“Huh?”
Ren Qingtu furrowed his brows.
“Yang Qiu is about to become a Saint?”
This was hard to believe.
He knew Yang Qiu well. Yang Qiu was an elder of the Nine Nether Demon Sect and, strictly speaking, they were peers. In their youth, they had competed against each other, but Yang Qiu was never a match for him. How could it be that, at this moment, Yang Qiu was ahead of him and about to become a Saint?
If word of this got out, who would believe it?
After all, the current leader of the Nine Nether Demon Sect hadn't even become a Saint. What qualifications did a mere Yang Qiu have to achieve such a thing?
“Disciple, stop speaking nonsense,” Ren Qingtu scolded, his voice stern.
“It's not nonsense, Master. If you ask Senior, you'll know it's true,” Liu Chengxue urged anxiously.
“Senior…”
Ren Qingtu turned around and looked at Li Yun. “Is what my disciple said true?”
“Of course it's true,” Li Yun nodded with a calm expression, “The opportunity for him to become a Saint was something I pointed out to him.”
Ren Qingtu was dumbfounded.
“He actually pointed out a Saint's path for Yang Qiu?!”
It was hard to fathom. While it might be understandable if Li Yun had merely shown Yang Qiu the path to Sainthood, to simply hand over such an opportunity seemed far too unrealistic.
“Before you arrived, I imagine your disciple already shared the news about the Heavenly Mechanism Tower with you,” Li Yun said slowly, his tone nonchalant. “Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you, but Yang Qiu becoming a Saint is certainly not a good thing for the Daluo Sword Sect.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ren Qingtu frowned deeply, his voice low. “My Daluo Sword Sect has stood for millions of years, with a deep foundation. How could a mere Saint threaten us?”
“Is that so?” Li Yun smiled with a hint of irony. “A single Saint may not be able to shake the foundation of the Daluo Sword Sect, but what if the Daluo Sword Sect is no longer the same as before?”
Ren Qingtu's face darkened. “Senior, your words seem too severe.”
Ren Qingtu bowed slightly. “The Daluo Sword Sect is not some small sect. It has flourished for millions of years, and such turmoil will never come.”
Ren Qingtu was confident, but his confidence felt shaky.
Deep down, he understood the fragility of the situation.
The Daluo Sword Sect had lost its pillar—their founder had passed away. They had already lost much of their combat strength, while the Nine Nether Demon Sect, on the other hand, had gained a Saint.
This wasn't good news for the Daluo Sword Sect.
The two sects weren't far apart geographically, and there were frequent conflicts between them. From the incident with Liu Chengxue slaying Du Qianshang, Ren Qingtu had sensed something ominous.
If the Nine Nether Demon Sect discovered the Daluo Sword Sect's weakness, it wouldn't be long before a large force of their experts would descend upon the Daluo Sword Sect's gates. At that point, whether the Daluo Sword Sect could survive would be uncertain.
“If there's nothing else, Senior, I'll take my leave,” Ren Qingtu said with a deep voice, turning to leave.
He needed to find some allies, quickly. If he could convince one or more Sacred Lands to form an alliance, it would give the Daluo Sword Sect a fighting chance in its moment of crisis.
“Once you step out that door, the price you'll pay to come back will not be the same as it is today,” Li Yun said leisurely, raising his cup and taking a sip of tea.
Ren Qingtu froze for a moment, then slowly turned back. “Senior seems to have something to say?”
Li Yun smiled faintly. “Let me give you a piece of advice—sometimes, it's better to rely on yourself than to rely on others…”
Li Yun shook his head, glancing at Ren Qingtu. “One should be careful what they wish for. The fall of a sect is not something that anyone would want to meddle in.”
He paused, his eyes twinkling with knowing mischief. “Besides, you may find allies, but the Nine Nether Demon Sect can also find their own.”
“What?” Ren Qingtu was stunned, his heart pounding.
How could he know this?
Did he know what I was thinking? Was it mind-reading? Was I under some kind of illusion?
Ren Qingtu stood motionless, his mind a whirlwind. The thoughts that had just flitted through his mind seemed to have been revealed by the Tower Master as if Li Yun had read his every thought. It was simply impossible to believe.
“It's neither mind-reading, nor telepathy, and you're not under any illusion,” Li Yun said, standing up and stretching lazily. “I told you before, there is nothing in this world that I don't know.”
Li Yun's voice became even more serious. “Including the fact that your Daluo Sword Sect's founder just passed away.”
“What?!”
Ren Qingtu's face turned ashen.
For the first time, the usually composed and unshakable Ren Qingtu couldn't maintain his calm. To have the greatest weakness of his sect exposed so easily—it was too much to bear.
If word of this got out… the Daluo Sword Sect's tens of thousands of disciples and its million-year legacy could be reduced to ashes in an instant.
“You must understand,” Li Yun continued, his tone growing more solemn, “alliances are built on strength. If the righteous sects learn that the Daluo Sword Sect is gravely weakened, do you think they will extend a helping hand, or…”
Li Yun's smile became more pronounced, though his eyes remained cold. “Do you think they would rather push you further into the abyss?”
Ren Qingtu's face turned even paler as the words hit home. He had long been aware of the precariousness of his sect's position, but hearing it from Li Yun, someone who seemed to know everything, made it feel even more real.
“Master…” Liu Chengxue whispered, her voice trembling.
She had been watching the entire exchange, and now, seeing her Master's reaction, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of foreboding. Slowly, she raised her head and asked, “Is it true? Has the Sect Master really passed away?”
Ren Qingtu's face was ashen, and he was silent, unable to respond.
At that moment, Liu Chengxue finally understood. The Tower Master had been right all along.
Once again, he had calculated everything correctly.
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