Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

Chapter 192: A Message from the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace

Promptly, all attendees took their seats within the grandeur of the Holy Land Grand Hall.

Without beating around the bush, Ji Mingxiu directly sought Jiang Chen's viewpoint on exploiting the Nether Qi Extraction Secrets for gaining advantages from the other two Holy Land-tier factions, and whether they should ask for the corpses of the demonic beasts.

In response, Jiang Chen proposed consulting the two great powerhouses at the Void Tribulation realm before making a decision.

Utilizing the Nether Qi Extraction Secrets to aid the people of Purple Heaven Holy Land could, in some ways, be seen as a charitable deed.

Given the personalities of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, this approach seemed fitting.

However, using it to extract benefits would only serve Jiang Chen's interests.

Taking the lead in this matter felt somewhat unseemly.

This was a crucial time to earn the trust of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, and Jiang Chen wasn't going to take it lightly.

Upon hearing Jiang Chen's careful reply, Ji Mingxiu and the rest nodded in understanding.

In their perspective, engaging with the two great powerhouses at the Void Tribulation realm called for the highest level of discretion, irrespective of how minor the issue!

Shortly thereafter, the meeting addressed the two formidable powers, the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple and the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace, along with some nearby forces that warranted surveillance.

This was part of laying the groundwork for Jiang Chen, the prospective new Holy Lord.

As moments gradually passed, the upper echelon meeting of the Purple Heaven Holy Land was approaching its end.

But at that moment, Ji Mingxiu received a communication from the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace.

Sweeping it with his divine sense, his gaze subtly altered.

"Holy Lord?"

The countenances of Mo Yu and the rest progressively hardened.

'A significant development might be underway!'

Jiang Chen's eyes slightly constricted, thinking to himself, 'Just as predicted, the demonic beast tide is merely a prologue; the main spectacle is yet to unfold!'

"The message is from the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace."

"Dong Yuanzheng suspects that the massive surge of the Nether Demon Spiritual Qi is peculiar and potentially conceals even graver threats."

"Hence, they wish to invite the high-ranking members of our Purple Heaven Holy Land to convene and investigate the source of this anomaly."

"They've already reached out to the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple, who have given their consent."

"..."

Ji Mingxiu announced slowly as he stored the transmission jade token.

"The venerable palace lord of the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace, Dong Yuanzheng?"

Mo Yu mused, "Indeed, he is a man of profound vision, and his concerns hold weight."

The Purple Heaven Holy Land, the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace, and the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple together maintained a tripartite equilibrium, inherently interwoven, and naturally, they experienced friction amongst themselves.

"Given that the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple has given their assent."

"We, representing the Purple Heaven Holy Land, should also venture forth."

Sha An concurred, "If we can unravel the cause of this demonic beast tide, we might, to a certain degree, put an end to this calamity once and for all."

Upon hearing this, Si Zhangjian, Yao Zong, along with Xie Zhen, Liu Xiong, and other Dao Comprehension elders, exhibited slight nods of agreement.

However, Jiang Chen was plunged into deep contemplation.

'A gathering?'

'Whenever the protagonist stumbles upon such a gathering, there's bound to be a stir!'

'Fang Yuan may not be able to attend this time, but this convergence of the three major forces could be manipulated by his unseen Heavenly Fate.'

'The typical scenario in such gatherings would be the 'Hongmen Banquet' a seemingly innocuous assembly that actually hides a perilous trap!'

'The Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace has extended the invitation to the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple as well.'

'Comparatively, the relationship between the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple and the Purple Heaven Holy Land is stronger.'

'The likelihood of a plot against the Purple Heaven Holy Land seems extremely slim, which is why Supreme Elder Sha An consented to attend.'

'So, there might not be an issue with the gathering per se, but it might set off other events?'

'But is everything genuinely as straightforward as it seems?'

'...'

A whirlwind of thoughts sped through Jiang Chen's mind.

This high-level meeting of the three predominant forces appeared unproblematic on the surface. However, one couldn't dismiss the presence of the protagonist, Fang Yuan.

On instinct, Jiang Chen felt that the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace's motivation for arranging this gathering wasn't as straightforward as it seemed.

"Very well."

"Let's make the journey."

Ji Mingxiu also believed it was best to tackle the issue head-on, hence he nodded in agreement.

But just then.

"Wait a moment!"

"Master, has the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace decided on a location for the meeting?"

Jiang Chen abruptly inquired.

"Yes!"

"The Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace has designated the Verdant Leaf Giant Peak near the Bottomless Abyss."

Ji Mingxiu affirmed, "This site is equidistant from all three major factions, and it has traditionally been the venue for tripartite meetings."

"The vicinity of the Bottomless Abyss?"

Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed, "Master, I suspect the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace harbors ulterior motives this time."

"What makes you think so?"

Ji Mingxiu asked, smiling.

"Just an intuition."

"Generally, each of the three major forces tends to its own affairs."

"This demonic beast tide was successfully managed by all three forces; under normal circumstances, the matter should have been put to rest."

With a steady countenance, Jiang Chen slowly articulated, "But the fact that the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace is orchestrating this gathering gives me pause."

"That indeed warrants consideration."

Ji Mingxiu nodded subtly.

Mo Yu and the others adopted thoughtful expressions.

"Esteemed Holy Son."

"Your words do hold merit."

"But please pardon my frankness, this demonic beast tide is already an anomaly, so it seems plausible that the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace is treating it with increased seriousness."

A Dao Comprehension Elder known for his forthrightness bowed and spoke.

"So."

"Master, Senior Mo Yu, have you considered marshaling the strength of the three major forces to delve into the root cause of the demonic beast tide?"

Jiang Chen nodded, then posed the question.

"Well..."

"We haven't, as yet."

Ji Mingxiu and the others shook their heads, their eyes wide in surprise.

Indeed, they had contemplated probing into the origin of the demonic beast tide, but the idea of rallying the three major forces for a joint investigation had not occurred to them.

Compared to this, the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace indeed seemed somewhat dubious.

Then.

"Additionally..."

Jiang Chen continued, "I suspect that this abrupt onslaught of the demonic beast tide might have ties to the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace."

Upon hearing this, Ji Mingxiu and the others exchanged surprised glances.

"Holy Son, isn't that a touch too precautious?"

"In this demonic beast tide, the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace was also assaulted."

"Furthermore, these demonic beasts were tainted by the Nether Demon Spiritual Qi, prompting their erratic behavior. It seems unlikely that the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace possesses the capability to manipulate the Nether Demon Spiritual Qi, right?"

Si Zhangjian mused aloud, "I agree that the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace may have ulterior motives, but suggesting that they are linked to the outbreak of the demonic beast tide seems somewhat far-fetched."

His remarks echoed the sentiments of Ji Mingxiu and the others.

If one suggested that the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace was seizing this opportunity to deal with the Purple Heaven Holy Land, it might carry some weight.

However, implying that the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace was the orchestrator of the demonic beast tide seemed too far-fetched.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

"Regardless, if Master and the elders are attending, I implore you to exercise utmost caution!"

Jiang Chen stroked his chin, voicing his thoughts slowly.

His conjecture was predicated on the existence of the protagonist, Fang Yuan.

Given the sway of Fang Yuan's Heavenly Fate Value, any potential mishaps should be evaluated on a larger scale.

However, Ji Mingxiu and the others were completely oblivious to Fang Yuan's status as the protagonist, causing Jiang Chen's suspicions to appear somewhat exaggerated, even outrageous.

From the perspective of Ji Mingxiu and the others, it was quite unlikely for the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace to engage in underhanded tactics.

As for Fang Yuan's protagonist status, Jiang Chen couldn't clarify it either.

Hence, Jiang Chen could only prompt everyone to exercise caution in all matters.

Additionally, considering the Fate Value of Ji Mingxiu and the others, they shouldn't face peril in the near future. This was also the reason why Jiang Chen didn't vehemently discourage their participation.

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