Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Ten Principles of Gou Dao—I

Translator: 549690339

“Don’t be hardheaded, just lay low,” Han Li muttered to himself. “Life gives you plenty of time to find a hole and burrow into.”

“If you don’t want to cause trouble, just stay at home,” he said. “As long as you don’t go out, you’re the perfect, unbeatable god of war.”

“What’s the point of killing? They’ll still come to your door,” he scoffed. “Kill the young ones, the old ones come; kill the old ones, even older ones show up; and even if you kill them all, you still have to deal with the equivalent of uncles, aunts, direct and distant family; annihilate a whole clan, and there will still be mentors, senior brothers, benefactors, disciples, and even righteous partners…”

“What’s the use of hacking people to pieces,” he grumbled. “It’s better to stay in and lay low, especially when you’re not even in the True Martial Realm; how dare you go out and act recklessly?”

“Laying low until the end, outliving all your enemies, the gifted prodigies and monsters—that’s the way to achieve greatness,” he reflected. “Staying alive is a victory in itself.”

“Never think that just because you’ve transmigrated or have a golden finger, you’re the main character,” he warned. “What if you run into other transmigrators, reborners, or the reincarnation of a powerful being? You could still be cunningly killed.”

“If you want revenge, don’t seek it,” he advised. “Just outlive your enemies, then dance on their ancestors’ graves. Isn’t that delightful?”

Once he calmed down, Han Li’s mind was exceptionally clear, and the Ten Principles of Survival echoed repeatedly in his heart, playing over ten thousand times, constantly reminding him to lay low and not to be reckless.

Han Li decided that every morning, after waking up and exercising, he would recite the Ten Principles of Survival a hundred times to keep himself in check.

As long as he could lay low, his cultivation would steadily rise and prolong his life, and he would eventually outlive his foes.

Han Li even felt that reaching the True Martial Realm wasn’t secure enough and resolved to continue concealing his strength and laying low, as even True

Martial Realm wasn’t invincible

The Daqian Empire surely had True Martial Realm veterans lurking about; Emperor Wu from the True Martial Realm could live for two thousand years, and with the empire being just over three thousand years old, it would have perished long ago without such powerhouses.

He hadn’t understood this before, but now it all made sense to him.

Even the True Martial Realm wasn’t safe; didn’t you see the Daqian Empire stealthily developing? It was being threatened by other top- tier forces.

Even within the Xuan Domain, there were several top-tier forces with foundations surely stronger than the Daqian Empire; the most powerful Ancient Empire might even have Divine YUan Realm old-timers.

A Divine Yuan Realm fighter is revered as an Emperor Wu, with a lifespan of five thousand years, longer than the history of the Daqian Empire itself.

During his return to Tianxuan Mountain, Han Li had also checked some classics and learned many secrets of the Cultivation Realm. The more he knew, the more he wanted to lay low.

He learned that beyond the Xuan Domain lay the Devil Region, Dao Domain, Buddha Domain, and other realms and seas, all within a place named Qianyuan Divine Province.

He even found information on a realm above the Divine Yuan Realm, known as the Tongxuan Realm, the real place of great power, where beings could reincarnate and possessed lifespans of ten thousand years.

As for whether the Qianyuan Divine Province still had Tongxuan Realm powerhouses, Han Li wasn’t sure. That was an absolute secret, and his power hadn’t reached that level yet.

“Even the True Martial Realm is too risky,” he muttered to himself. “Better to be a laid-back Divine Yuan Realm, even better to wait until reaching the Tongxuan Realm before making a move.”

Han Li muttered to himself.

Although resolved to lay low and not be rash, he first had to solve a big problem.

Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi were like the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, set to attack the Han Family in half a year; but that time wasn’t enough for his power to surpass the two women.

If he were to move the Han Family, the commotion would be too great and it would definitely attract the attention of Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi, possibly prompting them to act ahead of schedule.

Only by dealing with these two women could the Han Family continue to flourish, and he could carry on his peaceful survival indefinitely.

After some deliberation, he saw only five options before him.

The first was to move the Han Family without alarming the two women. If that could be done, he could continue to lay low, but the risk was too high. They couldn’t escape the eyes of Tianji Pavilion, and Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi would find him soon enough.

The second was to get rid of the Body-Cultivating Furnace and spread the news, sparking a conflict and thus avoiding trouble.

Setting aside the importance of the Body-Cultivating Furnace for the moment, if neither of the two women were to acquire it, or if neither did, would they take their anger out on him?

Jiang Baiye might not, but what about Canghai Sect? Yun Miaoyi, this witch who sneaked in from the Yinyang Sect, would definitely not let him off easily if she returned empty-handed.

The third option was to give the Body-Cultivating Furnace directly to the two women, letting them fight for it and displaying his own power in the process to intimidate them. He could make them swear an oath that under no circumstances would they involve him or draw the Han Family into the affair from then on.

This would expose his strength and make him a target of others’ jealousy. The first scenario involved both women agreeing to it for the sake of the Body-Cultivating Furnace, freeing him from this trouble once and for all; the second scenario was that Jiang Baiye might agree, but Yun Miaoyi, that witch, would likely refuse.

In that case, he would have exposed both the Precious Body Nourishing

Furnace and his own power without any gain, which carried no small risk.

The fourth option was to offer the Body-Cultivating Furnace to the Daqian Empire, seeking protection from the empire.

This could also rid him of the trouble from the two women, but it might attract even greater problems.

Canghai Sect, out of caution, might not act against the Han Family, but the same could not be said for the Yinyang Sect. Moreover, presenting the Body-Cultivating Furnace was akin to binding himself with the Daqian Empire in a situation fraught with danger and undercurrents – far too risky.

Should war break out, the Han Family might be casually exterminated.

And this was under the protection of the Daqian Empire; if the empire was either unwilling or unable to help, the Han Family and Han Li would meet their deaths even sooner.

The fifth option was for him to take Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi as his concubines or directly suppress them, temporarily resolving the issue.

This would lead to the same outcome as the second and third options if Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi took their anger out on him or refused his offer.

Regardless of whether Han Li had the capability, the disappearance or death of Jiang Baiye and Yun Miaoyi would surely bring about great trouble.

Would not the Yinyang Sect be aware of Yun Miaoyi’s journey to the Da Qian Empire in search of the Body-Cultivating Furnace? The death of an important Core Disciple would certainly prompt an investigation.

The same would apply to Jiang Baiye; Canghai Sect was likely already aware of Fengyang Manor, Lingjun City, and even his name, Han Li.

A top three Core Disciple coupled with the Body-Cultivating Furnace; the Canghai Sect Leader might very well come to kill him directly.

Han Li furrowed his brows tightly; none of these five options were good, each with its risks and the potential to introduce even greater risks.

This was the greatest crisis he had faced so far, one brought on by his inability to resist the temptation of the Precious Body Nourishing Furnace.

Han Li reminded himself once again to adhere to the sixteen-character mantra, to remember the Ten Principles Practice, so that he could live a long and enduring life, abide by the way until the end of time.

After much contemplation, Han Li was still unable to decide which path to take and decided to wait a little longer. There was at least half a year left; perhaps there would be a turn of events.

He already had a rough plan in mind, but he was not very confident about it. He needed to keep refining the strategy, add more chips to his side, and increase the odds of success. He would not take action unless he was completely certain.

Previously, he erred even with a high level of confidence; Han Li took that as a warning to never allow a second failure.

Once he made a move, it had to be with absolute certainty; he must not act if there were any risks involved.

Additionally, this crisis made Han Li realize the need for multiple contingency plans. It would be best to have five, eight, or even ten bolt-holes to lower the risks, moving immediately if one was exposed.

Otherwise, he would find himself in the predicament he was currently in; all his descendants and concubines were in Lingjun City, and thus Han Li was bound to that place.

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