Chapter 1088: The Nine Saints Apply Pressure

Niu Youdao said, “What do you mean, roaming around? How can inspectors inspect anything if they don’t look around everywhere?”

“As for drinking wedding wine, I’m an old acquaintance of the Master of Ice and Snow Pavilion. The Pavilion Master was getting married. What is wrong with an old friend going to offer congratulations?”

Taishu Shanhai said, “Everything you say sounds reasonable. What I want to know is why you stopped stirring things up the way you did at the beginning.”

“Looking back now, it seems you stopped almost as soon as the rest of us started.”

Niu Youdao said, “What do you mean, stirring things up? We are carrying out the Sacred Venerables’ decree and inspecting Misty Pavilion. When we discover a problem, we report it promptly.”

“No one is stirring up trouble. I’ve never stirred up trouble either. And there’s no such thing as my having stopped.”

“Everyone in Wentian City is guarding against me now. I simply can’t find any problems here, so I have to go outside and look. Is that not allowed?”

Motian Sect Elder Lei Sheng stepped in to smooth things over. “Elder Niu, Elder Taishu doesn’t mean it that way. What we all mean is that since we’ve already joined forces, if Elder Niu has any new ideas, there’s no harm in keeping everyone informed.”

Niu Youdao said, “Naturally.”

He refused absolutely to admit there was any problem, and the others could do nothing about it.

They still harbored suspicions, but in the end the matter went nowhere.

The visit could at least be considered a reminder to Niu Youdao.

Although the eight factions claimed to have joined forces, the other seven met frequently among themselves.

Only Zijin Cave, represented by Niu Youdao, almost never took the initiative to seek out the other seven.

Their gatherings of eight had long been gatherings missing one.

In truth, the seven factions would have preferred Niu Youdao to die somewhere far away and never come back.

Yet his complete indifference toward them left them uneasy. They always had the feeling that Niu Youdao was walking several steps ahead of them.

That feeling made them hate him while also finding it difficult to cast him aside.

And so a strange situation emerged.

Niu Youdao almost never attended the seven factions’ gatherings, while the seven factions instead came looking for him again and again.

Of course, Niu Youdao was frequently absent, so they often came for nothing.

In reality, Niu Youdao no longer had any need to exchange information with them.

The intelligence Sha Rulai supplied from behind the scenes was far more detailed than anything the eight factions could obtain by pooling their scraps of information.

A few days later, Misty Pavilion issued another notice to the eight factions inside Sacred Realm.

Several sects participating in the inspections outside Sacred Realm had had their people executed, including Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain of Yan.

The reason given was simple: negligence in inspection duties and disregard for the Sacred Venerables’ decree.

That was the entire reason.

There was no other charge.

It could even be said those people had committed no actual offense at all.

But they were killed because the order said to kill them.

Those executed were precisely the people who had tried to play the agreeable good man, closing one eye and leaving the other open.

After their deaths, the corresponding sects were ordered to send replacement personnel into Misty Pavilion again.

The Tiannü Sect had only just been rewarded.

Then people from other sects were immediately executed.

Set side by side, Sacred Realm’s message could not have been any clearer.

Earlier, the seven factions inside Sacred Realm had still wondered whether Niu Youdao might have tricked them.

When this notice arrived, they nearly broke out in a cold sweat.

So it really was like this.

Fortunately they had listened to Niu Youdao.

Otherwise, if their heads had suddenly rolled, they would not even have had anywhere to cry injustice.

This time, the people killed were those who had turned a blind eye.

Next time, perhaps those deemed ineffective would die.

If an inspector failed to perform his role, his head might fall.

For a time, inspectors from the various factions were all terrified for their own lives.

Needless to say, the seven factions inside Sacred Realm began making trouble again.

This time, however, they no longer dared keep it small.

Pressed by the Nine Saints, they began acting in earnest.

Before, they could still say they were unfamiliar with Misty Pavilion’s internal situation.

Now they had already been given time to understand it.

It was time to put real effort into the work.

From that perspective, the Nine Saints had actually been quite reasonable in not killing them outright earlier.

Even so, the seven factions inside Sacred Realm were deeply troubled.

Their manpower was limited.

Unlike the inspectors outside, who could draw upon the power of their sects, they were trapped inside Sacred Realm with nowhere to borrow strength from.

...

Inside the main hall of Zijin Cave, the Elders had gathered.

After a disciple finished reading the intelligence gathered from outside, he withdrew.

Silence filled the hall.

Sect Leader Gong Lince swept his gaze over everyone. “I imagine some of you heard the news before today.”

“Look at the current situation. Quite a few sects have suffered calamity. Even Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain failed to escape.”

“Of Yan’s three major sects, only Zijin Cave avoided disaster.”

“No matter what opinions any of you may hold about Elder Niu, the facts prove that he has rendered merit.”

Yan Li immediately echoed him. “Back then, some people opposed allowing Niu Youdao to join Zijin Cave. Looking at things now, Sect Leader was indeed farsighted.”

The words were somewhat against his conscience.

In truth, he was full of complaints about Niu Youdao these days.

But he belonged to the Sect Leader’s side. In a setting like this, he had to speak in support of Gong Lince.

Fu Junrang chuckled. “Earlier, when word came that Niu Youdao had gotten someone from Misty Pavilion killed inside Sacred Realm, I seem to recall somebody cursing him for acting recklessly.”

“Now that events have proven Niu Youdao was right, the tune changes again. Some people truly know how to change faces.”

Yan Li’s expression immediately darkened.

But others still refused to let him off.

Yin Yide asked with apparent curiosity, “Elder Yan, weren’t you constantly shouting that your disciple Guan Qingya was killed by Niu Youdao?”

“Didn’t you say the matter had to be investigated thoroughly? Didn’t you want the people of Maolu Annex interrogated to search for clues?”

“Now that Sect Leader is farsighted, are you investigating or not?”

Yan Li’s face grew even uglier.

His disciple Guan Qingya was dead.

And he had died horribly.

Yan Li had rushed to send Guan Qingya to Boundless Pavilion precisely because he knew Niu Youdao wielded considerable influence outside.

He had feared his disciple might suffer Niu Youdao’s murderous hand along the journey.

In Yan Li’s view, once Guan Qingya hid inside Boundless Pavilion, he would be safe.

Who could have imagined he would suddenly be poisoned and die violently?

No one even knew what poison had been used.

It was not only Guan Qingya.

The two men sent with him had suffered exactly the same symptoms before death.

They screamed for an entire day and clawed themselves until they were barely recognizable.

Had the other Zijin Cave disciples in the shop not discovered them and forcibly restrained them, the three men might have torn open their own bellies and clawed out their intestines.

According to the disciples who witnessed it, their condition before death had been horrifying beyond description.

Guan Qingya had even gouged out his own eyes while still alive.

Every possible method had been tried, but none could save the three men.

The poison flared at different times in each of them.

Some earlier, some later.

The last to show symptoms had already witnessed the miserable state of the first two. Unwilling to endure the same prolonged torment, he ultimately took his own life.

The successive violent deaths frightened the other Zijin Cave disciples in the shop half to death.

Everyone feared he might be next. Many were almost too frightened to remain inside Boundless Pavilion.

Fortunately, in the end only Guan Qingya and the other two died.

The poisoning did not spread to anyone else.

Because the incident occurred inside Boundless Pavilion, it naturally drew the Pavilion’s attention.

After examining the bodies, Boundless Pavilion’s people said the three had been poisoned by a Spirit-Torment Pill.

But Boundless Pavilion refused to interfere.

Based on the circumstances, they said the three men had been poisoned before entering the Pavilion, and Boundless Pavilion would not involve itself in grudges originating outside.

If it had to meddle in affairs like that, how could Boundless Pavilion ever manage all the disputes of the outside world?

Zijin Cave approached Xiaoyue Pavilion over the matter.

But Xiaoyue Pavilion denied everything and refused to admit any connection, while Zijin Cave could produce no evidence.

How could there be such a coincidence?

The three men who died just happened to be the three who had offended Maolu Annex.

It was impossible not to suspect Maolu Annex.

How could Yan Li possibly let the matter go?

Naturally, he clamored for an investigation.

Niu Youdao was inside Sacred Realm and beyond his reach, so Yan Li intended to investigate Maolu Annex instead.

He took people there personally.

Faced with such an imposing scene, Guan Fangyi told the people beneath her not to panic.

Yan Li wanted to fight Master Dao?

He still lacked the qualifications.

Unless he went through reincarnation and was born again.

Guan Fangyi stepped forward to deal with him herself.

She was not flustered in the slightest.

After the previous trouble, Master Dao had already left behind a contingency to guarantee the safety of the Maolu Annex people inside Zijin Cave.

Guan Fangyi refused to believe Gong Lince would dare lift that lid, and she likewise refused to believe Gong Lince could not restrain Yan Li.

Sure enough, Gong Lince intervened in time, stopped Yan Li, and took him away.

His stated reason was that Niu Youdao was currently risking his life inside Sacred Realm on behalf of Zijin Cave. Without evidence, it would be improper to act recklessly.

That was naturally only the public excuse.

Gong Lince himself had cooperated with Niu Youdao in arranging the poisoning of Guan Qingya and the other two.

There was no possibility he would allow the affair to be investigated to the bottom.

Under pressure from Gong Lince, Yan Li had no choice but to swallow the matter.

Now, faced with everyone’s mockery, Yan Li still wanted to defend himself.

But another look from Gong Lince stopped him.

Gong Lince continued, “I am saying all of this because I want everyone to understand the present circumstances.”

“You have all seen it yourselves. The Nine Saints are determined to rectify Misty Pavilion.”

“The various sects have not only had their people killed; now they are being forced to mobilize their own sect strength to help fight Misty Pavilion.”

“Yet Zijin Cave has been able to remain outside the storm, all because Elder Niu has been struggling to hold things up from within Sacred Realm.”

“So at a time like this, I do not want anyone losing control of himself and reaching toward Maolu Annex.”

“Everyone, you had best pray Elder Niu remains safe inside Sacred Realm.”

“If something happens to him, the replacement will have to be chosen from among you.”

“To enter deep into Misty Pavilion is to enter the tiger’s den and bargain with the tiger for its hide.”

“I doubt any of you wants to go.”

...

Outside the main hall of Lingxiao Pavilion, Sect Leader Guan Jitai stood at the head of a group of Elders.

Every Elder currently inside the sect had appeared.

They were waiting to welcome Elder Quan Taifeng back from Misty Pavilion.

The moment Quan Taifeng arrived, he immediately saluted everyone. “Greetings, Sect Leader. Greetings, senior and junior brothers.”

“Elder Quan has worked hard.” Guan Jitai stepped forward on behalf of everyone and personally reached out to support him.

There were too many eyes and ears outside, making it an unsuitable place to talk.

The group soon entered the deliberation hall.

Once inside, Guan Jitai said solemnly, “Earlier, when we heard Junior Brother was creating trouble for Misty Pavilion from within Misty Pavilion itself, everyone had quite a few criticisms of your actions.”

“Now events have proven that what you did was correct.”

“Here, on behalf of all the Elders, I owe Junior Brother an apology.”

Quan Taifeng waved a hand. “I don’t deserve that. Everyone was only worried about the sect.”

“To tell the truth, the fact that I escaped this calamity was purely luck.”

Someone immediately asked, “Elder Quan, from what I can see, most of the people who escaped disaster this time were people on good terms with Niu Youdao.”

“Did all of you exchange information beforehand?”

Quan Taifeng waved his hand again, smiling bitterly. “It truly was luck. Or rather, I was fortunate enough to stay alert.”

“I heard Niu Youdao was stirring up trouble inside Sacred Realm and felt something was wrong.”

“Later, I noticed that the Four Seas lot were also looking for trouble with Misty Pavilion one after another. The more I thought about it, the less right it seemed.”

“Those people all wear the same pair of trousers. If they were behaving this way, there had to be a reason.”

“And especially that bastard Niu Youdao... the more I thought about him, the more uneasy I became.”

“In the end, I gritted my teeth and copied what they were doing.”

“It wasn’t until people from several factions recently lost their heads that I finally understood.”

“That group must have seen through the Nine Saints’ intention.”

“Thinking back on it now, it was truly dangerous. Far too dangerous. I nearly never had the chance to see all of you again.”

So that was how it had happened.

Everyone sighed with emotion.

And that was indeed the actual situation.

Those who reacted after seeing how the Four Seas and the others behaved had escaped disaster.

Those who reacted too slowly had lost their lives.

Guan Jitai asked, “Junior Brother, why have you returned this time?”

Quan Taifeng smiled bitterly. “To ask the sect for help.”

“Judging by the situation, the Nine Saints are serious now. If I continue merely making small, painless troubles for Misty Pavilion, I’m afraid I won’t be able to muddle through.”

“My manpower is limited. If I want to survive this, I need the sect’s strength behind me.”

“Everyone, if I die, I’m afraid one of you will have to enter Misty Pavilion and take over for me.”

[End of Chapter 1088]