Chapter 3496 — Treachery in the Trial

"The Five Baleful Dragon? What manner of thing is that?" Kang Jingming was briefly taken aback.

"The Five Baleful Dragon is the king of spirit beasts in the Five Baleful Wildlands. Its strength is immense—it stands at the peak of the late Heavenly Tier, at the grand perfection of that stage. It ranks among the top spirit beasts, and breaking through to the Heavenly Dao is not beyond the realm of possibility!" Ancestor Xuanchen explained. "Within the Five Baleful Dragon's cave lies the legacy light of the five elemental powers. It can reinforce the attributes within the bodies of the five-element inheritors, making the opening of the Cloud Terrace Isle all the more perfect! Otherwise, the constitutions of the inheritors might vary greatly due to certain discrepancies. If the power of one particular element proves too weak, all could be undone at the final step, dragging down the other inheritors and causing the opening of the Cloud Terrace Isle's entrance to fail! So, to ensure this matter proceeds smoothly, we must dispatch trial participants to hold the Five Baleful Dragon at bay while the inheritors receive the legacy's blessing!"

"Oh, but then who contributes more and who contributes less—there will be no way to judge that at the time. If one trial participant simply hides in the back the whole time and never lifts a hand, never helps hold the beast back, he could still slip through, couldn't he!" Kang Jingming asked, somewhat perplexed.

"Indeed. But to prevent such a thing from happening, and to protect the inheritors' safety, I originally intended for Little One to serve as the trial's overseer. Only later he vanished without a trace, his fate unknown, so I thought to send Little Two along with you, having him secretly act as a recorder and film the entire process, which I would then use to grade the participants," Ancestor Xuanchen said. "But now that mishaps keep cropping up one after another, I have changed my mind. I intend to supervise the battle myself."

"Father-in-law, I actually have a fine idea," Kang Jingming said. "In truth, what does it matter whether there is one more or one fewer participant in the Heavenly Tier Assembly? When the Cloud Terrace Isle opens, we all go up together—it costs us nothing, after all."

"That may be so, but the Cloud Terrace Isle is exceedingly difficult to open, and once opened, the time the passage remains is not fixed—it may be long or short. What if, with so many people, there is not enough time to get through?" Ancestor Xuanchen shook his head. "The present circumstances are all unknown, and moreover, once we reach the Cloud Terrace Isle, will the resources up there for breaking through to the Heavenly Dao be limited? If they are limited, then the more people there are, the more there will be fighting over them, and the less each person receives. This is precisely what I have always worried about!"

"I see." Kang Jingming looked somewhat troubled upon hearing this. "But when the time comes, we can draft a set of rules at the Heavenly Tier Assembly—who passes first, who passes after, and how the resources are to be divided once we reach the Cloud Terrace Isle! Legend says the Cloud Terrace Isle's guiding envoy will make contact with me soon, but that is only a legend—whether such a guiding envoy even exists is hard to say. If one does, and I can ascertain the situation on the Cloud Terrace Isle, then there is no problem—everyone can go. But if the resources truly are limited, then we can only restrict a portion of the people."

"Father-in-law, my thinking is actually this: this time, is it not the inheritors who go to receive the final legacy's blessing? These inheritors are all Wei Zhao's women. Given Wei Zhao's infatuated nature, he will certainly not let his women come to harm. When the time comes, we can have everyone hide away and let Wei Zhao alone face the Five Baleful Dragon. If Wei Zhao can hold the Five Baleful Dragon back by himself, all the better—we all save our strength and face no danger. If Wei Zhao cannot hold it back and is slain by the Five Baleful Dragon, that is even better—we will have rid ourselves of a mortal enemy. Then, once Wei Zhao is dead, we make our move and go hold the Five Baleful Dragon at bay!"

"Mm, what you say is right. This is a fine idea we can put to use—why did I not think of it before!" Ancestor Xuanchen was immediately delighted. Yes—using the bond between Wei Zhao and the inheritors to send Wei Zhao to his death; only a petty scoundrel like Kang Jingming could dream up such a vicious scheme. He patted Kang Jingming on the shoulder. "Good. To rid ourselves of Wei Zhao would naturally be best. The others are a minor matter—at the Heavenly Tier Assembly, will they not all have to defer to our Five Luminaries Sect? Who would dare oppose me? Without Wei Zhao, this old man is the foremost figure beneath the Heavenly Dao! And what I fear most is Wei Zhao competing with us for resources when the time comes—not only grabbing for himself, but grabbing for his friends and his women as well. Then what the hell would be left for us? So long as Wei Zhao is done away with, none of these are problems anymore!"

"So then, Father-in-law, you approve of my proposal?" Kang Jingming's idea had, a moment ago, been no more than a flash of inspiration. When he heard Ancestor Xuanchen speak of everyone holding the Five Baleful Dragon back to protect the inheritors, the thought that flashed through Kang Jingming's mind was: why on earth should we help Wei Zhao protect his women?

And so he had devised this ultimate underhanded scheme.

"Mm. When the time comes, you will quietly organize a coalition in secret. With the name of my son-in-law, handling such a matter should be a sure thing—just hint to them that it is my will," Ancestor Xuanchen said. "But be careful: the moment Wei Zhao is killed, you must immediately step up and hold the Five Baleful Dragon at bay. Whatever you do, do not let it return to its cave. Otherwise, those inheritors will be in danger, and all my painstaking efforts will have been wasted!"

"Rest assured, Father-in-law!" Kang Jingming said hastily. "I will seize the moment well!"

"Good." Ancestor Xuanchen nodded. "Remember, in the trial, keep a low profile and stir the flames as much as possible. If Wei Zhao manages to escape disaster and is not slain by the Five Baleful Dragon, then you must ensure that the Tomorrow upon Tomorrow Sect's people come into conflict with Wei Zhao. Do not act with your own hands—you are an alchemist. Even if you have consumed Qi-Gathering Pills to raise your strength to the grand perfection of the Heavenly Tier, your fighting power will always fall short!"

"Yes, Father-in-law, rest assured. I am not a reckless man. This sort of underhanded trick—stirring discord from behind the scenes—is what your disciple excels at most!" Kang Jingming hastened to pledge.

"Mm. Pack your things, brief Little Eleven, and then come with me to the trial grounds." Having said this, Ancestor Xuanchen suddenly felt a chill of desolation in his heart. His own disciples were, by and large, dead—scarcely a few remained!