Chapter 728: Echo 5: Who is the Scapegoat for Whom?

Why did Fang Canran lurk in Lingxu City for decades, unable to find an opportunity to strike? Could it be that this was the norm?

Why did only He Lingchuan succeed in one strike? Was his luck too good?

Can luck cover everything in accomplishing such a major event?

Calculating back and forth, all variables eventually had to be attributed to the "person."

Although Dong Rui was also a participant, he couldn't find the answer, so he could only stroke his chin and change the subject: "Are you really not afraid that they will find you?"

"Afraid." He Lingchuan said truthfully, "But they should look in the wrong direction in the short term. Hmm, short term."

"How so?"

"If you were the Tiangong and the Demon Emperor, would you think that the disturbance of Xushan and the turmoil of Lingxu City were actually done by two groups of people?"

Dong Rui didn't need to think carefully and shook his head.

"The turmoil in Lingxu City was clearly well-planned and done by an organization." He Lingchuan still had a fresh memory of the violent means of Fang Canran's organization.

"So the focus of Lingxu City's investigation will also be this organization. Aren't those few Demon Immortals who disturbed Lingxu City conspicuous enough? Shouldn't Lingxu City investigate from them?" He Lingchuan spread his hands, "I have almost no connection with this organization, except for Fang Canran. As long as I act carefully, I won't appear on the Tiangong's suspect list for at least a period of time."

He smiled brightly: "From this result, it is Fang Canran and the organization behind him who are taking the blame for me."

Fang Canran used He Lingchuan's Xushan plan to cause turmoil in Lingxu City.

And He Lingchuan used them to divert the Tiangong's attention, gaining temporary safety.

Both sides gained something, so it wasn't a loss.

Dong Rui suspected: "Are you really not suspected?"

"No matter how meticulous the plan is, flaws will be revealed during execution; this is unavoidable." The Xushan plan pursued success, and survival was the priority during the retreat, so it was inevitable that some secrets would leak. Lingxu City had plenty of talent; how could they not grasp his handle at all?

Not to mention anything else, Zhu Erniang's Amber Blood Bead had already been used once by him when fighting Fan Sheng at Bai Sha-Jue. Although the spiders summoned in the two battles differed in size, quantity, and appearance, it was hard to guarantee that no one would make the connection.

But then again, He Lingchuan had great confidence in the Heavenly God.

Or rather, he had great confidence in the Touchstone divine art of Miao Zhantian. Since he had passed Miao Zhantian's judgment, he should have been cleared of suspicion, and the gods should have already believed that he had nothing to do with the Great Fanghu.

In this way, even if there were flaws in the Xushan plan, they wouldn't necessarily conclude it was him.

Given that there were other suspects to pursue, they wouldn't put him at the top of the list.

Dong Rui asked again: "Fine, fine, since you can calculate, then tell me, what will be the fate of that rock-fire monster Zuoju?"

"Fate?" He Lingchuan said nonchalantly, "It is triumphant now; as long as it doesn't act foolishly or fall into a trap, it will live very comfortably in the future."

"Eh?" Dong Rui didn't believe it, "You mean it collapsed the Tiangong, and it's actually fine? Can the Heavenly God and the Demon Emperor forgive it?"

"Holding a grudge is inevitable, and settling accounts after the autumn is also a matter for later." He Lingchuan laughed, "Matters are divided into priorities; the top priority for the Tiangong and Lingxu City right now is to quell the chaos and save face. At such a time, it is the right principle to stabilize the Zuoju first and not let the volcano continue to erupt."

"Holding a grudge is inevitable, and settling scores later is a matter for the future." He Lingchuan smiled, "Matters are divided by priority and urgency. The top priority for the Tiangong and Lingxu City right now is to quell the chaos and save face. At a time like this, stabilizing the Zu-Ju and not letting the volcano continue to erupt is the correct principle."

This Zuoju had been suppressed by the Spirit-Gathering Array for over a decade, demoted from a dignified Mountain God to a watchdog, and the Tiangong even deducted its rations. Once it regained its freedom, it had to vent its anger fiercely.

Besides, having cooperated for so long, he had some understanding of this rock-fire monster's personality, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as insatiable. Otherwise, why did the Tiangong suppress it back then? Wasn't it because it demanded too much, its appetite grew larger and larger, until even Lingxu City felt it couldn't afford to support it.

Now that it had regained its freedom, of course, it had to ask for an exorbitant price from the Tiangong.

The Tiangong and Lingxu City could only bargain on the spot.

Lingxu City at this moment couldn't afford to be tossed again; both sides were very clear about this.

So He Lingchuan didn't need to be on the scene to know that the Tiangong would eventually compromise with the Zuoju and agree to the excessive conditions it put forward.

After all, the Tiangong could list a long list of urgent tasks, and the first one was to appease the Zuoju, so that it wouldn't find trouble under its own butt, only then would it have the energy to do other things.

Dong Rui didn't understand: "Must the majestic palace of the Tiangong be located on Xushan? The Spirit-Gathering Array is broken, can't the Tiangong find another place to build the palace?" Must it sit on the crater? "The wisest approach, as you said, is to move the place to build the palace." He Lingchuan laughed, "But if the Zuoju is unhappy, it can still make Lingxu City restless. Moreover, the Tiangong is located on the highest peak of Xushan, which is the faith of the Beijia people for six hundred years. In order not to break this faith, as long as there is a glimmer of possibility, they don't want to move."

To take a step back, if the Tiangong moved its building because of the Zuoju's threat, it would truly be a great loss of face. It would be equivalent to admitting with actual actions that it couldn't beat a rock-fire monster.

So, they wouldn't move if they could avoid it.

But He Lingchuan was certain that the Tiangong wasn't a good person either.

It had always been high and mighty, yet this time it had to swallow its anger. Once this turmoil subsided, it would definitely find a way to make the Zuoju look good.

This rock-fire monster Zuoju was born with a rebellious bone, and later it thought about cooperating with the Tiangong, so it would inevitably take out He Lingchuan's data to repair the relationship.

Fortunately, He Lingchuan had foresight and never let its fire-man clone know his name, where he lived, or what he looked like.

"The grudge between the Zuoju and the Tiangong is set." He Lingchuan continued, "Not to mention other losses, just the theft of the divine object alone would make the Tiangong hate the Zuoju to the bone."

Let them pull each other; He Lingchuan felt this was quite good.

Dong Rui laughed: "If the Zuoju causes a few more earthquakes, Lingxu City won't be able to take it."

He Lingchuan shook his head: "I estimate that earthquakes aren't that easy to cause; I'm afraid it consumes a lot of energy. The Zuoju itself also has places where it needs to compromise."

Just like that, they traveled fifty li, and the sky became cloudy again.

After traveling another thirty li, there was a drizzle.

With their autumn clothes half-wet, Dong Rui was happy instead of worried: "Are we really chasing the rain?"

"Not bad, all the way west from here is the rain belt." He Lingchuan laughed, "As long as we control the speed and keep up with the rhythm of the rain, we can keep walking through the underground passage. The probability of Beijia discovering Zhu Daniang is minimal."

This was also the most important reason he chose to head west. The great feat of wreaking havoc in the Tiangong was done, so don't end up falling on some inconspicuous detail.

He handed Dong Rui a map wrapped in oil paper: "On the way west, we will pass through several town markets, and there might be some dried Xia-Ku grass left in the warehouse, which I have already marked on the map."

Dong Rui was overjoyed and snatched it: "You even got this?" This kid was so thoughtful, even calculating the worries behind him.

He Lingchuan smiled without answering.

The Snail-Toad had to feed on Xia-Ku grass regularly, otherwise, it couldn't use the big shell "Mud Palace" on its back. This was a problem they had to prioritize during their retreat.

This map was a summary of the intelligence provided by Fang Canran and the long-armed ape Old Ge.

There were errors, but they shouldn't be large.

With a few flashes of lightning and thunder, the drizzle suddenly turned into a downpour.

Dong Rui screamed: "Quick, into the Mud Palace!"

He Lingchuan took a deep breath of the cold air. The adventure of the day before yesterday felt like a lifetime ago. The Great Fanghu lid was snatched away by him, and the Tiangong and Lingxu City should no longer be able to sense the aura of the Great Fanghu.

The world is so big, finally, he can roam freely! From now on, the dragon enters the sea, and the eagle strikes the sky.

"Where are we going next?" Dong Rui asked him, "Have you thought about it?"

He Lingchuan looked back at him and Zhu Daniang, having had a plan for a long time:

"How about going back to the Yuan Nation with me?"

He still had hidden dangers to remove.

Some things should also be brought to an end.

—— "The Demon's Ideal Kingdom (Part 2)" ends, and the first part of "After the Immortals Disappear" concludes.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 729 =====

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