The Great Wind Rises, Clouds Soar

The Three Mountains Alliance made no effort to conceal their movements.

They made it clear they intended to wage a major war, opting for a strategy of brute-force assault.

The sheer momentum gathered by the assembly of experts was palpable even from a great distance.

Consequently, news of their movements spread with ease.

The first to receive word were, naturally, the Ten Great Sects.

Yet, for various reasons, no one stepped forward to intervene.

If it had been an alien race attacking the Jingyun Sect, then there would be no question; regardless of their private agendas, they would have been forced to make a public show of support, even if it were merely a token gesture.

But this was an internal conflict among the human race, which did not violate the Ten Thousand Alliance Treaty.

Thus, the major sects harbored their own ulterior motives and chose to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, acting as if they were blind to the situation.

This indifference gave the Three Mountains Alliance immense confidence.

As long as the other Ten Great Sects did not interfere, they were certain that, given their own strength, this battle was as good as won.

With over ten thousand people, the vast majority of whom were cultivators, they could simply overwhelm the Jingyun Sect through sheer numbers alone, even if they had to grind them down by force.

Inside the military tent, the three leaders suddenly received a report.

"The Jingyun Sect's frontline forces are rapidly retreating to defend?"

"Although the Sect Master of the Jingyun Sect is not a Xiantian expert, he is at least a peak Ninth-Grade powerhouse. With his Xiantian spiritual artifact, he is likely capable of rivaling those on the threshold of the Xiantian realm."

"If he manages to return, it might introduce quite a few variables."

The Master of the Universe Gate furrowed his brows, sensing trouble.

"What are you afraid of?"

Ghost Candle, the Master of Ghost Head Mountain, sneered. "To return from the frontline battlefield, they must move with their entire main force. Even at their fastest, it will take two or three days. By then, we will have already thoroughly conquered the Jingyun Sect!"

"Exactly!" The head of the Lin Family laughed as well.

"But Fairy Ziyun, after all, possesses formidable strength..."

The Master of the Universe Gate remained apprehensive.

Fairy Ziyun was the current Sect Master of the Jingyun Sect, a powerhouse just one step away from stepping into the Xiantian realm.

"Hmph, a dignified Master of the Universe Gate, when did you become so timid?"

Ghost Candle looked displeased.

The head of the Lin Family stepped in to mediate, smiling, "No matter. Don't forget, we have that person's backing. Even if Fairy Ziyun returns, she will merely be adding one more soul to the tally of the dead."

"Heh heh, I have seen Fairy Ziyun before. Strength aside, she is truly a beauty..." A strange glint flashed in Ghost Candle's eyes as he thought of something.

Seeing the other two appearing completely unconcerned, the Master of the Universe Gate felt that perhaps he had been overthinking things.

"Don't worry so much!"

The head of the Lin Family smiled and said, "Regardless, the three of us are all peak Ninth-Grade experts. Aside from lacking Xiantian spiritual artifacts, we are not inferior to that Ziyun. Even if we do encounter her, we can hold our own. Once that person makes a move, Ziyun will undoubtedly die."

"Besides, it is highly likely that the enemy will not make it back in time for this great battle. We only need to consider what comes after."

"By then, with the benefits gained from conquering the Jingyun Sect, who will emerge victorious when facing that woman remains to be seen!"

Hearing the words of the Lin Family head, the Master of the Universe Gate nodded slightly, effectively giving his approval for the operation.

The head of the Lin Family added, "Our most important task now is to take down the Jingyun Sect in the shortest time possible!"

Ghost Candle chuckled sinisterly, "The Jingyun Sect currently only has two Ninth-Grade experts: Sun Gan and Mo Yuan. The latter is nearly a hundred years old; his flesh is decaying, so his combat power cannot be that high."

"When the time comes, Universe Gate, you hold off Sun Gan, while Old Lin and I will strive to kill Mo Yuan as quickly as possible."

"Then, we will immediately come to assist you!"

"Once we quickly dispose of these two Ninth-Graders, the remaining stragglers will be easy to clean up, won't they?"

Ghost Candle let out a low, cold laugh and licked his lips, a flash of red light crossing his eyes.

A chilling aura of slaughter roiled incessantly within his body.

"Haha, it seems Old Ghost Candle can hardly wait. Very well, to avoid any complications, we shall rest for the night and launch our assault on the Jingyun Sect tomorrow morning!"

The head of the Lin Family also revealed a cruel smile.

"In that case, it is settled!"

The master of the Universe Gate hesitated for a moment, feeling as though he had overlooked something important, but faced with the two men's piercing gazes, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

Yet, unknowingly, the unease in his heart grew heavier.

With the high-ranking members of the Three Mountains Alliance having made the final decision, those below naturally had nothing to say.

Immediately, they became incredibly excited, their killing intent shaking the heavens.

Pairs of bloodthirsty eyes stared fixedly in the direction of the Jingyun Sect, the greed within them no longer able to be concealed.

This included the elders and disciples who had originally belonged to the Jingyun Sect.

At this moment, everyone's true purpose was finally no longer hidden.

Men die for wealth, just as birds die for food.

"If a man does not look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him. For the sake of my own path to immortality, I can only wrong you fellow sect members... and have you go first!"

Elder Xu Gang stood quietly beneath the night sky, his expression flickering between light and shadow.

There was not a shred of pity or reluctance for the coming slaughter, only a thrill of excitement.

The other elders and disciples were the same.

In an instant, the entire camp grew much quieter, devoid of any noise or shouting.

A deep silence fell, save for the occasional sound of blades being sharpened and heavy, ragged breathing.

Everyone was waiting.

As soon as the first ray of sunlight appeared on the horizon, it would be the moment of the Jingyun Sect's destruction!

While the Three Mountains Alliance was poised and ready, the Jingyun Sect, having received the news early, was also standing by in full battle array.

However, the development of events was slightly different from what they had anticipated.

They had not expected the enemy to forgo any underhanded tactics and instead plan a direct, all-out assault on the Jingyun Sect.

This was completely different from what the elders had guessed.

"We are in big trouble."

Upon hearing that the Three Mountains Alliance intended to launch a direct assault, Zhang Feng immediately furrowed his brows, rubbed his temples, and shook his head. "The leaders of the Three Mountains Alliance aren't fools; they must realize that fighting like this will only result in mutual destruction, benefiting others."

Do not be fooled by the fact that the Jingyun Sect now only had two or three hundred people left.

Among them were even quite a few ordinary people.

Yet, among the remaining elders and disciples, there was no shortage of seventh or eighth-rank experts.

Relying on the sect's grand formation, they could hold off enemies dozens of times their own strength.

They could even manage to turn the tables and kill their attackers!

Furthermore, they had three ninth-rank experts.

Although Meng Tangtang was a newly ascended ninth-rank, in terms of combat power, she was likely equal to, if not better than, the veteran ninth-ranks.

For the enemy to dare charge in so recklessly, they must have something to rely on.

"Could it be that the Three Mountains Alliance has an Innate expert overseeing them?" someone asked, voicing their suspicion.

Zhang Feng shook his head; he did not know either.

According to the intelligence, there were none.

If there truly were an Innate expert, the enemy shouldn't have gone to such trouble.

They could have simply sent the Innate expert over.

As the Jingyun Sect stood now, it could not withstand an attack from an Innate expert.

"Have those medicinal pills been distributed?"

With a thought, Zhang Feng asked.

He remembered that the Young Sect Master had previously obtained a large quantity of high-quality pills from somewhere, many of which were specifically for wartime use.

They were most suitable for the current situation.

With a full ten thousand pills, even after Meng Tangtang had used some, there were still about nine thousand left.

Equipping everyone in the sect with thirty pills each would not be a problem.

Especially with the aid of the sect's grand formation; as long as the formation did not break and the spiritual energy did not run dry, the Jingyun Sect would remain safe.