I am Zhao Zhijing, a poor Taoist priest, and I have disciples all over the world.

Although the four major factions have escaped their predicament, there is still no consensus on how they should unite to overthrow the Mongol court.

It just so happened that Song Qingshu, the leader of the Huashan Sect, Yu Lianzhou of the Wudang Sect, and Zhang Wuji, the leader of the Ming Cult, were all present, so they decided to discuss the matter.

Even though the six major sects are very influential in the martial arts world, killing a few Tartars is easy, and beheading a high-ranking official is not difficult either.

However, when it comes to how to lead troops into battle and organize a righteous army to fight against the Yuan dynasty under the Ming banner, he can only shake his head.

The monk Kongwen said, “This matter is of great importance and cannot be rushed. Let us rest here for a few days, and then return to our respective sects to reorganize our internal affairs. We will then discuss the important plan together.”

The Shaolin Temple's main gate was destroyed, and upon returning, they will need to gather disciples from all over to rebuild. Although the situation in other sects is not as severe as that of the Shaolin sect, they will also need to rest and recuperate for a period of time.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Seeing that the matter was settled, Zhang Wuji thought of going to sea to Icefire Island to welcome back his adoptive father, Xie Xun. Firstly, father and son could be reunited, and secondly, Xie Xun could naturally take over the position of leader of the Ming Cult.

"Senior Brother Song, if there's nothing else, let's go now."

On the way from Mount Hua to Dadu, Song Qingshu once sought out Zhang Wuji alone and told him the secrets of the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

Zhang Wuji was very surprised to hear this, but since it was Song Qingshu who said it himself, it must be true. In any case, Cheng Kun had already been captured, and his adoptive father no longer needed to waste his efforts on the Dragon-Slaying Saber.

The martial arts manual hidden in the Dragon-Slaying Saber can be passed on to skilled generals in the Ming Cult, which will be a great help in driving out the barbarians in the future.

So the two decided to go to sea together to find Xie Xun.

"Junior Brother Wuji, please wait a moment. I'm going to explain some things. I'll be right back soon."

Song Qingshu summoned Song Yan and explained his upcoming itinerary: "While I am away, all affairs of the Huashan Sect will be handled by Xu Zhuo and Elder He Songyan. I should be able to return to Jade Maiden Peak in two to three months."

Song Yan bowed and accepted the order, "Yes, there are many storms overseas. The fate of the entire Huashan Sect rests on the shoulders of the sect leader. Please take good care of yourself."

With everything settled, Song Qingshu, accompanied by Xiao Zhao, bid farewell to Zhang Wuji and the others, mounted his horse, and rode south.

At this time, the aftermath of the fire at Wan'an Temple and Ruyang Prince's Mansion had not yet subsided. Along the way, many Mongol troops were seen rushing towards Dadu, clearly indicating that the entire city was on high alert.

However, with Song Qingshu and Zhang Wuji's martial arts skills, without anyone hindering them, they could easily deal with whatever happened, and spent the night in Dadu City.

"It's best to purchase all the necessary supplies for our trip to the coastal areas in the city. Otherwise, if we're missing something, it will be difficult to prepare it later."

Zhang Wuji had Ming Cult members with seafaring experience wait for him at the beach closest to Dadu. However, since Icefire Island was in the far north of the sea, it was always good to bring extra supplies in case of emergencies.

The next day, the three of them purchased medicine, clothing, and other items that were not easily found in small towns in the capital city. However, there were many Yuan soldiers patrolling the city, which delayed them for a while, and they did not finish until it was almost evening.

Just as they were preparing to leave the city, a series of three long and two short whistles suddenly came from afar. The whistles were sharp and were the signal used by the Emei Sect to summon their fellow disciples.

Song Qingshu had seen this signal in the Western Regions desert, and Zhang Wuji had also heard it when he met Ji Xiaofu. Although many years had passed, the sharp sound was very unique, so he still remembered it.

"Why have the people from the Emei Sect returned to Dadu again?"

The two exchanged a glance, both somewhat puzzled. Song Qingshu thought to himself that since Abbess Miejue was still alive, there was no need to pass the throne to Zhou Zhiruo and have her use her beauty to trick Zhang Wuji into giving her the Dragon-Slaying Saber and the Heaven-Reliant Sword. Why had she followed them here? "Senior Brother Song, let's go and see, just in case something happens to the Emei Sect."

Although Zhou Zhiruo was cold and Abbess Miejue reprimanded Zhang Wuji after he revealed his identity, he still couldn't rest easy and had to go see her to put his mind at ease.

Song Qingshu nodded. He had originally planned to go to the beach to wait for Granny Jin Hua, who was also Xiao Zhao's mother, Dai Qisi, but a little longer wouldn't make a difference.

The three immediately headed northeast from where the sound came from, but the further they went, the more remote the place became. It seemed that the Emei Sect had deliberately chosen this place to hide their whereabouts.

Before long, they arrived at an abandoned manor, overgrown with weeds. In a pavilion a little further away, there were twenty or thirty people gathered, who were disciples of the Emei Sect.

Seeing that there was no danger, the three of them decided not to reveal themselves. They quietly approached the half-collapsed wall to conceal themselves and listen to what the other women were planning to do.

"I insist on returning to Dadu, because if we don't enter the tiger's den, how can we catch the tiger's cub? We must retrieve the Heaven-Reliant Sword of our Emei Sect!"

The voice was stubborn yet hoarse; it belonged to Abbess Miejue. Although the Heaven-Slaying Sword was in Song Qingshu's hands, there was no way he would return it to the Emei Sect until he obtained the secret manual within the sword.

“Master, your injuries have not yet fully healed, and that Tartar demoness has many skilled fighters under her command. Let’s wait until you are fully recovered before making any plans.”

“Senior Sister Jingxuan is right. Please rest and recover, Master. We disciples will go and test the waters first.”

The moonlight was dim, and the wall was in the shade, so there was no need to worry about being discovered. Song Qingshu and the other two looked through the cracks in the bricks and saw that they were indeed Emei disciples who had escaped from Wan'an Temple the night before.

"If your master can wait, can that demoness also wait?"

Abbess Miejue said sternly, "A disciple of the dignified Emei Sect would rather break than bend. Even if it costs us our lives, it is a sacrifice for righteousness!"

Seeing their master's anger, none of the disciples dared to offer any further advice. After a moment of silence, Abbess Miejue's gaze fell on Zhou Zhiruo, and she spoke slowly, her tone becoming calmer.

"Since the founding of our sect by Patriarch Guo, the position of sect leader has always been held by a woman. Not to mention men, even married women are not allowed to take over the position."

"But now that the Heaven-Reliant Sword has fallen into the hands of the Tartars, we can no longer stick to the old ways. Whoever finds the Heaven-Reliant Sword can become the next sect leader!"

Gu Hongzi, the senior brother of Abbess Miejue, died in despair after losing a martial arts contest with Yang Xiao. The Heaven-Slaying Sword was lost and eventually presented to the Prince of Ruyang's mansion.

The reason it was able to return to the hands of the Emei Sect was because Abbess Miejue took it back all by herself. However, this time she was determined to die. Even if she got the Heaven-Slaying Sword back, she would fight the Tartars to the death.

Therefore, he left behind his last instructions, but the one he valued most was Zhou Zhiruo, who had the highest level of understanding.

Upon hearing this, all the disciples lowered their heads and remained silent. They all felt that their master's solemn arrangement of his successor meant that he was determined not to return to Mount Emei alive, and each of them had an ominous premonition.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

In the silence, the old man's dry cough was particularly jarring. Before the Emei Sect members could react, a whooshing sound rang out, and in the blink of an eye, two figures appeared outside the pavilion.

"Grandma Golden Flower?!" (End of Chapter)