Namo Nirvana Light-Dark Buddha's eyes gleamed with wisdom.
Reading the signs from the smallest clues, he keenly sensed that Chaos Yin-Yang Dao Lord meant to support Li Qing from the shadows.
He knew they could not let Haoran Sage see that something was amiss!
He said gravely, "Dao Lord, I'm afraid you're mistaken!"
"We paid untold prices to climb to these positions. He merely joined us as an inside man, and now he wants the seat of Heavenly Emperor?"
"That's far too presumptuous!"
"At most, we can grant him the title of Heavenly King, let him enjoy the incense and faith essence of one region, and spare his life. That would already be the greatest favor we could show him."
"We cannot give him any more resources!"
For a moment, the two seemed to be at loggerheads.
Haoran Sage watched it all in silence. Li Qing's eyes flickered too.
They're all cunning old foxes. It looks like they're at odds, but they're really trying to keep Haoran Sage from getting suspicious!
Haoran Sage hasn't realized they've joined forces, so he can't see what's really going on.
I need to add fuel to the fire and make him feel everything is under his control.
Only power can make a man obsessed, foolish, and stubbornly convinced he's right.
A thought struck Li Qing, and he looked toward Haoran Sage!
"Haoran Sage, what do you think?"
Haoran Sage looked at the assembled immortals. Every gaze had turned to him!
His eyes were inscrutable. This was exactly the situation he wanted: the others could not reach an agreement.
Given his cultivation, whichever side he favored would often prevail. In time, they would naturally turn to him for his opinion.
As that became a habit, he would gain a measure of deciding power!
He glanced