Chapter 1541: It’s almost too easy
In the end, there wasn’t anything that happened to anyone that left the gathering area.
It didn’t matter if they went through the mist or not, they were allowed to leave this place without anything happening to them.
However, that just made them even more suspicious.
No matter how one looked at it, it was the best chance to attack during the time that they were leaving. But for whoever it was to not make a move, it meant that they certainly had a much bigger plan in mind.
As for whether this might not be someone controlling the mist, that didn’t come to mind for a single second.
At this point, everyone was already convinced that someone had found a way to control the mist.
Once they were in safe spots, that was when they started discussing what they should do about this situation. After all, there wasn’t anyone that could remain calm when they were basically trapped by whoever was controlling the array.
"We need allies."
That was the first thought that was on everyone’s mind.
That was because they weren’t alone in this place.
Even if there were some rivalries between disciples of the same sect, the fact of the matter was that they were from the same sect. In matters of life and death, it wasn’t as if they were going to bring up these rivalries.
The most important thing was getting out of here alive.
So that was why all of the disciples started looking for those that came from the same sect as them.
Only when they did encounter those from the same sect.
"What are you doing?"
This was the question that was asked the most between fellow disciples of the same sect. The tone that this question was asked in made it very clear that they were doubting each other.
But that wasn’t strange considering that the mist was currently moving around them.
It wasn’t as if the mist was disappearing, but the array that the mist was coming from was doing something. Which was why they believed that it was the other side that was doing something.
In the end, most of them denied that they were the ones that were doing this, but that didn’t really matter.
After all, it really was hard to believe the truth when one already had another idea in mind. So even if the truth was out there, it was hard for anyone to trust each other because the seeds of doubt were in their hearts.
They still believed each other in the end since they needed each other to stay alive in this place, but it wasn’t as if they were going to reveal everything to their fellow disciples.
At this point, it basically turned into a free for all where everyone only cared about themselves.
Seeing the seeds being planted into the hearts of these disciples from the righteous sects, Lin Fan couldn’t help admitting that Ye Qing Huan was on a completely different level.
She was someone that grew up in one of the Five Great Sects, so it was only natural that she would know how these core disciples felt about each other. She knew exactly where their weak spots were and how to hit those weak spots.
It really made Ye Qing Huan seem like the kind of mastermind that controlled everything from behind the scenes.
But there was one thing that Lin Fan didn’t understand.
"Is there a reason that you have to do it with the disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect?"
Other than messing with the disciples of the righteous sects, Ye Qing Huan had played the same trick on the disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Even though she was supposed to be the leader of these core disciples from the Heavenly Demon Sect, she was making things harder for them by doing this.
"It’s not as if they’ll die, right?" Ye Qing Huan replied in a calm voice that almost seemed like she was teasing him.
But Lin Fan knew why she was acting this way and he knew exactly what her goals were in doing this to the Heavenly Demon Sect disciples.
After all, they included the ones that had gone against him and Han Ba before. That was all the reason that Ye Qing Huan needed to do all of this.
Though she did make sure that it was within the scope of not letting them die. In a way, it could even be considered petty revenge.
Though they certainly would suffer because of it.
Still, there was a part of Lin Fan that couldn’t help marveling over how easy this had been.
After all, he didn’t think that small tricks like this would have been enough to manipulate the disciples of the Five Great Sects like this. He thought that they would have been smart enough to see through these tricks.
Only he knew that this wasn’t about intelligence.
This was about what they wanted to believe and Ye Qing Huan was just catering to the bias that they were already feeling. That was why it was so easy for them to put the seeds of doubt in their hearts.
This was the one thing that Lin Fan didn’t understand since he had never grown up in one of the Five Great Sects. He didn’t have a full grasp of the competitive nature that came with being a disciple of one of these Five Great Sects.
After all, he didn’t get to experience it even when he entered the Heavenly Demon Sect.
In the first place, he was a talent that had already been confirmed and brought in from the outside. Which meant that the treatment that he received was already guaranteed to him, it wasn’t something that he had to fight for.
In a way, he could have been considered a nepo baby.
Unlike the rest of the core disciples that all had to fight for the position they were in and the resources that they received.
While the seeds of doubt wouldn’t do anything right now, it would continue to grow and make them more paranoid. Once it reached a certain point, it really would be hard for any of the disciples of the Five Great Sects to work together again.
Even if they left this Dao Sect ruins, it would be hard for them to trust each other after this.
After all, the seeds of doubt would remain in their hearts as long as the answer wasn’t revealed.
Though the one thing that this did guarantee was that no one else would be able to accomplish anything in these Dao Sect ruins. After all, the pavilions that remained required them to work together just to overcome them.
As long as the seeds of doubt were in their hearts, it wasn’t as if they would ever cooperate with each other to clear out any of these pavilions. As long as they didn’t clear the pavilions, they really couldn’t pose any threat to Lin Fan’s group.
So at this point, it was fine to leave them as they were.
"We’ll send out Han Ba’s group later to deal with them."
Lin Fan couldn’t stop the wry smile from appearing on his face when he heard this.
There was a part of him that really was amazed by how ruthless Ye Qing Huan was when it came to dealing with the righteous sect disciples.
Once Han Ba finished his training, there really was no telling just how strong he would become. Facing this kind of Han Ba, they might even be forced to bring out their trump cards just to escape.
For the disciples of the righteous sect, to not gain anything from these Dao Sect ruins and then being forced to bring out their trump cards like this, it really would be like putting the final nail in their coffin.
It seemed like Ye Qing Huan was completely determined to leave a scar on the hearts of these righteous sect disciples. She was planning on making sure that they wouldn’t be able to achieve anything great in the future unless they overcame this heart demon.
Some would be able to do that, but it would be hard for many of them since it wasn’t as if Lin Fan and Ye Qing Huan would spare giving Han Ba resources. They were going to make him even stronger to suppress those righteous sects.
This was a long term strategy that would ensure that the Heavenly Demon Sect wouldn’t have anything to worry about in the future.
Though if she was too ruthless, there was no doubt that it would trigger a provocation from the righteous sects.
They would be like beasts that had no choice but to fight since they were being forced into a corner.
So it was all about making sure that she did show a bit of moderation.
From the look that was on Ye Qing Huan’s face when she said this, Lin Fan knew that Ye Qing Huan knew what she was doing when she made this plan.
Lin Fan knew that Ye Qing Huan had a better awareness of the overall situation compared to him since she had been a part of this environment for a long time now.
Which was why he didn’t hesitate to leave it to her.
But there was one thing that he did want to test.
At the same time, it would involve the elders of the righteous sect.
If they were able to accomplish this, then it would be a direct blow to the righteous sects instead of an indirect blow like Ye Qing Huan was doing.