“Heaven-Suppressing Society…”
Liu Wenyu was filled with shock, murmuring softly under his breath.
His eyes were locked onto the Endstone Plate above his head, and he couldn’t help but reach out with both hands, wanting to touch it.
As a spy secretly working for the Five Elders Association, he had been cornered by the Tianxuan Treasure Record. He knew all too well just how precious this object was.
“What is this?” Liu Wenyu couldn’t help but ask.
“The Heaven-Concealing Disc,” Xu Bai replied indifferently. With a thought, the Endstone Plate instantly faded into illusion, causing Liu Wenyu’s hands to grasp nothing but air.
Only then did Liu Wenyu suddenly snap back to reality.
Reluctantly shifting his gaze away from the Endstone Plate, he cupped his hands solemnly and said, “Fellow Daoist, you must have come here for something important.”
Xu Bai snorted coldly, “That’s right. I’m here to demand an explanation!”
“Not long ago, a Dao Integration cultivator that our organization controlled using the True Temptation Fruit showed signs of breaking free. Fortunately, we discovered it in time and took other measures before he could fully turn against us. Otherwise, our Heaven-Suppressing Society would have suffered a disastrous loss,” Xu Bai said grimly.
“Didn’t you say that the True Temptation Fruit was a creation of the Heavenly Sovereign and was absolutely infallible? How could there be such a flaw?”
“Empty boasts! No wonder you’ve been suppressed by the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance to this extent,” Xu Bai glanced at him disdainfully and said in a slow, deliberate tone.
“The True Temptation Fruit failed?” Liu Wenyu’s face turned pale with shock, but he quickly shook his head repeatedly.
“That is absolutely impossible. As long as the Heavenly Sovereign exists in this world, no Dao Integration cultivator can defy His power,” Liu Wenyu said with absolute certainty.
Xu Bai said in a deep voice, “And yet, the loss of control happened. How do you explain that?”
“Fellow Daoist, don’t be hasty. Please describe the situation in detail.”
So Xu Bai omitted names and specific details, fabricating an account of a Dao Integration cultivator who, upon realizing he was being controlled, attempted to rebel.
Liu Wenyu pondered for a moment before responding, “Perhaps the problem lies in how you used the True Temptation Fruit.”
Xu Bai’s face darkened with anger. “So now you’re saying the problem is on our side? We followed your instructions to the letter!”
Liu Wenyu hurriedly explained, “The True Temptation Fruit can distort a cultivator’s thoughts, making them believe even the most absurd notions. However, cultivators are not mindless puppets. They still have their own consciousness. If the implanted lie is too simplistic, and they later encounter contradictions, they won’t suspect the lie itself but might attempt to verify it in their own ways.
“For example, if you use the True Temptation Fruit to implant the idea that a Dao Integration cultivator is nothing more than a powerless mortal, he will act accordingly. However, if one day, by sheer accident, he effortlessly kills a Nascent Soul True Lord, the contradiction between reality and his implanted belief will force him to search for the cause of the inconsistency—he must find an explanation that convinces himself.
“Otherwise, the disparity between perception and reality could drive him into madness.
“Likewise, if you use the True Temptation Fruit to instill unwavering loyalty in a Dao Integration cultivator, but he later realizes that this loyalty might be the result of external influence, he will still remain loyal. However…
“His way of expressing that loyalty… may become rather extreme.”
Liu Wenyu paused for a moment, glanced at Xu Bai, and then continued, “He might believe that the Xuanhuang Realm is full of hidden dangers. If one’s strength is insufficient yet exposed to the outside world, it could very well endanger their life. So he believes that imprisoning you in a dungeon somewhere and having you cultivate endlessly until you achieve Dao Integration is the safest approach. Only when you have enough power to traverse the Xuanhuang Realm should you be released.”
“From an outsider’s perspective, this might seem twisted and unreasonable. However, in their understanding, this is completely logical and follows a natural course.”
“In our Five Elders Association, there was once a case of a loyal cultivator defecting to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. He remained loyal to the Five Elders Association, but he believed that the strength of the Immortal Ancestor was unfathomable and that we were incapable of opposing them. Over time, defeat would be inevitable. He thought that only by proactively surrendering and facilitating a merger with the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance could there be a chance for survival.”
Liu Wenyu sighed helplessly and said, “He spoke so convincingly that he even tried to persuade other members of the Five Elders Association to follow him.”
“There are actually quite a few people like this. We refer to them as ‘Obsession-Craze Cultivators.’ This is the result of a partial misalignment with the Heavenly Principles of the Xuanhuang Realm, due to the Heavenly Sovereign’s incomplete grasp of supreme logic.”
“Of course, if every Heavenly Sovereign possessed the omnipresent divine power of Carefree Heavenly Sovereign, such incidents wouldn’t happen.”
As Liu Wenyu explained, Xu Bai’s expression gradually softened.
“When we initially set up the deception, we made it as foolproof as possible. Who would have thought that something like this would still happen…” Xu Bai snorted coldly.
Liu Wenyu also looked helpless. “After all, we’re dealing with a Dao Integration cultivator—it’s inevitable. If they were that easy to control, wouldn’t our Five Elders Association have unified the Xuanhuang Realm long ago? We wouldn’t have ended up in our current predicament.”
“So what do we do now? This is an extremely critical matter, yet it wasn’t discussed in advance during our transaction. Letting him go is out of the question, but keeping him imprisoned for too long will arouse suspicion. Should we just kill him and frame you for it?” Xu Bai asked.
Liu Wenyu was startled and quickly responded, “Fellow Daoist, don’t act recklessly. I believe there’s still a way to salvage this.”
“One option is to use the ‘True Temptation Fruit’ on him again to repair the flaws in the deception.”
“The other option…”
Liu Wenyu’s expression turned a bit strange. “We reveal the truth to him directly and then convince him to abandon his ‘crazed obsession.’”
“Explain more clearly.” Xu Bai’s face darkened.
Liu Wenyu lowered his voice. “Let’s take the cultivator who defected to the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance as an example. The reason he defected was simply because he believed that our Five Elders Association was no match for the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance. If we can provide irrefutable proof that the Five Elders Association is actually stronger than the Ten Thousand Immortal Alliance—or at the very least, can stand against them—then he will return to our side.”
“After all, his belief in loyalty to the Five Elders Association has never truly wavered.”
Xu Bai instantly understood his meaning.
“Of course, if this ‘persuasion’ process is combined with the True Temptation Fruit, the effect will be even greater,” Liu Wenyu added.
“Daoist Xu, does your Heaven-Suppressing Society still require any more True Temptation Fruits?” he asked.