Cultivating immortality!
To mortals, it was a wondrous and magnificent concept.
In their imagination, immortal cultivators lived detached from earthly squabbles, sitting beneath lush trees throughout the day, washing themselves in clear streams to maintain their purity, leisurely watching the clouds gather and disperse beyond the heavens, quietly listening to flowers bloom and fall before their gates.
Whenever the mood struck them, they would roam to the Northern Sea at dawn and reach Mount Cangwu by dusk, visiting friends and discussing the Dao in carefree delight.
Yet in truth, whether in the cultivation world or the mortal realm, where was it not a sea of bitterness?
Existing within an even vaster sea of bitterness, one naturally had to weather even greater surging waves!
Tianlan Immortal City, this man-made sanctuary endowed with spiritual grace, gathered countless rogue cultivators, and the resources passing through its hands each day were beyond reckoning.
The struggles here seemed orderly on the surface, but were actually far more perilous than in remote market towns.
In particular, the decennial rotation of the city's governance was a prime period for conflicts to erupt.
Every time the ten-year mark arrived, no one knew how many small sects and minor clans that had briefly flourished would scatter like smoke and dust, turning into insignificant specks of foam in the long river of the Mountain and Sea Realm's history.
Unnoticed, uncared for.
Yet this time, the struggle in Tianlan Immortal City truly seized the attention of everyone inside and outside the city, as well as the surrounding lands!
For no other reason than that the protagonist at the epicenter of this struggle was the Luotian Association!
The Danxia Luotian Association, founded scarcely thirty years ago and established in Tianlan for less than twenty!
Ever since this power settled in Tianlan, it had started lukewarmly, but gradually revealed its ferocious fangs.
They were extraordinarily aggressive!
Whether in business competition or territorial expansion, their momentum was ever swift and fierce like fire.
They frequently drove their rivals into utter subjugation.
In even more extreme cases, they had breached mountain gates and eradicated whole lineages.
Had it been merely arrogance, such nouveau-riche behavior would inevitably end in ruin.
Yet ironically, Dan Chenzi, the president of the Luotian Association, possessed grand vision and great acumen.
From the very beginning, he had clung tightly to Fairy Jueqing's backing.
With Ice Fort as their protector, as long as the Luotian Association refrained from offending the subordinate forces of the Nascent Soul superior sects, ordinary factions simply had no means of dealing with them.
Furthermore, Dan Chenzi possessed peerless alchemy skills.
Through this, he had won over a host of allies for the Luotian Association, and even Tao Daozi, the future valley master of Azure Pill Valley, favored him immensely.
One could say that as long as the Luotian Association did not bring disaster upon itself, it would continue to develop smoothly without impediment until Dan Chenzi passed away or fell.
That was how everyone viewed them.
Yet the ways of the world were ever unpredictable.
Dan Chenzi had actually crossed realms on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield to slay a Golden Core elder of the Yan Alliance!
Even though the Yan Alliance and Ice Fort officially declared that Di Wanyun had simply met with ill fortune, inadvertently triggering the mechanisms of the Soul Formation ruins and causing myriad layers of thunderclouds to strike him down, the people of the world were no fools.
Other sects had fanned the flames as well, making the news that he died by Luo Chen's schemes known to all.
Because of this, the Yan Alliance naturally would not let the matter rest, harboring a deep hatred for Dan Chenzi!
In recent years, Dan Chenzi had vanished without a trace.
With no outlet for their simmering fury, the Luotian Association naturally became the prime target for the Yan Alliance to vent its wrath.
Bullying the weak as a titan was unseemly; doing so openly would tarnish their prestige and give Ice Fort a pretext to hold against them.
However, as a great artifact-crafting sect whose wealth was on par with Azure Pill Valley, the Yan Alliance had subordinates as numerous as crossing carp.
All it took was a subtle hint from them, and there would be plenty eager to cause trouble for the Luotian Association.
What was more, there was the bait of the Core Formation secret arts dangled before them!
After years of brewing, an anti-Luotian alliance had blatantly taken form.
Gunlong Ridge!
This was a massive mountain ridge formed by the writhing of an earth dragon.
Subterranean fires erupted from it from time to time, forming a natural spiritual vein.
Even though the Zheng family no longer enjoyed the past glory of having a Pseudo-Dan True Cultivator like when their clan was first founded, in recent years they had maintained a robust presence with three Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Ordinary forces dared not provoke them.
Originally, following the death of the Zheng family ancestor Zheng Tianfang on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield, the Zheng family's decline should have been inevitable.
Yet over these years, the Zheng family had instead gained a large number of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
These cultivators were not only high in cultivation, but also steeped in a vicious, baleful aura.
Anyone who interacted with them even slightly would know that these were formidable survivors who had lived through the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield, that meat grinder of Jade Cauldron.
Thanks to their presence, Gunlong Ridge had not weakened at all, but rather grown more prosperous in recent years, becoming the third-largest faction within the scope of Tianlan Immortal City, second only to Iron Sword Hall and the Luotian Association!
And today, the Gunlong Ridge Zheng family welcomed a large gathering of guests.
Wei Bofan of Mount Xuchen, Clan Head Chang of Changliu Gorge, the sect master of the Ascension Sect, Patriarch Shen of Black Leopard Mountain...
Hosted by the master of the house, Zheng Kejian, these people gathered under one roof, chatting in a clamorous din.
"Back then, that Luo Chen slew our Mount Xuchen's Grand Elder Wei Tuo without distinguishing right from wrong. I, Wei Bofan, have engraved this hatred in my heart and never forgotten it day or night!"
Righteously indignant, Wei Bofan slammed the table with loud thuds, counting off Luo Chen's sins.
"If that were all, so be it. Yet he relied on Ice Fort's backing to oppress me with power, forcing my Wei family to bow our heads."
"Fellow Daoists, have you ever seen such a shameless person in your lives?"
Beside him, Clan Head Chang of Changliu Gorge shook his head with a frown. "That villain Luo Chen is indeed shameless to the extreme. What kind of logic is it to kill someone and then force their kin to bow their heads?"
Wei Bofan gave a bitter smile. "Not only bow our heads, but even demand heavy compensation from me, claiming that our Mount Xuchen had disrespected him first. He even boasted that if I didn't offer apologies and gifts, he would come to Mount Xuchen in person."
"At that time, my cultivation was meager, only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment. I had no choice but to swallow my pride and compromise."
"Yet this time, I do not intend to endure any longer!"
After he finished, another furious voice rang out from within the hall.
"Fellow Daoist Wei is absolutely right! The cultivators of the Luotian Association truly go too far!"
Everyone looked toward the voice, only to find a withered little old man.
His face was pale, looking utterly depleted of vitality.
Everyone recognized him as Shen Gongyi of Black Leopard Mountain.
At this moment, an unnatural flush had crept onto his pale face.
"When cultivators dispute, one should know when to stop. Back then, my dear friend Dan Yuanzi went merely to pay his respects to his late friend Li Jinhuang. Yet he was ambushed by Luo Chen, who drove Li Jinhuang's departed soul to slay him."
"If that were all, so be it, but they insisted that Danyuan Sect coveted the Li family's resources, and forcibly took up the Li family's cause to suppress and destroy Danyuan Sect."
"In truth, didn't they just covet the alchemy-related resources of Danyuan Sect?"
"The Li family's cultivators even aided the villain and took the foe as their father, joining the Luotian Association—a fellow Foundation Establishment faction!"
Listening to his words, even though everyone knew that today's gathering was merely to find a pretext for war, they still wore stunned expressions at how blatantly he distorted black and white.
Dan Yuanzi had gone to pay his respects to a friend?
Perhaps realizing that his claims lacked ground, Shen Gongyi promptly shifted his tone:
"Dan Yuanzi was my close friend. After his death, I was powerless to change it, yet holding firmly to my belief in championing righteousness, I was determined to protect the sect my friend left behind."
"I originally intended to reason things out with the Luotian Association and plead for mercy to preserve Danyuan Sect's lineage."
"Who could have foreseen that the cultivator named Wang Yuan would be utterly unreasonable? While I was earnestly and painstakingly trying to persuade him, he launched a sneak attack on an elderly senior like me!"
"All these years have passed, yet I have never been able to step into the mid Foundation Establishment realm, all thanks to Wang Yuan!"
"Whether for Dan Yuanzi or for myself, I will definitely avenge this enmity!"
The corners of everyone's mouths twitched.
A sneak attack?
They remembered well that back then, he had been defeated fair and square in an open clash.
Besides, for an expert like Wang Yuan, would he even need to sneak-attack an old codger like you?
However, being on the same front, no one wanted to expose his half-truths.
Instead, the old sect master of the Ascension Sect stroked his grizzled beard and spoke in deep agreement:
"Rumor has it that this Wang Yuan is the Blood Fiend who roamed the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield committing slaughter. His shamelessness and bloodlust are truly not inferior to Luo Chen's."
"I hear the two of them share an extraordinary relationship—closer than blood brothers."
"Now it seems they are indeed birds of a feather."
At the mention of the name Blood Fiend Wang Yuan, the expressions of everyone present changed slightly.
That was an absolute harbinger of slaughter!
On the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield, countless cultivators had perished at the hands of the Blood Fiend. It was said their deaths were gruesome beyond measure, their essence blood drained completely dry.
Although no one knew why the Four-Sect Alliance had not held him accountable after the war, his prowess was certainly not something this group of cultivators, who were at most at the mid Foundation Establishment stage, could contend with.
For a moment, the surging indignation of the crowd ground to an awkward halt.
Wei Bofan could not help saying, "Though I disdain Wang Yuan's conduct, his strength is undeniably formidable. When the time comes, who will deal with him?"
The old sect master of the Ascension Sect also voiced his concern: "Wang Yuan is manageable enough, but what matters most is Danxia's Mountain-Protecting Grand Array! I once covertly observed Danxia's terrain; it was clearly altered and arranged with great deliberation. If we strike, how are we to breach that Mountain-Protecting Grand Array?"
Ten years ago, the Luotian Association's Mountain-Protecting Grand Array had briefly revealed its splendor, effortlessly wiping out two Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Geng family!
Now that many years had passed, Min Longyu, the Luotian Association's formation master, had grown even more consummate in skill, even earning the Daoist moniker Leizhenzi on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield.
That was a moniker acknowledged by cultivators of both the Four-Sect Alliance and the Sword Sect Alliance!
With him presiding over it, calling the Luotian Association an impregnable fortress was no exaggeration.
Shen Gongyi rolled his eyes. "The Zheng family has many experts. We shouldn't need to worry about such matters, right?"
Just as they were discussing, footsteps sounded from outside.
Before long, hearty laughter echoed in.
Looking over, everyone saw Zheng Kejian escorting a one-eyed cultivator and a scholar wearing a cyan scarf-cap with a sword at his waist.
The three walked together, conversing with great pleasure.
The hearty laughter came from none other than the one-eyed cultivator.
Looking at that person, everyone's expressions turned solemn.
Xiahou Kun!
A great cultivator of late Foundation Establishment, his strength unfathomable.
In recent years, he had led the Silver Gorge Xiahou family in fierce opposition against the Luo family of Luosha Workshop.
When Luo Feng, head of the Luo family, had personally intervened, even he was repelled by Xiahou Kun.
This man's strength lay in his sheer ferocity and valiance!
Yet at this moment, the smile on his face clearly held a measure of solemn deference.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, with you leading Iron Sword Hall to aid us, why worry that we cannot seize the Luotian Association in one fell swoop!"
Involuntarily, everyone turned their eyes toward the scholar wearing the scarf-cap and bearing a sword.
The man smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Xiahou overpraises me."
Someone could not help asking, "Patriarch Zheng, won't you introduce this fellow Daoist?"
Just as Zheng Kejian, the host, was about to speak, the middle-aged scholar snapped open his folding fan, cutting him short.
He smoothly stowed the fan and swept his gaze over the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall. His brow furrowed slightly, yet he maintained sufficient courtesy.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"This humble one is Zhou Jiansong, hailing from the Medicine King Domain. Thanks to the generosity of some fellow Daoists, I have been bestowed the Daoist moniker Songfengzi."
"Though I have been in Tianlan for a few years, I have not had the pleasure of sharing wine and conversation with you all. Seeing you today, this noble land is indeed teeming with talent!"
Zhou Jiansong was an unfamiliar name to them.
Yet the title Songfengzi resounded like thunder in their ears!
For no other reason than that this very person had taken charge of the reconstructed Iron Sword Hall and become its new hall master.
Under his management, rogue cultivators from both within and beyond the domain had been recruited en masse. In just a few short years, he had restored the declining Iron Sword Hall back to its pinnacle.
One could even say that the current Iron Sword Hall was several times stronger than when Zuo Song held the post.
Today's Iron Sword Hall likewise had the Yan Alliance as its patron, and boasted three late Foundation Establishment cultivators within its ranks!
The number of early and mid Foundation Establishment cultivators exceeded ten.
Its momentum rivaled the Luotian Association!
Such strength commanded immense respect!
Therefore, even though he was an outsider cultivator who had seized another's nest, the cultivators of Tianlan did not dare offend him.
In an instant, the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators in the hall enthusiastically exchanged greetings with him.
Though Songfengzi looked down on these low-realm Foundation Establishment cultivators in his heart, he maintained flawless surface decorum.
"With the aid of so many fellow Daoists, that overbearing Luotian Association is surely nothing to fear!"
"Fellow Daoist Songfengzi speaks truly! As the saying goes, 'Those who uphold justice find ample support, while those who do not find none.' The Luotian Association ought to be destroyed!"
"In this battle, my Chang family will go all out!"
"My Mount Xuchen will do the same!"
Songfengzi listened with a smile as these people voiced their stances.
Inwardly, however, he was calculating the balance of strength between the two sides.
On the Luotian Association's side, there were about a dozen Foundation Establishment True Cultivators. A few more had emerged in recent years, but they had only just entered Foundation Establishment and were not worth fretting over.
Among them, the key figures to consider were Tiankuizi Chu Kui, Blood Fiend Wang Yuan, and Xu Huanzhen.
The former two possessed remarkable battle records.
As for Xu Huanzhen, though only at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, when stationed at Danxia Peak she could command over a thousand Feather-Plundering Hawks, posing a threat no lesser than a late Foundation Establishment great cultivator!
In addition, there was Leizhenzi Min Longyu!
The defenders held the terrain advantage after all.
Under his control of the grand array, even a ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator like himself would not dare clash head-on recklessly.
On their own side:
These scattered minor forces, patched together, could muster about a dozen Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
The Zheng family possessed seven Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
Iron Sword Hall was actually the strongest party, boasting three late Foundation Establishment cultivators and ten in the early and mid stages.
After a brief tally, Songfengzi's heart sank slightly.
He had come merely to reap some spoils; he had no intention of residing in Tianlan Immortal City for the long haul.
His objective was purely the four Core Formation secret arts.
Originally, he had not planned to stick his neck out as the vanguard in this battle.
Yet looking at it now, the Iron Sword Hall he led had instead become the main force in attacking Danxia Luotian.
This differed from his earlier assumptions!
Just as displeasure showed on his face, his heart suddenly stirred.
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the hall walls toward the interior of Gunlong Ridge's mountain belly.
Deep within, there were two auras no weaker than his own.
One of them even faintly exuded the aura of near Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.
'Is this a deliberate signal to keep me steady?'
While he was guessing, Zheng Kejian suddenly produced a token, his face lighting up with joy.
"Everyone, the Yan Alliance's true disciple has arrived!"
The crowd froze, followed immediately by wild delight.
Everyone knew all too well what the arrival of an Yan Alliance true disciple signified.
Songfengzi and Xiahou Kun exchanged a glance and nodded in tacit understanding.
Led by Zheng Kejian, everyone stepped outside to wait respectfully.
Before long, three streaks of light ascended Gunlong Ridge.
The leader was only at mid Foundation Establishment.
Yet the two late Foundation Establishment great cultivators behind him clearly deferred to him.
Seeing those two, Xiahou Kun sent a quiet voice transmission:
"Those are not Yan Alliance disciples, but experts from two major subordinate clans of Tianhuo City. It seems the Yan Alliance felt this battle might not be completely secure, so they deliberately sought these helpers."
The corners of Songfengzi's lips curled up slightly.
With that, the number of great cultivators on their side reached as many as eight!
What could the Luotian Association use to fight them?
While they were quietly transmitting messages, Zheng Kejian had already bowed deeply and called out:
"We welcome True Disciple Qin!"
The young man glanced at them, waved his wide sleeve, and strode into the hall with the two great cultivators.
This unceremonious behavior left the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, who had intended to curry favor, freezing awkwardly in their tracks.
Only Songfengzi gave a light chuckle, following inside with leisurely ease.
In the Medicine King Domain, he had long grown accustomed to dealing with sect disciples.
The Medicine King Sect was a Nascent Soul superior sect that reigned supreme over an entire domain; its disciples were far more arrogant than this True Disciple Qin.
The others were probably used to strutting around on their own turf and had not yet adjusted to such dismissive treatment!
Once everyone was inside, True Disciple Qin spun around, glaring at them displeasurably.
"You were told to deal with a mere Luotian Association, yet you haven't taken it down after all these years. A bunch of useless trash!"
Everyone's expressions stiffened, completely at a loss for words.
Zheng Kejian's ancestor had once been an Yan Alliance true disciple and a Pseudo-Dan True Cultivator!
He thus had some experience dealing with disciples of major sects.
He said cautiously, "It was our incompetence in handling affairs that troubled True Disciple Qin."
As the proverb went, one does not hit a smiling face.
True Disciple Qin snorted coldly and ceased his scolding.
Instead, pointing at the two men beside him, he said:
"I know you lot are incapable of great things, so this time I specially brought two experts from the Yan Alliance's subordinate families. Tuoba Lingfei and Xiang Zhonghe—you have heard these names, haven't you!"
The two had cold expressions, sweeping their gazes across the crowd without lingering.
Only upon Songfengzi and Xiahou Kun did their gazes pause slightly, offering a subtle nod.
This was acknowledgment of equal strength.
Xiahou Kun already knew their origins, chiming in, "The two fellow Daoists shone brilliantly on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield; I have long heard of your renown. Meeting you today, it truly feels as though we met too late!"
True Disciple Qin glanced at him, then looked toward Zheng Kejian.
"Where is Senior Brother Zheng Xian?"
Zheng Kejian replied cautiously, "My cousin-uncle is currently in seclusion, charging toward the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection realm."
Hearing this, Songfengzi wore a thoughtful look.
The aura nearing Foundation Establishment Great Perfection he had sensed earlier was evidently this Zheng Xian they spoke of.
True Disciple Qin frowned and said immediately:
"Regarding the destruction of the Luotian Association, it is inconvenient for my Yan Alliance to act directly. However, Senior Brother Zheng Xian made an error in his earlier years and was expelled from the sect. If he can eradicate the Luotian Association this time and restore my Yan Alliance's reputation, my grandfather will personally decide to take him back into the fold, and even assist him in forming a golden core."
Upon hearing these words, Zheng Kejian could not conceal his wild delight.
Although Zheng Xian was not of his Gunlong Ridge lineage, in the early days he shared the same bloodline with the ancestor who founded the Zheng family.
It was only that their ancestor left the sect to spread branches and leaves in Tianlan Immortal City, while Zheng Xian's father chose to remain in the sect.
If they could seize the destruction of the Luotian Association as an opportunity to return him to the Yan Alliance's lineage, the Zheng family would once again gain a powerful patron.
If he could successfully form a core, it would be an even greater blessing!
However, the prerequisite for all of this was the destruction of the Luotian Association.
He asked gingerly, "The Luotian Association is a subordinate of Ice Fort, and President Dan Chenzi is highly valued by Ice Fort—they even promoted him out of convention to be a Guest Elder of Ice Fort. If we strike like this, will it provoke Ice Fort..."
"Hmph, you need not worry about that."
True Disciple Qin gave a light snort, cupping his hands in salute toward the direction of Tianlan Immortal City from afar.
"My grandfather arrived in Tianlan yesterday. When the time comes, if Ice Fort refrains from intervening, then fine; if they dare intervene, that will give my grandfather the exact pretext he needs."
"Just do your own part well!"
Zheng Kejian was stunned, and then the heavy boulder in his heart finally dropped.
The crowd in the hall was equally overjoyed.
With a Golden Core Superior backing them, this battle was practically in the bag!
"Oh, by the way, there is something you might not know yet," True Disciple Qin chuckled sinisterly. "Through his connections, my grandfather checked the merit registry of the Four-Sect Alliance. Your father, Zheng Tianfang, died at the hands of Dan Chenzi."
In that instant, everyone's eyes fell on Zheng Kejian.
His body trembled uncontrollably before slowly steadying.
His facial features twisted in rage, his eyes bloodshot, and he spoke through gritted teeth:
"If I do not avenge this enmity, I am unworthy of being a son!"
"To eradicate the Luotian Association, my Zheng family will deploy in full force! We will leave not a single brick, tile, blade of grass, or scrap of wood remaining on Danxia!"
...
Several days later.
Inside the Ice Billow Palace of Tianlan Immortal City.
Four factions converged!
The Ice Fort side, who ought to have been the hosts, was represented by Yin Xiuhua of late Foundation Establishment, who currently sat in the lowest seat.
Before the other three factions, her face was ash-gray, uttering not a single word.
Tao Wan sat on an ice chair, a calm smile on her face as though watching a play.
The play, naturally, was the confrontation between two Golden Core Superiors!
Elder Fei of Mount Ailao and Elder Qin of the Yan Alliance.
During the Jade Cauldron civil war that had spanned over two decades, every sect had suffered losses and fostered grievances.
Among them, the enmity between Mount Ailao and the Yan Alliance was particularly deep!
The two sides had not only fought to the death in the Blackwater Swamp, but had clashed violently several times on the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield.
Elder Fei had crossed swords with this Elder Qin of the Yan Alliance no fewer than three times.
Looking at his old rival now, fire burned in his eyes. "No matter how it is calculated, the city's management rights are far from reaching your Yan Alliance. Your arrival this time is doomed to be in vain."
Qin Tairan snorted coldly. "A defeated general dares talk of valor?"
An off-topic reply, yet it struck directly at Elder Fei's sore spot.
In those multiple clashes, almost every one had ended in his defeat.
Had it not been for the Golden Core Superiors of the Four-Sect Alliance supporting him, he might not have even kept his life.
Taking a deep breath, Elder Fei glared fixedly at him. "You came alone to Tianlan, entering the tiger's den. Do you truly think this old man has no way of dealing with you?"
Qin Tairan twitched the corner of his mouth. "I come and go as I please. Not to mention you, even if Jueqing were here, I would not fear her in the slightest!"
Though he said so, his tone was noticeably weaker than before.
For a simple reason: Fairy Jueqing was not currently in Tianlan.
Or rather, Ice Fort had not a single Golden Core cultivator present here.
Otherwise, Yin Xiuhua would not be relegated to the lowest seat.
Fei Ming sneered. Outside, he knew he was no match for the other man.
Yet inside the immortal city, he truly had no fear of him!
Because when Tianlan Immortal City was built back then, the cultivators of the Mount Ailao lineage had contributed heavily; they were more familiar with the array formations than any of the other six sects.
If it came to a fight to the death, he had the confidence to take him down.
The only concern was the stance of the Golden Core Superior representing the remnants of the Haoran Sect currently overseeing Tianlan Immortal City.
That person remained impartial, doing what they were paid to do.
Cultivators of the seven sects were forbidden from battling inside the immortal city—even Golden Core Superiors!
Tao Wan shook her head, joining the conversation in her capacity as a junior:
"Let us speak of the immortal city's rotation cycle!"
"This matter has dragged on for several days; continuing to stall only wastes everyone's time."
"Senior Qin, by both reason and custom, the management rights for the next ten years belong to Mount Ailao. For you to come aggressively demanding answers now is rather unreasonable."
Qin Tairan glanced at her.
"Junior, this is no place for you to speak."
Tao Wan smiled gracefully and tapped the ice table lightly. Elder Long of Dragon Head Peak stepped in from outside the hall.
"Tao Wan is the future valley master and Daozi of our Azure Pill Valley. She naturally has a right to speak here."
Seeing the newcomer, Qin Tairan snorted coldly.
"Fine!"
"Since you wish to discuss the rotation of Tianlan, I'll lay all the cards on the table."
"Ice Fort has already overstayed its term by twenty years, and judging by your stance, the next ten years are to be theirs as well."
"Then let me ask you: what about ten years from now?"
Elder Fei of Mount Ailao said, "Ten years from now can naturally be discussed ten years later."
*Smack!*
Qin Tairan slammed his palm heavily onto the ice table, shattering it to pieces.
Powder flew everywhere, even slicing a sliver of blood onto Yin Xiuhua's cheek.
Her expression shifted. "Senior!"
Qin Tairan glared at them coldly. "You give thirty years to Ice Fort. By then, Tianlan Immortal City will be fortified like an iron bastion by Ice Fort. When my Yan Alliance takes over, wouldn't our revenue be drastically reduced?"
"Then you can go discuss it with the Luoyun Sect, the Sword Sect, and Hundred Blossoms Palace!" Elder Fei yielded not an inch, kicking the ball straight toward the two Nascent Soul superior sects and Hundred Blossoms Palace, which was backed by the Hehuan Sect.
Strong as the Yan Alliance was, before the three superior sects, it amounted to nothing.
They would never dare demand an explanation from them.
Qin Tairan's face darkened. "In any case, my Yan Alliance does not agree to your disregard for the rules."
"Just because you don't agree means it can't be done? Then why don't you mediate the war between the two superior sects? Yan Alliance, heh, your reach is wide indeed."
Faced with this mockery, the irascible Qin Tairan ought to have erupted in fury.
Yet he reined in his temper and began negotiating earnestly:
"If the rules are broken in certain matters, things will become difficult for everyone."
"Presently, due to the war, the internal strength of the Jade Cauldron Domain has suffered severe damage, which instead benefits those rogue cultivators from outside the domain."
"The number of Yan Alliance subordinates in Tianlan Immortal City has already fallen drastically. Decades from now, will your sects really reap any benefits?"
Elder Fei of Mount Ailao was momentarily stumped.
Back when the Luoyun Sect mediated the four sects' management rights in the immortal city, they painted a beautiful blueprint.
Yet looking at it now, with the influx of outside rogue cultivators, glaring loopholes had clearly emerged.
Meanwhile, Tao Wan, who had spoken a few words earlier, keenly noticed something amiss.
The shift in Qin Tairan's attitude was somewhat dubious.
Clearly, he had stalled for days without yielding an inch.
Why had his attitude softened today after just a few exchanges?
Suddenly, as if realizing something, her expression changed drastically.
Ignoring the Golden Core Superiors, she rose directly and walked outside.
Elder Long frowned, glanced at Qin Tairan, and followed Tao Wan out.
The moment he stepped out of Ice Billow Palace, his Golden Core spiritual sense instantly detected the anomaly.
Cultivators throughout the immortal city were in an uproar.
Masses of people were surging toward the city gates, amid unending clamor and commotion.
"They're fighting!"
"Hurry, let's go watch the show!"
"Maybe we can even scoop up some spoils!"
Amidst this deafening uproar, Tao Wan let out a soft sigh.
"Elder Qin's true intentions lay elsewhere all along!"
As she spoke, Qin Tairan had already emerged.
He cast a cold glance at the group, immediately conjured an escaping light, and shot straight toward Danxia Peak outside the city.
Tao Wan said softly, "Let us go as well!"
Elder Long swept his wide sleeve, carrying Tao Wan along in a beam of light to follow.
Only then did Yin Xiuhua emerge with a look of panic.
Beside her, Elder Fei of Mount Ailao sneered, "That old wretch put on an elaborate charade—not for the city's management rights at all, but purely to restore the Yan Alliance's prestige! Junior, your Sect Master's lineage wants to pluck the peaches Fairy Jueqing cultivated for twenty years, but if someone chops down the peach tree itself, it's going to be a huge joke!"
Having spoken, ignoring Yin Xiuhua's pale face, he shot straight out of the city as well.
"Someone, mobilize the law enforcement squad and follow me out of the city!"
"Senior Sister, the city law enforcement squad cannot take part in battles outside the city. This rule cannot be broken!"
Yin Xiuhua stamped her foot and hurriedly sprinted through the city streets.
Golden Core Superiors could ignore the immortal city's regulations and fly via escaping light, but as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, she could not violate this rule.
Once outside the city gates, Yin Xiuhua swiftly summoned her flying sword and sped up.
When she finally reached Danxia Peak with great effort, the sight before her made her face turn pale with horror.
Escaping lights filled the sky, spiritual energy surging wildly.
Cultivators gathered like clouds, the flames of war raging fiercely!
Eight late Foundation Establishment cultivators led thirty Foundation Establishment True Cultivators and over a thousand Qi Refining cultivators, tightly encircling that cloud-piercing Danxia Peak.
Furthermore, a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator stepped forward from the vanguard.
"Zheng Xian of Gunlong Ridge has come to pay respects to the mountain!"
His resonant, clear voice surged forward like rolling waves.
As his words fell, all the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators struck in unison, condensing boundless spiritual power and brandishing magical implements and treasures to blast thunderously toward Danxia Peak!
In an instant, dazzling colors burst forth, and the heavens seemed to collapse and the earth split asunder.
This grand and terrifying spectacle held an eerie familiarity in the eyes of some older cultivators of Tianlan Immortal City.
"The tragedy of the Danxia Min family a hundred years ago... is repeating itself!"
Chapter 404