Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 455 The troops are approaching the city
Of the sect's current eighteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, seven were recruited directly after returning to Bianxi City.

There are Xiao Ling and Wang Feng, two former cultivators of the Luoyun Sect; Li Tai and Xu Tianci, two former cultivators of the Fengxing Sect; and Huang Qi, Gu Qingming, and Shen Su, three former cultivators of the Yunxuan Sect.

The reason why these Foundation Establishment cultivators are willing to join the Hunyuan Sect is not only because the sect has abundant finances and high salaries, but more importantly, because joining the Hunyuan Sect will grant them access to cultivation rooms.

This is what they value most. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, without a suitable cultivation room, maintaining daily cultivation by absorbing spiritual energy from spirit stones would be an enormous expense.

The reason they chose to join a sect was so that they could cultivate in peace.

Apart from these seven people, among the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect, only Zhang Yanqing came from the original Bianxi City forces, and Xia Yu joined the sect as a rogue cultivator before successfully establishing his Foundation.

The others were all former cultivators of the Hunyuan Sect, including Song Xian, Su Zhirou, Lin Zixiang, Hu Xiaobao, Jiang Zichen, Shen Fan, Huang Ye, Yu Lian, and Qi Xiaobai.

Of the eighteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, sixteen were excluding Wang Feng and Xu Tianci, who had already participated in the recruitment.

The sect only has thirteen second-tier cultivation rooms. Apart from the sect leader, three elders, and the chief of the inner cabinet, the other eleven people share eight second-tier cultivation rooms.

On the surface, it seems there are only two gaps in the second-tier training rooms, but in reality there are far more.

There is also a compatibility issue involved. To be precise, the sect currently has one second-tier high-grade cultivation room, three second-tier mid-grade cultivation rooms, and nine second-tier low-grade cultivation rooms.

Five cultivators in the sect have reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, including Hu Xiaobao, Lin Zixiang, Huang Qi, Gu Qingming, and Li Tai.

Hu Xiaobao and Lin Zixiang each have their own mid-grade second-tier cultivation rooms, but the other three do not. Most of the time, they use low-grade second-tier cultivation rooms.

With only a mid-Foundation Establishment stage cultivation level, using a second-tier low-grade cultivation room will definitely hinder your cultivation progress.

If we can acquire the Fang family's mid-grade second-tier spiritual vein, we can add one mid-grade second-tier cultivation room and two low-grade second-tier cultivation rooms.

This can temporarily solve the problem of cultivation rooms for Foundation Establishment cultivators in sects.

.........

Since George Lam had no further objections, no one else would say anything either.

Within the sect, Song Xian is unparalleled in both prestige and strength. Only Lin Zixiang, with his seniority, occasionally questions his arrangements, while the others never oppose him.

The meeting lasted for several hours. After Song Xian made detailed arrangements, everyone went to carry out their orders.

…………

That night, several second-tier spirit ships rose from Luoyun Mountain and headed south.

Rows of disciples dressed in Hunyuan Sect attire stood above, each looking ready for battle.

The spirit ship sped along, attracting many cultivators who gathered to watch and discuss what had happened.

Song Xian mobilized half of his sect's forces, gathering a thousand disciples and ten Foundation Establishment cultivators to go to Tianshui City to help Xuanyang Sect wipe out the Fang family. However, he did not go with the ship himself, but instead instructed Lin Zixiang to lead the team.

.........

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

At the Fang family mountain gate, on the towering observation platform, two Fang family cultivators stood chatting idly.

"What's that?" Suddenly, one person stared intently ahead and saw several small black dots appearing in the distance, heading towards them at an extremely fast speed.

"Oh no, it's the Xuan Yang Sect's spirit ship! Quick, send out the signal!" Another person's expression changed drastically. He took out a black firework tube from his pocket, and instantly, a red beam shot into the sky, exploded in the air, and turned into a dazzling display of fireworks.

The two took out their flying artifacts and fled towards the mountain gate. At the same time, one after another, gorgeous flowers bloomed in the sky, stretching all the way to the Fang family's mountain gate.

The spirit ship, carrying the banner of the Xuan Yang Sect, soon arrived at the Fang family's mountain gate. At the command of Su Yuan, the Grand Elder of the Xuan Yang Sect, many disciples of the Xuan Yang Sect jumped off the spirit ship and lined up in front of the great formation.

Inside the Fang family's mountain gate, four Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered together, each with a solemn expression, creating a tense and solemn atmosphere.

"Reporting to the patriarch, Su Yuan has led the Xuan Yang Sect disciples to the mountain gate." A man hurried in, bowed, and reported.

"How many of them are there?"

"There are several hundred people, I estimate."

Upon hearing this, Fang Mingxuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Before he could speak, Fang Zhongyu interjected, "With only a few hundred people, they dare to besiege the mountain gate?"

Jiang Han frowned: "Xuanyang Sect couldn't possibly attack our sect's gate with just the people left to guard Tianshui City. They must have a backup plan."

Another Foundation Establishment cultivator, Fang Boyuan, had a glint in his eyes: "Could it be that the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Xuan Yang Sect who were supporting Hua Yuan Sect have sneaked back?"

Fang Mingxuan rallied his spirits and declared firmly, "Even if all the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Xuan Yang Sect have returned to Tianshui City, we don't need to worry. As long as most of their forces haven't arrived, it won't be so easy for them to forcibly break through the sect's mountain gate formation. If all else fails, we can simply abandon the mountain gate and leave."

"Xu Zhuoxuan has promised that if Xuan Yang Sect recalls the personnel guarding Hua Yuan Sect, we can abandon our mountain gate and go to them at any time. They will hand over the territory that Yongning City has obtained to us, and our mansion can establish itself there and make a comeback."

The three remained silent. Xu Zhuoxuan's words were like farts. He had previously promised not to reveal the truth about Gu Xuntao's death and had also said that if Xuanyang Sect attacked with the masses, he would ask Yushou Sect to intervene. In the end, he did not keep any of his promises.

However, at this moment, none of the three would question it. Now is the time to boost morale, and they would not dampen the spirits or cause panic.

"I'll go and meet them. You guys take charge of the grand formation." Fang Mingxuan got up and headed outside. After leaving the room, his escape light rose, and he quickly arrived at the foot of the mountain gate.

He stood within a grand formation shrouded in golden auspicious clouds, gazing at the Xuan Yang Sect members in the distance. His voice carried far through the surging spiritual energy: "Fellow Daoist Su, my manor has not been an enemy of your sect. Why have you led your sect's disciples to besiege my manor?"

"Fang Mingxuan, you colluded with Xu Zhuoxuan to murder our sect leader. Every disciple of our sect wishes they could tear you to pieces. Now the whole world knows. Do you still want to deny it? If you know what's good for you, shut down the formation. Otherwise, once the formation is broken, not a single one of you will be spared." Su Yuan stood in front of a group of Xuan Yang Sect disciples, facing him from afar, his voice carrying far.

"This is a scheme by the Bright Moon Sect. How could Fellow Daoist Su fall for it? Jiang Yue was originally an informant planted by the Bright Moon Sect in your sect. She serves Xu Zhuoxuan and naturally obeys his every word. The words of Xu Zhuoxuan and Jiang Yue are only their side of the story, intended to sow discord between your sect and our mansion. As for that so-called Golden Yuan Pill, I have never seen it before."

"Enough with the nonsense. You're about to die, and you're still being stubborn. Our sect has already investigated and found that Jiang Yue is the spy you planted in our sect. If you don't want so many disciples of the Fang family to die with you, then close the great formation and offer your neck to die."

"Since you've listened to slander and insist on attacking my manor, then come on! My manor's mountain gate formation is no mere decoration; the outcome is still uncertain." Fang Mingxuan snorted coldly and turned back into the formation.

.........

In the dimly lit room of the Bright Moon Sect's main camp in Yongning City, a disciple hurried in and bowed to Xu Zhuoxuan: "Reporting to the Sect Leader, we have just received news that several second-tier spirit ships from Luoyun Mountain in Bianxi City have led a large number of Hunyuan Sect disciples away from the mountain gate and headed south. There are at least several hundred of them."

Xu Zhuoxuan's eyes narrowed: "When did they set off?"

"Late the night before last."

"Summon the three elders immediately."

"Yes." The man responded and left.

Soon, Nie Liang, Ding Mingde, and Cui Zhongyang arrived inside.

"A group of several hundred people from the Hunyuan Sect headed south?" Ding Mingde pondered for a moment after hearing this, then his expression changed slightly: "This is bad. They are probably going to help the Xuanyang Sect deal with the Fang family."

Cui Zhongyang was furious: "How dare the Hunyuan Sect do this? We have visited their mountain gate several times to ask for their help, but they have refused each time. Now they dare to help the Xuanyang Sect?"

"Song Xian is a man of great strategic acumen and keen insight. He has repeatedly refused our sect's good intentions because he does not want to help us annex the Huayuan Sect, fearing that it will threaten them in the future. Huang Ziquan of the Xuanyang Sect once visited the Hunyuan Sect, surely to ask for their help in dealing with the Fang family. In addition, we leaked the news that Fang Mingxuan possesses the Golden Yuan Pill, which has attracted Song Xian's covetousness. Therefore, they will definitely help the Xuanyang Sect to eliminate the Fang family this time."

Nie Liang frowned: "The Hunyuan Sect has already set off. Even if we send the majority of our forces to support the Fang family, it will be too late. If the Fang family is completely wiped out, the Xuanyang Sect will naturally not need to recall the personnel stationed at the Huayuan Sect, and then it will be basically impossible for us to attack the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate."

…………

In the spacious and brightly lit room of the Fang family's mountain gate in Tianshui City, a disciple hurriedly entered and bowed in a panic: "Patriarch, something bad has happened! Several spirit ships with the banners of the Hunyuan Sect have appeared on the north side of the mountain gate. They seem to be here to help the Xuanyang Sect. The sentry disciples saw a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Xuanyang Sect going to greet them."

"Hun Yuan Sect?" Fang Mingxuan's expression changed. He finally understood why Su Yuan and the others from Xuan Yang Sect only surrounded the enemy without attacking. It turned out they were waiting for reinforcements from the Hun Yuan Sect.

Fang Zhongyu jumped to his feet: "Didn't the Bright Moon Sect say they would persuade the Hunyuan Sect to help us? How come it's the other way around? Not only is the Hunyuan Sect not helping us, but they're also helping the Xuanyang Sect against us. What are we going to do now?"

Jiang Han and Fang Boyuan both had gloomy expressions.

"What's the panic?" Fang Mingxuan shouted in a deep voice, "We have a third-order grand formation guarding us. Even if the Xuan Yang Sect has the help of the Hun Yuan Sect, they can't break through this formation in a short time. At most, we can abandon our mountain gate after they enter the formation and go to the East Mountain of Yongning City to start again."

The group remained silent. The Bright Moon Sect was completely unreliable, and whether they could fulfill their promises was another matter entirely. The key issue was how to extricate themselves from the current crisis unscathed.

Silence fell again in the room; no one spoke, and the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy.

.........

Outside the Fang family mountain gate, the spirit ship of the Hunyuan Sect had arrived. Lin Zixiang led several Foundation Establishment cultivators and landed with their escape light to greet Su Yuan and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Xuanyang Sect who were walking towards them.

"This is Elder Lin Zixiang of the Hunyuan Sect, and this is Elder Su Yuan of our sect," Huang Ziquan introduced from the side.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, you have finally arrived. Our sect has been longing for your arrival as much as a parched land yearns for rain." Su Yuan's gaze swept over the group behind Lin Zixiang. Seeing that the Hunyuan Sect had mobilized so many Foundation Establishment cultivators to assist them, he was very satisfied.

"Our sect leader ordered me to bring my fellow disciples to assist us. Let me introduce you first: this is our junior brother Hu Xiaobao, this is our junior brother Huang Qi, and this is…"

After both sides introduced the Foundation Establishment cultivators from their respective sects, Lin Zixiang got to the point: "Fellow Daoist Su, let's get straight to the point. What's the situation here?"

“Since we arrived here, no one has escaped from the Fang family’s mountain gate. The Fang family has four Foundation Establishment cultivators and a total of four or five hundred disciples. The mountain gate is guarded by a third-grade low-level formation called the Qian Kan Two Phases Formation, which has the attributes of metal and water. With the strength of the Fang family, they naturally cannot unleash the full power of this formation. Even if all of them joined forces, they could only unleash about 30% of its power at most.”

Lin Zixiang nodded. A third-tier low-grade formation needs a Golden Core cultivator to oversee it in order to unleash its true power. It would be quite good if only four Foundation Establishment cultivators and several hundred Qi Refining disciples could unleash 30-40% of its power.

The higher the level of the formation, the better; it must be suitable. For example, the Luoyun Mountain Formation is only a mid-level third-order formation.

It's not that the Hunyuan Sect can't afford a high-grade third-tier grand formation, it's just that there's no need for it. With the Hunyuan Sect's strength, a mid-grade third-tier grand formation is already a stretch, and it can't unleash its full power at all. Therefore, setting up a higher-tier grand formation is completely useless.

Formations are inherently very expensive to maintain, and even if they are not activated on a regular basis, the daily maintenance costs a huge sum of money.

The higher the level of the formation, the more resources it requires.

In fact, given the situation of Hunyuan Sect, a third-tier low-grade grand formation would be sufficient. However, since it is a mountain-protecting grand formation that represents the sect's reputation, a high-grade formation can also serve to deter the enemy.

Furthermore, a mid-grade third-tier grand formation still has some advantages over a low-grade third-tier grand formation. Although it cannot unleash its full power, a mid-grade third-tier grand formation generally has three types of power. The defender can use the formation to inscribe runes and talismans, which resonate with the formation, and can use the power of the formation to enhance the power of the corresponding type of magical abilities.

Taking these two points into consideration, the Hunyuan Sect ultimately decided to deploy a mid-grade third-order grand formation at the mountain gate.

"Our sect's thousand disciples are currently following your sect's arrangements. Fellow Daoist Su, how do you intend to attack this formation?"

"Breaking through this formation is not the most important thing. Our goal is to annihilate the Fang family cultivators, especially Fang Mingxuan. We must not let him go. I request that Fellow Daoist Lin lead your sect's disciples to attack the formation, while our sect surrounds it from the outside and is responsible for hunting down any fleeing Fang family cultivators. Of course, if your sect's attack on the formation is not going well, I will also lead my sect's disciples inside to assist you."

"Fellow Daoist Su, I have a plan. How about we each send half of our men into the formation?" Attacking the formation results in the highest casualties, and Lin Zixiang was unwilling to be the one to suffer the most.

Su Yuan frowned: "Fellow Daoist Lin should know that Sect Leader Song demanded that all of the Fang family's resources and territory belong to your sect, and we have already agreed. In other words, in exchange for taking down this great formation, we will gain all of the Fang family's resources and territory in this city. All the benefits go to your sect, so do you expect us to be the ones to lead the charge for your sect?"

(End of this chapter)