Chapter 561: Chapter 69: The Fish-Slacking Palace Master and the Cautious Sect Hierarch

Bai Jiaojiao didn’t tell Green Snake about one particular stipulation; if within a thousand years, neither of them could become an Ancestral Dragon, then she would have to personally kill Green Snake. One reason was to spare Green Snake from suffering; the other was out of fear that the poison of the void would spread.

She refrained from telling Green Snake because she feared it would put too much pressure on her.

After all, as long as she strived to become a Heavenly Dragon, that would suffice.

The path that Bai Jiaojiao had chosen for herself was also the route of the Great Virtue Celestial Dragon.

Now with conflict arising everywhere, it was an ideal opportunity to perform good deeds and accumulate virtue. By sticking close to Lin Yun, her chances of becoming a Great Virtue Celestial Dragon were quite hopeful.

"Let’s go ascend to the Dragon Head Peak now. Once we have acquired the legacy left by Elder Bai Lin, we can return to the Central Plains."

Having fled to Mount Heavenly Dragon, they had been out of touch with the Central Plains for far too long, and Bai Jiaojiao was eager to return.

Green Snake had no objections, so the two sisters together set foot on the Great Snow Mountain.

While Lin Yun and Bai Jiaojiao were climbing the mountain, the Central Plains were in turmoil.

Following Jiang Chenyu’s forceful comeback, Guanghan Palace also started to align itself with Shenxiao Sect. The other sects, pressured by circumstances and the encroaching Grassland Army, had no choice but to set aside their differences temporarily to unite against the common enemy.

Any sect that still indulged in internal strife at this point would truly tarnish its reputation and become the target of public scorn.

In the Cultivation World, although strength was important, reputation mattered just as much.

Although the White Lotus Sect and the Green Lotus Sect didn’t visibly announce their support for Ziyang City, they also didn’t take the opportunity to create chaos.

Those standing with Yue Ningshuang included sects such as the Yu Ling Sect and individuals from The Royal Family. The Royal Family was at odds with the Shenxiao Sect and had hoped that by supporting Yue Ningshuang, they could stand in rivalry with the Shenxiao Sect.

Who would have thought that upon Jiang Chenyu’s return, Yue Ningshuang would be overshadowed.

This made their situation extremely awkward. Leaving Guanghan Palace’s faction at such a time would seem to show fear of the Grassland People.

The Imperial Clan had committed such disgraceful acts before; if they did so again, they would further lose the people’s support, given their already tenuous popularity.

Unfortunately for them, there were still two princes of the Imperial Clan alive, Zhao Yi and Zhao Guang. It was precisely because of the existence of these two princes that, although the Five Sects had formed an alliance, they were internally divided into two factions and in the end could not decide who to support as the new sovereign.

This issue had thus been left unresolved, and the current state of Great Zhou was fragmented and ungoverned, with various territories being divided among the sects.

Now, faced with such a situation, the two official representatives of Great Zhou, Princes Zhao Yi and Zhao Guang, held differing opinions.

Zhao Yi wanted to conserve strength, but Zhao Guang advocated active warfare.

His enthusiasm wasn’t so much about serving his country as it was about exploiting his own agenda.

The Zhao Lingyu whom he once looked down upon, who could have foreseen her achieving such a status?

Luckily, he had placed his pieces around Zhao Lingyu early on, and now it was time to make use of them.

Advocating for war was merely a facade.

With internal opinions divided, Zhao Guang proposed a radical solution: to split up and go their separate ways.

Originally they had united reluctantly to oppose the Shenxiao Sect, unable to defeat it. Now Zhao Guang no longer wished to play along and found an excuse to abandon them, while simultaneously polishing his own reputation.

Overnight, news of Zhao Guang breaking with his brother to oppose the Grassland People spread everywhere.

Of course, Zhao Guang himself orchestrated this effect.

He spent a lot of money to ensure that everyone knew he, Zhao Guang, was a man of character, and in the process, took a shot at discrediting Zhao Yi. However...

The next day, an explosive piece of news spread throughout the lands.

A group of people, acting in the name of the Sea-King, had occupied Haizhou and a long line of coastal cities along the East Sea, including Mountain and Sea Pass, all of which fell overnight.

Most of these cities were part of the Central Plains, while some had previously been occupied by the Grassland People, and were now under the control of the Sea-King.

These people, whose origin was unknown, suddenly emerged, and for the moment, nobody cared anymore whether Zhao Guang had a quarrel with his brother or not; dealing with enemies on both fronts was of utmost importance.

The title Sea-King was not yet well-known among the common people, but it was no stranger to cultivators.

Back when Mountain and Sea Pass saw upheaval, a man claiming to be a descendant of the Sea-King named Yuan Zidan appeared but was later repelled and vanished without a trace. Unexpectedly, he had now reappeared, and it was unclear where he had been all this time.

Upon receiving the intelligence, Dongfang Hongyue and Lin Yu reached a consensus.

This fellow must have gone to summon reinforcements.

He ventured alone the last time, but now he had amassed a group, which meant he was coming with formidable momentum.

Lin Yu also began to find the situation troublesome.

The war between the Central Plains and the Grassland had already evolved into a play, with the outcome prearranged.

Although she was still irritated that Lin Yun had hit her and fled, she had no intention of opposing the plan Lin Yun had set.

But now, with Yuan Zidan marching with his troops, the plan set by Lin Yun was at risk.

"What should we do now?"

In the midst of a small conference, they were joined by another, Jiang Chenyu.

Lin Yu looked at Jiang Chenyu and felt a surge of anger.

Lin Yun really was capable! Someday, she thought, the top meetings in the Central Plains might all be filled with Lin Yun’s people, making such private meetings unnecessary.

"The throne is swaying in the storm!"

Dongfang Hongyue sighed deeply. She thought of Yuxuan’s words, that this calamity ultimately needed someone to quell it.

Fate seemed to be driving these individuals incessantly forward; the stage was set for a three-way war among kings. Although Lin Yu hadn’t proclaimed herself as a monarch in the Central Plains, her immense prestige within the Shenxiao Sect effectively made her one.

There’s still no news from the Flower Fairy; ever since our last parting, she’s disappeared without a trace, and no one knows what she’s up to. However, Dongfang Hongyue knows that when the Flower Fairy appears again, she will certainly return with the majesty of a King.

The battle of the Four Kings seems to be inevitable.

But...

Among these Four Kings, three are Lin Yun’s women, and Dongfang Hongyue seems to foresee the result of the Four Kings’ battle in the future.

Peace is probably going to be elusive, and it’s more likely that the three Kings will join forces to drive out Yuan Zidan, then fight among themselves.

It is said that the Sea-King was the first to be eliminated back then; could it be that the situation is the same now as it was then?

Dongfang Hongyue’s thoughts drifted far away.

Lin Yu glanced at her with reproach for simply sighing without offering any opinion.

"Daoist Chenyu, what do you think?"

"Just wait for Lin Yun to return."

Jiang Chenyu has already become indifferent; she has stopped thinking or desiring to think.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu couldn’t help but feel a surge of silent grievance.

Lin Yun knew she was waiting for him to coax her, yet he had left her behind without giving it a second thought.

She made a mental note of this grudge.

"There’s no need to wait for him; we need to learn to make decisions on our own. The situation in the Central Plains changes in the blink of an eye, we can’t always rely on Lin Yun to make decisions for us."

"Then what’s your view?"

Jiang Chenyu was well-versed in the art of idling.

If you’re not satisfied with my indifferent response, then what’s your view?

If you don’t have a good answer, then don’t call me negligent, but if you do have a good answer, even better, I’ll follow along.

In any case, with enough shamelessness, there’s no fish you can’t catch.

Lin Yu had never imagined that the Lord of Guanghan Palace could be such a master of idleness; in the art of shirking work, she had reached a level of pure mastery.

Having no other choice, Lin Yu finally shared her own thoughts.

"I think we should attack the Sea-King first. Although the Snow Maiden is an enemy, she is also one of our own. She will show restraint when taking over Ziyang City, but Yuan Zidan might not be the same.

Besides, the Snow Maiden is difficult to deal with, but against Yuan Zidan, Daoist Hong Yue has the Calming Sea Pearl, which will ensure his defeat."

In summary, Lin Yu meant to target the easier opponent first.

Dongfang Hongyue immediately perked up upon hearing that she was expected to make a move, and she countered, "I think your idea is right, but also not right."

Lin Yu: "..."

Dongfang Hongyue analyzed seriously, "Yuan Zidan should know we have the Calming Sea Pearl. He suffered a loss last time, and yet he dares to lead a large army against us again, which means he must have something to rely on. If we think we can restrain him and treat him as an easy target, overlooking his capabilities, we are bound to suffer losses."

When it comes to caution, one has to admire Dongfang Hongyue.

Lin Yu also admitted that Dongfang Hongyue made sense.

"In my opinion, the most important thing in a war is intelligence. Before taking action, we first need to know what cards the opponent holds."

When Dongfang Hongyue said this, her intention was clear.

"Shall we send out spies? Guanghan Palace does have some informants in Haizhou. Although Yuan Zidan has taken those cities, he hasn’t committed mass slaughter, so I can still send someone to gather intelligence."

The highest realm of idling isn’t about lying down and doing nothing the entire time, but showing some initiative when it’s time to play your part, so that when it comes to recording achievements, no one overlooks you. That’s the real way to shirk."

Otherwise, if you don’t participate in the work at all, you won’t get a share when it’s time to divide the spoils.

In the art of idling, Jiang Chenyu has yet to meet her match.

Seeing that Dongfang Hongyue and Jiang Chenyu were about to settle the matter, Lin Yu nodded and said, "Let’s decide on that then. First, let’s find out exactly what Yuan Zidan has up his sleeve, then we’ll deal with him."

Lin Yu’s hand caressed her longsword, longing to fight someone at this very moment.

Dongfang Hongyue couldn’t help but snicker.

Yuan Zidan truly had bad luck, encountering Lin Yu at a time when her temper was explosive. The tigress had been angered by her husband and had no way to vent her fury, but now someone had just come along...

Yuan Zidan, who was in a cabin, suddenly sneezed, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Brother?"

Across from Yuan Zidan, a charming young girl tilted her head and glanced at him.

Sneezing was something common folk did. With his immense cultivation, how could he possibly sneeze?

"It’s nothing, perhaps someone is talking about me."

Yuan Zidan didn’t take it to heart. Looking at his lovely and gentle sister, the words he had been suppressing in his heart for a long time somehow eluded him.

His sister’s name was Yuan Zihe, his twin sister.

He was handsome and valiant; his sister gentle and beautiful.

The one Yuan Zidan cherished the most was his sister. However, for the sake of the Yuan family’s centuries-old ambition, he had no choice but to ask his sister to make a sacrifice.

"Brother, do you have something you want to say to me?"