Chapter 1037 - Sowing Discord

Thirty minutes later, nearly every division head in the Guanyun Pavilion, from major branches to minor ones, had arrived. With a wave of his hand, Li Guanqi shattered nearly ten thousand spirit stones, filling the council hall with dense spirit qi.

He greeted everyone with cupped fists. “Thank you all for your hard work lately.”

Startled by the gesture, the division heads hurried to their feet to return his greeting. They had never expected Li Guanqi to show such regard for people in the pavilion’s lower ranks.

Li Guanqi smiled and motioned for them to sit. “Sit down and absorb as much spirit qi as you like. You’d be fools to pass up the chance.”

Some of the more easygoing cultivators began absorbing it at once. One bowed with a grin. “If the Pavilion Master says so, I won’t hold back! Hahaha!”

As more people followed suit, Li Guanqi said, “Everyone here is one of us. There’s no need to be so reserved.”

He took the seat of honor, but there weren’t enough chairs for everyone. After a moment’s thought, Li Guanqi formed more than a hundred chairs out of lightning. “Today, we’ll all sit while we discuss matters.”

Xi Yunhuai laughed at those who still hesitated. “Pavilion Master Li has spoken. What the hell are you being so formal for? Sit down.”

Only then did the remaining cultivators take their seats.

Li Guanqi looked around the hall, shut the doors with a wave of his hand, and extended his vast Sword Prison domain over the entire hall. Within his domain, he was king.

His gaze sharpened. “I know the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion have approached many of you. Am I right?”

The atmosphere grew heavy. Some people held their breath, all thoughts of absorbing spirit qi gone. Several members of the Guanyun Pavilion had disappeared recently, and even a fool could tell the Cloud Shadow Guard was behind it. Many people uneasily lowered their heads.

Li Guanqi smiled and said gently, “Let’s discuss everything openly and honestly. There’s no need to feel pressured. Say whatever you need to say.”

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Someone rose, turned to Li Guanqi, and cupped his fists. The man had a resolute face and bright, piercing eyes.

“Pavilion Master, the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion approached me half a month ago. They offered me generous rewards if I betrayed the Guanyun Pavilion.”

Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow, a faintly amused smile on his face. “And what did you think of their offer?”

The man shrugged and replied candidly, “I turned them down. I owe my life to the Guanyun Pavilion. As for gaining more power or reaching a higher cultivation realm... I couldn’t care less.”

Li Guanqi nodded and motioned for him to sit, but the mood in the hall grew heavier still.

Li Guanqi asked softly, “Do you know why I didn’t begin by discussing how we would counterattack?”

No one answered.

Li Guanqi continued, “Because I want to resolve these issues first so we can discuss our plans without worrying about what’s happening behind our backs. This man spoke up only because the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion never threatened him. Now, anyone they’ve coerced, raise your hand.”

At first, only one or two hands went up. Soon there were ten, then thirty, then seventy. A little over two hundred people were in the hall, and a full third of them were being threatened by the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion.

Li Guanqi’s expression turned cold. The situation was far worse than he had anticipated. He looked at the raised hands below and fell silent. Any hope of reconciliation between the two pavilions was clearly gone.

Seeing his grim expression, those with their hands raised lowered their heads unconsciously. They feared he might fly into a rage and kill them.

But even so, they had chosen to trust him.

“Anyone else?” Li Guanqi asked softly.

More hands went up. Seated beside Li Guanqi, Xi Yunhuai and Qian Qiusui looked grim. Even they hadn’t expected the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion to have approached so many people.

Yu Hua had remained standing behind Li Guanqi rather than taking a seat. Her eyes gleamed. It seems the Guanyun Pavilion is in a difficult position... This could be troublesome...

Her gaze slowly shifted to Li Guanqi. She was curious to see how he would handle the situation.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed slightly to the cultivators. “Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for staying true to yourselves all this time.”

Many eyes reddened. No one knew how much pressure they had endured. Some had relatives who had been poisoned to force them to comply. Others had faced sudden trouble at home or been targeted by unknown factions. Though their circumstances varied, they all faced an urgent decision.

Li Guanqi’s words made them feel that everything they’d endured had been worth it after all.

He looked around the hall. “Tell Old Xi about every difficulty you’re facing. The pavilion will address them as quickly as possible. We’ll meet again in three days to discuss whatever remains unresolved.”

Qian Qiusui gritted her teeth before speaking. “Pavilion Master, we could lose a great deal in three days.”

Li Guanqi stood and replied softly, “That doesn’t matter. We can recover our money and rebuild our businesses. But if the Guanyun Pavilion’s foundation collapses, the pavilion will exist in name only. Pass down the order: for the next three days, we’ll pull back our forces and avoid conflict.”

Qian Qiusui’s eyes flickered. Ultimately, she conceded that Li Guanqi was right and bowed. “Understood, Pavilion Master.”

Li Guanqi sent her a voice transmission. “Don’t think I’m overlooking your business empire. Be ready. Our ultimate goal is to take over the entire Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion!”

Qian Qiusui stared at Li Guanqi, her eyes bright. She drew a deep breath, took out a jade slip, and transmitted an order. “Pull back all forces! For the next three days, avoid conflict with every faction!”

Before long, Li Guanqi led Yu Hua, Qian Qiusui, and the others to the Pavilion Master’s study. The doors opened, and the two people waiting inside sprang to their feet.

Nangong Qianyan and Tu Zhongqiu smiled at Li Guanqi. “Young Friend Li, why have you summoned us to the Guanyun Pavilion?”

Li Guanqi smiled. “I have a favor to ask of you two seniors. Please, sit. We can talk.”

Tu Zhongqiu’s gaze drifted casually toward the black-robed figure standing behind Li Guanqi.