This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 512 - 510: The Young Girl Comes of Age

The Martial God's alcohol tolerance isn't that great, it seems. At most, it amounts to them being buddy-buddy after three cups of Daoist liquor.

"BURP!"

Wu Wang let out a burp, crawled out from under the table in his room, and, looking at the bright sky outside, stretched lazily.

That fellow, Old Wu, had disappeared somewhere. He had probably leveraged yesterday's drunken courage to visit the spire of the Goddess of Liuli. He might very well be enjoying a warm bed with company, jade-like limbs sprawled all around him.

Suddenly in the mood for a stroll, Wu Wang changed into the short jacket and long pants commonly worn by Martial Artists, slipped on a pair of comfortable cloth shoes for training, and left Uncle Shan's and Aunt Qing's large mansion.

The neighboring Ming Qing Realm was busy being divided and reorganized, but the Luili Realm was still peacefully untroubled. The world is vast, and living beings only reside within certain regions; once their boundaries in space are surpassed, everything becomes unrelated to them.

He walked past the bustling Song and Dance Street and the Liuli Art Market, where the trade caravans of Liuli City were most concentrated, continuing his aimless wandering. Amidst the noise, I seem to be growing fond of the hustle and bustle myself.

Wu Wang mulled over the possibility of the Candle Dragon and Emperor Shun joining forces to become the Great Calamity for Heaven and Earth.

An uncontrolled Dao of Chaos is terrifying indeed, but it's still far from the Great Calamity Zhong Ling described. The certain destruction of Heaven and Earth? Actually, on further thought, although the Great Wilderness World has existed for eons, compared to the planets and stars I know of that span billions of years, it's still far behind. Where is the Great Wilderness situated in the cosmos? Or could it be that this Great Wilderness World exists outside the universe? In another dimension? What connection do these events happening in the Great Wilderness have with my homeland?

Wu Wang didn't understand, but this mystery fueled his passion for exploration. One always needs to find something to do beyond their usual amusements.

After wandering aimlessly for about two hours, he found himself near the spire without realizing it. The Soldiers guarding the perimeter didn't dare to interrogate Wu Wang, and the various commanders recognized him as the powerful Qing Shan. In their eyes, this young man was an enigma.

Born in a remote town, he somehow became a disciple of a retired head of a Martial Academy. He single-handedly defeated more than three hundred young Martial Artists of his age from the Luili Realm, even felling a top-seeded Martial Artist of the Martial Spirit Realm with only his Martial Soul Realm cultivation. He barged into the Celestial Fox Tribe's territory alone and brought back their High Priest and the breathtakingly beautiful Sky Fox Lu'er to the Luili Realm. Just a few days ago, for reasons unknown, the Ming Qing Realm mobilized a large number of their elite Martial Artists, spies, and collaborators to forcibly take Qing Shan back to the Ming Qing Realm. The next day, news came that the Ming Qing Realm was being divided. Furious, the Martial God gave the God of Ming Qing a beating and expelled him, and the Twelve Realms of the Martial God officially became the Eleven Realms of the Martial God. Not only did the Luili Realm lose a fierce rival, but the resources they could obtain in the great competition naturally increased.

What kind of power does this young Martial Artist named Qing Shan really conceal behind him? Too scary to contemplate, too scary to contemplate.

Having reached this place, Wu Wang could finally hear about the violent upheaval in the Ming Qing Realm.

"A perfectly good God of Ming Qing, just like that, driven out! Not even the gods above have it easy; the Martial God is the real deal."

"The Ming Qing Realm has been targeting our Luili Realm for hundreds of years, and now they've finally quieted down."

"I heard from my third uncle who works in the Shrine Institute that we now have a new problem. The Ming Qing Realm's territories have been divided into three, and we've taken one-third. Our Luili Realm suddenly has many more mouths to feed. Even though we have one-third of the Ming Qing Realm's reserves, if we still lag behind in the competition, there's simply no way to sustain so many people. We'll have to think of other ways."

Hearing this, Wu Wang couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. These guards certainly have their ears to the ground. Sure, such problems exist, but they no longer pique my interest. The Martial God World is currently facing such a grave situation; it's uncertain whether the Eleven Realms of the Martial God will still exist in a few decades.

"Brother!"

A crisp call entered his ears. Wu Wang looked up to see Little Jin Wei, her hair adorned with two cloud-like ornaments, waving cheerfully at him from a fifth-floor window at the base of the spire. She was carefree, not having to worry about all these troublesome matters.

Little Jin Wei turned and ran to the staircase, her feet lightly tapping against the spiraling stone steps as she hurried towards the spire's gate. Streams of sunlight poured in through the windows beside the spiral staircase. Young Priestesses trailed behind, holding up their cumbersome skirts and chasing after Jin Wei, repeatedly calling out for her to "Slow down." She ran past the stone chambers where several old martial masters were resting and past classroom doors filled with rows of young Martial Artists. Her steps were light as she dashed down the last few stone steps to the figure standing at the entrance.

Then, giggling, she ran over and threw herself into his arms.

"Brother, when did you get back! Although Teacher kept saying you were fine and that the Martial God was by your side, this time I was really scared to death!"

She was still worried about Wu Wang being abducted.

Wu Wang raised his hand to ruffle her little head gently, softly saying, "The Martial God asked me to serve as a hostage, to play a part in a drama with the Ming Qing Realm."

"Then why must it always be you, Brother, who has to brave dangers? There are so many people in the Luili Realm!" Jin Wei muttered, her still childish face showing dissatisfaction.

Wu Wang laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. Could the Martial God possibly harm me?"

"Are you going to attend a class, Brother?"

"Yes, I'm just going to sit inside and reminisce about the old times."

"Can I come with you? Please?"

"Who in this tower would dare to stop you?"

Wu Wang laughed and agreed, letting her cling to his arm as they both entered the Earth Class to attend a lesson. The young Martial Artists in the class were mostly nervous, and the old man explaining Martial Techniques on the stage suddenly became very restrained. Wu Wang, meanwhile, didn't care too much and continued to sit by the window, lost in thought.

He coveted merely a sliver of the atmosphere here. Jin Wei, on the other hand, sat by Wu Wang and listened with great earnestness. As she listened, she began to nod off, pecking like a little chicken, and soon fell asleep on Wu Wang's desk.

This girl falls asleep even faster than I do.

Wu Wang chuckled to himself, ignoring the flirtatious glances from a few female classmates around him. Instead, he lowered his head to gaze at Jin Wei's delicate and charming face. He recalled lines of poetry describing a young maiden's budding beauty, more enchanting than any sight revealed behind pearl curtains on a spring day.

Wu Wang's gaze drifted to the window as he continued to be lost in thought, trying to relax.

In the distance, a flock of Hongyan birds flew through the clouds, their wings leisurely brushing the sky. On the road outside the city, carriages hurried back and forth. Occasionally, one could see rare and strange beasts pulling heavy carts at an even pace. Wu Wang quietly savored the rhythm unique to the remnant soul, as if he had returned to that island in the East Sea, seeing those little feet swinging on the branches of the Divine Wood...

It's as if the changes in the world outside the deserted island aren't as significant as I thought.

"Brother..." Jin Wei's mouth opened and closed slightly, her sleepy mumble reaching Wu Wang's ears. "I want to grow up fast..."

Wu Wang chuckled softly and cast an apologetic smile at the young Martial Artists nearby who had been disturbed. He then swept his hand, drawing a curtain to conceal the scene.

「Two years later.」

...

Outside Liuli City, in a forest clearing encircled by heavy troops.

Wu Wang hovered above the treetops, keenly sensing the changes in the Spiritual Power between Heaven and Earth, his expression somewhat gloomy. The Spiritual Power is getting thinner. In the past two years, the Spiritual Power in the world has weakened day by day. It feels as if Candle Dragon has already begun to absorb the fundamental forces of this realm.

For me, this is actually a good thing—it's conducive to arousing a spirit of rebellion against Candle Dragon among the gods from the Outer Sky. For the creatures outside the Martial God World, the impact isn't too significant; they don't rely on Spiritual Power to cultivate. The ones who suffer are the Martial Artists of the Martial God World; their advancement has become increasingly difficult.

Emperor Shun had an almost obsessive pursuit of killing multiple birds with one stone.

This saying, which Yun Zhongjun had once mentioned, had given Wu Wang many reminders.

A beam of golden light slid down from the sky, enveloping Wu Wang. He relaxed, now accustomed to it. He was swept away by the light and, in an instant, appeared at the top of the spire of Liuli City, sitting behind a table laden with exquisite food. The powerful Martial God was seated at the head of the table, with the elegant Goddess of Liuli by his side, the affection between them seemingly richer.

The spot left empty beside Wu Wang was naturally reserved for Jin Wei.

"Teacher, Goddess of Liuli," Wu Wang greeted them with a smile. He adeptly picked up chopsticks and began to indulge in the completely new taste experience brought by the divine cuisine.

"Qing Shan," the Martial God said suddenly, "I'm thinking of holding the Martial God World's grand competition a few months earlier. What do you think?"

Wu Wang's movements slowed. He looked up at the Martial God. "Has the situation already become this grave?"

A flicker of worry also appeared in the Goddess of Liuli's eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

The Martial God nodded and said solemnly, "Candle Dragon is pressing me to hand over my Divine Guards. I'm planning to refuse again, and I reckon a great battle will follow. The Martial God World has existed for so long; it is inevitable that it must experience the crucible of war."

"Wu," said the Goddess of Liuli, "this is unavoidable. Even if you submitted, Candle Dragon would further oppress us."

"Of course, I know that," the Martial God said, shaking his head. His large hand covered the Goddess's delicate ones, gently kneading them.

Wu Wang brooded, continuing to chew without pause. Over the past two years, thanks to Wu Wang's 'deliberate' planning, such discussions with the Martial God about the deteriorating situation had become routine. The Martial God had recognized Wu Wang's capacity for strategic planning and trusted him, always consulting him whenever there was an issue.

Moreover, after two years of effort, Yun Zhongjun had established a rudimentary intelligence network. Wu Wang could now monitor many Divine Realms adjacent to the Martial God Realm without invoking the power of the Heavenly Dao. After the Martial God dismantled the Ming Qing Realm, Yang Wudi had also transferred to serve under Yun Zhongjun and was now active outside the Martial God Realm. A vast net was slowly being cast over the Martial God Realm.

For instance, Wu Wang had long noticed the decline in Spiritual Power throughout Heaven and Earth. Then there was the sudden stationing of several large armies in the desolate Divine Realms near the Martial God Realm last year. And the God of Ming Qing, rumored to be missing, might potentially be used as a pawn against the Martial God.

The Martial God sighed. "I'm not afraid of war. What's the purpose of cultivating and increasing one's strength if not to fight Candle Dragon head-on? Right now, my biggest worry is that if war breaks out, we might find ourselves besieged. These eleven Divine Realms... if even one falls, countless beings will die or be injured. They are innocents who would be caught in the crossfire."

Wu Wang asked, "Does Candle Dragon want the Martial God Realm's troop deployment figures, or does he want direct command authority?"

"He wants it all," the Martial God replied softly. "The two are essentially the same thing."

"Can't we just underreport a little?" the Goddess of Liuli asked softly.

"It would be the same," the Martial God said. "Reporting false numbers is worse than not reporting at all. It would just give Candle Dragon a legitimate excuse to devour our Martial God Realm."

As if afraid that Wu Wang and the Goddess of Liuli might not understand, the Martial God thoughtfully explained, "As the ruler of the Outer Sky, he needs all gods to be convinced and follow him. This also serves as a chain restraining his brutal nature. If we report false numbers, he can use our deceit as a rightful pretext to move against us.

"The Water God said this is all a game of strategy. My current choice is to not report and to delay, to see if there's any chance for a turnaround, or if we can ally with other Divine Spirits."

Wu Wang asked, "Teacher, how is the Goddess of Fortune doing now?"

"She's just been hanging around the Water God's place," the Martial God replied with a click of his tongue, disdain evident on his broad face. "She struts around the Temple of Water God every day, ordering those Subordinate Gods around as if they were her servants. The Water God must be fuming but not daring to speak out."

Wu Wang asked, "Isn't she Candle Dragon's daughter?"

"She probably doesn't want to see her father," the Martial God shook his head. "Having a father who devoured her mother is the most disgusting thing in the world. Anyway, where were we? Ah, yes. I'm thinking of holding the Martial God Realm's grand competition ahead of schedule. What do you all think? It might be the Martial God Realm's swan song, so let everyone have a lively time before the great battle."

"Teacher, there's no need to be so pessimistic," Wu Wang said with a smile. "There's always a way out when things get tough."

The Martial God waved his hand grandly. "There's always a way out! And if there's no way, we'll carve one through the mountain! HAHAHA! HIC!"

The Goddess of Liuli giggled behind her hand, continuing to serve the Martial God gently.

DING LING—

A clear bell chimed from the stone doorway of the gods' private dining chamber. A beautiful figure entered, hurrying to the dining table with graceful steps.

"Good afternoon, Teacher, Martial God," the young girl in a pale blue skirt curtseyed. The Martial God and the Goddess of Liuli each responded warmly.

Then she hurried over, exclaiming, "Brother! Don't eat it all!"

Wu Wang looked up at Little Jin Wei, who had fully matured, and couldn't help but ponder a bothersome question. With Little Jin Wei's body having developed so well, will she be uncomfortable when the remnant soul returns to her original body? Don't think Jingwei was always quiet about such things; she actually envied Fairy Ling's 'unreasonably' perfect yet beautiful figure. Back when she transformed into the Blue Bird, she would often stare at Fairy Ling's... assets.

"What took you so long?" Wu Wang asked.

"Hmph, I was being indecisive while changing clothes," Jin Wei complained, but still pulled her chair closer to Wu Wang.

The Martial God and the Goddess of Liuli exchanged a glance and started chatting about lighter topics. Wu Wang and Jin Wei bickered and ate simultaneously, soon devouring their food with the speed of an 'autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.' They filled their stomachs and then slumped into their chairs in matching postures.

Cultivators just don't get fat.

The Goddess of Liuli said sternly, "Little Wei, mind your manners."

"Oh." Jin Wei quickly sat up straight, striking an elegant pose with her slender legs crossed and her delicate hands resting on her flat stomach. It was as if three wooden signs had popped up above her head: Dignified, Beautiful, Obedient.

She had spent the past two years learning precisely these things. Although her cultivation progress hadn't lagged, it wasn't particularly rapid either.

After dinner, Wu Wang and Jin Wei strolled within the spire for a while before Jin Wei pulled him to her luxuriously decorated and spacious bedroom. The two were already comfortable with some level of intimate contact. They sat in reclining chairs covered with soft fur, Jin Wei snuggling against Wu Wang's side, her head resting on his arm, as she flipped through a travelogue unrelated to Martial Arts cultivation.

Wu Wang closed his eyes, ostensibly to rest his spirit, but in reality, he was contacting Yun Zhongjun in his mind to discuss strategies for alleviating some of the pressure on the Martial God World. Indeed, there had been many subtle and overt strategic games played over the past two years.

All of this stemmed from two decisions Candle Dragon made after convening the gods of the Outer Sky and stripping the Water God of his authority:

First, seizing military power.

Second, enlightening the spirits of plants and trees.

The effects of the latter were not yet apparent, but the gods had already passed the enlightening incantation on to their Divine Generals. The former, however, was rapidly showing results: Candle Dragon had already taken direct control of the Divine Guards from dozens of Divine Realms.

Various Divine Realms had used secret methods to plunge capable beings into slumber; some even directly froze their Divine Generals in ice to resist the erosion of time on living creatures. After seizing military power, the first thing Candle Dragon did was to order the gods to awaken these preserved forces.

The power accumulated over immeasurable years in the Outer Sky had reached an astonishing level. Consequently, when Candle Dragon turned his attention to the Martial God World, the Martial God felt immense pressure.

Similarly, Wu Wang had accurately guessed the Martial God's plan. This simple-minded god intends to seek out Candle Dragon for a one-on-one battle before a full-scale war erupts. If he wins, all will be well. If he loses, he'll sacrifice his own Divine Realm and even his life to shield the inhabitants of the Martial God World from devastation.

One can only say that the Martial God's way of thinking is far too simplistic.

After discussing with Yun Zhongjun for a while, Wu Wang wrapped his Divine Thought around the small water droplet near his Divine Soul and sought out his Grandpa for a chat about the safety and security of the Martial God World.

The Water God let out a long sigh and said in a low voice, "The situation is more severe than you imagine; His Majesty Candle Dragon's moves are alarmingly fast. I had thought that the gods of the Outer Sky, being dissatisfied, might unite and resist to some extent. But unexpectedly, these Divine Spirits truly endured the indignities, meekly surrendering the power they had painstakingly accumulated over the entire Fifth Divine Era. The deterrent Candle Dragon holds over the Innate Gods is simply too strong."

Wu Wang said, "I share these concerns, which is why I haven't directly moved against Candle Dragon. In your opinion, Grandpa, how can we motivate the gods to resist Candle Dragon together? As long as a strong tide of resistance against Candle Dragon rises in the Outer Sky, I'm not worried about Candle Dragon himself; I have my ways to suppress him."

"It's difficult," the Water God chuckled. "Little Bear, you can't truly understand the terror the gods feel towards Candle Dragon; after all, you didn't experience the Fourth Divine Era."

Wu Wang agreed, "Getting the Innate Gods to overcome their own fear is indeed quite troublesome."

"For now," the Water God continued, "all we can do is find ways to help the Martial God World relieve the pressure on its periphery."

"I've already started working on that," Wu Wang said with a smile. "Grandpa, you don't need to worry. I'll exert some pressure on Emperor Shun from the other side of the Heaven and Earth Seal."

The Water God praised, "That's quite a clever strategy."

"You were thinking of suggesting this kind of strategy last time, weren't you?" Wu Wang probed.

"I cannot interfere with the decisions of the Celestial Court; that's my bottom line," the Water God chuckled in response. "His Majesty Candle... well, Candle Dragon and Emperor Shun no longer want me involved in their affairs, which conveniently gives me more leisure time. Let them struggle on their own; their wins or losses have nothing to do with me."

This old god, even when facing his own grandson, maintained a level of tact and diplomacy as smooth and rounded as his own portly figure. It might be a bit disrespectful to think this about Grandpa, but when it comes to being tactful and worldly-wise, the Water God and the Wood God are truly in a league of their own, practically indistinguishable.

What Wu Wang had been discussing with Yun Zhongjun was precisely this: exerting pressure on Emperor Shun.

As for the method, it was exceedingly simple. Yun Zhongjun dispatched agents to spread a message in the Eastern Wilderness: the Celestial Court was preparing to wage war on the Outer Sky and would strike before Candle Dragon could complete his power consolidation. To corroborate this message, the Celestial Court withdrew half of its army stationed around the periphery of the Eastern Wilderness. The Earth God was also compelled to work overtime, mobilizing large numbers of troops for daily rotational training.

The effect was remarkably significant. The number of Divine Guards and troops, which had been constantly increasing in the Divine Realms neighboring the Martial God World, was swiftly reduced by half, drastically relieving the pressure on the Martial God World.

However, by this time, the Martial God World had already issued the Martial God's decree: the current Grand Martial Contest was to be held ahead of schedule, in two months, with the venue set in the Sword World, one of the three strongest Realms within the Martial God World.

Wu Wang had initially felt that this Martial God Contest had little to do with him. After all, I'm only a young man.

But soon, the Goddess of Liuli summoned him and conveyed her directive: "Qing Shan, you will lead the team for this contest."

"Me?" Wu Wang was somewhat astonished. "Am I not a bit too young for that?"

"The rules set by the Martial God simply state that contestants must be under eighty years old. So, naturally, the Martial Artists who compete are at an advantage the closer they are to eighty. But there are no rules restricting young people in their twenties or thirties from participating," the Goddess of Liuli explained. After a moment, she suddenly transmitted her voice to Wu Wang, "Several of them already know about my relationship with the Martial God. You need to help me achieve a good ranking. This is also your teacher's wish."

Wu Wang: ...

Tsk, so this is the power of pillow talk.