King of Creation

Chapter 1908: Chapter 1893: Only Did One Thing

Standing in front of Xiao Ze was Grand Priest Nahar!

"Enough!"

A thunderclap-like shout of anger snapped Priest Xiao Ze out of his humiliation and rage.

"Priest Xiao, not only did you surveil Divine Envoy Ye, but you also issued a kill-on-sight order? We need you to explain yourself!" Grand Priest Nahar asked coldly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ze was taken aback, "Grand Priest, didn’t you agree to this?"

"What we agreed to was merely your proposal to protect Divine Envoy Ye. We did not authorize you to surveil Divine Envoy Ye, much less to issue a kill-on-sight order."

With just one sentence, Grand Priest Nahar left Xiao Ze feeling a sting in his chest.

Initially, his proposal to protect was really about surveillance, and all the Sand Sea Priests present knew this.

But the problem was Xiao Ze overlooked that such things can be done, not said.

Now that he has made a fuss, Zhang Yide has exposed it, leaving him extremely passive in an instant.

"Indeed, we agreed to protect Divine Envoy Ye, not to monitor! Priest Xiao, what you did is quite underhanded.

In my view, doing this is what’s truly causing internal friction within the Temple, isn’t it?" Sand Sea Priest Wuy Youu, who had been standing by Ye Zhen’s side, seized the opportunity to show his stance to both Ye Zhen and the Sand Sea Priests present.

Sure enough, upon Wuy Youu’s words, Huaa Xing’an, Weng Lide, Guii Gu, and others looked at him with amazement, but seeing Wuy Youu by Ye Zhen’s side, they immediately understood.

"Priest Xiao, we need an explanation from you!"

The dispassionate voice of Grand Priest Nahar rang out again.

Nahar had long expected Xiao Ze would play tricks, but he never anticipated Xiao Ze’s tricks would be so flagrant, entirely ignoring the larger situation.

Not only fully surveilling Ye Zhen’s every action, allowing Zhang Yide and Qinglian to investigate the treasure Ye Zhen possessed that could perform Divine Arts, but also issuing a kill-on-sight order.

This made Grand Priest Nahar furious beyond measure.

Even if Ye Zhen were truly a spy, in consideration of the larger situation, provoking Ye Zhen would be unwise, let alone issuing a kill-on-sight order.

No matter what, it’s only Ye Zhen who can solve the current predicament of Yizhi Sand Sea.

Whether it’s re-cultivating the Yidongqing Divine Tree to alleviate disasters or gathering supplies, all depend on Ye Zhen.

But Xiao Ze, for the sake of his own power, disregarded the larger picture and issued such an order.

Fortunately, Ye Zhen was not a spy; he was genuinely working for Yizhi Temple, or else unimaginable numbers within Yizhi Sand Sea would perish due to Xiao Ze’s command.

Xiao Ze was so blinded by power that even Grand Priest Nahar hadn’t expected.

At this point, Grand Priest Nahar has completely lost hope in Xiao Ze!

"Explanation?"

Xiao Ze’s old face was burning hot, and until now, he hadn’t come around.

His enemy was praised as grand as the moon, as mighty as the Heavenly God, while he was called by his own subordinates as filthy as a stench bug in the gutter!

And said so vividly, the blow could be as strong as it was.

At this moment, Xiao Ze felt his face being peeled away, exposed utterly, entirely before the Priests from inside out.

In this instant, Xiao Ze was indescribably humiliated!

Betrayed by his subordinates, called filthy as a stench bug in the gutter, how much of a failure must one be...

Calming down gradually, Xiao Ze suddenly regretted so much that he could twist his guts.

Thinking back, if he hadn’t pressed so hard before, Zhang Yide and Qinglian wouldn’t have exposed everything, tearing off his old face!

Suddenly, Zhang Yide thought of a phrase — reaping what one sows!

Watching Sand Sea Priest Huaa Xing’an who suddenly moved away from him, a nameless exhaustion surged in his heart.

Over the years, Xiao Ze tried to gain more influence within Yizhi Temple, seeking allies against Grand Priest Nahar.

After working for so many years, building up the Younger Generation Faction finally able to confront Grand Priest Nahar, but before he could continue empowering them, make an achievement.

Wuy Youu first betrayed him, and today his old face was stripped clean by his subordinates, and his prestige utterly swept away, Huaa Xing’an began to distance himself.

The Younger Generation Faction, dispersed within a day.

As for confronting Ye Zhen to demand a reason.

Is there even a reason to demand?

When even his subordinates disdain him, attribute their betrayal to his character, what’s the point of arguing!

Unless he still doesn’t think his dignity is torn enough?

Xiao Ze’s heart was filled with unnamable desolation!

"I was only trying to prevent any losses to the Temple..." Leaving these words behind, Sand Sea Priest Xiao Ze staggered away, his back suddenly appearing hunched.

Watching as Xiao Ze departed, Grand Priest Nahar’s lips moved slightly, but ultimately he said nothing.

Previously, they had tacitly agreed to have Xiao Ze protect Ye Zhen, which was akin to agreeing that Xiao Ze would monitor Ye Zhen, because they all knew Xiao Ze’s true intentions from the beginning.

However, Xiao Ze went too far.

On one hand, Ye Zhen was risking life and limb to provide disaster relief, while on the other hand, Xiao Ze was wholeheartedly scheming against Ye Zhen. This vast disparity, coupled with the divine miracles Ye Zhen exhibited and the sincere devotion of the Yues people each day, led Zhang Yide and Qinglian to betray Xiao Ze and turn to Ye Zhen.

This, Grand Priest Nahar could understand; ultimately, it was because Xiao Ze was too selfish!

Nevertheless, this matter could only end here.

Xiao Ze leaving voluntarily already signified his acceptance of the situation, no longer pursuing Zhang Yide and Qinglian for their betrayal.

And as for him, the Grand Priest, he couldn’t push matters too far!

In the entire Yizhi Temple, not counting Ye Zhen, there were still six Sand Sea Divine Priests, aside from him, Nahar, and Guii Gu, who were both nearing the end of their life span, there were four Sand Sea Divine Priests remaining.

If Xiao Ze were also removed, how many Sand Sea Divine Priests would be left to support Yizhi Temple in the future?

This was the true reason Grand Priest Nahar exercised utmost tolerance toward Xiao Ze!

"Divine Envoy Ye, Priest Xiao has always been diligent in his duties. Please don’t mind; let’s let this matter rest!"

After speaking, Grand Priest Nahar did not wait for Ye Zhen to respond and directly addressed Zhang Yide and Qinglian, "Since both of you have joined Divine Envoy Ye’s ranks, you must serve with devotion henceforth. Should you dare to act out of line, I will be the first to not spare you!"

"Rest assured, Grand Priest, we swear by our lives to serve the Divine Envoy with loyalty!" Zhang Yide and Qinglian replied in unison.

Grand Priest Nahar’s intention was clear enough—to let Ye Zhen take advantage sincerely and legitimately incorporate Zhang Yide and Qinglian into his ranks, ceasing any further investigation into the matter.

"I never blamed Priest Xiao; Priest Xiao was also devoted wholly to the Temple’s interests." Having benefited, Ye Zhen seized the opportunity to smooth matters over, not minding to say a few pleasantries.

"Alright, let’s now discuss the distribution of the first batch of relief grain." Grand Priest Nahar said.

....

In the Great Desert, Sand Sea Divine Priest Xiao Ze sat alone atop a high sand dune, pondering why he had ended up in such a situation where everyone turned against him.

In his view, he hadn’t seemed to do anything wrong.

Whether in terms of stance or strategy.

From the standpoint of the temple, it was to protect the temple’s interests and guard against the possibility that Ye Zhen could be an infiltrator. From his personal perspective, it was to grasp the reality of this Divine Envoy.

Strategically, he sent trusty aides who had served him for over a hundred years.

Yet it was a failure across the board!

Xiao Ze wrestled with this issue for over an hour yet failed to reach any conclusion.

No conclusion was reached, but Sand Sea Divine Priest Huaa Xing’an arrived.

"Priest Xiao, the allocation plan for the first batch of two hundred and thirty million stones of relief grain has been decided," Huaa Xing’an initiated the conversation.

Xiao Ze remained seated without lifting his head, the outcome of the relief grain distribution was predictable even with his eyes closed—it would certainly favor Wuy Youu, who had just joined Ye Zhen’s side, along with the Grand Priest’s faction.

As for him, he was the target of the assault!

"The most to Wuy Youu, the least to me?" Xiao Ze’s lips curled with irony.

"That’s not the case; the tribe under your jurisdiction received the most relief grain."

Huaa Xing’an’s words caused Sand Sea Divine Priest Xiao Ze to abruptly look up, staring at Huaa Xing’an in disbelief, "You must be joking, how could this be possible?"

"Priest Xiao, it’s true!"

"This time, the relief grain was distributed based on the reported affected population under each Divine Priest. In terms of disaster ratio, the tribes under Wuy Youu’s jurisdiction were as high as ninety percent.

But in terms of population, the Yidongqing Divine Tree under your jurisdiction, whose tribe was completely wiped out, accounted for twenty percent. Your jurisdiction has two billion population, making it four hundred million, along with a portion of the affected population.

The reported affected population under your jurisdiction totals five hundred and sixty million, while the affected population under Wuy Youu’s jurisdiction is barely five hundred million, so the tribes under your jurisdiction received the most relief grain, totaling as much as forty-three million stones."

It wasn’t until Huaa Xing’an reported the exact numbers that Xiao Ze finally believed the news was true.

"Who proposed and led the distribution according to the affected population?" Xiao Ze, having served as Sand Sea Divine Priest, directly inquired about the key point.

"It was proposed and led by Divine Envoy Ye."

Huaa Xing’an’s answer made Xiao Ze’s mouth drop wide open in disbelief.

But facts couldn’t be denied.

"How could this be...."

"Priest Xiao, the Grand Priest asked me to convey a message to you." Huaa Xing’an added.

"What is it?"

"The Grand Priest said that often, the more you care about, the more you lose! From beginning to end, Divine Envoy Ye only did one thing, which was wholeheartedly focusing on disaster relief!

Yet, his gains were also the greatest..." Huaa Xing’an vanished swiftly after speaking.

"The more you care about, the more you lose... Only did one thing...." Xiao Ze muttered to himself, lost and disheartened.