NOVPUB
Chapter 577: 569
Gu Jinlai looked at Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan was silent.
Jin Haoran opened his mouth, wanting to explain something.
But before he could speak, Liu Yuxi by his side couldn’t help but blurt out an explanation, "The fault doesn’t lie with our Immortal Country’s trial. At that time, the Demon Realm had already accumulated a formidable force intending to enter our world; although the trial of Immortal Country did shake the Spirit Realm space and decreased the difficulty for other worlds to enter ours, it also caused the hidden threat of the Demon Realm to erupt prematurely. Otherwise, by the time the Demon Realm was fully prepared, we would have had no resistance whatsoever and they would’ve completely annihilated us."
"For ten thousand years, the battles between the Demon Realm and Longevity World had continued unabated, yet the scale had always remained rather limited. Even in the ages before the creator came into being, despite the ravages of Demon Spirits, they could never fundamentally threaten the Human Clan of Longevity World; not to mention large-scale Demon Abysses like permanent portals to the Demon Realm, even major rifts were extremely rare. Natural deaths in Longevity World far outnumbered those caused by Demon Spirits..."
Gu Jinlai paused, then said solemnly, "But all this changed, over a hundred years ago, after the trial conducted by Immortal Country."
Liu Yuxi still tried to defend Immortal Country, "Without the creator’s hunting, the Demon Realm nurtured over thirty Demon Spirit Dominators in just a thousand years! Among them, the strongest five, known as the Five Directions Demon Lords, could annihilate a Grotto Heaven, which was maintained by several True Immortals, as easily as one could crush dry weeds, and this was despite the Grotto Heavens possessing the power of the Spirit Mechanism..."
Having said this, she seemed to have found enough confidence, "Tell me, if it weren’t for us opening the channel to the Demon Realm at that time and allowing those Demon Spirits to grow, would our Human Clan still have any hope for the future?"
"What does the strength of the Demon Spirits have to do with this world if the two worlds could have never truly connected?"
Gu Jinlai said.
"How is your theory any different from isolationism? Our Human Clan and Demon Spirits are sworn enemies, destined never to coexist under the same sky. The only distinction between them is that of the hunter and prey!"
Liu Yuxi was somewhat angry, "It’s because we in Immortal Country have been at the forefront, battling the Devils and Demon Spirits with our blood, that you have had the leisure to enjoy a century of peace. Yet here you are, making snide remarks and criticizing Immortal Country’s faults."
"Can even a Void Immortal be utterly brainwashed by Immortal Country? I feel that compared to the Holy Dynasty, Immortal Country might not be all that much more honorable," Gu Jinlai remarked, pausing deliberately, "Or perhaps it would be fairer to say, those who rise to high positions have never been bound by justice or morality! And if they appear to have any, it is but a pretense to justify their exploitation!"
Liu Yuxi started to speak again but was interrupted by Lin Yuan, "This world has always been thus, the ’Upper,’ what does it mean to be ’Upper’? It’s just the counterpart of ’below.’ Only those who step on others can be considered Upper. How can you rise if you don’t step on others?"
He looked at Gu Jinlai and calmly said, "The current situation is that regardless of whether Immortal Country is good or bad, it’s the only one capable of resisting the Devils now. Once Immortal Country falls, the entire world will become a hunting ground for the Devils."
"Brother Yuan!?"
Liu Yuxi exclaimed in surprise.
The Brother Yuan she admired had always looked at Immortal Country this way.
"So, the truth is, we have no other choice?"
Gu Jinlai said.
"Yes."
Lin Yuan nodded, "I work for Immortal Country, not out of loyalty to them, but because Immortal Country is my only choice. As for whether Immortal Country is right or wrong... I have no say in that."
He was very calm, "What’s done is done. Now all we can do is try our best to remedy the situation. If we’re to debate rights and wrongs, we should wait until after we’ve driven out the Devils."
Jin Haoran glanced at Lin Yuan, his expression somewhat strange.
However...
Lin Yuan’s words did not surprise him.
After all, he came from outside of Immortal Country.
As for himself, Jin Haoran, he was different; he was truly part of Immortal Country’s elite. Even though he knew some truths about Immortal Country, due to his position, he could not criticize Immortal Country in any way.
After all, he was part of the privileged class.
As for Liu Yuxi, although she was close to the upper echelons of Immortal Country, she ultimately didn’t understand Immortal Country’s true nature. Plus, having grown up in Immortal Country from a young age, she tirelessly defended it.
She even wholly accepted the reasoning behind Immortal Country’s trial, which was conducted out of fear that it would be increasingly difficult for the Human Clan of Longevity World to contend with the Demon Realm as it grew stronger, and she believed it without doubt.
"Rulership has never been sacred."
Gu Jinlai said.
Lin Yuan and Jin Haoran remained silent.
Some things, some words, might fool Liu Yuxi, who had not been in contact with the middle tier of Immortal Country, but they were no secret in the eyes of the truly powerful.
Gu Jinlai did not pursue the issue of Immortal Country’s right and wrong any further and changed the subject, "The key to establishing a Grotto Heaven lies in the Spirit Mechanism, and conjuring it involves the Spirit Mechanism Technique. If you intend to establish a Grotto Heaven in Qiantian, to control the Qiantian Spirit Mechanism... I must see the complete Grotto Heaven casting technique and Spirit Mechanism Technique, to discern what kind of impact their establishment will have on Qiantian."
"Of course."
Jin Haoran quickly said, "We can provide a full suite of Grotto Heaven techniques and Spirit Mechanism Technique for Master Gu to inspect, and, after the ’Heavenly Dao’ nurtured by Immortal Country is completed, we are willing to hand over the Grotto Heaven to Master Gu. We only hope that, before this, Master Gu could share some of the Spirit Mechanism congealed in the Daqian Cave Heaven for us to take back to Immortal Country."
Gu Jinlai extended his hand.
Jin Haoran swiftly stepped forward, circulating True Qi to deliver three Jade Scrolls.
He added, "The construction of a Grotto Heaven requires some key materials, which we have brought. However, we might need assistance with some ancillary supplies."
"We’ll talk about that after we’ve confirmed there’s no issue with Grotto Heaven Technology and Spirit Mechanism Technique."
Gu Jinlai said, already eagerly reviewing the Spirit Mechanism Technique handed over by Jin Haoran.
The Spirit Mechanism Technique is an essential part of his destined Cultivation Technique "Three Realms," one of the four main pillars, and it relates to how he would ultimately construct a miniature Spirit Realm to complete the spiritualization of his Life.
Previously, the Spirit Mechanism Technique he obtained was just an incomplete scripture from Ding Zhongyuan, a cultivator from the Devas Realm, but now, this piece came from Jin Haoran, a True Immortal, so he examined it with utmost care and attention.
However, after just a moment, he frowned.
Still, he patiently continued to review it.
Minutes later, Gu Jinlai put down the Jade Scroll of the Spirit Mechanism Technique, his expression icy.
At this moment, Jin Haoran also noticed the change in his mood and was somewhat puzzled, "Master Gu, is there... an issue with the comprehension of the Spirit Mechanism Technique? The cultivation of the Spirit Mechanism Technique is not an easy matter. It’s normal if it cannot be understood in a short time..."
"This Spirit Mechanism Technique is not complete,"
Gu Jinlai stated bluntly.
With his current identity and strength, there was no need for him to speak with caution or to mince words.
"Incomplete? That can’t be. This is the most complete Spirit Mechanism Technique, handed down by Immortal Master Zhao Xi himself."
Jin Haoran said in surprise, "Over the past decades, we have spread this technique far and wide. Many leaders of powers have even made Small Achievement in it..."
"Handed down by Zhao Xi?"
Gu Jinlai gave Jin Haoran a look.
He seemed...
Not to be lying.
"You’ve spread it everywhere, imparting this same Spirit Mechanism Technique?"
"Yes, we know many Holy Lands are in a precarious situation, and if they could master the power of the Spirit Mechanism, it would add to their combat strength. Hence, during these decades, we have specially distributed the Spirit Mechanism Technique to the surrounding major forces that are still resisting,"
Jin Haoran nodded.
Gu Jinlai pondered for a moment, then said, "Then there are only two explanations: either the Spirit Mechanism Technique passed down by Zhao Xi is incomplete, or the Spirit Mechanism Technique he received was already flawed."
"Flawed!?"
Jin Haoran shook his head, "If the Spirit Mechanism Technique they received a thousand years ago was flawed, it would be understandable, as the efficacy of the Spirit Mechanism Technique at that time was indeed very poor. But now, the Spirit Mechanism Technique has been made complete by the Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect; it is a truly complete Spirit Mechanism Technique..."
"Completed by Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect? Then there’s only one explanation,"
Gu Jinlai spoke gravely, "What Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect gave you is an incomplete Spirit Mechanism Technique."
Jin Haoran, Lin Yuan, and Liu Yuxi looked at each other in dismay.
The Immortal Country and the Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect had cooperated for decades, and a significant foundation of trust had been established. They would not doubt their staunch ally, Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect, which had worked diligently to help them fight against the devils and even sacrificed many disciples’ lives, simply based on Gu Jinlai’s words.
What they actually thought was whether Gu Jinlai was using the incompleteness of the Spirit Mechanism Technique as an excuse to prevent them from establishing their own Grotto Heaven in Qiantian?
If that were the case...
Things would be troublesome.
The battle of the Blood Moat Demon Abyss had reached a climax, and it would be challenging for the Immortal Country to deploy a powerful force to oppose Gu Jinlai, a combatant whose strength was suspected to be that of the Top True Immortals.
If things went poorly...
They might have to give up on establishing a Grotto Heaven in Qiantian.
Yet...
Qiantian houses a population of a billion!
More than many powerful Holy Lands, it would be such a waste to just give up.
Gu Jinlai knew by looking at them that they thought he was deliberately making things difficult.
"If these Spirit Mechanism Techniques are indeed completed by the Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect, then the Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect... may have unfriendly intentions towards the Immortal Country, and I would only be able to obtain the truly complete Spirit Mechanism Technique by exerting effort on the top tier of Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect,"
Gu Jinlai had a premonition.
"It seems that a trip to the Immortal Country is inevitable,"
...
Gu Jinlai thought to himself and turned back to the two, "For now, go down. This place has many who have come to welcome Brother Yuan’s arrival."
Lin Yuan, hearing what Gu Jinlai said, looked slightly embarrassed.
Had they known that such a powerful master was in Qiantian, they would never have come in such a high-profile manner.
"This is an excellent opportunity, with everyone here, to settle some matters,"
Gu Jinlai’s gaze turned downward, "Qiantian has been in turmoil for more than a hundred years, with various forces controlling their territories and constant warfare. It is time for a true unification."
