Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 482 Hehuan Sect

—————Gyeonggi Province, Yeongju, Fei Family Territory, Bodandae
Fei Yeyi sat alone in the quiet room. When she put down the spiritual silk in her hand, a hint of weariness was visible in her eyes.

Whether it was the current head of the Fei family in Yingzhou, or the Duke of Fu and the Grand Pillar of State of the David Dynasty, neither was an easy task, and both were draining his remaining lifespan.

The old cultivator couldn't think for long before his face showed even more weariness. Without being urged, the grass puppet beside him immediately served him a bowl of ginseng soup.

This Purple Jade Ginseng is exceptionally nourishing, but even the Imperial Garden, one of the world's finest spiritual plant gardens, produces very little of it. Furthermore, the Nine Rivers Region has long neglected to offer tribute, so only high-ranking and powerful senior officials like Fei Yeqing can receive the Emperor's favor and be granted annual gifts.

Fei Ye was used to drinking it, so he didn't think there was anything special about this treasure. He took a couple of sips and put it down. He tapped the jade platform under him a few times with his index finger, then closed his eyes to rest. The blue and white aura reappeared around the platform, making the old cultivator seem even more unfathomable.

Before long, Fei Dongwen, dressed in a purple robe, came in to pay his respects. Fei Yezhi slowly opened his eyes, and the sharp light within them even made the former, a Golden Core cultivator, slightly turn his head.

"Greetings, Ancestor," Fei Dongwen said sincerely. Fei Yeyi did not exchange pleasantries, but summoned a gentle breeze and bestowed the silk scroll in his hand upon the former standing below the platform for him to read.

After Fei Dongwen had read it, Fei Yeqing didn't say much, but went straight to the point: "Dongwen, what do you think?"

"This Ancestor Tianqin is truly divine and powerful!" Fei Dongwen pondered for a long time before saying this.

"Haha," Fei Yeqing smiled, not minding Fei Dongwen's evasive words, and said in a calm voice, "That's natural. Even in the entire David Immortal Dynasty, I can't find many people below the Nascent Soul stage who can match you, brother. But... I don't know why you're working so hard, brother?"

Fei Dongwen simply nodded in agreement without responding. Fei Yeyi knew that the former would not dare to criticize his elder's actions, so he did not press the matter further, but continued:
"It's alright, it doesn't matter. My brother knows what's important and didn't harm Jin Fengqing's life. Otherwise, there would have been a lot of mess to clean up with the Rift Sky Sword Sect."

At this point, Fei Dongwen echoed his sentiments with a few words. Unlike the flamboyant Fei Tianqin, he preferred to act cautiously.

In Fei Dongwen's view, the battle of Santing Prefecture was a performance match where Yueyin Zhenren was going to truly pledge allegiance to the Dawei Immortal Dynasty. Neither Fei Tianqin's Yingshan Army nor Shu Zhengde's less than one-du Dawei Imperial Guards needed to risk their lives like this.

The facts proved his point; Song Yangzi and Emperor Wei clearly had a tacit understanding. No sooner had Jin Fengqing fled in disarray than the situation among the various families in the northern mountains deteriorated, and then an imperial edict was issued ordering both sides to cease hostilities.

As for how many lives were lost by both sides in the war over this already damaged spiritual land, that was not within the scope of consideration of these two important figures.

What the inside story was, Fei Dongwen could hardly guess. Perhaps only the patriarch Ye Ling in the entire Fei family knew a thing or two, but he would not tell a junior like him until the right time.

However, the specifics are unclear, but according to Fei Dongwen's thinking, it is unlikely that the phrases "each gets what they need, snake pearl and bird ring" would come out.

After all, this time they even connected with Wen Fengzi, who was among the top ten on the list of the Ten Thousand Demons Ranking of the Taiyuan Capital Demon Suppression Office. They could also hide under the wings of the Rift Sky Sword Sect and eke out a living along with the various families of Shanbei.

In retrospect, the vast amount of manpower and resources that David's dynasty had previously expended in searching for and taking this man's life now seems somewhat ironic.

However, the Immortal Dynasty was weak. In the past, because Kuang Liuting formed a high-grade golden core, Emperor Wei defied the world and destroyed the lineage of the Blood Sword Sect of the Two Rivers. Not to mention the Wei faction, everyone was furious. Even the Kuang faction and neutral factions were mostly dissatisfied.

Although the thirty-three Nascent Soul sects in the world have formed factions and pursued their own interests due to their different goals, few are like the Wu Lao Mountain sect in Shanbei Road, who are wholeheartedly hoping for the revitalization of the Kuang family clan.

It is rare for a power like the Hehuan Sect of Guandong Dao and the Qingyu Tower of Liangxi Dao to openly align themselves with the Immortal Dynasty. This is not hard to understand. No one would like Taiyuan Du, who has once again become the true ruler of the world who can make absolute decisions.

Although the years that Great Ancestor David was trapped in the ancient forbidden land were not short, the masters of each family had heard many stories of the tragic circumstances from their sect masters and ancestors. The shadow that had been hanging over the heads of all families had only recently dissipated, and no one expected it to return.

Therefore, the statement made by the Rift Sky Sword Sect this time was not just their opinion. Emperor Wei was hesitant to act rashly and temporarily spared the lives of Wen Fengzi and the various families of Shanbei, but this was only to consider the overall situation.

Before Fei Dongwen could ponder for long, he heard Fei Yeyi speak up from the side: "My brother said he has urgent business to attend to in Yingzhou and cannot be delayed. After he and Master Yueyin have settled matters in the north of the mountain, he will temporarily put aside his duties at the Duke of Qin's mansion."

I will write to it later to inquire how long it will remain there. If it stays too long, Dongwen, you should entrust all your affairs to Nancy and have her go to the Duke of Qin's mansion to do things for your brother.”

"Yes!" Fei Dongwen immediately responded. Fei Yeyi had already made everything clear, and was about to ask him to leave the Baodan Platform, but he lowered his hand halfway and added:
"The time for the Hehuan Sect to enter the northern mountains has been set. True Person Jiangxue will lead seven senior cultivators, twelve alchemists, three hundred true cultivators, and five thousand Qi cultivators from the Four Seasons Division to settle in Santing Prefecture for cultivation, so that Duke Qin can use them to clarify local affairs. The departure date should be ten days later. You should go to the treasury to prepare generous gifts and personally escort them to the Niehai Realm of Guandong Road as a journey gift."

"Yes!"

After Fei Dongwen left the Baodan Platform, Fei Yeyi was about to close his eyes and continue to meditate when he suddenly raised his eyelids, looked at the few grass puppets standing respectfully beside him, and sighed with regret.

There are many things that can only be said when facing these inanimate objects, apart from my brother Fei Tianqin.

Upon reading this, Fei Yeyi murmured, "Betting on Kuang Liuting is certainly a wise decision, but the current emperor lacks benevolence and decisiveness. Relying solely on Kuang Liuting to turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice is perhaps too simplistic."

As soon as he had a thought, a map of the Immortal Dynasty hanging on the screen behind him slowly unfolded.

The mountains and rivers are vividly depicted, and the flowers and leaves are rendered with lifelike detail. The intricate network of roads on the map resembles a sturdy spider web, encompassing the isolated Taiyuan located in the heart of the land.

Fei Yeyi, with his keen insight into human nature and extensive experience, was unable to find a solution for the Kuang family clan. Only after a long time did he finally turn his gaze to the areas of Yunjiao Prefecture and Lanmeng Palace.

"Yes, as long as that member of the Kuang family clan in the outer sea can protect it, my master once told me that something might have happened in that ancient forbidden land, but it's absolutely impossible for it to trap the Great Ancestor. As long as the Soul Lamp doesn't go out, as long as the Soul Lamp doesn't go out."

Fei Yeyi muttered something for a while and then fell silent. Apart from the sounds of a few straw puppets sweeping, there was no other sound in the empty cave.

——Santingzhou, Mugenshan
The Three States Prefecture calmed down immediately because of the illusory image cast by the Immortal Shadow Stone. Although the families in the north of the mountain were dissatisfied and resentful, they had no choice but to abandon their clan lands and mountain gates, where they had lived for generations, and follow the disheveled True Man Wen Fengzi to the Guanzhong region.

Their battle against the Wu Laoshan faction was not particularly successful, and many of their actions to exterminate Wei Yi's faction had not yet been coordinated. This long-planned rebellion was almost thwarted.

If it weren't for the Sky-Splitting Sword Sect acting as a mediator, many other lineages would likely have been wiped out.

However, even if they go to the Guanzhong region, it is hard to say what will happen to them in the future. The local tribes and sects in such fertile lands may be less ruthless than those from the border regions, but with their abundant resources accumulated over thousands of years, their foundation is much stronger than the latter.

Even with the Sky-Splitting Sword Sect backing up the various families in the north, it remains to be seen how the local forces in Guanzhong will treat these outsiders who come to compete for resources.

However, this was not something that the victorious leader, Master Kang, needed to worry about. He had been pestering Fei Tianqin for a long time, and finally made this veteran, who had fought many battles and was quite exhausted, very impatient, so he granted Fei a favor.

After all, compared to the Yingshan Army, which cannot be easily mobilized, the Qingjue Guard, while having some impressive features, is far from indispensable.

Fei Tianqin's original intention was to have Kang Dabao lead the team to stay for a while longer, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

However, the latter clearly had no such intention. The large amount of resources they had acquired on this trip, as well as the substantial experience gained by their disciples, was already more than enough, and it was time to return to their home mountain.

After all, Fei Tianqin, being an old fox, was concerned about his reputation and, as a guest, had no intention of participating in the rectification campaign that was about to begin at Wu Lao Mountain.

After all, Wu Laoshan has spent a lot of money, not only losing San Tingzhou, one of the most precious places in the northern mountain region, but also losing a lot of strength to its subordinate sects, which are now waiting to be compensated by other families.

The target was naturally those powerful clans that thought they could stay out of it by not taking sides. These clans might have had many complicated relationships in the past, and even a Nascent Soul cultivator like Moon Concealer, whose lifespan was not long, would have to be somewhat wary of them.

But now, wielding the power of the Duke of Qin and the prestige of a great victory, he can boldly and decisively remove all the sores in his eyes along the northern mountain road.

In Fei Tianqin's opinion, the old man was eyeing all those households' belongings with a green eye. If the Fei family were to get involved at this time, the favor would be greatly diminished, which would be quite undesirable.

Whether Master Yueyin felt favorably toward this old bird's actions was unknown to Headmaster Kang, who himself did not entirely agree with Fei Tianqin's actions.

Because Shu Zhengde, who was also a guest soldier, obviously did not have so many useless thoughts, he spent these days doing things like confiscating and exterminating families and launching counterattacks in the northern mountain area, which made the pockets of the Imperial Guards bulge and everyone was satisfied.

Since there was no benefit to be gained, Master Kang was unwilling to lead his disciples to stay in the northern part of the mountain for any longer.

The Qingjue Guards performed admirably in this battle, far better than the previously favored Yunwei Zheng family. Fei Tianqin granted their request, thus avoiding public outrage.

Besides the Qingjue Guard's return, Kang Changyi, who was in Fazhou, also sent news of the various families of the Chongming Alliance who were with Chu Yanran in Qingping.

Compared to Kang Youwei and Jiang Ziya, who had experienced a major battle in Santing Prefecture, Yuan Jin's fight with the allied forces in Fazhou was only a minor skirmish.

It's obvious that Chu Yanran's earlier statement about "the complete restoration of Fazhou" was merely a ploy to curry favor with the Duke of Qin's mansion. The Red Heart Sect had dominated a prefecture for many years; they were unwilling to abandon their base so easily. In truth, after the Red Heart Sect's main gate fell, neither the sect leader nor Daoist Gu Chengsen had ever considered abandoning Fazhou. Even though they were all wounded, they still gathered together, found a place to raise the banner of rebellion, and continued to rally the various factions of Fazhou to fight against the external enemy.

It must be said that, thanks to the Red Heart Sect's thousand-year-old lenient policies, the various families in France have a very good impression of this unorthodox sect.

Even though the two top cultivators of the Red Heart Sect were almost all alone and had no capital left, they still managed to attract many sects from the Fazhou to gather and follow them.

According to Chu Yanran's original intention, there was no need to rush. After defeating the Red Bone Cultivator twice in a row, the beautiful woman had unknowingly developed a sense of pride.

In his mind, rather than going to great lengths to destroy mountains and temples in various parts of France, it would be better to let the Red Heart Sect gather all the rebels together so that they could be wiped out in one fell swoop and there would be less mess to clean up.

However, Yuan Jin, who was entrusted with an important task by the Grand Master Kang, strongly advised Chu Yanran that they should take advantage of the fact that the two senior cultivators of the Red Heart Sect were not firmly established, quickly defeat the rebels, and intimidate the various families in Fazhou so that they would lose their will to fight and would willingly submit to slaughter.

Chu Yanran had no impression of Yuan Jin, let alone whether he trusted her or not. However, the relationship between Yuan Jin and her two closest confidants, Kang Changyi and Qi Buxiu, was self-evident. So after thinking for a while, she agreed to Yuan Jin's request and, without delay, quelled the remaining enemy.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about this battle. The Red Heart Sect had not received any strong reinforcements, and even with Gu Chengsen and Honggu Shangxiu working together, they were still no match for Chu Yanran. If it weren't for the help of several Pill Masters who risked their lives, one of the two might have perished.

Seeing the decline of the Red Heart Sect's upper cultivation, the various factions lacked fighting spirit, and the main force's leader was not particularly prestigious. After a short while, they began to show signs of fighting independently.

Under such circumstances, as soon as the battle began, the various families in Fazhou were overwhelmed by the overwhelming force of the Chongming Allied Army. If it weren't for the fact that each family still had some dignity to maintain, they might have been completely crushed in one blow.

Fortunately, the opposing team's leader was not entirely incompetent; he was very experienced in commanding the battle formation, and with a series of commands, he finally managed to stabilize the team, which was not exactly in sync.

Based solely on paper strength, the various factions in Fazhou undoubtedly surpass the Chongming Alliance by a level. Even though they suffered heavy casualties at the beginning, once things stabilized, they were able to gradually halt the Chongming Alliance's fierce offensive.

However, Yuan Jin was indeed the most knowledgeable about military affairs among Chongmingzong's disciples since Master Zhang. Although the various troops of Chongmingzong were of varying quality, after winning many battles, they had developed the demeanor of a strong army.

Not only were they brave enough to fight, but what was even more valuable was their ability to endure a bitter battle.

At this time, the Crimson Guards were probably less than one-third of their peak strength, but they still charged ahead under the leadership of Yang Xun and other true cultivators, causing many richly equipped teams to retreat in defeat, unwilling to fight to the death with these desperate people who disregarded their own lives.

With Chu Yanran confident of victory and the Chongming allied forces holding their own under the command of Yuan Er of Chongming, this was an invincible situation.

After Chu Yanran used the magic treasure, the Six-Sided Embroidered Bamboo Bone Golden Thread Lamp, to take the lives of the two alchemists, Honggu Shangxiu and Gu Chengsen completely lost the idea of ​​raising troops to rebel again and abandoned their formation and fled.

However, Golden Core cultivators are not so easy to kill. Chu Yanran's pursuit failed once again, so she had to turn back and take the life of another Core Master to make up the numbers.

At that time, no matter how loyal the various families in France were to the Red Heart Sect, they could no longer maintain their momentum.

Before the main force could collapse, the main force fled. Bian Hu seized the opportunity and led the Crimson Guards, who had become a pack of mad tigers, in a desperate pursuit. The brave warriors of the alliance even dared to break away from their formations and fight after receiving permission, which greatly boosted the morale of the cultivators of the Chongming Alliance.

From Chu Yanran's victory to Yuan Jin leading his army to crush the allied forces of various states in Fazhou, only a little over half an hour had passed.

After that, there was nothing more to say. Since childhood, Master Yuan had been taught by Master Kang to be diligent and thrifty, and he had not forgotten the family tradition of being hardworking and thrifty.

After he led the various families of the Chongming Alliance to search the mountains and seas within the territory of Fazhou for a while, and presented most of the spoils to Chu Yanran, the remaining scraps were enough to make the poor Chongming Alliance members return in high spirits.

As for the whereabouts of the two cultivators from the Red Heart Sect, it is still unknown.

However, if they hadn't boarded Wen Fengzi's wrecked ship in time to head to Guanzhong, and had instead remained hiding in Shanbei Road, they probably wouldn't have survived if Wu Laoshan had returned with a vengeance.

It was more than a month later when Yuan Jin led the various factions of the Chongming Alliance to meet with Master Kang and his entourage. The distribution of spoils and profits was already planned, so the factions had no time to worry about it. Ye Zhengwen, who brought several disciples in charge of strategy, was clearly prepared for a tough battle.

However, this war did not bring Chongmingzong all benefits. The Chizhang Guard, a fighting force that he had painstakingly built, was mostly destroyed. Not only did all the effort and resources he had put in go to waste, but it would also likely damage Chongmingzong's reputation.

The Qingjue Guard still suffered heavy casualties. This was only achieved after the Grand Master Kang and Jiang Qing had faced many powerful enemies and provided additional support. Otherwise, the situation would have been even worse.
The situation was even more dire for the various factions within the alliance, who all lost key figures to varying degrees. However, the fact that these lives could be exchanged for a large amount of resources made it a worthwhile trade for them.

The Songfeng Righteous Army and the local militia of Pingjin County, summoned by Hanya Mountain, suffered numerous casualties due to their relatively weak cultivation levels. Many small families were on the verge of collapse. Therefore, Sect Leader Kang was keeping a close eye on the matter of providing relief and compensation. For families with outstanding military achievements, it was possible to recruit their young members into the sect and upgrade their status by exchanging them for spiritual land.

In conclusion, human lives are currently far less valuable than rare resources. While following Chongmingzong will inevitably involve conquest and battles, it will also bring tangible benefits.

Kang Dabao was not one to readily wage war, and if future conscriptions were conducted as fairly as they are now, he would not fear any change in public sentiment.

If things go as Sect Leader Kang thinks, he can have a good rest after this battle. Not only will he be able to achieve the Core Formation stage, but the strength of the entire Chongming Sect and even the Chongming Alliance will also see a surge. This is something that people can really look forward to.

But it's unknown whether his wish will come true.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As dusk settled, the Azure Phoenix Flying Boat crushed the last wisp of sunset and entered the skies above Xuanwei City. Afterwards, wisps of blue smoke billowed from the boat, helping thousands of disciples of the Joyful Union Sect land outside Xuanwei City.

The current leader of the Hehuan Sect, Master Jiangxue, had his robes billowing with cloud patterns in the mountain wind, while the silver bell at his waist seemed to hang heavily. Behind him, the younger generation stood with their heads bowed and held their breath, their hair still carrying the fragrance of plum blossoms from the Guandong region.

With a clang, gold and jade clashed as Marquis Fei Nanying of the old city led countless Xuanjia guards out of the city gate.

Correspondingly, the hundred-mile-long fragrance of ambergris gushed out when the city gates opened, colliding with the cool air around the cultivators and creating a series of delicate popping sounds, which were quite pleasant to hear.

The two rows of palace maids following the Xuanjia soldiers were newly transferred from the Eastern Palace by the Imperial Clan Court with a large amount of supplies. At this moment, they were all kneeling by the roadside, holding nine-branched lanterns.

Clusters of flames seemed to possess a spirit, and at this moment they rejoiced incessantly, illuminating the carved bricks on the ground with flickering light.

More than ten alchemists, all carrying ceremonial implements and dressed in military uniforms, lined up in front of the city gate.

Duke Kuang Liuting of Qin stood atop the city tower, surrounded by his retinue. The golden lion woven into his python robe shone brightly in the twilight, making him appear even more noble than before.

However, as mentioned before, after returning from the outer sea, Kuang Liuting's arrogance had indeed faded considerably. When Jiangxue Zhenren slowly descended on the red clouds, Kuang Liuting bowed slightly and respectfully said, "Senior, you must be tired from your journey."

The woman who was the main character in the scene was not particularly beautiful. There were fine lines hidden at the corners of her phoenix eyes under her willow-leaf eyebrows, and her eyes seemed to tell many stories. However, in terms of appearance, she could only be described as ordinary.

Even her clothing conformed to the imperial guard etiquette, just like that of a noble lady, which was quite different from the image of the Hehuan Sect Master in the public's mind.

However, Kuang Liuting and his group of important officials knew how formidable this woman was.

This is not to say that the woman herself was particularly amazing. In fact, although Master Jiangxue was senior, her combat skills were only considered to be among the lowest among all the masters of the Hehuan Sect. Otherwise, she would not have so naturally stepped down and passed the position of sect leader to her disciple so decisively.

However, the fact that the Hehuan Sect has been able to dominate the Guandong region for nearly a thousand years, and even manage to arrange the unprecedented marriage of the Holy Maiden to Taiyuan as a concubine, is all the work of Master Jiangxue.

Kuang Liuting knew that the Hehuan Sect had recently become increasingly close to the Kuang family clan, and privately speaking, they were even closer than the families in the capital region who had always supported the current emperor.

Indeed, this is the case. Apart from Shen Lingfeng, the imperial consort, the two most intimate figures of the Immortal Dynasty are these two from the Hehuan Sect.

In this respect, even the current prime minister, Gui Xuantong, is probably inferior.

When Master Jiangxue looked at Kuang Liuting, his eyes were filled with admiration. Needless to say, the entire Hehuan Sect was greatly encouraged after the latter formed a top-grade elixir. During that period, there were many more living bodhisattvas giving alms throughout the Guandong region.

The two exchanged few pleasantries, and Master Jiangxue showed no intention of entering the city for further conversation. After a brief exchange, he instructed his disciples to pay their respects to the Crown Prince and then restarted the Azure Phoenix Flying Boat.

However, before leaving, she did not see any of her many male favorites, including a fake Dan Master with a fair complexion. Before boarding the ship, she glanced at Xuanwei City again, her eyes seemingly filled with reminiscence.

(Thanks to reader 20210301106576334466 for the 1000 coins, to reader 080831085731562 for the 500 coins, and to reader Abu for his continued support of Yuan Jin.)

(End of this chapter)