Chapter 1297: The Uncertainty and Suspicion

While the entire second heaven was witnessing the biggest movement of cultivators since the great war against the rebels in ancient times, the temple grandmaster was receiving someone in his hall.

He had already expected it, so he was not surprised.

The person who came to him was an envoy from the higher heavens and the leader of the second group of envoys, Rectis.

A man with long blonde hair flowing loosely down to his back. His blue eyes, pointed nose, and fair skin shaped a face like a perfect sculpture that could easily charm anyone.

Wearing a white robe, he exuded an aura far holier than that of the temple grandmaster.

He was a God Foundation Stage cultivator.

A god.

Even the grandmaster had to treat him with respect. Although he himself was technically an envoy directly appointed by their god, Avergis, to lead the temple in the second heaven, Rectis had already reached the Divine Realm.

It did not matter that he himself was a demigod who was already close to the Divine Realm.

He had still not reached godhood.

He had to show respect to cultivators who were much stronger than him.

Rectis arrived before the grandmaster with a calm expression, but the grandmaster could sense that there was some displeasure beneath his composed appearance.

Still, he did not panic and instead made a respectful gesture, as he was already standing in his hall to greet Rectis.

"Welcome, Your Excellency. It is truly an honor for us that you could spare your time to visit this humble place amidst your busy schedule," he said respectfully.

Rectis's expression did not change, but then he spoke.

"Do you know what you have done? Did our lord already give you permission to do so?"

The grandmaster already knew what Rectis meant, so he answered.

"Is it regarding the total war? Yes, I am aware of what I have done, and I believe there is nothing wrong with it. As for our lord, there is no need to inform him, as he is all-knowing. He must already know what I have done, and the fact that no guidance has come to me means that he also agrees with this decision."

His answer was neither too submissive nor overly respectful. He believed that what he had done was also supported by his god, as his god had not reprimanded him and had simply allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

If his god supported him, then even though the person before him was much stronger than him, there was nothing for him to be afraid of.

Rectis narrowed his eyes.

There was nothing wrong with the grandmaster's reasoning. However, there were several reasons why their god hesitated to wage total war against Tarius and his followers, even though their relationship had become strained.

The fact that they still had not achieved their goal in this universe was the biggest reason. If their focus shifted to fighting against Tarius, they would fail to achieve that goal.

The moment news of the total war in the second heaven reached Tarius' ears, there was no doubt that he would escalate the conflict. It was even possible that the fighting would spread into a battle between universes.

All this time, their god had taken a more passive position to prevent that and had even tried to de-escalate the situation, despite it working against him. Their god knew that he was in the wrong for breaking the covenant by secretly sending his influence into the first heaven, which was still in the process of being conquered by Tarius.

The matter regarding his apostle spreading the faith of god Avergis in the first heaven had already spread, and it had truly brought him and his faction great trouble.

The opinions of the masters of the universes were split into two. Some believed that their god should be punished by being removed from the covenant and having all of his followers driven back to their own universe.

The others, however, argued that their god, Avergis, should be given a chance to make amends for his mistake. They believed they could not simply remove one of the masters of the universes after they had already worked together for so long.

Moreover, they still had not found what they were looking for.

Removing one of the main participants of the covenant would only make the matter more complicated, and they would only drift further away from their goal.

'Before I descended, our lord still had not changed his stance. Is it true that our lord has now decided to bring this conflict to a higher level?' Rectis thought.

Seeing that Rectis remained silent, it gave the grandmaster a boost in confidence. He then continued to speak.

"With the total war, I also want to maintain the faith of the people across the second heaven. With all due respect, Your Excellency must have already heard what many people think regarding the troubles across the second heaven. Like it or not, we are starting to lose the people's faith.

"If we remain passive, waiting to be attacked before reacting, and let those followers of Tarius keep doing whatever they want, then it is only a matter of time before our people lose all of their faith. The temple's reputation has already suffered greatly because of all the attacks. We have to respond firmly to give those people reassurance."

The grandmaster then lowered his head slightly.

"My apologies, Your Excellency, but my first priority is to ensure that our god's influence in the second heaven does not dwindle any further. It would be a humiliating sight before the followers of the other gods, who are watching us from the sidelines at this very moment. I hope you understand."

Silence filled the hall. Rectis looked at the grandmaster with a calm gaze, and the grandmaster also remained silent.

Only after a few moments did Rectis speak.

"I don't know what our lord thinks at this moment, but if he truly agrees with the total war, then I have nothing to say. To be honest, I am of the opinion that we should strike back at Tarius and his followers hard, even in the higher heavens. The situation in the higher heavens is quite frustrating for me,"

"However, ever since I came here to carry out my mission of searching for the dangerous individual mentioned by our lord, I have started to feel that something is amiss. I don't know why, but I feel that all of this is connected. I just cannot put my finger on what is missing from this entire puzzle."

Now it was the grandmaster's turn to narrow his eyes.

Did the envoy feel it too?

"I'm afraid that we are unconsciously doing something that benefits a faction we have not even considered," Rectis said.

"Do you mean those rebels, Your Excellency?" the grandmaster asked.

Rectis responded with a nod.

"Although I do not have any proof, the faction that has benefited the most from all of this fighting is those rebels. There is nothing more joyful for them than seeing us kill each other."

"I don't know why, but I just feel that we are merely pieces being played on someone's chessboard. We have been getting played ever since our god sent us, the envoys, here. No, perhaps we have been getting played since long before that."

"Maybe this is the work of those rebels, or maybe it isn't." Rectis then turned to look outside the hall.

"That is why, in my opinion, I am still against a total war. I'm afraid that this is also a move desired by that unknown figure. We are still being played by that unknown figure."

The grandmaster's expression turned solemn and thoughtful. He also found Rectis' words reasonable. He had already felt that all of the recent incidents were strange, but he could not pinpoint what piece was missing from their deductions.

If their deductions were wrong, then they would make the wrong move and only bring harm upon themselves.

From Rectis' point of view, the total war against Tarius' followers was exactly that kind of move.

However, the grandmaster let out a small sigh.

"What Your Excellency said is right. However, without any proof whatsoever, it is only an assumption. And the current situation limits our options for turning things around. We cannot wait any longer. Like I said, the people's faith is already dwindling, and if we remain passive, we will only grow weaker and weaker."

"Even if it is true, just as Your Excellency said, that we are being played on someone's chessboard, there is no other choice for us at this moment. This is the most appropriate response to the problem we currently face."

Rectis thought for a moment before looking at the grandmaster.

"No, maybe there is another way to get out of this situation."

The grandmaster raised his eyebrows.

"What is it, Your Excellency?"

"Redirect the target of the total war from Tarius' followers to those rebels. That way, we could minimize the risk of making the wrong judgment," Rectis answered, causing the grandmaster's eyes to widen.