Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 449 Encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao
Inside the spacious and bright hall, Ding Mingde was chatting with Jiang Zichen when Song Xian entered from outside. Both of them stood up and bowed.

"Sect Leader Song, I apologize for disturbing your peace and quiet so many times."

"Fellow Daoist Ding, there's no need for you to be so polite. You are an honored guest, and our sect welcomes you at any time."

The two were seated separately.

"Sect Leader Song must already know that our sect failed to conquer the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate in one fell swoop." Ding Mingde did not mince words and directly stated his sect's defeat: "We have come here today to request your sect's assistance. Although our sect did not wipe out the Huayuan Sect in one fell swoop, the Huayuan Sect suffered heavy losses in this battle. If your sect were to lend a hand, the combined strength of our two sects would surely be able to conquer the Huayuan Sect in one fell swoop."

"Our sect leader has already said that as long as Sect Leader Song is willing to help take over the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate, half of the resources and territory of Yongning City can be given to your sect."

Song Xian remained expressionless: "Thank you for your kindness, but my sect does not wish to be involved in this war. Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Ding."

Ding Mingde frowned slightly: "Is Sect Leader Song still not satisfied with this condition? Or does he have some concerns?"

“This is not a matter of conditions. Our sect has always upheld the principle of valuing harmony. I appreciate your sect’s good intentions. Hua Yuan Sect and our sect have always had a good cooperative relationship, and our sect is unwilling to turn against you for a few resources and territories. If your sect and Hua Yuan Sect need to mediate, I am very willing to do so.” Song Xian remained calm and smiled.

Yongning City's resources held no appeal for him, because Bianxi City and Yongning City were not adjacent, and if he went around from the south, he would have to pass through Humen City and Anyuan City.

To bypass it from the north, one would have to pass through Tianshui City, which is an enclave for the Hunyuan Sect. Even if they acquired it, it would be taken away sooner or later if a local power rose to prominence.

Not to mention that the Bright Moon Sect is right next to them; if it ever changes its mind, it can seize those resource territories at any time.

The Huayuan Sect's mountain gate is an extremely tough nut to crack. The Huayuan Sect's elite troops are still intact. Even if it is taken down, the sect will inevitably suffer heavy losses and may also face retaliation from the Huayuan Sect, which will be a complete loss.

“I have come with sincerity. Sect Leader Song, please feel free to suggest any conditions you deem suitable, and I will convey them to you. If you feel that Yongning City is too far away and inconvenient for your sect to control, how about the resource-rich territory of Humen City? Our sect can exchange it for the resource-rich territory of Humen City.” Ding Mingde was still unwilling.

Without a second thought, Song Xian refused outright: "How dare I covet the resources and territory of Humen City? We are already content with just guarding this small piece of land in Bianxi City. Our sect has no interest in other people's territory."

Just kidding. Humen City is the headquarters of the Mingyue Sect. With the current strength of the Mingyue Sect, how could it tolerate the Hunyuan Sect sleeping soundly on its own bed? If the Mingyue Sect really takes over the resources and territory of Humen City, it will probably turn against the Huayuan Sect as soon as it takes over the sect's mountain gate.

"So, Sect Leader Song is determined not to help our sect under any circumstances?"

"As I have already said, our sect has no intention of getting involved in the feud between your sect and Huayuan Sect. Please forgive us, fellow Daoist."

Ding Mingde's expression darkened.

"In that case, I'll take my leave." Having said that, Ding Mingde didn't waste any more words, got up and left the main hall.

"I'm sorry I won't see you off." Song Xian wasn't as polite as the previous two times, and replied indifferently. He didn't personally see him off as before. It was a reasonable request for him to refuse the Mingyue Sect's proposal, but Ding Mingde actually put on a show of rudeness. He really thought the Mingyue Sect was the boss.

"Sect Leader, judging from the Bright Moon Sect's posture, they won't give up until they take down the Hua Yuan Sect's mountain gate. We've repeatedly refused them, and if they ultimately win, I'm worried they'll retaliate against our sect in the future. Should we secretly give the Hua Yuan Sect some support?" Jiang Zichen, who had been silent all along, showed a worried expression as he watched the other leave.

"Let's wait and see! With the Bright Moon Sect's current strength, they definitely can't handle this, otherwise they wouldn't be so humble as to offer such high conditions for our help."

"Even if the Bright Moon Sect finds powerful external support and takes Yongning City, we don't need to worry about them attacking our sect in the short term. Their target will be the Xuan Yang Sect first, and our sect last."

"The Beast Taming Sect tacitly allows them to attack the Huayuan Sect, but it will certainly not allow them to occupy all the cities, resources, and territories under the jurisdiction of Xijiang County."

.........

"Song Xian's attitude was firm. I offered to exchange resources from Humen City, but he refused to help. It's impossible to rely on the Hunyuan Sect." In a brightly lit room in Yongning City, several high-ranking members of the Mingyue Sect gathered together. Ding Mingde, with a solemn expression, truthfully recounted the conversation between the two.

Xu Zhuoxuan's face was ashen. He had already offered such high conditions, but Hunyuan Sect still refused. Clearly, they were determined not to help. The situation was now completely deadlocked. If it dragged on any longer, there would be more and more variables. Not to mention anything else, if it dragged on too long, Yushou Sect might very well intervene to mediate.

Although he finally managed to persuade Hong Haoran to turn a blind eye to his attack on Huayuan Sect, not everyone within the Beast Taming Sect agreed. Some people were worried that Mingyue Sect would grow too big and did not want Mingyue Sect to annex Yongning City. However, because of Hong Haoran's prestige as the sect leader, it was useless for others to have objections.

However, if the situation remains deadlocked, dissent within the Beast Taming Sect will inevitably grow louder, as this will affect the sect's own interests, thus forcing Hong Haoran to compromise.

The Beast Taming Sect had many industries in Yongning City that relied on the Huayuan Sect for raw materials, and some industries that directly cooperated with the Huayuan Sect had to stop due to the war.

Even the annual taxes that Yongning City pays to the Beast Taming Sect cannot be delivered under these circumstances.

All of this stemmed from the war initiated by the Bright Moon Sect. If the war were to end within a few months, it would not cause any losses to the Beast Taming Sect.

However, if this stalemate continues for a long time, it will inevitably affect the Beast Taming Sect's profits.

"With our current strength, without outside help, we definitely can't take down the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate. My idea is to surround them first, wait for them to beg for peace, then make more demands and try to get more resources and territory in the negotiations, before retreating back to Humen City." After a brief silence, Elder Nie Liang spoke.

Xu Zhuoxuan's eyes flickered slightly. He was really unwilling to retreat like this, but he had no good solution at the moment.

Just then, the Second Elder Ding Mingde spoke again: "I do have a plan that might be worth a try."

"What good ideas does Junior Brother Ding have?" Xu Zhuoxuan asked hurriedly. He knew that Ding Mingde was always resourceful and wise, and it was precisely because of this that he promoted him to the position of elder and put him in charge of the sect's external affairs.

“We can use a strategy of attacking Wei to rescue Zhao. Currently, there are 500 cultivators from Tianshui City in the Huayuan Sect’s mountain gate. If we can pose a threat to the Xuanyang Sect’s mountain gate in Tianshui City, the Xuanyang Sect will definitely recall the Foundation Establishment cultivators who are supporting Yongning City and the hundreds of cultivators from Tianshui City. In this way, the Huayuan Sect’s strength will be greatly weakened, and we can then try to take over their mountain gate in one fell swoop.”

"How do we 'besiege Wei to rescue Zhao'? Should we split our forces to attack Xuanyang Sect now? Or should we send Hunyuan Sect to deal with Xuanyang Sect? I'm afraid neither will work!"

"We can't count on Hunyuan Sect. Since he's unwilling to help us deal with Huayuan Sect, he's even less likely to offend Xuanyang Sect for no reason. We can instigate the Fang family to take action."

"The Fang family? Can they handle the Xuan Yang Sect?" Before Xu Zhuoxuan could speak, Elder Nie frowned and questioned.

The Fang family is the second largest power in Tianshui City, second only to the Xuan Yang Sect in strength, and has four Foundation Establishment cultivators. "It's impossible to expect them to be able to deal with the Xuan Yang Sect, but as long as we can persuade them to cause trouble in Tianshui City, the Xuan Yang Sect will naturally send its people back, which will reduce the pressure on us."

“The Fang family isn’t stupid. They’re in Tianshui City, just like the Xuan Yang Sect, but their strength is far inferior to the Xuan Yang Sect’s. If they were to turn against the Xuan Yang Sect, would they still have a place to stay in Tianshui City? Why would they agree to this?”

"It's all up to people. The Fang family and Xuan Yang Sect have had quite a few conflicts in recent years. Moreover, Fang Mingxuan, the head of the Fang family, is a strong-willed and ambitious man. If we offer him benefits, we might be able to persuade the Fang family to turn against Xuan Yang Sect."

"Let's give it a try!" Xu Zhuoxuan nodded. At this point, they had no choice but to try anything, since there was no other way. If it didn't work, they wouldn't suffer any additional losses.

The wind howled and the rain poured down.

The leaves rustled in the wind and rain, like a trapped beast howling helplessly from all sides. Fang Mingxuan, with his fair complexion and slender figure, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window, feeling extremely annoyed.

The income of the manor has been declining year by year, and the treasury has long been unable to cover its expenses. All kinds of expenses have to be cut back. Since breaking through to the seventh level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, his cultivation progress has been extremely slow, all because this second-grade mid-level spiritual vein can no longer meet his cultivation needs.

Recently, the Mingyue Sect and the Huayuan Sect have been at war. For some unknown reason, the Xuanyang Sect has announced an alliance with the Huayuan Sect and dispatched cultivators to assist the Huayuan Sect.

Fang Mingxuan had no choice but to agree to send one hundred disciples to help, which made him feel very aggrieved, because Huayuan Sect had not promised to give him any benefits.

He was once the pride of the Fang family, and his cultivation path had been smooth sailing. He had always been the head of the Fang family, and under his leadership, the Fang family grew stronger day by day. However, he was eventually taken in by the Xuan Yang Sect to form an independent alliance and defected to the Yun Xuan Sect.

In the end, Yunxuanzong was defeated, and the Beast Taming Sect sought revenge. Xuanyang Sect actually pushed him out as a scapegoat.

Although the Beast Taming Sect spared the sects of Tianshui City and did not wipe out more than half of the rebellious sect forces as it did with Bianxi City and Anyuan City, it returned in force and seized a lot of resources and territory, most of which were originally under the jurisdiction of the Fang family.

The reason is that Xuan Yang Sect bribed the high-ranking members of the Beast Taming Sect and the newly appointed head of the Beast Taming Sect, so most of the resources and territories they seized belonged to other sects.

Xuan Yang Sect was the instigator of the Tianshui City Independence Alliance, but when it came time to settle scores, it avoided doing so.

The Fang family became the scapegoat, and the Beast Taming Sect took away many important resources from them.

This has led to the government's finances failing to cover its expenditures in recent years, and the situation has been deteriorating day by day.

"Master, a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Dong Jian has arrived outside the mountain gate. He says he is an old friend of yours and has come to visit you." At this moment, a man came to the door and bowed.

Dong Jian? Fang Mingxuan frowned slightly. He didn't recall ever having any dealings with this person before. Could it be an alias?
Curious, and having already arrived at the mountain gate, he decided to go and meet them, so he left the room.

Outside the mountain gate, a middle-aged man with a stubble beard stood waiting. Fang Mingxuan landed in front of him with his escape light, looked him up and down, and politely bowed and greeted him: "Fellow Daoist wants to see me? Please forgive my intrusion, we do not seem to have met before."

"Lord Fang may not know me, but I have long admired you. I have come here with a major business deal to discuss with you. Would it be possible to set aside some time to talk?"

Fang Mingxuan scanned the surroundings with his divine sense, then nodded and led him to the inner room of the mountain gate, where the two sat down as host and guest.

"Fellow Daoist Dong, what big deal do you have in store? Tell me now!"

"To be honest, I came here on someone's behalf. There were too many people around outside the mountain gate, so I couldn't say it outright. Actually, I was invited by Senior Xu Zhuoxuan of the Bright Moon Sect. Senior Xu was afraid that the news would leak out, so he couldn't send anyone from the Bright Moon Sect. Therefore, he came to find me and asked me to pass on a message."

"The Bright Moon Sect?" Fang Mingxuan frowned. The Fang family and the Bright Moon Sect had never had any dealings. Moreover, it was a time of war. Although the Fang family did not directly oppose the Bright Moon Sect, the Xuan Yang Sect had allied with the Hua Yuan Sect and sent several hundred cultivators from Tianshui City to assist in the battle, including a hundred disciples from the Fang family.

"What message does Sect Leader Xu wish to convey, fellow Daoist?"

"Lord Fang, you should see for yourself!" Dong Jian flipped his hand and handed him a jade slip.

Fang Mingxuan took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and his expression gradually became solemn.

"I have completed Senior Xu's instructions, so I will not stay any longer. Farewell." Dong Jian got up and left.

Fang Mingxuan neither stopped him nor saw him off, but sat down and pondered.

Before long, he ordered his men to summon the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators in the manor, Fang Zhongyu and Jiang Han.

"Patriarch, what are your orders for summoning us?" Jiang Han, a fifth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, was an elder of the Fang family. His father was a cultivator of the Fang family, and he himself married the niece of the old patriarch of the Fang family. He was highly regarded by Fang Mingxuan and was considered the second most powerful figure in the Fang family.

“Xu Zhuoxuan from the Bright Moon Sect has sent people to ask us for their help.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhongyu and Jiang Han were both startled and couldn't help but exchange a glance.

"Us?" Fang Zhongyu asked again, still somewhat incredulous, as if he doubted that he had heard correctly.

They were already aware of the Mingyue Sect's failed attack on the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate, but they never expected that the Mingyue Sect would be so eager to swallow Yongning City whole that they would desperately seek their help.

"See for yourselves!" Fang Mingxuan said nothing more and tossed the jade slip to them.

After examining the jade slip, Jiang Han immediately frowned.

After checking, Fang Zhongyu was both surprised and delighted: "The Bright Moon Sect is actually willing to hand over half of the resources and territory of the Hua Yuan Sect to us. That's wonderful."

He was in charge of the government's finances and knew best about the budget. In addition, he had been dissatisfied with Xuan Yang Sect for a long time. Now that Ming Yue Sect had offered such good conditions, he was unwilling to let this opportunity pass.

(End of this chapter)