Ye Wuyou's Inference
In Mo Province, at the Hidden Dragon Sect Discussion Hall, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy, as if an invisible pressure was enveloping the place.
The head seat, where Yang Danglong should have been, was now empty. The two Golden Core thrones below were also deserted. The light from the dome's luminous pearl illuminated the somber expressions on everyone's faces.
The Hidden Dragon Sect originally had seven Golden Core Cultivators: Yang Danglong, Wang Shan, Yang Tianxue, Yang Qiongchuan Yang Xuanying, Yan Xia Ke, and Madam Gui.
The sudden fall of the three strongest and most prestigious Golden Core Cultivators is a huge blow to the rapidly developing Hidden Dragon Sect.
After a long while, Yang Qiongchuan, who was sitting on the left, looked around at everyone and said, "The Sect Master, Hu Ji, and Elder Xue have unfortunately perished in the Blood River Secret Realm. The strength of our Hidden Dragon Sect has greatly declined, and our previous development plan must be adjusted."
Furthermore, a snake cannot function without a head, and a sect cannot function without a leader, so we must select a new sect leader as soon as possible.
Yang Qiongchuan was an elder of the Hidden Dragon Sect. After the "fall" of Yang Danglong and the other two, he held the highest position. After he spoke, he quickly gained the unanimous approval of everyone.
Ultimately, after discussion, Yang Qiongchuan was appointed as the second Hidden Dragon Sect, Yang Xuanying and Yan Xia Ke were appointed as the Grand Elder and Second Elders respectively, and as for Madam Gui, she remained a sect retainer.
This division of power was not something they actually discussed and agreed upon; rather, it was appointed personally by Yang Tianyou.
Although the Hidden Dragon Sect is called a sect, in reality, the power is controlled by the Yang Household Member. Half of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators are members of the Yang Household's Shadow Hall clansmen, not to mention the Golden Core Cultivators. Even now, with their strength greatly diminished, they still make up three-quarters of the total.
At the Qi Refining level, the Hidden Dragon Sect has over a thousand Qi Refining disciples, of which only a couple hundred are from the Yang Household Members, but they are all elite disciples with very high status.
Therefore, when discussing the selection of the new sect leader, Madam Gui, who had been in the Hidden Dragon Sect for so many years, almost always followed the crowd.
She understood perfectly well that there was always an unseen hand adjusting the development of the Hidden Dragon Sect. If she tried to take advantage of the deaths of Yang Danglong and the other two to make any underhanded moves, she would definitely suffer a terrible setback.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that she really doesn't have much of a competitive spirit.
Madam Gui joined the Hidden Dragon Sect partly because of Yang Danglong, and the two had a good relationship.
On the other hand, they wanted to find someone to rely on.
Although the Madam Gui, who has been wandering for many years, looks young, she was actually over three hundred years old when the Hidden Dragon Sect was first established. Now, she only has a hundred years left to live.
Therefore, Madam Gui no longer seeks to break through to the Nascent Soul. She only wants to live out the rest of her days peacefully, and then find a successor to pass on her Dao Lineage.
The phrase "living in peace with the world" perfectly describes the current Madam Gui.
However, having spent decades in the Hidden Dragon Sect, Madam Gui must have developed a deep affection for the sect and has many disciples and grand-disciples. Therefore, if the Hidden Dragon Sect were to encounter a crisis, Madam Gui would definitely step forward and fight to the death.
That being said, after the adjustment of the high-level power structure, the development plan of the Hidden Dragon Sect naturally changed as well.
They shifted from being radical to conservative, gradually becoming more low-key and quietly accumulating strength.
It is worth mentioning that some forces hostile to the Hidden Dragon Sect, upon seeing the deaths of Yang Danglong and his two companions, rushed to attack, only to be utterly defeated and routed by Yang Qiongchuan and his men.
Although there are only four Golden Core cultivators, with the support of the Yang Household, the Hidden Dragon Sect, equipped with everything from Third-Tier Puppets and War Flying Vessels to Talisman and magical Law Treasures, still holds a mid-to-upper-tier position among Golden Core Forces.
While lacking the capacity for further advancement, maintaining the status quo is more than sufficient.
Xuan Province, the Ye Household!
Ye Wuyou frowned as he looked at the intelligence about the Yang Household in his hand. The fact that Yang Tianyou and his wife had survived the Blood River Secret Realm was not worth the attention of other cultivators.
After all, there are countless strange occurrences in the Cultivation World, not to mention that there is a Sage Manifestation being standing behind him.
Even more attention-grabbing is the latter point: the Eight Desolations Saber Saint is actually the backer of the Yang Household, and Yang Tianyou, the Blade Venerable Great White, is actually the Eight Desolations Saber Saint's junior brother.
Many forces that learned of this information were quite surprised, and consequently began to pay more attention to the Yang Household.
However, Ye Wuyou knew that an unknown cultivator had taken away the Blood Source from the Blood River Secret Realm, so no matter how he looked at Yang Tianyou and his wife, he found them very suspicious.
"If Yang Tianyou is truly the junior brother of the Eight Desolations Saber Saint and the Saint Son of the Four Symbols Legacy, then he has the ability to seize the Blood Source..." Ye Wuyou thought, his Shen Yi, and his mind was filled with thoughts.
"If I were Blood Race Sage Manifestation and sending people to collect such a precious treasure as Blood Source, I would definitely take some precautions, most likely a restriction!"
"The restrictions placed under Sage Manifestation can generally only be opened by Sage Manifestation of the same level. Therefore, even if one obtains the Blood Source, ordinary cultivators simply cannot use it."
"Therefore, if one wants to use Blood Source without being tracked down by the Blood Race, one must at least possess the abilities of Spirit Transformation!"
"But the Lineage has already investigated, and apart from the Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Eight Great Forces entering the Blood River Secret Realm, no other Spirit Transformation cultivators have entered!"
"Therefore, based on the intelligence we have gathered so far, the most likely forces to obtain the Blood Source are the Yang Household and the other seven major forces!"
Thinking of this, Ye Wuyou suddenly frowned, his expression changing. "Any of these forces could potentially obtain the Blood Source. Proving which force actually succeeded isn't difficult. We just need to announce the matter of the Blood Source, and then, by leveraging the situation, get the Eight Great Forces to make Heavenly Dao Oath to prove that what they say is true. That's all!"
"The eight major powers that control the Blood River Secret Realm will certainly not mind making Heavenly Dao Oath for the sake of the Blood Source, since it is insignificant. However, if any power is unwilling to make an oath, then that power will obtain the Blood Source."
"If Eight Directions Forces swear an oath without hesitation, then the one who obtains the Blood Source will most likely be the Yang Household!"
"But... what good would this do for my Ye Household?" Ye Wuyou asked himself. The Ye Household was the weakest of the Eight Great Forces. Even if the existence of the Blood Source was confirmed, the benefits the Ye Household could gain would be very limited.
Even if the Blood Source is divided into eight parts, one part would be worth no more than 20,000 Upper-Grade Spirit Stones.
If this information is leaked, the forces of the Blood Source faction will definitely hold a grudge against the Ye Household, and it is very likely to escalate into a life-or-death feud.
Ye Wuyou not gamble. The Ye Household had just suffered a heavy blow and was in a time of recuperation and goodwill. To provoke a powerful enemy for more than 20,000 Upper-Grade Spirit Stones seemed foolish no matter how you looked at it.
"Sigh, then let it stay buried. At the upcoming gathering of the Eight Great Forces, we'll only mention that a member of our clan discovered the Dark Space at the bottom of the Blood River, and nothing else." Ye Wuyou sighed. Even as the ruler of Xuan Province, there are many things he cannot do recklessly.
"However... we could test the Yang Household. If we can find out anything, we can use this opportunity to do them a big favor," Ye Wuyou thought again.