Chapter 2244: Active Control
Xia Ziheng actually started to get nervous after hearing the news. "I truly thought that the Celestial Frost Sect was just trying to distract everyone, but it seems that Forgotten Ruins God really is the culprit. We’re lucky that we already moved all the members of Star Alliance."
Xia Xing's eyes flickered, and he turned to look at Xia Ziheng. "Semi-Progenitor Ziheng, don’t you think that this is actually an opportunity?"
"What do you mean?" Xia Ziheng was left puzzled.
Xia Xing's eyes flashed. "The Seven Skygods have always been a massive problem for us. They hide themselves too well, train up Redbacks, and most recently, destroyed the New Corridor. Everything that they do weakens us greatly. Even the Progenitors have tried their best to find the Seven Skygods. It might be possible to use this opportunity with Star Alliance to counter them and expose Forgotten Ruins God."
Xia Ziheng's eyes lit up. "True. Forgotten Ruins God may have acquired the full restriction method, but she still needs to actually use it. Star Alliance has already been scattered, so her only option is to wait for the right opportunity. If we gather Star Alliance back together, then we can use them to catch her."
"It’s better to set out some bait than randomly search around. This will be incredibly cathartic." A smile spread across Xia Xing's face. "This information got to us in time."
The White Dragon Clan had the same idea. There were numerous intelligent people in the universe, and it was natural to want to use everything available to them. The Seven Skygods had haunted the Perennial World for too many years and converted too many Redbacks. Even the Lu family had been helpless to do anything to the Seven Skygods. With a golden opportunity in front of them, the four ruling powers would never abandon it.
Dealing with the Seven Skygods was also not something that a single force could do on their own.
Both Shenwu's Sky and the White Dragon Clan reached out to the Celestial Frost Sect and the Wang Family, and it was quickly decided to use Star Alliance as bait to catch Forgotten Ruins God. It would be best if they were able to catch several Skygods. As long as the Seven Skygods were still mortal, they would not be able to escape. If the four ruling powers could capture any of the Seven Skygods, they would retain control of Star Alliance. If that was impossible, then the army would all be killed.
The only ones with any doubts at this moment was the Celestial Frost Sect.
Bai Su was completely confused. What was going on? Was Forgotten Ruins God really the criminal? Was it not just an excuse that the Celestial Frost Sect had made up?
Semi-Progenitor Wu Yao also could not understand. He glanced over at Bai Su. The story that Forgotten Ruins God had captured Xia Xing had clearly been concocted at Bai Xian'er's order. What had happened to convince Shenwu’s Sky that the Celestial Frost Sect’s story was more convincing than their own suspicions? And why was Shenwu’s Sky even suggesting to use all of Star Alliance as bait to lure out Forgotten Ruins God?
The Celestial Frost Sect could not disagree. They had been the ones to point the finger at Forgotten Ruins God, so if they refused to go along with the plan, it would only make Shenwu's Sky and the others suspicious.
Wu Yao immediately sent a report to Bai Xian'er, but her reply was only three words: wait and see.
Wu Yao felt that even Bai Xian'er must be puzzled by this development.
Was it possible that Forgotten Ruins God really was behind everything?
…
After disseminating the information, Lu Yin had no idea if his plan would work or not. He could only rely on luck and the four ruling powers' attitude regarding Aeternus. Still, he felt like he had at least a fifty percent chance of succeeding!
Since he had done what needed to be done to prepare for his plans, it was time to return to being Yu Hao. All Lu Yin could do now was wait to see how the four ruling powers reacted.
While Lu Yin held a class by the lake shore, Xia Ziheng arrived outside Virtue Archives.
How could the four ruling powers truly not be concerned about the fact that one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas had appeared in Virtue Archives? The disappearance of Bai Teng and the other patriarchs had simply created too much chaos and had been too serious a matter for them to deal with anything else for some time. However, since some people had been sent to lock down the Yinshan District, it was time for others to be sent to the academy.
The powerhouse who was the most familiar with Virtue Archives was Xia Ziheng, who had already visited the academy on several occasions.
Headmaster Wen grew pale when he saw Xia Ziheng, and the headmaster simply left.
Xia Ziheng was furious upon seeing this reaction, but just as he was about to chase after Wen Lai, the God of Food stepped out and blocked Xia Ziheng’s path. There was a hint of a smile on the man’s face. "We meet again, old friend."
Xia Ziheng’s brow furrowed. "You’re here, God of Food? Why aren’t you on the Island of Hope? What brought you back here to Virtue Archives?"
The God of Food sighed. "With so many things happening recently, I was afraid that something might happen to the academy, so I felt forced to come back here and check on things. What matter has brought you here, Brother Xia?"
Xia Ziheng felt utterly disgusted as he looked at the God of Food. If this old freak did not exist, they would have been able to take control of Virtue Archives long ago. "A Mountain and Sea is here in Virtue Archives. How could I not come take a look?"
The God of Food’s slight smile remained. "I and Virtue Archives were entrusted to protect this Mountain and Sea, which is what I told your four ruling powers long ago. There is no need for you to worry about things, Brother Xia."
The four ruling powers had not started eying Virtue Archives recently. They had been trying to seize control of the academy even when the Lu family had been around, and they had only become more aggressive in their tactics after the Lu family’s exile. In fact, if not for the God of Food and some of the academy’s graduates, the four ruling powers would have already attacked the academy.
The four ruling powers were fast approaching the limits of their tolerance.
"God of Food, if no one from your Virtue Archives can inherit the Mountain and Sea here, then it would be best to allow all the cultivators in the Perennial World to try. It’s possible that someone can receive the inheritance, which would mean another master of one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. Having another powerhouse in the war against the Aeternals is better than leaving it here to gather dust in Virtue Archives," Xia Ziheng challenged.
The God of Food smiled. "We are certainly willing to allow everyone in the Perennial World to try, but will they really be given a fair chance? Brother Xia, you and I are both reasonable people, so I shouldn’t need to say things too bluntly."
Xia Ziheng's voice instantly grew frigid. "Regardless of who it is, as long as they can inherit a Mountain and Sea, they will eventually become a powerful weapon for humanity to use against Aeternus. I hope that your Virtue Archives can see the bigger picture."
The God of Food smiled. "Don't worry. This Mountain and Sea will not be wasted here in my academy. We periodically allow elite students to enter and attempt to receive the inheritance."
Xia Ziheng cursed secretly. While he had very little understanding of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, even his ancestor had mentioned that there was no point in even trying if one was not already a Progenitor. It was clear that Virtue Archives was merely putting on an act.
In fact, the four ruling powers were absolutely certain that the God of Food had to be eying the Mountain and Sea himself. Since he had not attempted to become a Progenitor even after all these years, he had likely held back not out of fear of failure, but rather because of the Mountain and Sea. The man must want to be confident of inheriting the Mountain and Sea upon becoming a Progenitor. This was the real reason why the four ruling powers were so wary of Virtue Archives.
If the God of Food simply became a normal Progenitor, he would not intimidate them, but if he became the master of one of the Nine Mountains and Eight Seas, he would be catapulted to the same level as Bai Wangyuan and Wang Fan, which was what everyone feared.
In the end, Xia Ziheng eventually gave up. How many people from the four ruling powers had approached the God of Food over the years? The man had even been visited by Progenitors who hoped to inherit the Mountain and Sea, but they had all been stopped outside of Virtue Archives. Someone like Xia Ziheng had absolutely no chance of convincing the God of Food.
However, Xia Ziheng did not leave the academy right away. Next, he went to see “Yu Hao.”
Lu Yin was currently giving a lecture, and Xia Ziheng did not show himself. He remained some distance away and stared at the lake shore. The old man waited quietly.
It took an entire hour for “Yu Hao’s” class to end. He quickly made a point to shake off Nong Siniang and went to speak with Xia Ziheng. "Semi-Progenitor Ziheng, were you waiting for me?"
Xia Ziheng stared at Lu Yin. The old man’s eyes were calm and exerted no pressure. At this moment, the Semi-Progenitor looked no different from a regular old man, though there was a bit of shadow in his eyes. "Your class was quite good."
Lu Yin remained modest. "The students know little about lockbreaking, so I just shared some matters of common sense with them."
"What you consider common sense is enough to last them a lifetime," Xia Ziheng replied.
Lu Yin was taken aback. "Are you also a Lockbreaker, Semi-Progenitor Ziheng?"
Xia Ziheng shook his head. "Grandmaster Gu Yan's knowledge of lockbreaking is not something that most people can ever touch. These students can be considered truly blessed."
Lu Yin denied nothing, and he actually did not even speak. He had communicated with Xia Ziheng through a communication crystal before, and the old man’s attitude had been terrible. Shenwu's Sky held Yu Chuan's life in their hands, and were using the old man to force “Yu Hao” to join them. In fact, they had even given him a deadline of when Virtue Archives’ students visited the Higher Realm for their training excursion to make a decision.
The deadline had already been given, so Xia Ziheng did not mention it again. If the young man refused to join Shenwu's Sky, then both he and Yu Chuan would die. This meant that the Semi-Progenitor had made a point to visit for something else.
"The Xia family's ceremony to worship our ancestors is soon approaching, and it coincides with when Virtue Archives’ students will be visiting the Higher Realm. Everyone from Virtue Archives’ is welcome to observe the ceremony. Also, Shenwu's Sky hopes to see Grandmaster Gu Yan in attendance." Xia Ziheng went straight to the point and delivered the information in an indifferent tone as he stared out at the lake.
Lu Yin frowned. They wanted Grandmaster Gu Yan to attend? How was he supposed to make that happen? "Semi-Progenitor Ziheng, my master is very busy, and he doesn't make time for anything outside of his own interests."
Xia Ziheng was unmoved. "This isn’t a discussion. Grandmaster Gu Yan will be present at my Xia family’s ceremony. I don’t care what you have to do to get this to happen, but we hope to receive a positive response from Grandmaster Gu Yan at that time. If not, you understand the consequences."
He looked over at “Yu Hao,” saw that the young man’s expression had grown quite bad, and the old man continued in a somewhat softer tone. "Of course, my Xia family won’t fail to reward you for your help. You will be given the opportunity to get revenge in front of everyone on that day."
Lu Yin’s eyes snapped wide open, and he spun around to stare at Xia Ziheng in disbelief. "Revenge?"
Xia Ziheng's mouth twitched upwards into a slight smirk. "Don't you hate Xia Zhitong? Don't you hate all the people that she used to get rid of your Yu family? There are many people whom you hate, and you can release all of that hatred on that day under the witness of Virtue Archives and countless other people, restoring the respect of your Yu family. This is the most that I and Shenwu’s Sky can promise to give you."
Lu Yin had not expected Shenwu's Sky to be so excessive. They were actually willing to allow him to get revenge on the day of their ceremony to worship their family’s ancestors. On top of that, the person whom “Yu Hao” hated the most was Xia Zhitong, a member of the Xia family. Even if she was from a branch family, she was still a member of the Xia family. Allowing her to die on the same day as the family’s ceremony to worship their ancestors was nothing less than a slap in the family’s face.
Reputation was more important than almost anything for a monstrous power like Shenwu's Sky. This was why when Progenitor Chen had first revealed his monstrous talent, he had been hunted by the Xia family. They did not want a peerlessly talented descendant, but an obedient genius.
Despite that, they were still willing to allow “Yu Hao” to take revenge on the same day as their ceremony. This was an unbelievable price that Shenwu’s Sky was willing to pay.
Lu Yin was completely stunned. "Is this all true?"
Xia Ziheng and “Yu Hao” stared at each other for a moment. "It is. This should show you Shenwu’s Sky’s sincerity, as well as our ancestor’s decision. This is why Grandmaster Gu Yan must be present that day. Since my Xia family will be losing so much face, Shenwu’s Sky must regain it in some other way.”
The Semi-Progenitor’s voice grew unbelievably cold at his last sentence, and Lu Yin had absolutely no doubts that, if Grandmaster Gu Yan did not appear for their ceremony, Shenwu's Sky would deal with “Yu Hao” in an extremely cruel manner.
They were one of the four ruling powers, a monster in the Perennial World. They did not want to passively rule, but to actively control. Naturally, they were eager to control Yu Hao, and through him, Grandmaster Gu Yan. Nobody else, not the Celestial Frost Sect or any other organization, could recruit the Array Grandmaster. As far as Shenwu’s Sky was concerned, they were the only option.
Could Lu Yin refuse? No. There was no opening for him to even be able to refuse. On top of that, Xia Ziheng had personally delivered a deadline to “Yu Hao” on behalf of Shenwu’s Sky. The deadline was the day that the Xia family worshiped their ancestors. That was the day when the Xia family wanted to take control of Yu Hao and Grandmaster Gu Yan.
"I understand," Lu Yin replied.
Xia Ziheng looked away. "The day my Xia family worships our ancestors is the day you can restore your Yu family’s reputation. I promise you, as long as Grandmaster Gu Yan joins us, you will enjoy a status no less than the Shen generation members in Shenwu’s Sky. We will help you become an Array Grandmaster, and your name will go down in history.
“The Celestial Frost Sect can give you much, but they can never offer you revenge, nor the opportunity to save Yu Chuan."
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