Chapter 262
At this moment, Zheng Facai asked, “Qian He Zong was attacked by the demon clan? How come I haven’t heard anything about this?”
Qian Zhenren let out a bitter laugh, “That’s because, apart from us, everyone in Qian He Zong is dead! Who else could pass on the news?”
Zheng Fa’s expression tightened slightly as he exchanged a glance with Sister Zhang, both of them reading the worry in each other’s eyes.
“When did this happen?”
“Just two days ago,” Qian Zhenren elaborated. “On that day, Fu Feng Zhenren from Yu Ling Zong came to visit us, claiming he wanted to purchase some Huang Ya Mi (yellow sprout rice)...”
“Yu Ling Zong?” Zheng Fa frowned slightly. “Haven’t you heard that Yu Ling Zong might be colluding with the Da Zi Zai Mo Jiao (Great Freedom Demon Sect)?”
“I’ve heard... but what could we do about it?” Qian Zhenren sighed. “Besides, Yu Ling Zong is a Yuan Ying sect, while we are just a small and humble sect...”
Zheng Fa fell silent at this.
This was yet another flaw in the Baixian Alliance system—
Although Jiu Shan Zong had already informed all sects that Xuan Gui Shangren from Yu Ling Zong was a spy for the demon sect, Yu Ling Zong quickly made a righteous cut, declaring themselves victims as well!
Moreover, spies from the demon sect were indeed rampant; it was just that Yu Ling Zong had managed to thrive a bit better.
Whether people believed it or not didn’t really matter; the issue was that no one wanted to offend Yu Ling Zong. After all, Xuan Gui Shangren had only caused trouble for Jiu Shan Zong, hadn’t he?
Ultimately, it was because Tong Ming Shangren usually didn’t take charge, and each sect in the Baixian Alliance had their own thoughts, unwilling to stick their necks out.
“In fact... I did advise the sect leader,” Qian Zhenren said with a bitter smile. “But the sect leader said, we are just a small sect, farming is all we do, and our granary is empty. What could the demon sect possibly want from us?”
“…”
Strangely enough, that made a certain amount of sense.
“And then?”
“Later, Fu Feng Shangren somehow figured out the key points of our great formation and colluded with the demon clan to invade our sect…” At this point, Qian Zhenren sighed again, “It’s not that I’m belittling myself, but I actually saw a Yuan Ying demon king... Our highest cultivation level in Qian He Zong is only at the Jin Dan stage. For them to go through so much trouble, it’s really…”
“What do they want?”
Zheng Fa felt a twinge of sympathy; it truly was a senseless death.
“And then?”
“I’m just at the Foundation Establishment stage, so I could only lead these disciples to flee. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter any major demons along the way…”
“How did you find out that your sect was wiped out?”
“Qian He Zong has a few hidden locations, and if something bad happens, everyone would gather there... I went around, but I didn’t see a single person.”
Zheng Fa nodded gently, still puzzled about the annihilation of Qian He Zong, but he didn’t press the issue further. Instead, he said:
“So, Qian Zhenren, why have you come to me?”
With a thud, Qian Zhenren knelt before Zheng Fa again, his eyes red, his voice choked with emotion, almost in tears:
“My Qian He Zong has suffered such a great calamity. I hope your sect, as a fellow member of the Baixian Alliance, can avenge us and reclaim our sect’s former territory!”
As he spoke, tears streamed down Qian Zhenren’s face.
“Everyone in Qian He Zong has always been cautious, fearing to offend powerful enemies. Who would have thought that in just one day, it would be reduced to just me and these disciples? It’s truly…”
He seemed unable to continue, breaking down into sobs.
Zheng Fa felt a pang of compassion, mixed with a layer of guilt—mainly because he suspected this incident might be related to Jiu Shan Zong.
But…
“Qian Zhenren, this matter is indeed serious, and it’s not something I can decide alone.” Zheng Fa replied calmly, “Please allow me to discuss it with my sister and uncle first. You all can rest in my courtyard for a while. What do you think, Qian Zhenren?”
Qian Zhenren quickly replied, “Of course! As long as Zheng Zhenren doesn’t mind our intrusion.”
…
Zheng Fa led them to the guest room and exchanged a glance with Sister Zhang and Uncle Huang. The three of them silently entered Sister Zhang’s courtyard.
Sister Zhang threw out a few soundproof talismans, isolating the sounds from inside and outside the courtyard.
Uncle Huang spoke directly, “We can’t go! This matter is aimed at us.”
She was sharp-witted, just not familiar with the new theories that Zheng Fa and Sister Zhang discussed.
At this moment, it was clear to see the oddities in the situation.
Zheng Fa nodded and said, “Just as Qian Zhenren mentioned, Qian He Zong isn’t worth this level of scheming. The actions of the demon clan feel like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
“On the other hand, how could those people be so cautious yet not notice that this group had fled?”
Ever since Zheng Fa’s spiritual awareness had advanced, he understood just how strong the perception abilities of cultivators beyond the Jin Dan stage were.
To put it bluntly, it would be nearly impossible for Qian Zhenren and his group to escape from his sight.
Moreover, there was a Yuan Ying demon king involved?
What a joke!
“They must know that Jiu Shan Zong has a good relationship with Qian He Zong and that Qian Zhenren is one of the key figures. His request for help is most likely directed at us, Jiu Shan Zong,” Zheng Fa concluded.
The other two nodded, clearly having thought of this as well.
“Also, there’s one more thing,” Sister Zhang said slowly, “Two days ago, Fu Feng Zhenren went to Qian He Zong, and that day was also when Uncle Pang met with Tong Ming Shangren.”
Hearing this, Zheng Fa was momentarily speechless, finally gritting his teeth and saying, “...This Baixian Alliance is like a sieve!”
Uncle Huang was confused, “Are you two saying this is aimed at Tong Ming Shangren?”
“Very likely…” Zheng Fa sighed, “Before Tong Ming Shangren even descended the mountain, Qian He Zong was wiped out, and there’s also the shadow of Yu Ling Zong involved... We had gone to great lengths to secretly capture that demon clan, keeping it hidden for so long, and yet the news leaked from Tong Ming Mountain…”
Sister Zhang’s expression also darkened.
Previously, they had a slight advantage by capturing that demon clan, knowing about the impending attack from Qing Yun Da Sheng (Great Sage of Clear Clouds).
The demon clan and the demon sect probably didn’t know about this.
But as soon as Uncle Pang arrived at Tong Ming Mountain, they made their move.
This could only mean that there were untrustworthy people on Tong Ming Mountain, and that person might even have access to Tong Ming Shangren…
“Moreover, Tong Ming Shangren is the Tong Ming Shangren of the entire Baixian Alliance, not just Jiu Shan Zong’s…”
Uncle Huang understood.
“You’re worried that other sects will be in a panic and also seek help from Tong Ming Shangren?”
“Not to mention how Yu Ling Zong will handle this... that alone is enough to give Tong Ming Shangren a headache,” Zheng Fa shook his head.
He had a feeling... that this time, Jiu Shan Zong had pushed the Da Zi Zai Mo Jiao to the edge.
Not only had they invited Qing Yun Da Sheng.
But they had also directly caused Yu Ling Zong to turn against them…
Regardless of whether Yu Ling Zong was a traitor or not, they were a significant Yuan Ying sect, one of the nine major sects in the Baixian Alliance, with intricate relationships within the alliance.
Their spirit beast business was thriving, and over the years, they had sold countless spirit beasts, forming tangled connections through them.
Previously, everyone had tolerated them, perhaps out of a fear of repercussions... But now that they were no longer playing along, it was likely that Tong Ming Shangren would find the situation extremely tricky.
“An overt strategy…” Sister Zhang shook her head, “Whether we go to Qian He Zong or not, this news can’t possibly be kept from Tong Ming Shangren and the other sects in the Baixian Alliance…”
Zheng Fa felt helpless, “Ultimately, this matter still boils down to our Jiu Shan Zong lacking strength and not having our own transformation stage cultivator.”
“Therefore, we cannot let others lead us by the nose!”
Sister Zhang looked at Zheng Fa seriously.
“Senior Sister, I understand…” Zheng Fa chuckled, “You might be overestimating me a bit…”
“She’s just worried you’ll do something foolish!”
Uncle Huang rolled her eyes from the side.
…
“Qian Zhenren, this matter is something Jiu Shan Zong should apologize to you for!” Upon seeing Qian Zhenren, Zheng Fa deeply bowed and said, “Your Qian He Zong has encountered such a great calamity, and it’s likely due to my Jiu Shan Zong!”
“Ah?”
Qian Zhenren was taken aback.
Behind him, Qian Zhenren rolled his eyes, clearly thinking that his disciple was quite clever, but Zheng Fa was a bit foolish.
“This... how can you say that?”
Qian Zhenren was somewhat confused.
Since Zheng Fa had said it, he naturally didn’t hide the matter regarding Qing Yun Da Sheng.
After hearing it, Qian Zhenren’s face turned pale: “We were intentionally let go?”
“Very likely…” Zheng Fa replied, “Those demons were probably originally targeting Jiu Shan Zong.”
Qian Zhenren’s expression shifted, as if he were processing this information.
To be honest, Zheng Fa was willing to be so candid mainly because it was impossible to keep it a secret—would the demon clan keep it confidential for Jiu Shan Zong?
In the future, as conflicts escalated, these matters would naturally come to light.
It was better to lay it all out from the start.
“So... what does your sect plan to do?”
Qian Zhenren’s tone was somewhat subdued.
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