"Envoy Wei, the Three Star Sect has already disbanded. Our territory has been carved up, our resources stripped bare — we have nothing left. So… how long exactly is this plan supposed to take?"
Zhu Changsheng grumbled like a resentful wife. Living like a rat, scurrying from hideout to hideout these past months, he was truly losing his composure.
Wei Zikua offered a faint smile. "It shouldn't be long now. The Myriad Heavens Grand Ceremony — how much time remains?"
"The Myriad Heavens Grand Ceremony? About nine months, I'd say. Could it be that the Heavenly Sect's plan is… to suppress those five great sects at the Grand Ceremony?" Zhu Changsheng looked baffled.
Wei Zikua shook his head with leisurely calm. "If it were that simple a plan, it would be far too dull. Sigh — originally, the Heavenly Sect cultivated your Three Star Sect precisely so you could act in concert from within. But it seems… circumstances didn't cooperate. No matter. When the time comes, you can still step forward and speak for the Myriad Heavens Region. Helmsman Zhu, rest assured — the Heavenly Sect has noted every sacrifice the Three Star Sect has made. When it all comes to pass, your reward will far outweigh what you've endured!"
Zhu Changsheng remained thoroughly depressed. "Envoy Wei, it's just the two of us here. You have to give me some kind of hint. Besides, if the goal is merely to suppress the five great sects, why wait for the Myriad Heavens Grand Ceremony? I can't help feeling that if that's truly the Heavenly Sect's plan, it's far too simple. There's no reason to wait this long."
Wei Zikua's tone turned serious. "Do you think the higher-ups of the Heavenly Sect possess only that much wisdom? If you can think of something, do you imagine the higher-ups cannot?"
"Then… what exactly is the plan?" Zhu Changsheng was determined to drag the truth out, no matter what.
Wei Zikua sighed. "Helmsman Zhu, it wasn't time to tell you yet. But since you've asked, I'll let a small part slip. This — only you and I know. No one else in the Three Star sub-branch needs to hear it. Too many mouths invite leaks. If the secret gets out, neither of us can bear the consequences."
Zhu Changsheng straightened up. "Envoy Wei, you can rest easy. Do you think Zhu Changsheng is the type who doesn't know when to hold his tongue?"
"Mm. The date of the Myriad Heavens Grand Ceremony was chosen by the Heavenly Sect's higher-ups. You see, the Grand Ceremony holds special significance for the Myriad Heavens Region. Among the sects here, even now, none have truly accepted the decline of the Myriad Heavens Region. In their hearts, the dream of restoring the Myriad Heavens Empire to its former glory has never died. Would you agree with that assessment, Helmsman Zhu?"
Zhu Changsheng nodded. "Indeed. Although none of the Myriad Heavens Region's sects say it aloud, I'd wager those people all harbor ambitions to rebuild that glorious era."
"To restore the glory — what do you think the Myriad Heavens Region lacks most right now?" Wei Zikua asked with a smile.
"What it lacks most?" Zhu Changsheng answered bitterly. "Honestly, it lacks too many things. First and foremost, it needs powerhouses who can shoulder the burden. Without several Royal Realm experts, dreams of restoring the glory are just that — dreams. Second, a few hundred years ago, the Red Cauldron Central Domain plundered nearly everything of value from the Myriad Heavens Empire. So right now, the entire Myriad Heavens Region ranks at the very bottom among all the lower domains in terms of resources. And third, there's the reserve of young talent. Every sect has been cultivating prodigies hard, but both their numbers and their aptitudes fall far short of the pinnacle era…"
In short, the region lacked absolute powerhouses, cultivation resources, and talent reserves.
Wei Zikua smiled. "Anyone with eyes can see what you've described. But there's a crucial point you haven't mentioned."
"Oh? Do tell." Zhu Changsheng was curious — he'd thought his summary was thorough enough.
"To restore the glory of the Myriad Heavens Empire era, the first requirement is to rebuild the empire and re-establish the royal house. Tell me — which sect in the Myriad Heavens Region right now possesses the undisputed qualifications to do so?" Wei Zikua countered.
"In terms of strength, the Great Sacred Hall is the most powerful. But they're only marginally stronger — they don't possess absolute dominance," Zhu Changsheng said reflexively.
"You've hit the mark. The Myriad Heavens Region lacks qualifications — the standing. No one sect has the absolute right."
Zhu Changsheng nodded. None of the Myriad Heavens Region's sects truly had the dominance to call the shots. If any sect now claimed it would re-establish the royal house, the others would never submit.
"The qualifications are indeed lacking. But what does that have to do with the plan?" Zhu Changsheng asked.
"Patience. Let me explain at length. Since they lack the qualifications, we should provide them. I've heard that when the Red Cauldron Central Domain destroyed the Myriad Heavens Empire, the two imperial insignia — the Heirloom Jade Seal and the Imperial Dragon Seal — went missing. The Red Cauldron Central Domain placed bounties everywhere trying to find them, but failed. Is that correct?" Wei Zikua said unhurriedly.
Zhu Changsheng nodded. "That's true."
"Then what if these two items were to appear at the Myriad Heavens Grand Ceremony? Would the Red Cauldron Central Domain sit idle and do nothing?" Wei Zikua's voice turned grim.
"The Red Cauldron Central Domain hasn't paid much attention to the Myriad Heavens Region for nearly a century now," Zhu Changsheng observed.
"They've ignored it precisely because they believe the Myriad Heavens Region can never rise again and pose no threat. But if the Heirloom Jade Seal and Imperial Dragon Seal surfaced, someone would inevitably call for the restoration of the Myriad Heavens Empire. And in that case, would the Red Cauldron Central Domain still stand by idly?"
Zhu Changsheng was left speechless.
The Red Cauldron Central Domain didn't fear the Myriad Heavens Region, but they certainly didn't want a vengeful power to stage a comeback. The best approach, of course, was to strangle every seed of retribution in the cradle.
Zhu Changsheng was beginning to see the outline of the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect's plan.
Put plainly, the scheme was to provoke the Red Cauldron Central Domain into intervening once more, to spark another great collision with the Myriad Heavens Region — and then let the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect swoop in to reap the profits.
That way, they could adopt a righteous façade and condemn the Red Cauldron Central Domain, while also flying the banner of "assisting reconstruction" to insert themselves into the Myriad Heavens Region with perfect justification.
Zhu Changsheng forced a bitter laugh. "The Heavenly Sect went to such extraordinary lengths with this plan. Wouldn't it have been simpler to intervene a few hundred years ago, when the Red Cauldron Central Domain destroyed the Myriad Heavens Empire?"
"Wrong. Back then, everything happened too suddenly — the Heavenly Sect's reaction wasn't fast enough. Moreover, the Heavenly Sect itself was entangled with other forces and had no room to intervene. And besides, the Red Cauldron Central Domain had been acting under the banner of vengeance. Their destruction of the Myriad Heavens Empire had a stated cause and a pretext — the Heavenly Sect had no grounds to condemn them outright. But if, centuries later, the Red Cauldron Central Domain were to invade again without cause, that would be naked aggression — an entirely different matter. The Heavenly Sect would then have ample justification to intervene."
Zhu Changsheng's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding. He grasped the brilliance of this plan in an instant.
Put simply, in this design, it wasn't only the Three Star Sect, and it wasn't only the sects of the Myriad Heavens Region — even the Red Cauldron Central Domain had become a chess piece in the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect's grand layout.
The Heavenly Sect was exploiting the hatred between the Red Cauldron Central Domain and the Myriad Heavens Region, playing it for every ounce of advantage.