Chapter 242: Chapter 177: The Heavens Are About to Change

He was incredibly relieved when Xia Qingxue appeared before him. After searching for so long to no avail, he had already prepared himself for the worst—that she had been killed or captured. He never imagined she would return completely unscathed.

He breathed a huge sigh of relief. The others only knew that Xia Qingxue was the Direct Disciple of a Supreme Elder and was greatly cherished.

But he knew more of the inside story. He knew it was far more than simple favoritism. To put it crudely, if he and Xia Qingxue both fell into the water and only one could be saved, he would be abandoned without a second thought.

It was precisely for this reason that the Golden Crow Sect had so decisively declared war on the Celestial Vein Sect. Not even the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder combined could stop it, for this was the collective will of the three Supreme Elders!

"It’s wonderful that you’ve returned safely. The Supreme Elder will be overjoyed," Chen Wushang said happily.

Xia Qingxue cut his pleasantries short. "It wasn’t the Celestial Vein Sect that ambushed me. It was the Blood Demons. You’ve been deceived."

"What? Are you sure?" Chen Wushang’s pupils shrank, his voice filled with doubt. From his perspective, the Blood Demons were nothing more than a contemptible faction. How could they possibly dare to make a move against the Golden Crow Sect?

"Do you think I have any reason to lie to you?"

Despite Chen Wushang’s lofty position, Xia Qingxue showed him no deference. It couldn’t be helped—her seniority and status were frighteningly high.

Chen Wushang was no fool; he quickly put the pieces together. Without further hesitation, he immediately sent a message back to the Sect and arranged for an escort to take Xia Qingxue back...

When the Golden Crow Sect Master, Cheng Muqiu, received Chen Wushang’s message, he was both shocked and delighted. He was shocked that there was indeed something fishy going on and delighted that the news had arrived just in time, before the two sects had officially gone to war.

’I must report this to the Supreme Elders at once.’

With this thought, Cheng Muqiu hurried to the abode of Golden Sun Master Su Ding and recounted the entire affair from beginning to end. Afterward, he asked expectantly, "Supreme Elder, should we not rescind the mobilization order and turn our efforts to hunting down the Blood Demons hiding in the shadows?"

But to his utter disbelief, Su Ding said something that Cheng Muqiu found impossible to comprehend.

"A truce? Why a truce?"

Cheng Muqiu froze, and the color drained from his face. "Why?" he asked, bewildered. "The culprits are the Blood Demons. Shouldn’t we focus our efforts on hunting them down? Why are we still fighting this pointless war?"

From the very beginning, he had been against going to war with the Celestial Vein Sect. The two sects were not far apart in overall strength, and the consequences of war would be unpredictable.

He had originally thought Su Ding was insisting on war because the Celestial Vein Sect had ambushed Xia Qingxue, and that he could stop the war if he could only uncover the truth. But now, it seemed that was not the case at all.

His eyes widened as he stared at Su Ding, trying to read something in that wrinkled face. But he was doomed to be disappointed, for Su Ding’s expression was one of pure, cold indifference.

"Why?" Cheng Muqiu asked, dazed.

Su Ding shot him a glance and said coldly, "For the Sect."

"Do you have any idea how many people will die if we go to war with the Celestial Vein Sect?" Cheng Muqiu’s eyes were bloodshot. He was not a soft-hearted person; countless sect disciples had died under his orders, and he too could be ruthless in achieving his goals.

But what he could not accept was meaningless bloodshed. He didn’t understand why the Supreme Elder was so insistent on war, even knowing that the Celestial Vein Sect was not the culprit.

"Are you lecturing me?" Su Ding’s gaze grew colder, and his sharp aura pressed down on Cheng Muqiu, making it hard for him to breathe.

"I just want an answer," Cheng Muqiu said, forcing himself to stand his ground.

"You need only know this is all for the Sect. Proceed with the invasion of the Celestial Vein Sect as planned. This is the unanimous decision of all the Supreme Elders, and it is final!"

Su Ding, however, had no intention of explaining. With a flick of his sleeve, he departed, leaving Cheng Muqiu standing there, utterly dumbstruck.

At that moment, he would have to be a complete fool not to understand. Xia Qingxue’s ambush was merely a pretext to attack the Celestial Vein Sect. The three Supreme Elders had ulterior motives.

Cheng Muqiu heaved a deep sigh. He knew that the war was now inevitable. If he defied Su Ding’s will, his position as Sect Leader would be filled by someone else.

Arriving at the Minor Affairs Hall, he summoned a group of Elders and said bitterly, "Issue a Recruitment Order to the Huansha Sect, the Lieyang Sect, and the Xiang Province Rong Clan. In ten days, we begin an all-out war with the Celestial Vein Sect!"

——————

News of the Golden Crow Sect’s impending all-out war with the Celestial Vein Sect quickly spread throughout the Daqi Cultivation World, and the various influences reacted in their own ways.

「Quan Province, Lingyun Peak.」

The Celestial Vein Sect Master, Zhao Di, had a thunderous expression on his face. He practically roared, "What the hell does that mad dog Cheng Muqiu think he’s doing?! Who ambushed them?!"

The Elders in the hall exchanged uneasy glances. Zhao Di’s words weren’t entirely accurate. They had indeed had the same idea and were even planning to act on it, but someone had beaten them to the punch.

Although they hadn’t done it, they were pleased with the outcome. At the time, Zhao Di had even felt a bit of secret glee. So when the Golden Crow Sect became suspicious, Zhao Di had no intention of explaining himself, as that would be a sign of weakness.

But no one had expected the Golden Crow Sect’s reaction to be so extreme—to actually choose all-out war. At this point, Zhao Di started to panic. While he wasn’t afraid of the Golden Crow Sect, that didn’t mean he was willing to take the fall for someone else.

But the other side refused to listen to any explanation, dead set on war. That was why Zhao Di was so furious.

"Fine! If he wants a war, he’ll get one! Issue a Recruitment Order to Hundred Herbs Hall and the Celestial Sword Sect! This time, we’ll beat them into submission!" Zhao Di said hatefully.

The Elders exchanged a look. None of them objected. After all, the enemy was already at their gates. The truth no longer mattered...

「Bian Province, Luoxia City, Celestial Sound Mountain.」

Muu Guibai frowned deeply as he read the latest news. No one had expected the two major sects to go to all-out war at a time like this. Looking back at the whole affair, it was a complete farce.

The two major sects had a feud stretching back thousands of years, and they had gone to all-out war more than a few times. But never had it been so rushed, so farcical.

This filled Muu Guibai with a sense of unease. In recent years, the Demon Beasts of the Hundred Thousand Mountains had been stirring again, showing signs of advancing north.

The Blood Demons, silent for many years, had also reappeared in the public eye.

And now, the two major sects were erupting into a great war.

All these events, one after another, made him sense something unusual in the air.

He glanced at the dark clouds gathering on the horizon and murmured softly, "A storm is brewing."

...

「Ling Province, Vast Mist Peak.」

Song Changsheng had also received the news of the two major sects going to all-out war, which surprised him. ’Hasn’t Xia Qingxue made it back yet?’

However, what gave him some comfort was that the Golden Crow Sect had only conscripted Purple Mansion Level Influences this time. Foundation Establishment Influences were not included in the summons, which was undoubtedly beneficial for the Song Clan.

More crucially, the Lieyang Sect had been conscripted. This made Song Changsheng secretly gleeful. People die on the battlefield, especially these vassal forces. Their true purpose was to be cannon fodder.

"It’d be best if they were all wiped out," Song Changsheng muttered.

————

「Yang Province, the Celestial Yang Mountain Range, Lieyang Sect.」

Zhang Hongguang stared at the Recruitment Order from the Golden Crow Sect, his face exceptionally grim.

The former Sect Leader, Wang Yuesong, had been deposed by the Elder Council for various reasons, and Grand Elder Zhang Hongguang had been pushed into the Sect Leader’s position.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that he would receive a Recruitment Order before he even had a chance to make his mark. For the current Lieyang Sect, this was nothing short of a disaster.

But was he in any position to refuse? Of course not. Such is the plight of the weak.

Just then, a white-haired figure walked into the hall. He swept his gaze over everyone present and said in a cold voice, "I was only in seclusion for a short time, and the Sect has fallen into such a state. Are you all pigs?"

The words were deeply humiliating, yet far from being angered, the faces of everyone in the hall lit up with delighted surprise. They bowed as one and exclaimed, "We greet the Supreme Elder!"

...