The elders began to debate among themselves.
Clearly, most of the Golden Core elders were not keen on assimilation.
In their view, if they could capture the Middle Land’s immortal cultivators and force them to participate in the Bloodforge, then collectively divide up the treasures acquired from the Middle Land, that would be the best option.
“The second plan is war. Crush the Middle Land with overwhelming strength and capture their cultivators, then send them to participate in the Bloodforge,” said the elderly man in silver robes. “If this plan succeeds, all their treasures will be enjoyed by our Huoyan Sect alone.”
“However, I must remind you that Wu Yuan is extraordinarily talented and in possession of the treasures acquired from the ancient sect. Thus, within the next few decades, we estimate that he has a thirty percent chance of reaching the late-stage Spiritual Body phase.”
“Furthermore, they have several Golden Core cultivators in their ranks,” said the silver-robed elderly man solemnly. “Once conflict breaks out, we will be risking our lives as well.”
“Thus, the third plan is also launching a war, but allying with the other two great sects to jointly attack the Middle Land,” the elderly man in silver robes continued.
Each of the three plans had their pros and cons.
“Wu Yuan, late-stage Spiritual Body phase? That’s unlikely. The accumulation of ether alone requires a lengthy period. Even if his Dao comprehension speed is fast, he’s probably only at the third or fourth-level Domain stage,” spoke a Golden Core elder.
“Exactly. Progressing through the Qi Sea phase or Communion phase is easy, but upon reaching the Spiritual Body phase, things are no longer that simple.”
“When he killed a Golden Core cultivator years ago, he must have relied on the treasures left by the ancient sect. There’s a high probability that his strength will only reach the mid-stage Spiritual Body phase at most,” the elders in attendance began to speak one after another.
The silver-robed elderly man sighed inwardly.
He knew that many elders had already made their choices. If this was any other time, they might consider the possibility of assimilation and peaceful negotiation.
But now that they were facing a Bloodforge? Few would choose complete assimilation.
So be it, how strong can a genius from some tiny island be? The silver-robed elder also made his decision.
He was once a follower of the ancestor, so he was rather knowledgeable. But at the end of the day, the Huoyan Sect was one of the ruling factions of Summerpeak mainland, accustomed to the obedience of their subjects for thousands of years. How open-minded could they be?
Even if they knew the Middle Land was no ordinary island, the upper echelons of the Huoyan Sect were still inclined to force rather than peaceful resolution.
The three great immortal sects of Summerpeak didn’t even like cooperating with each other, let alone with the tiny Middle Land.
“We will now proceed with the voting,” the silver-robed elderly man declared.
Soon, the results were out.
“Out of the twenty-six elders present, two favor the first plan, eighteen favor the second, and six favor the third,” the elder in silver robes announced in a deep voice, “We will execute the second plan.”
The higher echelons of the Huoyan Sect had not only chosen to wage war, but to fight alone.
The silver-robed elderly man knew without a doubt that this was due to the ancient sect’s relics.
The elders were not willing to share them with the two other great immortal sects. After all, with more participants joining the war, the spoils of war would also be divided up into small portions.
Hm? Suddenly, the silver-robed elder’s expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his calm, “Fellow Elders, the ancestor has summoned me.”
“The ancestor?”
“How did the ancestor know about this? Our meeting hasn’t even ended yet.”
“What’s going on?” The gathering of elders expressed their confusion.
The elder in silver robes scanned their reactions.
Although the ancestor seemed indifferent to the sect’s affairs and had handed all decision-making power to him, there were elders who had a direct line of contact with the ancestor.
“I shall take my leave.” The elder in silver robes stepped into a meditation chamber behind the grand hall, retrieving a special voidrealm jade.
The entire piece of jade was a faint blood-red color.
Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm. The elderly man in silver robes sighed quietly, recalling the scene when he entered it a few years ago.
It was a bizarre world filled with countless immortal cultivators, far beyond his imagination.
The small voidrealm owned by Huoyan Sect was no match for the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm – it was like comparing scrap metal to gold.
Enter. He sent his Soul Force into the voidrealm jade in front of him.
In an instant, he found himself in a mysterious land.
In the Redmoon Continent of the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm, inside an ordinary city.
The Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm was a vast and boundless voidrealm created by the Bloodforge Devil Hall for its countless subordinate immortal cultivators.
The Redmoon Continent, on the other hand, was where the immortal cultivators of the Bloodforge Devil Hall’s Redmoon division were stationed.
In an enormous mansion within the city.
The silver-robed elderly man appeared on a lawn. Not far from him stood a black-robed youth, his robes engraved with complex blood-colored cryptic patterns.
“Reverend,” the silver-robed elderly man greeted, reverence flashing in his eyes.
He knew all too clearly that the Huoyan Sect was able to establish itself as the dominant presence in the Summerpeak mainland and the head of the three great immortal sects all thanks to this black-robed youth – Reverend Huo Yan!
The Reverend was also the first Amethyst Cradle cultivator of the Huoyan Sect, and had cultivated for over a thousand years.
Even in the higher world, he was someone with a certain degree of status.
All three immortal sects in the entire Summerpeak mainland boasted an Amethyst Cradle ancestor, but only Reverend Huo Yan had truly joined the higher world.
Even though Reverend Huo Yan did not reside in the Summerpeak World, the other two great immortal sects dared not offend the Huoyan Sect.
“Follow me,” said Reverend Huo Yan softly.
“Yes,” the silver-robed elder replied respectfully.
The two of them, one leading and the other following, proceeded swiftly along the mansion’s corridor.
Along the way, the elderly man saw several figures in black robes emitting powerful auras. He understood that these were cultivators from the higher world.
The higher world was unfathomably powerful. The Summerpeak World was just one of countless worlds under its rule.
Reverend Huo Yan might be unrivaled in the Summerpeak World, but he was nothing more than an ordinary member of the higher world.
They came to a standalone building and entered a meditation chamber.
“Sit,” Reverend Huo Yan pointed to one of the two jade platforms, then sat down.
The silver-robed elder hastily sat down.
“Ying Quan,” Reverend Huo Yan glanced at the silver-robed elderly man, speaking indifferently. “I hear there’s an island called the Middle Land, of which we found evidence of a suspected ancient sect’s ruins. There’s a prodigy named Wu Yuan?”
“Correct,” the silver-robed elderly man answered.
“Give me a detailed report,” Reverend Huo Yan ordered.
“Understood.” With no intentions of withholding any information, the silver-robed elder swiftly recounted every detail.
Reverend Huo Yan did not interrupt him, listening quietly.
After a while, the silver-robed elder finished his narration.
“You may take every last treasure in the Middle Land,” Reverend Huo Yan spoke softly, “I only have one requirement: spare no effort to kill Wu Yuan.”
“Inform the other elders of the sect, once the task is completed, I’ll gift the sect an additional thirty thousand catties of ethercrystal,” Reverend Huo Yan spoke nonchalantly.
“You shall be the commander of this operation. If you succeed, I’ll grant you an opportunity to cultivate in the higher world once,” Reverend Huo Yan looked at the silver-robed elderly man.
He knew he had to make a promise, as only then would the silver-robed elderly man go all out. After all, he was currently bound by the rules of the Bloodforge Devil Hall. Returning to the Summerpeak World was extremely difficult for him.
“A chance to cultivate in the higher world?” The elderly man’s eyes lit up.
Thirty thousand catties of ethercrystal? It wasn’t enough to move him. He was already a ninth-stage Golden Core cultivator, a top-tier powerhouse in the Summerpeak mainland, and also the sect leader. No matter how many catties of ethercrystal he was given, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
But if he could visit the higher world, that was a different story. It meant a chance to break through to the Amethyst Cradle stage!
“Ancestor, I will do my best.” The elderly man in silver robes pushed down the excitement in his heart.
He had waited for this opportunity for hundreds of years. He knew how tough it was for a Golden Core cultivator like him to get a chance to cultivate in the higher world.
The most common method was to participate in the Bloodforge. But the likelihood of dying was far too high, and he was unwilling to take the risk.
“Ancestor, if you wish to kill Wu Yuan, you could simply send him to participate in the Bloodforge.” The elderly man in silver robes suggested.
“No!” Reverend Huo Yan shook his head, “Ying Quan, you must kill him. Also, keep Wu Yuan’s existence a secret from the other two great immortal sects as far as possible.”
“Right, I permit you to use the sect’s guardian weapon I brought back last time.” Reverand Huo Yan stated indifferently, “Do not hold back, you must succeed in one go.”
“The guardian weapon?” The elderly man in silver robes was taken aback.
He could sense the ancestor’s determination.
“Understood.” The elderly man in silver robes didn’t dare to question the ancestor. “I, Ying Quan, will not fail my mission, Wu Yuan will be eliminated in one go.”
“Mm.” Reverend Huo Yan made a dismissive gesture.
The silver-robed elderly man bowed respectfully, his avatar fading into nothingness as his consciousness left the Bloodforge Immortal Voidrealm.
Only Reverend Huo Yan remained, seated on the jade platform.
“Some native brat slayed a Golden Core cultivator at just twenty years old?” Reverend Huo Yan murmured to himself, “And even unified the Middle Land so quickly.”
“He even established a unified empire and earned the devotion of the people?”
From the reports made by the Huoyan Immortal Sect, he quickly deduced Wu Yuan’s ultimate goal – to propagate Faith! He was laying the groundwork for his future advancement.
“Such a top-tier genius harbors great ambitions. If I allow you to continue maturing, the chances that you’ll reach the Shambhala phase are high.” Reverend Huo Yan’s eyes turned cold. “If I send you to participate in the Bloodforge, you might even survive.”
“I’ve been plotting to make the Summerpeak World mine for nearly a thousand years.”
“Out of the one hundred thousand merits required by the devil hall, I’ve accumulated eighty thousand. After completing two more missions, I can return to Summerpeak and freely propagate Faith.”
“I cannot give you any opportunities.”
It wasn’t that Reverend Huo Yan did not consider aiding Wu Yuan, but the risk was too high.
This was a rising genius whose strength was already nearing his own. Moreover, he knew nothing about Wu Yuan. It wouldn’t be the least bit surprising if Wu Yuan turned against him in the future.
Moreover, Reverend Huo Yan had cultivated for over a thousand years. Even if he treated Wu Yuan as an investment and helped him out now, how long did he have to wait before he could cash his returns?
He didn’t have much time left for his own breakthrough.
On the contrary, based on Reverend Huo Yan’s predictions, once Wu Yuan broke through, the battle to gain the Faith of Summerpeak World would be imminent.
It’s too bad, but you have to die. Once I’ve accumulated enough merits, the Faith of billions of living beings in the Summerpeak World will serve as fertilizer, allowing me to step into the Void Refiner phase.
He wasn’t the least bit worried that his subordinates might fail to kill Wu Yuan.
With the entire Huoyan Sect coming out in full force along with the power of the guardian weapon, even an actual Amethyst Cradle Reverend would die if he wasn’t careful. Killing a Spiritual Body cultivator who had only cultivated for fifty years was hardly an issue.
…
Dozens of Golden Core cultivators gathered in the Huoyan Sect.
“Per the ancestor’s instructions, apart from Elder Yun and seven others who are to guard the sect, the other twenty-six elders will accompany me to the Middle Land.” the elderly man in silver robes spoke in a low voice.
“Our mission is to kill Wu Yuan and capture all other immortal cultivators in the Middle Land.”
“Understood!” chorused the dozens of Golden Core elders.
They turned into dozens of light streaks, shooting into the sky toward the Middle Land.