Chapter 900: The Great Void Sect’s Grand Plan
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
After the Qing Yi Holy Woman was finished, the Xuan Yi Holy Man, Cai Fengzhou and the others started to contemplate by themselves.
Yun Yuanzhen looked towards Lin Daohan after a while and asked, "Daohan, I recall Mingyue saying that you’ve attempted to derive the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders’ true level of mastery?"
Lin Daohan nodded his head and answered, "In hindsight, it was a little impetuous."
Yun Yuanzhen shook her head slowly and said, "I don’t think you were being hasty."
"Looking back, the rise to power of the Celestial Sect of Wonders wasn’t simply because of the ever-increasing strength of the Celestial Sect of Wonders. Lin Feng himself has been improving this whole time as well, and there is also an issue with his avatars and his original body. Otherwise, this upwards path seems a little too precipitous and abrupt."
"I believe there is a junction or a node amongst all this. I think this must be the Heavenly Cart Peak Sword Conference, or it could be the battle of Xiling City. After this junction, the person that appears before the world should be Lin Feng’s original body."
Thoughts continued to spin in her head as she continued, "The possibility of it being the latter is greater. However, from our observations over the recent years, the strength of Lin Feng after the battle of Xiling City was a far stronger than he was back during the battle itself when he crossed paths with Senior Kuang, Senior Xuan Lin and Xin Longsheng."
"This is especially true in light of the battle of Mount Shu. It’s quite obvious that he is a lot more powerful than he was during the battle of Xiling City."
"While there is still a possibility that Lin Feng was holding back during the battle of Xiling City, I am more inclined towards the conclusion that he has grown stronger after the battle of Xiling City."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman and the others listened quietly and nobody interrupted him.
Yun Yuanzhen took a deep breath and said, "Therefore, I believe that the estimations we made regarding Lin Feng before are mostly erroneous."
She turned towards the Qing Yi Holy Woman. "Just as master said, I am equally concerned about the true mastery of the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"Just by looking at his Immediate Disciples, besides those that have yet to reach the immortal soul stage, the fact that Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, Wang Lin and Shi Tianhao can hold their own against Immortal Soul Third Level cultivators even though they’re only in the Immortal Soul First Level is a little unthinkable."
Yun Yuanzhen shook her head in silent admiration. "Daohan remarked that he was inferior to them when he was in the first-level immortal soul stage – then there is nothing else to be said about me."
Cai Fengzhou and the others nodded their heads in unison. They harbored similar views and all shared an honest consensus about this.
"It’s a fact that Xiao Yan and the three others are unprecedented prodigies. However, for them to be as powerful as they are today, it’s probably unlikely that it’s entirely because they are naturally talented."
Yun Yuanzhen’s expression turned contemplative before she continued slowly, "This outcome should also be related to the mantras they practice."
The recollection of his conversation with Yan Mingyue the other day surfaced in Lin Daohan’s mind as he listened:
"During the battle outside Shazhou City, Pang Jie was no match for him at all. However, after Junior Pang unleashed the Six Appearances Sword, Lin Feng stopped using his own powers and channeled a magic formation to defeat the Six Appearances Sword and Junior Pang."
"I’m not sure if this is enough to conclude that his own personal mastery was insufficient to defeat Junior Pang and the Six Appearances Sword, or if this simply means that he ran the risk of revealing his true level of mastery?"
"His level of mastery was most likely to be in the Immortal Soul First Level. The second-most likely possibility is that he was in the advanced nascent soul stage, while it’s almost impossible that he was in the Immortal Soul Second Level. It’s virtually impossible that he’s in the Immortal Soul Third Level."
"Big Senior, what if our estimations are wrong and what if this person’s level of mastery is far greater than the first-level immortal soul stage?"
"I will be very happy. The Mount Shu Sword Sect will have found themselves a powerful adversary."
"And if he’s not yet at the Immortal Soul First Level?"
"If that’s the case, that only goes to show that the mantras that he practices are superior to the mystical mantras of the Great Void Sect!"
The details of his discussion with Yan Mingyue were still vivid in his memory. Even though he could already confirm that it was only one of Lin Feng’s avatars back then, from the progress of Xiao Yan and the others through the intermediate nascent soul stage, then to the advanced nascent soul stage, and eventually to the Immortal soul First Level, and their extraordinary prowess proved the superiority of the lineage of the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
The Qing Yi Holy Woman spoke slowly, "This is the reason why I am highly doubtful that he is at the Vipralopa Stage. However, his mantras and abhijna are extremely powerful which is coherent with his fearsome displays of battle prowess – he is able to defeat the Tiangang Swordmaster, the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage and the Azure Sky Dragon King without revealing his personal Dao Fruit."
"The Power-Destroying Catastrophe that he channeled in Xiling City could have been a coincidence, and doesn’t prove that he has finished the Alpha Tribulations."
Cai Fengzhou’s eyes grew solemn. "If that’s the case, then what could his level of mastery be?"
The Qing Yi Holy Woman and Yun Yuanzhen shook their heads together. "That’s still a mystery as we are still unable to see clearly. In the end, nobody knows whether he’s been giving everything he has. At least, we are able to confirm that when he destroyed the Saintly Celestial Sword in Mount Shu, he was holding back as he wanted to use pure swordplay to defeat it."
"Up till today, he has enjoyed relative autonomy and we have never seen him enter an extremely dire situation. This is the reason why his true strength is seemingly bottomless; it’s like we are staring into a deep swamp, we think we’ve seen the bottom of it but it goes down a lot deeper."
The Yu Yuan Holy Woman said, "During the battle of Xiling City, Senior Uncle Zheng Yi wanted to test his limits but was unable to execute his plan properly. In hindsight, that was probably our best opportunity. It’s a pity that something happened in the Barren Expanses and Senior Uncle Tai Yi, Senior Uncle Xuan Yi and you were preoccupied and even our sect leader and Junior Wu had their hands tied."
Cai Fengzhou glanced at her and said, "Junior Wu wasn’t able to fight anyone in the Divine Lands. At least the situation wasn’t dire to the point where there was no other choice."
"Furthermore, if we had let Junior Wu fight someone in the Xiling City, would we not have forced the hand of Shi Yu and the Immortal Dragon City?"
The Yu Yuan Holy Woman nodded her head and apologized, "I have misspoken."
Yun Yuanzhen turned towards Lin Daohan. "Daohan, do you remember the time when you planted a seed inside the Celestial Sect of Wonders? It’s time to activate it."
Lin Daohan matched her gaze with bottomless eyes but said nothing.
Yun Yuanzhen had an equally composed expression and stared into Lin Daohan’s eyes for a moment longer before she said quietly, "The sect leader and Senior Fu’s idea is far too dangerous."
She did not mention the Tai Yi Holy Man, but everybody on scene was aware.
Lin Daohan continued to ponder but still said nothing. The Qing Yi Holy Woman directed another question at him and said, "Do you trust a person that you don’t know the background of?"
The Qing Ning Holy Man continued slowly, "We don’t need the complete set of Lin Feng’s mantras and lineage – a small portion will do."
"The mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders are extraordinary, and possibly superior to those our own sect. It’s likely that theirs is similar to ours – profound and has high requirements for talent and natural ability – and it’s unlikely that they are anything close to being normal."
"If we can obtain just a portion of his teachings, we will be able to trace their origins and it will be enough for us to figure out the identity of Lin Feng."
The Xuan Yi Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou fell into silent contemplation again as the Yu Yuan Holy Woman chimed in. "In order to prevent unexpected outcomes in the future, we have to know what we’re dealing with."
Lin Daohan’s eyes were trained on the Qing Yi Holy Woman and he did not even look at the Qing Ning Holy Man, the Yu Yuan Holy Woman or Yun Yuanzhen. The Qing Yi Holy Woman said calmly, "You can take your time to make a decision. You can consult Senior Tai Yi and our sect leader before deciding on what to do."
"You don’t have to tell us about whatever you settle on in the end, and the ultimate outcome of everything."
"You only have to take the problem the Yu Yuan Holy Woman and I have proposed to the sect leader and to Senior Tai Yi. Ask them, are they willing to trust someone they don’t know the identity of? If we wish to avoid unexpected circumstances, should we not know exactly what we’re dealing with?"
Lin Daohan shook his head softly and answered, "You misunderstand. Our mantras have been touted as the most powerful ones within the Divine Lands and even throughout the entire Grand Celestial World. Yet, we are all aware that our sect is still probing forward and meandering through the laws of nature and the principles of the world and we are far from perfecting our mantras."
"If this helps us climb to the next level, my master and I will be happy to proceed. We don’t have to steal the mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, but they may still be useful after all. Whatever can provide inspiration for the mantras of our sect will be beneficial."
"However, the aim of everything should be to empower ourselves, to make ourselves stronger so that we can continue to protect the Divine Lands and fight against the demons."
Lin Daohan’s expression was still calm. "If we don’t further aggravate the tension between us and the Celestial Sect of Wonders to the point of no return, and we will be able to avoid grinding down the power of the human race, then I will be happy to do it. The seed that I planted back then is for this very reason as well."
"However, if doing so will incite violent conflict between us and the Celestial Sect of Wonders, the demons will profit for free. Therefore, I think this matter requires further consideration."
"If the gains from thieving the mantras of the Celestial Sect of Wonders can offset the damage, and will benefit us more than the losses that we will incur in a violent conflict with them, then it is still worth it to execute the plan."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman nodded in agreement. "You can make the decision by yourself."
Lin Daohan bowed faintly and said, "Yes, Senior Grand Aunt."
The Qing Ning Holy Man spoke his piece as well. "We can think through this slowly. Before everything, the prescription of the pill takes precedence and may provide us with immediate benefit."
The Yu Yuan Holy Woman shook her head instead and said, "I’m more concerned about the Heaven-Destroying Sword. This sword is as ferocious as it gets, and the apocalyptic energy that it possesses should not be allowed to exist. We are running the risk of accommodating something that has the potential to turn against us in the future."
" Lin Feng has set his sights on us. In an attempt to combat the Supreme Heavenly Mirror, he has been stubborn enough to fully unleash the sword and even wants to refine it. He could be the first to fall prey to the toxic feedback from the sword, and when control of the sword is lost, the Divine Lands will be the second to suffer its wrath."
The Qing Ning Holy Man said, "I’ve said this before, and my stand remains unchanged. We can create an opportunity for Lin Feng to remove the seal from the sword before its due, and only if it’s used against the demons."
"If he insists on not using the sword, then it becomes a good opportunity for us to test his personal limits."
Lin Daohan, the Xuan Yi Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou frowned faintly at the same time. "Isn’t that a little inappropriate?"
Yun Yuanzhen smiled and said, "With this sword on the frontlines, we will obtain valuable time to repair the Supreme Heavenly Mirror to its original splendor and power."
The Xuan Yi Holy Man and Cai Fengzhou started to ponder as Lin Daohan’s eyes seemed to sparkle before they returned to their original composure while all three of them said nothing more.
After a long while, Cai Fengzhou was the first to speak. " Lin Feng is not a fool. He will definitely be aware of what we are trying to do, and this will only exacerbate the tensions between us. Other things like obtaining the prescription for the pill are off the books as well. If we start off our interactions like this, we may end up in a violent situation with no way of turning back."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman said quietly, "You are right – Lin Feng is not stupid. In fact, he’s an extremely intelligent individual. This is the reason why he has been in reclusion before he’s reached a certain level. It’s quite simple if we wish to hold him down – all we have to do is maintain the superiority of the Great Void Sect against his."
"If he wants to strengthen the sword, then so be it. We just have to compete with him to see if the Supreme Heavenly Mirror can recuperate faster or his Heaven-Destroying Sword will ascend to the next level more quickly," the Qing Yi Holy Woman’s light projection stood up from the prayer mat she was sitting on. "We have underestimated him this whole time, and that will not happen again."
She turned towards Lin Daohan. "What’s the situation like with the Emperor of the Dead and the Hall of the Dead?"
Lin Daohan answered, "The Emperor of the Dead intends to instigate a conflict between us and the Celestial Sect of Wonders while building up his own power and influence. There shouldn’t be any substantial action from him in the near future. However, we don’t have a lot of leads if we wish to locate him."
The Qing Yi Holy Woman nodded her head. "The threat that he poses probably isn’t as great as the Celestial Sect of Wonders at this point in time. However, he’s far more likely to become one, so we have to pay attention to him while monitoring the Celestial Sect of Wonders at the same time."
Lin Daohan bowed and acknowledged, "I understand."
Back in the Barren Expanses in a faraway land, a strolling Lin Feng finally stopped in his tracks and flicked his fingers. Several streams of mana surged out and the golden bowl with the cicada wings flew up into midair and transformed into dancing streaks of golden light.