Chapter 1724: The Decision of the Immortals

Dong Rui asked him, "What do we do now?"

"Wait for the Illusory Sect and the Heavenly Palace to duke it out," He Lingchuan said, tapping his fists together, a gesture for fighting in sign language. "It won't be easy for the Illusory Sect to adopt an outsider's suggestion like mine. This will require Bai Ziqi to put in more effort. It's hard to make people bow their heads, but when circumstances force them, it becomes natural! At the very least, Xiao Wencheng, as the sect master, is feeling the pressure and is already wavering. Once the war turns even more unfavorable, other immortals will also start considering my proposal."

No rush. His proposal would sit there, like a devil's temptation, and sooner or later, more people would be swayed.

Granny Zhu asked, "What should we do?"

"We must summon True Man Qianhuan! I don't have as much confidence in these immortals as they do in themselves," He Lingchuan declared without hesitation. "But before that, we'll do everything we can to help the Illusory Sect!"

"These guys look down on everyone, and we still have to help them with all our might?" Dong Rui grumbled, feeling annoyed.

Yet, deep down, he knew that he and his companions were temporarily bound to the Illusory Sect. If the Illusory Sect lost, they wouldn't just be trapped in the Upside-Down Sea; they'd be hunted down by the Heavenly Palace.

"Of course," He Lingchuan said. "Bai Ziqi must have come in with a trump card this time. In this life-or-death game, whoever reveals their hand first becomes passive. We need to force him to show his trump card first!"

True Man Qianhuan's emergence and a fight to the death with the Heavenly Palace were the outcomes he most desired.

Before entering the Upside-Down Sea today, he had considered helping both the Illusory Sect and Qianhuan, knowing that if the Mirrored Heaven and Heavenly Palace succeeded, the consequences would be dire.

However, after hearing about the Great Derivation Heavenly Pearl, he immediately changed his mind and formed a new plan.

Dong Rui gestured, "Can Bai Ziqi force Qianhuan out?"

"Don't worry, he knows very well what kind of enemies he's facing. Don't underestimate him, and certainly don't underestimate the Mirrored Heaven," He Lingchuan continued. "However, once he discovers the anomaly of True Man Qianhuan, he probably won't be in a hurry to find Qianhuan."

He understood Bai Ziqi very well, even able to deduce his thought process.

Dong Rui wondered, "If he's not in a hurry to find Qianhuan, what does he want to do?"

Before He Lingchuan could speak, Granny Zhu poked the ground a few times with her paw. "Why even ask? While Qianhuan hasn't appeared yet, kill all his disciples and grand-disciples first! Clip his wings, pull his fangs, and then deal with him slowly—if it were me, that's exactly what I'd do!"

He Lingchuan praised, "Typical Granny."

Whenever combat was involved, Granny was always so sharp.

He continued to gesture, "Therefore, there will only be a life-and-death battle between the Heavenly Palace and the Illusory Sect, and that's where we'll have room to maneuver."

After their discussion, the door to the quiet room opened. Four elders hurried out, and Xiao Wencheng invited He Lingchuan inside.

"Island Lord He, we can still handle a few teams from the Heavenly Palace," Xiao Wencheng said seriously. "You can simply observe the battle from here."

As soon as these words were spoken, He Lingchuan knew they weren't going to accept his suggestion.

But if they were going to reject it from the start, why did they close the doors to discuss?

It was clear that some were tempted, but they couldn't stand against the verbal condemnation of the other immortals.

Bringing danger directly to the Immortal Venerable like this was an act of grave insubordination!

Even if they truly used their enemies to "invite" the Immortal Venerable out, how would they explain it to Qianhuan himself afterward?

We couldn't win, we were afraid to die, so we pushed all the powerful enemies onto you, old master?

Even Xiao Wencheng couldn't bear this sin. So, after an internal debate among the immortals, they could only opt for a conservative approach—no, a conservative fighting strategy.

Dong Rui blurted out, "If something goes wrong here, the Immortal Venerable will ultimately be in danger too."

Elder Xu's tiger-like eyes widened, but before he could speak, He Lingchuan quickly interjected, "We respect your sect's decision! This time, in repelling the Heavenly Palace's invasion, we will certainly offer our full assistance."

"Island Lord He, that's very thoughtful of you," Xiao Wencheng said politely, clearly not attaching much importance to their aid. "Please stay here with us and observe the battle."

None of these guests from Spirit Mountain were immortals. The Illusory Sect was teeming with talent and possessed vast supernatural powers; could they possibly lack such minor strength?

He Lingchuan cheerfully replied "Good," then went to look in the mirror, saying nothing more.

"Young He was right again," Granny Zhu's voice echoed in Dong Rui and He Lingchuan's ears. "These immortals have been hesitant from the start, missing opportunities. They'll only grudgingly accept your suggestion when forced by circumstances, and by then, they'll have to pay a much greater price! Humph, what kind of immortals are these? They have none of the decisiveness and grace of those from the ancient great war!"

He Lingchuan glanced at her. The decisive ones didn't survive the great war.

Xiao Wencheng's decision was likely the result of intense deliberation among the Illusory Sect's immortals. In True Man Qianhuan's world, Xiao Wencheng couldn't truly wield absolute power or make all decisions himself.

He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. In his view, the multi-headed, collective decision-making organizational style of immortal sects seemed somewhat powerless and sluggish when facing monumental crises.

Just now, the Mirrored Heaven had openly displayed its iconic "Eye of Truth," which was a declaration of war against the entire Illusory Sect!

The Illusory Sect might not fear the Heavenly Palace, but they would certainly feel immense pressure when facing a Great Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Palace's forces had been in the Upside-Down Sea for less than half a day, and the situation was already escalating into a life-or-death struggle. This would be a battle for the Illusory Sect's very survival, and there was no room for even the slightest oversight!

Yet, these immortals were timid and fearful, with no one willing to take responsibility.

He Lingchuan felt a little disappointed.

He recalled that in ancient times, among the high immortals, there were formidable figures like the Black Dragon Divine Venerable, True Man Minghui, and Immortal Shou’an, who possessed the courage and sense of responsibility to sacrifice their lives for the sake of countless beings.

Alas, that was merely in the past.

"May I ask," Dong Rui said, pointing at the sandbox, "what's the next step? You're not just going to let Bai Ziqi's fleet land, are you?"

"Lure them here," Xiao Wencheng said, no longer avoiding him, as he pointed. "To the Upside-Down Lake!"

Elder Xu's expression changed, and his tone was displeased: "Sect Master Brother, why are you still thinking about..."

Xiao Wencheng waved his hand. "As he said, the Heavenly Palace forces will eventually land. We can't keep raising the land indefinitely. The best approach is to choose the most advantageous position for us and lure them ashore! Is there any place more suitable than the Upside-Down Lake? My junior brothers, please speak up if there is."

Elder Xu opened his mouth but didn't utter a word, clearly unable to think of anything at the moment.

Elder Liu tugged his arm and shook his head at him.

He Lingchuan wondered, "When I first arrived on Silver Pearl Island, I also visited the Upside-Down Lake, but I didn't notice anything unusual."

His thoughts, however, were on Elder Xu's blurting question: What was Xiao Wencheng still planning?

This Elder Xu was straightforward but not foolish. What had he seen?

The innkeeper had said that during the ten days when the Storm Wall opened, Yasha demons might crawl out of the lake and devour people.

Was Sect Master Xiao trying to use them?

But why was Elder Xu displeased?