Chapter 178 - 176: Rebel
Chen Yuan and Yu Yousong both looked at Du Xiaochen in astonishment.
They hadn’t expected all the evidence they had gathered to be for nothing. The other party knew everything, and knew it with perfect clarity.
Yu Yousong couldn’t help but ask, "Sect Leader Du, since you know all this, why haven’t you sought revenge? Why haven’t you demanded justice from the Thunder Shock Sect?"
Du Xiaochen gave a wretched smile. "Because I don’t dare. Because I’m afraid!
Wen Cangyuan unified the Yangshan Four Sects. He’s the ancestor of all four of our sects, and his prestige is greater than you can possibly imagine.
The Mystic Light Sect and the Yanxia Sect both follow the Thunder Shock Sect’s lead. To them, Wen Cangyuan’s words are like a sacred edict.
The Wen Family line is thin; they’ve always had only a single heir per generation. Every Sect Leader of the Thunder Shock Sect has been from the Wen Family.
Even if Wen Chengze has all sorts of problems, he is still destined to become the Sect Leader of the Thunder Shock Sect. How do you expect me to get revenge? How am I supposed to demand justice?
Should I ask Wen Cangyuan to cripple Wen Chengze? Even if he dared to do it, I wouldn’t dare to accept!
So, I have no choice but to endure this and pretend I know nothing.
Besides, the poison truly has no cure. Guangnian’s life depends on Wen Cangyuan’s intervention to be sustained. If the Poison Power were to erupt, he wouldn’t live for long.
Forget revenge, I even have to pray that Wen Cangyuan lives a few more years, because if he dies, Guangnian won’t survive either!"
Du Guangnian’s eyes were also red-rimmed.
He knew all of this. It was he who had told his father never to act on impulse and expose the truth.
Once this matter came to light, the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion would surely be ostracized by the Yangshan Four Sects. The Mystic Light Sect and the Yanxia Sect would not stand with them.
Especially the Mystic Light Sect. The reason he was ambushed by Martial Artists from the South Sea was because it was Liang Yunhao of the Mystic Light Sect who came up with the idea.
Chen Yuan suddenly asked, "Does Wen Cangyuan know about this?"
Du Xiaochen paused, then said, "He should. After Guangnian was severely injured, Wen Chengze didn’t make a public appearance for nearly a year. He was likely grounded by Wen Cangyuan."
"I originally thought Wen Cangyuan had some breadth of vision, but now it seems he’s nothing special."
A derisive smile tugged at the corner of Chen Yuan’s mouth. "If he had openly admitted it, telling you directly in his capacity as the ancestor of the Yangshan Four Sects that he could not possibly punish his own descendant, it would have been tyrannical, but at least it would have been a bold move.
But instead, he deliberately played dumb. It’s clear he doesn’t regard your Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion at all, knowing you would have to play dumb too and wouldn’t dare to speak out."
Du Xiaochen fell silent.
The ridiculous part of this whole affair was that both sides actually knew the truth, yet neither had ever spoken of it, feigning ignorance for several years.
But the question was, how could Du Xiaochen not feel hatred in his heart?
’Your descendant is destined to become the Sect Leader of the Thunder Shock Sect, commanding immense prestige and a boundless future.’
’My son was clearly exceptionally talented, but now he’s been reduced to a cripple who doesn’t dare use his True Qi. On what grounds?’
But the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion didn’t just belong to him and his son. He had to consider his martial brother, Yang Xian, his own disciples, and all the other disciples of the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.
Once the truth was revealed, there would be no turning back. The entire Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion would suffer the consequences.
"Sect Leader Du, let’s not beat around the bush. I’m going to make a move against the Yangshan Four Sects.
If you’re willing to stand with me, from this day forward, the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion will be the most revered in Yangshan.
The Thunder Shock Sect has dominated Yangshan for so many years; they must have accumulated a considerable amount of resources.
You will get a share of those things. With your cultivation, Sect Leader Du, you might even have a chance to seize this opportunity and step into the Primordial Pill Realm."
A flicker of conflict appeared in Du Xiaochen’s eyes.
Even without Chen Yuan spelling it out, he knew what he meant.
The problem was, if he made this decision and they lost, the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion would be utterly doomed, beyond any hope of recovery!
"There’s another point that you, Sect Leader Du, may not have realized. If the Yangshan Four Sects are allowed to continue developing like this, your other three sects will sooner or later be absorbed by the Thunder Shock Sect.
You thought that when Wen Cangyuan broke through to the Primordial Pill Realm and didn’t destroy your three sects, it was because he was magnanimous and had a grand vision. In reality, it was just a case of boiling a frog in warm water.
Back then, if your three sects had joined forces to resist, the Thunder Shock Sect would certainly have won, but at what cost? They would have suffered a great loss of Vitality themselves and could have easily been taken advantage of by outside forces.
So, it was better to be ’generous’ and become the nominal ancestor of the four sects. After all, no matter what, his word was law in Yangshan.
Over these years, the Yangshan Four Sects have deferred to the Thunder Shock Sect. The Thunder Shock Sect has grown stronger and stronger, while your three sects have grown weaker and weaker. Have you ever noticed?"
Du Xiaochen’s expression shifted slightly. "Compared to before Wen Cangyuan unified the Yangshan Four Sects, that is indeed the case. But whether openly or secretly, Wen Cangyuan has never made a move to suppress our three sects."
"Wen Cangyuan doesn’t need to make a move. Among the Yangshan Four Sects, the Thunder Shock Sect is the strongest, and Wen Cangyuan is the most famous. Any aspiring disciple looking for a master would naturally choose the Thunder Shock Sect first.
Only those the Thunder Shock Sect rejects, the leftovers, will fall to you. With one side growing as the other wanes, how can your three sects ever compete with the Thunder Shock Sect? Your strength will naturally dwindle over time.
When you’ve been weakened to a certain point, the Thunder Shock Sect will be able to annex you without any effort at all."
Chen Yuan took out a scroll and gave a meaningful smile. "It’s true that the Thunder Shock Sect hasn’t suppressed the Mystic Light Sect or the Yanxia Sect. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t suppressed your Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.
This is the information investigated by Elder Yu Yousong. It records the changes in strength of the Yangshan Four Sects over the years. Some of the data in here is quite interesting.
Among the Yangshan Four Sects, the Thunder Shock Sect has seen the most growth. The Mystic Light Sect and the Yanxia Sect have declined steadily. But only your Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion has suffered a precipitous fall. You now have fewer than a hundred disciples, not even a tenth of your peak. Haven’t you noticed something’s wrong?"
Du Xiaochen’s expression turned ugly as a thought struck him. "I have, but I just assumed it was because our Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion’s cultivation techniques have a high threshold and we follow an elite path, so having fewer disciples was normal."
"Having fewer disciples is normal, but not this few. According to Elder Yu’s investigation, every time the Thunder Shock Sect recruits disciples, they deliberately poach those with the right aptitude for practicing Lightweight Skills.
Your Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion practices the Fast Sword, which requires exactly this kind of aptitude. But the Thunder Shock Sect cultivates a branch of the Daoist Sect’s Thunder Technique. Why would they specifically choose such disciples?
It’s to snatch away all the disciples suited for your Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion, leaving you with no one to choose!"
"Why would the Thunder Shock Sect do this? Because of the conflict between Wen Chengze and Guangnian?"
Chen Yuan shook his head. "This data collection began back when Elder Yu was in charge of Yangshan Prefecture. This incident hadn’t even happened yet.
Wen Cangyuan’s reason for doing this is very simple. It’s because you, Sect Leader Du, are the one among the Yangshan Four Sects closest to the Primordial Pill Realm.
If you also stepped into the Primordial Pill Realm and the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion had the strength to match, you would be repeating Wen Cangyuan’s own path.
He would absolutely never allow that to happen, which is why he has been secretly suppressing the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion and weakening your power.
This way, even if you break through to the Primordial Pill Realm, your sect’s insufficient strength would prevent you from unifying the Yangshan Four Sects."
Sometimes, those involved can’t see the full picture.
When Chen Yuan laid out all the clues before Du Xiaochen, everything he previously couldn’t understand suddenly became crystal clear.
"Father, let’s rebel!"
Du Guangnian said abruptly.
Du Xiaochen looked at his son, stunned.
His son had always been calm and rational. He had even been able to endure the hatred of having his cultivation crippled, telling him not to seek revenge on his behalf.
So why was he being so impulsive now, choosing to side with Chen Jiutian, whom he had only just met, to go against the Thunder Shock Sect?
Du Guangnian saw the doubt in his father’s eyes and said in a low voice, "Father, the reason I told you to endure it and not avenge me was because we had no chance of winning if we made a move, and the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion would have been dragged down with us.
Lord Chen is the number one of Zhenwu Hall’s younger generation, a peerless talent ranked thirtieth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. His strength is astounding, and his battle record is outstanding.
Even if that old bastard Wen Cangyuan is in the Primordial Pill Realm, his Qi Blood is failing. How much power can he really muster now?
I believe Lord Chen can win this time. Our Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion doesn’t seek to dominate Yangshan, but we can’t let Wen Cangyuan keep slowly bleeding us dry like this!"
Chen Yuan glanced at Du Guangnian with approval.
This young man wasn’t just blindly weak and forbearing; he was calculating and saw things with great clarity.
He knew when to endure, but also when to risk it all.
Although Du Xiaochen was a father with decent Martial Dao Talent, in matters like this, he actually listened more to Du Guangnian.
Taking a deep breath, Du Xiaochen asked in a low voice, "Lord Chen, how confident are you in opposing the Thunder Shock Sect?"
Chen Yuan shook his head. "No one in this world can claim to be one hundred percent certain about anything. But if we only acted when we were certain, then no one would ever get anything done.
Sect Leader Du, you know my position in Zhenwu Hall, and you know my rank on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. To put it bluntly, my life and reputation are worth far more than your Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.
I dare to do this, so what are you afraid of?"
This time, Du Xiaochen no longer hesitated. He cupped his fists and bowed deeply. "I, Du, am willing to lead the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion to serve under you, Lord Chen, and await your command!"
Chen Yuan helped Du Xiaochen up and said, "Lord Du, there’s no need for you to act right now. Just pretend that none of this ever happened.
If you make any move now, it will only arouse Wen Cangyuan’s suspicions. Wait until the real action begins, then seize the opportunity to turn against them. That will be enough.
By the way, my message has already been delivered to the Yangshan Four Sects. What was Wen Cangyuan’s attitude?"
Du Xiaochen’s expression was a little strange. "Wen Cangyuan said he would give you ten years’ worth of taxes in one lump sum as a gesture. He expects that you will be so grateful that you will come to the Thunder Shock Sect to thank him personally.
Then, Wen Cangyuan will take the opportunity to offer you some guidance and encouragement, creating a fine tale for the Jianghu."
When Wen Cangyuan had said this before, Du Xiaochen had thought he was a shrewd operator, able to turn any bad situation into a good one with a simple change of perspective.
But after seeing Chen Yuan today, he felt Wen Cangyuan’s scheme was utterly absurd.
’Does this Lord Chen need your guidance? Are you even worthy of guiding someone who grasped ’Intent’ while still in the Condensing Truth Realm?’