Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 474 Conquering with a Loyal Heart
The sword-fighting tournament organized by Chongming Sect specifically for its vassals was rather unremarkable. After about ten days, Yang Xun of the Hongshan Yang family rightfully emerged victorious, overwhelming the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the other families with virtually no chance to retaliate.

However, although the rewards prepared by Sect Leader Kang for this Sword Debate were decent, they were quite meager for Yang Xun, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

After all, the former's original intention was to select talented people to join the Crimson Guard so that they could fight alongside the disciples of the Chongming Sect.

Those Foundation Establishment cultivators who joined Chongmingzong's ranks were already struggling to escape their duties, so there was no reason for them to suddenly show off.

It was Ye Zhengwen, who was always good at reading people's minds, who spoke up, saying that Yang Xun still harbored the idea of ​​leading the Yang family to occupy a seat in the Chongming Alliance, which relieved Kang Dabao's doubts.

However, the Chongming Alliance is not so easy to join now. Although it has small Qi Refining clans such as the Lu family of Caishi and the He family of Hongxian, there are always ways to deal with them. With the Chongming Sect's reputation soaring and its strength far surpassing what it once was, it is not necessary to absorb a Foundation Establishment sect like the Yang family of Hongshan as an ally.

Even if Bian Hu had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and Bian Hu was a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator, and the Shishan Sect dominated Puzhou, he would still have to send someone to offer some gifts to the Alliance Leader, Kang Da, on every three festivals and two birthdays.

Yang Xun's current abilities are far from sufficient to earn him a place at the Chongming Alliance's table.

Once the sect leader returned, he stopped paying attention to these trivial matters and even arranged for Jiang Qing to speak with the top-ranked swordsman.

Normally, compared to the former's humble and gentle nature, Third Master Jiang of Chongming has a more stern but not wicked demeanor, which makes him more capable of suppressing ambitious people like Yang Xun.

Kang Dabao glanced through the list of one hundred people selected and presented by Ye Zhengwen, but lost interest. He then instructed Yuan Jin beside him:

"Second brother, you can remove Du Qing and Mo Gu from the list. I know they still have the will to serve the sect, but since they have retired from the sect, they should enjoy their grandchildren and raise their children in peace, so that they can improve their family's reputation and revitalize the sect in the future. Also, have Zhu Yunsheng, the disciple in charge of internal affairs, keep a close eye on them. If their families lack any expenses, allocate some funds accordingly."

"Brother Rende."

"What are you saying? They are our own disciples, how could we mistreat them?" Kang Dabao turned his back and looked at the thousands of cultivators of all kinds in the training ground without saying a word.

Yuan and Jiang remained silent by his side. Ye Zhengwen, realizing that Master Kang was preoccupied and had probably made a fuss again, immediately comforted him, saying, "Don't think too much. Who knows if their good fortune in risking their lives on the battlefield isn't their blessing? Back when we were carrying goods and traveling with the Jiang family's caravan, did we ever fear that we wouldn't survive this journey?!"

"Ha, you're quite the lucky one to have won Wan Jun's favor and become the Jiang family's son-in-law, so you're not afraid. Back then, I, your humble master, couldn't sleep at night, constantly worried that some bandit would rip my head off in my sleep." Master Kang chuckled, but Ye Zhengwen's words had indeed relieved him considerably. He no longer looked down at the masses below the platform, but simply said:

"Since this is an unavoidable trend, then let's fight a good battle. The sect's restoration is imminent; we cannot afford to retreat even a step!"

The junior disciples immediately bowed in agreement, and after inspecting the cultivators from various families in the training ground with Kang Dabao, they returned to their mountain gate.

—One year later, in Shanbei Road, Fazhou, and Bixian Hunfengling
Leaning on a red-tipped spear that had changed hands, You Xiaobao laboriously searched through the recently calmed battlefield for any remaining magical artifacts and pills that were still relatively intact.

This wasn't because the newly formed Songfeng Righteous Army had been defeated. In fact, this battalion of righteous soldiers, including You Xiaobao, had just achieved a great victory against the three hundred men organized by the Xuan Gong Sect, a local landlord in Bi County, under the leadership of two true cultivators, Duan Anle and Kang Rongquan.

Duan and Kang showed no pride in defeating this force. After all, Xuan Gong Sect was merely a Foundation Establishment sect. With their superior numbers, their victory against a weaker force was hardly remarkable.

After this incident, Xuan Gong Sect will lose its only elder cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage to uphold its reputation. It will probably retreat into its mountain gate and have no intention of going to the aid of the Red Heart Sect, the master of Fazhou.

The righteous troops under Duan and Kang's command were merely a detachment. The main fighting forces of the Chongming Sect, namely the Qingjue Guard and the Chizhang Guard, along with most of the troops under the jurisdiction of the Chongming Alliance, were all led by Grand Alliance Leader Kang and all the leaders of the alliance to besiege the Chixin Sect in Zhangwen County, the capital of Fazhou.

However, the Red Heart Sect is a newly established Golden Core sect in the last hundred years, and it is difficult for the Chongming Alliance alone to contend with it. After all, Sect Leader Kang has already won the favor of Emperor Wei, and even if he only mentioned it briefly, his subordinates are naturally very cautious.

With the high-ranking officials of the Duke's Mansion in charge, including Lady Qi who had just emerged from seclusion, and the Zheng family of Yunwei, a fake alchemy family, accompanying them, the allied forces of all families fought three battles against the Red Heart Sect.

Unaware of the terrain in their first battle, Zheng Taibai, the patriarch of the Yunwei Zheng family, was surrounded and defeated by three alchemists from the Chixin Sect, and fled in panic.

Seeing the situation was dire, the Zheng family's private army was quickly overwhelmed by the Red Heart Sect's scheme. The Qingjue and Chizhang Guards also suffered minor losses. Just as their originally well-organized formation was about to crumble, Chu Yanran used her magical treasure, the Six-Sided Embroidered Bamboo Bone Golden Thread Lamp, to force back the Red Heart Sect leader, Honggu Shangxiu, thus turning the tide.

Lady Qi continued to use her magical artifacts to attack the enemy, but perhaps she did not expect that even after the Red Bone Cultivator was defeated, the Red Heart Sect followers would remain as fanatical and fearless as ever.

Over a thousand followers still surged forward like a tidal wave. After Qingjue and Chizhang calmed their troops, they steadily pushed them back, preventing these lunatics from gaining much advantage.

Just as Lady Qi had not returned for a long time, and the outcome of the battle between the two superiors was uncertain.

It was only after the combined efforts of Master Kang and Bian Hu of the Shishan Sect, who fought three veteran alchemists of the Chixin Sect to a standstill, and Master Jiang of the Chongming Sect, wielding only a sword, slew four renowned elders of the Chixin Sect, that the fervor in the eyes of the Chixin Sect members subsided and they slowly retreated.

Only then could Master Kang order Yuan Jin to gather the Zheng family's private troops in time and send someone to find Zheng Taibai, the head of the Zheng family.

In the first battle, the Chongming Alliance suffered a wounded alchemist and the morale of the Zheng family's private army collapsed; the Chixin Sect lost a key elder, but its followers suffered few casualties. In truth, the Chongming Alliance was slightly at a disadvantage.

In the second battle, the leader of the Red Heart Sect, Red Bone Cultivator, once again sought out Lady Qi as his opponent.

The latter possesses powerful magic weapons and slightly stronger abilities, but he has only recently formed his core. It would not be an easy task for him to defeat the Crimson Heart Sect Leader, who is on the verge of advancing to the mid-stage.

After this, the outcome of the battle between the two armies was no longer affected by the high-ranking officials overhead.

In this battle, the Red Heart Sect received reinforcements from its vassals, bringing together four alchemists to fight Kang, Bian, and Zheng. The two sides were evenly matched until one side of their armies was defeated, at which point the fighting stopped.

Yuan Jin sat in the central army, holding the six-petaled blue lotus banner alone.

The Qingjue and Chizhang Guards were positioned in the center, with the disciples of the Shishan Sect leading the Zheng family's private army in front, and the disciples of other families forming the flanks. The Chixin Sect members remained as arrogant as ever, while the Chongming Alliance forces were still uneven in strength and difficult to resist.

It was only after the Red Heart Sect members had lost their fighting spirit due to the weakened army that Yuan Jin, together with Jiang Qing, led the central army to break through the elite battle formation of the Red Heart Sect's most elite disciples.

At that time, Jiang Qing alone held his own against the three elders of the Red Heart Sect's Punishment Hall, War Hall, and Law Enforcement Hall, and was not at a disadvantage. Yuan Jin, with his armor soaked in blood, led the Qingjue Guards in a one-on-one battle against the army led by three of the Red Bone Cultivator's personal disciples, and was slightly better.

The disciples of the Chongming Alliance were greatly encouraged and their morale soared. They made their hand seals with lightning speed, managing to suppress the Chixin Sect, which had just received reinforcements.

During this battle, the Chongming Allied forces had a slight advantage, but neither side suffered any key casualties. It was likely that the Chixin Sect suffered only minor setbacks and minor injuries.

During the third battle, the situation was much simpler. After a long battle, Lady Qi found a weakness in the Red Bone Cultivation technique. The latter was burned by the fire of the palace lantern, leaving him without a single hair on his body, and even his physical body showed signs of damage. Without thinking, he immediately turned around and ran back to the Red Heart Sect's main mountain, Yan Hui Mountain, where he hid and did not come out.

Upon witnessing this scene, the fanaticism in the eyes of the Red Heart Cult members finally subsided, while the cultivators in the Chongming Alliance and the Zheng family's private army turned bloodshot and looked as if they wanted to devour people.

Even if the Red Heart Cult members could still fight, their opponents were not easy to defeat, and with Chu Yanran above them, there was no one to stand against them. How could they possibly win?

In just a quarter of an hour, the Red Heart Sect was utterly defeated. Chu Yanran descended from the void and took the life of the Red Heart Sect's vice leader, Pill Master Hong Xu.

Taking advantage of the Red Heart Sect's morale being low, Sect Leader Kang injured the sect's Grand Elder, Red Maple Pill Master. Unfortunately, the latter was alert and did not engage Kang Dabao in a prolonged fight, causing Third Master Jiang, who rushed to help, to miss his target.

However, since all the alchemists had been defeated and fled, the disciples of the Red Heart Sect could no longer hold on and could only cry out in despair before abandoning the formation and fleeing.

Thus, during the third battle, the Red Heart Sect suffered the loss of a senior alchemist, a senior cultivator and another alchemist, who were both seriously injured and forced to retreat. Countless disciples were killed or wounded, forcing them to retreat into the enemy lines and urgently order their allies to come to their aid.

Given this situation, the outcome is self-evident.

After this incident, the entire Red Heart Sect never left the mountain again.

The Chixin Sect had been operating in Fazhou for a long time and had accumulated considerable influence. As a result, forces in various counties of Fazhou responded one after another, wanting to rush to the Chixin Sect's headquarters in Zhangwen County to provide assistance.

It was only at this point that Master Kang ordered his disciples to return to Ping and Jin counties, gather the families within their jurisdiction, and organize them into two forces: the Songfeng Righteous Army and the Pingjin Local Army. These forces were then stationed in Fazhou to suppress the families that had sided with the rebels.

This task wasn't too difficult for either of the two teams. After all, the only fake Dan sect under the Red Heart Sect's jurisdiction had already been locked inside the mountain gate along with them, and the remaining sects had limited strength and couldn't really cause any trouble.

Therefore, it seems that the Red Heart Sect of Fazhou, relying solely on itself, has no way to turn the tide. They can only hope for changes in the war situation elsewhere to resolve their crisis.

However, the same situation was playing out across all thirteen states of the Northern Mountain Road, including the Red Heart Sect in Fazhou.

As the center of the battle in Shanbei Road, Santing Prefecture, even with the reinforcements of Wen Fengzi and Jin Fengqing, had high-end combat power that was no longer afraid of the combined forces of Yueyin Zhenren and Fei Tianqin, still suffered more defeats than victories under the encirclement of Yingshan Army and Wumushan disciples.

Indeed, their situation was no different from that of the Red Heart Sect in Fazhou, which was besieged by the Chongming Alliance and had no way out.

However, the life-and-death struggles of these high-level cultivators have little direct connection to You Xiaobao, a Qi Refining cultivator who is merely a minor fire chief in the Songfeng Righteous Army and cannot even join the Crimson Guard.

After all, he rarely even gets to see Yuan Changsheng, who is closest to him in the Chongming Sect, let alone the two true cultivators, Duan and Kang, who command this battalion of volunteers. You Xiaobao carefully searched the body for a while and only found two bottles of spirit-restoring pills with much of their medicinal power gone, and one or two damaged magic artifacts soaked in filthy blood.

Even this small amount of profit is not bad, considering that the people who just cleaned up the battlefield were trusted disciples specially selected by Chongming Sect. They did things with the meticulousness of Headmaster Kang. After their cleaning, they didn't find many spiritual items.

You Xiaobao was a content man. After calculating the time for a while, he realized it was a little late, so he hurriedly leaned on his red-tipped spear and returned to his military tent.

He obtained this high-grade magic weapon by pursuing and defeating an inner disciple of the Xuan Gong Sect when the disciple fled.

You Xiaobao had no ability to take the life of those cultivators, since they were all at the late stage of cultivation. If the two of them were to meet alone, only You Xiaobao would be able to run away at the mere sight of them.

However, the latter's body was just grazed by a beam of light from the battle between the two Foundation Establishment cultivators. The shattered defensive magic treasures pierced his body, leaving him covered in fragments and bleeding profusely like a tattered sack.

You Xiaobao was extremely decisive, using a magical artifact to end the life of this inner disciple of the Xuan Gong Sect. It could be considered merciful, and it was only right that he should have a magical artifact to protect himself.

As soon as You Xiaobao returned to the military tent, he was glared at by the team leader Dong Hu with considerable displeasure. Feeling guilty, he could only force a smile.

It makes sense. As a righteous fire chief and the head of a small family, it's not very respectable for him to abandon his subordinates to search for useful spiritual items and even miss the meeting time. It would be difficult to say anything harsh to his superiors.

By this time, the team of cultivators had gathered in the military tent, most of whom were You Xiaobao's neighbors from Cold Crow Mountain.

Normally, each family would conduct military drills in units of the Baojia system, and they had a tacit understanding with each other, so they could not be afraid of ordinary people when they went into battle.

However, many of the prayer cushions in the tent were unoccupied, which made You Xiaobao feel a little sad. But he was a seasoned soldier, and he quickly calmed down.

After all, the current situation is still unclear, and a fierce battle has not yet been fought. It is far from the time when we can afford to spare the energy to indulge in sentimentalism.

After You Xiaobao was seated, Dong Hu, who was at the head of the table, coughed lightly and said, "Just now, the camp's military commander has finished recording the merits, and the camp's granary officer has also allocated the rewards according to regulations. They are currently on the large carts carrying 10,000 shi of grain outside, loaded by wild oxen. During the battle, the images were recorded by the Grey Falcon and compiled by the Beast Master into jade slips. There will be no mistakes or omissions, so you can rest assured."

Even if Dong Hu hadn't mentioned it, the cultivators in the tent certainly knew about it. After all, regardless of whether they had entered the formation entirely voluntarily, Chongming Sect's commitment to keeping its word was beyond reproach.

There's no need to worry about others embezzling your war merits; as long as you risk your life, you can gain some wealth and a promising future. This is only right and proper, but for ordinary cultivators and small families, it's a luxury.

Therefore, even though they knew that Chongmingzong would not let their military achievements go unnoticed, the faces of the cultivators in the tent became much more excited after hearing Dong Huzhuan speak of them again.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Dong Hu's expression relaxed a little, and his tone also improved slightly: "General Bai just returned from discussing matters in the deputy general's tent. He said that our Gui team performed exceptionally well in this battle, so after this, we can rest and recuperate for a while."

The task of eliminating other Qi cultivation sects and cutting off the Xuan Gong Sect's wings will be handled by the other teams. It may be more than a month before our Gui team rejoins the main force and sets off again.

"You can make your own arrangements during this time, but you need to report before you can leave the camp," Dong Hu said, glancing at You Xiaobao as if he were not looking at him. You Xiaobao simply lowered his head and avoided his gaze.

Dong Hu snorted again and then said, "The accompanying merchant caravan has some cultivation supplies, which are sold at fair prices. If you need them, you should go there as soon as possible."

"Captain, are there any women in that caravan?!"

The moment the gossipy person in the tent uttered their words, it drew a burst of laughter and a few barely audible scoldings. Dong Hu seemed accustomed to such scenes, showing no embarrassment, and simply said in a deep voice:
"Our sect has its own dignity; how could it do such a thing?!"

Dong Hu's stern shout, his face changing color, immediately silenced the laughter in the tent. But after only a few breaths, he spoke again: "After leaving the camp, you are in charge of your own conduct. Just make sure the military officers don't bring your head back to question you!"

After Dong Hu finished speaking, he waved his hand and opened the spiritual barrier of the military tent, which meant that the cultivators inside could move freely in and out of the tent.

Instead of scattering in a panic, the cultivators fell into an eerie silence, as if the laughter that had just occurred had never happened.

You Xiaobao knew that most people were happy that they would no longer have to fight on the battlefield, a small number were saddened by the deaths and injuries of their relatives and friends, and a few were unhappy because they could no longer make contributions and earn spiritual items.

Even knowing all this, You Xiaobao didn't know what his state of mind was. He felt joy, sadness, and unhappiness—truly a complex mix.

After seeing his superior Dong Hu leave the military tent and after Dong Hu's relatives led the cultivators in the tent to distribute the spiritual items outside, You Xiaobao chatted with the people in the fire for a while before heading to the military caravan.

The caravan accompanying the Wood Character Camp was small, with only four or five people stationed there permanently. The person in charge was a handsome, clean-shaven cultivator with a pale face, who looked very young, yet no one dared to underestimate him in the slightest.

It should be noted that this person is the only nephew of the Grand Master Kang of Chongming Sect. Even the two true cultivators, Duan and Kang, who command the entire camp, must treat him with the utmost respect.

When You Xiaobao arrived at the accompanying caravan, he found it not as busy as he had expected.

He Chang, who had been drinking tea, glanced at him briefly upon seeing him arrive. After examining him for a while, he seemed to realize something, so he abandoned his tea and slowly walked over: "Is it Fellow Daoist You Xiaobao in person?!"

"I am You Xiaobao from Fenglin Mountain. I greet the esteemed cultivators of the upper sect."

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. I am merely a Qi Refining cultivator, how can I be considered a high-level cultivator?!" He Chang's smile was truly captivating, even causing You Xiaobao, whose mind was currently filled with thoughts of cultivation and spiritual objects, to pause for a moment. However, he quickly recovered and said, "I have come here to purchase some suitable pills."

After speaking, he took out a talisman with a dim spiritual light, which was given to him by his superior, Dong Hu, before he left Cold Crow Mountain. With this talisman, he could get a discount when purchasing spiritual items in the accompanying caravan, making it a rather rare item.

Even Dong Hu only received a few because of his kinship with the two elders. To be honest, such items should not be issued to the Righteous Army; they should be exclusively for the cultivators of the Azure Jade and Crimson Jade Guards.

He Chang showed no surprise, simply pushing the talisman back from You Xiaobao's hand and saying, "Let's leave it at that this time. Senior Brother Yuan already spoke to me beforehand. Fellow Daoist, please feel free to choose. It will be a good deal."

"Thank you so much, Gao Xiu!" You Xiaobao never expected that the favor he owed Yuan Changsheng for fighting alongside him would come in handy today.

However, he knew his limits and didn't try to strike up a conversation with He Chang. He simply listed the spiritual items he needed and handed them to the latter. The caravan manager then had his men calculate the price and quoted a price that made You Xiaobao cheer with delight.

You Xiaobao had just finished expressing his gratitude and was about to leave when he saw He Chang receive a token in his hand, and his expression suddenly became much more serious.

"If Fellow Daoist You has nothing urgent, you should return to camp as soon as possible."

After speaking with You Xiaobao, He Chang didn't wait for the latter's reaction and immediately flew towards the main tent in the center of the camp on his flying sword. You Xiaobao knew that someone like He Chang wouldn't bother to amuse him, so he carefully put away the spiritual item he had just acquired.

Just as You Xiaobao returned to the Gui team's tent, before even a cup of tea had been brewed, he heard his superior, Dong Hu, urging him from outside the tent:
"Where have all the people gone?! Your Majesty did not allow anyone to leave the camp beforehand, where are they?! Where are they?! Damn it, if anyone dares to leave without permission, Your Majesty will show no mercy this time, and will tear your bones apart and sell them to evil cultivators to make ointments!!"

The Gui team cultivators were well-trained by Dong Hu, and within the time it takes to smoke half a pipe, they had regrouped in full order. After the cultivators entered the tent, Dong Hu did not utter a word, but stood alone at the head of the tent with a gloomy face, looking at the cultivators in the tent without saying a word.

You Xiaobao had no idea how much time had passed; he only heard the drums and gongs resounding through the camp, and the angry shouts of the other team leaders echoing through the camp.

In an instant, the sounds of cursing, shouting, and whipping mingled together in a chaotic mess. Not only did You Xiaobao realize that something terrible had probably happened, but which of the cultivators in the tent was slow-witted enough to see it?
Just as everyone was feeling uneasy, General Jiang Zhong used the iron seal to break the spiritual barrier in the tent. After a quick glance and counting the number of people, he was somewhat satisfied.
"Not bad, your Gui team is quite well-organized. If I were to lose face in front of you two high-ranking cultivators like that guy next door, see how I deal with you!!"

Upon hearing Jiang Zhong's words, everyone in Team Gui, from Team Leader Dong Hu down, took the matter seriously. This was because this General was extremely close to Jiang Qing, the Elder of the Punishment Hall, and they were both within five degrees of kinship. If he wanted to deal with someone, it would be truly difficult for ordinary people to find connections to protect them.

"You should know what happened. That fellow next door needs to stay here to gather his troops. Our 100 men were originally scheduled to rest and regroup before setting off for Zhangwen County immediately."

Jiang Zhong gave Dong Hu a few words of explanation and left, while the latter began to busily arrange matters large and small.

You Xiaobao and Dong Hu were neighbors and had a good personal relationship in Hanya Mountain. Now, seeing that this matter concerned his own safety and was no ordinary one, he disregarded the latter's serious expression and boldly asked, "Team Leader?!"

Dong Hu initially didn't want to respond, but considering his relationship with Yuan Changsheng, he finally spoke up: "The Chixin Sect's Daoist has advanced to the Golden Core stage, the Yunwei Zheng family's private army has been wiped out, and the fate of the patriarch Zheng Taibai is unknown. The upper sect urgently needs our assistance and cannot delay."

"Phew, got it."

"So anxious, are you afraid?"

"It would be strange if I wasn't afraid," You Xiaobao said, seemingly not hiding his fear, though he gripped the red-tipped spear he had just acquired tightly as he spoke: "If the Upper Sect is defeated, will Cold Crow Mountain still be ours?"

Dong Hu simply smiled after hearing this, remaining silent and having no time to confide in You Xiaobao. He merely patted his meticulous old friend on the shoulder before leaving the tent to arrange the remaining matters.

As Dong Hu stepped out of the tent, he saw a beautiful sunset hanging in the sky, its colors resembling those of a fresh battlefield after a fierce battle.

(End of this chapter)