Chapter 419: Chapter 316: Final Offensive (2)
Pang Feng’s statement deliberately emphasized the word "you."
Lu Yaoling wasn’t a fool, so he immediately understood the implication.
If they were to negotiate with the Black Ghost Cave, it meant that only the Celestial Demon Sect would have to concede its interests. The Demon Spirit Sect’s interests would remain their own.
Half of the Earth Realm controlled by the Celestial Cloud Sect was the reason the Demon Spirit Sect was still willing to act. If their final gains were less than that, they wouldn’t agree.
This demand made Lu Yaoling’s temper flare.
’If our Celestial Demon Sect has to be the one to concede our interests, then there’s no point in destroying the Celestial Cloud Sect now. We might as well wait a few hundred years and let a future Supreme Elder from our sect make a move when the Celestial Cloud Sect is weaker.’
’If I concede our interests like this, as the most powerful Supreme Elder of the Celestial Demon Sect, I won’t be able to face the sect when I return.’
His original intent had been to get the Demon Spirit Sect to concede some of *their* interests.
But from the look on Pang Feng’s face, that was clearly impossible.
Suppressing his anger, Lu Yaoling swallowed his previous words. "Then there’s no need to negotiate with the Black Ghost Cave."
"If we’re not negotiating with the Black Ghost Cave, then we’ll just have to be on guard against them and deploy stronger defenses," Pang Feng said, sharing his idea.
The two then began to negotiate how many forces each of their sects would commit.
Currently, the Celestial Demon Sect, including Lu Yaoling, had six Core Formation cultivators in total. They planned to send five, leaving just one to guard the sect.
This remaining cultivator was their Celestial Demon Sect’s Sect Leader, who was also the weakest among their Core Formation experts.
The succession of the Celestial Demon Sect’s Sect Leader depended on newly ascended Core Formation cultivators.
The Demon Spirit Sect, on the other hand, had only five Core Formation cultivators—one fewer than the Celestial Demon Sect.
They only planned to send three Core Formation cultivators and leave two behind to guard the sect. Pang Feng’s reasoning was that they had to be on guard not only against the Black Ghost Cave, but also the Ghost-Controlling Sect.
The likelihood of the Ghost-Controlling Sect using this opportunity to strike was much higher than that of the Black Ghost Cave.
Therefore, leaving two Core Formation cultivators to guard the sect was perfectly reasonable. Of course, he himself, a Late-stage Core Formation expert, would be among those going to the Celestial Cloud Sect.
"Brother Lu, I need to make one thing clear. If the Celestial Cloud Sect cannot be taken down after a long siege, our Demon Spirit Sect’s Core Formation cultivators will withdraw. We won’t waste our time there indefinitely."
Lu Yaoling thought for a moment, and finally replied, "No problem."
"If the Celestial Cloud Sect cannot be taken, what will your Celestial Demon Sect give our Demon Spirit Sect?" Pang Feng pressed on.
"If we can’t even take down the Celestial Cloud Sect, then naturally there will be nothing." Lu Yaoling had no intention of making concessions on this point.
’If we can’t destroy the Celestial Cloud Sect and my Celestial Demon Sect still has to pay a price, aren’t we just taking losses for nothing?’
Pang Feng wasn’t surprised by Lu Yaoling’s response.
He already had a counter-strategy prepared and chose this moment to lay his cards on the table.
"Your Celestial Demon Sect is the one that wants to destroy the Celestial Cloud Sect. From start to finish, our Demon Spirit Sect has never stated such a goal. For us, dealing with the Celestial Cloud Sect is not an urgent matter. After all, our conflict with them is much smaller than yours, even with us openly supporting you these past few decades."
"People might say that our two great sects are joining forces to deal with the Celestial Cloud Sect and its Spirit Refiners, but in reality, your Celestial Demon Sect is hiring us. Since this is a contract, you have to pay up, regardless of the outcome."
"Brother Lu, if your Celestial Demon Sect doesn’t want to pay, then everything we’ve discussed is off the table. You can go back to your Celestial Demon Sect. According to the earliest agreement we made, in another ten years, we will withdraw our forces engaged against the Celestial Cloud Sect."
They were only still engaged against the Celestial Cloud Sect because of their prior agreement.
Once that term expired, they would have no reason to continue their assault on the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Pang Feng’s last sentence was his way of telling Lu Yaoling that the Demon Spirit Sect always honored its commitments. If something was agreed upon, they would see it through.
Lu Yaoling fell silent for a long time after hearing this.
Pang Feng was right. The Demon Spirit Sect had no obligation to join them against the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Just as he was about to speak, Pang Feng cut in.
"Oh, and Brother Lu, at a time like this, don’t try to use that mysterious Spirit Refiner as a bargaining chip. He’s from the Celestial Cloud Sect. Even if he does manage to reach the Core Formation Stage, I imagine we wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. Just report the news to the Black Dragon Hall, and they’ll likely take care of it."
Pang Feng gave Lu Yaoling no room to make excuses. His stance was firm.
Without sufficient benefits, they wouldn’t dispatch their Core Formation experts to march with the Celestial Demon Sect all the way to the Celestial Cloud Sect’s headquarters.
Pang Feng had plenty of time. He didn’t mind letting Lu Yaoling think it over.
The only reason he was still entertaining this negotiation instead of flatly refusing to cooperate with the Celestial Demon Sect was that the potential benefits of actually destroying the Celestial Cloud Sect—both overt and hidden—were substantial.
"Brother Lu, if you can’t make the call on this, feel free to go back and discuss it with your sect before returning."
Lu Yaoling responded the moment Pang Feng finished speaking.
"That won’t be necessary. If we fail to destroy the Celestial Cloud Sect, our Celestial Demon Sect will still pay a certain amount of compensation."
"Hahaha, now that’s more like it."
Next came the negotiation over that compensation.
Naturally, the Demon Spirit Sect wanted as much as possible, while the Celestial Demon Sect wanted to give as little as possible. The two began an endless round of negotiations on this very issue.
Eventually, both sides compromised and agreed on a suitable amount.
The two of them could only outline a rough plan. The finer details would have to be discussed with more people to ensure the plan was comprehensive.
...
「Celestial Cloud Sect.」
「Two full years had passed since Fang Yun returned from the Purple Mist Sect.」
The most significant change Fang Yun noticed over the two years was the boost to his cultivation efficiency after his Spirit Root cleansing. Otherwise, his routine remained much the same: practicing alchemy when he needed to, and artifact refining when the occasion called for it.
Even the frequency with which he accepted support missions hadn’t changed much.
Amidst the turmoil, the overall situation was stabilizing.
One day, as Fang Yun was cultivating in his Cultivation Room, a flash of spiritual light suddenly appeared before him.
This was not a notification for a support mission from Battle Peak, but a message from Bai Qinying.
Sensing that something was different, Fang Yun immediately stopped his cultivation to receive the message.
"The Celestial Demon Sect’s Core Formation Stage Demons... have mobilized."
The message was brief, but its contents were momentous.
’The mobilization of Core Formation Level Demons means two things: the war is reaching its climax, and there’s a high chance they will attack the Celestial Cloud Sect’s headquarters.’
’Looking back at past wars, it was rare for Core Formation Stage Demons to participate in the final stages.’
’The appearance of Core Formation Demons meant the Celestial Demon Sect was determined to deliver a final blow to our Celestial Cloud Sect.’
Fang Yun didn’t resume his cultivation.
He needed more information.
When he arrived at Bai Qinying’s dwelling, the gate to her cave residence was open, as if she had been expecting him.
"Senior Sister, what are the specifics?" Fang Yun asked as soon as he entered the cave residence and saw Bai Qinying.
"The latest news is that a Core Formation Demon from the Celestial Demon Sect has appeared at Red Flame Valley. Supreme Elder Miao has already rushed there to provide support."
"Just one Core Formation Demon from the Celestial Demon Sect?"
"Only one has appeared so far, and they’re at the Early-stage Core Formation," Bai Qinying said, sharing what she knew.
Fang Yun started to ponder.
’The Celestial Demon Sect wouldn’t just send one Core Formation Demon. But then again, it’s also impossible that they wouldn’t leave a single one behind to guard their own sect.’
"If another Core Formation Demon appears and attacks a Foundation Establishment Influence, who handles it? Does Elder Miao go, or will the sect dispatch another Supreme Elder?" Fang Yun asked, wondering if Bai Qinying would know.
’As the third-in-command of Battle Peak, Bai Qinying would most likely know about this sort of thing.’
"The Sect Leader and the other Supreme Elders probably won’t be mobilized. For now, external matters will be left for Elder Miao to resolve."
Fang Yun nodded.
’That’s a good decision.’
’With the Celestial Demon Sect’s Core Formation Demons on the move, our own sect must maintain sufficient strength at home to deal with any threats.’
At a time like this, Fang Yun felt more strongly than ever that he had to do something.
’This is a chance to get a massive amount of Combat Talent Points.’
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