Chapter 354 - 273: Qianyu Sect Civil Strife, Nangong Weiyang in Peril
Yunxi Great Desert City,
As the negotiations between the various sects and the Astronomical Bureau concluded, each sect immediately began to establish commercial routes with the Northern Territory, simultaneously dividing this Desert City among themselves. After all, this Desert City would undoubtedly become a central hub of the Linglun Trade Route in the future, and all factions needed to establish branches here.
However, though this seems simple on the surface,
it is actually quite complicated, as the Desert City originally belonged to Jingnan Dao, one of the Eight Paths of Yunxi, and its overlord was Qianyu Sect. For the major sects to set up branches in Qianyu Sect’s territory, they naturally had to negotiate with Qianyu Sect. Additionally, deciding how to distribute the Desert City was a troublesome matter.
So, after the people from the Astronomical Bureau left, the various sects of Yunxi did not leave immediately. They stayed behind to handle the aftermath, which took about half a month to settle.
During this half-month,
the season transitioned from late autumn to early winter.
Desert City, being at a relatively high altitude, cooled down rapidly. Within a few days, many places had already started burning fires for warmth.
In the manor of the Beidou Bang headquarters,
Gu Zhan was poking the charcoal fire with a stick. The fire burned brightly, warming several parts of the room.
However, Mo Jingzhou, sitting opposite Gu Zhan, was wrapped in a thick robe, very close to the charcoal fire.
It was only just over a month since the battle at Bright Moon Gorge, and Mo Jingzhou was already at the end of his rope, his breath erratic, his vitality greatly depleted.
A dignified Supreme Grandmaster had been restricted by the not-so-cold weather, afraid to go out for fear of catching a cold, already running out of time.
Gu Zhan sighed lightly and said, "Dragon King, let’s return to Canglan City tomorrow. We can leave the aftermath in Desert City to Tan Lang."
Mo Jingzhou took a sip of hot tea and said, "I’m afraid that won’t do. Although Tan Lang has sufficient status, the current Desert City is not as it was before. He has status but no cultivation. While Xiao Chen is capable, he acts impulsively and thinks too simply, making him prone to troublesome actions.
When the Linglun Trade Route opens, it will bring a new focus for resource contention to Yunxi Land. The preliminary handling is particularly important; losing the opportunity will result in substantial losses later. You and I must... cough, cough, cough..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mo Jingzhou started coughing violently, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Gu Zhan waved his hand and said, "What you worry about is merely that if we leave early, the other sects will look down on us because Beidou Bang has no Grandmaster to oversee. I think you shouldn’t worry about that at all,
even though you’re facing some issues. Your presence is still felt. Excluding you, does the name Gu Zhan still not carry weight? Even if I’m not here, as long as Beidou Bang’s members remain steadfast, no one will dare to ignore my name, even if I’m far away in Canglan Dao!"
Mo Jingzhou smiled slightly and said, "With you here, I naturally have peace of mind. However, in front of interests, a fierce reputation alone is not enough."
Gu Zhan said solemnly, "After all, it’s not a fight to the death. I think it should suffice..."
Just then,
Suddenly, a rush of footsteps was heard outside the door, as a team of Beidou Bang members hurriedly entered. The leader was none other than the Beidou Bang prodigy Tian Yu, who saluted as soon as he entered, saying, "Dragon King, Palm Seal, something has happened. Just now, people from Qianyu Sect forcibly broke into our Beidou Bang territory, clashing with our brothers, and several of our brothers were killed!"
Mo Jingzhou abruptly looked up at Gu Zhan, paused for a long moment, and slowly said, "Perhaps... it indeed isn’t enough."
Gu Zhan: "..."
Gu Zhan slightly narrowed his eyes and asked, "What happened?"
Tian Yu saluted and said, "The specifics are unclear, but reportedly, Nangong Weiyang from Qianyu Sect colluded with Demon Dao and assassinated Qianyu Sect’s Sect Leader Chen Xuannong. They were caught in the act and subsequently escaped during Qianyu Sect’s encirclement. Qianyu Sect chased them to us..."
"Hold up!" Mo Jingzhou’s eyes were filled with disbelief as he asked, "What did you just say, Chen Xuannong was killed?"
Gu Zhan was also astounded.
Chen Xuannong was definitely not someone obscure. As the Sect Leader of Qianyu Sect among the Five Great Sects of Yunxi, he was one of the top ten renowned experts in Yunxi, a Supreme Grandmaster of the Divine Thought Third Realm, an absolute powerhouse in Yunxi, and he had died so abruptly.
Tian Yu quickly said, "Whether the exact news is true or not, I can’t confirm for now as the incident unfolded too suddenly. However, what’s certain is that Qianyu Sect is currently arresting Nangong Weiyang all over the city, and the conflict with our Beidou Bang arose because of their chase for Nangong Weiyang.
A group of Qianyu Sect barged into our Beidou Bang territory searching for someone without notifying us, causing chaos. Some members of Beidou Bang went to inquire about the situation. However, Qianyu Sect’s members were very agitated, speaking rudely, which led to a fight. Amidst the chaos, a Grandmaster from Qianyu Sect lost control, leading to the death of six of our brothers on the spot!"
Gu Zhan’s face darkened as he asked coldly, "Where are they?"
"Who?" Tian Yu was puzzled.
"That Grandmaster from Qianyu Sect," Gu Zhan said.
"Gone," Tian Yu said. "That person is Yu Cheng, the eldest disciple of Qianyu Sect Grand Elder Lian Nanfeng. He is a renowned prodigy of Qianyu Sect who became a Grandmaster three years ago. Realizing the gravity after killing the men, he left immediately with his people. He is a Grandmaster, and we only had two Great Cultivators at the scene, who couldn’t stop him. I was nearby by chance, so I received the news first."