...
Min Ning grew more and more alarmed as he listened,
Who could have thought that the arrogant and tyrannical Western Factory Centurion was actually a spy planted in the Capital City by the Divine Sect!
If it weren't for his attempt to assassinate him this time, perhaps… everything would have played out exactly as the Divine Sect had planned!
And that Saintess...
The Saintess he mentioned, who exactly is she?
That's right, he remembered that he had taken a maidservant away from Prince Xiang's mansion…
No matter what… he absolutely could not let him succeed!
Inside the tavern, as the words settled, the members of the Divine Sect slowly lowered the weapons in their hands.
The tense and murderous atmosphere suddenly eased.
"So it really is you,"
The Punishment Elder, calming his emotions, looked at Chen Yi and suddenly made a demand:
"But the cultivation technique you're carrying, let this old man take a look at it."
The atmosphere grew tense again.
Chen Yi smoothly pulled out a cultivation technique book from his bosom.
The elder glanced over it briefly,
Everything matched, everything matched perfectly…
The Eastern Factory taskmaster, the codeword, the Star-Absorbing Technique, and the Eagle Falling Skill he carried with him… This man was indeed none other than Song Shengbao!
"The situation is dangerous; I hope you can forgive this old man's test,"
The elder returned the Eagle Falling Skill.
Chen Yi waved his hand and said:
"For the sake of the Divine Sect's great cause, no amount of testing is excessive. What truly requires urgency now is those scoundrels of the Eastern Factory."
"Elder, we can't delay any longer. In my opinion, they are playing for time. The Eastern Factory has already begun investigating the Saintess."
Chen Yi spoke with unwavering seriousness.
The elder's expression shifted slightly, furrowing his brow,
"But we had an agreement with the Eastern Factory beforehand…"
Before he could finish, Chen Yi interrupted:
"Just a few days ago, the Eastern Factory had already severed contact with many of our people.
Moreover, rumors now spread among the common folk that the Eastern Factory is protecting the emergence of the Saintess…"
The elder's gaze showed a hint of surprise, and the other members of the Divine Sect were momentarily stunned before murderous intent surged once more.
"Do you mean…"
Chen Yi sneered:
"I fear this rumor was deliberately released by the Eastern Factory!
They use this to mislead our brothers in the sect, waiting for the right moment to stab us in the back.
These Eastern Factory people, their favorite thing is to say one thing and do another."
Listening to Chen Yi's words, the elder remained silent, his brow deeply furrowed.
He knew the man before him wasn't lying. If the Eastern Factory were aware of the Saintess's matter, they would undoubtedly not aid the Divine Sect. Their relationship was never stable but rather a mutually beneficial collaboration without sincerity. If the stakes were high enough or the danger significant, the Eastern Factory would inevitably sacrifice them to protect themselves.
If they continued to work with the Eastern Factory, it might not only cost the lives of the sect members in the Capital City but also lose a Saintess.
But… to openly break ties with the Eastern Factory now…
"The Eastern Factory's power is immense. If we sever ties… it's undoubtedly a perilous move."
After saying this, the elder sighed deeply.
Just as he thought Chen Yi would try to dissuade him, the young man coldly laughed instead.
"Elder, a perilous move?
For the sake of the Saintess, what's wrong with taking a perilous move?!"
Chen Yi's voice grew firmer, slightly impassioned:
"In the sixteenth year of Emperor Qingying's reign, Jiangyong suffered a great drought. The provincial office embezzled funds and withheld disaster relief grain from the court. For hundreds of miles, no rooster crowed—it was the Divine Sect that gave me a meal to eat, healed my illness with Sacred Fire Talisman Water, and told me that the Great Yu was ruled by traitors who had lost the Mandate of Heaven. One day, the Great Ming Venerate Buddha would emerge and restore the World of Ignorance!"
His words were forceful, leaving the elder momentarily stunned; in Chen Yi's eyes, he saw unrestrained fervor mixed with sorrowful disappointment.
He couldn't help but feel moved.
"The Saintess embodies the four great venerations of Bright Venerable. How could she be casually abandoned? If the Saintess is harmed, wouldn't that be equivalent to harming the Great Ming Venerate Buddha?"
As Chen Yi spoke, his voice grew more impassioned. He paused occasionally, letting out a few bitter laughs. When the speech ended, he fell silent. After a long pause, a few choked sobs escaped him.
"If the Bright Venerable suffers, resentment, rage, arrogance, delusion, and desire—these five demonic forces—will plague the world. Who will safeguard the Five Layers of Bright Treasure Land? Who will rescue the suffering masses from the Resentment Demon Master?"
Not only the elder, but the other members of the Divine Sect also felt their breaths catch.
This man…
How does he know the Ming'an Divine Sect better than I do?
The elder's expression grew complex. Despite his high station as the Punishment Elder, he too came from a background of poverty and calamity—saved only by the Divine Sect's charity. In that young man, he seemed to see a reflection of his own past.
The elder was full of conflicting thoughts, wanting to say something.
But the young man before him had already risen in disappointment,
"I've said all I can. You… do as you see fit."
Seeing this scene, everyone lowered their heads. They wanted to sigh but couldn't; the lump in their throats left them shaken to the core.
What they didn't see was,
standing at the doorway, as he prepared to push it open, a faint and nearly imperceptible smile crossed the young man's face.
Min Ning, seeing that he was about to leave, moved her foot—only to accidentally step on a thin thread. A bottle of premium Soft Muscle Powder toppled to the ground, its contents wafting into her delicate nose.
The sound of alarm bells immediately erupted!
"An intruder!"
At the shout, the members of the Divine Sect in the tavern sprang to their feet.
Min Ning froze in shock. She drew her blade and turned, preparing to charge out.
But suddenly, her legs gave way, her body rendered powerless. Only then did she see the bottle of Soft Muscle Powder rolling along the corridor.
Watching the armed members of the Divine Sect rushing toward her, Min Ning's eyes filled with horror.