Chapter 259: Uncle and Nephew Join Hands Again, The Empress Feels the Heat Beneath Her Feet, Deeply Disdainful (1)
The Empress Beauty paused briefly, then quickly extracted the core point from that sentence.
For a moment, she didn't quite know what to say.
"Not bad, we can use them as hostages to force the Heavenly Dao Sect to obey!"
"The Heavenly Dao Master claims to act for the sake of all living beings, yet she can't even protect those close to her."
"If something like this really happens, who would dare follow her again in the future?"
Su Qing admitted it cleanly.
"So, you're planning to exploit the Heavenly Dao Master's so-called righteous stance?"
The Empress Beauty said thoughtfully.
The reason she hadn't considered such a tactic was simply that she rarely used such methods.
But hearing this suggestion from her favored subject, it actually sounded quite effective.
"Exactly. Those righteous sects claim to act for the world. Of course they can't abandon meritorious people."
"Righteousness always works like this. If we were dealing with demonic sects, it might actually be harder."
"If they can be cruel enough to ignore this, then what kind of righteous sect are they?"
Su Qing responded straightforwardly.
He had no psychological burden doing things like this.
After all, Ye Xueyi and Yun Rong had genuinely turned over a new leaf and were willing to cooperate with him.
Their ultimate goal was simple: to make the Heavenly Dao Sect better.
The method didn't matter. What mattered was bringing them back from the wrong path!
The next day.
The Heavenly Dao Sect had reactivated its grand formation and was fully prepared.
The Heavenly Dao Master had already announced the upgraded protective formation, claiming it could absolutely resist any assault.
The sect's top experts were stationed at various key points to ensure no one could sneak in.
This series of actions gave the previously shaken morale of the sect some reassurance.
As long as the formation held, they believed it could repel any attack!
After all, sustaining a siege required massive resources. The longer it dragged on, the more the attackers would suffer.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Dao Sect was rich in resources and had no fear of shortages.
As time dragged on, their position would only strengthen. Delaying was victory!
At the main gate of the Heavenly Dao Sect.
The Heavenly Dao Master stood behind the grand formation with other sect leaders, coldly watching the arrivals.
"Why so unfriendly, folks? I came here in good faith. Surely you're not so scared of me that you needed all these people here?"
Su Qing swept his gaze across the crowd, eyes full of provocation.
"Brat, if you've got the guts, come in and talk. If not, crawl back to your mommy!"
A hot-tempered sect master shouted on the spot.
His words immediately drew a burst of laughter.
"Yeah, if you came to visit, why not come inside?"
"Is the Empress really so short on people that she sends a kid like this to embarrass himself?"
Whether sect leaders, elders, or disciples watching the scene, all laughed heartily.
"You guys are making me feel a bit shy. I truly came here with good intentions."
"They really want to return to the sect. I'm just kind enough to let them see this place."
As Su Qing spoke, he looked behind him.
Two figures stumbled toward the Heavenly Dao Sect.
The laughter abruptly died.
They stared at the approaching pair with eyes full of shock and disbelief.
And... unmistakable, blazing fury.
Most of those present were sect high-ups. Many things went without saying.
Ye Xueyi, the Divine Maiden—of course they recognized her. Not long ago, she had been taken by this vile brat.
Yun Rong might have seemed like a traitor, but in truth, she had been on a secret mission.
These two were clearly their own people!
The Heavenly Dao Master's face darkened.
What she had feared had finally happened.
Their footsteps were unsteady, looking incredibly weak, as if they might collapse any second.
It was easy to imagine what kind of torment they had suffered.
Both were tied with ropes, giving them a tragic, sorrowful beauty.
As they passed by Su Qing, both instinctively quickened their pace.
Clearly, they wanted to flee.
But Su Qing was ready. He grabbed the rope without hesitation.
Their steps halted at once, dragged backward step by step.
Honestly, today had been hard on them.
This had been decided suddenly last night, and the operation began early this morning.
After being tormented all night, this uncle-niece pair had no time to rest.
So their weakness wasn't an act—it was all too real.
And that made the effect even better, instantly sparking fury in everyone else.
Many young disciples, eyes red with rage, wanted to charge forward and rescue them.
But they were stopped by their elders and sect masters.
It was obvious: stepping out would mean walking into an ambush.
Doing so would lose them their greatest advantage!
Even within the Heavenly Dao Sect, cracks began to show.
Especially those who had once received blessings from the Divine Maiden, like the Fifth Elder's group—they could hardly hold back.
Seeing their savior treated this way, how could any decent person tolerate it?
"Tsk, you're really holding back. I thought you righteous sects were supposed to be so noble."
"Because of the Dao Master's mistake, your disciple has once again fallen into my hands."
"What a coincidence—this elder of the Heavenly Dao Sect was also captured because of her orders."
"Dao Master, if you have any other people you care about, feel free to send them over too."
Su Qing said with a smile.
Everyone was stunned, and couldn't help but turn their eyes toward the Heavenly Dao Master.
"Sowing discord."
The Heavenly Dao Master uttered the words in a calm tone, as if unmoved.
But in reality, the moment she saw Su Qing appear, her anger flared uncontrollably.
However, she couldn't show it, nor could she admit that both her junior sister and disciple had turned traitor.
If she really said it out loud, she could already imagine the kind of response she'd get from the other side.
Something like... once they lost their usefulness, even her own disciple and junior sister were discarded.
A classic open-scheme trap!