the Devil Lord, these so-called geniuses would only be able to stand their ground one time, just like that arrogant Vigilante A.”
Once he heard this, Black Robe’s face clouded over; his Owner was ousted to the Moon by the person carrying that name. Fortunately, his Owner had sent letters that said that he had already figured out the Heavenly Axiom of this world and that he was prepared to let Vigilante A have a taste of his own medicine.
‘Haha, I hope that day comes along soon. Before that however, this Ling Yunzi seems to be useful as well.’
Once he thought of this, Black Robe calmly spoke. “Alright, enough with all that nonsense. What are your plans for cooperation? And be frank about it.”
“Hehe, since Brother Robe is so cool about it, then I won’t hesitate,” said Ling Yunzi, before proceeding to reveal his schemes and plans one after another.
After Black Robe finished listening to Ling Yunzi, the disdain on his face melted away. This old master that was born from dishonest practices had some diabolical schemes up his sleeve; even somebody like him that walked the Path of Devils could not compare.
It was no wonder someone like him with mediocre qualifications was able to become the leading figure he was today; not only could he summon the wind and call for the rain now, he even lived for more than 1000 years.
Sure enough, seemingly accidental consequences may in fact be hiding inevitable origins.
This old master’s inevitable success was entirely due to his unparalleled skills of scheming.
It was no wonder someone as strong as Vigilante A did not execute him.
Even in the current situation, Black Robe’s Owner was slightly inferior to this person in front of him, who held a large amount of resources in his palm.
After all, his true Owner was still stranded in the Upper Realm against those saints of Buddhahood.
