Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1595 - 1588: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Chapter 1595: Chapter 1588: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

"Hmph," Huayu Ting did not directly answer his question but instead spoke to herself, "You are outsiders, though with masters of the Nascent Soul Realm among you, you are still not esteemed enough to catch Emperor Wu’s eye. After all, the current Emperor Wu is merely a figurehead. The Emperor’s Sect prefers working with powerful organizations rather than just being a vassal to Emperor Wu."

"More powerful organizations..." Cheng Ziang lowered his head, sinking into deep thought for a long while before he slowly began to speak, cautiously asking, "Could it be... the Cabinet?"

"Looks like you don’t know nothing," Huayu Ting replied with a grin and a raised eyebrow, "Correct. The Emperor’s Sect is now under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet. To be more precise, the Emperor’s Sect has already leaned towards the Wen Family."

"The Wen Family?"

"You should know, the current Kyushu, the current Heavenly Dynasty, is controlled by both the Wen Family and the Wu Family, holding their respective territories, maintaining a relative balance. And your arrival has disrupted this long-standing balance, leading to a clash between both parties," Huayu Ting said.

"You might wonder why Shi Wu Emperor, when seeking to investigate the whereabouts of his brethren, didn’t ask the Cabinet to conduct the investigation but instead utilized the Emperor’s Sect. If cultivators are all a bunch of uncultured brutes, then those people in the Cabinet are merciless, devouring others without spitting out the bones."

"Shi Wu Emperor did not dare ask the Cabinet for help; that’s right, he did not dare. Although it was already the era for the Cabinet to hold governance, Emperor Wu still retained considerable power. Shi Wu Emperor didn’t dare let the Cabinet intervene in this matter because he feared that the Cabinet would seize the opportunity to weaken his power and expand theirs."

"What he didn’t know was that he couldn’t stop the wheels of time. Even though he strived to maintain Emperor Wu’s power, during his reign, that power was gradually stripped away by the Cabinet. Eventually, Shi Wu Emperor died with grievances, and the Emperor’s Sect naturally sided with the Cabinet. The Cabinet directly monopolized the right to establish the crown prince, maintaining that control to this day," Huayu Ting said, sighing deeply.

"So, it’s the Cabinet that has set its sights on us because our presence disrupted the standoff between the Wen and Wu Families?" Cheng Ziang asked, frowning.

"Probably," Huayu Ting shrugged and said, "But I have to speak up for them. Although the Wen Family are schemers, they are mostly reasonable people. If they were targeting you, their approach wouldn’t be so weak, so you can rest easy. The Cabinet hopes you’ll stay in Hua State, with me hosting on their behalf, but if you insist on going to Shengyuan Prefecture, they won’t stop you, although they will keep monitoring you," Huayu Ting said.

"So, you are also with the Cabinet?" Cheng Ziang asked warily.

"I’m just a peripheral character, swaying whichever way the wind blows," Huayu Ting shrugged, saying with a light smile.

"I detest the feeling of being watched," Cheng Ziang said sternly.

"I don’t like watching you either, which is why they let Heterogeneous Hall take action. As long as you don’t get too close to the Wu Family, the Cabinet won’t trouble you," Huayu Ting said.

"They are worried we might lean towards the Wu Family," Cheng Ziang said, swallowing before he continued, "Tell them they can rest assured. We have no interest in the standoff between the Wen and Wu Families. Our only purpose in coming to Kyushu is to seek a pardon from West Outer Heaven, hoping the Heavenly Dynasty would turn a blind eye and not invade West Outer Heaven anymore."

"Save those words for your encounter with Hun Jiansi, as you will surely meet her. However, it’s uncertain whether you will be able to recognize her by then," Huayu Ting said, pausing before she added, "But I still want to say, in the jianghu, you often have no control over your own fate. Some things can’t be changed just by wishing it."

"Heterogeneous Hall, Lieying Tang, what kind of organizations are they?" Cheng Ziang continued to press.

"You must have heard about the Dual Dao Nine Schools," Huayu Ting said at a leisurely pace.

"I know, Dual Dao Nine Schools, with Dual Dao representing the cultivation schools and Nine Streams representing the non-cultivation schools, and Nine Streams can be divided into upper, middle, and lower streams..." Cheng Ziang nodded as he spoke.

"Heh, you seem to know quite a bit. Sometimes I wonder whether you’re really just outsiders," Huayu Ting asked with a smile.

He paused, straightened his face, and continued, "During the era of Shi Wu Emperor, even though the Emperor’s Sect extensively spread its network of informants, it was ultimately an organization responsible for surveillance and search without its own combat forces. After Shi Wu Emperor found Bailong Zhui, he could only send top experts from the inner imperial guards for the assassination. In the later period of the Shi Wu Emperor’s reign, the intervention of the Cabinet changed all that..."

"Under the arrangement of the Cabinet, the Emperor’s Sect began to establish a standing force. Apart from various types of informants, the Emperor’s Sect specifically set up a division known as Lieying Tang, mainly recruiting experts of the Dual Dao. Those cultivators recruited by the Imperial Court who came to Shengyuan Prefecture, aside from joining the Military Armament Department, the most outstanding among them even had the chance to join Lieying Tang."

"Later, with the continual internal subdivision of the Emperor’s Sect, another division was established, called Heterogeneous Hall. Just as its name implies, Heterogeneous Hall mainly recruited exceptional figures from beyond the Dual Dao and the Nine Streams, those who might not be cultivators but possessed unique skills. For example, Hun Jiansi who has been following you, is a descendant of the Fog Concealment Skill. Although Fog Concealment Skill is not a cultivation school, it is so powerful that it is hard to believe. Unless one is in the Nascent Soul Realm, this kind of barrier technique cannot be broken."

"Since then, the two major halls of the Emperor’s Sect have become the nightmare of the people from the martial arts world. From the lowest of the Nine Streams to the officials of Emperor Wu, none dare to offend the Emperor’s Sect, nor offend these two halls."

"So if the Cabinet wants to deal with us, they would send Lieying Tang instead of Heterogeneous Hall?" Cheng Ziang asked.

"That’s why I said to stay at ease, there’s no need to worry about such things," Huayu Ting shrugged and said.

"As long as we keep our distance from the Wu Family, the Cabinet will not overly target us or interfere with our actions?" Cheng Ziang continued to ask.

"What I say doesn’t matter; you should ask the Cabinet. I’m just repeating their message," Huayu Ting said.

"I have a very curious question," Cheng Ziang said.

"Ask away, within this room I can answer most of your questions," Huayu Ting said.

"Between the Wen Family and the Wu Family, who is more powerful?" Cheng Ziang asked seriously.

"Heh, it can only be said that opinions are subjective. Why, are you planning to be a fence-sitter?" Huayu Ting asked with a light chuckle.

"No, just making a rough judgment of the situation. Whether you believe it or not, we have come with absolute sincerity, solely to mediate the conflict between Dongsheng Empire and West Outer Heaven. As for other matters, we will not inquire nor interfere with them," Cheng Ziang said.

"As long as you have to ask the Cabinet for something for West Outer Heaven, you will not be able to stay out of it. No matter what you owe the Cabinet, even if it’s just a favor, they will immediately request repayment. So, think carefully about what you can do for the Cabinet to achieve your own goals," Huayu Ting said.

"Listen, we are requesting, not begging. We are here as diplomats on an equal footing, not beggars pleading in the capital," Cheng Ziang replied solemnly.

"Hehe," Huayu Ting chuckled again, tilting her head and saying, "Perhaps it’s this kind of temperament that might win the appreciation of the Cabinet after all."

"We don’t need anyone’s appreciation, we have just come to tell the decision-makers of the Dongsheng Empire that times have changed. They can no longer invade a sovereign state so wantonly. West Outer Heaven won’t allow it, we won’t allow it, and we also have the capability to prevent it," Cheng Ziang said with a commanding tone.

"Admirable courage. I look forward to the changes you can bring about for Kyushu," Huayu Ting nodded in agreement.

"You just mentioned that you were acting on the orders of the Cabinet to invite us to your home, is that true?" Cheng Ziang suddenly remembered this and asked.

"Of course. Even if I had not been ordered by the Cabinet, I would still have invited you to my mansion to repay the debt of saving my wife’s life. I don’t want to owe anyone anything, and I don’t want people to gossip about it behind my back," Huayu Ting nodded, although she sounded a bit reluctant as she spoke.