The Candidacy Saintess is chosen by the Holy Land Grand Array, with no human intervention whatsoever. However, becoming the Saintess is no longer a decision the Grand Array can make on its own.

The Grand Array selects the most suitable Saintess, but the Forbidden Land holds absolute veto power.

Thus, even if a man were chosen as the most suitable candidate for Saintess, if denied by the Holy Land’s Pure Goodness and Pure Evil, he could absolutely never become the Saintess.

But if the candidate were a woman, and Pure Evil found her truly suitable, it would be very difficult to veto her.

Take Jiu Xi, for instance. Zhi Shan vetoed her, but Pure Evil approved. That’s why Yue Xi had to pull strings behind the scenes to get Jiu Xi out of the running. It’s all very complicated.

However, no one else in the Holy Land asked too many questions about the backroom dealings. All they cared about was having a suitable Saintess.

"So it doesn’t really affect you that much. Why not just let those old geezers handle it?" Yue Xi said.

Water Shadow shook its head. "It’s unbearable. It’s like a rat dropping fell into a pot of porridge. I can’t eat or sleep."

"You’re so old. Can you not act like such a child?"

"My subjective consciousness feels I should hold you down in the lake and drown you."

Yue Xi sat by the lake and said, "Just bear with it for now. Besides, you can’t sense him anymore, right? Just pretend he’s already dead. Leave the rest to us to investigate. What’s more, the sacrificial rite is about to begin. This is a great opportunity to nourish you, so don’t throw a fit.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll have the Saintess come in and play in the water with you."

Water Shadow: "..., You... are you treating me like a child?"

"So, I can’t say you’re old, and I can’t say you’re a child. As the embodiment of Pure Goodness, why can’t you be a little more considerate of me?"

"..."

Water Shadow was speechless.

Just then, Pure Evil jumped out. However, before she could even open her mouth, Yue Xi covered her ears. Out of sight, out of mind; if she couldn’t hear, there would be peace.

Pure Evil: "..."

Then she looked over at Pure Goodness. With a SPLASH, Pure Goodness turned into water and dissolved into the lake. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Pure Evil: "..."

******

When the Holy Land received Yue Xi’s message, they were a bit surprised, but their first reaction was: ’You went to the Forbidden Land again?’

For certain reasons, Yue Xi had stepped down a bit early, and Jingyue had ascended to her position a bit early as well.

So even though Yue Xi was no longer the Saintess, the Forbidden Land still favored her, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

No one else could get near the Forbidden Land. It wasn’t simply that they weren’t allowed to approach; it was that they were unable to.

The Forbidden Land is the core of the Holy Land Array. Unless one is the Saintess or has the Forbidden Land’s permission, no one can get close.

Not even those old fossils of the Holy Land.

Afterward, the Holy Land began to make new arrangements centered around the Ghost Cultivators. As for the Candidacy Saintess, this person theoretically posed little threat to them, so they were not particularly concerned.

Nevertheless, they did assign some people to investigate the matter.

The chaos in Chuanhe Town was quickly quelled, but many people sensed that someone was stirring up trouble. They just didn’t know what that trouble was.

Perception No. 1 Group

Fairy Mo Yan: "I just thought of something. Boss Po Xiao went out, ran into two Ghost Cultivators, and they confessed everything. With so many people in Chuanhe Town, some other powerful individuals must have run into Ghost Cultivators too, right?

In that case, would they also know about the Ghost Cultivators’ utterly insane plan?"

Liu Yiyi sent a ’shocked’ emoji: "Fairy Mo Yan, are you feeling alright today? Your analysis is surprisingly clear."

Fairy Mo Yan: "[Darkened Face Emoji] Don’t make it sound like there’s something wrong with my IQ. Have you all forgotten the fearsome reputation of Demon Cultivator Mo Yan?"

Liuyue Xue: "I remember. I even stopped Chi Xue Child from coming after you. Thinking about it now, I was so foolish back then."

Fairy Mo Yan: "..."

Blade Master Hai Bian: "Let’s not talk about Fairy Mo Yan’s reputation for now. But what the Fairy said makes a lot of sense. Theoretically, Fellow Daoist Po Xiao shouldn’t be the only one to have captured a Ghost Cultivator. With so many people in Chuanhe Town, there are bound to be one or two other lucky ones."

Chi Xue Child: "So, where’s my popsicle? The only one made with gutter oil? Mo Yan, was it you who stole it again?"

Fairy Mo Yan: "Who’d want to eat your popsicle, especially one with gutter oil? You think I’m as poor as you?"

Liuyue Xue: "I’m suddenly getting the feeling you guys aren’t taking this seriously at all. We never should have brought Mo Yan here."

Blade Master Hai Bian sent a row of exasperated emojis: "Let’s get back to business. It seems the Ghost Cultivator’s plan hasn’t been leaked yet. That means even if others know about this, just like us, they haven’t said anything."

"What kind of idiot would just blurt it out? If it were me, I’d definitely sell the information to the Holy Land for a high price. Now that’s how a Demon Cultivator acts. You guys have been a bad influence on me lately jkladsjfjs" Fairy Mo Yan’s typing turned to gibberish again.

Blade Master Hai Bian: "Forgot to mention, Chi Xue Child is heading your way to kill you."

Liuyue Xue: "So, it’s just a single popsicle. Why is Chi Xue Child so hung up on it with Mo Yan? They’re fighting now. Mo Yan’s a goner."

Looking at his phone, Blade Master Hai Bian couldn’t help but sigh. He then replied, "Forget it. I’m going to go out and scout for more news. See if there are any new developments."

Meanwhile, the Ghost Cultivators had also gathered.

"This surprise attack was very successful. The Holy Land has started paying attention, but it’s not enough. Their vigilance is still lacking. We need a greater stimulus."

Just then, someone asked, "We could spread rumors and throw out a false objective to make them focus their defenses on it."

"No, rumors are difficult to control. Once rumors start, people will panic, and our plan is built on their trust in the Holy Land.

If rumors spread, our plan will be ruined. We must not only refrain from spreading rumors, but we must also help the Holy Land maintain its prestige."

"Then what about attacking commoners? Casualties are what will grab their attention."

The leader was silent for a moment before finally saying, "Rejected."

"Why? Because you’re a Holy Mother?"

"I think it’s because of so-called principles. ’Even thieves have their code.’ How many people have been screwed over by that saying?"

The leader was rendered speechless for a moment, then said, "Because we are not morons. Attacking commoners is highly inefficient. It has no clear objective, no specific target, and would instead make them think it’s a feint.

If we needed commoners for a blood sacrifice, there would be no reason to come to the Holy Land.

If we were killing commoners just to make our presence known, it would just mean we have nothing better to do. Even as a provocation, it would seem weak, making it obvious that we’re trying to hide something."

’Isn’t that the exact effect we’re looking for? It really is because he’s a Holy Mother.’

Afterward, someone asked, "Then what about the initial surprise attack? Doesn’t that count?"

"That was a greeting, to let them know we’ve arrived, and that we’ve come with a purpose."

"I have a proposal," someone said, raising their hand. "We don’t need to go after commoners, but we can target the Holy Land Disciples. We can interrogate them about the location of the Forbidden Land, then pretend to accidentally let one escape. Once that news gets out, our supposed objective will be clear."

"We’ll designate that as Plan A. But we need a few more teams with different objectives. They’ll only take it seriously if they think they have choices."

"In that case, should we mix our real objective in with the fake ones?"

The leader thought for a moment and said, "That will depend on the situation. In addition, to ensure the plan proceeds smoothly, we need to be prepared for the first plan to fail. Start drafting a second plan now to mitigate our losses."