Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 454 Scheming to Take Over the Fang Family
Song Xian narrowed his eyes, his mind racing. Xu Zhuoxuan was probably hoping the Fang family would die soon! He had actually taken the initiative to make this public.

Fortunately, he never agreed to help the Bright Moon Sect, otherwise, he might have been sold out by the Bright Moon Sect at any time, just like the Fang family.

Xu Zhuoxuan's intentions were obvious: he wanted to incite a war between Xuan Yang Sect and the Fang family, and further force Xuan Yang Sect to recall the manpower supporting Yongning City, thus relieving the pressure on them to attack Hua Yuan Sect's mountain gate.

To Song Xian's surprise, Xu Zhuoxuan was in such a hurry, as if he couldn't wait any longer.

The Fang family was not inactive; they were gradually challenging the authority of the Xuan Yang Sect by convening a meeting of sects in Tianshui City, openly criticizing the Xuan Yang Sect, and attacking the Qingjiang Sect, a sect in Tianshui City with close ties to the Xuan Yang Sect.

There is no doubt that all of this is undermining the foundation of the Xuan Yang Sect.

However, Xu Zhuoxuan was still not satisfied with this and used this method to force the Fang family and Xuanyang Sect to go to war.

Why is he in such a hurry? Either the internal finances are not running out, or there is too much opposition.

This possibility is extremely slim. The Bright Moon Sect possesses so many resource-rich territories, not only dominating Humen City but also having many resources under their jurisdiction in Anyuan City. From the time they entered Yongning City, it has only been a few months at most, so it is impossible for them to be experiencing financial difficulties.

Xu Zhuoxuan himself has already broken through to the Golden Core Realm, and he must be the only one who has the final say within the Bright Moon Sect, so it is unlikely that there will be many dissenting voices.

Excluding internal factors, that leaves only external factors.

The only external force that can stop the Bright Moon Sect is the Beast Taming Sect. Could it be that the Beast Taming Sect put pressure on Xu Zhuoxuan, forcing him to accelerate the process of attacking the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate?
Otherwise, it would be really hard to understand why Xu Zhuoxuan would do this.

This was definitely not something that had been agreed upon beforehand, because since the murder of Gu Xuntao, the leader of the Xuan Yang Sect, the Fang family had always pretended to be unaware of the situation.

Now that this news has suddenly broken, the Fang family is bound to be in an extremely passive position.

"What's the situation in Tianshui City right now?" After a long silence, Song Xian asked.

"There's no news yet, but I believe the Xuan Yang Sect will make a move soon."

"Go and fetch Junior Brother Zichen."

"Okay." Huang Ye replied and left.

Before long, Jiang Zichen arrived and bowed to him: "Sect Leader, what brings you here?"

"Junior Brother Zichen, you should set off now and go to Xijiang County immediately to see Jiang Feng and find out the views of the Beast Taming Sect's higher-ups on the war in Yongning City."

As early as when the Bright Moon Sect launched its attack on Yongning City, Song Xian had sent him to the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gate to inquire about information from Jiang Feng. However, he did not obtain any useful information at the time, and Jiang Feng dismissed him with a few perfunctory words.

The reason he was sent there again is because Song Xian sensed that the Beast Taming Sect's attitude toward this matter had changed.

As he had predicted, Xu Zhuoxuan was in such a hurry because he was under pressure from the Beast Taming Sect.

The fact that the Bright Moon Sect failed to capture the Hua Yuan Sect's mountain gate in one fell swoop may have given those in the Beast Taming Sect's upper echelons an excuse to launch an attack.

"Okay." Jiang Zichen didn't ask any more questions, just nodded in response. Song Xian gave a few more instructions, and then left the mountain gate.

.........

The night was dark. In the council hall of Xuanyang Sect in Tianshui City, the city was filled with the sounds of the night.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Xuan Yang Sect all looked solemn, their faces not looking too good.

The Second Elder of Xuan Yang Sect, Jia Yun, slammed his fist on the table with a loud thud, like an angry lion roaring: "Kill them all! Immediately gather all the disciples, uproot the Fang family, and tear Fang Mingxuan to pieces!"

"Was it really Fang Mingxuan who did this? How dare he join forces with the Bright Moon Sect to ambush and kill the sect leader?" The Foundation Establishment female cultivator from the Xuan Yang Sect was still somewhat incredulous.

Huang Ziquan frowned: "There's no mistake. Xu Zhuoxuan said it himself. Jiang Yue was also present at the time, and Xu Zhuoxuan even praised Jiang Yue."

"There's nothing to say. Fang Mingxuan dared to ambush and kill the sect leader. If the Fang family isn't wiped out, not only will the sect lose face, but we also won't be able to explain ourselves to the sect's disciples."

"The Fang family has now retreated entirely to their mountain gate. With our current manpower, it is virtually impossible for us to break through their mountain gate."

“Then let’s summon all of Senior Brother Tao and the others back. The sect leader’s enemy is right in front of us. If we remain indifferent, how can we have any face to stand in Xijiang County? Moreover, the Fang family has already colluded with the Bright Moon Sect and wants to replace our sect. For both public and private reasons, we cannot pretend to be blind to this.”

"Senior Brother Su, what are you still considering? We are powerless to avenge the sect leader against Xu Zhuoxuan, are we going to tolerate the Fang family as well? Quickly send someone to summon Junior Brother Tao and the others back, gather all our forces, and completely wipe out the Fang family." Jia Yun looked at Su Yuan, who had been silent all along.

“I’m wondering why Xu Zhuoxuan would take the initiative to announce this.” Su Yuan’s eyes flickered. “If we recall Junior Brother Tao now, we will be playing right into Xu Zhuoxuan’s hands. If Huayuan Sect is captured, our sect will also be in grave danger.”

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Yun slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "According to Senior Brother Su, we're going to ignore the sect leader's great grudge? The enemy is right in front of us, and we're just going to turn a blind eye?"

"Senior Brother Jia, don't be in a hurry, let Senior Brother Su finish speaking first." The Foundation Establishment female cultivator from Xuan Yang Sect advised, and Jia Yun sat down indignantly.

Su Yuan remained calm and unhurried: "The sect leader's enemies are not only Fang Mingxuan, but also Xu Zhuoxuan. As all of you junior brothers know, when we were discussing whether to support Yongning City, I was clearly opposed to it."

"But since they have already gone to Yongning City and helped Huayuan Sect guard the mountain gate, they should not give up halfway."

"If we recall them now, wouldn't the disciples who died or were wounded in this great battle have sacrificed themselves in vain? Wouldn't everything we did before have been wasted?"

"More importantly, we have now formed a blood feud with the Bright Moon Sect. The Bright Moon Sect will not let us off easily. If they conquer the Hua Yuan Sect's mountain gate, we will be next."

"Given the current situation, we are in the same boat as Hua Yuanzong. If Hua Yuanzong falls, we will be unable to support him alone. Therefore, we cannot recall Junior Brother Tao and the others at this time."

"Of course, we cannot sit idly by and watch the Fang family cause trouble. We must first pacify the internal situation before dealing with external threats, and it is also very necessary to eliminate the Fang family."

“I suggest we ask the Hunyuan Sect for help. When Junior Brother Huang visited the Hunyuan Sect last time, Song Xian already expressed his willingness to help, and we are just waiting for him to state his conditions.”

"If we can get the help of the Hunyuan Sect, firstly, we can solve the internal problem of the Fang family. Secondly, we will no longer have to worry about the Hunyuan Sect helping the Mingyue Sect to deal with us."

After Su Yuan finished speaking, Huang Ziquan immediately chimed in, "I agree with Senior Brother Su's suggestion. Winning over the Hunyuan Sect to our side is crucial to the current situation. As far as I know, the Mingyue Sect has repeatedly approached Song Xian, trying to win them over to deal with our sect. Even if we recall Senior Brother Tao and the others, if the Hunyuan Sect sides with the Mingyue Sect and helps the Fang family, the situation will only worsen." While the Xuan Yang Sect members were discussing countermeasures, several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Fang family were also having a secret meeting at the Fang family's mountain gate, hundreds of miles away.

The faces of the group were all grim, and Fang Mingxuan's face was ashen. He had cooperated with the Mingyue Sect because it was profitable.

He didn't really trust the Bright Moon Sect, but he didn't expect Xu Zhuoxuan to go back on his word so quickly and stab him in the back.

They had originally agreed to keep the ambush and assassination of Gu Xuntao a secret, but now they've revealed it so openly.

Fang Mingxuan already regretted cooperating with the Bright Moon Sect and taking this risk, but it was too late to regret it now.

If Xuan Yangzong learns of this, he will surely launch a fierce retaliation against them.

"So this is true? Is Jiang Yue really an informant for our manor?" Jiang Han's eyes flickered, his heart filled with shock, not because he was surprised that the Bright Moon Sect had gone back on its word and stabbed him in the back.

Instead, he was surprised that such a high-level informant was lurking in the Xuan Yang Sect, a fact that even he was unaware of.

Fang Mingxuan said in a low voice, "I turned Jiang Yue to the side years ago. The fact that he was able to gradually become Gu Xuntao's confidant was actually partly due to coincidences."

Fang Zhongyu cursed loudly: "That old bastard Xu Zhuoxuan is completely untrustworthy. They asked us to create chaos in Tianshui City to restrain Xuanyang Sect, and we did as they asked, but he betrayed us in the blink of an eye. With such a lack of integrity, I wonder who will trust them in the future."

Jiang Han's face was gloomy: "It's pointless to curse the Mingyue Sect now. Let's think about how to deal with the Xuanyang Sect's retaliation! Before, the Xuanyang Sect just thought we wanted to take advantage of the chaos to gain some benefits. Now that they know that our mansion is the mastermind behind the murder of their sect leader, they will definitely be furious. They can't deal with Xu Zhuoxuan, so all their resentment will be directed at us."

"Now we only have two paths before us: either abandon Tianshui City and join the Mingyue Sect to help them conquer the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate, so that we can still gain a foothold in Yongning City and make a comeback."

"Either we hold our mountain gate to the death and wait for the situation to change. As long as Xuan Yang Sect does not recall the disciples who assisted Yongning City, their forces will not be able to take down our mountain gate."

Fang Mingxuan took a deep breath: "I have already sent Boyuan to Yongning City to find Xu Zhuoxuan. We'll decide what to do when he returns! What we need to do now is to guard the mountain gate."

.........

"Sect Leader, Huang Ziquan of Xuan Yang Sect says he has important business to discuss." In the dimly lit cultivation room of Luo Yun Mountain, Song Xian was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, cultivating his Qi. Hearing a knock on the door, he opened his eyes, opened the stone door, and a disciple outside bowed to him and reported.

"Take the person to the waiting room of the mansion."

"Yes," the disciple replied and left.

Song Xian also got up and left the cultivation room. Soon, Huang Ziquan was led in from outside. The two exchanged a few pleasantries and then took their seats.

"Sect Leader Song, regarding the matter we discussed last time, I went back and discussed it with my fellow disciples. If your sect can help us break through the Fang family's mountain gate, half of the Fang family's resources and territory will belong to your sect. What do you think of this offer?" Huang Ziquan got straight to the point with a serious expression.

Song Xian smiled and said, "As far as I know, since the Beast Taming Sect returned to Tianshui City, many of the Fang family's territories and resources have been seized by the Beast Taming Sect. They probably don't control many territories and resources anymore!"

"So, according to Sect Leader Song, what conditions would it take for him to be willing to assist our sect?"

"That's for you to figure out. As I said, I will only consider intervening in your feud if I see your sect's sincerity. Otherwise, why would my sect want to get involved in this mess?"

Huang Ziquan pondered for a moment: "Sect Leader Song, how about this? As long as your sect helps us to completely eliminate the Fang family, all of the Fang family's resources and territory will belong to your sect. Your sect will only need to pay taxes to our sect as the Fang family did before."

"Let me think about this some more," Song Xian said slowly, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair.

……

As night fell, several important members of the Hunyuan Sect gathered in the main hall of Luoyun Mountain. Besides Song Xian, there were Lin Zixiang, Hu Xiaobao, Su Zhirou, Qi Xiaobai, Huang Ye, Xiao Ling, Yu Lian, and Shen Fan.

"Does the sect leader want to help Xuanyang Sect deal with the Fang family?" Lin Zixiang frowned, looking at him with surprise.

"Does Senior Brother Zixiang think this is inappropriate?"

"That's not it. I just find it a bit sudden. Didn't the sect leader always maintain a neutral stance and not want to get involved in their war? If we help Xuan Yang Sect, we will inevitably offend Ming Yue Sect. Our sect has so many businesses cooperating with them, and we will suffer considerable losses."

Song Xian's expression was unusually serious: "Times have changed. I was unwilling to get involved before because I didn't want to help the Bright Moon Sect win. That's why I refused their requests for help several times."

"Given the current situation, the expansion of the Bright Moon Sect's power is not beneficial to us. Moreover, we are not adjacent to Yongning City, and their resource-rich territory is difficult for us to defend."

"Now, the Xuan Yang Sect is coming to us for help, agreeing to hand over all of the Fang family's resources and territory to us. Tianshui City is adjacent to Bianxi City, which makes it easy to manage. In addition, this move is equivalent to indirectly helping the Huayuan Sect relieve pressure."

"It benefits our sect and also prevents the Bright Moon Sect from expanding further. It can be said to be a win-win situation."

"Furthermore, our sect currently has eighteen Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even if we exclude Xu Tianci and Wang Feng who participated in the recruitment, there are still sixteen of them. The cultivation rooms needed by Foundation Establishment cultivators are far from enough. If we can take over the Fang family's mountain gate this time, it will alleviate a lot of the cultivation room problem."

Hearing this, Lin Zixiang stopped talking. If he were to raise any objections, he would be going against all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect.

Because not all Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect have their own cultivation rooms, only Song Xian, Lin Zixiang, Hu Xiaobao, Su Zhirou, and Jiang Zichen have their own cultivation rooms, while the others take turns using the remaining rooms.

The Hunyuan Sect currently has one second-tier high-grade spiritual vein, one second-tier mid-grade spiritual vein, and two second-tier low-grade spiritual veins.

The second-tier superior spiritual vein is Luoyun Mountain. This spiritual vein has one second-tier superior cultivation room, two second-tier mid-grade cultivation rooms, four second-tier inferior cultivation rooms, and over a hundred first-tier cultivation rooms.

The second-tier mid-grade spiritual vein is Luojia Mountain, which has one second-tier mid-grade cultivation room, two second-tier low-grade cultivation rooms, and several first-tier cultivation rooms.

In addition, there are three low-grade spiritual veins. One of them is the Tianshan spiritual vein, another is located in Huatian Town, and the third is located four or five hundred miles north of Luoyun Mountain, named Wuxu Mountain.

Each of these three spiritual veins has one second-tier low-grade cultivation room and several first-tier cultivation rooms.

All told, the sect has thirteen second-tier cultivation rooms.

(End of this chapter)