Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 363 A two-pronged approach
As night fell, the starlight dimmed, dark clouds loomed overhead, and a howling wind blew, causing the bamboo shadows to sway and the bamboo leaves to rustle incessantly.

Inside the brightly lit hall at the Yunxuan Sect's mountain gate, Ma Quan strode in. A still-attractive woman, who was sitting inside, rose and slowly bowed in greeting. After exchanging a few polite words, the two took their seats as host and guest.

"Fellow Daoist Ma must already know that the Luoyun Sect has played us for fools. They clearly agreed that they would start an uprising in Bianxi City to distract the Beast Taming Sect, but now they've made peace with them. Aren't they just making a fool of us? This is intolerable!"

"Our sect leader sent me to discuss this matter with you, fellow Daoist, hoping that you can speak to your sect leader and put pressure on the Luoyun Sect. After all, our sect's influence over the Luoyun Sect is really limited. Previously, our sect had already sent people to negotiate with the Luoyun Sect, but they didn't care."

"If your clan could step in, I believe they would give it serious consideration."

Ma Quan nodded calmly: "I understand your sect's feelings very well. To be honest, I also disapprove of the Luoyun Sect's two-faced behavior and want to teach them a lesson. However, I have already reported this matter to the sect leader, but the sect leader did not adopt my suggestion."

"Forgive my frankness, but the reason why your sect leader did not adopt your suggestion may not be because he thought what you said was wrong. Perhaps someone is slandering you."

Ma Quan's eyelids twitched, he glanced up at her slightly, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The beautiful woman continued, "If someone of sufficient influence were to make a suggestion to your sect leader, it would surely be able to reverse your sect's decision. Tomorrow, I will be representing our sect leader to meet with Senior Luo Ziquan and persuade him to put pressure on the Luoyun Sect. If Fellow Daoist Ma could speak to Senior Luo at this time, I believe it would be effective."

"Let me consider this matter," Ma Quan said calmly.

"I have something to say, but this matter was originally your responsibility, Fellow Daoist. Now, the Luoyun Sect has gone back on its word and is playing you for fools. If you swallow your anger, you will become a laughingstock. Please consider this carefully. I will take my leave." After saying this, the beautiful woman got up and left.

Ma Quan pondered for a long time, then slowly got up and went to the window. He opened the window and saw that it was raining heavily outside. The night rain was pouring down and the wind was still howling.

His mind raced. He knew that Pei Xuanming was behind the Luoyun Sect's affairs and had received many benefits from the sect, so he spoke up for him.

Pei Xuanming was Qi Yunxuan's confidant, deeply trusted and valued by him. Moreover, his cultivation had reached the tenth level of Foundation Establishment, and the next step was to break through to the Golden Core stage. This was why he kept silent about this matter, as he did not want to offend Pei Xuanming because of it.

At this moment, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and a thin man with a bulbous nose entered from outside; it was Ma Ji.

"uncle."

"What is it?" Ma Quan didn't turn his head, still gazing out the window at the wind and rain.

"Someone found me and asked me to pass on a message." Ma Ji briefly recounted the whole story.

"One hundred thousand spirit stones." Ma Quan's heart skipped a beat: "Who is this person?"

"It's very likely that it's someone from the Hunyuan Sect, as only they would have this motive. I think you were already dissatisfied with the Luoyun Sect's fickle nature, so you agreed to pass on the message to them."

Ma Quan narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

.........

Fengluo Mountain, the largest market town in Xijiang County, is like a giant city, bustling with people and spreading news like birds.

Inside one of the attics, in an elegantly decorated room, several men dressed in magnificent robes were drinking tea and wine, and enjoying spiritual food.

"This newly launched Yancao Bisi by the Fengxing Merchant Guild is really quite good. Fellow Daoists, please try it." One person picked up a piece of the green and red delicacy from the plate with chopsticks and took a bite.

Another person picked up a piece as well: "I heard that this is made from the meat of a second-tier Black-tailed Swallow demon beast, along with second-tier spiritual herbs, Luo Yan Fruit and Yellow Fragrant Grass. The price has skyrocketed. When I came here half a month ago, it was thirty-five spirit stones a serving, but today it's forty spirit stones."

"The price has increased by five spirit stones in just half a month? Why has it increased so much?"

"These second-tier Black-tailed Swallow demon beasts have to be transported from the Muhe Grassland, through the Tianshan Market, and then to the Fengxing Merchant Guild. Now that things have changed in Bianxi City, the Hunyuan Sect has been driven out, and the Tianshan Market has been taken over by the Luoyun Sect. With a change of ownership, the rules naturally have to be changed as well, which has led to chaos and many items are not selling well, resulting in price increases."

"Isn't it said that the Hunyuan Sect was supported by the Beast Taming Sect and is its loyal follower? How come the Beast Taming Sect hasn't made a move at all after the Hunyuan Sect was driven out of Bianxi City?"

"The Beast Taming Sect is not what it used to be. I heard that the Beast Taming Sect not only did not attack the Falling Cloud Sect over this matter, but also took the initiative to seek peace. Because they were afraid that the Falling Cloud Sect would attack Tiger Gate City from both sides, they directly abandoned the Hunyuan Sect."

"No way! The mighty Beast Taming Sect is actually afraid of the Falling Cloud Sect and even offered to make peace? Have they no shame?"

"Now, the Beast Taming Sect is only concerned with survival. They don't care about saving face at all. To put it bluntly, even if they come to beg for peace, they still have to consider the attitude of the Falling Cloud Sect. If the Falling Cloud Sect is unhappy, they can simply swallow up the Beast Taming Sect's businesses in Bianxi City and drive your people away. What can you do then?"

"I never imagined that the once invincible Beast Taming Sect would fall to such a state today. It's truly pathetic!"

The group chatted amongst themselves, while in a corner, Lu Yuan sipped his tea, listening silently to the discussion.

………………

Dark clouds covered the moon and it rained heavily.

In the dimly lit cultivation room at the Luoyun Sect's mountain gate, Tao Jinyuan was cultivating with his eyes closed when a knock came from outside. He opened his eyes, waved his hand, and the stone door opened by itself without any wind.

A disciple stood outside and bowed respectfully: "Sect Leader, the Yunxuan Sect has sent someone. Elder Jin requests your presence."

Tao Jinyuan's expression shifted slightly, but he remained silent and went straight out of the cultivation room to the council hall. Ma Quan and Jin Yuanxing were already seated inside, and neither of them looked too good. Jin Yuanxing frowned, while Ma Quan's face was icy cold.

"Sect Leader." Jin Yuanxing stood up to greet him upon his arrival and bowed.

The two locked eyes, and Tao Jinyuan could tell from the newcomer's unfriendly expression.

"Master Tao is in high spirits, truly a man in high spirits when good things happen!" Ma Quan said with a sneer.

"Fellow Daoist Ma, it is an honor to have you here. I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner." Tao Jinyuan saw that Ma was being sarcastic from the start and guessed why he had come. He remained calm and strode to the head seat.

"Sect Leader Tao, if I remember correctly, the conditions we agreed on before weren't what they are now! I have already truthfully reported everything you requested to my sect leader, and I even put in a good word for you. My sect leader agreed to your conditions and even made plans to confront the Beast Taming Sect. But your sect has yet to make a move. Are you perhaps playing with me?" Ma Quan said expressionlessly, his gaze as sharp as a sword fixed on Tao Jinyuan.

Tao Jinyuan felt guilty and dared not offend Yun Xuanzong, so he avoided looking directly at him and lowered his gaze, putting on an apologetic but polite smile.

“Fellow Daoist Ma has misunderstood me. How could I dare to play tricks on you? It’s just that the current situation does not allow our sect to start an uprising. As you know, all the sects in this city have gone to Humen City with the Beast Taming Sect’s conscription team. In other words, they have been held hostage by the Beast Taming Sect. If our sect were to unite with them to resist the Beast Taming Sect now, they would definitely not agree.”

"Please give us some more time. Once the battle at Humen City is over and all the recruited cultivators have returned to Bianxi City, I will gather them together to launch an uprising."

Ma Quan naturally knew this was Tao Jinyuan's perfunctory excuse, because Pei Xuanming, whom they had bribed, had used the same words to persuade Qi Yunxuan. However, things were different now. "When Sect Leader Tao was preparing to attack the Hunyuan Sect, why didn't he think of this? Now he's using this excuse to fob me off. Does he think we're all good-for-nothings who can be toyed with like this?" Ma Quan's voice was as cold as a knife, filled with chilling intent. Before Tao Jinyuan could explain, he continued.

“We’re all sensible people, so let’s not play games here. I know you’ve already reached an agreement with the Beast Taming Sect.”

"I advise Sect Leader Tao not to treat others like fools. You think you can jump back and forth between our sect and the Beast Taming Sect to gain benefits for yourselves, but let me tell you, you are not qualified."

"First you colluded with our sect behind the back of the Beast Taming Sect, and now you're colluding with the Beast Taming Sect behind the back of our sect. This kind of repeated behavior has greatly angered our sect leader."

"The sect leader has given instructions that if you do not take action within half a month, the Falling Cloud Sect will forever cease to be a friend of our sect. Our sect is willing to form alliances with other sects to jointly fight against the Beast Taming Sect, but we will never allow others to deceive and exploit our sect."

Upon hearing his words, both Tao Jinyuan and Jin Yuanxing wore solemn expressions.

"Fellow Daoist Ma, please..." Tao Jinyuan wanted to explain and try to save room for himself, but Ma Quan didn't let him have a chance to say anything and stood up: "I have already said what I needed to say. You can decide for yourself, Sect Leader Tao! If you act according to our previous agreement within half a month, then our sect's promise will still be valid. Farewell."

After saying that, he strode out and paused in front of the palace gate.

"Oh! By the way, the Windwalking Sect has already contacted our sect, and their attitude is the same as ours."

"I'll see Fellow Daoist Ma off." Jin Yuanxing stood up and walked towards him, but Ma Quan ignored him and soared away in a flash of light.

Tao Jinyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing intently outside the hall. After a long while, his gaze gradually hardened: "Senior Brother Jin, summon all the junior brothers for a meeting."

"Okay." Jin Yuanxing didn't say anything more and immediately left the main hall.

.........

The first light of dawn was breaking, and a thin mist was swirling around.

The valley is filled with a riot of colorful flowers.

Song Xian stood atop the valley, feeling the gentle breeze caress his face and flutter his clothes. In the distance, the mountains appeared and disappeared in the mist, like an unfinished ink painting.

Faced with such a beautiful view, he showed no interest in appreciating it; instead, he was preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Since Bian Xicheng withdrew and settled in Huayuan Valley, although he has not been physically exhausted, he has often felt mentally and physically drained, because he is constantly worried about the situation in Bian Xicheng.

He preferred to stay alone at the edge of the valley rather than inside the house.

He had done everything he could, but the situation was beyond his control, and he could only leave it to fate.

"Sect Leader!" Zhang Ningyuan called out from afar as the flying magical artifact sped towards them, before it even landed.

Song Xian turned around and saw that the man's face was full of excitement. His expression infected him, and he was also invigorated.

Soon, Zhang Ningyuan arrived on his magical artifact. Before he could even bow, he exclaimed with delight, "Sect Leader, breaking news! The Luoyun Sect has rebelled and declared Bianxi City independent!"

"That's great." Song Xian's brows relaxed, and his worries vanished without a trace.

"It must be the sect leader's strategy that worked. The Yunxuan Sect put great pressure on the Luoyun Sect, forcing them to choose sides. As a result, the Beast Taming Sect will no longer ignore us."

Zhang Ningyuan looked eager to try, wishing he could set off with the Beast Taming Sect army right now to attack Bianxi City.

"Summon all sect disciples immediately for a meeting. We need to be prepared."

"Yes." Zhang Ningyuan's expression was excited, and his eyes were bright.

Inside the spacious and bright hall at the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gate, Song Xian sat upright, waiting. After a while, heavy footsteps sounded from outside.

He immediately stood up, lowered his head, and stood to the side.

Soon, a burly old man with a thick beard and bulging muscles walked in. His sideburns and beard were all white, but his face did not show any signs of old age. It was still ruddy, and his eyes were bright and piercing.

This person was Xu Xiansheng, an elder of the Beast Taming Sect. Among the three elders of the Beast Taming Sect, Xu Qingyuan was the eldest elder, but he was killed by Qi Yunxuan when attacking the Yunxuan Sect's mountain gate.

Xu Xiansheng is the Second Elder, in charge of all internal affairs of the sect. The other elder is Song Zhongping, who is the father-in-law of Yang Jinzhang, the former head of the West City, and is in charge of all external affairs of the sect.

Upon learning of the news of Bianxi City's independence, Song Xian immediately sought an audience with Xu Xiansheng's disciple, Su Rong, and offered him 50,000 spirit stones, asking him to convey his request to see Xu Xiansheng.

Although Luoyun Sect declared independence under strong pressure from Yunxuan Sect, given the current situation, Beast Taming Sect may not necessarily send troops to Bianxi City.

When Yongning City declared independence and formed an independent alliance, betraying the Beast Taming Sect, the Beast Taming Sect tacitly accepted this and did not send troops to attack Yongning City.

If the Beast Taming Sect wants to send troops to Bianxi City, it needs the support of a highly influential figure within the sect.

Song Xian did not seek out Wang Xuan because Wang Xuan was a conservative within the Beast Taming Sect and would most likely not support the Beast Taming Sect's attack on Bianxi City.

Why do you see it?

When he told Wang Xuan about the Falling Cloud Sect's betrayal, the Beast Taming Sect was unaware of it. After Jiang Feng learned of this, he took him directly to see Wang Xuan.

The higher-ups of the Beast Taming Sect did not have time to discuss and make a decision.

However, Wang Xuan defended the Luoyun Sect, finding various excuses to steer the matter towards personal grudges between the two sides, which clearly shows that Wang Xuan did not support sending troops to Bianxi City.

Seeing him wouldn't be very effective for Song Xian, so he might as well go directly to the hardliners in the Beast Taming Sect and try to gain their support. Currently, Xu Xiansheng is the most assertive person in the Beast Taming Sect when it comes to external affairs.

He is an elder of the Beast Taming Sect, and his influence is considerable. If he can support sending troops to the Western City during high-level discussions, there is a high probability that this matter will be brought to fruition.

(End of this chapter)