A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 337 - 297: Defeat at Fucang Mountain

The leaders of two vassal sects strongly demanded to merge into the Yunshan Sect!

Lu Qian naturally agreed, as Yunshan Sect was in dire need of manpower! As for loyalty, they dared to directly stand against the Xuanguang Sect, so what’s there to worry about? If they’ve truly fought against Xuanguang Sect and survived, they would be steadfastly loyal.

However, regarding Xu Yingcai, the former Sect Leader, Lu Qian clearly stated that he could not hold positions like Elder or Steward and could only serve as an Honorary Elder, enjoying the benefits of an Elder but without any real power.

Xu Yingcai understood this well in his heart and had no objections to Lu Qian’s decision. He originally had no ambitions, was used to staying low, and from another perspective, he now received a substantial salary from Yunshan Sect as an Elder without any responsibilities, allowing him to focus on his own cultivation and enjoy life.

Getting paid without having to work, where else in the world would you find such a wonderful thing? It’s truly delightful!

Following in their footsteps, the person in charge of Wuwang Temple hesitated for a moment and eventually stepped forward.

Their Sect Leader had died, and there were fewer than twenty disciples left in the sect. After considering it, he thought that with his Three Spirit Roots talent, joining Yunshan Sect would offer a better path than stubbornly sticking to Wuwang Temple.

So he quickly stated that he needed to return and discuss with his fellow disciples, taking a vote to decide whether to merge into Yunshan Sect.

Finally, he somewhat sheepishly expressed that even if his fellow disciples disagreed, he himself was very eager to join Yunshan Sect and hoped Sect Leader Lu would accept him.

This statement left Zhao Xianzong and Sect Leader Sun with mixed feelings. If they returned with this news, the disciples of Spirit Snake Peak and Zhuquan Sect might also be tempted, wanting to join Yunshan Sect.

For the past three years, many disciples had been saying that their own sect was just a branch of Yunshan Sect. The members spoke of Alliance Leader Lu Qian with exuberance, revering him far more than their own Sect Leader.

However, unlike Qingli Mountain and Liuhua Valley, which were originally non-autonomous vassal sects, or Wuwang Temple, which lost its Sect Leader and had no one in charge, they had developed quite well themselves. Merging into Yunshan Sect wouldn’t be much better, and they were reluctant to give up their authority and status as Sect Leader, so they used reasons like the inviolability of their traditions and the necessity to honor their founders as excuses to not consider it too much.

Zhou Chao, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. His family was a relatively xenophobic cultivation clan, and he always took the responsibility of revitalizing the Zhou Family, so naturally, he wouldn’t change allegiance.

Eventually, when the disciple responsible for Wuwang Temple returned, he excitedly reported that the merger had been passed with a high vote, and Wuwang Temple directly merged into Yunshan Sect.

An initially strategic declaration conference had unexpectedly turned into a merger meeting, which was beyond Lu Qian’s expectations. However, he initially had the idea of peaceful mergers, aiming to gradually absorb several sects over decades. Now, due to a fortunate coincidence, it happened much earlier, which was indeed a good thing.

Now, Yunshan Sect had absorbed Qingli Mountain, Liuhua Valley, and Wuwang Temple. The members of the Shuangye Alliance were now the Yunshan Sect, Zhou Family, Spirit Snake Peak, and Zhuquan Sect.

The other three members of the Shuangye Alliance unanimously expressed their absolute obedience to the Alliance Leader’s directives, united in combating the Xuanguang Sect.

At this time, all the battle losses were tallied. In the battle to defend Lingsha City, twenty-four cultivators were killed. Among them, Yunshan Sect lost two Elders and four disciples, all of whom were at Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation.

Currently, only eighty-two Qi Cultivation elite members of the Shuangye Alliance remained in Lingsha City. According to post-merger statistics, Yunshan Sect had fifty cultivators, with two at Qi Cultivation Perfection, twelve at Late-Stage Qi Cultivation, and thirty-six at Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation.

Calculating like this, everyone’s hearts were incredibly heavy.

From an initial force of one hundred sixty Qi Cultivation elites, nearly half had been killed in battle. Even among the remaining eighty-two, almost everyone was wounded, with many severely injured.

The two Divine Ships were also heavily damaged; if they ascended again, they would likely be completely destroyed by a single round of enemy Spiritual Power Cannon fire.

Can Yunshan Sect’s four Foundation Establishment members, leading these eighty-two wounded individuals, truly withstand Xuanguang Sect’s onslaught?

Lu Qian instructed Xu Yingcai to assist Jiang Qingfeng by quickly integrating the new cultivators from Qingli Mountain, Liuhua Valley, and Wuwang Temple, standardizing their treatment with Yunshan Sect disciples. They were to register and undergo a simple orientation to shift their identity consciousness, from now on identifying solely as Yunshan Sect disciples.

Regarding other entry ceremonies, ancestor veneration, issuing arm badges, passing on rules and teachings, and ideological education, they would have to wait until later.

At this moment, the intelligence group assigned by Lu Qian to gather information on the Fucang Mountain line finally sent the latest intelligence through the Thousand-Mile Mirror.

"Sect Leader, the army of Chongming County has been defeated!" The disciple panted, his expression tense as he spoke. "Fucang Mountain is a mess, bloodstains everywhere. I just arrived and saw that the army of Sanshan County has already occupied Fucang Mountain, and the Chongming army is retreating southward!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, though unsure whether they should be happy.

Chongming County and Xuanguang Sect had ultimately lost!

Lu Qian knew what had happened, likely due to his group’s breakout causing the flank of Chongming’s army to collapse, leading to a chain reaction. Even if Master Fengfeng tried to make up for it, it was futile, resulting in them barely holding on.

After battling for an hour and a half, they still couldn’t reverse their losing momentum, ultimately ending in failure.

At this moment, Master Fengfeng probably harbored more hatred for Lu Qian than for Master Yeguang.

Wang Yu solemnly said, "Sect Leader, we don’t know yet if this outcome is a blessing or a curse. We need to understand the situation in detail first."

Lu Qian nodded. Indeed, judging by the gains and losses of Fucang Mountain was not enough. They needed to know the damage on both sides of Chongming County and Sanshan County to determine the current situation and the appropriate coping strategy for Yunshan Sect.

"Divert the intelligence group’s resources towards the Fucang Mountain line, and make sure to ascertain both sides’ battle damage."

But wait, if Chongming County’s army is retreating south, where will they retreat to?

Kongming Mountain!

"Contact Senior Sister Zhang immediately with the Thousand-Mile Mirror—" Just remembering Senior Brother Tan caused a pang in Lu Qian’s heart. "All cultivators on Kongming Mountain retreat immediately! Circle around and regroup at Lingsha City!"

"All cultivators from the original Qingli Mountain, Liuhua Valley, Wuwang Temple, as well as Zhou Family, Spirit Snake Peak, and Zhuquan Sect, regroup at Lingsha City, abandoning their mountain gates!"

"Notify all merchants in Shuangye Square that due to the encroaching battle, Shuangye Square will temporarily close, and withdraw all Law Enforcement Team members to Lingsha City."

"Pay attention, each family must bring their Spirit Seeds, don’t leave them behind!"

"Simultaneously, some cultivators from each family are to escort Spirit Seeds first, while others are dispersed across the territory to gather new ones! Regardless of when they were gathered last, start now!"

"Cultivators allowed to gather Spirit Seeds can abandon them to retreat if encountered by enemies!"

"Encourage cultivators to venture into Xuanguang Sect territories between the sects to gather Spirit Seeds!"

"Speed is of the essence! Regardless of the outcomes, regroup at Lingsha City in twelve hours!"