The Grandmaster fell into deep thought. Destroy the Spirit Hall to rid the world of evil and make a name for himself; destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to avenge his disciple; carry forward the Ten Great Core Spirit Competencies—these were things he dreamed of accomplishing.
Now it would cost only his life to have a chance at achieving them. Why not?
No wonder Tang Yuehua had sent Liu Erlong and Flender away just now. They would never agree. Besides, the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
But there was still a problem—he didn't want to die. If Tang San were still alive, he might risk his life for his disciple. But Tang San was dead. He couldn't commit suicide for him.
The Grandmaster thought it over. He didn't necessarily have to die. As long as he entered Seven Treasures Mountain in full view and then disappeared, that would suffice.
This would require Tang Xiao's help. As long as they avoided Jun Tianlin, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong, with Tang Xiao's level 97 strength, spiriting him away without a sound wouldn't be difficult. After all, the gap between Yin Yang, the Dragon Duke, and Dugu Bo versus Tang Xiao was still considerable.
"Very well, I agree. But…" The Grandmaster nodded and stated his terms to Tang Yuehua.
Tang Yuehua frowned. Even now, this man clung to life—he wanted Tang Xiao to preserve his life. That would reduce the plan's chances of success. A death needs a body; to make it a fait accompli, you need a corpse.
But there was no helping it. The key to this plan was the Grandmaster. If he refused, nothing else mattered.
"Alright. My elder brother and I will do our utmost to rescue you, Grandmaster. Please rest assured!" Tang Yuehua promised.
Only then did the Grandmaster nod in satisfaction. He proposed to execute the plan in three days, then departed.
Seeing this, Tang Yuehua—for the first time—let a trace of disdain cross her elegant features. The reason the Grandmaster wanted three days—did she really not see through it?
It was a threat. The man was too weak. After he finished the letter to Bibi Dong and sent it, he would have little value left. To ensure the plan's success, the Clear Sky Sect could renege on saving him—or even kill him outright—to make it a fait accompli.
To prevent that, he would write a second backup letter, recording the entire truth, and give it to someone he could leverage. If he survived, the second letter would never see the light of day. If he died, it would mean Tang Yuehua had broken her promise, and that person would expose the truth about his death.
Then the blade of the Spirit Empire would turn from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to the Clear Sky Sect. They were all smart. The Grandmaster knew Tang Yuehua would see through his intent. It was naked intimidation.
As for who would receive that second letter, three candidates were most likely: Liu Erlong, Flender, and Tai Tan. But precisely because they were the most likely, they were the least likely—if everyone could guess it, how would it be safe?
With the Grandmaster's intelligence, he wouldn't overlook that.
Therefore, the recipient had to be someone both useful and unexpected, to avoid being silenced.
When they returned to the main hall, Liu Erlong hurried over. "Xiaogang, what took you so long?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "It's nothing. The matter of the ores has been settled. Let's go back."
Seeing Yu Xiaogang still unwilling to talk, Liu Erlong looked unhappy. What she hated most was the lingering barrier between her and Yu Xiaogang—their inability to be completely open with each other.
Are blood ties really that important? If worst came to worst, they could ignore the wars of the continent and find a place to live in seclusion. No one would know them. They could live as an ordinary couple.
In fact, when Yu Luomian had taken Liu Erlong back, she had slipped away again shortly afterward—with Yu Yuanzhen's consent. Otherwise, how could she, only a Soul Emperor then, have escaped one of the Three Upper Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?
Yu Yuanzhen did so to fulfill the two of them. As long as they lived incognito and didn't disgrace the family name, he could turn a blind eye.
It was his way of compensating the Grandmaster. After all, not only did he fail to pass on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon to him, but his martial soul mutated into a useless one.
When the Grandmaster was expelled by the clan's elders, his father was helpless. Yu Yuanzhen had always felt guilty toward this son.
Unfortunately, Yu Xiaogang did not appreciate Yu Yuanzhen's goodwill, intent only on promoting his theories.
The three left the Clear Sky Sect. Watching their receding figures, Tang Xiao asked his sister, "Yuehua, who do you think the Grandmaster will entrust with the letter meant to keep us in check?"
Tang Yuehua shook her head. "I can't guess yet. We need some time. For now, probably only he himself knows. It won't be Tai Tan, nor Flender, and certainly not Liu Erlong—they're far too obvious."
…
Outside the Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate, a disciple of the Speed Clan saw the trio depart and immediately went back to report to Yin Yang, who in turn informed Tianlin and Ning Fengzhi.
"Fengzhi, Xiao Tian, Yu Xiaogang has left the Clear Sky Sect and returned to Heaven Dou City. Will that Tang Yuehua really use the Grandmaster to scheme against Bibi Dong, as you predicted?"
"Don't worry. Tang Yuehua prides herself on mastering people's hearts, not knowing that while she manipulates others, she herself is being manipulated," Tianlin smiled. "At present, the only force capable of dealing with our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is the Spirit Hall. But to make the Spirit Hall abandon the two empires and start a war with us ahead of schedule, the Grandmaster is the only fuse. Two 'onlys' colliding—she has no other choice."
"Sigh. I hadn't intended to target the Grandmaster—he's Yu Yuanzhen's own son," Ning Fengzhi sighed. "But because of his relationship with Bibi Dong, the Evil Sword Immortal has his eye on him. To prevent the Evil Sword Immortal from using him, I have no choice but to kill him."
"If we kill him directly, Bibi Dong will go mad. I still want to buy time, and I'm not ready to clash with the Spirit Hall so soon. So we'll trouble the Clear Sky Sect to force him to his death. When Bibi Dong seeks revenge, let her go after the Clear Sky Sect. She's fighting the Heaven Dou Empire already, isn't she? The Clear Sky Sect, as an ally, ought to lend the empire a hand anyway."
Tianlin nodded. "A soft heart cannot command troops. Though we owe Senior Yu an apology, there's no better way."
"Grandpa Eagle, I have three tasks to trouble you with. First: soon a letter will be sent from Heaven Dou City to the Spirit Hall. You must have people intercept it. This letter is the key to severing the Grandmaster's association with us. Second: find the Grandmaster's second letter. This is the key to shifting the blame onto the Clear Sky Sect. Third: once the above two steps are done, act decisively—kill Yu Xiaogang on the spot!"
After hearing this, Yin Yang said, "Xiao Tian, the first and third tasks are simple for us. But the second—you'll need to give me some clues. Otherwise, how will I know who the Grandmaster gave the letter to?"
Tianlin smiled slightly. "It's simple. First, the second letter is useless if the Grandmaster lives. Publishing it early would only prevent a war between the Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Therefore, the holder must hate both us and the Spirit Hall, ensuring he won't publish the letter early to stop the war.
"Second, the Grandmaster must ensure that, if he dies, the holder will publish the letter immediately. Therefore, this person must want the Clear Sky Sect exterminated even more than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Thus, the one who wishes both the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall destroyed, but desires the Clear Sky Sect's extermination even more—and who is near the Grandmaster yet not so close as to arouse suspicion—that is the holder of the second letter. We don't need to seize the letter. We only need to protect its holder."