"In my Ancient Buddha Clan, the Elder Council holds the highest authority. Any decree in the clan has to go through the discussion of the Elder Council. Thus, controlling the Elder Council is equivalent to controlling the entire Ancient Buddha Clan."
"There are a total of 19 seats in the Elder Council, with the Xuan Bloodline having seven seats and the Mo Bloodline having six. Our Qing Bloodline only has three seats, along with the other Three Branch Bloodlines." Facing Mu Chen's question, Elder Qing Xuan bitterly smiled and sighed.
"Only three seats?" Mu Chen knitted his brows. Compared to 19 seats, it was a small number.
"At our peak, our Qing Bloodline also had six seats. But as the Qing Bloodline weakened, we gradually lost our seats. Thus, our Qing Bloodline's Elder Council will decrease by one seat in every Bloodline Competition."
"That's because, according to the rules, any Bloodline that has a seat in the Elder Council will be assigned to guard the ring. The number of people guarding the ring will be equivalent to the number of seats. If the number of losses is greater than the number of wins, then it will be considered a failure, and a seat will be given up." Elder Qing Xuan explained.
"So that's the case …"
Mu Chen nodded his head. It was no wonder why the Ancient Buddha Clan placed so much importance on the Bloodline Competition. So it was related to the highest authority in the Ancient Buddha Clan.
If a Bloodline could gain an additional seat in the Elder Council, then it would mean that they would have more weight in the Ancient Buddha Clan.
As for guarding the ring, Mu Chen understood it. For example, the Qing Bloodline had three seats, and they could send three people to guard the ring. If two of them lost and one of them won, then they would naturally have to give up an Elder Council seat.
If two of them won and one of them lost, then they would be able to defend their own seat.
"The Xuan and Mo bloodlines have been suppressing our Qing bloodline over and over again over the years. Every time they hold a martial competition, they'll target us, and they'll try to take away three spots from our Qing bloodline."
As she spoke, a smear of rage and helplessness flashed across Qing Xuan's beautiful eyes. It was lamentable that she couldn't keep her seat because she was weaker than him.
"Right now, our Qing bloodline only has three seats left. If we lose another seat, we'll only have two. According to the rules of the clan, the Qing bloodline will lose its status as a major bloodline, and our resources will decrease as well. That way, the weak will grow weaker, and it will be difficult for us to fight against the Xuan and Mo bloodlines."
Thinking about it, Qing Xuan's face turned pale. At that time, who knows how long it would take for their Qing Bloodline to rise again, and the authority of the Ancient Buddha Clan would fall into the hands of the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines.
Hearing those words, Mu Chen squinted his eyes. He wasn't too interested in the Ancient Buddha Clan, but he had grudges with the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines, not to mention that Hei Guang even invited the Profound Sky Ancestor to look for trouble with him. Thus, he had to take revenge.
With the attitude that the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines had for him, it would be troublesome for him if they gained control of the Ancient Buddha Clan, even if Mu Chen wasn't afraid.
Thus, it wasn't good news for him to watch the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines gain control of the Ancient Buddha Clan.
"How can we stop them?" Mu Chen slowly asked.
"As long as we can maintain two wins, we will be able to keep our seats."
Qing Xuan sighed, "But the two bloodlines have a robust foundation, and they have more Heavenly Sovereigns than our Qing Bloodline. Furthermore, they came prepared, so it won't be easy to stop them."
Hearing Qing Xuan's pessimistic words, Mu Chen knew how miserable the Qing Bloodline was, so he shook his head. "Why are we only defending and not attacking?"
Since there's defending, then there's naturally going to be attacking.
With a helpless smile, Qing Xuan replied, "We can't even defend, so how can we attack?"
However, Mu Chen paid no attention to her and asked, "Will there be any Saint Heavenly Sovereigns in the Bloodline Assembly?"
"How is that possible? No matter which bloodline has a Saint Heavenly Sovereign, they will be able to enter the Elders' Association, and just one of them can take up five seats." Qing Xuan immediately replied.
Hearing those words, Mu Chen knitted his brows. "If that's the case, then why are they still imprisoning my mother?"
A Saint Grade Spiritual Array Ancestor was comparable to a Saint Heavenly Sovereign, and he believed that no matter how deep the foundation of the Ancient Buddha Clan was, they wouldn't dare to give up so easily.
Gritting her teeth, Qing Xuan replied, "Isn't it all because of the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines? Back then, when your mother was imprisoned, she wasn't at that level, so she was immediately convicted. At this point, the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines were even more fearful, fearing that her return would cause the Qing Bloodline's strength to soar. Thus, they voted in the Elders' Association. Furthermore, the Grand Elder is stubborn, so he used the name of the Elders' Association to deny your mother's position and continue to imprison her."
When Mu Chen heard those words, a cold light flickered in his eyes with killing intent surging. Those bastards from the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines are too much!
With shame on her face, Qing Xuan replied, "It's also because of my Qing Bloodline's decline, so there's nothing we can do even if we object."
Although there were some in the Qing Bloodline that felt resentful for Qing Yanjing abandoning the Qing Bloodline, they knew that only Qing Yanjing's return could restore the Qing Bloodline's glory. Thus, they were doing their best to save Qing Yanjing from her punishment.
However, the Qing Bloodline was no longer the same as before, so they couldn't confront the Xuan and Mo Bloodlines.
Nodding his head, Mu Chen fell into a brief silence before he suddenly said, "I can help you guys protect your position."
When Qing Xuan heard those words, she was instantly startled before she looked at Mu Chen and couldn't help asking, "What method do you have?"
However, Mu Chen did not immediately reply, but replied, "I have my own methods. If you guys believe in me, then leave it to me."
Hearing his words, Qing Xuan briefly hesitated before she gritted her teeth. "I will talk to the others when I return."
Since it has come to this, they could only try their best. Since Mu Chen could step into the Heavenly Sovereign Realm at such a young age, he definitely wasn't an ordinary person. Who knows, he might really be capable.
Nodding his head, Mu Chen calmly said, "But if I help you guys, you guys have to help me with something as well."
"What is it?"
With a clench of his hand, several jade strips appeared in Mu Chen's hand. Flicking his finger, blood essence flew out and fell onto the jade strips, forming into crimson runes.
Handing the jade strips over to Qing Xuan, he said, "Since you guys are the Elders of the Ancient Buddha Clan, you guys naturally know about the core of the Protective Spiritual Array. I want you guys to find an opportunity to bury these jade strips in the core before the Bloodline Competition."
Hearing those words, Qing Xuan's face changed. The Protective Spiritual Array was an Array that protected the Pagoda Realm, so how could Mu Chen dare to mess with it?
"I'm only here to save my mother, and I have no intention of becoming enemies with the Ancient Buddha Clan. So you don't have to worry about me doing anything to the Ancient Buddha Clan. It's just that the Ancient Buddha Clan is powerful, and I need some capital to negotiate with them." Mu Chen faintly said when he saw Qing Xuan's expression.
Qing Xuan's face was filled with struggle.
"Even if you don't believe me, you should believe in my mother's character, right?
She won't sit and watch me destroy the Ancient Buddha Clan. "
Hearing his words, Qing Xuan's face gradually turned better. Perhaps she didn't know much about Mu Chen, but she understood her sister well.
Although she felt resentful for being imprisoned in the Ancient Buddha Clan, she wouldn't have any hatred for the Ancient Buddha Clan. After all, this was the place where she was raised, and at the same time, there were many relatives here.
Furthermore, although the Protective Spiritual Array was important, it's impossible to destroy the Ancient Buddha Clan with it. With Mu Chen's intelligence, he should be aware of this as well.
"Alright, I promise you."
With a decision in her heart, Qing Xuan no longer hesitated and heavily nodded her head before she carefully received the jade strips that were stained with her blood essence from Mu Chen's hand.
When Mu Chen saw this, he inwardly felt relieved. This was extremely important to him. Although he had invited the Endless Fire Territory and the Martial Realm, he was afraid that those old fellows in the Ancient Buddha Clan would be unreasonable and forcefully make a move. Furthermore, there were Saint Heavenly Sovereigns in the Ancient Buddha Clan, so he had to prepare a bargaining chip.
"Then, I'll have to thank Elder Qing Xuan."
Looking at Mu Chen's polite smile, Qing Xuan inwardly sighed. In terms of bloodline, Mu Chen should be calling her Aunt. However, Mu Chen clearly held a grudge against them, so how could she not sense his politeness?
But thinking about how Mu Chen had been separated from his mother ever since he could remember and had been cultivating by himself, it was natural for him to have resentment in his heart.
Right now, she could only hope that Mu Chen could rescue his mother, so that their relationship could gradually ease up in the future.
Since the matter was settled, Qing Xuan did not stay any longer. She bade farewell to Mu Chen and left.
Looking at Qing Xuan's silhouette, Mu Chen let out a long breath. Qing Xuan's help had saved him a lot of trouble.
Now that everything was ready, he only had to wait for the Bloodline Competition to begin.
With his hands behind his back, Mu Chen raised his head and looked at the sky with an abstruse gaze.
"Ancient Buddha Clan, let us have a good fight this time!"
He had been waiting for this day for years.
(Let me tell everyone a piece of news. The Battle Through the Heavens TV series is about to start filming. Xiao Yan should be Wu Lei's main character, right?)
(To be continued.)