Chapter 6: The Stand-In Messenger

Three hundred years ago, Baizhu forcibly reversed the ascension beam, halting her ascent. This act made the heavens take notice of her.
A mighty being, not native to this world, had chosen to stay in the fishpond. What if she ruined all the fishlings? What would become of the heavens then?
To preserve its order, the heavens had been tracking Baizhu’s aura for years, even invoking its authority to unleash the Bloodhound Hunt, ready to send her to the upper realm the moment her presence was detected.
But as the saying goes, the higher the path, the craftier the demon.

To evade the heavens’ scrutiny, Baizhu devised countless methods. Inspired by her previous life’s AMD reverse-engineering experience, she used the National Teacher’s residence as a foundation to forge the identity of “National Teacher Baizhu” as a legitimate entity of this world.
Of course, this required the emperor’s approval.
As the Human Emperor, he was naturally blessed with the heavens’ destiny.
With his endorsement, the identity of “National Teacher Baizhu” became a true whitelist.
As long as her unique origin didn’t appear outside the residence, the heavens couldn’t detect her.

The downside was obvious.
She could hardly leave the residence and appear openly in the world.
Her spiritual energy could be suppressed, her aura disguised, but her origin was immutable, like an ID number.
The heavens had marked her origin. Any interference in this world would lead to her being pinpointed, as power and aura were extensions of her origin—easily traceable.
Moreover, Baizhu faintly sensed that the heavens were growing suspicious of the Great Han’s National Teacher.

When the Great Han’s founding emperor, Liu Qingcang, swept through the six regions, Baizhu didn’t act directly. Instead, she used Liu Qingcang to crush all the cultivators obstructing the empire’s unification.
The method was simple: forcibly elevate Liu Qingcang’s realm, letting one overwhelming force shatter all techniques.
The side effect was that Liu Qingcang’s lifespan was drastically shortened, his body unable to withstand such unnatural power. This even affected his descendants, making cultivation extremely difficult for the Great Han royal family.

Back then, spiritual energy was far thinner than now. Cultivators were rare, one in ten thousand. The Great Han royal family didn’t provoke them, and, intimidated by Liu Qingcang’s fearsome reputation, the cultivators didn’t dare challenge the royal family either, even faintly acknowledging their supremacy.
But as spiritual energy began to recover and the Great Han royal family produced no notable cultivators, the delicate balance between the royal family and the cultivation sects started to crumble.

“Thanks to some unknown cultivator for sending me this female corpse—er, I mean, puppet.”
Baizhu grew increasingly pleased with the puppet. It was entirely a product of this world, with its own origin. By modifying its appearance and projecting her spiritual sense into it, she could leave the residence.
“No time to waste—let’s do it now!”

…
Baihe City, currently the focal point of various forces across the heavens.
As the founder and leader of the sect alliance, Chen Yangyan, the great elder of the Jingwu Sect, stared at the negotiation letters sent by various sects, his head throbbing. He popped a Rejuvenation Pill into his mouth.
For cultivators below the Golden Core stage, a Rejuvenation Pill was precious, restoring a near-depleted state with just one.
But for Golden Core cultivators, its effects were less impressive, with recovery diminished. Its calming effect became its greatest asset in their eyes.

“Outrageous! Baihe City isn’t even ours yet, and these people are already scheming to carve up the land, even daring to encroach on Jingwu Sect’s territory. They’re courting death!”
Under the pill’s calming effect, Chen Yangyan quickly regained his composure.
The so-called sect alliance was merely a temporary measure to squeeze out the Great Han royal family before the rare treasure emerged.
Once the treasure found its owner, the royal family would be trampled further, and the entire Great Han Empire would become their breeding ground.

Tossing the letters aside, Chen Yangyan ignored them. His focus was on the upcoming sect competition.
Many sects were growing resentful of the Jingwu Sect. After crushing the Great Han royal family, they’d likely target the title of “top sect.”
As Chen Yangyan pondered, his waist token suddenly burned with intense heat. His gaze froze.
Only the sect leader could trigger such heat.
Pulling out the token and reading its brief message, Chen Yangyan’s pupils shook, his grip tightening despite the scalding heat.
“Elder Tao… is dead?!”

His heart wavered, and he decisively swallowed another Rejuvenation Pill to process the devastating news.
Thinking of Tao Han, whose strength far surpassed his own, Chen Yangyan’s emotions were complex.
Their rivalry was well-known in the Jingwu Sect. If not for Chen Yangyan’s past favor of saving the sect leader and being part of the founding team, he couldn’t have competed with the later-joined Tao Han.
But regardless, Tao Han was a Jingwu Sect elder. His death was a heavy blow to the sect.

The sect leader hadn’t mentioned Baihe City, but Chen Yangyan knew this was a test he had to pass.
At the alliance’s internal meeting a few days later, Chen Yangyan attended punctually.
These meetings were usually for trivial bickering, discussing inconsequential matters.
But today’s atmosphere was markedly different.

The elders exchanged glances, and the Chiyan Sect elder spoke first:
“Elder Chen, our Chiyan Sect suggests postponing action on Baihe City. Or perhaps, avoid pressuring the Great Han royal family to the extreme and observe their stance?”
Chen Yangyan glanced at him impassively. He already knew that not only their Jingwu Sect but also the Huanling Sect, Chiyan Sect, and three others had lost elders to the Great Han National Teacher that same night.
This old fool had been the most eager for Baihe City before, yet now his sect was the first to back down.

“What, we’ve already made a show for all the cultivators under heaven. Retreating now would shame every sect in our alliance!”
His words plunged the meeting into silence, and the Chiyan Sect elder sat back sheepishly.
Chen Yangyan looked at the silent crowd, his voice filled with pained conviction:
“I don’t understand why everyone’s talking about retreating, as if Baihe City is doomed to be our graveyard.”

As his words landed, all eyes turned to him, waiting for the Jingwu Sect’s great elder to elaborate.
Chen Yangyan took a deep breath:
“In the second year of Dingwu, we set out from Baihe City. Even when the Great Han royal family sent troops against us, it was futile before our alliance. What a glorious time that was!”
His words stirred memories, and the elders exchanged looks, their eyes gleaming with ambition.

The Great Han’s founding emperor, Liu Qingcang, had intimidated them for over a century. Even after his abdication, they didn’t dare act rashly.
Only when they confirmed the royal family’s decline and their spies reported Liu Qingcang’s death did they grow restless.
Chen Yangyan’s voice rose again, filled with unfulfilled ambition:
“Wherever our sect and alliance went, the people welcomed us wholeheartedly. It was the perfect alignment of heaven’s timing, a vibrant era of boundless vitality, still vivid in my mind. Just a few days later, has it come to this—our burial ground?”