Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 451 Unexpected News
As night fell, under a bright moon and sparse stars, in a brightly lit room in Yongning City, Xu Zhuoxuan, the sect leader of the Mingyue Sect, and Nie Liang, the Grand Elder, were discussing their strategy for besieging the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate. A disciple silently entered the outer room, bowed, and said, "Reporting to the sect leader, people from the Beast Taming Sect have arrived and wish to see you immediately."

"Who is it? Where is it?" Xu Zhuoxuan frowned immediately. The fact that the Beast Taming Sect had sent someone to his camp to look for him was clearly not a good sign.

He said he was Lin Chang and was already waiting outside the camp.

Lin Chang was a confidant of Wang Xuan, the chief minister of the cabinet, and had served as his disciple. Wang Xuan was Hong Haoran's apprentice, so there was no doubt that he must have been sent by Wang Xuan.

Xu Zhuoxuan immediately sent Nie Liang to greet him, and soon the person arrived inside.

"Senior Xu, I apologize for disturbing you." Lin Chang bowed.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat. I truly didn't expect you to visit at this time. I apologize for not being able to greet you properly." Xu Zhuoxuan said with a smile.

"To be honest, I am here on the orders of my Uncle-Master Wang Xuan, to discuss something with your sect."

Xu Zhuoxuan composed himself and said seriously, "What guidance do you have, Fellow Daoist Wang?"

"I dare not accept such praise. Uncle Wang has already heard about your sect's failure to attack the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate and has specially sent me to find out the situation. I wonder what your sect's casualties are?"

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Wang. Our sect suffered very few casualties, nothing to mention." Upon hearing this, Xu Zhuoxuan already understood his meaning. The reason for asking about the casualties was simply to pave the way for peace talks. He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was filled with sorrow.

He had anticipated that if he failed to capture Huayuan Sect's mountain gate for a long time, Beast Taming Sect would intervene to mediate, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

This shows that there is considerable opposition to this matter within the Beast Taming Sect.

Lin Chang opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated: "There's something I don't know whether I should say or not."

"Fellow Daoist Lin, please speak frankly."

“Then I’ll be frank. Although Hua Yuanzong betrayed our sect in the past, that’s all old news and we’ve moved on. Hua Yuanzong still pays taxes to our sect every year, and we also have many cooperative businesses with them. This stalemate can’t go on. It’s not only bad for your sect’s development, but it will also affect our sect’s businesses.”

"As far as I know, your sect did not gain any advantage in this attack on Huayuan Sect's mountain gate. Even if you do it again, the result will probably not change, only increase casualties."

"If your sect needs to negotiate, our sect is willing to step in and negotiate a better price for you. What do you think, Senior Xu?"

Xu Zhuoxuan did not answer directly: "Is this Fellow Daoist Wang's intention, or..."

Lin Chang smiled and said, "What am I? How dare I interfere in the affairs of your sect and Huayuan Sect? This is of course Uncle Wang's intention. Uncle Wang is actually in a difficult position. The sect has discussed this matter several times, and some people have even targeted Uncle Wang."

"Has the Huayuan Sect sent someone to contact your sect?"

"To be honest, Senior Xu, from the very beginning, Hua Yuan Sect asked our sect to intervene. Some people in the sect opposed this, but Uncle Wang suppressed it. Actually, what Hua Yuan Sect says or does is not important. The main thing is that now that the war is at a stalemate, some people in the sect have brought up this matter again."

Xu Zhuoxuan remained silent, and the room fell into silence.

Wang Xuan was Hong Haoran's disciple. Even if it wasn't Hong Haoran's intention, his proposal for peace talks was tacitly approved. Although Lin Chang spoke politely, if he refused, he would anger Wang Xuan, and the Beast Taming Sect might directly intervene forcefully, or even side with the Huayuan Sect. In that case, all his efforts might be in vain.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, could you give us a little more time?" Knowing that Xu Zhuoxuan was in a dilemma and didn't know how to answer, Nie Liang, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally spoke up.

"I'm just a messenger, I have no authority to make decisions." Although Lin Chang answered, his gaze remained fixed on Xu Zhuoxuan, clearly waiting for his reply.

"Please tell Fellow Daoist Wang to give us some more time," Xu Zhuoxuan said solemnly.

"Alright, I will pass on the message to Uncle Wang. Senior Xu, could you please give Uncle Wang an exact time? How long exactly?"

Nie Liang frowned. Lin Chang's words had been very polite before, but after refusing to negotiate, they immediately took on a coercive tone.

"If our sect fails to take over the Huayun Sect's mountain gate this year, we are willing to negotiate with them."

Lin Chang held up three fingers, his tone extremely forceful, as if a superior were giving an order to a subordinate: "Three months."

"Uncle Wang will give you a maximum of three more months. If you still can't resolve this, our sect will have to intervene. However, there will be no more peace talks then, and you must unconditionally retreat to Humen City."

Xu Zhuoxuan and Nie Liang exchanged a glance. They had both guessed that refusing Wang Xuan's peace talks and humiliating him would come at a price, but they hadn't expected him to be so forceful.

Either accept peace talks immediately, or you gain nothing.

"Please give us some time to discuss this, Fellow Daoist Lin."

"Alright. Senior Xu, I'll take my leave now and come again tomorrow."

"I'll see Fellow Daoist Lin off." Nie Liang also got up and saw him off from the camp before returning to his room.

Xu Zhuoxuan was still sitting in his seat, deep in thought. When he saw him return, he asked, "What do you think?"

Nie Liang slowly sat down: "Rejecting Wang Xuan is not just a matter of gaining nothing from this battle. If the sect wants to take any action in the future, it will probably be difficult to get the support of the Beast Taming Sect. If we negotiate now and can get a part of Yongning City's resources and territory, it won't be a wasted effort."

Xu Zhuoxuan narrowed his eyes slightly. He was well aware of the consequences of refusing Wang Xuan. Although he and Hong Haoran had some connection, they were far inferior to Wang Xuan. Moreover, given Wang Xuan's current status and position, he was very likely to succeed as the next leader of the Beast Taming Sect.

However, he was extremely unwilling to give up the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate. The core objective this time was this third-tier spiritual vein. If this objective was not achieved, no matter how much other resources and territory he acquired, it would have no appeal to him.

Moreover, this opportunity only comes once. If we give it up this time, we will never again receive the Beast Taming Sect's tacit approval to allow him to attack Yongning City.

Silence fell in the room once again. Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and a disciple came out and bowed, saying, "Sect Leader, Uncle Ding has returned and has important matters to discuss with us."

"Quickly, invite him here." Xu Zhuoxuan's eyes lit up, and a glimmer of hope appeared in them.

Soon, Ding Mingde entered from outside and truthfully recounted his conversation with Fang Mingxuan.

Upon hearing the news about the Golden Elixir, Nie Liang's eyes lit up: "Could it be a trap?"

"It's highly unlikely. Even if the Fang family had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, they wouldn't dare to mess with the sect leader. Even if the Xuan Yang Sect was behind it, they wouldn't be so ruthless as to set a trap to ambush the sect leader."

"Tell Fang Mingxuan to... no... contact Fang Mingxuan, I want to see him in person."

Xu Zhuoxuan's eyes shone brightly, and without much hesitation, he made his decision.

.........

The sky was clear and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.

In Bianxi City, on Luoyun Mountain, in the desolate and open back mountain, Song Xian was shrouded in silver light. Within his True Eye of Observation, the subtle changes in the spatial structure were clearly visible. The next moment, he vanished and reappeared dozens of feet away beside Chuan Kongye. He closed his eyes, carefully savoring the changes in spatial fluctuations he had just witnessed.

After a long while, he 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.

Between his palms, the originally stable spatial structure was torn larger and larger, more than a foot long. Not only that, the space within a radius of ten feet was violently fluctuating, like boiling water. As his palms fell, the torn space quickly healed.

Song Xian stood there, lost in thought, a thoughtful expression on his face.

These days, as his cultivation deepens, his research into spatial structures also becomes more profound.

He used the teleportation leaf to travel through space at different distances, from ten zhang to twenty zhang to thirty zhang...

Finally, it was discovered that the structures of deep space and surface space are completely different, the distances traversed in space are different, and their vibration frequencies are also different.

Tearing apart the surface space is easy, but to penetrate the entire spatial structure requires a precise understanding of the structure of each spatial layer, and then using spiritual power to create vibrations at different frequencies.

It sounds simple, but it's actually quite complicated.

Just as he was deep in thought, a disciple arrived in the distance on a flying magical artifact and bowed to him.

"Sect Leader, Ding Mingde of the Bright Moon Sect has come again and requests to see you."

"Have Junior Brother Zichen lead him to the council hall."

"Yes." The disciple responded and left.

After cultivating for a while, Song Xian left and went to the council hall.

"Master Song, I apologize for disturbing you." Ding Mingde bowed with a smile.

Song Xian glanced at him and sensed that he seemed much more composed and confident this time than before.

"Fellow Daoist Ding, please don't stand on ceremony, please have a seat." The two took their seats as host and guest.

"I have come here again for the war between my sect and Huayuan Sect, and I would like to ask your sect for assistance," Ding Mingde said, getting straight to the point.

Song Xian smiled and said, "We already discussed this matter last time. Fellow Daoist Ding must have brought new conditions this time."

"Sect Leader Song is a smart man, that's right. I do have a new cooperation plan. If your sect is determined not to get involved in the war between my sect and Huayuan Sect, my sect has another option. I wonder if your sect is interested in Tianshui City?"

"Tianshui City? What do you mean by that? Does your sect intend to target Xuanyang Sect again?"

“That’s right.” Ding Mingde stood tall and proud, exuding confidence.

"Our sect leader warned at the celebration that anyone who interferes in the feud between our sect and Huayuan Sect, or assists Huayuan Sect, is an enemy of our sect. Therefore, when Xuanyang Sect sent troops, they had already chosen to be our enemy. Now, our sect is not only going to deal with Huayuan Sect, but also Xuanyang Sect."

“Bianxi City and Tianshui City are adjacent to each other. If your sect can cooperate, we can join hands to eliminate Xuanyang Sect, and half of the resources and territory we obtain can belong to your sect.”

Song Xian smiled, inwardly scoffing. He knew that the Mingyue Sect's proposal was merely an attempt to drag the Hunyuan Sect into the fray, making them restrain the Xuanyang Sect and thus relieving the Mingyue Sect of direct pressure.

The Mingyue Sect's target has always been the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate, and it is impossible for them to spare any troops to attack the Xuanyang Sect.

"As I have already said, my sect is content with just holding onto our small territory in Bianxi City and dares not covet the land of others."

"Does Sect Leader Song think that I am deceiving him with empty words? Does he think that our sect is incapable of dealing with Xuan Yang Sect?" Ding Mingde seemed to see through his thoughts.

"In this Western Frontier County, who dares to question your sect's strength? However, your sect's main target right now is the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate. If you abandon Yongning City and turn to attack Tianshui City, it probably won't make much sense!"

"Who said our sect was going to attack Tianshui City? Even without sending a single soldier, our sect can still take care of Xuanyang Sect. Sect Leader Song doesn't know yet! Before I arrived, Xuanyang Sect Leader Gu Xuntao had already been executed."

Upon hearing this, Song Xian's smile froze, and his eyes instantly turned sharp.

Jiang Zichen below also looked surprised.

The two looked at each other and both saw shock in each other's eyes.

Song Xian's expression unconsciously turned solemn. He had not expected the Mingyue Sect to be so powerful and crazy, actually killing Gu Xuntao, the leader of the Xuanyang Sect. Now he had formed a deadly enmity with the Xuanyang Sect, and at the same time, he felt a sense of crisis and lingering fear.

"Sect Leader Gu is dead? Was it your sect's doing?"

"Our sect leader personally took his head," Ding Mingde said, his head held high, exuding composure and confidence.

"Xuan Yang Sect is currently leaderless. Not only that, the Fang family of Tianshui City has long been dissatisfied with Xuan Yang Sect and wants to take its place. Tianshui City is in chaos right now. If your sect can take advantage of this situation and cooperate with the Fang family, you will surely be able to take down Xuan Yang Sect in one fell swoop."

"This is an opportunity not to be missed. If Sect Leader Song agrees, I will immediately arrange for your sect and the Fang family leaders to meet and discuss how to attack Xuanyang Sect."

"Our sect will also provide you with certain support. After conquering Xuanyang Sect, our sect will not take a single thing. All resources and territory will belong to your sect and the Fang family."

Song Xian's eyes flickered slightly. The Mingyue Sect not only killed Gu Xuntao, the leader of the Xuanyang Sect, but also persuaded the Fang family to turn against them. They were indeed quite capable. But the more they did this, the more uneasy he felt.

The current turmoil in Tianshui City presents a good opportunity for sects to intervene.

However, there are two problems. The first is the attitude of the Beast Taming Sect.

The reason why the Bright Moon Sect attacked Yongning City while the Beast Taming Sect turned a blind eye was because of the personal relationship between Xu Zhuoxuan and Hong Haoran.

If the Hunyuan Sect were to help the Fang family deal with the Xuanyang Sect, would the Yushou Sect turn a blind eye?

Although the Hunyuan Sect was also supported by the Beast Taming Sect, it did not have the same deep relationship as Xu Zhuoxuan.

The second problem is even more fatal: if Hunyuan Sect chooses to be enemies with Xuanyang Sect, what will happen if Mingyue Sect wants to deal with them in the future?
If the Bright Moon Sect successfully breaches the Hua Yuan Sect's mountain gate and takes Yongning City, while the Hun Yuan Sect and the Fang family occupy Tianshui City, and the two sides turn against each other in the future, how could the Hun Yuan Sect be a match for the Bright Moon Sect? At that time, no one will help them.

Based on these two points, even if this is a great opportunity, Song Xian would not agree to the Mingyue Sect's conditions.

He had already made up his mind, but in order to find out more information, he showed a hesitant look on his face: "If our sect helps the Fang family to deal with the Xuan Yang Sect, will the Beast Taming Sect turn a blind eye?"

(End of this chapter)