Gongsun Taicheng tightly closed his mouth.

His ability to speak had been sealed, but it hadn't stopped him from speaking out. Now, he had voluntarily chosen silence.

The tide had turned; continuing to speak would only make him a laughingstock.

He could even understand Cao Yixuan's actions and, in his heart, he felt admiration for the shrewd schemes of Tianxuan.

By pulling some in while striking at others, one could create divisions without causing unrest and easily solve subsequent issues. Such a capability indeed did justice to the name of Gongsun Family Master.

At this time, the Supreme Elder actually revealed a certain calm and magnanimity, refraining from any foolish moves, which garnered him a slightly higher regard from both Tianxuan and Jiang Li.

'The old fellow can bend and stretch; we need to find a way to truly let him enjoy his twilight years.'

Jiang Li subconsciously exchanged a glance with Tianxuan, and as if understanding each other perfectly, they could see their mutual opinions of Gongsun Taicheng.

"Soon, I will announce in the Sect that Yaoguang Elder Luu Tianpeng has betrayed the Sect, stripping him of his position as one of the Six Hall Elders, and issue a warrant for his arrest throughout the Nine Provinces," Tianxuan continued.

Only Luu Tianpeng, but no other.

That is to say, there was no overt break with the Sect Leader.

But the atmosphere did not relax with the decision not to make an enemy of a supreme power; instead, it grew even more tensed. Tianquan was observing both Tian Ji and Cao Yixuan, with Tian Ji staring directly at Cao Yixuan, while Cao Yixuan was like rotting wood, showing no reaction.

'They are suspicious, doubting that there are still those who in reality side with the Sect Leader,' Jiang Li mused, watching this unfold and finding the upper echelon of the Sect surreal indeed.

But this was normal.

Having ascended to the Sect Leadership for decades, there were bound to be diehard supporters within the Sect. It wasn't out of the question for some to be playing both sides, lying in wait for the Sect Leader's return.

Tianxuan said placidly, "Now only Luu Tianpeng has committed the act of betrayal. The Sect Leader has only mysteriously vanished and could return to the Sect at any moment. I, too, am waiting for his return."

With a fiery determination in her eyes, Tianxuan was convinced that the Sect Leader would return and then, a showdown would settle their standings.

Not actively exposing the relationship between the Sect Leader and Luu Tianpeng was both to avoid disorder within the Sect and an invitation for the Sect Leader to return.

Even if it were exposed, the Sect Leader would inevitably come back eventually...

Having been fellow disciples with Tianxuan for many years, elders Tianquan and Tian Ji also understood the implication behind her words, knowing well that their colleague's competitive nature had been incited once more. This spelled a bit of hardship for Jiang Li.

Despite Jiang Li being the main force, Luu Tianpeng's betrayal still dealt a blow to the Jiang family, being the only fourth-rank among them. With Tianpeng branded a traitor, it would place the Jiang family's disciples in a difficult situation within the Sect, causing other disciples to mistrust them.

Even if Tianpeng's target was Jiang Li, fundamentally, he was still a traitor of the Jiang family...

Yet, for those unaware of the inner workings, this fact was not sufficient to convince them, and it would lead to the spread of various rumors, such as Tianpeng being falsely accused.

This was an inevitable outcome, even if no one outright started the rumors, there would be those guiding them—there was no shortage of people in the Sect who sided with the Sect Leader.

However, Elder Tian Ji actually seemed pleased with this development. The pace at which Jiang Li was gaining power was alarmingly rapid; it was better to curb him slightly, lest he disrupt the Sect.

'Junior Sister Tianxuan's move can be considered to kill two birds with one stone, leaving Jiang Li with no room for objection,' Elder Tian Ji internally praised the astuteness of the plan.

But in the next moment, Tianxuan added, "The Six Halls are incomplete without one Elder, which is detrimental to the Sect. Since there is no suitable candidate within Yaoguang Hall to succeed him, I propose that Jiang Li temporarily take on the role of Yaoguang Breaking Army. This will not only fill the vacancy but also stabilize the hearts of the disciples hailing from the Jiang family, achieving two goals at once."

Elder Tian Ji: "..."

Indeed, it achieved two goals at once, but the "two goals" envisioned by each person were entirely different.

Goodness, this was moving Jiang Li a step into the upper echelons of the Sect.

Even if it was just temporary, it was enough to cause a significant stir.

Although Jiang Li's strength had been verified, on par with a fourth-rank, his identity and young age would still make this appointment highly controversial. Elder Tian Ji immediately wanted to oppose on these grounds.

"But,"

Before the crowd's shock had dissipated, Tianxuan continued, "If you serve as one of the Six Hall Elders, you shall not succeed as Sect Leader, not even as a temporary stand-in, for it might prevent you from contending for the position of Sect Leader in the future. Jiang Li, are you willing to bear such a cost?"

The objection that Elder Tianji had just thought to voice was swallowed back.

To be able to prevent Jiang Li from taking over the Sect in the future with just the position of a Six Hall Elder seemed to be a good trade. In fact, it might be better to let Jiang Li take on the role directly, without needing to bother with any temporary appointments.

This move was indeed stronger than merely applying pressure before, for it rewarded Jiang Li's actions today while preventing any rift between mentor and disciple and even avoiding future troubles.

Elder Tianji wanted to praise, "Brilliant."

'Truly a master,' Jiang Li praised in his heart.

Pushing him into the upper echelons of the Sect would leave the other elders without anything to criticize. After all, in their view, this move was killing several birds with one stone, a clear win-win.

As for the future...well, that could wait.

Therefore, Jiang Li immediately assumed a resolute demeanor, and said, "For the sake of the Sect, I shall not shrink from death."

There is only one sun in the sky, and in Jiang's heart, there has always been only one sun—the Sect—and that has never changed, not in the past, and certainly not now.

So when duty called, he was bound to rise to the occasion.

In a word, "loyalty"!

As for the accompanying power, that truly was just incidental, nothing more.

"To have such resolve comforts me as your teacher," Tianxuan nodded with approval.

Mentor and disciple shared a smile, an unspoken understanding between them.

Once this matter was settled, what followed were some trivial issues, mostly about how to cover up the Sect Leader's departure to prevent instability within the Sect, as well as matters concerning support for Liangzhou Province. Incidently, they also needed to add some sealing to Gongsun Taicheng.

After discussing for nearly two hours, by the time Jiang Li and Tianxuan left the Heavenly Origin Cave Heaven, the winter sky had completely darkened, and a cold wind blew across the mountain platform.

A red puppy ran over at this time, stood up on its hind legs, and performed a series of body languages that would be utterly incomprehensible to the average person.

"Hmm..."

Touching his chin, Jiang Li once again deployed his astonishing intelligence, "Did Junior Sister send you?"

The puppy nodded.

"She wants to leave the Secret Place, so she requested Master to temporarily take over the Array?"

The puppy nodded vehemently.

"She has something to discuss with me?"

The puppy's head motion created afterimages.

All his guesses were correct.

Tianxuan, on the other hand, exhibited a dubious expression.

She was unable to discern the dog's body language, and only Jiang Li could communicate with it. The question was, since she couldn't make it out, and Gongsun Qingyue certainly couldn't either, but still, Gongsun Qingyue chose not to use written letters but rather to relay messages orally.

'Is she indicating to me that she knows I can read this dog's mind?' Tianxuan wondered.

Thinking this, she asked, "Disciple, did you tell your Junior Sister about how I previously conveyed messages through Xiao Tian?"

"How did Master know of such a matter?" Jiang Li uttered in surprise.

His face showed a mixture of astonishment, curiosity, and frankness, as he replied, "I feared Junior Sister would worry about the situation, so I informed her with a Flying Sword Transmission."

It was well known that Jiang Li always treated people with sincerity, and this time, he had neither lied nor concealed anything.

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.