"First Fengqi, then Kunlun; passing through Sumeru, traversing the Nine Hells; the depths of the Four Seas and the vastness of the Starry Sky all beneath our feet..."
Feng Xi held the travel itinerary distributed by the Witch Clan's logistics department to every member of the diplomatic delegation, his face blank with bewilderment.
"Weren't the Ancestral Witches supposed to be struggling through hardship, with the whole world against them?" He was utterly baffled. "Does building diplomatic relations everywhere look like being ganged up on?"
Not long ago, he had still been deeply moved.
How truly magnificent the Ancestral Witches are!
For their ideals, for the sake of building a beautiful Primordial World, they were willing to challenge Heaven and Earth itself, to challenge the mainstream voice of the age!
For a moment, Feng Xi's blood had boiled.
He would desperately improve himself and strive to shoulder even the tiniest, most insignificant part of the burden for the Ancestral Witches who struggled valiantly through hardship.
But now?
Reality seemed to be smiling as it told him that an Ancestral Witch was whispering into his ear—
Young man, don't overthink it.
Just lie down. I'll carry you all.
Oh, right. On one condition: don't feed the enemy. When I dive into a five-on-one team fight, just remember to push the lane.
No matter how passionate and moved Feng Xi had been, it all vanished without a trace at that moment.
"Actually, I can understand visiting the other great divine ability users." Feng Xi looked at Dayi, the logistics minister of Houtu's division. "But for this trip to the Starry Sky, we're going to the Sun Star?!"
"To have an in-depth exchange with the two Great Divine Ability Users, Di Jun and Tai Yi? Aren't we afraid of directly lighting the fuse?"
"And you... you're going too?!"
The corner of Feng Xi's eye twitched. From the corner of his vision, he saw the longbow resting on a nearby weapon rack, but there were some things he could not bring himself to say.
The hero who had shot down the suns was one of the delegation's principal members, yet he was going to the Sun Star...
Well, just imagining the scene made him feel drunk.
"War is war, and business is business." Dayi was broad-minded and did not take offense at Feng Xi's little faux pas. Instead, he patiently explained, "Competing and cooperating at the same time is perfectly normal."
"Simply killing an enemy isn't particularly effective against a Great Luo expert—because Great Luo exists in Endless Space-time with Eternal Freedom. They can reverse the origin of their lives and trace it back through time to the stage of the Innate Five Primes known as Taiyi... to that instant when something emerged from nothing."
"Who could even destroy 'nothing' itself? So in theory, a Great Luo's Dao Fruit is eternally indestructible."
"What can be destroyed is merely their outer form—their bodies, Primordial Spirits, and so on. But their True Spirit and Dao Fruit transform into a trace of Innate Undying Spiritual Light, which naturally endures for all eternity."
"After tens of millions of years, they can awaken from slumber and effortlessly reclaim their cultivation, stirring up storms throughout the Primordial World."
Feng Xi clicked his tongue, yearning even more for the Great Luo realm.
How could anyone not envy a realm where you could cause as much trouble as you wanted and still never die?
"Of course." Seeing the longing on Feng Xi's face—the same longing that appeared on many living beings who learned the secrets of Great Luo—Dayi shook his head with a smile. "Self-awareness and one's worldview also count as a Great Luo's outer form. So although Great Luo cannot die, there is still a danger of having their consciousness formatted by an enemy and ultimately becoming an ignorant, senseless tool—like an Innate Spiritual Treasure."
Dayi's words crashed into Feng Xi's heart like thunder, leaving him stunned.
Innate Spiritual Treasures had actually originated this way?
The Dao Fruits of Great Luo!
Behind every Spiritual Treasure was the blood and tears of a Great Luo expert!
No business, no killing!
"However, self-awareness is most closely connected to the Undying Spiritual Light, so formatting it isn't easy." Dayi's tone remained gentle. "The difference in Dao cultivation must be tenfold or even dozens of times greater before it can be done."
"But among the greatest Great Divine Ability Users of this age... who could surpass them by that much?"
"Therefore, when facing great beings like Di Jun and Tai Yi, simply shouting about killing them is sometimes not very useful."
Their scale was too vast, their foundations too deep, and their strength too powerful!
Once they cultivated to the peak, their vitality became so tenacious that even dying was impossible.
At most, they could be temporarily taken offline... Then, after finishing a meal, recharging, or sleeping, they would come back as good as new!
"We need to assimilate them!"
Dayi said.
"Assimilate them, influence them with our ideas, make them change, and ultimately turn them into comrades who share our position."
"Is that really possible?" Feng Xi asked, half believing and half doubting.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Dayi smiled. "Isn't there a being called Eastern Emperor Tai Yi among the Human Race's divine lords and sacrificial rites?"
"And among the Human King Saint Emperors, Emperor Ku has an unclear relationship with Di Jun."
Feng Xi froze.
"So the enemies of today may well become our friends in the future... Circumstances change, and needs change as well."
"What is eternal is not friendship or enmity, but interests."
"With sufficient interests at stake, even an enemy will sit down and negotiate with you." Dayi gave an objective assessment. "The purpose of our Witch Clan's existence, and the process by which the Human Race rises to become the Protagonist of Heaven and Earth, is not about killing as many enemies as possible."
"Simple slaughter cannot solve problems well—because once you kill all the way to the end, you'll find that the number of enemies keeps growing."
"Find the differences and common ground between enemy and ally. Set aside the differences for now, propose development and cooperation based on what you share, and bind both sides together with shared interests..."
"Fighting and killing is the inferior path. Influencing others imperceptibly is the true way." Dayi's voice was gentle. "Little fellow, you still have much to learn."
Feng Xi did not know how he had left the logistics department.
His eyes were filled with confusion, and his steps felt light and unsteady.
Learning about cooperation and conflict between Great Luo experts, and the unpredictable shifts between friend and foe, left him filled with indescribable emotions.
Suddenly, he reacted and thought of something.
He looked toward where Dayi was, his eyes filled with intense admiration.
"If Human King Emperor Ku really is connected to Heavenly Emperor Di Jun... then Big Shot Dayi is seriously incredible!"
"Who was Emperor Ku's daughter again?"
"Heng'e!"
"Also called Chang'e."
Chang'e was the Imperial Daughter—the Heavenly Emperor's daughter!
And Dayi had married her.
Then Dayi had done something astonishing that shook the world—Shooting the Suns!
"According to the myths, because he rendered great service by Shooting the Suns, Dayi received the Heavenly Emperor's commendation." Feng Xi rubbed his chin, his gossiping spirit blazing. "But he also incurred the jealousy of many people... So the Heavenly Emperor listened to slanderous advice and exiled Dayi and Chang'e, the married couple, to the mortal realm."
"Unable to endure the bitter life of the mortal realm, Chang'e obtained an elixir and flew toward the moon, eventually leaving Dayi to die in gloom."
"Now, looking at it from another angle—"
"When the ten suns ran rampant across the world, the Heavenly Emperor bestowed a bow and arrows upon Dayi. His original intention was merely to teach his disobedient brats a lesson and leave it at that."
"But Dayi directly killed his brothers-in-law... The Heavenly Emperor smiled on the surface while cursing furiously in his heart."
"So after the commendation, he used slander as an excuse to exile his daughter and son-in-law outright."
"Then Dayi's family also fell into conflict over the Shooting the Suns incident and had a falling-out... In a fit of anger, Chang'e returned to her maiden home and went up to the moon."
"Leaving Dayi alone on the ground... His career was over, and his wife was gone too..."
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