I’ve filled in the specific list of inner traitors, Chenyin and Lord Cheng Guang have definitely made their own targeted preparations as well.
Indeed, in such confrontations between powerful sects, there is fundamentally no space for conspiracies and crafty plots. It is a straightforward confrontation; both sides know each other’s cards, so they spend most of their time in a standoff, considering what sacrifices must be made to cause their enemy significant damage.
The problem is, the Bright Mirror Sect seems to have no chance of a turnaround.
An Jing furrowed his brows in deep thought: "Could it be that we must really prepare a second Bright Mirror Sect?"
Chenyin sighed deeply, "We have prepared two strategies, one overt and one covert."
An Jing raised his eyebrows; given his current level of information, he couldn’t find any chance of victory and could only retreat to the Great Wilderness Realm. But it appears the sect still has two strategies?
"Openly, we naturally need to figure out why my brothers and sisters have betrayed the Bright Mirror Sect, persuade them to return to the right path at the critical moment. Together, we might not even need the Grandmaster’s intervention to deal with the Heavenly Demon, thereby mitigating future troubles."
This seemed overly idealistic to An Jing. Even if some True Lords were only pretending to betray, those corrupted by the Heavenly Demon were undoubtedly genuine. Not to mention other enemies would surely stir up trouble, relying solely on the Bright Mirror Sect’s unity to handle the dark hands of major sects seems overly optimistic.
Especially the Concealing Shadow True Lord. He would likely wait for the Bright Mirror Sect to fall into chaos and the entire Taiming Sect to pressure, then explode along with the Bright Mirror and Taiming Sect!
Talking about unity with this self-destructive True Lord, he might listen but certainly would not comply.
Mingguang Dust and Ye Po True Lord also understood this. They looked at Chenyin together with An Jing, awaiting another plan.
"And the actual preparation..."
Chenyin looked at Ye Po True Lord, hesitated for a while, and decided to reveal the truth: "It is naturally to use various means... to have another Pure Yang Heavenly Lord emerge from our Bright Mirror Sect!"
This is an honorable method.
If the Bright Mirror Sect can produce another Heavenly Lord, many problems can indeed be resolved. Even if the Heavenly Demon wreaks havoc and the entire Taiming Sect pressures them, having two Heavenly Lords for a short period could withstand it.
But the problem arises.
An Jing looked at Chenyin, staring closely at his Grandmaster: "Is it you, Grandmaster?"
Chenyin frowned deeply: "But... my Eldest Senior, Peak Master of Jinghuang Peak, True Lord Xiyi, he can."
True Lord Xiyi is, until now, someone not even mentioned a few times by others, let alone seen by An Jing.
He was the strongest in the Bright Mirror Sect’s golden era, the head of the Nine True Lords. Now, Chenyin, Universal Brightness, and Fu Jing Concealing Shadow were his junior brothers and sisters.
Among the Bright Mirror Sect, if any Manifest Saint True Monarch had the strength to break through to Pure Yang Heavenly Lord, it was undoubtedly him.
But likewise, he was the oldest True Lord, closest to the end of his lifespan.
"Other forces must also be vigilant."
Ye Po True Lord slightly nodded, she indeed had some suspicions, hence her lament: "Grandmaster, even I can guess, other people would surely be vigilant too. If they are not, it can only mean one thing..."
"Yes." Chenyin nodded, his face heavy: "That means in their assessment, Eldest Senior Xiyi has no chance of breaking through to Pure Yang."
"Theoretically, indeed... If Xiyi were five hundred years younger with his current cultivation level, he would have a thirty percent chance of breakthrough. If in his prime, he would have a fifty percent chance. But now, he is almost dead, merely surviving barely with extremely advanced cultivation. In such a state, it is impossible to break through."
"In actual operation... I have paved a path for Eldest Senior Xiyi once."
Saying this, Chenyin laughed freely, showing his fractured Bright Mirror Heart to Mingguang Dust and An Jing: "The most energy-consuming and effort-draining step, ’Difficulty of Enlightenment,’ all the key essentials, I have collected completely. Knowing I could not break through myself, I documented every detail, risking my future to do so."
"With my experience, plus the experiences and lessons of his junior brothers and sisters, and the sect’s full support, even with True Lord Xiyi’s current state, breaking through to Pure Yang is not entirely impossible."
"Now, his chance of breakthrough to Pure Yang is... actually half a percent!"
An Jing chewed on this term and smiled: "That’s quite a lot, definitely worth the gamble."
A situation deemed a sure defeat, boosted to half a percent through Chenyin’s sacrifice and the sect’s heritage — this can be considered a heavenly favor!
[Indeed, it’s considerable]
At this moment, Mingguang Dust also became completely serious. He finally understood why Chenyin and others, knowing there were many inner traitors, still remained restrained, inactive, seemingly waiting for the right moment.
Because they intended to lull everyone into complacency, preparing to overturn the game decisively!
Ye Po True Lord also solemnly said: "If that’s the case, it is indeed worth risking our lives... But even if the enemy doesn’t know Eldest Senior Xiyi has such a chance of success, believing him destined for death, they will certainly send people to disrupt, not giving us any chance for a comeback."
"But there will be a difference in the level of vigilance."
Chenyin said: "That’s why I want to understand the thoughts of those ’traitors.’ If they can be persuaded to return, we should do so, thus increasing the chances of success."
Turning his head, Chenyin looked at the young Martial Artist lost in thought: "This is the current situation of our Bright Mirror Sect. Your master cannot return; he can only be a fallback, a seed to rebuild the Bright Mirror Sect. This might also be Heaven’s Will..."
"The only issue now is you. If most people’s first target is the Haotian Mirror Fragment, then their second target must be you. Taiming Sect seeks to kill you, Heaven’s Will and Da Chen wants to capture you, Shangxuan Sect will do the same, and the Heavenly Demon will surely not let go... of someone with a ’Divine Mandate’ like you."
Emphasizing the Divine Mandate, Chenyin stared intently at An Jing: "Now, you must make a choice: to be like your master, a seed for the Bright Mirror Sect’s future revival, or to take a gamble."
"I must tell you, the latter is simple and easy. The path of the strong is difficult and painful. You must never...
"Wait a moment, Grandmaster, I need to ask my master and Ye Po True Lord something."
An Jing interrupted Chenyin’s words.
This was definitely not impoliteness. An Jing simply raised his head, looking at the phantom of Mingguang Dust and Ye Po True Lord.
The three shared a common identity.
Members of the Endless Heavens.
So, An Jing took a deep breath and seriously asked: "If we are to gamble, the higher the chance of success, the better. Extending lifespan by five hundred years, such treasures are rare but shouldn’t be nonexistent."
"Master, True Lord — can Endless Heavens exchange it?"
Mingguang Dust was stunned but frowned: [But the merit it requires is astronomical. Not only you, even all of Jin’s entire squad’s liquid assets combined may not be enough]
"Don’t worry, Master, I have plenty of secrets."