Chapter 237: Chapter 227: Peace Talks of the Four Sects
At the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple, the courtyard was silent, save for the faint rustle of wind through withered branches.
Qi Yun was at the stone table, dipping his brush in ink. He was slowly writing on a Jade Scroll, recording his recent insights into the Ink Flood Dragon technique and the Creation Skill of Daluo Heaven.
As the brush moved, a hint of Dao Rhyme materialized, manifesting as faint, mystical phenomena.
This had become a habit since he reached the True Realm. He would write down every insight, and rereading it later would often yield new understanding.
"Nephew Qi, have you been well lately?"
Just then, a clear and hearty laugh rang out from the sky, growing closer.
Before the voice faded, an Escape Light descended, revealing the figure of Qian Xin Master.
His complexion was ruddy, his eyes bright, and his aura was full and well-rounded. He looked refreshed, invigorated, and utterly pleased with himself.
He was a completely different person from the battered and terrified figure he’d cut a year ago in the ruins of the Zombie Alliance.
Seeing this, Qi Yun set down his Jade Brush, rose to greet him, and a smile touched his face.
"Uncle-Master, welcome. Please forgive my poor reception."
"Judging by your appearance, you must have had an excellent year. Your Cultivation seems to have... improved again?"
His gaze was sharp, and he noticed that Qian Xin Master’s aura had grown deeper and more profound, a clear sign of great progress in his cultivation.
"Hahaha, nothing escapes your discerning eye, Nephew. A small gain, just a small gain."
Qian Xin Master laughed heartily and, without ceremony, sat down familiarly on a nearby stone stool.
He poured himself a cup of Spirit Tea and drained it in one go, clearly in high spirits.
Putting down the cup, he looked at Qi Yun, his eyes filled with a mix of emotion and self-satisfaction.
"The path I cultivate is the Thousand Illusions Red Dust Dao. It is about experiencing a thousand hearts, embodying a thousand forms, and crossing a thousand tribulations."
"It requires me to immerse myself in the vast world of mortals and find my Enlightenment Skill amidst the myriad states of living beings."
"The venture with the Zombie Alliance was a brush with death; I nearly lost my old life there."
"But that extreme experience—facing a True Monarch’s wrath, struggling to survive karmic erasure—it resonated with the essence of ’tribulation’ in my Daoist Skill. It triggered a metamorphosis of my mental state and caused my Cultivation to soar."
He paused, his tone laced with a rare ambition and anticipation.
"After this, I feel my Dao Foundation has become more stable, and the path ahead is clearer than ever."
"In this lifetime, perhaps... even I, Qian Xin, have a chance to glimpse the realm of a Great Master!"
A Great Master!
Foundation Establishment Late Stage!
These were individuals who truly stood at the apex of the Cultivation Realm, with Mighty Divine Power, capable of establishing their own sects.
Within a colossal sect like the Wuji Holy Sect, it was almost always a Great Master who served as the Acting Sect Leader.
Compared to an ordinary Foundation Establishment Master, their status and power were worlds apart.
"Then congratulations, Uncle-Master. The Great Dao is within your reach," Qi Yun said, offering his sincere congratulations.
Qian Xin Master was close to him and had helped him many times. He was naturally happy for his friend’s breakthrough.
"The joy is mutual!" Qian Xin Master waved his hand, his smile fading slightly as his expression turned serious.
"I actually came to see you about an important matter that you need to know about in advance."
"You aren’t a Master on duty, and you usually spend your time in secluded cultivation at your Daoist Temple, so you might not be up to date on some of the Sect’s recent developments."
"Oh? Please, Uncle-Master, do tell," Qi Yun said, his own expression growing serious.
Qian Xin Master leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice with a solemn air.
"According to reliable sources, in seven months, our Wuji Holy Sect, along with the Cyan Sect, the Yellow Springs Netherworld, and Fengduo—the four great powers of the Northwest—will hold a... Four-Sect Peace Talks at Ten Thousand Caves Mountain."
"A Four-Sect Peace Talks?" Qi Yun’s gaze sharpened.
The relationship between the Northwest Four Sects was convoluted. Open and hidden struggles had never ceased, especially after they carved up the Zombie Alliance, with each sect seizing considerable benefits. It was inevitable that their expanding territories would overlap and cause friction.
Holding peace talks at this time... the implications were anything but simple.
"That’s right." Qian Xin Master nodded, a meaningful look in his eyes. "Ostensibly, these talks are to clarify territorial boundaries, avoid conflict, and discuss a joint response to the turmoil that might spread from the south."
"But the specific topics of discussion and the interests that will be traded are still top-secret among the higher-ups."
"However, one can predict that these talks will be rife with undercurrents. They will be anything but peaceful."
He looked at Qi Yun and reminded him,
"Nephew, although you won’t be directly involved in the negotiations, as a Holy Sect Master—and especially with your current status and potential—it’s inevitable you’ll be drawn into some of the turbulence."
"Knowing in advance will help you prepare."
Qi Yun nodded silently, understanding dawning in his heart.
The Four-Sect Peace Talks were undoubtedly the biggest event in the Northwest Cultivation Realm in recent times.
Its outcome would directly shape the landscape for the next several hundred, or even a thousand, years.
He raised his teacup and took a light sip, his gaze passing through the courtyard to the churning sea of clouds on the distant horizon.
The winds heralded a coming storm.
Qian Xin Master finished his Spirit Tea, set the cup down, and unconsciously tapped his knuckles on the stone table.
"Then, there is one more thing."
"Because the Four-Sect Peace Talks are imminent, the Sect’s leadership election, originally scheduled for six years from now, has been moved up."
He raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as he looked at Qi Yun.
"Black Mountain has successfully ascended to the rank of Great Master."
"So this time," Qian Xin Master said, his tone heavy,
"he will undoubtedly make a play for the position of Vice Sect Leader."
"Once he succeeds, given his vengeful nature—the kind that believes those who obey him prosper while those who oppose him perish—our past conflicts with him and his faction mean... our lives will likely become very difficult."
The position of Vice Sect Leader carried immense authority, second only to the Acting Sect Leader. It was enough to influence the distribution of Sect resources, the appointment to important posts, and even held power of life and death over disciples.
If Black Mountain were to take this position, Qi Yun and Qian Xin Master would find themselves constrained at every turn, their every move fraught with difficulty.
"Then, Uncle-Master, you mean..." Qi Yun’s expression shifted slightly. He was already grasping the core purpose of Qian Xin Master’s visit.
Qian Xin Master took a deep breath and lowered his voice.
"Within the Holy Sect, excluding those who are traveling and haven’t returned, or those in death-seclusion who cannot appear, there are a total of seventeen Foundation Establishment Masters eligible to participate in this election."
"According to the Sect’s ancestral traditions, for Black Mountain to secure the Vice Sect Leader position, he needs the joint support of at least thirteen Masters."
He paused, then gave a number that surprised even Qi Yun.
"According to my inquiries, those who have clearly pledged their support number... fourteen."
"That many?" Qi Yun was genuinely astonished.
He knew Black Mountain was powerful, but he hadn’t expected his support within the Sect to be so overwhelming.
This practically meant the Vice Sect Leader position was already in his grasp.
"Hmph. Most of them are just afraid of his ferocity," Qian Xin Master snorted, a look of disdain on his face.
"Black Mountain is domineering and aggressive, accustomed to using iron-fisted tactics."
"Many Masters in the Sect are unwilling but don’t dare to openly oppose him for fear of retaliation. In truth, his core faction consists of only about eight people."
"The other six are all being coerced by his tyrannical power and have no other choice."
"So..." Qi Yun’s eyes glinted as he understood the key point.
"Exactly!" A sharp light flashed in Qian Xin Master’s eyes. "As long as we can persuade two of them to withdraw their support, Black Mountain’s vote count will fall short of thirteen."
"His claim to the Vice Sect Leader position... will be in jeopardy!"
He looked at Qi Yun, his tone filled with unprecedented solemnity and trust.
"And that is one of the main reasons I’ve come to you."
"Me?" Hearing this, Qi Yun couldn’t help but frown in confusion.
He had only been a Foundation Establishment Master for a little over two years. Aside from his friendship with Qian Xin Master, he was merely on nodding terms with most of the other Masters in the Sect; with some, he had never even exchanged a few words.
’I have so little influence. How could I possibly have enough standing to persuade two Masters who have already pledged their support to Black Mountain to switch sides at the last minute?’
Qian Xin Master seemed to see through his doubts and gave a meaningful smile.
"Nephew, you shouldn’t sell yourself short. You may have only recently entered the True Realm, but your reputation... is now no less than that of some of the veteran Masters in the Sect."
"The wielder of the Venerable Dao Foundation, who overpowered Song Kun and escaped a Zombie Alliance True Monarch’s karmic erasure unscathed... which Master in the Sect doesn’t know of these things? Who hasn’t heard?"
"The way they look at you is no longer how they would look at an ordinary, newly promoted Master."
"More importantly," Qian Xin Master leaned forward, his voice dropping even lower, "you don’t just represent yourself. You represent... potential. A future possibility."
"Black Mountain is strong, but he represents the present—the established order and its oppression."
"But you, Qi Yun, you represent breaking the mold! You represent the boundless potential that even a True Monarch would have to acknowledge!"
"Some Masters might not dare to openly oppose Black Mountain, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to leave themselves... an escape route. Both for the Sect and for themselves."
"And you are that escape route. One of the most worthy... investments!"
Qian Xin Master’s words struck Qi Yun’s heart like a heavy hammer.
He instantly understood. This was no longer a simple personal favor, but a political game of alliances and investments concerning the future of the Sect.
And he, without realizing it, had been pushed to the forefront of this storm.
"What we need to do," Qian Xin Master said, his gaze burning, "is to find the most persuadable targets among those Masters who were forced to support Black Mountain."
"And then, tell them."
"That Black Mountain is not invincible."
"That this Holy Sect has another titan!"
In the courtyard, even the wind seemed to fall silent.
Qi Yun was silent for a moment. The last trace of doubt vanished from his eyes, replaced by a calm and sharp focus.
He slowly raised his head and looked at Qian Xin Master.
"Who is the target?"
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