Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 452 The arrow is on the string
At the Fangjia Mountain Gate of Xuanyuan Mountain, inside the magnificent council hall.

The leaders of several sects in Tianshui City gathered together, whispering among themselves.

They had come at Fang Mingxuan's invitation, supposedly to celebrate a wedding banquet. However, upon arrival, the entire mountain range was neither decorated with lanterns nor colorful streamers, lacking any festive atmosphere. Instead, it was heavily guarded, with an invisible, chilling aura, which gave the group a vague sense of foreboding.

"I also came here at Senior Fang's invitation to his wedding banquet, but it doesn't look like a happy occasion. Could something have happened?"

"Could it be related to the battle of Yongning City?"

"If it is a war, Xuan Yang Sect should be the one to take charge."

The group was filled with doubts and discussing their situation when Fang Mingxuan led two Foundation Establishment cultivators in from outside.

The group rose and bowed.

Fang Mingxuan's expression was solemn. He went straight to the main seat and sat down, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group: "I have invited you all here today because I have an important matter to discuss with you. I wonder if you have heard that Fellow Daoist Gu, the leader of Xuan Yang Sect, has been murdered."

"What? Senior Gu has been murdered?"

"Who did this?"

When did this happen?

Upon hearing this, the group was greatly alarmed.

Fang Mingxuan waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "I only heard about this recently, so I'm using this celebratory banquet as an excuse to gather you all here to discuss countermeasures. Although Xuan Yang Sect is trying to block the news, according to the intelligence we've received, the one who killed Fellow Daoist Gu is none other than Xu Zhuoxuan, the leader of Mingyue Sect. Moreover, I've heard that Mingyue Sect has reached an agreement with Hunyuan Sect in Bianxi City and is about to launch a general attack on Huayuan Sect's mountain gate."

"How could this be?"

"How come there's been no news at all about Senior Gu's murder?"

"If the Hunyuan Sect joins forces with the Mingyue Sect, Yongning City probably won't be able to hold out. What if they take Yongning City and then attack Tianshui City? How should we deal with that?"

Several sect leaders were thrown into disarray, while others sensed something was amiss and sat there without uttering a word.

Such a big event, yet Xuan Yang Sect didn't step forward; instead, the Fang family came forward to gather everyone, and they did so in a secretive manner, using the guise of a celebratory banquet. This clearly indicates that they have ulterior motives.

"Senior Fang, according to your opinion, how should we deal with the threat from the Bright Moon Sect? What if they break through the Hua Yuan Sect's mountain gate, take Yongning City, and are still not satisfied, and then attack our city?" a middle-aged man asked.

Fang Mingxuan feigned deep thought and said, "Originally, the feud between the Mingyue Sect and the Huayuan Sect had nothing to do with the sects in this city. It was only because the Xuanyang Sect received benefits from the Huayuan Sect that they sent people to assist them in their defense, dragging us all into the mess. At first, I was extremely unwilling to let the Xuanyang Sect ask my disciples to participate in the battle, but the Xuanyang Sect was too powerful. My family had no choice but to send a few dozen disciples to help in the battle."

"By now, countless people from our prefecture have died in battle, yet Xuan Yang Sect has not mentioned any compensation."

"They get all the benefits, but everyone has to share the risks. What kind of world is this?"

"To be honest, the Bright Moon Sect has sent people to negotiate with our mansion, making a clear promise that as long as we stop assisting the Hua Yuan Sect, they will never cause us any trouble in the future. Otherwise, Fellow Daoist Gu will suffer the same fate."

"I have secretly ordered my disciples to withdraw from Yongning City. As for what you all do, that's up to you."

After the words were spoken, the hall fell silent. The people present had different expressions, and no one spoke.

Fang Mingxuan's words were undoubtedly a public declaration that he would sever ties with Xuan Yang Sect and go his separate ways, and also implied that they should take sides and express their opinions.

As the leading sect in Tianshui City, Xuanyang Sect still holds considerable prestige. Even if the group had grievances, they dared not express their opinions on this occasion, so they all lowered their heads and remained silent.

Fang Mingxuan also knew that it was unlikely that they would make a clear statement at this time. His purpose in gathering all parties this time was to pave the way for a break with Xuan Yang Sect.

Secondly, it was to publicly distance himself from any connection to Gu Xuntao's murder.

Third, he made it clear that he had the support of the Bright Moon Sect. In this way, the sects and forces in Tianshui City would be more cautious and would not fully support the Xuan Yang Sect in dealing with him.

"I have said everything I needed to say. Fellow Daoists, please go back and consider it carefully!"

The group felt as if they had been granted a pardon and immediately got up to take their leave.

.........

As night fell, the moon was dark and the wind was strong. The wind howled and whistled through the trees, sounding like the mournful cries of a wounded wild beast.

In the dimly lit room, Su Yuan stood by the window, gazing blankly at the dark sky, feeling the howling wind, his mind racing.

He predicted that the Bright Moon Sect would definitely take further action against Tianshui City, and that it would launch such an action soon.

However, with the current sect leader Gu Xuntao dead, the sect is leaderless and even suspicious of each other. He wanted to do something to change the passive situation, but he was powerless to do so.

He was the biggest beneficiary of the sect leader's murder. In addition, his relationship with Gu Xuntao had gradually become estranged in recent years. Putting aside other matters, he had firmly opposed the support for Huayuan Sect.

This led to Gu Xuntao's murder, and he became the suspect. Although no one said it outright, everyone knew the truth.

In this situation, he was hampered by both sides, and he couldn't even stabilize public sentiment, let alone unify his commands.

At this moment, footsteps sounded outside, and a thin middle-aged man entered from outside: "Senior Brother Su, I just received news that Fang Mingxuan has summoned all the sects and forces in the city, and is using a wedding banquet as a pretext to gather them for a meeting."

Su Yuan frowned: "What did they talk about?"

"Fang Mingxuan accused our sect of dragging them into this mess, and said that the Mingyue Sect had sent people to contact them, promising them safety as long as they did not help the Huayuan Sect. He also said that he had secretly ordered the disciples involved in the battle to withdraw from Yongning City. Without a doubt, the Fang family is going to betray us."

"Just as I suspected." Su Yuan narrowed his eyes. "The Fang family must have reached an agreement with the Bright Moon Sect. What's the Hunyuan Sect up to?"

"All we know is that Ding Mingde, the second elder of the Mingyue Sect, went to the Hunyuan Sect a few days ago. So far, the Hunyuan Sect has not made any move."

"How's the investigation into the sect leader's murder going? Have you found Jiang Yue?"

“All relevant personnel have been apprehended. Based on the current information, Jiang Yue remains the prime suspect, but he seems to have vanished without a trace.” The man finished speaking and glanced at him. “There’s another matter. Senior Brother Jia has organized an investigation team and is currently investigating the sect leader’s murder.” “Junior Brother Huang, go and invite everyone in the sect to the council hall.”

"Okay." The man responded and left.

Su Yuan's eyes flickered. He knew that Jia Yun suspected him of conspiring with the Mingyue Sect to assassinate the sect leader Gu Xuntao, which was why he wanted to form a separate team to investigate the matter. Now that external troubles had emerged and internal strife was brewing, he felt somewhat exhausted.

Before long, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Xuan Yang Sect who remained in Tianshui City arrived at the council hall.

"The Fang family has summoned all the sects for a meeting, and their intentions are quite clear. I believe they will take action soon," Su Yuan briefly recounted the situation.

"How dare the Fang family secretly collude with the Bright Moon Sect? Do they think our sect has no one left?" Jia Yun's face was ugly, and his eyes seemed to be spitting fire. They had already lost face by being powerless to help their sect leader, Gu Xuntao. Now the Fang family was openly calling on various sects to turn against them. This was intolerable.

The man surnamed Huang, who was in charge of intelligence, said solemnly: "I received news that immediately after the sect leader was killed, Ding Mingde, the second elder of the Mingyue Sect, visited the Hunyuan Sect. Judging from the Fang family's actions today, it is very likely that the Hunyuan Sect will also interfere. They are taking advantage of our weakness to extend their reach into Tianshui City."

The woman below glanced at Su Yuan and Jia Yun: "Then why don't we call Senior Brother Tao and the others back from Yongning City?"

Su Yuan frowned deeply: "Xu Zhuoxuan assassinated the sect leader and colluded with the Fang family to force us to recall our support personnel for Huayuan Sect. This would reduce the pressure on them when attacking Huayuan Sect's mountain gate. If we recall them, it will play right into their hands. Once Huayuan Sect is captured, they may head south and coordinate with the Fang family from the outside. At that time, our sect will be in grave danger."

"Is the Beast Taming Sect going to do nothing? Are they just going to watch the Bright Moon Sect run amok?"

Jia Yun snorted coldly: "If they wanted to get involved, they would have intervened long ago. There's no way they could rely on the Beast Taming Sect. To put it bluntly, the Bright Moon Sect was supported by Hong Haoran. That old guy is very protective of his own. It's already good enough that he's not helping the Bright Moon Sect against us."

"To repel external threats, we must first pacify internal strife. We must deal with the Fang family first in order to deter the Hunyuan Sect and prevent them from rashly getting involved."

"With our current strength, it won't be easy to take down the Fang family. If they stay hidden at their mountain gate, we'll be completely helpless."

"The Fang family hasn't made a move yet, so there's no need for us to rush into action. We can wait and see."

"The key lies with the Hunyuan Sect. If they get involved and cooperate with the Fang family, then we will have a hard time dealing with them. As long as the Hunyuan Sect doesn't move, the Fang family alone can't cause much trouble."

As the group was discussing, a disciple strode in from outside, bowed, and said, "Reporting to all senior uncles, the disciple monitoring the Fang family has just reported that a spirit ship belonging to the Fang family is heading southeast, carrying many Fang family cultivators. We do not know where it is going."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in the hall changed slightly. At such a critical juncture, the mobilization of a large number of cultivators from the Fang family was clearly unusual.

"Keep a close eye on the Fang family, and report back immediately if you have any new information."

"Yes." The disciple responded and left.

"What is the Fang family up to? Could they be going to support the Bright Moon Sect in attacking the Hua Yuan Sect's mountain gate?!"

"Probably not. The Fang family is small; unless they mobilize all their forces to help the Bright Moon Sect, they won't be of much use. But that would result in too many casualties, and Fang Mingxuan wouldn't do something so stupid. I'm worried that they're targeting us."

"How about we strike first and attack that spirit ship?"

"Although the Fang family has already shown their rebellious intentions, they haven't made a move yet. If we launch an attack, they will have even more excuse to turn against us. Moreover, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Fang family's spirit ship might be bait to lure us out of the mountain gate. Don't forget, our sect leader was tricked by the Bright Moon Sect and led to his tragic death at the hands of Xu Zhuoxuan. In the current situation, it's better to remain still than to act rashly. Let's observe the situation first."

"This is too passive."

The group hesitated, each offering their own opinion, unable to make a decision. This was because Gu Xuntao's death had left Xuan Yang Sect without anyone who could make the final decision, and the First Elder Su Yuan and the Second Elder Jia Yunping had always been at odds.

Jia Yun even suspected that Gu Xuntao's ambush might have been orchestrated by Su Yuan in collusion with the Mingyue Sect, which would make him even less likely to act according to Su Yuan's wishes.

The group discussed for most of the day but couldn't come up with a concrete solution. Then, at dawn the next day, a disciple came to the hall again and reported to them that the Fang family's spirit ship had gone to Jiangfeng Town, which was under the jurisdiction of Tianshui City.

At this very moment, the Fang family is attacking the Qingjiang Sect's mountain gate in Jiangfeng Town.

The Qingjiang Sect was originally a force supported by the Xuanyang Sect, and was considered a staunch supporter of the sect, having the closest relationship with it among all the sects in Tianshui City. The Fang family's attack on the Qingjiang Sect was undoubtedly a provocation against the Xuanyang Sect, and perhaps even a declaration of war.

After the disciple finished his report, everyone began to discuss whether or not they should support the Qingjiang Sect. If they did nothing, the various sects and forces in Tianshui City would be disheartened and would gravitate towards the Fang family.

If we send people now, we fear they might be ambushed, as we worry this could be a trap set by the Fang family.

It's possible that the elite Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Bright Moon Sect, or even Xu Zhuoxuan himself, are waiting for them to leave the sect so they can wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Just as they were hesitating, another disciple reported that cultivators from the Qingjiang Sect had arrived outside the mountain gate and were requesting an audience.

Soon, the person was brought to the main hall.

"Senior Xu, esteemed elders, the Fang family has suddenly launched a massive attack on our sect's gate. Our sect leader has sent a junior to report this and earnestly request your sect's assistance. We would be eternally grateful."

Faced with the earnest gaze of the Qingjiang Sect man, the Xuanyang Sect members had different expressions, and the hall fell silent for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, rest assured, we will not stand idly by while the Fang family acts recklessly. We will definitely seek justice for you. However, this matter requires careful consideration. You should rest here for now." Su Yuan remained calm and composed.

The man from Qingjiang Sect said urgently, "Senior Xu, our sect is in imminent danger. I'm afraid we can't wait for further planning. If your sect doesn't send troops immediately, our sect's gates will be breached."

Su Yuan waved his hand: "The situation is still unknown. Our sect has its own considerations. You don't need to worry. Just wait here for news. Even if the Fang family occupies your sect's gate, our sect will definitely take it back for you. Someone, take Fellow Daoist Xu down to rest."

Two Xuan Yang Sect disciples responded and led the man away.

With a 'bang,' Jia Yun slammed his fist on the table, his eyes fixed on Su Yuan: "The Fang family has already stepped on our heads. Are we still going to hide at the mountain gate like cowards? If this continues, not only will our sect lose all prestige, but all the sects in Tianshui City will also side with the Fang family. We must fight back immediately and teach them a lesson."

Su Yuan's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

"Given the current situation of the sect, why don't we recall Senior Brother Tao and the others? At least we need to ensure the stability of Tianshui City first," the Foundation Establishment female cultivator from Xuanyang Sect suggested again.

The man surnamed Huang frowned deeply: "I think it's more important to figure out the attitude of the Hunyuan Sect. If they have reached an agreement with the Mingyue Sect, we must immediately concentrate all our forces to deal with the impending threat. If they are not prepared to intervene, then we can still plan our next move."

(End of this chapter)