Grand Elder's Strategy (Part 2)

The Grand Elder's Strategy (Part 2)

At this, the Grand Elder looked at Li Qiye and said, "Do you understand why I'm telling you all this?"

"This disciple is all ears." Li Qiye smiled calmly, unhurried and indifferent, making the Grand Elder utterly unable to see through him.

"We need an ally like the Nine Sacred Demon Gate!" The Grand Elder let out a soft, helpless sigh and said gravely, "So I hope you can marry Princess Li! As long as you can marry Princess Li, no matter what it is, I will support you!"

"Elder, aren't you afraid of driving away a tiger only to bring in a wolf, and eventually being swallowed by that wolf?" Li Qiye said with a smile.

The Grand Elder gave a bitter smile and gently shook his head. "Some matters are not things a small figure like me can control." With that, he stared deeply at Li Qiye. "That is why I'm placing my wager on you! I hope this will be a miracle!"

His expression turned somewhat strange as he looked at Li Qiye. "For all these years, countless people have wanted the Washing Yan Ancient Token in Third Ghost Lord's hands, but no one has ever succeeded! Yet Third Ghost Lord was willing to give the Washing Yan Ancient Token to you!"

At the mention of Third Ghost Lord and the Washing Yan Ancient Token, Li Qiye could not help but smile. He did not elaborate. Naturally, no one else could see through the mysteries hidden within this matter.

Li Qiye smiled at the Grand Elder. "Since Elder is placing his wager on me, why not place it on the sect master instead? I heard that the sect master was the successor personally appointed by the previous sect master."

The Grand Elder remained silent on this question. His attitude interested Li Qiye. Just what kind of person was Su Yonghuang, the current sect master of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect? What secrets lay behind it all?

"This time, I proposed that you become an instructor. I hope you can earn some merit and eventually have the chance to enter the upper ranks of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect." Avoiding the subject of Sect Master Su Yonghuang, the Grand Elder changed the topic.

Li Qiye smiled. "Elder hopes I can gild myself a little and squeeze into the upper ranks, perhaps gaining the status of a Protector or even an Elder. Only then would I be worthy of the identity of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's heir and the princess of the Ancient Niu Jiang Kingdom."

Li Qiye had effortlessly pierced the mystery, startling the Grand Elder. In truth, he had not thought highly of Li Qiye at first. Yet Li Qiye had inexplicably passed the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's assessment, causing all six elders to suspect that he might be a 'spy' sent by the Nine Sacred Demon Gate.

However, Li Shuangyan's arrival and Yu He's attitude had forced the Grand Elder to ponder the matter deeply. If Li Qiye truly were a 'spy' of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, then the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's methods were simply too high-profile, too overbearing! More importantly, Yu He's attitude did not seem feigned!

This made the Grand Elder reflect. If Li Qiye genuinely coveted the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's Imperial Techniques or Immortal Emperor Artifacts, then with the Washing Yan Ancient Token in hand, he did not necessarily need to become a 'spy'! Third Ghost Lord had willingly given him that token. If Li Qiye used it to demand Imperial Techniques or Immortal Emperor Artifacts, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect would have no choice but to comply—unless they no longer wished to uphold their ancestral precepts!

In fact, the Grand Elder knew perfectly well whether the Washing Yan Ancient Sect still possessed any Immortal Emperor Artifacts and how many Imperial Techniques it still had!

"Within the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, I am considered the most senior person. Unfortunately, my talent is limited, and I cannot reverse the sect's decline." The Grand Elder looked at Li Qiye and said, "I do not believe in miracles, but I hope you are one. Perhaps the patriarchs are unwilling to let Heaven destroy our Washing Yan Ancient Sect. I do not dare hope that you can revive the sect, but I hope you can use your ties with the Nine Sacred Demon Gate to preserve it!"

Li Qiye could not help but smile. "For the Grand Elder to think so highly of me, I am truly flattered beyond measure."

Naturally, the Grand Elder did not believe him. Li Qiye did not look remotely flattered, but that was no longer important.

Li Qiye smiled and said, "The Grand Elder has placed his wager on me, yet not on the sect master. That truly makes me curious. Why is that?"

Clearly, Elder Gu, the Grand Elder, was extremely unwilling to mention Sect Master Su Yonghuang. Yet in the end, he looked at Li Qiye and said in a deep voice, "Qiye, if your origins are unclear, then the sect master's origins are something even less pleasant for me to see!"

The Grand Elder's single sentence contained endless implications! Su Yonghuang was the successor designated by the previous sect master, who had also been his master. Why, then, did the Grand Elder regard Su Yonghuang with such dislike?

"Now, it no longer matters who sits in the position of sect master of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect. We are already close to becoming a ruined household; there is nothing worth fighting over in the sect master's seat." The Grand Elder clearly did not wish to discuss Su Yonghuang further. He said gravely, "But I do not want the Second Elder to become sect master!"

The Grand Elder's sudden words piqued Li Qiye's interest. Ordinarily, such words would not be spoken lightly unless one was a confidant, yet the Grand Elder had told him.

"The Second Elder is not bad either. I heard that when he was young, his aptitude was always quite good. Among the elders, only you surpass the Second Elder in cultivation." Li Qiye said leisurely.

"If Cao Xiong had continued to stand by his own position..." The Grand Elder fell silent for a moment before finally speaking. "If he became sect master, it would not be such a great matter! Unfortunately, he sought out Dong Shenglong! He is pushing our Washing Yan Ancient Sect into the abyss of destruction. Power has clouded his mind!"

"Dong Shenglong?" Li Qiye was somewhat surprised. "Our Washing Yan Ancient Sect's guest elder?" Nan Huairen had mentioned this before, so he had some impression of it.

The Grand Elder looked at Li Qiye and finally said in a deep voice, "As the chief senior disciple, I hope you can shoulder the responsibility of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. I can tell you about this matter. Back then, Dong Shenglong becoming our guest elder was not my wish! But this came from the will of the Treasure Saint Empire. It was not something I could choose!"

"Although Dong Shenglong was not born from the Holy Heaven Sect, he was a marquis conferred by the Holy Heaven Sect!" the Grand Elder said gravely. "I do not need to say more, do I?"

By this point, Li Qiye already understood the reason. He smiled, looked at the Grand Elder, and finally said, "Grand Elder wants to use my hand to get rid of Dong Shenglong?"

"I know your cultivation cannot eliminate Dong Shenglong." After a long silence, the Grand Elder finally made his decision. Looking at Li Qiye, he said, "But Yu He can. You can use Yu He's hand to get rid of him!"

"Elder, this is a dangerous matter." Li Qiye laughed. He understood what the Grand Elder was thinking.

The Grand Elder was silent for a long time before finally sighing. "Driving away a tiger only to bring in a wolf—I know! But in terms of danger, the Holy Heaven Sect far surpasses the Nine Sacred Demon Gate. Thirty thousand years ago, when our Washing Yan Ancient Sect fought the Holy Heaven Sect, we lost the ancient kingdom. The Holy Heaven Sect established the Treasure Saint Empire atop our ancient kingdom. Though the Holy Heaven Sect did not wipe us out root and branch, that was only because it had its own misgivings at the time. Within this kingdom, the Holy Heaven Sect will one day no longer tolerate our Washing Yan Ancient Sect. The Nine Sacred Demon Gate controls the Ancient Niu Jiang Kingdom. It is not impossible for them to destroy our Washing Yan Ancient Sect as well, but they would first have to go to war with the Holy Heaven Sect!"

When choosing between the two, one naturally chose the lesser evil. Without question, the Grand Elder had made his choice: he wished to use the Nine Sacred Demon Gate to drive away the Holy Heaven Sect!

Li Qiye smiled and finally said leisurely, "I understand what Elder wants. None of that is urgent. What is urgent to me now is the body ointment. Elder once promised to reward me with a portion of Imperial Body Ointment. I wonder when the sect will fulfill that promise?"

"This..." The Grand Elder was startled when Li Qiye suddenly brought up the matter.

Li Qiye said, "Elder, for the beast marrow used as the main medicine in my body ointment, I want to designate the marrow of a Hell Iron Bull. Elder has no objection to that, correct?"

"This... this will require some time." The Grand Elder gave an extremely embarrassed dry laugh.

Li Qiye looked at the Grand Elder and said seriously, "Elder would not be regretting it, would you?"

"Li Qiye, the sect will never go back on what it has promised you!" the Grand Elder immediately said in a deep voice. "But if you insist on Hell Iron Bull marrow, then you should understand that with the current strength of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect, obtaining the bones of a hundred-thousand-year-old beast is no easy matter! Our Washing Yan Ancient Sect does indeed possess a portion of Imperial Body Ointment, but its beast marrow is not Hell Iron Bull marrow!"

"I need Hell Iron Bull marrow," Li Qiye said flatly.

The Grand Elder drew a deep breath and stared at Li Qiye. "I can obtain Hell Iron Bull marrow for you. I will persuade the other elders. But there is one condition: you must marry Princess Li!"

Li Qiye looked at the Grand Elder and could not help letting out a soft sigh. Finally, he rose to his feet and said calmly, "Elder, I can control my own women. Princess or holy maiden, it makes no difference. As for what Elder worries about, I can give Elder one sentence: while I am here, whoever wishes to destroy the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, I will slaughter them all! And I will tell Elder one more thing: whoever blocks the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's path to rise, whoever blocks my path, will be killed without pardon! Not even Gods and Devils are exceptions!" With that, he turned and left.

The Grand Elder stood frozen for a time. A thirteen-year-old boy had spoken such arrogant words, yet at this moment, he did not think Li Qiye ignorant or rash. For a while, he could not see through Li Qiye at all. He had no idea where his confidence came from. How could a mere thirteen-year-old boy possess such an overbearing foundation?

In the end, the Grand Elder let out a quiet sigh. Over these years, he had diligently overseen the overall situation of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. He knew that its decline could not be reversed, yet he still hoped for a miracle!

Perhaps Li Qiye's arrival was a miracle!

Whether he believed it now or not, he had to gamble once! He did not have much time left. The other four elders were quite dissatisfied that he had not ascended to the position of sect master. If this continued, and he lost the support of those four elders, the situation would become even more unfavorable for the Washing Yan Ancient Sect!

The day's plan lay in the morning. The first update for today is here—please vote and send rewards! Those with Dream Cup votes, please cast them! *_*

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