Free Web NovelChapter 372: Chapter 330: Enemy Status
In terms of personnel changes within Xuanguang Sect, the most significant is, of course, the position of Sect Leader.
After the war between the two counties, He Yangchen and Fifth Elder Wang Hao, once the most hopeful candidates, both fell due to crimes implicating their subordinate sects. Instead, Second Elder Xu Chengyun, who never had much hope and lived a steady life, emerged as the new Sect Leader of Xuanguang Sect.
Xu Chengyun is a mature and stable person. Under his leadership, Xuanguang Sect has been lying low for the past few years, rarely engaging in large-scale attacks.
Regarding subordinate sects.
After the two counties’ war, Xuanguang Sect’s Foundation Establishment subordinate sects were left with only the Kong Family and Spirit Talisman Sect, and both lost their mountain gates.
Xuanguang Sect had no choice but to grant them spirit veins for residence.
Among the five peaks of Mingjian Mountain, each peak has one spirit vein. The spirit vein at the main peak, which is Master Fengfeng’s residence, is the best, being a fourth-level low-tier spirit vein. This is the foundation of Xuanguang Sect and cannot be granted to outsiders.
Besides that, Xuanguang Sect also possesses five spirit veins of varying grades.
Spirit Talisman Sect made significant contributions in this war, hence it acquired Kongming Mountain in the central area of Chongming County, which is a second-level high-tier. Furthermore, Xuanguang Sect assigned five Qi Cultivation sects previously forcibly relocated from the northeast of Chongming County to Spirit Talisman Sect as vassals.
The Kong Family was granted the northern part of Mingjian Mountain, which has a second-level mid-tier spirit vein, Fire Crystal Valley. This area also has rich mineral deposits, suitable for the Kong Family to resume its old business and utilize its expertise.
Although both families regained spirit veins, changing their foundation severely injured their vitality, and all industries need redevelopment. Especially Spirit Talisman Sect, after losing Golden Dawn Peak and Fucang Mountain, most of its centuries-old accumulations were lost, making the past few years quite difficult.
Fortunately, during these extraordinary times, Xuanguang Sect exempted their annual tribute and occasionally provided assistance, allowing both sects to survive.
However, a significant issue remains: mortal territories. While Xuanguang Sect gave away spirit veins, mortal territories are the primary source of spirit seeds, serving as the foundation for sects to continue developing and growing. Now, granting them to the two sects is akin to cutting flesh from Xuanguang Sect.
If given, allowing these spirit seeds to the two Foundation Establishment sects would be less beneficial than keeping them to enhance their own combat power.
If not given, how could they explain to subordinate sects? After all, they suffered heavy losses for Chongming County.
After lengthy deliberations and multiple discussions within the sect, although some territory was allocated, it ultimately shrank significantly, only half of the original territory of the two sects.
Therefore, the Kong Family and Spirit Talisman Sect could only slightly recover these past few years, their strength considerably diminished compared to before.
The Kong Family is slightly better off because Kong Family prodigy Kong Pengfei successfully established his foundation two years ago, alongside Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Patriarch Kong Lingde, giving the family two Foundation Establishment individuals and eighty to ninety Qi Cultivation elites.
Spirit Talisman Sect has two Foundation Establishment individuals, Sect Leader Yinn Hongbo and Grand Elder Zhuang Qing, both at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, and eighty Qi Cultivation elites.
Besides these two Foundation Establishment subordinates, Xuanguang Sect also has one more subordinate sect, which is the thoroughly declined Shouzhuo Sect.
In the battle for the Primordial Pearl on Yuqing Mountain, Shouzhuo Sect lost both its Sect Leader and Elder, two Foundation Establishment combat powers, and subsequently suffered a surprise attack from Spirit Talisman Sect, losing its mountain gate and accumulations. Later, during the two counties’ war, it was considered cannon fodder due to lack of protection, suffering severe damage.
At present, the entire sect consists of fewer than thirty disciples.
To make matters worse, the succeeding Sect Leader Qin Zhiyi was originally one of the few prominent young heroes in Chongming County, but perhaps due to the sect’s catastrophe, his mind is unstable, or perhaps the burden of reviving the sect is too heavy.
He unexpectedly failed in his long-awaited Foundation Establishment opportunity!
Although a first-time failure means there may be future opportunities, only the first Foundation Establishment opportunity is predictable, arriving within five years after Qi Cultivation Perfection. The second opportunity has no consistency, and no one knows when it will arrive.
Moreover, if ordinary Loose Cultivators fail, it’s just a failure. Foundation Establishment failure is commonplace; otherwise, the ratio of Qi Cultivators to Foundation Establishment Feather Scholars wouldn’t roughly remain at one hundred to one.
But Qin Zhiyi is the Sect Leader of Shouzhuo Sect, the sect’s beacon of hope.
This Foundation Establishment failure left Shouzhuo Sect utterly disappointed and disheartened, and for Qin Zhiyi himself, it was a devastating blow.
Rumors say this Sect Leader Qin already has white hair and an aged face, hardly recognizable as a young man anymore.
Fortunately, upon taking office, Xu Chengyun, the new Sect Leader of Xuanguang Sect, considered Shouzhuo Sect’s merits, as the sect also fell to this state due to Xuanguang Sect’s orders. Ignoring it would chill the hearts of the subordinate sects. Thus, he allocated a first-level spirit vein in the southwest of Mingjian Mountain for Shouzhuo Sect to settle in.
The only benefit is that although they’ve declined to a Qi Cultivation sect, they don’t need to become a vassal of a Foundation Establishment sect.
Currently, Shouzhuo Sect is barely surviving in this corner bordering Xinghu County, treated as a nonentity by Xuanguang Sect.
Xuanguang Sect, along with the Kong Family, Spirit Talisman Sect, and Shouzhuo Sect, forms the adversary Lu Qian and the Shuangye Alliance must face.
Therefore, in terms of power comparison, Xuanguang Sect still holds the absolute advantage.
Moreover, due to the vast disparity in base combat power, if both sides rest and recuperate simultaneously, Xuanguang Sect’s strengthening speed will be much faster than Yunshan Sect.
The longer time passes, the greater this disparity becomes.
At this moment, Lu Qian suddenly empathizes with Chancellor Zhou of Jihan.
Why couldn’t he stand firm in Shu Region, recuperate, and refrain from confronting a stronger nation as weak with frequent national attacks northward? Because he clearly knew the gap in their national power was too great, the longer time passed, the more unbeatable Wei Kingdom became.
However, fortunately, although Yunshan Sect doesn’t possess the strategic genius of a chancellor, it isn’t as frustrated as Jihan.
Yunshan Sect’s chance of victory lies in four aspects: first, the support of Master Cangfeng and Liangxiang County; second, Wu Yan’s achievement of Golden Core in over thirty years; third, the final card, the Primordial Pearl; and fourth, the soon-to-cross-tribulation Guh Niqiang.
Therefore, in Lu Qian’s strategy, Yunshan Sect need not be so aggressive; instead, it should seize opportunities when advantageous, conduct acts that weaken the enemy when possible, and if no opportunity arises, hold to its territory and develop securely.
Only, the principle Lu Qian understands is surely understood by Xuanguang Sect as well.
While Xuanguang Sect is unaware of Wu Yan and the Primordial Pearl as Yunshan Sect’s trump cards, they certainly won’t let Guh Nishang calmly and successfully cross tier to achieve Golden Core.
The fact that Guh Niqiang is not within the Shuangye Alliance is likely a secret that cannot remain hidden; that will be the time when Xuanguang Sect makes its move.
Indeed, just as Shuangye Alliance sums up one phase of operations and calculates the strategy for the next phase, a meeting targeting Yunshan Sect is also unfolding in Mingjian Mountain.
Master Fengfeng sat at the head, dressed in white with long, loose hair hanging down. Despite his fair appearance, it was shrouded in a gloomy aura. Even with closed eyes, fierce vital energy occasionally surged, causing those present to secretly tremble.
This was not a good omen.
