Sowing Discord

An incense stick's burn later, nearly all the heads of Guanyun Pavilion, high and low alike, had arrived. With a flick of his hand, Li Guanqi shattered nearly ten thousand spirit stones, enveloping the entire council hall in a dense mist of spiritual energy. He first cupped his hands to everyone present and said gently, "These days, all of you have worked tirelessly." Seeing this, the crowd was taken aback, and everyone hurriedly rose to return the courtesy. None of them had expected someone of Li Guanqi's standing to place such value on low-level figures like themselves. Li Guanqi extended a hand with a smile. "Sit, please. Absorb the spiritual energy here as you wish. Only a fool would let it go to waste right now." Immediately, a few of the more easygoing cultivators began absorbing the spiritual energy, bowing with chuckles. "Since the Pavilion Master has said so, I won't be polite! Hahaha." Li Guanqi chuckled and watched the others follow suit one after another, speaking softly. "Everyone seated here is one of our own. There is no need to be so restrained." Li Guanqi took the high seat. There were only so many chairs in the hall, leaving quite a few people standing off to the side. After a moment's thought, Li Guanqi raised his hand to conjure over a hundred chairs condensed from lightning, saying calmly, "Everyone sits for our council today." Seeing those who still hesitated to sit, Xi Yunhuai laughed and barked, "The Pavilion Master has spoken! What the hell are you all being so polite for? Sit!" Only then did the cultivators take their seats one after another. Li Guanqi swept his gaze over the room and raised a hand to shut the heavy doors. He then released the vast expanse of his Sword Prison, enveloping the entire hall within it. Within this domain, Li Guanqi was king! His gaze gradually sharpened, and he murmured softly, "I know that many of you have already been approached by the Tianji Pavilion, haven't you?" The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the hall grew deathly grim. Many in the room even held their breath; who still had the mind to absorb spiritual energy?! Recently, several people in Guanyun Pavilion had vanished without a trace, and even a fool knew it was the handiwork of the Cloud Shadow Guards. Many lowered their heads, eyes darting anxiously! Li Guanqi smiled, speaking in a warm, gentle voice. "Right now, we are having an open and honest discussion. None of you need to carry any psychological burden. Just speak whatever is on your mind." Whoosh! Suddenly, someone stood up, turned toward Li Guanqi, and clasped his fists. The man had resolute features and tiger-like, piercing eyes. He looked at Li Guanqi and said in a deep voice, "Answering the Pavilion Master, the Tianji Pavilion approached me half a month ago! "They promised me countless benefits—at the cost of betraying Guanyun Pavilion." Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "And what did you think?" The man shrugged and stated plainly, "I turned them down. My life was given to me by Guanyun Pavilion. As for... cultivation and strength, I don't care." Li Guanqi nodded, motioning for him to sit. The tension in the hall deepened even further. Li Guanqi said softly, "Do you know why I didn't begin by discussing methods for a counterattack?" No one answered. Li Guanqi continued on his own, "Because I want to resolve these matters first, so that we may discuss the rest without worries holding us back. "I know he dared to stand up and say this because he was never subjected to coercion or anything of the sort. "Now, those who are being coerced by the Tianji Pavilion—raise your hands." One, two, ten, thirty... seventy! Out of just over two hundred people in the hall, a full third were currently facing coercion from the Tianji Pavilion! Li Guanqi's eyes gradually turned cold. The situation was perhaps far graver than he had anticipated. Watching the raised arms below, he fell entirely silent. It seemed there was no longer any room for reconciliation between the two pavilions. Li Guanqi's expression darkened slightly. When he looked up at them, those with raised arms unconsciously hung their heads. They were terrified that Li Guanqi would erupt into a slaughter! Yet, in the end, they had chosen to place their trust in him and raise their hands. Li Guanqi asked softly, "Anyone else?" As soon as he spoke, several more raised their arms. Beside him, Xi Yunhuai and Qianqiusui looked equally grim. Neither had imagined that so many people had been contacted by the Tianji Pavilion! Standing behind Li Guanqi without taking a seat, Yu Hua's eyes flickered beneath her robe. *It seems Guanyun Pavilion's current situation is far from good... This might be rather thorny...* Her gaze then shifted slowly toward Li Guanqi, wondering how he intended to resolve this crisis. Li Guanqi took a deep breath. He stood up from his seat and bowed slightly to the cultivators gathered before him. In a voice full of sincere warmth, he said, "Thank you for trusting me. "Thank you for holding to your original convictions, unwavering to this very moment." At these words, many in the hall felt their eyes turn red. No one knew what immense pressure they had been enduring. Some had their kin poisoned to force their hand. Many had sudden tragedies strike their households, or had bizarre, shadowy factions targeting them from the dark. Every person's predicament was different, yet every one of them was in dire straits, being pressed every single moment to make their choice. Li Guanqi's words made them feel as though their loyalty and steadfastness had finally found their reward! Li Guanqi swept his gaze across every face and said in a resolute tone, "Report every difficulty and crisis you currently face to Elder Xi! "The pavilion will resolve these matters with the utmost haste! "Three days. In three days, I expect we will be able to sit down again to discuss everything else!" Qianqiusui ground her teeth, but in the end she couldn't help speaking up. "Pavilion Master, three days will cost us a great deal!" Li Guanqi stood tall and replied softly, "It doesn't matter. Lost wealth and lost commercial territory can always be earned back one day. "However... if Guanyun Pavilion's foundation crumbles, the pavilion will exist in name only. "Send the order down: over these three days, Guanyun Pavilion is to pull back its forces across the board and avoid all conflict." Qianqiusui's eyes flickered. Ultimately seeing the wisdom in his words, she bowed in compliance. "Understood, Pavilion Master." Li Guanqi sent a quiet voice transmission to her: "Do not think I have disregarded your commercial empire. "Prepare yourself. Our ultimate goal... is to swallow the Tianji Pavilion whole!" Qianqiusui stared with bright eyes at the man's back. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out a jade slip and transmitted: "Contract our forces! Under no circumstances are you to clash with any faction over the next three days!" Soon, Li Guanqi led Yu Hua, Qianqiusui, and the others to the study reserved for the Pavilion Master. The door swung open, and two figures who had long been waiting inside sprang to their feet! Nangong Qianyan and Tu Zhongqiu looked at Li Guanqi and couldn't help smiling. "Young Friend Li, what is the meaning of calling the two of us to the Guanyun Pavilion?" Li Guanqi offered a faint smile and replied softly, "This junior naturally has a favor to ask of the two seniors. "Please, sit, and let us talk." Tu Zhongqiu's gaze casually drifted across the black-robed figure standing behind Li Guanqi.