Chapter 395 : In the Vortex
The news that Crimson Blood Sect and Nine Abyss Sect had gone to war had already spread. These two archenemies meeting in a third party's sect—it was obvious why they had come. Even the impending conflict was entirely expected.
However, Yun Qingyue, hidden within the formation array, had miscalculated. After their confrontational exchange, the two actually didn't come to blows.
The Crimson Blood Sect expert, who typically preferred action over words, surprisingly didn't strike. Instead, he launched into mockery: "Well, if it isn't Seventh Elder. I'm actually old acquaintances with your Nine Abyss Sect's Great Elder, but I haven't seen him these past two years. How is he faring? And what about Third Elder, that rare female elder in your bachelor sect, with her explosive temper? Haven't seen her on the battlefield either. Could it be that..." His tone was deeply suggestive.
People from Nine Abyss Sect were all ugly, not naturally so, but due to their cultivation techniques. Therefore, given a choice, female cultivators would never join Nine Abyss Sect—wouldn't it be better to join Harmony Sect and be beautiful? Even without dual cultivation, Harmony Sect had many beauty-enhancing techniques. Thus, Nine Abyss Sect had an extremely imbalanced gender ratio, and even though many cultivators never took partners, they had been mockingly nicknamed "Bachelor Sect."
Of course, no one dared mention this nickname in front of Nine Abyss Sect elders, much less bring up more than just the nickname as the Crimson Blood Sect expert had done. He immediately mentioned both the Great Elder and Third Elder—could he perhaps know something?
The Seventh Elder's eyes flickered momentarily, though his face naturally revealed none of the emotions he shouldn't display. He immediately rebuked: "Nonsense! Our sect's elders are in closed-door cultivation. Do they need your worthless permission?"
The Crimson Blood Sect expert picked at his ear, appearing unconcerned: "Just making conversation. Why are you so agitated?"
The two exchanged a few more barbs, with the topic inevitably returning to the conflict between their sects. Then the Seventh Elder gave a cold laugh and said sinisterly: "Doesn't your Crimson Blood Sect claim to be undefeated in blood oaths? How is it that you followed me to Harmony Sect so quickly after my arrival?"
Hearing this, the Crimson Blood Sect expert rolled his eyes and replied bluntly: "Fighting is fighting, but we're not fools. Why should we stand by while you scurry about seeking reinforcements?" He finished with his own cold laugh, his gaze sweeping over the Seventh Elder's gaunt frame: "If you can't win, just admit defeat obediently. Kowtow, and we might spare you. Why struggle needlessly?"
Upon hearing this, the Seventh Elder's face turned white with anger. His already sinister eyes bulged slightly, making him look even more terrifying. He gripped his magical artifact tightly, looking ready to attack at any moment: "Mere verbal bravado. Do you really think Crimson Blood Sect can win?!"
The Crimson Blood Sect expert remained unmoved, shrugging: "Isn't it obvious? You've come seeking aid, so naturally our sect has the upper hand. Moreover, you've been here for over ten days—haven't you noticed that Harmony Sect doesn't want to deal with you? Except for you Nine Abyss Sect people, everyone else has clear eyes. They know you can't win, which is why they're unwilling to wade into these troubled waters."
The Seventh Elder grew increasingly angry at these words and spoke carelessly: "If you hadn't pursued me so urgently, Harmony Sect would have already agreed to join the war!"
How much truth this statement held was subject to individual interpretation by those who heard it. At the very least, the Crimson Blood Sect expert sneered at it, and the eavesdropping Yun Qingyue also didn't believe Harmony Sect would agree. Whether the Seventh Elder himself believed it was another matter.
By this point, Yun Qingyue had pieced together most of the situation—forces from both sects had arrived at Harmony Sect more than ten days ago seeking alliance, but Harmony Sect hadn't agreed to either side. Furthermore, she had heard that Celestial Demon Sect people had also come, though they hadn't taken a position on the conflict between the two sects. With all four major sects gathered, and Harmony Sect choosing this moment to detain Jiang Mo, things had become intriguing.
Internal strife among demonic sects, yet attempting to drag the righteous path into the conflict—how would things develop? Was a major battle between righteous and demonic paths imminent?
In an instant, various thoughts flashed through Yun Qingyue's mind, including the future power dynamics between the righteous and demonic paths. But it was too early to speculate about such matters. The immediate priority was to leave this vortex.
Regardless of how events might unfold, or whether the righteous and demonic paths would go to war, Jiang Mo certainly could not be the catalyst!
Thinking this, Yun Qingyue decided not to linger any longer, nor did she plan to reveal herself to the Crimson Blood Sect members. With a somewhat heavy heart, she took advantage of the two still arguing to secretly slip back through the formation array.
Upon returning to the guest quarters and seeing Jiang Mo still waiting at the tea table, her first words were: "We need to leave here as quickly as possible."
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The Crimson Blood Sect emissary and Nine Abyss Sect emissary had come to blows. Reportedly, they first engaged in verbal sparring, but as the discussion heated up, they began fighting. Fortunately, they remembered they were within Harmony Sect territory, seeking an alliance, and with Harmony Sect's layers of formation arrays, no major incident occurred. The two had barely destroyed a courtyard before Harmony Sect elders arrived to stop them.
The situation hadn't deteriorated further, but Harmony Sect members weren't relieved. Instead, their nerves became even more taut.
After sending the two away, Harmony Sect elders gathered to discuss their next strategy. As the meeting began, someone immediately said: "We can't delay any longer. Nine Abyss Sect and Crimson Blood Sect are at war. Though these two representatives have restrained themselves, the longer they wait, the more agitated they become. If this continues, the fire may spread to us."
After these words, the room fell silent momentarily, then someone spoke with feigned nonchalance: "It won't come to that. They're merely early Fusion stage cultivators. With us here, could they possibly tear down Harmony Sect?"
This was true. Most of both sects' forces were engaged on the battlefield, and though the emissaries sent for alliance-building were of high cultivation and status, they had come to another sect's territory seeking alliance. With Harmony Sect's standing as one of the Four Major Demonic Sects, they naturally had no reason to fear these two interlopers. What they dreaded was never the two emissaries, but the sects behind them!
The crowd's emotions settled slightly, and after a while, someone sighed: "But prolonging the situation isn't a solution."
Everyone agreed with this statement, and someone suggested: "Why don't we follow Celestial Demon Sect's example?"
Among the Four Major Demonic Sects, aside from Harmony Sect remaining uninvolved, Celestial Demon Sect had also joined the conflict early on. However, their attitude remained ambiguous. Though present on the battlefield, they had consistently refrained from targeting either side. They seemed to be hedging their bets, waiting for one side to show weakness, or perhaps playing the fisherman, waiting for both sides to be severely wounded.
The situation resembled two tigers fighting while a hungry wolf circled. Even the powerful tigers couldn't spare attention to drive away the wolf with ill intentions, creating a strangely deadlocked situation and forming an extremely delicate balance.
Harmony Sect didn't plan to help either side, and originally, following Celestial Demon Sect's example by observing from the sidelines wouldn't have been unreasonable. But the current situation wouldn't allow them to disrupt the balance. Thus, this proposal was quickly rejected, and the group immediately launched into another round of debate...
One argued that Nine Abyss Sect's strength was formidable, and allying with them would be like adding wings to a tiger, ensuring a share of the spoils after victory. Another countered that Nine Abyss Sect was too ambitious and might backstab allies, unlike the straightforward Crimson Blood Sect members, who could at least be trusted to watch one's back. Someone else suggested joining Celestial Demon Sect's camp, noting that their two sects were originally the weakest, but together could contend with the other two.
Various opinions filled the meeting hall, each sounding reasonable yet easily refutable. No one could convince the others, and the scene grew chaotic, gradually even heating into anger.
Finally, the palace-garbed woman sitting in the place of honor struck the table. Though not loud, the sound shocked everyone present into silence.
The scene fell quiet, and after a good while, someone softly said: "What are your plans, my lady? We're merely offering suggestions. If you find them unsuitable, feel free to reject them all."
With these words, everyone quickly agreed, showing their extreme wariness toward the palace-garbed woman. However, someone seemed to recall something and suddenly asked: "My lady, regarding those two invited to the guest quarters a few days ago... do you have other plans?"
That day, Jiang Mo had been taken away by Harmony Sect members without struggle, the reason being she had no escape route and couldn't win—Harmony Sect had sent five Fusion stage cultivators to block her. No matter how confident she was, she didn't believe she could escape from these people with Senior Sister unharmed, so she chose to surrender. With so many Harmony Sect members involved, the news naturally couldn't be kept secret; everything was known.
However, not having personally interacted with her, many people still didn't know Jiang Mo's true identity. They had only heard that the palace-garbed woman had personally led people to capture someone.
As for the specific identity of this person, only those directly involved knew, and the rest didn't dare to inquire.
Only now, hearing someone mention it, did others finally give in to their curiosity, quietly asking: "Is it the person my lady personally invited a few days ago? Who is that person, and what is their status?"
No one answered. Even the person who had brought up the matter didn't respond. All eyes turned to the palace-garbed woman at the head of the table—with the sect leader absent, she was clearly the one in charge. The identity of the newcomer wasn't important; what mattered was the palace-garbed woman's attitude.