He also knew the consequences of refusing Zhou Shouxian. If he tried to please him but refused to take action when necessary, who would want someone like that? Even if he could still get benefits from working under Zhou in the future, other factions would not dare to hire him after this incident. No one wants someone who retreats when faced with problems.

The consequences were severe; it would destroy his future. However, he knew that he was unable to do anything. Even though he was also a Jindanmage, he knew that he was no match for Bai Yao, let alone the Sky Jade Gang behind him. After the incident, the Sky Jade Gang would not let him go. Even the members of other factions did not want to confront the Sky Jade Gang openly. As a wandering cultivator, where would he find the courage to face them? He would be tired of living if he did.

Refusing Zhou Shouxian might ruin his future, but at least he could save his life. As long as he was still alive, everything was still possible. He could say "find someone else" because he knew he could not repay Zhou Shouxian's favor. He did not need Zhou to drive him away; he would leave on his own.

Zhou Shouxian waved his hand and said, "Listen to me first. You are not going alone. I have secretly dispatched ten thousand elite soldiers to ambush Shang Chaozong's must-pass route to cooperate with you in blocking him. You can also call upon fifty mages, including ten Jindanmage. Whether it is the number of soldiers or the number of mages, you have the upper hand. It should not be a problem to hold back the forces of Guangyi County and Bai Yao. You should have enough opportunities to take down Shang Chaozong."

Although the lineup was huge, including ten thousand elite soldiers, fifty mages, and ten Jindanmage, he still hesitated because of the Sky Jade Gang. As a family man, he did not want to provoke the Sky Jade Gang.

Zhou Shouxian advised him kindly, "I have not treated you unfairly in these years, have I?"

"Governor Zhou, I will repay your favor in the future and will never break my promise. Excuse me." He bowed and left.

"Don't be in a hurry. I have something to show you. It won't be too late to leave after you see it." Two people flashed into the attic, standing on his left and right. They were his personal attendants, mages.

When he reached the stairs, he turned slowly, maintaining a high level of vigilance, fearing that the other party would kill him.

Unexpectedly, the person on Zhou Shouxian's left threw two things over, and he caught them in his palm. With just one glance, his face changed drastically, and he said, "Governor Zhou, what do you mean?"

The two things he caught were two jade pendants, which he was very familiar with. They were the ones that his wife and daughter wore.

Zhou Shouxian sneered in his heart. Normally, he provided resources to support him, but when there was something to do, he turned and left. Did he really think this was a place where he could come and go as he pleased? He was actually warning him not to refuse his request.

He was full of anger and wanted to rush forward and take Zhou Shouxian as a hostage to exchange for his wife and daughter. But when he saw the guards around him, he knew that they were well prepared, and he had no chance of success.

The situation was clear. If he did not agree, his wife and daughter's lives were in danger.

After careful consideration, he had to suppress his anger and said in a deep voice, "Which faction do the fifty mages belong to?"

Zhou Shouxian replied calmly, "Like you, they are all wandering cultivators. They do not know what they are doing yet. It is not suitable to disclose this matter too much in advance to avoid leaking information."

"They are all wandering cultivators?" He continued, "Are you sure they will dare to attack the people of Sky Jade Gang after they know the situation?"

Zhou Shouxian said, "The people I gathered were carefully chosen, and I did not randomly recruit anyone. Before taking action, you can show them something to convince them." He threw a small bag at him from his right-hand side.

When he opened the bag, he saw various items, including jade pendants and hairpins. He understood that those mages were like him and had no choice but to accept Zhou's request. He felt resentful towards those factions. They dared not confront the Sky Jade Gang openly, but they forced them to do such things.

"Governor Zhou's methods are really impressive," he said coldly.

"Serve the emperor with the salary he gives you, and be loyal to the emperor. When the emperor has orders, his subjects should serve him with all their heart and soul." Zhou Shouxian replied in a low voice, reminding him that regardless of the success or failure of this matter, it had nothing to do with the court or him.

"Your orders, Governor Zhou, I will follow them."

"Leave now and someone will meet you at your destination and take you to the place where you will ambush." It was obvious that he did not disclose all the arrangements yet.

He left, still full of anger.

Whoosh! Bang!

An arrow flew out of the woods and exploded in the air; it was a warning!

Immediately afterward, the guards in the rear saw the signal and quickly fired arrows. One warning after another rose into the sky until it reached the heart of Shangqing Sect.

Dong Dong Dong! The alarm rings, the enemy is attacking!

The long-unused alarm bell rings, and disciples from all the houses and peaks of the Shangqing Sect rush out and gather.

Tang Yi, Luo Yuan Gong, Su Bro, Tang Susu, and other disciples of the Shangqing Sect gather in an open space, looking in the direction of the alarm with serious expressions.

After Song Yanqing's incident, the high-level members of the Shangqing Sect have been worried that something like this would happen, and it seems that their fears have finally come true!

And it has indeed come true. A group of mages has come from the direction of the back mountain, flying over the treetops of the verdant mountains, and the sounds of fighting can be heard from time to time. The consequences for the disciples responsible for guarding the sect who resist them can be easily imagined.

"Evildoers!" Tang Susu gritted her teeth and cursed.

Luo Yuan Gong and others knew who she was cursing. Other than Song Shu, they didn't think there was anyone else involved in this. In fact, they all believed that the attack was retaliation from the Song family for Song Yanqing's death.

Little did they know, the Song family had no intention of attacking the Shangqing Sect from the beginning for certain reasons, they just wanted to show off a little. The Shangqing Sect was just collateral damage in the game of power, and it was not the Song family, but other people who did not want the Shangqing Sect to continue to exist.

To some people, destroying the Shangqing Sect was just a matter of words.

"It's the Liuxian Sect!" Luo Yuan Gong's tone was heavy.

They could already see the outline of the attackers, there were at least a thousand people flying towards them, each carrying two crescent-shaped moon wheels.

Swish! Tang Yi, the Sect Master, was the first to draw her sword, with an unusually solemn expression.

The sound of swords being drawn rang out one after another, and they were all prepared to fight to the death.

The enemy could already see over a thousand of them, and the entire Shangqing Sect could only muster a few hundred people. If they were to retreat now, it would be no different from defeat, and they would face a brutal pursuit. The weaker disciples couldn't run fast enough, so if they were to retreat, they would be throwing them to their deaths. Moreover, they didn't even know how many ambushes the enemy had set up. Under the sudden attack, it was already too late to react. They could either leave a small part of the people to break through, or fight to the death.

Although the Shangqing Sect was in a difficult situation, they would not abandon their disciples and flee before they even engaged in battle.

However, some disciples could not bear the pressure. Seeing the enemy approaching, some people slowly began to retreat, and suddenly turned around and ran.

One person running away shook the morale of the soldiers who were determined to fight to the death. Then, dozens of people followed suit, fleeing desperately towards the depths of the mountains.

"Traitors!" Luo Yuan Gong turned his head and glanced, shaking with anger.

Tang Yi, who had also looked back, was full of bitterness and realized the true feeling of the Shangqing Sect's downfall. The hearts of the people had really scattered. In the face of the enemy, they did not think of fighting, and some disciples even fled. Not only that, but dozens of people fled at once. As the Sect Master, she felt deeply distressed.

However, at this critical moment, it was not the time to disperse their energy and clear the gates. Otherwise, they would only make things worse. They could only let those disciples go!

The Liuxian Sect's thousands of members landed one by one, and the disciples of the Liuxian Sect, headed by Elder Wu Shaohuan, quickly formed a semi-circular formation facing the Shangqing Sect disciples, facing them.

Luo Yuan Gong pointed his sword and shouted, "Wu Shaohuan, my Shangqing Sect has no grudges with your Liuxian Sect. Why did you break into our mountain gate?"

Wu Shaohuan calmly replied, "Brother Luo, the land where the Ling Mountain treasure is located belongs to the virtuous. Shangqing Sect is such a small sect, occupying such a good place, isn't it a bit too much? You have been enjoying it for so many years, you should have enjoyed enough, and my Liuxian Sect doesn't want to make things difficult for the Shangqing Sect. As long as the Shangqing Sect promises to give the Ling Mountain treasure to our Liuxian Sect, we will let you go immediately, without causing any trouble. How about it?"

It was not an exaggeration to say that the land occupied by the Shangqing Sect was the Ling Mountain treasure. The founder of the Shangqing Sect was a teacher of the Great Yan Kingdom, and the location of the sect was naturally top-notch. Many people had coveted it for a long time.

However, for the Shangqing Sect, the place where the sect was located was where all the previous masters were buried. If they were to hand over their ancestral heritage that had been passed down for so many years, they would have no face to stand in the world of cultivation. The Shangqing Sect could not agree to this condition, and it was clear that they were deliberately looking for trouble.

"Let's see if you have the guts to take it!" Sect Master Tang Yi shouted angrily, her face full of anger.

Wu Shaohuan sneered, "This should be Tang Sect Master, right? It seems that the Shangqing Sect really has no one left. They even let a little girl like you become the Sect Master. It's really at the end of its rope! In my opinion..."

"Roar!" A thunderous roar echoed through the mountains.

Everyone was startled and looked around. They saw a fierce beast that looked like a lion but not quite, roaring in anger on a nearby mountain peak. Its golden fur shone brightly under the sun.

"Golden Howl!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

Many members of the Liuxian Sect's faces changed.