PNB Chapter 1805 Defeat
Chapter 1805 Defeat
The Sacred Domain, Dragon Roar Temple, Moon Embracing Hall.
The cool, moonlit glow flowed eternally through this palace suspended atop a sea of clouds, but at this moment, the air inside was frozen solid, oppressively suffocating.
Fairy Yueyao had changed out of her Moon Palace gown, which was stained with dust and blood, and was now wearing a spotless flowing fairy dress. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and the icy blue mark between her brows seemed even more profound and cold than before.
She sat upright on the white jade throne, her exquisite face revealing little emotion, except that her jawline was taut, and her fingertips unconsciously caressed the moon pattern carved on the armrest of the chair.
Below, the three palace masters, Yue Wuhen, Yue Qingshuang, and Yue Hanying, stood bowing, their auras weak and their faces pale. Although their injuries had been treated, the lingering fear and faint internal injuries between their brows could not be hidden from the eyes of the others present.
On both sides of the hall, a dozen or so elders and deacons of the Longyin Temple stood solemnly.
With barely concealed surprise and scrutiny, they secretly observed Fairy Yueyao and the three disheveled palace masters above.
News of the Cloud Platform had already spread back to the Holy Domain as if it had grown wings. Although the Dragon Roar Temple tried to control it, how could such a huge commotion and the scene of panicked retreat be completely covered up?
At this moment, everyone in the hall was already in a state of shock and turmoil.
"Yueyao." An old and dignified voice broke the silence.
The one who spoke was an elderly man standing at the head of the left side, wearing a black Taoist robe with star patterns. He had an ancient face, and his eyes seemed to hold the illusion of stars flashing in and out.
He is the master of the Starry Sky Hall of Longyin Temple, known as Yue Xingyan. He is extremely senior in the temple and his cultivation is unfathomable. He usually stays in seclusion to deduce the secrets of heaven and rarely interferes in worldly affairs.
But at this moment, they were alerted and had to leave the pass.
"Elder Xingyan." Yueyao nodded slightly as a greeting, but her tone remained indifferent.
"You need to give the temple an explanation for what happened at the Cloud Platform." Yue Xingyan's voice was calm and unhurried, yet it carried an invisible pressure. "The Soul-Locking Array went out of control? The sacrifice backfired? The elder from the outer realm went mad? These explanations may fool others, but they cannot fool us."
His gaze swept over Yue Wuhen and the other two with lightning speed: "The three Palace Masters joined forces, yet they were forced into such a predicament by a junior in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, which also brought out Ling Xuzi, who was already presumed to have perished five hundred years ago. Yue Yao, it seems that your plan has made a big mistake."
The last sentence was a blunt and uncompromising interrogation.
The atmosphere inside the hall became even more somber.
Fairy Yueyao slowly raised her eyes and looked at Yue Xingyan. There was no sign of backing down in her eyes. Instead, a cold glint gathered in them: "Is Elder Xingyan accusing me?"
"I am merely stating the facts," Yue Xingyan said expressionlessly. "Before the abbot went into seclusion, he entrusted external affairs to you in the hope that you could seek benefits for Longyin Temple and expand its influence, rather than suffer losses, damage Longyin Temple's prestige in the Holy Domain, and create a formidable enemy like Ling Xuzi out of thin air."
"Prestige?" Yueyao suddenly chuckled, but there was no warmth in her laughter, only biting sarcasm. "Does Elder Xingyan think that the prestige of my Dragon Roar Temple in the Holy Domain is obtained through appeasement and charity? Or through fair trade with those peasants from the lower realms?"
She stood up, her skirt trailing on the ground, and walked down the jade steps, her voice growing colder: "The Soul-Locking Array is an ancient and wondrous array. If it succeeds, it can instantly add hundreds of well-established and promising talents to our sect, and it can also severely damage the morale of the new generation of the Spirit Realm. It's a win-win situation! This is a case of using a small investment to achieve a great return, doing something extraordinary. How can it be without risk?"
"As for Ling Xuzi..." A strong sense of apprehension and resentment flashed in Yueyao's eyes. "It's truly unexpected that this old monster could survive for five hundred years and even make great progress in his cultivation. But if it weren't for that brat Mingchuan's constant interference and attempts to break the deadlock and buy time, even if Ling Xuzi had appeared, I would have been confident that I could have retreated calmly after the formation was mostly completed and enough resources had been plundered. Why would I have ended up in such a sorry state!"
She subtly pointed the finger at Mingchuan for most of the blame.
“Mingchuan…” Yue Xingyan chewed on the name, a glint of deduction flashing in his eyes, “This child is indeed an anomaly. The secrets of heaven are shrouded in chaos within him, unfathomable. Moreover, he is deeply connected with Lingxuzi… Yueyao, you should have decisively eliminated him when you failed to recruit him. Why did you allow him to grow to this point?”
These words made Yueyao's face stiffen slightly.
How could she not want to get rid of Mingchuan as soon as possible?
But this child is growing too fast, and there are always people helping him behind the scenes. More importantly... deep down, she couldn't help but have the thought of subduing him and using him for her own purposes.
But she would never admit to that.
"It's pointless to talk about this now." Yueyao waved her sleeve, walked back to the main seat and sat down, regaining her aloofness. "Lingxuzi has reappeared and is taking a tough stance. After this incident, the five major sects of the Spirit Realm will surely stick together. My Dragon Roar Sect's strategy towards the Spirit Realm needs to be adjusted."
"How should we adjust?" another elder asked, his tone filled with worry. "After the incident at Dengyuntai, I see our reputation has been damaged, and the other forces will likely use this as an excuse to cause trouble. Especially the Dafan Temple; that old monk Huineng has always been very protective of the Spirit Realm..."
“Dafan Temple is nothing to worry about,” Yueyao said coldly. “Huineng is in seclusion, and his disciples manage most of the temple's affairs. They won’t openly break ties with our temple for the sake of the Spirit Realm. It’s the Moon Wheel Pavilion that’s to be concerned…”
A cold glint flashed in her eyes: "Those arrogant sword fanatics have always looked down on cultivators from the Spirit Realm. This time, they might secretly mock them or even kick them when they're down."
Moon Wheel Pavilion, another top power in the Holy Domain, is renowned for its swordsmanship. Its relationship with Dragon Roar Temple has always been delicate, with frequent friction.
"The most urgent task," Yue Wuhen raised his head, his voice still somewhat weak, but his thoughts clear, "is to stabilize public opinion. Although the reasons for the formation going out of control and the disciples falling into demonic possession are far-fetched, we must stick to that story. At the same time, we can announce to the public that we will provide humanitarian compensation to the families of the victims and survivors of the Cloud Ascension Platform disaster. We must make a show of it, even if they don't appreciate it. This move is mainly to show other forces and rogue cultivators in the Holy Domain, to demonstrate our temple's benevolence and responsibility."
"Furthermore," Yue Qingshuang interjected, her voice icy, "we need to closely monitor the movements of the Spirit Realm, especially the Wan Chuan Sect and Ling Xuzi. Although Ling Xuzi is strong, he disappeared for five hundred years, and the Spirit Realm has changed beyond recognition. The resources he can mobilize are limited. As long as we do not launch large-scale attacks in the open, he will not be able to do anything to us for the time being."
"The covert infiltration and division cannot stop." Yue Hanying's voice came from the shadows, hoarse and deep. "The five major sects of the Spirit Realm are not monolithic. There are always ways to break through the conflicts of interest. Especially... that newly established Qingyuan Sect, which is in an awkward position. Perhaps we can make some moves against it."
Although the three palace masters were defeated, they were no ordinary people to have reached such positions, and they quickly proposed strategies to stop the loss and follow up.