Chapter 165 We Can Make Our Move Now

While Jiang Yuan was secretly comparing himself to others, Shiji and Master Taiyi had already started fighting.

Master Taiyi did not hold back at all; he was no longer afraid of offending Jiang Yuan. He knew that he had probably completely offended Jiang Yuan by now. Perhaps he had offended Jiang Yuan even earlier. Master Taiyi figured that "earlier" must have been the moment he took Nezha away. In other words, Jiang Yuan had never intended for him to leave Jinguang Cave unharmed in the first place.

If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have humbled himself and told the Human Sovereign so many secrets earlier! To think the Human Sovereign was such a cunning and petty villain! Master Taiyi burned with anger, even more so than when he learned Nezha had defected to the Great Shang. In truth, he had never felt much of a master-disciple bond with Nezha. Had it not been for his master, Primeval Lord of Heaven, he and Nezha would never have had any connection whatsoever. Nezha's penchant for stirring up trouble deeply displeased him. He was someone who preferred peace and quiet, yet Nezha constantly brought him trouble. The worst part was that he was forced to clean up these messes because of his master's strict command that Nezha must not suffer any harm.

Therefore, far from feeling any affection, Master Taiyi actually harbored a quiet resentment toward Nezha, though he could never show it. His master had explicitly instructed him not to let Nezha develop any aversion toward the Elucidation Sect. Between these conflicting demands, Master Taiyi had grown utterly sick of Nezha. That was why, upon learning that Nezha had defected to the Great Shang, he had immediately captured him back. He finally thought he had a legitimate reason to thoroughly lecture Nezha, only for his master to personally intervene. Master Taiyi had no choice but to let it go. What infuriated him most was that Nezha had brought him trouble yet again! And this time, it was the kind of trouble even he could not handle—a Primordial Golden Immortal and a Quasi-Sage. How was he supposed to deal with that?

Thus, Master Taiyi could only try to buy as much time as possible so that his master would hurry over to save him. Or rather, "hurry over"—Primeval Lord of Heaven surely knew the situation here by now. After all, this was the territory of the Elucidation Sect. So why wasn't he coming to rescue him? The more he thought about it, the more annoyed Master Taiyi became, intensifying his inexplicable murderous intent toward Shiji.

"Prepare to meet your doom, wretched woman!" Master Taiyi roared in fury.

His eyes seemed to hold only Shiji as his sole enemy, and casting aside all caution, he unleashed a fierce assault. Nine golden divine dragons wreathed in flames charged wildly at Shiji. Naturally, Shiji did not wait passively for death. The Eight-Trigrams Cloud-Patterned Silk suddenly expanded to envelop the dragons. For a moment, the two magic treasures stood in a stalemate, while Master Taiyi and Shiji did not idle either, bombarding each other with a endless succession of mystical arts.

Even a sacred and sturdy cultivation ground like Jinguang Cave could not fully withstand the onslaught; it began to shudder violently, on the verge of collapse.

Jiang Yuan watched the scene with amused interest. As it turned out, the destructive power of Primordial Golden Immortals was no joke. Shattering mountains and overturning seas was practically child's play to them.

At that moment, Bai Ze looked curiously at Jiang Yuan and asked, "Why did the Human Sovereign know that Master Taiyi would be a destined tribulation for Daoist Shiji?"

This was something Bai Ze genuinely could not divine. The karmic fortune of both individuals was quite high, making it extremely difficult for him to perceive anything concerning them. If he were at the Sage realm, perhaps he might have seen something, yet Jiang Yuan had known it so effortlessly. It was truly baffling.

Although he hadn't been able to foresee that Master Taiyi was Shiji's tribulation beforehand, seeing the scene unfold before him, Bai Ze was now almost certain of it. Yet, how had the Human Sovereign determined this in advance? Bai Ze waited for Jiang Yuan's answer.

Anticipating the question, Jiang Yuan smiled and replied, "Senior Bai Ze's divine powers are indeed wondrous, but one cannot possibly know everything."

"Regarding the matter of Master Taiyi being a destined tribulation for Fairy Shiji, Senior Bai Ze can simply attribute it to my own unique divine power."

"Such matters are somewhat troublesome to explain. If I were to tell you that I possess the ability to foresee the future, would Senior believe me?" Jiang Yuan asked, looking at Bai Ze.

Hearing this, Bai Ze stared at Jiang Yuan for a moment before nodding. "If a Sage were to speak to me thus, I might not believe it. But since the Human Sovereign says so, I believe it."

This demonstrated just how heavy a weight Jiang Yuan carried in Bai Ze's heart. It wasn't merely because Jiang Yuan was his opportunity to ascend to the Sage realm, but because there were already far too many incomprehensible things about Jiang Yuan. There were countless ways to alter the outcome of an event; Bai Ze himself had experienced many such instances. As a divine beast capable of foreseeing the future, he had encountered many cases where predetermined outcomes were changed. No single event was ever composed of a lone factor, and various connections always existed between things. Pulling a single hair could move the whole body, and even Bai Ze could not guarantee that everything he calculated would come to pass. Yet, for some reason, he placed absolute trust in Jiang Yuan.

"Senior Bai Ze is certainly trusting of me," Jiang Yuan teased with a smile.

"The Human Sovereign possesses the capability to warrant it," Bai Ze replied calmly.

The predictive abilities Jiang Yuan had displayed had already earned him Bai Ze's complete trust.

"Does Senior Bai Ze not want to ask me whether you will be able to ascend to the Sage realm?" Jiang Yuan asked casually.

"Let nature take its course," Bai Ze answered quietly.

Of course he wanted to become a Sage, but such matters could not be forced; they were matters of opportunity, not brute will. He only needed to wait for the right moment to arrive, without needing to overexert himself. Following Jiang Yuan was already the greatest effort he had ever made.

"Senior Bai Ze is remarkably open-minded. However, even if Senior were to ask, I would not know the answer," Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

In his memory, Bai Ze was far too mysterious—so mysterious that he had no idea where to begin understanding him. He only knew that Bai Ze must have lived for an immensely long time, and that he was extremely powerful.

Bai Ze smiled faintly, paying no mind to Jiang Yuan's harmless joke. Glancing at the battlefield where Shiji and Master Taiyi were locked in combat, Bai Ze asked, "Do you truly not require my intervention?"

After all, Master Taiyi had spent a long time lingering in the realm of Primordial Golden Immortals and was deeply entrenched in it. Shiji was unlikely to be his match.

Jiang Yuan was not in a rush. He knew Shiji would lose, but she needed an outlet to vent her frustrations. After all, in Jiang Yuan's memories, Shiji had been burned alive by Master Taiyi.

"Senior Bai Ze will certainly need to intervene, but there is no need to rush. It will suffice to ensure that Fairy Shiji suffers no fatal accidents. Perhaps this battle is an opportunity for her," Jiang Yuan laughed.

In his eyes, Master Taiyi was merely a tool.

Bai Ze smiled and nodded. There were many things the Human Sovereign did that he could not yet understand, but the outcomes of those actions were invariably agreeable.

Watching Shiji and Master Taiyi fight with such reckless abandon, both unleashing their ultimate trump cards, it wouldn't be long before Jinguang Cave was completely destroyed.

"Senior Bai Ze, let us wait outside instead," Jiang Yuan suggested with a smile.

He didn't want to end up buried in a cave-in.

"Does the Human Sovereign not wish to acclimate yourself to battles at the level of Primordial Golden Immortals?" Bai Ze asked with a smile.

Jiang Yuan merely shook his head. "There is no need for me to acclimate to battles of this level."

Bai Ze was startled for a moment before realization dawned on him. The Human Sovereign before him had experienced battles involving Quasi-Sages, and had even once dwelled in the Quasi-Sage realm himself!

This was also what puzzled Bai Ze: at that time, the Human Sovereign should have only been at the Golden Immortal realm, right? How could he possibly display the strength of a Quasi-Sage? It was truly mind-boggling.

Having lived through countless vast years, Bai Ze had witnessed too many people and events in his life. The only person he could not see through in the slightest was Jiang Yuan. It wasn't that he couldn't perceive Jiang Yuan's strength; rather, whenever Bai Ze used his divine powers to probe Jiang Yuan, he encountered only a boundless void of chaos.

What did this indicate? It meant that Jiang Yuan was entirely composed of variables! Or perhaps it meant that Jiang Yuan could arbitrarily alter the outcome of events without incurring karmic retribution.

This was the very reason Bai Ze was willing to serve Jiang Yuan with such utmost devotion—because with Jiang Yuan, anything was possible.

The two walked out of Jinguang Cave.

Looking at Mount Qianyuan, which was trembling from top to bottom, Jiang Yuan asked his companion with a smile, "Senior Bai Ze, do you think Fairy Shiji has any chance of winning this battle?"

"What does the Human Sovereign think?" Bai Ze turned the question back to him.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Fairy Shiji will likely lose, but Master Taiyi will certainly not have an easy time of it," Jiang Yuan replied without favoring Shiji.

It was an obvious outcome. Both were fighting with all their might, and both intended to exterminate the other. Shiji's combat experience was undoubtedly inferior to Master Taiyi's, and her foundation in the Primordial Golden Immortal realm was also weaker.

"When does the Human Sovereign think it appropriate for me to step in?" Bai Ze inquired.

Since the Human Sovereign had put it that way, he would naturally have to take action when the time came.

"When Fairy Shiji is on the verge of defeat. However, there is one thing I must remind Senior Bai Ze: this Master Taiyi must be killed by me alone," Jiang Yuan answered.

There were several thousand Tyrant Points at stake, and this would be the first Primordial Golden Immortal he ever killed; he couldn't let such an opportunity slip away.

Bai Ze nodded silently without objection.

The two stood outside for a short while, and true to their expectations, Jinguang Cave collapsed with a deafening roar. It was somewhat a shame for such a treasured cultivation ground.

Yet Jiang Yuan felt not a shred of pity. Since this was the territory of the Intercepted Teachings, he was more than happy to see more of their property ruined.

Shiji and Master Taiyi flew out from the collapsing ruins of Jinguang Cave.

The Eight-Trigrams Cloud-Patterned Silk, which had previously wrapped around nine divine dragons, now only restrained four after emerging from the cave. The flames flickering on those dragons were no longer as blindingly bright, while Shiji's Eight-Trigrams Cloud-Patterned Silk was now battered and tattered, covered in scorched marks, appearing as though it could barely hold together.

Even so, both items were supreme treasures of acquired or innate grade and were not completely ruined; they could recover their original state after being nurtured by spiritual Qi for a period of time. However, they certainly could not be used for combat in the near term.

Finally, the remaining four dragons completely broke free from the restraints of the silk and hurtled directly toward Shiji.

At this point, Shiji had exhausted her spiritual power and found it difficult to dodge.

A fierce, ferocious look flashed across Master Taiyi's face. Even if he were to perish here today, taking down this woman who had inexplicably stirred up his murderous intent would still be a worthwhile trade.

"Senior, you may make your move now," Jiang Yuan reminded him promptly.