Although Liu Zhijian still did not fully understand the complete story, he already grasped that Deng Gang was clearly the key to this plan.
No wonder an inner disciple of the Qingyun Sect had appeared back in the flood dragon's cave dwelling.
It turned out to be for ensuring that the flood dragon's blood would be smoothly delivered into Deng Gang's hands in order to 【Strengthen Its Blood】.
In the end, their standing by as he took the flood dragon's essence blood and Deng Gang away was likely because, after learning of his identity as a disciple of Mount Taixuan, they mistakenly assumed he was also in the loop and had personally stepped in to guarantee nothing went wrong.
Later, Deng Gang launched his uprising at Mount Yandang, sweeping across the realm like splitting bamboo in less than a year.
The imperial court of the Huang Kingdom had surprisingly been unable to withstand a single blow.
Though Liu Zhijian had found it strangely smooth, he had merely thought that this cultivation world could not be compared to Earth's history.
Looking at it now, with Mount Taixuan, the Qingyun Sect, and Qixia Mountain joining forces to back him, even if Jiang Xiaoyu were to start a rebellion, it would surely succeed!
The scenes of enemies surrendering at the mere rumor of his approach and heroes bowing their heads in allegiance were nothing more than methods to 【Broaden Its Momentum】.
As for the final step of emulating the past deeds of the 【Foundation Establishment】 grand demon Fubo, it was even simpler.
It was just cosplay.
Except cosplay on Earth was mere superficial appearance, whereas cosplay in the cultivation world might genuinely hold the divine mystery of borrowing fate density.
Beside the shock in his heart, Liu Zhijian felt a trace of anxiety.
On Mount Taixuan, counting Jiang Xiaoyu, there were only four people in total—where on earth was there any sword immortal?!
However, Xue Yang of Qixia Mountain visiting Mount Taixuan together with the Qingyun Sect and Mount Xiaolong clearly meant to force Mount Taixuan to act.
Liu Zhijian was not an adolescent youth who valued friendship above all else; he could still distinguish between those who were close and distant. Although he was unwilling to see his former friend Deng Gang manipulated like a toy in the palm of someone's hand, he was even more unwilling to see his sect and master fall into a dangerous situation because of it.
For a moment, everyone in the General Affairs Hall looked toward Li Chengxuan.
...
Li Chengxuan naturally understood the situation clearly.
Xue Yang coming with such a grand spectacle meant he would not allow Li Chengxuan to refuse.
At the very least, he had to reveal some of Mount Taixuan's foundation.
"Senior Xue is the bedrock of the Immortal Alliance and has given much care to our Mount Taixuan," Li Chengxuan spoke slowly after a moment's thought. "Since this concerns Senior's Dao path, our Mount Taixuan naturally will not stand by and watch."
"With those words from Fellow Daoist Li, I can rest easy." Xue Yang let out a sigh of relief and urged with a smile, "There is no time to lose. Why doesn't Fellow Daoist Li entrust the sect to your disciples and head down the mountain with us right away?"
"No need." Li Chengxuan's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and he shook his head. "I will hand this matter over to my eldest disciple to deal with down the mountain."
Liu Zhijian was startled in his heart.
Wasn't this novice sect task a bit too difficult?
Besides, he only knew how to fish—where would he know any sword immortal techniques?!
Hearing this, Xue Yang knitted his brows, glanced at Liu Zhijian, and shook his head in firm rejection. "This trip is of utmost importance. Only by Fellow Daoist Li going down the mountain personally can we guarantee that nothing goes wrong."
Li Chengxuan's expression turned solemn as he spoke slowly, "If Deacon Xue thinks this will not do, then please seek someone better suited. Our Mount Taixuan will no longer participate in this matter."
Xue Yang's expression changed drastically. He stood up and said harshly, with an air of heart-wrenching severity, "Fellow Daoist Li had best think this through carefully! Right now, the major sects and immortal nations of the Central Continent are merely probing. If they launch a full-scale invasion... when the nest is overturned, how can any eggs remain unbroken?! At such a critical moment, if the Immortal Alliance loses its bedrock, the collapse of Nanya Province will be right before our eyes! Fellow Daoist must not haggle over minor points, which will not only harm the overall situation of Nanya, but also bury Mount Taixuan's foundation."
Qiao Yunbai of the Qingyun Sect kept his head down and remained silent.
After all, the Qingyun Sect was precisely the "probing" Xue Yang spoke of.
Dong Linyuan of Mount Xiaolong looked left and right, hesitating to speak.
"I stand enlightened; it was indeed I who underestimated the significance of this plan." Li Chengxuan's expression remained unchanged. After Xue Yang finished speaking, he first offered an apology, then earnestly suggested, "Since that is the case, why not ask Senior Xue to personally issue an edict to convene an Immortal Alliance Assembly? At that time, with all the factions of the Immortal Alliance uniting their efforts and fulfilling their respective duties, we can truly guarantee that nothing goes wrong."
Wasn't he slapping a label on Mount Taixuan for not taking it seriously enough and harming the big picture?!
From my perspective, it's clearly you, Xue Yang, who has too narrow a vision and doesn't care enough about your own ancestor's Dao path!
How could a small group of three to five people compare to the safety and reliability of the Immortal Alliance dealing with it together?!
"You..." Xue Yang's face stiffened. He wanted to reprimand and defend himself, but did not know how to speak.
How could something like refining a human pill be brought out into the open?!
As the leader of the Immortal Alliance, Qixia Mountain still had to save face.
Watching coldly from the side, Qiao Yunbai of the Qingyun Sect secretly sneered in his heart. This so-called Nanya Immortal Alliance was not only dirty, but also a loose heap of sand.
Seeing Li Chengxuan stand firm and Xue Yang rendered speechless, with the two faintly showing signs of a falling out, Dong Linyuan of Mount Xiaolong knew he could no longer remain silent. He hurriedly rose to mediate: "There is no need for you two fellow Daoists to engage in a war of words and hurt harmony. Why not both take a step back? It is all for the Immortal Alliance, and both are out of good intentions."
Li Chengxuan cast a glance at Dong Linyuan and chuckled softly without speaking.
"Fellow Daoist Li, pray forgive me." Xue Yang took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and explained with a forced smile, "I merely saw that your disciple has just ingested qi to enter the Dao and should focus on stabilizing his realm, so I was worried about delaying his cultivation. It was also out of good intentions."
Li Chengxuan did not take the offered step down, instead asking curiously, "How come Fellow Daoist Xue isn't worried about delaying my cultivation?"
Xue Yang froze upon hearing this, thinking to himself: You're a low-grade cultivator who entered the Dao by ingesting Mortal Turbid Qi; you don't need to cultivate anyway, as you have no Dao path to speak of regardless.
However, one doesn't strike people in the face, nor expose their shortcomings when swearing.
Xue Yang knew that if he actually spoke his mind aloud, he would completely fall out with Li Chengxuan with no room left for leeway. After a moment of silence, he bowed his head and apologized: "It was my slip of the tongue. I ask Sect Master Li to forgive me."
Li Chengxuan did not press his advantage unreasonably either. Picking up his teacup, he said, "Seven days from now, I will order my disciple down the mountain to guard the bank of the White Dragon River outside Danzhou City, limited to one month."
"Within one month, if any demon or monster comes to invade, it will surely be slain."
"I have said all there is to say. Please help yourselves."
...
Seeing that they failed to force Li Chengxuan, Xue Yang's group of three could only leave helplessly.
Liu Zhijian felt his eyes had truly been opened, and with a heart full of doubts, he could not help speaking up: "Master, did we completely offend the Xue family this time?!"
"No." Li Chengxuan smiled upon hearing this and shook his head. "We merely offended Xue Yang. He is only at the Qi Refining cultivation level and is not qualified to represent Qixia Mountain."
Liu Zhijian found this reasonable and secretly let out a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat dissatisfied with Xue Yang as well: "That Deacon Xue clearly had something to ask of Master, yet he was so domineering and bossy. It really makes one sick."
"After all, Qixia Mountain holds great power, with a Foundation Establishment cultivator presiding over it. It is no overstatement to call it the pillar of the Immortal Alliance, so it is normal for people of the Xue family to possess some pride." Li Chengxuan no longer had his previous sharp, confrontational momentum as he offered guidance: "However, if you merely think he is arrogant, you are underestimating him."
Liu Zhijian was stunned, thinking for a moment before asking, "Then what is his purpose in doing this intentionally?!"
"His purpose is also simple: nothing more than forcing me down the mountain." Li Chengxuan let out a long sigh. "Sitting in Mount Taixuan with the grand array protecting me, even if the Xue family's Foundation Establishment cultivator comes, they can do nothing to me."
"If I leave Mount Taixuan, I am merely a minor Qi Refining cultivator who entered the Dao through Mortal Turbid Qi, likely to be manipulated at will by others."
Born on Earth, Liu Zhijian naturally had higher moral standards; even with some secular experience, he still could not understand the deceit and intrigue between cultivators. "Doesn't Qixia Mountain belong to the same Immortal Alliance as Mount Taixuan and offer much protection?! How could..."
"That is because our Mount Taixuan has value worth protecting; otherwise, our lineage would have been wiped out long ago." Seeing that Liu Zhijian was still somewhat confused, Li Chengxuan smiled and asked, "Having heard Dong Linyuan's method of emulating past events to supplement destiny, what are your thoughts?"
Not understanding the deeper meaning, Liu Zhijian offered his comparison to cosplay.
"It is indeed somewhat similar." Li Chengxuan nodded slightly upon hearing this, yet spoke calmly, "It's just that, in my view, this method is still not perfect enough—at best, it can only be considered barely satisfactory."
"After all, back then, the Foundation Establishment grand demon Fubo also fell from its peak, slain by a sword immortal of our Mount Taixuan, its body destroyed and Dao extinguished."
"This time, if that human pill emulates those past events, and rather than being slain, instead slays the sect master of Mount Taixuan, wouldn't that complete his fate density even more, perhaps far surpassing that Foundation Establishment grand demon back then?!"
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