Chapter 241 The Ruthless Senior Brother of the Path of the Path of the Cannon Fodder (Part 24) ...
For Xuan Ling, since the sect leader had accepted so many of his gifts, it was tantamount to agreeing to his request, and he no longer needed to worry about the Ice Crystal Snow Lotus.
Just like before, wait for the sect to handle things properly before delivering the items to him.
After all, he was the aloof and proud Supreme Elder of the Xuan Yang Sect. How could he lower himself to snatch something from a junior? He would definitely want the other party to willingly deliver it to him personally.
After taking the items and returning home, the sect leader immediately sent a message to all his junior brothers except Xiao Qi, explaining Xuan Ling's intentions.
Originally, they planned to wait until one of their fellow disciples broke through to the Nascent Soul stage before settling scores with Xuan Ling. Now that Xuan Ling had reverted to his old ways, there was no need for them to wait any longer.
Anyway, other cultivation sects don't have Nascent Soul stage cultivators in charge, yet they still cultivate immortality and fight against the demon race.
As for intimidating the demon race's high-ranking officials, the demon race kills a lot of mortals and cultivators every year, and the number is even increasing year by year.
Xuan Ling ignored the matter and did nothing about it. Even when the sect leader coaxed him into doing a few tasks, his attitude was perfunctory and it didn't have much effect.
Besides, Xuan Ling's reputation as the third-ranked sect in the cultivation world has nothing to do with him. He's a Nascent Soul cultivator who doesn't even bother to compete for sect rankings, so it makes no difference whether he's there or not.
Oh, there are still some differences. Xuan Ling, as a Supreme Elder, receives the best supplies in the sect. If he were gone, a considerable amount of expenses could be saved.
Heng Mo was unaware that Xuan Ling was someone the elders had long intended to get rid of. After all, he was the number one person in the cultivation world, and would be a very prestigious figure in any sect.
Just like if a village in the mortal world produces a top scholar in the imperial examination, even if that scholar doesn't actively protect his neighbors, his reputation alone can deter petty people. Heng Mo doesn't believe that the Xuan Yang Sect would be willing to destroy the reputation of being the number one person in the cultivation world.
From the original storyline of the world given by Lin You, we can see that Xuan Ling, because of his high aptitude and the fact that he cultivates the Path of Ruthlessness, has always been selfish, cold-hearted, and arrogant.
Unfortunately, his temperament was unstable, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to handle even a demon disciple so badly, tormenting him one moment and saving him the next, ultimately ruining his Dao heart and turning him into a mortal.
However, the plot has already ended, and who knows if Xuan Ling will still be able to find the original female lead who was just born ten years later and take her as his disciple? It's better to strike first.
His and Lin You's current plan is to completely destroy Xuan Ling's image in front of everyone. Once his reputation is ruined, his value to the Xuan Yang Sect will naturally be greatly reduced.
Then, when the time comes, we'll use the Breakthrough Pill to help our Third Martial Uncle break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Then, the glory that originally belonged to Xuan Ling will be taken away by our Third Martial Uncle.
When Xuan Ling was still unsettled, they seized the opportunity and fed both their second and fourth senior uncles Breakthrough Pills.
The fact that several members of the sect have broken through to the Nascent Soul stage is definitely a significant blow to someone like Xuan Ling who is used to being at the top.
Given Xuan Ling's personality, he will definitely use the guise of teaching to target his senior uncles. When Heng Mo provides appropriate guidance, and the Second Elder, Third Elder, and Fourth Elder break through, the three of them working together will surely be able to deal with Xuan Ling.
Even if they don't kill him outright, Xuan Ling will probably be marginalized, and he definitely won't be able to bear that sense of loss.
Given his temperament, he probably wouldn't have the courage to face the three elders, but if he kept his grievances to himself, his Dao heart would likely become unstable.
The Path of Ruthlessness, once the Dao Heart is shattered, is far more serious than when an ordinary cultivator has a mental block. If one does not adjust their mindset in time, they may not be far from death.
It's a pity that only three of the seven elders are at the bottleneck stage of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. If there were one or two more, their plan could have been even more successful.
Lin You rummaged through the items in the system shop, trying to see if there was anything that could deal with Xuan Ling, while Heng Mo was rehearsing Xuan Ling's lines in his head, hoping to ruin his reputation in one fell swoop.
As the two of them were squatting at the entrance of the Seventh Elder's secluded meditation chamber, each busy with their own tasks, they suddenly received a message from their Second Senior Uncle.
【have eaten? 】
Heng Mo certainly didn't think that his second senior uncle was asking if he had eaten. He stared at the message for a while, thought about it, and then tentatively replied with a single word.
【Um. 】
Heng Mo thought casually, "If I guess wrong, I can just say I just ate two big meat buns."
Not long after, another person appeared at the entrance of the Seventh Elder's secluded meditation chamber.
The Second Elder, who was usually taciturn, squatted down next to Heng Mo without caring about his image, and even grabbed a plate of melon seeds from the plate next to him.
The Second Elder glanced at Heng Mo, then casually chatted about everyday matters while cracking sunflower seeds: "Didn't I often pick fights with you before, Xuan Ling?"
Hearing him address the Supreme Elder by his name without any respect, and even with a hint of mockery, Heng Mo's eyes flickered, and he nodded honestly. This kind of thing was not a secret in the Xuan Yang Sect.
The Second Elder smiled, his tone much gentler than when they had met before: "Are you trying to ruin his reputation with all this fuss?"
Lin You: ………!
Heng Mo: ………！ !
"I've wanted to do this for a long time, but the time wasn't right yet." Seeing Heng Mo's shocked expression, the Second Elder twirled his folding fan in a graceful arc and gently patted Heng Mo's shoulder: "As for you, you're only at the Qi Refining stage and you dare to scheme against a Nascent Soul cultivator, that's too reckless!"
Heng Mo looked at him and probed, "The Supreme Elder is related to the reputation of the entire Xuan Yang Sect, and even the future of the entire cultivation world. If I really ruin his reputation, shouldn't Second Uncle consider the bigger picture?"
"But he has to be capable of taking responsibility. A team leader who can abandon his post in a secret realm and then disappear, is he even qualified to talk about the big picture?" The Second Elder tapped Heng Mo's head slightly with his fan, his eyes growing increasingly deep:
"When I first met you, I thought you were just a well-behaved kid. I never expected you to have the guts to scheme against Xuan Ling. I thought you were just impulsive because of your youthful impulsiveness, but now it seems you've been holding back a trick up your sleeve."
Even if fifteen-year-old Heng Mo had some cunning, he was no match for an old fox who had lived for hundreds of years. He was seen through in just a few words.
"You deliberately used the Ice Crystal Snow Lotus to arouse Xuan Ling's interest, yet you managed to make him believe that you wouldn't use the Ice Crystal Snow Lotus for the time being. Your methods are not simple. Even if you later use your silver tongue to ruin Xuan Ling's reputation, how will you face the anger of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator?"
Even if you obtain more than one piece of Ice Crystal Snow Lotus, you don't intend to hand it over, otherwise your previous actions would become a joke. But if you don't hand it over, given Xuan Ling's petty nature, he has plenty of ways to destroy you without making a sound.
Your temperament doesn't seem like that of someone who would act recklessly, harming the enemy while suffering heavy losses themselves. But I can't think of any other tricks you have up your sleeve. Good child, could you please enlighten your master?
Heng Mo blinked innocently, "Second Martial Uncle, I only bought an Ice Crystal Lotus at the auction, where did I get an Ice Crystal Snow Lotus?"
Seeing the Second Elder's eyes looking towards the secret chamber, indicating that the Seventh Elder's commotion was so great, Xuan Ling couldn't possibly have missed it.
Seeing this, Heng Mo pursed his lips shyly again, "Master's seclusion is of course to consolidate his cultivation. However, the breakthrough is difficult, and this will probably require a long period of seclusion. No matter how virtuous and respected the Supreme Elder is, he cannot destroy Master's seclusion place for no reason."
Seeing the Second Elder's look that seemed to say, "You still underestimate Xuan Ling's shamelessness," Heng Mo lowered his head again and said somewhat embarrassedly:
"I also happened to get a piece of Hundred Water Gold. My cultivation level is too low to use a storage ring, and the courtyard is too small to store it. It would be a pity if I lost it. It is safer here with my master, so I put it in the array eye of the defensive formation in my master's secret room."
Hundred Water Gold is a top-grade material. Although it is not suitable for refining weapons, it is indestructible and is the best material for setting up protective formations. Even the Xuan Yang Sect's mountain-protecting formation uses a piece of Hundred Water Gold the size of an egg as the formation eye.
The Second Elder looked at the spot Heng Mo was pointing to, where a piece of Hundred Water Gold, not much smaller than the array stone of the Mountain-Protecting Array, was placed at the array's core.
The Second Elder, who was always meticulous and never showed his emotions, rarely experienced what it felt like to be choked up.
The defensive strength of an array depends not only on the skill of its formation but also on the strength of the array stones, and has little to do with the cultivation level of the person setting it up.
Their Xuan Yang Sect's protective mountain formation was strong enough to withstand the demon army for several years when the demons were rampaging. Xiao Qi was just in seclusion, not going to fight against 100,000 demons.
With a defensive array of this scale, even if Xuan Ling were to unleash his ultimate attack without regard for anything else, it would probably take him a year and a half to break through it.
The Second Elder was speechless for a while, and could only awkwardly change the subject, "Hmm, not bad, you've learned the formation quite well. You've only been an apprentice for a little over half a year, and you've already exchanged formation stones for your master's formation."
Heng Mo looked puzzled, but then, like an honest child, he said frankly, "My master gave me a formation token, so I can come and go freely here."
The second elder immediately glared at him: "Don't try to change the subject with me. Keep talking, what else is there?"
Heng Mo squatted down beside him with her hands tucked in, giving him an incredibly obedient look, her clear eyes filled with confusion, as if to say, "What are you asking? I don't understand."
Seeing that Heng Mo was being unreasonable, the Second Elder wasn't angry. He figured out that the kid was waiting for him to make a statement.
“I’ve prepared a half-human, half-demon partner for Xuan Ling. I’m using mental suggestion to make her conform to Xuan Ling’s preferences in every way. He’s been wanting to take on a disciple lately, so I’m looking for an opportunity to send her to him.”
The Second Elder had no choice but to reveal his trump card: if Xuan Ling's ruthless path of cultivation were to become tainted by love, his Dao heart would definitely be unstable, and his cultivation would be unable to make any progress at all; in severe cases, he might even suffer a qi deviation.
"His daily allowance contains some medicines that are not easy to detect but can easily make cultivators' minds unstable. He is fine when he has no desires, but if he has any worries, he will not be at peace."
The Dao Heart is actually a very idealistic thing. For example, if Xuan Ling planned to snatch Heng Mo's Ice Crystal Snow Lotus, he would believe from the bottom of his heart that there was nothing wrong with it, and then it wouldn't have any psychological impact on him.
Even if he commits murder, arson, looting, and pillage, as long as he believes in his heart that he has done nothing wrong and that it is not worth mentioning, he will not develop any inner demons.
But love is different. The Path of Ruthlessness prides itself on being ruthless and loveless, pursuing only the Great Dao. Xuan Ling has cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness for so many years. If he were to fall in love with a witch, it would truly damage his Dao heart.
Seeing Heng Mo finally reveal a shocked expression, the Second Elder raised an eyebrow and opened his folding fan. "Well, Uncle-Master, I've already told you my plan. Shouldn't you also reveal a little something to prevent us from undermining each other?"
Heng Mo was indeed shocked, but not only because the Second Elder had arranged a wife for Xuan Ling.
After hearing his words, Lin You began to look through the plot of this world, and even used plot hints to confirm her guess.
In the world's storyline, Xuan Ling's erratic decision to take in a baby girl as his disciple, raise her, and then engage in a torturous love game was not a coincidence; it was all part of a scheme from beginning to end.
If the Seventh Elder hadn't broken through to the next level by the time he found the baby girl, his lifespan would have ended around that time.
The Second Elder schemed so much, but in the end it was all for revenge for his junior brother. So it's only natural that Xuan Ling, who was once the number one cultivator in the cultivation world, ended up as a beggar on the streets of the mortal realm, with white hair and wrinkled skin.
After listening to Lin You's analysis and combining it with what the Second Elder had just said, Heng Mo's trust in the Second Elder increased slightly.
He said in a serious tone, "My third senior uncle's cultivation has been stuck at the late Nascent Soul stage for a long time. His knot in his heart is my master's injury. Once my master's injury heals, he will naturally untie his knot in his heart."
"Who knows, I might just break through to the Nascent Soul stage in a flash. If the Supreme Elder causes me trouble again, my Third Martial Uncle can protect me."
As he spoke, the Second Elder couldn't help but complain in his heart, "Crack! Do you think you're slicing a watermelon in the mortal world? Breakthroughs aren't that easy!"
Listening to Heng Mo's serious nonsense, the Second Elder was about to tap him on the head with his fan when his raised hand suddenly stopped.
His expression slowly turned serious: "I felt from the beginning that Xiao Qi's breakthrough was too abrupt. Even if you could help him resolve his inner conflict, the injury to his spiritual root is still there. How could he suddenly have an epiphany? So it was you who did this!!"
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Author's Note: [Owl emoji]
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