Chapter 498: Chapter 497: The Overall Situation is Paramount
"I wouldn’t say it’s a brilliant insight, but I do have a proposal," Helian Zhan replied evenly, meeting everyone’s gazes.
Wang Chunyang said, "We have gathered here today all for the sake of the Hidden Sects at large. Brother Helian, please feel free to share your suggestion, and let us all discuss it."
Helian Zhan said, "In my opinion, we should select a few representatives to go out and see just how powerful the weapons developed by the Mortal World truly are. If they pose a threat to the very existence of our Hidden Sect World, as the girl described, then we must not resort to force, lest nine million innocent souls of our sects suffer."
Zhuge Chengkun couldn’t help but frown and interjected, "Brother Helian, aren’t you overestimating the Mortal World’s weapons? Our Hidden Sect World is as impregnable as a fortress. How could they threaten us?"
Helian Zhan offered a faint smile, fixing his gaze on Zhuge Chengkun, "Are you sure?"
Although Zhuge Chengkun was a Divine Travel Realm powerhouse of the Zhuge aristocratic family, he felt a chill in his heart under the gaze of Helian Zhan.
For one, there was reverence for Helian Zhan, a monstrous genius; secondly, he thought of the rapidly declining Spiritual Power in the Hidden Sect World in recent years, and the unsettling truth that the entire Plane World was no longer as stable as before.
"I’d rather not elaborate on the situation in this Cave Heaven Blessed Land, the esteemed ones present are all too aware that it may not hold for much longer. If this weren’t the case, there wouldn’t be talks of us making a major move into the Mortal World, and some might not have already began to act and arrange things in secret," Helian Zhan calmly said.
Upon hearing these words, the room fell silent.
The instability of the Small World Plane was no secret to the Hidden Sects’ Divine Travel Realm masters, but it had never been publicly disclosed, with the vast majority of practitioners remaining unaware.
Now, with Helian Zhan stating it openly, most of those present, previously oblivious to the situation, were struck by an immense silence.
But after a brief calm, an uproar ensued.
"What does Uncle Master Helian mean by this?"
"Yes, what does ’the Hidden Sect World may not last much longer’ mean?"
"Could the rumors be true?"
"What rumors?"
"I once overheard elders in my family whispering that there will be a calamity striking our Hidden Sects once every thousand years, and our generation might not be spared. It is said that the Hidden Sect World might collapse."
"What?"
"That can’t be, can it?"
Wang Chunyang, Wang Changchun, Zhuge Chengkun, Ouyang He, Sect Master Zhang of the Zhang Family, as well as Mo Li, Zuo Wenjun, Chen Liangzhong, and others all furrowed their brows.
None of them expected Helian Zhan to reveal this secret in public.
Such a revelation was bound to create panic throughout the Hidden Sect World. Helian Zhan, as the Qingtian Sect’s Uncle Master, was reckless to release such information at this time.
But what was said could not be unsaid, like water that couldn’t be gathered up once spilled.
Wang Chunyang, with a stern face, looked toward Helian Zhan and asked, "Aren’t you afraid that by revealing this, you’ll cause chaos under the heavens?"
Helian Zhan smiled, "If I don’t make everyone aware of the stakes involved, how can we make a decision that’s in everyone’s best interest? I believe that the people of the Hidden Sects have the right to know this truth. Only by being aware of our current predicament can we make the right choices."
Wang Changchun scoffed, "Helian Zhan, you’re clearly advocating for the Mortal World here."
"That’s one way to look at it," Helian Zhan glanced at Wang Changchun and spoke indifferently, "What the world thinks of me does not concern me. I only know one thing—I, Helian Zhan, have the entire world’s interests at heart. The girl is right, we are all descendants of Yanhuang, meant to be one family. It is only by supporting and relying on each other that we can thrive long-term. If we fight amongst ourselves, we will only provide opportunities for foreign powers."
Pausing for a moment, Helian Zhan continued, "However, completely sealing off the Hidden Sect World by the outside, even limiting our freedom, is also not to my liking. That’s why I propose that we select a few representatives to go out and observe—firstly, to see if an army is indeed approaching, surrounding the entrances and possessing the power to lock us down. Secondly, to display our strength, to see if there is a chance for renegotiation."
"Hmph, after all is said and done, you are still biased towards the Mortal World," Wang Chunyang said with a sneer.
Helian Zhan’s gaze swept over, and he replied with a smile, "It seems Brother Wang does not approve of my suggestion. Heh, I am all ears for any superior ideas you might have."
Wang Chunyang said, "In my opinion, let’s wait a while longer until the people from the Duanmu Family and the Ji Family arrive. Once we’ve assembled all the Divine Travel Realm powerhouses here, we’ll break out together. With our combined strength, no amount of soldiers outside will withstand a strike from us. Then, we can march straight to Imperial City, and which secular authority dare not bow down to us?"
"Exactly, I support Mr. Wang’s proposition."
"Right, Mr. Wang speaks my mind. Us cultivators fear no battle, how can we let those dependent on us in the secular world treat us with disrespect?"
"Storm out and let the common people know what it means when they say ’the Heaven is high and the Earth is thick.’"
Immediately, there were people who vocally supported Wang Chunyang’s suggestion.
But there were also many who wore worried expressions and did not speak.
Ouyang He chuckled and said, "It seems opinions are divided, but there is one thing in common, and that is to go out and see, to test the reality of the outside."
Upon hearing this, the crowd nodded in agreement.
This was necessary.
Being blocked by the external forces at the entryway is equivalent to being imprisoned in the Hidden Sect World.
Although there was an agreement in the past that people of the Hidden Sect would not go out to the Mortal World unless under special circumstances, that was because we did not wish to go out.
But now it’s not us who do not want to go out; it’s others who won’t let us.
The significance is completely different.
"However, I still support Brother Helian’s proposal. If we follow Wang Chunyang’s suggestion and everyone storms out together, it would indeed be good if we succeed, but what if we fail and get blocked? If the situation arises where the Hidden Sect is bombarded, who can take responsibility for the lives and deaths of the nine million souls of the Hidden Sect?" Ouyang He continued to say.
As soon as these words came out, many shivered and calmed down suddenly.
Yes.
Victory would certainly bring joy to all, but what if there’s an accident?
If the outside world really bombards the Hidden Sect, or even suppresses and kills those who rush out, then what?
Are we really prepared to let the entire Hidden Sect World collapse, and over nine million lives vanish into thin air?
If the Plane World collapses, even practitioners in the Divine Travel Realm may not be spared, and for the vast majority of Hidden Sect Practitioners, it would be a road to death.
At this moment, many people calmed down and finally understood why these powerhouses in the Divine Travel Realm still gave Qin Yanyang a chance to compete when they faced her threats earlier.
It turns out the Hidden Sect World does have concerns.
"Grandfather, the weapons from the outside world are really terrifying..." In the brief silence, suddenly a voice was heard.
The crowd looked over and saw a young man beside Wang Changchun, his expression one of lingering fear, speaking to Wang Changchun.
Seeing that many had heard his words and looked over, Wang Ruilin’s face flushed red, thinking he had caused trouble, but then he immediately reacted and raised his voice, "Wang Tianlai, you have also witnessed the power of the special weapons from the outside world; speak up. And Mo Li with Chen Liangzhong, you two seniors have personally experienced how formidable those weapons are, haven’t you?"
"Shut up, nobody will think you’re mute if you don’t talk," Wang Changchun chastised his grandson with a mix of embarrassment and anger.
Wang Ruilin could only retreat sullenly.
But his words had caused many to snap out of their daze, and they turned to look at the exceptional youths who had just returned from the outside world with Wang Ruilin.
Although these young people had been taken in one swoop, they were still prominent figures in the Hidden Sects.
In the presence of the vast majority of young people, who dared to say they could outperform these individuals?
They were captured as soon as they went out, and Mo Li along with Chen Liangzhong had been forced back within moments of their departure and had returned injured.
All of these were ironclad facts laid before everyone, forcing these Proud inhabitants of the Hidden Sect to admit a harsh reality.
The outside world indeed possessed the strength to threaten the Hidden Sect!
The atmosphere became somber for a while.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a member of the Zhang Family, Sect Master Zhang, spoke up gravely, "I agree with Helian Zhan’s proposal. We are all descendants of Yanhuang, and we must prioritize the bigger picture."