Chapter 1505: Whoever Refuses to Obey, I'll Destroy Them!

Lü Wushuang said, “Jia Wuqun’s judgment should be correct. For the Three Sacred Venerables, this really is a good method. Whether or not we can withstand it, this is the best way to reorder all under Heaven. First, it can consume vast numbers of cultivators and sharply weaken every faction. Once their strength has been greatly reduced, they’ll become much more obedient, which will greatly ease the burden of controlling them afterward. Second, the Three Sacred Venerables will regain the power to divide the interests of all under Heaven. Anyone who wants a share will have no choice but to obey.”

Whether Niu Youdao had taken any of that in was hard to say. Eyes narrowed, he muttered, “Xiaoyue Pavilion has gone over to the State of Jin again...”

Lü Wushuang smiled. “It’s a battlefield. You go over to me, I go over to you. Isn’t that perfectly normal?”

Niu Youdao answered something else entirely. “I thought the State of Jin would deal with them. It seems they’re remarkably hard to kill!”

Lü Wushuang was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Niu Youdao turned back. “Contact the Prince. Have him arrange something. I want to meet with them.”

Them? Yun Ji took note of it, nodded, and quickly left.

About an hour later, the tunnels linking the two temporary bases had been opened. Niu Youdao arrived at the central secret chamber used for their meetings.

Shang Chaozong, Meng Shanming, and Lan Ruoting had arrived first and were already waiting. On seeing him, all three cupped their hands in greeting. “Master Dao!”

Niu Youdao waved away the formalities and went straight to the point. “There’s been a turn in the war to the west. In your judgment, how will it end?”

Shang Chaozong said, “Marshal Meng and I have analyzed it. The State of Qi’s destruction is imminent. Qi can’t hold on much longer and could collapse at any time.”

“Oh?” Niu Youdao looked toward Meng Shanming, apparently placing greater weight on his view. “That quickly?”

Meng Shanming immediately replied, “This battle came far too suddenly. By all reason, the Jin army under Gao Pin had no need to do this. Even if the State of Qi is already failing, Huyan Wuhen is still propping up the Qi army. Gao Pin may be certain to win if he takes them head-on, but a forced assault will inevitably cost him dearly. That doesn’t fit Gao Pin’s present style of advancing steadily and securely, and it simply makes no sense. Any army commander who can win easily has no reason to manufacture a costly victory, especially after Gao Pin has already driven the Qi army step by step into its present straits. There was even less reason for him to do so.”

“Never mind Huyan Wuhen not expecting Gao Pin to act this way. This old man didn’t expect it either. In his place, I’m afraid I might have fallen for it just the same. And by acting this way, Gao Pin truly did catch Huyan Wuhen completely off guard, creating a major flaw in Huyan Wuhen’s strategic arrangements. The Qi army’s morale had already been unstable for a long time. Without Huyan Wuhen holding it together, it probably would have fallen apart already. Yet at precisely this moment, the Valiant Cavalry Huyan Wuhen relied on suffered a devastating blow. The effect on the Qi army’s morale is fatal.”

“Huyan Wuhen’s prestige remains, but men have different hearts. Not everyone possesses an unshakable will. There is the Qin army like a knife at their backs, while the Jin army is rolling toward them in full force from the front. Under such pressure, I fear defections will begin appearing one after another inside the Qi army. So they won’t be able to hold on for long. At any moment, their defeat may become a landslide.”

Niu Youdao asked, “There’s no possibility of turning it around?”

Meng Shanming said, “It isn’t completely impossible, but Jin’s strength is already close to overwhelming Qi outright, while Qi has no reserves left to draw on. Winning through a direct confrontation is impossible. Unless Huyan Wuhen can exploit the situation cleverly and win several ingenious victories in succession, abruptly reversing the course of the war, there is no path back. But given Gao Pin’s present style of warfare, he is exceptionally cautious. He already holds overwhelming strength and a sure road to victory. How could he easily fall into a trap and give Huyan Wuhen the chance to steal such victories?”

Niu Youdao said, “In other words, Huyan Wuhen is certain to lose?”

Meng Shanming nodded. “Unless some major accident occurs, that can be the only outcome. And it will come quickly. It may happen all at once.” He sighed. “For the war to change so abruptly, with Gao Pin willing to pay a price to force an attack, truly caught everyone by surprise.”

“There’s nothing strange about it,” Niu Youdao said. “This wasn’t Gao Pin’s intention, nor the Jin court’s. It wasn’t even Qiyun Sect’s. The Three Sacred Venerables pressured them from behind the scenes.”

The three exchanged looks, all somewhat surprised. Shang Chaozong’s expression grew grave. “The Three Sacred Venerables have personally intervened in the war?”

Niu Youdao waved a hand. “Your Highness needn’t worry. Of the Nine Saints, six are gone, and every one of those deaths was our side’s handiwork. To put it plainly, I was the one who set it all in motion. The forces in the Three Sacred Venerables’ hands are no longer enough to control all under Heaven. That’s why they’ve intervened and put the State of Jin to use. In other words, the Three Sacred Venerables are already failing. We may still be keeping ourselves hidden, but when it comes to power in the cultivation world, we are now the strongest force beneath Heaven. The Three Sacred Venerables can no longer compare with us.”

“The only reason we remain hidden is that the Three Sacred Venerables themselves still possess enough deterrent force to rally a group of people willing to serve them. We already have the strength to confront them head-on and decide the victor, but their individual strength cannot be underestimated. Until we have absolute confidence, we will not act rashly. Once we make our move, if even one of them escapes, the consequences will be endless, and that is entirely possible. Those fellows are better at fleeing than anything else. We therefore cannot rush matters and must proceed gradually. Which means that if we don’t strike, we leave things as they are—but once we strike, we must eliminate every future threat for good.”

This was the first time Niu Youdao had explained the situation so clearly to Shang Chaozong and the others, openly telling them just how powerful his side had become.

The three men were exhilarated by what they heard. They truly had never imagined that the power standing behind them had already become the foremost force in the entire cultivation world. The emotion in their hearts could be imagined. In the old days, how could they ever have dreamed of a day like this? It had only been so many years, yet the situation had already reached this point.

After lifting their spirits and giving them confidence, Niu Youdao continued, “I came this time to ask Your Highness and Marshal Meng whether there is any way to draw Xiaoyue Pavilion over to our side.”

The three exchanged another glance, unsure what he meant.

Shang Chaozong said doubtfully, “Xiaoyue Pavilion hasn’t suffered losses severe enough to cripple it. Its strength is still relatively intact. If we bring them over, given their ambitions, I’m afraid Zijin Cave will be wary.”

“You don’t need to worry about Zijin Cave,” Niu Youdao said. “They’ll cooperate.”

Meng Shanming said, “If that’s the case, then promise Xiaoyue Pavilion enough benefit and they should come over. But there’s no way they can bring the Qin troops with them. Jin has Xiping Pass locked down tightly and would never let them through.”

“I don’t care about Qin’s troops. I only want to know whether you can be certain of drawing Xiaoyue Pavilion itself over in its entirety.”

“Then there’s no problem. Xiaoyue Pavilion has reached the end of its road, which is why it turned to Jin. All Jin promised them was territory in three prefectures. If Your Highness sends someone to make contact and promises them four prefectures instead, Xiaoyue Pavilion will certainly come over. They know perfectly well that in the coming war to destroy Qi, Jin won’t let them sit comfortably on the sidelines. Jin will certainly use them at the sharpest point of the fighting, and Xiaoyue Pavilion is bound to suffer severe losses. They simply have no choice. If Your Highness offers them another road... judging from everything since Mr. Yucang’s death, Xiaoyue Pavilion is now nothing but a collection of shortsighted people. Perhaps they can no longer reconcile their internal disputes. Tempt them with sufficient benefit, and once they weigh the gains and losses, they will certainly come over.”

“Good!” Niu Youdao said. “Then Your Highness should lure them over as quickly as possible. Once they come, set an ambush and slaughter them for me!”

Slaughter them? The three thought they had misheard. Go to all this trouble to lure them over, only to wipe them out?

Even Yun Ji, standing nearby, was stunned. At a time like this, he wanted to strike ruthlessly at Xiaoyue Pavilion?

Shang Chaozong could not help asking, “Master Dao means... lure them over and wipe them all out in one net?”

“That’s right. Wipe them all out! We’ll need cultivator support for it. Contact Yun Ji when the time comes. I’ll coordinate things from my side.”

With the order confirmed, the three looked at one another. Lan Ruoting cupped his hands. “Master Dao, may I ask why?”

He had to ask. The implications were simply too great. If cultivators came over to surrender and were annihilated instead, what would every other faction think afterward?

“I never intended to let them go in the first place,” Niu Youdao said. “Back then, when they scattered and hid themselves in different places, I had no way to deal with them. Now that they’ve come out on their own looking for death, I have no reason to be polite. My decisive battle with the Three Sacred Venerables is close at hand, and no one can say what the final outcome will be. If I lose, how could I allow Xiaoyue Pavilion to survive to the end? This must be done quickly. I don’t have much time left, and I don’t want to leave any regrets behind.”

The three could not understand why his killing intent toward Xiaoyue Pavilion ran so deep that he meant to exterminate them to the last.

But they understood one thing: Xiaoyue Pavilion had to die before he did, no matter what.

Since he was determined, none of them dared oppose him. After exchanging looks, Shang Chaozong cupped his hands. “Very well. As soon as we return, we’ll begin arranging it.”

Niu Youdao gave a confirming grunt, then added, “The Three Sacred Venerables intend to use the State of Jin to sweep all under Heaven clean and reshape the order of the realm. We should make our preparations as well. Once Xiaoyue Pavilion has been destroyed, Your Highness can ascend the throne of Yan. Only after you possess the authority to command all of Yan will you have the strength to contend with Jin. My decisive battle with the Three Sacred Venerables may happen before then, but it is never wrong to prepare in advance. That way, when the time comes, no one will be able to hold you back.”

There was something in his tone suggesting he did not intend to make Shang Chaozong work for nothing: handle Xiaoyue Pavilion properly, and the throne of Yan would be his.

The words stunned all three once again. Shang Chaozong in particular felt his blood stir. Niu Youdao had hinted at this before, but now that the day was truly approaching, it was impossible for him to remain unmoved.

Meng Shanming watched Shang Chaozong’s reaction. Seeing him momentarily at a loss for words, he immediately poured cold water on the moment. “Master Dao, how could Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain agree to that?”

“You don’t need to worry about them,” Niu Youdao said. “Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain are nothing to fear. If I tell them to go east, they won’t dare go west. Whoever refuses to obey, I’ll destroy them! In short, every force in Yan, whether from the cultivation world or the secular realm, will support Your Highness’s rise.”

The quiet dominance in his words made clear that the matter was already settled. They all knew Master Dao had never been one to feed them empty promises. Shang Chaozong grew excited again and was just about to cup his hands in thanks.

But Lan Ruoting poured another basin of cold water over the moment. Cupping his hands, he said, “Master Dao, forgive my candor, but now is not the best time for His Highness to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. I ask that this be delayed!”

[End of Chapter 1505]