Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 443 Undercurrent surging
Under a clear, cloudless sky, a large group of cultivators stood outside the gates of the Bright Moon Sect in Humen City, ready for battle.

The mountain gate was decorated with lanterns and colorful flowers, creating a festive atmosphere.

In the distance, a streak of light shot over at lightning speed and landed in front of the group, revealing a slender old man with slightly graying temples. It was none other than Xu Zhuoxuan, the leader of the Bright Moon Sect.

At this moment, he was in high spirits, with his hands behind his back, head held high, a slight smile on his lips, and his gaze sweeping over his disciples like a lion king returning to his territory.

"Welcome back to the sect leader!" Hundreds of Bright Moon Sect disciples bowed in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and startling birds inside and outside the mountain gate into flight.

"Congratulations on the Sect Leader's breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm." Elder Nie Liang of the Bright Moon Sect went forward to greet him, followed by Elder Ding Mingde and Elder Cui Zhongyang. The three of them spoke in unison and bowed respectfully.

Xu Zhuoxuan stood with his hands behind his back, head held high, looking down at the crowd. Hundreds of people remained bowing in greeting, and the scene was silent for a moment, as if frozen in time.

After several breaths, Xu Zhuoxuan's voice finally came: "No need for formalities, everyone please come with me back to the mountain gate!"

Having said that, he walked straight through the crowd with his hands behind his back and his eyes fixed straight ahead, and the disciples automatically parted to make way for him.

After returning to the council hall at the mountain gate, Xu Zhuoxuan sat down in the main seat and waved his hand, signaling the three elders who had followed him in to sit down as well.

"After breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, I also met with the Beast Taming Sect Master and discussed the sect's expansion with him," Xu Zhuoxuan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Elder Nie Liang's expression turned solemn: "What does Senior Hong think?"

"At least there was no explicit opposition."

Second Elder Ding Mingde quickly chimed in, "That means they agree."

"The battle on the front lines in Nanhan County has now entered a stalemate. It's hard to say whether we'll win or lose, and no one can predict what the future of Qin will be like. Right now, it's just the fate of Tianxuan Sect, but if they can persuade various forces within Chu to launch a large-scale conscription, the situation in Nanhan County will be far from optimistic. Therefore, we must seize the time to strengthen our own power. I intend to take Yongning City first."

Xu Zhuoxuan's tone was undeniably firm.

He had wanted to annex Yongning City for a long time. Since returning to Humen City, the high-ranking members of the Mingyue Sect had been discussing this matter. However, because the sect had suffered heavy losses after the great war, it was in a period of initial stability and needed to rebuild. It was a time for development, so they did not act rashly.

The Mingyue Sect's influence extends beyond Humen City; nearly half of Anyuan City's territory now belongs to them. In recent years, they have focused on development and the sect has grown rapidly. With Xu Zhuoxuan breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, their power has surpassed that of the Fengxing Sect in its heyday.

Xu Zhuoxuan himself was also ambitious and resourceful. Back then, he orchestrated the annexation of the Crescent Moon Sect, making them the largest sect in Humen City.

If it weren't for the Beast Taming Sect's attitude, Xu Zhuoxuan would have already taken action against Yongning City.

The reason he was so attached to Yongning City was because the mountain gate occupied by Huayuan Sect in Yongning City was a third-grade low-level spiritual vein.

The five cities under the jurisdiction of Xijiang County have only two third-grade low-level spiritual veins: one is the Fengxing Sect mountain gate in Anyuan City, and the other is the Huayuan Sect mountain gate in Yongning City.

Thanks to his special relationship with Hong Haoran, nearly half of Anyuan City's territory was allocated to the Mingyue Sect, but the third-grade low-level spiritual vein at its mountain gate was taken over by the Beast Taming Sect.

Now that Xu Zhuoxuan has broken through to the Golden Core stage, the second-tier high-grade spiritual vein currently occupied by the Bright Moon Sect is no longer sufficient to support his cultivation. In order to meet his cultivation needs, taking Yongning City is imperative.

The First Elder Nie Liang and the Third Elder Cui Zhongyang exchanged a glance. Both of them were conservatives on this matter and had previously opposed it during the discussion.

The Second Elder, Ding Mingde, had a burning gaze. He had always supported the expansion of the sect: "The sect leader's successful breakthrough to the Golden Core realm is a sign of the sect's great prosperity. Since Senior Hong has no objection, the sect should immediately send troops to take Yongning City."

Nie Liang frowned: "I think we should proceed cautiously and at least make adequate preparations. Even if the Beast Taming Sect tacitly allows us to take Yongning City and does not stop us, the Huayuan Sect will certainly not sit idly by. We must know that moving one thread affects the whole situation. Will other city sects, such as the Xuanyang Sect in Tianshui City and the Hunyuan Sect in Bianxi City, feel the same way and thus help the Huayuan Sect?"

The Third Elder of the Bright Moon Sect, Cui Zhongyang, who had been silent all along, finally spoke: "Senior Brother Nie is right. Once the war starts, it may be a fight to the death, and it cannot be stopped at will. With the lessons of the Yunxuan Sect and the Fengxing Sect as examples, I hope the Sect Leader will be cautious. Even if we must take the Huayuan Sect, we must be fully prepared."

.........

As night fell and the stars filled the sky, Song Xian returned to his residence after a day of cultivation. As soon as the light faded, a disciple came forward to greet him and bowed: "Sect Leader, Uncle Huang Ye has arrived. He says he has something to report and is waiting in the waiting room."

Song Xian then entered the hall, where Huang Ye was already seated. Upon seeing him enter, Huang Ye stood up and bowed, saying, "Sect Leader, I have just received the latest intelligence. Xu Zhuoxuan, the Sect Leader of the Bright Moon Sect, has broken through to the Golden Core Realm with the help of the Beast Taming Sect."

Song Xian paused slightly, then walked straight to the head seat and sat down: "When did this happen?"

"The news came from our disciples in Xijiang County: Xu Zhuoxuan broke through to the Golden Core Realm ten days ago."

Song Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, remaining silent as his mind raced.

Xu Zhuoxuan had known for a long time that he wanted to use the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gate to break through to the Golden Core realm. Such a big thing could not be kept secret. The larger forces in Xijiang County had already obtained the news through various channels.

Because forming the Golden Core requires a large amount of spiritual energy, even though the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gate is a third-grade high-quality spiritual vein, it still takes a considerable amount of time to prepare the amount and purity of spiritual energy needed to break through to the Golden Core realm.

As early as half a year ago, news had spread that Hong Haoran had agreed to Xu Zhuoxuan's request to form a core at his mountain gate, so Song Xian had already sent people to keep a close eye on the matter.

Xu Zhuoxuan's successful formation of his core and entry into the Golden Core realm may seem to have nothing to do with him on the surface, but that is not the case.

Bianxi City and Humen City are adjacent, and the emergence of a powerful sect on the side is definitely not a good thing for Hunyuan Sect.

Although the two families have a decent relationship, there is no such thing as friendship between sects; only interests can maintain a long-term relationship between them.

In terms of relationships, Song Xian is much closer to Tao Jinyuan, the former leader of the Luoyun Sect, than to Xu Zhuoxuan. Because of Su Zhirou, the two are even related as aunt and niece!
But in the end, didn't they still turn against each other and become irreconcilable enemies?

The reason was not that there was any conflict between the two, but simply that their sects had different stances, and the existence of the Hunyuan Sect blocked the path of the Luoyun Sect.

Therefore, in the long run, Xu Zhuoxuan's breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm is definitely not a good thing for the Hunyuan Sect.

Of course, in the short term, there is no need to worry too much about the Bright Moon Sect targeting Bianxi City.

Because no matter what, both sides are staunch supporters of the Beast Taming Sect and belong to the same camp. The Beast Taming Sect cannot stand by and watch the Bright Moon Sect annex Bianxi City.

However, this does not mean that Hunyuanzong can rest easy. These are turbulent times. Putting aside other matters, the war in Nanhan County is in full swing. If the flames of war spread to Xishu County, it will definitely cause a huge shock. No one can predict what will happen then.

"Pay close attention to the movements of the Bright Moon Sect. Report any news immediately." After a long silence, Song Xian finally spoke.

"Yes," Huang Ye replied.

"Any new developments regarding the war in Nanhan Commandery?" "There are no definitive reports yet, but there are a few important rumors circulating, though their veracity is unknown."

"Tell me."

"There are three important rumors. First, it is said that the Tianxuan Sect of Chu is in talks with several other major powers in Chu to recruit various sects to participate in the war. Second, it is rumored that the Qianqing Sect is going to issue a third conscription order, but the Yunxu Sect of Beian County and the Tianling Sect of Dongchuan County have explicitly refused to send anyone to fight in Nanhan County. Third, it is said that the Qianqing Sect is going to negotiate with the rebels."

.........

The next day, Song Xian did not go to the cultivation room as usual, but went to the back mountain.

He flipped his hand and took out a silver, palm-sized, leaf-shaped magic artifact, which he casually tossed dozens of feet away.

He then channeled his spiritual energy into the silver scroll, and at the same time, activated his Eye of Truth to observe the subtle changes in space.

As the silver scroll runes activated, they burst forth with dazzling light, causing strong and unusual fluctuations in the surrounding space. He could clearly feel this, and at that moment, it was as if invisible hands were gently pulling him from all sides.

It's as if a person is in the water, surrounded by a group of fish. Although they don't touch his body, there is a force of water ripples swirling around him.

Under the observation of the Eye of Truth, the originally stable spatial structure began to undulate irregularly, as if an invisible force was pulling on a giant, elastic sheet of paper. It could be seen that the space in front of him had been stretched very thin, and ripples appeared all around.

That's because the imbalance was caused by the disruption of the surrounding stable spatial structure.

To use an imperfect analogy, if you drill a hole in the middle of a whole piece of pork, bits of meat will inevitably fly around the hole.

Those invisible spatial ripples are formed by this.

As the silver scroll burst forth with light, enveloping his entire body, a tremendous force tore open the space in front of him, as if a crack had appeared in the middle of the paper.

At the same time, the Chuan Kong Ye, which was dozens of feet away, was sensed by something. The runes on it were activated and it also burst out with dazzling light, tearing a gap in a stable spatial structure in the middle. The two echoed each other and emitted spatial vibrations at the same frequency.

The tiny cracks in the torn space grew larger and larger, and the spatial structure between the two was also connected.

As if a force pushed Song Xian, he involuntarily slipped into the torn spatial rift, like entering a straight landslide track. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and in an instant, he appeared at the location of Chuan Kongye.

In his vision of true perception, the spatial rift that had been torn open quickly closed, and the surrounding spatial fluctuations also disappeared.

In just a few breaths, the original stable structure was restored.

Song Xian's gaze remained calm and unwavering, for this was not the first time he had used the Transmission Leaf for spatial travel.

After Tani left, he began to cultivate the divine power of the Gate of Revelation.

In order to more accurately grasp the mysteries of spatial manipulation, he would use a Transmission Leaf every now and then to observe the subtle changes in spatial structure. This was already the sixth Transmission Leaf he had used.

Song Xian closed his eyes slightly, recalling his experience from the moment the silver scroll runes were activated to his brief spatial traversal. Every single detail was replayed and analyzed repeatedly in his mind.

He possesses the Eye of Truth, which allows him to clearly see subtle changes in spatial structure that are invisible to the naked eye of ordinary people; this is his greatest advantage.

It can be said that he has a huge advantage over others when cultivating spatial manipulation techniques such as the Gate of Revelation.

When he was observing Tani using the Transmission Leaf, he saw abnormal fluctuations in space. However, the silver light emitted by the silver scroll runes was too dazzling for him to see clearly.

When he used it himself, all the subtle changes in space were clearly visible to him, which helped him better understand the mystery of traversing space.

After a while, Song Xian opened his eyes, spread his arms, clasped his hands together in a circle, and his spiritual power surged wildly within his body, concentrating between his palms. Then, he slowly pulled his hands apart.

To outsiders, there was no unusual change, but under his keen observation, the spatial structure fluctuated violently, like boiling water, the once stable structure began to boil.

Veins bulged on Song Xian's forehead, his muscles tightened, and as his palms opened wider, the spatial structure in front of him fluctuated more and more.

But when he opened his arms, the space was not torn open as it had been before.

He took a deep breath, watching as the violently fluctuating spatial structure before him returned to normal, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

The reason he failed to tear open the spatial rift was not because his spiritual power was insufficient, but because he had not yet grasped the essence.

This is similar to alchemy, weapon crafting, and talisman making. Although the steps may seem similar, a slight difference can lead to disastrous results. Any tiny mistake can cause failure.

The cultivation method recorded in the Heavenly Gate of Supernatural Power did not explain the principle of opening the spatial gate. It only taught how to use spiritual power to break through space. Song Xian followed the cultivation method recorded in the record and concentrated his spiritual power at one point in order to open the spatial gate, but he has never succeeded.

The obstacles stem from three aspects. First, he is unable to gather and compress the spiritual energy around his body into a single point. Currently, he can only concentrate a small amount of spiritual energy into one point.

Secondly, when he gathers spiritual power in a point in his palm, he cannot maintain it. When he tries to use it to tear open a spatial rift, the concentrated spiritual power quickly dissipates.

Thirdly, he was unable to continuously and precisely strike the weak points of the space with spiritual energy.

These three points sound simple, but in reality, they are extremely difficult to achieve, let alone accomplish them simultaneously.

No wonder Dong Xuanchen has made no progress in his cultivation despite years of training.

Dong Xuanchen did not have such a unique advantage; he could not clearly see the subtle changes in the spatial structure and could only rely on his own vague perception.

This is the key reason why spatial manipulation techniques are so difficult to master.

Even a Nascent Soul cultivator, with immense spiritual power, cannot precisely and continuously impact weak points in space. Relying solely on massive spiritual power output, it is impossible to completely tear and connect the spatial passage between two points by sheer luck, thereby traversing space.

Only those with exceptional talent and extremely sensitive spatial perception can cultivate the Art of Spatial Maneuvering.

Such beings exist among the demon race, such as the Ice Phoenix Clan and the Peacock Clan, who are born masters of manipulating spatial power.

(End of this chapter)