Chapter 1158: Chapter 729: Driving Wolves to Devour Tigers (Part 4)
Ao Zhan was so arrogant and aggressive; even if Xuan Ye and the others were displeased, they could only bear it.
Xuan Ye still had to adopt a low posture to explain: "Sir, how dare we, the Buddhist Sect, disrespect the Dragon Court? Even if there were some frictions, they were mere misunderstandings."
Ao Zhan sneered: "No need for niceties. Considering you’ve been relatively well-behaved in the past, my elder brother is giving you an opportunity this time."
He paused, then emphasized: "Kill Gao Xuan, and all past grievances will be written off. I assure you safe passage home for the Buddhist Sect."
At these words, Xuan Ye, Xuan Jing, and the others turned pale.
Their earlier change of expression had been somewhat deliberate. This time, they were genuinely shocked.
Ao Dongcheng was indeed ruthless, directly attempting to drive a wedge between them, ensuring that regardless of success or failure, the Dragon Race stood to gain from their conflict.
Xuan Ye and the others had secretly spread news of Ao Ming’s death, hoping to incite the Dragon Race into action. This was a covert conspiracy.
But Ao Dongcheng’s direct coercion to kill Gao Xuan was an open stratagem. If they refused, Ao Dongcheng would have a legitimate excuse to kill them.
Xuan Ye was a bit stunned; Ao Dongcheng’s move was truly ruthless and straightforward, leaving him no room for negotiation.
Either they fight to the death with the Dragon Court, or they obey the Dragon Court and kill Gao Xuan—there is no third option!
But no matter how they choose, there were no benefits.
The Dragon Court might be formidable, but was Gao Xuan easier to deal with?
Twelfth Tribulation Human Immortal Lin Jianghong was wiped out in an instant, without leaving a trace.
Xuan Ye said to Ao Zhan: "This matter is of great importance; allow us to consider it carefully."
Ao Zhan arrogantly said: "Once the dharma assembly starts, Gao Xuan will be the first to take the stage to preach. You must act then. Either Gao Xuan dies, or you die, make your choice."
Without waiting for Xuan Ye’s reply, Ao Zhan had already turned and left with a sweep of his sleeve.
The many Buddhist Sect experts watched Ao Zhan’s departing figure, each with a face as dark as water.
Xuan Jing asked Xuan Ye: "What should we do?"
Xuan Yan, very upset, said: "The Dragon Race is extremely arrogant; we cannot let them dictate to us."
Xuan Yan, originally a delicate-looking woman, now even had her eyebrows standing up in anger.
As the dignified leader of the Thunder Sound True Words Sect, she had never been insulted to her face like this. Hence her extreme anger.
Xuan Jing was not as hot-tempered; he advised Xuan Yan: "Getting angry won’t help; the key is what we choose to do now."
Xuan Ye asked: "Do we have a choice?"
The Dragon Court is powerful and has planned for a long time, setting up a Grand Array on Celestial Dragon Island. They had every advantage of timing, geography, and unity. In this place, the Buddhist Sect has no chance of luck.
Xuan Yan thought for a moment and said: "We can find Gao Xuan and the Daoist Sect to join forces to break the Grand Array!"
"Heh..."
Xuan Ye sneered: "The Daoist Sect is a scattered mess. While we’re still discussing, who knows how many have gone to the Dragon Court to surrender? As for Gao Xuan..."
He hesitated; he really couldn’t see through Gao Xuan. Given the current situation, Gao Xuan was doomed to fail.
After all, Gao Xuan was just one person, while the Dragon Court was filled with strong ones and had set up a Grand Array. How could they not defeat Gao Xuan? Impossible!
Xuan Ye said: "So, we have no choice!"
Xuan Yan furrowed her delicate brows: "Even if we obediently kill Gao Xuan, what if the Dragon Race turns against us afterward?"
"Dragon King Ao Dongcheng is the strongest in the Eastern Province; surely he won’t go back on his word?"
Xuan Jing had much respect for Ao Dongcheng and thought following the Dragon Race was the only way to survive.
"Placing your life and death in the hands of others, hoping for their mercy—this isn’t childishness; it’s foolishness!"
Xuan Yan, though a woman, was much tougher in character than Xuan Jing.
Xuan Ye also knew Xuan Yan spoke sense. The problem was that they were now forced into a corner; partnering with Gao Xuan carried too many uncertainties.
At this point, Xuan Ye couldn’t help but hesitate.
It’s not that he lacked decisiveness or courage. But this concerned his own life and the survival of the sect. Such a major decision couldn’t be made on decisiveness and courage alone.
If they chose wrongly, thousands of years of the Buddhist Sect’s effort would go to waste. It’s uncertain if the Buddhist Sect could even continue to exist.
This responsibility was too great; as the head of the Buddhist Sect, Xuan Ye had to bear it.
At this point, all the Buddhist Sect’s strongmen joined in the discussion.
The more people there were, the more opinions there were. Faced with the unpredictable Celestial Mandate, no one could convince the others. They bickered with each other.
The clamor was aggravating to Xuan Ye. He glanced at Jin Xiang, who stood calmly by his side, as stable as a mountain and as substantial as the earth, silent yet imposing.
In contrast, the many Buddhist Sect strongmen were like a bunch of ducks, just noisy and troublesome.
The best course of action now would be to send Jin Xiang. With the Dragon Elephant Demon-Slaying Pestle, he could temporarily increase his power tenfold.
For others, this might not be very useful since the laws of this realm limit the power of Primordial Qi.
However, Jin Xiang cultivates the Vajra Power King Scripture; his power is concentrated in his physical body. The power granted by the Dragon Elephant Demon-Slaying Pestle could be manifested through his body to a degree of five or six-tenths.
In other words, Jin Xiang could temporarily exceed the power limit of the Cyan Celestial Realm using the Dragon Elephant Demon-Slaying Pestle.
This was terrifying power.
Xuan Ye believed that Jin Xiang in such a state could kill him with a palm strike. However, Jin Xiang was the ultimate trump card.
The issue was, with Jin Xiang being so powerful, the Dragon Race would definitely be more wary of him. If they killed Gao Xuan, the Dragon Race would surely not spare Jin Xiang.
But if Jin Xiang didn’t take the stage, who could be a match for Gao Xuan?
Xuan Ye was confident, but he knew he was notably different from Gao Xuan. Unless all the Buddhist Sect strongmen attacked at once and formed the Array of Five Hundred Arhats Subduing Demons, there might be a chance to kill Gao Xuan.
