Faced with the doubts of the White-browed Elder Monk, Daoist Qingxuan understood and immediately chuckled softly: "Rejuvenation of the Hidden Dragon must have the Mandate of Heaven. Does the Master believe that these peaceful days can last forever?"

"Hmm!?"

The White-browed Elder Monk’s eyes narrowed, looking at Qingxuan with a mix of surprise and doubt.

Hidden Dragon’s Celestial Destiny!

The reasoning is self-evident; if the world were not in chaos and the Court powerless to suppress it, how would the Hidden Dragon rise?

Heroes need circumstances, and kings require the Mandate of Heaven!

Therefore, before the True Dragon gains momentum, someone will surely act as a king’s precursor, stirring the world into chaos, causing the old dynasty to collapse, giving the new dynasty its chance.

Thus, the question arises!

Why does the world fall into chaos?

Just because of those mortals?

Clearly unlikely; there must be a greater cause, like the Drought Demon King, providing the opportunity for the Hidden Dragon’s Celestial Destiny.

This chaos is an opportunity for the Hidden Dragon, but for others, it is a deadly calamity. Didn’t the chaos of the Drought Demon King result in countless Divine Beings being injured or even the fall of a Great Divine Ability of Junior Third Grade?

According to Daoist Qingxuan’s words, the Rejuvenation of the Hidden Dragon must have the Mandate of Heaven, implying that even in Yangzhou or throughout the South, one may witness a chaos akin to the Drought Demon King’s?

That’s very likely, perhaps even more severe. After all, the Drought Demon King has already been suppressed, which seems to have only greatly harmed the Primordial Qi of Great Chen, weakening the nation’s power. To truly cause the old dynasty to collapse and achieve the Hidden Dragon’s Celestial Mandate, a more powerful blow is needed.

Thus, Qingping Temple’s allegiance to the Hidden Dragon is understandable.

The Three Religions are roughly equal in scale, with Qingping Temple’s strength surpassing his newly established Qingye Temple, so their alliance with the Dragon Qi shows the peril of this Era of Turmoil.

In an Era of Turmoil, for those who do not wish to drift with the current, they can only follow the Hidden Dragon, relying on the protection of Dragon Qi to withstand this calamity. Otherwise, trapped in the disaster, not only will they suffer calamity, but there is also a future risk of being crushed by Dragon Qi.

After all, Dragon Qi is supreme and cannot tolerate others remaining aloof and ungoverned.

One must either follow submissively or be ground to powder!

The White-browed Elder Monk’s eyes narrowed again as he probed Qingxuan: "What kind of Mandate of Heaven?"

"Celestial Secrets cannot be revealed!"

Daoist Qingxuan smiled: "But since the Hidden Dragon has entered the world, there must be an opportunity of the Celestial Mandate."

"..."

The White-browed Elder Monk fell silent once more.

The true form of the Hidden Dragon is a Great Divine Ability, or even a Celestial God, capable of calculating the secrets of fate.

Therefore, they won’t easily enter the world, and if they do, there must be an opportunity of the Celestial Mandate.

The Mandate of Heaven!

The two words weighed like a mountain on the heart, making it hard to breathe.

"Amitabha Buddha!"

The White-browed Elder Monk sighed and spoke again to Qingxuan: "I ask you to teach me, Daoist Brother!"

These words show intent, revealing an inquiry about allegiance.

"Ha!"

Daoist Qingxuan laughed: "The Hidden Dragon possesses the momentum of the Mandate of Heaven. The Song Clan will act as the king’s precursor. As long as they are forced to rise, His Highness will have grounds to dispatch troops to quell this insubordination and thereby seamlessly gain control over the Three Prefectures of Yangzhou, laying the foundation for the King’s Path. Once changes occur in the capital or the lands become tumultuous, the opportunity to achieve the great endeavor of Restoration Ascension will present itself!"

"Daoist Brother is indeed far-sighted."

The White-browed Elder Monk sighed, his eyes filled with consideration and contemplation.

The Song Clan, entrenched in Jinyang, secured their position not just through strength but primarily because the Court tolerated and placated them, maintaining peace.

The Court’s reason for maintaining peace was due to millions of people under their rule, avoiding inciting upheaval and bearing the resulting consequences.

This caution allowed the Song Clan to grow big and even enabled Li Mubai to usurp the Prefect’s authority, monopolizing military and political power in Jinyang as Deputy Governor.

This is the Song Clan’s greatest reliance. Without it, the Court could easily deal with a local powerful family.

And Prince Liang from Jinling, exiled to Yangzhou for three years, leveraged his princely status and widespread public sympathy to build influence in the State Mansion, amassing significant support from powers like Qingping Temple. Now, he’s just waiting for an opportunity to launch a campaign.

The state’s major affairs lie in sacrifices and war!

Once the move to arms is made, Prince Liang will seize the moment to assert authority, establish offices, and gain control over Yangzhou’s military and political power, laying the foundation for the King’s Path.

Thus, he does not worry about the Song Clan’s reliance; instead, he intends to exploit it. Only by forcing the Song Clan to rebel can he justifiably mobilize troops to capture Jinyang.

In recent years, the Song Clan has rapidly expanded, winning over the people’s hearts through various means, but they’ve also offended many local powers and noble families, especially with their theatrical public accusations of officials, which are vividly remembered by statesmen, prefectures, and local noble families.

Not just back then, even in recent years, it has worsened, doing whatever they please under the guise of punishing evil, forcing many families in Jinyang Prefecture to enact "great righteousness against kin," living daily under the pressure of their Orthodox Technique and unable to sleep peacefully.

Thus, if the Hidden Dragon removes them, it will surely win the hearts of Jinyang Families, and they will eagerly welcome the royal army with food and wine.

Considering this, if the Song Clan has no other tactics, they will likely end up as the king’s precursor, becoming the stepping stone for the Hidden Dragon’s destiny.

However...

The White-browed Elder Monk looked up at Qingxuan: "The strategies in the mortal world are impeccable, but in the Underworld, Song Xiang is extraordinary. Over the years, he has swept away many Demons and Monsters in Jinyang Land and gained the favor of the Jinyang Prefect, who even intends to pass on his mantle. How will the Hidden Dragon eliminate this villain?"

In this world, the Divine Dao reigns supreme, and no matter how well humans strategize, without the help of Deities above, it is mere illusion, difficult to realize.

Therefore, the Hidden Dragon’s real challenge in capturing Jinyang is not the small obstacle of the Song Clan, but the great difficulty of the Divine Judgment Temple.

Song Xiang!

Though merely a Sixth Grade True God, he possesses numerous miraculous methods, not only incredibly effective in governance but also extraordinarily powerful in combat. In his early days as a Sixth Grade, he entered the Red Lotus Realm to slay the Venerable Red Lotus, and in recent years, roamed Jinyang, eliminating countless evil spirits, rumored even to have fought one of the Lanruo Old Demon’s generals in the Lanruo Ghost Realm, managing to retreat unscathed after a draw.

Considering all his achievements, even a Fifth-rank True God might have little hope of victory against him.

Beyond that, there’s also the Jinyang Prefect, a Fourth-rank True God who is somewhat of a patron for Song Xiang.

To bring him down, unless...

"Master, rest assured!"

Daoist Qingxuan smiled: "He’s just a Sixth Grade True God, and not even independent. Once the Song Clan raises its banner, His Highness will issue an order to strip him of his title, branding him as an Evil God and illicit deity, cutting off his incense at the root. Then, the State Mansion can mobilize forces, and combined with the efforts of our Daoist and Buddhist Religions, taking down his Divine Judgment Temple will be easy!"

"As for the Jinyang Prefect, a Fourth-rank True God, he can surely see the situation clearly. Once the Hidden Dragon acts, he will likely cease his support, perhaps even cooperate to strip Song Xiang of his title, retaking his Divine Seal, making his removal even easier!"

Daoist Qingxuan’s words clearly elucidated the Underworld strategies.

"Such arrangements are indeed proper."

The White-browed Elder Monk nodded in agreement with the plan, only asking, "How does His Highness intend for our Buddhist Sect to contribute?"

Daoist Qingxuan smiled: "Though the Song Clan has done evil, the common people of Jinyang are innocent. His Highness does not wish to see blood flow like rivers across Jinyang Land, especially in Qinghe County, Little Yellow Mountain, and the villages around the Divine Judgment Temple, whose people are deeply bewitched by it and would likely sacrifice themselves for it. His Highness does not desire such outcomes, so he hopes we can unite, employing covert agents within, to minimize civilian casualties, and perhaps even capture Jinyang intact without bloodshed."

"His Highness is compassionate!"

Upon hearing this, the White-browed Elder Monk was moved, bringing his hands together in prayer, chanting a Buddha’s name.

In recent years, the Divine Judgment Temple has gained significant momentum, with various factions not merely standing by but inserting covert agents within, a reasonable measure. Though hindered by Song Xiang’s methods from obtaining high positions, they can be unexpectedly effective at critical moments.

Of course, the Hidden Dragon’s intention goes beyond this. Primarily, it seeks to fill the void in faith and stabilize public sentiment for its use. Otherwise, if Jinyang were left a river of blood, with empty households, the Hidden Dragon gains nothing.

Thus, this meticulously constructed strategy awaits only the right moment to unleash a thunderous strike.

Meanwhile...