Chapter 531: Strategy at Every Step

With a flash of the sword, a phoenix-like figure appeared with a resounding cry. Upon seeing it, Master Xiantian's eyes almost popped out, exclaiming, "The Soaring Phoenix Sword!" The Five Elements Sect's five treasures of sect suppression had been dormant for many years, but its reputation still remained. Master Xiantian could immediately recognize it at a glance.
The Zen monk glanced and pointed with his hand, and the eight-colored Buddha light rose, stretching into the distance, guiding back a figure. That figure was sheltered by the Zen monk and handed him an item, whispering a few words to him.
With a glimpse of Zen and a silent meditation, the Zen master threw that object away and exclaimed, "Master Dai, please take this treasure!" As the Buddha's light enveloped it, the object was delivered into the hands of Dai Yuniang.
At that moment, the divine sword Tengluan caught the attention of the sage Xiantian. Distracted for an instant, Dai Yuniang, unaware of what was happening, used her feminine Yin energy to capture and retrieve the object. As it entered her hands, she immediately knew its true nature and couldn't help but feel elated. She shouted, "This treasure is exactly what I need!"
That thing is not an ordinary thing, but rather the Taiyin Ring! Dai Yuniang is extremely familiar with this treasure, and immediately activates the Taiyin Ring. In an instant, her Qi becomes ethereal to the point of almost disappearing, even the radiance of the Taiyin Slayer Blade recedes and disappears, blending into the empty space.
When Shixiantian saw the sword light of Tenglanjian, he knew that Sun Tianyun was in imminent danger. He immediately abandoned Dai Yuniang and rushed to rescue her. Suddenly, a line of extremely sharp sword intent pointed directly at his primordial spirit core. Even though his divine consciousness spread out, he couldn't glimpse its location at all. He was instantly filled with shock and anger, and shouted, "Damn the Taiyin Ring!"
The Taiyin Sect is able to establish its school with women at the forefront. The Taiyin Ring holds tremendous merit, after all, as no one wants to always be monitored by the ever-watchful gaze of the Taiyin Ring. With even the slightest misstep, one may fall from grace.
Dai Yuniang had the Taiyin Ring and the Taiyin Slaughter God Saber in her hand, her aura ethereal as if she disappeared beyond the clouds. Master Xiantian was extremely afraid of her and immediately gave up the idea of rescuing Sun Tianyun. He retrieved the Flat Heaven God Seal and suspended it above his head, scattering boundless divine light to protect himself. Compared to Sun Tianyun's life, his own life was more precious.
With Yu Niang's obstruction, Master Xian Tian couldn't intervene and was unable to free his hands. The Luan Niao Sword broke through the Heavenly Imperial Law Platform and slashed into Sun Tian Yun's eyebrows!
Sun Tian Yun fought with her physical body, while her divine soul resided in her eyebrows' Purple Mansion, relying on the sword energy that slashed into her divine soul. Letting out a cry, her head immediately exploded, revealing a divine soul inside!
With a purple aura adorning the divine spirit, it exuded an air of profound mystery. Suddenly, a ray of sword light exploded from the center of the eyebrow, directly shattering the whole divine spirit into countless fragments of radiant brilliance. It was a pity that a Taoist disciple, who had experienced numerous trials and tribulations and had the potential to ascend to immortality, fell in this manner!
When Sun Tianyun died, the Heavenly Altar of the Emperor lost its master and conductor. The countless starlights on the altar immediately scattered and lost their radiance, causing the bean-soldier formation and the bronze bell of the law to fall onto the table!
The sword light that cut off Mei Nianxue was exactly the incarnation of Qi Ze. It rushed over immediately, first using the Teng Luan Sword to kill Sun Tianyun with its sword light, and then returned the Taiyin Ring to Dai Yunniang's hands. It was done in one breath, extremely enjoyable!
Qi Ze incarnated beside Kui Chan, lightly saying, "In the Buddhist tradition, killing is forbidden, but our Taoist tradition does not adhere to such principles. Sun Tianyun has chosen the path of death, so one sword will settle it!" It sounds easy, but how easy is it to instantly kill someone of the rank of a high official? Fortunately, with the Tenglan Sword in hand, and the power of the flying sword treasure, all of Sun Tianyun's vitality was easily extinguished.
The death of Sun Tianyun immediately caused a huge uproar, and even Wan Chenglongjun never expected that Qi Ze would dare to kill Sun Tianyun right under the nose of his master Xian Tian. It severely damaged Ping Tiandao's reputation, and if Ping Tiandao doesn't kill Qi Ze, he will lose face and credibility in this realm.
Master's anger can no longer be contained, his face turning pale. He remains on guard against any possible attack from Dai Yuniang, and speaks, "Qi Ze! Hello!"
Qi Ze pays no attention to the physical world and instead increases his supernatural abilities. He unleashes the powerful Diamond Palm technique, smashing it down with immense force, directly hitting the core of the Heavenly Law Altar, causing several cracks to appear on this treasured object!
Tutor Xiantian sighed inwardly and thought, "There is no hope of killing Que Ze today. How can this resentment be dissipated?" With a long roar, the divine light from the heavens swept down and directly attacked. With the suppression of the Heavenly Seal, Dai Yuniang did not dare to hastily take action and could only lock onto his figure with divine intent from afar.
Before Master Xiantian escaped to the Altar of the Heavenly Law, he pointed with his hand, and a powerful Vajra Palm immediately turned into nothingness. With a wave of his sleeve, he had already retrieved the Altar of the Heavenly Law. Although Sun Tianyun is dead, this treasure still has great use and must not be destroyed.
Master Xiantian accepted this treasure and shouted, "Qi Ze, this matter is not over!" The imprint of the Heavenly God appeared on top of his head and turned into a divine light, disappearing without a trace.
With the support of righteous experts, Qi Ze knew that Master Xiantian didn't have the certainty to kill him. Staying here would only make him lose face even more, so it's better to leave as soon as possible.
As Master Xiantian left, the demonic side also felt bored, but Wancheng Longjun was secretly delighted, thinking to himself, "Sun Tianyun died at the hands of Qize, Ping Tiandao and the Five Elements Sect are already at the point of no return, this Master Xiantian can only completely join me at Beimang Mountain, which is an unexpected joy!"
Seeing that they couldn't start a fight, and still needing to save face, the Dragon Lord, Wancheng, shouted, "Sun Tianyun is already dead, let's call it quits for today. We will determine the winner another day! Fellow Taoists, let's leave!" Leading the boundless corpse clouds, they departed.
The leader of the Five Poison Sect sneered and urged the Five Poison Divine Cauldron to fly away. Left Bai Lian still had a dull look and walked on the empty space. The followers of the demonic cult had left in no time.
The trial battle between the righteous and the demonic factions ended with Sun Tianyun being killed. Qi Zefa collected all the magic treasures and stood side by side with his avatar.
Ning Xuzi appeared and hoped that Sun Tianyun would kill Qi Zefa, triggering a fierce battle between the righteous and the demonic factions, resulting in severe injuries and bloodshed. Unexpectedly, Qi Zefa exhibited extraordinary power and actually cut down the official rank that was awaiting promotion.
Seeing that they couldn't start a fight, Ning Xuzi was extremely disappointed and thought to himself, "Don't let them drag me to attack Youzhou, it is not suitable to stay here for long!" He turned into a pure yang energy and disappeared without a trace.
Kui Chan monk carefully observed and saw that the faces of the two were generally the same, but their temperaments and aura were completely different. One was compassionate and gentle, while the other was full of sword intent. They respectively represented the highest inheritances of Buddhism and Taoism, which was truly amazing.
Dai Yuniang and Chang Gang also rushed over, and the two immortal cultivators from the Xuanmen were also extremely shocked.
Chang Gang said, "To cultivate both Buddhism and Taoism to such profound realms, it is truly unimaginable! It's truly envy-inducing to have disciples like Tianji Zi!"
Qi Zefa clasped his hands together and said, "Master Chang has praised too much, I dare not accept such praise!"
Dai Yu Niang handed over the Tai Yin Ring and said, "I am borrowing this treasure temporarily, and I will return it now." She knew that Chang Shuanggu had already given this treasure to the Five Elements Sect. When Master Xiantian left, she returned it without hesitation, which showed her generous heart.
Qi Ze transformed into a beckoning gesture and said, "Great Master Dai, there is no need for such formality. This treasure was exchanged from Master Chang using the Three Yin Slaying Demon Blade technique. Now that the Xuan Guang realm has been destroyed and the demon race is no longer a concern, the matter of the Three Yin Slaying Demon Blade has become a joke. How can our sect keep possession of this treasure? It is best to return it to its original owner!"
Dai Yuniang said, "Since this treasure was given to your sect by our sect's supreme leader, how could we go back on our word? Although our Taiyin Sect is comprised of women, we also have our reputation to uphold!"
Qi Ze, in his transformed state, said, "This treasure is the Taiyin Sect's treasure to guard the sect. It is not compatible with our sect's cultivation method. It would be a waste to leave it with the younger generation; it would be more effective in the hands of a true cultivator. Moreover, as the demonic calamity approaches, the Taiyin Sect would find it more convenient to use this treasure."
Dai Yuniang is still not allowed, Chang Gang intervened and said, "What's the point of arguing about this! Qize's Taiyin Ring is indeed useless, it's just a burden. Daoist friend Dai, please take it back! At most, we can find another Qize's suitable magic weapon as compensation! I think the Primordial Master's Tianyun Seal is not bad!"
Qi Zewei was afraid that Dai Yuniang would refuse to take back the Taiyin Ring, so he immediately interjected and said, "That's right! Master Dai, please bring another treasure that the junior can use in exchange! Please accept this Taiyin Ring!"
戴玉娘却当了真，实在也舍不得这件师传之宝，便道：“好！老身定会抢了那平天神印来换这太阴环！”既说此言，便立此心，当下不再矫情，将太阴环收起。
Qi Zefa said: "The demonic cult has retreated, please senior leaders gather in the military camp to discuss matters!"
The crowd had no objections. Qi Zefa ordered people to tidy up the military camp. By now, it was already dawn. Although there was a fierce battle just now, which caused a stir in all directions, it did not affect the soldiers of the Yu army. Within the military camp, everything was still solemn and intense. Within a short moment, the large tent was already tidied up properly.
Qi Ze originally intended to give up the main seat, but Chang Gang said, "We must not be careless in the military. Since you are the chief commander, you should sit in the main seat, and we will only obey orders!"
Qi Ze repeatedly declined and finally sat in the main seat. He asked the predecessors to take their seats and said, "Although I killed Sun Tianyun, as long as Shi Xiantian is still alive, Pingtian Dao is still a big threat! What's more, the two major evil sects are already merging. If they are all subdued by the Dragon Emperor Wan Cheng, it will be even more difficult to wipe out the North Mangshan Demon Army!"
Chang Gangdao: "That's correct, but it is impossible to sow discord between the two major cults and the cooperation with Mount Beimang. After the death of Sun Tianyun, Shi Xiantian has become a lonely person and will never fall out with Wan Chenglong, the Dragon Lord. As for that scoundrel, Zuo Bailian!"
Dai Yuniang said, "The Holy Mother Church is even more despicable than the Pingtian Sect. Left White Lotus is just a pawn of Golden Lotus Holy Mother. Without the command of Golden Lotus Holy Mother, Left White Lotus would not have left Wan Chenglongjun."
After careful consideration, it turns out that Beimang Mountain has joined forces with two sinister cults, making it difficult to deal with.
Qi Zefa's holy body said: "Fortunately, there are still the Nao Ba and the Golden Armored Saint ancestor who have not come out of Beimang Mountain, otherwise it would be even more difficult to deal with."
Chang Gang said, "Qi nephew, it seems that your previous plan of besieging Youzhou City has been successful, otherwise Wan Cheng would not have hurriedly come out to kill you!"
Qi Ze transformed and said, "Wan Cheng, the Dragon Lord, was the crown prince of the former dynasty. He is now a stiff corpse, practicing dark magic to achieve immortality. The empress of Yu Emperor was once the crown prince's consort, her real name is Mei Nian Xue. She previously went to the crown prince's camp, intending to persuade him to turn against the emperor, but I stopped her!"
Dai Yuniang and Chang Gang exchanged glances, with Chang Gang exclaiming in surprise: "Is there such a thing? That Wan Cheng is truly calculating, even willing to abandon his own concubine!"
Dai Yuniang said, "Mei Nianxue is the birth mother of the Crown Prince. If she personally advises him to surrender, the Crown Prince might end up turning against us!"
Qi Ze incarnated as Dao: "That's not the case! There is no such thing as family affection in the royal family. The Crown Prince has been plotting to kill Emperor Yu for the throne for a long time, let alone his mother. The Crown Prince is cruel and ungrateful, just like Emperor Yu. He is good at judging the situation, seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. He dare not be sure that Prince Wan Cheng Long Jun will really support him to ascend the throne, nor does he dare to risk offending the immortals of various factions by fleeing to Beimang Mountain. He will only hesitate and vacillate, not worth worrying about! As long as I issue an imperial decree, the Crown Prince will obediently come forward!"
Cháng Gāng sighed in admiration, "The way you grasp human hearts is truly extraordinary!"
Qí Zé Fǎshēn said, "How can the thoughts and ideas of ordinary people compare to the complexity of a cultivator? I have long wanted to depose the crown prince, as I could see that he is unfit for such a high position. Unfortunately, I was hindered by the Kunxu Sect!"
Dai Yuniang said: "Although Sun Tianyun is dead, he is of little importance to the Dragon Lord of the Ten Thousand Chariots. Instead, it forces Master Xiantian to seek refuge with him. How should we respond?"
Qi Zefa said: "We just need to be cautious at every step. I predict that the Dragon Lord of the Ten Thousand Chariots will send cultivators to lead the troops and compete with us for control over various areas in Youzhou. For example, that person under the command of Left Bai Lian, Wen Yutang, did not appear today!"
The monk Kui Zhan said: "In that case, why don't we take action and sweep away the evil cultists of the Eternal Life sect?"
Qi Ze transformed into a Taoist and said: "We must not do that! It is likely that Wan Cheng Long Jun is waiting for this opportunity. If you, senior predecessors, act alone, he will definitely manipulate the Eternal Life cultivators to surround and defeat each of you, rendering us passive. The matter under the realm of Eternal Life should only be dealt with by those beneath it. The senior predecessors should stick together for now and confront Wan Cheng and his group. Both sides will be more wary, making it easier for us to seize the opportunity!"
Cháng Gāng said, "It's annoying that Níng Xūzi is acting against his word. Otherwise, we should just storm into the city of Yōuzhōu and drive away Wànchéng to Běimáng Mountain!"
Dài Yùniáng said, "Most people from Kūnxū Sect are not good people. We don't need to pay attention to that Níng Xūzi!"
Qi Zefa said, "What Master Dai said is right. Even without the Kunxu Sect, we can still accomplish this!" After much discussion, they proceeded with the same old tactics and launched attacks from all directions on various locations in Youzhou, forcing the Northern Mangshan Demon Soldiers to retreat step by step.
As expected by Qi Ze, the Holy Mother Church led her troops to attack Wen Yutang, and Fa Shen himself personally fought, wielding the intimidating power of killing Sun Tianyun to deter the followers of the Evil Cult. Wen Yutang indeed feared greatly and immediately retreated and avoided the battle.
As a result, the Northern Mangshan area has been showing a great sign of defeat, with the angered Dragon King of Wan Cheng almost ordering all the highly cultivated cultivation practitioners under his command to be sent out. However, the Yujun military, taking advantage of the favorable situation and winning people's hearts, still couldn't reverse the situation.
Wan Chenglongjun only wants to lure the opponent, one of the righteous immortals, to be alone and then surround and kill them. Unfortunately, the righteous immortals always stick together and never act alone. They often travel in groups and wander around the vicinity of Youzhou City, causing panic among the people of Youzhou City.
Qi Ze used troops calmly, steadily advancing with precision. He left no loopholes for the enemy to exploit, frustrating the Dragon Lord Wancheng multiple times as he struggled to find an opportunity to strike.
In the outskirts of Qingzhou, in front of a desolate mountain, three streaks of light descended. As the light dissipated, it revealed the figures of the White Crane Youth, Yuan Ba Tian, and Gui Gui.
A three-headed immortal beast arose from the far north and traveled day and night, covering hundreds of thousands of miles, finally arriving in Qingzhou. Ahead of it was a massive mountain range, which also happened to be the location of the headquarters of the Five Poison Sect.
Yuan Batian said, "Does Tianjizi really want us to destroy the headquarters of the Wudu Sect? The Wudu Sect is also one of the major demonic sects and has been operating for thousands of years. How could they not be prepared? The headquarters must be full of hidden dangers!"