Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 212 Goodbye Jiang Feng
The sky is clear and the air is fresh, with not a single cloud in sight.

In Bianxi City, Qiyuan Mountain, a flying magic weapon came rapidly and stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Two figures jumped down from it. They were Song Xian and Zhang Ningyuan. They were about to walk up the stone steps when a loud shout came from the side, stopping them.

"Who are you? Do you know where this place is? It's the headquarters of the Beast Taming Sect. No outsiders are allowed to enter."

The two turned around and saw two big men walking slowly towards them from under the pavilion not far away.

Both of them are ordinary mortals, but they are not afraid at all when facing a cultivator like Song Xian. It is obvious that they are used to big scenes.

"I am Song Xian, the headmaster of the Hunyuan Sect. I would like to see fellow Daoist Xu Hao. Please inform me of this."

Song Xian winked, and Zhang Ningyuan behind him understood. He took out a spirit stone and handed it to one of the big men.

The two men were seventh-rank officials in the prime minister's office. Although they were mortals, they worked for the Beast Taming Sect and dared to shout at him, so they must have some authority.

This was his second time to come to Qiyuan Mountain. The last time he came was to pay a visit to the emperor on Jiang Feng's orders. At that time, he was received by disciples from the Beast Taming Sect, so he didn't know who the big man under the pavilion was or what the rules were.

But judging from the behavior of the gatekeepers in Yang Jinzhang's mansion, most of them were asking for benefits.

Sure enough, the two men's expressions changed immediately after they took the spirit stones.

"Masters, please wait a moment. I will go and report." One of them immediately walked up the mountain along the stone steps.

After waiting for a long time, a disciple dressed in the uniform of the Beast Taming Sect came towards them from the mountain. He looked at the two of them and said, "Which one is Fellow Daoist Song Xian?"

"That's me." Song Xian responded.

"Please come with me."

"Who is this fellow Taoist?" Seeing Zhang Ningyuan following behind, the disciple of the Beast Taming Sect asked again.

"This is my junior fellow disciple."

"Wait here. Senior Brother Xu didn't tell him to go."

Song Xian had no choice but to ask him to wait here, and walked up the stone steps to the top of the mountain, where he came to a hall in a mansion.

There was no one else inside, so the Beast Taming Sect disciple just asked him to wait here and then turned and left.

Song Xian did not come here on his own initiative, but was invited by Xu Hao.

Before this, Jiang Zichen suddenly returned to the mountain gate and told Xu Hao that he had gone to Hunyuan Pavilion in Qingfengfang and asked him to go to Qiyuan Mountain to meet him as soon as possible, saying that there was an important matter to discuss.

There is no doubt that Xu Hao's visit at this time must be related to the Tianshan Sect, and it is most likely good news.

This was because he had just delivered the Tianshan Sect's account books not long ago, and the meeting place was also very intriguing.

Xu Hao asked him to go directly to Qiyuan Mountain to meet him, which means that Jiang Feng knew about this and approved of it.

In other words, this should be Jiang Feng's instruction.

The reason why Jiang Feng wanted to see him must be related to the account book he sent. Although it is not certain now that Jiang Feng has decided to take action against the Tianshan Sect, he is at least considering this matter, otherwise he would not have summoned him from so far away.

I waited in the hall for a long time, until nightfall, when I saw Xu Hao slowly walking towards me.

"Friend Xu, I wonder what you want me to do?" Song Xian was not dissatisfied with waiting for several hours. When he saw him coming in, he stepped forward and greeted him attentively.

"Come with me! Master wants to see you." Xu Hao replied expressionlessly, then turned and walked out.

Song Xian hurriedly followed, feeling ecstatic. It was just as he expected. This time it was Jiang Feng who instructed him to come.

I just don't know whether Jiang Feng met him with the intention of letting Hunyuan Sect replace Tianshan Sect, or questioning the origin of his account books, or what his intention was in punishing him.

"Friend Xu, does your master know that I was the one who presented the account books to him?" Song Xian asked cautiously as he followed behind him.

At the time, he had asked him to help conceal his origins, so he didn't know how he reported it. He was about to meet Jiang Feng, so it was important to find out the whole story.

"Would I hide this from my master?" Xu Hao turned his head and looked at him, saying expressionlessly.

"Of course not."

"But I also covered it up for you, saying that I was the one who took the initiative to ask you for the account books. This way, the master won't suspect that you have bad intentions. If the master asks about this, just answer according to what I said." Xu Hao added immediately. He was about to meet Jiang Feng, so naturally he had to make a confession first to avoid letting anything slip in front of him.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xu. I wonder what Master's attitude was after reviewing the account books? And why did you summon me here this time?"

"You'll find out later."

Song Xian didn't ask any more questions. Since Xu Hao had concealed it for him, it was impossible that Jiang Feng came to him this time to question the origin of the account books or to accuse him.

The two men walked one after the other to a room. Xu Hao pushed the door open and saw a man sitting behind the desk facing the door. It was Jiang Feng.

There was a pile of files on the desk, and he was flipping through one of them.

"Master, Song Xian is here." Xu Hao saluted respectfully.

"Junior greets Senior Jiang."

"How did you convince Luoyun Sect to give up their shop space and let you sell Yuxiang Pills?" Jiang Feng asked without raising his head.

Song Xian was stunned. He had not expected him to ask this question, so he could only answer truthfully, "My wife is Senior Wen Yiren's niece. I approached Senior Wen and asked for her help. Therefore, I started selling Yuxiang Dan in the Luoyun Sect shops in the various towns and cities in Xijiang County."

"How many spirit stones did she take from it?"

"Luoyun Sect takes 40% of the revenue. The specific amount depends on the sales of local shops. According to the current performance, Luoyun Sect can get 60,000 to 70,000 spirit stones every year." Song Xian realized at this moment that the reason Jiang Feng asked these irrelevant questions was to investigate and understand the strength of Hunyuan Sect.

The strength of a sect is reflected in two aspects: the number of disciples and the financial resources of the sect.

Jiang Feng only then raised his head and looked him over coldly: "How did you get that account book?"

"At that time, Fellow Daoist Xu Hao found me..."

Song Xian recounted the entire incident, concealing only the fact that he had submitted the report. "I heard that the Tianshan Sect recently attacked a group of independent cultivators called Luofeng Valley in Bianxia Town. What was the reason?"

Song Xian lowered his head and replied, "As far as I know, there is no hatred between the two parties. As for the cause, I can only guess. If I have been disrespectful, please forgive me."

"Everyone in Bianxi City knows that the Tianshan Sect was founded by Senior Yang Jinzhang. Senior Yang uses them, but he's also wary of them. He doesn't want them to grow too big and become too powerful to control, so he's been suppressing them, preventing them from devouring the surrounding forces."

"When Senior Yang organized the Bianxia Town Peace Initiative, the Tianshan Sect was a witness. Yang Yude announced on the spot that if anyone violated the agreement, the Tianshan Sect would directly destroy and annex them without any report."

"And now, Luofeng Valley has not violated the peace agreement, but the Tianshan Sect, which served as a witness, suddenly attacked it and swallowed up all of its resources and territory."

"The reason is that Senior Yang is gone, and they feel free. Also, since Senior Jiang is new here and doesn't know the situation, they dare to act like this."

"If Senior Jiang doesn't stop them, the Tianshan Sect will definitely continue to advance until they swallow up the entire Bianxia Town."

The room fell into a brief silence. Jiang Feng did not respond. Song Xian lowered his head and did not move. The atmosphere was a little subtle.

He didn't know what Jiang Feng was thinking, so he could only find every opportunity to alienate the Tianshan Sect. What he meant just now was that the Tianshan Sect only listened to Yang Jinzhang, so once Yang Jinzhang left, the Tianshan Sect would be out of control.

Time passed silently, and Song Xian's heart was in his throat. He knew that this was a critical moment, and Jiang Feng was deciding whether to take action against the Tianshan Sect.

Every moment that passed felt like a very long time had passed.

Finally, the silence was broken, and Jiang Feng's voice was heard without any fluctuation.

"Although the Tianshan Sect's cultivators aren't disciples of our sect, they've actually been serving us for many years. They guard the Tianshan Mountains and cut off the spiritual beast trade. This is what's led to a significant reduction in the illegal spiritual beast trade in Xijiang County. Without the Tianshan Sect, I'm afraid the illegal spiritual beast trade in Xijiang County would resurface, and as the head of Bianxi City, I'd be blamed."

The meaning of this statement was obvious. Jiang Feng had already planned to get rid of the Tianshan Sect, but he was worried that no one could replace the Tianshan Sect. Song Xian's body shook violently, and he immediately bowed deeply.

"Senior, the Tianshan Sect was originally just a mob. After they moved into Tianshan, they became notorious and were known as bandits. Furthermore, they have no affiliation with your sect and only answer to orders from Senior Yang. If they are not eliminated in time, they will become a future threat."

"As for the illegal trade in spirit beasts, that's even less of a concern. The reason the independent cultivator caravans don't buy or sell spirit beasts isn't because they're afraid of the Tianshan Sect, but because they revere your sect. No matter who replaces the Tianshan Sect, it would be easy to curb the trade of spirit beasts by the caravans along the way."

"Senior, if you do not despise my low level of cultivation and my weak power, I will serve you wholeheartedly. As long as you give the order, we will go through fire and water and will not hesitate to die."

These words were powerful, full of energy and emotion.

Jiang Feng didn't say anything, just waved his hand and said, "Go!"

Song Xian was stunned, not knowing what Jiang Feng meant, whether he accepted Hunyuan Sect's loyalty or not.

"Fellow Daoist Song, please come in!" Xu Hao spoke from the side and motioned him to go out.

"Junior, I'm leaving." Song Xian had no choice but to leave first.

"Excuse me, Fellow Daoist Xu, what does your master mean by this?" Xu Hao also followed him out of the room. After the two of them were far away from this place, Song Xian couldn't wait to ask.

"Master has already tacitly agreed to let you replace the Tianshan Sect. But it's just a tacit agreement. Fellow Daoist Song should understand now."

"Acquiesce?" Song Xian suddenly realized: "Fellow Daoist Xu means that the Master will not interfere with our efforts to replace the Tianshan Sect, but will not help us replace the Tianshan Sect either. Is that what you mean?"

The two returned to the hall. Xu Hao invited him to take a seat, then he sat down as well and spoke slowly.

"Master has just made it very clear. Although the Tianshan Sect cultivators are not disciples of our sect, they have been serving our sect all these years. This is not only known to everyone in Bianxi City, but also to many people in the sect."

"Did the Tianshan Sect do something wrong? Did they disrespect the sect? Did they fail to complete the assigned mission?"

"nothing."

"Under these circumstances, if Master were to directly destroy the Tianshan Sect, he would be criticized for eliminating a force that held an important position and had always obeyed our orders for his own selfish reasons. This would have a negative impact on him. If this caused chaos, it would be even worse."

"The situation within our sect is complicated, and many people are eyeing this position. So Master cannot take action directly."

"But if the Tianshan Sect collapses due to the mutual attacks between the forces in your Bianxia Town, especially if the Tianshan Sect initiates the attack, then that would be the Tianshan Sect's own fault."

"Master, as long as you ensure that after the Tianshan Sect collapses, there is a force capable of replacing it and fulfilling its responsibilities without causing any chaos, then no one will be able to put the blame on you."

"I think you'll understand what I'm saying."

Song Xian nodded, his thoughts racing in his mind.

He had actually thought about this situation. When Yang Jinzhang supported the Tianshan Sect, the situation was completely different from now. At that time, the Tianshan area belonged to the Muhe Grassland, so he could contribute manpower and resources to help the Tianshan Sect sweep away and annex other forces.

Now that the situation is stable and the Tianshan Sect is serving the Beast Taming Sect represented by Yang Jinzhang, Jiang Feng really cannot attack them without sufficient reasons.

That's why he agreed so readily to let Tianyu Trading Company join their alliance. This was to prepare for this.

It would be best if Jiang Feng took action personally to wipe out the Tianshan Sect. If it was inconvenient for him to take action, the Hunyuan Sect and other forces in Bianxia Town would be enough to fight against the Tianshan Sect.

"Since it is inconvenient for our Master to take action, could you please provide some support to our sect in secret?"

"No." Xu Hao refused flatly. "Master Yang Jinzhang has been in office for nearly a hundred years. He has promoted almost every leader in this sect. He has ties with them. I wonder how many of them are spies planted by Master Yang Jinzhang. If my master is secretly supporting you in your fight against the Tianshan Sect, Master Yang Jinzhang will definitely be able to keep it a secret."

"As long as Master makes a move, whether overtly or covertly, he'll have an excuse to attack Master. Therefore, Master cannot offer you any support. Everything depends on you."

"If you can replace the Tianshan Sect, my master will not stop you. If you are not capable enough, then just stay put and guard your little piece of land. Don't have any extravagant ambitions."

"Please tell Senior Jiang that our sect will do its utmost to remove this thorn for Senior Jiang at all costs." Song Xian's eyes were firm. Things had come to this point. How could he give up the opportunity that he had fought so hard to get?

If the Tianshan Sect remained in its lair and Jiang Feng did not intervene, he would have no way to deal with it. It was impossible for the other forces in Bianxia Town to join forces with him to attack the Tianshan Sect.

But now, in order to protect itself and find a retreat, the Tianshan Sect attacked Luofeng Valley, which has posed a huge threat to all forces in Bianxia Town and has become a thorn in their eyes. This is a huge strategic mistake of the Tianshan Sect, and it also gave him the opportunity to overthrow it.

"Master originally had no intention of replacing the Tianshan Sect. If I hadn't given him the account book and spoken up for you, saying you couldn't stay in the Tianshan Sect for long, you wouldn't have gotten this advantage. You'll have to take care of things on your own."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xu. I am not one to be ungrateful. If my sect can replace the Tianshan Sect, I will immediately offer you a Foundation Establishment Pill. I will also provide you with the promised annual share of resources from the Tianshan Sect."

Only then did Xu Hao nod with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)