Chapter 160: The Human Heart Has Always Been Selfish

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: The Human Heart Has Always Been Selfish

Cheng Shimo’s speech was, in fact, a fallacious sleight of hand.

However, for the time being, everyone was taken in by his mention of reallocating the resources from the now-ownerless lands left behind after the Red Blood Mansion and its vassal Minor Sects were eliminated.

But they forgot one thing. These high and mighty Sects had been free and unrestrained for so many years. Once Great Xia truly unified the Eastern Domain, established laws for the Cultivation Realm, and created a department to govern and inspect all the Sects in the land, wouldn’t a sword be hanging over the heads of every Cultivation Sect?

Still, this was only the first day. It wasn’t as if everyone would make a snap decision just because of Cheng Shimo’s spiel.

Of the forty Sects present, very few had a Sect Leader whose word was absolute law. Some Sects required consultation with the Elder Council, while others had to request guidance from their Supreme Elder.

Throughout the day, although everyone discussed Cheng Shimo’s proposal at length, most still said they needed to return and confer before making a decision.

Thus, the first day of discussions ended unceremoniously at dusk.

In the small courtyard assigned to the Celestial Heart Hall for their temporary stay, Jing’an’s first order of business upon returning was to ask about the day’s competition results. Hearing that Chu Fan had injured a disciple from the Celestial Sect, Jing’an declared in front of all the disciples that while the Celestial Heart Hall does not bully others, they would absolutely not allow themselves to be bullied.

He then consoled the eliminated disciples and encouraged the ones who had advanced, only then summoning the two Elders and Chu Fan to his chambers.

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Six Sects and Eight Gates will definitely rig the lots for the second and third rounds of the competition tomorrow. When that happens, Second Elder and Third Elder, you only need to secure the evidence. Just let things take their natural course."

The husband and wife pair, Shi Qingren and Ni Wanping, had no objections. After all, they were well aware of Chu Fan’s abilities. Even the two of them combined were no match for Chu Fan, let alone the competing disciples.

If the people from the Six Sects and Eight Gates really did arrange for a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator to face Chu Fan in the arena, one could only say they were asking for trouble.

Chu Fan smiled. "Don’t worry about the competition. I’m just toying with them for fun. How did the discussions go today?"

Jing’an gave a detailed account of the meeting between the forty Sects, describing nearly every person’s speech and expression.

Chu Fan listened, merely nodding from time to time. Everything was within his control.

Here at the Cyan Cloud Sect, the only ones Chu Fan was concerned about were the Cyan Cloud Sect’s resident Supreme Elder and Ancestor. As for the Sect Leaders and Elders from the other sects, he didn’t give them a second thought.

’If the discussions go well, then it’s good for me, good for you, good for everyone. If they don’t, I have plenty of ways to force them to agree.’

The Cyan Cloud Sect’s Sect Protection Array was something he had just set up. He had yet to see its power!

Besides, Wang Zhiheng, the Sect Leader of the Cyan Cloud Sect, had already reached an agreement with him. The two old men presiding over the Cyan Cloud Sect would surely not interfere.

On his side, besides Liu Yicai who hadn’t come, he had seven incredibly loyal Divine Separation Realm experts. Then there was himself, plus the Sect Leaders and Elders of the Profound Celestial Sect, Xuandao Sect, and Dark Moon Sect.

There was no shortage of methods Chu Fan could use.

"Tonight, when they go back to discuss this, they’re bound to figure things out. Tomorrow’s meeting will probably be even more chaotic than today’s. When the time comes, just follow the plan we made from the start. It might not be a bad idea to kill a couple of chickens to scare the monkeys," Chu Fan said to Jing’an.

Listening from the side, Shi Qingren and Ni Wanping felt their hearts leap into their throats.

It was only today that they learned that Chu Fan was the one pulling the strings behind Great Xia’s founding and its ambition to unify the Eastern Domain. And it was only today that they learned that the Dark Night Envoys, just like the Celestial Heart Hall and the Earth Universe Pavilion, were loyal to Chu Fan.

They found it hard to understand what kind of ability and charisma Chu Fan possessed to command the loyalty of these three powers.

A young man of only twenty-seven or twenty-eight was actually trying to orchestrate the unification of the Eastern Domain. And from the sound of it, several Sects had already compromised.

"As for the Six Sects and Eight Gates, our original intention has always been to win some over and suppress others. Why not pick two from the ones we plan to suppress and make an example of them to intimidate the wavering ones? Didn’t Ji Bufan’s intelligence already say that among the twenty-six second and third-class Sects participating this time, two or three have secret ties to the Red Blood Mansion? We can single them out too."

Chu Fan’s expression was serene, but his words sent a chill down one’s spine.

Sensing the look in Shi Qingren and his wife’s eyes, Chu Fan said with a smile, "To solve this once and for all, sometimes you need to be a little ruthless. You’ve navigated the Jianghu for so many years, surely you must have at least that much insight? Besides, you have no need to be afraid. I draw a very clear line between allies and enemies."

Shi Qingren and his wife gave an awkward laugh.

While Chu Fan was discussing his next steps, Hu Lianshan, the Sect Leader of the Celestial Sect, grew furious upon hearing that Wan Jiaxing had been swept off the tournament stage with a single palm strike.

"The Celestial Heart Hall has been acting quite high-profile lately!" Hu Lianshan said coldly, his eyes narrowed.

Indeed, ever since the Celestial Heart Hall’s Sect Leader married the Sovereign of the Shuoyue Kingdom, they had been very high-profile.

This was even more true after Great Xia announced its founding.

To think that the Celestial Heart Hall would act so brazenly at the Tengxing Grand Assembly, in front of so many Sects.

"Today at the meeting, Cheng Shimo proposed supporting Great Xia... What are your thoughts on this matter?" Hu Lianshan roughly summarized the day’s events and asked the two Elders before him.

"Sect Leader, we absolutely cannot agree to this. The Third Elder suffered such a humiliation in Shuoyue City and has now been crippled. Our Celestial Sect holds a significant grudge against the Celestial Heart Hall and Great Xia. If things go as Cheng Shimo says, and we truly reach a point where All Sects follow the lead of the Great Xia Kingdom’s Empress, wouldn’t our Celestial Sect be lambs to the slaughter?" said the Second Elder.

Hu Lianshan stroked the beard on his chin and said, "I was thinking the same thing. But if half of the Six Sects and Eight Gates support Cheng Shimo’s proposal, it would be one thing if we could stop it. But what if we try to stop it, fail to change the outcome, and end up in an even more troublesome position?"

The Second Elder said, "Sect Leader, why must we be the ones to speak out? Our Six Sects and Eight Gates have existed for thousands of years. When have we ever been subjected to anyone’s rule? Supporting Great Xia’s unification of the Eastern Domain, and also supporting the establishment of laws to restrain the Sects... isn’t that just like dropping a mountain on our own heads?"

"As for the resources, the Six Sects and Eight Gates and those Minor Sects joined forces and relied on our own strength to eliminate the Red Blood Mansion and its vassal Sects. Why should we let the Great Xia Kingdom handle the distribution? Cheng Shimo is simply performing a bait and switch. We just need to make the other Sects realize this, and why would they ever agree to his proposal?"

The Second Elder paused here, then sneered, "And as for Cheng Shimo... who knows what benefits he’s getting from the Great Xia Kingdom?"

Hu Lianshan narrowed his eyes, fingers rubbing the beard on his chin. He nodded lightly. "Cheng Shimo is the type who won’t act without a guaranteed reward. Now that you mention it, you’ve made me realize something. I’ll go see Wu Guanghai."

"Sect Leader, Wu Guanghai’s Fiery Fire Sect also has their Saint Heir participating in the Tengxing Grand Assembly this year. I hear he’s already a Nascent Soul Realm Martial Artist at only twenty-nine. He’s considered one of the best of the younger generation. When you see Wu Guanghai, you can talk to him about that kid from the Celestial Heart Hall," the Second Elder said softly.

"You’re right. Wu Guanghai shouldn’t refuse a chance to tarnish the Celestial Heart Hall’s prestige. After all, he was thoroughly humiliated today."