Chapter 418: Chapter 316: The Final Offensive
The Celestial Demon Sect.
The cultivation abode of Supreme Elder Lu Yaoling.
Six months ago, he had decided to enter seclusion once more to break through to the Late-stage Core Formation Realm. Now, finally, there was some activity.
This time, it was not a failure. He had succeeded!
When Lu Yaoling emerged, his aura was somewhat unstable, but it was already different from before.
Late-stage Core Formation!
With his breakthrough to the Late-stage Core Formation Realm, the Celestial Demon Sect’s overall strength had increased significantly.
As his aura gradually stabilized, a demonic light shot from his hand.
Before long, the Spirit Destruction Hall Master of the sect appeared before him.
"Congratulations, Supreme Elder, on your breakthrough to the Late-stage Core Formation Realm!"
The moment the Spirit Destruction Hall Master appeared, he immediately congratulated Lu Yaoling.
The Supreme Elder had told him before that once he broke through to the Late-stage Core Formation Realm, their attack on the Celestial Cloud Sect would change. The same would be true if he failed.
If he had failed the breakthrough, their offensive against the Celestial Cloud Sect would have slowed down until they eventually withdrew.
Simply pulling back immediately was not an option; given that everything was predicated on his breakthrough, a sudden, complete retreat would obviously have been a bad move.
"During my seclusion, did the mysterious Spirit Refiner appear?" Lu Yaoling asked first.
"He did not," the Spirit Destruction Hall Master replied.
"Mm," Lu Yaoling nodded, then said, "I won’t give him another chance to appear."
"Supreme Elder, your meaning is...?"
Hearing this, the Spirit Destruction Hall Master quickly guessed Lu Yaoling’s intention. However, he couldn’t jump to conclusions on the Supreme Elder’s behalf. It was better to ask than to speculate.
"Go and make the necessary arrangements. When I return from the Demon Spirit Sect, our final offensive will begin."
"Yes, Supreme Elder!"
Lu Yaoling still needed to make a trip to the Demon Spirit Sect.
To destroy the Celestial Cloud Sect, the strength of their Celestial Demon Sect alone was not enough. Even now that he was in the Late-stage Core Formation Realm, or even if he were to reach the Peak of Core Formation, it would still be nearly impossible. He needed the power of another Core Formation Sect.
The Spirit Destruction Hall Master went to make arrangements, while Lu Yaoling began a brief, seven-day seclusion to consolidate his Late-stage Core Formation Realm.
「Seven days later.」
He set off for the Demon Spirit Sect.
Upon arriving at the Demon Spirit Sect, he was led by their Sect Leader and soon met with the Demon Spirit Sect’s Supreme Elder, Pang Feng.
"Brother Lu, you’ve broken through to the Late-stage Core Formation Realm! Congratulations, congratulations." Lu Yaoling was deliberately releasing his current aura, and Pang Feng congratulated him the moment he saw him.
"I was too slow in reaching the Late-stage Core Formation Realm."
Lu Yaoling shook his head, looking dissatisfied. That was his outward appearance, at least; only he knew what he was truly thinking.
"Not at all, not at all! No matter how long it took, it’s better than failing to break through, isn’t it?"
"Hahaha, that is indeed true."
"Brother Lu, you came to find me right after your breakthrough. Go on, tell me what’s on your mind." After a few pleasantries, Pang Feng motioned for Lu Yaoling to get to the point.
"Brother Feng, it’s time we delivered the final blow to the Celestial Cloud Sect."
Lu Yaoling stated his purpose clearly. He didn’t believe that Pang Feng couldn’t guess why he, having just reached the Late-stage Core Formation Realm, had come to see him.
Pang Feng laughed at his words, a profound look in his eyes.
"We haven’t even fought the previous battles well. How can we talk about a ’final blow’?"
As the aggressors, they had yet to gain any advantage. If they had, at least half of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s subsidiary Foundation Establishment Influences would have been wiped out by now. In reality, the opposite was true.
Faced with successive defeats, their Demon Spirit Sect had reduced the frequency of its attacks.
The upside of attacking less frequently was that their losses were not significant.
In his view, this great war against the Celestial Cloud Sect should have ended long ago. If not for their prior agreement with the Celestial Demon Sect, Pang Feng would have issued new orders already.
Now Lu Yaoling had come, wanting to deliver a final blow to the Celestial Cloud Sect, but the Demon Spirit Sect was not very keen on participating.
Their reluctance was backed by a certain confidence. As long as the Celestial Cloud Sect hadn’t dealt with the Celestial Demon Sect, it was unlikely to attack the Demon Spirit Sect. Furthermore, the mysterious Spirit Refiner had yet to appear in their Demon Spirit Sect’s territory.
For many reasons, Pang Feng felt that delivering a "final blow" to the Celestial Cloud Sect was completely unnecessary.
Even if the combined power of their two sects could annihilate the Celestial Cloud Sect, they would suffer immense losses in the process.
"Brother Feng, I have come this time with great sincerity. If we can destroy the Celestial Cloud Sect, then half of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory will belong to your Demon Spirit Sect." Knowing it would be difficult to persuade Pang Feng with words alone, Lu Yaoling resorted to making a major concession.
Considering the disparity in the forces the two sects had committed against the Celestial Cloud Sect, offering the Demon Spirit Sect half of the territory was already a massive concession on Lu Yaoling’s part.
"Half of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory..."
Pang Feng did not answer immediately, but began to ponder.
He now agreed with what Lu Yaoling had just said. Ceding half of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory to them was indeed a very sincere offer.
The potential gains were greater, but he still had to weigh the pros and cons.
"Brother Lu, you must understand, the Celestial Cloud Sect is not in a weakened state right now. To destroy them, we would have to pay an enormous price. And if that price is too high, even after we take the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory, we won’t be able to defend it. The Black Ghost Cave is watching, you know."
Pang Feng finally brought up the Ghost Cultivator’s Core Formation Influence. The Black Ghost Cave had been unnervingly quiet these past few years, which meant they were also accumulating strength.
If they wanted to take down the Celestial Cloud Sect, they had to consider this huge potential risk.
"How about... we go talk to the Black Ghost Cave?"
Neither their Celestial Demon Sect nor the Demon Spirit Sect had deep-seated conflicts with the Black Ghost Cave. There was room for negotiation.
"Brother Lu, if we talk to the Black Ghost Cave, how much more of the spoils will you be willing to give up?" Pang Feng asked slowly, looking at Lu Yaoling.
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