Reworking the Plan, Winning Over All Sides

Late at night,

in a cultivation tower in White Dragon City,

after receiving the White Dragon Spiritual Pearl, Lu Chen sat cross-legged on his bed, quietly considering the flaws in his plan.

As for the Great Sumeru Demon Pillar, it bore the Black Dragon Sovereign's seal. The moment he obtained it, the Black Dragon Sovereign would sense it. It was not yet time.

"Although this plan was rather simply designed, its secrecy was beyond doubt. Other than Tai Cang Dean and me, absolutely no third person knew of it."

"Even the five Sky Seat Elders were only temporarily summoned after Tai Cang Dean and I had agreed to do so when the plan began, precisely to prevent any leaks."

"Logically speaking, the Black Dragon Sovereign could not possibly have known. So where did things go wrong?"

Lu Chen frowned. He knew his plan had been somewhat crude, but it had relied on surprise and excellent secrecy. Its purpose had been to catch the Black Dragon Sovereign completely off guard.

Yet the Black Dragon had still turned the tables on him, leading to the deaths of himself, Tai Cang, and the others.

After pondering for a moment, Lu Chen's eyes flashed as an idea suddenly formed in his mind. He muttered, "Unless that fellow Black Dragon had harbored ill intentions all along and had long since colluded with the Boundless Old Ancestor and the two major merchant guilds, intending to destroy the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy."

"His encounter with the ambush laid by Tai Cang Dean and me was merely a coincidence. If he had truly known about our scheme, how could he have watched that Sovereign from the Dragon Demon Palace die?"

"Losing a deputy palace master at the Sovereign level would be a devastating, bone-deep loss even for a force like the Dragon Demon Palace..."

Lu Chen rose to his feet. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. As he paced through the tower, he mentally worked out the next stage of his arrangements.

"If that is the case, then there is no problem with the plan. The issue lies with the allocation of combat strength."

"I must find forces capable of contending with the Dragon Demon Palace's side before I can wipe them out in one stroke."

"One Ninth Grade Sovereign, one Fifth Grade Sovereign, two Third Grade Sovereigns, and five First Grade Sovereigns."

"Even if every Sovereign powerhouse of the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy were deployed, they likely could not produce such a lineup. I can only seek outside aid."

Lu Chen sighed. It was not really his miscalculation; in this world, strength was still supreme. No amount of schemes and trickery could compare to being one grade higher in cultivation.

After this matter was resolved, he had to quickly forge his Supreme Sovereign Celestial Body and gain the foundation of his own strength.

Afterward, Lu Chen took out a communication jade token and sent Tai Cang a message before vanishing from where he stood.

Not long afterward,

at the Nine Summer Merchant Guild's White Dragon City branch,

within a quiet courtyard,

Bai Xuan, the branch guild's manager, lay in the courtyard, quietly enjoying the service of the beauties beside him as he admired the full moon hanging in the sky.

Suddenly, the surrounding space rippled, and a figure in azure robes appeared before him.

"Who is it?"

Before Bai Xuan could resist, a terrifying pressure descended, instantly crushing him until he could not move. Even opening his mouth was a luxury.

The azure-robed figure waved a sleeve, and the beauties attending him silently collapsed one after another.

Only then did the azure-robed figure slowly turn around, withdraw his pressure, and look at Bai Xuan with a smile. "Guild Master Bai, have you been well?"

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Bai Xuan was instantly shocked. The melon in his hand fell to the ground, his face turning panicked as he dropped to his knees with a thud.

He burst into tears. "Spare my life, Senior! I have elderly parents above and young children below. I do not want to die!"

"I have been wronged, Senior! I did not know whether that previous auction item was real either! The guild only ordered me to say that to drive up the price. Please see the truth, Senior!"

"So you are saying that even your merchant guild did not know whether that White Dragon Jade Pillar was genuine?"

Lu Chen shook his head, his expression caught between laughter and tears.

He had originally thought the Nine Summer Merchant Guild knew the truth and had put the item up for auction only because it was too hot to handle and they could not afford to provoke the Dragon Demon Palace. He had not expected the truth to be so simple...

"Get up. I did not come to pursue this matter. I have already confirmed that the item is genuine. I came to find you only because I wish to meet the president of your Nine Summer Merchant Guild and seek cooperation."

"Do you have a way to contact your guild president?"

Lu Chen helped Bai Xuan up and asked with a friendly expression.

"Yes, yes. This junior will contact our guild president immediately. Please wait a moment, Senior..."

Bai Xuan hurriedly nodded. Sensibly, he did not ask anything further. Once he heard Lu Chen's purpose, he immediately agreed.

Seeing this, Lu Chen could not help shaking his head with a smile.

He was quite an interesting fellow.

Elsewhere,

in a tower within the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy.

After receiving Lu Chen's message,

Tai Cang pondered for a moment before frowning. "Is it truly this troublesome?"

"It seems I must trouble the North Sea Great One after all!"

With that, Tai Cang straightened his robes, took a step forward, and vanished from the tower in the blink of an eye.

Several days later,

south of the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy.

A mountain shrouded in clouds and mist stood there. At its summit was an elegant courtyard, enveloped by the drifting clouds, making the place particularly tranquil.

Outside the courtyard,

Lu Chen stood before the gates and took out the jade token Tai Cang Dean had prepared for him. He respectfully said, "Junior Lu Chen has come on the dean's orders to discuss an important matter. I ask to be granted an audience."

The moment his words fell, a streak of rainbow light shot out from deep within the courtyard and directly enveloped the jade token in Lu Chen's hand. A few breaths later, it retreated.

A cool voice came from within the courtyard, while the tightly shut gates slowly opened.

"Please enter."

Seeing the gates open wide, Lu Chen stepped forward, crossed the entrance, and walked inside.

Beyond the courtyard was a winding pebble path leading into seclusion. Lu Chen followed it and soon reached its end.

A small bamboo pavilion appeared before him. In front of it, a beautiful young woman dressed in white quietly knelt behind a tea table.

The young woman looked exceptionally young. Her skin was like snow, her brows delicately arched, and her beautiful eyes serene. Yet an aloof, icy aura that kept others at a distance radiated from her entire body.

Lu Chen quickly cupped his hands. "Lu Chen, commander of the Nine Nether Palace of the Da Luo Territory, greets Elder Ling Xi."

"What do you want from me? I have said that I will not involve myself in any disputes within the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy."

"I am not a member of the Northern Azure Spiritual Academy. I merely owed Tai Cang Dean a favor, so I agreed to repair several spirit arrays for the academy. I can leave whenever I wish, so do not try to pressure me with his name."

Ling Xi glanced at Lu Chen with her beautiful eyes and spoke indifferently.

Lu Chen smiled. He knew that Miss Ling Xi was cold by nature. In the original story, if Mu Chen had not been Qing Yanjing's son, he likely would have found it difficult to earn her favor.

Yet she was the only High Grade Human Rank Spirit Array Grandmaster in the entire Northern Azure Spiritual Academy, so he had no choice but to seek her help.

"What if I said that I know Qing Yanjing's whereabouts?"

"Would Elder Ling Xi be willing to help?"

Lu Chen cupped his hands again and smiled.

"What did you say?"

Ling Xi's expression changed drastically. She stared fixedly at Lu Chen, her body trembling as she spoke.

"The Ancient Buddha Clan. Qing Yanjing."

Lu Chen's expression turned solemn as he slowly uttered several words.

Ling Xi's delicate body trembled. Her mind buzzed, and a dizzy sensation spread through her head as scattered memories from the past surfaced one by one.

A moment later,

Ling Xi sighed and looked at Lu Chen with a complicated expression. "I agree. I will help you. But after this matter is over, you must tell me everything about Aunt Jing."

"Of course."

Lu Chen nodded, a glint flashing through his eyes.

With this High Grade Human Rank Spirit Array Grandmaster added to the mix, everything could be considered foolproof.

According to the original timeline, Ling Xi's memories were still sealed at this point. She could only recall a tiny fragment of her memories of being adopted by Qing Yanjing.