The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace-Chapter 442 - 560: The Battle Erupts!

Chapter 560: The Battle Erupts!

"Pursue them! We must pursue them!!"

"Does Seven Kings City really think they’re the strongest force?"

"Let’s go to war! I can’t wait any longer!!"

Seven Kings City were bandits, while the Cangqiong Guild were merchants—there was always some inherent conflict and opposition between the two.

During their early development, these two forces had clashed multiple times, even engaging in full-scale battles twice. Ultimately, both sides refrained from continuing for the sake of their own growth.

After becoming dominant powers, occasional minor conflicts occurred, but neither side cared much, as they were small-scale skirmishes.

However, this time was no minor skirmish. Seven Kings City had outright killed nine human-tier Gongfengs and four Earth-tier Gongfengs from the Cangqiong Guild, inflicting catastrophic losses.

On a smaller scale, it was a severe blow to the foundation of a new branch. On a larger scale, it obstructed the Cangqiong Guild’s development plans.

If the Cangqiong Guild were weaker than Seven Kings City, that would be one thing—after all, this world operates on strength, and the strong prey on the weak. But the Cangqiong Guild was also extremely powerful, one of the top three forces in the Tianyuan Realm, with three Emperors.

To take such a huge loss, why would they not retaliate? 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

This was the thinking of the quasi-Emperor-level cultivators present.

"We can fight, but a full-scale war might be unwise."

"What’s unwise about it? They just trampled all over us—are we supposed to swallow our pride?"

"I mean, we can fight, but there’s no need to throw everyone in!"

"Why not go all out? Do we need the other side to make the decision for us?"

The discussion escalated into an argument.

Everyone understood—they had to fight. If they didn’t retaliate, how could the Cangqiong Guild survive in the Tianyuan Realm? The key was strategy. If they showed hesitation or fear, Seven Kings City would assume the guild was weak, and next time, they would act even more recklessly.

Yet there was a disagreement on how to fight. Some of the quasi-Emperors wanted immediate, full-scale retaliation. The conservative faction wanted to fight, but not commit everyone. Neither side could convince the other.

After roughly the span of a tea ceremony, a figure silently appeared at the front of the room. He was slender, with sharp eyes and a fleeting form that seemed to merge with the surrounding Dao.

Seeing him, all the quasi-Emperors instinctively fell silent and even stood to bow.

"Chairman Zhao."

The Cangqiong Guild had three Emperors: one chairman and two vice-chairmen. The chairman had not appeared in centuries. Normally, the vice-chairmen made decisions on major matters. This man was one of them.

Chairman Zhao calmly surveyed the room. None of the quasi-Emperors dared meet his gaze.

"I am aware of the situation. Let the Emperor-level cultivators observe for now; everything else is at your discretion."

With that, his form gradually faded until he vanished completely, as if he had never appeared.

His words had already set the directive: fighting was allowed, but Emperor-level cultivators were to remain inactive for the moment. How to fight, where to fight, and how many to deploy were entirely up to them.

With Zhao’s order, the matter was clear. Master Wang and the others quickly devised a plan: each guild branch would dispatch some Gongfengs to converge and search for Seven Kings City bandits across the Tianyuan Realm. Once found, strike immediately—leave no survivors.

The plan was swiftly communicated to all branches, causing considerable discussion and commotion.

"What does this mean? Are we really going to war with Seven Kings City?"

"It seems they ambushed one of our branches and killed many of our Gongfengs."

"Finally! It’s about time! I’ve long despised those bandits from Seven Kings City!"

Most of the guild’s Gongfengs were fully supportive, though some were reluctant.

This group had joined the Cangqiong Guild to have backing while earning a monthly stipend—they were willing to contribute but did not want to risk their lives. After all, Seven Kings City was no weak force. In battle, survival was never guaranteed.

However, having taken the guild’s stipend meant they had obligations. They could not openly refuse; they had to follow orders.

The Cangqiong Guild’s greatest strength was its wealth and resources. Each branch had spent heavily to recruit Gongfengs—some masters in alchemy, artifact-crafting, and formations, others purely powerful fighters.

When all these fighters were deployed, it was an extremely formidable force. Most were Saint King-level, with a few Great Saint-level cultivators.

They spread across the Tianyuan Realm to locate Seven Kings City bandits. True to their orders, once they were found, there would be no survivors.

For a time, fierce battles erupted all over the Tianyuan Realm among Saint King-level cultivators. In most cases, Seven Kings City was utterly defeated, with entire forces wiped out. Only a few lucky survivors escaped.

The Cangqiong Guild had prepared thoroughly, and their cultivators outnumbered Seven Kings City. It was essentially a crushing advantage.

Through these waves of ambushes, Seven Kings City suffered heavy casualties among their Saint Kings, losses even greater than the Cangqiong Guild’s earlier suffering.

When a lucky survivor returned to Seven Kings City to report the situation, the leadership was extremely concerned—if this continued, the city would soon be reduced to a few scattered commanders.

The strongest among the Seven Kings was the Martial King, who rarely appeared and spent most of his time in seclusion cultivating. His son managed the city’s affairs.

After understanding the full situation, he consulted with the other kings and received a clear response:

"If they fight, then let them fight."

The outcome was obvious. Long-standing grudges and mutual defiance had reached a point where the only solution was war.

Thus, the two strongest powers in the Tianyuan Realm began clashing.

For now, the Emperor-level cultivators had not yet joined; the battles were fought among Saint King-level fighters.

Even so, it caused a tremendous stir throughout the realm.

No one would have imagined that this massive war was triggered by a single Great Saint-level member of the Fang family.

Smaller forces, fearing collateral damage, stayed home. This was wise; Saint King-level combat generated enormous shockwaves. One unlucky passerby could be killed by residual energy.

After all, these were the two strongest powers in the Tianyuan Realm. Their battles paid no heed to bystanders, and if one were killed by the aftershock, there was no one to argue with—it was simply a matter of bad luck.