"Let us set that aside for now. Which mighty figure within their sect has 'awakened' to give the Shadow King and the others such confidence?"
After sorting out his thoughts, Fang Qianyuan did not dwell on the issue. The grassroots and the aristocratic clans and sects were naturally opposed in certain respects, but they were not so incompatible as fire and water.
By comparison, he was more interested in the person who had "awakened" within that camp.
Over the years, through Tian Heng's accounts and his own observations, he had learned the pattern behind the "awakenings" of the Supreme Heaven Sect's members.
They had plotted for tens of thousands of years precisely to control the course of the Age of Dharma Decline, allowing them to regain command of the world ten thousand years into that age-the very era Fang Qianyuan and the others now lived in. Yet they also feared "awakening" too early or too late, needlessly consuming their lifespans and the reserves of their divine souls, and thereby losing their chance at immortality and imperishability forever. Thus, they could not all swarm into their long slumber or awaken at once, but had to do so purposefully, one by one.
Only when Heaven and Earth Essence gathered anew and the Great Dao of heaven and earth truly revived would they all leave their places of deathly stillness and see daylight again.
To that end, they had devised detailed, meticulous plans according to their standing within the sect or their individual strengths, entrusting the Shadow King and the other Successors with carrying them out.
Among these plans were mechanisms to "awaken" a mighty expert whenever they encountered a formidable contemporary powerhouse like Fang Qianyuan, or when their sect's legacy suffered a devastating blow and they could no longer control the situation.