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Chapter 393: 340: Solve them first, or…

Since they couldn’t resolve the current situation, it wouldn’t hurt to handle the person causing it.

The situation was fundamentally a result of the struggle between the emperor and the empress dowager. As they sided with the emperor, the only way to solve this problem was to force the empress dowager to retire from the struggle.

A divine light flickered in the depths of Pei Xuanjing’s eyes, he said, “You mentioned that the empress dowager is on the verge of breaking into the Realm of Heavenly People, didn’t you? Why don’t we seize this opportunity to encourage her ascension? It would be a good story.”

“Encourage the empress dowager to ascend?”

“Yes, encourage her to ascend to become a Heavenly Ascender. In this way, there would be no cause for criticism.”

“This…seems not bad.”

Ye Daoyuan temporarily agreed with this plan. He asked, “However, since our last confrontation, the empress dowager has remained within the depths of the palace and rarely comes out. How can we find an opportunity? Surely we can’t just barge into the palace and force her out!”

The empress dowager was deep within the palace and never ventured out, making it difficult to even meet her, let alone attack her. The palace was heavily guarded with many skilled people. It wouldn’t be easy to strike.

Pei Xuanjing looked at him carefully, scoffed and said, “I can’t believe that as a Superintendent for many years, you can’t even handle this. And besides, aren’t there people from our side inside the palace?”

As a cunning fox like Ye Daoyuan who had held the position of Superintendent for many years, how could he possibly not have people inside the court? If not, how had he managed to escape so easily when the empress dowager had injured him?

Moreover, if they were going to make a move, they naturally needed to coordinate with the emperor. With the emperor on their side, how could there be no solution?

Caught in his lie by Pei Xuanjing, Ye Daoyuan remained unperturbed. He nodded calmly and said, “You’re right, Taoist Friend. With His Majesty’s assistance, this plan seems incredibly simple.”

Pei Xuanjing didn’t dwell on this matter but instead asked, “The most critical point now is to determine how many skilled individuals are by the empress dowager’s side, and how many can we mobilize?”

This was a critical point. Normal Heavenly Rank masters could be ignored, but a few Half-Step Heavenly Beings with Condensed Legal Domain could pose a problem. After all, facing such a strong opponent, even Pei Xuanjing had to tread carefully.

As rare as Half-Step Heavenly Beings were, it didn’t mean they were exclusive to their side. At least, Pei Xuanjing didn’t believe that the Brahman Gate and the Demonic Cult didn’t have any.

The empress dowager was already an unmatched master, rumored to be on the verge of breaking into the Realm of Heavenly People, thus becoming one of the strongest in the world. It would be challenging to deal with her, and even more so if they had to face more opponents. In that case, their plan would be impossible to execute.

Ye Daoyuan didn’t answer immediately but pondered for a long while. Finally, he said, “Brahman Gate and Demonic Cult each have one Half-Step Heavenly Being. As for the Taoist School, including myself, we have three.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Xuanjing’s eyes flashed with surprise. “No wonder the Taoist School can suppress the other two.”

The Taoist School indeed had profound strength. There were three Half-Step Heavenly Beings within the Taoist School alone, one more than Brahman Gate and Demonic Cult combined.

“It seems that, even if I didn’t appear, you should have been able to manage this situation,” Pei Xuanjing said, confusion in his heart.

If one looked only at the paper strength, the Taoist School dominated overwhelmingly. So how could they fail in his previous simulation?

Hearing Pei Xuanjing’s words, Ye Daoyuan displayed a hint of bitterness on his face and shook his head. “The truth hasn’t been fully revealed. Among the Half-Step Heavenly Beings in the Taoist School, only one is truly available to take action. The other would most likely abstain unless the Taoist School was facing extinction.”

“Oh?” Pei Xuanjing grew curious. There seemed to be hidden information in that statement.

Ye Daoyuan’s next words enlightened Pei Xuanjing.

“Of the other two Half-Step Heavenly Beings, one is from the Zong Sheng Temple, and the other from Louguan Tao. . . ”

Before Ye Daoyuan could finish speaking, Pei Xuanjing understood the reason by hearing these two names.

Zong Sheng Temple and Louguan Tao were the two most powerful sects in the world of the Taoist School. In fact, over a hundred years ago, these two sects originated from the same source – Zong Sheng Temple was a splinter from Louguan Tao.

Louguan Tao would use grass to construct towers, observe the stars and predict future events, hence the name Louguan. They revered Yi Xi, a Heavenly Person of the Taoist School, as their founder. They were the direct descendants of the Supreme Taoist School.

This sect had a long history and was highly respected by successive royal families. During the founding of the Great Tang, they supported Emperor Gaozu and subsequently received special attention. Since the royal family of the Great Tang considered themselves the legitimate successor of the Supreme Lineage, Louguan Tao reached their peak of prosperity, nearly commanding the entire Taoist School.

Unfortunately, prosperity leads to decline. Louguan Tao inevitably went downhill after their peak. Their decline did not result from internal disputes, but from the royal family’s apprehension.

Emperor Gaozu received support from Louguan Tao, so as a reward, he instructed them to change their name to Zong Sheng Temple. Little did he expect that this would sow a seed of internal discord within Louguan Tao.

Several members of the sect were displeased with the name change, but they had temporarily held back due to the Master Guan’s firm pressure.

Later on, when Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, Louguan Tao, which had strongly supported the crown prince, lost favor. Their immense influence naturally aroused the apprehension of Emperor Taizong and subsequently invited covert suppression.

Due to this, there was a considerable division within Louguan Tao, leading to a separation, with one side continuing to use the bestowed name Zong Sheng Temple, and the other side reverting to its original name, Louguan Tao. The two sects no longer interacted.

“The foundation of Louguan Tao is indeed extraordinary. If they hadn’t split, there would have been two Half-Step Heavenly Beings in one sect!” Pei Xuanjing sighed.

“Indeed, if it were not so, the position of superintendent would have unequivocally been theirs. I would never have had a chance.” Ye Daoyuan shared the sentiment.

Louguan Tao’s glory therefore remained unmatched. It was a pity that Louguan Tao now kept a low profile and seldom made public appearances. Although Zong Sheng Temple still maintained substantial strength, they were reluctant to get overly involved in royal affairs. This time, only due to the emperor’s personal invitation and the matter concerning the great righteousness of the Taoist School, would they agree to act.

Pei Xuanjing said, “The next step is to investigate the whereabouts of the two skilled masters from Brahman Gate and Demonic Cult. If they are not in the palace city, we should deal with them first.”

After a pause he continued, “If they are within the palace city, then we strike directly. You and the Taoist Priest from Zong Sheng Temple can handle the masters from the Demonic Cult and Brahman Gate, while I take care of the empress dowager.”

Ye Daoyuan nodded, “If this is the case, I will swiftly take care of my opponent so as not to delay too much time.”