# Chapter 3664: Plotting the Future
For cultivators, one can raise a Dao sword and cut away unnecessary desires. Alternatively, one can follow their heart's desires and seek clarity of mind through indulgence.
After the wind and rain passed, the lush grassy ground became muddy and moist.
On the jade couch, Zhang Ruochen's body was exhausted, feeling completely drained, but his mood carried a rare sense of relaxation. His upper body was bare, muscle lines clearly defined, as he gazed at the candle flame within the glass cover.
Wu Yue sat before the dressing table not far from the candlelight, holding a wooden comb, arranging her jet-black, straight long hair.
The hand holding the comb was the most beautiful hand in the world—fingers slender, skin like jade, arms long and pale white. Apart from some redness at the wrist from earlier resistance, there was truly no flaw to be found.
Just her half-back silhouette alone stirred endless imagination.
And the immortal countenance reflected in the mirror was beyond any words to describe its beauty.
She gathered her long hair strand by strand, binding it with a jade hairpin, revealing her moon-white neck, then took ear ornaments and held them beside her cheeks, comparing.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You've changed. Thinking back to the first time I saw you, when did you ever care about makeup and hairstyles? Back then, you were like a god of death appearing and disappearing, utterly terrifying."
Wu Yue could hear Zhang Ruochen dressing, and said, "No woman is willing to remain a god of death forever. After all, I am married now. Since I chose a different path for the future back then, I must make changes for that choice. Otherwise, why make such a choice in the first place?"
She raised her clear phoenix eyes to look at Zhang Ruochen standing beside her.
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that a person is hard to change.
Especially someone as strong as Wu Yue, who had dwelled in darkness for hundreds of thousands of years, hands stained with blood—how could she change so easily?
No matter how much truth was in her words, as long as she could keep acting, Zhang Ruochen could accept it.
Acting for a lifetime naturally becomes truth.
Zhang Ruochen placed his hands on her fragrant shoulders, looking at her reflection in the mirror, and said, "You're right. Matters of fighting and killing should be left to men."
"What will you do?" Wu Yue asked.
Zhang Ruochen had already lifted her soft, delicate body again. The unfastened hairpins fell to the ground, her long hair cascading like a waterfall. As her long dress shifted upward, her slender, firm jade legs were mostly revealed.
"Beauty consumes one's soul; a fairy's smile buries a hero's bones. I wish to indulge a few more days in this warm embrace!"
Zhang Ruochen carried Wu Yue down the jade steps and entered the divine spring shrouded in white mist.
Clothes, long dress, fur trousers—all fell by the water's edge.
Waves rose, water splashed everywhere.
After several rounds of passion, Zhang Ruochen held Wu Yue's snow-white immortal body, sitting in the pool water. His gaze gradually turned solemn, and he said, "You have cultivated from ancient times until now, understanding this world better than I do. I want to hear your views on the overall situation of the world?"
Wu Yue's immortal skin and jade bones, her long hair dripping wet, still bore astonishing crimson blush on her face. Crystal-clear skin dripped with strands of water droplets. This was definitely a scene of a fairy tainted by worldly dust. If other cultivators saw her being held like this in Zhang Ruochen's arms, their Dao hearts would surely shatter.
She looked too much like the Moon God, as if the Moon God had been defiled.
For many cultivators who admired the Moon God, this would be more painful than death.
Wu Yue said, "At your current level of cultivation, you have indeed reached a point where you must view the world with a broad perspective. But the current situation of the world was already determined three hundred thousand years ago, and no one can shake it yet. Rather than discussing the world, it's better to first look at yourself."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I want to completely escape the fate of being a chess piece and become a chess player who schemes for the world. What do you think I should do next to set up my own board?"
Wu Yue moved away Zhang Ruochen's restless hand in the water, giving him a sidelong glance, and said, "You want to seize the initiative?"
"Yes," Zhang Ruochen said.
"You still have a considerable gap compared to the Heavenly Venerables. Playing chess with them, you will certainly lose many pieces. Can you bear the cost of your chips dying one by one?" Wu Yue asked.
The "chips" Wu Yue referred to were undoubtedly those closest and most trusted to Zhang Ruochen.
In matters of great importance, she could be cold-blooded to the point of ruthlessness, viewing everyone as chips.
Wu Yue's gaze was deep, carrying a coldness that looked down on all living beings, and said, "If you cannot be ruthless and unscrupulous, I have another strategy here."
"Speak," Zhang Ruochen said.
Wu Yue said, "Hide skill within clumsiness. While improving your own cultivation and strength, secretly seize the initiative."
"How so?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wu Yue said, "It depends on whether you are planning for the next ten thousand years, one eon, or the long, incalculable future."
"What are the differences between the three?"
Wu Yue said, "Planning for ten thousand years is short-term benefit, only planning for the local. Within ten thousand years, there isn't much you can actually do. You must look downward, focusing your energy on cultivators whose cultivation and strength are inferior to yours, seizing the initiative from them."
"For example: me, Jue Miao Chan Nu, Xue Jue War God, Huang Tian—also including those top-tier great gods from Hell Realm and Heavenly Court with enormous potential. Help them break through to Infinite within ten thousand years, make them owe you a huge favor, and then through step-by-step maneuvering, firmly bind them to your chariot. Don't underestimate these people. Once they reach the Infinite Realm, they can hold high positions in any faction and wield great power."
"As for those great gods without the potential to break through to Infinite, there's no need to scheme for them—it wastes energy and resources. As for overly young geniuses, you don't need to focus on them personally. Just arrange for lower-level cultivators to handle it. Weave a net to catch capable people and potential talents throughout the world."
"Regarding how to screen cultivators worth winning over, I can give you a list for the Hell Realm side. Of course, if you trust me, you can also leave this matter to me."
Zhang Ruochen nodded inwardly. The various resources he held that could help cultivators break through to Infinite should indeed be secretly utilized.
To plan for the future.
"What about planning for one eon in the future?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wu Yue said, "You must look toward the god kings and god venerables of the world, including those at Great Unbound Infinite and some forces with Heavenly Venerables. Discuss interests and cooperation with them, tell them what you can give them."
"It doesn't have to be cultivation resources. In fact, Sword Realm, Nutian Shenzun, and Heavenly Mother are your unique intangible resources. Many god kings and god venerables will have great interest. Who doesn't want the protection of a Heavenly Venerable-level being? Who doesn't want to plan a retreat for the future?"
"As for the Sundial and the Earth Cauldron—these two cultivation treasures that can be called heaven-defying—they are the trump cards within your trump cards."
"Through the Earth Cauldron, didn't you and Feng Tian cooperate very smoothly? What does this show?"
"It shows that you can use the Earth Cauldron to invite Heavenly Venerable-level experts to eliminate some enemies, while you hide in the shadows without showing your face."
"To deal with ancient strong ones, invite contemporary strong ones."
"To deal with the Thunder Clan, invite those who do not fear the Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable."
"To deal with strong ones from Hell Realm, invite the Heavenly Venerables of Heavenly Court."
"Relying on the advantage that only you can activate the Earth Cauldron, use the Heavenly Venerables as blades to cut down all enemies in the world. The essence here is interest exchange!"
"If you want to kill Ke Luo, go invite Jiusi Yitianhuang. Light and darkness are naturally opposed, and the Radiant Divine Temple has always been a thorn in Jiusi Yitianhuang's side. Once you understand this principle, even if you encounter Jiusi Yitianhuang in the future and fall into a desperate situation, you will still have a thread of hope."
"Of course, this is something to do only as a last resort. Collaborating with a tiger to seek its skin, only to be eaten by the tiger, is the norm. All Heavenly Venerables are tigers!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "What if I want to plan for the next hundreds of thousands of years, or even the world-destroying Calamity of Quantities? What should I do then?"
A look of confusion and deep fear appeared in Wu Yue's eyes, and she said, "The Calamity of Quantities cannot be resisted, cannot be stopped by human power. Planning for it is useless."
"Is that so?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was sharp and firm, without the despair and confusion she had.
Wu Yue turned her frost-defying, snow-blaming immortal face, looking at his gaze up close, and suddenly understood the gap between herself and him.
It was the spirit to stand tall even when the sky falls.
The fearlessness to face difficulties head-on even when impossible.
She sighed, "If you truly take resisting the Calamity of Quantities as your mission, wanting to break the laws of birth and death and reshape heaven and earth, then think about who your enemies are?"
"The Quantity Organization?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wu Yue gently shook her head, saying, "All who cannot be used by you, who are not like-minded, are enemies."
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wu Yue said, "To face the Calamity of Quantities is no child's play. It is contending against heaven. If they are not like-minded, they are uncertain factors. If they cannot be used by you, they might be used by the enemy, used by heaven."
"You don't have to regard them as enemies, but you must regard them as hypothetical enemies. In other words, secretly unite all cultivators who will be useful to you in the future and who share your vision—this is the only thing you can do now."
"With cultivators weaker than you, talk about emotions, bestow favors."
"With cultivators on par with you, talk about interests."
"With those far surpassing you, talk about dreams and visions."
There was no denying that Wu Yue was indeed one of the most intelligent women in the world today. Both her life experience and her broad perspective were beyond ordinary people.
After discussing with her, Zhang Ruochen immediately dispatched several divine generals from White Clothes Valley to deliver letters one by one.
In any case, Huang Tian and Xue Jue War God were people Zhang Ruochen could absolutely trust, and their talent was exceptional, with immeasurable future achievements.
If their cultivation could rapidly improve and they could seize power over the Stone Clan and the Undying Blood Clan, it would have far-reaching implications for the future situation.
Coincidentally, Zhang Ruochen was preparing to refine Zi Ren Gui Di, and the divine pills produced would surely allow their cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.
As for Zhang Ruochen himself, what he currently needed was hard training and accumulation—he had no use for such divine pills.
The only person Zhang Ruochen felt somewhat sorry for was Bai Qinger. If Huang Tian's cultivation made great progress, how long would she have to keep chasing?
Xiu Chen Heavenly God had already fully fused with the Time Source Pearl, with cultivation restored to the early stage of Great Unbound Infinite. She would need a large amount of cultivation resources to recover to her peak from one hundred thousand years ago.
After hearing Zhang Ruochen's account, she said, "Having multiple gods enter the Sundial to cultivate at the same time will cause time fluctuations that Nie Zang Venerable may not be able to conceal. I suggest you be cautious—at most two Infinite Realm cultivators at a time! As for you and gods at the Great Unbound Infinite level, at most one at a time. No more!"
"Alright, I still have relatively ample time for now." Zhang Ruochen added, "As for the cultivation resources you want, when Grandfather and Huang Tian Hall Master arrive, you can ask them. They have the most of that!"
A barely concealed joy appeared in Xiu Chen Heavenly God's eyes, and she smiled, "If my cultivation can recover to the middle stage of Great Unbound Infinite as soon as possible, I can control the Sundial even more precisely. Even supporting multiple Infinite cultivators, the time fluctuations will be very subtle."