Chapter 80: The Heaven-Chosen Charlatan’s Infallible Schemes… Her Greatest Trump Card in This Lifetime

Chapter 80: The Heaven-Chosen Charlatan's Infallible Schemes... Her Greatest Trump Card in This Lifetime

Clear light filled the cabin.

Under the moonlight, her brows, eyes, nose, and lips were as if meticulously sculpted by the heavens and the earth.

Fu Yu slowly opened her eyes, all essence and brilliance gathered in the depths of her eyes, pure and clear, too marvelous for words.

She casually draped a loose white robe over herself, slowly moving this freshly forged body.

"Wow..." the Foxtail Grass Spirit exclaimed in shock, "If Master used her beauty to kill, it would surely be easier than using Incantations!"

Watching from afar in the secret realm hadn’t been so impactful.

Suddenly seeing it up close like this, it was no wonder even those who cultivated the Path of Emotionlessness turned into love-struck fools.

Her stunning beauty aside, there was also her aura, along with that unique, mysterious charm—it was simply too captivating.

Fu Yu found its staring eyes headache-inducing: "Tsk."

With a flick of her fingers, three spiritual energy-condensed copper coins were pinched between them. A casual toss, and all landed auspiciously.

Indeed, her own body was truly the most effective.

The Foxtail Grass Spirit twitched at the corners of its eyes and mouth: "Master... when you’re still, you’re a celestial being; when you move, you turn into a charlatan."

Lesser Shangqing hesitated, wanting to speak.

Fu Yu generously tilted her chin toward him: "Say whatever you want to say."

She was used to being praised anyway; these lavish compliments went in one ear and out the other.

Lesser Shangqing: "Why is the quality of your avatar so high? It looks no different from your true body. Is bone ash necessary? Does adding bone ash allow it to be refined like this?"

He was debating whether to break off a bone to burn.

Fu Yu fell silent for a moment, then calmly imparted the secret: "Sense it with your heart; don’t interfere with its formation using divine sense."

"Oh!" Lesser Shangqing nodded, suddenly enlightened, "So that’s how it is. I was too attached to form before, alas!"

Recently, his third incarnation had accidentally died, and he was preparing to mold a fourth.

While Fu Yu was adapting to her new body, Lesser Shangqing swiped some spirit incense from Li Xueke’s cabinet, burned it to ashes, and with a sweep of his wide sleeve, borrowed the scenery of the lake and mountains to condense a new avatar.

He was certain his movements were identical to Fu Yu’s earlier.

When it came to the delicate carving stage, he restrained his divine sense, not interfering, letting it grow on its own.

After one stick of incense...

Lesser Shangqing successfully nurtured a faceless monster without features. 🙂

A group of strange creatures in the cabin gathered around to observe this faceless monster, each holding their sides laughing, nearly laughing their heads off.

Lesser Shangqing: "..."

He, a dignified Demi-god, one of the Three Purities of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, a renowned figure in the world, being mocked like this—what a disgrace!

Alas!

Fu Yu walked to the window, feeling the wind brushing past her.

This was her first avatar.

It felt strange—the friction between skin and fabric was distinctly perceptible, the wind scraping her face like tiny knives cutting, and her fingers accidentally bumping against the window frame actually hurt a bit.

She frowned, displeased: "Are avatars always this tender?"

The monkey scratched its head: "It’s fine, it’s fine!"

The little monkey it transformed could dash all over the mountains without issue.

Lesser Shangqing stared lifelessly at the faceless monster: "I’m old-skinned and old-faced anyway, alas!"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit boldly speculated: "Master, maybe it’s because you died!"

Fu Yu pondered: "Right."

She was reborn from bone ash; to this world, it was indeed a new cycle of karma.

This body still needed refining, to be tempered until it was as resilient as before.

That would be truly useful.

She glanced at the "Xie Fuyu" body and asked: "Do you want to use the original body?"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit shook its head vigorously.

In its long, sinister existence, the identity of "Xie Fuyu" was but a fleeting moment, and a human body was truly inconvenient to use—it would rather die than become human again.

"Alright." Fu Yu nodded.

She raised a finger to form a seal, her primordial spirit returning to the body she had grown accustomed to recently, then stored the newly formed body into the Cosmic Bag.

Currently, both bodies were at the Transcendent realm. All power gained from now on would be used to refine "her."

Her most powerful trump card would be herself.

Lesser Shangqing provided Little Yuqing’s birth details and Dao resonance characteristics.

Fu Yu lit incense and cast a divination, calculating that this Demi-god was located in the southeast direction.

"That direction is the East Sea."

Lesser Shangqing thought for a moment, his expression immediately turning very unpleasant, "...Tianshi Dam. Little Yuqing, what exactly does he want to do?"

Though unspoken, everyone knew his deepest question was why Little Yuqing had set up such a scheme to harm Venerable Wuyang back then.

Li Xueke slowly blinked, murmuring to himself: "Truly sinister."

He vaguely felt that the other’s malicious methods seemed familiar.

Fu Yu put away the copper coins, saying calmly: "A gentleman can be deceived by his principles."

A person’s actions always have inertia.

If she wasn’t mistaken, the mastermind behind plotting against Li Daoxuan and Venerable Wuyang was likely the same one.

Hidden deep behind the scenes, manipulating hearts and minds?

Fu Yu smiled, "So I've met a fellow traveler."

Back then, the Heavenly Way collapsed too quickly, and she and Jun Bu Du died too early, missing out on such an opponent.

Her mind settled, she looked up at Lesser Shangqing, "You can't defeat Little Yuqing."

Lesser Shangqing wanted to argue, but gritting his teeth, he had to admit, "Sigh!"

The facts were clear—after thousands of years of conflict, Little Yuqing had five doctrinal centers under his command, while he only had two.

Fu Yu wiggled her fingers, "You're upright, you don't resort to schemes or use Longevity Elixirs to win people over, so naturally you're at a disadvantage."

Lesser Shangqing pursed his lips, declaring with pride, "Sigh!"

Fu Yu said, "Your cultivation might not be inferior to Little Yuqing's, but he is utterly unscrupulous. If you openly break with him at the Celestial Master Dam, he'll definitely destroy the dam—you save The People, he strikes from the shadows."

Fu Yu concluded, "That's why I say you can't defeat him."

Lesser Shangqing's eyes widened in shock.

He stared at Fu Yu, seeing her still lazy and indifferent, her gaze calm yet seemingly seeing through everything.

The burning heart of vengeance in Lesser Shangqing's chest quickly cooled.

He was certain that what she predicted would inevitably happen.

Once it did, he'd be powerless.

"You're right," Lesser Shangqing sighed, "Sigh, the rumors back then were true—there's nothing the Divine Shaman can't foresee."

Fu Yu humbly waved her hand, "Not bad, not bad."

The monkey pressed its lips together, turned around, looked up at the sun, blinked its reddened eyes hard, muttering under its breath.

"Hmph!"

"She can foresee everything!"

"When cursing the Evil Demon God, didn't know she'd die, huh?"

"When mending the Heavenly Way, didn't know she'd die either, huh?"

"Always telling others what to do! When it's her turn, she still charges right up, don't you?"

"Hmph!"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit sidled up to the monkey, nudging its furry shoulder with its grassy fur, "Hey! What are you muttering about hiding here! Useless thing, how did you get crushed under a rock for thousands of years?"

The monkey shook its head, angrily hissing, "Hiss!"

It grabbed the foxtail sprouting from the other's head, ready to fight.

But the Foxtail Grass Spirit suddenly froze.

It stared fixedly at the eastern sky, its grassy eyelashes blinking, "That..."

The monkey impatiently, "What!"

It turned to look out the window.

Foxtail Grass Spirit, "The rift in the sky, has it faded a lot?"

The monkey slowly blinked, "Seems so."

It quietly released the foxtail in its claws, discreetly hiding the few strands of grassy fur caught between its fingers under the windowsill.

The Nine Crossroads Dust was fading, meaning that person was about to return.

It had failed to guard the mistress's body well, and felt a bit panicked.

It thought it shouldn't offend this evil being—so it could drag him down with it if needed.

Fu Yu ignored the commotion by the window. She tapped the tea table with her knuckles and asked Lesser Shangqing, "What kind of person is your eldest senior brother?"

She vaguely remembered Venerable Wuyang's eldest disciple.

Eyes and eyelashes pale as frost, always wearing a coffin-like expression.

"Little Taiqing..." Lesser Shangqing showed a troubled expression, "Goes with the flow, a stubborn old fossil who rigidly follows rules, sigh! With the Divine Court in power, he only recognizes the Divine Court, you know? Sigh! The kind who wholeheartedly upholds 'orthodoxy.'"

Fu Yu understood.

Of the Twelve Dao Fields of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, except for Lesser Shangqing's Pingtian and Heavenly Equal, the rest used Longevity Elixirs.

"That's perfect," Fu Yu smiled, "Isn't Little Yuqing from the Evil Path? You and your eldest senior brother go to the East Sea to slay Evil Cultists, isn't that exactly what the Divine Court wants?"

Lesser Shangqing, "..."

Fu Yu beckoned the monkey over and yanked a clump of its hair.

The monkey hung its head, teary-eyed, swallowing its anger.

Fu Yu handed the monkey fur to Lesser Shangqing, "Here, evidence that Little Yuqing released the Ancient Demon Monkey."

Lesser Shangqing, "..."

Though framing someone like this was a bit unethical, thinking it was Little Yuqing being framed made it feel completely justified.

When bidding farewell with a cupped-hand salute, Fu Yu casually called out.

"Hey," she handed over a candied hawthorn, "Venerable Wuyang bought this for you."

Lesser Shangqing lowered his gaze, lips slightly pursed, "You recreated it with spiritual energy... thank you."

"Don't mention it," Fu Yu smiled, "If by any chance you find yourself in a desperate situation, remember to eat it before you die."

Lesser Shangqing pretended to be angry, "Two against one, how could we lose! Sigh!"

He carefully stored the candied hawthorn in his sleeve.

Fu Yu, "By the way, absolutely do not mention my name."

Lesser Shangqing nodded in agreement.

East Sea.

Lesser Shangqing and Little Taiqing transformed into streaks of light, crossing the sunset, scattering the clouds across the sky.

Before landing, they saw wave after wave of tsunamis crashing heavily against the Celestial Master Dam. The towering white giant dam trembled faintly, occasionally emitting ominous cracking sounds.

"This is bad."

"Oh no."

The two fellow disciples exchanged a glance, their two streaks of light shot forward, intercepting "Little Yuqing," who had been *wandering* for days, beneath the towering, murky waves.

Seeing him again, Little Shangqing felt as if an age had passed.

"Second Brother, cease this at once!" Little Taiqing's voice was cold as winter. With a single hand gesture, his horsetail whisk conjured a colossal Taiji sword that pierced heaven and earth behind him. "Your deeds can no longer be concealed. Do not persist in your errors!"

Little Yuqing slowly raised his eyes.

Confronted by their aggressive stance, Little Yuqing seemed momentarily startled, yet remained calm. "What are you two doing?"

Yu Xiao said with a sneer. "We should be asking you—had we not arrived in time, what were you planning to do? Were you going to destroy the Celestial Master Dam and then pin the blame on someone?"

His voice trembled slightly with anger and some indescribable emotion.

Hearing this, Little Yuqing narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Third Brother, how did you know I meant to destroy the dam?"

His appearance was aloof, yet his voice always carried a hint of amusement.

Hearing him admit it so readily, Eldest Brother Little Taiqing felt heartbroken. "Second Brother, how could you have strayed onto the Evil Path!"

Little Yuqing's gaze swept past him, fixing only on Yu Xiao. "Evil Path? Third Brother, was it you who told Big Brother I'm on the Evil Path? Hah... He's so gullible, isn't he?"

Yu Xiao's face darkened. "The evidence is conclusive. Eldest Brother, let us join forces to subdue him first!"

Little Taiqing nodded. The two figures flickered, vanishing into the sea breeze.

When they reappeared, they landed, one to the left and one to the right in front of the Celestial Master Dam. One waved his sleeve, the other spun his palm. Instantly, two Taiji Diagrams materialized out of thin air. The towering white dam was immediately illuminated by spiritual light, standing like a glowing giant wall amidst the surging black waves.

"Hum—hum—hum—"

A tremor ran through their palms, the two Taiji Diagrams rumbled forward toward Little Yuqing. As they moved, the very world seemed to shudder in resonance.

A force akin to the laws of space forced Little Yuqing back a thousand *zhang*.

Seeing him forced back from the dam, Yu Xiao allowed himself a slight sigh of relief.

Little Taiqing swiftly scanned the Celestial Master Dam with his divine sense. His already frosty face tightened further, becoming as stiff as a coffin board. "He's already done significant damage to the dam's foundation!"

Yu Xiao sighed. "A great disaster was narrowly averted! Alas!"

Little Yuqing hovered in mid-air, still unperturbed.

He said with a faint, mocking smile, "The time isn't right yet. I won't move against it for now. But if someone pushes me too far..."

The two said nothing, joining forces to attack again.

The previous move was merely to force him away from the dam. This time, it was a direct, hard-hitting assault aimed at his true form.

Little Yuqing had no choice but to summon his Great Dao Art to defend himself.

The three were disciples of the same master. In an instant, all color was erased from heaven and earth, leaving only three vast and majestic black-and-white Taiji Diagrams in their vision.

The Taiji Diagrams collided violently yet silently, like ten thousand *qing* of ink colliding and dissolving in the air.

It seemed harmless, but where the aftershocks spread, the seawater violently surged backward, revealing the reddish-brown seabed!

Little Yuqing grunted, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Outnumbered two to one, he was naturally at a disadvantage.

Yu Xiao turned his head to signal Eldest Brother. "Continue!"

The two joined forces to attack once more.

Their moves were so familiar they were etched in their bones. For a fleeting moment, it felt like an illusion, as if they had returned to thousands of years ago, when the brothers sparred and practiced together.

All these years of covert and overt struggles, yet never once had there been such straightforward, direct combat.

Wind and clouds shifted dramatically; sky and sea seemed to invert.

After wave after wave of terrifying heaven-and-earth tremors, the three figures slightly disengaged.

The two who had joined forces sustained minor injuries, while Little Yuqing was more severely wounded, his spiritual energy flow noticeably impeded.

Yu Xiao and Little Taiqing exchanged a glance.

On their way here, the two had already discussed how to handle it if Little Yuqing, cornered, tried to destroy the dam.

Having fought to this point and seeing that the other party still showed no intention of destroying the dam, they didn't know whether to feel relieved or to secretly raise their guard even higher.

Little Taiqing spoke coldly, "Second Brother, you are bound to lose. Will you still resist stubbornly?"

"Pfft." Little Yuqing inexplicably laughed.

Yu Xiao's heart skipped a beat, his intuition screaming that something was wrong. "You can still laugh?"

Then he saw Little Yuqing suddenly abandon Yu Xiao, raising his hand to attack only Little Taiqing. "Big Brother! I laugh because you've been played by a child!"

Little Taiqing showed no mercy. The two closed in, each gathering black-and-white Taiji energy in their palms, slamming them together with immense force.

"Boom—!"

A hurricane swept across a thousand *li*.

Both their souls trembled, and they spat out a mouthful of blood.

Little Yuqing shouted sharply, "Big Brother, look clearly! What is this in your hand!"

Little Taiqing frowned and lowered his eyes.

During the palm-to-palm clash, the other had actually blasted something into his hand.

Little Taiqing was shocked. "...The Supreme God's Token."

"Correct." Little Yuqing smiled. "Seeing this token is like seeing the Supreme God."

Only the Upper Three Sages, who reside high in the Thirteenth Heaven, are qualified to be called Supreme Gods.

Little Taiqing's pupils trembled.

If Little Yuqing were an Evil Cultist, how could he possibly possess the Supreme God's Token?

Since he had the Supreme God's Token, then he absolutely could not be one.

"Elder Brother, did you really believe I was of the Evil Path just now?" Little Yuqing scoffed. "Who truly belongs to the Evil Path—haven't you had any suspicions all these years? No, no, you've long guessed, but you refuse to admit it, deceiving yourself with eyes shut, just going through the motions."

Little Taiqing's gaze trembled violently, his frost-white lashes lowering as he stared unblinkingly at the token emitting a dreadful oppressive aura.

"That righteous youngest brother of ours has always refused to touch the Longevity Elixir," Little Yuqing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered. "How many remnants of the Daoist Sect has he allowed to escape over the years, openly or secretly? Elder Brother, you weren't without your suspicions—you just didn't want to confirm them."

Little Taiqing closed his eyes. "You possess the Supreme God's token, so naturally you are not of the Evil Path."

If Second Brother was absolutely not of the Evil Path, then who else could have released the Demon Monkey and framed the Sunrise Dao Master?

Little Yuqing dropped another bombshell: "That Bao Hai at the Rising Sun Way field, the one who's always moaning and sighing—didn't it occur to you, Elder Brother, who he resembles? Hah, using an avatar to scheme and kill those ants under my command, thinking he could challenge me? Our little brother still hasn't grown up! Still so naive!"

Little Taiqing closed his long, snow-white eyes in pain, silently gathering his energy as he locked onto Yu Xiao. "I don't understand. What made you forget your mother's murder? Why betray the world's rightful path?"

Little Yuqing tilted his head, curling his lips at Yu Xiao. "Our youngest brother is actually quite stubborn. At this point, he certainly won't keep up the tough talk. Come on, say it loud—who is of the Evil Path!"

Yu Xiao fell silent for a moment, then also smiled.

The Ancient Divine Shaman truly left nothing to chance.

He really couldn't outwit this person. This person, who had once killed his mother right under his nose... after all these years, he still couldn't defeat him.

A deep sorrow surged within him.

So be it.

"Yes. It's me," Yu Xiao said softly. "What the Divine Court has done—is there any shred of humanity in it? I am human; I don't want to aid the oppressor. You and I are evenly matched. Even if Elder Brother helps you, I can fight to cripple you at the cost of my life. Come on, let's have it out!"

With a sweep of his wide sleeves, he soared into the air.

"Elder Brother," Little Yuqing chuckled darkly, "now do you know who to help?"

The three of them fought again, turning heaven and earth upside down.

From land to sea.

Amidst the stormy winds and rain, the Celestial Master Dam, standing for millennia, still guarded the coastline.

Little Taiqing did not exert his full strength. His two long, frost-white eyebrows were tightly knit as he fought, his voice low and persuasive: "Third Brother, why not admit your mistake, cut all ties with those of the Evil Path? I will surely do everything to protect you."

Yu Xiao curled his lip. "Those who walk different paths cannot work together! Let's fight!"

One against two—utterly unwinnable.

As they fought, the three moved farther and farther from the Celestial Master Dam.

Yu Xiao's injuries grew heavier and heavier, far surpassing Little Yuqing's.

Seeing himself completely at a disadvantage with no chance of turning the tide, Yu Xiao couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh.

"Righteousness endures in this world; my death is not to be regretted!"

Even if his soul were to scatter, he would surely cripple Little Yuqing, that faithful hound of the Divine Court!

He flipped his palm, about to detonate his life soul, when suddenly a stirring in his heart brought forth a warm current mingling sourness and sweetness.

Lowering his gaze, he looked at his palm.

There lay a candied hawthorn berry, quiet and still.