Chapter 38: CH-38: Between the devil and the deep blue sea!(1)

Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but stare at her, because although she had always been cold and strict with them, this expression was something entirely different, almost as if she had finally found the excuse she had been waiting for.

"Elder Jian, what... happened?"

Su Mingyue asked cautiously, her voice carrying a hint of worry after seeing her expression.

Jian Yulan didn’t answer immediately, instead looking towards the surrounding disciples before speaking in a calm yet extremely cold tone.

"The situation is under control for now, but the sect has entered a lockdown, so nobody is allowed to leave until further notice!"

Her words immediately caused some commotion among the disciples, but before anyone could begin panicking, one of the other elders stepped forward and loudly commanded everyone to move towards the Sect Hall.

The elders assured them that the sect’s protection formation was already active and there was no immediate danger.

The elders moved quickly after that, with some of them going around the various areas of the sect to ensure that every disciple had received the command.

A few of the elders remained near the important formations and defensive locations to prevent anything unexpected from happening.

Gu Changsheng and the others also followed the instructions, moving along with the other disciples towards the Sect Hall.

But he wasn’t stupid enough to interfere with a Core Formation elder who was clearly looking forward to finding someone to vent her sword upon.

Ning Rongrong moved closer to them and whispered.

"Do you think the attacker’s actual motive is the Sword Sect?"

"Probably, but seeing how they didn’t immediately attack and just stood outside..."

Ye Che answered this time, his expression more serious than usual, leaving a tense undertone.

Su Mingyue nodded in agreement, though she didn’t say anything further.

The group soon reached the Sect Hall, where a large number of disciples had already gathered, filling the previously spacious hall.

Some disciples were trying to understand what was happening, while others were checking their weapons or speaking with their fellow disciples.

Though the elders stationed around the hall quickly calmed them down and instructed everyone to remain where they were.

The atmosphere was tense, but it wasn’t that chaotic.

The Sword Sect had a basic understanding of situations like this, and their response was much more organized than Gu Changsheng had expected.

As expected from a sect full of sword fanatics, even their panic mode was Japanese.

Gu Changsheng silently looked around before sitting down with Mulan and the others, while An Jian also stood nearby.

Meanwhile, the elders of the Sword Sect had already moved towards the Elder Hall to discuss the situation and formulate a countermeasure.

The moment the doors of the Elder Hall closed, the atmosphere inside became considerably heavier.

Several elders were already seated around the large table, their expressions solemn as they discussed the information they had gathered.

Jian Yulan, however, didn’t bother sitting down.

"It’s the Blood Moon Sect, am I right?"

She said, her voice carrying a coldness that made several elders exchange glances.

One of the elders nodded.

"The Blood Moon Sect has gathered outside our territory, and from the information we’ve received, they have brought quite a few cultivators with them."

"We are still determining the exact number, but there are at least a dozen Core Formation cultivators!"

Jian Yulan’s fingers lightly tapped against the table. She didn’t interrupt any of the elders, letting them continue.

"They haven’t attacked yet either, which means they are most likely waiting for something."

"Elder Mei has gone to notify the Sect Leader. Until then, let’s wait..."

Jian Yulan’s cold smile widened, finally interjecting as she slowly placed her hand on the sword hanging from her waist, the same one that usually resides beside her bed.

"We should open the gates and meet them outside."

The moment she said this, the other elders became silent. One of them sighed and countered her.

"Elder Jian, you know very well that isn’t a good idea."

"Why not? They won’t expect us to attack now at all. We can catch them right here and right now!!"

"Because the protection formation has already given us the advantage, and there is no reason to abandon that advantage simply because they have arrived outside."

Jian Yulan’s eyes narrowed, still persistent in fueling the flames of war.

"They attacked our sect. How can we not even counterattack them? If not, then how will we call ourselves disciples of the Sword Sect?!"

"And we can deal with them without leaving the protection of our sect."

The elder calmly replied, causing Jian Yulan’s expression to become colder.

But Jian Yulan wasn’t one to be outdone, simply intoning:

"Are you afraid?"

The elder didn’t react to the provocation, simply shaking his head.

"No, but there is a difference between courage and stupidity."

Another elder quietly coughed, apparently trying to prevent the conversation from becoming an argument.

"We should first determine their intentions, because if they truly intended to attack immediately, they wouldn’t have remained outside for this long."

Jian Yulan’s grip around Whisperer tightened slightly.

"They have already declared themselves enemies by coming here."

The elders exchanged several glances, clearly understanding why Jian Yulan wanted to rush outside.

This wasn’t simply about the sect; it was her own personal vengeance.

They knew about the Blood Moon incident from years ago, and although none of them openly mentioned it, they could all see the hatred hidden behind Jian Yulan’s calm expression.

One of the elders finally spoke.

"We know why you want to go out."

Jian Yulan’s gaze shifted towards that elder as he continued.

"But we cannot allow personal matters to determine how the entire sect responds to an attack."

For a moment, the room became completely silent. Jian Yulan didn’t respond, though the killing intent around her became slightly heavier.

Before the argument could continue, however, the door of the Elder Hall opened.

An unexpected figure entered, someone who shouldn’t be here at all.

Elder Ye!!

Gu Changsheng’s master had already arrived at the Sword Sect after receiving the earlier message from Jian Yulan, though he had remained nearby instead of interfering with the matter.