Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 620 Intricate
"Of course, please take a look at this item, both of you."

Looking at the elegant and serene Golden Clan White Emperor, who seemed like a god, Qin Huai smiled slightly, took out what Yanzi had left behind from his imprint space, and handed it to the white-clad female attendant beside him.

"The Demon-Slaying Blade of the Western Sea Ancestor is renowned throughout the world, and you two must recognize it. As for this wisp of spiritual substance, it is the essence left behind after I scraped Yanzi's soul with my Soul-Searching Technique. It contains his many insights into the Netherworld Demonic Arts, and you two will recognize it at a glance."

After saying this, Qin Huai, led by Shao Hao, took his seat at the Purple Jade Ring Table and waited for the White Emperor's reply.

Bai Zhaoju took the demon-slaying sword, which was made entirely of Gengxin metal energy, nodded slightly, and swept his divine sense over the ball of light beside him. His expression changed immediately. After a moment's thought, he handed the two swords to his half-sister, who was also the Holy Maiden of the Metal Clan, the Queen Mother of the West.

"The Western Sea Ancestor Yanzi is exceptionally powerful. He is a top expert among the aquatic race, second only to the Black Emperor, the True God of Xuanshui, and the Water Lord of Chaoyang. Your ability to defeat him so easily, and even to remove his three souls and seven spirits so cleanly, is truly admirable."

The White Emperor gazed at Qin Huai with admiration in his eyes, and smiled calmly, saying, "It is truly a blessing for the Cold Wilderness and for all living beings under heaven that the eight barbarian clans have such a benevolent and chivalrous totem beast as yours to protect them."

"I am only concerned with sweeping the snow from my own doorstep; I dare not accept such high praise."

Qin Huai waved his hand, put away the demon-slaying sword and Yanzi essence that the maid had returned, and said politely.

"Now that Your Excellency Taotie has averted the calamity of the Cold Wasteland, what important matter brings you to my Kunlun Jade Pool?"

The Queen Mother of the West's pearly eyes flashed, her gaze sharp as lightning, fixed intently on Qin Huai, and then asked a question.

"Aunt, it's like this. Although Senior Taotie killed the culprit, he didn't actually find the true person who cast the Gu curse in the Great Wilderness. He could only guess that it was related to the traitorous snake descendant of the Water Tribe. Previously, Elder Erfu of the snake descendant cleverly pried the Heaven-Turning Divine Seal off the top of Mishan Mountain. Although Senior Taotie killed him, because he himself was not of the snake descendant, the divine artifact, possessing a spirit, drifted away and disappeared without a trace. Now, without a divine artifact to suppress it, the waves of the Western Sea, aided by Nuwa's intestines, are surging in. I'm afraid that in a few days, it will submerge the Western Wilderness. The White Horse God, the Wind and Cloud God, and I all felt that the situation was critical, so we brought Senior Taotie back to Kunlun to ask Father to intervene and go to Chaoge Mountain in the Central Plains to borrow the sacred artifact of the Earth Tribe, the Breath of Earth, to resolve this catastrophic disaster."

Shao Hao got up and left his seat, explaining the matter clearly in a few words.

"The Breath of Earth? If the sea eye under Mishan Mountain is truly no longer suppressed by the Heaven-Turning Seal, then the Breath of Earth is indeed indispensable to relieve the flood and suppress the waves of the Western Sea."

The Queen Mother of the West, renowned for her exceptional wisdom and resourcefulness in the Great Wilderness, nodded in approval of Shao Hao's decision. She then turned to look at the White Emperor and said hesitantly, "However, the Yellow Emperor is currently trapped in the [Pimu Hill]. Trying to bypass him and obtain the sacred artifact, the Breath Soil, from the Earth Clan Elders' Council is an even more difficult task than ascending to heaven."

"The Yellow Emperor was trapped on Pimu Hill? How could that be?"

Shao Hao was taken aback. Not only him, but also Bai Ma Shen Ying Zhao and Feng Yun Shen Jiang Yi beside him were puzzled. Only Lu Hu Shen looked calm, as if he knew the inside story.

"Just as you were ordered to go and appease the barbarians and control the Gu calamity, a major event occurred at Chaoge Mountain, thousands of miles away. The two sons of the Yellow Emperor had reached an agreement at some point, uniting their respective maternal clans and maternal relatives to support the Yellow Emperor in overcoming public opinion and leading a large army to mediate the Shuimu disaster."

However, just as the Yellow Emperor and Yinglong led eight thousand cavalry to the Wood Clan's Rihua City and Taihu Leize City to discuss a ceasefire with the Wood God Jumang and the Thunder God Lei Potian, they encountered nearly twenty thousand Northern Sea Demons near Pimu Hill. Strangely, after sixty years of relative calm, Pimu Hill, buried underground, suddenly reappeared, the earth cracked open, and they were completely swallowed up. Even though the Yellow Emperor and Yinglong were both divine masters proficient in earth-based magic, they could not withstand the power of heaven and earth and, along with the eight thousand cavalry, fell into the abyss.

Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Bai Di took out a secret letter from his sleeve and handed it to the maid beside him: "This is a secret report sent back by the scouts at the front. You can take a look."

"These are truly turbulent times."

After reading the scout report presented by the maid, Qin Huai sighed, "White Emperor and Queen Mother, you two are well-versed in the situation of the Great Wilderness. Do you believe this incident is a natural disaster or a man-made one?"

"Your Excellency the Holy Beast is indeed insightful. Indeed, the Emperor and I both believe that the calamity that befell the armies of the Water and Earth races was not the work of Heaven, but rather the work of a dark force behind the scenes."

Hearing Qin Huai's insightful words, the Queen Mother of the West's eyes flickered slightly, and she continued the conversation.

"Auntie, what kind of riddle are you playing? It's so confusing, I don't understand."

Shao Hao scratched his head, puzzled.

"A hundred years ago, Hei Di Zhi Guang Ji had an older sister named Bo Mu Zhi Xuan Qing. She was proud and arrogant because of her beauty and some magical power, and she looked down on everyone. Unexpectedly, she fell in love with Gongsun Chang Tai, the most respected elder of the Tu tribe, and had an illegitimate son with him, named Gongsun Ying Hou, who later became the Yang True God among the Ten Gods of the Great Wilderness."

The Queen Mother of the West paused, then continued, "At that time, the Water and Wood tribes were at loggerheads, and this incident made the Water tribe's elders feel even more disgraced. The True God of Xuanshui, Zhulong, in order to eliminate the Black Emperor's forces, seized the opportunity to incite the elders to expel Bo Mu from the Water tribe. In a fit of anger, Bo Mu changed her name to Pi Mu to show that she was severing all ties with the Water tribe, and then moved with Gongsun Yinghou to Gongsun Changtai's home. Unexpectedly, Zhulong used this as an excuse to launch an attack on the Earth tribe. The two sides fought a great battle at the foot of Yidi Mountain, and the Water tribe won a decisive victory, advancing with unstoppable momentum. If it weren't for Shennong Emperor's timely intervention, even Yangxu City might have fallen to the Water tribe. The Earth tribe, defeated and seeking peace, was forced by the Water tribe to expel Gongsun Changtai and his son, Zhi Xuanqing, from the Earth tribe and relocate them to a harsh, deep ravine. That ravine was thus called 'Bo Mu Mountain,' also known as 'Pi Mu Hill.'"

"This scandal caused an extremely embarrassing situation back then. In addition, Gongsun Yinghou was morally flawed, so the higher-ups of the five clans tacitly agreed not to mention the matter of this Yang True God. Therefore, very few people in the Great Wilderness know about the past of this god-level expert. It is perfectly normal that you, Hao'er, do not know."

"I only knew that Pimu Hill was extremely dangerous and wicked before, but I never imagined that this was where the name came from." Shao Hao suddenly realized, but there was still something he didn't understand, so he asked again, "Aunt, why did you say that the True God of Yang Yang had a flawed moral character?"

"This is a long story, and it all started when their family moved into Pimu Hill. Pimu Hill was filled with vicious flowers and poisonous plants, as well as ferocious birds and beasts. Ordinary people would be reduced to bones in no time, and even immortal-level experts would find it difficult to survive for more than seven days. Emperor Shennong was too kind-hearted and worried that the Gongsun family would have difficulty surviving, so he taught them the poison-repelling elixirs he had made and even his knowledge of identifying herbs. With Emperor Shennong's help, the Gongsun Changtai family was able to settle down in the deep ravine. For the first six months, Emperor Shennong would visit them every few days. After a while, seeing that they were familiar with the poisonous plants and beasts around them and could handle them, he felt relieved and left to travel the world."

The Old Demon Candle originally intended to banish them to this ravine to their deaths, but unexpectedly, protected by the Divine Emperor, Zhi Xuanqing and her son turned misfortune into fortune. The bottom of that ravine turned out to be one of the Eight Extremes of the World—the Yang Gate! While collecting poisonous herbs, Pi Mu inadvertently discovered flames erupting from a crevice in the ground, surging with yang energy, perfectly suited for cultivating ultimate yang qi. She possessed exceptional talent and was a born "Water and Fire Divine Hero," and over time, she created the "Extreme Yang Earth Fire Great Technique," her cultivation increasing rapidly. Although Gongsun Changtai was a respected elder of the Tu tribe and possessed considerable wisdom, his aptitude for martial arts and magic was extremely ordinary. Pi Mu worried that he would suffer a qi deviation from the "Earth Fire Great Technique," so she only passed this divine skill on to her youngest son. Gongsun Yinghou, though despicable and ungrateful, was also a born "Water and Fire Divine Hero," and at a young age, he had already mastered extraordinary skills.
At the age of thirty, unwilling to remain secluded at the bottom of the ravine any longer, he was determined to avenge his parents. So he secretly left the hill and, within seven days, single-handedly stormed twelve cities of the Earth and Water tribes, defeating dozens of masters in succession. He even nearly defeated the North Sea True God, the Two-Headed Ancestor, of the Water tribe. The world was shaken, and his fame soared. The Earth tribe knew his identity and wanted to win him over, so they turned a blind eye, secretly bestowing upon him a title and flattering him, openly listing him as one of the Ten Gods of the Great Wilderness.

However, Gongsun Yinghou was arrogant, conceited, and narrow-minded. He refused to accept the Tu tribe elders' offer of amnesty. Determined to retaliate and humiliate the Shui and Tu tribes even more, he proclaimed himself "True God of Extreme Yang," standing apart from the five tribes. He feigned friendship with the Tu and Shui tribes, but in reality, he preyed on the beautiful, naive women of the five tribes. Those he had deceived and abandoned included not only the Tu tribe's holy maiden, Wu Luo Xianzi, but also the current God Emperor's Dragon Consort, Yu Shi Qie. Emperor Shennong, unable to bear seeing the five tribes thrown into chaos by this lecherous man, had no choice but to completely seal him away in Pi Mu Tu Qiu, sealing off the area and preventing him from seeing the light of day.

After telling the story of the farmer and the snake, the Queen Mother of the West sighed and said softly, "Sixty years ago, Emperor Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs mixed with poison and died; thirty years ago, Emperor Tuoba was poisoned by ten thousand Gu and died suddenly. Now that Pimu Hill has reopened, Gongsun Yinghou will definitely not let go of this opportunity to escape. Kunlun has gathered a large army, partly because of him."

"According to the Queen Mother, the Gongsun family should be closer to the Tu tribe. How could they control Pimu Hill to devour the Yellow Emperor and the Yellow Dragon True God? Shennong Emperor has been dead for many years, and he has a great grudge against the Candle Demon. If the Tu tribe is not a strong ally, how can he avenge his parents?"

After pondering for a long time, Qin Huai finally spoke, hitting the nail on the head: "Could it be that he has some other scheme in mind?"

"It is very likely that Gongsun Yinghou and his mother are both highly skilled, ranking among the top five in the aquatic tribe. Although the Black Emperor's forces were wiped out by Zhulong in the early years, they are still deeply rooted. If those remaining support Bo Mu and unite to rebel against Zhulong, they are not without a chance of winning."

The White Emperor nodded slightly, clearly having considered many possibilities as well.

"At the bottom of Pimu Hill lies Yangmen, one of the eight extremes of the world! Gongsun Yinghou has lived there for a long time. If he can figure out a way to travel between the eight extremes of the world and reach Cangmen, Shumen, Baimen, etc. from Yangmen, then the eight thousand Yellow Dragon Cavalry could be used as a surprise force to raid the water demon's lair and completely eliminate the disaster of water and wood."

The Queen Mother of the West played with the pale green, knife-shaped jade flute and added, "The aquatic tribes have been waging wars under the oppressive rule of Zhulong for years. It is not impossible that even a god-level figure might be enduring humiliation and harboring ulterior motives, preparing to overthrow him."

"Among the four aquatic gods, the North Sea True God, the Two-Headed Ancestor, has the shallowest cultivation and would never dare to have such aspirations. The West Sea Ancestor has already died and is even less worthy of the Queen Mother's attention. The only one who can be praised by the Golden Clan's Holy Maiden is Tian Wu, the Chaoyang Water Lord, whose power and status are second only to Zhulong and who is also his right-hand man and trusted subordinate."

Qin Huai's heart stirred, and he asked casually.

"The hatred of killing one's father and the annihilation of one's clan—I don't believe that a hero like Shuibo Tianwu, who could develop Chaoyang Valley from a few isolated households into a powerful nation in the wilderness, would truly remain subservient to Zhulong's tyranny and live a mediocre life forever."

The Queen Mother of the West smiled faintly and said nothing more.

"The situations of the five tribes are complex and difficult to clarify in a short time. In addition to what the young master just mentioned, I have another matter to ask the White Emperor and the Queen Mother for help."

Qin Huai nodded noncommittally, then changed the subject, asking about the death of the God Emperor, which he was quite concerned about: "I heard from the Queen Mother that thirty years ago, the God Emperor Tuoba died suddenly after being devoured by ten thousand Gu poisons? I wonder if you could take me to the place where the incident happened to investigate? If the Goddess and the Dragon Consort were here, I would also like to ask them about this matter."

"Your Highness, the Sacred Beast, is a totem of the Frozen Wasteland. Are you also interested in the death of the God Emperor?"

Upon hearing Qin Huai's request, the Queen Mother of the West frowned, puzzled: "Could it be that you had some kind of relationship with Emperor Tuoba during his lifetime?"

"No, it's just that to resolve this Great Wilderness Gu calamity and quell the rebellion in the world, we need to find some clues before we can take action. The death of the God Emperor was undoubtedly the beginning of the turmoil in the entire Great Wilderness. My purpose in leaving seclusion this time is to set things right and to act as the Emperor's representative. Therefore, I will not let go of any suspicious places."

Upon hearing this, the Jin clan heroes were all skeptical, clearly feeling that Qin Huai's words were too arrogant and unreliable.

"May I ask, Queen Mother, what is the most elusive sight to behold on the Jade Pool of Kunlun?"

Qin Huai was well aware of everyone's thoughts, so he simply smiled and calmly asked.

"All things under heaven originate from Kunlun. If you reside in Yaochi for a long time, you will be able to see eight or nine out of ten of the wonders of the Great Wilderness. If there is any scenery that even these immortal palaces cannot appreciate, it is probably only the legendary scene of the Five Elements Cycle."

The Queen Mother of the West was incredibly clever and easily guessed that Qin Huai was going to use his supernatural powers to prove his words. So she simply chose a rare sight that could never be reproduced in the Great Wilderness and Four Seas at this time, intending to make things difficult for him.

"The Five Elements Cycle? White Emperor, Queen Mother, everyone, isn't that it?"

Qin Huai slightly curled the corners of his mouth, pointed out a finger towards the outside of the hall.

(End of this chapter)