"No sooner had the word 'objection' been uttered than a fierce blaze erupted outside the window. The sound of Jin Huan gnashing his teeth thundered through, 'Yu Ci, you young upstart, all for your own selfish ends...'"
Before he could finish, Shi Song's hearty laughter joined in, "The many vanquish the few, the crowd overpowers the solitary. Jin Huan, when you were bullying and oppressing your peers, did you ever think this day would come?"
Looking out of the window, the blaze in the night sky was once again suppressed. A gigantic serpent, as thick as a tree trunk, writhed upward into the sky, ignoring the intense heat that scorched its flesh. It coiled and twisted, trapping Jin Huan and the 'Ten Thousand Rays Piercing the Clouds Bead' within its folds. The rumbling sound, like a grinding millstone, echoed in the sky, rolling and tumbling as it swiftly moved away from Sky Wing Tower.
Yu Ci gave a faint smile, ascended a floor, then turned back to climb higher, "With the objector gone, are there any others?"
As he spoke, on each floor there were several individuals of Divine communication cultivation level or higher, leading elite warriors. They moved through the crowd like wolves or tigers, or like a sieve, sifting through the crowd. Those who had tried to take advantage of the chaos were promptly subdued. While it couldn't be said that the net was cast wide, its deterrent effect was formidable, prompting those with potentially disruptive intentions to think twice. Sharp-eyed observers noted that the members of the White Sun Mansion, who had been mixed in the crowd after the initial chaos, had been completely apprehended.
As Yu Ci once again approached the staircase leading to the fourth floor, someone followed him from behind.
"All members of the White Sun Mansion, two stewards, seven officers, and fifteen warriors, except for one officer and three warriors who were killed resisting, have all been captured alive."
Yu Ci nodded with a smile, "Elder Hu's actions are indeed swift and decisive."
"I dare not take all the credit. It is your awe-inspiring presence that leaves them with little will to resist. Otherwise, it would still be difficult to control over twenty people causing chaos at the same time."
The speaker was Hu Dan, the top expert of the Thousands Spirits Sect. This man, standing eight feet tall with a broad forehead and tiger-like eyes, appeared formidable. Yet he was meticulous in his thinking. When Shi Song first sounded the Bone Flute on the upper floor, Hu Dan led the elite forces of the four sects to take control of the White Sun Mansion members in the building. By the time the Bone Flute sounded for the second time, everything on the upper floors was settled, and the action at Cinnabar Cliff had also begun.
Hu Dan was naturally proud and arrogant, but seeing the White Sun Mansion on the verge of collapse, he couldn't help but feel moved. In his conversation with Yu Ci, he was unconsciously more cautious and chose his words carefully.
Yu Ci smiled and ascended to the top floor with him. By now, the roof had been blown off, allowing a clear view of the sky over Sheer Cliff City. The fire on Cinnabar Cliff and the fierce battle in the sky intertwined, casting an unpredictable light over the night sky. Red Yin and Monk Yi Xin, who were still there when they descended, were now gone, presumably having joined the chase. The few people left on the floor were as still as clay or wooden statues. Seeing Yu Ci ascend, they all revealed extremely complex expressions.
Yu Ci gave them a slight bow, "I'm afraid tonight's Treasure Exchange Banquet will end in disappointment for everyone. My apologies."
Those who could attend the Treasure Exchange Banquet and ascend to the top floor were no ordinary cultivators. Zhao Zirui need not be mentioned, but the remaining four were also exceptional, especially since they were all under the rule of the Lichen Sect and deeply understood its intricate workings. Among them were those who had close ties with the White Sun Mansion, but given the current situation in the tower and even across Sheer Cliff City, who would still dare to stir up trouble?
For a moment, the banquet hall was filled with voices of "no harm done". However, beyond "no harm done", what to say next became a daunting puzzle.
Apart from that, there were sighs. The one sighing was Zhou Youde. For him, the Trade Caravan steward of the Random Heart Pavilion, today was a day of failure. He was naturally upset about the incident that occurred at the banquet, but he was a man who had weathered many storms, and he had experience with similar situations. What truly worried him was Xie Yan's hasty departure in anger.
The Treasure Exchange Banquet was merely a spectacle, its success or failure mattered little. But if it provoked important figures from the Lichen Sect, the subsequent consequences could be dire. It could even lead to a heavy blow to the Random Heart Pavilion's years of operation in the western part of the Cultivation World.
He was troubled, his old wounds aching faintly. Just as he was wrestling with his thoughts, he heard Yu Ci speak to him, "Steward Zhou, I have a question for you."
Hearing his tone, Zhou Youde's heart skipped a beat. He quickly put on a smile, "I am at your service. Please feel free to ask, Daoist friend Yu."
Yu Ci pointed to the sky and said, "Steward Zhou, you have seen Elder Xie's condition. In fact, this is due to one of my elders, who is also Elder Xie's dear friend, who is now nearing his end."
He explained Xie Yan's plan. As Zhou Youde pondered, he added, "The Random Heart Pavilion is a renowned major merchant in this realm, known for its credibility. Steward Zhou, you are worldly and have handled countless treasures. Can you suggest any treasures, Elixirs, or Pills that might prolong life under such circumstances?"
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Zhou Youde thought for a while before carefully choosing his words, "Let me inform you, Daoist friend. Such treasures do exist, but it is impossible for our pavilion to hold them! You must know that there are millions of cultivators in the world who are desperate due to their nearing lifespan, their eyes are all fixed on such treasures. The emergence of such a treasure could lead to a bloody battle. Therefore, our pavilion never keeps such treasures in stock, they are sold as soon as they are acquired."
Yu Ci interrupted him, "If Steward Zhou can bring a similar treasure within a year, Elder Xie will be deeply grateful."
Zhou Youde could only give a bitter smile, "I understand that Elder Xie and Daoist friend are anxious, but such things depend on chance, they cannot be forced. I dare not make grand promises, but I can assure you that if there is any news, I will inform you and send a message via Communication Flying Sword to your Sect's Mountain Gate, is that acceptable?"
It can be seen that Zhou Youde was very eager to make up for the negative impact caused by the "Golden Bone Jade Disc". The fact that he took the initiative to mention the contact method was evidence of this, and Yu Ci could feel it too.
After discussing some details and reaching a consensus, Yu Ci rose to his full height and bowed to those still seated, "Please remain seated, everyone. The long night is more than half over, and there will surely be a resolution before dawn."
With that, he nodded to Hu Dan, and the two of them headed toward the Cloud Bamboo Garden.
Zhao Zirui gently stroked the lion cat's soft fur, glanced at the Smoke Tree in the center of the banquet hall, and then turned back to discuss the current situation with the others. Although the identities of those present varied, they quickly reached a consensus:
"With such a situation, it must have been premeditated for a long time, like a mountain crushing an egg. How can White Sun Mansion not be defeated?"
Standing at the railing of the Cloud Bamboo Garden, one could clearly see the flames soaring on the opposite Cinnabar Cliff. Jin Huan, relying on his Cultivation Level and the benefits of the Dawn Pearl, retreated to the sky above Cinnabar Cliff. White Sun Mansion activated the Seal within the mansion to assist him in resisting the enemy, also desperately resisting the combined assault of the four sects.
But this was already a desperate struggle.
The people in the banquet hall were not wrong in their thinking. The events of tonight were indeed premeditated. However, for Yu Ci, the "pre" part was more significant, and he did not participate much in the "plot" part.
The combined attack on White Sun Mansion by the four families originated from the Sky Rift Valley Ghost Beasts and treasure hunting incidents. Yu Ci had no interest in the specifics, but it began from that time when the Thousands Spirits Sect, Pure Water Sect, and Xuan Yin Sect reached a preliminary intention to form an alliance. The so-called "alliance" was still only verbal, and none of them thought of immediately overthrowing the rule of White Sun Mansion in Sheer Cliff City based on this covenant. However, the appearance of Yu Ci and the unrest in Sky Rift Valley provided them with an opportunity.
With Tu Du severely injured, three stewards and a large number of elite warriors dead, White Sun Mansion had lost nearly half of its main combat power in a short time. Yu Ci, the archenemy of White Sun Mansion, successfully joined the Lichen Sect, shaking the foundation of White Sun Mansion's position. This immediately made the three allied families, or at least the Thousands Spirits Sect, restless.
It cannot be said that Jin Huan was unprepared. Using the unrest in Sky Rift Valley, he lured the Birds of Prey and Demons in the valley to attack the Thousands Spirits Sect, which was his masterstroke. Because of this battle, the Thousands Spirits Sect also suffered a significant loss of Primordial Qi. In Jin Huan's estimation, it would take at least ten to eight years to recover. But he never expected that Yu Ci would receive the authorization to take over Sheer Cliff City from Old Daoist Yu Zhou at this time.
After this, Yu Ci only did one thing. He demonstrated to all the major forces in Sheer Cliff City, except for White Sun Mansion, that although White Sun Mansion had exclusive authority over the Lichen Sect, it did not enjoy the protection of the Lichen Sect. In other words, the Lichen Sect was not interested in the survival of White Sun Mansion!
With this single event, the colossal lock that White Sun Mansion had hung on the city gates of Sheer Cliff, under the guise of the Lichen Sect, thunderously fell.
Not only the three-house alliance, but even the Lifeless Sword Sect, which had always sought shelter under the White Sun Mansion, was stirred. Such a situation was undoubtedly due to Yu Ci's control over the channels of the Lichen Sect, but it was also because of the excessively domineering conduct of the White Sun Mansion. Led by Dong Yan, the "Thirteen Eagles" had no real friendship with Jin Huan, nor had they received enough benefits from him in ordinary days, so there was no need to risk their lives for him.
As for biting back, isn't it a bet on a future without the White Sun Mansion?
When the wall falls, everyone pushes; everyone knows this.
The speed of the four-sect alliance was astonishingly fast. Before Yu Ci left the Still Heart Temple, he had only a brief conversation with Xu Song, the spy of the Thousands Spirits Sect in the temple. By the time he reached Sheer Cliff City, the embryonic form of the alliance had appeared. All Yu Ci needed to do was to present a clear stance.
Therefore, when Xie Yan on the Sky Wing Tower sent Lu Mingyue and Zhao Zirui flying with a single sword stroke, and shamed Jin Chuan into retreat, the four-sect alliance officially formed, and the fate of the White Sun Mansion was sealed.
Even at its peak, the White Sun Mansion could not withstand the combined force of the four sects, let alone in its current greatly weakened state. The dominant posture of the past fifty years had allowed Jin Huan to reap the greatest benefits in Sheer Cliff City, but it had also isolated him. Now, if the chair were pulled away, he would be nothing!
This is the influence of a powerful entity. It causes the rise and fall of forces in the surrounding regions to be constantly disturbed by it, like grass under a boulder, roots in a rock crevice, naturally distorted. Once the environment changes, it will show an extremely absurd posture.
However, upon reaching Cloud Bamboo Garden, another matter came to Yu Ci's mind: Hadn't Kuang Yan Qi come here just now? Where had he gone?
Just as he was about to ask Hu Dan for details, from the direction of Cinnabar Cliff, suddenly, ten thousand strands of golden light shot out, sharp as swords, spinning and slashing in all directions, illuminating the night sky like daylight. Under the golden light, countless bodies were torn apart, and a mist of blood rose.
At this sight, the more informed Hu Dan was not shocked but delighted:
"White Sun Mansion is finished!"
***********
The downfall of the White Sun Mansion is just the true beginning of this book's plot. Next, it begins (Oh, it sounds like I'm dragging the story, doesn't it?). Anyway, I want both your bookmarks and your votes!
...
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e