Chapter 1456: A Dangerous Gambit

“Confiscating the flying mounts held by every power beneath Heaven was only the beginning. The purpose was to cut off everyone else’s ability to react quickly. Their response speed dropped sharply, while Misty Pavilion retained the advantage of being able to strike rapidly in every direction. Once Misty Pavilion held an absolute advantage in reaction speed, it gained the upper hand for the purges and everything that followed.”

Inside the cave, Lü Wushuang paced slowly back and forth as she analyzed the current situation.

“Next, the Six Sacred Venerables will tighten the net one step at a time. First they will finish examining Misty Pavilion’s interior and confirm the Wuliang Fruit was not secretly consumed by their own people. Then they will move to the great sects. Once every person in those sects has been screened, the final target will be every cultivator beneath Heaven.”

“The Six Sacred Venerables’ current moves are meant to place all cultivators beneath Heaven under comprehensive control. They are already preparing for the later stage when they screen everyone. As the net passes over one layer after another, anyone with something to hide will inevitably be forced into the open and flee. Once someone runs, it becomes very easy to pull an entire line of connections out behind him.”

“And as each layer is screened, clues are bound to emerge. It cannot possibly be that no one inside the Sacred Realm stole the fruit, no one inside Misty Pavilion stole it, and no cultivator in the mortal world had anything to do with it either. If they investigate thoroughly enough, then even without a clear target, they will eventually narrow down the general direction in which the Wuliang Fruit went.”

“Anyone who consumed the Wuliang Fruit and falls within the scope of the investigation is already too late to fake his death and escape. From now on, no matter who dies, Misty Pavilion will respond immediately and rush over to verify it. How could a fake death survive that kind of scrutiny?”

She paused, then continued, “And there is another purpose. The Six Sacred Venerables are trying to cut away as much support as possible from both me and the Holy Rakshasa. The fact that almost all the people you summoned were forced to withdraw is the best proof. They know perfectly well that forces must have helped me and the Holy Rakshasa escape. Once the movements of nearly every cultivator beneath Heaven are under control, they only need to pin those hidden forces in place. If the Holy Rakshasa and I are reduced to moving alone, we cannot create much of a threat.”

Niu Youdao stood nearby in silence.

She was right.

The people he had called in to prepare against Yuan Se had almost all been forced to withdraw in a hurry once the Six Sacred Venerables began tightening control. Now only Zhuge Chi remained on standby.

Matters had reached the point where it truly felt as though he had picked up a stone only to smash his own foot with it.

The Wuliang Fruit trees flowering ahead of schedule had left him completely passive and exhausted from constantly responding.

If he had known things would develop this way, he truly would never have distributed the Wuliang Fruit as he had.

Lü Wushuang stopped and looked at him. “The Six Sacred Venerables are personally supervising operations while remaining hidden. That alone creates enormous pressure on Misty Pavilion’s people carrying out the work. No one knows where the Six are watching from, so no one dares be careless.”

“Based on what you’ve told me, we can more or less determine that Wu Chang is currently at Xianyin Mountain in Qi. Yuan Se is plainly right in front of us. As for the others, we do not yet know where they are.”

“The Six Sacred Venerables’ concealment has one even more important purpose. By making everyone uncertain where they are, they also intimidate those who consumed the Wuliang Fruit and broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Those people will not dare act lightly.”

“Would you dare order someone to launch a surprise attack on Misty Pavilion’s headquarters at Tiandu Peak right now? Can you guarantee none of the Six Sacred Venerables is hiding there? Their decision to split up and take command separately carries another purpose as well. If Misty Pavilion’s operations flush out a hidden Nascent Soul cultivator, whichever Sacred Venerable is nearest can immediately rush over. The same applies if they need to tie down me or the Holy Rakshasa.”

Niu Youdao sighed. “Those are secondary problems for now. Yuan Se refusing to leave has actually become the bigger problem.”

“Yun Ji and I have been away from Maolu Annex for too long, and Gong Lince, who is filing false movement reports for us, has no way to keep the story straight indefinitely. Is this really an appropriate moment for us to disappear or fake our deaths?”

“If we return now, the moment I enter the annex, there will be no way for me to keep this false face on. Yuan Se’s guards are not going to ignore someone who refuses to show his real face.”

Lü Wushuang walked to the cave wall and idly picked at small stones embedded in it. “You do not need to make things so difficult for yourself. If the affair is exposed, have Zijin Cave’s people go into hiding. Haven’t you already made preparations for that?”

Niu Youdao replied, “Those preparations are more useful for stabilizing people’s hearts than anything else. They let those men know they still have a road of retreat. Without that, everything would already have fallen into panic and confusion. How could I still be sitting here calmly?”

“It is the last resort of last resorts. If we truly flee, Nanzhou will suffer a catastrophe.”

Lü Wushuang said, “There are some things you may not enjoy hearing. Is there any real meaning in protecting Shang Chaozong and that group in Nanzhou? They are only ordinary mortals. They cannot give you anything. If this continues, they will only consume your energy and become burdens.”

Niu Youdao slowly clasped his hands behind his back, standing partly turned away from her. “You mean abandon them? You know this is not a handful of people. A great many will die.”

Lü Wushuang kept picking at the wall, dropping one pebble after another to the ground. Amid the soft clicks, she gave a faint laugh. “Compassion for all beneath Heaven? Those people spend their lives killing on battlefields. Which great campaign does not kill more people than this? Can you protect them all?”

“When the clouds part and the moon shines clear, once you possess the qualifications to contend for supremacy beneath Heaven, you can support as many Shang Chaozongs as you like. If you never reach that point, then after everything you have already set in motion, you will not be able to protect this Shang Chaozong either.”

“You are a clever man. You should know which side weighs heavier.”

Niu Youdao said, “Nothing I have done was for the sake of dominating all beneath Heaven. I only want to break the shackles forced onto me. Nor do I intend to forge another set of shackles and force them onto others.”

“You may not want it. Others do. You refuse to desire it yourself and still expect everyone else not to desire it either...” Lü Wushuang shook her head and examined a rounded stone she had pried from the wall. “Wishful thinking.”

“You and Yuan Gang only look different. At the root, you are the same kind of person.”

Niu Youdao had no desire to keep arguing about it. “When soldiers come, send a general to meet them; when water comes, dam it with earth. We’ll solve one problem at a time. The immediate matter is Yuan Se refusing to leave. That has to be dealt with first.”

Lü Wushuang asked, “If he refuses to go, what can you do in your present situation?”

“Previously, Yin Ji arranged meetings with the Six Sacred Venerables, but they broke the appointments because of the Holy Rakshasa. If I have Yin Ji invite Yuan Se again now, based on what you know of him, will he leave to meet her?”

“Not necessarily. I cannot judge that confidently either. Yuan Se still cannot be certain Yin Ji is truly alive. Even after confirming she is, he will certainly consider whether the meeting hides some problem.”

“The fact that the Six Sacred Venerables were willing to abandon their earlier appointments yet immediately came out to deal with the Holy Rakshasa shows that clearly enough.”

“If it were Wu Chang, the chances might be better. Still, the idea is worth trying.”

Niu Youdao paced back and forth inside the cave, visibly hesitating over something.

At last he stopped.

“Too many people’s lives are involved. At this point, I have no choice but to make a dangerous move. If it is handled properly, perhaps we can pry the whole situation loose and make many of these problems resolve themselves.”

Lü Wushuang did not understand. “A dangerous move?”

Niu Youdao did not explain his full reasoning. “Have your people spread word inside the Sacred Realm that Du Wuxu stole the Wuliang Fruit. I’ll arrange for Du Wuxu’s grand-disciple to show himself inside the Sacred Realm and be spotted.”

Lü Wushuang said, “That will not accomplish much. Even if Ao Feng is discovered, so long as the others cannot do anything to Du Wuxu himself, it is all empty noise. It will not change our immediate situation.”

“Still, disruption is better than no disruption. Perhaps some unexpected effect will come from it.”

“I know.” Niu Youdao’s expression remained unreadable. “But it is not what you think. Remaining this passive is no solution. It is time we found a way to strike back.”

And so the arrangements were made...

Several days later, messages from Yin Ji and Sha Rulai were relayed back together.

The reason was simple.

Both were worried about Luo Fangfei’s safety.

For one, she was his daughter.

For the other, she was his wife.

How could either of them not worry?

Sha Rulai might be acting against Luo Qiu, but he had no desire to drag Luo Fangfei into the disaster.

The present plan was completely different from the earlier attempt to have Yin Ji arrange meetings with the Five Sacred Venerables.

This time, Niu Youdao actually intended for Yin Ji to let Yuan Se learn that she was the Clan Chief of the Demon Fox Clan.

That was effectively placing Luo Fangfei directly in danger.

Niu Youdao sent back a reply explaining their current predicament and stating that he had no choice.

Again and again, he assured them that Yuan Se would not harm Luo Fangfei. He also revealed that an inside man had already been planted beside Yuan Se and that he would find a way to rescue her.

Besides, whether Yuan Se would even return to the Sacred Realm was still uncertain...

At Daluo Sacred Land, a man and woman woke from sleep while holding one another on a brocade couch.

Luo Fangfei looked blissfully content.

Her husband had suddenly begun treating her exceptionally well, and she greatly enjoyed the feeling.

After they rose, washed, and dressed, Sha Rulai prepared to depart.

He was going out on an inspection and would probably be gone for several days.

After mounting a flying mount and rising into the air, Sha Rulai repeatedly looked back.

The woman on the terrace was still watching him and waving.

He finally turned his head forward again and slowly closed his eyes...

The sun began to rise.

A thin veil of mist drifted over the surface of the Desolate Marsh Deadlands.

A figure descended from the sky and landed atop a wooded hill.

It was the massively obese Yuan Se.

He swept the surroundings with a cold gaze, obvious vigilance on his face as he waited.

When the morning sun finally spilled across the entire marsh, the mud churned in one place.

Yin Ji, dressed in silver robes that gleamed beneath the sunlight, rose from the swamp and drifted down onto a patch of grass.

Her sleeves and hems fluttered in the breeze as she looked toward the man on the hilltop.

Yuan Se was already looking back at her.

With a sudden flash, he appeared opposite her.

Yin Ji inclined her head slightly, her voice melodious and pleasant. “Yuan Se. It has been many years.”

Yuan Se looked astonished.

He repeatedly examined her from head to toe, then clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Yin Ji. It really is you. You’re actually still alive. Hah! Your old elegance hasn’t faded in the slightest.”

Yin Ji replied, “I cannot compare with your glory.”

Yuan Se waved that aside and once again surveyed the surroundings.

After confirming there was nothing abnormal, he asked curiously, “Yin Ji, you suddenly disappeared all those years ago and Luo Qiu announced your death. What exactly happened?”

Yin Ji was silent for a moment.

Then she pursed her lips.

“Awooo...”

A long howl rolled across the marsh.

Yuan Se instantly became alert to every direction.

One demon fox after another emerged from the swamp.

Soon packs of them were appearing all around the grassland.

Yuan Se’s expression darkened. “What is this?”

Yin Ji stopped howling and sighed. “Didn’t you want to know why? The reason is simple. I am the Clan Chief of the Demon Fox Clan.”

“Luo Qiu discovered the truth and tried to silence me. I was gravely injured at the time and have spent all these years recovering. Only recently did I finally heal.”

“You are the Demon Fox Clan Chief?”

Yuan Se was badly shocked, disbelief all over his face.

He turned once more to look at the demon foxes bounding through the surrounding marsh.

Yin Ji swept one broad sleeve outward as though issuing an order.

The demon foxes immediately dove back beneath the swamp in waves.

In the blink of an eye, every one of them had vanished.

[End of Chapter 1456]