Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 458 Facing the Golden Core
Xu Zhuoxuan then swung his hammer again, once more forming a golden giant hammer phantom that crashed down.

Just then, a figure shot out from behind, several flames rising from his palms and transforming into a huge fireball, attacking Xu Zhuoxuan.

The person who came was none other than Song Xian. After dealing with Fang Mingxuan, he did not return to his sect, but instead returned to the Fang family's mountain gate.

He had come here secretly because he was worried, and if everything went well, he would return to the mountain gate and pretend he had never been there.

Unexpectedly, just as he was sneaking over to the scene, he ran into Xu Zhuoxuan, who was showing off his power. He knew that if he didn't take action, Lin Zixiang and his men would probably be doomed.

So he decisively revealed himself; he was the sect leader, and his appearance at this critical moment could stabilize people's hearts.

Although Xu Zhuoxuan is a Golden Core cultivator, he has only been at this level for a few months. He probably hasn't been able to cultivate high-level supernatural abilities and techniques yet, and he came alone.

Although the Golden Core cultivators are powerful, there are hundreds of Hunyuan Sect disciples here, as well as ten Foundation Establishment cultivators including Lin Zixiang. If they can work together, they are not without the power to fight.

"The sect leader has arrived."

"It is the sect leader."

When everyone saw him suddenly appear, they were both surprised and delighted. The previously panicked crowd was like drowning people seeing a lifeline, and their spirits lifted. They immediately shouted loudly.

"Disciples, heed my command! Form ranks and meet the enemy!" Song Xian's voice was calm and steady, spreading far and wide through his spiritual power.

In fact, even without him saying a word, many disciples had already gathered around him.

The fireball hurtled towards Xu Zhuoxuan like a meteor, colliding with the golden hammer phantom.

The golden hammer swept through everything in its path, shattering numerous fireballs into sparks that scattered in the air.

After the golden hammer phantom shattered many fireballs, its own light dimmed considerably.

With another loud crash, the golden hammer slammed into the fire wall of Song Xian's defensive spell. The fire shields on it shattered upon impact, and after about half of the fire shields were broken, the golden hammer phantom also shattered.

In Song Xianzhen's discerning eyes, all the data was laid bare.

Xu Zhuoxuan is at the first level of the Golden Core realm, possessing dual spiritual roots, namely the metal and earth attributes, with 18000 points of spiritual power and 9000 points of divine sense.

The golden hammer magic weapon he used had just struck, with an attack power of 3000, but he himself lost 300 points of spiritual power.

Seeing that Song Xian alone had withstood Xu Zhuoxuan's attack, the members of Hunyuan Sect were greatly encouraged, and someone shouted "Sect Leader!"

Then came the roar of a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down.

"Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Sect Leader!" The shouts of the crowd were deafening and echoed through the sky.

The shouts immediately stopped when Song Xian waved his hand.

Lin Zixiang, along with ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and several hundred Hunyuan Sect disciples, had gathered behind him, facing Xu Zhuoxuan from a distance.

Seeing his magical weapon's attack easily blocked by Song Xian's two fire-attribute spells, Xu Zhuoxuan was both shocked and furious.

Seeing that all the members of the Hunyuan Sect had gathered together and formed a battle formation, ready to meet the enemy and launch a counterattack, they were in no hurry to launch another attack.

He had certainly heard of Song Xian's formidable strength. In fact, during the battle against the Fengxing Sect in Humen City, he had praised Song Xian for killing a Foundation Establishment level 8 cultivator from the Yunxuan Sect with only a Foundation Establishment level 5 cultivation.

But that was just polite talk; deep down, he didn't take it too seriously, especially after breaking through to the Golden Core Realm, he cared even less.

Seeing Song Xian unleash such powerful fire magic, blocking his magic weapon's attack with just two spells, he realized the rumors were true after witnessing it firsthand.

"Has Sect Leader Xu forgotten that our sect once helped your sect fight against the invasion of the Windwalking Sect? Our two sects have always helped each other and stood together through thick and thin. Our sect's attack on the Fang family's mountain gate this time was not aimed at your sect. Why did Sect Leader Xu suddenly attack our sect's disciples?" Song Xian shouted loudly.

Xu Zhuoxuan snorted coldly: "I have already said that anyone who interferes in the feud between our sect and Huayuan Sect is an enemy of our sect. Xuanyang Sect has assisted Huayuan Sect and chosen to be an enemy of our sect. What are you all up to by assisting Xuanyang Sect?"

"Our sect has absolutely no intention of being enemies with your sect. We urge Sect Leader Xu to reconsider and not ruin the friendship between our two sects. Let's leave this matter here and turn hostility into friendship, shall we?"

"Enough with the nonsense, I want to see just how much you're worth." Xu Zhuoxuan said, and the golden warhammer shone brightly, condensing into a huge warhammer phantom, several times larger than before, about three hundred feet in size.

Under Song Xianzhen's keen observation, Xu Zhuoxuan's spiritual power was rapidly dissipating, losing a full thousand points before the warhammer finally condensed and took shape, with an attack power of up to ten thousand points.

The giant hammer phantom crashed down like a mountain. At Song Xian's command, all the disciples used their spells to fight back.

Hundreds of disciples, along with Foundation Establishment cultivators like Lin Zixiang, clashed with the flaming meteor and the golden giant hammer phantom he unleashed.

A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth. Multicolored light intertwined with the golden light emanating from the giant golden hammer. After a short stalemate, the phantom of the giant golden hammer twisted and deformed before shattering.

Xu Zhuoxuan's eye muscles twitched violently a few times. Faced with the combined attack of hundreds of people, he had no choice but to temporarily avoid the onslaught and retreat.

The reason he dared to come alone was because he had the confidence that even if he was defeated, no one could stop him from leaving.

"I'll let you off the hook for now, but I'll get my money back with interest next time." Seeing that the Hunyuan Sect members had united under Song Xian's leadership, Xu Zhuoxuan knew he was no match for them and there was no point in dragging it out. After uttering a harsh threat, he headed towards Yongning City and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

Seeing the powerful enemy retreat, the members of Hunyuan Sect spontaneously let out a roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down.

George Lam breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Song Xian, and couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

If he had been able to decisively organize everyone to fight back, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to fight them. However, he lost his composure at the crucial moment, which resulted in his failure to gather his disciples in time.

If hundreds of Qi Refining cultivators cannot be commanded in a unified manner, they will be a disorganized mess.

Fortunately, Song Xian appeared in time; otherwise, if the disciples had scattered and fled, their lives would have been in danger, and they would have been defeated one by one by Xu Zhuoxuan.

"Sect Leader, what brings you here? If it weren't for your timely appearance, we would have been finished. It's clear that the sect can't function without you." Several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Hunyuan Sect gathered around him, all with expressions of relief at surviving a disaster. Yu Lian, in particular, wore a fawning smile.

Song Xian did not come with the main force of the sect on the spirit ship; he came alone. Only Lin Zixiang and Hu Xiaobao knew this; no one else knew that he had already sneaked to the vicinity of the Fang family's mountain gate. "After you set off, I was a little worried, so I rushed over to check on the situation. I didn't expect to run into Xu Zhuoxuan." Song Xian casually said, "Although Xu Zhuoxuan has retreated this time, the feud has already been established. This place is not suitable for us to stay for long. Let's retreat back to the mountain gate first."

"Withdraw from the mountain gate?" Lin Zixiang was taken aback: "Then what about here?"

“Leaving a hundred or so disciples here will suffice. Under the current circumstances, Xuan Yang Sect won’t turn against us, so there’s no need to worry. I fear Xu Zhuoxuan might take the opportunity to attack our mountain gate. The mountain gate’s defenses are currently weak, so we must return to defend it to prevent Xu Zhuoxuan from taking advantage of the situation. Which junior brother is willing to stay here?” Song Xian’s gaze swept over the crowd.

Everyone lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with him. After the recent turn of events, they were all afraid of Xu Zhuoxuan's retaliation and that he might launch a surprise attack. Moreover, two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Fang family were still missing. If they were to return, the hundred or so disciples left behind would certainly not be able to hold them off.

Seeing that no one responded, Song Xian offered a deal: "Whoever is willing to stay here will be in charge of all affairs in Tianshui City from now on."

Upon hearing this, Huang Qi immediately raised his head: "If the sect leader does not abandon me, I am willing to stay here."

“Alright. Then Junior Brother Huang, you will represent our sect to guard this place. You will take over the resource territories of the Fang family first, and send some people to occupy them. Once the situation has stabilized a bit, I will send people to mine those resource territories.”

Huang Qi responded that there were three Foundation Establishment cultivators from the original Fengxing Sect in the Hunyuan Sect. Huang Qi was the first of the three to join, and he recruited Gu Qingming and Shen Su into the sect.

The reason he chose to join the Hunyuan Sect was primarily because of its cultivation rooms.

At that time, the number of people in the Hunyuan Sect who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage was not large, and the second-level cultivation room was sufficient. However, several people successively reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and Hu Xiaobao and Lin Zixiang also broke through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

They were sect elders, and according to the rules, they could choose their own exclusive cultivation room at will. So the second-tier mid-grade cultivation room that originally belonged to him was taken away, and now he could only use the second-tier low-grade cultivation room. Sometimes he even had to take turns, and it would take a certain amount of time before it was available for him to use.

The Fang family's mountain gate, a second-tier mid-grade spiritual vein, has one second-tier mid-grade cultivation room, two second-tier low-grade cultivation rooms, and several first-tier cultivation rooms.

The second-tier mid-grade cultivation room was just right for his cultivation needs, so when Song Xian promised that the person who stayed behind would be in charge of all affairs here in the future, he immediately agreed.

After arranging for guards, Song Xian led everyone away on a second-tier spirit ship.

.........

Late at night, inside a brightly lit room at the Xuan Yang Sect's mountain gate, Huang Ziquan entered from outside and reported to Su Yuan: "Senior Brother Su, I have just received a message."

"what news?"

"Around 11 PM today, some people saw Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting in the Crescent Lake area."

Su Yuan frowned: "At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), isn't that when we're chasing after the Fang family's Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

“That’s right. But my fellow disciples and I didn’t fight the Fang family cultivators at Crescent Lake. Hasn’t Fang Mingxuan been missing all this time? I suspect that someone might have been secretly watching him and fought him at Crescent Lake?”

"Junior Brother Huang, find that eyewitness immediately. I want to question him myself."

"I've already sent someone to summon him." As soon as Huang Ziquan finished speaking, a disciple came to the outer room to report: "Elder Su, Senior Brother Zeng Mu says he has urgent business to discuss."

"Bring him here." Su Yuan immediately ordered. Zeng Mu was the disciple he had left behind at the Fang family mountain gate to monitor the Hunyuan Sect's movements. Since he had returned to the sect, something must have happened there.

The disciple responded and left. Soon after, a burly man entered from outside, bowed, and said, "Reporting to Elder Su, Xu Zhuoxuan has arrived at Jurong Mountain and is fighting fiercely with the Hunyuan Sect cultivators."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Su Yuan was so shocked that he almost stood up from his seat, his eyes wide open.

"You saw Xu Zhuoxuan with your own eyes?" Huang Ziquan, who was standing next to him, was also full of surprise.

"I witnessed it with my own eyes. Not long after my senior uncles left, Xu Zhuoxuan arrived and launched an attack on the Hunyuan Sect without saying a word. At the critical moment, Song Xian, the sect leader of the Hunyuan Sect, suddenly appeared and led the disciples to counterattack, ultimately forcing Xu Zhuoxuan to retreat. Now, the Hunyuan Sect members have returned to Bianxi City, leaving only Huang Qi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and a small number of disciples to remain there."

Upon hearing that Xu Zhuoxuan had been forced to retreat, Su Yuan's initial panic subsided, but he then frowned again: "Song Xian is here too?"

"Yes. The Hunyuan Sect was already in chaos, with many disciples fleeing in panic. The Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Hunyuan Sect were no match for Xu Zhuoxuan. Song Xian appeared in time, stabilized the morale of the people, and rallied the disciples of the Hunyuan Sect to fight back. Only then did they unite as one and force Xu Zhuoxuan to retreat."

Huang Ziquan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask, "So, Xu Zhuoxuan came alone?"

Yes, he was alone.

Su Yuan then asked about some details. When he heard that Song Xian had fought Xu Zhuoxuan for two rounds without being at a disadvantage, his eyes narrowed slightly. Finally, he waved his hand and said, "You go first!"

"Yes." Zeng Mu responded and left.

“Didn’t Song Xian not come to provide support? Why did he suddenly appear? Could he be one of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators fighting at Crescent Lake?” Huang Ziquan’s eyes flickered slightly.

Su Yuan snorted: "It's most likely him. I was wondering why Song Xian didn't come when the Hunyuan Sect dispatched ten Foundation Establishment cultivators for such a big event. It seems he was secretly lying in wait and set his sights on Fang Mingxuan while the Fang family cultivators scattered and fled."

"With Song Xian's strength, Fang Mingxuan is no match for him. Didn't Zeng Mu just say that Song Xian single-handedly withstood Xu Zhuoxuan's attack, which greatly boosted the morale of the Hunyuan Sect? This shows that his strength is exceptional and his reputation is well-deserved. If nothing unexpected happens, that Golden Yuan Pill has probably already fallen into Song Xian's hands."

"Whether Fang Mingxuan is dead or not, we'll know once we get further news from Yongning City. Fang Mingxuan's defeat will surely lead him to seek refuge with the Bright Moon Sect. If he doesn't show up, he must be dead."

Su Yuan's expression was somewhat unpleasant. One of the reasons he agreed to hand over all of the Fang family's resources and territory to the Hunyuan Sect was for that Golden Yuan Pill.

Unexpectedly, he ended up benefiting someone else. The Golden Elixir ended up in Song Xian's hands, making it even more difficult for him to obtain it. Song Xian's strength was far beyond Fang Mingxuan's, and the Hunyuan Sect was also far stronger than the Fang family.

Moreover, due to the threat from the Bright Moon Sect, he also had to maintain a good relationship with the Hunyuan Sect.

He could use Fang Mingxuan's plot to harm the sect leader Gu Xuntao as an excuse to attack the other family, but he had no excuse against Song Xian.

"No wonder Song Xian was reluctant to get involved before, but agreed so readily later. It must be because he had his eye on the Golden Essence Pill after hearing about it. That's why he agreed to our request right away."

"Which Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't want to obtain this item? It's only human nature. If you have to blame someone, blame us for being a step behind and not expecting him to be secretly watching from the sidelines."

"Should we leak this information? We can't let him get away with it so easily."

Su Yuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "Doing things that harm others without benefiting oneself is pointless. We need to maintain a good relationship with the Hunyuan Sect now, so there's no need to act impulsively. Besides, Xu Zhuoxuan has already fought with Song Xian. If he doesn't see Fang Mingxuan for a long time, he can probably guess that Song Xian killed Fang Mingxuan and took the Golden Yuan Pill. It would be better if they leaked the information."

(End of this chapter)