The phrase "Though far away, we will surely punish them" might sound arrogant to others, but considering the fate of the Heaven-Shaking Demon Emperor, the Peacock Great Emperor and others had no choice but to believe it.
Senior Sister Zhang's figure was very illusory. In reality, she was not so bold as to leave Vast Sun Base and chase after several Golden Immortal to this place. Instead, she was projected here through the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation.
She still looked somewhat dissatisfied.
To be honest, if possible, she really wanted to keep all these people in front of her.
The problem is that they were able to kill the Heaven-Shaking Demon Emperor because they opened up the Xuanwei Sea. The Sun- Sun-Shooting Army needs the detection data of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation to achieve success. The current detection range of the Thick-Earth Magnetism Formation only covers the Xuanwei Sea and a part of the North Sea.
If the Heaven-Shaking Demon Emperor had run any further, he really wouldn't have been able to hit him.
On the other hand, the Sun- Sun-Shooting Army was really exhausted. Even after consuming a huge amount of Spirit Stone and with the help of the Golden Sun Burning-Heaven Formation, their Divine Sense had not recovered after shooting three arrows. They might be able to shoot one or two more arrows, but if they couldn't kill Golden Immortal, it wouldn't be of much use.
Therefore, Senior Sister Zhang looked at Peacock Great Emperor and the others with a hint of regret in her eyes.
Seeing her expression, the Peacock Great Emperor and his companions panicked—this woman really wanted to kill them all!
The Peacock Great Emperor and the Jade Pool Blissful Heavenly Maiden exchanged a glance, seemingly knowing that the Nine Mountains Sect and they were already enemies. There was no point in saying anything more, so the two of them retreated swiftly towards the Western Continent without uttering a word.
But the Supreme Dao Xuan Chengzi and the others were dumbfounded.
He wanted to leave too... but the Supreme Dao was in the Eastern Continent!
If he wants to go home, he has to cross the Xuanwei Sea.
To cross the Xuanwei Sea, one must pass under the arrows flying from the heavens of the Nine Mountains Sect.
What should we do?
Senior Sister Zhang watched the Peacock Great Emperor and his companion leave, her eyes still filled with murderous intent. She seemed to be thinking of the people from the Supreme Dao again, and narrowed her eyes as she looked at Xuan Chengzi and the others.
She had not yet attained the Dao Fruit, yet the three disciples of the Supreme Dao felt somewhat nervous upon being glanced at by her.
"Does the Supreme Dao also intend to be an enemy of my Nine Mountains Sect?"
Senior Sister Zhang spoke slowly.
Xuan Chengzi forced a stiff smile and said, "My Supreme Dao and the Nine Mountains Sect have always been on good terms, so how could we possibly be enemies with the Nine Mountains Sect?"
"Real?"
"Of course!" Xuan Chengzi nodded repeatedly, then added, "We have come here only to borrow your sect's precious land to return to our own sect."
Senior Sister Zhang nodded slowly, seemingly believing her.
" The Supreme Dao is unwilling to be enemies with my Nine Mountains Sect?"
"I have absolutely no such intention!"
"If that's the case, how come I heard that a few days ago, our Nine Mountains Sect's caravan was driven out of the country by the Supreme Dao, and the disciples of the Supreme Dao are no longer trading with our Nine Mountains Sect? Rumor has it that some people in the Supreme Dao are very hostile to our Nine Mountains Sect?" Senior Sister Zhang's eyes held a half-smile as she said quietly, "What do you mean, not even a single pill is allowed to be sold to our Nine Mountains Sect?"
Xuan Chengzi's face turned pale and then red, and he stammered, "Hostile? Who's hostile? It seems the disciples have misunderstood!"
"In that case, can my Nine Mountains Sect purchase the pills from the Supreme Dao?"
Of course!
"Can the goods of my Nine Mountains Sect be sold in the Supreme Dao?"
"Absolutely no obstacles."
Senior Sister Zhang seemed satisfied, and nodded towards Xuan Chengzi: "In that case, my Nine Mountains Sect will not take action against the fellow Daoists of the Supreme Dao."
Xuan Chengzi cupped his hands in greeting, his expression kind and even somewhat humble, and led the disciples of the Supreme Dao away.
As they disappeared at the edge of the horizon, a voice finally reached Senior Sister Zhang's ears. " The Supreme Dao is untrustworthy. This Xuan Chengzi has no good intentions."
"I know." Senior Sister Zhang nodded to Dragon Lord Shuyu. "He's probably coveting the Primordial Purple Qi. Junior Brother's idea is that we should leave the Supreme Dao."
"What did the Sect Leader say?"
"Hmm," Senior Sister Zhang explained, "Based on Junior Brother's observations at Thunderclap Temple, there should be significant divisions within the Supreme Dao. Xuan Chengzi hates Nine Nether and is loyal to Leiyin, but there is also a faction that dislikes Buddhist School. They may not necessarily want to befriend us, but they certainly won't blindly follow Lu Mo's lead."
"This Xuan Chengzi, though seemingly respectful to Lu Mo, is actually at odds with Lei Yin, and his true intention is still to prioritize the interests of the Supreme Dao."
Dragon Lord Shuyu fell into thought.
"I also want to show them what's what. But even if the Sun-Shooting Army couldn't reach the Supreme Dao, with their Supreme Dao Venerable, it would be difficult for them to achieve anything," Senior Sister Zhang sighed. "On the other hand, Junior Brother said that if we force them, the Supreme Dao might truly unite. We might not be able to withstand nine Golden Immortal. It's better to let them argue amongst themselves."
That's absolutely right.
"Most importantly, our greatest enemy is Thunderclap Temple; we shouldn't make too many enemies." Senior Sister Zhang sighed, seemingly convincing herself, "Our primary strategic objective during this period isn't Supreme Dao."
Strategic objectives?
Senior Sister Zhang lowered her gaze slightly, looking at the ocean beneath her feet, a half-smile playing on her lips, "Our Nine Mountains Sect fired three arrows, consuming so many resources; we should at least have some spoils."
"Spoils of war..."
Senior Sister Zhang squinted, looking down at the ocean beneath her feet. "If you come out now, I might spare your life."
Otherwise...
Before she could finish speaking, a figure appeared on the sea with a bitter expression; it was none other than the Azure Abyss Dragon King.
He shrank back, on the verge of tears. The Peacock Great Emperor and his companion could return to Thunderclap Temple, but how could he leave the North Sea?
To be honest, he felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Zhang Wuyi. A Golden Immortal! A Golden Immortal had died right before his eyes!
He died in the North Sea!
Seeing him with his head down, not daring to look directly at the two of them, the Dragon Lord Shuyu sneered, "Shuyu, you're not going to say anything? You were calling me 'Shuyu the lowly servant' so loudly just now, weren't you?"
"Dragon Lord..."
"I dare not accept such praise."
"Little Dragon has been bewitched..."
Senior Sister Zhang waved her hand and said, "Offer the North Sea Sea-Calming Seal and surrender to the Nine Mountains, and I will spare your life and allow your family to be reunited."
The Azure Abyss Dragon King's expression shifted for a long time before he finally dared not refuse and said, "Yes!"
Dragon Lord Shuyu understood. "Does the sect have designs on the Northern Continent?"
Senior Sister Zhang smiled gently.
"Now that Thunderclap Temple has locked itself off in the Western Continent and the Supreme Dao is internally unstable, this is a window of opportunity to conquer the Northern Continent." In the Vast Sun Base, Sword Dao Body spoke eloquently, as if he had already planned ahead.
Senior Sister Zhang, the Heavenly Emperor Body, Uncle-Master Pang, Yun Wuji, and the others stood aside listening.
"Judging from what Lu Mo said, the Primordial Purple Qi actually requires the unification of heaven and earth. Lu Mo's approach is through the Golden Immortal' council, which is the fastest and easiest path."
"But our Nine Mountains Sect is different; we are destined to stand on the opposite side from most Dao Fruit."
Everyone nodded silently.
Leaving aside the differences in their philosophies...
Just considering the relationship between the Nine Mountains Sect and the Nine Nether Emperor, it would be enough to offend most of the Dao Fruit.
Sometimes, choosing your friends means choosing your enemies.
" The Pure Land of Thunderclap Temple still exists. As long as it is restored, it will remain extremely tempting to Golden Immortal," the Sword Dao Body analyzed. "We must accumulate enough territory, resources, and strength during this period to deal with Thunderclap Temple."
He paused, then continued, "After the main body survives the Five Decays Tribulation, the more people it receives, the faster its cultivation will be."
Yun Wuji agreed, "That's true. The stronger the Nine Mountains Sect is now, the greater the help it will be to the Sect Leader."
After listening to what Sword Dao Body said, Senior Sister Zhang added, "Besides that, there's another reason: income."
Everyone then looked at Senior Sister Zhang.
The plan to conquer the Northern Continent was proposed by Senior Sister Zhang and Sword Dao Body together.
At the highest level of the Nine Mountains Sect, there were originally only two radical factions— Aunt-Master Huang and his disciple, Senior Sister Zhang.
With the emergence of the Sword Dao Body, the radical faction gained another major figure.
This strategic plan also signifies that the Nine Mountains Sect has completely shifted its focus and is moving towards expansion.
"We're currently losing money by occupying Vast Sun Mountain." As the chief financial officer of the Nine Mountains Sect, Senior Sister Zhang spoke with great confidence, "Most of the land on Vast Sun Mountain has been polluted by the Gu God. Not only is it unproductive, but it also requires pollution remediation. It won't bring much contribution to the sect for the next few years."
"We originally obtained the treasure trove of Vast Sun Mountain, but most of it was used to refine the Immortal-Slayer Sword Formation, and another 90% was used up in this operation of the Golden Sun Burning-Heaven Formation."
Uncle-Master Pang frowned. " The Sea Region trade routes are cut off again."
"That's the biggest problem," Senior Sister Zhang nodded slowly. "The successive battles have taken a toll on the sect, and the income from the Sea Region trade routes is now almost nonexistent. Meanwhile, the disciples' cultivation levels are still improving, and their numbers are increasing."
Upon hearing Senior Sister Zhang Zhang's words, the others frowned, realizing that the sect's financial situation was indeed not good.
"You're placing your hopes on the Northern Continent?"
"Yes, since the trade routes to the Western Continent are cut off, let's head north... The Northern Continent has cultivators and resources; even if we don't occupy it, we can still make up for some of the losses in the trade routes."
Everyone understood.
Sword Dao Body and Senior Sister Zhang have different starting points.
The essence of the Sword Dao Body is to occupy the Northern Continent and expand the sphere of influence of the Nine Mountains Sect.
Senior Sister Zhang was thinking about how to increase the Nine Mountains Sect's revenue; trade was an option, and occupation was certainly another.
Seeing everyone deep in thought, Senior Sister Zhang added, "Of course, this is just a hypothesis... We know too little about the Northern Continent. Only by first sorting out the North Sea and gathering more intelligence on the Northern Continent can we make a decision and avoid losses."
Losing money fighting Vast Sun Mountain is fine; as long as Vast Sun Mountain survives, the Nine Mountains Sect will perish.
When it comes to attacking the Northern Continent, the Nine Mountains Sect still has to consider the economic implications and cannot expand blindly; their plans are still in their early stages.
Uncle-Master Pang stroked his chin and suddenly laughed, "As we're talking, we've almost forgotten that there are still four Golden Immortal in the Northern Continent. Nephew, do you think they're dead?"
The Three Reclusive Immortals and the Peacock Great Emperor all wield power in the Northern Continent, but when Senior Sister Zhang mentioned this matter just now, she only talked about the costs and benefits, without mentioning these four people at all, as if they didn't exist.
Senior Sister Zhang glanced at the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow on Yun Wuji's back, but didn't say anything, which made everyone laugh.
This battle not only gave the Nine Mountains Sect a period of development, but more importantly, it changed the Nine Mountains Sect's spirit— Golden Immortal? They've killed them before!
While Vast Sun Base was filled with laughter, Thunderclap Temple remained completely silent.
Looking at the Peacock Great Emperor and the Blissful Heavenly Maiden before him, Lu Mo lowered his eyes, seemingly unsure of what to say.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Hantian, is he dead?"
He seemed to have little belief in what he was hearing.
The Peacock Great Emperor lowered his head, his voice low. "Die right before our eyes, that Golden Sun Burning-Heaven Formation..."
" Golden Sun Burning-Heaven Formation..." Lu Mo closed his eyes slightly, his heart filled with complex emotions. The Golden Sun Burning-Heaven Formation was created by him, but this formation had never had such power in his hands.
Who could have imagined that one of his most trusted lieutenants would die under this formation!
We dared not linger and had no choice but to return...
"It's none of your business." Lu Mo waved his hand, showing his understanding. "With Hantian dead, it's good that the two of you can protect yourselves."
A hint of gratitude appeared on the faces of the Peacock Great Emperor and the Blissful Heavenly Maiden.
"However, the Nine Mountains Sect has become a major threat."
The Golden Immortal in the hall remained silent.
Lu Mo pondered for a moment, then said, "The best course of action now is to restore the Pure Land so that we can free up our resources and unite with other Golden Immortal. Until then, you all must be careful of the Nine Mountains Sect Nine Mountains Sect, and it's best not to go there."
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, the faces of the Golden Immortal in the hall darkened even further.
Seeing their grim expressions, Lu Mo said, "With the Great Vajra Dharma Realm here, we have no need to worry about the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow in the Western Continent."
Upon hearing these words, the Eastern Glazed Buddha Ancestor felt not comfort, but rather a pang of sorrow and desolation.
When did Thunderclap Temple and its Golden Immortal have to become tortoises to survive?
He looked around and unconsciously murmured:
"Not long..."
"Just a few days ago, this place was full of Golden Immortal."
" The Pure Land remains intact."
"Nowadays..."
His words echoed lonely in the Mahavira Hall, and no one answered.
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor, unwilling to give up, finally spoke up, "World Honored One, are we just going to let this go like this?"
Lu Mo's eyes were also cold. "We can't let Zheng Fa escape."
He looked at the Blissful Heavenly Maiden and asked, "How is it going at Jade Pool?"
"Under control."
" Zheng Fa " actually arrived at Jade Pool half a month earlier.
The scenery of Jade Pool is extremely unique and quite different from other places.
What impressed him most along the way was actually the vegetation coverage of Jade Pool.
Whether it's Nine Mountains Sect, Vast Sun Mountain, or Thunderclap Temple, although there are plants on the land, the cities and villages are still built on open land, mainly plains.
The edge of Jade Pool is alright; it's mostly farmland, villages, and cities.
But the closer he got to the center of Jade Pool, the more he felt that Jade Pool seemed to be built in a forest.
Most of the houses are made of wood, with two or three stories on stilts, and are built on the foundation of one or two huge ancient trees.
The forest is rich in Spiritual Qi, dotted with rivers and laden with fruit.
The spirit medicine grew freely at my feet.
A fawn suddenly leaped in front of " Zheng Fa," startling a small squirrel-like creature that fell from a branch, still clutching a fruit tightly in its paws.
Zheng Fa reached out his left hand and caught the little squirrel. The little creature wasn't afraid of people. Seeing that it was safe and sound, it stretched out its paw, held the fruit, and offered it to Zheng Fa, as if in gratitude.
Zheng Fa raised his right hand, and with the little guy looking at him with a pained expression, he took the fruit, looked at it, and prepared to put it in his mouth.
"Sect Leader Zheng seems quite relaxed."
A voice sounded from behind him. Zheng Fa seemed unsurprised, took a bite of the fruit, and then turned to look at Nishang Yuanjun.
(End of this chapter)