Chi Dragon Cave lay on the Southeastern Coast, its territory spanning more than six hundred li. Its subordinate towns dotted the land like stars across a chessboard, and its population ranked second in the Southern Border only to Phoenix Harbor, which was also under Sikong Tianyuan's jurisdiction.
At dusk, scattered lights came on in the basin ringed by mountains.
More than a hundred cloaked Gu Masters stood outside the Patriarch Hall in the center of the valley, gazing toward the northern sky with rather uneasy expressions.
Among them, external affairs elder Chen Qian stood at the entrance with his hands tucked into his sleeves, saying quietly, "Xie Jinhuan went to Hundred Insect Dock yesterday. He'll surely come to Chi Dragon Cave within the next couple of days, but the ancestor hasn't given us any instructions. Are we supposed to stand united against a common enemy, or... hmm... secretly collude with the Righteous Path?"
The Gu Poison Sect believed in "survival of the fittest." Everything it did revolved around its own continued existence, so its cultivators had remarkably flexible bottom lines. Unless the ancestor issued an absolute command, they would inevitably seek advantage and avoid harm.
At their head stood Sikong Xuanyue, Sikong Tianyuan's daughter and the acting sect leader of Chi Dragon Cave. She should have set the tone for whether they would rebel or surrender, rather than leave everyone in a state of anxiety.
But ever since trouble broke out in the Northern Region, Ancestor Sikong had not appeared at Chi Dragon Cave, nor had he made any arrangements for its disciples. Thus, Sikong Xuanyue could not decide on her own. She merely said, "When soldiers come, send generals to stop them; when water comes, bank it with earth. Let's first see what the Righteous Path has to say."