"Ancestral Shamans, hear me out!"
"I have three plans: the best, the middle, and the worst!"
The Ancestral Shamans all stared straight at Chu Xuan. Under their gaze, Chu Xuan began to feel a little uneasy.
Come on, ask me!
After a while, Houtu was the one who thoughtfully spoke first.
"Go ahead and say whatever you like!"
Chu Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
He'd nearly failed to act cool.
Forget it. Next time, he wouldn't say he had the best, middle, and worst plans. He'd just say he had a plan.
"My worst plan is to keep building up the Wu Clan. Though this would leave us trapped and saddle us with a debt of Karma to the Heavenly Dao, making us unable to control our own fate when the great calamity comes, if we prepare in advance, we might still have a chance to turn defeat into victory!"
Di Jun frowned at Chu Xuan. This was exactly what he'd planned to do at first, but now that he had his doubts, he wasn't willing to go through with it.
He shook his head.
"Building up the Wu Clan is too risky. The slightest misstep could trigger the great calamity. It's not a good idea!"
Chu Xuan nodded.
"I also have a best plan: join the Demon Clan and take it over from within. The Heavenly Court has only just been established, so its duties and authority aren't clearly defined. Our Wu Clan is incredibly powerful. Even without being the ones to establish it, we could easily sideline the Demon Clan!"
"By then, the Demon Clan would be the Wu Clan, and the Wu Clan would be the Demon Clan. We could take the position of ruler of heaven and earth with ease!"
But as soon as he finished, Zhurong scoffed.
"I thought you had some brilliant idea!"
"So that's what it is!"
"Our Wu Clan is the Pangu Orthodox. How could we ever serve beneath someone else? We might just barely tolerate serving the Heavenly Dao, but those little brats, Di Jun and Tai Yi—creatures born of dampness and hatched from eggs—what virtue or ability do they have to rule over our Wu Clan?"
"Even if it could work, we must never choose such a path!"
"How could a Lesser Shaman like you demean the honor of our Wu Clan like this?"
Zhurong looked utterly furious.
The other Ancestral Shamans shared similar thoughts, to one degree or another. Even Houtu was frowning.
Chu Xuan, meanwhile, wore an expression that said he'd expected this.
This was naturally the best approach. If he led the whole clan into the Demon Clan now, he'd leave both Di Jun and the Heavenly Dao completely at a loss.
The great calamity needed at least two opposing factions to erupt. But if everyone became one big internal conflict, how could they fight?
The Demon Clan seemed powerful, but it was only just getting started. Di Jun and Tai Yi hadn't yet grown into their full strength. With just a little troublemaking, they could be kicked out of their own venture, and the Wu Clan could take over.
Unfortunately, the Wu Clan's pride meant they would never accept this plan.
None of the Ancestral Shamans were foolish, but some things couldn't be judged by weighing the pros and cons alone.
Chu Xuan had predicted this long ago.
So the first two plans were just a setup. At last, he slowly revealed his middle plan.
"Since the Ancestral Shamans are unwilling to follow that plan..."
"Then I still have one last option!"
"The middle plan!"
"The Heavenly Dao is incomplete, and order has yet to be established. The founding of the Heavenly Court is the inevitable trend of the times, a necessity for the operation of the Primordial Wilderness!"
"The Demon Clan's Di Jun merely rode the tide of the Heavenly Dao's development, but that comes with both benefits and drawbacks!"
"The Heavenly Dao can make you, and the Heavenly Dao can break you. I have a plan!"
Chu Xuan revealed his ultimate plan.
"It's called the Heavenly Tribulation Completion Method!"
"I've observed that the Immortal Dao has been established. It completes the Heavenly Dao, yet also damages it. The myriad spirits of the Primordial Wilderness absorb spiritual energy, weakening the world to enrich themselves. They casually become immortals and ancestors. Golden Immortals are as common as dogs, and Great Luos roam everywhere!"
"Though the Primordial Wilderness is vast and was created by Pangu Father God, if things continue this way, after countless eons, won't the last drop of spiritual energy be drained away, leading to the Great Dao's demise and the calamity of the Age of Decline?"
"I propose establishing tribulations—the Three Disasters and Nine Calamities!"
"Tribulations from Heaven are Thunder Tribulations!"
"The Three Disasters are Wind Calamity, Fire Calamity, and Water Calamity. The Nine Calamities include hunger, thirst, the need for clothing, and being bound by all kinds of mortal limitations, unable to escape them. One must undergo all sorts of trials and live as a mortal!"
"Anyone seeking to become an immortal must suffer calamities!"
"Only by overcoming them can one become an immortal and advance along the Immortal Dao!"
"Even after becoming an immortal, every realm will bring a tribulation. Heavenly thunder will descend, water and fire will assail you, and wind and thunder will roar!"
"Why should an incompetent person be allowed to become an immortal?"
"..."
"Just as it happens, Ancestral Shaman Qiangliang controls the Great Dao of Thunder, Ancestral Shaman Xizi controls the Great Dao of Lightning, Ancestral Shaman Gonggong controls the Great Dao of Water, Ancestral Shaman Zhurong controls the Great Dao of Fire, Ancestral Shaman Tianwu controls the Great Dao of Wind, and Ancestral Shaman Shebishi controls the Great Dao of Poison!"
"The first several Ancestral Shamans can control the authorities over the disasters, while Ancestral Shaman Shebishi can control the authority over the Nine Calamities."
"Test the countless races of the Primordial Wilderness, and use this to suppress their Immortal Dao!"
"And since the Heavenly Court is meant to rule heaven and earth and complete the Heavenly Dao, doesn't that mean the authority to administer these Heavenly Tribulations should belong to them?"
"The Ancestral Shamans can hand over the authority to carry them out, but by becoming Heavenly Tribulation Dao Ancestors and imposing strict regulations, they can remain detached from the matter while making the immortals of the world hate the Demon Heavenly Court and leaving the myriad spirits weeping blood!"
"This is the hatred of countless spirits whose path to immortality has been cut off, and the suffering of the myriad races as their generations fail to thrive!"
"No matter how legitimate the Demon Heavenly Court may be, how could it withstand the fury of all the people?"
"As for our Wu Clan, we're born powerful. None of us are below the immortal realm. And as the Dao Ancestors of these tribulations, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for us to grant ourselves a few small privileges? Besides, even without those privileges, our Wu Clan is far superior to the other races. There's hardly any risk at all."
The more Chu Xuan spoke, the brighter his eyes shone, and the more excited he became.
It was as if he could already see the countless tribulations descending in the ages to come.
The terrifying, sorrowful sight of countless races being blocked by Heavenly Tribulations.
"..."
Silence!
A long, drawn-out silence.
Inside the Pangu Great Hall, the Twelve Ancestral Shamans looked at Chu Xuan as he continued to speak, some shocked, some stunned, some unable to bear it, and some horrified.
With their wisdom and divine abilities, they understood the plan Chu Xuan had described almost instantly.
They also worked out that it could succeed, and even envisioned the boundless tragedy that would unfold in the distant future.
Countless, countless living beings would be barred from the Immortal Dao.
They would die, their paths destroyed!
Even those who attained the Immortal Dao would face a tribulation at every step, and could perish at any moment.
The backlash this would provoke was too great!
If the plan leaked, it would surely turn the entire Primordial Wilderness upside down.
Vicious!
Utterly vicious!
But there was no denying how effective it would be.
Almost at once,
many of the Ancestral Shamans realized that if the Heavenly Dao established the tribulations and administered them fairly and impartially, the myriad races could only accept their bad luck.
But if, as the plan suggested, the blame were pinned on the Heavenly Court, it would be a masterstroke.
They would create the Heavenly Tribulation Great Dao, but wouldn't use it themselves. Instead, they would hand it over to the Heavenly Court to administer.
They would merely be Dao Ancestors. Everything would be the Heavenly Court's doing. Since the Heavenly Court was part of the Heavenly Dao's operation, it couldn't refuse—and would inevitably face the backlash of the myriad spirits.
In an instant,
many of the Ancestral Shamans were tempted.
Compared to the worst plan, which meant losing their autonomy, and the best plan, which meant humiliating themselves, the middle plan was almost certainly the most advantageous choice for the Wu Clan.
The only problem was that it was vicious—too vicious!
How could a scheme this vicious even exist in the world?!
The World's Most Vicious Scheme! It's So Vicious! (Please Vote with Flowers and Monthly Tickets)
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