Watching the Tigers Fight from the Mountain
Grand Purity Sect.
At the Great Void Peak, a sea of clouds churns and surges.
An old man stood outside the main hall, his face ashen. At his feet were three jade treasure boxes, their lids open, revealing jewels and Spiritual Qi.
The items included fourth-grade spiritual materials, high-grade Spirit Stone, and even several Supreme-Grade Law Treasure.
This old man was none other than the envoy sent by the Blood Bone Devil Sect, the True Person Xuehe with the cultivation of the Golden Core Late Stage stage, but at this moment he looked like a stray dog.
The temple doors were tightly shut, and there wasn't even a young Daoist priest to announce our arrival.
"Esteemed True Lord of the Grand Purity Sect, our Jin Kingdom's Holy Gate has come with utmost sincerity, wishing to join forces with your sect against the Clear Blue Kingdom. Are you truly unwilling to even grant us a single audience?"
True Person Xuehe gritted his teeth, his voice carrying Law Power, echoing throughout the mountain peak.
There was no response from inside the main hall.
They stood there for two full hours before the palace door finally cracked open.
It wasn't Nascent Soul cultivator who stepped out, but a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple.
"Senior Blood River, this junior greets you."
The disciple in charge cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"My ancestor said that the Grand Purity Sect Grand Purity Sect does not accept gifts, nor does it form alliances. Senior, please return to where you came from."
True Person Xuehe's eye twitched. "Does your ancestor understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'? Once Clear Blue Kingdom swallows us up, Wei Kingdom will be next!"
The disciple in charge sneered, "The Ancestor had another message for me to convey to you, Senior."
What did you say?
"It's better to sit back and watch the tigers fight than to try to get their skin from them."
"The Jin Kingdom's demonic path is a nut to crack; if the Clear Blue Kingdom wants to gnaw on it, so be it. If they break their teeth, it will be a great benefit to the Wei Kingdom."
"The patriarch said, the demonic path is only fit to be bait."
Upon hearing this, Xuehe's face turned purple.
He stared intently at the tightly closed palace door, then finally flicked his sleeves, gathered the box from the ground, and transformed into a streak of blood-red light, soaring into the sky.
Inside the hall.
Two Nascent Soul patriarchs of the Grand Purity Sect sat facing each other, with a half-finished chessboard between them.
"The Old Devil Xueling is really desperate, actually wanting to form an alliance with us." The white-bearded elder placed a piece on the board, his tone sarcastic.
"He's grasping at straws in his desperation."
The black-robed patriarch opposite him picked up his teacup. "Those ten old monsters from the Clear Blue Kingdom are busy dividing up the spoils right now; they have no time to deal with the mess left behind by the Jin Kingdom."
"Our deployment of troops on the border is merely a gesture, a way to tell the Supreme Purity Sect not to overstep their bounds."
"A fight is unlikely."
The white-bearded old man shook his head. "Clear Blue Kingdom is too large and can't digest it. Our Wei Kingdom has suffered a great loss and needs to recuperate. This world will have at least another hundred years of peace."
"Let the demonic path remain there, living in constant fear."
White Cloud Temple Ming Province Northern Protectorate.
Cloud Sword Mountain Range, southern peaks.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the martial arts arena outside the Return to Origin Sword Tomb was already filled with the crisscrossing energy of Sword Qi.
"When!"
The two flying swords collided heavily in mid-air, exploding into a dazzling burst of sparks.
A young man in a green robe made a sword gesture with his hands, his body leaping out like a swallow, his toes touching the bluestone slab, using the momentum to rush forward again.
His longsword transformed into three afterimages, aiming straight for his opponent's throat.
The hundreds of outer disciples who were watching cheered in unison.
This young man in the green robe was only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet his cultivation had already reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, and his Swordsmanship was fierce and ruthless...
His opponent was a burly young man who, upon seeing the sword light approaching, calmly summoned a black iron shield.
He appeared extremely calm throughout, even giving the impression of guiding a lesson.
"Bang!"
The sword light struck the shield, leaving a white mark.
The burly young man swung his palm back, his powerful earth-attribute spiritual energy transforming into a giant hand that sent the green-robed youth flying.
The boy flipped in the air, landed steadily, and sheathed his sword.
"Senior Brother Sun's techniques are powerful and solid; Junior Brother concedes defeat."
The boy clasped his hands in surrender, sighed slightly, and knew that his opponent was letting him win.
The burly young man laughed and stepped forward, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Junior Brother Li, your Swordsmanship is indeed sharp, and your speed is remarkable."
"If my cultivation level weren't higher than yours, I would have lost today."
Outside the crowd.
Sun Mao stood with his hands behind his back, watching the sparring and practice sessions in the square, filled with satisfaction.
"In recent years, quite a few promising talents have emerged from within the sect."
He turned to look at Zhao Yanshan beside him.
Zhao Yanshan nodded. "That burly young man is from your Sun Household, right? I think his name is Sun Qiyan? Dual Spirit Roots in earth and wood, and is a fourth-generation member of your Sun Household."
"I was recently accepted as Registered Disciple."
"Oh, and Lu Xun is a good kid too."
"I've rarely seen him in recent years; he must have already Foundation Establishment, right?"
"That old bastard Sun Lin is quite lucky; he has a disciple with a Lightning Spirit Root. His future is limitless."
Sun Mao stroked his beard, feeling incredibly pleased to hear his old rival's praise.
After ten years of development, White Cloud Temple has undergone a complete transformation.
Originally, there were only a little over a thousand disciples in the sect, but now the number of outer disciples alone has exceeded four thousand, and there are eight hundred inner disciple.
The number of Foundation Establishment cultivators has more than doubled.
The Sun Clan family benefited the most from this.
As the first Human Race Lineage to pledge allegiance to Shi Jian, the Sun Clan held a prominent position within the Northern Protectorate.
Not only did they control the two most lucrative branches—elixirs and formations—but a large number of their clan members also joined the White Cloud Temple.
Currently, there are nearly a hundred disciples of the Sun Clan lineage within the temple.
More than half of them were fourth-generation disciples of the Sun Clan, and Sun Qiyan was the most outstanding among them.
He is also the second disciple in the Lineage to Dual Spirit Roots.
In the White Cloud Temple today, the Sun Clan lineage wields considerable influence, and more disciples are willing to join them.
The two walked up the mountain path.
Along the way, Rare Flowers and Exotic Herbs and rare herbs vied for attention, and spirit birds soared through the clouds.
The Spiritual Qi emanating from the second-tier spiritual mountain condensed into a light mist in the valley; taking a deep breath made one feel refreshed.
"The Southern Mountain Range has developed rapidly, but our Northern Mountain Range is not far behind," Zhao Yanshan said, pointing to the distant mountains.
The Northern Mountain Range is the territory of the Sun and Zhao families.
Even from dozens of miles away, the roars of beasts could be heard coming from the mountains.
Over the past decade, the number of spirit beasts in the Northern Mountain Range has increased dramatically.
The dozens of spirit herb gardens and spirit fruit forests established by the Sun and Zhao families continuously supplied resources to the mountains, feeding a large number of high-level Demon Beast.
"Kuang Dou went into seclusion a few days ago. I heard he gained some insights in the Crimson Slurry Pool, presumably in preparation for breaking through his bottleneck."
"This Black Dog Line has really been thriving in recent years."
"In just ten years, two more Foundation Establishment demons have emerged, and their bloodlines have mutated and improved as a result, granting them mastery of the power of molten fire."
"Our clan has established contact with the Black Dog, thanks in large part to your guidance, fellow Daoist."
Zhao Yanshan's tone carried a sense of relief.
Upon hearing this, Sun Mao's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded slightly.
The stronger the Demon Race race becomes, the more secure the position of Human Race who depend on their ancestor becomes, of course, the different factions within the Demon Race race.
They had also heard of the Sun and Zhao families to some extent.
The Bear Clan has the most lineages, including five major branches: Thunder, Boulder, Dark Gold, Frost and Snow, and Primal, with the Thunder Clan being the most prominent.
The Sun and Zhao families naturally devoted themselves wholeheartedly to serving the five branches of the Xiong clan.
Below them are the Spirit Rat Line and the Black Dog Line, which are similar to the Sun and Zhao families among the Demon Race race.
Their strategy primarily revolves around cooperation, with each side courting and supporting one another – a valid tactic.
In recent years.
Due to the extraordinary status of the Xiong clan's five lineages, it is now very difficult for them to become true partners with the Sun and Zhao families.
They are more like high-ranking royal relatives, and naturally have no right to ask the Bear Clan to do things for them, but the Spirit Rat and Black Dog Clans are different.
Their relationship, however, is more equal.
Therefore, in recent years, the Sun Clan has maintained close ties with the Spirit Rat Line under the command of the Lord Rat, while the Zhao Clan lineage has established connections with the Black Dog Line.
The scions of these two families mostly tame various kinds of spirit rats and dogs.
Only a very small number of people can gain the recognition of the five lineages of the Bear Clan, and those who are recognized are often able to become Foundation Establishment cultivators.
He became a core member of both the Sun and Zhao families.
"These matters are insignificant. Although our two families are competitors, everything we do is ultimately for the better service of our ancestor."
"Let's go, to the main peak."
"The abbot has summoned all the halls for a meeting today to discuss the accounts for next month's spirit tax payment to the state government. Let's not be late..."
Upon seeing this, Zhao Yanshan smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.