Chapter 569 - 469: Dominating a Region Like a Tiger

Chapter 569: Chapter 469: Dominating a Region Like a Tiger

Just as the curtains fell on the great war, establishing a new order in Chongming and Sanshan, shortly after leaving Yanghua Mountain, Lu Qian received a message relayed from Lingsha City, passing through Minglong Mountain by Yang Jiye.

"I understand." Lu Qian was slightly taken aback, pondering for a moment, "Send orders to accept the Kong Family, and appoint Wu Yan to represent me in mediation and ceasefire."

Unexpectedly, the Kong Family, initially thought to surrender to the new masters of Mingjian Mountain, the Mingyu Sword Sect, faced unforeseen calamity and thus sought refuge with our Yunshan Sect.

Gu Nishang had no interest in these matters, but Ye Xiao inquired indirectly, "Oh, the Yunshan Sect spans two counties, its reputation widespread, and already talents are flocking to it so quickly?"

Lu Qian did not conceal the matter and straightforwardly explained the situation.

Although the great battle had just ended, smaller conflicts emerged, initiated by Ji Yunrou of the Divine Flood Dragon Sect.

With Master Fengfeng’s withdrawal, after Ye Xiao massacred most of the Kong Family cultivators and the Loose Cultivator coalition, he too headed north, leaving the severely wounded Divine Flood Dragon Sect momentarily forgotten, even Master Cangfeng rushed north without any orders.

Ji Yunrou seized the opportunity decisively. Neither she nor her Grand Elder were injured, and they still had over a hundred elites. After a brief rest, they gathered quickly and attacked the defenseless Chongming County!

They charged northwest, first breaching Lotus Peak, which had previously been at a standoff with Shuangye Square’s military, plundering the Xuanguang Sect’s military supplies, then directly stormed into Fire Crystal Valley.

The Kong Family’s Fire Crystal Valley.

The Kong Family had attacked Hidden Dragon Stream led by Master Fengfeng, and now Ji Yunrou was exacting revenge for that grudge!

The Kong Family’s elite forces were nearly exhausted, unable to withstand the Divine Flood Dragon Sect. Fire Crystal Valley was easily breached. Just as the Divine Flood Dragon Sect was plundering, Kong Lingde and Kong Pengfei happened to return, and they met head-on!

Initially, the Kong Family planned to surrender to the new masters of Mingjian Mountain after the dust settled, but upon returning home to see the Divine Flood Dragon Sect burning and looting, there was nothing else they could do.

New and old grudges welled up, and the two sides immediately clashed. Kong Lingde was killed, the Grand Elder of the Divine Flood Dragon Sect was severely injured, and Kong Pengfei narrowly escaped from Fire Crystal Valley.

The fact that Fire Crystal Valley was occupied was secondary; the key issue was that tens of thousands of the Kong Family’s people lived there and in the surrounding areas!

Now, the lives of tens of thousands of Kong Family members rested on Kong Pengfei. Since the Divine Flood Dragon Sect was a subordinate of the Mingyu Sword Sect, Kong Pengfei naturally chose to surrender to the Yunshan Sect.

Even though the two sides had just been fighting fiercely, Kong Pengfei now had no choice but to humble himself, tearfully requesting the Yunshan Sect to intervene, stop the Divine Flood Dragon Sect’s slaughter, and seek justice for the Kong Family.

In truth, the latter request was nonsense. The two sides were at war; the Kong Family first attacked the Divine Flood Dragon Sect, and now they were being counterattacked—what justice was there to speak of?

So, after a bit of thought, Lu Qian added another message: "Tell Kong Pengfei that the Mingyu Sword Sect is our Yunshan ally. I can stop the Divine Flood Dragon Sect from further slaughter, but he is not allowed to attack the Divine Flood Dragon Sect for revenge in the future."

Ye Xiao commented with a smile, "Sect Leader Lu, aren’t you afraid Fellow Daoist Li will be upset for taking in the Divine Flood Dragon Sect’s enemy?"

Lu Qian replied with a faint smile, "It’s merely a subordinate sect; I am sure Master Cangfeng has the magnanimity to handle this."

In Lingsha City, Jiang Qingfeng relayed this message verbatim to Kong Pengfei.

The young cultivator, his face filled with embarrassment, experienced changing emotions and finally could only bow his head in acceptance.

After all, his family, unlike an ordinary sect, had tens of thousands of mortal race relatives, without any means to escape from Chongming.

...

The ripples at the war’s end were finally erased. Having learned the whole story, Master Cangfeng, who had just taken over Mingjian Mountain, was in a great mood. Besides forbidding the Divine Flood Dragon Sect from causing further disputes, he also ordered them to withdraw from Fire Crystal Valley, returning it to the Kong Family, now a subordinate of the Yunshan Sect.

This, one could say, gave Lu Qian ample respect.

In late January of the 373rd year of Jia Shen, after two days of rest, the Mingyu Sword Sect, Yunshan Sect, and Huanggen Sect convened at Mingjian Mountain to discuss post-war matters.

In essence, it was about distributing the spoils and dividing the territories.

Once again ascending Mingjian Mountain, Lu Qian felt deeply moved.

Upon the continuous mountain body, peaks towered in layers, the vegetation was lush. Inside the mountain, water veins were abundant, with numerous springs and ponds scattered throughout the mountain, hillsides, and surrounding valleys. Under the sunlight, these clear waters shimmered like countless bright mirrors embedded in the mountain.

Mingjian Mountain is divided into eight peaks, with each of the five major peaks possessing a Spirit Vein. The main peak’s Spirit Vein is Fourth-Level Low-Tier, while the other peaks range from Third-Level Mid-Tier to Second-Level Mid-Tier, adjustable through the Mountain Protection Grand Array and Spirit-Gathering Array, allowing for shared Spiritual Qi. This group of spirit mountains and spirit veins far surpasses those of Chongming County.

But alas, the rise and fall, the will of the Celestial Mandate, the Xuanguang Sect rose by stepping over the corpses of past overlords, continuing that domination for six hundred years, only to now exit melancholically.

The spirit mountains remain sturdy while the sects flow like water; Mingjian Mountain once again welcomes a new master.

Lu Qian had visited Mingjian Mountain only a few times, each time filled with anxiety, speaking softly, but now he ascended as the victor.

Victories, rises and falls, life and death... various memories and insights flickered through Lu Qian’s mind.

All things are subject to the law of prosperity and decline; there is no eternal empire in the world. What humans can do is to use their wisdom and strength to forcibly prolong the time of prosperity, to delay the coming of decline.

As a cultivator, one’s path inherently defies nature; as a Sect Leader, one must resist the mandate of rise and fall. Progress is a challenging journey, where one must row against the current, for retreating means regression.