The Storm Approaches

"Everything is ready, but as for where and when to place it, we still need to wait for the right opportunity..."

Lin Cheng stared at the small black pagoda in his palm, fiddling with it in a good mood.

Whether he could harvest a wave of faith energy next would depend on how effective this thing proved to be.

On the other side.

"A letter from a superior sect?"

Meng Tangtang stared blankly ahead, seemingly unable to grasp the situation.

Looking at Meng Xiaosu, who did not appear to be lying, she asked with confusion, "Our Jingyun Sect is already one of the top ten sects in the Southern Region with a prestigious status. Where would a superior sect come from?"

"Young Sect Master, that is what the messenger said. He claimed to be from our superior sect, the Heaven-War Pavilion."

Meng Xiaosu was also at a loss.

Logically speaking, only sects lacking strength would choose to attach themselves to other major sects.

They would revere them as a superior sect, offering annual tributes in exchange for protection.

Although the Jingyun Sect ranked at the bottom of the top ten, there was no reason for them to go out and find a superior sect for themselves, was there?

The two looked at each other in dismay.

They unanimously decided to go and ask the elders.

When Meng Tangtang appeared before Elder Hao with the letter in hand, she noticed 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 and sharp. He crumpled the letter in his hand and said with a hostile tone, "These clowns actually dare to bully the Jingyun Sect!"

"What exactly is going on?"

Seeing that something was wrong, Meng Tangtang asked hurriedly.

She had read the contents of the letter and found them baffling; the sender adopted an entirely condescending tone.

Yet, it didn't actually say anything of substance.

Overall, it felt more like a show of force or a provocation.

This made it even more puzzling. If they were truly a superior sect, would they bother showing off to an affiliated sect?

That would be a complete waste of time.

There must be something fishy about this.

"I have heard of this Heaven-War Pavilion, but it is merely a third-rate small sect," Elder Zhang Feng said upon arriving at the scene.

"A third-rate sect?"

Everyone present, upon hearing this, was surprisingly not overly angry at first; instead, a thought popped into their minds.

That was:

Was this Heaven-War Pavilion tired of living?

How dare they provoke the Jingyun Sect in such a manner?

Even though the Jingyun Sect's Xiantian expert had passed away and their overall strength had declined significantly, their core power remained largely intact.

The true elites of the sect were all on the front lines.

Even without mentioning them, the power currently remaining within the Jingyun Sect was enough to wipe out ten Heaven-War Pavilions.

"Are these guys crazy? Are they looking to commit suicide?" Liu Yanran asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Wang Xue'er nodded, "Unless they are truly insane or stupid, this Heaven-War Pavilion would never have the guts to trouble our Jingyun Sect for no reason. That's not how one goes about seeking death."

"So, there must be some power we don't know about hiding in the shadows. They are likely the mastermind behind this."

"I think so too."

Liu Yanran agreed.

Elder Zhang Feng and Elder Hao also nodded slightly, feeling that this must be the case.

"It seems someone wants to kick us while we're down," Zhang Feng said with a cold, mirthless smile.

Elder Huo slammed the table and stood up abruptly, "A mere third-rate power—regardless of whether someone is pulling the strings behind them, since they dare to reach out and test us, we should chop off their hands and feet! If that's not enough, I'll take some men there myself and wipe them out!"

"It is just a third-rate power, not worth worrying about."

Zhang Feng shook his head, signaling Elder Huo not to be impatient, and said slowly, "As it stands, this is actually an opportunity. Now that our sect's Xiantian expert has fallen, all parties are eyeing us covetously. Some forces are not necessarily weaker than us in terms of foundation; they just lack certain conditions to be promoted to a one-star sect."

"The current situation is like a pack of wolves surrounding us, and their target is the injured tiger that is the Jingyun Sect."

"That Heaven-War Pavilion is likely just a decoy they pushed out, hoping we would take the bait. I suspect the original Heaven-War Pavilion has already been replaced in secret."

"The person who actually wrote this letter is someone else entirely."

"We must determine their true objective; otherwise, given the current state of the Jingyun Sect, acting rashly might provide them with an opportunity to exploit us."

Zhang Feng analyzed the situation methodically, causing everyone present to nod in silent agreement.

"There is one more thing I must tell you all."

Seeing that the group had calmed down, Zhang Feng continued, "Because the Supreme Elder has fallen, our sect has weakened. Consequently, the other ten great sects have been suppressing us both openly and covertly, especially the Mystic Pill Sect."

"They have slashed our fixed monthly quota of medicinal pills by a full seventy percent!"

"Furthermore, they have increased the costs by seventy percent!"

"This meager amount of pills is nowhere near enough for the Sect Master and the others fighting on the front lines!"

"We must find a way to resolve this matter as well."

The Jingyun Sect currently faced far too many problems.

There were other issues that Elder Zhang Feng had not voiced, yet everyone was well aware of them.

For a sect to endure, it requires more than just powerful forces to hold the line.

More importantly, it needs a fresh influx of high-quality blood!

But look at the Jingyun Sect now; those who remain are mostly outer disciples with mediocre aptitude.

In fact, half of them are merely ordinary people.

The overall strength is generally low, and there are not many true, ranked experts.

Most are just ordinary first or second-rank disciples.

Those with genuine talent left the Jingyun Sect a month ago, poached by other major sects.

According to investigations, more than thirty percent have been recruited by an emerging force called the "Three Mountains Alliance."

The Three Mountains Alliance, as the name suggests, is composed of three major powers that were originally second only to the ten great sects, including the Lin Family, Ghost Head Mountain, and the Universe Gate.

Among them, the Lin Family seems to have some connection to the Meng Family, where Meng Tangtang resides.

"This Three Mountains Alliance is highly suspicious."

"I suspect they are the ones stirring up trouble behind the scenes, targeting our Jingyun Sect."

"They likely see that we have hit a low point and want to take advantage of the situation to replace us and become one of the new great sects of the Southern Region."

Ever since becoming an elder, Wang Xue'er has been primarily responsible for the sect's intelligence system.

It is difficult for the movements of the many forces in the Southern Region to escape her notice.

Now, Zhang Feng, Wang Xue'er, Elder Hao, and Meng Tangtang can truly be considered the decision-makers of the Jingyun Sect.

"When soldiers come, we block; when water comes, we earth-cover. As long as the other ten great sects are concerned about their reputation and do not intervene personally, the threat posed by a coalition of lesser forces is much smaller," Zhang Feng said, nodding slightly.

"Now, it all depends on the upcoming power struggle between both sides."

"Based on my estimation, they will likely take swift action next, aiming to weaken us step by step."

"After all, the Jingyun Sect is still a bit too large at the moment."

"Even if they get lucky and manage to swallow us, they will surely break their teeth in the process!"