Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 485 Counterattack and Retaliation
The night rain poured down, and the starlight dimmed.

Inside the brightly lit hall at the Mingyue Sect's mountain gate, as Xu Zhuoxuan slowly entered, Ding Mingde, who was sitting upright inside, hurriedly stood up and bowed.

"what's up?"

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, we have just received news from Xijiang County that our disciple Zhang Tianda was ambushed and killed around 3:45 PM on July 12th, after participating in the Luofengfang auction."

Xu Zhuoxuan paused slightly, his face instantly darkening, his eyes narrowing and his gaze sharpening: "Did the Hunyuan Sect do this?"

Ding Mingde nodded: "It was Song Xian. There were many eyewitnesses at the time. The ambush was a Foundation Establishment level 10 cultivator wearing a robe and carrying a sword. He used a golden flame divine power. He used this divine power when fighting against the Fengxing Sect in Humen City."

"Moreover, the perpetrator was not after valuables. Zhang Tianda's personal storage bag was engulfed by golden flames and turned to ashes. The perpetrator's purpose was to ambush and kill him, and it must be Song Xian without a doubt."

Xu Zhuoxuan's originally gloomy face broke into a smile upon hearing this.

"This is a challenge to our sect! Good! I didn't cause him any trouble, but he came knocking on our door. Very well."

Ding Mingde lowered his head, his gaze slightly downcast, and did not respond, knowing that saying anything now would be useless, and that it would be inappropriate now, since he had once spearheaded the restoration of relations with the Hunyuan Sect.

"Someone come here." After a brief silence, Xu Zhuoxuan resumed his expressionless demeanor, summoned his disciples, and ordered them to bring the First Elder Nie Liang and the Third Elder Cui Zhongyang.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the location.

"The actions of the Hunyuan Sect are a serious provocation against our sect. We must teach them a lesson, or our sect will lose face. Issue the order that any Hunyuan Sect disciples encountered in the future be killed without mercy. Also, organize a team to attack their merchant ships that are transporting goods to various places. I want to completely cut off their source of income."

After briefly recounting the ambush of Zhang Tianda, Xu Zhuoxuan issued the order without any room for discussion.

Upon hearing this, Nie Liang frowned slightly, glanced at Ding Mingde, and seeing his indifferent attitude, finally hesitated before speaking: "If the sect leader wants to take over Huayuan Sect, it's best not to escalate things too much with Hunyuan Sect. If we also turn Hunyuan Sect into our mortal enemy, even if we get the Beast Taming Sect's tacit approval in the future, we still won't be able to take over Huayuan Sect."

"If we want to take over the Huayuan Sect, we must win over the Hunyuan Sect, or at least prevent them from siding with the Huayuan Sect."

Xu Zhuoxuan glanced at him expressionlessly: "Given the current attitude of the Hunyuan Sect, do you still think they might side with our sect in the future? Zhang Tianda was a Foundation Establishment cultivator of our sect, and he has now been assassinated by Song Xian. If our sect does not retaliate, how will we save face? People will think that our sect is afraid of the Hunyuan Sect."

“A counterattack is certainly necessary, but I think it would be better to keep it within a controllable range. Song Xian’s actions are clearly retaliation against Zhang Tianda personally. If he orders the killing of all Hunyuan Sect disciples without mercy, it could escalate the conflict and eventually turn into a major war between the two sects.”

"Our sect is already irreconcilably at odds with the Huayuan Sect and the Xuanyang Sect. If we were to escalate the conflict with the Hunyuan Sect to this point, it would be of no benefit to our sect. I suggest we plunder a few of their merchant ships and then seize the opportunity to eliminate one of their Foundation Establishment cultivators. This would be a slap in the face."

Xu Zhuoxuan's face darkened, and his voice turned cold: "This is not a matter of whether there is any profit to be made. Song Xian almost openly attacked and killed our sect's Foundation Establishment disciple. If we do not deal a heavy blow to him, who will respect our sect in the future?"

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a clicking sound that seemed to pierce one's heart and lungs.

"Now, what we need to do is thoroughly inflict pain on the Hunyuan Sect. My mind is made up, there's no need for further discussion, you may leave!"

Seeing this, Nie Liang said no more and got up to leave.

Ding Mingde and Cui Zhongyang both remained silent and left one after the other.

.........

The sky is clear and the breeze is intoxicating in the remote mountains of Xijiang County.

In the semi-space, a spirit ship bearing the banner of the Hunyuan Sect was sailing towards the market.

Suddenly, a golden light shot out from behind and struck the spirit ship. With a loud bang, the defensive light shield on the spirit ship trembled violently.

Immediately afterwards, numerous disciples dressed in the robes of the Bright Moon Sect surged forth from all sides, unleashing various magical artifacts and spells upon the spirit ship.

Before long, the defensive light barrier on the spirit ship shattered, and the spirit ship, under attack, plummeted to the bottom. The Hunyuan Sect disciples on board, who were responsible for escorting the cargo, scattered and fled.

"Don't let them go, kill them all!" At the command of the leading Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Bright Moon Sect, many Bright Moon Sect disciples chased after the fleeing crowd.

.........

As night fell, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the stars shone brightly. In the brightly lit Cuijin Pavilion in Tianshui City, two men dressed in the attire of the Hunyuan Sect emerged, seemingly drunk, and boarded a flying magical artifact, chatting and laughing, heading towards the original Fang family's mountain gate.

Before long, several disciples of the Bright Moon Sect suddenly appeared from all sides and attacked the two without saying a word. After a series of shouts and rebukes, the two corpses fell to the ground.

.........

Inside the majestic and spacious council hall of Luoyun Mountain, several core members of the Hunyuan Sect gathered together. Song Xian sat in the main seat, his expression slightly solemn.

The Bright Moon Sect launched a frenzied retaliation, plundering several spirit ships in just a few days. Not only that, they also dispatched small teams to ambush and kill sect disciples everywhere, and more than 30 disciples have already been killed.

They not only targeted disciples on missions outside, but also sent people to infiltrate Bianxi City and attack lone disciples.

For a time, the entire sect was in a state of panic and fear.

Song Xian had anticipated that the Bright Moon Sect would retaliate, but he did not expect their counterattack to be so fierce and swift. Judging from their posture, they seemed prepared to go to war.

"Everyone knows what happened, so let's all speak! How should I deal with this?" Song Xian remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Lin Zixiang spoke first: "If the Bright Moon Sect does the first day of the month, we will do the fifteenth. If they can ambush our disciples and plunder merchant ships, our sect can do the same. I suggest we organize a counterattack immediately."

The hall was completely silent. After he finished speaking, everyone remained silent, their expressions varied, and no one responded.

“Everyone, please speak freely and share your thoughts. Xiao Bao, what do you think?” Seeing that no one spoke, Song Xian looked at Hu Xiao Bao.

“The Bright Moon Sect attacked without warning. Clearly, negotiations are useless, and we must retaliate.”

"Junior Brother Zichen, what do you think?"

Jiang Zichen pondered for a moment: "If we retaliate, it may provoke a stronger retaliation from the Bright Moon Sect, or even a full-scale war. If our sect is not prepared for this, I suggest we proceed slowly. Even if we retaliate, we must be careful with our actions. After all, the Bright Moon Sect is powerful, and we are no match for them in a head-on confrontation. We should try to avoid a full-scale war."

Upon hearing this, George Lam frowned immediately, but said nothing.

"Does anyone have any different opinions?" Song Xian's gaze swept over the group, finally lingering on Xiao Ling for a moment.

Xiao Ling glanced at him briefly before looking away. Qi Xiaobai spoke up, "I think it would be better to ask the Beast Taming Sect to intervene. The Bright Moon Sect and the Beast Taming Sect have a close relationship. If the Beast Taming Sect can mediate, the Bright Moon Sect will surely give them face."

Lin Zixiang immediately retorted: "What is the relationship between Hong Haoran, the leader of the Beast Taming Sect, and Xu Zhuoxuan? Why would they stand on our side? If we go to the Beast Taming Sect now, it would be tantamount to admitting defeat. Even if the Beast Taming Sect is willing to mediate, the Bright Moon Sect will definitely make exorbitant demands and propose a series of compensations. If we don't agree, we will offend the Beast Taming Sect as well. We should not go to the Beast Taming Sect unless absolutely necessary."

Silence fell over the hall once again, and no one spoke.

"I've decided to launch a counterattack against the Bright Moon Sect. First, we'll eliminate the Bright Moon Sect disciples who have infiltrated Bianxi City. Senior Brother Zixiang, you'll be in charge of this. At the same time, we'll organize another team to carry out reciprocal retaliation against the Bright Moon Sect. This will be the responsibility of Junior Brothers Xiaobao and Zichen." After a brief silence, Song Xian finally spoke, outlining the arrangements for the counterattack.

This was certainly not an impulsive act; it was the result of careful consideration.

In fact, he already had a decision-making plan in mind before the meeting. The purpose of holding the meeting was simply to hear the thoughts of the other members of the sect and then make adjustments based on their attitudes.

He originally intended to entrust the counterattack to Lin Zixiang, since he was both an elder of the sect and the commander of the Martial Guard Pavilion, and such combat matters were his job. However, seeing that Lin Zixiang's attitude was very firm, he handed the task over to Hu Xiaobao and Jiang Zichen.

He didn't want things to get any worse, but he had to fight back. He couldn't just stand by and do nothing when people were openly bullying him, killing sect disciples, and robbing sect merchant ships.

A counterattack is necessary; otherwise, not only will we lose face, but we will also be seen as weak and easily bullied.

Once others perceive you as weak and easily bullied, even forces that initially had no intention of getting involved might take advantage of the situation.

For example, the Xuan Yang Sect in Tianshui City took advantage of their falling out with the Mingyue Sect to seize the Fang family's resource territory.

If Xuan Yang Sect thinks that Hun Yuan Sect is all bark and no bite, they are likely to cause trouble and try to seize the resources and territory of Tianshui City that originally belonged to the Fang family.

Even if the Hunyuan Sect swallowed this insult, would the Mingyue Sect simply let it go?
Song Xian had previously learned from Huang Ye's intelligence network that the Bright Moon Sect had specially formed a team to deal with the sect's disciples and trade transactions outside the sect.

Clearly, the Bright Moon Sect's intentions go beyond simply seeking revenge; they aim to use this opportunity to launch an attack on other sects. Under these circumstances, the only option is to confront them head-on and fight first.

He wasn't sure whether the situation would escalate into a full-scale war between the two factions.

It's possible that this is the case, even though he may not be willing, but things won't go according to his personal wishes.

If it really comes to that, there's really no need to worry too much.

Because the Beast Taming Sect will definitely intervene at that time. The Bright Moon Sect and the Hunyuan Sect are both forces supported by the Beast Taming Sect. Although there are some differences in their closeness, the Beast Taming Sect will definitely not sit idly by and watch them fight each other, especially at this critical moment.

Externally, the rebel army of Nanhan Commandery was eyeing them covetously, and could invade Xishu Commandery at any time. Internally, they were sharpening their knives at the Murong family.

At this point, the Beast Taming Sect would never allow its two important supporting forces to fight each other and weaken each other.

However, the reason he did not adopt Qi Xiaobai's suggestion was to immediately go to the Beast Taming Sect for mediation.

The reason is exactly what Lin Zixiang said: going to the Beast Taming Sect now is to beg them, which is completely different from the Beast Taming Sect taking the initiative to intervene.

Seeking mediation from the Beast Taming Sect is tantamount to surrendering to the Bright Moon Sect. Given the relationship between Xu Zhuoxuan and Hong Haoran, the Beast Taming Sect will definitely side with the Bright Moon Sect.

If the Bright Moon Sect makes an exorbitant and unacceptable demand for compensation, and we refuse, we will offend the Beast Taming Sect as well, leaving us in a lose-lose situation.

However, if the Beast Taming Sect were to intervene, things would be different. They would likely not propose conditions that would be too biased towards the Bright Moon Sect, otherwise Song Xian would have a reason to refuse.

.........

After the meeting ended, the group got up and left, leaving Song Xian alone with Xiao Ling.

"Does the sect leader have any further instructions?" Xiao Ling asked after everyone else had left.

"I want to give you a task. Go to Tianshui City and Yongning City, find Xuan Yang Sect and Hua Yuan Sect, and tell them the ins and outs of this matter and our sect's attitude. See what their stance is. This matter could very well escalate into a major war between our sect and Mingyue Sect, at which point we will need the help of these two sects. It's better to be prepared and test their attitude first, so we can be ready when the time comes."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

"The Bright Moon Sect is currently hunting down lone disciples everywhere, so you must be extremely careful on your trip."

"I see."

"During the meeting just now, I noticed you didn't say anything. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Xiao Ling's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining a faint smile: "No, my opinion has already been expressed by the previous senior brothers, so I will not repeat it."

"Then do you think we should launch a counterattack against the Bright Moon Sect?"

"I fully agree with and support the decision made by the sect leader."

Seeing that she had no intention of exchanging ideas, Song Xian nodded and told her to go and prepare. Ever since she had argued with Lin Zixiang during the last meeting, she had basically not expressed her opinions in public. She would only say a word or two when asked.

He gave the impression that he had suffered a blow, and his sharp edges had been worn down.

.........

The bright moon was obscured by clouds, and a strong wind rustled the leaves in the courtyard.

In the dimly lit room, two people sat facing each other. One of them had white hair and beard and looked very old. It was Qi Yunxuan.

Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a strong waist.

"Things have developed as we expected. After learning that you had met with the Murong family, the Beast Taming Sect indeed used this as an excuse to make a big fuss and intended to use it to attack the Murong family. However, according to the latest intelligence I have obtained, the upper echelons of the Xuan Yuan Sect do not seem to want a bloodbath to break out in the Western Frontier County. Moreover, the Murong family is also running around trying to build connections. There are rumors that the Xuan Yuan Sect has recently spoken with the Beast Taming Sect, meaning to advise them not to start fighting amongst themselves at this time."

Qi Yunxuan remained expressionless, simply nodding: "As expected."

"What's next? What are you planning to do?"

"Xijiang County is like a powder keg right now; it will explode at the slightest spark. Let's have one last talk with the Murong family. If they remain obstinate, then proceed with the plan. Even if we fail to turn the Murong family against us, we can still incite infighting within Xijiang County and weaken their overall strength. In that case, we'll have accomplished our mission."

(End of this chapter)