Chapter 672: 622: The Unrefusable Condition
All things under Heaven and Earth, are at the core, about fame and benefit.
Even though Zhu Houji, the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, is no saint devoid of desires, his desires even surpass those of the common people, making them more intense, stronger.
Therefore, when the Witch Deity Teaching offered a big enough benefit, Zhu Houji hesitated and made some compromises.
Of course, an important point to note is that even though he, at present, has unparalleled strength by harnessing the power of the Divine Dynasty, he is still not a match for the top-tier force like the Witch Deity Teaching.
At this point, if he were to challenge such a frightening opponent, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty would definitely not have peace.
“Hai Gangfeng is nothing more than a corrupt scholar, indulging in empty talk, Your Majesty need not argue with him,” Yan Weizhong said, shaking his head.
Like others, he also had an extreme distaste for Hai Gangfeng. Because he thought he himself was clean and upright, he expected everyone to be the same. Not a day passed without a large number of impeachment documents accusing Yan Weizhong’s actions,.
To him, Hai Gangfeng’s advice this time was just armchair strategising.
Everyone knows that cooperating with the Witch Deity Teaching is akin to asking a tiger for its skin, but, in the face of the Witch Deity Teaching, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty did not have much power to refuse.
Does he have to rely on National Master Pei Xuanjing to confront the Witch Deity Teaching?
But wouldn’t that also mean entrusting the Great Ming Divine Dynasty into the hands of others, thus becoming a vassal of others?
If that’s the case, wouldn’t the efforts of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty over the years turn into a laughing stock?
The emperor stayed silent, not providing any comments on what Yan Weizhong had said. Yan Weizhong also went silent, refraining from further words.
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke, “You should personally go and meet Wang Boan, and ask about his thoughts.”
Regarding the collaboration with the Witch Deity Teaching, although it had not been made entirely public, many officials of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty had understood quite a bit, subtly or otherwise, and had submitted petitions to express their views.
While some people agreed, praising His Majesty the Emperor greatly, some others disagreed, earnestly requesting the emperor to revoke the order. Everyone had their own perspectives.
Surprisingly, Wang Boan, who was leading the army outside, stayed silent about all of this. He had not expressed any opinions, remaining silent.
Therefore, Zhu Houji was curious as to what Wang Boan’s opinion was. Even though he had already made a decision, he still wanted to hear how Wang Boan thought about this, seeing as nearly one third of the armed forces of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty were under his control, necessitating the emperor to consider his opinions.
“This servant obeys the decree,” Yan Weizhong said respectfully.
After Yan Weizhong left, the spacious hall was left with only the emperor.
“Mr. Wu, do you think Master Pei will agree?”
All of a sudden, Zhu Houji’s voice rang out again.
At that moment, Wu Shijiu appeared in the hall, providing a response to Zhu Houji, “How the National Master perceives this, is something that we cannot decide upon, and we do not have the authority to influence Master Pei’s will. Ultimately, it all depends on the negotiation between the Witch God Sect Leader and Master Pei.”
Zhu Houji nodded his agreement, “Indeed, neither Master Pei nor the Witch God Sect Leader, can have their decision influenced by us. Whatever they decide, will come from their heart.”
“But since the Witch God Sect Leader was confident enough to make an appearance in person, he must certainly have the confidence to give Master Pei a satisfactory response.”
“Can the Witch God Sect Leader fulfill the conditions he agreed upon?” Zhu Houji asked the question that he cared about the most.
As he spoke, he looked directly at Wu Shijiu, hoping for a precise answer. He needed to know that for this collaboration, he was putting everything on the line, and if he lost, everything could go up in smoke.
“The Witch Deity Teaching has existed since ancient times. It doesn’t have to be anything else, but when it comes to the various cultivation methods handed down from the shared rulers of the ancient eras and the methods to break through realms, there must be some preservation,” said Wu Shijiu after contemplating for a while.
Being from the Witch Deity Teaching, he knew just how immeasurable the Witch Deity Teaching’s heritage is. If there was any place in the world that had the deepest understanding and research of the human-ruled Divine Dynasty, it was naturally the Witch Deity Teaching, with no one else being comparable.
The Witch Deity Teaching that had been handed down from ancient times, exactly what kind of secret things were being preserved there, no one could say for sure. They were in charge of sacrifices and have earned the trust of generations of human race’s shared rulers.
“I hope so,” said Zhu Houji, a gleam in his eyes.
The reason why he chose to agree to the collaboration with the Witch Deity Teaching was because of the conditions proposed by the Witch God Sect Leader. The Witch God Sect Leader claimed that he could help the Great Ming Divine Dynasty progress even further, allowing Zhu Houji to possess power comparable to that of the strongest in the Nine Realms of Spirit.
To Zhu Houji, this was an irresistible offer. For him, after witnessing the respect and status earned by Pei Xuanjing after suppressing the Taixu Venerable, he became eager to receive the same treatment.
To him, if he had such power, then neither he nor the Great Ming Divine Dynasty would need to rely on someone else. They could gain an adequate position and have their voices heard in this world.
“Everything under the heaven and earth, in the end, depends on strength. Without sufficient power, all words are empty,” Wu Shijiu said seriously, “As long as one is able to stand at the pinnacle, then minor retreats and compromises are inconsequential.”
They both compromised this time because the Witch God Sect Leader gave them an irresistible offer.
The Witch God Sect Leader promised to use the methods obtained from the ancient shared rulers of the human race and let the Great Ming Divine Dynasty progress, allowing Zhu Houji, the emperor of the Great Ming Divine Dynasty, to possess power that is on par with the strongest in the Nine Realms of Spirit.
And for Wu Shijiu, it was to help him make the breakthrough from the Eightfold of the Spirit Realm and give him a chance to step into the Strongest Realm of the Ninefold of the Spirit Realm.
Such a deal was something that Wu Shijiu couldn’t resist, and thus, he temporarily set aside his personal grudges.
The gap to the Ninth Fold of the Spirit Realm is as difficult as ascending to Heaven, preventing countless of talented individuals from crossing over for millennia. No one is confident of making the breakthrough, not even those who have already ascended to the Strongest Realm of the Ninefold of the Spirit Realm. They would not dare to say that they could reach it again if they had to start over.
If it were anyone else promising this, then Wu Shijiu would certainly sneer at their words, dismissing them as nonsense.
But when these words came from the mouth of the Witch God Sect Leader, he couldn’t help but take it seriously, because he knew the Witch Deity Teaching was capable of making it happen. That’s why he agreed without hesitation, choosing to cooperate with the Witch God Sect Leader, and persuade Zhu Houji, to take the initiative in acting as go-between with Pei Xuanjing.