Chapter 1696: Signs of Internal Trouble

Qiyuan observed Soft Lifting struggle while pondering. ’I’m starting to understand why these people revered the Highest Sovereign so much. He not only preached equality for all beings, but also for all paths. What’s more, there isn’t any evidence as of now to determine whether he’s just faking.’

Grand Dao — and in turn, the entire Chaos Universe — is highly hierarchical. The Emperor Path reigns supreme above all other paths, and the Eternal Path stands above all other Emperor Paths. But in the Infinite Divine Court, the Highest Sovereign went out of his way to deduce and optimize the Dao Path, and presumably, the others as well.

’I’m willing to bet the other paths are not restricted by their established foundation pillar,’ Qiyuan analyzed. Someone such as Cui Yi could only achieve six pillars after Sanctification in the primordial timeline, maybe 7. However, Qiyuan would not be surprised if he reached 9, 10, or even 12 in the Divine Timeline.

’We must get his cultivation technique and apply it to the sect,’ Qiyuan thought. Now that he knew the potential of the other paths, it would be stupid not to absorb their essence to nourish the Dao Opening Sect’s foundation. ’The problem is how? Such information is probably the highest secret of the Infinite Divine Court. More importantly, there is also the possibility that such paths are only possible because of the existence of the Highest Sovereign.’

There was a fifty-fifty percent chance that Grand Dao would allow that method to appear and spread throughout the Primordial Timeline. ’Maybe there is no need to worry about Grand Dao,’ Qiyuan thought. As long as the sect gives birth to a Primordial Saint, they may be able to ignore Grand Dao’s rules.

’Let’s put a pin on Cui Yi’s Dao Path for now,’ Qiyuan concluded before raising his hand to condense the [Origin of the Sword] condensed from his and Yan Hai’s Dao. With a flicker of his wrist, he sent it to Soft Lift Sword God inside the seal dimension. Without foreign aid, the swordsman would not last long.

’That’s better,’ Qiyuan nodded before shifting his attention toward the third battle and immediately frowned.

’I have this odd feeling about this Saberman. His combination of Saber and Illusion Dao gives me an odd feeling.’ It did not take him long to realize that White Saber was the second most powerful of the commanders, but for some reason, Qiyuan felt he was the most threatening.

The Absolute Beginning Dao was a beautiful Dao that combined time, origin, beginning, and Yin-Yang. Li Taishuang was also a talent born from a Paragon father and an Empyrean mother. Despite his turbulent history, he still became one of the Golden Era’s shining talents. Yet, he was being treated like a child by White Saber. If not for the defensive capabilities of his Yin-Yang Dao and access to the World Source, he would have died after five attacks.

’I’m truly curious about the source of their strength,’ Qiyuan pondered. All the knowledge he knew indicated that SSS-Class Primals should not be this powerful unless they used foreign strength, such as artifacts, or a secret technique involving Saints.

"Hmm?" Qiyuan looked at the screen showing Yan Hai’s slaughter. Someone appeared on the other side and enacted a powerful array that successfully stopped all three of the marshals. ’Is that the officer called Fan Leiwei?’ Ma Liquiu’s information came in handy for this situation, and he immediately identified the newcomer.

’So many people have already been slaughtered, and they only showed up now? Did he need time to set up the array, or is there something else at play?’ Qiyuan did not hesitate to send countless new orders. Numerous people and puppets rushed to the battlefield to clean up the bodies, erase all baleful aura and death energy, and enact anti-ritual/ceremony arrays that utilize sacrifices or souls.

’From his reaction, he doesn’t seem to care about my actions. So, it’s something else?’ Qiyuan analyzed. So, what was the reason for the delay? Numerous thoughts flashed in his mind as he deduced countless possibilities. Then, one idea stuck in his mind. He immediately contacted the three marshals to verify Fan Leiwei’s current strength.

The three intensified their attacks. Although their effort proved to be useless, Ying Zheng was able to briefly penetrate through the array to sense Fan Leiwei’s aura and strength.

’2 transcendent foundations — meaning, he does not have the absolute strength of the commanders,’ Qiyuan analyzed with shining eyes. ’His delay was due to the potential danger — this man’s status must be pretty high.’ Qiyuan immediately ordered Fan Leiwei’s capture. Maybe they can use him to their advantage. However, something happened at the same time he sent that order.

Soft Lift’s Defensive Sword Domain was torn apart by Cui Yi, and his body was annihilated; a small part of his soul successfully ran away because of the World Source’s support. His defeat started a domino effect so fast that even Qiyuan couldn’t do anything. The Absolute Beginning Emperor did not hesitate for even a second to run away, and facing the threat of three commanders, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha knew what the wise choice was. However, even he was almost sealed by the three.

Boom!

Wan Yanmei and the other two blew the dimension to pieces before joining Fan Leiwei to safeguard the Heaven Piercing Military Outpost. ’I can’t let them finish the base,’ Qiyuan thought. He searched for available Grand Marshals or Primals he could send for assistance, but immediately realized that everyone was occupied, and the one available lacked the strength to participate in a battle of such a scale.

Qiyuan sighed before contacting Wu Hong’s avatar and Emperor Kong, tasking them with inventing a way to deal with Fan Leiwei’s array. Wu Hong’s avatar only had Peak Paragon strength, but her array and rune ability should prove an asset for this task. As for Emperor Kong? Qiyuan merely chose him because of his status as the Chosen One. Although Kong has recently become a Primal, he’s probably only D-Class, and at best, he has reached C-Class. Luckily for him, fate was on his side, and with a brilliant mind, he may prove invaluable to this mission.

Finally, Qiyuan glanced at Ye Guang: "You will temporarily be in charge." Without waiting for the latter to respond, he teleported to the battlefield to help Yan Hai and the others.

Ye Guang’s handsome elderly face showed a ponderous look. ’He’s plotting something. Soft Lift was just a weak A-Class Primal, and I don’t believe his excuse that his defensive abilities made him more suited for this mission.’ There were other primals more suited for this mission. Perfect examples include Wang Guo and his terrifying flesh, or Old Man Black Chess, whose array and chessboard artifact was known for his defense.

’He’s definitely plotting against the Sword Path League,’ Ye Guang analyzed. ’The union spy once sent news that Yan Hai had made a deal with the league, and she even spent a good deal of time cultivating in one of their secret realms. Is this the reason?’ There was not much information to go on, but with the bread crumbs, Ye Guang was able to paint a vague picture.

’Then there is that bald monk, Red Dust,’ he continued. ’Despite knowing that Supreme Unity manipulated his life and fate, Li Taishuang still has deep resentment for Buddhism. Yet, he just watched one of their people become a Saint Seed. How can he rest easy now?’ Ye Guang was not stupid: he saw how Red Dust’s exaggerated oaths increased his potential for sanctification.

Ye Guang squinted. ’After Supreme Unity’s fall and the previous war, Taoism has weakened drastically, resulting in two factions: the old faction from the Ultimate Taboo and the younger faction led by Zhen Buyi. Li Taishuang — as the person with the highest strength in the old faction — should have been the leader, but his undisguised resentment toward Buddhism forced the old faction not to trust him. On the contrary, many are even supporting Zhen Biyu. Once she becomes a Primal, she’ll probably officially be nominated as the leader.’

Ye Guang’s heart skipped a beat. He knew this time was not long from now since Zhen Buyi had not long ago reached the peak of the Paragon Realm. ’Because of Li Bo, Li Taishuang’s hatred for Buddhism is as deep as his love for Taoism. With his personality, he would have begrudgingly accepted the other’s decision and allowed Zhen Buyi to take over. However, after being simulated by Red Dust, he’ll probably fight tooth and nail for the position, resulting in even more instability in the Tao Beginning Palace.

’Qiyuan, oh, Qiyuan, the Saint hasn’t left yet, and you’re already planning to cause chaos and weaken other factions. Aren’t you afraid of being slapped to death? No, although the Saint is benevolent, she cannot escape the seven emotions and six desires. So, she will probably acquiesce to any weakening of Taoism.’

No matter how strong a cultivator is, they cannot escape the word desire. Some might be able to strip their emotions, but as long as they wish to continue in the cultivation path, the basic desire to strive forward is required.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.