291: Protector Qin Yang

[Hearing this, everything suddenly became clear to you—]

[It turned out that the intentionally torn and scattered rubbings of the map fragments were actually Qin Yang's doing.]

[His purpose was precisely to lure people to the ruins, causing the Bizarre Spirit Bodies of the Qin Clan members to awaken—]

[As long as they devoured enough Cultivators' souls, those Bizarre Spirit Bodies could regain their sanity and then undergo Rebirth through Possession.]

[Under Qin Yang's secret planning over the years, several clansmen had already successfully completed Possession and were now scattered in various places, cultivating in seclusion.]

[His plan was to first gradually take control of Tianyang Star and then step by step settle the score for the Family's blood feud.]

["The reason I stay on Tianyang Star is because the Qin Clan Ancestral Hall is on this star," he continued slowly.]

["But the Ancestral Hall's artifact spirit refuses to acknowledge me as its master... Only those of the direct Bloodline can take charge of the Ancestral Hall and thus bring out the ancestral Legacy."]

["Now that you are here, perhaps you can make that artifact spirit acknowledge you as its master. At that time, the Ancestral Hall will contain a vast amount of resources, Spirit Treasures, legacies, and foundations of our Qin Immortal Clan, which will surely allow our Qin Immortal Clan to rise again."]

[You asked, "Then, have you cleared up the reason for the Family's destruction?"]

["'When the Nine Heavens collapse, the Qin Court shall stand; when Ziwei shifts, the stars shall change,'" he said word by word, the killing intent in his eyes as cold as ice. "Just because of this one sentence."]

["This sentence... who said it?" you asked nervously.]

["It came from the mouth of Venerable Tianming."]

["Which faction?"]

["One of the three Vice Deans of the Kunlun Dao Academy," he said, his voice trembling.]

[Your scalp tingled as a terrifying thought suddenly flashed through your mind—]

[Could it be that the mysterious Mahayana who acted last time... was Venerable Tianming?]

[You guessed correctly—in the thirteenth simulation, that mysterious Mahayana Cultivator was indeed Venerable Tianming.]

[Not only that, but in the twelfth simulation, your death also had Venerable Tianming's plotting behind it.]

[At that time, the Yun Yao keepsake in Liu Jinfeng's hand was given by Mentor Jimie.]

[And Mentor Jimie—was precisely the Disciple of Venerable Tianming.]

[This matter was exactly Venerable Tianming's secret layout.]

[Jimie intentionally gave the keepsake to Liu Jinfeng to lure you out through her, then took the opportunity to eliminate you, with the goal of dragging Yun Yao and Venerable Yuqing down together.]

[As for Venerable Tianming's purpose, because you had already died, the subsequent events remained unknown.]

["Venerable Tianming... is not an existence we can touch right now," Qin Yang squeezed these words out from between his teeth, "but sooner or later, I will make him pay the price."]

[He turned to look at you, his tone turning heavy. "Your current strength is still shallow; you must never take the initiative to provoke him."]

["Furthermore, he was once a mentor of the Heavens Mandate Academy, with countless Disciples under him, and he excels in the dao of heavenly fate... Without absolute certainty, we must hide ourselves well."]

[You nodded. "I understand."]

[Pausing for a moment, you asked again, "By the way, were you intercepting Cao Qingyi to look for something?"]

["Yes," Qin Yang's expression was solemn. "A plan and evidence that could incite conflict among the Three Great Factions."]

["These Three Great Factions on Tianyang Star fight every year on the surface, with many casualties... but those are just low-level Cultivators with poor Aptitude."]

["In fact, their upper echelons are far more united than outsiders think... This balance must be broken to make them truly fight among themselves, only then can Tianyang Star descend into chaos."]

["Only then will we have the chance to secretly take control of Tianyang Star... So I secretly set up a scheme, and the Langgan Pavilion also gave its tacit consent."]

[He explained the plan to you in detail—]

[It turned out that Qin Yang intended to use the power of the Langgan Pavilion to gradually weaken the Three Great Factions and eventually hold Tianyang Star in his hands.]

[Not only that, but even many nearby 'Shattered Star Continents' were included in his layout.]

[But his next words made your heart tremble:]

["Unfortunately..." He gave a low sigh.]

["The Shattered Star Continent where the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty is located had an unfavorable start, as the plan was disrupted by a Soul Transformation Loose Cultivator who suddenly appeared."]

["Just because the plan was exposed at the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty, other Shattered Star Continents also became alert and suspicious of the Langgan Pavilion—this led to subsequent setbacks in various arrangements."]

["Perhaps it was also because of this that Tianyang City noticed something was wrong and discovered someone was trying to incite conflict among the Three Great Factions' plans."]

["Otherwise... the opening of the ruins this time could have severely damaged the Origin Qi of the Three Great Factions, allowing us to take control of Tianyang Star in one fell swoop."]

[At this point, he sighed again. "Now that the plan is exposed, I'm afraid the Old Ancestors of the Three Great Factions will no longer personally go to the ruins."]

["The bait and the trap set by me and the artifact spirit... are unlikely to succeed now."]

[After listening to Qin Yang's detailed plan, you couldn't help but raise your hand and rub your forehead.]

[It turned out that the Langgan Pavilion's actions against the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty were actually based on Qin Yang's suggestion.]

[No wonder the Langgan Pavilion would personally send the Soul Transformation Cultivator Jiang Ci for just one Shattered Star Continent—it seems the pavilion's upper echelons valued this plan quite highly.]

[You didn't expect that you had inadvertently disrupted Qin Yang's layout.]

[If his plan had gone smoothly, the Langgan Pavilion could indeed have easily taken control of the Tianyu Immortal Dynasty, and other Shattered Star Continents and Tianyang Star factions would not have become alert because of it.]

[Once his layout succeeded, many Shattered Star Continents around Tianyang Star would have gradually fallen under secret control.]

[And if the Old Ancestors of the Three Great Factions had met with misfortune in the ruins—Tianyang Star would have become something already in the Langgan Pavilion's grasp.]

[After all, those three Old Ancestors were the true reliance of Tianyang Star—if those three strongest individuals were lost, the remaining people would be nothing to fear.]

[Once successful, Qin Yang would also have achieved great merit.]

[The Langgan Pavilion always looked only at results, regardless of the means; if this matter succeeded, he would surely be heavily relied upon and might even have the hope of further ascending to a high position—]

[This was indeed a strategy that achieved multiple things at once.]

[After all, if the Langgan Pavilion were to act blatantly, some first-rate factions would definitely not sit idly by—]

[Especially the Nine Heavens Heavenly Palace, because the Star Domain where Tianyang Star is located is ultimately within its sphere of influence.]

[But you suddenly remembered—in the twelfth simulation, the Old Ancestors of the Three Great Factions also hadn't personally come to the ruins. But at that time, you hadn't destroyed Qin Yang's plan.]

[Thinking of this, your eyes lit up, and you suddenly understood: the evidence of incitement this time must have been successfully delivered to the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty, which is why the Old Ancestors of the Three Great Factions did not go in person.]

[A person flashed through your mind—Guard Commander Zhan Peng.]

[On the day of departure, Cao Qingyi and Zhan Peng seemed to be communicating via secret voice transmission...]

[It suddenly dawned on you: the real evidence had probably already been secretly sent to the Imperial Capital by Zhan Peng.]

[You looked at Qin Yang and said seriously, "There's still time. Go to the Imperial Capital of the True Spirit Immortal Dynasty immediately and intercept someone."]

["Who?" Qin Yang's expression perked up.]

["Guard Commander Zhan Peng. He is only at the Early Nascent Soul Stage. To avoid detection, he will surely take a detour; you only need to intercept him before he enters the Imperial Capital."]

[A light suddenly burst from Qin Yang's eyes, and he laughed loudly. "So that's how it is! This woman Cao Qingyi is indeed cunning!"]

[With that, he raised his hand and was about to strike the unconscious Cao Qingyi.]

["Wait," you raised your hand to stop him, "she is still useful to me. Leave her to me."]

["Fine," Qin Yang nodded, "I was worried about how to deal with her; if you have a way, that's for the best."]

[He pushed Cao Qingyi in front of you, then with a wave of his hand—the qiankun rings on the ground flew up one after another, all falling into his sleeve.]

[Having finished this, his figure blurred and turned into a streak of light, fleeing towards the direction of the Imperial Capital.]