"What is your proposal?" the ancestor asked.
"Even if you cut off all connections with me right now, it still doesn't mean they will let you go. They all saw the peerless expert by my side. If they think exactly as you do, that it was just a desperate trump card I used to conveniently kill that Immortal, they will definitely assume that you forcefully took the remaining powerful keepsakes from me before kicking me out of your sect," Mo Lingtian replied, making the ancestor's eyes light up with a mix of anticipation and curiosity.
"What if they are not thinking in the same direction as me?" the ancestor countered.
"You're already at the end of your rope. Your spine meridian is seriously damaged. It is obvious you suffered a Qi deviation from a technique you tried to forcefully comprehend," Mo Lingtian said, standing up straight before turning around to sit cross-legged on the ground at the opposite end of the table.
"Now we can talk," the ancestor replied, also sitting cross-legged at his end of the table.
"It won't be long before you die. And when you do, your already declining sect and your cultivation resources will be used as exploration grounds to strengthen their disciples. Even the Lunar Region would join hands to plunder your legacy by then," Mo Lingtian stated, casually taking a sip from the cup of tea in front of him.
"So what exactly is your proposal?" the ancestor asked, filling his empty cup with tea from the kettle on the table.
"What if I can correct the damage of your Qi deviation, and revive your sect to its peak in exactly three months?" Mo Lingtian said, taking another sip.
"If you can just correct the damage of the Qi deviation, I will fulfill any wish you have as long as it is within my power," the ancestor replied urgently, his eyes sparkling with hope.
"First, I will need fully detailed information regarding the entire origin and structure of the factions, both those in the wilderness and the ones on the mainland," Mo Lingtian said, dropping his cup on the table.
"That's nothing! There are countless books in our library that can provide the information you want. From now on, you have unrestricted access to all tiers of the library," the ancestor replied, laughing heartily.
"Second, I need you to set up a secret meeting with the founder of the Lunar Region tomorrow. It must be highly confidential. Nobody else should know about it," Mo Lingtian continued.
"Hao," the ancestor agreed without hesitation. "By tomorrow, the meeting will be held right here."
"No. Let it be in the Lunar Region," Mo Lingtian abruptly cut him short.
Although the ancestor was curious as to why Lingtian wanted the meeting held in the Lunar Region if it was supposed to be highly secretive, he kept the question to himself, immediately agreeing to the request.
"Do you have any other requests?" the ancestor asked, waiting for his reply.
"I need the cultivation technique you practiced that led to your Qi deviation. That is the only way I can analyze and correct the damage it caused," Mo Lingtian replied, reaching for his tea once more.
"Alright. Is that all?"
"You'll receive the rest of the instructions during the meeting with the founder of the Lunar Region tomorrow," Mo Lingtian said as he stood up.
"Alright, take this. It will grant you access to all tiers of the library," the ancestor said, tossing a polished golden jade token over to Mo Lingtian.
"Thank you," Mo Lingtian said, bowing slightly.
"And take this. This is the cultivation technique you asked for. I recovered it from the remains of my master during the Battle of the Thousand Sects.
Be careful with it. The words written on it are not only random but deeply obscure. I barely understood a fraction of what was written, and that was exactly what led to the Qi deviation. If I could have just understood the language, perhaps I could have fully comprehended it," the ancestor explained, controlling a roll of connected, ancient bamboo strips to float toward Mo Lingtian.
"Thank you for the warning. I will get to work now," Mo Lingtian said, securing the strips before immediately flying out of the main hall and back to his room.
--------------------------------------------------
"You are a very shrewd person," the commanding general, Si, said to Mo Lingtian the moment he entered his room and sealed the door behind him with the Devil Converging Seal.
"Si, your information came very timely," Mo Lingtian sighed, sitting heavily on the bed and raising his head in pure exhaustion.
"Who wouldn't budge when they see a way to preserve their life?" the commanding general replied, chuckling.
"That was probably exactly what he wanted to hear," the chief commander's voice echoed from Lingtian's sea of consciousness.
Every commanding general and death soldier immediately bowed as she spoke, parting like a sea to make way as she walked forward with her two aides by her side.
"I think so too," Mo Lingtian replied, projecting his awareness inward as he entered his sea of consciousness.
"You've been awake?" Mo Lingtian asked, drifting toward where she was seated on a large rock by the spiritual shore.
"Yes. Thanks to their continuous supply of energy," the chief commander replied, waving her hand casually toward the two aides, who slowly bowed their heads and clutched their left fists tightly to their chests.
"I heard you promise him that you were going to correct the damage to his meridians and also revive his sect to its peak glory in three months," she continued.
"Yes. Although he pretended not to care about the revival of his sect, I know it is a major concern for him. His sect is nominally placed among the ranks of the Lunar Region and the three factions, but in terms of real power and strength, the Eclipsed Sun Sect is nothing more than a group of bandits being led by a Sovereign Immortal," Mo Lingtian explained, walking closer to her.
"How do you plan to revive the sect if, as you say, they don't possess any real strength?" the chief commander asked curiously.
"First of all," Mo Lingtian said as he squatted down, using his finger to draw five distinctly sized circles in the sand. "...we destroy the Eclipsed Sun Sect," he stated emphatically, wiping away the smallest circle out of the five.
"To sow discord among the three factions? They will indeed become wary of each other but I doubt it would lead to a fight," Si, the talkative commanding general, asked in confusion as the chief commander, the two aides, and the rest of the vanguard commanders drew closer to hear the plan.
"No. This is to force the Lunar Region to collaborate with us. With the Eclipsed Sun Sect gone, the only remaining force the three factions have to care about is the Lunar Region," Mo Lingtian explained.
"Which will then force the Lunar Region to assimilate the remnants of the Eclipsed Sun Sect for survival," one of the commanders realized, drawing another circle in the sand and merging it with the largest circle representing the Lunar Region using a wisp of spiritual energy.
"Yes. But that is not all. The specific manner in which the sect is eliminated will play a major role in the second step," Mo Lingtian replied, standing up.
"What do you mean?" one of the aides asked.
"When playing the game of Go against an overly cautious opponent, the best strategy to penetrate his defenses is sudden threat and absolute pressure," Mo Lingtian replied, stroking his chin as he pondered deeply.
"So you want to..." the chief commander prompted, still slightly confused.
"The annihilation of the Eclipsed Sun Sect will be announced beforehand by a new, terrifying assassin organization. And when it actually happens fast, brutal, and overnight, one of those three factions will try to be smart and inadvertently expose flaws," Mo Lingtian declared. The room of veterans remained silent, struggling to fully grasp the depths of his maneuvering.
"Never mind. Just know that before the end of this month, a Sovereign Immortal will die," Mo Lingtian said emphatically, sweeping his sleeves sideways as an ethereal wind billowed around them.
"Even though I don't understand a single thing you just said, whatever a shrewd person like you plots will definitely not end well for your enemies," Si muttered, causing a ripple of laughter and chuckles to break out among the grim soldiers.
"I need to go now. I need all the information I can gather on the origins of the three factions to decide my third move," Mo Lingtian replied, pulling his awareness out of his sea of consciousness.