Chapter 390: Chapter 336: 2 Mansions 6 Forests, Shadow Heavenly Master
"No rush! Let’s play with them a bit."
Song Lin chuckled lightly.
The path Master Zhi Xin had paved with his own blood—how could it be easily abandoned?
The group arrived in the World in the Pot, where Song Lin summoned back everyone who had planned to flee overseas.
Inside the Longevity Palace.
The Zhonghuang Zi, Yuanbo, Mei Hua, Di Sha, Tian Sha, Guu Ling, Fei Hong, Qingyun Taoist Master Qingshan, Tianling Taoist Lu Mingyang, Sanhe Taoist Ye Qing, and the six Department Directors were all present.
Lu Mingyang gazed at Song Lin, who sat in the main seat, feelings of emotion stirring in his heart.
How long had it been since that inconsequential Core Formation cultivator had risen to this day?
He now found himself reliant upon him.
Even the unfamiliar Department Directors felt great admiration for Song Lin.
Today’s battle had revealed Song Lin’s strength and underlying foundations.
Just the two Thunder Tribulation Masters at his side alone could crush the other factions entirely.
"When are we leaving?"
Di Sha asked.
"We’re not leaving. Let’s stay and have some fun."
Song Lin smiled.
"What?! Isn’t that courting death?"
"It won’t be."
Currently, Di Sha, Tian Sha, and Mei Hua—three figures at the master level of Prefecture Lords—stood on his side.
Counting their forests, there were three altogether. Adding his own made six.
The Taoist School had a total of thirteen forests, nearly half of which were aligned with him.
At the middle echelon, he had managed to win over half of the forces.
There were six Prefecture Lords in the Taoist School, and two of them were on his side.
Among the four Grandmasters of the Taoist School, Zhi Xin was dead, and Mei Hua was now aligned with him.
It was clear that Song Lin’s faction had already formed.
And this was only those who explicitly sided with him.
How many people within Holy Might Forest harbored dissatisfaction?
To say nothing of the fact that the Spirit Talisman and Spirit Sword factions in two of the Three Capitals in Holy Might Forest would undoubtedly cause trouble.
Adding to that were the suspicions among the school about Tianhe’s newly revealed identity.
"Tianhe has already lost the authority to decide life and death over us."
Of course, strength-wise, Song Lin was referring to their cultivation power.
"As long as we stand firmly united, there’s no need to worry about Tianhe acting against us through the Taoist School’s system—unless he wishes to bear the cost of internal division and chaos."
Everyone present was an old fox who had lived for hundreds of years.
Ever since witnessing Tianhe’s methods firsthand, they no longer harbored any illusions about him.
This cunning and vindictive man would never spare anyone with even the faintest mark of betrayal.
Moreover, they had stood on the opposite side of Zhi Xin.
"What about the Taoist Alliance then...?" Tian Sha asked with a grave expression.
Ziyun, a Primordial Spirit cultivator, was half-dead, seemingly with little time left, along with a number of experts. Shouldering this crime was unbearable.
"That was Master Zhi Xin’s doing. What does it have to do with us?"
That was the brilliance of Zhi Xin—revenge enacted, life ’lost.’
Besides, Tianhe was still the perpetrator. That messy debacle would ultimately amount to nothing.
"But you..." Everyone looked at Song Lin.
Song Lin had indeed personally killed quite a number of people.
"Wasn’t it mutual combat? Didn’t they also make the first move and kill some of our people?"
"Prepare to rein in your disciples, gather bloodied evidence from the past, and, ha, since they struck first, let’s take this to court and see how far they get."
The six forests under Song Lin’s command carried hundreds of years’ worth of vengeances and countless lives.
Using the Taoist Alliance’s laws to frame and eliminate him? A pipe dream—it was impossible to tally just how many cards Song Lin had up his sleeve.
Additionally, Tianhe had overlooked one thing: the Yin Spring Palace had never outwardly declared a betrayal of the Taoist Alliance.
The Yin Spring Palace wasn’t a traitor to the Holy Might Taoist Alliance; they were just one of the original rivals vying for a position in the Taoist School.
While there were actions that could be deemed rebellious, they had never openly admitted to it.
By framing it as harboring fear of Tianhe’s pursuit and hiding as a result, the narrative could be spun in their favor.
The two corpses of the Palace Masters spoke volumes.
This particular card needed to be played—it was also the perfect opportunity for the Yin Spring Palace to make a public reappearance.
Song Lin introduced the Yin Spring Palace to everyone.
"It’s an honor, truly an honor!"
Upon learning the background of the Yin Spring Palace, everyone expressed their admiration.
The main reason they had entrusted Song Lin with leading matters was largely due to the individuals from the Yin Spring Palace.
Given that these two experts were so obedient and deferential to Song Lin, everyone else naturally followed suit.
"Elder Yuanbo, someday soon, you should go see the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master and make a formal accusation against Tianhe. Perhaps we can gain certain benefits. Oh, and take people from the Yin Talisman Lineage with you as well."
"Understood." Yuanbo nodded, understanding the implication.
Song Lin wasn’t counting on the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master punishing Tianhe in any meaningful way.
Anyone with half a brain knew it would end inconclusively.
How could a Primordial Spirit Heavenly Master simply be executed?
This was nothing more than an opportunity to muddy the waters.
By taking the initiative, he intended to preemptively prevent Tianhe from using the Taoist Alliance’s system to suppress him.
Ultimately, it would remain an inconclusive mess, with plenty of time to bicker over the details.
Upon hearing Song Lin’s analysis of the situation, everyone finally relaxed.
"The Taoist Alliance isn’t a problem, but what about Tianhe himself?"
Di Sha pinpointed the crux of the matter.
Holy Might possessed the cultivation of a Primordial Spirit, wielding the power of the Heavenly Master’s Dao.
If Tianhe truly resolved to kill Song Lin, it seemed unlikely anyone could stop him.
At that moment, Song Lin sensed the arrival of outsiders.
"Let’s head outside. Someone’s here."
The group flew out from the World in the Pot.
There they saw the Yin King, Yunhai, and others surrounding the Donghua Jungle with their forces.
The people of Donghua Jungle were underground.
In both the skies and the earth, the two sides stood at an impasse.
Song Lin ascended into the sky, the Zhonghuang Zi following closely behind.
"Do you still want to fight?"
Song Lin asked.
Seeing this young man acting so brazenly, hiding behind others, the Yin King was seething with rage. "Hmph, don’t get too cocky, boy. Does Holy Might’s Heavenly Master really think he can’t deal with you?"
The Zhonghuang Zi couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
"Tell Tianhe that the corpse of the Yin Spring Palace Master must be returned to me. He will pay the price. Let him come and try."
"Master Zhi Xin left behind a spell. Pass along the message to Tianhe—if he acts quickly, he can still accompany Ziyun in the afterlife."
"Oh, and by the way, you should refer to him as Tianhe. Holy Might has long been dead. Speaking of which, wasn’t the Thunder Striking Mountain God none other than Holy Might himself? Haha."
Song Lin’s taunts were relentless.
The Yin King’s face turned ashen. After hesitating for a moment, he finally gave the order.
"Retreat!"
Whoosh!
The people of Xuanyu City retreated dejectedly.
Lacking sufficient strength, they had lost both physically and mentally.
Song Lin’s words had struck at the very core of their being.
Better to return and see how Tianhe would handle this.
The people of Donghua Jungle erupted into laughter.
Song Lin glanced at Di Sha and the others.
"In terms of power, we have nothing to fear."
The so-called Zhi Xin spell was undoubtedly a bluff, merely a smokescreen released by Song Lin.
The only real threats to Tianhe were those two Ghost Kings.
Of course, this smokescreen was effective against Tianhe as well.
He still had no idea how Ziyun had been ambushed, nor how it had been done by the deceased Zhi Xin.
Without uncovering the truth behind Zhi Xin’s supposed spell or resolving the issue of the two Ghost Kings, Tianhe wouldn’t act recklessly.
In addition, there was the damage to his Dao Foundation, the matter of his exposed identity, the need to reassure his disciples, and explanations owed to the Taoist Alliance—all of which would buy time.
Song Lin’s judgment was flawless.
Thus, he had chosen to stay.
"When will you break through to Primordial Spirit?"
Song Lin transmitted this question to Zhonghuang Zi.
"I’ll wait until the Yin Demon reaches perfection," replied Zhonghuang Zi.
"Very well."
He too was waiting.
Waiting for Zhonghuang Zi to reach the Primordial Spirit realm. Waiting for Zhi Xin to return.
Waiting for the exchange of the Nine Elders Immortal Capital Seal to counter Holy Might’s Heavenly Master’s Dao.
Time was short, but it was worth taking the risk.
Of course, the plan had a flaw.
If Tianhe were to recklessly attack now, Song Lin would have no choice but to prematurely have Zhonghuang Zi activate their trump cards before fleeing with his people in a panic.
However, the chances of Tianhe doing so were slim.
This man was cautious by nature. For Tianhe, acting now would place Song Lin and his companions in a reactive position.
But wouldn’t the same apply to Tianhe?
Ziyun was hanging by a thread; his Dao Foundation damaged; Zhi Xin appeared to have posthumous ploys; the internal discord within the Taoist School; the emergence of the Yin Spring Palace raising questions about the Eight Ghost Kings.
One must understand that the Eight Ghost Kings were the pillars of Xuanyu City, the very center of the Taoist School.
He too hoped to stabilize the Donghua Jungle and others, taking things slowly—at least until the cracks were patched.
When the Yin King returned to Xuanyu City, the report he brought back even caused Tianhe to breathe a sigh of relief.
Everyone had managed to gain the time they needed.
...
The internal strife within the Holy Might Taoist School had sent shockwaves through the Taoist Alliance.
Even more shocking was the exposure of Zhi Xin, Ziyun, and the true identity of Holy Might.
Zhi Xin’s demise had been too wretched, his scheming too ruthless.
Any normal person would recognize the tragic intensity of it all. To outsiders, his death painted him as a pitiable and sorrowful figure.
Though no one dared comment openly, mutterings in their hearts were inevitable.
Tianhe personally traveled to the Spirit Treasure Sect to give an account, where Yuanbo, the people of the Yin Talisman Lineage, and various aggrieved parties confronted him at court.
The eventual appearance of the Spirit Talisman and Spirit Sword factions turned the proceedings into an absolute farce.
A great-grandfather had slain the father, and now the great-grandson was suing the grandfather.
A drama for the ages!
Tianhe’s deepest secrets were laid bare for all to see.
Each gaze directed at him felt like a resounding slap across the face.
...
Meanwhile, at nearly the same time.
The Blessed Land Spirit Forbidden Mansion and the Black Prison Command relocated their offices to Donghua Jungle.
The Sanhe Forest, Qingyun Jungle, Tianling Jungle, Qimen faction, and Five Qi Jungle formally paid tribute to Taoist Song Lin.
What left everyone astonished was the indifference of Xuanyu City, as if they had gone mute.
Regarding Song Lin—the one who had instigated all of this—not a single word of reproach was uttered.
Wasn’t this the treatment reserved for a Heavenly Master?
From that point forward, the structure of the Taoist School underwent a radical change.
Centered around Song Lin, supported by the ancient Magic Vein of the Yin Spring Palace, comprising one Grandmaster, two Prefectures, and six forests, a secluded yet dominant faction officially took shape.
These mighty figures had all come to follow Song Lin’s lead.
Thus, Song Lin earned yet another title: the Shadow Heavenly Master.