219: Chapter 219 Internal and External Troubles: The Mess Xu Ruyu Faces

"Xiao Yuer, you saw it just now. After today's commotion, the core strength of the Hehuan Sect has dwindled as people have left or scattered."

Lady Qingli sipped her tea, her tone heavy: "Granny Jingxu and the other Grand Elders have suffered severe damage to their cultivation due to the backlash from the Summoning the Ancestor. Without several years or even longer of recuperation, it will be difficult for them to recover their combat strength."

"As for those who left, Elder Wang, Elder Li, and their ilk, they didn't just take themselves. They also took the most elite Disciples under their command, the industries they controlled, and the interpersonal resources they have accumulated over many years."

"This means that the strength of the Hehuan Sect will experience a cliff-like drop in a short period!"

She set down her teacup and looked directly at Xu Ruyu: "If it were a time of peace, we might still be able to slowly recuperate and plan things out gradually."

"But..."

Lady Qingli changed her tone, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes: "I have observed secretly that most of those who left today were previously at odds with Xiao Nianyin, or they had ideas and ambitions regarding the position of Sect Master."

"Their decision to leave at this time was by no means an impulsive act; it is highly likely that it was premeditated, or at the very least, they saw an opportunity to exploit."

She glanced at Xiao Nianyin, who stood beside them like an ice sculpture, and continued: "In order to survive and seek revenge after leaving the Hehuan Sect, there is a high probability that they will defect to the camps of the Hehuan Sect's sworn enemies!"

"For example, the Meiying Sect, the Jile Sect, and those hypocritical Sects that claim to represent the Righteous Path—all of them could become the camps they defect to!"

"Once they defect, everything that happened within the Hehuan Sect today—the change of the Sect Master, the internal strife and division, the severe loss of strength, and even the news that the Founding Ancestor and that mysterious Old Ancestor appeared and then left—will very likely be leaked!"

Lady Qingli's voice suddenly became urgent and severe: "For the sworn enemies of the Hehuan Sect, this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!"

"A Hehuan Sect that is internally divided, has lost the cultivation of its top combatants, and has seen its strength sharply reduced is like a piece of defenseless, fatty meat!"

"I dare to assert that they will absolutely not let this opportunity pass!"

"It is highly likely that in a very short amount of time—a few days, or even less—they will launch a large-scale attack on the Hehuan Sect!"

"Either to annex or to destroy!"

She watched as Xu Ruyu's expression grew increasingly grave, and said word by word: "And you, right now, facing such an external crisis, have no people, no strength, and no experience in your hands. It is almost... an unsolvable problem!"

Xu Ruyu felt his palms sweating as he listened.

Strong enemies surrounded them from the outside, ready to pounce and tear them apart at any moment... This was indeed a desperate situation he was currently completely unable to cope with!

However, Lady Qingli's words were not yet finished.

"But these are only the difficulties from the outside." She took a deep breath, her tone even lower, "There is something even trickier: the crisis from within."

"If I am not mistaken," Lady Qingli's gaze was sharp, as if she could pierce through the bamboo house and see those people in the distance who harbored ulterior motives, "among those Elders who chose to stay today, some of them did not want to leave not because they were unwilling, but because they are not truly submissive to you."

"Rather... they want to stay, waiting until the soul bodies of those ancestors have completely left and their lingering might has dissipated..."

She paused, then spat out two words: "Plotting rebellion."

Xu Ruyu's pupils constricted.

Lady Qingli continued her analysis, terrifyingly clear and logical: "These people have operated in the Hehuan Sect for many years; they are deeply rooted, and their students and old acquaintances are spread throughout every part of the Sect."

"They stayed not because they acknowledge you, but because they are watching and waiting for an opportunity."

"Once external pressure arrives, or they feel the time is ripe, they will likely unite to sideline you, or even... directly launch a rebellion to replace you!"

"After all," she glanced at Xiao Nianyin, her voice carrying a trace of coldness, "everyone now knows that Xiao Nianyin, the former Sect Master and the Sect's top combatant, has had her cultivation sealed, and she has quite a bit of 'grudge' with you."

"For those ambitious people, this is simply a heaven-sent opportunity!"

"A new Sect Master who has lost the strongest protective umbrella and is themselves weak and incompetent is the perfect stepping stone for them to seize power and ascend to the Sect Master's throne!"

"And as for those ordinary Disciples," Lady Qingli sighed, "they may not have the heart to rebel, but toward you, a new Sect Master who suddenly parachuted in, has low cultivation, and has no Foundation, I fear it is difficult for them to have much reverence or loyalty."

"It is more likely that they will watch coldly from the sidelines, or even... hope to see you replaced by those Elders. After all, in their eyes, you were not favored by anyone before, and now your ascension is more like the result of a joke and a farce."

After Lady Qingli finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a long silence.

Only the rustling of the wind blowing through the bamboo leaves remained.

Xu Ruyu sat on the bamboo stool, feeling a tremendous pressure, like an invisible mountain, almost suffocating him.

Outside, strong enemies were eyeing them covetously, ready to launch a war of extermination against the Sect at any moment.

Inside, Elders harbored ulterior motives, itching to rebel.

The Disciples under his command were scattered in heart, watching coldly with zero cohesion.

His own strength was low, he had no Foundation, and he knew nothing about Sect affairs.

The only "backer," Old Ancestor Qingtian, had up and left, and the Founding Ancestor had returned to the Immortal Realm.

The former Sect Master and "bed-warming maid" Xiao Nianyin had her cultivation sealed, and her relationship with him was subtle and complex; it was hard to say if she was friend or foe...

How was this just a mess? This was fundamentally a broken ship about to sink!

And he, Xu Ruyu, was that landlubber who had been forcefully pushed into the captain's seat, unable to even read the navigation chart!

Internal strife and external threats, a desperate dead end!

Lady Qingli looked at his pale and grave expression, a flash of pity in her eyes, but more of it was anticipation and encouragement. She asked softly:

"Xiao Yuer, this is the situation you are currently facing: internal strife and external threats, an almost unsolvable dead end."

"Tell me,"

"How do you want to solve these problems before you?"