Chapter 392: The Inevitable Trend

Zhuang Yue said, "For days now, you've been fanning the flames, leaving him no escape route. The air of conspiracy is far too thick. Have all the imperial martial cultivators died out? Can't you find a single person capable of challenging Xie Chucai?"

"Don't you pride yourself on being incredibly clever? Why would you think this is just a simple challenge? Do you truly believe he's doing this for me?" Jiang Ning asked.

Zhuang Yue replied, "It's precisely because I know this isn't a simple challenge that I'm even more aware of the dangers involved. He's not an imperial martial cultivator and has no support within the court, unlike you. Your Jiang family has a transcendent ancestor, and you even have the Second Palace Master as your master. He will surely die!"

After a long silence, Jiang Ning said, "I know. That's why I'll be with him tonight, no matter if he wins or loses."

Jiang Ning then added, "All I can tell you is that this battle is inevitable. Perhaps you don't understand him at all. His goals and mine are aligned, whereas your Zuoqiu Faction is simply pursuing its own ambitions!"

Zhuang Yue said, "Your words make me very angry. Am I to understand this as a declaration of war?"

"I have no intention of declaring war on you, much less because of some individual. However, the fact that you've cultivated for a year or two longer than me doesn't mean your cultivation will always surpass mine. If you consider me an enemy, I'm prepared to see it through to the end. My advice to you is to leave the city immediately."

Jiang Ning gracefully descended from the back of the exotic beast, moving to greet the convoy bearing the West Sea Royal Palace flag.

Zhuang Yue, astonished, stared after the departing Jiang Ning, then let out a laugh born of anger, realizing she needed to re-evaluate her. It was clear that her fiancé's good friend had truly found a soulmate.

The convoy proceeded with great pomp, escorted by an army.

It was clear that a high-ranking figure from the Royal Palace had arrived.

The lead carriage was incredibly opulent, pulled by rare beasts enshrouded in clouds and mist, hovering just above the ground.

The carriage came to a halt.

Song Qingli was the first to step out, giving Jiang Ning a slight nod.

Jiang Ning bowed respectfully, "Jiang Ning greets Princess Yunchang. May Your Highness be blessed with boundless fortune, and live for a thousand, thousand, ten thousand thousand years."

The surrounding martial cultivators were all dumbfounded, then erupted into fervent discussion.

Who could have imagined that a confrontation between two juniors would draw out such a prominent figure?

Princess Yunchang, the West Sea King's only living child, was already several centuries old. For nearly sixty years, she had not made a single public appearance.

It could be said that, among all below the transcendent beings of the court, her status was the highest.

Even the transcendent beings showed her considerable deference.

Three days prior, Taishi Yu, Jiang Ning, and Ge Xiantong had contacted numerous scions from prominent families who were willing to join their cause. Each was assigned a specific task, all working towards making today's battle a reality.

Some sealed the four city gates, denying Xie Chucai any chance of a quiet departure.

Others constantly shadowed Xie Chucai.

After the court's deliberations, the astonishing news of the "Mother-Son Spring Crisis" had quietly circulated among the core members of influential families. Naturally, many people became involved, unwilling to simply await their demise.

Song Qingli's task was to persuade Princess Yunchang to appear.

Regardless of the cost, they had to use their influence to compel the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery to open its gates.

Inside the carriage, a soft, aged voice chuckled, "If one cannot break through to the Other Shore, how can one live for a thousand years?"

"Ancestor, you most certainly can," Song Qingli said gently.

"A great war in the Western Borders is imminent. I have come to pray for the soldiers of the West Sea. Qingli, go and knock on the door with a devout heart, hoping the Bodhisattva will bless our troops with a triumphant return."

Princess Yunchang's voice was very soft.

Yet it clearly reached the ears of every martial cultivator present.

Song Qingli ascended the steps, holding a copper ring, and gently knocked on the door.

After several attempts, there was no response.

Song Qingli infused her voice with spiritual energy, and her voice thundered out, "Princess Yunchang of the West Sea Royal Palace has come to pray for the soldiers of the Western Borders. Zen Master Six Thoughts, please open the Buddhist gates and grant us passage."

Soon after, other young scions invited highly respected grandmasters of the Longevity Realm from their clans to also knock on the door.

Some were there to pray for the Great Palace Master. Others came to worship the divine statue of Emperor Wutian.

Gradually, many began to sense that something was amiss.

Even if Zen Master Six Thoughts possessed supreme cultivation and noble status, could he truly compare to Princess Yunchang? Could his worth be greater than the lives of the soldiers in the Western Borders? Wasn't he afraid of undermining military morale?

More than a dozen young disciples from the Thundercloud Sect, led by Lu Cangsheng, had just entered the city today, intending to celebrate the New Year in Lingxiao City.

"Something's not right; this so-called decisive battle feels very off," Lu Cangsheng commented.

Someone asked, "How so?"

Lu Cangsheng explained, "The stage is set far too grandly! For two juniors in the Dao Seed Realm to be the main act, no matter how talented they are, it doesn't justify so many Longevity Realm grandmasters stepping forward to support them. And among them, even Princess Yunchang is present."

Lu Wensheng sneered, "What's even more preposterous is that Li Weiyi is merely a Five-Star Spiritual Cultivator; what possibility does he have of winning? If he suffers a crushing defeat, how will these supporting Longevity Realm grandmasters recover their standing? The entire court will be utterly disgraced."

Qin Qian frowned, "Is Xie Chucai really that powerful?"

Lu Wensheng replied, "He has crossed the great Dao Fruit Realm. In just three days, he has consecutively defeated ten experts of the Dao Seed Realm's Seventh Heaven. He took a punch from Shi Liuyu, who is in the Dao Seed Realm's Eighth Heaven, without a scratch. As for a Five-Star Spiritual Cultivator, he simply swatted one to death with a casual wave of his hand!"

Lu Cangsheng, with his keen observational skills, immediately noticed Qin Qian's extreme worry with just a glance. A ripple of displeasure crossed his mind, yet he feigned indifference. "Senior Brother Xie possesses the purest bloodline of the Sacred Dark family. His physical body is exceptionally powerful; even a young Heavenly Emperor of the same realm might not be his match. Li Weiyi was merely exploited by the court because of Jiang Ning, dragged into a turmoil far beyond his capacity."

"Whoosh!"

From the thousand-zhang tall Phoenix Pavilion, the array hummed to life, clouds and mist vibrated, and a loud phoenix cry resonated. The resulting ripples spread throughout the entire Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain.

All the martial cultivators in the city looked on in unison, utterly shaken.

Since the Great Palace Master sealed the palace, the Phoenix Pavilion had never before displayed such intense energy.

A moment later.

Ge Xiantong descended the mountain, stepping on clouds directly towards the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery, loudly proclaiming, "By the Great Palace Master's decree, Zen Master Six Thoughts is commanded to immediately open the monastery gates!"

Immediately, pandemonium erupted, and all the martial cultivators were in an uproar.

Had the Great Palace Master emerged from seclusion?

Many martial cultivators, who held the Great Palace Master as their faith, knelt in reverence, bowing towards the Phoenix Pavilion.

From within the Zen Monastery, a voice finally responded, "Ge Xiantong, do you understand the consequences of falsely relaying a decree?"

Ge Xiantong stood before the monastery gates, looking up at the vast Buddhist light within. "Falsely transmitting a decree is a capital offense. Therefore, it's impossible that I am transmitting it falsely; the command just now is absolutely true. Zen Master Six Thoughts, surely you wouldn't make the Great Palace Master personally come to plead with you to open the gates, would you?"

In the crowd, Shi Jiuzhai shouted, "This is outrageous! Even I, a mere barbarian bandit, can't stand it! It's just a small monastery, and yet the Great Palace Master's decree is being ignored. Is Lingxiao City still under the rule of Lingxiao Palace? Has Lingxiao Palace become so weak that it no longer holds absolute deterrent power within Lingxiao City?"

Shi Liuyu, never one to miss a spectacle, roared, "This is utterly disrespectful to my most revered Great Palace Master! It's outright bullying! I say, let's just attack directly. Everyone join in; Ge Xiantong, you lead the charge!"

Ge Xiantong's gaze sharpened, and he summoned his fifth-grade Thousand-Character Artifact, the Soaring Dragon Whip.

"Boom!"

He struck it heavily against the ground.

Propelled by spiritual energy, the five-foot whip rapidly expanded into a golden pillar dozens of meters tall, with a golden dragon formed from scriptures entwined around it.

"This whip was bestowed upon me by my master, commissioning me to slay evil and heretics. Today, I shall see if it can cleave open these monastery gates. Everyone, join me in the attack!"

He gripped the pillar with both arms and was the first to charge forward.

"Rumble!"

The resounding crash of the Soaring Dragon Whip striking the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery, the dragon's roar, and the sounds of countless martial cultivators unleashing their artifact attacks, continuously reverberated from the peak of Lin Terrace.

"Are you trying to force the palace's hand?"

The Third Palace Master, clad in a vibrant robe, with her hair tied in a high bun and skin like immortal jade, suddenly rose from the divine throne in the grand hall.

A six-colored immortal aura burst forth, illuminating the entire world.

"Thump, thump."

The elderly individuals who had been kneeling inside and outside the hall, offering their desperate remonstrations, were all flung backward like scarecrows by the radiant aura.

Her figure was tall and imposing, and a frosty aura emanated from her phoenix eyes, causing ice crystals to crackle and spread across all three palace complexes of Lingxiao Palace.

Taishi Qingshi immediately scrambled to his feet, blood flowing from his nose and mouth. Supporting himself with his hands on the ground, he knelt and cried out, "The general trend is irreversible! If the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery is not opened today to allow everyone to pray and the decisive battle to proceed, Lingxiao Palace will lose all public support. If public support is lost, it will perish without a fight."

Another elder repeatedly knocked his head against the ground. "If the gates of a mere Zen Monastery cannot be opened, who will show respect to Lingxiao Palace in the future? Please, Third Palace Master, issue an order for Zen Master Six Thoughts to open the gates."

"I'll go and bash my head against the gates of the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery until I die!"

A towering, armored military expert of the Abnormal Human race strode out of the Lin Terrace Grand Hall.

"Get back here!"

After the Third Palace Master uttered that stern command, her tone noticeably softened as she continued, "Before you go and bash your head, first go to the City Defense Camp and fully activate the city's protective arrays. Additionally, order the Three Great Battalions and the Embroidered Robe Divine Guards to immediately assemble and await my command."

The Abnormal Human military expert was overjoyed, realizing that the Third Palace Master, finally pressured by the circumstances, intended to gauge the true strength of the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery.

He knelt and bowed in reverence, shouting, "Long live the Third Palace Master!"

Then, accompanied by six or seven other grand figures, he descended the mountain, heading in various directions.

The Third Palace Master, with her wide cloud-sleeves clasped behind her back and skirt hem resembling phoenix feathers, her figure enveloped in a six-colored immortal aura, slowly walked to the ten-zhang wide jade window. Her cloud-like eyes gazed silently towards the distant Earth Devil Pine and the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery.

She wasn't certain whether the "Ghost Infant Incident" was connected to those individuals.

But the situation had pushed her to this point, so why not seize this opportunity to uncover the truth within? If the problem could truly be resolved, then the risk would be well worth taking.

"Xingyuelu, go to the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery on my behalf and deliver this command: tell Zen Master Six Thoughts to open the monastery gates. Tonight is New Year's Eve, and all martial cultivators in the city will jointly welcome the new year. With the city's protective array fully activated, he should understand the consequences if he still refuses to open the gates," the Third Palace Master instructed.

"Your disciple obeys," Xingyuelu replied.

Xingyuelu, who had been kneeling outside the hall, descended the mountain at maximum speed.

The Third Palace Master cast a displeased glance at Taishi Qingshi, saying coldly, "Your family has been so desperately building momentum for this decisive battle, representing the young generations of Lingxiao Genesis Realm and the Adversity Temple. What are its chances of victory?"

Taishi Qingshi, seeing that his objective was achieved, beamed with a wide smile. "There's no chance at all; it was never intended to be a decisive battle."

"You had the audacity to vehemently pressure me, but do you have the ability to win? It's shameful, utterly disgraceful. You're not just losing face for the Lingxiao Genesis Realm, but for all of us spiritual masters. Now go, head to the City Defense Camp and keep watch there," the Third Palace Master said, exasperated.