Chapter 2314

He Lingchuan also had a bit of admiration for him—no wonder, after over a hundred years navigating the bureaucracy of Beijia, his emotional intelligence was high. Shuoye not only spoke eloquently but also objectively and accurately, expressing his personal stance clearly: he appreciated Cangyan's innovation while questioning the limitations of his new system.

Shuoye continued: "Since the advent of elemental power, observing the current state of affairs, it's actually not that various countries are unaware of how precious public sentiment and welfare are. However, the extraordinary abilities of immortals and demons are the true assets of a nation. Since the two cannot coexist, one abandons the mundane for the exceptional. Take Qixia Sect, for example—you grant it a few cities' worth of benefits, and you can secure the aid of an immortal. In other countries, such a trade-off is unnecessary. Only Cangyan refuses to yield authority to the great powers of the Xian Sect. As a result, during the Awakening of Insects, the great powers emerging from seclusion on the Jinjin Plains have been draining away, all heading to Beijia and Ling Mountain. Doesn't Jiuxu find that regrettable?"

"They all left for profit, but Beijia and Ling Mountain alike cannot provide sufficient benefits to every cultivator." He Lingchuan laughed. "Why doesn't Shuoye mention that many cultivators are still coming to Cangyan, precisely because here the spiritual energy is more abundant and opportunities more equal?"

Beijia and Ling Mountain both attract great powers with resources and privileges—they take more, so naturally someone ends up with less.

The ones suffering most must be the common people.

The Jinjin Plains, due to the black dragon totem, cannot construct a Spirit Gathering Grand Formation, so spiritual energy concentration is generally high; furthermore, the authorities do not allow great powers to exploit the populace, forbidding the use of a single city's strength to sustain a sect—this actually benefits newcomers and smaller sects, as everyone advances through their own merit.

"Jiuxu truly has lofty aspirations." Shuoye lightly clapped. "The upper and lower levels of Lingxu City once believed that Cangyan's cold policy toward immortals was deliberately intended to avoid competing with Ling Mountain for immortal allegiance. Little did they expect that Cangyan's national policy would be so frank and straightforward."

During the Awakening of Insects, Ling Mountain naturally focused on attracting great powers to join—more the better. Since Cangyan grants no special privileges to immortals and demons, it naturally struggles to retain them, and in this regard does not greatly infringe upon Ling Mountain's core interests.

The years of peaceful coexistence between the two sides are largely due to this very point.

The Lingxu Wang Ting has always believed that Cangyan's policies are very flexible and skillful.

He Lingchuan chuckled: "Cangyan's national policy isn't staged for Beijia and Ling Mountain to see—it's proclaimed to Cangyan's citizens and indeed to all like-minded people under heaven. As the saying goes, the greatest truth is the simplest; only when national policy is clear and execution resolute can it be effective."

Shuoye slowly sipped his wine: "Jiuxu has set forth a grand ambition—my apologies, my apologies."

To take elemental power as the martial core, to use the might of all living beings to resist the heavenly demons—this has long been written into Cangyan's national policy. The people of Cangyuan believe it wholeheartedly, yet fail to grasp its reasoning; while the top elites of other nations understand its principles, they doubt its implementation. In the rise and fall of nations, who doesn't shout their slogans to the heavens? Who isn't resolved to discard the old and establish the new?

And the result? The result is always the same in the end.

He Lingchuan glanced at him. This fellow just loves beauty—people must be beautiful, and words must be beautiful too.

Since that's the case, I'll start by tearing off this guy's face.

Having arrived in time, since Shuoye hasn't left yet, I'll certainly seek him out.

"Speaking of which, on this bleak, cold night, how did National Master Shuoye end up at Feilai Peak?" Let's begin with a feigned innocence: "Could it be that you've also taken a liking to this underground treasure?"

"These past few days, everyone in Weian City has been cursing Qixia Sect for blocking the waterways and creating artificial drought." Shuoye wore an expression of sympathetic sorrow. "I happen to have some methods that might shift the obstruction and dredge the river—why not come lend Weian City a helping hand?"

"Merit without limit, merit without limit!" He Lingchuan nodded in approval. "National Master Shuoye intervenes to relieve the siege—Weian City is grateful, but why not act openly and aboveboard? Let the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Weian City have someone to thank."

"I originally intended to act quietly, without needing others' gratitude." Shuoye smiled, narrowing his eyes. "When the task is done, I brush off my clothes and depart—hiding merit and fame."

"I can't take it anymore." The Blood Demon spat a few times, then said to He Lingchuan, "I thought your face was already the thickest in the world, but today I learned there are mountains beyond mountains."

"Ah, I see." He Lingchuan looked suddenly enlightened. "I had thought that most of those who sneaked in here secretly were the masterminds behind the scenes. After all, for the sake of this Feilai Peak, he deliberately framed Qixia Sect until they vomited blood."

Shuoye also wore a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

No wonder it's Jiuxu—in such a short time, he's already clarified the origins and developments of the incident.

After all, among these events are living people who should have died, stirring up trouble, and dead people who should have remained dead, confusing the perceptions of both sides.

But why would Jiuxu so quickly link the behind-the-scenes instigator to Shuoye himself?

"Oh?" Shuoye said, intrigued. "What's so good about Feilai Peak that it warrants the mastermind to go to such great lengths?"

At this moment, the two men's roles seemed to have reversed—the true culprit questioning the true culprit's motive.

He wants to see just how much Jiuxu actually knows about the inner details.

"Because—" He Lingchuan lifted his foot and tapped the ground twice—"down there lies a golden core, namely the brain core of a devourer!"

"These two conditions help me narrow the search range. After all, in the world, those most interested in a devourer's brain core are the devourers themselves—especially those who can also change faces…" He enunciated each word: "Probably only another devourer!"

After saying that, the air seemed to congeal, and even the nearby leaves ceased their rustling.

"Devourer?"

Shuoye repeated these three words, his tone quite playful.

These past few days, the events have been like bewildering flowers—he's been playing the muddy-water fishing game. He didn't expect that Jiuxu could judge his actions, but only because he had already grasped the two most crucial clues beforehand.

Beforehand!

He Lingchuan sized him up from head to toe, then suddenly changed the subject: "Qingyang mentioned you before her death, her face full of disdain. She's nearly two hundred years old, well-traveled and knowledgeable, of steady temperament, and usually not harsh toward people—especially since you are also the esteemed National Master of Beijia. Unless, she wasn't scolding a person."

Shuoye didn't take the bait, merely crossing his arms before him with a helpless expression: "The words she used weren't pleasant to hear, right?"

"Exactly." Monsters, demonic offspring, neither human nor ghost—none are good terms.

"People grow old and inevitably become a bit obstinate. If Qingyang were willing to cultivate some verbal virtue, she might just live past two hundred." Shuoye remarked indifferently, then asked him, "How do you confirm that the mastermind behind the scenes will definitely come here?"

He Lingchuan sighed: "He advised Sect Master Yuan to use the golden core to cut off the water, wanting the golden core to emerge; he desperately stirred up conflict between Qixia Sect and Cangyan, so that we'd both be too preoccupied to notice, allowing him to calmly take this golden core. But I'm curious—what would a devourer want with another brain core?"

Once we know the true nature of the so-called 'golden core' is the devourer's brain core, and deduce the real identity of 'Tang Jingye,' it's not hard to uncover Shuoye's true objective.