"Everything's ready, but where and when to set it up still depends on the right opportunity..."
Lin Cheng stared at the little black tower in his palm, turning it over in his hand with satisfaction.
Next, whether he could reap a wave of faith power would depend on whether this thing delivered.
Elsewhere.
"A letter from an upper sect?"
Meng Tangtang stared ahead, utterly bewildered, apparently still trying to make sense of the situation.
Looking at Meng Xiaosu, who didn't seem to be lying, she asked in confusion, "Our Jingyun Sect is already one of the Southern Region's Ten Great Sects, with a position of great esteem. Where would we get an upper sect?"
"Young Sect Master, that's what the person who delivered the letter said. He claimed to come from our upper sect, Heaven-War Pavilion."
Meng Xiaosu was just as confused.
By rights, only sects that lacked strength would choose to attach themselves to a major sect.
They would honor it as their upper sect, pay tribute year after year, and seek its protection.
Although Jingyun Sect ranked last among the Ten Great Sects, surely it wouldn't go looking for an upper sect?
The two exchanged glances.
They decided unanimously to ask the elders.
When Meng Tangtang arrived in front of Elder Hao with the letter,
she found that after he read it, the cheerful smile on his face gradually vanished, replaced by an indescribable gloom.
"Hmph!"
Elder Hao's eyes turned cold as he crushed the letter in his hand. His tone was hostile. "These jumping clowns actually dare to bully Jingyun Sect!"
"What exactly is going on?"
Seeing that something was amiss, Meng Tangtang hurriedly asked.
She had read the letter, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. The other party had spoken in a thoroughly high-and-mighty tone.
Yet it hadn't said anything of substance.
All in all, it seemed more like a show of force and a provocation.
That only made things more baffling. If they really were an upper sect, why would they need to threaten a subordinate sect?
Wasn't that just looking for something to do?
There was definitely something fishy about this.
"I've heard of Heaven-War Pavilion, but it's only a third-rate sect."
Elder Zhang Feng hurried over when he heard the news and spoke up at the sight of the letter.
"A third-rate sect?"
Everyone present, upon hearing those words, strangely didn't get too angry at first. Instead, a thought sprang to mind.
Was this Heaven-War Pavilion tired of living?
How dare it provoke Jingyun Sect like this?
Even though Jingyun Sect's Xiantian expert had passed away and its overall strength had declined considerably, its core forces hadn't suffered much damage.
The sect's true elite were all on the front lines.
Even without counting them, the forces still within Jingyun Sect were more than enough to wipe out ten Heaven-War Pavilions.
"Are these people crazy? Have they got a death wish?" Liu Yanran asked with a rueful laugh.
Wang Xue'er nodded too. "Unless they've really gone mad or lost their wits, this so-called Heaven-War Pavilion wouldn't dare cause trouble for our Jingyun Sect for no reason. Even if you're looking for death, this isn't how you do it."
"So there must be some power we don't know about lurking in the shadows. They're probably the ones pulling the strings."
"I think so too."
Liu Yanran agreed.
Elder Zhang Feng and Elder Hao also nodded slightly, thinking that was probably the case.
"Looks like someone's trying to kick us while we're down," Zhang Feng said with a humorless smile.
Elder Huo slapped the table and sprang to his feet. "It's just a third-rate power. Whether or not someone's pulling its strings, since it dares to stick its hand out and test us, we should chop off its arms and legs! If that's not enough, this old man will lead people there and wipe it out!"
"It's just a third-rate power. Nothing to worry about."
Zhang Feng shook his head, signaling Elder Huo not to rush, and spoke slowly. "For now, this looks like an opportunity. Our sect's Xiantian expert has fallen, so every side is eyeing us hungrily. Some powers may even have foundations no weaker than ours; they're simply missing a few things needed to advance to a one-star sect."
"The current situation is like a pack of wolves circling us. Their target is Jingyun Sect, the wounded tiger."
"Heaven-War Pavilion should merely be bait they've put forward to lure us in. I suspect the original Heaven-War Pavilion has already been replaced behind the scenes."
"The person who really wrote this letter is someone else."
"We have to figure out what they're really after. Otherwise, given Jingyun Sect's current situation, if we act rashly, we may give them an opening."
Zhang Feng analyzed the situation methodically, and everyone seated there nodded in quiet agreement.
"There's something else I need to tell everyone."
Seeing that the others had calmed down, Zhang Feng spoke again. "Because the Supreme Elder fell, our sect grew weak. As a result, the other Ten Great Sects have been suppressing us, openly and behind the scenes, especially the Mystic Pill Sect."
"They've cut the share of pills they regularly provide us by a full seventy percent!"
"And they've raised the price by seventy percent!"
"This amount of pills is nowhere near enough for the Sect Master and the others fighting on the front lines!"
"We need to find a way to resolve this too."
Jingyun Sect had too many problems at the moment.
And that wasn't all. Elder Zhang Feng hadn't brought up certain other matters, but everyone knew them well.
For a sect to pass down its legacy, it needed more than powerful forces to keep it standing.
More importantly, it needed a steady stream of talented newcomers!
But look at Jingyun Sect now. Those who remained were mostly outer disciples with mediocre talents.
In fact, half of them were ordinary people.
Their overall strength was generally low, and there weren't many truly accomplished experts.
Most were merely ordinary disciples of the first or second rank.
Those with real talent had left Jingyun Sect a month ago, poached by the other major sects.
According to the investigation, more than thirty percent had been recruited by a newly emerging force called the "Three Mountains Alliance."
The Three Mountains Alliance was exactly what its name suggested.
It was made up of three major powers that had once ranked just below the Ten Great Sects: the Lin Family, Ghost Head Mountain, and the Universe Gate.
The Lin Family also seemed to have some connection to the Meng Family that Meng Tangtang belonged to.
"The Three Mountains Alliance is highly suspicious."
"I suspect they're the ones stirring up trouble behind the scenes, and they're coming after Jingyun Sect."
"They've probably seen us fall into a slump and want to take this chance to replace us as one of the Southern Region's major sects."
Since becoming an elder, Wang Xue'er had been chiefly responsible for the sect's intelligence network.
It was difficult for the movements of the Southern Region's many powers to escape her notice.
At present, Zhang Feng, Wang Xue'er, Elder Hao, and Meng Tangtang could all be called the true decision-makers of Jingyun Sect.
"We'll block the soldiers with generals and hold back the floods with earth. As long as the other Ten Great Sects care about their reputation and don't act personally, a coalition of lesser powers won't pose much of a threat to us." Zhang Feng nodded slightly after hearing her out.
"Now, all that remains is to see how the two sides play their next moves."
"By my estimate, the other side will likely act quickly and weaken us step by step."
"After all, Jingyun Sect is still rather large."
"Even if they're lucky enough to swallow us whole, they'll still break their teeth on us!"
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