Control

Rebellion? Mobilizing an army to suppress a revolt? Slaughtering the city and exterminating clans? When the prominent families banded together within Nandu heard the broadcast Wan Liugui delivered via divine mind, every last one of them was utterly dumbfounded. You people clearly struck first, didn't you? Before they had even made a single substantial move, they had already been slapped with the label of rebellion? And as remnants of that old revolt, no less? If that identity were pinned on them for good… Plenty of factions would seize the chance to intervene under the pretext of quelling the rebellion and ransack Nandu down to the bones. As for Yaoguang… He had not even set foot inside Nandu yet. Since he had encountered this before entering the city, none of the blame would fall on him. Instead, it could all be pushed onto Sect Master Zong Wenxian. After all, Zong Wenxian had been overseeing Nandu as acting administrator all these years, managing matters large and small throughout the region. If Yaoguang were truly allowed to return to the sect and report this upward… It would be tantamount to flipping the entire table. "This Yaoguang has zero regard for the rules!" Lu Qianshan, a Void Piercing elder of the Lu family, could not help but curse. "Does he want to lure other factions into the fray? If outside factions step in, they will thoroughly plunder Nandu. Once they finish looting, Nandu's vitality will be severely wounded. Isn't Yaoguang's move just killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of his own?" Li Guiren of the Li family said with equal resentment. Wu Changfeng, on the other hand, faintly saw through Yaoguang's scheme and spoke up: "I told you from the start. No matter what, we had to let Yaoguang enter Nandu first and stay for a while. As long as he assumed control of the Southern Domain, whatever went wrong afterward could be blamed on his incompetence and inability to serve as lord of the Southern Domain. Barring him outside the Southern Domain would only backfire." He swept his gaze over the crowd. "As for killing a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of his own… We have already displayed blatant hostility. He knows that trying to take control now will be fraught with difficulty. Rather than struggling against that, he would rather tear all of Nandu down and rebuild it from scratch, purging every faction in the Southern Domain to wipe the slate clean. That way, he can shape it however he pleases." "Tear down Nandu and wipe the Southern Domain clean like a blank sheet of paper…" The faces of many Void Piercing cultivators from weaker factions turned slightly pale. If Wu Changfeng was right… This Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang truly meant business?! Did they… Did they truly intend to report to the sect, cite a Southern Domain rebellion, wash Nandu in blood, and butcher the entire city and its clans?! "Elder Wu, he… he wouldn't dare do that, would he…?" Some of them were already frightened out of their wits. "Why wouldn't he? The Southern Domain is not yet his territory. Would you care about a gruesome massacre unfolding inside another faction? Not gloating over it would already count as a clear conscience," Wu Changfeng said, shaking his head. "Besides, if the Southern Domain is truly swept clean and every faction reaps massive profits from it, he can take advantage of the situation to propose reducing corvée labor and lowering taxes for the next century for the sake of development. The other elders wouldn't mind giving him that face. With favorable terms like that, the Southern Domain would quickly recover and thrive again." He glanced up at the boundless, starry sky overhead. "After all, on our Beihai Star, there is never a shortage of cultivators. At every moment, cultivators from across the cosmos flock here after hearing its renown, entering Beihai Star in pursuit of a chance at immortality." Listening to Wu Changfeng's words, the crowd turned even paler. Their eyes… involuntarily drifted toward the head of the Jing family. The one who had insisted on cutting Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang down to size, to teach him what it meant to behave, had been none other than Jing family patriarch Jing Zhengyang. While the Southern Domain presented a united front to outsiders, internal friction still existed beneath the surface. This rivalry was split into two camps: one led by the Jing family, backed by Grand Elder Jing Yuntian; the other led by Wu Changfeng, who served Sect Master Zong Wenxian. In ordinary times, Wu Changfeng held the upper hand in their clashes. Yet this time, when it came to cutting Yaoguang down to size, Wu Changfeng had made no great effort to stop it, instead allowing Jing Zhengyang to incite the crowd. Looking back now… his motives had been thoroughly sinister! "Humph!" Noticing the stares from the others, Jing Zhengyang said coldly, "Nobody expected this Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang to disregard the rules so utterly. If he had sent someone ahead to negotiate a clear division of interests with us, instead of aggressively trying to take over Nandu without our consent, how could any of this have happened?!" "Patriarch Jing, now is not the time to complain that the other party failed to follow our script. Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang is about to leave. If we don't go and explain ourselves at once, I'm afraid Nandu will truly face total destruction," Wu Changfeng urged, putting on a show of having everyone's best interests at heart. The intimidated factions also looked at Jing Zhengyang with hurried urgency. Seeing this, Jing Zhengyang knew that if he continued to dig in his heels, he would lose all support even if the crisis were resolved later. "Then we shall meet this deputy sect master," Jing Zhengyang conceded. "Since we have decided to meet him, we must fix our attitude, or we will only inflame the conflict completely!" Wu Changfeng exhaled slowly. "Even Grand Elder Jing Yuntian cannot stand against the prevailing momentum of the entire sect! In fact… even the sect's momentum cannot override the rules inscribed in the Golden Book of the Great Dao!" Hearing Wu Changfeng invoke the grand elder who served as the Jing family's greatest patron, Jing Zhengyang reined in his temper and said in a heavy voice, "That goes without saying. I, Jing Zhengyang, am not someone who cannot afford to lose." With the two of them in the lead, accompanied by Lu Qianshan, Li Guiren, and other Void Piercing cultivators, the group swiftly took to flight, chasing after Yaoguang's departing fleet. *** Before Yaoguang's massive fleet had even finished turning around, the group from Nandu arrived in streaks of light. "Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang, please wait!" "A misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding! Evil cultivators from the Shadow Moon Sect recently infiltrated Nandu to stir up chaos, disturbing the peace across our territory and forcing us to raise our guard. The patrol officers did not know Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang was arriving in person and offended you. I will surely punish them with the utmost severity!" the two leaders shouted in quick succession. "Jing Zhengyang, Wu Changfeng." Aboard the flagship of the Tianshang Battle Hall, Yaoguang looked down at the pair. The two hurriedly cupped their hands in salute. "Greetings, Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang. We have already prepared a welcoming banquet to wash away the dust of your journey. Would you…" "No rush," Yaoguang said calmly. "Didn't you say you would punish those who offended me with the utmost severity? What kind of punishment are we talking about?" Wu Changfeng and Jing Zhengyang froze. They had not expected Yaoguang to latch onto such a trivial detail. Wasn't that just a polite pleasantry? Could it be… *He wants to force us to execute our own people to erode our prestige. But… we have no choice. Otherwise, believe me, he will turn right around and leave,* Wu Changfeng's divine mind quickly sounded in Jing Zhengyang's ear. After all, the people who had intercepted Yaoguang were Jing Zhengyang's subordinates. Yet the Jing family patriarch proved remarkably decisive. He made a subtle hand gesture. Behind him, a Void Piercing cultivator of the Jing family struck without hesitation. A streak of golden light darted like a fish gliding through the void, slaying the distant patrol leader at an incredible speed. This sudden execution caused a brief stir among the crowd. Yet within moments, calm returned. Jing Zhengyang's facial muscles twitched slightly as he cupped his hands. "These fools failed to recognize Mount Tai and dared to offend Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang. They deserved death." Wu Changfeng seized the opening to add, "Please rest assured, Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang. Everyone in Nandu warmly welcomes your arrival. For all these years, Nandu has yearned for a leader who can guide us toward glory, someone who can make us stronger and greater!" "No rush," Yaoguang said, waving a hand dismissively. "The moment I arrived at Nandu, I was ambushed and obstructed. Now, you eagerly invite me inside… It is difficult not to suspect that a trap lies waiting in Nandu, ready to spring the moment I enter, burying a minor deputy sect master like me along with everyone I brought…" "Perish the thought!" Wu Changfeng said emphatically. "Even if we were given ten thousand times the courage, we would never dare harbor ill will toward you, Deputy Sect Master…" "Still, I must be responsible for the lives of the people I brought. Besides, I am a timid man. Having just been startled, no matter what I do now, I cannot shake the feeling that someone is plotting to harm me." Yaoguang pointed casually toward the city. "Hand over control of Nandu's city defense formation. Only then can I trust that you harbor no malicious intent toward me. Furthermore, as lord of the Southern Domain, taking charge of Nandu's grand formation is entirely reasonable and proper, is it not?" At these words, Jing Zhengyang and Wu Changfeng's expressions changed once more. Before Wu Changfeng could speak, the head of the Jing family took the lead: "Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang, demonic cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect infiltrated Nandu and caused destruction, damaging the city defense formation. Therefore, it is not that we are unwilling to hand over control of the formation right away, but rather… Eh? Sect Master Yaoguang?" Before he could finish, Yaoguang steered his warship away, calling out as he left: "Nandu has fallen to the Shadow Moon Sect! Even the city defense formation has been seized by them! Hurry, let us summon the grand elders to cleanse Nandu in blood and reclaim it from the hands of the Shadow Moon Sect!" Seeing Yaoguang turn to leave without even letting him finish speaking—and conjuring up a dreadful pretext no less catastrophic than being remnants of Sect Master Song's rebellion, once again threatening to bathe Nandu in blood—Jing Zhengyang and Wu Changfeng's faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot. *Damn it!* Jing Zhengyang cursed inwardly in sheer fury. Was this man an outright scoundrel?! At the drop of a hat, he declared that Nandu had fallen and threatened to fetch the grand elders to massacre the city… Could they not hold a proper conversation? Could they not negotiate like civilized men?! Did he truly care so little about Nandu that he would rather see it destroyed than compromise?! *Forget it. This Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang truly seems prepared to wipe Nandu off the map if that is what it takes to gain absolute control over the Southern Domain. Unless we are genuinely willing to fight him to the death, we cannot win this contest over Nandu's control,* Wu Changfeng transmitted his divine mind grimly. *Our stakes are on completely different scales. There is no comparison.* A fight to the death… Yet the end result would be Nandu's ruin. They would suffer catastrophic losses. Yaoguang, at most, would see his gains from the Southern Domain reduced from their theoretical maximum. No, that was wrong! If all local factions were purged, his ultimate gains might not even be diminished. In other words, the fish would die, but the net would not break. *Hand over the core control of the defense formation. No matter what, let him take up his post in the Southern Domain first. We can deal with him slowly after that,* Wu Changfeng transmitted with heavy resignation. *We can ensure his decrees never leave Nandu and prevent him from collecting resources across the region. There are plenty of ways. Ten years from now, when the tribute is due and he fails to deliver sufficient supplies, the sect master and the factions backing us will naturally have cause to move against him.* Though bitter and reluctant, Jing Zhengyang could only nod. Begrudgingly, he, Wu Changfeng, and the others surrendered the talisman seals that controlled the city defense formation one by one. With a wave of his hand, Yaoguang dispatched Ling Ruogu and Chi Yu to lead their people and take command of the grand formation. Only then did their true ascension over Nandu begin.