Chapter 258: The Brahma Nation's Decision

Brahma Nation, Ancient Chan Forest Monastery.

Inside the temple, a strict hierarchy descended from top to bottom. Four towering golden figures sat upon meditation chairs at the head, overlooking dozens of lotus seats arranged below. Dharma splendor filled the air, illusory lotuses bloomed across the floor, and every figure bore a solemn, exalted visage. It was a true, untainted pure land of Brahma.

The gathered Brahma Cultivators were starkly divided into four distinct factions.

Jin Hai sat upon one of the four meditation chairs at the front, his gaze sweeping coldly across the hall. Inwardly, however, he was gnashing his teeth, practically ready to curse aloud.

Two and a half years!

Ever since he noticed something amiss two and a half years ago and reported it to his master, Yishi, the Brahma Nation had dispatched reinforcements. The result? A flood of freaks and monsters had arrived.

Jin Hai shifted his gaze to the three figures beside him. The first wore revealing, nearly bare garments, a holy smile gracing her stunning face and a striking cinnabar mark resting between her brows. The second was a towering, bare-chested brute clutching a Vajra Pestle. The third simply held a scripture, smiling placidly.

All three were Brahma Cultivators of equal standing to him.

In terms of cultivation, they had all reached the Opening Wisdom realm, a level comparable to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer. They were merely one final Buddhist examination away from becoming exalted Ascetic Monks.

Wu Chi, under the Great Majestic Virtue Wisdom King.

Suoze, under the Great Tara Wisdom King.

Adding himself, under the Great Golden Wheel Wisdom King, the factions of all four great Wisdom Kings had gathered in this small Ancient Chan Forest Monastery. Not a single one was missing.

This was the fundamental logic behind how the Brahma Nation operated. No matter the task, every faction had to be involved. Leave one out, and they would inevitably emerge just to sabotage the operation.

In times of peace, this structure was the cornerstone of the Brahma Nation's internal stability. Against external enemies, however, it became overwhelmingly bloated. They constantly dragged each other down. Since the four leaders shared the exact same rank, none would bow to the others, resulting in an appallingly low level of efficiency.

Take right now, for example.

Ever since the higher-ups dispatched reinforcements two and a half years ago, the gathered Brahma Cultivators had held over a hundred meetings!

A minor assembly every three days, and a major summit every seven.

Before every meeting, mountains of materials were piled high and exquisite strategic reports were drafted, yet absolutely nothing ever came of them.

A bunch of bald parasites!

Jin Hai cursed inwardly as he looked at these solemn, dignified Brahma Cultivators who absolutely refused to speak. He knew perfectly well that none of them wanted to shoulder the responsibility.

They were all shrewd individuals. Historically, the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle only ever had one primary host. The sudden dispatch of reinforcements meant that something had gone wrong on the Immortal Gate's side, forcing the Brahma Nation to escalate in response. It was obvious that this Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle was no longer a plum assignment.

Instead, it was fraught with unforeseen risks.

As a result, the same Brahma Cultivators who had previously fought tooth and nail for the host position had instantly changed their tune, tucking their heads into their shells like cowards.

It was practically a Brahma Nation tradition.

To put it bluntly, they bullied the weak and feared the strong. When the winds were favorable, they marched forward singing high praises, viciously fighting over credit and spoils. But the moment the winds turned, they vanished without a trace, eager to pass the buck.

In the past, Jin Hai would have been perfectly happy with this arrangement. The problem was that this time, he was the host. If things fell apart, he would bear the brunt of the blame!

That changed everything.

Unable to hold back any longer, Jin Hai finally broke the silence, his voice dark. "Colleagues, why is everyone so quiet?"

"..."

Now that the host had finally spoken, the atmosphere within the temple eased slightly. Suoze, sitting on another meditation chair, replied softly, "It isn't that we refuse to speak."

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. The main issue is that we lack precise intelligence regarding this sword battle. It makes it very difficult for us to act."

Jin Hai almost barked a laugh of sheer anger.

The cultivators under the Great Tara Wisdom King always prided themselves on gathering knowledge and plotting schemes. Was this bastard seriously blaming him for the lack of intelligence?

Fortunately, he didn't even have to argue back. The Great Majestic Virtue Wisdom King and the Great Tara Wisdom King had always suffered from a terrible relationship. Immediately, Wu Chi sneered from his seat, "How can we get intelligence without a fight? Everything you just said is worthless nonsense, Suoze."

Suoze immediately shot back, "And I suppose you have a brilliant idea?"

"Of course!"

Wu Chi laid out his plan. "If you ask me, the four of us should just charge straight over. Whatever arrangements the Immortal Gate has made will become obvious instantly."

"With our strength, we're the equivalent of the Immortal Gate's Tribulation Transcending Third Layer anyway. Even if we can't win, we can easily retreat. I don't see any risks."

His voice echoed through the temple.

Aside from those under the Great Majestic Virtue Wisdom King, the cultivators of the other three factions simply exchanged glances and remained dead silent.

A brainless brute.

In the fourth meditation chair, Nurong, who had yet to speak a word, merely shook her head. Her pale chest heaved slightly as she cast a disdainful glance at Wu Chi.

As a true transmission disciple of the Brahma Nation, she strictly adhered to a single principle:

If you can't see the risk, the risk is enormous!

The four of them charging over together? What if the Immortal Gate's forces were stronger? What if they couldn't escape? What if they ruined the entire Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle?

Working within the Brahma Nation meant that earning merits didn't matter—avoiding mistakes did. As long as you made no mistakes, no one had leverage over you. And without leverage, your position was as unshakeable as a mountain. She had painstakingly waited for her upcoming Buddhist examination and had no intention of losing points over a foolish blunder.

The others clearly felt the same way.

Thus, nobody spoke.

This standoff couldn't continue. With a heavy sigh, Jin Hai gritted his teeth and stood up. "I believe colleague Wu Chi makes a valid point."

"We really should initiate a fight."

The moment he spoke, the previously silent temple erupted into an uproar. Nurong and Suoze both shot to their feet, voicing their loud opposition.

"Amitabha my ass, why the hell would we fight?"

"The higher-ups haven't given the order, and the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle hasn't even begun! If we rashly charge in and something goes wrong, are you going to take responsibility for it, or are we?"

"I suspect Jin Hai is an undercover spy for the Immortal Gate, trying to ruin the Brahma Nation's plans!"

Facing the crowd's fury, Jin Hai simply rolled his eyes. Far from panicking, he actually smiled. "As for who will do the fighting, I've already figured that out."

The crowd grew even more outraged.

What was that supposed to mean? They didn't even worship the same Wisdom Kings, and he wasn't their superior. Did he really think he could just start barking orders and assigning them tasks?

That was a gross overstep of authority!

But then Jin Hai provided his answer. "We'll send the Luan Phoenix Khan. He's that rare treasure inside the Eight Treasure Table, the one I prepared ahead of time."

According to his original plan, the Luan Phoenix Khan was supposed to be his trump card.

But the situation had changed. The Immortal Gate had clearly raised the stakes, and the Brahma Nation had sent reinforcements. Under these circumstances, the Luan Phoenix Khan was no longer as crucial.

Turning his attention back to Wu Chi, Nurong, and Suoze, he continued in a low voice, "In terms of strength, the Luan Phoenix Khan is already on par with an immortal gate cultivator in the Divine Powers realm. If each of us seals a strand of divine sense into his body, we can use him to spy on the Immortal Gate's arrangements within the Eight Trigrams Furnace."

"How does that sound?"

The moment Jin Hai finished speaking, the near-riot inside the temple instantly died down. The cultivators finally recalled exactly who this so-called Luan Phoenix Khan was.

The human material from the Eight Treasure Table?

"There's no need to hesitate." Suoze slapped the table and stood up immediately. "Colleague Jin Hai's insight is truly experienced and steady. I completely agree that this candidate is perfectly suitable."

"Agreed."

"Seconded..."

The gathered Brahma Cultivators instantly changed their tune. While they lacked the courage to take any risks themselves, they had plenty of courage when it came to making someone else shoulder the danger.

Plenty of it!

"But if we're sending him to gather intelligence, we still need a suitable target," Suoze continued. "Has colleague Jin Hai prepared anything in that regard?"

"Of course."

Jin Hai waved his hand, condensing Buddha light to slowly unfurl a map. It was a map of the Eight Trigrams Furnace—or, more accurately, the territory ruled by the Great Shun.

He tapped his finger lightly on a corner of the map. "This location borders the ocean, far away from the central regions. If we strike here, the Immortal Gate's reaction speed will be at its slowest. Furthermore, I've checked the records. There are no real cultivators stationed there, only a local sect native to the inside of the Eight Trigrams Furnace."

"What was it called again... Guanchao City?"

"In short, it's just a bunch of Mortals."

Jin Hai shook his head dismissively. The other Brahma Cultivators cared even less. Since they weren't immortal gate cultivators, what did a bunch of Human Firewood from the furnace matter?

"A very sound choice."

Suoze stroked his chin and nodded in approval. Jin Hai was perfectly embodying the Brahma Nation's philosophy of bullying the weak and fearing the strong. It was truly a wise decision.

With a Divine Powers realm great demon launching a sneak attack against a bunch of Mortals, how could they possibly lose?

If handled well, they could even spin this into a major merit. They would simply claim they had annihilated eight hundred thousand enemies and submit a beautifully crafted report to their superiors.

That way, their two and a half years of endless meetings wouldn't have been in vain.

"Then it's settled!"

...

Great Shun Capital, Unified Mind Hall.

Kunlun opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath. Behind his head, the illusory image of a precious furnace faintly flickered before quickly sinking back into the void.

It's done!

Kunlun felt a surge of excitement. After nearly three years of reincarnation, claiming the body of the Spiritual Embryo Clay Figurine and expending countless spiritual materials, he had finally restored his cultivation.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother, on returning to the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer Realm."

Sitting at the head of the great hall, Xianfu lowered his gaze, his tone warm with a smile.

"I have you to thank, Senior Brother."

Kunlun swept his sleeves and rose to his feet, cupping his hands in respect. "If you hadn't activated the Spiritual Treasure and blessed me with the profound power of your imperial decree, I never could have fully recovered this quickly."

Xianfu tapped his finger against his armrest and suddenly changed the subject. "It has been two and a half years. The imperial court has stabilized, and City God Temples have been established across almost all of the Great Shun. The nation is secure, and its fortune is solid. Now it is time to forge our legacy. I have no intention of sitting around waiting for the Brahma Nation to attack. I plan to test their defenses first."

Kunlun was visibly surprised. "You want to take the initiative and attack the Brahma Nation, Senior Brother?"

"Exactly."

Xianfu nodded. "However, I must hold the center and cannot act lightly. Junior Brother Kunlun, you are a titled military official. Any external military campaigns will require you to lead them."

"It is only proper."

Kunlun's eyes darted slightly before he added, "Speaking of which, what about Dousheng? Since we are planning to attack the Brahma Nation, I suggest we bring him under control first."

"He is currently... in Guanchao City."

Xianfu's eyes half-closed, his tone turning rather odd. "He hasn't spent these past two and a half years cultivating immortal arts. Instead, he has been practicing martial arts. And now, it seems he has reached a critical bottleneck."

"Should we summon him back?"

"Then let's—"

Xianfu started to say more, but in the next second, his body suddenly went rigid. The Qi rippling around him abruptly shifted, and he fell into a long, heavy silence.

Only after a long while did he finally raise his head, abruptly changing the subject.

"...No. We will go to Guanchao City ourselves to see Junior Brother Dousheng with our own eyes. And while we're there, we can take the opportunity to meet the First Seat of the Martial Dao."

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