The Grand Elder's Stratagem (Part 2)

Chapter 44: The Grand Elder's Strategy (Part 2)

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?" the Grand Elder asked, looking at Li Qiye.

"Your disciple is all ears," Li Qiye replied with a calm smile. His demeanor was so relaxed that the Grand Elder found him completely inscrutable.

"We need allies like the Nine Sacred Demon Gate!" The Grand Elder sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice. He continued gravely, "Therefore, I hope you can marry Princess Li! As long as you marry the princess, I will support you in whatever you do!"

"Elder, aren't you afraid of inviting a wolf to drive away a tiger, only to be devoured by the wolf in the end?" Li Qiye asked with a smile.

The Grand Elder gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Some things are beyond the control of a small person like me." He then looked deeply at Li Qiye and said, "That's why I'm placing my bet on you! I hope this is a miracle!"

At this point, the Grand Elder's expression turned peculiar as he looked at Li Qiye. "For a long time, many people have wanted the Washing Yan Ancient Token from the Third Ghost Lord, but no one has ever succeeded! Yet, the Third Ghost Lord is willing to give it to you!"

Mentioning the Third Ghost Lord and the Washing Yan Ancient Token, Li Qiye couldn't help but smile. He didn't elaborate, as the hidden complexities of the matter were naturally beyond others' comprehension.

Looking at the Grand Elder, Li Qiye smiled and asked, "If you're placing your bet on me, why not on the Sect Master? I heard the Sect Master was designated as the successor by the previous Sect Master."

The Grand Elder remained silent on this question. His attitude piqued Li Qiye's interest. What kind of person was Su Yonghuang, the current Sect Master of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, and what secrets did he hold?

"This time, I've proposed you serve as the Dao Instructor. I hope you can achieve something and have the opportunity to attend the high-level meetings of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect," the Grand Elder said, changing the subject rather than discussing the Sect Master.

Li Qiye chuckled. "You hope I can get some polish, climb into the higher ranks, perhaps be granted the title of Protector or Elder, so I'll be worthy of the status of a successor of the Nine Sacred Demon Gate and a princess of the Ancient Niu Jiang Kingdom."

Li Qiye's ability to so easily see through the scheme startled the Grand Elder. In truth, he hadn't thought highly of Li Qiye at first. However, Li Qiye's inexplicable success in passing the Nine Sacred Demon Gate's assessment had made all six Grand Elders suspect him of being a spy sent by the Nine Sacred Demon Gate.

However, the arrival of Li Shuangyan and Yu He's attitude forced the Grand Elder to reconsider. If Li Qiye were indeed a spy from the Nine Sacred Demon Gate, their methods were far too ostentatious and arrogant! More importantly, Yu He's attitude didn't seem feigned!

This made the Grand Elder reflect. If Li Qiye truly intended to seize the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's Imperial Techniques or Immortal Emperor Artifacts, holding the Washing Yan Ancient Token, he wouldn't need to resort to being a spy! The token was given to him willingly by the Third Ghost Lord. If Li Qiye used this token to demand Imperial Techniques or Immortal Emperor Artifacts, the Washing Yan Ancient Sect would be powerless, unless they intended to disregard their ancestral teachings!

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

"Among the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, I am the most senior. Unfortunately, my talent is limited, and I cannot reverse the sect's decline," the Grand Elder said, looking at Li Qiye. "I don't believe in miracles, but I hope you are a miracle. Or perhaps the Ancestral Master doesn't wish for Heaven to destroy the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. I dare not hope you will revive the sect, but I hope you can use your connection with the Nine Sacred Demon Gate to preserve it!"

Li Qiye couldn't help but smile. "The Grand Elder thinks so highly of me; it truly makes me feel overwhelmed."

Of course, the Grand Elder didn't believe Li Qiye's words. He showed no signs of being overwhelmed, but that no longer mattered.

Li Qiye smiled and said, "The Grand Elder places his bet on me, yet not on the Sect Master. This truly makes me curious. Why is that?"

It was clear that Elder Gu, as the Grand Elder, was very reluctant to mention Sect Master Su Yonghuang. However, he finally looked at Li Qiye and said gravely, "Qiye, if your origins are unknown, then the Sect Master's origins are something I cannot readily accept!"

The Grand Elder's words carried a multitude of implications! Su Yonghuang was the previous Sect Master and his master's designated successor. Why did the Grand Elder show such disdain for Su Yonghuang?

"Now, who sits on the Sect Master's position within the Washing Yan Ancient Sect is no longer important. We are on the verge of ruin, and the position of Sect Master is not worth fighting over," the Grand Elder clearly did not want to discuss Su Yonghuang further. He said gravely, "However, I do not wish for the Second Elder to become the Sect Master!"

The Grand Elder suddenly confiding in him like this piqued Li Qiye's interest. Such words were generally not spoken lightly to anyone but a confidant, yet the Grand Elder had shared them with him.

"The Second Elder is also not bad. I heard that when the Second Elder was young, his aptitude was consistently good. Among the Elders, the Second Elder's cultivation is second only to yours," Li Qiye said leisurely.

"If Cao Xiong had consistently maintained his stance," the Grand Elder said after a moment of silence, "Then him becoming Sect Master would be no big deal! Unfortunately, he has allied himself with Dong Shenglong! This is pushing the Washing Yan Ancient Sect into the abyss of destruction. He has been blinded by power!"

"Dong Shenglong?" Li Qiye expressed slight surprise. "Is he an honored guest of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect?" Nan Huairen had mentioned this, and Li Qiye had some recollection.

The Grand Elder looked at Li Qiye and finally said gravely, "As the Chief Disciple, I hope you will shoulder the responsibility of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. I can tell you this. Dong Shenglong becoming our honored guest back then was not my will! It came from the will of the Treasure Saint Empire. I had no choice!"

"Although Dong Shenglong does not originate from the Holy Heaven Sect, he is a king and marquis enfeoffed by the Holy Heaven Sect!" the Grand Elder said gravely. "I don't need to say more, do I?"

At this point, Li Qiye understood the reason. He smiled and looked at the Grand Elder, finally saying, "The Grand Elder wants to use my hand to eliminate Dong Shenglong?"

"I know your cultivation is not enough to deal with Dong Shenglong," the Grand Elder said after a long silence, finally making a decision. He looked at Li Qiye and said, "But Yu He can. You can use Yu He's hand to eliminate him!"

"Elder, this is a dangerous matter," Li Qiye said with a laugh, understanding the Grand Elder's intentions.

The Grand Elder remained silent for a long time, then sighed. "Inviting a wolf to drive away a tiger, I know! If we talk about danger, the Holy Heaven Sect is far more dangerous than the Nine Sacred Demon Gate. Thirty thousand years ago, when our Washing Yan Ancient Sect fought the Holy Heaven Sect, we lost our ancient kingdom. The Holy Heaven Sect established the Treasure Saint Empire upon our ancient kingdom. While the Holy Heaven Sect didn't pursue us relentlessly, it was only because they had reservations at the time. Within this territory, the Holy Heaven Sect will eventually not tolerate our Washing Yan Ancient Sect. The Nine Sacred Demon Gate controls the Ancient Niu Jiang Kingdom. If they wish to destroy our Washing Yan Ancient Sect, it's not impossible, but they would have to declare war on the Holy Heaven Sect!"

Choosing the lesser of two evils, the Grand Elder had undoubtedly made his choice: to use the Nine Sacred Demon Gate to drive away the Holy Heaven Sect!

Li Qiye smiled and finally said leisurely, "I understand what the Elder is thinking. These are not the important matters. What is important to me now is the body ointment. The Elder once promised that I would be rewarded with a portion of the Imperial Body Ointment. I wonder when the sect will fulfill this promise?"

"This..." Li Qiye's sudden mention of the matter startled the Grand Elder.

Li Qiye continued, "Elder, for my body ointment, I want to specify the beast marrow of the Hell Iron Bull as the primary ingredient. Do you have any objections to this?"

"This, this will take some time," the Grand Elder said, looking quite embarrassed and giving a dry laugh.

Li Qiye looked at the Grand Elder and said seriously, "Elder, you haven't gone back on your word, have you?"

"Li Qiye, the sect will not go back on its promises!" the Grand Elder said sternly. "However, if you want to specify the beast marrow of the Hell Iron Bull, you should also understand that with the current strength of our Washing Yan Ancient Sect, obtaining ten-thousand-year-old beast bones is not an easy task! We do have a portion of Imperial Body Ointment, but the beast marrow is not from the Hell Iron Bull!"

"I need the beast marrow of the Hell Iron Bull!" Li Qiye stated calmly.

The Grand Elder took a deep breath and stared at Li Qiye. "I can get you the Hell Iron Bull beast marrow. I will persuade the other Elders, but the prerequisite is that you must marry Princess Li!"

Looking at the Grand Elder, Li Qiye couldn't help but sigh softly. He finally stood up and said calmly, "Elder, my women are under my control. Whether she is a princess or a saintess, it's not a problem. As for your concerns, I can give you my word: in my hands, anyone who wishes to destroy the Washing Yan Ancient Sect, I will slaughter them all! At the same time, I will tell you, whoever blocks the path of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect's rise, whoever blocks my path, I will kill without mercy! Gods and demons are no exception!" With that, he turned and left.

The Grand Elder was stunned for a moment. A thirteen-year-old boy had uttered such arrogant words. However, at this moment, he did not think Li Qiye was being presumptuously ignorant. He found himself completely unable to fathom Li Qiye, wondering where his confidence came from. How could a mere thirteen-year-old boy possess such audacious capital?

Finally, the Grand Elder sighed softly. For years, he had diligently managed the overall affairs of the Washing Yan Ancient Sect. He knew that the sect could not reverse its decline, but he still held out hope for a miracle!

Perhaps, Li Qiye's arrival was a miracle!

Whether he believed it or not now, he had to take a gamble! Because his time was running out. The other four Elders were quite displeased with him not taking the position of Sect Master. If this continued, without the support of the other four Elders, the overall situation would become even more unfavorable for the Washing Yan Ancient Sect!

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