Chapter 1992: A Reunion of Allies II: Jia Ping & Madam He

"Do you know a pair of twins called Khutun and Tolui?" Mongke asked.

"The inventors of Tantric Buddhism? Our paths have crossed." Wang Wei nodded.

"Well, they've offered to return to the Barbarian Race, and even bring along a lot of believers."

"So, you want to play with fire?"

"You think it's a bad idea too?" Mongke asked with a wry smile, glancing lovingly at his wife.

"People seemed to think, because of Maitreya's kind and loving reputation, that she's easy to talk to. Do you think she'd allow anyone to divide Buddhism?"

Wang Wei knew well how Tantric Buddhism had been developing since the Barbarian Twins ascended. At first, it was extremely weak and even suppressed, since most people thought its path was a "crooked shortcut." However, when the Infinite Divine Court arrived and the war began, Tantric Buddhism developed rapidly because of its fast cultivation and powerful divine mantras.

But another rising faction controlled or restricted that development: Feng Heng's Pure Spiritual Practice Buddhism. Unfortunately, Maitreya took him on the expedition, which gave Tantric Buddhism more freedom to develop without opposition.

"But it's just a small portion of Buddhism's destiny."

"An amount enough for you to think you could confront a Saint," Wang Wei sneered. "And doesn't the Barbarian Race have explicit rules against Buddhism or any foreign religion? Can you even accept them?"

"There has been a lot of backlash," Mongke admitted. "But everyone knows the chaos of the upcoming age. With such benefits, many of the elders are hesitating."

"Besides intelligence and their Dao, do you know what makes Dao Overlord terrifying? Their ability to control their emotions. Right now, you are operating purely on greed," Wang Wei said. "Forget how doing such a thing would offend a Saint; have you thought about the other ramifications?

"Those twins are highly ambitious. Do you think they will happily serve under you, or will they try to take power?"

"I can handle them."

"Maybe, but how much time and effort will that take? Honestly speaking, your power is already bloated after swallowing the Sea Race. If you add another faction to the mix, I don't think you could handle it—at least not in a short period. And by the time you've dealt with internal issues, the Transcendent Age might already arrive, and you'll probably miss other opportunities."

"I understand, but without more power, I cannot compete for the true opportunity of the new age."

"That is the price of having a weak foundation."

Mongke fell silent immediately: those words were true. Unlike the Dao Opening Sect and other Overlords backed by multiple Primals, he had to rely on himself. First, he took power through a civil war against Teregene Khan. Then he used a marriage alliance to appease the Sea race. Now that Dulgun had become a Primal, Mongke had more support. Still, even then, it wasn't enough for further expansion—unless he no longer cared about the Barbarian Race's internal cohesion.

Mongke sighed deeply, then took a long sip of his wine. "You're right — I am acting out of greed. But what choice do I have?" He really didn't want to miss one of the Seven Positions.

"The only decent move you have in front of you is to ally with a foreign Barbarian race and take control. However, that will not solve the internal cohesion issue, and if you do that, the other factions will start looking at you with suspicion, and might even treat you as a traitor."

"Does that include the Dao Opening Sect?"

"Yes. Although we won't go as far as treating you as a traitor, we will consider you a less reliable ally."

Mongke squinted. "I see."

The two talked for a few hours until Dulgun woke up from her enlightenment. Mongke then bid Wang Wei farewell and left. As Wang Wei watched his back, he couldn't help squinting. Mongke wasn't stupid, so he understood how bad a decision it would be to accept the Barbarian Twins. So, his real motive was probably about the foreign Barbarian Race. The Dao Opening Sect is currently his greatest ally. Although they might become competitors in the future, their relationship was crucial for now. So Mongke most likely wanted to assess the situation before making any decision.

"Shadow."

An unknown Fatestealer slowly rose from Wang Wei's shadow.

"Go investigate whether these twins have contacted the Qin Court. Also, go and check if the Saint has already dealt with these twins."

"Yes."

Wang Wei switched the tea and wine bowls as he waited for Jia Ping to arrive. Surprisingly, the latter arrived with a beautiful middle-aged woman in a luxurious red hanfu and impossible-to-ignore golden nail protectors.

"This is?"

"Lord, this is my mother —"

"Madam He — It's an honor to finally meet you in person." This woman dared to try to become a Paragon during the Seven Moon Era, so Wang Wei does admire her a bit.

Madam He bowed politely. "The honor is all mine, Lord Wang Wei. Thank you for taking care of Ping'er all these years."

"I couldn't pass on such a talent," Wang Wei said, smiling. He then gazed intently at Madam He. "I'm sorry for what happened to your husband. I hoped that wouldn't affect us."

"That fool blocked Ping'er's way to the throne. If you didn't kill him, I would have done it myself," Madam He calmly replied.

Wang Wei suddenly smiled. "I'm glad we're on the same page." He poured them some tea, then cast a time-stop spell to prevent the effects from dissipating. "This tea will do wonders for your cultivation. So, take it and drink it once you've returned."

"Thank you," Jia Ping immediately said. As soon as he sniffed the tea, his mind cleared, and his understanding of Heaven and Earth improved.

"Now, tell me about your situation." For the next half hour, Jia Ping reported everything he experienced, the Dynasty Assembly's current state, and, more importantly, their future plans.

"You want to establish a Divine Court?"

"Yes. The current assembly is not cohesive enough," Madam He said.

"That's easy to say, but how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"I'm glad you asked." Madam He waved her hand to create a light projection. For the next two hours, she laid out a detailed plan to systematically destroy the assembly and reassemble the pieces into a whole: the Great Tang Divine Court. The plan involved assassination, marriage alliances, causing internal chaos, diplomacy, and so much more.

"And once Great Tang is established, we can move on to the second phase: Great Qin," Madam He continued. "The idea is to regain Qin's lost territory. Once that is done, the Dao Opening Sect will not only have control over a Divine Court, but you can use us as a proxy to deal with Great Qin."

Wang Wei swirled the wine in his cup; the plan was brilliant and the benefits enticing, but the risks made him pause. Phase 1 is fine, but regaining Qin's lost territory means fighting the Infinite Divine Court, which isn't simple. If the Dao Opening Sect wants to claim these territories, they'll have to conquer them without the Heavenly Court's help. So, as tempted as Wang Wei was at the idea of restricting Ying Zheng, he couldn't make such a decision lightly.

"You can start with Phase 1, and the sect will support you. But I can't decide on Phase 2 alone."

"We understand."

After receiving an answer, the two didn't stay long; whether to use the spiritual tea or start their plan immediately, the mother and son rushed out of the sect. Wang Wei looked at them with a calm gaze. "An extremely politically savvy woman who wants the best for her son. However, people can change. If she becomes even slightly ambitious, she'll take power. And given Jia Ping's personality and his sense of filial piety, he might accept being a puppet ruler."

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't mind infighting among his subordinates, since it's a great way to restrain them. However, such a method might not be feasible for this mother-son pair. Jia Ping is the one Wang Wei is most familiar with; he's also the one who swore his fealty—not Madam He.

"Trying to restrain Jia Ping's side might be useless, so let's try something else." One key player in Madam He's plan is the Brilliant Smile Emperor. She wants to use his golden tongue to sow discord among the dynasties in the assembly and convince many people to join the Great Tang. As such, he'll contribute immensely and gain power in founding this new Divine Court.

"Wang Qi."

"Yes, boss."

"Have someone from the main Wang Clan marry the Brilliant Smile Emperor. Let's also form a deeper bond with him."

"No problem, but are you sure that won't cause problems with Jia Ping?"

"He's smart, so she should understand what I mean. And if it does cause trouble, I'll know what kind of man he is."

"That's true." Wang Qi nodded. A truly ambitious individual cannot sit on the Great Tang throne; the sect will not tolerate a subordinate revolting.