C304: Li Mingyu's Strategy

The cage formed by the seal began to wither away, like dust being blown off by wind. But Han Xuhan's senses were left tingling. An invisible sensation of stuffiness permeated the tower, as if beyond the limits of his vision, unfamiliar elements were flowing into his surroundings like magnets drawing in metals.

This could not be a normal phenomenon. He was watching something extraordinary here—his instincts screamed it. But being clueless about the higher realms of cultivation, Han Xuhan had no idea what really was happening.

When the cage fully disappeared in thin air, Li Mingyu spoke again.

"After the Holy Land of Laws was wiped out, many people lost the skepticism they had regarding the prophecy of extinction. I was at the forefront of this group. I left my sect frequently to gather information from all across the planet, even going as far as infiltrating other powerful factions to get a grasp on their investigations and preparations. This took decades of hard work, but in the end, I had managed to compile just enough reliable facts and resources to make a big move. I relied on my own ability as an oracle to peer into the threads of fate that gave birth to this prophecy of extinction!"

Something like that can be done as well?! Han Xuhan's jaws had never really gotten back together since the beginning of this exchange. He had always wished that these senior cultivators, the eccentric old monsters, would have a straightforward personality and an open heart. But now that he had met one, he felt like a caveman whose whole life had been spent watching the shadows on the walls of the cave, deeming that flat landscape the real world. After suddenly learning about the depth of reality he had been missing, he could not feel happy at all!

"My bold attempt was a success," Li Mingyu continued. "But the results were so alarming that I could not celebrate! My predictions told me that the dreaded apocalypse was not as far away as anyone expected. In fact, it isn't even something any sect on this planet could make a stand against. Our defeat isn't a possibility! It was already the truth! And we were only too blind to understand it!"

Han Xuhan finally mustered up enough force in his voice to speak. "...How...how long ago was this?"

"My attempt? Just ten years ago. As for the realization of the prophecy, I learned that it was more or less close to its completion even then. Throughout the last ten years, just the final strokes of the brush have been laid down. If I had to estimate a figure, I'd say that nine-tenths of the prophecy has been fulfilled, unnoticed by all. The remaining ten percent is just facts ready to fall into place. The wheel of fate has been moving, and the momentum it has gathered is impossible to thwart. It will complete its course."

"Wait a damn minute, why does it seem like... Are you implying that this planet may be destroyed soon after this tournament comes to an end?" Han Xuhan's horror finally overtook his rational thinking.

Li Mingyu's mouth stretched into a sad smile. "This tournament IS the event where the apocalypse shall begin. And there will be no 'after' for us. At least I didn't see it."

Hands pulling at his own hair, Han Xuhan started pacing around Li Mingyu in silence. Perhaps the man thought he was becoming too distraught to deal with. So he fished up the actual topic they had been discussing in the beginning.

"Naturally, I revealed some hints of my prediction to the Elders of this sect, hoping for their cooperation in coming up with a solution to safeguard ourselves. It is ironic, really. I should have foreseen that my revelation would only drive them towards drastic outcomes. I suppose I was too obsessed with the prophecy of extinction to notice how my actions brought forth the extinction of my sect behind me.

When I realized what they were planning, it was too late! Feng Jun, leading the top talents of his generation, had been led down a path of no return by those elders. I could not stop them! Even when I warned them that they'd fail, they ignored me. And after they failed, they latched onto darker solutions—the demonic arts in the forbidden sections of the sect's archives. And now, all those twisted paths and extreme plans have converged under the wheel of fate, guiding you to appear in front of me, holding the interests of my sect in your hand, as if you want to safeguard my sect more than I do. As if you have the capability!"

Finally, Han Xuhan saw a trace of anger flash across Li Mingyu's eyes. It was retracted quickly enough. But even so, Han Xuhan managed to anchor his scattered mind back to his present situation.

He had been overlooking the first principle of surviving the world of cultivation. Li Mingyu's revelation was logically airtight. But that didn't mean he had to believe all of it. And even if he did, thwarting the prophecy wasn't his job. In Li Mingyu's own words, he didn't have such capabilities. What he could do was relay the concern over to his superiors, Xuan Zi and Kong Ye. Although both of them probably knew about the prophecy, they couldn't be aware of the possibility that it was about to come true within the next few days!

Facing such a grim future, or the lack of any future, anyone would feel that all other personal concerns and dealings were meaningless at the moment. But Han Xuhan was so used to being in this exact position as a cultivator that it didn't even occur to him to give up the pursuit of his goals for coming here.

He had come to visit sect master Li Mingyu to convince him to protect the Phoenix faction. He wasn't going to leave just because of some unverified fairytale. Since it didn't seem like his opponent was willing, he could only use brute force!

"Master Mingyu, just a minute ago, you were boldly showing off the natural phenomena caused by your cultivation technique, expressing your unwillingness to give in to the poor fate approaching you and your sect. Since you think you are more qualified than me to safeguard your sect's interests, it means you've already made some plans that gave you a little confidence.

Now, I'm no oracle myself, but I am good at deductions. So... could any of your plans consist of letting the Elders of your sect do as they want, fail miserably, be caught for their crimes, so that you can unite the rest of the woefully divided sect against them and take over the absolute control of all five factions of the Stardust sect despite being so weak?"