233: Chapter 232 Chaos 233: Chapter 232 Chaos The four branches of the Demon Sect had opinions on the Southwest Daoist-Conference.
Due to inaccurate information, the Demon Sect’s preparation for the Daoist-Conference was seriously lacking, and as the apparent leading authority of the Southwest Demon Sect, the Quanzhen Sect could hardly be blamed.
These smaller Demon factions were not as powerful as the Wu Sect, an undeniable fact, yet it seemed excessive that a few Daoist practitioners could suppress over thirty disciples of the Demon Sect, leaving them unable to move.
If they had known, they still could’ve called forth some truly ruthless and unorthodox fellows, which would have prevented such passivity, and the disgrace that would’ve followed had news spread.
The overall arrangement of the Daoist-Conference was also disappointing.
They were used as cannon fodder early on, which pleased no one, hence the resistance to the Quanzhen Sect making it safely ashore at the end.
Now it was better for everyone to muddy the waters, which would obscure their own failures.
Therefore, the one-sided support for the young Quanzhen cultivators’ mischief was almost wantonly hoped to escalate, reflecting the true mindset of the factions united in chaos.
When Quanzhen Sect’s Hou Niao confronted Zhu Jiuling, it wasn’t clear whether it was because he inherently leaned toward the demonic, thus supporting Hou Niao’s disobedience, or because he recognized the situation and didn’t want to dishearten his allies.
Regardless of his inner thoughts, his stance was crystal clear, “What my subordinates do is beyond my control.
If you want to intervene, then let your disciples step forth, otherwise, spare me the idle talk.”
The Demon Sect’s reckless attitude directly placed the Buddhist Sect in an awkward limbo.
They were caught between advancing and retreating, truly realizing that dealing with the Demon Sect required abandoning normal logic, which was very much in line with their consistent disregard for consequences.
On reflection, this might also have been a Quanzhen Sect strategy.
“You, Buddhist Sect and Taihao Sect, wish to watch the fire from across the river?
Then I shall drag you into the fray first.
The chaos in the Southwest is everyone’s responsibility; no one can stay out and reap the benefits like a fisherman.”
Thinking that the Wu Sect and Quanzhen Sect would fight until they were both exhausted and wounded, only to swoop in and gain an easy victory?
The Paper Arhat regretted somewhat, as the last idea seemed to be an unnecessary addition; everything was ready, the table set with fruits, sweets, and tea to enjoy the show, but by accident, they flipped the script and had to play the villain themselves?
The Sword Cultivators’ bold spirit demanded taking on a hundred adversaries, and no power could swallow such a breech of pride.
They were from the Buddhist Sect, not adherents of a laissez-faire ‘Buddhist attitude.’ In the hierarchy of power on the Continent, the Buddhist Sect was second only to the Daoist Sect in its overbearing nature.
The Paper Arhat bowed his head humbly, “Amitabha, then let each rely on his skills and leave the rest to fate.”
The Buddhist Sect, inevitably yet fittingly, joined the battle as the Daoist-Conference was nearing its end.
It seemed like they had no choice, but their ranks of disciples remained intact, lengthening the duration of the latter half of the battle.
The monks down below had received orders and began to attack the Anhe Daoist Flag, but the leading Biqiu Monk still remained calm.
They did not send out their strongest monks first, but rather started from the weakest and progressed step by step.
Such a strategy might seem dull and unimaginative, yet it hid the far-sighted schemes of the Buddhist Sect, which never put all its eggs in one basket but always retained different options as an enduring strategy for powerful factions.
However, in the concrete fights, all three monks who stepped up were defeated without exception, which was within expectations.
Monk Yuanxing realized they were in an awkward predicament; a victory wouldn’t bring glory since they would be seen as outnumbering and taking advantage of others.
No one would acknowledge the power of the Buddhist Sect, but rather view the monks as cunning, only daring to join the fight when it was nearly over to pick up the scraps.
The key point was, they might not even be able to pick up these scraps!
How to break this stalemate?
He cast his gaze towards the group of disciples and found one who kept playing with Buddha’s tools,
“Tideng, I ask you, you have been fiddling with those Buddha’s tools since the beginning, are you showing off, or are you preparing to enter the fray?”
Monk Tideng stood up, honestly replying, “Back to Uncle Master, having cultivated Buddhism for ten years, I have long given up the heart of ostentation; when to enter the fray is for my master to command, how dare I make my own decision?
The reason I fiddle with them is actually because I discovered that the usage of artifacts lies in diligent practice, and the power of Buddha’s tools is in not forgetting.”
The disciple discovered, “Whenever I acquire a new Buddha’s tool, the old ones break especially fast.
In fact, it is nothing but a fondness for the new and disdain for the old, due to not using them frequently, so…”
Yuanxing couldn’t help but chuckle, as this was pure logic; artifacts like these were actually quite difficult to wear out, but very easy to let decay from disuse.
Understanding this, the disciple had advanced another level in his understanding of Buddhist teachings.
“Tideng, since you are acquainted with that Sword Cultivator, do you know his weaknesses?
If we were to send you, would you be confident?”
After some thought, Tideng Monk shook his head, “Monks do not speak false words; I am no match for that Sword Cultivator, at least not now!
But I believe that our current situation is not solely due to this Sword Cultivator.
If we obsess over this, someone will likely scoff at us.”
Yuanxing’s interest was piqued; he had noticed that this disciple had a keen understanding of the big picture.
If they had listened to this young monk earlier, they wouldn’t have gotten the Buddhist Sect into the current dilemma where they could neither advance nor retreat.
Why not share it and let me hear?”
Tideng mustered his courage; he had always wanted an opportunity to rise in rank, but he knew that his strengths didn’t lie in combat but in other areas,
“I think that in our current situation, it is unwise to fixate the Buddhist Sect on a single adversary; aside from creating an archenemy, we gain nothing.
I observe that in the countries of the Southwest, turmoil frequently arises; if we cannot prevent it, why not go with the flow, and fan the flames with the wind?
If it’s chaos they want, then let’s all plunge into chaos together; amidst universal chaos, there are no true enemies—everyone is an enemy, and yet no one is; everyone is a friend, and yet no one is; we should act to gain advantage and thrive in whatever situation we find.”
Yuanxing mused thoughtfully, “You mean to say…”
Word by word, Tideng Monk said, “In the early stages of chaos, choosing a strong and reckless adversary regardless of consequences is the worst strategy, like the Quanzhen Sect, for example.
But since we have already started, it’s not good to just withdraw, as it would seem like we are afraid of them, right?
However, we need not solely attack the Anhe Daoist Flag of Quanzhen!
Once we’ve attacked enough targets, the Quanzhen Sect will no longer presume that we are deliberately targeting them; everyone is fishing in troubled waters…”
Yuanxing had an epiphany, “Very well, I’ll credit you with a merit, and there will surely be a reward for you when you return.”
Several Biqiu Monks heard their conversation and felt uneasy, but Yuanxing simply smiled,
“Now then, shall we each write our second target on our palms and see if our thoughts align?”
The monks did as suggested, extending their hands together, and then opened their palms…
A moment later, two monks from the Lake Heart Island Buddhist camp rushed out—one toward the flag guarded by Hou Niao, the other toward the original Quanzhen Sword Flag now guarded by Taihao!
The crowd was in an uproar—these monks truly wished for the world to be in disarray!
The two elderly Daoists of the Wu Sect were stunned, realizing to their surprise that they had transitioned from protagonists to supporting characters?
“Senior brother, what should we do?”
With only seven people left, we can’t afford any more turmoil.”