Chapter 798: The Wind Pauses, the Rain Stops

The person who arrived was none other than the leader of the Jiangnan Mystic Sect, the Sai Sai Tian Shi of the "Southern Sai Sai Tian Shi Dao" — Zhang Jingxuan!

He stood with his hands behind his back, an ancient sword on his back, possessing the demeanor of a grandmaster.

And the Ghost Opera Troupe leader felt his scalp tingle even more when he looked at the two people behind him.

On the right was a burly old man, wearing indigo Dharma robes, with five-colored Dharma bodies wrapped around his waist, his face as resolute as if chiseled by an axe, his eyes opening and closing with brilliant light, his hair and beard like halberds, full of domineering spirit.

On the left was an old Daoist with an ancient face and white hair and beard. He wore the cyan cloud-patterned Daoist robe iconic to the Maoshan Shangqing Sect, holding a horsetail whisk, his aura ethereal; he looked aged, but standing there, he was as towering as a mountain.

The Three-Clear Bell at his waist chimed, stirring the Ghost Opera Troupe leader's mind into chaos.

"Leader of the Lüshan Dharma Sect, Daoist Fire Cloud!"

"Maoshan Shangqing Sect, Linglongzi..."

The Ghost Opera Troupe leader let out a cold snort: "To trouble the three of you to come together, you really think highly of me."

His words were tough, but he didn't dare to act rashly.

The oldest, the Maoshan Shangqing Sect's old Daoist Linglongzi, flicked his horsetail whisk and said indifferently: "Many years ago, your Ghost Opera Troupe was rampant and causing harm everywhere, and was besieged by the righteous sects. I was young then and also participated in it."

"It's a pity we didn't wipe you out completely back then, allowing you to rise from the ashes and cause disaster."

"Hahaha~"

The ghost troupe leader gave a desolate laugh and said coldly, "Back then, I too once held a sincere heart and sought instruction from the various great immortal mountains and grotto-heavens, but you lot, self-proclaimed as the orthodox Mystic Sect, look down upon us of the Jianghu fringe sects, suppressing us at every turn and acting with injustice."

"If not for that, why would I be your enemy?"

"Enough, things have reached this point, let's see real skill on our hands!"

With that, he prepared to form Dharma seals.

"Why the rush, Fellow Daoist?"

Zhang Jingxuan said with an indifferent expression: "If we wanted to kill you, why would we need to talk nonsense?"

The Ghost Opera Troupe leader narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Let's make a deal."

Zhang Jingxuan's eyes had deep meaning. "The Zhou Banzhu getting involved in this matter is mostly a pawn of others. There are some things I'd like to ask; as long as the Zhou Banzhu tells the truth, you can leave today."

The Ghost Opera Troupe leader suddenly realized: "You want to find Zhao Changsheng?"

Zhang Jingxuan said calmly: "This person intends to cause chaos in the Shenzhou and has laid out many plans in Jiangnan this time; there must be a major event happening."

"We want to know, what exactly is his plan?"

The Lüshan Dharma Sect leader on the side said coldly: "You must take a heart oath to tell the truth; don't think about trying to fool us!"

As he spoke, he gripped a special whip at his waist.

This whip was no ordinary item.

The Lüshan Sect had many famous Dharma artifacts, the most special being the Dragon-Horn Dharma Conch, rumored to be able to reach the ears of heaven.

But this Dharma whip was also not simple, known as Martial Duke, Hemp Snake, and even having the titles of True Lord of Ten Thousand Spirits and Saint of the Golden Whip.

In terms of killing power, it was no less than any righteous sect's Dharma lineage.

"The Supreme in heaven is the Jade Emperor, the most noble on earth is the monarch. All ghosts and gods in the world pay respect, only Lüshan makes the decisions."

Such words were not spoken casually.

And the Maoshan Shangqing Sect's old Daoist Linglongzi handed over a purple paper talisman.

This was an order talisman used for taking heart oaths.

Unlike ordinary people, practitioners might not fear ghosts and gods, but they feared inner demons.

After all, their cultivation was connected to the building of their inner towers; once an inner demon responded to the oath, the tower would collapse, and years of cultivation would be destroyed in an instant.

The Ghost Opera Troupe leader's eyelids trembled; under the painted face mask, no expression could be seen.

Seeing that he couldn't escape today, he finally sneered, took the talisman paper, swore the heart demon oath, and said:

"Enough, anyway, after this matter, Jianmu will never tolerate me again; telling you doesn't matter."

"I don't know the specific goal, but their plan is only one: to stir up chaos in the Shenzhou and scatter the incense of the Great Xuan Dynasty."

"The first step is to stir up chaos in Jiangnan, which is a critical area for taxes and grain, and has numerous ports; once there is war and chaos, the Japanese pirates and Dutch will take the opportunity to attack. As for what to do next, only Zhao Changsheng and those people know."

"Stir up chaos in Jiangnan..."

A cold intent rose in Zhang Jingxuan's eyes. "We'll see if they have that ability."

With that, he raised his hand slightly and said: "Fellow Daoist, please."

The Ghost Opera Troupe leader snorted and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Zhang Jingxuan suddenly spoke: "I will be stationed in Jiangnan from now on; if I hear the Zhou Banzhu's news again, I will find you even if I have to go to heaven or enter the sea!"

The Ghost Opera Troupe leader gave a faint glance, exerted force with his feet, leaped out with a swish, and transformed into black smoke, dissipating.

After he left, all three fell into silence.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, what do you think?" the hot-tempered Lüshan Dharma Sect leader asked directly.

"This matter is not that simple."

Zhang Jingxuan said thoughtfully: "Before I came, I collected news from all sides. The source of this Jianmu organization can be traced back to Xu Fu's eastward voyage in the Qin dynasty; for thousands of years, it has appeared and disappeared, and the Great Vehicle Sect and Maitreya Sect all have its shadow behind them, and the Great Song Ghost Sect was even more rampant for a time, but they all acted in the dark."

"But now they are acting openly to stir up chaos in the Shenzhou, sparing no cost; carefully calculated, it only relates to one thing..."

The Maoshan Shangqing Sect's Linglongzi blurted out: "Human Dao reform!"

"Exactly."

Zhang Jingxuan's expression was solemn as he looked up at the pitch-black rainy night:

"They each possess a 'Great Official Pardon Treasure Proclamation'; I fear there is someone else behind them..."

The Lüshan Dharma Sect leader, Daoist Fire Cloud, said angrily: "It is hateful that the imperial court chooses to sit by and watch at this time, not caring about the lives of the common people!"

The Shangqing Sect's Linglongzi said indifferently: "The current His Majesty likes the art of balance. Assigning a small Battalion Commander to handle the Jin Ling matter earlier was a test of whether the political decrees were reaching through. Those two aristocratic families have lived comfortable lives for too long, thinking that by controlling the Jin Ling officialdom, they could sleep soundly, failing to see the risks."

"Now it's good; once a person dies, His Majesty has developed a murderous intent."

As he spoke, he said thoughtfully: "This Majesty is truly difficult to get along with; whether it's the Mystic Sect or the aristocratic families, everyone lives cautiously. The policy of checks and balances has also caused much turmoil, but I heard that His Majesty's health is poor, having fainted several times, and the Crown Prince has a close relationship with the Open-Sea Faction..."

"Impossible!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Jingxuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said sternly: "As the saying goes since ancient times, accompanying the monarch is like accompanying a tiger, and the tiger in its twilight years is even more suspicious. The Crown Prince is currently heading to Minzhou to reorganize the royal fleet and salvage heavy treasures; perhaps this is another test."

"If the Jiangnan Mystic Sect and aristocratic families fully assist, there will inevitably be more twists and turns."

"I have already ordered a plan to be presented, letting the Crown Prince invite the Twelve Yuan Chen to assist; they are the most suitable to find them!"

"That's true."

The Lüshan Dharma Sect leader, Daoist Fire Cloud, also nodded: "These little fellows have very fierce means. Whether it's Zhao Changsheng or others in this Jianmu organization, they have all suffered great losses in their hands; it's quite interesting."

"Let's arrange it this way."

Zhang Jingxuan turned his head to look at Jin Ling City: "The key now is to let the Dragon-Casting Ceremony proceed smoothly. We will then head to Taihu to encircle and suppress the Corpse-Garment demon woman, reclaim the Yangzhou Tripod, and transport it to the capital."

"Transport it to the capital?"

The Lüshan Dharma Sect leader frowned: "This item is of great consequence; putting it into the earth veins is the most secure way. What if it ruins Jiangnan's Feng Shui..."

"This is to show our attitude."