The No.1 Undercover in the Immortal World-Chapter 329 - 328: The Killing Calamity Has Not Yet Subsided (4th Update)
The ultimate realm of an undercover is perhaps when you lie in wait so well that you turn the high ranks of your enemy into your own insiders.
This trick is remarkable...
So, in the end, it might be either Lin Yun infiltrated the Grassland, or the Grassland has planted an insider in the Central Plains...
"Sister Yu can plot to take the position of Shenxiao Sect Leader, and since Fang Yu is not obsessed with power, she will inevitably give up her position when you show your intelligence. Moreover, she seems to have some thoughts about Brother Yun, so you must keep a close eye on her."
Dongfang Hongyue also strongly agreed with this.
"You must keep a close watch!"
Lin Yu: "..."
She actually admired Fang Yu quite a bit. To her, Fang Yu was a senior, and even though her own cultivation level had increased to the point where she could possibly defeat Fang Yu, Lin Yu still respected her.
She was a person who adhered to righteousness, just like how Lin Yu had been before. Even now, she held on to her sense of justice, if not as rigidly as before.
But now this respectable senior had become her opponent, and Lin Yu would show no mercy.
"I will keep watch."
Whether or not I become the Sect Leader doesn’t matter to me, but don’t you dare think about taking Lin Yun away!
"As the leader of the Demon Sect, you have managed to whiten your reputation a lot through this war. I see that the people from Taiqing Daoist Temple have a good relationship with you. From this angle, you could deepen cooperation with the Righteous Path. With Sister Yu in Shenxiao Sect and me in Guanghan Palace, you have almost no enemies in the Righteous Path. In these tense times, you could propose a unified alliance within the Demon Sect.
Then, with support from many sides, you will occupy a high position in the alliance, and you’ll be able to control even more power."
Dongfang Hongyue couldn’t help but admire the Flower Fairy’s words.
Who would have thought that the Saintess of Guanghan Palace would have some experience playing the role of an insider traitor.
The right move is to climb up the ranks!
"Now let’s talk about me. I am now in control of Guanghan Palace’s finances and have obtained a considerable amount of strength. My master will surely be pleased but also suspicious of me. When the time comes, I will show a greedy side and suggest going into commerce. She will certainly delegate authority, and then I can use the name of Guanghan Palace to lay out business ventures throughout Great Zhou. Within ten years, I can have control over all commerce in this world."
The Flower Fairy declared confidently, "To control commerce is to control Great Zhou. No cultivator has yet noticed the power of merchants, and that’s our opportunity."
At present, the Flower Fairy was already the richest person in Great Zhou, and a substantial part of Pearl Island’s wealth was in her hands. Although it was nominally held in the name of Guanghan Palace, she was simultaneously in charge of the palace’s finances.
Up to this moment, no one had realized that the Flower Fairy held the lifeline in her hands.
Dongfang Hongyue nodded repeatedly, for she did not have any objections to offer.
"Let’s leave it at that, but we still shouldn’t appear too familiar with each other, so as not to give anything away."
"Ha, are we familiar? Don’t forget we still have a ten-year agreement. However, since I had a misunderstanding before, we need to modify the bet. In ten years, whoever wins will become Brother Yun’s lawful wife, and the others will be concubines. How about that?"
Upon hearing the Flower Fairy’s proposal, Dongfang Hongyue became angry again but immediately agreed, "Fine, it’s a bet!"
She could never admit defeat.
Lin Yu, who was beside them, however, had her objections.
Nice going, Little Flower. Such a cunning mind!
You’re using this bet to kick me out of the game, aren’t you?
I thought you’d want to form an alliance with me!
"I disagree, this matter should be left to Lin Yun to decide. Whoever he wants to marry first should be the rightful wife. Are you afraid Lin Yun won’t choose either of you?"
Flower Fairy: "..."
Dongfang Hongyue: "..."
Clearly, without Dongfang Hongyue’s reminder, the three of them would not be able to get along amicably.
In the blink of an eye, three more days passed.
The border remained calm, with no disturbances.
The Snow Maiden still occasionally provoked Dongfang Hongyue, trying to capture her and make her a prisoner.
But the Central Plains dispatched three more masters to the Mountain and Sea Pass, every time outnumbering Dongfang Hongyue, and even with the Snow Maiden holding a Divine Artifact, she was unable to capture her.
The individuals who arrived at the Mountain and Sea Pass were two masters renowned for shirking their duties, Zhang Biyu and Jiang Chenyu, and Fang Yu.
These were three figures at the pinnacle of their factions.
Their support at the Mountain and Sea Pass happened because the Demon Tribe had been routed.
After Lin Yu and the Flower Fairy’s support at the Mountain and Sea Pass, two Demon Kings came to surrender – the Scorpion King and Yang Li.
With the betrayal of the Scorpion King and Yang Li, only six of the Eight Great Demon Kings remained, leading their tribes into retreat south of the Flowing Sand River.
However, since they didn’t completely trust these two Demon Kings and feared ambushes, and given that the Central Plains People also sent reinforcements to the Mountain and Sea Pass, the Central Plains decided not to pursue. Instead, they just fortified their defenses and transferred the Scorpion King and Yang Li to defend the Grassland at the Mountain and River Pass.
Since their loyalty was not yet certain, it was better to have them stationed in the north.
Moreover, keeping them at the Mountain and River Pass was somewhat of a peace offering to the two Demon Kings.
Because there wasn’t danger there, if they felt unsafe, they could flee into the Dragon River and escape to the Grassland, which was certainly a gesture of sincerity from the Central Plains People.
Since the south was largely pacified, there was no need for excessive force, so Fang Yu and the others went to support the more important Mountain and Sea Pass.
Unfortunately, although Enlightened Realm Cultivators were fast, they had their limits.
They could not make it in time for the secret realm at the Mountain and Sea Pass, and by the time they did arrive, Lin Yun had already been gone for a day.
Moreover, Fang Yu and two slackers who showed up didn’t have much impact on the battle.
They couldn’t possibly win, and Snow Maiden never intended to fight them seriously; it was just a routine performance every day.
Openly, they were planning to attack the Mountain and Sea Pass, but in reality, they were preparing a surprise attack on Pearl Island.
Zhang Ling led the people to venture into Boundary Mountain. After felling trees and transporting them back, they quietly built ships in the vast rear area, so thoroughly concealed that the Central Plains People naturally couldn’t discover it.
But on this day, the reaction from the Peach Blossom Secret Orders possessed by Dongfang Hongyue and Fang Yu indicated that they were being summoned by Yuxuan.
They instructed those not involved in the meeting to guard the city pass well, and the four great cultivators entered the Peach Blossom Secret Realm through the Peach Blossom Secret Orders.
Yuxuan sat at the head of the table; the recuperating Sword Sect Leader Baili Liuyun also finally made an appearance. His spirit was somewhat diminished, having suffered the pain of losing his son and wife. He couldn’t participate in this war of defending the home and protecting the country, and his inner depression was beyond words.
Ji Ye was as before, teasing Zhang Biyu, "Biyu, how are things at the Mountain and Sea Pass? I am constantly worried about your safety."
"Thank you for your concern, Brother Ye. Any movements from the Demon Tribe?"
"Rest assured, the Demon Tribe now knows fear and doesn’t dare to infringe our borders again. There’s no need to worry about me."
Zhang Biyu: "..."
I wasn’t worried about you at all!
"Brother Ji."
Zhang Biyu, using her greeting to Liu Ji as a way to change the subject.
Liu Ji nodded his head, as aloof as always.
Originally, the seating arrangement for the various Sect Leaders and Sect Masters was clear-cut, with distinct divisions, a ranking of three and six, plus one at the head.
Now, with Daoist Master Huang Long gone, Jiang Chenyu joined Fang Yu’s side; Zhang Biyu and Dongfang Hongyue sat together on one side.
The remaining four men then moved to the opposite side.
Although Liu Ji claimed he was not afraid of women, since being rescued by Fang Yu, he always felt somewhat diminished, so he seated himself across from them.
At this point, the Demon Sect and the Righteous Path seemed just like a big, loving family.
After some light pre-meeting chatter, everyone turned their attention to Yuxuan at the head of the table. At the start of the turmoil, Yuxuan was brimming with confidence, asserting the crisis could be overcome. However, now that the crisis was nearly passed, the Grassland saw no fruits of war, and the Demon Tribe was defeated. The Demon Race, which everyone worried might seize the chaos to act, now seemed as if it never existed in the world.
Everything was trending in a positive direction, yet Yuxuan wore a grave expression, which truly troubled everyone.
"What has prompted the Daoist to summon us today?"
Jiang Chenyu inquired.
"Fellow Daoists, we may be in trouble."
"What trouble?"
Dongfang Hongyue internally raged with complaints; over the previous three hundred years, even though she had been through many storms, there had never been any trouble that required the joint effort of the Righteous and the Demonic that proved to be a headache. But now, problem after problem arose, one wave right after the next.
Yuxuan’s expression was solemn as she spoke, "This slaughter ordeal resulted in too few casualties."
All the Sect Masters looked at each other in dismay. What, is it a bad thing that fewer people died?
Yuxuan sighed and continued, "The so-called slaughter ordeal is a calamity for the common folk, a tribulation that the people must endure through life and death. However, in this three-way battle, the casualties did not exceed a thousand. Most were due to the Grassland People slaughtering a few villages. The real battlefield deaths were extremely few."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yu immediately expressed her displeasure, "Are you saying, Daoist, that our victory is actually a misfortune?"
"The poor Daoist didn’t mean that. It’s just that the common people didn’t overcome the ordeal with their own strength; instead, they survived the calamity thanks to your protection. But this does not erase the ordeal of slaughter. Instead, due to your intervention, it has become even stronger. When it strikes again, everyone here, including the poor Daoist, will find it difficult to escape."
This was Yuxuan’s dilemma as well.
She couldn’t bring herself to say such ruthless words, to allow the death of some to alleviate the calamity. But if that was not done, a greater disaster would ensue, and more would die.
Having foreseen this far, she was at a loss, which was why she gathered the many Sect Masters to discuss it together.
"Amitabha, could it really be that only through slaughter can we resolve this catastrophe?"
The old monk from Eight Tones Temple, having caught the undertones in Yuxuan’s words, asked somewhat reluctantly.
Yuxuan nodded.
"The poor Daoist also did not foresee it would come to this. Through the nine thousand years, all wars were king against king, general against general, with the pawns marching first. This time, both our southern and northern battlefronts saw generals against generals, with the pawns standing still. Who would have thought it could intensify the slaughter ordeal."
Yuxuan closed her eyes and finally made a suggestion.
"In upcoming battles, cultivators above the Celestial Knowing Realm should not take action. The outcome of the war should be left to the majority, allowing them to decide the direction of the war."
"I object!"
Fang Yu immediately stood up to voice her opposition.
She understood what Yuxuan meant, which was to let a portion of people go to their deaths to appease the slaughter ordeal.
She disagreed.
In all wars before this one, it had been the pawns who marched first, with countless casualties, kings against kings, generals against generals, and those above the Celestial Knowing Realm not taking action lightly.
But this time, the premise for joining the battle was being at the Celestial Knowing Realm, resulting in others not participating.
In previous battles, when the lower-rank soldiers died, Fang Yu could not say much because that’s how war worked.
But this time, they were to push out some to die, which was a perversion of the natural order!
