Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 361 Strategy to break the situation
"Jiang Feng's visit to the sect leader must be about the matter of Bianxi City. It seems they have found out from their investigation. I will immediately have my disciples prepare. Once the Beast Taming Sect gives the order, we will attack Bianxi City again." Zhang Ningyuan was very excited and eager to try. His eyes were bright and sparkling, as if he couldn't wait to fly back to Bianxi City right now.

Song Xian remained calm: "What did you all ask him just now?"

“I asked him if he had investigated the matter of Bianxi City and when the Beast Taming Sect planned to send troops, but he knew nothing about it, only saying that he was there on orders and knew nothing else.”

"You wait here, I'll be right back." Song Xian didn't say anything more, and left the room, disappearing into the sky in a flash.

Upon arriving at the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gate, he was not taken to the main hall, but instead led to a mansion's hall. After waiting for quite some time, Jiang Feng entered from outside.

"Master Jiang, what brings you here?" Song Xian stood up and bowed.

Jiang Feng walked to the head seat with a blank expression, waved his hand, and gestured for him to sit down as well.

“We sent people to Bianxi City, and the news has already come back.” Jiang Feng paused slightly.

Song Xian looked at him, his heart pounding twice. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

"There is no evidence to suggest that the Luoyun Sect has defected to the Yunxuan Sect."

Song Xian suddenly felt a chill run from head to toe, as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His worst fears had come true.

After his conversation with Wang Xuan, he realized that the Beast Taming Sect might betray the Hunyuan Sect in exchange for peace with the Luoyun Sect.

Hunyuanzong was abandoned; he became a clown. Having lost Bianxi City and Tianshan, Hunyuanzong was like water without roots, and it was only a matter of time before he withered away.

How could he explain this to his disciples? Even with his calm and composed nature, Song Xian felt his face burning. He knew his expression must be terrible.

"Is your clan really going to abandon us?" Song Xian didn't waste any more words, staring intently at Jiang Feng, and directly posed this crucial question.

Jiang Feng coughed lightly to cover up his guilty conscience: "It's not a matter of abandoning or not abandoning. Luo Yun Sect has indeed not betrayed our sect. They have not seized any of our sect's properties in Bianxi City, nor have they announced their defection to Yun Xuan Sect."

"As for the conspiracy of the Falling Cloud Sect that you mentioned, that is just your speculation. It is something that has not happened. To put it another way, even if they really had such intentions, it can only mean that this is a private conflict between you and them."

"Our sect has already sent people to question the Luoyun Sect about this matter, and they have sworn that they would never betray our sect and join the Yunxuan Sect. Therefore, our sect has no reason to send troops to attack them."

"As for Mount Luojia and Mount Tian, ​​they have indeed been occupied by the Luoyun Sect. Our sect will continue to send people to negotiate with them on this matter."

"You can stay in Flower Mandarin Duck Valley for now. As for the matter in Bianxi City, I will handle it and do my best to get a good result for you."

Song Xian slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, unable to contain his anger any longer. He sternly rebuked, "Our sect has always been loyal to your sect. The intentions of the Luoyun Sect are known to all under heaven, yet your sect is playing the ostrich, burying its head in the sand and deceiving itself. Your sect's actions will surely chill the hearts of those loyal to your sect in Xijiang County and will inevitably become a laughingstock."

"Fellow Daoist Song, calm down." Jiang Feng's face darkened, and he said coldly.

Song Xian ignored him and simply turned and left.

It wasn't until he left the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gate and had been traveling for quite some time that his anger gradually subsided, his mind began to calm down, and he started to think about the matter quickly.

He knew that anger wouldn't solve anything, but he still couldn't control his emotions.

In truth, he was not angry at the Beast Taming Sect, but at his own powerlessness.

Although withdrawing from Bianxi City was a last resort, he really didn't expect the Beast Taming Sect to pull this stunt and directly make peace with the Falling Cloud Sect.

In his plan, Luoyun Sect must have reached an agreement with Yunxuan Sect, and then they would definitely form an independent alliance with various sects in Bianxi City. Yushou Sect would never sit idly by and would definitely send troops to attack, because Yushou Sect has a large number of properties in Bianxi City.

Bianxi City is their most important base, and they cannot easily give it up.

The worst-case scenario he anticipated was that Yunxuan Sect would support Luoyun Sect, causing Yushou Sect to fail to retake Bianxi City. He never imagined that Luoyun Sect would actually accept the situation and withdraw, and that Yushou Sect would tacitly accept this betrayal.

The most pressing issue facing him now is how to explain things to the disciples of his sect.

The truth will out eventually. Even if he tries to cover it up, one day the disciples of the sect will find out that the Beast Taming Sect never intended to send troops.

Moreover, it won't be long before Jiang Feng has already said that the Luo Yun Sect has not occupied their properties in Bianxi City. This information will soon spread to Xijiang County, and the sect disciples will know that the Beast Taming Sect and the Luo Yun Sect are coexisting peacefully.

At that time, the sect will inevitably be demoralized, and it may even collapse entirely.

How can we stabilize people's hearts? The sect has accumulated quite a bit of wealth over the years, with a savings of more than one million spirit stones, all of which have been transported here with the spirit ship.

A significant increase in salaries could indeed provide stability for a period of time, but this is not a long-term solution. Without income, even the strongest foundation cannot withstand being depleted by idleness.

Moreover, the lack of spiritual veins for cultivation is a major problem. The reason why Lin Zixiang was so opposed to it was because leaving Bianxi City would mean losing a place for cultivation.

After thinking it over and over, he couldn't come up with a good solution.

He had no other choice but to accept the Beast Taming Sect's refusal to send troops.

No, we can't let this happen. We must get the Beast Taming Sect to send troops.

Song Xian's eyes flickered, and he already had a strategy in mind.

When he returned to Flower Mandarin Duck Valley, the core members of the sect came to greet him. Clearly, everyone knew that he had been summoned by Jiang Feng, and they all looked at him with hope.

"Sect Leader, what did the Beast Taming Sect say? Are they going to send troops to attack Bianxi City?" Zhang Ningyuan asked first.

“The people sent by the Beast Taming Sect to investigate Bianxi City haven’t returned yet. They didn’t ask me to come for this matter; they just wanted to inquire about our settlement situation.” Song Xian would never admit to that.

Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly disappointed, and some were even surprised and doubtful, such as George Lam, whose eyes clearly showed suspicion.

"No need to rush, just wait patiently and go about your own business!" Song Xian waved his hand to dismiss everyone and walked straight towards the room.

Only Lin Zixiang and Su Zhirou followed behind him. After the three entered the room, Lin Zixiang raised a question: "Sect Leader, did Jiang Feng really not mention Bianxi City?"

"Let's talk about it later!" Song Xian ordered someone to summon Lu Yuan and Zhang Ningyuan, and soon the two entered from outside.

"Sect Leader, is there any news from Bianxi City?" Zhang Ningyuan asked impatiently as soon as he entered, without even offering a greeting. Lu Yuanze bowed respectfully and stood in front of him, looking at Song Xian with a solemn expression.

The two men weren't fools; they were only half-believing Song Xian's words. As soon as everyone dispersed, Song Xian sent someone to find them, clearly indicating that he had something important to discuss.

Given that he had just returned from the Beast Taming Sect, the two of them guessed that it was most likely about Bianxi City that was inconvenient to disclose in front of so many people, so he had asked them to come alone to discuss it.

Unlike Zhang Ningyuan, whose face was full of hope and expectation, Lu Yuanze looked solemn and not optimistic.

He was well aware of the sect's current predicament, the main problem being internal discord. If it were good news, Song Xian would have announced it publicly to reassure the sect.

However, the fact that he dismissed everyone else and then summoned the two of them alone suggests that it was probably not good news.

"Please sit down!" Song Xian waved his hand, and after the two sat down, he spoke with a heavy expression: "Jiang Feng came to see me this time because of the matter of Bianxi City. According to him, the Beast Taming Sect has sent people to investigate and found out that the Luoyun Sect has not clearly pledged allegiance to the Yunxuan Sect, so they do not intend to send troops to attack."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ningyuan's expression changed, and he abruptly stood up: "How could this be?"

George Lam's expression was also very grim: "So, we misjudged the situation?"

Although he was referring to "us" in his words, his gaze was fixed on Song Xian.

Only Lu Yuan remained calm, his expression unchanged: "It's not that we misjudged the situation, it's that the Beast Taming Sect doesn't want to fall out with the Falling Cloud Sect for the time being."

Song Xian glanced at Lu Yuan and nodded to himself. Lu Yuan's personality was similar to Zhong Wenyuan's; both were mature and prudent, and relatively calm in the face of events. He was slightly better than Zhong Wenyuan in that he was more tactful in his actions and did not openly favor his own people like Zhong Wenyuan did.

Many people complained about the sect's withdrawal from Bianxi City, but Lu Yuan never complained.

Even with insufficient information, he was able to immediately identify the core issue, demonstrating his calm mind and ability to think critically.

This is also why Song Xian valued him the most.

“Senior Brother Lu is right. The Beast Taming Sect is currently fighting the Windwalking Sect in Tiger Gate City. They don’t want to fall out with the Falling Cloud Sect at this time. I guess they must have sent someone to negotiate with the Falling Cloud Sect.”

"Then what do we do?" Zhang Ningyuan asked through gritted teeth, seemingly unable to vent his anger.

"We can only wait for the right opportunity." Lu Yuan shook his head gently and sighed.

"Wait, wait until how long?"

Zhang Ningyuan seemed to have found a scapegoat. He couldn't vent his anger on Song Xian, but he wasn't so polite to Lu Yuan: "Whether we wait until the Beast Taming Sect defeats the Yunxuan Sect or until everyone in the Luoyun Sect is dead, we should have just fought them. Now, even if we wanted to fight, we wouldn't have had the chance."

After saying that, he glanced at Song Xian and added, "I always said we shouldn't have withdrawn from Bianxi City."

Song Xian frowned. Zhang Ningyuan's words were clearly directed at him, especially the last sentence, which showed how dissatisfied he was.

"Senior Brother Zhang Ningyuan, do you mean you blame your husband for harming you?" Before Song Xian could speak, Su Zhirou, who was standing to the side, became displeased and reprimanded him sternly with a stern face.

“If it weren’t for my husband, you would have been dead by the Falling Cloud Sect long ago. Instead of being grateful, you blame my husband and even want to fight the Falling Cloud Sect to the death. With your meager strength, what can you possibly fight? You wouldn’t even be enough to fill the Falling Cloud Sect’s teeth.”

Su Zhirou was gentle and kind, and never paid attention to sect affairs. When she occasionally participated in discussions, she remained silent, like a transparent person.

This was the first time she had ever lost her temper. She knew how worried Song Xian had been about this matter lately. He was doing it for the sake of the Hunyuan Sect, but he couldn't get the understanding of the sect's disciples. Now he was being questioned and criticized by Zhang Ningyuan in public. So she got angry and blurted it out.

Her stern rebuke took everyone completely by surprise, and for a moment the room fell into a deathly silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

George Lam, who had been looking at Song Xian, silently withdrew his gaze, gently stroking his chin without saying a word.

Lu Yuanze stared at the ground expressionlessly.

The most embarrassed person was Zhang Ningyuan, whose face turned red instantly. He seemed stunned by the scolding and stood there at a loss for what to do.

Song Xian turned to look at her and saw that she was angry, with a sharp look in her eyes, which was very different from her usual gentle appearance. She was obviously really angry.

"Well said," Song Xian thought to himself. There were some things he couldn't say aloud, worried about escalating the conflict, especially at this moment. But it was perfectly fine for Su Zhirou to say them; it was just right.

"I...I didn't mean that." After a brief silence, Zhang Ningyuan explained in a flustered manner, looking as if he wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

"Senior Brother Ningyuan, don't be in a hurry, sit down first." Song Xian smoothed things over at the right time, and Zhang Ningyuan, as if he had found a lifeline, immediately sat down.

"The most important thing now is unity. Think back to when we left Qingyun Sect. It was so difficult, but we made it through and gradually established ourselves in Bianxi City, developing the sect to its current scale."

“We are facing the same trouble now, but it is much better than when we left Qingyun Sect. I believe that as long as we are united, we will definitely be able to overcome this difficulty.”

"Although the current situation is unfavorable to us, it's not like we're completely helpless."

“The Beast Taming Sect betrayed us and wants to make peace with the Falling Cloud Sect. We cannot let them have their way. We must find a way to get them to send troops to Bianxi City.”

Zhang Ningyuan was scolded by Su Zhirou and looked ashamed, lowering his head and remaining silent.

Lin Zixiang was also a little guilty, afraid that if he said too much, Su Zhirou would turn her attention to him, so he didn't respond.

Only Lu Yuan calmly asked, "What good plan does the sect leader have?"

"Elder Xu Xiansheng of the Beast Taming Sect is a hardliner. It is said that when the Independent Alliance was established in Yongning City, he advocated sending troops to attack. If we can find him and explain our situation, we may have a chance to get him to speak on our behalf during internal discussions within the Beast Taming Sect."

“I’m afraid that won’t work!” Lin Zixiang broke his silence and frowned slightly. “According to the sect leader, Xu Xiansheng once advocated sending troops to attack Yongning City, but in the end, the Beast Taming Sect didn’t send any troops at all, which shows that he has limited influence. Yongning City has already broken away from the Beast Taming Sect and formed an independent alliance, while the Luoyun Sect has not yet clearly broken away from the Beast Taming Sect. Even if we persuade him, it won’t make much difference.”

“Senior Brother Zixiang is right. If Luoyun Sect maintains the status quo, Beast Taming Sect will definitely not send troops. Therefore, our focus should be on making Luoyun Sect and Beast Taming Sect completely turn against each other. In this way, whether it is for their own interests or for face, Beast Taming Sect may send troops. In addition, if Xu Xiansheng can make a proposal within Beast Taming Sect, there is a high probability that this matter will be brought to fruition.”

"How can we make the Falling Cloud Sect and the Beast Taming Sect completely turn against each other? The Falling Cloud Sect isn't stupid; they won't do as we wish."

"If Yunxuan Sect can put enough pressure on Luoyun Sect, they may completely turn against Yushou Sect."

(End of this chapter)