This fear actually forcibly suppressed his anger and birthed an extremely bizarre inspiration. He suddenly felt as if he had comprehended the ultimate secret of survival!
Thus, in the eyes of the crowd, Lie Tianxiong's face first instantly flushed red, then immediately turned deathly pale.
Finally, a strange look—a mixture of lingering fear, rejoicing, and a smug "I am truly too brilliant" expression—slowly surfaced on his face.
He gently raised his hand and pressed it downward, trying hard to imitate the demeanor of some otherworldly expert from his memory (which he felt he currently was). With a deliberately crafted movement that he thought was breezy and nonchalant, he slowly spoke.
"Cangyun..."
His voice was even deliberately slowed and softened, carrying a sense of superiority that said, "You ordinary mortals do not understand yet." "Your feelings, this seat... understands very well."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over the angry or bewildered elders below, carrying the pity of one who is the only sober person in a world of drunks.
"However,"
He changed the subject, his tone suddenly turning profound, as if revealing some universal truth.
"Fierce prestige? It's just an empty name! So what if we get talked about a bit? Does it cost us a piece of meat? It does not!"
He raised his hand, his fingertips pointing precisely at the faint, purple-blue bruises on his forehead. His tone even carried a trace of imperceptible bragging.
"Look! What is this? This is a lesson! Furthermore, it is priceless wisdom! It is the supreme truth that this seat has exchanged with blood and tears, and even... uh... clothes!"
He suddenly stood up, his voice rising higher, carrying a fanaticism akin to preaching and teaching:
"This world! The waters are very deep! There is always someone stronger, and behind every capable person is someone even more capable messing with them! In the past, we were just too high-profile! Too arrogant! That is why we repeatedly suffered losses! Time and time again being stripped... uh... suffering setbacks!"
He slapped his thigh in bitter regret: "Learn from the pain! From now on, our Burning Heaven Palace is going to change our way of living! What is prestige? Living long, surviving a long time, that is true prestige! If others want to be arrogant, let them be arrogant! As for us, we must learn to be smarter!"
He stared burningly at First Elder Yan Cangyun, as if wanting to carve this peerless secret manual into the other party's brain: "Without eighty percent... No! Without ninety-nine percent certainty, absolutely do not make a move!
When making a move, it must be an absolute crushing! A one-hit kill! If we cannot beat them, we absolutely do not provoke them! If we cannot afford to provoke them, we can afford to hide! This is called... strategic concealment! Yes, strategic concealment!"
Listening to the Palace Master's high-level discourse, First Elder Yan Cangyun's old face flushed red. His lips trembled for a long time before he squeezed out a sentence: "Palace... Palace Master, this... this is truly too..."
"Too smart? Too profound?"
Lie Tianxiong immediately interrupted him. The "wise" smile on his face was practically overflowing. He even proudly raised his hand and stroked a non-existent beard in the empty air.
"Exactly! This is great wisdom! It is the Great Dao of Longevity that this seat has comprehended after going through hardships! You will all understand in the future! Cangyun, pass down my orders!"
He puffed out his chest, his voice carrying unquestionable resolution: "From this day forward, all disciples of the Burning Heaven Palace must stay low and survive! Tuck your tails between your legs and behave! Without this seat's written decree, no one is allowed to step half a pace outside the mountain gates!
Whoever dares to go out and cause trouble without authorization, bringing disaster to the sect, do not blame this seat for being ruthless with the sect rules. I will strip them naked and hang them on the mountain gates to dry like salted fish!"
He looked with satisfaction at the First Elder and the crowd's shocked silly expressions, feeling that his enlightenment was simply magnificent, enough to be recorded in the sect's annals.
His gaze swept across the entire hall, finally landing on the thin-faced, calm-tempered Second Elder. His eyes were filled with unprecedented trust and... gratitude.
He cleared his throat, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn: "Ahem... Everyone, although our Burning Heaven Palace has suffered a minor setback recently, this seat has also gained some enlightenment. Fortune and misfortune depend on each other!"
He paused and specifically looked at the Second Elder, his tone growing even more earnest. "Especially the Second Elder. Usually, he is low-key, not competing or fighting for anything, yet at the critical moment in the secret realm, he stepped forward to save this seat from... from danger! Such loyalty and steadiness truly make him a pillar of our Burning Heaven Palace!"
The Second Elder, who had his eyes lowered and was inwardly pondering the absurdity of Lie Tianxiong's cowardly philosophy, was suddenly called out. Moreover, it was with such high praise and characterized as a life-saving grace. He was completely stunned for a moment.
He subconsciously raised his head, a crack appearing in his usual calm expression, his eyes full of astonishment. I was just putting on an act at the time... This brute actually took it seriously?
Before he could recover from the shock of this brute changing his nature, Lie Tianxiong's next words were like a thunderbolt, directly striking him until he was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
"Therefore!"
Lie Tianxiong raised his voice, carrying a "my mind is made up" resolution: "From this day forward, the Second Elder will serve as the Acting Sect Master!
During this seat's closed-door cultivation, all affairs of the sect, big and small, shall be decided solely by the Second Elder! He will preside over the overall situation! First Elder, Third Elder, you two must assist him with all your hearts, without any mistakes!"
As soon as these words came out, the entire hall was shocked!
First Elder Yan Cangyun fiercely raised his head, his red hair almost standing on end. His face was full of disbelief and unwillingness, but looking at Lie Tianxiong's resolute expression and that twisted logic of strategic concealment...
His lips trembled a few times, and ultimately he could only lower his head with incomparable grievance, squeezing out two words from between his teeth: "...As you command!"
At the back of the queue, the wealthy-looking Third Elder's eyelids twitched wildly as he tried hard to maintain his seriousness.
Has this idiot completely gone mad?! He actually changed his nature directly, bypassed the First Elder entirely, and handed the sect over to the Second Elder to manage, even making him Acting Sect Master?!
But his reaction was extremely fast. He immediately followed right after the First Elder, squeezing out an incomparably submissive expression and bowing: "I humbly obey the Palace Master's decree! This subordinate will definitely do my utmost to assist the Second Elder!"
Inwardly, however, he was secretly delighted. The Second Elder is easier to manipulate than the First Elder, which makes it perfectly convenient for me to act!
Meanwhile, the Second Elder, currently in the center of the storm, had a buzzing brain.
No... wait? Hold on! I am just an undercover spy! Before I came here, my biggest mission was just to pass on intelligence and occasionally create a little chaos... How did I suddenly... suddenly become the Acting Sect Master?
And the kind that presides over the overall situation and makes all the decisions? This... this script is wrong! Sect Master Xuanyangzi never taught me how to do this!
He felt that his decades of undercover career combined had not been as thrilling as today. This Lie Tianxiong was not playing by the rules! Did getting beaten up a few times open up new pathways in his brain?
But his years of undercover professionalism allowed him to instantly suppress all his shock and bewilderment.
He knew clearly that he absolutely could not reveal any flaws at this moment, otherwise it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
He immediately took a step forward, trying hard to show an expression that was perfectly flattered, terrified, and thrilled by being hit with such immense trust.
His voice even carried a faintly imperceptible tremble due to excitement—half acted, and half genuinely frightened.
"Palace... Palace Master! Such a heavy responsibility, this subordinate... this subordinate fears I am inadequate! What virtue or ability does this subordinate have? I am only afraid... afraid of failing the Palace Master's great trust!"
He spoke these words with genuine emotion, completely from the bottom of his heart. He truly felt this burden was far too ridiculous!
Lie Tianxiong waved his large hand, even more satisfied with this display of trepidation. "Ah! If this seat says you are fit for the role, then you are fit! Your steadiness, your loyalty, and your low profile perfectly align with the Grand Dao of Longevity that our Burning Heaven Palace currently needs! The matter is settled, there is no need to discuss this further!"
In his heart, the Second Elder cursed, Grand Dao of Longevity my ass! I just want to quietly be a spy!
On his face, however, he could only show an expression of overwhelming gratitude, looking like a loyal subject ready to lay down his life for a master who truly recognized his worth. He bowed deeply. "Since... since it is so, this subordinate... this subordinate will definitely give his all, until my dying breath! I will strictly abide by the Palace Master's policies, stabilize the sect, and absolutely not make a single misstep!"
Things had gotten way out of hand. He needed to find a way to contact his Sect Master immediately!
"Mhm! Good! Very good!"
Looking at the fiercely loyal Second Elder and the compliantly obedient First and Third Elders, Lie Tianxiong felt a great sense of comfort in his heart. He felt that his arrangements before going into secluded cultivation were incredibly well-organized and utterly brilliant.
Smug and satisfied, he turned around and strode toward the secluded cultivation chamber in the back mountain with a pace he thought was steady, but was actually rather sluggish. His retreating figure radiated a sense of relief that said, I have arranged everything perfectly; you all just need to follow the plan.
Inside the grand hall, all that remained was a First Elder who was so frustrated he wanted to die, a Third Elder secretly rejoicing at what he thought was a better opportunity, and a Second Elder who was calm on the surface, but whose mind had turned into a pot of mush as he frantically calculated: How exactly does an undercover spy operate after suddenly becoming the enemy's acting boss?
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
