My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1185 Empty City Strategy?
This moment of ease lasted only a moment before being interrupted by a powerful aura.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable suddenly opened his eyes, the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi trembling slightly in his palm. His divine sense swept towards the outside of the city—he saw two figures standing side by side in the air above Freedom City. One was the Tongtian Sect Master, whose saintly aura was as deep as the ocean. The other was Wen Rui, who, although he had no saintly aura, was surrounded by a dazzling light of merit like seven-colored clouds. His gaze was fixed on the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, without the slightest fear.

"These two... haven't left yet?" Yuanshi Tianzun's heart skipped a beat, and disbelief flashed in his eyes.

Is a city that is already deserted worth their desperate struggle, even to the point of confronting the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation head-on?
When forced to activate the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation ahead of schedule, Yuanshi Tianzun had already deduced several possible developments, most of which did not present an opportunity to necessarily kill Wen Rui.

Even without the wisdom of a sage, even a primary school graduate who has done elementary school-level word problems could solve it. At the snail's pace of the sword formation, by the time they arrive at Freedom City, Wen Rui, even if he were disabled, could crawl away in time.

As Yuanshi Tianzun traced the patterns on the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi with his fingertips, a wave of doubt and surprise surged through his mind: when he activated the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation in advance, he had already calculated that he probably wouldn't be able to kill Wen Rui this time, and he was certain that Wen Rui would seize this opportunity to escape.

After all, Wen Rui was a visitor from outside the realm, and he had no deep-rooted ties in the prehistoric world. Although Free City was built by him and was his lair in this realm, it was just a stronghold for an extraterrestrial demon who traveled through the endless void. Given the selfish nature of the demon, he would never risk his life for a mere stronghold.

Moreover, Wen Rui was able to evacuate a million people in an orderly manner, which shows that he was well prepared and his means of escape must have been more comprehensive.

He never expected to kill Wen Rui through this siege. His real purpose was to use the scene of "Wen Rui abandoning the city and fleeing" to prove to the Heavenly Dao and all living beings in the Three Realms that this extraterrestrial demon who bewitched people with technology was ultimately a cowardly, selfish, and afraid-to-die person who could even abandon the city he had built with his own hands. He was not worthy of the Heavenly Dao's approval and should not occupy the destiny.

Once the reputation of "abandoning the city upon hearing of auspicious omens" is established, the Heavenly Dao's "favoritism" towards him will weaken, and the trust of all beings in the Three Realms will collapse. At that time, the Chan Sect can take the opportunity to spread the message that "guests from outside the realm cannot be trusted," and thus pull the fortune back to the Chan Sect's camp.

Having lost the protection of Heaven and the support of all living beings, Wen Rui is like an eagle with broken wings; killing him in the future would be as easy as lifting a finger.

But now, Wen Rui not only didn't escape, but also dragged Tongtian Jiaozhu to defend the city together—this completely disrupted his plans!
Why would a foreigner who should cherish his life so much suddenly become so willing to sacrifice himself for righteousness?
Does he really care about that so-called "spark of technology," or does he want to use this confrontation to further solidify his image as a "protector of all living beings"?

The more Yuanshi Tianzun thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, and his vigilance grew even stronger—Wen Rui's actions must be a trap!

However, he couldn't figure out the other party's purpose for the time being, so he could only suppress his doubts and try to find out the truth first.

Wen Rui had no intention of using the Empty City Stratagem. The success of Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem was only in the novel. In reality, if Sima Yi had sent a team of scouts, he could have captured Zhuge Liang alive, dressed him in women's clothing, and paraded him around on a four-wheeled cart.

Moreover, in front of a sage whose divine sense can cover tens of thousands of miles and see through everything, putting up an empty city ploy is no different from running naked; one can see right through him, even his underwear.

Unexpectedly, this strategy worked like a ruse, and the Primordial Celestial Lord dared not act rashly for a moment. He raised his hand and pointed at the array diagram, and the Chaos Domain slowly pressed down. Four immortal swords emerged halfway from the domain, their black blades flowing with patterns of destruction. Countless tiny chaotic sword energies wandered along the edge of the domain, like venomous snakes ready to devour their prey.

At the same time, his voice pierced through the chaotic realm, spreading throughout Free City, carrying the majesty of a saint and a hint of bewilderment: "Tongtian, Wenrui! Free City is empty. What is the point of you holding out here? Do you really intend to sacrifice your lives for an empty city?"

The Tongtian Sect Leader took a step forward, his immortal aura colliding with the baleful energy of the chaotic domain, stirring up ripples.

He looked at the figure of Yuanshi in the Chaos Realm, his tone laced with mockery: "Yuanshi, do you think that evacuating the people will make us back down? What we, the Jie Sect, are guarding is not a city, but the Dao in our hearts! You defy the heavens and create karma, destroying my cities in the Southern Continent and harming all living beings in the Three Realms. If we don't stop you today, won't you drag the entire prehistoric world into chaos in the future?"

Wen Rui then spoke, his voice lacking the imposing aura of a sage, yet possessing the clarity and resolve characteristic of a scientist: "Primordial Celestial Venerable, you say Freedom City is an empty city, but within this city lies the spark of technology that could alleviate the suffering of all beings for millennia. If I were to allow you to destroy it, I would be cutting off the path forward for the mortal realm, no different from committing evil and killing."

At this point, Wen Rui's tone became more magnetic, as if a broadcaster were narrating a documentary with a profound sense of history: "—I am guarding this place so that the Three Realms can see that those who defy the heavens will eventually be stopped! The spark of technology, the hope of civilization for all living beings, will eventually be protected."

These words exploded like thunder both inside and outside the Zhuxian Sword Formation.

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi Tianzun's face instantly darkened—he hadn't expected that Wen Rui would not only try to stop him, but also use this confrontation to further emphasize his image as someone who "defied the heavens and committed sins"!

To put it bluntly, we just want to keep attacking him, and we'll do anything to attack him!

If he were to kill Wen Rui in front of the heavens and countless living beings, what kind of person would Yuanshi Tianzun become?
The other party wasn't actually "stopping him" at all; they were clearly using this confrontation to label themselves as "defying the heavens and creating karma" in front of all living beings in the three realms!

Every word he uttered was guiding public opinion and disrupting the natural order; every phrase he used was shaping his image as a "tyrannical and unreasonable" villain.

A surge of anger welled up in his heart, and his fingertips subconsciously activated the power of a saint. The light on the Immortal Slaughtering Formation suddenly shone brightly, and the ferocious aura of the four immortal swords intensified. If he took another step forward, countless chaotic sword energies would completely engulf the two of them, eliminating them completely.

But he forcibly suppressed the impulse as soon as it surfaced.

Reason washed over him like cold water: No! He couldn't make a move! Wen Rui was practically forcing him to! If he were to kill Wen Rui, the "guardian of the flame of technology," in front of everyone, what good would it do even if he killed him?

What will the millions of people think? They will only remember that in order to maintain his hegemony over the interpretation of the Heavenly Dao, the Celestial Venerable of the Chan Sect killed Wen Rui, who was "striving for the well-being of all beings for ten thousand years." They will only recognize him as a tyrant who cannot tolerate dissent, indiscriminately kills the innocent, and treats all beings as worthless grass and straw dogs!
(End of this chapter)