Dispute

After a brief pause, Ning Qingyu, who had no desire to stir up trouble, took the opportunity to step down: "Enough. Since Junior Brother Feng is pleading for you, I shall spare you this time."

Whether intentional or not, Ning Qingyu's gaze lingered on Li Mu for a moment longer while he spoke, as if he had discerned something.

While Li Mu could withstand the "disappointed in your lack of progress" expressions from the elders, the other three found it much harder to bear; they each buried their heads as if they had committed some shameful deed.

Seeing this scene, Ning Qingyu shook his head inwardly. Although he had not yet made up his mind, he was truly disappointed in Yao Buzhou.

Other disciples could play the ostrich, but as the senior martial brother, one had to display the bearing of a leader.

However, if Yao Buzhou truly possessed such mettle, he would have long since won the hearts of the people through his head start, and there would not have been so much strife.

Ning Qingyu himself was a prime example; even though he was not the sect's senior martial brother, he had still secured the support of most of his peers through his own capabilities.

In a sense, the recognition of one's peers was more important than the support of the elders. After all, the sect required succession, and one's gaze had to be fixed on the future.

The future leadership of the Mount Hua Sect would inevitably fall to the "Bu" generation. To sit firmly in the position of Sect Leader and better develop the Mount Hua Sect, the support of one's peers was indispensable.

It was not necessary to win everyone over, but at the very least, one had to gain the approval of two-thirds of the members; otherwise, even if one ascended to the position, it would be a torment.

Currently, the "Bu" generation lacked a figure who commanded universal respect; otherwise, this conflict would never have occurred.

Originally, Ning Qingyu had intended to deal with the Sword-Qi conflict immediately after the completion of the strategy to expand eastward. Once internal contradictions were eliminated, he would have selected unaffected young elites from the sect to cultivate anew.

Unfortunately, plans could not keep up with changes; the rift between the Sword and Qi sects had yet to be bridged, and he himself had run out of time.

It was too late to cultivate new talent, so he had no choice but to choose from the existing heirs. If possible, Ning Qingyu naturally hoped his own disciple could take on this heavy responsibility, with candidates from the Qi Sect being the second choice.

Regrettably, not only was his own disciple's performance inadequate, but the performance of the Qi Sect's rising star, Wang Buyao, was equally disappointing.

He had been led astray in a few short sentences and had been tricked into an alliance while in a daze. If he were to become Sect Leader, he might well be sold by others and still be helping them count the money.

Adjusting his mood, Ning Qingyu regained his usual composure: "Senior Brother Yang, first tell us about the movements of the Demonic Cult and the reactions of the various martial arts sects."

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

An elder with a youthful face and crane-white hair replied.

Li Mu had a rather good impression of this Elder Yang. Although he hailed from the Qi Sect, he had always been "impartial" when handling sect affairs.

He had been the one in charge of investigating the rebels within the sect previously. When Li Mu chose to withdraw from the investigation team and enter closed-door cultivation to avoid the internal turmoil, he had readily agreed.

"The Demonic Cult has split into two routes this time:

One route, led by the Left and Right Envoys, commands the remnants of the original Ten Elders of the Demonic Cult along with the followers of the Five Northern Branches, aiming directly for the Central Plains.

The other route is led by the Wind and Thunder Four Halls and the Five Elements Banners, supplemented by the Guardian followers and the followers of the Shandong Branch, preparing to head south to Jiangnan.

In addition, the Demonic Cult followers along the Yellow River and those scattered across the southern provinces are now showing signs of gathering.

The various unsavory elements of the jianghu have also become active recently. Once the main force of the Demonic Cult arrives, these heterodox factions will likely join them immediately.

By comparison, the reactions of the righteous sects have been much slower. Apart from the Heng Mountain and Mount Tai sects, which have issued widespread hero invitations to call upon their peers to resist the demons, the other sects have yet to make a clear stance.

Judging by all signs, the various sects of the jianghu are once again counting on our Five Mountains Sword Sects to step forward and lead this great cause of resisting the demons."

This world was realistic. Regardless of how loudly the various sects of the jianghu shouted their slogans, when it truly came down to a real confrontation with the Demonic Cult, very few were willing to step up.

Passion might exist, but everyone was an adult, and one had to consider the consequences of their actions. Facing a behemoth like the Demonic Cult, one careless move could lead to the destruction of their sect.

Even a major sect like Mount Hua could decline due to a single righteous-demonic war if they were not careful and cautious.

Yue Qinglin: "The righteous-demonic war has already begun, and the Heng Mountain and Mount Tai sects have been drawn into it; our participation is inevitable.

However, the Demonic Cult has always been full of tricks. While they appear to be entering the Central Plains and Jiangnan now, no one can guarantee that this is not a feint aimed at our Mount Hua.

Especially since that demon Dugu Qingyun has yet to appear, no one knows what he is plotting. The Demonic Cult is already numerous and powerful; there might even be a third route of hidden troops waiting for us.

Before the situation is clear, it is not advisable for Mount Hua to act rashly. It would be best to wait until the various righteous sects are prepared before jointly launching a counterattack."

Hearing Elder Yue's words, Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed there were still intelligent people in the Mount Hua Sect who did not act like the Five Mountains Sword Sects in television dramas, rushing into battle the moment they heard of the Demonic Cult.

It was not that Li Mu was cowardly, but the disparity in strength between the two sides was simply too great. Only by living in this world could one realize the true power of the Demonic Cult.

One only had to look at the Demonic Cult branches scattered throughout the world to know that they could easily muster tens of thousands of troops; they were undeniably the greatest power in the martial arts world.

For an armed force of this scale to exist, it was impossible to say it had nothing to do with the Great Ming imperial court.

Even if it was not directly controlled by the court, it was a white glove pushed forward by them. In any case, the Demonic Cult was already a gathering of all sorts of unsavory characters, so infiltrating it was not difficult.

Not to mention the Mount Hua Sect alone, even if all the Five Mountains Sword Sects were added together, they would have at most five or six thousand people.

In reality, this was an ideal state; the Five Mountains Sword Sects were separated by vast distances, and it would be good if they could commit sixty or seventy percent of their actual strength.

They had the power for one battle, but after that battle, the Five Mountains Sword Sects would be severely crippled. The Demonic Cult, however, could recruit from the unsavory masses to replenish their ranks; as long as the high-level leadership remained, they could have as many foot soldiers as they wanted.

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Qinglin took over.

"Junior Brother Yue, time waits for no one. The Heng Mountain and Mount Tai sects are already in imminent danger; we can afford to wait, but they cannot.

The Demonic Cult has already begun to gather, and launching an attack is only a matter of time. With the strength of those two sects, they cannot hold out for long.

If we do not act quickly, I fear that before long, the Five Mountains Sword Sects will become the Three Mountains Sword Sects."

"Senior Brother Feng is overthinking it; this is not the first time the Heng Mountain and Mount Tai sects have encountered such a situation. Since they have been able to survive until now, they naturally have their own means of survival.

If you are worried, you can write a letter advising them to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack and wait for reinforcements from the various sects to arrive before launching a counterattack.

Moreover, the Demonic Cult members are already at the foot of their mountains. If they truly launch an attack, even if we send reinforcements immediately, we will be too far away to help."