Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys and establishing his authority, Li Genmiao seemed a bit more rational.
He scanned the assembled crowd and spoke to himself, "You are all 'important figures' with reputations to uphold, yet you willingly join my New Xuan Mountain Sect and cooperate with me, Li Genmiao. I understand the reasons behind this. It's dissatisfaction with the status quo, or perhaps personal grudges, and a desire to change the current landscape with me... Yes, some people should have died long ago but cling to their positions, leaving no room for those who come after."
Li Genmiao's soliloquy resonated deeply with the audience. They were all nodding in agreement. These attendees were already figures of considerable standing; many things were within their reach, yet some were just out of grasp, seemingly close but impossibly far.
For instance, a vice sect leader aspiring to the position of sect leader.
Or a sect leader of a minor sect, constantly bullied by larger ones.
Or a situation where a beloved woman was snatched away by an opponent one couldn't afford to offend.
They unanimously agreed that the current Xuanmen landscape needed to change, echoing the sentiment: "Emperors take turns, next year it will be my turn."
Someone quietly asked, "Sect Leader Li, what do we need to do?"
This time, Li Genmiao did not fly into a rage and kill indiscriminately. He smiled and replied, "My twelve Yuan Chen have already begun executing the plan. Your task is to await orders and cooperate with the operations."
"What about your old rival, Yan Qiu? His son, Yan Shouyi, recently founded the Folk Research Society and has gained considerable fame, showing signs of becoming the leader of folk sects."
Li Genmiao's smile slightly receded, but he maintained his composure. "They are no threat. Yan Shouyi will not appear for the next three months, and the Folk Research Society is on the verge of collapse. Relying solely on Yan Qiu, it's impossible to change the trend. After all, Yan Qiu's enemies... are even more numerous than mine!"
Li Genmiao knew his old rival inside and out. The fact that Yan Qiu had not yet completely wiped out the New Xuan Mountain Sect was not because Li Genmiao and his followers were too strong, but because Yan Qiu had too many enemies. Yan Qiu was already exhausted just dealing with his adversaries.
It was simple for Li Genmiao to deal with Yan Qiu: find a way to unite Yan Qiu's enemies...
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Li Genmiao had already dealt with Yan Shouyi. It had to be admitted that this rising star was currently in his prime and had become a thorn in the side of many.
"So... Sect Leader Li, what is your first step?"
Just as Li Genmiao was about to answer, there was a knock on the door outside the opera house. The audience was startled by the knock and exchanged gleeful expressions. They had already witnessed Li Genmiao's ruthlessness and figured he wouldn't tolerate someone being late and interrupting him.
To their surprise, Li Genmiao did not get angry. Instead, a rare genuine smile appeared on his face. He waved at the paper figurine doorman, who quickly opened the door. Standing outside was an old woman, no taller than 1.4 meters, her back hunched, completely wrapped in tattered cloth. The old woman, wearing three-inch golden lotus shoes, slowly walked into the opera house and handed several mobile phones to Li Genmiao.
Li Genmiao immediately opened the phones to check their contents, then showed a satisfied smile. "You've done very well. I will fulfill my promise to you." The old woman nodded and went to the backstage of the opera house to rest.
The audience was extremely curious about the old woman's identity and even more so about the content of the phones that made Li Genmiao so happy. Fortunately, Li Genmiao didn't keep them in suspense. He turned the phones towards the audience and played a video.
In the video, Yan Shouyi was wreaking havoc at the Xi Xiang Pond in Mount Emei, fighting against disciples of the Dian Yi Sect and the Qingcheng Sect! This was clearly a video of a folk sect successor slaughtering disciples of the righteous sects!
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to comprehend how this video was obtained. Was it computer-generated? Immediately, everyone became excited—if this video was real, Yan Shouyi would be disgraced, and the newly established Folk Research Society would immediately face pressure from the major sects and collapse instantly!
It turned out Li Genmiao had a plan all along!
"Yan Shouyi, the president of the Folk Research Society and a successor of Lu Ban, dissatisfied with Mount Emei Sect Leader Guan Yun's usurpation of the sect leader position originally belonging to his grandmother, Wen Yuxian, harbored resentment and led folk sect successors to Mount Emei, annihilating the Mount Emei Sect!"
"Upon hearing the news, the Dian Yi Sect and Qingcheng Sect went to investigate but were also pursued by Yan Shouyi! Under the desperate struggle of Dian Yi Sect Leader Huang Qingcang, only this video managed to get out! Subsequently, all reinforcements were annihilated!"
"Yan Shouyi and his ilk of folk sect successors are devoid of good intentions and utterly wicked. They deserve to be executed by everyone!"
Li Genmiao spread his arms and shouted to the audience below, "I implore all righteous individuals present to seek justice for Sect Leader Huang, for Master Guan Yun, and for the Mount Emei Sect!!!"
The audience below knew perfectly well. This was clearly Li Genmiao who had annihilated the Mount Emei Sect and then framed Yan Shouyi. However…
Suddenly, Elder Zhou of the Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion stood up, raised his right hand, and said indignantly, "Yan Shouyi is wicked and deserves to be executed by everyone! I, representing the Longhu Mountain Tianshi Mansion, hereby issue an arrest warrant for Yan Shouyi to eliminate this scourge from Xuanmen!"
What a noble act, to eliminate a scourge from Xuanmen! The other audience members thought Elder Zhou was shameless, but they began to echo his sentiments. In an instant, the opera house was filled with impassioned voices, as if they were not wicked perpetrators but a righteous uprising army. Their righteousness was so profound that they almost convinced themselves they were the pure streams within Xuanmen.
Seeing that the emotions of the crowd were stirred, Li Genmiao's lips curved slightly upward. He raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down. These people now regarded Li Genmiao as their leader and were highly convinced by him, immediately falling silent.
"Tonight, I will arrange for people to spread the video and rumors. However, given Yan Shouyi's past reputation and prestige in Xuanmen, it won't be easy to make the major sects view him as an enemy. This will require your active participation in fanning the flames."
Everyone immediately understood their mission. Li Genmiao intended to portray Yan Shouyi as a heinous villain, but his friends like Yu Lumen would certainly not agree. However, the audience present were all in positions of power. As long as they voiced their stance within their respective sects and rallied others to target Yan Shouyi, even if Yan Shouyi had connections everywhere, he would still be unable to withstand the overwhelming trend! This time, Yan Shouyi was destined to fall under the condemnation of the major sects!
"Brilliant! Sect Leader Li, this move is truly brilliant!" Daochang Zhao, the closed-door disciple of the Wudang Mountain Sect Leader, clasped his hands together and raised them above his head, showing his admiration for Li Genmiao.