Undying Life

Chapter 660: Chapter 660: The First Step, Destroying Reputation

Zhong Shan, brimming with anger, led his group out of the Tian Family's gates. The severe injury to Wei Taizhong and the humiliation Zhong Shan endured had ignited a long-dormant fury within him.

The contempt from Tian Jizi, along with his dismissive attitude, made it clear to Zhong Shan that further conversation would be futile. Rather than continuing to suffer insults at the Tian Family, it was better to leave and start making preparations.

Zhong Shan had anticipated difficulties in rescuing Yinglan, but he hadn't expected Tian Jizi to be such a person.

Leaving the Tian Family, standing among the endless hordes of ghosts in hell, Zhong Shan cast one last deep look at the vast area occupied by the Tian Family.

"Your Majesty, you mentioned 'observe protocol first.' What if protocol fails?" Wei Taizhong asked anxiously.

"Then we resort to force," Zhong Shan replied angrily.

"Force? You want to attack the Tian Family? Are you crazy?" Yin Luoyue exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Zhong Shan raised an eyebrow at Yin Luoyue.

"Just now, aside from Tian Jizi, I sensed four other presences that threatened me. Tian Jizi, the female Tian Lao, and those four presences—at least six Heavenly Extreme Realm experts, not counting Tian Xiao who is currently away. Seven Heavenly Extreme Realm experts. You want to attack the Tian Family?" Yin Luoyue said in disbelief.

"Seven Heavenly Extreme Realm experts? Is that a lot?" Zhong Shan asked coldly, his eyes flashing with a steely glint.

Yin Luoyue: "..."

"Your Majesty, perhaps we could plead with Tian Jizi again. Yinglan is in their hands; we can't afford any harm to come to her," Wei Taizhong said worriedly.

"Impossible. Tian Jizi is too arrogant. In his eyes, aside from the Tian Family disciples, everyone else is insignificant. Begging would be futile," Zhong Shan shook his head.

"Then what do you plan to do? The Tian Family has seven Heavenly Extreme Realm experts. How will you manage? Are you thinking of seeking help from the Yang Realm? Even if we include Xuan Yuan, he can only match Tian Jizi at best. What about the rest?" Yin Luoyue asked, frowning.

"Help from the Yang Realm? Not necessary. There are plenty of powerful beings in the Underworld," Zhong Shan replied seriously.

"The Underworld?" Yin Luoyue was slightly taken aback.

"I intend to make the Tian Family chaotic, to turn their world upside down. I want to bring down a host of powerful beings upon them, making them crumble. I will need your cooperation for this," Zhong Shan said.

"I can't fight Tian Jizi, and those other Heavenly Extreme Realm threats are either stronger than me or at least equal," Yin Luoyue quickly shook his head.

"I don't need you to fight," Zhong Shan said firmly.

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"What? You don't need me to fight?" Yin Luoyue was stunned. The Tian Family's foundation was its Heavenly Extreme Realm experts. If not for fighting, how would Zhong Shan deal with them?

"Your Majesty, I may have a useful secret technique," Mr. Shi suddenly said.

"You? Using the Buddha Corpse? Impossible. Even though the Buddha Corpse was a Heavenly Extreme Realm expert in life, as a zombie, its strength is only around the Emperor Extreme Realm," Zhong Shan shook his head.

"No, not the zombie. I mean a Heaven Ghost," Mr. Shi said solemnly.

"A Heaven Ghost?" Everyone looked at Mr. Shi in confusion.

"Recently, I acquired an immortal corpse. Using it, I can perform a ghost ritual to summon billions of ghostly entities, merging them into a powerful Heaven Ghost. However, this method goes against the natural order," Mr. Shi said with a hint of regret.

"What level of strength would the Heaven Ghost have?" Zhong Shan asked, frowning.

"He should be no weaker than the Supreme Yin," Mr. Shi said gravely.

Yin Luoyue looked at Mr. Shi with a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment. Who was this man, who not only knew so much about the Great Thousand World but also could summon something called a 'Heaven Ghost'? What was a Heaven Ghost anyway?

"Good, good, good!" Zhong Shan took a deep breath.

"But it will take three months," Mr. Shi added.

"I'll give you three months," Zhong Shan said firmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhong Shan then took out a jade slip, recorded a message in it, and handed it to Wei Taizhong.

"Taizhong, take this jade slip to Xuan Yuan. Tell him that I've found the Jingbo Pool and that we will storm it together soon," Zhong Shan instructed.

"Understood!" Wei Taizhong responded immediately.

"You found the Jingbo Pool? How did you find it?" Yin Luoyue asked incredulously.

"Just now, when we entered the Tian Family," Zhong Shan replied honestly.

Zhong Shan's shadow bodies had unparalleled stealth capabilities, and his search for the Jingbo Pool was facilitated by multiple layers of formations. These formations would be impenetrable for most, but his shadow bodies were immune to them. However, upon finding the Jingbo Pool, he encountered an incredibly powerful guardian from the Tian Family, whose overwhelming aura forced Zhong Shan to retreat.

Yin Luoyue gave Zhong Shan a puzzled look. Was he telling the truth? He had been with them the entire time. How could he have found it?

Naturally, Zhong Shan didn't mention his shadow bodies.

"Alright, Supreme Yin, let's go. We need to find peerless experts within three months to shake up the Tian Family!" Zhong Shan said confidently.

"Three months? To find a group of peerless experts? How will you do that? Do you know how vast this world is? It takes six months just to travel from the Great Zheng to here. How many can you find in three months? And will they even agree to come?" Yin Luoyue asked, his skepticism clear.

Five days later, Mr. Shi began his ritual to summon a Heaven Ghost using the immortal corpse in the depths of hell. Wei Taizhong was on his way to deliver Zhong Shan's message to Xuan Yuan. Meanwhile, Zhong Shan and Yin Luoyue returned to the city they had previously visited, and went back to the same inn.

"Sir, thank you so much! The price of the Sumeru Stones has really skyrocketed!" the innkeeper said excitedly.

"Oh? The price of Sumeru Stones has increased significantly?" Zhong Shan asked, surprised.

"Yes, there were a few drops in between, but it went up again. It's now dozens of times what it was before. Everyone in the city is scrambling for Sumeru Stones," the innkeeper said, elated.

"Is that so? It seems we are nearing the peak," Zhong Shan mused, frowning slightly.

Yin Luoyue, now aware of the Heaven Collapse Plan, listened to the innkeeper's report with a strange expression.

"Sir, do you think I should sell my Sumeru Stones now?"

"Hmm?"

"The price is so high now, I'm scared it might drop. It's already increased by dozens of times. I'm worried it might crash," the innkeeper said, anxious.

"Don't worry. Wait until there are no more Sumeru Stones available in the market, then you can sell," Zhong Shan advised with a smile.

"Alright, I'll follow your advice!" the innkeeper said excitedly.

"Make sure no one disturbs me," Zhong Shan instructed.

"Yes, sir. From today, our inn will not be open for business. We will focus solely on serving you," the innkeeper replied happily.

"Uh?" Zhong Shan was slightly taken aback.

"This time, all your food and lodging expenses are on me, sir. Don't worry about anything!" the innkeeper said generously.

The innkeeper had spent a fortune buying Sumeru Stones and, thanks to Zhong Shan, had earned wealth equivalent to hundreds of years of earnings. This was all because of Zhong Shan. Just a little guidance from him was worth more than the inn's profits. Serving Zhong Shan well was now his priority.

"Innkeeper, I need a favor," Zhong Shan said.

"Anything you need, sir!"

"I need you to make ten thousand copies of this jade slip and hire people to spread it throughout the Xingdou Empire and the empire where Tian Xiao is currently residing. Can you do that?" Zhong Shan handed over a jade slip.

"Well..." The innkeeper frowned slightly.

"These are just some facts to spread. Of course, I will compensate you appropriately," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

After the innkeeper left, Yin Luoyue turned to Zhong Shan and asked, "What's in that jade slip?"

"The events that transpired at the Blood Sea of Sinking and Floating. With a bit of embellishment, of course," Zhong Shan replied with a smile.

"Are you planning to involve Xing Tai Dou?"

"Not just Xing Tai Dou, but also the people of the Immortal World and Master Shenxiu," Zhong Shan said seriously.

"Xing Tai Dou might agree, but what about the people of the Immortal World and Shenxiu? After their last failure, will they be willing to come again?" Yin Luoyue frowned.

"I will persuade Xing Tai Dou. After all, he has already confronted the Tian Family once. As for the people of the Immortal World, since they chose to shelter Xing Tai Dou, they must have prepared to confront the Tian Family. Besides, they are already here. A little push will make them our allies," Zhong Shan said earnestly.

"And Shenxiu? He is not part of the Immortal World and is rumored to be very afraid of death. Will he come?" Yin Luoyue frowned.

"That's why I made preparations earlier," Zhong Shan said with a smile.

"The Blood Sea of Sinking and Floating incident? How will that work?" Yin Luoyue asked, frowning.

"I will spread the embellished events throughout the Tian Family. That's half the battle won. If it spreads throughout the world, Shenxiu will have no choice but to act," Zhong Shan said confidently.

"Why? Even if Shenxiu set up a feng shui formation, he wouldn't risk his life again for that," Yin Luoyue said, confused.

"But the formation involves Tian Xiao."

"Tian Xiao? I don't see him as a petty person."

"Tian Xiao is not petty, and he has a broad perspective. However, in this matter, he cannot afford to be careless. He must seek out Shenxiu, even at the cost of mobilizing the entire Tian Family."

"Impossible. How could that be? Victory and defeat are common in warfare. Tian Xiao wouldn't overreact to one setback. Everyone grows through setbacks," Yin Luoyue said, still skeptical.

"You still don't understand. The Tian Family is the number one force in the world, and Tian Xiao is the heir apparent. It's like a crown prince of a kingdom; before ascending to the throne, his every move is scrutinized. Especially in the Tian Family, which has a legacy of tens of thousands of years, Tian Jizi is clearly preparing to transcend. When that happens, who will inherit the position of patriarch? Tian Xiao has the best chance, but he is not the only contender. There are definitely others eyeing the position."

"So, what are you implying?" Yin Luoyue seemed to have an inkling.

"The first step is to destroy his reputation," Zhong Shan said with a deep breath.

"Destroy his reputation?"

"To lead the Tian Family, one's reputation is crucial. If Tian Xiao's reputation is tarnished, he will find it difficult to command the vast Tian Family. The Tian Family's position as the top force in the world also depends on an impeccable reputation. Tian Xiao understands that before becoming the patriarch, his path must be smooth. Tarnished reputation will cost him greatly. To restore his reputation, he will have to kill Shenxiu."

"Our goal is to tarnish Tian Xiao's reputation and incite Shenxiu's fear, leading Shenxiu to retaliate?" Yin Luoyue finally understood.