Tianqin Bestows a Sword and Plots for Huangpi; the Cultivators Hear of Upheaval and Resolve to March

----A month later, in Xuanwei City, at the Fei Household council hall

The oath-taking ceremony that Sect Leader Kang Da had mistakenly thought would take place today did not. Apart from the three senior cultivators from the Fei Household (the two people and the bird), none of the other Golden Core cultivators who were not yet of sufficient standing were present in the council hall, leaving only him and Jiang Qing.

Fei Tianqin sized up Jiang Qing, who had just achieved the Golden Core; the latter was still dressed in a black, fitted outfit.

The light from the spiritual lamps in the room fell on his face, but it did not reveal the slightest arrogance that Golden Core should have.

The coldness at the corner of his eyes faded, replaced by a calmness, like a deep pool reflecting starlight, appearing peaceful yet concealing unfathomable depths.

"It should be even more captivating to those young ladies," Fei Tianqin thought, glancing at Kang Dabao standing next to Jiang Qing. "This is a Nascent Soul that some people, even those who have attained the Nascent Soul stage, may not possess."

Banishing all the sarcastic thoughts from his mind, Fei Tianqin sighed inwardly, "Indeed, he has the same demeanor as those annoying characters in the Heaven-Rending Sword Sect."

This isn't a matter of diminished sharpness; it's that the edge has been concealed beneath the tight-fitting clothes, hidden within the newly formed Golden Core. While its inner strength is undeniable, it is actually more unpredictable than before.

Upon reading this, the old bird's eyes immediately lit up with admiration. He felt that this Third Master Jiang, who had shed his sharp edge, was now truly someone to be reckoned with.

Fei Tianqin guessed the answer correctly, and unusually, a childlike amusement appeared in him. He first glanced smugly at Fei Nanying, who was working for him, before turning to speak to Jiang Qing:

"Excellent, a mid-grade pill, with a promising future."

This old bird seemed to be exceptionally lenient towards Jiang Qing. Whenever they talked, he rarely spoke ill of the latter, a privilege that even Fei Nanying, a prospective head of the Fei Household, rarely enjoyed.

Upon hearing the praise, Jiang Qing bowed and thanked him, holding his sword.

Without a second thought, the old bird at the head of the table shot out another feather, which landed in the void and created a rift. Soon after, a crimson Third-Tier Lower-Grade flying sword slid out from the colorful stream of light in the rift and landed directly at Jiang Qing's feet.

Fei Tianqin seemed unconcerned about the Law Treasure flying sword that could cause ordinary cultivators to fight to the death, and simply smiled at Jiang Qing:

"I originally thought that even after my young friend had clarified the Core Thesis, it would still take another ten or eight years to prepare for the formation of the Core Formation. But I never expected that I would be so mistaken this time."

The Middle-Grade Golden Core Fei Household, which has been established for so long, has only produced Fei Nanying and one Fei Household ancestor whom Fei Tianqin has never even met. Who would have thought that such a little-known, remote sect could produce two of them in succession?

The old bird's tone revealed a hint of surprise, but his sharp eyes remained unmoved.

Similar to it were Fei Nanying and Fei Donggu, who were also on the list. These two Golden Core cultivators, who came from prominent families in the capital and held high positions in the government, should, in theory, be well-informed and knowledgeable.

But upon thinking of the plight of the Kang and Chiang brothers, he was still secretly astonished.

Fei Nanying thought to himself, "If another Middle-Grade Golden Core Elixir were to appear in the entire Great Wei world, it might barely be considered a topic of conversation."

If Kang Dabao had publicized this matter from the beginning, the various True Person of the Duke's mansion and the Duke of Qin would have been able to make time to personally summon him.

Kuang Liuting saw that Jiang Qing, a humble cultivator of the same origin as the Sect Leader Kang Da, had such good fortune. He wondered if the news had already reached the Emperor's desk at the Mystic Firmament Palace.

Even the current emperor might not hesitate to use the Immortal Shadow Stone to make another appearance. Indeed, as the ancestor said, this young Kang is quite composed; is he truly afraid of attracting unwanted attention?! But how long can this news be kept secret? It seems somewhat unnecessary."

However, Sect Leader Kang Da could not fully comprehend all of his master Boyue's thoughts, and could only sigh inwardly.

Fei Tianqin casually gave Jiang Qing a Third-Tier Lower-Grade flying sword. Although he knew that this old ancestor with the flat hair was always generous, this gesture still exceeded Kang Dabao's previous expectations.

After the composed Jiang Qing bowed and thanked him, Sect Leader Kang Da also stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Ancestor."

"Your junior brother is capable on his own, unlike you who devoured so much of the Fei Household's essence. Why should he thank me? As for this kind of thing, any Golden Core cultivator could easily retrieve it. No need for thanks!"

Even with his ears perked up, Kang Dabao could hardly discern whether the old bird's words were praise or criticism.

He was struck by the latter's bold words and was about to offer a few more words of humility on Jiang Qing's behalf when the Fei Household patriarch at the head of the table interrupted him, saying:

"This flying sword isn't exactly Higher Vehicle- quality, but it's fine for temporary use. However, it's not quite to your liking, young friend Jiang. If you have time in the future, young Kang, you could take young friend Jiang to Phoenix Cry Prefecture and get him ranked with that kid Gu Rong first."

That kid's weapon-forging skills are truly remarkable. Even though he hasn't specialized in any one weapon, the group of skilled weapon masters lured there by the Heaven-Rending Sword Sect with promises of profit might not be able to find many who can compare to him.

Sect Leader Kang Da who wielded the Jade Palace Impurity Breaker Halberd, deeply understood Fei Tianqin's words.

At least for him, since acquiring the handy Law Treasure, his speed in reaping the lives of Golden Core cultivators has improved significantly. It's just that Master Gu Rong had given Fei Tianqin face before, which is why he gained this advantage.

However, if the Kang and Jiang brothers were to ask for his help again, and if they were to use the old man's name even slightly, it would be quite inconsiderate of them.

However, Fei Tianqin didn't think this matter was very important. He only casually reminded Jiang Qing about it and then didn't take it to heart anymore.

It glanced at the feathers in mid-air, and with a thought, the feathers began to dance wildly like dragons and phoenixes. A few breaths later, the edict that Fei Tianqin obtained from the Office of the Duke of Qin was clearly written in golden characters and floated in mid-air.

Fei Nanying and Fei Donggu had clearly seen this military order before, their expressions remaining calm and composed. However, as soon as Sect Leader Kang Da saw all the words on it, he frowned again.

He only felt that the Kuang Household's military orders were as concise and to the point as ever.

In short, Fei Tianqin was to lead Chongming Sect and other members of various factions assigned to the Cloud Horn Prefecture camp, fight their way through Huangpi Circuit, and head straight for the gate of Joyful Sight Mountain of the Ancient Mysterious Circuit Sect.

Objectively speaking, the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" is not entirely unfeasible.

The three schools of Huangpi Circuit originally stood together, but this tripartite balance has now dissolved. Currently, Star-Picking Pavilion and Joyful Sight Mountain have each sent a group of disciples to oversee the area.

These people are naturally incomparable to their fellow disciples who fought for their lives against the cultivators of the Office of the Duke of Qin on the front lines. From any perspective, they are far from deserving the title of "elite".

What we are doing now is simply mobilizing troops to defend Huo Prefecture and prevent the Chongming Sect Leader Kang Da from attacking, which can be considered a merit without any fault.

The rest of the people were busy collecting precious resources and supplies from the eleven prefectures of Huangpi Circuit and transporting them to the battlefield in Mountain North Circuit intermittently.

These teams, with their thin skins and generous fillings, used to be quite daring. In order to present their achievements as soon as possible, flying boat teams would frequently pass through the Chongming Sect's airspace to rush to Mountain North Circuit.

However, after being intercepted two or three times by the Sect Leader Kang Da and his men, and almost losing his Golden Core life, he learned his lesson and found another route to bypass the Two Instruments Sect's territory.

The various families in Huangpi Circuit were previously under the jurisdiction of the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, the Thousand Buddha Grove, and the Rouge Temple. Because it was difficult to find a good person among these three families, their lives were naturally very difficult.

However, it is clear that Star-Picking Pavilion and Joyful Sight Mountain had never had any bad reputations before, nor were they any heretical sects that people feared. But when it comes to exploiting the local people, they far surpass the three major Golden Core sects that were originally under their control.

Under such circumstances, even a castrated donkey, about to be stabbed, would bray twice, let alone these cultivators who still hold Law Artifact implements and talismans in their hands.

Sect Leader Kang Da was well aware that, due to the widespread uprisings, the blood on the Law Treasure that the two Nascent Soul sects had placed in the hands of their disciples in Huangpi Circuit had never dried over the years.

Under intense pressure, the situation in Huangpi Circuit was temporarily peaceful. However, these cultivators were like a pile of straw dried by the scorching sun; as long as there was a spark, they would ignite a sea of fire.

If Kang Dabao handles this properly, he could even use this fire to burn all these arrogant and domineering Nascent Soul sect disciples to ashes.

However, it sounds like Huangpi Circuit could be defeated in one battle, or at least thrown into chaos. But the two Nascent Soul sects would not sit idly by while Fei Tianqin made such a great contribution, and would definitely send people over to hinder him.

Furthermore, Pu Honggu was not dead after all, and the Two Instruments Sect stationed in Tengwen Prefecture might still have some fighting power, which could be considered a variable.

From this perspective, the difficulties are considerable, and many lives still need to be sacrificed.

Seeing that Sect Leader Kang Da was deep in thought, Fei Tianqin also became very serious. Although he did not say it aloud, he knew that his son-in-law had some merit in terms of battle skills.

"When the Duke issued the decree, he said that the land of Huangpi Circuit would remain as it was before; however much your Marquis of Martial Peace's Residence could claim, that much would be given to you."

Having the title of Marquis of Martial Peace was convenient for Kang Dabao, since the Marquis of Martial Peace's Residence was a military honorary title, and it was appropriate to grant him a fiefdom after recovering lost territory and making meritorious contributions.

After all, the Kuang Household still had some sense of face. If Kang Dabao had only been given this order by the head of the Chongming Sect, Kuang Liuting might not have been so generous.

This also shows that the weak core of the royal family has not been reversed. After all, logically speaking, the more outwardly fierce but inwardly weak a person is, the more they like to study these trivial and pointless tricks.

Sect Leader Kang Da fully understood the principle of "pointing at a goose and calling it soup," and he himself had used it many times in the past, so naturally he wouldn't be blinded by those generous promises.

The two prefectures of Yun and Xian alone are enough to keep his disciples busy for a long time, so why would he covet any more spiritual lands?

Just like the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, which once governed several prefectures, it seemed convenient under the control of the authorities, but in reality, the resources and spiritual treasures it could use were far inferior to those of the Chongming Sect, which was guarding a poor and Chongming Sect prefecture.

Seeing the gleam in Kang Dabao's eyes, Fei Tianqin was quite pleased. This Fei Tianqin veteran didn't try to intimidate Kang with grand principles or offer any further explanation; he simply said in a low voice:

"This battle may determine the rise and fall of my Fei Household for the next thousand years," it said, its sharp eyes suddenly turning extremely serious. After staring intently into the eyes of the Sect Leader Kang Da, it slowly continued, "Do you understand the implications?"

Upon hearing this, Kang Dabao immediately abandoned many of his scheming plans.

To be honest, even though he had some initial disagreements with the Ying Prefecture Fei Household, the Fei Household treated him quite well afterward.

Although Fei Nanying, Boyue mentor, had told him more than once that the Fei Household never needed anything in return, given Sect Leader Kang Da's personality, if he were to fall behind others at this point, his future cultivation would be difficult.

Since the Fei Household desperately needs someone's help, Kang Dabao cannot refuse. Jiang Qing, who landed beside him, gently brushed the blade of the flying sword he had just acquired, clearly having no intention of contradicting his senior brother.

Since the only two Golden Core cultivators in the Chongming Sect share the same idea, there is nothing they cannot accomplish within the sect.

Fei Tianqin was very pleased with this scene; if it were another door, the old man would not have been so lenient.

Even though it was only because of Jiang Qing and Kang Dabao, Chongming Sect " in his eyes, so naturally he couldn't be driven around as easily as those worthless ordinary Golden Core sects.

The heavy atmosphere in the hall immediately dissipated. The Sect Leader Kang Da had been living in Xian Prefecture for several years, and his mindset of being prepared for danger in times of peace had never stopped. He had often dragged Yuan Jin along to analyze the battle situation.

Just as he was about to offer some advice, another messenger arrived from outside the hall, heading straight for Fei Tianqin. The old bird silently glanced at it, its eyes cold. Since there were no outsiders in the hall, it didn't hide anything and spoke directly:

"A series of tragic incidents have occurred in Yuan Prefecture, Mountain North Circuit, with many disciples of Five Old Mothers Mountain and ordinary people dying or being injured, and cries of sorrow echoing across the land. The Office of the Duke of Qin sent a criminal officer to investigate and found out that the perpetrators were all sent by Xiao Xian, the Hehuan Sect- Peach-Burning Envoy the Hehuan Sect."

The Prince of the North was furious and reprimanded the True Person Crimson Snow. Jiangxue offered precious treasures and provisions as an apology and proposed to punish Xiao Xian by confining him to his home for a hundred years, which the Prince of the North agreed to.

However, Duke Kuang Liuting of Duke of Qin believed the punishment was too lenient and defied orders to personally go to Yuan Prefecture, where he seized Xiao Xian and executed him before the crowd. The entire Five Old Mothers Mountain rejoiced at his avenging of their grievances, and all the cultivators and elders of the mountain knelt on the roadside, filled with admiration and their cries echoing through the valleys.

The mere 150 characters, once recited, elicited a variety of reactions from the cultivators in the hall.

Several surprises immediately arose in the mind of the Sect Leader Kang Da:

Firstly, the behavior of the Hehuan Sect was so unseemly. After all, the Moon-Hidden Immortal had died in battle for the sake of the Great King of Wei. Such actions were truly disregard for dignity, and they also did not take the Northern King Kuang Zefu and the Duke of Qin Kuang Liuting seriously.

This contradicts the rumors circulating outside that the Hehuan Sect, like the Buried Spring Mound of Two Rivers Circuit and the Five Old Mothers Mountain of Mountain North Circuit, has completely submitted to the command of the Great Wei Clan due to Kuang Liuting's extraordinary talent and unparalleled abilities.

Furthermore, if the struggles between the various Nascent Soul sects within the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty are all so cold-blooded and ruthless, then the fact that the Fei Household's ancestor Ye Shui was able to single-handedly fight off a pack of wolves with his Golden Core form, allowing the Ying Prefecture Fei Household to still retain their clan territory in the capital region, is truly remarkable. No wonder Fei Tianqin, that old bird, is so nervous.

Secondly, it seems that the Northern King Kuang Zefu is not as ruthless as rumored. Because of the identity of the Crimson Snow Immortal, he has been lenient and indulgent towards the culprit. While this may have spared a Nascent Soul Immortal from dissatisfaction, it will also greatly demoralize the Duke's faction.

His words and actions did not seem to be those of a seasoned military Prince of the North;

Thirdly, Duke Kuang Liuting of Duke of Qin seems not to have completely lost his original aspirations. He had several exchanges with the Sect Leader Kang Da and always longed to be a great ruler who would reform the abuses of power.

Kang Dabao had thought that after he Core Formation, the powerful figures had erased his original spirit. Now it seemed that this Duke of Qin might still retain a trace of it?

Of course, True Person Moon Hidden of Five Old Mothers Mountain placed his bet very early.

Even a dignified Nascent Soul like Kuang Liuting could be considered "diligent," yet the cultivators of Five Old Mothers Mountain were already being bullied before his body was even cold. It would be strange if the Duke of Qin wasn't angry, given his temperament.

However, it is difficult to weigh the relative importance of offending Nascent Soul versus preserving morale.

The Sect Leader Kang Da had thought of these things, and the other cultivators in the hall had also more or less figured them out.

This situation has gotten to the point where, even though I'm prepared to risk my life to help the Kuang Household and punish the wicked, things seem to be turbulent in the rear. Who wouldn't be worried?!

Kang Dabao had already made up his mind, but he didn't want to overstep his bounds. In the end, it was the old fox Fei Tianqin who made the final decision. "Reply to the Mountain North Camp: Everything at the Cloud Horn Prefecture Camp has been settled, and we will be setting off soon. Please be informed!"

These words coincided with what Sect Leader Kang Da was thinking. Regardless of the circumstances, the Fei Household had placed their bets on Kuang Liuting alone, and once the arrow was released, there was no turning back.

Kang Dabao accepted the assignment and immediately returned to Yangming Mountain with Jiang Qing.

At that moment, he had the Unseen feeling that the key to breaking the deadlock in this battle might lie in his own path. (This part of the story won't be written for too long.)