Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen instructed Yu Wen to have people keep a close watch on Jie Mountain. If there were any unusual activities near Jie Mountain, they should report it immediately.
After that, Song Wen returned to Qingluo Mountain to continue his cultivation.
Another month later, Yu Wen sent a message.
There were no unusual movements at Jie Mountain. However, something had happened at the Nine Palaces Sect.
[It has been confirmed that Yan Yiwen, the personal disciple of Tai He, participated in the exploration of the secret realm in the Poisonous Miasma Swamp of the Corpse Demon Sect. Moreover, she emerged alive from the secret realm a month earlier. Subsequently, Tai He and Xi Ling accompanied her back to the Nine Palaces Sect. When the three of them reached Blue Ink Lake, they were ambushed by three Nascent Soul cultivators from the Mixed Yuan Temple.]
Xi Ling was a late-stage Nascent Soul female cultivator, the highest-level cultivator in the Nine Palaces Sect.
Blue Ink Lake was only a few thousand miles away from the Nine Palaces Sect.
If one did not deliberately take a detour, Blue Ink Lake was the must-pass place on the way back to the Nine Palaces Sect from the Poisonous Miasma Swamp.
[What was the outcome?] Song Wen asked.
[Both Xi Ling and Tai He were severely injured, but they managed to escape with their lives thanks to the Minor Teleportation Talisman.] Yu Wen replied.
[What about Yan Yiwen?] Song Wen asked.
[She also escaped. However, she fled alone, not taking the same path as Xi Ling and Tai He. Moreover, she seemed to possess some extraordinary treasure. After her escape, she immediately attracted the pursuit of Xiao Chan. Fortunately, her diversion of Xiao Chan reduced the pressure on Tai He and Xi Ling, allowing them to escape smoothly. Otherwise, they might have perished at Blue Ink Lake.] Yu Wen explained.
[Yan Yiwen is only at the peak of the Golden Core stage. How could she escape from Xiao Chan's hands?] Song Wen asked.
Yu Wen replied, [The specific details are unclear to me. However, she had a Minor Teleportation Talisman on her. Additionally, she had cultivated the Blood Escape Technique from the Corpse Demon Sect. Presumably, she used these two methods to evade Xiao Chan's pursuit.]
Upon reading this message, Song Wen had to admit that Xue Mei was indeed extraordinary, managing to escape alive from Xiao Chan's hands despite being only at the peak of the Golden Core stage.
At the same time, he was curious about how Xue Mei had managed to escape from Xiao Chan.
Furthermore, the Bronze Key Coffin from the Nether Soul Hall was most likely in her possession.
Otherwise, Xiao Chan would not have abandoned the severely injured Tai He and Xi Ling to pursue her instead.
[What is Fayan's current cultivation level?] Song Wen asked.
[I do not know. This battle was witnessed by many rogue cultivators who happened to be at Blue Ink Lake, but their cultivation levels were too low to discern Fayan's exact level.] Yu Wen replied.
At this moment, Song Wen suddenly realized that his previous speculation was correct.
Xiao Chan had invited him to attack Jie Mountain together, intending to use his words to relay the information to the Nine Palaces Sect.
Then, it was a diversionary tactic.
To shift the Nine Palaces Sect's attention to Jie Mountain, preferably attracting one or two Nascent Soul cultivators to guard Jie Mountain, thereby dispersing the Nine Palaces Sect's forces and making it convenient for them to set up an ambush at Blue Ink Lake.
The Mixed Yuan Temple's original intention was likely to eliminate one or two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Nine Palaces Sect, with the Bronze Key Coffin being an unexpected bonus. However, neither of these goals was truly achieved by the Mixed Yuan Temple.
Seeing that Song Wen had not replied for a long time, Yu Wen sent a message asking.
[Leader, both Xi Ling and Tai He are severely injured. In the short term, these two will definitely not dare to step out of the Nine Palaces Sect. The Mixed Yuan Temple will certainly not miss this opportunity and will surely take action against Jie Mountain and Yishi Ridge. How should our Asura Sect respond?]
Song Wen said, "Seal the mountain gates, consolidate our forces, recall the core disciples of the sect, rely on the Sect Protection Array, and hold our ground at Tiancang Mountain while observing the situation."
Yu Wen asked, "Sect Leader, won't you... return to the sect?"
The Sect Protection Array on Tiancang Mountain was just a very ordinary fourth-tier formation.
Without Song Wen presiding over the array, any Nascent Soul cultivator could forcibly break through it with a few more strikes.
In contrast, the Sect Protection Arrays of established major sects like the Nine Palaces Sect and Mixed Yuan Temple were not simple single formations but complex arrays formed by multiple interwoven formations.
The difference between the two was like night and day.
Therefore, Yu Wen was worried that if Song Wen did not return to the sect, the Asura Sect could face imminent destruction at any moment.
"Rest assured, Chief Yu. Mixed Yuan Temple's current primary goal is to reclaim the Spirit Mines at Jie Mountain and Harmony Mountain. They have to deal with the Nine Palaces Sect and the Corpse Demon Sect. How could they afford to make more enemies and attack our Asura Sect in such a situation? I have more important matters to attend to. Hiding within the sect will not resolve the sect's crisis," Song Wen declared with righteous conviction.
Seeing that Song Wen's reasoning was sound, Yu Wen also felt reassured and replied, "Understood. I will definitely guard Tiancang Mountain well."
"Thank you, Chief Yu."
After saying this, Song Wen deactivated the Starry Line Formation.
Returning to Tiancang Mountain was definitely not an option.
A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall!
Although, as he had explained to Yu Wen, Mixed Yuan Temple should not attack the Asura Sect for the time being, as long as there was even the slightest possibility, Song Wen would not risk his life.
After all, his goal in establishing the Asura Sect was solely to gather cultivation resources; he would never share its fate.
However, it was not yet time to flee.
Whether Mixed Yuan Temple could reclaim Jie Mountain and Harmony Mountain, or regain control over the Yishi Ridge, was still uncertain.
Although the Nine Palaces Sect had lost one round, Tai He and Xi Ling were still alive.
Moreover, the Corpse Demon Sect had yet to make its move.
Gou Jun was a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, the highest level a cultivator in this realm could achieve, and not an easy opponent to deal with.
Song Wen left his cave and arrived outside Zhou Siyi's cave, calling out, "Senior Sister Zhou, I have urgent matters to discuss with you."
After waiting for about half an incense stick's time, the stone door of the cave finally opened.
"Junior Brother, what is so urgent? I was in the middle of cultivation," Zhou Siyi's voice came from within.
Song Wen entered the cave and briefly explained everything that had happened between Mixed Yuan Temple and the Nine Palaces Sect to Zhou Siyi.
"Senior Sister, with the current turmoil in the Yishi Ridge, it would be best for you to leave for a while and seek refuge elsewhere. Return once the situation stabilizes."
Zhou Siyi frowned, "What about the Spirit Herbs in the Spirit Field? These Spirit Herb seeds were hard for you to gather. They've just been planted and cannot be transplanted carelessly now."
Song Wen replied, "With Quan Qiu and the others here, they can take good care of the Spirit Field."
"Junior Brother, won't you come with me?" Zhou Siyi asked.
Song Wen shook his head, "I won't leave. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, unless someone specifically targets me, it's unlikely anyone could pose a threat to me. Moreover, apart from you, Senior Sister, no one knows that 'Xing Chang' of Qingluo Mountain is the Asura Sect Leader 'Yin Shuo.' My safety is assured. I only ask you to leave as a precaution."
Zhou Siyi nodded in agreement.
She also understood that staying in the Yishi Ridge would only make her a burden to Song Wen.
"Senior Sister, which sect's territory are you planning to go to?" Song Wen asked.
Zhou Siyi thought for a moment, "I'll go to the Bliss City in the He Huan Sect."
She was somewhat acquainted with Mu Yunxin from the He Huan Sect, and she had also helped Lan Chen before. If she encountered any trouble, she might be able to seek assistance from the He Huan Sect.
"Alright! Senior Sister, pack up quickly, and I'll escort you out of the Yishi Ridge," Song Wen said.
(End of the Chapter)
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