694: Chapter 694 I just want to live an ordinary life

"Did you set up the long-distance Teleportation Array?" The Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture wanted to confirm if this Liu Xuan was the same person he had in mind.

Liu Xuan nodded slightly. "This Junior has a slight talent in the Dao of Formations, and I accidentally obtained three primordial void marrow stones. I never expected to be known by a Senior like you; it is truly a great honor!"

"You are not just slightly talented. Fellow Daoist Daoist Lord Taiyan has said more than once that Liu Xuan of the Southern Border has the number one talent in the Dao of Formations throughout the ages, with none before and none to follow!"

The reason the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture could remember the name Liu Xuan was mainly because Daoist Lord Taiyan had praised him so excessively.

If someone else had said "number one throughout the ages," the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture wouldn't have cared, but coming from the mouth of the number one Formation Master of the current Dao Court, the weight of those words was different.

"Aren't you the Personal Disciple of Lady Yaoguang of the Beast Taming Sect? When did you become the Personal Disciple of Old Ancestor Hehuan?" the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture asked.

"This..."

"I am indeed the Personal Disciple of Lady Yaoguang, but after coming to the East Sea, Old Ancestor Hehuan and I hit it off immediately. He insisted on taking me as his Personal Disciple, and this Junior couldn't refuse, so..."

After one lie, countless more are needed to cover it up; Liu Xuan had no choice but to spout nonsense.

Fortunately, the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture didn't care at all whether what Liu Xuan said was true or false. After all, Liu Xuan was merely a Nascent Soul Cultivator, not worth his effort.

As long as he confirmed Liu Xuan's identity, that was enough; the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture couldn't be bothered with the rest.

No longer speaking to Liu Xuan, he turned to Jiang Xingwan and said, "Fellow Daoist Xuanyin, do you know about the Dao Lord's decree to establish branches of the Four Directions Dao Court?"

"The Four Directions Dao Court?" Jiang Xingwan shook her head. She knew a little about it, but not in detail, so it was a good opportunity to let the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture explain it thoroughly.

"The so-called Four Directions Dao Court is about unifying the Cangwu Realm, establishing branches in the four cardinal regions, and having the four Prefects with the greatest military achievements serve as the Domain Lords of each region..."

"To complete such a great undertaking, we must first suppress all the Yao Race in the world. Long Whale Palace is the leader of the world's Yao Race. If you can help me suppress them, a position as Domain Lord will surely be mine. At that time, both you and Old Ancestor Hehuan can become high-ranking members of the Dao Court."

After listening for a while, Jiang Xingwan and Liu Xuan finally understood: the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture wanted to recruit them.

He was using the position of a future high-ranking member of the Dao Court as a bargaining chip in exchange for the Joyous Union Sect's assistance in attacking Long Whale Palace.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanyin, what the Dao Lord wants to do has never failed. Once the world is unified, if your Joyous Union Sect hasn't picked a side in advance, your future situation will be very awkward!"

The meaning behind the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture's words was clear: once the Yao Race was suppressed and the Four Directions Dao Court established, all Sects in the world would have to submit to the Dao Court system. If the Joyous Union Sect didn't place their bets early, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn't be wiped out along with the rest.

Jiang Xingwan's expression remained unchanged. Ignoring the threat implied by the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture, she turned her head to look at Liu Xuan beside her. "Sect Master, what do you think?"

"No problem!"

Under the confused and bewildered gaze of the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture, Liu Xuan agreed immediately and said with a smile:

"Long Whale Palace already has a grudge against our Joyous Union Sect. Even if you hadn't said anything, Prefect, we would still fight them to the death!"

"How does the Dao Court want to fight, and what do you need us to do? Please give your orders, Prefect; we will definitely cooperate."

The Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture looked at Jiang Xingwan, then at Liu Xuan, assuming this was all the will of the unseen Old Ancestor Hehuan.

"For now, there is no need for you to do anything. Just keep an eye on the movements of Long Whale Palace for me. Once we wipe out the Buddhism of the Western Desert, the Tiangang Prefecture will send a large army over. At that time, you must listen to my commands and cooperate with my actions."

"No problem!"

Liu Xuan stood up and bowed respectfully. "We will do our utmost to contribute to the unification of the world."

Jiang Xingwan also cupped her hands. "The Joyous Union Sect is willing to cooperate and will follow your lead, Prefect."

"Good!"

"Very good!"

The Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture nodded with satisfaction, then clapped his hands lightly. Several Nascent Soul True Lords flew up from below and came to his side.

"These are several Elders of Tianheng Prefecture, all of whom are my confidants. If there are any matters, they can notify you, and if you have any questions, you can also have them report to me."

"Greetings, Daoist Xuanyin!"

"Greetings, Sect Master Liu!"

...

The several Nascent Soul True Lord Elders of Tianheng Prefecture saluted Jiang Xingwan and Liu Xuan, then were waved away by the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture. The three of them continued to discuss some matters of cooperation.

Because Liu Xuan was very cooperative, the entire negotiation process was very harmonious. A smile gradually appeared on the face of the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture. After the official business was discussed, the three chatted for a long time before he took his leave.

After the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture left, Jiang Xingwan asked in confusion, "Husband, are we really going to join under the command of the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture?"

Ever since Liu Xuan killed Old Ancestor Hehuan, Liu Xuan had been invincible in Jiang Xingwan's heart. Let alone the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture, even the Lord of the Dao Court was not qualified to have her husband submit to him.

Liu Xuan looked to the west and said slowly, "Judging from the performance of the Prefect of Tianheng Prefecture, the Dao Court should not know that Old Ancestor Hehuan is dead. We will infiltrate their internal ranks first; it is good to be able to obtain some inside information."

Jiang Xingwan pondered for a moment. "Only Long Whale Palace knows the identity of Old Ancestor Hehuan. As long as they don't speak, the Dao Court shouldn't know the truth."

"Do you want me to secretly send someone to reveal the Dao Court's plan to attack Long Whale Palace to them?"

Liu Xuan ignored the rules of the Heavenly Dao and instantly killed a great Cultivator like Old Ancestor Hehuan. Once this matter spread, even the Dao Court would be wary!

Wariness usually leads to two results: submitting to the other party or destroying the other party.

Liu Xuan did not currently have the strength to make the Dao Court submit. Once they knew the truth, various probes and even hostility would inevitably follow.

Jiang Xingwan saw it very clearly: Long Whale Palace was not to be feared; rather, it was the Dao Court that posed a threat to them.

"No need!"

Liu Xuan shook his head. "The scale of the war is vast, and the intentions of the Dao Court are easy to see. There is no need for us to inform them; Long Whale Palace will be able to see it too. Doing too much will only make them overthink."

"The situation may change in the future; we just need to wait and see."

"The situation may change?"

Jiang Xingwan looked confused, but seeing that Liu Xuan did not want to say more, she did not ask further.

...

A few days later.

Xuanyin Pavilion.

Liu Xuan sat cross-legged. A red light suddenly lit up on his chest, and then the light quickly spread throughout his body, as if an invisible fire had ignited.

After a long time, Liu Xuan exhaled a breath of turbid air, and his body returned to normal.

"The Essence Blood left behind by Old Ancestor Hehuan is indeed a great tonic. It took me three full days just to refine a trace of it!"

"What a pity! The children's cultivation is too low. They are not yet qualified to enjoy such a great tonic."

Liu Xuan sighed, then pinched his fingers to calculate. "After devouring the Essence Blood of Old Ancestor Hehuan, I am confident that I can advance to the Late Nascent Soul Stage within a year. By then, my control over the wither-thrive life-death cauldron will be strengthened, and I should be able to forcibly interrupt its devouring of the life force of the Southern Border."

"At that time, the anomaly of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi will disappear, and the Dao Court might stop sending troops, allowing the Liu Family to have enough time to develop."

Time, time for steady development; Liu Xuan didn't want anything else, he just wanted to live the peaceful life of an ordinary person...