Upon hearing the words of the man with the cane, a chill went through the hearts of the two listeners.
Attack forcefully?
But at present, they were not yet ready.
The man with the cane did not say much but took out three sticks of incense and went into the temple of the Secret Hall to light them.
He burned the incense with devout sincerity.
Not long after, a golden light appeared in front of the temple, and the Saint Heir, dressed in a snowy vestment robe, stepped out and glanced at the three demons inside the Secret Hall, his expression darkening:
“What has happened?”
“Your Highness the Saint Heir, we originally intended…”
The man with the cane quickly bowed and knelt, revealing their initial plan and then explaining the current situation in Dayu.
“So, you plan to directly attack the Gan Tao Palace, but you’re worried that damned boy will mess things up?”
The Saint Heir understood as well, his expression becoming icy cold.
Originally, he had not planned to cause a big stir; this Jiang family was secretly reviving an Ancestor quietly, though the Divine Dynasty had spanned over three thousand years, but in the sanctified enclave of the Immortal Gate, it was barely three hundred years.
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And to the Saints, three hundred years were but a fleeting moment.
His plan was to steal the Jiang family’s Incense Fire Treasure without any noise, hence he had arranged for these three demons to scheme here, gradually usurping the dynasty over hundreds of years.
Within the Land of All Saints, this was equivalent to just a few decades; he could afford to wait.
But now, after hundreds of years of planning, a monstrous boy unexpectedly emerged.
The national fortune which had been eroded over hundreds of years was now upheld by a single individual; facing the current situation meant dealing with two powerful entities.
The Buddha Lord was also a threat; although they superficially collaborated, they also speculated about each other’s intentions—the Buddha Lord wanted to use them to attain the Dao Tong, accumulate enough Incense Fire, and achieve sainthood in one fell swoop.
And they, too, wanted to utilize the Buddha Lord to assimilate the Jiang family; their aims and desires were one and the same.
It was merely a temporary cooperation, and after dealing with the Jiang family, they would see who would truly gain benefit.
Both were very confident in themselves.
Now that the Buddha Lord was dead, it also represented the removal of a competitor for the end game for them.
But now, there was an even more troublesome individual involved.
“I have investigated Mount Wuliang. The traces of Dao Power are profoundly deep there; the person who killed the Buddha Lord is very likely to possess the combat power of the Dao Law Realm!”
The man in black robes reported softly, “The Buddha Lord couldn’t wait to become a Saint and advanced to the Tao Comprehension Realm beforehand, but it seems his power exceeded the True Man Realm, lying somewhere between True Man and Dao Law Realm.”
As he spoke these words, a chill ran through him as well.
If not for another more horrifying guess, he even believed that the Buddha Lord might have stepped straight from the Grand Tao of Peace Realm into the Dao Law Realm,
bypassing the True Man Realm altogether.
Unfortunately, they were not present during the great battle; investigating afterward, based on the traces on the battlefield, it was impossible to discern specific details.
And those disciples of the Buddha Sect who had witnessed it first-hand were not to mention; their realms were too low to comprehend the battles of the Tao Comprehension Realm.
A mayfly gazing at the sky only knows the vastness of heaven but does not know how high it really is.
“Dao Law Realm…”
The Saint Heir’s face looked troubled; among the three demons, only the man with the cane was of the Dao Law Realm, the other two were in the True Man Realm.
That True Man from the Gan Tao Palace, according to the Buddha Lord, was very likely of the Dao Law Realm; the Buddha Lord had once met him years ago as a way of testing him.
Had it not been for that test, the Buddha Lord would not have contentedly remained second best.
“Do you mean to imply that you need reinforcements?”
The Saint Heir asked, staring at the man with the cane.
The man with the cane chuckled bitterly, having just received the gracious gift of the Incense Fire Treasure, and now asking the Saint Heir for help seemed a bit like admitting his own incompetence.
But there was no choice, the situation had changed beyond their plans.
Previously, Li Junye of the Li family had been born with exceptional talent, and they had plotted to kill him.
The monsters born to other families, they had also secretly intervened, either manipulating from behind the scenes to ensure that these prodigies of the Human Race dynasties perished prematurely.
But… this monstrous boy had appeared out of nowhere, initially under the disguise of a useless person; while they had commanded the Holy Palace in Northern Yan to restrain the Li Family and continue to erode the power of the Divine General Mansion, they had heard that the Holy Palace also sent someone to assassinate the boy.
And worried about his potential disguise as a useless person, they had sent an assassin who was supposed to be infallibly thorough.
At six years old, facing an assassin from the Zhou Tian Realm, the most challenging part was infiltrating the Divine General Mansion.
Once inside, if one could get close, it was almost a guaranteed kill!
But it had failed nonetheless.
The monstrous level of the boy exceeded anyone’s imagination; at just six years old, barely at the age of cultivation, who could match someone from the Zhou Tian Realm!
Moreover, the situation was so shocking that the Holy Palace even thought the assassin had been foolish, choosing the wrong moment for the attack, with a powerful member of the Li Family secretly protecting him.
After the mishap, several more assassins were dispatched, but with the Divine General Mansion closely monitoring, they were caught before they could even get close to the boy,
and barely caused a ripple.
By the time they realized what was happening, the boy had grown in just a few years into a being that they could no longer contend with.
Hopes of throttling such a prospect had become delusional.
“Utterly useless fools!”
The Saint Heir’s expression was grim, his heart seething with frustration, yet he knew that under the current circumstances, there truly was no way to deal with these three demons.
Aside from the old man with the walking stick who could fight, the other two True Persons were no match in front of the Dao Law Realm.
The initially bestowed Incense Fire Treasure was meant to counter any potential Incense Fire Treasure the Jiang family might possess, but the advantage was not significant.
“I have no backup now, I must take action myself!”
The Saint Heir took a deep breath, originally he didn’t want to make a big deal and attract others to fight over it, but now he had no choice.
Hundreds of years of planning, he had also waited and cultivated in the Land of All Saints for decades, his patience nearly exhausted.
Now facing a major shift, he couldn’t wait any longer, unsure of what changes might occur in the future.
“Saint Heir, you are going to take action personally?”
The old man with the walking stick was stunned, looking at him somewhat incredulously.
The initial secret scheming was out of fear of causing a great disturbance; if the Saint Heir took action now, would their centuries of planning be in vain?
“Leaving it to you again, could you manage?” the Saint Heir said, annoyed.
The old man with the walking stick was speechless.
“As all the Saints are busy with a major event and have no interest in spying on the Mortal World, this is a rare opportunity. We just need to resolve this quickly and decisively.”
The Saint Heir said solemnly, his decades of waiting almost in vain, which only added to his annoyance, but his mind was decisive, knowing he couldn’t hesitate with a begrudging heart any longer.
The three, including the old man with the walking stick, exchanged glances, realizing the Saint Heir was suppressing anger, and they anticipated no good outcome after the event, their faces pale.
“I’ll deal with that boy personally. We need to act swiftly. Once the Merit Treasure Vault emerges, the martial artists within the Dayu Realm will grow stronger with the aid of the Mo River’s Merit, and furthermore…”
The Saint Heir’s expression was dark as he said, “If the Sacred Clans of the Great Wilderness Heaven learn that a Merit Treasure Vault has emerged within the royal confines of the Jiang family, they will surely intervene, and things will become even more tumultuous!”
At this point, he was extremely irritated.
Everything was supposed to proceed smoothly and orderly, but the sudden emergence of a monstrous youth and the Merit Treasure Vault disrupted their plans completely, both incidents having significant impact and beyond their control.
They had to attack Qingzhou swiftly, eliminating the Li Family, accepting huge losses and risks out of desperation.
He could already feel that the situation here was gradually slipping from their control and needed decisive action without further delay.
“Prepare yourselves and coordinate with me; don’t disappoint me again!”
The Saint Heir glared at the three demons.
The old man with the walking stick trembled, bowing his head, “This subordinate is incompetent, but I will atone by slaying that old Dao!”
The black-robed young man and the woman with purple patterns both bowed their heads.
…
…
Liangzhou, Heavenly Gate Pass.
Within a small courtyard, successive messages were reported.
When Li Hao learned of Emperor Yu’s imperial edict, he was somewhat astonished, as it didn’t quite match their previous discussion.
Subsequent demon attacks and other incidents made Li Hao realize that His Majesty might not have chosen the path they had initially discussed.
But by doing this, too many of his cards were revealed.
Was it worth it?
Li Hao fell into silence.
“Ha, it seems my good brother views you as the future of Dao Tong,” said Jiang Lichen, sitting in the courtyard, leisurely eating and drinking from a wine jug, “Besides, after more than three thousand years of propagation and incense fire, our family’s ancestor should be about to be resurrected. The future incense fire could assist you in becoming a Saint.”
Seeing him so at ease, Li Hao asked,
“You said earlier that you were going to strike him with a sword; why did you run away when he came?”
Shortly before Emperor Yu arrived, Jiang Lichen seemed to have sensed it, and left early claiming he would take a walk outside.
Only after Emperor Yu had left did he quietly return, piquing Li Hao’s curiosity.
“Hmph, I will strike him with that sword sooner or later, but like I said, I told you I’d bring you back from Mo River before I strike him. That means, you have to be in dire straits, I save you, then I can strike. Otherwise, I’m not like him, who has a thick face; my word is my bond!”
Jiang Lichen said proudly.
But to Li Hao, these words sounded a bit like a child pretending to be capable.
“You probably just didn’t dare to strike,” Li Hao looked at him skeptically, “You must have realised His Majesty’s realm, right?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Jiang Lichen burst out angrily.
Li Hao chuckled, “Calm down, calm down.”
“What’s there not to dare? He personally promised to let me strike, why wouldn’t I?!” Jiang Lichen said irritably.
Li Hao thought for a moment and replied, “That’s also true.”
Jiang Lichen’s expression relaxed and he snorted coldly, “When my Sword Dao reaches great accomplishment, I don’t need incense fire. I can make a sacrificial Dao with my sword, what of the Saints? I will still strike as you watch!”
“You still have quite a way to go.”
Li Hao spoke bluntly, then asked, “You just mentioned resurrecting the ancestor, what’s the situation? Is that a secret of your royal family? You just blurted it out so easily?”
“What’s the big deal? What if it’s exposed, how does that concern me? I’ve said it before, the people of the world have nothing to do with me. If it can be used to sharpen my sword, even if I have to kill everyone under the heaven, I wouldn’t blink an eye!”
Jiang Lichen scoffed.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly, no wonder they say he is a Sword Demon, he truly is mad enough.