To achieve immortality, I cultivate using Qi Luck

Chapter 899: Chapter 379 Using Spies Against Ning Country_3 Chapter 899: Chapter 379 Using Spies Against Ning Country_3 But as time passed, observing Ziyun Dao’s continued stability within Chu State’s territory and the harmonious relationship between both sides, no matter how much they tried to conceal it, it couldn’t be hidden for much longer.

Ning Country would eventually start to doubt Ziyun Dao’s stance.

Therefore, it was necessary to make some arrangements to stabilize Ning Country’s trust.

So what kind of arrangements could win over the trust of Ning Country?

In fact, the answer was already in front of them.

Two years ago, Feishuang Tao decided to support Chu State.

To show their determination, and also to avoid suppression by Ning Country, they directly relocated their sect, moving into Chu State territory and eventually resettling on Mount Tianshu.

Now, all Ziyun Dao needed to do was to follow in Feishuang Tao’s footsteps, moving the sect disciples into the territory of Ning Country, which would naturally secure Ning’s peace of mind.

To convince those Coastal Aristocratic Families to believe in Ziyun Dao’s determination to rise and fall with them.

“As long as you relocate the sect, you will certainly secure the heart of Ning Country, and then take this opportunity to infiltrate Ning, taking control of its military forces.

And endure for two or three years, until I stabilize the internal affairs, and then lead an army of a million eastward, while you raise two hundred thousand soldiers and submit to my command by offering your territory.

With this, Ning people’s defenses will be wide open, our forces will drive straight in and within a month or two, we will be able to extinguish Ning Country.”
Lu Yuan laid out his plan to Xuan Chengzi, then stared at him with compelling eyes and said in an enticing voice, “When you achieve such an unprecedented feat, no one in the Great Chu Kingdom will be able to match you.

I will also bestow a hefty reward and honor Ziyun Dao with the same status as Feishuang Tao, revered as the state religion.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲ0νǥ0.сο

It had been over two years since Feishuang Tao decided to support Chu State.

As the first Immortal Sect to support Chu State, they revealed to Lu Yuan secrets such as the demise of the Four Extremes and the Ascension of the Nine Provinces, allowing Chu State to adjust its strategic layout early to face the upcoming great changes in the Nine Provinces.

One could say they deserved the major credit.

Then they supported Lu Yuan with a thousand elixirs and three Protector God Generals, helping Chu State win the Great War among the Five Kingdoms.

The contributions of Feishuang Tao to Chu State were indeed significant.

Therefore, logically speaking, now that Lu Yuan had won the victory, he should favor Feishuang Tao to repay their investment of support.

But all these were merely common sense.

Beyond being helpful to Chu State, Feishuang Tao itself was no good character either.

Last year, when the cultivators of the Nine Provinces prepared to cross the sea, those thieves of Feishuang Tao secretly started digging Chu State’s corners.

Especially that old guy from Jinyun, who personally went to Hanzhong to find Huang Xuan, trying to persuade this governor of the western three prefectures of Chu to abandon his post and leave with him on Feishuang Tao’s ship to ascend to the Immortal Realm.

People from Feishuang Tao also came to persuade Qingyunzi.

Of course, the outcome goes without saying, how could Lu Yuan’s two avatars abandon their own body to go playing ascension with them?

Therefore, the results of persuasion naturally led to unhappy partings.

Jinyun assumed his actions were covert and since the two avatars didn’t make a report to the King of Chu, he thought the matter would just pass.

But Lu Yuan had always kept this incident in mind.

If it weren’t for the fact that Huang Xuan and Qingyunzi were his avatars and couldn’t possibly betray him,
it might have been as the rumors said, that these two individuals had been loose cultivators who joined Chu State simply for worldly wealth and status due to no hope in the Immortal Method.

If that had been the case, Feishuang Tao’s underhanded actions might have indeed worked this time.

After all, the temptation of ascending to the Immortal Realm is extraordinarily great for a cultivator.

Don’t you see that right now all the cultivators in the Nine Provinces have gathered together, deciding to ascend en masse?

And by then, if Chu Country lost two Inborn second-realm cultivators, its top tier combat strength would be reduced by nearly a third in an instant.

The losses involved are not something Feishuang Tao could compensate for with just three god generals and a thousand elixirs.

So Lu Yuan naturally harbored deep hatred for Feishuang Tao’s impure intentions.

It was only because the Great War among The Five Kingdoms was about to commence, with great foes in front of them, that Chu Country had to rely on Feishuang Tao’s power and he had to suppress his anger, acting as if nothing ever happened.

He even commanded both avatars to discreetly hide the incident, to confuse Feishuang Tao and set their minds at ease.

But this was just a stalling tactic.

In the future, Lu Yuan would naturally seek his revenge.

Now that Ziyun Dao had switched sides, this Immortal Sect, just like Feishuang Tao, wasn’t something good for Chu State.

So Lu Yuan naturally had no more worries.

In the future, he would openly elevate Ziyun Dao, granting it the same status as Feishuang Tao, letting them be jointly ennobled as state religions, and have them fight each other out like dogs.

As for the initial promise of honoring Feishuang Tao as the state religion…

Who ever stipulated that there could be only one sect as the state religion?

Besides, having Feishuang Tao dominate alone isn’t good for the state either.

Having Ziyun Dao to counterbalance and restrain it is also good for Chu State.

At the same time, it would allow both sects to weaken themselves in the struggle, so when they are both exhausted from the fight, it would be much easier for Lu Yuan to clean up.

‘Heh, let these two thieving sects fight each other for now.

When I unify the world, then I’ll deal with you.’
In Lu Yuan’s mind, he had already thought of seventeen or eighteen ways to slowly handle Ziyun Dao and Feishuang Tao in the future.

But naturally, Xuan Chengzi had no idea about these thoughts in Lu Yuan’s mind.

Ɲ0νǥο.сο

However, after considering Lu Yuan’s previously mentioned plan and the enticement of becoming the state religion, Xuan Chengzi’s eyes brightened.

This plan was indeed highly feasible.

And after successful accomplishment, such a meritorious deed would surely enable Ziyun Dao to firmly establish itself within Chu State territory.

When Lu Yuan keeps his promise and ennobles Ziyun Dao as the state religion,
‘With the name of the state religion and enjoying the same noble position, what can that mere Feishuang Tao do to compete with me?’
Thinking thus in his heart, Xuan Chengzi immediately said, “Your Majesty’s strategic brilliance is unmatched.

Our Ziyun Dao is willing to follow the plan.”
…

On the tenth month of the eleventh year of Shenwu,
the number one Daoist Path of Yangzhou, Ziyun Dao, fled to Ning Country under the pretext of Chu State’s tyranny, swearing not to serve Chu anymore.

Upon their entrance into Ning, Ziyun Dao’s master Xuan Chengzi, commanded elders Xuan Yi and Xuan Yu to enter into the service of Ning Country.

Emperor Shenqiu of Ning was overjoyed upon hearing this.

He then bestowed the original Mountain Gate of Feishuang Tao, Miluo Mountain, upon Ziyun Dao for the Righteous Heroes to settle.

As for elders Xuan Yi and Xuan Yu, both were ennobled as Martial Marquises, each tasked with governing tens of thousands of soldiers, stationed on the nation’s borders to guard against Chu people.

With the arrival of Ziyun Dao to Ning, the sagging spirit of the country was revived to some extent.

The hearts of the Coastal Aristocratic Family were somewhat settled.