Chapter 323: Disaster Descends

Southeast of Qingzhou, atop the Moonlight Plateau.

Amidst surging sands, countless figures clashed violently in the sky.

In that instant, cultivation techniques, immortal light, and magical artifacts exploded into a storm of starfire, plummeting across the heavens with howling cracks.

Then, a beam of immortal light crashed from above, piercing a floating treasure-ship carrying the Shang family's disciples, before it slammed down with a thunderous boom.

The Shang family disciples who fell with the ship suffered no serious injuries; they immediately rose into the air above the dust-choked earth and surged toward the towering ruin.

The ruins of Duanhun Mountain held few fruits, and many of those were shriveled, possessing little heavenly Dao energy.

Thus, to the Wenda Sect, the Moonlight Plateau was of utmost importance.

They were desperate to seize this ruin, having repeatedly dispatched squads to circle through the back mountain, attempting to infiltrate the ruin—only to trigger immediate, violent warfare once discovered.

For the Chen Shixian Clan had suddenly realized that the Shang family of the Wenda Sect had never intended to share the immortal fortune.

At this moment, an aged figure appeared atop the loess highland.

He wore yellow brocade robes and gripped a broad-bladed iron blade, unremarkable amid the swirling sands.

Yet as his footsteps crushed deep pits into the ground, boundless immortal light began swirling around him.

Then, the blade's edge spun sharply—suddenly, a deafening hum shook the four directions into trembling.

"BOOM!!!!"

The iron blade slashed down from the sky, carving a hundred-li trench across the plateau; the Shang disciples in the front were reduced to scattered limbs and shattered remains, their blood mist exploding into the air.

This blade strike, like the splitting of heaven, shattered the Wenda Sect's rhythm of forcing open the ruin; the remaining disciples unleashed their spiritual energy in full force to barely resist the scattered blade qi.

But before they could catch their breath, the yellow-robed elder flipped his blade again.

Another wave of hums rose—and the furious blade qi crashed down once more.

Yet in that instant, dozens of figures streaked through the distant sky; their leader lifted his longsword lightly, his potent technique parting the hundred-zhang wall of loess and pressing the iron blade down.

"Old dog Suichang!"

Beneath the sword qi, the Wenda Sect's vice-patriarch, Shang Xingkong, roared: "Half the Moonlight Plateau lies within Yuzhou's borders—do you truly believe this ruin belongs solely to your Chen Shixian Clan?"

Chen Suichang, the long-secluded patriarch of the Chen Shixian Clan, gave a cold, faint laugh: "A foothill counts as your Yuzhou territory? Stop spouting nonsense. Your Wenda Sect merely drew an empty shell and resents it—but have you considered this might be the Dao's choice?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean the Dao wishes your Wenda Sect to understand: your fortune is spent. This immortal fortune is beyond your grasp."

No sooner had Chen Suichang finished speaking than dozens of figures, dressed identically, appeared behind him—same white hair, same iron blades raised in readiness.

Amid the standoff, beneath the southwestern sky:

A beam of heavenly light suddenly descended, reducing all cultivators near the ruin to a mist of blood.

The two leaders locked eyes, their gazes instantly turning murderous toward the old man in the embroidered black mountain robe nearby.

"Old dog Huo Rong—after all these years, you're still alive?"

"Thanks to you, I'm still breathing."

Chen Suichang clenched his teeth: "If the Wenda Sect's interference is understandable, what business do you, the Shanhai Pavilion, have here?"

Huo Rong smirked: "The Zheng clan's demons originated from your Chen Shixian Clan—your actions caused countless deaths among our disciples in the Qiling Disaster. How could we allow you to approach the ruin again? Since our two sects are neighbors, the Shanhai Pavilion has the duty to watch over your Chen family on behalf of all under heaven."

"All pretense…"

"BOOM!!!!"

A thunderous explosion shook the land.

Amid the swirling dust, blade qi shot skyward and clashed violently with the descending technique, unleashing a furious wave.

Shang Xijie, the third son of the Wenda Sect, stood atop a nearby hillock, his eyes cold as he watched: "The Chen Shixian Clan claims they wish to negotiate with us, yet secretly deployed countless Shenyou Realm cultivators here. Lucky we were prepared—otherwise we'd have walked right into their trap."

His guardian elder spoke grimly: "We never expected the Shanhai Pavilion to join in…"

At that moment, a Wenda Sect disciple soared down, kicking up a cloud of dust as he landed: "Third Brother, we've spotted Huo Jia's second son in the southwest—he's trying to slip into the ruin amid the chaos."

Shang Xijie frowned, then shot skyward, racing toward the southwest.

His guardian and the Shang disciples followed, crossing half the loess plateau before diving into a dense forest cradling a vast lake.

Mid-flight, Shang Xijie's robes flared wildly; his hands gathered, and streaks of blazing white heavenly light erupted from the sky, like the rising sun tearing through the forest, crashing down with roaring fury.

This was the Wenda Sect's ancestral secret technique: Nine Heavens Kill.

Yet as trees shattered and the forest cracked apart, a curved arc of immortal light suddenly expanded outward, shattering the Nine Heavens Kill's intent.

Amid the dust, Huo Xingyun panted, his raised palms still radiating immense spiritual energy.

"Shang Xijie."

"Brother Xingyun—long time no see."

Huo Xingyun gasped twice, then surged forward, gathering thunderclouds in his hands and slamming them down upon Shang Xijie.

Shang Xijie, seemingly prepared, instantly swept his hand, gripping the condensed heavenly light and colliding with it.

"Shang Xijie, has your elder brother taken possession of the artifact?"

"What's the point of saying this?"

Huo Xingyun shattered the condensed killing intent with a sweep of his hand, then pressed down his thunderous power, his voice sharp: "At the Immortal Sect's night banquet, when we first met, though young, I saw at once—you and I are the same kind of person."

Shang Xijie leapt backward, then crushed the ground beneath his feet, surging forward again with heavenly light.

As fierce thunder and killing intent clashed, their Shenying Realm power flung them both a hundred zhang apart.

"Brother Xijie, do you think I'm wrong?"

Shang Xijie looked up at him: "I'd like to know—what do you see in me?"

Huo Xingyun spoke softly: "Brilliant beyond measure, yet restless with resentment."

"Then I apologize for misleading you, Brother Xingyun."

Shang Xijie unleashed his palm with terrifying force—the Nine Heavens Kill roared anew.

Seeing this, Huo Xingyun immediately formed a seal; his entire body erupted in roaring immortal light, which coalesced into a glowing, square-shaped formation.

Shanhai Seal.

"BOOM!!!"

The two figures collided again; Huo Xingyun shattered the roaring killing intent with his great seal technique and roared: "You know as well as I do—since ancient times, the Holy Artifact's heir has never been restricted to the eldest son. They simply had the advantage of being born first. But now, things are different!"

Shang Xijie, his blood surging, stared coldly: "How so?"

"One person cannot defy the Immortal Sect's will—but now there's the Dao Fruit. That is authority. When you and your allies gain the power to shake the Immortal Sect, I'm certain the Wenda Sect's patriarch will change his mind."

"You want to ally with me?"

Huo Xingyun turned his gaze toward the ruin: "It's all within reach."

Shang Xijie narrowed his eyes: "Alliance is not yet on the table. But I've heard the Shanhai Pavilion's patriarch entrusted you with authority over the ruin—yet you've come here to fight for the Moonlight Ruin. Have you considered what awaits your own rear?"

Huo Xingyun's face turned icy: "What do you mean?"

"The Chen Shixian Clan has spread rumors of negotiation, claiming they wish to share the Moonlight Ruin with us—but they've hidden Shenyou Realm cultivators here. I suspect they're not stalling for time against us. If I'm right, someone from the Chen Clan has already entered Duanhun Mountain."

"You won't shake my resolve. I'm taking the Moonlight Ruin—either join me, or see who wins!"

The Shanhai Great Seal descended from the heavens.

But unexpectedly, Shang Xijie did not meet it head-on as before—he spun away gracefully, evading the crushing blow, his gaze burning into Huo Xingyun.

Perhaps because of their similar origins, similar circumstances, and shared predicament, Shang Xijie might deny it aloud—but Huo Xingyun's earlier words had struck true.

He was indeed restless with resentment, equally ambitious.

But shared mindset alone does not make allies—this was a matter of life or death. To cooperate, the other's will must be unshakable.

And just now, Huo Xingyun's resolve had seemed firm enough.

Far above, Qi Zhengyang watched from the wind, seeing the chaos persist until the Shanhai Pavilion and Wenda Sect suddenly turned as one against the Chen Shixian Clan.

Seeing this, he stroked his beard lightly, then vanished in a flash of sword qi, returning to his mountain.

"The Shanhai Pavilion and Wenda Sect have allied?"

"Correct."

Hearing Elder Qi's guess, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were stunned, turning to look at their own Mirror Master.

Yan Shuyi was not surprised—Ji You had written her a letter earlier, detailing Shang Xijie and Huo Xingyun; now that they'd allied, she found it unsurprising.

Since ancient times, shifts in Immortal Sect power have always been accompanied by such covert struggles.

It seems the Moonlight Plateau's ruin will now be opened jointly by the Shanhai Pavilion and Wenda Sect—perhaps even sparking internal power struggles over succession.

At this thought, the young Mirror Master couldn't help but recall Chu Xian, the Xuanyuan Sect's direct disciple.

The Xuanyuan patriarch had hinted at the Immortal Assembly that he intended to pass the Holy Artifact to his son—yet would Chu Xian accept this? Would he act on the Dao Fruit?

Yet after careful thought, the young Mirror Master shook her head.

Chu Xian differed from Shang Xijie and Huo Xingyun—he was not of Immortal Sect blood, but an outsider.

For the Immortal Sect patriarch, whether the Holy Artifact passed to the eldest or second son, power would still remain within the bloodline—they would not interfere.

But an outsider daring to touch the Holy Artifact? He'd be crushed the moment he entertained the thought.

As fellow direct disciples, Yan Shuyi had met Chu Xian several times; she knew he was extraordinarily intelligent and deeply calculating—he'd surely see this truth.

Moreover, his Chu family had nearly been wiped out for defying the Immortal Sect—they would be the most clear-headed of all on this matter.

"Master Chu Cheng has arrived."

"Thank you."

Ji You stepped down from the carriage; after five days of aerial travel and riding, he had finally reached Chu City.

This was the Chu family's cultivation ground—the largest city in Youzhou, its scale surpassing even the old imperial Li clan's.

The entire city was arranged in a circular layout, resembling the demon clans, divided into inner and outer cities.

The inner city housed the eight bloodline branches of the Chu family, with the main lineage at its core.

The outer city, meanwhile, was mostly occupied by the Chu family's close kin and descendants who had dispersed from the eight branches over a thousand years.

Ji You chose the Chu family first among the remaining Du, Bai, and Chu families, because the Chu family had close ties to the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, and many vanished immortal estates in Fengzhou had relied on the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion.

He paid the coachman his tip and walked along the road into the inner city, only to find the inner city heavily guarded, still protected by a grand array like other noble families, making entry impossible.

Moreover, since the entire city was tied to the Chu family, the sudden appearance of an outsider would stand out sharply, so Ji You was watched soon after entering the city.

A man dressed like a guard stepped forward: "Your face is unfamiliar—may I ask your purpose here?"

"Tourism."

"?"

"I've long heard of the Chu family's fame echoing across Qingyun; passing through, I came to tour."