Chapter 150: Chapter 150: The Celestial Sword Sect’s Scheme, Sending Out Hope

“What? The No-Life Evil Cult was the Imperial Family’s doing? No wonder the Cyan Yuan Sect pulled out right when we were on the verge of success.”

“To give up on so many Cultivation Resources just like that… I thought it was strange. So this is why. They must have received this news.”

Inside the Celestial Sword Sect in Yu State, the Sect Leader’s expression turned grim the moment he received the latest news.

After all, when he first learned that the Cyan Yuan Sect had returned directly to their own sect, he thought they had simply suffered too many losses and given up on besieging the No-Life Evil Cult. After all, many disciples from the various sects had died.

While the No-Life Evil Cult’s strange Poisons couldn’t harm experts at the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level, they had a huge impact on disciples who had not yet reached that level.

In particular, a few deadly toxins had even killed many Elite Disciples who practiced External Refining. This left a deep impression on the various sects, prompting them to take all sorts of defensive measures.

Ultimately, however, the decisive battles were fought by those with Inner Refining Grandmaster-Level Combat Power. Although the No-Life Evil Cult had many Inner Masters, they were nothing compared to the allied sects.

This alliance was much larger than the No-Life Evil Cult had anticipated. The Evil Cult had threatened the interests of too many sects and made them wary. Thus, when they finally acted, they were all ruthless, giving the No-Life Evil Cult no chance of survival.

At the same time, the Cultivation Resources collected by the No-Life Evil Cult were carved up by the major sects, leaving nothing of value behind. This included some items that had originally belonged to the Xuanqing Palace.

Although the No-Life Evil Cult was annihilated, the Xuanqing Palace also suffered heavy losses. They could only watch this happen without saying much.

Dignity must be maintained with strength. Without strength, there is no dignity.

The Xuanqing Palace could only bide its time in Yu State, slowly developing and recovering. As for everything else, they had to endure it.

The Celestial Sword Sect was no different. They had acquired many good things in Yu State, all of which were absorbed into the Sect’s treasury, adding to their foundation. They had truly made a fortune.

“It seems the rumors about the Cyan Yuan Sect having ties to the Great Zhou Imperial Family weren’t baseless after all. Otherwise, how could they have known such a secret piece of information in advance?”

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect stroked his beard, his eyes narrowing slightly as they grew exceptionally sharp.

’To pull out just as the prize was within reach… The Cyan Yuan Sect must have known this information beforehand. There’s no other reason.’

“Although the No-Life Evil Cult was a creation of the Great Zhou Imperial Family, it was orchestrated by that useless Crown Prince Yang Qian, who’s been a nobody for twenty years. If Emperor Yu finds out, I’m afraid he’ll want to kill this useless Crown Prince.”

“After all, he still has several decades to live. He would never allow such a threat to his existence. The Cyan Yuan Sect was too timid to pull out so quickly.”

“As long as Yang Qian dies, this whole affair will just be swept under the rug.”

The Celestial Sword Sect’s Sect Leader said slowly after taking a sip of water.

In his eyes, Crown Prince Yang Qian was not worth his consideration. After all, most people believed Yang Qian had no chance of inheriting the throne. It was highly likely he would suffer the same fate as the previous crown princes.

He estimated that Emperor Yang Yu would find an excuse to depose Crown Prince Yang Qian to eliminate any threat to his throne. This was Yang Yu’s usual method, and because of it, the situation at court had become extremely chaotic.

Each time he did this, a large number of capable officials were purged, especially the young and promising ones. After these people were eliminated, only the sycophants who did nothing but flatter remained, and this became the norm.

This ultimately led to chaos in the court and a miserable life for the common people. Coupled with natural disasters, the situation only grew worse.

“Sect Leader, my thoughts are much the same as yours. However, we should still arrange for someone to enter White Jade City and confirm the situation.”

“Right now, the Xuanqing Palace is in the worst state. Many sects have their eyes on them. We should move our people from Qing State to Yu State first!”

“It’s always best to squeeze the softest persimmon. We can gain more benefits from a soft target like the Xuanqing Palace.”

“The Cyan Yuan Sect may seem unassuming, but its hidden strength is considerable. To take them down, we would have to pay a great price. The gains would not be worth the losses.”

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Sword Sect continued.

The Celestial Sword Sect had never given up on the idea of invading Qing State. But now, with a better option available, they would naturally choose the easier path to quickly increase their strength. Once they had accumulated enough power, they could deal with stronger opponents.

“Very well. We’ll do as the Grand Elder says. I’ll leave this matter for the Grand Elder to handle personally.”

The Celestial Sword Sect’s Sect Leader nodded after a moment of thought.

It wasn’t just the Celestial Sword Sect that had its eyes on Yu State; other sects were watching too. If they were slow, the benefits would be snatched away by others.

This was a case of “first come, first served.” At a time like this, they naturally had to act quickly.

“Good. I will handle this matter personally.”

The Grand Elder nodded in agreement.

He wouldn’t feel at ease entrusting this to others; it was better to handle it himself.

Like the Celestial Sword Sect, many other sects that remained in Yu State had their own schemes. They wanted to devour this former hegemon of Yu State and prevent it from rising again.

When it comes to neighbors, people prefer them to be weaker and easier to bully. They’d rather take advantage of them from time to time to gain some benefits than extend a helping hand.

Unless, of course, they wanted to subjugate them completely.

There is never any kindness without a reason, only ulterior motives.

…

「Yu State.」

「Xuanqing Palace.」

“Master, has it really come to this?”

The Direct Disciple, Yuan Zhiyuan, looked at the Xuanqing Palace Master in disbelief, never expecting him to make such a choice.

“Right now, every sect is eyeing the Xuanqing Palace like a tiger stalking its prey, just waiting to tear a piece of flesh from us. If we don’t enter White Jade City and participate in the struggle for succession, the Xuanqing Palace will have no chance to rise again.”

“Now, I am placing all our hopes on you. If you can rise up in White Jade City, the Xuanqing Palace will not be destroyed. The last thing I, as your master, can do for you is to find you a good backer.”

“You hold all the legacies of the Xuanqing Palace in your hands. You must survive, no matter what.”

As the Xuanqing Palace Master spoke, he sent the still-weeping Yuan Zhiyuan away, urging him to leave with all possible speed.

A moment later, someone else approached. It was the Third Palace Master of the Xuanqing Palace.

In its heyday, the Xuanqing Palace had ten Palace Masters, all of them Inner Master experts, as well as many Elders who were also Inner Masters. Now, of those ten Palace Masters, only the two of them remained.

Most had died at the hands of the No-Life Evil Cult, while some others had died under mysterious circumstances.

“Great Palace Master, the others have been sent away. Is there really no hope left?”

The Third Palace Master looked at the Great Palace Master, his face full of unwillingness, hoping to hear of a solution, even though he himself felt it was a slim chance.

“There is always hope. Aren’t those we just sent away our hope?”

At that moment, the Xuanqing Palace Master’s once-straight back seemed to stoop a little.

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