City of Taihe

"Yes... right..."

Gu Luochen responded somewhat awkwardly.

His ancestor spoke so matter-of-factly that he almost believed Ye Yiren had really perished together with Tan Qingquan.

"In other words, the Taihe Sword Sect no longer has Spirit Transformation Grandmaster in charge."

Gu Jinlai cracked his neck and immediately said, "Gu Chaoyang, guard the city. Luo Chen, you two come with me to the Taihe Sword Sect again."

"Go to the Taihe Sword Sect?"

Gu Luochen seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"It is only right to retaliate! My elders of the Purgatory Sect have all been harmed by Ye Yiren of the Taihe Sword Sect. As an elder of the Purgatory Sect, it is only right for me to attack the Taihe Sword Sect to avenge my elders."

Gu Jinlai this with a wave of their hand. "Let's go."

"Ancestor, our current manpower is already at its limit in occupying Baihe City. If we were to take Taihe City as well..."

Gu Chaoyang whispered.

"I know what I'm doing."

Gu Jinlai said, "I'm just going to plunder the Taihe Sword Sect. Perfect timing. To ensure everything goes smoothly, let's just hand over Taihe City to the Purgatory Sect. That way, they'll have both face and substance. Not only will they not come after me, but they'll also reward me for surrendering the city."

"Our ancestor was wise."

Gu Chaoyang breathed a sigh of relief.

The Gu Clan has been expanding too rapidly lately.

They were overjoyed when they first occupied Lingxiao City.

The Gu Clan finally has its own city, and it will surely usher in decades of rapid development in the future.

When Gu Jinlai conquered Yuanhua City in one fell swoop, their joy was doubled, and they even forgot about the problem of not being able to take care of both ends.

Fortunately, after more than half a year of recuperation, the Gu Clan finally managed to establish themselves in Lingxiao City and Yuanhua City.

But then, less than a year later...

Sunset City was captured, and Changjun City also submitted to them. Their territory expanded again, and Gu Chaoyang clearly felt that he was not up to the task.

The Gu Clan...

That's not enough.

Even if he were to retake Baihe City now, he would have to reluctantly divide his troops there.

As for Taihe City...

That was truly beyond their reach.

"Our Gu Clan's foundation is really too shallow."

Gu Chaoyang sighed.

"Then we have to think of a way."

From Gu Jinlai, it has been said, "It is a good idea for the head of the family to absorb the Huang family into our Gu Clan."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chaoyang's heart stirred. "An alliance... or rather, a marriage alliance..."

"That's a good idea."

Gu Jinlai nodded. "The Gu Clan has a lot of young men, especially you few. Although you are still young and have not yet Core Forming, each of you is almost equivalent to governing a city. With your status, if you take a fancy to a woman and she comes to propose marriage, no one can refuse."

"Us?"

Gu Chaoyang was taken aback, but he didn't seem to have any sense of rejection.

As scions of prominent families, they were naturally prepared to sacrifice for their Lineage.

It's just a simple marriage alliance, nothing special.

I'll keep an eye on it.

"Um."

From Gu Jinlai, a voice responded.

Soon, the team of over a hundred demon warriors regrouped and headed towards Taihe City, four hundred miles away.

The Taihe Sword Sect is named after its location in Taihe City.

Although this sect has only been around for a short time, it has quite a few experts among its members.

Besides Ye Yiren, a Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivator, there are four other Spirit Refining Elders.

The remaining Core Forming, Gang Condensing, and Qi Refining number in the hundreds. The entire sect, including outer disciples and servants, has a population exceeding 40,000.

They have long been entrenched in Taihe City, and have long been bound together with the surrounding counties and ethnic groups, forming a huge community of shared interests.

However, at this moment, this huge community of interests is clearly facing the biggest crisis since its establishment.

Baihe City is 400 li away from Taihe City. Long before it was occupied by the Purgatory Sect, they had already sent a large number of spies into Baihe City.

Under these circumstances, news that Ye Yiren and Tan Qingquan joined forces to ambush Gu Jinlai, but were killed by Gu Jinlai in one fell swoop by relying on the advantage of the killing Spirit Artifact, quickly reached the Taihe Sword Sect.

Immediately, the Taihe Sword Sect was in a state of panic, and Sect Leader Ye Longfei summoned the three elders for a meeting.

Before they could even discuss how to deal with this major event that could potentially destabilize the Taihe Sword Sect's rule, news spread that hundreds of Gods and Devils warriors from Gu Jinlai were rushing towards Taihe City at full speed.

At their speed, they are expected to reach Taihe City within half a day.

Immediately, chaos erupted within the Taihe Sword Sect, as protectors and local interest representatives who had received the news flocked to the sect leader to request an audience.

In less than an hour, the small, closed-door meeting had expanded to more than forty people.

The cacophony of over forty voices created a chaotic scene.

"Why did Elder Ye have to get involved in the affairs of the Purgatory Sect? The Purgatory Sect is one of the Ten Great Demon Sects. How can we interfere in the internal strife of such a power?"

"Where did this person come from, from Gu Jinlai to the present? We've never heard of him before."

"Although he was True Person of Spirit Refining before, his fame was limited to the territory of Chi Province occupied by the Purgatory Sect. It was only in the last two years that he seemed to have obtained an extraordinary inheritance and switched to the Heavenly Master cultivation, which is why he has gained momentum."

"This is not just a simple start; it's a meteoric rise. In the past year or so, he first wiped out the Three Great Families of Lingxiao City, then annihilated hundreds of experts from the Crimson Blood Demonic Gate Sect, and then even managed to turn the tables against the siege of Zhang Lu, the Star Envoy of the Heavenly Gang Sect, laying the foundation for his dominance in the region. A few months ago, they also defeated the attack of Bai Xiang and Wuchenzi, great cultivators of the Cold Moon Sect. This kind of strength is undoubtedly the combat power of a peak Spirit Transformation."

In the conference room, various sounds came and went.

A thousand people, a thousand faces.

There are more than forty ideas among forty-odd people.

As a result, Ye Longfei, the leader of the Taihe Sword Sect, and the three Spirit Refining Elders could hardly get a word in edgewise at this point.

Seeing the commotion, and knowing that even if Gu Jinlai arrived, they probably wouldn't be able to reach a conclusion, Ye Longfei had no choice but to shout, "Enough! Now is not the time to argue about these things! We've gathered here to discuss how to solve this problem!"

"Aren't we discussing it right now?"

"What's there to be afraid of? No matter how powerful Gu Jinlai, there are so many of us here. We can overwhelm them with sheer numbers."

"Pile them up to death? What are you going to use to pile them up? You're going to be the first one to go? If Gu Jinlai just an ordinary Spirit Refining... or even Spirit Transformation, we wouldn't lack the courage to fight him with the leadership of several True Person. But his two kinds of killing Spirit Artifact completely shatter our numerical advantage! They only need to carry their killing Spirit Artifact and fight while retreating. It won't be long before they wipe us out!"

Ye Longfei's stern shout only brought order to the scene for a moment before everything returned to normal.

Dozens of people were talking at once, creating a chaotic scene.

Ultimately, Ye Longfei's reputation is insufficient.

He has only achieved the Spirit Refining for four years, and that was only because of the sect's relentless accumulation of resources.

He was able to sit on the throne of sect leader because of his status as the nephew of the Supreme Elder Ye Yiren. Otherwise, which of the elders would not be more qualified than him?

Ye Longfei understood this as well.

For a moment, he had no choice but to turn his attention to an old man.

Ning Zhen.

Ning Zhen began cultivating at the age of twelve and it took him six years to complete his Body Tempering. After joining the Taihe Sword Sect, he spent twenty years outside the sect, first as an outer disciple, then as inner disciple after Blood Changing, and finally, through a fortuitous opportunity, he cultivated True Qi and became True Disciple.

He wasted more than a decade in the stage of True Disciple. In the end, because he had exceeded the time limit for becoming a disciple, he became a steward and protector. Then, step by step, he broke through the Spirit Refining and became an elder.

Today, he is 120 years old and is the most prestigious person in the room.

Noticing the sect leader's pleading gaze, Ning Zhen sighed, "Gu Jinlai, we have never been able to fight against this."

Ye Longfei was taken aback.

When he spoke, the murmurs in the room subsided somewhat.

Ning Zhen stood up. "His strength Gu Jinlai is based on two points. One is that he, as a Heavenly Lord, forged the killing Spirit Artifact, and I don't need to elaborate on the power of the killing Spirit Artifact. The other point is his own combat strength."

At this point, he said heavily, "He has openly demonstrated his absolute strength more than once Gu Jinlai. Back then, he fought against Zhang Lu, who was at the peak of the Spirit Refining, and in Changjun City, he killed Yun Guantian, who was at the peak of the Spirit Refining, with a single punch in front of everyone. All aspects show that, in terms of combat power, he is no less than Spirit Transformation cultivator who has not practiced the Sword Control Technique."

"Elder Ning..."

Ye Longfei was getting anxious.

Ning Zhen didn't give him a chance to speak, and said directly, "Since we can't beat them, what's wrong with retreating for now?"

"Back down?"

"It is an undeniable fact that Tan Qingquan, an elder of the Purgatory Sect, Gu Jinlai murdered. The Purgatory Sect will never let this go. Under these circumstances, we only need to be patient for a while, and he will naturally retreat. At that time, Taihe City will still be our Taihe City."

Ning Zhendao.

The plan was immediately approved by everyone.

They didn't want to confront this fearsome god from Gu Jinlai, but they dared not be the first to bring it up because they didn't know how others would react.

The moment Ning Zhen, who currently held immense prestige, spoke, immediately...

"Elder Ning is right. A moment of patience brings calm, and a step back opens up a vast sky. Since we cannot fight against the Gu Jinlai, why not temporarily avoid the limelight?"

"We've seen him build his magnificent mansion, entertain his guests, and then watch it crumble. Throughout Gu Jinlai, even if someone is ruthless for a time, once the Purgatory Sect has a chance to make its move, it will still be his day of reckoning. Under these circumstances, why should we fight to the death with someone who is destined to die?"

"I agree with Elder Ning's suggestion. We will go back now and have the clan's elites take the valuable treasures, break into smaller groups, and lie in wait. There may be some losses, but they will be within our acceptable range."

Many responded.

The guardians in the arena responded enthusiastically.

Upon hearing what everyone was saying, Ye Longfei's face turned pale and then red.

They can hide, but what about him, the leader of the Taihe Sword Sect?

Gu Jinlai, how could anyone let him go?

"You...you think you can escape? He has been a heinous villain Gu Jinlai. If he doesn't get enough benefits and then slaughters Taihe City in a fit of rage, you and your families will all be buried with him for your cowardly choice."

Ye Longfei roared angrily.

Some of the Dharma protectors avoided his stern gaze.

However, this suggestion was made by Ning Zhen, and with this elder taking the lead, they were not afraid.

Some people even said, "Then just give him some benefits to appease his anger, wouldn't that solve the problem..."

"Alright, let's not delay, let's make arrangements as soon as possible."

As Ning Zhen spoke, she stood up, clearly intending to abandon Ye Longfei and go it alone.

After this, he will be the biggest winner, and perhaps even the Taihe Sword Sect will fall into his hands.

In this situation, when Gu Jinlai led hundreds of Gods and Devils, and warriors to Taihe City, what they saw was a city with its gates wide open and completely undefended.

This smooth sailing left Gu Jinlai, who had planned to stretch his muscles a bit more, completely bewildered.