A Hand that Covers the Sky
Hearing Murong Gong's words, Bai Gufeng and the others were left speechless.
It now became clear why Murong Gong's relationship with the senior was so good.
The senior had sought him out personally.
They had all approached indirectly.
Even Long Aotian, who had a slightly better connection, was only favored because this was his homeland.
Viewed this way, it was evident whom the senior valued more.
It had to be Murong Gong.
Bai Gufeng and the others stared at Murong Gong as if seeing him in a new light.
Murong Gong was quite smug, holding his head a little higher.
At this point, Long Aotian said, "Analyzing our experiences, the senior must be planning something monumental!"
Hearing this, the others fell into contemplation and nodded.
"Indeed, the senior has everything under control, having foreseen all this! Look at us, we wield considerable influence in the mortal realm and possess great strength. Brother Gong, with the senior's help, has rapidly developed the Ping'an Sect into a top faction! Now that the senior has connected us all, there must be a profound meaning behind it!"
"Exactly, I've long suspected that the senior is playing an earth-shattering game of chess!"
They continued, each adding their own thoughts.
Suddenly, Long Aotian's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Everyone, have you noticed something? There are five of us here!"
"Huh?" The others didn't understand Long Aotian's point.
Long Aotian took a deep breath, calming his shock before continuing, "Think about it, how many fingers does a hand have?"
Murong Gong and the others answered without hesitation.
Of course, five.
But as soon as they said it, they were stunned.
"Exactly, five people! And here we are, five individuals, all leaders of top factions in the mortal realm! Our encounters with the senior, and why it's us specifically, are no coincidence. It's all meticulously arranged by the senior!"
Long Aotian's eyes bulged, his expression one of astonishment as he said, "Five fingers make a hand. The senior has us firmly in his grasp!!"
Hiss!
Murong Gong and the others drew in a sharp breath as they heard this.
In that moment, they finally understood everything.
The senior had been controlling their destinies from the very beginning!
Holding them firmly in his hand!
They were just pawns!
Realizing this, the five looked at each other in amazement.
"The senior is definitely playing a game of cosmic chess! And we are the decisive pieces!"
They exclaimed in unison.
As their words faded, silence fell for a long moment.
After the initial shock, none of them had any complaints.
They didn't feel that being pawns was a bad thing.
Instead, their faces were filled with admiration and awe.
Such a mastermind was truly terrifying!
They were considered top figures in the mortal realm.
Yet they were firmly held in the palm of his hand.
What about the vast multitudes of ordinary people?
It went without saying!
This kind of mastermind, controlling the entire mortal realm with one hand, how powerful must he be?!
Murong Gong suddenly bowed to Long Aotian and the others with a serious expression, "Gentlemen, I'm honored to be a pawn of the senior, just like you."
Seeing this, Long Aotian and the others also bowed in return,
Acting as if they were all close friends.
Their faces now showed expressions of honor.
Being pawns of such a mastermind was indeed something to be proud of.
Look at how, in this short time, they had all benefited and grown stronger.
And all of this happened from the moment they became the senior's pawns.
Murong Gong was now the most pleased.
Because he felt he was the senior's most important pawn.
After all, in terms of cultivation, he couldn't compare to these four.
But he had become the senior's most crucial piece!
As the five were wildly speculating about Chen Ping'an's power,
A little girl came skipping back from the marketplace.
She held a small bag of seeds in her hand.
They were seeds of different fruits.
There were snow pears.
There were apples.
There were tangerines.
And there were grapes.
The first three were trees, not requiring much land preparation, just digging a hole would do.
Grapes were similar, but they needed a trellis.
She was thinking about going to cut some bamboo.
It would be best to get it done before Chen Ping'an returned, and have the fruits bear fruit.
This way, Chen Ping'an couldn't stop her.
This was called a fait accompli.
These idioms were taught to her by Chen Ping'an.
Upon returning to the courtyard, Su Ling saw Murong Gong and the others.
Being polite, she sweetly called out, "Hello, grandfathers."
Murong Gong smiled and stepped forward, asking, "Little Ling, where's the senior?"
Murong Gong had noticed that Chen Ping'an wasn't with Su Ling.
Su Ling replied, "Big brother went out, he might not be back until tonight."
Hearing this, their faces fell.
By nightfall, tens of thousands more people might die!
And that group of vicious immortals might be gone by then.
"Then Little Ling, do you have any way to find the senior? We have urgent matters to discuss with him," Murong Gong continued.
Hearing this, Su Ling's beautiful big eyes widened a bit, then she quickly shook her head.
Then, patting her still undeveloped chest, she said, "Actually, if there's anything, I can help you too!"
Her serious demeanor seemed to say,
I'm actually very strong, you know.
Su Ling was actually just afraid that if Chen Ping'an returned, she wouldn't be able to continue with her fait accompli...
Murong Gong was stunned upon hearing this.
At this moment, Su Ling seemed to understand what Murong Gong and the others were concerned about. She suddenly pointed in a direction and said, "Is it because of those people?"
Her gaze seemed to penetrate tens of thousands of miles.
Murong Gong looked in the direction Su Ling was pointing.
But he saw nothing, just patches of white clouds.
Long Aotian said, "The people we need to deal with are a group of bad guys wearing red clothes!"
Hearing this, Su Ling said, "Then it's them. Let me help you deal with them. There's no need to trouble big brother with such simple matters."
Murong Gong and the others smiled bitterly when they heard the phrase "simple matters."
Apparently, to this little girl who looked only six or seven years old, immortals were "simple"...
However, they also sensed Su Ling's powerful aura. After exchanging glances, they all nodded.
Following the senior, Su Ling must be quite strong, right?
She should be able to handle those people, right?
Actually, they weren't entirely sure and were worried that Little Ling might get hurt.
Seeing their agreement, Su Ling's eyes focused as she reached out with one hand towards that part of the sky.
It was as if she was grabbing a handful of air.
Then,
In that part of the sky, a terrifying giant hand suddenly appeared.
That hand seemed capable of covering the entire sky!!