The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 776 - 430: Mutual Aid_2

The explosion in the Immortal Plant Garden was a result of Elder He coercing the cultivators of Tianya Sea Pavilion. After the earth-shaking boom, he sent someone to steal the "Dragon Transformation Technique" amidst the chaos from Dianjing Pavilion. In revenge, Elder He spent many years cultivating influence within Hidden Stream, and his followers were quite numerous. Having insiders steal from their own was hardly a difficult task.

"There’s a trick to it. The Hall Master of Qianjin Hall openly stated in the Hidden Stream that the buyer of the explosive poison was not an insider of Hidden Stream. This statement subtly gave everyone the impression that the mastermind behind this was not from within Hidden Stream. This aligns with the consensus because the Power of Ba Snake is a very peculiar Divine Power. It is branded within the Divine Soul of every demon in the Ba Snake Mountain Range, and it will obstruct any intentions harmful to Ba Snake or Hidden Stream. Destroying the Immortal Plant Garden of Hidden Stream was clearly harmful to the Ba Snake Mountain Range, hence Hidden Stream itself didn’t consider an insider responsible for this," she added, "This is also why Jiumo has never suspected Elder He."

Qi Zai seemed not quite to understand and asked, "What about in reality?"

"In reality, ’intent’ is a very mysterious thing and can also be interpreted as motive," Ning Xiaoxian explained, "If Elder He insists that his actions were not to harm Hidden Stream but to avenge his sister, and that his subsequent actions benefit Hidden Stream, then after examining his motives, the Power of Ba Snake would no longer stop him. For example, this is also the reason why Langya, without recognizing Duanmu Yan’s true identity, could hand over Qingluan to him, as he didn’t believe he was harming Hidden Stream or Ba Snake. But the moment I revealed that Duanmu Yan was a clone of Yin Jiuyou, the Power of Ba Snake on Langya immediately stopped him from conducting any further dealings with Duanmu Yan."

"One cannot deceive oneself. Elder He must also hypnotize himself tens of thousands of times to convince himself to destroy the Immortal Plant Garden without feeling guilty. From this perspective, the most tormented person is indeed himself!"

She sighed deeply: "How can there be a perfect, flawless rule under heaven? Even the Power of Ba Snake of Changtian has loopholes to be exploited. Changtian, as the bearer of the Power of Growth, we are certainly well aware of its effects. However, this old man is really clever to have found this loophole—obviously, he must have tested it countless times before to truly understand the real meaning of the Power of Ba Snake."

"And what happened next?"

"The series of events that followed largely went as planned by him. He directed the attention of Hidden Stream towards the envoys from Various Immortal Sects who attended the maturing event of the Dragon Elephant Fruit. Jiumo rashly dispatched troops, charging these Immortal Sects—I’d bet, Elder He and his followers played a significant role in fueling this, otherwise Jiumo wouldn’t have made such a swift decision."

"Hidden Stream underestimated the reaction of the Human Clan, but Elder He did not. He repeatedly studied human nature, knowing that Immortal Sects value their reputation above all, and being publicly humiliated and having members captured is something they would never tolerate, hence a war was bound to erupt," she said with a smile, "If you want to know why Elder He instigated conflicts between Sects, the reason is simple—he didn’t have enough power in his hands, without external forces, to overthrow Jiumo’s rule by himself. Only when the strength of one declines while another rises can there be hope and possibility."

"And as war is like Changtian said, once started, it cannot easily be stopped, whether it’s humans or demons, everyone can only guess the beginning but not foresee the ending. That’s why I say Elder He is truly lucky," she articulated, "Guangcheng Palace joined the battle, making the whole situation even more intricate and unpredictable. No one knows how the battle will ultimately turn out. The best part is, within Hidden Stream, dissent against Jiumo is growing louder by the day, now enough to impact his authority."

"By now, who the mastermind behind this is has become irrelevant, because the western war that has exhausted Jiumo has already begun."

Unable to contain himself, Qi Zai said, "According to you, Elder He’s plan was perfect. But which link leaked now and made Jiumo send people to kill him?"

"Silly boy! Didn’t I just discuss this with Elder He? Did you grow ears or not?" she couldn’t help but pluck a feather from him forcefully, "Always acting without thinking, how could Qingluan ever fall for such a blockhead like you?"

Qi Zai cried out in pain: "Ouch, it hurts! Qingluan likes me just the way I am, do you think everyone likes someone as contrary and calculating as you?"

"What did you say?" Her eyebrows shot up in anger. However, Qi Zai’s face suddenly turned white, and he then collapsed weakly to the ground, saying, "Lord Changtian, I was wrong, I dare not anymore!" but it was the silent Changtian who had acted first, punishing him through the Heart Oath."

"Listen well," since the way back was still long, she did not mind repeating to this carefree bird, "Guangcheng Palace joined the battle because Li Jianming disappeared on the outskirts of Ba Snake Mountain Range. And Elder He was exposed in Jiumo’s sights because he had Li Jianming locked in a secret room in the courtyard."

"Oh. Both these matters are related to Li Jianming," Qi Zai thought it over, then honestly said, "I don’t understand!"

She sometimes really envied Qi Zai, living freely and willfully is also a kind of happiness. Kindly put, it’s called As You Wish; bluntly put, it’s called heartlessness. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to vote with a recommendation or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)