The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

No matter how puzzled Lu Sangjiu was, that was simply what happened.

The moment the Heavenly Tribulation stopped, she smoothly advanced to the Mid-stage Nascent Soul, and there were no further complications.

Xie Ningyuan, who had been standing guard, immediately walked over. ”Are you all right?”

Lu Sangjiu nodded. ”I’m perfectly fine. In fact... this might have been the easiest Heavenly Tribulation I’ve ever faced.”

At her words, Xie Ningyuan’s brow furrowed. ”That’s actually more worrying.”

Lu Sangjiu shook her head. ”Forget it. Whatever nasty surprise the Pseudo Heavenly Dao is planning, there’s no point in dwelling on it now. We need to focus on what we have to do.”

Xie Ningyuan nodded. ”Let’s head back to Bodhi City.”

The two reapplied their disguises and returned to their inn in Bodhi City. It was only when Lu Sangjiu took out her Communication Talisman that she saw a message from Luo Linlang.

The message had been sent the previous night. It said that both Duan Xingyun and Shen Yuzhao were making smooth progress.

Shen Yuzhao, in particular, had a delightful surprise. After his Unwarranted Green Flame devoured the last traces of the Samadhi True Fire, it had evolved into a new type of Abnormal Fire!

They didn’t know what it was exactly, but the eerie green flame was undeniably more powerful than both the Unwarranted Green Flame and the Samadhi True Fire!

Out of curiosity, Luo Linlang had even tested her own Phoenix True Fire against his, and she had lost, no question about it!

The Phoenix True Fire was a flame unique to the Phoenix Bloodline, one that had been thought extinct for many years. Despite that, it was still on the list of ranked Abnormal Fires—at number five!

For Shen Yuzhao’s eerie green flame to be stronger than the Phoenix True Fire, it had to be ranked in the top four. However, none of the top four Abnormal Fires were green. This led them to speculate that it might be a completely new type of flame, one never seen before.

Of course... it could also be a Divine Fire, the kind that only exists in the Upper Realm.

But with their limited experience, they had no way of knowing for sure.

Additionally, Shen Yuzhao’s cultivation had also risen to the Late-stage Golden Core thanks to his Abnormal Fire’s evolution. Although he hadn’t broken through to the Nascent Soul realm yet, in terms of sheer power, his new Abnormal Fire put him on par with a Nascent Soul cultivator.

As for Duan Xingyun, after completely refining the Life Crossing Pill, his old hidden injuries were fully healed. He was now using the elixir’s residual Spiritual Power to officially attempt his breakthrough to the Body Integration Realm.

They all knew that strength was crucial for the task ahead of them.

That’s why Duan Xingyun hadn’t hesitated, attempting the breakthrough to the Body Integration Realm immediately without any further preparation!

This string of good news put Lu Sangjiu in high spirits, though she couldn’t help but worry about whether Duan Xingyun’s advancement would succeed.

Xie Ningyuan reassured her, ”Don’t worry. Before we left, I gave your master all the High-level Elixir Pills I had.”

”Besides, he languished in the Divinity Transformation Stage for years because of his old injuries. His foundation is more than solid enough, so this advancement shouldn’t be too problematic.”

Lu Sangjiu nodded. ”I hope so!”

Still, it wasn’t something an outsider could help with, and there was no use in worrying needlessly.

So she soon put it out of her mind and focused on planning the infiltration of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect with Xie Ningyuan.

”We still don’t know the specific situation inside the sect. I think I should go in first to gather some intelligence, and then we can decide what to do.”

’With his Thousand Faces of Life and his extensive knowledge of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, Xie Ningyuan going alone was indeed the best option.’

Lu Sangjiu didn’t argue, simply nodding. ”All right. Then focus on finding out Ting Chan’s movements. Once we know his destination, we can plan the ambush.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, ”Don’t forget your sect’s Ancestor is still around. Keep a low profile and don’t draw his attention.”

Xie Ningyuan smiled and nodded. ”Don’t worry, I know what to do.”

After Xie Ningyuan left, Lu Sangjiu, of course, couldn’t just sit around and wait at the inn.

She went straight to the biggest teahouse in the city and sat there for the afternoon, watching people come and go and listening to their conversations.

The information she gathered wasn’t very specific, but her efforts weren’t entirely fruitless.

When she returned to the inn that evening, she received a message from Feng Lin.

”Fellow Daoist Lu, I told my master and the Sect Leader everything, but... it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.”

To put it simply, Lingyin Pavilion’s hands are tied. Furthermore, the Western Demon Realm started this war, and if the Cultivation World were the first to propose peace talks, it would only embolden them.

So, the ball is in the Western Demon Realm’s court. If they’re willing to be the first to concede, then there might be a chance for negotiation.

But that’s only a possibility. After all, the Seven Emotions Sect lost a Tribulation Crossing Ancestor. It’s unlikely the Western Demon Realm would be willing to compensate for such a massive loss.

And if they don’t compensate, the Seven Emotions Sect certainly won’t be willing to let the matter rest.

In short, while the war is ostensibly between the Western Demon Realm and the Cultivation World, it involves too many factions. It’s an incredibly complex situation that won’t be resolved easily.

Lu Sangjiu had anticipated this outcome, so she simply replied to Feng Lin, ”I understand. Don’t worry, my master and his allies are already privately contacting old acquaintances in the major sects.”

”Eventually, someone will need to take the lead and gather the major cultivation sects for a joint discussion. When that time comes, we may need your help.”

Feng Lin, who had been full of confidence, felt deeply guilty about his failure. Hearing Lu Sangjiu’s words now, he agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

”What about the Western Demon Realm’s side...?”

Thinking of Cangming, Lu Sangjiu sighed. It was a huge headache, but she composed herself and replied, ”I’ll figure something out.”

On the Western Demon Realm’s side, Fa Shan wasn’t a concern. As long as there was a chance for a peaceful resolution, he would certainly not oppose it.

The only real problem was Cangming, the man who started the war, and his Cold Crow Sect.

Even now, Lu Sangjiu wasn’t entirely sure of Cangming’s true reason for starting the war, so she couldn’t immediately think of an argument that might persuade him.

’Or... should I find a way to kill him?’

’But Cangming has already reached the Tribulation Crossing realm. How could I possibly kill him just because I want to?’

’Besides, peace talks are only possible when there’s a balance of power. If I actually managed to kill Cangming, the Cultivation World would likely seize the opportunity to annihilate the Western Demon Realm completely.’

’Tsk, what a headache.’

After mulling it over, Lu Sangjiu still felt she had to start with this third-party influence. Only by figuring out its role in this mess could she hope to truly end the war.

In the days that followed, Lu Sangjiu received a series of messages from various people.

Lingyin Pavilion, the Joyful Union Sect, the Gold and Silver Gate, the Lingjian Sect, and the Golden Elephant Sect—all five sects gradually softened their stance. They indicated that if there was truly a third party ”sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight,” then they would be willing to negotiate for peace.

However, they all shared the same concerns: other sects might not agree, and the Western Demon Realm might not be willing to concede.

Regardless, the fact that they were willing to soften their stance was a huge plus. Since they couldn’t push for full negotiations yet, the five sects all agreed to help stall for time on the battlefield, which bought Lu Sangjiu and her group some breathing room.

And shortly after, Xie Ningyuan returned from his reconnaissance mission at the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect.