One day later.
Lü Yang, feeling refreshed and energetic, walked out of the secret chamber.
He glanced at Chen Xin'an, whose face was pale as if he was about to vomit, and with a shake of the All-Spirits Banner, he put him away.
Outside the chamber, True Person Yinshan had already been waiting for quite some time.
"Sorry to keep Senior Brother waiting."
"Not at all."
True Person Yinshan gave Lü Yang a strange look and sincerely said, "Uncle-Master truly didn’t misjudge you back then, you are indeed a pillar of the sect."
You carry the style of a Patriarch!
"Overpraise, overpraise."
Lü Yang waved his hand humbly and quickly got to the point, "I’ve already investigated the details of 【Kingdom of Qing】. There are both pros and cons.""The good side is that 【Kingdom of Qing】 is but a tiny land, with a population of no more than a million. Therefore, the highest official position offers extremely limited cultivation support. Even with the nation’s full resources, they can only sustain a single late Foundation Establishment Great True Person, and the cost is that all other officials lose their corresponding supernatural abilities."
"The bad side is that they have already learned about Uncle-Master Chong Guang’s situation."
Hearing this, True Person Yinshan shook his head, "It wasn’t exactly hidden when Senior Brother sought the golden path. Reversing the fruit position rules is a major event, and it was never going to stay secret for long."
"Fortunately, Senior Brother’s reincarnated body has not been exposed."
"With Senior Brother’s cultivation, there won’t be any fetal confusion this time. He can awaken his divine memory upon reincarnation and hide in the shadows to cooperate with us inside and out."
"Speaking of which—"
At this point, Lü Yang suddenly lowered his voice, "How exactly does Uncle-Master seek the golden path and reverse 【Kingdom of Qing】’s fruit position rules?"
This was something True Person Chong Guang hadn’t explained back then, and Lü Yang hadn’t dared to ask more.
Only now did he carefully ask, after all, he had just risked his life killing enemies without holding back. His loyalty could be said to be as clear as the sun and moon.
Seeing this, True Person Yinshan chuckled, "To put it plainly, it’s actually nothing complicated."
"It was originally meant to be told to Yuan Tu."
"You’ve seen 【Kingdom of Qing】 as well. Governed by the Dao Court, following the lineage of ten thousand generations, to reverse its rules is naturally to overthrow 【Kingdom of Qing】’s existing rule."
"… That’s it?"
Lü Yang was stunned, "If that’s the case, why would Uncle-Master need to reincarnate? Wouldn’t it be better to just attack directly? If 【Kingdom of Qing】 is destroyed, wouldn’t it still succeed?"
True Person Yinshan shook his head.
"Overthrowing by force is useless. Only by letting their system collapse and disintegrate on its own counts as a true reversal."
"You mean—"
Lü Yang seemed to grasp something, "Uncle-Master must act as a leader and let the people of Qing overthrow their own court for it to be considered a success?"
In other words, it was 【an uprising】!
"You’re right."
True Person Yinshan nodded, "To overturn the Dao Court’s system, it must either be from the bottom up or from the top down. There is no third way."
"And what we need to do is apply as much external pressure as possible to intensify 【Kingdom of Qing】’s internal contradictions, while pinning down those who could threaten Senior Brother on the battlefield, preventing them from leaving, so that Senior Brother’s reincarnated body can stir up the people in secret."
"Therefore, this war is likely to continue for a long time."
"… I understand."
After that, Lü Yang cross-checked the information he had obtained about the Foundation Establishment forces within 【Kingdom of Qing】 with True Person Yinshan, and only then saw him off.
However, he didn’t fully trust True Person Yinshan’s words.
After all, all this information must have come from True Person Chong Guang.
But as a True Person of the Saint Sect, would Chong Guang truly reveal all his plans for seeking the golden path?
Would he really reincarnate without leaving any backup?
Lü Yang narrowed his eyes, gazing into the distance in the direction of 【Kingdom of Qing】.
His instincts told him that there was definitely something wrong with Chong Guang’s reincarnation!
【Kingdom of Qing】, Zha Long Pass.
Zhong Xin, the current top scholar of the Kingdom of Qing, was in his study reviewing official documents.
As an official under the Dao Court system, they did not need to cultivate.
All supernatural abilities were granted by the Son of Heaven.
Absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth? There was no need. Once you attained the official position, the spiritual energy would willingly enter your body, letting you refine it at will.
Practicing divine abilities?
Also unnecessary, because all divine abilities came with the official position. Practicing was just a waste of time. As long as you had the position, you would naturally master them.
"… Hmm?"
At that moment, Zhong Xin suddenly raised his head, then flicked his sleeve and walked out of the study.
He saw a stream of fiery light descending from the sky, quickly forming into shape.
The next second, earth generated from fire, metal from earth, water from metal, wood from water, and fire from wood… under the cycle of the five elements, a staggering figure fell out, clutching a tattered umbrella full of holes.
It was none other than the heavily injured, with his magical body on the verge of collapse—Five Elements True Person!
"Senior Hua!?"
Zhong Xin hurried forward to support Five Elements True Person, only to see him give a bitter smile, "I regret not heeding the words of Top Scholar Zhong… I have returned in utter defeat."
"Please, sit down first."
Zhong Xin did not blame him. Instead, he immediately helped Five Elements True Person sit, then quickly took out a pill and fed it to him, helping to stabilize his wounded magical body.
A moment later, two more streaks of light descended from the sky.
It was none other than Duo Bao Child and the pale-faced Xuan Jin Sword Master, both of whom had narrowly escaped death.
"Only you all returned?" Seeing this, Zhong Xin couldn’t help falling silent.
After a long while, he finally spoke, "What exactly happened? Though I didn’t agree with you going, I never expected such heavy losses. Could it be that a Great True Person of the Demon Sect shamelessly took action?"
"Not a Great True Person…"
Five Elements True Person’s expression grew even grimmer, and without explaining further, he simply split off a strand of divine sense and handed it to Zhong Xin, imprinting all their previous experiences into it.
Zhong Xin took the divine sense and skimmed through it roughly.
A long time later, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, speaking in a low voice, "… What a fierce sword! What a ruthless person! Whose direct disciple of the Saint Sect is this?"
"Unknown."
Five Elements True Person sighed, "I bear the blame for causing the downfall of three fellow Daoists…"
"That’s not true."
Zhong Xin shook his head, "Though the loss is great, didn’t you bring back a mid-Foundation Establishment reinforcement? It’s not entirely a loss."
"Moreover, after this battle, we’ve finally probed the Demon Sect’s forces. Knowing about this person now is better than finding out later. In this way, not only are you not at fault, but you have actually done a great service! I will report this to the King on your behalf. Please do not belittle yourself!"
"Is that really appropriate?"
Although Five Elements True Person put on an embarrassed look, his expression clearly brightened, showing he did not disagree.
Soon after, Zhong Xin comforted everyone.
Only when everyone’s injuries and mood had stabilized did he have them led away, then he turned around and walked back into the study, quietly closing his eyes.
"… Useless trash!"
Zhong Xin cursed coldly, then pulled out a golden imperial edict from his sleeve.
With a flash of light, he disappeared from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he had already arrived inside a magnificent palace.
Inside the spacious hall, layer upon layer of curtains hung high.
Each step was guarded by armored soldiers, exuding an aura of coldness and killing intent.
Zhong Xin lowered his head and quickly entered the hall.
Soon, a tall, heroic figure came into view.
The man wore royal robes and a ceremonial crown, standing with his back to Zhong Xin.
Suddenly, he sighed softly, "Beloved Minister Zhong, what happened at the front lines that made you so hurried?"
"Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty."
Without another word, Zhong Xin knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "This servant failed to defend the border, resulting in the loss of two Foundation Establishment True Persons. I await Your Majesty’s punishment."
"… Is that so."
The atmosphere in the great hall instantly grew oppressive.
After a long while, a voice finally drifted down, "Beloved Minister Zhong, you were personally chosen by Us as the top scholar, your talent recognized by the entire court. I ask you, what do you think of Our performance on this throne over the years?"
"Your Majesty possesses unparalleled talent and extraordinary wisdom."
Zhong Xin replied without hesitation, "In the early years of Your Majesty’s reign, You eradicated longstanding corruption, bringing renewal to the land. Even the Son of Heaven of Jiangdong praised Your Majesty greatly."
"If that is so…"
The young man in royal robes stepped down from the platform and stood before Zhong Xin, his voice cold as ice, "… Then why is Great Qing on the verge of destruction?"