Chapter 1066: If Only We Could Establish Diplomatic Relations with Demon Continent

With that said, Lu Ding's curiosity got piqued."So is the current Great Xuan still under Ancestor Dragon's rule?"

[Secretary Qiu: Yes, according to the envoy's intelligence, Ancestor Dragon achieved corpse liberation and ascended to the Second Circle, wandering through the heavens before landing in He Continent. There, he re-established Great Xuan, broke new heights, and walked the path of a Destiny Dynasty. He's now a regional hegemon, and as we've just learned, he has a very deep connection with that terrifying force we recently discovered—Lü Mountain on Demon Continent.]

[And Lü Mountain on Demon Continent borders the First Circle. Moreover, Great Xuan's Black Ice Platform Plan shares many ingenious similarities with our Hundred-Year Ten Thousand Immortals Plan, so if Great Han establishes diplomatic relations with Great Xuan, we can learn a lot.]

[And later on, we might even find opportunities to establish relations with Demon Continent itself.]

[That would further benefit the implementation of our Hundred-Year Ten Thousand Immortals Plan.]

Lü Mountain on Demon Continent again?

Lu Ding thought to himself.

From the looks of it, he'd have to find a way to contact the old man, and he had no idea what the old man was up to.

If he said the old man had forgotten about him, it didn't make sense—why would he have put Lu Ding on that stele?

But if the old man hadn't forgotten about him...

Then why hadn't he contacted him in so long? What was he even doing?

Lu Ding thought it over.

He decided not to pull that classic trope—the one where a protagonist clearly has crucial information and connections, but just refuses to reveal them, keeping everything bottled up.

Waiting until the fire was already licking at his eyebrows before finally saying, "I am so-and-so."

Forget that.

Wouldn't getting things out early be more beneficial for the plan and for laying groundwork down the line?

He spoke up: "Actually, I do have some connections with Lü Mountain on Demon Continent, but I can't be sure. I've never been there, and I don't know the specifics. I only heard about it."

The moment those words left his mouth.

The secretary on the other end of the line had his brain short-circuit for an instant.

His breathing immediately became rapid.

[What did you say!!!?]

His voice was really high-pitched!

Lu Ding: "I'm sure you heard me perfectly clearly."

[Secretary Qiu: How could you have connections to Lü Mountain on Demon Continent? That place is so far away. The furthest you've gone is Great Jing. Didn't you come up from the Third Circle?]

Lu Ding explained.

"Have you forgotten? Back when I was in the Third Circle, I had an old elder who was very close to me."

Secretary Qiu answered instantly.

[Your Crooked-Mouth old man? He... oh!!!!!!!]

Secretary Qiu had a sudden epiphany.

He remembered the spectacle when that old Taoist had ascended—the people who came to receive him had put on a grand show, to the point of being exaggerated.

Nobody had thought in that direction before.

It was like assuming every Taoist priest must be from Wudang Mountain just because they're all Taoists.

Or assuming every monk must be from Shaolin Temple just because they're all monks.

Besides, back then, Great Han didn't even know about the existence of Demon Continent's Lü Mountain.

That Crooked-Mouth old Taoist—mediocre cultivation, ordinary looks, unremarkable demeanor—nobody had ever associated him with Demon Continent.

Someone who came up from the Third Circle, yet could have connections to Demon Continent.

It was like how Jack Ma's surname is Ma, and your favorite teacher in a village school also has the surname Ma—would anyone think they were the same person?

The gap was way too big!

Secretary Qiu hurriedly pressed further.

[So he is...]

Lu Ding: "I can't confirm that either. I'm going on hearsay. A while back, someone came from Ji Continent..."

He rambled on, telling Secretary Qiu the whole story from beginning to end.

Not leaving out a single detail.

After Secretary Qiu finished listening.

He also fell into deep thought.

[So, the current situation is this: you heard your name is on the Demon Lord's True Inheritance Stele at Lü Mountain on Demon Continent. Your only connection to Lü Mountain is that old man, but he's never contacted you, so you can't assert anything. That's what you're saying, right?]

Lu Ding: "Yes. So when I heard you mention Lü Mountain on Demon Continent and Great Xuan, I just wanted to cross-reference the information and see if there's any consistency."

"To see if there's any room for maneuver that could help Great Han."

"Anyway, since that's the case, if possible, we should find a way to make contact over there and see if we can verify the situation."

"If it can be verified, then maybe we can bypass Great Xuan."

"Go through my connections and establish diplomatic relations directly with Demon Continent."

"After all, you just said that Great Xuan's Black Ice Platform Plan and our Hundred-Year Ten Thousand Immortals Plan share many ingenious similarities. While we can't be sure about the future, we definitely need to guard against the possibility of them becoming our rivals."

Meanwhile.

Sitting in his Hanjing office, Secretary Qiu furrowed his brow.

[Actually, what you said makes sense. There are some things I haven't told you, mainly because knowing them wouldn't help. But with this prerequisite condition in place, I can speak up.]

[Our strength is unequal to Great Xuan's. They're a Destiny Dynasty. If we want to establish relations with them, we'll definitely be at a disadvantage. We'd have to give up a lot just to get back something useful.]

[The reason we know about their Black Ice Platform Plan is that its core was already leaked. But Great Xuan is strong enough to crush all opposition and enforce it by force.]

[Of course, the most important thing is that both Great Han and Great Xuan came up from the Third Circle—that's our ticket in. Without it, it would be extremely difficult.]

[If we want to use our relationship with Great Xuan to establish ties with Lü Mountain on Demon Continent, we'd have to maintain it for many years before there's even a slight possibility. But now, with your situation...]

[I'll talk to Elder Shui later and have him convene a meeting. In Elder Shui's name, we'll summon the high-ranking officials of Great Han to see if we can come up with some way to verify your information. If it checks out... then Great Han will really be riding on your coattails, Lu Ding!]

Hearing these words, Lu Ding had to admit—he felt proud!!!!

Having relied on Great Han's development, he was now making Great Han ride on his coattails.

Youth has no price tag; repaying a debt of gratitude happens in the present!

"Secretary Qiu, from what you're saying, it sounds like Demon Continent is very difficult to approach?"

[Secretary Qiu: It really is extremely difficult. No one enters Demon Continent without an invitation. If you try to barge in without Lü Mountain's invitation, that place is no less dangerous than a dragon's pool or a tiger's den. I don't know much, but the fragments brought back by the envoy team are enough to give a glimpse of how terrifying the general environment there is.]

[I hear that breaking into the King of Hell's Palace is easier than breaking into Demon Continent, let alone penetrating deep into its heart to reach Lü Mountain.]

[Great Xuan can't handle it either, so they don't dare go recklessly. We're even more...]

Lu Ding understood: "Great Han still has a future, still has room to develop. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

Secretary Qiu also laughed.

[Well said. Once our Hundred-Year Ten Thousand Immortals Plan is on track, Great Han won't be inferior to Demon Continent. But that goal is still too far away for now. Let's set a small plan first—shake off the constraints of the surrounding nations and break out!]

Lu Ding replied: "Alright. Then I'll leave the next steps to you. Also, when those demons and monsters on my end are transferred back to Hanjing, please help me keep an eye on them. I'll be waiting for news here. Call me if anything comes up."

[Secretary Qiu: Okay. Let's leave it at that. I need to start working now. Every time I get a call from you, there's always a mountain of things to deal with. Today especially, you've made my vacation prospects look hopeless.]

He didn't even want to think about how swamped he'd be.

Dealing with the demon handover, handling the national-level coordination for the new city's population influx, verifying Lu Ding's information.

Plus all the smaller stuff—data verification, report reviews, case approvals.

Just thinking about it was already giving Secretary Qiu a headache.

He was even considering finding an assistant for himself, since he was already Elder Shui's assistant.

Hanging up the phone, Lu Ding gazed into the distance.

Still the same thought: "Old man, old man. I should have made you stay stuck on that mountain a little longer back then. You put my name on that stele, and now you won't even contact me."

Meanwhile.

Demon Continent, Lü Mountain.

Inside a space that looked like hell itself but was actually a secluded cultivation chamber.

The old man sat cross-legged.

Flanking him on left and right were two docile, ferocious great demons holding trays laden with all sorts of bizarrely shaped pills, rare natural treasures, and man-made secret treasures.

In front of where the old man sat cross-legged.

A black-robed old man with a childlike face and snow-white hair, his mouth crooked and slightly leaking air, said: "Shove it in, shove it in, keep shoving! With this little bit of cultivation, you still want to be Little Lu's master?"

"Don't you have a mirror? At least take a piss and look at yourself! What realm are you even at? Since you ascended, you've only just reached God Ascension. How embarrassing! I'm ashamed to call you my disciple. You dawdled around in the Third Circle for so long before coming up."

"Every time I looked out for you, you were napping in the underground palace!!! You lazy bastard! You thought you were so clever, setting up your little schemes and wasting all that time. If you hadn't met Little Lu, I would have strung you up and taught you a lesson like I used to."

"If you ask me, just let Little Lu take me as his master. What's so bad about you being his senior brother? You can just keep your own titles—he calls you 'old man,' and you call him 'junior brother.'"

"Why do you have to be so stubborn! Can you even teach him properly?!"

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This extra chapter is a gift for the big gift Elder Shui sent earlier. Thank you, Elder Shui. My darlings, please give me a five-star review. I'm begging you!