52: Sending me into a deadly trap? The ancestor has armed me to the teeth!

Elder Wang had forgotten how she got back to the Council of Elders from that suffocating Holy Sons Palace.

Her mind was a blank.

Only the man's last words, full of a "harmless" smile yet utterly malicious, echoed repeatedly and wildly in her mind.

("Elder Wang, what do you think? If my proposal were to be announced...")

("Would those bottom-tier disciples, who make up ninety percent of the sect, perhaps...raise both hands in approval?")

An overt scheme!

A deadly trap that was impossible to break!

She had lived for over five hundred years, and she prided herself on having seen every kind of conspiracy and scheme, and having encountered every kind of genius and monster.

But, she had never seen anything like it!

She had never seen a monster like Lin Chen, who didn't play by the rules, directly overturned the table, and used the entire sect's "general trend" to suppress their "upper echelons"!

This was no longer simple power play.

This was a kind of... dimensionality reduction attack from another world, which she completely couldn't comprehend!

"Senior Sister Wang! Senior Sister Wang! You...you're back?"

"How was it? Was that little beast scared into submission by us?"

Inside the Council of Elders, Yun Yun and several other core elders, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed forward when they saw Elder Wang's distraught appearance, eagerly asking.

In their opinion, with Elder Wang, a peak Golden Core stage cultivator, personally leading the team to "exert pressure," wouldn't a mere late Golden Core stage man be easily captured?

However.

Facing Yun Yun's inquiry, Elder Wang merely trembled all over.

She lifted her pale, bloodless old face, looking at the Former Sect Master who was still full of "confidence" and "desire for control."

Her lips trembled for a long time, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Her eyes were filled with fear, bewilderment, and an uncontrollable trace of... resentment!

(It's all you! It's all you, you idiot!)

(If it weren't for you, insisting on provoking that devil! We...how could we have fallen into such an impossible predicament?!)

"Senior Sister Wang? What...what's wrong with you?"

Yun Yun also noticed her abnormality, and her brows furrowed tightly.

"He...he..."

Elder Wang finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, her voice as hoarse as if it had been polished with sandpaper.

"He said...he wants to cut three-tenths of the Council of Elders' resource offerings..."

"Then, he'll distribute all these resources to the outer and inner sect disciples..."

She used almost all her strength to utter this "bad news" that was enough to drive all of them mad.

Boom—!!!

As soon as these words came out, the entire Council of Elders instantly fell into a dead silence!

All the elders, including Yun Yun, felt as if they had been struck hard on the head by a divine thunderbolt from the nine heavens!

"Wh-what?!"

"Cut three-tenths of our resources?! How...how dare he?! Is he crazy?!"

"Distribute resources to those useless people? What's the difference between that and throwing spirit stones into the water?!"

After a brief silence, there was a volcanic eruption of angry roars!

Three-tenths of the resources!

That was almost the most important source of profit for every one of them!

Cutting off someone's financial path is like killing their parents!

Lin Chen's action was undoubtedly forcing them to their deaths!

"Rebellion! Rebellion! This is truly a rebellion against heaven!"

Yun Yun was so angry that her whole body trembled. She grabbed Elder Wang's collar and sharply questioned, "By what right?! Just because of the Ancestor's words, he can do whatever he wants?! You...are you just going to stand there and watch him humiliate us?!"

"We...we..."

Being questioned by Yun Yun, the resentment in Elder Wang's heart instantly erupted!

She pushed Yun Yun away and roared in a voice that was almost a shout:

"Otherwise?!"

"Otherwise, what else can we do?!"

"Sect Master! Oh, no! Former Sect Master!"

"You tell me, what should we do?!"

She pointed at the countless bottom-tier disciples outside the hall who were diligently cultivating and full of hope for the future, her voice filled with despair.

"You go tell them! You go tell them that we don't agree with this proposal!"

"You go see if they'll drown us alive with their spit!"

"You go see if the Ancestor will punish that new god, who can bring her 'eternal foundation,' for the sake of us old folks who 'hinder the sect's development'!"

This was the most terrifying aspect of the overt scheme!

You clearly know it's a trap.

But you have to jump into it with your eyes wide open!

Elder Wang's words were like a basin of ice water poured over Yun Yun's head from head to toe.

Her mind, which had been heated by anger, instantly cooled down.

Yes... what else could she do?

She looked at the other elders who were also in silence and despair.

She knew.

The "Council of Elders" faction she had painstakingly managed for two hundred years.

Under that man's understated move of "pulling the rug out from under them."

Had already... collapsed.

Because Yun Yun's essence was to use benefits, and once the benefits were exhausted, naturally, she couldn't blame others for saying goodbye.

After completely deterring the Council of Elders with an overt scheme of "pulling the rug out from under them," Lin Chen finally ushered in a rare period of peaceful and leisurely "daily" life.

He did not, as the elders had imagined, use his supreme power as the "Holy Son" to bully others or indulge in women.

Instead, his life was somewhat "plain."

Every day, he would spend a few hours guiding Lin Xiaoya, Lin Ziyan, and even his newly accepted maid Su Mei, and the once arrogant but now quiet Bai Ruoxue, in their cultivation.

Watching their cultivation advance by leaps and bounds with his "help," Lin Chen would feel a sense of satisfaction, like an "old farmer watching his own crops grow strong."

In his spare time, he would go to the Scripture Pavilion to read ancient texts that recorded the customs and historical changes of the Tianyan Continent.

He found that this world was even more cruel than he had imagined.

The concept of "female venerable, Male Inferior" had long been deeply ingrained, not only among cultivators but also in the mortal world.

Males, from birth, were regarded as "accessories," and their fate was miserable.

And the fate of mortals, who made up over ninety-nine percent of the population, was even more tragic.

They were like "leeks" growing in a field, harvested repeatedly and casually by the high and mighty female cultivators.

Their lives and dignity were no different from ants in the eyes of cultivators.

However, these were not things he could manage, after all, he was not much different from them now... And just as Lin Chen was enjoying this rare "daily life" and beginning to ponder deeper questions.

On the other side.

Inside the secret chamber of the Council of Elders, the atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed as if water could drip from it.

More than a dozen core elders gathered again.

But this time, they deliberately avoided the Former Sect Master, Yun Yun, whom they now regarded as a "jinx."

"Senior Sister Wang, what...what should we do now?" an elder asked with a worried face. "That man's proposal has already spread among the disciples! Now all the bottom-tier disciples in the entire sect regard him as a savior! If we dare to object, I'm afraid those crazy girls will tear us to shreds alive!"

"That's right!" another elder echoed. "What's more, the Ancestor is clearly determined to protect him! We...we can't touch him at all!"

Elder Wang's face was also ashen. Although Lin Chen hadn't made a move, his move was like a sharp sword hanging over their heads, which would fall sooner or later.

This made them anxious; no, they had to get rid of Lin Chen.

The next moment, a sinister... poisonous scheme flashed in her cloudy old eyes!

"Since we can't touch him within the sect."

Her voice was hoarse and full of malice.

"Then let him go outside the sect!"

"What do you mean?" The elders were stunned by her words.

"Hmph!" Elder Wang sneered. "Don't forget, in three months, it will be our Tianfeng Kingdom's once-in-a-century Three Kingdoms Hidden Dragon Ranking grand competition!"

The Three Kingdoms Hidden Dragon Ranking is the highest event for the younger generation, jointly organized by the Tianfeng Kingdom and the two surrounding great imperial dynasties!

Its purpose is to select the most top-tier geniuses and send them to the legendary... Central Continent Sacred Domain!

Every grand competition is full of endless opportunities, and equally, full of bloodshed and slaughter!

Geniuses from various forces fight each other in the secret realm to compete for opportunities, and the casualty rate is extremely high!

"According to custom," a venomous glint flickered in Elder Wang's eyes, "our Purple Cloud Holy Land, as one of the hosts, must send its strongest young generation to participate in the battle!"

"And he, Lin Chen!"

"As the 'Holy Son' personally appointed by the Ancestor! And the 'number one person' who 'defeated' Xiao Qingxue in the grand competition!"

"Both in terms of reason and sentiment, he must... represent our sect in battle!"

Boom—!!!

As soon as these words came out, the eyes of all the elders present instantly lit up!

Brilliant!

This was simply a vicious scheme that killed three birds with one stone!

First, this was a righteous cause "to bring glory to the sect," and even the Ancestor would not find any reason to object!

Second, the hidden dragon list grand competition is full of dangers, and the fall of geniuses is common! At that time, if Lin Chen died outside, it would have nothing to do with them!

Third, and most importantly! As long as Lin Chen left the sect, the "reforms" he enacted would naturally fall through! They would then be able to regain their own power and interests!

"Clever! Senior Sister Wang, truly clever!"

"Let's do it! We will jointly petition now, asking the Ancestor to order that man to... 'expand territory' for the sect!"

(In the Star-Gazing Secret Chamber)

True Monarch Zi Wei quietly watched the group of "old fogeys" in the Council of Elders in the Star-Gazing Treasure Mirror, who thought they had succeeded and were making fools of themselves.

A hint of undisguised... disdain flashed in her gentle beautiful eyes.

(A bunch of idiots who only see immediate petty gains and are blinded by desire.)

(Do you really think I can't see through your little trick of using others to kill?)

She slowly picked up the spirit tea in front of her.

Indeed, with her strength, a single thought would be enough to turn these clowns into ashes.

But, she didn't do that.

Because... her beautiful eyes, which seemed to see through the future, slowly turned to another scene in the mirror.

—Inside the Holy Sons Palace, the young man was holding an ancient book, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes flickering with thought.

(True dragons that can soar through the nine heavens cannot be raised in a greenhouse.)

(The 'poisonous scheme' of those idiots might not be a bad 'experience' for him.)

She, surprisingly, also chose to... turn the tables!

She wanted to see what kind of dazzling brilliance this man, full of mysteries and who had brought her countless surprises, could unleash when he left her protection and truly faced this cruel world!

Thinking of this, True Monarch Zi Wei had already made her decision.

However, letting him go out for experience didn't mean not making any preparations.

She slowly rose, her jade feet bare, and walked to the depths of the secret chamber, in front of a row of treasure shelves crafted from star essence.

Her gaze swept over the Dao artifacts and divine pills that would drive any Nascent Soul cultivator insane, finally settling on the topmost layer of the shelves.

There, only three items quietly floated.

An ancient ring, completely black, inscribed with countless profound runes, as if it could swallow all light.

A transparent feather robe, as thin as a cicada's wing, seemingly woven from moonlight, emitting faint spatial fluctuations.

And a purple token, only palm-sized, yet seemingly containing a real sea of thunder.

"So be it."

A hint of "heartache" that even she herself hadn't noticed flashed in True Monarch Zi Wei's eyes.

"Since it's an investment, then... let's invest some capital."

...The next day.

The "memorial" from the Council of Elders, jointly submitted, "imploring" Holy Son Lin Chen to represent Purple Cloud Holy Land in the once-in-a-century Three Kingdoms Hidden Dragon Ranking grand competition for the sect's glory, was presented before True Monarch Zi Wei.

Immediately after.

The Ancestor's "decree" also descended upon the Holy Sons Palace.

"By the Ancestor's decree:"

"The Council of Elders' petition is approved. Holy Son Lin Chen is appointed as the sole leader of our Purple Cloud Holy Land for this hidden dragon list grand competition!"

"All Holy Land disciples must obey his orders, without error!"

"Furthermore..."

The Deacon Elder who came to deliver the decree continued to read in a trembling voice full of jealousy and envy:

"Furthermore, bestow upon the Holy Son one top-grade Dao artifact, the heaven-shrouding ring, one supreme-grade Dao artifact, the Moon God Feather Robe, and... one purple heaven divine thunder token capable of summoning a Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Clone!"

Boom—!!!

As soon as this decree was issued, the entire Purple Cloud Holy Land completely exploded again!

Everyone was stunned!

Especially those elders who thought their "poisonous scheme" had succeeded, they felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over their heads, chilling them from head to toe!

Top-grade Dao artifact!

Supreme-grade Dao artifact!

And even the legendary purple heaven divine thunder token, which the Ancestor relied on for her fame, comparable to a "second life"?!

This... where the hell was this sending the Holy Son for "experience"?!

This was clearly arming him to the teeth and sending him on an... outing!

They had painstakingly plotted for a long time.

As a result, not only did they fail to trap that man, but they also... became his assist in legitimately "tricking" supreme treasures from the Ancestor?!

They felt a tightness in their chests, and a mouthful of old blood almost spurted out on the spot!

They felt a tightness in their chests, and a mouthful of old blood almost spurted out on the spot!