Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 444 The situation is tense
Although Song Xian's True Observation Eye allowed him to see subtle and unusual spatial fluctuations that ordinary people couldn't perceive, his spatial perception wasn't stronger than others, so his cultivation was also full of stumbles.

However, he at least knew where his problem lay, and knowing his problem meant he was halfway to success.

He tried many times until his spiritual energy was almost exhausted before he ended his cultivation and returned to the cultivation room.

Just as he was absorbing spiritual energy to recover his depleted spiritual power, a knock sounded at the door. After the stone door opened, a disciple stood outside and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the sect leader, Elder Ding Mingde of the Bright Moon Sect has come to visit and is currently waiting outside the mountain gate."

Ding Mingde, why did he come in person? Song Xian was slightly surprised. Just a few hours ago, he had heard from Huang Ye that Xu Zhuoxuan, the leader of the Mingyue Sect, had broken through to the Golden Core Realm. He did not expect the Mingyue Sect to send someone so quickly.

Sending someone was within his expectations. Such a big event would definitely be celebrated by the Bright Moon Sect. The Hunyuan Sect had many business collaborations with them, and the two sides had always had a good relationship. It was normal for them to send someone to invite him to the banquet.

Ding Mingde's personal invitation was perhaps too high a standard. If it were just a banquet, any disciple would have sufficed; there was no need to send a sect elder.

Clearly, Ding Mingde came here to discuss important matters.

Although he didn't know what was going on, Song Xian had a bad feeling about Xu Zhuoxuan's recent breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.

Is the Bright Moon Sect about to make a big move and stir up trouble?

It's not impossible. The Bright Moon Sect was already quite strong. After returning to Humen City, it not only annexed more territory but also occupied many resources in Anyuan City. Its power far surpassed that of the Hunyuan Sect. In Xijiang County, apart from the Beast Taming Sect, the Murong Family, and the Yunxing Merchant Guild, it was the strongest.

Now that Xu Zhuoxuan has broken through to the Golden Core Realm, he has firmly secured his position as the fourth most powerful figure in Xijiang County.

It would be perfectly normal for them to want to take this opportunity to expand their territory.

Moreover, he has ample motive. Although the Bright Moon Sect is powerful, its mountain gate is only a second-grade high-quality spiritual vein. Xu Zhuoxuan has now reached the Golden Core realm, and this spiritual vein is no longer suitable for his cultivation. If he were to take action, his target would inevitably be the Huayuan Sect in Yongning City.

Because Huayuan Sect occupies a third-tier low-grade spiritual vein, and when the Beast Taming Sect and Yunxuan Sect fought, Huayuan Sect chose to stand on the side of Yunxuan Sect.

After the war, although the Beast Taming Sect preserved the Huayuan Sect and did not exterminate it like it did the Fengxing Sect and Luoyun Sect, it still seized many of its assets, and the Beast Taming Sect was very dissatisfied with the Huayuan Sect.

Xu Zhuoxuan has an unusual relationship with Hong Haoran. If he wants to make a move against Huayuan Sect, he might actually get the Beast Taming Sect's tacit approval. The Beast Taming Sect is very likely to turn a blind eye to it.

This is not good news for the Hunyuan Sect.

The greater the power of the Bright Moon Sect, the greater the threat it poses to the Hunyuan Sect.

A person's ambition will gradually increase with their ability. Even if the Bright Moon Sect has no intention of attacking the Western Border City now, it does not mean that the two sides can maintain peace forever.

As their strength grows, they will naturally want to expand their territory.

If something happens in Xijiang County one day, the Mingyue Sect might suddenly launch an attack.

"Have Junior Brother Zichen bring him to the council hall. I'll be there shortly." After a moment of thought, Song Xian finally spoke.

"Yes." The disciple was about to respond and leave when he stopped him again: "Never mind, I'll go greet them myself!"

After saying that, Song Xian got up and left the cultivation room. He rose up and came to the outside of the mountain gate. There he saw a thin old man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face standing outside. He was Ding Mingde, the second elder of the Bright Moon Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Ding, it is an honor to have you here. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."

"Sect Leader Song, there's no need for such formalities. It was my sudden visit that disturbed your sect," Ding Mingde replied with a smile.

"Please."

The two entered the mountain gate and arrived at the council hall, where they took their seats as host and guest.

"I only heard the good news of Sect Leader Xu's successful Core Formation today, and I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Ding to arrive so soon. Congratulations on your sect's Fellow Daoist Xu's Core Formation." Song Xian greeted him with a smile.

"It is all thanks to the great fortune of the Beast Taming Sect. Senior Hong Haoran specially granted permission for our sect leader to form his core at his mountain gate, which enabled him to succeed."

"Although Senior Hong provided support, it was mainly due to Headmaster Xu's own efforts. The Core Formation is not the same as the Foundation Establishment; the difficulty of the two is not even in the same league. Countless talents in the world are stuck at this stage. Headmaster Xu's success in forming the Core demonstrates his extraordinary strength."

"Sect Leader Song, there's no need to be envious. With your lifespan and strength, I believe you will achieve this one day as well. But I, Ding, can only look on with envy. I'm afraid I may never have the chance to break through to the Golden Core stage in this lifetime, let alone form the Golden Core. To be honest, if you give me just one chance to break through to the Golden Core stage, I would be willing to die at that moment."

Ding Mingde sighed. His cultivation had been stuck at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment for many years, and he had never been able to overcome this bottleneck. Talking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"There are many cultivators in the cultivation world who achieve great things later in life. Fellow Daoist Ding may soar to great heights in the future, who knows?"

“Then I will take advantage of Sect Leader Song’s kind words.” Ding Mingde straightened his expression: “I have come today to invite Sect Leader Song to our sect’s celebration in five days. I hope Sect Leader Song will do me the honor of attending.”

"Okay, I will go then."

Ding Mingde glanced at the attendants standing in the hall: "Besides that, there is one more thing I need to discuss with Sect Leader Song."

Knowing that important business had arrived, Song Xian waved his hand calmly, signaling his disciple to leave. The disciple immediately turned and left, closing the heavy palace door behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Ding, please speak frankly."

"Our two sects have been closely connected for many years, advancing and retreating together. Our sect feels it is necessary to further strengthen our relationship. I wonder what Sect Leader Song thinks?"

Song Xian's heart skipped a beat. The fact that the Bright Moon Sect suddenly proposed to strengthen relations between the two sides for no apparent reason meant that they were about to make a big move. He had previously guessed that the Bright Moon Sect might be going to take action against other sects in Xijiang County, and after hearing this, he knew that it was almost certain.

"What do you mean by 'strengthening', Fellow Daoist Ding?"

"Of course, we should strengthen industrial cooperation. From now on, all of our external demand for goods will be handled by your sect, and the price will be negotiable according to the agreement we signed before."

“Of course, that’s no problem. Since your sect trusts us, we will certainly not let you down.” Song Xian agreed without hesitation.

Every year, the Mingyue Sect purchases a large amount of spirit beast flesh and blood, as well as special cultivation materials, from the Muhe Grassland through the Hunyuan Sect. However, not all materials go through the Hunyuan Sect's channels; many materials are also purchased from other forces in Xijiang County.

Now that they have handed over all their supply channels to the Hunyuan Sect, the trade volume between the two sides will at least double or triple, which is a considerable sum, at least five or six hundred thousand spirit stones. The reason why the Mingyue Sect is doing this is obviously because they want something from the Hunyuan Sect. Song Xian knows this perfectly well, but on the surface he pretends not to know their intentions. Since the other party doesn't speak, he doesn't ask them.

Ding Mingde tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the chair, his smile vanished, and he looked directly at Song Xian: "Back then, when the Western Frontier County was in chaos, my two sects were forced to leave our own sects and seek refuge with the Beast Taming Sect. Those were agonizing days. All of this was caused by the Windwalking Sect and the Falling Cloud Sect."

"Although both sects have been defeated and have received their due punishment, the accomplices are still at large."

"Xuanyang Sect in Tianshui City and Huayuan Sect in Yongning City are both accomplices. Huayuan Sect, in particular, was the first to respond to Fengxing Sect. When Fengxing Sect mobilized the masses to attack Humen City, Huayuan Sect contributed a lot."

"I still remember this debt. A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. It's time to settle old scores with them. I'm sure your sect won't object to this!"

As expected, they're going to take action against Yongning City! Song Xian had anticipated this, so he wasn't surprised to hear this.

"If your sect wants to settle old scores with Huayuan Sect, what right does this sect have to object? Although Huayuan Sect once aided and abetted evil, it has now repented. If your sect takes action against them, I'm afraid the Beast Taming Sect will not stand idly by."

"There's no need for Sect Leader Song to worry about the Beast Taming Sect. I've come here to strengthen the cooperation between our two sects. Our sect hopes that nothing from the outside world will damage the friendship between our two sects."

"I almost forgot about the relationship between Sect Leader Xu and Senior Hong of the Beast Taming Sect. So, does this mean your sect has already obtained the Beast Taming Sect's consent?"

Ding Mingde smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"I understand. Please convey to Sect Leader Xu that our sect hopes to maintain a good cooperative relationship with your sect forever."

"Our sect leader greatly admires and appreciates Sect Leader Song's character. He told me privately that as long as your sect remains in Bianxi City, our sect will never extend its reach to Bianxi City." Ding Mingde was clearly very satisfied with Song Xian's attitude, and stood up with a smile on his face: "I won't bother you any longer, farewell."

Song Xian also stood up: "Fellow Daoist Ding rarely comes to our sect. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Please give our sect a chance to show us hospitality."

"Thank you for your kindness, Sect Leader Song, but I have other matters to attend to and cannot stay any longer. The end of the month is the sect's celebration, and I will accompany Sect Leader Song to drink until we are completely drunk then."

"I'll see Fellow Daoist Ding off." Song Xian personally escorted him until they left the mountain gate and he saw Ding disappear into the distance. Only then did the smile on his face gradually fade. He turned back to his residence and immediately summoned Lin Zixiang, Hu Xiaobao, and Jiang Zichen to discuss matters.

As night fell, the three of them arrived at the council hall to wait. Although Hu Xiaobao was in charge of the affairs of Tianshan, he had already advanced to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, and the cultivation room of the second-tier low-grade spiritual vein in Tianshan was no longer suitable for him to cultivate. Therefore, he usually stayed in Luoyun Mountain.

Song Xian entered from outside and, after taking his seat in the main seat, briefly recounted Ding Mingde's visit.

The three men reacted differently upon hearing this.

Jiang Zichen frowned slightly, Lin Zixiang looked a little serious but not as worried as Jiang Zichen, while Hu Xiaobao stroked his chin and pondered.

"I suspect that the Bright Moon Sect will make its move soon. I would like to hear your thoughts on how our sect should respond."

Song Xian glanced at the three men, still undecided. He didn't know whether to help the Bright Moon Sect, stop them, or sit back and watch them fight. Considering the sect's long-term safety and development, he shouldn't stand idly by and watch the Bright Moon Sect annex Yongning City. However, if he interfered, he would offend the Bright Moon Sect, which would be a losing proposition.

Lin Zixiang glanced at the two men and, seeing that they were both deep in thought, spoke first: "This matter has nothing to do with our sect. We don't need to get involved. The Bright Moon Sect is powerful, and its leader, Xu Zhuoxuan, has already broken through to the Golden Core Realm. In addition, there is his personal relationship with Hong Haoran, the leader of the Beast Taming Sect. Offending them would be detrimental to our sect in every way."

"Junior Brother Jiang, Hu Xiaobao, you both give your opinions."

Jiang Zichen's expression was solemn: "I agree with Senior Brother Lin's words. When there was chaos in Xijiang County, Huayuan Sect in Yongning City followed Fengxing Sect to join Yunxuan Sect. Yushou Sect was actually very dissatisfied with them. Mingyue Sect's decision to deal with Huayuan Sect has nothing to do with our sect. Even Yushou Sect doesn't care, so our sect doesn't need to worry about them."

Hu Xiaobao nodded in agreement: "I also think it's unnecessary to offend the Mingyue Sect for the sake of the Huayuan Sect. If we help the Huayuan Sect, they may not appreciate it, but offending the Mingyue Sect would be very disadvantageous for our sect."

Song Xian gazed vaguely out of the hall: "A man who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present. I am worried that after the Mingyue Sect occupies Yongning City, its power will grow and its appetite will become bigger. One day it will make trouble for us."

Lin Zixiang didn't take it seriously: "Sect Leader, you're overthinking it! Isn't the Beast Taming Sect still around? If the Bright Moon Sect wants to unify the five cities under the Western Frontier County, how could the Beast Taming Sect sit idly by? Unless the Bright Moon Sect's power surpasses that of the Beast Taming Sect, but that's impossible."

“I think that the Bright Moon Sect’s attack on Yongning City might not be a bad thing for our sect. If it doesn’t go well, they might ask us for help. At that time, we can take the opportunity to make demands and gain benefits.”

Hearing Song Xian's words, Jiang Zichen knew that he had other plans, so he asked, "What does the sect leader intend to do?"

“I don’t want to get involved in their conflict either, but it’s ultimately not good for us to let the Bright Moon Sect grow stronger like this. In any case, it’s not a good thing for a powerful sect to appear next to our sect. I think we can’t let them swallow up Yongning City so easily. It would be best to let them fight each other to the death.”

"Master, what good plan do you have?"

"No, that's why I've come to discuss this with you."

Jiang Zichen frowned deeply: "We can't afford to offend the Bright Moon Sect, but we also want to thwart their plan to annex Yongning City. That's going to be very difficult."

Hu Xiaobao stroked his chin: "If the Beast Taming Sect stands idly by, is it possible for the Huayuan Sect to seek help from the Murong family?"

Jiang Zichen shook his head: "The Murong family has been dealt a heavy blow by the Beast Taming Sect over the years. Would it dare to interfere in the sect struggles in Xijiang County? Especially since it's the Bright Moon Sect, which has close ties with the Beast Taming Sect. If the Murong family helps the Huayuan Sect deal with the Bright Moon Sect, the Beast Taming Sect will definitely take action."

"Besides the Murong family, is it possible for the Yunxing Merchant Guild to get involved?"

"That's even more impossible. Back when there was chaos in Xijiang County, the Yunxing Chamber of Commerce didn't get involved. How could they possibly get involved in the conflict between the Mingyue Sect and the Huayuan Sect now?"

"So, Hua Yuanzong can only rely on itself."

"Xuan Yang Sect in Tianshui City might be worried that after Hua Yuan Sect's defeat, they will be next, and they might unite to fight against Ming Yue Sect."

"Those two families alone may not be a match for the Bright Moon Sect."

……

The group discussed their countermeasures in private for an hour, but they couldn't come up with a good way to both stay out of trouble and prevent the Bright Moon Sect from annexing the Hua Yuan Sect.

After the meeting, Song Xian summoned Huang Ye and instructed him to immediately spread the news that Mingyue Sect was going to take action against Huayuan Sect. Although it was inconvenient for him to help Huayuan Sect, he still hoped that Huayuan Sect could make preparations as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)