Chapter 726
“It’s my fault for taking too long.” Noticing the slight surprise in Li Sanxian’s eyes, Ni Chang Yuanjun explained, then changed the subject. “What about Xuanding?”
“Master is currently unavailable and is waiting for you, Yuanjun.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun frowned, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. She knew that if the situation weren’t dire, Xuanding wouldn’t be so discourteous.
The distance to Tianhe Sect was two hundred miles, and she could still see the Zhuxian formation diagram floating in the distant void.
Before her lay a vast encampment.
Tents stretched endlessly, reaching up to the sky. With her keen eyesight, she couldn’t even discern how wide the camp was.
Within the tents, thousands of cultivators moved about.
Some seemed to be on patrol.
Others appeared to be transporting supplies, refining elixirs, or forging magical artifacts.
Busy and bustling, they didn’t stop for a moment.
She couldn’t help but glance at Li Sanxian.
“There are many members of the Jiu You Demon Sect within Tianhe Sect now; we must be cautious.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun suddenly understood and asked, “Are they surrounding Tianhe Sect?”
“Exactly,” Li Sanxian replied. “Most of the cultivators from Taishang Dao and Haori Mountain are here.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun looked at the camp again, then in a flash, she entered a white tent. Inside, Xuanding Zhenxian was focused on a map, ledger, and counting rods, not even looking up as she entered.
Knowing Xuanding’s peculiarities, Ni Chang Yuanjun simply asked, “What’s the situation?”
Xuanding raised his head, his brow furrowed, and without asking why she was so late, he said, “Haori is weak.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun frowned, not quite understanding.
Then she heard Xuanding continue, “Lacking magical artifacts.”
He spat out six words, and it seemed Xuanding was a bit anxious…
She understood now.
Setting up the formation required a massive amount of manpower and resources. Besides spirit stones, many magical artifacts were needed.
Because Haori Mountain was skilled in artifact forging, many of the items required for the formation had to be crafted by them.
The awkward part was that two-fifths of Haori Mountain’s spiritual veins had been destroyed. Now, they were somewhat strapped for resources.
Li Sanxian kindly added, “The Yun Zhenxian from Haori Mountain hasn’t arrived yet; only disciples have come.”
Now she understood why Xuanding was so upset.
At this moment, Haori Mountain was in a bind; Luo Sanxian had yet to be revived, and there was only Yun Zhenxian among the Dao Fruit cultivators.
With Yun Zhenxian unable to come, the disciples from Haori Mountain would likely need Xuanding to manage them.
Given Xuanding’s temperament, he must be feeling quite annoyed and overwhelmed.
She felt a wave of relief wash over her:
If Haori Mountain has problems, what does it have to do with me from Yaochi?
“Just the three of us?”
“Yeah, the people from Leiyin Temple should be setting out soon. Yun Zhenxian is waiting for them before starting,” Li Sanxian dutifully explained.
Ni Chang Yuanjun smiled, “Haori Mountain really isn’t in a hurry at all.”
“They are. He said he wants to arrange for Luo Sanxian’s revival,” Li Sanxian said softly. “But they’re probably worried we might turn against them, so they’re deliberately waiting for the people from Leiyin Temple.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun’s expression turned strange.
It seemed they were wary of you, Li!
The Jiu You Demon Ancestor was formidable, and with the Zhuxian Sword Formation, he posed a significant threat to the four sects.
Moreover, this person had old grudges with the four sects, making him a sworn enemy.
His actions at Tianhe Sect had everyone on edge.
But there were those who were even more anxious.
Yaochi and Leiyin Temple were far away in the West Continent, not as close to Tianhe Sect as Haori Mountain and Taishang Dao.
Thus, the main forces in the siege against the Jiu You Demon Ancestor would still be Taishang Dao and Haori Mountain.
Of course, in the future, when it came to dividing Tianhe Sect’s territory, these two sects would take the lion’s share.
The problem was that the four sects were already on the verge of tearing each other apart.
Yun Zhenxian, who should have been the most anxious, was delaying his arrival, and to put it bluntly, it was because he feared that Taishang Dao and himself would surround him first.
After all, this Li had indeed done such things before…
Ni Chang Yuanjun couldn’t help but glance at Li Sanxian, feeling disdain:
Not only was he wasting the great opportunity created by Zheng Zhangmen, but he also made that Yun cautious!
As if sensing Ni Chang Yuanjun’s gaze, Li Sanxian coughed lightly and said, “Since Yuanjun is here, I’ll leave the formation on the north side of Tianhe Sect to you.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun looked at Xuanding, who nodded and handed her several formation diagrams.
She accepted them without hesitation and asked Li Sanxian, “How long will it take to set up this grand formation?”
“With the combined strength of the four sects, it can be completed in forty years.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun frowned slightly.
Li Sanxian thought she was impatient and spoke up, “Yuanjun, this Zhuxian Sword Formation is no small matter…”
“I’m not worried about that; I’m…” Ni Chang Yuanjun shook her head. “Our four sects are focused on the Jiu You Demon Ancestor and Tianhe Sect. What about the other demon ancestors?”
The tent fell silent for a moment.
Until Xuanding Zhenxian slowly spoke, “The demon ancestors fear the Jiu You.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun was taken aback for a moment, then nodded gently, no longer hesitating. She changed the subject, “After we break Tianhe Sect, the territory will belong to you and Taishang Dao.”
“What about the treasures left in Tianhe Sect?”
The tent fell quiet again until Li Sanxian chuckled lightly, “It seems Yaochi is quite certain that the Tianhe Zunren left something behind.”
“It seems that back then, Tianhe Zunren had a…”
Ni Chang Yuanjun glanced at him, her expression making Li Sanxian momentarily speechless, not daring to say more.
“Find it.”
Xuanding Zunshi spoke up.
“Indeed, during the last calamity, we searched Tianhe but found nothing.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun nodded.
Li Sanxian also nodded, “This time, we must turn Tianhe Sect upside down… and we must find it.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun smiled, “Each relying on their own means?”
Xuanding Zunshi nodded slightly, his gaze sharp.
Xuanding Zhenxian wasn’t one for small talk. After Ni Chang Yuanjun asked a few more questions about intelligence, she took her leave, preparing to lead her disciples to their quarters.
As Li Sanxian escorted her out of the camp, he suddenly asked, “Yuanjun, is that thing really in Tianhe Sect?”
“I don’t know… but Tianhe Sect must have something left behind.”
Once Ni Chang Yuanjun said this, Li Sanxian seemed to believe her completely and didn’t ask further. He only added, “Yuanjun, the Jiu You Demon Ancestor’s methods are treacherous, and the cultivators in the camp may not be trustworthy. I hope you keep your eyes open regarding the formation diagrams and intelligence.”
Ni Chang Yuanjun replied straightforwardly, “I understand. Even among my disciples, I won’t easily disclose any information.”
Li Sanxian self-deprecatingly said, “I spoke too much.”
…
Ni Chang Yuanjun and her companions didn’t stay in tents; after all, they were female cultivators and weren’t accustomed to it.
Fortunately, they had brought a treasure hall with them, and the group settled in there.
She entered the room, took out a communication talisman, and sent a message to Zheng Fa:
“Zheng Zhangmen…”
After a moment’s thought, she felt that this address was a bit distant, so she changed it to:
“Zhangmen…”
Feeling that was too familiar, she switched again to:
“Alliance Leader, I’ve just arrived at Tianhe and have already met with Xuanding…”
“There are eight thousand four hundred cultivators from Taishang Dao here, and Haori Mountain has…”
“The formation will take forty years to complete…”
…
Looking at the lengthy message from Ni Chang Yuanjun, which seemed like a report but also casual conversation, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but admire her:
Ni Chang Yuanjun is very meticulous!
In fact, the more he interacted with her, the more he felt her attention to detail and thoroughness.
After she left the Jiushan Realm, she kept in touch with him, even sending messages daily.
This Yuanjun wasn’t like Xie Qingxue, who was a chatterbox; rather, she was deliberately strengthening their connection and deepening their relationship.
Yet she didn’t waste words; every message contained valuable content.
Upon closer inspection, Zheng Fa noticed that her comments about Haori Mountain’s arrangements were about seventy to eighty percent, while the situation regarding Taishang Dao was only about twenty to thirty percent.
As for Yaochi?
Not even one-tenth.
She was quite measured.
Even if it were to be exposed in the future, Ni Chang Yuanjun would remain completely innocent.
One must admit, the divine path, as a unique high-level service in Xuanwei, seems to really hone a person’s skills.
After reading Ni Chang Yuanjun’s message, Zheng Fa handed the Zao Hua Yu Tie to Xie Qingxue in the hall.
Xie Qingxue initially looked puzzled, but after reading it, her face turned pale.
“The relationships among the four sects are so strained, yet they can still unite against Tianhe…”
Xie Qingxue had discovered the crux of the matter.
Despite Ni Chang Yuanjun’s apparent delight in selling out Haori Mountain, she was still very enthusiastic about dealing with the Jiu You Demon Ancestor.
One couldn’t help but wonder what the Jiu You Demon Ancestor had done.
Zheng Fa raised his hand and said, “According to Ni Chang Yuanjun, they still need forty years to set up the formation. Master Yan should be safe for the time being.”
In fact, observing the scheming between Taishang Dao and Leiyin Temple, he was quite skeptical about whether they could really complete it in forty years.
This reassurance was sincere, even somewhat confident.
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