The situation was exactly as Tu De had said. For the past two days, he had been trying to persuade his three martial uncles to appoint Gu Qingfeng as the Heir Apparent. He had clearly explained Gu Qingfeng's formidable strength, but it was useless. The three Supreme Elders were afraid of the wolf in front and the tiger behind—Jin De was the wolf, and the Nine-Hua Alliance was the tiger.
The Centennial Term was approaching, and when it arrived, the Nine-Hua Alliance would definitely spare no effort to annex the Yunxia Sect.
Therefore, the position of Heir Apparent was extremely important. If they appointed Jin De's candidate, with the backing of Jin De's family and affiliated sects, they might still be able to resist the Nine-Hua Alliance. Even if they couldn't fully resist, at least they wouldn't lose too badly. But if they appointed Huode's candidate, they would offend Jin De, and the Yunxia Sect would be practically crippled, unable to establish itself in the Qingyang Region in the future. The key was that the Nine-Hua Alliance was still looming above them.
In the minds of the three Supreme Elders, if they wanted to preserve the Yunxia Sect, they either had to submit to the Nine-Hua Alliance or choose Jin De to resist the alliance.
At this moment, True Being Yun He was sitting upright in a quiet chamber.
"Martial Uncle, although I have sent out some of the sect's spiritual vein resources over the years, it was all for the sake of the Yunxia Sect..." Jin De was speaking when True Being Yun He interrupted him, asking, "There's no need for superfluous talk. I ask you now, if we pass the Heir Apparent position to your candidate, how will you resist the Nine-Hua Alliance?"
"Reporting to Martial Uncle."
Jin De was very respectful toward True Being Yun He. "Over a hundred steward elders of the Yunxia Sect, as well as twenty-four affiliated sects, obey my commands. The six great clans and ten major sects of the Qingyang Region all support me. The six great clans and ten major sects are filled with experts...
There's the Windshadow Li Clan, the Blackrock Wang Clan...
The River Path Sect, the Lotus Sect..." True Being Yun He listened and nodded repeatedly. Having operated in the Qingyang Region for nearly a thousand years, he naturally knew that the Windshadow Li Clan and Blackrock Wang Clan were prestigious great clans in the region. While the ten major sects might not have many top experts, they had strength in numbers.
Jin De smiled. "Besides that, several of your old friends, Martial Uncle—Senior Hong Xuan and Senior Nan Ji—will also stand on my side..." "Oh?"
A flicker of surprise flashed in True Being Yun He's eyes. "Is that true?"
"Absolutely no falsehood."
"Not only that."
Jin De added another sentence. True Being Yun He asked, "What do you mean?"
"Now that the Centennial Term is about to arrive, it wasn't our Yunxia Sect alone that signed the contract with the Nine-Hua Alliance back then. And those who want to break the contract with the Yunxia Sect aren't just us. Sects like the Flying Cloud Sect and the Return to One Sect are also worried that they'll be annexed by the Nine-Hua Alliance when the term arrives. They've been watching and waiting. If we take the lead in standing up to resist the Nine-Hua Alliance, I believe the other sects definitely won't just stand by and do nothing."
"That reasoning is correct."
True Being Yun He stroked his long beard, nodding in agreement, a slight smile hanging in his expression. "Three days from now, can you invite them all?"
"I should be able to."
"Good!"
At the same time, in another quiet chamber.
One of the three elders of the Yunxia Sect, True Being Yun Zheng, was conversing with Shui De.
"Martial Uncle, Lord Wei of the Nine-Hua Alliance said that if our Yunxia Sect is willing to submit, not only will we enjoy our original privileges, but they will also help our Yunxia Sect become the greatest sect in the Qingyang Region."
True Being Yun Zheng had cultivated for a thousand years, after all, and naturally knew that once they submitted to the alliance, many things would be out of their control.
"Lord Wei also said...
that if we don't submit..." "What if we don't submit?"
"They will completely wipe out our Yunxia Sect!"
Hearing this, Yun Zheng was furious and shouted, "How dare they!"
Shui De still wore that insincere, skin-deep smile, seemingly not the least bit concerned about his martial uncle's anger. He responded, "Martial Uncle, at this point, I won't waste words with you. I'll tell you Lord Wei's exact words directly. Lord Wei's meaning is very clear. Now that the Centennial Term is about to arrive, many sects in the Qingyang Region are watching and waiting. Our Yunxia Sect is a representative sect in the Qingyang Region. If we submit, he will help our Yunxia Sect become the number one major sect in the Qingyang Region. If we don't submit, he will wipe out our Yunxia Sect—kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!"
True Being Yun Zheng was furious to the extreme, yet he didn't know what to say, because he knew the Nine-Hua Alliance had the strength to do it. This had always been his greatest worry. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Three days from now, the Heir Apparent will be appointed. You handle it as you see fit."
Shui De nodded in acknowledgment, then left.
At the foot of Yanyang Peak.
Jin De and Shui De emerged one after the other. After a long while, Ren De finally came out, his complexion also seeming rather poor.
Huode quickly ran over and asked, "Senior Brother, what did the three elders want with you?"
"In three days, the Heir Apparent will be appointed, and they put me in charge of the matter."
Ren De frowned and said, "Moreover, the three elders told me to announce this event to the entire Qingyang Region and gave me a guest list—the people to be invited."
Huode looked at the list. It included pretty much all the major sects, major alliances, and great clans' leaders. Without exaggeration, practically every notable figure in the Qingyang Region was on that list.
"Inviting so many outsiders... the three elders want to appoint Jin De's candidate as Heir Apparent."
"That's possible, but not absolute. The three elders also invited people from the Nine-Hua Alliance."
Ren De recalled what the three elders had said to him, pondered for a moment, and said, "I think the three elders' intention is probably..." He glanced around, then secretly transmitted his voice: "I think the three elders want to use the Heir Apparent appointment three days from now to test the Nine-Hua Alliance's attitude, then act according to circumstances. They'll let Jin De take the lead. If it succeeds, they'll appoint Jin De's candidate. If it fails, the three elders might submit to the Nine-Hua Alliance."
"Those three old bastards are thinking way too damn prettily!"
Huode sneered coldly. "Quite skilled at staying out of the fray, aren't they? No way! I have to go talk to them!"
As he spoke, Huode directly leaped up to the peak, stepped through the stone gate. The three elders were inside discussing something. Seeing Huode, they scolded, "Huode, what are you doing here!"
"Reporting to Martial Uncles, I..." Before Huode could even start, True Being Yun He interrupted him: "If you want the three of us to appoint that fellow named Gu as Heir Apparent, then there's no need to speak."
"Why?"
Huode was stunned, then said indignantly, "Please listen to me, three Martial Uncles. I dare guarantee that kid Gu definitely has the strength to help our Yunxia Sect stand tall again!"
"Has strength? What strength?"
True Being Yun He responded indifferently: "If we appoint him as Heir Apparent, we'll offend Jin De. Jin De has so many clans behind him. Offending him would be a huge loss for our Yunxia Sect, and we'd be unable to establish ourselves in the Qingyang Region in the future."
"That kid Gu is no ordinary person! He can make up for these losses. If he says he can do it, he can do it! And he doesn't even take the Nine-Hua Alliance seriously!"
Yun He and the other two shook their heads, seeming somewhat impatient.
"He is..." Huode gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it. I'll have kid Gu come over. How about you see his abilities with your own eyes?"
"No need to see, and we don't want to see."
True Being Yun He waved his hand, interrupting. "We don't know how strong he is, and we don't want to know. Never mind that he failed Foundation Establishment; even if he were a genius among geniuses, a true dragon among men, he still couldn't contend with the Nine-Hua Alliance. One person is ultimately just one person, isolated and weak. Even if he were a Reincarnated One, it would be useless. He would only implicate our Yunxia Sect."
Huode wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, True Being Yun He immediately roared in anger.
"Enough! Huode! How long are you going to keep making trouble? You shielded that fellow named Gu when he crippled Mu De, and we haven't even held you accountable yet! Don't be ungrateful! Get out!"
Whether it was True Being Yun He or the other two elders, they all seemed rather unwelcoming toward Huode. It wasn't because Huode himself was unreliable, but because Huode knew about their shameful past.
"Huode, if you don't want to help with this matter, then go back to studying your formations. Don't meddle blindly."
"Our Yunxia Sect doesn't count on your help, but don't you implicate the sect either. Otherwise, don't blame us for punishing you!"
"Punish me?"
Huode's face flushed red, his eyes glaring. He shouted, "You three old bastards, have you had it out for me for a long time? Afraid I'll spill your shameful past? Want to kill me?"
"Huode! You're looking for death!"
The shameful past was a shadow in the hearts of the three elders of Yunxia that could never be erased. Seeing Huode shout it out so loudly now, True Being Yun He suddenly swung his horsetail whisk. A surge of mighty spiritual power condensed and erupted. Huode grunted and was blasted out.
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