Counterattack in the Unseen (Seeking Votes)

"Master, did the journey go smoothly?"

Li Mu asked.

After spending a long time together, he had figured out Zhou Qingyun's temperament. It was best to speak directly; beating around the bush would only lead to trouble.

"Smooth, yet not smooth."

"The Old Devil Jia and Old Devil Zhou who ambushed the mountain gate were both intercepted and killed by us. However, this matter will not end so easily."

"Although the attack on the mountain gate was not primarily our fault, we were responsible for intercepting the Demonic Cult's reinforcements. Since a group of their elites slipped through, we must bear some of the responsibility."

"Your Uncle-Master Feng has already set out to hunt down the remaining eight elders of the Demonic Cult. It is both to seek revenge and to provide an explanation to the sect."

For one person to hunt down eight elders of the Demonic Cult—if this were to get out, it would surely be seen as a joke. Unlike the righteous sects that relied on seniority, the Ten Elders of the Demonic Cult had earned their positions through sheer force.

Each of them possessed strength no less than the sect leaders of first-rate righteous factions. If the ten were to join forces, they would be invincible under the heavens.

Even though two had been eliminated, the remaining eight could still run rampant across the martial arts world. Coupled with the elite Demonic Cult members accompanying them, they would be even harder to deal with.

However, Li Mu knew this was no joke; the current Feng Qingyang was like a protagonist with a cheat code. No matter how formidable someone was, when they encountered an unreasonable entity like a protagonist, they would meet a miserable end.

Moreover, to Feng Qingyang, these Demonic Cult elders were not yet strong enough. They could protect themselves while gathered together, but once they scattered, it was only a matter of how they would die.

"Do not worry too much. With your Uncle-Master Feng's martial arts, even if he cannot kill them all, he will have no trouble protecting himself."

Misunderstood, Li Mu felt a mix of amusement and frustration. Even if he wanted to explain, he wouldn't know where to begin.

He couldn't exactly say: I was just thinking about how the Demonic Cult elders would die.

He reckoned that, apart from himself, no one could have imagined that after this battle, the Sword Saint would be elevated to a god-like status.

Perhaps the reason the Mount Hua Sect, which was on the verge of annihilation in the original story, managed to survive was the result of this very battle. The Ten Elders of the Demonic Cult used their own heads to make the various sects of the martial arts world realize the terror of top-tier experts once again.

If not for everyone's lingering fear, Yue Buqun and Ning Zhongze might have been killed before they even had a chance to make a name for themselves.

After all, secret protection did not mean twenty-four-hour personal guarding; there would always be moments of negligence.

"I am naturally not worried about Uncle-Master Feng's martial arts. My concern is the sect's affairs. The Sect Leader was severely injured this time and has already gone into seclusion."

"Without the Sect Leader to suppress things, the conflict between the Sword Sect and the Qi Sect will likely intensify before long. Even within the Sword Sect, things are currently unstable."

"Regarding the matter of the successor, they have been pulling strings since the last sect meeting. If I hadn't reacted quickly and used the excuse of seclusion to avoid it, it would have blown up that very day."

Ning Qingyu's injury was a matter of great significance. Although he trusted Zhou Qingyun, Li Mu still dared not speak of it directly.

This was a martial arts world; with bizarre techniques like the Seven Injuries Fist in existence, who knew if there was some divine manual capable of healing Ning Qingyu's internal wounds?

Hearing Li Mu's explanation, Zhou Qingyun's brows furrowed instantly.

"That is truly outrageous. To go as far as bullying a junior—it seems they have truly changed."

"If they are this brazen now, I shudder to think what will become of our Mount Hua Sect if they actually succeed!"

Li Mu could tell that Zhou Qingyun was genuinely angry this time. Although there had been struggles before, everyone had adhered to the basic rules of the game.

No matter who they supported, it was limited to backing them from behind; no one had ever personally entered the fray, let alone schemed against a junior.

Although Li Mu had avoided it this time, there was only a difference between zero and infinite when it came to breaking the rules. Once the first time occurred, there would be countless more.

For a major power, when someone breaks the rules in internal strife, it often signifies an escalation of infighting.

Angry as he was, Zhou Qingyun could do nothing at the moment. With Feng Qingyang away from the mountain and lacking a powerful pillar of support, they were currently at a disadvantage.

"Master, do not be angry. Doing this only proves that they are desperate. The more this happens, the less we can afford to lose our footing."

"The proposal made by Uncle-Master Feng that day was rejected by the other elders. Even among those who previously supported Senior Brother Cai, three remained silent."

"Ultimately, it is because the capabilities Senior Brother Cai has displayed cannot satisfy everyone. If he cannot even convince the Sword Sect, what right does he have to make the Qi Sect disciples accept him?"

"The more they do now, the more they will alienate the sensible people in the sect. Even among the disciples of the uncles and masters who support Senior Brother Cai, many are dissatisfied."

"In this disciple's view, it is best we pretend nothing has happened, quietly wait for them to make a mistake, and then seize the opportunity to counterattack."

Whether it was because he had experienced too many conspiracies in his past life or because his brain had been further developed after practicing martial arts, Li Mu displayed an extraordinary maturity regarding power struggles.

He appeared to have done nothing, but in reality, he had calculated Cai and Yao to their doom.

Wherever there are people, there is a martial arts world. Unlike Li Mu's rapid rise, the rise of Cai and Yao was built upon a mountain of resources.

Yao Buzhou was fine; as the Sect Leader's first disciple, his own resources were relatively abundant, and the Qi Sect did not need to sponsor him much.

Cai Buli was different. Relying solely on the resources in his master's hands could not have cultivated his current level of power. As far as Li Mu knew, Cai Buli's rise was jointly sponsored by several elders of the Sword Sect.

Beyond ordinary cultivation resources, to help him quickly break through to the first-rate realm, the Sword Sect had even paid a heavy price to exchange for a Tianshan Snow Lotus from the Tianshan Sect.

Resources were finite; the more you took, the less others had.

The resources the elders gave away were, in reality, squeezed from the mouths of the other disciples.

Although the burden was small when spread out, it was impossible for the disciples not to have thoughts when the resources meant for them were taken away as sponsorship.

Especially for those Sword Sect disciples with good talent who were stuck at the peak of the second-rate realm, the resentment in their hearts was even deeper.

If no one guided them, everyone would keep it bottled up, and it would eventually pass.

But if someone were to pierce the window paper, it would be a different story. The once-revered Cai and Yao would immediately become objects of envy and jealousy.

Many disciples complained in private: If I had a Tianshan Snow Lotus, I would have broken through long ago.

Complaints were only the beginning. As time passed and the number of 'Bu' generation disciples breaking through to the first-rate realm increased, the status of Cai and Yao would truly be shaken.

The trap was already dug, and Li Mu naturally did not want to complicate things. If the sect elders wanted to support them, let them.

The more they invested in Cai and Yao now, the stronger the dissatisfaction among the disciples would become.

When the explosion finally came, Li Mu did not believe they would sacrifice their own disciples just to support those two.