Chapter 258: Three-Way Standoff

Hua Changxi saw off Hua Minghe and Hua Minghua; their visit had once again disturbed her peace of mind.

Earlier, when she learned that the imperial family and various powerful figures had jointly boycotted her, although she was indignant, she didn't pay much attention.

Because she believed that once the displaying spirit artifact was refined, and cultivators from other places learned about the Danyuan Secret Realm recruiting apprentices, the boycott would collapse on its own.

But now, the imperial family had reached out to the Hua family members.

This matter was not unsolvable; if the Hua family truly faced danger, she could directly arrange for them to go to Wuzhi Mountain.

Wuzhi Mountain was her Dao field; if the Hua family stayed inside Wuzhi Mountain, their personal safety would be fine.

However, implementing this plan was not easy.

First, not all members of the Hua family would be willing to leave the capital; her eldest brother probably didn't want to leave the Demon-Suppressing Army, and her other brothers and sisters might also have their own plans.

Second, if they truly fell out with the imperial family and nobles, unless the Hua family rose up and no longer feared external oppression, they would have to stay in Wuzhi Mountain for a long time without leaving. The younger generation of the Hua family might not endure the loneliness.

Furthermore, cultivation also required going out for training; staying confined to one place was not a good solution.

In short, the aftermath would be very troublesome, and both survival and development would be severely restricted.

The more Hua Changxi thought about it, the more irritated she became. If it were just her alone, she wouldn't even bother with the boycott from the imperial family and nobles, but the problem was that she still had the Hua family behind her.

Hua Minghua bluntly told her to remove the Oath Stele. Although her father didn't say it outright, his expression showed that he agreed with Hua Minghua's suggestion.

Hua Changxi once again arrived at the square. Standing before the Danyuan Secret Realm Oath Stele, she gazed at the content of the oath with a heavy expression.

Remove the Oath Stele?

Hua Changxi's face was stern. Why did she cultivate so desperately?

Wasn't it to not be controlled by others, to not be dominated by others?

If she really removed the Oath Stele and allowed other factions to plant people into the secret realm, not only would her acquisition of the Shenmu Secret Realm become meaningless, but even her days and nights of hard cultivation would become a joke!

Just as Hua Changxi stood motionless before the Oath Stele, various factions within the Medical Affairs Department were all watching her.

Ever since they learned that Hua Minghua and Hua Minghe had arrived, the attention of all sides had been drawn over, and they were closely monitoring Hua Changxi's movements.

Now, seeing her standing before the Oath Stele, many people felt joy in their hearts, thinking that Hua Changxi couldn't bear the pressure and, having listened to the advice of Hua Minghua and Hua Minghe, had decided to remove the Oath Stele.

Gu Xing was also watching Hua Changxi. Behind him was Sun Puzi, who looked worried: "Will Changxi remove the Oath Stele?"

Gu Xing shook his head: "I don't know."

Sun Puzi looked at him: "Why don't you help Changxi?"

Gu Xing sighed: "I can't help her. Some hurdles she has to get through on her own; otherwise, she will never realize her own problems."

Sun Puzi frowned: "Everything Changxi does is for the Holy Land. What problem does she have?"

Gu Xing: "If she were just an ordinary person, what she does would be completely fine, but she is not—she is the Secret Realm Master."

"What is a Secret Realm Master?"

"Aside from the Hall Master and the Qihuang Hall Master, the Secret Realm Master has the greatest power, controlling the allocation and distribution of secret realm resources. She must learn to use people and cooperate with others."

"But what about her current actions? Although she is wholeheartedly for the Holy Land, she also ignores other people, and yet she thinks she is not wrong."

"If I help her get through this hurdle, she will even more think she is right, and in the future she will act even more extremely. Over time, her temperament will only become more headstrong."

After hearing this, Sun Puzi's expression showed disagreement: "But I don't think there is anything wrong with Changxi's temperament."

Gu Xing shook his head: "That's because you and Hua Changxi haven't yet become enlightened; you are both still stuck in 'I do my own thing, don't bother others, and others better not bother me.'"

"But people don't exist independently."

"If you only care about walking your own path and don't look to see if anyone is ahead or behind, in the end you will either be battered and bruised or end up deserted by all."

Seeing Gu Xing put it so seriously, Sun Puzi also became somewhat worried: "You make it sound too serious."

Gu Xing: "Serious? Think about the fate of those solitary martial artists who roam the jianghu alone—they either die under pursuit or die lonely and helpless in some forgotten corner."

Sun Puzi listened with a heavy heart. Looking at Hua Changxi standing alone before the Oath Stele, she said: "Then call Changxi over and explain it to her properly."

Gu Xing sighed: "She won't listen. If just casually talking about principles could change a person, then matters in this world wouldn't be so difficult to handle."

"Hua Changxi's path so far has been walked by herself alone, and moreover she has achieved good results. She will only think that continuing like this is right, and that it is the easiest and most familiar way."

"People are unwilling to change."

"Change is too difficult. Unless one stumbles in affairs, causes oneself pain, or loses something, only then will one be forced to reflect on oneself."

Grandma Sun was also helpless: "Are we really just going to stand by and watch?"

Gu Xing: "...The path of life must be walked by oneself."

While the two were discussing, Hua Changxi left the entrance of the secret realm and walked towards Ninth Street.

Now on Ninth Street, with Pilgrimage Road as the dividing line, the courtyards on the left were occupied by cultivators of the Dao-Protecting Clans, while the courtyards on the right were occupied by the imperial family and various nobles.

When Hua Changxi was still over ten meters away from Ninth Street, she saw that in the left courtyard, Xia Zhen and Meng Qingyao and others were standing on the second floor watching her; she also saw that in the right courtyard, Prince Shou, Chu Junhao and others were also watching her.

Noticing this, Hua Changxi stopped in her tracks.

At this moment, Hua Changxi truly felt that she was being "surrounded by gazes," and also felt the outside world bearing down on her like surging waves.

At this moment, alone and weak, she faced the behemoths of the Dao-Protecting Clans and the imperial nobles head-on.

Originally, she should have been timid and retreated, but a flame surged in her heart—a flame that wanted to burn those two behemoths directly.

At this moment, Hua Changxi stood facing Pilgrimage Road, forming a tripartite stalemate with the Dao-Protecting Clans on the left and the powerful faction on the right.

High in the sky, hidden above the white clouds, Wei Zhenjie watched this scene, his eyebrows raised high.

"One person forms a stance, her momentum no less than the other two sides. It seems Hua Changxi won't remove the Oath Stele."

The reason Wei Zhenjie came to the Medicine Department was that he was afraid Hua Changxi couldn't withstand the outside pressure and compromise, so he wanted to secretly help her.

Now it seems he clearly underestimated this little girl.