Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 152 Able to bend and stretch
"Master." Huang Qing saw that he was silent and continued, "Ding Wenxiang also said that he received intelligence that the Loose Cultivator Alliance would soon launch a counterattack against us, so we should be extra careful."

"Intelligence? Humph! I'm afraid they discussed this with the independent cultivator forces! I guess they saw that the alliance was doomed, so they asked for peace with the independent cultivator forces, sold us out, and kept themselves safe." Hu Yingquan snorted coldly.

The Ding family cultivators left without saying goodbye and quietly withdrew from Lingyun Mountain. Something seemed amiss no matter how you looked at it, giving people the feeling that Lingyun Mountain was about to be in great disaster.

"The most urgent task now is to strengthen the defense of Lingyun Mountain. The Ding family's withdrawal has left Lingyun Mountain's defenses vulnerable. The Loose Cultivator Alliance has been eager to make a move. Once they learn of this news, they will definitely take action."

Hu Yingquan was hesitant. Originally, he relied on the alliance to gather the strength of the Ding family and the Xu Ri Sect to jointly defend Lingyun Mountain, which was enough to intimidate the alliance of loose cultivators. Now that the Xu Ri Sect was defeated and the Ding family withdrew from Lingyun Mountain, there was no need to mention the Hunyuan Sect. He had never counted on it from the beginning to the end.

The alliance exists in name only. How can the Qingyuan Sect alone defeat the power of the loose cultivator alliance?

The last time they attacked the Yunfeng Chamber of Commerce, although the Qingyuan Sect won a great victory and took over many resource territories in one fell swoop, they also suffered many casualties among their elite soldiers. Only a few months have passed, so naturally they have not been able to replenish their personnel.

If they continue to defend Lingyun Mountain, the attack from the Loose Cultivator Alliance will inevitably cause more casualties, and they might even end up like the Xuri Sect.

He felt very regretful. He should not have agreed to assist the Xu Ri Sect in attacking Qixia Mountain. If the Qingyuan Sect did not agree, the Xu Ri Sect would not have been able to attack Qixia Mountain alone, so they would not have ended up in such a passive situation today.

But now that things have come to this, there is no going back.

After pondering for a long time, Hu Yingquan finally made a decision.

"I will send ten more disciples to Lingyun Mountain. You must return immediately and secure it. I will personally go to the Ding family to negotiate and try to get them to return. If that fails, I will also go to Bianxi City."

"What are you going to Bianxi City for?" Huang Qing asked puzzledly.

At this time, as the sect leader, he should stay at the mountain gate to stabilize people's hearts. The alliance of loose cultivators may launch an attack at any time. If an attack is launched and the leader is not here, who will give orders?
"If the Ding family insists on distancing themselves from us, we alone will be unable to counter the Loose Cultivator Alliance. Even if we station all our forces at Lingyun Mountain, it will be useless. If too many casualties occur, we will lose our deterrent power and might even suffer the same fate as the Rising Sun Sect. A direct confrontation is no longer advisable. It would be best to seek mediation."

Huang Qing suddenly realized: "Are you going to ask Yang Jinzhang to come forward?"

"At this time, we have no choice but to look for him. If he is willing to come forward, we can resolve this crisis."

.........

The moon was at its zenith, on Solitary Peak, in the backyard of the mansion, Song Xian, who had just finished a day of practice, was practicing the orthodox technique. As he put his hands together, the spiritual power in his body flowed, and the earth-attributed spiritual energy between heaven and earth gathered towards his body, forming a tall earth wall in front of him.

This is the low-level earth-based technique, the Earth Wall Technique. After years of practice, he finally reached the advanced level.

As for the intermediate level spells, he has basically given up practicing them now, because the intermediate level spells consume more spiritual energy, and unless they can be practiced to a high level or great success, it will not be of much significance.

The power of the intermediate spells in the initial stage is far less than that of the low-level spells that have reached perfection, and the spiritual power consumption is higher than that of the low-level spells. It can be said to be flashy but not practical, so he decided to practice the two low-level spells, Fireball and Earth Wall, to perfection first, and then practice the intermediate spells with fire and earth attributes.

Just as he was immersed in his practice, there was a knock on the door. Song Xian immediately stopped practicing and opened the door. He saw the butler standing behind him, reporting to him, "Master, Master Zhong Wenyuan has arrived, and he has brought another unfamiliar master with him. He is currently waiting in the waiting room of the mansion."

Song Xian nodded. Zhong Wen had previously left the mountain gate to recruit independent cultivators. The strange cultivators he brought this time must be the ones he recruited.

He came to the spacious hall and saw two people sitting inside. In addition to Zhong Wenyuan, there was another tall man, about twenty years old, with only the second level of Qi Refining cultivation.

"Master." Seeing him come in, Zhong Wenyuan stood up and bowed respectfully.

The man also stood up and saluted like Zhong Wenyuan.

Song Xian looked the man up and down, then sat down at his seat and nodded slightly: "Everyone, sit down!"

"This is Fellow Daoist Zheng Xuan. I have explained the rules of our sect to him, and he has expressed his willingness to become a disciple of our sect."

"Very good." Song Xian exchanged greetings with the man and asked about his background.

Upon learning that he was originally a casual cultivator from Bian Shang Town, had never been affiliated with any force, and had no enemies with anyone, he politely welcomed him. After talking for a while, he let him rest first.

"Master, when I came back, I heard that the Ding family had withdrawn from Lingyun Mountain. What happened?" After the man left, Zhong Wenyuan talked about government affairs.

"Really? The Ding family withdrew?" Song Xian then briefly recounted Ding Yuan's visit a few days ago.

Zhong Wenyuan frowned again upon hearing this. "So, what Ding Yuan said is true. Luofeng Valley has indeed contacted them. Now that the Ding family has withdrawn, the Loose Cultivator Alliance will definitely take action against the Qingyuan Sect."

Song Xian sighed slightly, "We can only blame the Qingyuan Sect for being too greedy. Taking over the Yunfeng Trading Company's resource area was already enough. With the Xuri Sect and the Ding family jointly guarding Lingyun Mountain, the Alliance of Loose Cultivators wouldn't dare to act rashly and attack them."

"But it's not content, and even assisted the Rising Sun Sect in attacking Qixia Mountain, intending to further annex the independent cultivator forces. Now that everything has been lost, we can only wait and see."

He least wanted a fight between the alliance led by Qingyuan Sect and the independent cultivator forces, because the current Hunyuan Sect was too weak. Even if the two sides fought to the death, it would not be his turn to gain the upper hand.

Originally, the two sides were in a stalemate, and he was willing to pay hundreds of spirit stones to the alliance for free every month as long as he could maintain peaceful development.

Who would have thought that the Rising Sun Sect was so eager to expand its territory, but ended up with a dismal end.

Once the balance is broken, it will be difficult to maintain peace.

For Hunyuan Sect, the current situation can be said to be very bad. Compared with the final victory of the alliance formed by Qingyuan Sect, the victory of the loose cultivator alliance will only be worse.

No matter what, Hunyuan Sect and Qingyuan Sect are finally allies. Although they are not united in appearance, with this status, Qingyuan Sect cannot take action against Hunyuan Sect.

But the Alliance of Loose Cultivators does not have so many concerns. If it achieves a complete victory, it will definitely take back the spiritual field in Qianyuan Valley.

Although Luofeng Valley has made a promise to keep out of other people's way, this verbal agreement is basically no different from fart. Even if Luofeng Valley keeps its word and honors its promise, can it still control other independent cultivator forces?
With the alliance led by Qingyuan Sect, Hunyuan Sect is worth winning over. If Qingyuan Sect is defeated, Hunyuan Sect will be like a fish on the chopping board.

When a cat sees fish, can it resist eating it?

"If the Qingyuan Sect is defeated, it will not be good for our sect. I think..." Before Zhong Wenyuan finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside, and the housekeeper appeared at the door cautiously.

"What's the matter?" Song Xian looked at him and asked.

"Headmaster, Immortal Master Xu Zhen reports that Immortal Master Wu Xuan of the Qingyuan Sect has arrived at the mountain gate and requests to see you."

This is really the case. Speak of Cao Cao and he will appear.

"Let Xu Zhen wait a moment." "Yes." The butler responded and left.

"A few days ago, Elder Huang Qing of the Qingyuan Sect came here, and now they've sent Elder Wu Xuan as well. It must be about this matter. I can't see him, Senior Brother Wenyuan, you go and entertain him! Let's see what he has to say. Nine out of ten times, he's urging us to send someone to garrison Lingyun Mountain."

Zhong Wenyuan nodded and said, "Then how should I respond?"

"It's still the same principle, don't give money, don't do the work. If you need people, I don't have them, but if you need money, I'd consider providing some support."

"Okay, I understand." Zhong Wenyuan stood up and left.

…………

Outside the spacious and bright main hall, Zhong Wenyuan saw Xu Zhen leading Wu Xuan to arrive, and hurried to greet them, bowing and saying, "Fellow Daoist Wu, I am honored to have such a great visit. I apologize for not being able to greet you from afar."

Wu Xuan returned the greeting and said solemnly, "I have come here on the orders of our sect's headmaster to see Master Song. Please, Master Song, come out and meet me."

"I'm truly sorry, but our sect's headmaster is not at the mountain gate. If your sect has anything to say, please tell me."

Wu Xuan naturally knew that this was a trick of the Hunyuan Sect, and Song Xian was deliberately avoiding him. If it were any other day, he might have just said a few words and left, but now was different. The Qingyuan Sect was in a precarious situation, so he had to swallow his anger.

"Since Sect Leader Song is not here, it's the same to discuss with Fellow Daoist Zhong."

"Please come in, Fellow Daoist Wu." Zhong Wenyuan made a gesture of invitation, and the two of them entered the hall together and sat opposite each other.

"Let's be frank. Fellow Daoist Zhong, I've come here on the orders of the Sect Master to request that your sect send ten disciples to guard the Alliance headquarters. The last time you attended the Alliance meeting, our Sect Master brought this up. At the time, we agreed to a response within seven days, and you agreed."

"When Junior Brother Huang from the Japanese sect came a few days ago, he didn't see anyone from Sect Master Song, and Sect Master Song is not here today. Fellow Daoist Zhong, could you please tell me clearly what your sect is thinking?"

"Objectively speaking, our sect is indeed facing difficulties. Please forgive me. I will inform the headmaster of this matter when he returns. As for the final decision, of course, it still belongs to the headmaster."

Wu Xuan stared at him with a solemn expression, "Okay, since your sect says you have difficulties, our sect understands your difficulties. But since we are an alliance, we must at least act like an alliance. Your sect can send fewer people and only send five disciples. This condition is not too high, right? It is impossible that your sect cannot even send five disciples!"

"Please forgive me for not being able to make the decision. We still have to wait for the master to come back and make the decision."

Wu Xuan straightened up. "Okay, then I'll wait here for Master Song to come back. If Master Song doesn't come back for one day, I'll wait here for one day. If he doesn't come back for ten days, I'll wait for ten days. I'm sure your sect won't be stingy and give me some of the food!"

Zhong Wenyuan was a little surprised to see that he was determined to fight to the end. He didn't expect him to do this.

As the largest sect in Bianxia Town, Qingyuan Sect has always looked down on Hunyuan Sect. He had met Wu Xuan several times before, and each time he acted superior. He never thought that he would be so condescending today and act like a street hooligan, almost throwing a tantrum.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, why are you doing this? We are already aware of your sect's request. How about this! When the headmaster returns, I will immediately report this matter and send someone to inform your sect."

Wu Xuan slowly closed his eyes, his straight body relaxing as he leaned back against the chair. "Don't worry about me, Brother Zhong. I'll wait here until Sect Leader Song returns. Please bring me something to eat tomorrow morning."

Seeing that he was acting like a scoundrel, Zhong Wenyuan really couldn't do anything about him: "Since Fellow Daoist Wu insists on waiting for the return of the Sect Master in our sect, please go to the guest hall and rest!"

"Don't bother, this place is fine. I'll sleep here tonight. If Brother Zhong is kind enough, please move a bed and that pile of quilts over. If you don't want to, then forget it." Wu Xuan still had his eyes closed. He stretched, yawned, and folded his hands across his chest, looking lazy.

"In that case, please do as you please, fellow Taoist! I won't keep you company any longer." Zhong Wenyuan had no choice but to get up and leave.

Hearing Zhong Wenyuan's footsteps walking away, Wu Xuan opened his eyes, looked outside the hall, and sneered.

.........

In the bright hall, Song Xian couldn't help but laugh when he heard what Zhong Wenyuan reported.

This old guy Wu Xuan always acts superior to others, but I never thought he would end up like this!
"It seems he is determined and will not leave until he sees the master."

Song Xian actually felt an indescribable pleasure and laughed, "The Qingyuan Sect is really anxious! Otherwise, that old guy Wu Xuan wouldn't have done such a disgraceful thing. He usually doesn't think much of us."

"Master, do you want to see him?"

"Don't be impatient, let's wait for that old guy first. It will save him from being so arrogant all the time. If he likes to stay there, let him stay there. We don't need to worry about him."

……

After the two men finished their discussion, Zhong Wenyuan left. Song Xian continued to do his own thing, practicing the techniques several times and practicing the Xuanyuan Sutra for a while. At night, he washed up and went to bed.

It was not until he woke up the next day and summoned someone to ask about it that he learned that Wu Xuan had indeed spent the night in the main hall.

Song Xian was a little impressed. This old guy was really able to save face and had some adaptability. Judging from his appearance, he might be able to stay for ten days or half a month. It seemed that he had to stay away from him.

It was not until noon that he learned that Wu Xuan was still guarding there, and then he went to meet him.

"Oh! Fellow Daoist Wu, I've been waiting for you for so long." Song Xian walked quickly into the main hall, a look of guilt and sincerity on his face. "I just came back from Bianxi City and learned that Fellow Daoist Wu had been waiting here all night. I'm so sorry."

After saying that, his face darkened again, and he scolded Xu Zhen, who was on duty, "How could you let Fellow Daoist Wu wait here all night? What are you all doing? Where's Senior Brother Zhong? Why isn't he doing anything?"

Without waiting for Xu Zhen to reply, Wu Xuan stood up and sneered, "It was I who insisted on waiting for Sect Leader Song here. Otherwise, how could I have seen Sect Leader Song's true appearance?"

"What do you mean? Fellow Daoist Wu, do you suspect that I'm avoiding you? I absolutely did not do that. I did go to Bianxi City earlier and just returned to the mountain gate. If Fellow Daoist Wu doesn't believe me, just ask anyone at the mountain gate."

"I didn't say that Sect Leader Song was avoiding me, but if I hadn't waited here, I'm afraid Sect Leader Song wouldn't have come back so quickly."

Song Xian didn't want to dwell on this matter any further. "Fellow Daoist Wu, please take a seat. I wonder what brings you here?"

"I'm here on the orders of our sect's headmaster. I'd like to ask your sect to send someone to join the alliance headquarters. Fellow Daoist Zhong previously said your sect's numbers were insufficient, and our sect has agreed to reduce the number of people. Only five people will be enough. I'm sure Headmaster Song will agree to this condition!"

"Fellow Daoist Wu, your sect provides the men and we provide the money. This was all agreed upon from the beginning and we reached a unanimous consensus. Now that we've provided the money, you're asking us to provide the men too. How can this be justified?"

"The situation has changed. The Rising Sun Sect suffered heavy casualties in the battle at Qixia Mountain and is no longer able to send reinforcements to the Allied Forces Headquarters. As a member of the alliance, your sect should contribute."

(End of this chapter)