Chapter 416: Chapter 134: Professional Troublemaker
His gaze was focused on the Black Water Mysterious Snake, for he was the convener.
Although the convener had no real authority, it was still somewhat disrespectful to dismiss him outright.
You Mountain Lord felt the eyes of several sect members on him and fell into silence, knowing that if there really was a disagreement, he might indeed be kicked out of the team.
"If you don’t have the strength to overpower everyone and can’t reach a consensus with others, then get out." That was the unique democracy of the Devil God Sect, highly respectful of others’ opinions.
The Black Snake leaped upwards, its body leaving the pool, the submerged part alone was nearly ninety feet long, making it over a hundred and fifty feet in total—a massive creature.
As it soared through the air, it transformed into a young man clad in black with a pale complexion.
"It seems the other three won’t be coming."
You Mountain Lord’s snake-eyes darkened as he glanced at the westward-setting moon, saying, "Li Qinglian indeed has the power to accompany us, but we are on our way to slaughter the followers of the Taiping Sect. Would the avatars of the esteemed Daode Sect Sect Master deign to associate with us—devils, ghosts, and monsters?"
As he spoke, You Mountain Lord’s gaze settled on Jiang Li, only to meet indifferent eyes.
"When has the Desolate God Sect ever cared about trust?" Jiang Li, shrouded in dark qi with only his eyes visible, spoke ruthlessly, "Moreover, although I do not shy away from revealing my connection with Taibai True Monarch, it’s best not to repeatedly mention it in front of me."
At that moment, Jiang Li’s eyes gleamed ominously. Meeting his gaze, You Mountain Lord suddenly felt his thoughts fluctuating, hidden emotions surging uncontrollably as he involuntarily hissed and bared his fangs, scales appearing on his cheeks.
He took a step back on the water surface, forcibly diverting his gaze, which finally helped calm his turbulent emotions.
"Well said."
Ashuren clapped and laughed, "Trust? When have we ever cared about that—it’s all about strength, isn’t it? Speaking of trust, the first I wouldn’t trust is you, you damn long worm. Now that three have agreed, if you want to disagree, then just leave. We gain by swapping you for Li Qinglian."
In that moment of eye contact, You Mountain Lord found himself at a disadvantage. Such an outcome was enough to be used as leverage.
Why not replace You Mountain Lord, who was disagreeable and at a disadvantage, with the potentially stronger Li Qinglian?
"As for you," Ashuren turned to Jiang Li, "I’m clearly aware of you Sword Cultivators’ thoughts. Holy Infant King brought you here to suppress others, and his bargaining chip is nothing but the ’Moluo Sword Manual.’ Fine, let’s fight it out afterward—if you win, what harm is there in letting you look at the Sword Manual Fragment?"
This Ashuren, though seemingly crude, had a keen mind, typical of being rough on the outside but meticulous inside, easily guessing "Li Qinglian’s" intentions after some investigation.
"Why must you be so harsh, Ashuren?" The seductive Daoist Rashamon woman chuckled, persuading him then turned her gaze to You Mountain Lord, "You Mountain Lord as well, dealing with the Taiping Sect is a command from the Great Venerable. Even if you left us, you cannot escape this task and will have to act. With you being fifth-rank, if the Taiping Sect intends to target you, your pack of snakes won’t be very useful."
Then, she looked at Jiang Li and continued, "The Great Venerable has ordered that the Taiping Sect in Liangzhou Province is gathering followers on our turf. We must teach the Taiping Sect a lesson. Every follower, every believer of the Taiping Sect is fair game, and those who kill more will be rewarded by the Great Venerable. Since you’ve just arrived in Liangzhou, perhaps you were not aware of this decree or of the generous rewards from the Great Venerable."
"That Heluo, that dead fish, only advanced to fourth-rank through a reward from the Great Venerable. We have gathered here also to obtain the Fourth Grade Dao Fruit. Thus, if you can make a meritorious contribution in this matter, obtaining the Great Venerable’s reward or exchanging merits for Ashuren’s ’Moluo Sword Manual’ should be easily within reach."
Three people, three statements, each striking the key points. Ashuren found his reason, You Mountain Lord got his exit, and "Li Qinglian" was offered an opportunity for advancement.
With the words of the seductive Daoist nun, the atmosphere noticeably relaxed.
"She mentioned the reasons ordered by the Great Venerable, but there were too many plot holes, hard to believe."
This reason, Jiang Li knew immediately was fake.
The Devil God Sect had been under oppression before, and in Great Zhou, it was even legally stated that killing a Devil Cultivator was not a crime. Therefore, even though Liangzhou Province was infested with demon, ghost, and monster, it was never the territory of the Devil God Sect.
This reason was probably just an excuse.
As for why the Great Venerable wanted to do this...
"Perhaps the Great Venerable wanted to stir up trouble again," Jiang Li thought.
The Taiping Sect wanted to rebel, and now they were at the last barrier. Throughout history, common people only rebelled out of sheer desperation when they could no longer survive. If they could make a living, who would want to turn into rebels?
In today’s Nine Provinces, although the class system was rigid, it was nowhere near making life unbearable for people. In fact, ordinary citizens were living fairly well.
In case of natural disasters, the court would deal with them; in case of man-made disasters, the Southern Heavenly Department, Yin Law Department, and local governments all managed those. It couldn’t be said that people were wealthy, but in most places, life was stable.
In this situation, even if the Taiping Sect incited an uprising, the followers wouldn’t be enough to threaten the stability of the Sacrificial Altar.
It was guessed that only the most fanatical followers would join the Taiping Sect in this deadly endeavor.
Thus, to start a revolt, they needed a disaster.
The Devil God Sect played this role of disaster.
The Taiping Sect’s cultivators were the people of the Taiping Sect, and so were its followers. Killing cultivators was murder, and so was killing followers.
Moreover, various spies hidden within the sect would also pass out information. When the time came, reactions would come from all sides, advancing and hindering, with various thoughts intertwining, Liangzhou would definitely turn into a chaotic mess.
Among those promoting the chaos, the Taiping Sect would certainly be involved.
Without a disaster, how could the Taiping Sect provoke an uprising?
Jiang Li observed the people around him without a trace, "Among them, there might be plants from the Taiping Sect."
Excluding Ashuren, the other three could be possible, including the Holy Infant King, who had invited Jiang Li here. The culture within the Devil God Sect was such that now, Jiang Li felt like everyone could be an undercover spy.
Thinking this, Jiang Li felt slightly restless.
It was both because there might be people from the Taiping Sect among those present and because he would not lack experimental subjects in the future.
Whether it was to Demonstrate Dao Fruit or to experiment with Innate Qi, the Devil God Sect could meet his needs.
"It cannot be Lawless Freedom who handles the killing of sect members; it must be Jiang Li, who detests evil, who takes action," Jiang Li thought this way.
As for the others, Lawless Freedom could handle that.