Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 506 Long-Term Considerations
Feng Ziyi looked hesitant, and after a few moments of silence, he slowly spoke: "It's not that I'm speaking ill of Senior Hong behind his back, but given his relationship with Xu Zhuoxuan, I'm afraid we can't count on him for this matter. Of course, it would be best if the Beast Taming Sect could step in to stop the Bright Moon Sect, but it's better to rely on ourselves than others. Our sect has already prepared for the worst."

"Sect Leader Song is a person who understands the big picture and considers the overall situation. I believe he would not want to see the Bright Moon Sect doing whatever it wants in Xijiang County."

"I have come here on the orders of my sect leader. My sect hopes to form an alliance with your sect and announce this to the public, so as to deter the Bright Moon Sect from making any rash moves."

"If your clan ever encounters any trouble in the future, our clan will certainly do its utmost to assist you."

Song Xian nodded but did not reply.

He had already mentioned the two alliances several years ago.

After the war in Xijiang County ended, Hua Yuanzong came to the county once or twice to discuss the matter, but after being given perfunctory replies, he never brought it up again.

Since the Mingyue Sect had not made any move at the time, Huayuan Sect was not in a hurry. Seeing that he had repeatedly delayed and evaded the issue, he did not rush to beg again.

Now that the Mingyue Sect is already making moves, their intentions are obvious to everyone. With Hua Yuanzong bringing up the old matter again, Song Xian will not easily agree.

When he first wanted to form an alliance with Huayuan Sect, they ignored him. Now that the tables have turned, he naturally wants to use this opportunity to his advantage and sell it for a good price.

"If you have any concerns or needs, please speak frankly." Feng Ziyi understood his meaning when he saw him remain silent.

"Forming an alliance is no small matter. I need to discuss it with my other fellow disciples before making a decision."

Song Xian would not take the initiative to propose conditions. He would only consider them after the other party made the offer, so as to maintain the initiative. He had already used the excuse of politely declining many times.

"Sect Leader Song, how about this? If your sect agrees to this, from the day the alliance is announced, our sect will double the quantity of goods we purchase from your sect. This transaction volume will be maintained for at least ten years."

Feng Ziyi knew that Hunyuanzong wouldn't act without seeing the benefits. Before coming, Huayuanzong had discussed what conditions they needed to offer to persuade Hunyuanzong to agree to the alliance. After much deliberation, they finally settled on this plan.

Currently, Huayuan Sect purchases approximately 250,000 spirit stones worth of supplies from the Muhe Grassland annually through Hunyuan Sect channels. If this is doubled, the annual purchase price would be 500,000 spirit stones worth of supplies.

Given the market share held by Huayuan Sect, it was actually impossible to handle so much trade in demon beast flesh and minerals, but there was no other way for the sake of the bigger picture.

"How about this, Fellow Daoist Feng? Give me some time to discuss this with my junior brother. I'll give you an answer by tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright. Then I will stay at your sect for the night and await Sect Leader Song's reply."

Feng Ziyi immediately agreed, and Song Xian promised to give a reply tomorrow, which clearly meant he was seriously considering the matter, rather than simply giving a perfunctory answer as he had done in the past.

The two chatted about the situation for a while longer before he took his leave.

As night fell, Song Xian summoned Lin Zixiang, Hu Xiaobao, and Jiang Zichen. After they gathered in the main hall of the mansion, he briefly recounted the whole story.

"In the battle of Xijiang County, our sect suffered heavy casualties, and our numbers were drastically reduced. We have not yet recovered. I believe we should not get involved in the conflict between Huayuan Sect and Mingyue Sect. Moreover, when we became enemies with Mingyue Sect, Huayuan Sect stood by and did nothing," Lin Zixiang said first.

“Junior Brother Zichen, Hu Xiaobao, you two should also share your thoughts.”

Jiang Zichen slowly said, "I agree with Senior Brother Lin's opinion. Besides, the sect leader has already obtained the approval of the Beast Taming Sect to go to the Murong family's mountain gate to form his core. The most urgent task is to improve our cultivation and prepare for the core formation. During this period, it is not advisable to cause any more trouble or complications."

Hu Xiaobao chimed in, "I also think it's unnecessary to have a direct confrontation with the Mingyue Sect for the sake of the Huayuan Sect."

After listening to the three's opinions, Song Xian nodded: "Since you all feel that there is no need to get involved, then let's leave it at that! Anyway, it hasn't come to that point yet. I will reply to Hua Yuanzong in this way first. If Mingyue Sect does launch a large-scale attack on Hua Yuanzong, we will discuss it again depending on the situation. You can go now!"

Hearing that he still intended to help Hua Yuanzong in his words, Lin Zixiang and Jiang Zichen couldn't help but exchange a glance, but neither of them said anything more.

Jiang Zichen got up and left first, followed closely by Hu Xiaobao. Lin Zixiang seemed a little hesitant. Both of them walked out, but he didn't make a move.

In the end, however, he didn't ask anything and got up to leave.

Song Xian watched their retreating figures, lost in thought.

He knew, of course, that many people in the sect did not want to get involved in the war, not just the three of them, but probably all the Foundation Establishment level disciples.

The reason is simple: everything the sect currently possesses is enough for their cultivation, so there is no need to risk competing for cultivation resources.

This is not like when we annexed the Tianshan Mountains, seized the Kong Family Mountain Gate, and took over the territory of Bianxi City.

At that time, all the disciples of the sect were in high spirits because there were not enough cultivation resources. Only by acquiring these resources could they ensure their cultivation.

What we have now is enough for a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the sect. That's how people are; if they are comfortable for too long, they will gradually lose their ambition.

Moreover, there would be no benefit in helping Huayuan Sect. Huayuan Sect would never give up its own mountain gate. Even if they took Huayuan Sect's mountain gate, it would be of no use to them at this stage.

If the risks and rewards are disproportionate, then naturally no one will be willing to do it. In addition, in the battle of Xijiang County, nearly half of the 1,500 disciples sent by the sect were killed or wounded, and only six of the ten Foundation Establishment cultivators survived.

Such high casualties cast a shadow over the hearts of those involved in the war, with everyone worried that they would be next.

The reason why Song Xian did not make a definitive statement despite the opposition of the three people, leaving some room for maneuver, was because he was thinking about something more far-reaching.

In fact, all three of them were right. It is indeed not advisable to get involved in the war now, let alone confront the Bright Moon Sect head-on.

However, from a long-term perspective, if the Bright Moon Sect were to annex the Hua Yuan Sect, the sect would face a very difficult situation in the future, both for the sect and for him personally.

From the perspective of the sect, the gradual strengthening of the Bright Moon Sect is naturally detrimental to the development of the Hunyuan Sect.

And the same applies to him personally.

He was thinking about what would happen after he formed his core. For most cultivators, forming their core was an unattainable dream, something that would only surface in their minds in the dead of night when no one was around.

Many people therefore regard forming the Golden Core as their life's goal, as if as long as they can form the Golden Core, their life will be fulfilled.

However, this was not the case for Song Xian, who was about to form his Golden Core.

The formation of the Golden Core is not the completion of a goal, nor is it the end; rather, it is the beginning of a new stage and a new start.

Although he has not yet formed his core, although he does not know if he can succeed in forming his core, and although he is not very confident.

But he had to consider how he should cultivate after he formed his core.

The Hunyuan Sect does not have any third-order spiritual veins, nor can it obtain a cultivation room with third-order spiritual veins.

Currently, almost all third-tier spiritual veins in the entire Western Frontier County are under the control of the Beast Taming Sect.

Besides the Yunxing Chamber of Commerce, which has another third-tier spiritual vein, the only remaining spiritual vein is the mountain gate spiritual vein occupied by the Huayuan Sect.

The spiritual veins occupied by the Beast Taming Sect are beyond his reach, and the Yunxing Chamber of Commerce is also very powerful.

The only thing he could cling to was the spiritual vein of the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate. If it were seized by the Mingyue Sect, then he would have no hope at all.

Not only is the Bright Moon Sect stronger than the Hunyuan Sect, but given the relationship between Xu Zhuoxuan and Hong Haoran, the Beast Taming Sect will definitely protect them.

If the Hunyuan Sect wants to take action against the Mingyue Sect, the Yushou Sect will not stand idly by.

Of course, even if Song Xian successfully forms his core, taking over the Huayuan Sect's spiritual vein won't be so easy. Forcibly taking it is definitely not an option. Not to mention whether the Beast Taming Sect would allow it, or even if it could be taken, Xu Zhuoxuan certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch this spiritual vein be taken away by him.

He had other plans in mind. He didn't need to seize the Huayuan Sect's mountain gate at all; he only needed to promise to guarantee the safety of the Huayuan Sect.

We can then borrow Huayuan Sect's cultivation room through diplomatic negotiations.

In any case, Huayuan Sect currently has no Golden Core cultivators, so the cultivation room is just sitting empty. Moreover, they need a Golden Core cultivator to keep things under control in the face of the threat from Mingyue Sect.

If he successfully forms his core, he is very confident that he can negotiate this matter with Hua Yuanzong.

Therefore, deep down, he wanted to stop the Bright Moon Sect.

.........

The following day, Song Xian received Feng Ziyi again in the council hall.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, please tell me truthfully, has the Xuan Yang Sect agreed to the alliance?"

"Rest assured, Sect Leader Song, the Xuan Yang Sect has already agreed. As long as your sect is willing to form an alliance, the three of us can immediately organize an alliance ceremony and announce this matter to the public."

"Alright, we'll do as you say. But let's make it clear beforehand: we'll form an alliance, but whether or not we'll send troops to help you, we'll discuss that later."

Song Xian nodded in agreement. It was merely announcing an alliance, which would not cause any loss to the sect. If it could deter the Bright Moon Sect and prevent them from acting rashly, that would be the best outcome.

Moreover, the conditions offered by Hua Yuanzong were not low; they were merely requirements for forming an alliance, and these conditions were already more than sufficient.

Feng Ziyi finally smiled: "I knew that Sect Leader Song would make a wise decision."

The two discussed some details, such as when and where to announce the alliance, and who to send to participate. After finishing their discussion, they took their leave.

(End of this chapter)