Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds-Chapter 512 - 265. Layer upon layer of layout, surprising both heaven and earth_2
If these people disagreed, the Nanhua School would likely soon be engulfed in a vortex of public opinion, facing condemnation from the various Righteous Path schools.
Master's Wife... this move, was it Xu Xing's calculation, or was it fate?
Ding Jifeng stroked his beard.
Earlier, he had felt smug for seeing through Xu Xing's scheme. However, now, he and the Nanhua School had been forced to become pieces on Xu Xing's chessboard.
Whether it was fate or strategy, the triumph he had felt just moments ago had vanished completely in an instant.
「...」
「Elsewhere.」
Not long after returning to the Welcoming Hall, Ruan Baimei, his expression gloomy, entered a secret chamber with several Dao Lords from the Flying Feather Immortal Palace.
He retrieved his Purple Ribbon Gold Seal from his sleeve, channeled several array techniques into it, and then placed the Purple Ribbon Gold Seal on the table.
"Disciple has urgent matters to report to the Sect! I implore Ancestor Chi to reveal his celestial presence!"
Ruan Baimei bowed deeply, performing three obeisances.
A moment later, the Purple Ribbon Gold Seal trembled slightly.
A three-inch-tall elder in a black robe emerged from it. His hair was parted in black and white, a Crane Hairpin adorned his topknot, and he exuded an aura of pure refinement.
If Xu Xing were present, he would have instantly recognized this man as Chi Yuan, the Nascent Soul Saint Monarch who had nearly "assassinated" him using the Mirror Light Technique.
"Ancestor Chi," Ruan Baimei began, his tone reverent, "today, an uninvited guest arrived at the Nanhua School—it is the Butian Sect I mentioned to you previously."
He respectfully recounted the day's events in full.
When he finished, he bowed once more and pleaded, "I implore Ancestor Chi to eradicate this fiend and restore our Sect's prestige!"
His statement to Teacher Tianhai and the other cultivators—that they would execute Hai An to give Xu Xing an answer—was merely a delaying tactic.
From beginning to end, he had only one thought in mind: to use the power of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace to kill Xu Xing.
After hearing Ruan Baimei's words, Chi Yuan did not respond immediately. He wore a thoughtful expression, then shook his head and mused, "Mortals often say that circumstances make heroes. But this old man has always believed that heroes can also shape circumstances.
This time, Xu Xing has orchestrated a grand scheme against our Sect. He has truly come into his own."
The secret decree Ren Yuanrui gave to Xu Xing... Chi Yuan thought. He had known about it from the very beginning. In fact, he had deliberately arranged for the factions within the Sect under his control to pressure Xu Xing into leaving the Flying Feather Immortal Palace.
Human hearts are inherently complex. He himself hailed from the Master and Disciple Lineage and still held affection for it.
Thus, upon learning that Ren Yuanrui intended to entrust Xu Xing with reviving the Master and Disciple Lineage through a secret decree, not only did Chi Yuan not obstruct it, he even facilitated it, giving it a nudge.
A Nascent Soul Saint Monarch was already a supreme existence in the East Huangzhou Cultivation World.
He viewed Xu Xing—this disciple from his own Sect who had slipped from his grasp—as little more than an ant.
He had wanted to wait and see, to observe to what realm, to what extent this Xu Xing, this "Human Emperor Body," could truly develop.
The world was his chessboard; all living beings, his pieces.
This was the echelon he occupied as a Nascent Soul Saint Monarch, far removed from common mortals and low-level cultivators.
Yet, unexpectedly, this Xu Xing, whom he had considered a "discarded piece," had, in just over a hundred years, grown to a point where even he found him considerably troublesome.
A Nascent Soul Daoist Lord at the level of a sect leader...
This was no small matter!
Seeing Chi Yuan remain silent for a long while, the Hai Family Daoist Lord, mistakenly believing Chi Yuan still harbored old affections for the Master and Disciple Lineage, stepped forward and said, "Uncle Chi, Xu Xing has already gained considerable power. The Heavenly Saint Sect, Chongzhen Temple, Starfall Sect, and other schools are now at his disposal. His cultivation is extraordinary. If we do not eliminate him soon, our Family Line will surely be overthrown!"
"If Xu Xing is not killed," he added, "given his cunning, strength, and strategic mind, our Sect's losses will extend far beyond what we've suffered today."
Chi Yuan listened, nodded slightly, and acknowledged the Hai Family Daoist Lord's point.
However, when it came to the specifics of dealing with Xu Xing, he shook his head. "Xu Xing's movements have always been secretive. Although this old man is a Nascent Soul Saint Monarch, it would be difficult to kill him within a mere three days.
Moreover, the domain you are in is Nanhua School territory. If I were a Saint Monarch of the Nanhua School, I would never stand idly by and watch Xu Xing die within the School's gates."
Hearing this, the Ruan Family Daoist Lord's eyebrows shot up as if in sudden understanding. "Uncle Chi, are you saying Xu Xing isn't out in the wider world, but right here within the Nanhua School? Or perhaps, among the disciples on those three Tower Boats?"
Truly, the older the wiser! they thought. As those directly involved, they had been blind to this possibility.
With the conflict between the Butian Sect and the Flying Feather Immortal Palace ignited, the optimal strategy for the Flying Feather Immortal Palace to minimize losses would undoubtedly have been to assassinate Xu Xing beforehand, preventing him from even reaching the Nanhua School.
With no one left to testify if he were dead, even if the various schools harbored discontent, they would never dare provoke the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, a Higher Teaching, and risk a crushing suppression.
Ultimately, in the Cultivation World, strength reigns supreme. Public opinion is just noise!
"A miscalculation..."
This analysis brought sudden regret to the Hai Family Daoist Lord and the others; they realized they had lost the perfect opportunity to turn the tables.
The only way to break the game Xu Xing had laid out this time was for the Flying Feather Immortal Palace to strike first when Buxu Zi read the secret decree. This would have forced Xu Xing, hidden on the Tower Boat, to reveal himself, escalating the war of public opinion into a true battle of life and death.
Chi Yuan, seeming to perceive their thoughts, smiled. "This wasn't your miscalculation. Wars between great powers should not be initiated lightly. Even if you had guessed Xu Xing was on the Tower Boat, our Sect came to the Nanhua School to sign a Marriage Contract. How could we cast aside propriety and strike first?"
At this, Chi Yuan couldn't help but admire Xu Xing's strategy.
Under this overt scheme, every move the Flying Feather Immortal Palace made had been perfectly anticipated. There was simply no way out!
So what if they guessed Xu Xing was on the Tower Boat, among the Butian Sect's disciples? The alliance between two major sects was a momentous affair. How could they initiate a major conflict based on mere suspicion, losing all face before the Nanhua School and abandoning all decorum?
"Thank you, Uncle Chi, for your enlightening words," the Hai Family Daoist Lord said with a slight bow.
After Chi Yuan's explanation, he finally grasped how truly terrifying Xu Xing's machinations were.
Against this Human King physique, his loss was not undeserved.
Ruan Baimei fell silent for a moment, then bowed to Chi Yuan's three-inch light projection. "Disciple understands. We will wait for Xu Xing to make his move after the three days are up."
This was a grand event for two great Higher Teachings. All the Righteous Path schools from across the land had come to offer congratulations.
Under the watchful eyes of all, even if the Nanhua School was inwardly biased towards the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, they would not, at this moment, allow their own Nascent Soul Saint Monarch to engage in a major battle with Xu Xing and thereby lose face for all Righteous Path sects.
Therefore, regarding the three-day deadline, the Flying Feather Immortal Palace had no choice but to wait. They had absolutely no opportunity to make any underhanded moves or assassinate Xu Xing beforehand.
"Furthermore," Ruan Baimei added, "regarding the matter of Hai An... I implore Ancestor Chi to handle it and provide Xu Xing with an accounting."
Even though, at this moment, he loathed Xu Xing so much he wished he could flay him alive and pull out his tendons, Ruan Baimei understood the priorities.
Killing Hai An would undoubtedly cause the Flying Feather Immortal Palace to lose face, but it was far better than allowing the "Butian Sect" to continuously exploit the issue and keep the Flying Feather Immortal Palace on the defensive.
"Very well," Chi Yuan affirmed with a nod. "Before the three-day deadline arrives, this old man will have someone deliver Hai An's head to the Nanhua School."
With a wave of his voluminous sleeve, he vanished from the Purple Ribbon Gold Seal without a trace.
「...」
The Flying Feather Immortal Palace was not the only one analyzing the scheme Xu Xing had laid. After Ye Hualian departed, the Nanhua School also gradually came to understand.
After Ding Jifeng and the other Dao Lords from within the School left the Great Hall, he had taken no more than a dozen steps when he abruptly halted. A thunderbolt of realization struck his mind.
He was instantly jolted awake!
Master's Wife seemed to favor the Butian Sect, but in reality, she was secretly telling me... Xu Xing is already within the Nanhua School!
Xu Xing and his master's wife, Ye Hualian, were neither related nor close friends. Even if she still harbored old sentiments for the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, she wouldn't have openly embarrassed Ding Jifeng before everyone, putting him and the Nanhua School in an untenable position.
Therefore, there could be only one explanation: Ye Hualian had acted as she did primarily for the benefit of the Nanhua School.
He mused to himself, Three days from now, when Xu Xing appears within the Nanhua School, if not for Master's Wife's commotion... our School would be seen as sheltering Xu Xing in fact, without gaining the reputation for doing so. Instead, we would have offended the current Flying Feather Immortal Palace.
But with this uproar, sheltering Xu Xing due to long-standing family friendship becomes perfectly justifiable.
We gain both fame and practical benefits!
And the Flying Feather Immortal Palace's resentment will be directed solely at Master's Wife.
