Inside a new, unowned grotto-heaven, cultivators of Great Yu gradually unloaded items from their storage rings to furnish their new sanctuary.
Even entire palaces could be brought out from storage rings, and soon magnificent, opulent palaces stood tall within the desolate grotto-heaven.
Beside the palaces sat an unassuming thatched cottage—the residence of the Imperial Preceptor.
The Imperial Preceptor thought of himself as a mountain recluse, and his living quarters were exceedingly low-key and rustic.
Squatting on a small folding stool, the Imperial Preceptor had deep eyes like bottomless ancient wells, cutting the figure of an otherworldly master strategizing from beyond mortal affairs.
"We are safe for now."
"That the Dao Seeking Sect forced me to relocate is truly an utter disgrace!"
What manner of man was he? The second Imperial Preceptor of Great Yu, heir and promoter of Great Yu's golden age. Under his guidance, several Yu Emperors had become wise rulers revered by the world.
The first Imperial Preceptor had two exceptional disciples. The eldest fought across the realm to establish the Great Yu Dynasty, later revered by posterity as the founding Emperor Yu. And he was the first Imperial Preceptor's second disciple.
Not only was he the second Imperial Preceptor, he was also the junior martial brother of the founding Emperor Yu. Who in the world would dare show him disrespect!
He was himself a cultivator of terrifying might, having once suppressed six Tribulation Transcendence experts by his own strength alone.
All of this had been sparked by Daoist Buyu's scheme, leading to Poxiao's capture and the compromise of their grotto-heaven's location.
Fury burned in his subordinate's eyes as well. How dare a mere sect contend with a dynasty? "Damn that Dao Seeking Sect!"
The Imperial Preceptor's eyes darkened as he analyzed how to deal with the Dao Seeking Sect. "Up to now, the Dao Seeking Sect has obstructed Great Yu's path on three occasions.
"At the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony, a Dao Seeking Sect cultivator intervened, but under the interference of the power of national destiny, it was impossible to ascertain that cultivator's identity.
"Next was a minor Golden Core disciple named Lu Yang, who exposed the identity of Huang Ming, our plant inside the Corpse Driving Sect.
"And finally, Daoist Buyu, the Dao Seeking Sect Master, who used himself as bait in a trap that captured Poxiao.
"These three must die. We shall start with Lu Yang, the one of lowest status. If Great Yu fails to act any longer, Great Xia and Great Qian—hiding who knows where—will surely laugh at us!"
Both Great Yu and Great Qian intended to supplant Great Xia, putting the two in direct rivalry. The Imperial Preceptor had repeatedly searched for Great Qian's hiding place, hoping to incite a mutually destructive conflict between Great Qian and Great Xia so that Great Yu could reap the spoils.
Unfortunately, he had found nothing.
The Imperial Preceptor instructed his subordinate, "Go investigate where this minor disciple named Lu Yang is right now. If you can kill him, kill him."
"Yes, sir!"
After his subordinate left, the Imperial Preceptor pondered. According to the information he had gathered, a third party had appeared during the battle of Hanshui City: an immortal calling himself the Heavenly Court Cult's Supreme Grand Heavenly Venerable, who had defeated Wu Youdao and his two companions.
"Just what are the origins of this Heavenly Court Cult, and who is Dou Tianzun?"
The Imperial Preceptor possessed vast erudition and had thoroughly mapped out the present-day distribution of factions, yet he had never heard of the Heavenly Court Cult, let alone Dou Tianzun.
"This Heavenly Court Cult is as if it sprang out of thin air. How strange.
"Why did the Heavenly Court Cult intervene to stop Wu Youdao? Have they also set their sights on the power of national destiny?"
Five days later, the subordinate returned to report.
"Have you located Lu Yang?"
"Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, yes."
"Is he dead?"
"Well..."
"You couldn't even kill a mere minor Golden Core cultivator?!" The Imperial Preceptor was visibly enraged, displeased with his subordinate's inefficiency. If this was how they worked, how could Great Yu ever hope for restoration?
The subordinate looked ready to weep. "My Lord, Lu Yang is already Acting Sect Master."
"Hm?"
The Imperial Preceptor thought he had misheard. Much as he looked down on the Dao Seeking Sect, it couldn't have fallen so low that a Golden Core cultivator was made Acting Sect Master.
His reluctance to move against Daoist Buyu was precisely because Buyu was the Sect Master—too conspicuous, making an assassination attempt fraught with risk.
Now that Lu Yang was Acting Sect Master, there would surely be plenty of people guarding him. Striking rashly would be unwise.
"According to what your subordinate gathered, this involves an internal struggle for power within the Dao Seeking Sect. Power there has long been usurped by a cultivator named Yun Zhi, who is the de facto Sect Master. Yun Zhi is Daoist Buyu's eldest disciple, her cultivation unknown. Unwilling to let Yun Zhi hold the reins indefinitely and reduce him to a figurehead, Daoist Buyu appointed his youngest disciple, Lu Yang, as Acting Sect Master."
The Imperial Preceptor sneered. "You look at things far too superficially. Lu Yang is nothing more than a Golden Core cultivator; how could he vie for power against his senior sister? This is blatantly obvious: the Dao Seeking Sect deduced that I was going to make a move against Lu Yang, so they proactively made him Acting Sect Master to shield him under that pretext!
"Let me ask you: did Lu Yang become Acting Sect Master right after returning from Hanshui City?"
The subordinate was awestruck, his veneration for the Imperial Preceptor soaring to new heights. "Your Lordship's insight is peerless! That Lu Yang indeed became Acting Sect Master after returning from Hanshui City!"
Was not their willingness to follow the Imperial Preceptor due to his heaven-spanning brilliance, his calculations never missing a beat?
The Imperial Preceptor wore an all-knowing expression. "Hmph. There are no such things as mere coincidences in this world; behind every one lies a scheme."
"Then this Lu Yang...?"
"Kill him! He must be killed!
"So what if a mere Dao Seeking Sect foresaw Great Yu's retaliation? Do they really think they can protect a puny Golden Core cultivator?
"I will let the Dao Seeking Sect know, and let the entire world know, that in the face of absolute power, all schemes crumble like dust!"
Hearing this, the subordinate was overjoyed. He could already picture them slaying Lu Yang, leaving the Dao Seeking Sect slack-jawed, enraged, and helpless!
"Your subordinate also caught wind that the Dao Seeking Sect will hold a grand celebration in two months to commemorate the 120,000th anniversary of its founding. Many factions will be invited, which means we can seize the chance to infiltrate!"
The Dao Seeking Sect was tightly defended and scrutinized entries and exits rigorously; only during such massive events would security loosen slightly.
"There is such a thing?" A glint flashed in the Imperial Preceptor's eyes, and a smirk curled his lips. "It seems destiny truly lies with Great Yu.
"One hundred and twenty thousand years since its founding... It is high time the Dao Seeking Sect was wiped out."
With a casual remark, he pronounced the Dao Seeking Sect's death sentence.
If they could not even deal with a mere Dao Seeking Sect, what restoration was there to speak of for Great Yu?
***
At this moment, Lu Yang still had no idea that Great Yu's Imperial Preceptor had targeted him and placed him on the hit list.
In truth, this misunderstanding stemmed from an information asymmetry.
At the Qingzhou Grand Ceremony, Venerable Calamity could have escaped, yet he was defeated by Eldest Senior Sister, whom Lu Yang had summoned.
In Hanshui City, Wu Youdao and his two companions were on the verge of obtaining the power of national destiny, only to be stopped by the Immortal Fairy inside Lu Yang, who also took the opportunity to capture the trio.
In Dingxin City, the paper crane that flew to Daoist Buyu was written at Lu Yang's suggestion.
Had Great Yu's Imperial Preceptor known all three matters were linked to Lu Yang, Lu Yang would have been on the hit list long ago, without waiting until today.
Even if Lu Yang knew he had been put on the hit list, he wouldn't care much.
He had more pressing matters to attend to right now.
"Eldest Senior Sister, you're saying that as Acting Sect Master, I have to go to the Imperial Palace for a meeting?"
Chapter 466