Chapter 787: Chapter 786: Discussing Entry into the World Affairs
Helian Zhan and Wang Chunyang’s stance represented the Qingtian Sect and Langya Wang Family’s recognition of Huang Chengcheng’s efforts in rebuilding the Taoist sect.
Among those present, Ouyang He of the Poison Sect had close personal ties with Helian Zhan, and his disciple Helian Rong was Helian Zhan’s only daughter. With such connections, the Poison Sect had no objections to Huang Chengcheng’s restoration of the Taoist ways.
Additionally, the Zhang Family, represented by Sect Master Zhang, was a major supporter of the Taoist reconstruction. Thus, after this great battle, among the remaining five families, only the Ji Family had yet to make a statement.
Ji Bangying chuckled and raised his teacup toward Huang Chengcheng, saying, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Huang, on the reconstruction of the Taoist path. I believe under your leadership, the Taoist ways shall surely reach their pinnacle again."
Huang Chengcheng smiled and replied, "Thank you for the support of the Ji Family. The task of rebuilding the Taoist sect is arduous and long, and the current times are not like the old days. Now, the Hidden Sect World suffers from a scarcity of spiritual energy and cannot sustain itself much longer. Even if the Taoist way is rebuilt, cultivating more outstanding disciples is many times harder than before.
The Taoist way cannot return to its former glory, and I only wish that in my lifetime, I could see its reconstruction, thus fulfilling my role as a Taoist disciple and honoring the ancestors."
Huang Chengcheng spoke earnestly, voicing a reality that made everyone silently nod their heads.
Indeed, times had changed.
In the past, the Taoist sect could dominate alone, but since the sect was besieged and destroyed, many cultivation techniques and secret techniques had leaked. These techniques are hard to master in today’s world with scarce spiritual energy, leading to a visible limit on the cultivation realm.
Today, the Five Great Forces possess over ninety percent of the Divine Travel Realm’s strong practitioners. Even if the Taoist sect is rebuilt and strives hard, it is impossible for them to exceed the total number of Divine Travel Realm practitioners within the Five Great Forces.
Thus, even if the Taoist sect is successfully rebuilt in the future, its overall strength would not be enough to threaten the five families.
Therefore, regarding Huang Chengcheng’s reorganization of the Taoist sect, all five families expressed their support, and representatives from other second-tier aristocratic families and sects had no objections either, each standing up one by one to congratulate Huang Chengcheng.
After receiving the attitudes of each family, Huang Chengcheng sat back down, satisfied.
At that moment, Ouyang He stood up and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, although the Hidden Sect has just undergone a major battle, it has stabilized the situation within, resulting in a high degree of unity among all forces. Now that the internal dangers are resolved, shouldn’t we discuss making a significant move into the mortal world?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
That’s why the powers that had gathered here today hadn’t left yet; they were staying to discuss the Hidden Sect’s next move.
Based on what powerful figures like Helian Zhan, Wang Chunyang, and Ouyang He, who had ventured into the secular world, reported, the Heaven Plane had completely collapsed. The cultivators of Heaven were moving into the secular world en masse, and Penglai had already joined them; thus, the Hidden Sect Plane World was no longer secure.
The topic of entering the secular world had often been mentioned by the Eight Great Forces in the past but had never been collectively discussed. Now, driven by the circumstances, it was necessary and urgent to do so, and since everyone was together, it was a good time to discuss this matter.
Wang Chunyang nodded and said, "Master Ouyang is right; the outside world has undergone tremendous changes. The three major hidden places are now known, and with the serious leakage of spiritual energy, it won’t be long before it collapses. Even if we can delay it a bit, the people from Heaven and Penglai won’t let us continue to live peacefully here. Once they come to disrupt the Hidden Sect Plane, staying here would only result in huge losses."
Huang Chengcheng couldn’t help saying, "Exactly, recently there was a nuclear explosion in Bermuda, which I believe was done by the people of Japan. The Heaven Plane World suffered a destructive impact and directly collapsed, causing significant losses to the cultivation world of Heaven."
"What? Penglai has already made a move against Heaven?"
"These islanders have always been treacherous. After our victory over them in the past, we should have eradicated them to prevent future troubles."
"Since they dared to attack Heaven, they must have accumulated enough power, believing they can challenge the world again. We must be wary of this."
"Exactly, since Heaven and Penglai have entered the mortal world, staying in the Hidden Sect is extremely dangerous. We need to prepare for entering the secular world."
"Not just prepare, but we must enter the secular world as soon as possible."
The crowd buzzed with discussions.
At last, Helian Zhan nodded and said, "Indeed, what Patriarch Wang just said is right. It’s not about getting ready to integrate into society, but we must integrate as soon as possible."
"Yes, this matter must be arranged sooner."
"Yes, the sooner, the better. Once we are out, we can find out about the movements of Heaven and Penglai."
"However, this time our integration into society is different from before. Now, the stability of the Hidden Sect Plane is questionable. All of us from the Hidden Sect World, nearly nine million people, must move out. Such a vast number of people integrating into society will undoubtedly present a colossal challenge to the Divine Continent people, putting a lot of pressure on them," Ji Bangying stated.
The crowd nodded in agreement; many turned their gazes toward Yang Fei, who was standing by Huang Chengcheng’s side.
Since the start of the meeting, Yang Fei had stood inconspicuously behind his master.
Now that they were discussing the matter of the Hidden Sect integrating into society, all these big shots turned their eyes toward him, and Yang Fei understood their intention.
So it’s up to me, Yang Fei, huh?
In the past, their integration into society would have been a simple matter for me; I could have had Yanyang arrange it in minutes.
But now...
The expectant looks from these big shots made Yang Fei a bit nervous.
He didn’t know if his words still carried any weight in front of Yanyang.
But in front of so many big shots, he couldn’t show weakness. He had to demonstrate enough influence over mundane affairs.
Thus, facing everyone’s gaze, Yang Fei cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, why are all of you venerable seniors looking at me?"
Ouyang He snorted, "Don’t play dumb. You are Yanyang’s husband, the son-in-law of the Qin family. You still hold sway within the Qin family, which currently has a significant voice in Divine Continent. As for the matter of the Hidden Sect’s integration, go discuss it with the Qin family, and help us understand the general attitude of mundane society."
"In my opinion, we should just go out and talk directly with the Divine Continent’s high-level officials. Can they really stop so many of our strong cultivators?"
"Exactly, our integration is to stabilize the situation in Divine Continent and fend off foreign invasions. The rulers of the Divine Continent would be more than welcoming; how could they object?"
"Ahem, please calm yourselves. It’s not that Divine Continent doesn’t want our help, but they will worry that our arrival might disrupt the current system. With so many of us moving out, and Divine Continent being only so large, there are only so many important positions, and this poses a huge challenge to the current power hierarchy of Divine Continent," Ji Bangying couldn’t help but remind them.
Helian Zhan nodded and added, "Ji Family Master hit the nail on the head, pinpointing the crucial issue."
"Right, what the rulers of Divine Continent fear most is whether their rights will still be protected after our integration," Wang Chunfeng also laughed.
The superior figures nodded, seemingly agreeing with this rationale.
"If I were them, I’d worry about the same thing."
"Indeed, fearing being replaced or controlled is human nature."
"In such a case, isn’t it very difficult to reach an agreement?"
"If it really comes down to it, we just go out directly. If worst comes to worst, we can simply take control of the Divine Continent rulers. Those who disobey can be killed, and we can elevate the obedient ones. Divine Continent is never short of talent; there are plenty who can govern the country. We just need to control everything from behind the scenes. Surely, we cannot allow ourselves to be suppressed or restricted by worldly nobles after our integration, can we?"