Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 462 Nine levels of foundation building
Ding Mingde looked up and gave her a deep look: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, as far as I know, you grew up in the Luoyun Sect, and your parents were also disciples of the Luoyun Sect. You are a true descendant of the Luoyun Sect. The Hunyuan Sect has now usurped the Luoyun Sect's territory and is your enemy. It's one thing for you to join the Hunyuan Sect for the sake of your cultivation, but why are you working so hard?"

“Given this situation, even a direct descendant of the Hunyuan Sect might not dare to come to Humen City. Yet you, as someone who has pledged allegiance to the Luoyun Sect, not only came to Humen City in person but also dared to invite me to meet.”

"To be honest, I agreed to come and meet you because I was curious about this. I want to know why you are so loyal to the Hunyuan Sect, and why you would take such a big risk to come to Humen City to meet me just for the sake of cooperating with our sect?"

Xiao Ling's smile remained, but her eyes dimmed for a moment before quickly returning to normal: "The Falling Cloud Sect is in the past; it no longer exists. We need to look forward."

"Furthermore, Fellow Daoist Ding is wrong. Hunyuan Sect is not the enemy of Luoyun Sect. The current state of Luoyun Sect has nothing to do with Hunyuan Sect. It is because Luoyun Sect made a misjudgment and chose the wrong side."

"Even without the Hunyuan Sect, the fate of the Luoyun Sect would not have changed. Just like your sect's failure to attack the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate, the reason for the failure has nothing to do with others. Ultimately, it is because your sect made a mistake in judgment and overestimated its own strength."

"Therefore, I do not hate the Hunyuan Sect at all. In terms of personal relations, I have always maintained a very good relationship with the sect leader."

"When the Luoyun Sect still existed, even if there were conflicts of interest between sects, it wouldn't affect our friendship."

"Since I joined this sect, the sect leader has never suppressed or ostracized me because I was originally a disciple of the Luoyun Sect. On the contrary, he has entrusted me with important responsibilities."

"Those in positions of authority should fulfill their responsibilities. I am currently a member of the Hunyuan Sect and am also in charge of the sect's external affairs. Isn't this what I should do?"

"Although I haven't spent much time with Fellow Daoist Ding, I know that we are the same kind of people."

"I believe that Fellow Daoist Ding would not blame our sect for your sect's defeat this time, and it is certainly not Fellow Daoist Ding's idea to sever cooperation between us."

"Therefore, I hope that you can persuade Senior Xu to renew the cooperation, which would benefit both of our sects."

.........

In the spacious and bright hall of Bianxi City, Luoyun Mountain, Song Xian strode in with a smile on his face. Inside sat a middle-aged man with slightly graying temples and a slender figure. It was none other than Wei Fan.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting with bated breath. So, have you made up your mind?"

“I am willing to cooperate with Sect Leader Song, but I have one request: I want to bring an assistant with me. I know a friend who will accompany us to that secret realm.” Wei Fan’s expression was solemn, and his tone was low, clearly indicating that he had made the decision after careful consideration.

"Who is this friend that Fellow Daoist Wei is referring to?"

"He is a friend I met in my early years. I won't say his name, but I will bring him to meet you later."

"Could Fellow Daoist Wei tell me what this person's cultivation level is? Could he be a Golden Core cultivator?"

Wei Fan said expressionlessly, "If I could find a Golden Core cultivator, would I need to go to their door to trick them into giving me the key to the secret realm? Wouldn't it be more convenient to just snatch it from Fang Mingxuan? My friend's cultivation is comparable to that of Sect Leader Song, so he won't pose much of a threat to Sect Leader Song. I just want some protection."

Song Xian nodded: "Since Fellow Daoist Wei invited this person to join us, he must have promised him benefits. If we find treasures in the secret realm, shouldn't this person also get a share?"

"All the items in the secret realm will be distributed according to their value, in a 30/30/40 ratio, with Sect Leader Song taking 40%. If you agree to this, we will go and explore together. If Sect Leader Song does not agree to this condition, then I will not go."

"Alright, let's do as Fellow Daoist Wei wishes. I just wonder when the day the seven stars align will occur?"

"I've already consulted with a friend who studies astrology. The exact time is uncertain, but the next alignment of the seven planets is expected to occur within the next twenty years. As that moment approaches, there will be celestial omens, and then we will naturally know the exact date."

"Alright, it's settled then. Since Fellow Daoist Wei is going with a friend, the 200,000 spirit stone deposit is unnecessary! You also don't need to send over that half of the key. Consider this a gentleman's agreement."

"Farewell."

Wei Fan didn't say anything more, got up and left. It was clear that he didn't want to stay there for even a moment longer. After reaching an agreement, he left immediately.

.........

In the brightly lit hall of the Mingyue Sect in Humen City, Xu Zhuoxuan walked in slowly with his hands behind his back. Ding Mingde, who was waiting inside, immediately stood up and bowed respectfully upon seeing him.

"Sect Leader, the Hunyuan Sect has sent people to renew their old friendship and intend to restore cooperation between the two sides."

"The Hunyuan Sect, they're the ones who ruined our sect's important affairs. I'm being lenient by not holding them accountable, yet they still dare to send someone to propose cooperation." Xu Zhuoxuan snorted.

His attack on Yongning City failed, which greatly angered him.

He has now reached the Golden Core stage, but because he does not have a suitable cultivation room, he has not been practicing Qi cultivation during this period. Instead, he has been focusing on cultivating supernatural powers and techniques.

This defeat was a huge blow to him. He originally thought that with his Golden Core cultivation and the current strength of the Bright Moon Sect, annexing Yongning City would be a piece of cake.

But reality slapped him in the face. Not only did he suffer heavy losses, but under pressure from the Beast Taming Sect, he was forced to withdraw from Yongning City without any compensation, gaining nothing in return.

This battle can be described as a double loss, and besides Xuan Yang Sect, he also harbored resentment towards Hun Yuan Sect for interfering at the crucial moment.

Especially after the confrontation with the Fang family, he was forced to retreat by the Hunyuan Sect, which greatly damaged his reputation.

Previously, when he attacked Huayuan Sect's mountain gate, it could be said that Huayuan Sect used the power of the great formation to stop him.

However, in that encounter with the Fang family, without the obstruction of a great formation, he was helpless against the attacks of the Hunyuan Sect members, completely revealing his inferior strength to others.

Therefore, upon his return, he immediately severed all cooperation with the Hunyuan Sect. Now, he is diligently cultivating supernatural powers and techniques in order to make up for his shortcomings in strength.

“After we severed cooperation with the Hunyuan Sect, we couldn’t supply many cultivation materials, which caused problems for many of our sect’s businesses. If this isn’t resolved, the sect’s finances will be under great pressure,” Ding Mingde said in a low voice, glancing at him.

Xu Zhuoxuan frowned slightly: "Does that mean we can't do without the Hunyuan Sect?"

"Of course not. We can source our goods from the Beast Taming Sect or the Cloud Travel Merchant Guild, but their prices are much higher than those of the Hunyuan Sect, and their service is not as good. The Hunyuan Sect not only delivers to our door, but also offers free replacements for defective products. If we were to use other forces, the cost would increase significantly. In the end, it might cost an extra 100,000 or so spirit stones each year."

“Spirit stones are a small matter. The Hunyuan Sect went back on its word. They originally said they wouldn’t interfere in the affairs between our sect and the Huayuan Sect, but then they helped the Xuanyang Sect. If we just let it go like this, it’s really hard to swallow this insult. Back then, if I hadn’t spoken up for them, would the Beast Taming Sect have dared to say they would wipe out the Luoyun Sect? And would the Hunyuan Sect be where it is today?”

“If the sect leader wants revenge, then he must agree to resume cooperation with them. Only in this way can we lull them into a false sense of security. Then, we can take him down by surprise. If we continue to show strong hostility, Song Xian will not let his guard down.”

Xu Zhuoxuan narrowed his eyes slightly and remained silent.

Ding Mingde continued, "This is what I think: cutting off cooperation with them would not only be detrimental to our sect, but would also not cause them much loss. Given the current scale of the Hunyuan Sect, the profits from our cooperation with them would only be icing on the cake."

"Our sect has suffered a defeat this time, but that doesn't mean we won't have another chance to annex Yongning City in the future. We'll still have to win over the Hunyuan Sect then."

"Similarly, if we want to take revenge on the Hunyuan Sect in the future, we must first make them lower their guard."

"From any perspective, I think it is necessary to resume cooperation with Hunyuan Sect."

……

Time flies, and things change. In the blink of an eye, many years have passed.

In the dimly lit cultivation room of Luoyun Sect in Bianxi City, Song Xian sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. His spiritual power surged uncontrollably from his Linghai acupoint and flowed along his meridians.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze bright, and took a deep breath.

At this moment, his spiritual power reached 2600 points, and his cultivation broke through to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment.

After a while, the surging spiritual energy subsided and returned to the Linghai acupoint.

This breakthrough was within his expectations.

Song Xian quickly regained his joy. Instead of continuing his Qi cultivation, he entered the Niwan Palace and used his divine sense to explore the fragments of the Tree of Memories, examining Dong Chenxuan's memories.

He controlled the flow rate and skimmed through Dong Xuanchen's memories of this period, without encountering any particularly extraordinary events.

Aside from his daily cultivation, there was only one truly perilous battle he experienced—a war against a rival sect in which Dong Xuanchen nearly died.

As for the cultivation of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Divine Power, Dong Xuanchen still made no progress. After cultivating the Gate of Revelation for a period of time, he abandoned this technique and went to study the Taiji Yin-Yang Divine Power of the Human Path.

This is because his spatial perception is extremely weak. Over the years, it's not that he made no progress at all, but rather that he didn't make any progress whatsoever.

After realizing that he did not have the talent to cultivate spatial supernatural abilities, he turned to Taiji Yin-Yang. At least in this aspect, he was able to find the problem and knew that the reason he could not cultivate was because he could not generate Yin and Yang energy in his body to make them merge.

When he was cultivating the Gate of Revelation, he was like a blind and deaf person, not even knowing where the problem lay.

It wasn't until late at night that Song Xian finally emerged from his memories. After leaving the cultivation room and returning to his residence, a disciple came up to him and reported that Huang Ye was requesting an audience and had been waiting for a long time.

He then went to the hall, where Huang Ye immediately stood up and bowed upon seeing him: "Sect Leader, I have just received intelligence that the Qianqing Sect has withdrawn its troops from Nanhan County."

"Is the news true?" Song Xian paused in his steps.

"This time it should be true; many aspects have confirmed it."

Song Xian nodded, walked to the main seat and slowly sat down. His mind was racing. Emperor Qianqing had been locked in a stalemate with the rebels in Nanhan County for decades, and finally, there was a result.

In fact, Emperor Qianqing's defeat was not without warning; on the contrary, there had been rumors over the years that they were about to collapse.

This is because the State of Chu had already fully intervened. The Tianxuan Sect of Chu had long since reached an agreement with the major powers within its territory, and all the major powers in Chu responded to the call of the Tianxuan Sect and sent troops to assist the rebels in Nanhan County.

Emperor Qianqing did issue another summons, but it is rumored that it was rejected by the powerful forces in various prefectures.

Over the years, there have been repeated reports of Emperor Qianqing's military setbacks, and news of his withdrawal of troops has surfaced more than once or twice. That is why Song Xian asked whether the news was true.

If this is indeed true, then it is foreseeable that the Qin state will be plunged into even greater turmoil.

The Tianxuan Sect assisted the Qin rebels and held a stalemate with the Qianqing Sect in Nanhan County for decades, even launching a large-scale conscription in the Chu Kingdom.

With such a large investment, the Southern Han Commandery alone would probably not be enough to fill their stomachs. Moreover, the Southern Han Commandery was the main base of the rebel forces, and it was impossible to give it all away to the Chu forces.

After Emperor Qianqing's defeat, no one could guarantee whether they would take action against Xishu County.

"Any other news?"

There are many rumors from various sources, but we don't know if they are true or false.

"Let's talk about it."

"Yes." Huang Ye then recounted all the various and conflicting messages that had been sent.

Song Xian listened silently without saying much. After hearing the report, he sent Huang Ye back.

On a dark and windy night, in the brightly lit room of the Xuan Yuan Sect's residence in Xijiang County, Hong Haoran sat upright. When he saw Wei Wuyai enter from outside, he stood up and bowed in greeting.

.........

The two exchanged a few words and then took their seats.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, I heard that the Qianqing Sect's allied forces have retreated to Xianyang County. I wonder when those cultivators from our Xishu County who participated in the conscription will be able to return?" After sitting down again, Hong Haoran asked the other party directly.

Wei Wuyai took a sip of tea: "I'm not entirely sure either, but it seems unlikely in the short term. If the Qianqing Sect retreats to Xianyang County, shouldn't they be on guard against the advance of cultivators from Nanhan County? Disbanding the allied forces they've recruited at this time would be like cutting off their own arm."

Hong Haoran frowned slightly: "Didn't you say that an agreement had been reached with the rebels in Nanhan County?"

"The agreement is nothing but a piece of waste paper. Both sides are exhausted from fighting and have suffered too many casualties, so they need a break to regroup. Everyone knows this. Would the Qianqing Sect allow the Southern Han Prefecture to become independent? The Tianxuan Sect has invested so much; can the Southern Han Prefecture alone satisfy them?"

Hong Haoran knew Wei Wuyai's character well, knowing that he was always cautious and never made hasty conclusions about uncertain matters. Yet now he spoke with such certainty, which meant he must have received some information.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, has the Qianqing Sect negotiated with your sect? Please do not hesitate to tell us."

Wei Wuyai smiled slightly: "I don't know. Even if there was a negotiation, it's not something I could know. As an old friend of so many years, I won't hide it from you. When I returned to the mountain gate to report on my duties last time, I met Senior Brother Wu Lin. During our chat, he told me that the Qianqing Sect's withdrawal to Xianyang County this time was not because they reached an agreement with the rebels as the outside world had been saying, but because they had no other choice."

"As more and more Chu troops poured into Nanhan County, Qianqing Sect was already unable to hold out. Sect Leader Hong must already know that Yunxu Sect of Bei'an County and Tianling Sect of Dongchuan County refused to send any more recruits."

"Why did they refuse? It's because they see that the Qianqing Sect is currently weak and want to break free from its constraints and establish themselves as kings. I heard that the high-ranking members of the rebel army in Nanhan County have reached an agreement with the Yunxu Sect and the Tianling Sect that neither side will invade the other."

"There are even rumors that the higher-ups of Yunxu Sect and Tianling Sect have raised the slogan of self-preservation, which is why they are sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight."

Hong Haoran frowned: "What about our Western Shu Prefecture?"

Wei Wuyai simply shook his head and remained silent.

Hong Haoran suddenly realized that the Xuan Yuan Sect's higher-ups had assisted Liu Qingyue during the internal power struggle for the position of sect leader within the Qian Qing Sect, and it was said that they played an important role at a crucial moment.

This made Zhou Junyi and his group deeply resentful, and since the Chu Kingdom's Tianxuan Sect had invested so many troops to help, they naturally expected a return.

The Southern Han County was the rebels' stronghold, so it was impossible to hand it over to the Tianxuan Sect. Furthermore, the Yunxu Sect and the Tianling Sect had reached an agreement with the rebel leaders of the Southern Han County to not invade each other's territory.

The rebels' target was obvious: either Xianyang Commandery or Xishu Commandery.

(End of this chapter)