Han Shuang let out a string of cold laughs.
"Every person bears responsibility for the fate of the world. If everyone thinks they're too weak to matter and ignores the bigger picture, the Taiyuan Grand World will inevitably fall."
"Sect Master, are you saying you think you can still turn the tide? Besides, the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor probably can't even protect himself right now—surely you don't think you can call upon him? If I recall correctly, over the past few hundred thousand years, there have been divine kings and lords who questioned this coup. There were those who proposed restoring the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor to power. But what happened in the end? Those divine kings all vanished without a trace. The mastermind behind the scenes has already welded the Taiyuan Grand World shut like an iron barrel. There's no room for any dissenting voice!"
Jiang Chen retreated in order to advance, wanting to see what Han Shuang was really after.
"Hmph! If everyone's too afraid of the mastermind, then nothing will ever get done. No matter how deeply that hand is hidden, it must eventually be dragged into the light. Otherwise, the Taiyuan Grand World will fall into the abyss and never recover."
The more Jiang Chen listened, the more confused he became. Coming from a divine king, these words would make perfect sense. But from the mouth of a young cultivator like Han Shuang, they sounded decidedly out of place.
Jiang Chen didn't rush to speak. Instead, he let himself calm down.
He even suspected that Han Shuang might be trying to earn his trust through deception. However, the thought flashed and faded. Upon careful consideration, it didn't seem realistic. Han Shuang couldn't possibly know his identity.
Jiang Chen took a deep breath and said slowly, "Sect Master, if I'm hearing you correctly, it seems you support the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor resuming control of the Taiyuan Grand World. Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes." Han Shuang didn't deny it in the slightest.
"But don't you think the feasibility of this is virtually zero? First, do you even know where the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor is being held? Second, does the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor still have his strength? Third, can you actually rescue him? Fourth, even if you did rescue him, would the various lords and divine kings throw their support behind him without hesitation?"
"Hmph! The Taiyuan Celestial Emperor is imprisoned in the Eternal Divine Prison—that's common knowledge. The fact that you don't know tells me you lack even a basic understanding of the Taiyuan Grand World. Second, the powers of a Celestial Emperor or divine king cannot simply be stripped away at will. At most, you can seal him. Killing him is impossible. The Celestial Emperor possesses a Destiny Token and has received the Heavenly Dao's recognition. Unless the Heavenly Dao itself revokes his Destiny Token, no cultivator at the divine king level has any hope of killing a Celestial Emperor! Third, rescuing the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor is difficult, but many like-minded individuals are already working toward it—you simply have no idea. Fourth, compared to the mastermind's relentless terror campaign, everyone would far rather accept the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor's rule. And once the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor is freed, the mastermind will be completely exposed. Because the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor definitely knows who the mastermind is!"
"The Taiyuan Celestial Emperor knows?" Jiang Chen was stunned.
"He definitely does." Han Shuang nodded with absolute certainty.
"Then wouldn't the mastermind silence him?" Jiang Chen frowned.
"I've already said—it's nearly impossible for a divine king to kill a Celestial Emperor who has received the Heavenly Dao's recognition. Moreover, being sealed in the Eternal Divine Prison means not just anyone can waltz in to kill him. Whoever attempted to assassinate the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor would be exposing themselves, wouldn't they?"
There was actually some logic to that.
Jiang Chen fell into thought. After a long pause, he looked at Han Shuang and asked seriously, "Is there a necessary connection between the Crimson Water Heavenly Pool and rescuing the Taiyuan Celestial Emperor?"
Han Shuang said lightly, "You've finally hit the nail on the head."