His gaze turned to Heaven Splitting and he asked, “Heaven Splitting, the Myriad Souls Demonic Sect has rampaged through the Tenth Heaven for many years, acting with arrogance and tyranny. Surely they must have forged mortal enemies?”
“Or to put it another way, is there any power whose interests clash seriously with theirs, where both sides harbour deep wariness, even frequent friction, yet maintain only surface peace because their strengths are roughly equal?”
Heaven Splitting paused briefly upon hearing this, then fell into thought.
Elder Xiong Tuo, standing beside him, suddenly brightened his eyes, as if spotting a ray of dawn in endless darkness.
He quickly stepped forward, his voice hurried from excitement. “There is! Of course there is! The Myriad Souls Demonic Sect acts domineeringly and has made countless enemies! But if we speak of the deepest grudge, and a power whose strength is closest, capable of threatening their very foundation, it would be none other than the Profound Heaven Sword Sect!”
“Profound Heaven Sword Sect?”
Chen Ping raised an eyebrow slightly, showing interest.
“Exactly!”
Heaven Splitting was also reminded and nodded firmly, speaking more quickly. “The Profound Heaven Sword Sect is located in the Myriad Swords Mountain Range. Together with our Myriad Beasts Mountain Range and the demonic sect’s Crimson Blood Plain, they form a tripod stance geographically.”
“Sword cultivators of the sect are mostly upright and unyielding by nature. They practise the utmost yang and unyielding profound sect sword dao. Though they have no deep ties with our beast clans, we have always minded our own business.”
“Yet they and the Myriad Souls Demonic Sect, which specialises in yin soul demonic arts and acts in treacherous, cruel ways, are natural mortal foes! Their cultivation methods counter each other, their philosophies clash!”
Xiong Tuo eagerly added details, as if pouring all hope into this name. “According to reliable records, about three hundred years ago, the two sects fought an unprecedented large-scale war over the ownership of a cave abode left by an ancient sword cultivator.”
“Both sides lost several Heavenly Immortal realm elders, with countless disciples killed or injured. Afterwards, though a truce contract was signed and peace maintained on the surface, the underground friction, probing, and tripping each other up has never ceased.”
“Conflicts large and small over newly discovered spirit stone veins or rare medicinal fields occur almost every few years.”
“Only because their strengths are evenly matched, with neither having absolute confidence in devouring the other, has a fragile balance formed. They remain wary of each other, yet powerless against one another.”
“Profound Heaven Sword Sect… sword cultivators… utmost yang and unyielding, restraining yin soul demonic arts, strengths comparable, mutual apprehension…”
Wisdom gleamed in Chen Ping’s eyes. The corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly, forming an arc that conveyed everything was under control. “Very good. Extremely perfect. It has to be them.”
“Senior, do you mean…?”
Heaven Splitting seemed to guess Chen Ping’s intent. His heart pounded wildly, finding the idea both bold and insane.
“Very simple.”
Chen Ping stood up, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze seemed to pierce through the hall’s barriers, crossing thousands of mountains and rivers, reaching that Myriad Swords Mountain Range where countless sharp swords pointed towards the heavens.
“They want to mobilise fully to attack us, do they not? Then we shall draw the fuel from under their cauldron. In what they believe is their secure home base, we light a fire. A fire sufficiently fierce and attention-grabbing.”
“We will make the Profound Heaven Sword Sect take the initiative to strike them, forcing Hun Sha to return and defend. Or even… make these two fierce tigers tear viciously at each other until both are gravely wounded!”
“Make the Profound Heaven Sword Sect actively attack the Myriad Souls Demonic Sect?” The elders below drew in sharp breaths. This plan was even more shocking and world-defying than they had imagined!
This was practically dancing on the edge of a blade, playing with fire between two giants!
“Precisely.”
Chen Ping’s tone was resolute, carrying unquestionable confidence. “As long as the manufactured conflict is sharp enough, the planted evidence convincing enough, and the situation urgent enough, Sect Master Ling Yunzi of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect will have no choice but to act.”
“Sometimes, a seemingly solid balance needs only one perfectly placed spark to detonate the entire powder keg.”
