A Contrary Judgment
"The Investiture of the Gods involves the Western Sect; it won't be easy for you to get it back!"
As long as he traveled along the Path of Favor, Zhang Xuezhou's return to Chang'an City was swift.
Zhang Xuezhou took the Investiture of the Gods, which was related to the Void Heaven Palace, back to Chang'an City. He didn't particularly care about not being able to find Laojun's "Shuqing Shen," since Zhang Xuezhou could indeed contact the original owner of the Law Treasure, the Sage Hongjun.
He also picked out Nezha's bio-engineered remains, and the fact that this body, which was created from lotus roots and attained sainthood, astonished Ren Anran and the others.
However, if we consider the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus as a special type of steel that prevents Nezha's physical body from decaying, the concept of this special life form becomes much easier to understand.
In fact, it's also acceptable to consider Nezha as some kind of special robot.
As long as the core of the soul still exists and suitable materials can be found, creating another Nezha is not a problem.
Zhang Xuezhou had no special relationship with Nezha, and he had only met Jinxia Yuanjun a few times. However, what interested Zhang Xuezhou was Yang Jian's mention that Nezha's physical body had achieved sainthood through trickery, while his divine soul had reached immortality.
He pondered repeatedly, feeling that if Nezha's soul could hold him up, it would be much easier to seek refuge in the future. After all, Zhang Xuezhou had struggled twice in the origin of the world but had not achieved the immortality of the soul mentioned by Hongjun.
Zhang Xuezhou himself may not be able to do it, but if others can, it may also bring benefits.
When fortune is at its peak, any choice can have an impact, and Zhang Xuezhou will not overlook any factor that may affect him.
Listening to what Zhang Xuezhou had been involved in recently, Ren Anran also made her own judgment. She felt that Zhang Xuezhou's choice was not wrong, and that trying things out wouldn't hurt.
Ren Anran also developed a genuine admiration for Yi Shuo, after all, Zhang Xuezhou had said ten days or half a month ago that he would "go and come back", then ran to the Immortal Court, flew to West Ox Hezhou, and even fought a fight before running back, which was completely different from Zhang Xuezhou's previous promise.
Ren Anran was aware of Zhang Xuezhou's abilities and was used to his behavior, while Yi Shuo only had a vague understanding of many things.
Given Zhang Xuezhou's style of doing things, it's no wonder that Yi Shuo had difficulty adapting before, and even almost starved herself to death.
"What you need to do right now is first, contact Hongjun; if he lacks the means, then search for Laojun's Pure Body Technique!"
"Right!"
"Do you think that Hongjun, who knew the truth, posed a greater threat to you, or that Laojun, who was unaware, posed a greater threat to you by using his body-cleansing technique?"
"Of course it's Hongjun... You mean I should seek Laojun's purification technique?"
"Hongjun's choice will definitely benefit himself, not you. Laojun's technique lacks sufficient information and will not harm you. In fact, if necessary, you can even use Nezha as a shield!"
Ren Anran's judgment and advice were completely contrary to Zhang Xuezhou's budgeting practices.
"That Laojun's 'Purifying Body Technique' has a drawback; he can only cleanse his body by constantly seeking places with abundant Spiritual Qi. As long as we search in places with abundant Spiritual Qi, we might be able to find him," Ren Anran said. "I also possess the Body of One Qi Three Pure Ones; perhaps I can be of some use when I seek his help!"
"That makes sense, we could definitely take a gamble!"
From a step-by-step perspective, Zhang Xuezhou needs to communicate with Hongjun in a timely manner so that Hongjun's methods can be implemented smoothly.
However, as long as things proceed in this way, Zhang Xuezhou will officially enter into the plan designed by Hongjun, and will inevitably have to follow Hongjun's pace.
Even if Hongjun's target is only the Void Heaven Palace, the other party's pursuit will still have a negative impact on Zhang Xuezhou.
If Laojun's Pure Body Technique could participate, it might disrupt Hongjun's rhythm, perhaps allowing Zhang Xuezhou to gain some control and increasing his chances of survival.
"The worst-case scenario is that there will be no impact whatsoever, and you will still need to follow Hongjun's rhythm," Ren Anran said. "The best-case scenario is that you will get rid of Hongjun, and then you will only need to face Houtu. As for the intermediate scenario, you will participate in the competition and form a three-way contest, transforming from a chess piece into a chess player. As long as you can get on the stage, even the weakest chess player is better off than a chess piece!"
That makes perfect sense!
Zhang Xuezhou nodded, indicating that he had completely sorted out his thoughts.
He wasn't playing a game, simply following instructions to complete a task as assigned. He was participating in a life-or-death struggle, where every choice could have far-reaching consequences.
"I need to be on good terms with Hongjun," Zhang Xuezhou said. "He can find me directly, and we might need him to make connections when we return to that side in the future!"
"It seems that everything needs to be in Hongjun's opinion as reasonable, so that he can accept any deviations," Ren Anran said.
"Is that so!"
"You might need to bring in some influential people to back you up!"
Ren Anran reminded him, and Zhang Xuezhou nodded, indicating that he understood.
Whether it's Donghua, the Western Sect, or the Three Pure Ones Heavenly Venerables who are repeatedly reprimanded by Hongjun, these people can all be used as scapegoats to make things seem reasonable.
To outwit a high-ranking monk, one needs not eloquence, but equal ability.
For example, Daojun's perception of aura and other aspects surpasses Zhang Xuezhou's. In the past, if Zhang Xuezhou spoke carelessly in front of Daojun, he would inevitably be detected, and no matter how eloquent he was, it would be useless.
Zhang Xuezhou's strength is certainly far inferior to Hongjun's, but he is not facing Hongjun in his complete form. His greatest ability lies in his soul, and coincidentally, he only needs to rely on his soul to communicate when traveling.
If Zhang Xuezhou had similar skills, he could have passed Hongjun's test.
They exchanged views repeatedly, and Zhang Xuezhou even made a trip to the palace.
The palace was rife with serious military and political matters, as well as chaos caused by the Empress Dowager's alleged witchcraft. Many people in the palace were investigated, and even the Empress and Princess Dou were implicated.
Zhang Xuezhou chose not to interfere, and the new emperor, when troubled by such matters, also wanted to go out and find some peace and quiet. The two quickly arranged to travel together to Xiniu Hezhou in half a month.
"Dongfang Shuo's life was the only one fit for a human being; what kind of life am I living?!"
The new emperor rarely envied others, after all, he was the supreme ruler of the Great Han Dynasty, both Gaogao and capable.
But sometimes he envied Zhang Xuezhou's freedom, something he longed for but could not have at the moment.
With military, political, social, and family affairs intertwined, the new emperor realized that the greater his abilities, the greater the responsibilities he had to bear. He needed to be in charge of all aspects and strive to do better than in previous eras, as if an invisible net was binding him.
He couldn't break free from this net, and he knew very well that he would be bound to it for life.
Only the Imperial Shuttle could take him out for some fresh air, but the imperial court only had one Imperial Shuttle left, and no cultivator had yet appeared to replace Zhang Xuezhou.
As for Zhang Xuezhou, let's not even talk about him. The other party is too free in his personality and actions. The new emperor likes freedom, but he also has a headache when he sees such a free person. However, he still relies on him. In fact, he immediately agrees when Zhang Xuezhou goes to the palace to make a few suggestions.
"In another half month, I, the Emperor, will also experience what it means to be free to roam the skies!"
The new emperor muttered several words to himself, but when he heard the empress's weeping and wailing cries for justice coming from the gates of the Weiyang Palace, he was once again in a bind.