Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter 261 The Demise of the Martial Elders' Association (Part 1)

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

The Longhua Dao started from humble beginnings. At its inception, it had only a thousand followers, as insignificant as a firefly.

But this tiny spark of light burned ever brighter, growing like a snowball until it swept across the entire continent in a short time, eventually becoming a prairie fire.

Now, half a year later, the number of followers of Longhua Dao has exceeded one million. With the help of elixirs, the martial artists within the Dao have all achieved profound cultivation, with Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters as numerous as hairs on a cow, and tens of thousands of Martial Saints. It is no longer the scene it once was.

Thanks to this, Longhua Dao's combat strength grew stronger and stronger. Whenever they fought against the Martial Elders Association, they were invincible and crushed like dry leaves.

Dao Lord Xiao Chong's cultivation has become increasingly profound. Although he is still stuck at the Martial Saint realm and has not yet broken through, his unfathomable level is already beyond the reach of ordinary Martial Saints.

The space inside the Purple Cloud Cauldron is even more expansive, spanning no less than 100,000 li in circumference. Such a vast space could easily accommodate a hundred thousand or so people, greatly facilitating the Longhua Road's military campaigns.

When there was no battle, Xiao Chong would gather all the Daoist followers into the Purple Cloud Cauldron, allowing them to cultivate peacefully inside. If they encountered the army of the Martial Elders' Association, the Purple Cloud Cauldron would open, and a million Daoist followers would pour out, annihilating the enemy.

The Daoists were already quite used to this supernatural power of the Dao Lord. The primordial energy inside the cauldron was dozens of times stronger than outside, which was very beneficial to cultivation.

If that's the case, then it doesn't matter where you live, right?

The Taoist followers were all deeply grateful and filled with reverence for their leader.

Strangely enough, after these Taoists absorbed the primordial energy within the cauldron, their admiration transformed into a strange power that nourished Xiao Chong, making him increasingly adept at controlling the Purple Cloud Cauldron.

This process repeats itself endlessly, making the connection between Xiao Chong and the Purple Cloud Cauldron even closer, as if they were one.

Without the burdens of marching a large army, Longhua Road's marching speed increased dramatically, and six months later, they marched all the way to the stronghold of the Martial Elders Association—Tianyun City.

In Tianyun City stands an ancient hall called the Martial Peak Hall, which is the headquarters of the Martial Elders' Association.

At this moment, inside the Martial Peak Hall, the Grand Elder was restless, his brows furrowed, as if he were caught up in some difficult decision.

In the main hall, there was a long table, with the six elders sitting on both sides, each with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, not even uttering a sound.

This is understandable. The Longhua Sect has developed too rapidly. The original twelve elders were dispatched by the Grand Elder to personally lead people to suppress it, but unexpectedly, one of them was lost.

Now that half of the twelve elders have left, only six remain.

The Grand Elder paced around the hall for a long time, then sighed and sat down at one end of the table. He addressed the six elders sitting in two rows, saying, "Xiao Chong has arrived in Tianyun City. You are all well aware of his intentions, but do you have any good strategies?"

The six elders exchanged glances, then slowly shook their heads, lowering their heads even further.

He thought to himself: "You rely on your profound cultivation and the protection of your superiors, always bossing us around and showing us no respect whatsoever. Now that someone has come knocking on our door, you ask us for a good plan? Don't you feel ashamed?"

The Grand Elder is over a thousand years old this year. He is a genius in martial arts, having entered the Martial Emperor realm two hundred years ago, and has been there for over eight hundred years now.

For over eight hundred years, the Grand Elder held absolute power in the Martial Elders' Council, wielding considerable influence, but unknowingly offended all twelve elders.

"Are you all truly unwilling to discuss with me a strategy to defeat the enemy?" the Grand Elder asked again, but his voice was now as cold as frost.

The six elders remained silent with their heads down, as if they hadn't heard a thing.

The First Elder was furious, but with a formidable enemy at hand, he couldn't afford to openly break ties with the six. So he swept his cold gaze across the six elders one by one, finally settling on the youngest one.

The young elder appeared handsome with delicate features, but his frail and sickly physique made him seem nothing like a martial artist. Upon noticing the Grand Elder's gaze fixed on him, he trembled slightly, his whole body shaking.

But this trembling wasn't just from fear; it was also mixed with an indescribable excitement. It was like... a harlot encountering a lustful devil, both afraid that he would ruthlessly destroy her and show no mercy, yet unable to resist the pursuit and desire for pleasure.

That's exactly the feeling it gives off.

"Elder Hua, are you just like them, unwilling to say anything? You should know that I did a lot of work to help you, a newcomer, to become the second-highest-ranking elder among the twelve elders!"

The young elder, whom the First Elder called Elder Hua, was trembling. The First Elder had already spoken to him, emphasizing the word "exert effort."

Elder Hua had no choice but to speak, but his body trembled even more violently.

He looked at the other five elders and whispered in a slightly effeminate voice, "Elders, this is a time of crisis, and we should all work together to overcome this."

"Since the Grand Elder has asked for our advice, we must come up with something. In my opinion, it would be better for the seven of us to leave the city together and fight Xiao Chong to the death, rather than being defeated one by one."

Hmph! You pretty boy, relying on your delicate skin, you fawn over the Grand Elder every day, stirring up trouble and harming us time and time again. Now you want to drag us down with you? Not a chance!

The other five elders harbored resentment in their hearts, snorted coldly through their nostrils, and turned their heads to the side, their faces showing disgust.

Only the First Elder laughed heartily and said, "Elder Hua, you are the most considerate. We will do as you say and all work together to deal with Xiao Chong!"

After waiting for a while, seeing that the other five elders still did not react, the First Elder finally flew into a rage, picked one of them up and said, "Don't push your luck! If you don't go, then you'll have to fight me first!"

"Why must you resort to violence, Elder? We were just joking. Let's all leave the city together." Seeing that the Elder was truly enraged, the person who had been grabbed finally succumbed to the Elder's tyranny and stood up first.

The remaining four elders looked at each other, fearing that the Grand Elder would turn hostile on the spot, so they all stood up with the person who had been grabbed and walked out of the Martial Peak Hall in a line.

"Haha... Elder Hua, I've certainly not spoiled you for nothing. After we get rid of Xiao Chong, we'll go to the Land of Drunkenness together!"

Seeing that the five elders finally bowed their heads and gave in, the eldest elder patted Elder Hua's thin shoulder and let out a meaningful laugh.

"Hmph, that sounds nice! 'Going to the land of drunkenness together,' I bet it's more like 'sharing pleasures'! What a pair of scoundrels..."

Hearing the Grand Elder laughing so heartily, the elder walking at the front cursed inwardly, but couldn't find the right words to express it.

"But it doesn't matter, as long as the meaning is there, that's enough. Thinking about it in too much detail is just nauseating!"

Upon realizing this, the elder moved with lightning speed, almost covering his ears with his hands.