অধ্যায় ১৩১: কপোতের বাসায় কাকের দখল, অবশেষে宮主
নালুরু রাজা...群玉山 cave abode, tang ping murmured this name.
in recent years, the attitude of the nalluru king towards him had improved a lot, and he had even intentionally allowed him to manage the affairs of the mingzhu divine palace, raising his status significantly.
tang ping believed that this fellow would most likely let him succeed to the position of palace master.
the reason lay in nalluru hua.
nalluru hua was somewhat incompetent and had failed to make a breakthrough even after more than forty years. perhaps due to excessive pressure in his heart, every time he fell just a little short, just a tiny bit short.
if nothing unexpected happened, the nalluru king's true intention should be to let tang ping stand at the forefront, while nalluru hua cultivated peacefully in the rear.
"as for jiang yuan, he must be another trump card."
tang ping roughly guessed it.
after all, when a person dies, the lamp goes out; no matter how boundless the nalluru king's abilities were, he could not interfere in matters after death. anticipating that tang ping might become too powerful to control, he had likely colluded with jiang yuan.
their envisioned scenario was that if tang ping suddenly rose to prominence one day and nalluru hua could not handle him even after breaking through, they would lure jiang yuan in to kill tang ping.
after all, the original ren jia had been killed by du yu, and du yu was tang ping's disciple.
at that time, through a coordinated attack from inside and outside, they could kill tang ping and complete the grand plan of the magpie nesting in the dove's home.
"hehe, can you pull it off?" tang ping sneered.
they probably still did not know that he had already broken through to the realm of the manifested divine dharma body.
this realm was equivalent to the dining rosy clouds realm. because they were ghosts, the number of individuals in this realm was far fewer than those in the dining rosy clouds realm.
"regardless, the position of palace master is still worth holding."
the dining rosy clouds realm was yet another method of cultivation.
the purple profound elixir had much less effect on his current realm, and this realm required absorbing the heavenly gang qi.
the wandering spirit realm absorbed the earthly turbid qi, which was malevolent qi.
the manifestation realm absorbed the heavenly clear qi, which was also gang qi.
when gang and sha fused into one, and the clear and turbid were clearly distinguished, that was the great dao.
therefore, the manifestation realm required resources, needed to collect gang qi, and required researching stronger elixirs.
more importantly, it required collecting cultivation techniques for the manifestation realm.
he still had about thirty thousand proficiency points left for cultivation. once this cultivation method was perfected, there would be nothing left to cultivate afterward.
the mingzhu divine palace had some renown and was considered a decent sect in the south, given the reputation of the candle-holding snake.
coupled with past exchanges with the eastern yi, tang ping could leverage this platform to acquire more powerful cultivation techniques.
all in all, this platform could not be discarded and had to be firmly grasped; yet tang ping did not want to take risks.
at this thought, tang ping frowned and paced back and forth in place. suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and a strange smile formed on his face:
"i have it! you want me to be a puppet, then i shall be a puppet known to all, haha!"
at that moment, a streak of sword light descended onto the mountain peak.
tang ping stepped outside and saw that it was none other than the kid li yuan.
forty years of time had left no trace on his face.
li yuan had already become the new leader of the living realm.
"what brings you here, kid?" tang ping asked curiously.
"the ten thousand dragons jade seal is in mei mountain. yesterday, a sudden divine phenomenon occurred, and the jade seal has been successfully forged according to your instructions," li yuan brought good news.
"excellent! take me to see it."
tang ping waved his large sleeve, and a bronze tiger flew out from his cuff.
the bronze tiger grew rapidly in the wind, manifesting a body more than a zhang in length with a hollowed-out back containing seats.
the two boarded the carriage, which started up and flew towards mei mountain in the state of chu.
the foot of the mountain was extraordinarily bustling.
the last census had been a hundred years ago. after a century of development, the circle centered around qunyu mountain had expanded by a hundred miles.
that was fifty kilometers.
the more the circle expanded, the larger its final area became.
over a span of one hundred years, it had expanded by a total area of about twelve thousand square kilometers.
combined with the original area, it totaled forty-four thousand square kilometers, which tang ping had divided into thirty counties, covering a population of four million five hundred thousand.
this was the core territory of the deities.
"thirty counties; the population can probably still increase by quite a bit."
the resource-integration capability under the county system was simply too strong.
the total territory of the state of chu was a hundred times larger than this, yet its population was only forty million.
if the county system were expanded a hundredfold, the population might reach four or five hundred million, or perhaps even more.
of course, there was no need to rush; take it one step at a time.
everything must follow a proper order of precedence.
soon, a thousand-zhang-high mountain appeared ahead.
the mountain was towering, covered by dark clouds.
no matter the time, it always maintained the dusky sky of a setting sun.
dark green malevolent qi gathered into clusters of clouds, upon which various fierce soldiers stood, the highest among them naturally being the fierce soldiers waving flags and shouting battle cries.
tang ping's breakthrough this time would likely allow him to comprehend a higher tier of fierce soldiers.
at the peak of the mountain stood a heaven-reaching altar, incense burning atop it year-round.
this mountain combined the deities of the mountain, water, and forest, and only after centuries of cultivation had it transformed into this towering peak.
beneath the altar stood a middle-aged man draped in a purple starry robe, his eyebrows stained crimson with cinnabar, and a large black hound crouching at his feet.
decades ago, a figure named zhang wulang had appeared in the underworld.
zhang wulang had taken over the position of zhang fumao, the pavilion marquis of the tree pavilion.
zhang fu was zhang wulang's eldest son. he had not lived long, and after his death, his position was inherited by his father, zhang wulang.
as for the sect master in the living realm, he was naturally inherited by the youngest son, zhang xian.
zhang xian's abilities were not particularly outstanding, but they were sufficient to maintain the status quo.
zhang xian opened his eyes and, seeing it was tang ping, dispensed with formalities. after offering a bow, he retrieved a sandalwood box from the altar.
"lord marquis, this is the ten thousand dragons jade seal; please inspect it."
tang ping opened the box, and a dragon roar assaulted his senses. he saw dragons swimming across the jade seal like little loaches.
the ten thousand dragons jade seal certainly did not contain ten thousand dragons.
aside from the common attributes of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, there were also mirage dragons of lightning, frost, darkness, illusions, and more.
tang ping could summon one dragon of the manifestation realm and ten dragons of the qi-refining realm.
their sizes could be altered at will, and they could also be used as chariots to transport soldiers, multiplying their combat effectiveness.
"not bad, you all have worked hard."
tang ping rewarded them with some elixirs according to custom, and then flew back to qunyu mountain.
"a top-tier spirit treasure? what a pity, it's not a divine artifact," tang ping thought to himself.
whether it was due to the passage of time, incomplete recovery of power, or some other reason, the ten thousand dragons jade seal had not reached the standards of a divine artifact.
magical tools, spirit treasures, and divine artifacts constituted the classification of implements. divine artifacts were called such because they possessed divinity, held a certain degree of sentience, or could transform into spirits to fight alongside their master.
divine artifacts varied in strength, but they were unquestionably superior to spirit treasures.
still, a top-tier spirit treasure was sufficient for self-defense.
not long after returning to qunyu mountain,
a vast, gloomy crowd flew in from the horizon, numbering around two hundred snake-people.
wind and rain filled the entire sky.
"elder yuding, the nalluru king requests your presence."
the snake-people wore stern expressions, carrying an unquestionable tone.
tang ping walked out from the boundless palace, seemingly sensing something in advance. his outward expression was solemn as he cupped his fists and said, "trouble the general to lead the way."
"indeed!"
the group flew towards the sword gorge ghost market.
the river waters near the sword gorge ghost market were patrolled everywhere by snake-people on the surface.
beneath the water were mermen, fish-headed people, fish-scaled people, double-headed fish-people, and other variant races affiliated with the merman tribe.
on the banks were tattooed and painted human armies, as well as the crimson-attired snake-people land forces, while bird-headed people soared through the skies.
bird-headed people were not feathered people, nor were feathered people bird-headed people.
the history of the bird-headed people was even longer than that of the feathered people; in antiquity, bird-headed people served as shamans. during the reign of zhuanxu, one of the five emperors, even the hundred officials were avian creatures, chirping noisily upon entering court.
in the trees were bizarre individuals draped in colorful clothing that blended seamlessly with the environment.
these should be people from the tattooed-body country, the howling-father country, and the nalluru country.
looking down from the sky, tang ping estimated there were at least over one hundred thousand troops.
with this mobilization of the entire clan, the nalluru king must truly have a serious matter at hand.
tang ping and the others were on their way.
the country of freedom from worry.
compared to the heavily guarded outer perimeter, this place was much more relaxed, likely due to the majority of troops being dispatched elsewhere.
within the main hall, there was only the nalluru king, nalluru hua, twenty-two direct descendants of the nalluru clan who consumed qi, and seven or eight wandering spirits of qi consumption from foreign tribes.
because the nalluru clan dominated alone and squeezed the living space of other ethnic groups, experts among those other tribes had become increasingly scarce day by day.
even so, the number of middle and lower-tier wandering spirit qi-consumption experts was still quite large.
and this was only because a portion had been dispatched outward; otherwise, there would have been even more experts.
the nalluru king upon the main throne had grown shockingly old, his face covered in black spots, scales peeling off in patches here and there.
originally, he would not have aged so rapidly; at least he could have maintained his appearance with dharma power. but now, his dharma power was leaking away unceasingly, and casting spells would only accelerate the speed of his death.
nalluru hua wore a sorrowful expression, remaining silent and still.
"has he arrived yet?" the nalluru king asked with some dissatisfaction.
"he is on his way," nalluru hua knew the reference was to tang ping.
"just in time; i have some matters to impart to you."
the nalluru king spat out three pitch-black scales, each the size of a normal person's palm, bearing twisting crimson flame patterns across their surfaces.
"these are scales bestowed by the candle-holding snake deity, containing the world-destroying divine fire within. only those in the qi-refining realm can wield them. after i am gone, you must not be overly ostentatious and must concentrate wholeheartedly on cultivation. hide these scales and let no one know their whereabouts!"
the nalluru king admonished him repeatedly.
the qi-consumption stage was still somewhat lacking; one needed to reach a higher realm to command the divine fire.
"in a moment, i will give yuding a severe intimidation so that he agrees to hand over all authorities of the snake-people and the other three nations to you, regardless of any circumstances. during this period, you must integrate the other two nations with nalluru."
"yes!" nalluru hua could not help but shed tears; the nalluru king's earnest teachings were entirely for the sake of future generations.
"ancestor, can you not transform into a ghost?"
nalluru hua refused to give up.
the nalluru king shook his head.
transforming into a ghost was useless. his lifespan had reached its end, and his soul was like a lamp without oil. even if he transformed into a ghost, he would only be a low-level wandering soul, bullied by anyone, and might even expose their secrets.
the ghost-transformation secret arts of other factions were not unleashed only when death was imminent, for at that time soul power was utterly insufficient; instead, preparations were made decades before death, dying at an auspicious hour to ensure that more power could be preserved.
soon, tang ping arrived.
"you all withdraw first; tang ping, stay behind."
the nalluru king seemed to experience a resurgence of vitality before death; his complexion ruddy and his gaze carrying the appearance of burning flames as he stared deeply at tang ping.
"what business does the king have with me?"
"do you possess any elixirs for prolonging life and longevity? this king will handsomely reward you."
the nalluru king asked once more.
hearing this, tang ping smiled bitterly and said, "king, this is the eightieth time you have asked this. i truly do not have any; if i did, i would have made my fortune long ago."
"very well."
the nalluru king did not pursue the matter further; he had merely wanted to probe, and if he could fish anything out, that would be for the best.
the next second, the nalluru king's expression suddenly twisted.
boom!
the hall doors slammed shut abruptly.
the nalluru king's body slowly elongated, lengthening rapidly until it filled the entire grand hall. his entire head hung upside down, his eyes emitting crimson rays as an overwhelming mental pressure descended.
"yuding, kneel down!!"
the nalluru king roared furiously, his scarlet snake fork flickering incessantly as an intangible might swept outward.
this was intentional on the part of the nalluru king.
he sought to crush tang ping's mind with mental pressure, establishing an unshakeable majesty within his heart that could not be resisted.
the nalluru king had considered various methods to constrain tang ping, even thinking of poison, but tang ping was an accomplished alchemist, making that method unfeasible.
thus, he thought of mental control. such control would diminish over time, but it would be sufficient for nalluru hua to achieve a breakthrough during that period.
as for what kind of damage tang ping's soul might suffer, that was not within his planning; his sole objective was the continuation of his race and the inheritance of the throne.
seeing tang ping standing dazedly without moving, his eyes gradually becoming glazed, the nalluru king thought to himself that this fellow had indeed fallen for the trap.
"pfft!!"
at that moment, tang ping chuckled lightly, a trace of playful amusement in his eyes.
"you! how is this possible!" the nalluru king's eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
why was tang ping completely unaffected?
"is there any possibility that my strength surpasses yours?"
as the words fell, tang ping's body emitted a faint radiance, and an even more formidable aura flashed and vanished.
the nalluru king's pupils constricted, his heart shaken to an extent beyond all addition, and he could not help but exclaim, "who on earth are you? why did you hide yourself so deeply?"
swish! swish!
overhead, the snake body wriggled continuously among the eaves, attempting to break through the roof and go warn the others.
tang ping remained unhurried, flipping his right hand as formless qi condensed into a sword of qi.
swish!
the qi sword flew out, dividing into three hundred and sixty-five.
bang! bang! bang!
the divine swords pierced straight through the nalluru king's body.
"arghh!!" the nalluru king cried out in pain, unable to hold back his voice.
his form was firmly nailed to the ground, and despite the commotion he made, no sound could penetrate outside.
tap, tap, tap...
footsteps approached from afar. tang ping squatted down in front of the nalluru king with a smile on his face.
the nalluru king's eyes were venomous as he gritted his teeth and said, "despicable villain, shameless scoundrel! how have we ever wronged you?"
"that line should be coming from me, shouldn't it? you old codger, how many petty tricks did you pull for the sake of your descendants? if i hadn't made a breakthrough, wouldn't i have been plotted to death by you lot?"
"you... ugh!!" the nalluru king was so enraged that he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"hehe, rest assured, i will take good care of your foundation. go in peace."
the thought that such a formidable powerhouse had been hidden within the mingzhu divine palace while his own descendants remained entirely ignorant filled the nalluru king's heart with overwhelming terror.
"this king... i... beg you..."
before he could finish speaking, tang ping tapped with another finger, and the nalluru king breathed his last.
tidying up the aftermath and collecting the jars, bottles, and secret manuals from the storage bag, tang ping lifted the surrounding restrictions.
"the king!! great king!!"
everyone outside rushed in.
upon seeing the corpse of the nalluru king, the crowd burst into wailing lamentations.
"what else did the great king say?" nalluru hua asked.
"the great king stated that i am to inherit the position of palace master."
"pay respects to the palace master!"
nalluru hua harbored no doubts and directly offered his salutations.
in his view, everything here belonged to him anyway; tang ping was merely holding it in custody temporarily.
since nalluru hua had no objections, the others followed suit and paid homage.
"three days from now, the formal succession ceremony will be held, coinciding with the funeral of the nalluru king!"
following that, amid the gathered crowd, tang ping coughed feebly, pretending to be weak while issuing temporary orders.
he appointed nalluru hua as the ruler of the three nations and the master of the ghost market, granting him full authority over all mundane affairs.
indeed, tang ping's idea was very simple: to let himself become a puppet known to all under heaven, leaving the snake-people to stand at the forefront while he himself cultivated in obscurity and developed steadily.
"of course, this seat is a rather foolish puppet. you lot shouldn't mind if i cause a tiny bit of trouble, right?"
looking at the secretly jubilant snake-people below, tang ping wore a peculiar expression.
(end of chapter)