Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 494 Short-sighted
In fact, Song Xian was also curious about what conditions the Bright Moon Sect and the Beast Taming Sect had reached in private, but he naturally wouldn't reveal it to Feng Ziyi, because the Hunyuan Sect had also unusually contributed a lot of effort, although not as many people as the Bright Moon Sect, it was still unusual.

If he were to question the Bright Moon Sect at this moment, it would undoubtedly be like protesting too much.

The Beast Taming Sect has not yet agreed to his conditions, and he does not want to leak this matter. If it becomes public knowledge and causes a great uproar, it may lead to unforeseen complications.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple! We all know Xu Zhuoxuan's character. He's not only ambitious, but he's also ruthless and has no bottom line. Would someone like him send most of his sect's disciples to Xijiang County to help the Beast Taming Sect fight, just to return a favor? I think there must be more to this story."

Feng Ziyi looked at him with a meaningful gaze. Clearly, he wanted to know what conditions the Hunyuan Sect had reached with the Yushou Sect in private, so as to deduce the Mingyue Sect's purpose.

Although his words directly pointed to the Mingyue Sect, weren't they also referring to the Hunyuan Sect?

However, since Huayuan Sect and Mingyue Sect were mortal enemies, he naturally couldn't ask Xu Zhuoxuan directly. So he could only try to find out the origin from Song Xian indirectly.

"In your opinion, Fellow Daoist Feng, what secrets does the Bright Moon Sect have?" Song Xian asked instead of answering.

Feng Ziyi's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "We all know that Xu Zhuoxuan is currently dreaming of a third-tier spiritual vein cultivation room. Putting ourselves in Xu Zhuoxuan's shoes, if I were Xu Zhuoxuan, I would definitely take this opportunity to make this condition to the Beast Taming Sect. Xu Zhuoxuan attacked our sect's mountain gate last time and obtained Senior Hong Haoran's tacit approval. Is it possible that he will use this opportunity to fully assist the Beast Taming Sect as a condition to attack our sect again?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xian pondered it and realized it was indeed possible; he hadn't considered this point earlier.

After all, the Murong family's mountain gate is someone else's territory. Even if the Beast Taming Sect allows Xu Zhuoxuan to cultivate here and gives him a third-level cultivation room, how can it compare to having a third-level spiritual vein of his own?

"Fellow Daoist Feng, you're overthinking it! Last time, when the Bright Moon Sect attacked your sect, wasn't it the Beast Taming Sect that mediated? Besides, your sect did contribute this time when the Beast Taming Sect summoned you; didn't you send a thousand cultivators to help? The Beast Taming Sect wouldn't completely sell your sect to the Bright Moon Sect for this!"

Although he secretly agreed with this guess, Song Xian remained outwardly calm and instead offered words of comfort.

Previously, when the Mingyue Sect raised troops to attack Bianxi City, he repeatedly sent people to ask the Huayun Sect for help. The Huayuan Sect watched coldly at the time, and even wanted to take this opportunity to retrieve the Golden Yuan Pill.

Now it was Hua Yuanzong's turn to be anxious. He felt a faint sense of vengeful pleasure. It was truly a case of fortunes changing every thirty years.

“I hope it’s just overthinking, but given the relationship between Xu Zhuoxuan and Hong Haoran, we can’t help but worry. Sect Leader Song, your sect also has a grudge against the Mingyue Sect, and I believe your sect doesn’t want to see the Mingyue Sect’s territory expand further. I hope we can join forces to stop this. If the Mingyue Sect really gets the Beast Taming Sect’s tacit approval, it won’t be a good thing for your sect either.”

"What Fellow Daoist Feng said is merely wishful thinking and speculation. This matter has not yet occurred, so how can it be prevented?"

Feng Ziyi immediately replied, "Prevention is better than cure. Once it happens, it will be too late. Now is the best time. After this battle, our sect will ask the Beast Taming Sect for a security guarantee. We hope that your sect will follow suit and ask the Beast Taming Sect for the same guarantee."

"If we add Xuan Yang Sect to our list, and we can all make this request to the Beast Taming Sect, then the Beast Taming Sect will have a lot more to consider. This will also benefit your sect. Your sect has just had a conflict with Ming Yue Sect. How can you guarantee that they will not retaliate in the future?"

"In addition, we can form an alliance to deter the Bright Moon Sect and prevent it from bullying our three sects in the future."

"What is Sect Leader Song's opinion?"

Song Xian's expression remained unchanged, but he sneered inwardly. Just a month ago, he had wanted to form an alliance with Hua Yuanzong, but was politely refused.

Now that Huayuan Sect feels threatened by Mingyue Sect, they have shamelessly brought up the alliance again.

If you know today, why should you be in the beginning.

They stood idly by that day, and now they're begging and groveling. Truly... short-sighted.

He naturally wouldn't agree, because he had something more important to do: to obtain the opportunity to form his core at the Beast Taming Sect's mountain gate.

The Beast Taming Sect hasn't agreed to this yet, so why is he bringing up sect security guarantees? Isn't that nonsense?

"Judging from the situation, we are about to have a major battle with the Murong family. It is uncertain whether we will survive. I have no time to consider alliances now. Let's talk about it after the war is over!"

"Very well, I won't bother Sect Leader Song any longer. We can discuss the alliance later. I hope Sect Leader Song will give it a good consideration."

Seeing his attitude, Feng Ziyi knew that further words would be pointless, and besides, he had already said what he needed to say, so he took his leave.

……

The group waited on the spirit ships until the sun was high in the sky, around noon, when they finally saw the main force of the Beast Taming Sect speeding towards them from the west on spirit ships. There were more than a dozen spirit ships in total, including three third-tier spirit ships and ten second-tier spirit ships.

Soon, all the teams were summoned, and the team leaders headed to the third-tier spirit ship that seemed to be surrounded by stars.

About half an hour later, Zhao Botao returned to the group, immediately ordered the group to set off, and convened a meeting.

As the spirit ship slowly rose into the air, everyone gathered inside the cabin.

Zhao Botao sat upright in the main seat, his expression solemn: "The sect is about to launch a general attack on the Murong family's mountain gate, and our headquarters will participate in the battle as the main force."

These words made the atmosphere in the room even more solemn, and everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with worry.

Even the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect looked solemn and worried, let alone the people from the Hunyuan Sect.

The Murong family's mountain gate was guarded not only by four Golden Core cultivators, but also by thousands of elite disciples and a third-grade high-level array.

This is destined to be a fierce and bloody battle. Given their cultivation levels, no one can guarantee that they will survive such a great battle unscathed.

In particular, Zhao Botao has already made a name for himself, and they will participate in the battle as the main force.

What is a main force?

This means they will be at the forefront, leading the charge and being the first to break into the enemy formation.

The term "main force" is just a nice-sounding fig leaf; to put it bluntly, they are cannon fodder.

Among everyone, Song Xian was the only one with a calm mindset, because this was something he had expected. If their roles were reversed, he would have done the same if he were the leader of the Beast Taming Sect.

Originally, the Beast Taming Sect conscripted cultivators from various city sects to alleviate pressure and reduce casualties among its own disciples. Attacking the Murong family's mountain gate was the last battle, the most crucial, and the most brutal.

At this point, they would definitely preserve their own fighting strength and have each city recruit cultivators as vanguards.

Anyone would have done the same.

In particular, Song Xian also needed the help of the Beast Taming Sect, wanting their spiritual energy to help him form his core.

If the Beast Taming Sect didn't take advantage of this and squander its value, they would be nothing short of saints.

In fact, not only him, but also the others in the Hunyuan Sect had more or less anticipated this. After all, no one is a fool. Such an obvious thing can be figured out with a little thought.

However, thinking about it is one thing, turning it into reality is another.

This is a perfect example of the saying "knowing is easy, doing is hard."

The thought of immediately entering a high-grade third-tier formation to confront several Golden Core cultivators and thousands of elite cultivators from the Murong family inevitably made him nervous and uneasy.

Song Xian's calm mindset stemmed from his confidence in his own abilities.

Although the third-tier superior-grade grand formation is powerful, it's not aimed at him alone. Moreover, they may not be able to fully unleash the power of the third-tier superior-grade grand formation.

Similarly, although the Murong family has four Golden Core cultivators, they won't focus on him, a Foundation Establishment level 10 cultivator who is not a Beast Taming Sect cultivator.

As long as he avoids the Golden Core cultivators of the Murong family, his safety shouldn't be a problem.

"Besides us, which other teams are participating in this battle?" After a few moments of silence, Song Xian asked.

"Everyone gathered here today will participate in the siege of the Murong family's mountain gate. Our headquarters will be the vanguard and will be the first to enter the formation. Of course, not only our headquarters, but also the first, third, and fourth battalions will join us as the vanguard."

In the battles of the cultivation world, ten or more people are called a squad, one hundred or more people are called a company, and one thousand or more people are called a battalion.

Within the Beast Taming Sect's ranks, the first brigade consisted of four thousand people: one thousand from the Beast Taming Sect itself, plus three thousand recruited by the Bright Moon Sect.

The second brigade was their unit, consisting of three thousand men, one thousand from the Beast Taming Sect and two thousand recruited by the Hunyuan Sect.

The third brigade has two thousand men, consisting of one thousand from the Beast Taming Sect and one thousand recruited from the Xuan Yang Sect.

The fourth brigade also consisted of two thousand people, one thousand from the Beast Taming Sect and one thousand recruited by the Huayuan Sect.

These four battalions totaled 11,000 men, and together with the main force of the Beast Taming Sect, the total force attacking the Murong family's mountain gate was about 20,000.

In order to completely eradicate the Murong family, the Beast Taming Sect has basically mobilized all its forces this time. Such an opportunity is rare for them, so they naturally will not let it go.

In order to wipe out the Murong family's power in one fell swoop and take down the tough nut of the Murong family's mountain gate, even Hong Haoran, the leader of the Beast Taming Sect, set off with the team.

The third-tier spirit ship surrounded by stars was where Hong Haoran was located.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao mentioned before that there are two important camps on the left and right sides of the Murong family's mountain gate. I wonder if your sect has made any arrangements for this?"

"Sect Leader Song need not worry. Our sect has dispatched another team to surround these two camps, ensuring that the main force will not receive any support while attacking the Murong family's mountain gate."

Song Xian nodded and did not ask any further questions.

Zhao Botao then went on to explain the specifics of the attack.

.........

The setting sun blazed like fire, and under its afterglow, the rolling mountains seemed to be gilded with gold. The fiery red sunset clouds on the horizon changed with the wind, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

However, everyone on the spirit ship had solemn expressions. Beyond this mountain range lay the location of the Murong family's mountain gate.

As the spirit ship sped along, a vast expanse of colorful clouds appeared in the distance, covering dozens of miles in all directions. The magnificent clouds blotted out the sun, resembling a sky full of dancing cranes. That place was the gate of the Murong family.

Before long, the spirit ships arrived at the front of the formation. According to the plan of the Beast Taming Sect, Song Xian's troops were responsible for attacking the formation from the east, so several of their spirit ships stopped on the east side of the formation.

One by one, the crowd leaped off the spirit ship and formed a line, standing in front of the formation.

The crowd whispered and murmured among themselves, creating a noisy commotion. Everyone's face was tense and solemn.

Heavy, large swaths of colorful clouds shrouded the area within dozens of miles of the Murong family's mountain gate, as if a huge rock was hanging overhead, ready to crash down at any moment, creating a very oppressive and somber atmosphere.

The Murong family did not send anyone out to challenge them. About fifteen minutes later, golden beams of light suddenly appeared in the sky to the left of the formation, spreading out as large golden spots.

"It's a signal from the sect." Upon seeing this, Zhao Botao's expression darkened, and with a command, the troops advanced into the formation.

.........

Inside the formation, in the magnificent and spacious main hall, the four Golden Core cultivators of the Murong family gathered together.

People were constantly coming and going inside the hall, and news was constantly flowing in and out.

"Reporting to the patriarch, the enemy has attacked from three sides of the formation, namely the east, south, and west, with a total force of no less than ten thousand. No enemy troops have been found to the north yet, and there are still nearly ten thousand enemy troops lined up outside the formation to prepare for battle on the south side."

Murong Teng, seated in the main seat, narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are there any Golden Core cultivators among the enemy troops who have entered the formation?"

"We did not find any Golden Core cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect, nor did we see Xu Zhuoxuan from the Bright Moon Sect."

Murong Teng waved his hand, and the man who delivered the message retreated in response.

Murong Yun spoke solemnly: "The Beast Taming Sect's tactics are very clear. The cultivators who entered the formation are cannon fodder, while the elites are the ones who come later. The Beast Taming Sect wants to use these cannon fodder to wear down the formation's restrictions first, and then take it down in one fell swoop."

"In that case, we'll wait until they've penetrated deep into the formation before we launch our attack."

"I intend to send someone to scout ahead first, to see if there are any ambushes around. If all else fails, we can withdraw from the mountain gate, but we must take the treasury's valuables with us. This is our hope for a comeback."

As the group chatted amongst themselves, Murong Teng's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

The Beast Taming Sect amassed its forces and attacked enemy camps one after another, which took more than just a day or two.

The reason he did not withdraw from the mountain gate and leave Xijiang County during this period was not because he did not want to, but because he could not.

This is because the Beast Taming Sect is watching him all the time. Countless spies are secretly observing the movements near the mountain gate. Let alone a large-scale evacuation of thousands or tens of thousands of people, even if a spirit ship leaves the mountain gate and the territory controlled by the Murong family, it will be intercepted and killed by the Beast Taming Sect.

Therefore, he could only rely on his own troops to defend himself. If he fought in the open field, he would have no chance of winning at all. This is one reason.

Secondly, he had nowhere to go. The reason why the Beast Taming Sect was able to obtain the tacit approval of the Xuan Yuan Sect was because he was framed for colluding with the rebels of Nan Han County. However, this matter was a complete injustice. Since the Yun Xuan Sect was eliminated, he had only met Qi Yun Xuan once and had not agreed to the conditions proposed by him.

The accusation that he colluded with the rebels of Nanhan County was a fabricated charge. However, Xuan Yuanzong had his suspicions. It was said that the Beast Taming Sect had obtained evidence of his collusion with the rebels of Nanhan County and handed it over to Xuan Yuanzong.

That piece of evidence was the dossier that Qi Yunxuan handed over to the rebels in Nanhan County regarding the instigation of the Murong family. He did not see the dossier himself.

After making inquiries from various sources, it was discovered that Qi Yunxuan had made a false report in that dossier, claiming that the two sides had reached an agreement and that the Murong family would switch sides and assist the Southern Han rebels once the Southern Han rebels invaded the Western Shu Commandery.

The Xuan Yuan Sect's higher-ups tacitly approved the Beast Taming Sect's actions precisely because they received this dossier report.

Upon learning this news, Murong Teng immediately realized that Qi Yunxuan had set him up.

That dossier report must have been forged by Qi Yunxuan, and deliberately leaked to the Beast Taming Sect's spies. His aim was to exploit the feud between the Murong family and the Beast Taming Sect, ignite the war in Xijiang County, and incite them to fight amongst themselves, thus forcing him to defect to Nanhan County.

In this way, even if he doesn't seek refuge, when two tigers fight, one of them will surely be injured.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Southern Han Commandery is the one who benefits.

(End of this chapter)