Dispute

Ning Qingyu paused. He had never wanted to make a fuss in the first place, so he seized the opening and said, "Enough. Since Junior Brother Feng has pleaded for you, I'll let you off this time."

Whether intentionally or not, Ning Qingyu's gaze lingered a little longer on Li Mu as he spoke, as though he had seen through something.

Li Mu could withstand the "disappointed in you" looks from the elders. The other three, however, looked far worse. One by one, they lowered their heads as if they had something to hide.

Watching this scene, Ning Qingyu shook his head inwardly. Though he still hadn't made up his mind, he was genuinely disappointed in Yao Buzhou.

The other disciples could bury their heads in the sand, but as the senior-most disciple, Yao Buzhou should have shown the bearing expected of one.

But if Yao Buzhou truly had that kind of mettle, his early advantage would have made him the clear choice long ago. There would never have been so much discord.

Ning Qingyu himself was a case in point. He wasn't even the sect's senior-most disciple, yet his own ability had still won him the support of most of his peers.

In a sense, the approval of one's fellow disciples mattered more than the elders' backing. After all, the sect had to be passed down, and its gaze had to be fixed on the future.

The ones who would inevitably lead Mount Hua Sect in the future were the Bu generation. To secure the position of sect leader and guide Mount Hua Sect toward greater success, they would need the support of their peers.

There was no need for everyone to be wholeheartedly convinced, but at the very least, he needed the approval of two-thirds of them. Otherwise, even if he took the position, it would be pure torment.

Among the Bu generation, there was currently no clear choice whom everyone could rally behind. Otherwise, this dispute would never have arisen.

Ning Qingyu had originally planned to deal with the Sword and Qi Factions' dispute immediately after the eastward expansion strategy was complete. Once the internal conflict was settled, he would choose young elites from the sect who hadn't been caught up in it and train them anew.

Unfortunately, plans never kept pace with change. The rift between the Sword and Qi Factions hadn't been mended, yet he was already running out of time.

There was no time left to train new successors, so he could only choose from among the existing candidates. If possible, Ning Qingyu naturally hoped his own disciple could shoulder this responsibility; his next choice would be someone from the Qi Sect.

Regrettably, not only had his own disciple fallen short, but Wang Buyao, the Qi Sect's rising star, had been just as disappointing.

He'd been led astray in just a few words, then muddled through an alliance. If he became sect leader, he might get sold out and still help the buyer count the money.

Composing himself, Ning Qingyu regained his usual calm. "Senior Brother Yang, tell us first about the Demonic Cult's movements and how the various martial arts sects are responding."

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

An elderly man with white hair and a youthful complexion replied.

Li Mu had a fairly good impression of Elder Yang. Though he came from the Qi Sect, he had always been "fair" when handling the sect's affairs.

He had been in charge of the investigation into the sect's traitors. At the time, Li Mu had withdrawn from the investigation team and gone into seclusion to avoid the turmoil within the sect, and Elder Yang had readily agreed.

"The Demonic Cult has split its forces in two this time:

"One force is led by the Left and Right Envoys, commanding the former subordinates of the Ten Elders of the Demonic Cult, along with followers from the Demonic Cult's Five Northern Branches. Its target is the Central Plains.

"The other force is led by the Wind and Thunder Four Halls and the Five Elements Banners, with the cult's guardian followers and the followers from its Shandong Branch preparing to head south into Jiangnan.

"Besides that, the Demonic Cult's followers along both banks of the Yellow River and those scattered across the southern provinces are showing signs of gathering as well.

"The Three Teachings and Nine Streams of the martial world have also become active lately. Once the Demonic Cult's main forces arrive, these unorthodox figures will likely join them at once.

"By comparison, the righteous sects have been much slower to react. Aside from the Heng Mountain and Mount Tai Sects, which have widely sent out invitations to heroes of the martial world to resist the Demonic Cult, none of the others have made their position clear.

"From all the signs, the various sects of the martial world are once again counting on our Five Mountains Sword Sects to take the lead and spearhead this campaign against the Demonic Cult."

This world was a harsh one. The various sects of the martial world might shout their slogans day in and day out, but when it came time to actually face the Demonic Cult, few were willing to step forward.

Perhaps they had the fire in their hearts, but they were all adults and had to consider the consequences. When facing a colossus like the Demonic Cult, one careless move could bring a sect to ruin and cost countless lives.

Even a major sect like Mount Hua could decline after one battle between the righteous and demonic sides if it wasn't careful.

Yue Qinglin said, "The war between the righteous and demonic sides has already begun. The Heng Mountain and Mount Tai Sects are already caught up in it, so our joining the fight is inevitable.

"But the Demonic Cult has always been full of treacherous schemes. It may seem that they intend to take over the Central Plains and Jiangnan, but no one can be sure this isn't a feint, with Mount Hua as their true target.

"Dugu Qingyun, that devil, has yet to show himself, and no one knows what he's plotting. The Demonic Cult already has strength in numbers; perhaps they even have a third force lying in ambush, waiting for us.

"Until the situation becomes clear, Mount Hua shouldn't act rashly. It would be best to wait until the righteous sects are ready, then join forces to launch a counterattack."

Hearing Elder Yue's words, Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Mount Hua Sect still had some sensible people; they weren't going to rush straight into battle like the Five Mountains Sword Sects in the television series, charging off the moment they heard the Demonic Cult was coming.

It wasn't that Li Mu was timid or afraid of trouble. The truth was, the two sides were nowhere near evenly matched. Only by living in this world could one understand just how powerful the Demonic Cult was.

Just look at its branch halls scattered across the land. It could easily muster tens of thousands of men—without question, the greatest power in the martial world.

For an armed force of this scale to exist, it was hard to believe it had nothing whatsoever to do with the Great Ming court.

Even if the court didn't control it directly, it was still a proxy they had put forward. The Demonic Cult had already gathered all sorts of people from the Three Teachings and Nine Streams, so infiltrating it wouldn't be difficult.

Mount Hua Sect alone was no match; even all Five Mountains Sword Sects combined could muster only five or six thousand people at most.

In truth, that was just an ideal estimate. The Five Mountains Sword Sects were scattered across the land, and they'd be lucky if they could bring even sixty or seventy percent of their forces to bear.

They could fight one battle, but afterward the Five Mountains Sword Sects would be badly weakened. The Demonic Cult, meanwhile, could draw on all manner of people to replenish its ranks. So long as its leaders survived, it would have as many foot soldiers as it needed.

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Qinglin picked up the argument.

"Junior Brother Yue, time waits for no one. The Heng Mountain and Mount Tai Sects are already in grave danger. We can afford to wait, but they can't.

"The Demonic Cult has begun to gather its forces. It's only a matter of time before they attack, and those two sects won't be able to hold out for long.

"If we don't act quickly, the Five Mountains Sword Sects may soon become the Three Mountains Sword Sects."

"Senior Brother Feng, you're worrying too much. The Heng Mountain and Mount Tai Sects have faced situations like this before. If they've survived until now, they must have their own ways of staying afloat.

"If you're concerned, you can send them a letter and tell them to avoid the enemy's full force, wait for reinforcements from the various sects to arrive, and then counterattack.

"Besides, the Demonic Cult's forces are already at their very gates. If they really attack, even if we rush to reinforce them at once, we'll be too far away to help in time."