Infinite Slaughter System: I Kill, Therefore I Ascend!-Chapter 180: The Concerns Of All Parties

While the people on the streets were buzzing with excitement about the upcoming tournament, those with an actual stake in it were not looking too good.

Many clans and factions had rushed into meetings over the eight-month period leading up to the tournament, trying to decide what to do with the explosive information they had received.

Within a large estate in the Holy City belonging to the Cao Family, Cao Xian and Cao Tian sat together before an older woman who possessed 90% of their features, being Deva Elder Cao Ling, the current Matriarch of their clan.

Cao Ling was dressed expensively and exotically, with a line of orange demon beast fox fur across her shoulders while she stroked a white Spirit Fox at the Nascent Soul level in her lap, a calm expression on her face.

Meanwhile, Cao Tian had just finished reporting everything about the matters surrounding Li Ling to their mother, and the room descended into silence as everyone digested the ridiculous things they were hearing.

Cao Xian hesitated and spoke. "Mom, could this all be faked? Or more likely exaggerated?"

Cao Ling glanced at her youngest daughter with a gentle light in her eyes. "Xian’er, you have to understand that false rumors don’t survive in a demon sect at the top of the entire continent’s power rankings. Not to mention, three of my fellow Six Paths Elders vouch for this and have even provided proof, while the Desolate Hell Hall along with the Divine Deva Hall have gone to the site to verify the details."

Cao Xian understood that this meant everything was true down to the smallest detail, and without any ability to refute it, her heart welled up with unwillingness and despair.

"Mom, how is someone supposed to compete against such a monster like that?" Cao Xian asked weakly, her face pale.

Both Cao Ling and Cao Tian didn’t disdain Cao Xian for her weakness, because they themselves felt the pressure of Li Ling’s existence. This young man was about to cause a huge upheaval in the sect, especially in the Middle Layer, which he was almost guaranteed to enter.

"Xiao Xian, don’t think about it that way. The goal right now isn’t to compete against that monster, but to compete with him," Cao Tian said, gently stroking Cao Xian’s silky hair.

Cao Ling nodded. "Indeed, only a madman would stand before an unstoppable locomotive and try to stop it with their fleshy human body. Rather than that, a sensible person would seek a way to jump into the carriage of this locomotive and enjoy the benefits of its advance along with it, even if to a lesser degree."

Cao Xian felt much better thinking like this, but glancing between her older sister and her mother, she seemed to understand something. "You guys wouldn’t be talking about allying with him, right? Why would he even consider our clan?"

This was where Cao Tian sighed. "Indeed, we recognized his talent before it became explosive and tried to reel him in using forceful means, but somehow he caught wind of it and resisted greatly. Now, we still have that minor grudge with him, so trying to ally with him would be difficult."

Cao Ling smiled softly and fanned herself with a white and gold folding fan. "Indeed, bringing him under us is impossible and has failed before, while allying with him as equals would be difficult due to his rising status and competitive offers from other powers within the sect and outside of it."

The next moment, the older woman’s eyes glinted with a sharp light. "However, even if such paths are blocked to us, don’t we still have one more path?"

Both Cao Tian and Cao Xian were startled as their expressions changed, understanding what their mother was saying.

"You mean... to subordinate ourselves to him?" Cao Xian asked gingerly, unsure how she felt about the idea.

"Indeed. It is the best way for us to capitalize on the appearance of such a powerful genius without losing too much," Cao Ling said simply.

Cao Tian hesitated but still asked, "What about the clan elders? Would they be willing to go through with this?"

Cao Ling’s soft eyes became cold as she snapped her folding fan shut. "They have no choice, for I have decreed it."

...........

Similar scenes were occurring in all clans, factions, and powers within the sect as they decided where to align themselves in relation to Li Ling’s rise. It wasn’t even just factions or groups, but even notable individuals in the sect also had to consider where they stood against the monster they had heard about but not yet seen.

They were mostly left with three options: to try and bring Li Ling to heel under them, to try and partner with him as equals, or to try and ingratiate themselves as subordinates who served him. Each group or individual made their choices relative to where they stood, their interests, and their goals versus what they felt Li Ling could bring to them, or cause against them.

Li Ling, who previously only had to worry about earning enough Blood Credits to buy the methods he needed while dealing with his troublesome Hall Master, was now thrust into the limelight of the sect, where everyone was positioning themselves either for him or against him.

All without his knowledge!

On the day of the tournament, everyone had already taken their sides, some making it public while others kept their cards close to their chests and waited to see how things played out. After all, while the things they heard were said to be true and verified, nothing beat seeing it for oneself.

So as the tournament went live, established within a gigantic dome complex that functioned like a mixture between a coliseum and a stadium sports arena, countless disciples of the Middle and Upper Layers sat in the stands, while cultivators from lower and affiliated demonic sects around the continent formed more than 70% of the spectatorship.

The seats were tiered based on rank, class, and affiliated force. At the very top, in single boxes with space for a maximum of two to three people, were members of the upper sects of the Six Paths Demon Sect and the Seven Sins Demon Sect.

There were four distinct boxes at this height, containing different numbers of people each. The first box held exactly thirteen people, who sat in split designations within the box itself. The lower six were the Six Paths Hall Masters: Tang Huo of the Asura Blood, Gu Megui of the Hungry Ghost, Hu Wulei of the Wild Beast, Cao Tian of the True Human, Shen Taixu of the Divine Deva, and Yan Moqing of the Desolate Hell.

Above them, in the middle row, were the leaders of the Middle Layer of the sect, termed the Path Saints. The Saint of the Asura Blood Path was a mature man with long red hair that reached his waist and two bloody red pupils filled with belligerence, wearing the white and gold robes of the sect that fit his lean and lithe body, named Sha Ren.

The Saint of the Hungry Ghost Path was a thin and sickly-looking young woman with empty black sockets and wiry silver hair that looked frazzled as if she had been electrocuted, named Hei An.

The Saint of the True Human Path was a corpulent woman with braided yellow hair and shiny white teeth, who was gorging on food even as she sat there, her robes stretched to the limit, named Pang Po.

The Saint of the Divine Deva Path was a veiled mature woman with silver eyes, white hair, and a svelte body that was curvy but not voluminous, named Zhang Luo.

The Saint of the Wild Beast Path was also a mature woman who was quite burly, with arms like tree trunks and muscles that could crush any man, her canines on display in her fierce smile even as her wild and untamed black hair spread out behind her like a spiky bush, named Wang Kuangnu. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Finally, the Saint of the Desolate Hell Path was a genderless person wrapped from head to toe in bandages, with only their bright amber eyes showing from within, bearing the symbol ’Truth’ as their pupils rather than a black dot, named Zhen Mingshen.

Yet despite these notable personages, none of them held a candle to the person who sat alone at the top layer of this box reserved for the leaders of the sect’s three layers, because this person was the leader of the Upper Layer, the Six Paths Demon Sect’s actual Sect Master.

He was a rather young-looking man with bright golden eyes filled with interest and amusement, coupled with golden hair and creamy white skin like unskimmed milk, appearing like a divine angel from western fantasy made flesh.

His name had previously been unknown to the sect, but today it had become commonplace among all levels of the sect, second only to the Asura War Demon Li Ling.

Six Paths Demon Sect Master, Ming Yue!