In Changle Palace, beside Cloud Dragon Pavilion, there was a high terrace made entirely of azure jade, the finest jade carefully chosen with the same color as the sky. Countless patterns of gusting winds and rolling clouds were carved on the lofty terrace, along with hundreds of giant dragons. The carvings made the terrace look as if it was about to soar into the sky.
It was called the Firmament Terrace, where Liu Bang usually feasted and engaged in merrymaking.
The morning sun shone on the terrace. A campfire was burning in the middle of it, and a tiger—skinned and gutted—was set on a wooden rack. Yellow grease kept oozing out of the meat, dripping onto the flame beneath and making crackling noises. Nearby, a cook was carefully preparing a fat tiger penis. An exotic aroma wafted out of the little pot in front of him, making one's mouth water.
Sitting behind a jade table, Wu Qi squinted at the cook for a while, then smiled at Liu Bang and said, "King of Han, you sure know how to enjoy life!"
Liu Bang sat across Wu Qi with a warm smile on his face. He was surrounded by dozens of beautiful female immortals, and his hands were running up and down the body of a petite girl sitting on his lap. When he heard Wu Qi, he smiled proudly and said, "I am a man with no ambitions. I just like wine and beauty, and my only wish is to live the rest of my life in leisure."
A female immortal picked up a red berry and fed it into his mouth. He chewed on it, then smacked his lips and said, "So, I begged the Great Celestial Emperor to send me to Great Yu. If nothing happens, I will stay here and never leave Liangzhu again. Hehe, the beauties here are all waiting for me to pamper them."
Wu Qi narrowed his eyes and smiled. Liu Bang was a man with no ambition? That was as false as water. Other subjects of Great Yu might have been fooled by this man, but Wu Qi knew him too well to be deceived. He turned his gaze away from Liu Bang and swept across Zhang Liang, Han Xin, and Xiao He, who were sitting next to them. He knew them too, and these were men who would never serve a man without ambition. Especially Han Xin, who looked at things like hawks…this was not a man who preferred peace.
As for Fan Kuai who was standing behind Liu Bang, the big fellow with chunks of muscle that looked as if they were forged of steel, he was staring at Wu Qi with his teeth clenched, showing a look on his face as if he could not wait to rush up and rip Wu Qi into pieces. It was hypocritical of Liu Bang to say that he had no ambition when he had such brave men serving him.
Liu Bang wanted to play a guessing game, but Wu Qi was too lazy to waste time with him. He knew he would not be the former's match when it came to lies and plots. Against such a sly old fox, using the most direct means of violence was definitely more effective than beating about the bush and playing tricks.
After gulping down a mouthful of wine from a large bronze wine vessel, Wu Qi fixed his eyes at Liu Bang and said with a sneer, "The Sacred Emperor had given me 108 Kunwu Swords, and told me to come to Liangzhu and keep a close eye on you. If I may ask, King of Han, what is the scheme that the Heaven, the Buddhist League, the thirteen Great Heavenly Ghost Kings of the Ghost Realm, and maybe some others, are hatching? Please tell me frankly, so that I can accomplish the task the Sacred Emperor had given me."
Liu Bang was taken aback, and so were Zhang Liang, Xiao He, Han Xin, and the others. Everyone was staring at Wu Qi as if they were seeing things.
At last, Liu Bang burst out laughing. "I don't understand what Marquis of Dong Hai Province is talking about!"
Wu Qi slapped his hand on his wine vessel, shattering it into a cloud of dust. Then, he straightened his back and put his hands on the table as he looked Liu Bang in the eyes and said, one word at a time, "What the hell do you want? Overthrow Great Yu? Assassinate the Sacred Emperor, Xuanyuan? Take control of Pangu Continent? Please tell me frankly, or don't blame me for pestering you all day and night, so that you can't even get out of your front door!"
With a sneer, he pointed at his nose with a thumb and said, "Remember, my real name is Wu Qi. Tan Lang is actually my master's name. I..."
Liu Bang cleared his throat and interrupted Wu Qi. "It doesn't matter what your real name is. Cat, dog, sh*t, dung, I don't care a fig. What does matter is that I don't understand a thing of what you are talking about. Guards, Marquis of Dong Hai Province is taking his leave. See him out for me!"
Han Xin rose to his feet slowly. A murderous intent surged around him, and in his eyes were three stars that shone with a bright starlight. He made no attempt to hide his malice against Wu Qi. The surging killing intent transformed into invisible blades that targeted at Wu Qi from all directions. All it took was an order from Liu Bang, and Han Xin would attack and kill Wu Qi with his strongest technique.
Wu Qi gave a cold snort, and 108 green swords suddenly appeared around him, all emanating a menacing aura while wheeling slowly according to some intriguing Laws of the Heaven and Earth. Then, he said with a cold grin, "Oh? Trying to kick me out? But too bad... I have no intention of leaving just yet. Give me the answer, or I'll seal up your Changle Palace with the Fiend Slaying Sword Formation, trapping you all in here."
Liu Bang was livid with anger. He slapped the table and lurched to his feet as he pointed at Wu Qi and snapped, "Do you really think the Fiend Slaying Sword Formation will make you the strongest person here? Marquis of Dong Hai Province, you underestimate me!"
Wu Qi's response was straightforward. He casually pointed out a finger, and a green sword beam immediately shot whistling out. Translucent like a glass, within the sword beam were dozens of huge thunderbolts twisting and slithering back and forth. It was a Fiend Slaying Sword Beam fused with the Law of Heavenly Thunder. Not only was it extremely sharp, but it was also filled with the power of heavenly thunder that was pure Yang and violent, giving it an offensive strength that was at least ten times stronger than that of a common sword beam or heavenly thunder.
Fan Kuai, who had quietly stepped out from behind Liu Bang and was leaping toward Wu Qi with his sharp spear and heavy shield, was the first to be targeted by the sword beam. He never dreamed that his surprise attack would be detected by Wu Qi. The sword beam came straight at him with a rumble like that of a thunderclap, and all he could do was raise his one-foot-thick round shield to defend himself.
The air rang with a deafening boom, and a bright light stabbed everyone in the eyes. All of a sudden, everyone's hair crackled and stood on their ends with countless tiny electric arcs darting out. While grunting, Fan Kuai staggered back a few dozen steps, nearly plunging headlong off the Firmament Terrace. A see-through gap could be seen opened in his shield, which was a superior-grade Gold Immortal Artifact meticulously forged by the immortal craftsman of the Heaven. With just one strike, Wu Qi had destroyed an extraordinary defensive treasure.
Fan Kuai felt a numbness in his right arm and could not lift it. He looked down at the broken shield and dropped it angrily as he glared up at Wu Qi, ready to throw the spear at him with his left hand.
Wu Qi gave a cold laugh. A plume of dark smoke rushed out from the top of his head, the Dark Yin Celestial Tower making its appearance within. A vast amount of starlight poured whistling out of the tower, transforming into wisps of silver rain and injecting into the wheeling Kunwu Swords. After absorbing the power of the starlight, the once translucent, green swords gradually turned silvery white, with countless shadows of stars—big and small—emerging within the swords' bodies.
Liu Bang's face flickered, and he immediately gave a hoot in a low voice. Upon hearing it, Fan Kuai, all prepared to prance, roared furiously and strode up to Liu Bang, seething with anger. He hated Wu Qi to the bone, but since Liu Bang had given the order, he had no other choice but to cease his attack.
Liu Bang sighed. He bowed his head and pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your threat hit me in the soft spot, Marquis. If you really seal up Changle Palace, there's nothing I can do about it. Aye, I cannot break the Fiend Slaying Sword Formation."
With his fingers lightly drumming on the table, Liu Bang asked, "Do you know how many resources are required for a mortal to become an immortal?"
Wu Qi was struck dumb. He did not expect such a strange question. While frowning, he thought for a while, then shook his head. He had never calculated how many resources were required for a mortal to become an immortal, but he reckoned it must not be a small amount.
While smiling, Liu Bang told him the following.
For a mortal to cultivate to the realm of Xiantian, it took approximately the resources produced in a mountain that was about a few hundred miles in circumference. Herbs, natural energy, and everything else, the resources in a mountain of such a size that was not barren were more than enough for a mortal to cultivate to the realm of Xiantian.
If a Xiantian warrior wished to form his Gold Core, he would need the resources produced in a region of a thousand miles radius, save for those geniuses with amazing aptitude. It would be quite easy to form a Gold core, as long as the region had a small energy vein that could provide natural energy, and some energy stones that could be mined.
If a Gold Core cultivator wished to give birth to his Nascent Soul, he would need a land ten thousand miles around to provide him all the resources; all kinds of herbs, all sorts of flying swords and magical artifacts. And, if this land did not have sufficient mineral veins, the cultivator would have to find a way to seek the resources he needed somewhere else.
When a cultivator reached the realm of Nascent Divinity, more resources were needed if he wanted to improve his cultivation base. A Nascent Divinity cultivator needed to consume a certain amount of spirit pills every month, and a great deal of energy stones every day. Then there were also the magical artifacts for protection, flying swords for killing, spirit talismans required for cultivation, magical seals, and all kinds of strange things. If the cultivator did not have a land of a hundred thousand miles around and a few energy veins to provide the resources, he could consume all the natural energy in the air with just one breathing exercise.
As for the level of Heaven Immortal, the consumption of resources must be measured in terms of planets. Taking a thirty-sixth tier Heaven Immortal as an example, all the spirit pills they needed had to be concocted from spirit herbs that were thousands of years old. But, such spirit herbs were not common on a planet with an ordinary level of natural energy. On top of that, a Heaven Immortal also consumed a significant amount of natural energy. Usually, the amount of natural energy they consumed in one breathing exercise was equivalent to the that a common Nascent Divinity cultivator did in a few days.
Therefore, a planet with an ordinary level of natural energy and resources could accommodate three to five low-level Heaven Immortals and their disciples at most. This was why there was often only one immortal sect on a planet in the outer heavenly realm. Three to five low-level Heaven Immortals, twenty to thirty Nascent Divinity cultivators, nearly a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators, plus hundreds of Gold Core disciples…these were the immortals and cultivators a planet could support at most. Any more, and it could drain the planet of all its energy, which would turn it to a death star in the future.
Wu Qi nodded to himself; what Liu Bang said was true. In the Minor Heavenly Circle Realm, for example, both White Cloud Immortal Sect and Tranquil Vimalā Sect had occupied a planet each, and both were led by three Patriarchs of Heaven Immortal realm. Meanwhile, some itinerant immortals were alone on planets with little natural energy. It was not that those itinerant immortals did not want to recruit disciples and establish their own immortal sects, but their territories just could not support too many cultivators.
Seeing Wu Qi nodding, Liu Bang went on to say the following.