"Esteemed sirs, do you propose war or peace? Those who choose to continue the war of conquest shall stand to the left, and those for peace, to the right.
Make your choice." Reverend Chi Li finished speaking and took a step back, falling silent.
Below, the Golden Immortal Reverends whispered amongst themselves, arguing incessantly.
However, two factions gradually emerged.
To their surprise, over seventy stood for war, while over forty chose peace.
Grandmother Hua Geng, seated at the head, sighed inwardly upon witnessing this. The people of Xi Shan had been forged in the crucible of blood and fire, and none feared war. Hundreds of thousands of years of conquest had already instilled in them the fearless heart of a warrior. This novel is from the website of Dafeng Bookstore.
Subsequently, of the five individuals on the dais, all except Reverend Lu and Reverend Chi Li stood with the war faction.
Ke Ye immediately chose to side with the war faction.
This was the prevailing sentiment of the clan. Accustomed to obtaining vast quantities of heavenly treasures and abundant spiritual energy through war, how could they relinquish it?
Seeing the clan's overwhelming inclination, Grandmother Hua Geng reluctantly agreed to continue the conquest.
"Excellent! Since all of you possess a spirit of progress, let us seize this momentum and continue the war of conquest!
However, this time, we shall change direction!"
The crowd below looked on with curiosity. Changing direction meant the Northern Mountain and River Giant Ape Clan, the Southern Spirit Toad Clan, or the Eastern Black Lizard Clan.
None of these were easy opponents; they were all tough nuts to crack!
Grandmother Hua Geng looked at Reverend Du, gesturing, "Let the elders of the War Department explain it to you."
Reverend Du immediately stepped forward and said, "Esteemed sirs, although the various smaller clans of the West are not strong individually, their combined strength is not inferior to our own. Furthermore, they are close to the chaotic lands and have connections with some of the powerful beings within. Therefore, we cannot encroach upon the territories of these seventy-odd clans any longer!
Thus, our next conquest will be southward! Directly targeting the Spirit Toad Clan's territory!
This clan is currently engaged in a war with the Heavenly Jun Salamander Clan to the south, being invaded by the Black Lizard Clan to the east, and stalemated with the eighteen clans of Chongshan to the west. Fighting on three fronts, they are already at their last gasp, regardless of their numbers. Hence, this clan is our best point of breakthrough!"
The Golden Immortals below did not immediately rejoice but posed questions and doubts.
"May I ask, esteemed elder, if the Spirit Toad Clan is annihilated, will we become the only non-Upper Clan among the major clans of the Eastern Wilderness? Our situation would then be extremely perilous!"
Before the Yuan Hui, the Heavenly Jun Salamander Clan's Elder Xuan Ji broke through his limitations and achieved the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. This clan consequently became an Upper Clan.
Reverend Ke replied, "There is no need to worry about this matter. Our clan has profound heritage, and no Upper Clan Great Luo would dare to attack us without cause."
Another Reverend below inquired, "If the Spirit Toad Clan is destroyed, we will then directly face the Heavenly Jun Salamander Clan, who are by no means easy adversaries. Disputes may arise."
Grandmother Hua Geng smiled and said, "There is no need to worry about this. Our Xi Shan Serpent Clan has long formed an alliance with the Heavenly Jun Salamander Clan, and we are considered allies."
One by one, the Golden Immortal Reverends raised various questions, considering all aspects and meticulously accounting for every contingency.
...
Just as the decision for the war of conquest was being made on Xi Shan, far away in the southern part of the chaotic lands, above the Demon Forest.
Some cultivators looked up in astonishment at the clouds, the tides of spiritual energy from all four directions converging into a sea and rolling towards the Demon Forest.
Around the vast expanse of the Demon Forest, figures of cultivators had already appeared.
There were Heavenly Class, Golden Immortals, and even Grand Unity!
Black Nether Qi swept in from the north. The cultivators all made way as a young boy emerged from the mist, his extremely dark and heavy dark circles under his eyes making him look peculiar.
A cultivator beside him exclaimed in surprise, "Black Nether Ghost Child! Why has such a strange person appeared here?"
"He is a Grand Unity cultivator who practices the Yin Nether Dao. This millennia-old anomaly in the Demon Forest must be a heavenly spiritual treasure appearing, so why wouldn't he come?"
Other cultivators hastily distanced themselves from the Black Nether Ghost Child.
But then, a red light and auspicious clouds appeared from the south, with blossoming auspicious clouds dispelling the mist and melodious music filling the air. A stunningly beautiful young woman in palace attire, holding a pipa, arrived.
"It's her! Hu Sanniang of Xuan Yin Cave has also arrived!"
"What? The one rumored to be closest to Great Luo? If she's here, what business do we have?"
"Not necessarily! Look to the west!"
Everyone looked up and gazed westward towards the nine-colored clouds resembling a palace, with ethereal immortals and nine silks and nine satins spanning nine colors. The young girl had horns on her head, her childishness just beginning to fade. Her purity and childlike adorability were perfectly blended. Behind her stood two old women in the late Golden Immortal stage.
"Is this perhaps Princess Ling Yao, the former Saintess of the Nine-Colored Deer Clan, under the command of the Qilin lineage?"
"If even such a divine Qilin clan has arrived, it's likely we have no part in this!"
"This Demon Forest has probably become a place of great peril. We should leave."
Thousands of cultivators retreated, no longer daring to covet this opportunity.
Then, suddenly, a star fell from the east. The sword was like a star, drawing upon the celestial bodies, its brilliant light dazzling. A handsome young man clad in snow-white robes arrived riding the sword.
He glanced at everyone and then stepped forward to salute the young girl of the Nine-Colored Deer Clan, "I am Xing Ling, under the seat of the Heavenly阙 Supreme. I pay my respects to Princess Ling Yao."
Upon hearing this, the remaining cultivators who had not yet left dared not even harbor thoughts of profiting from the chaos. This was a Dharma protector under a Great Luo Golden Immortal of the chaotic lands, and behind him stood the Great Luo Supreme of Heavenly阙 Palace!
Princess Ling Yao nodded faintly and smiled in return, saying no more.
The Black Nether Ghost Child from the north scrutinized the few individuals and then let out a sinister, ill-intentioned chuckle.
Hu Sanniang saw this and giggled, covering her mouth. "My good little brother, what is so amusing? Tell sister, and let me have a good laugh too."
Xing Ling's eyebrows twitched, and he coldly said, "Putting on airs and playing tricks."
The Black Nether Ghost Child's strange smile turned towards Hu Sanniang. He covered his mouth with his hand, leaving a sliver open, and pretended to be cute as he said, "Sister Hu, did you see?
Hu Sanniang's eyes sparkled with amusement, and she asked, "See what?"
"Look, someone is trying to curry favor. They don't even know the meaning of 'face' and think they can do anything because they have their ancestor backing them!"
Hu Sanniang heard this, smiled in surprise, and her delicate jade fingers seemed to inadvertently touch the pipa. The sound of the pipa, accompanied by her voice, reached the ears of everyone present.
"Good little brother, they have an ancestor, but we don't! You must be gentle when you strike later, or if you kill them, their ancestor will come looking for us to pay with our lives!"
Xing Ling, upon hearing this, revealed a murderous glint in his eyes and coldly stated, "Black Nether Child, are you tired of living?
And you, you slutty fox, watch your mouth."
Before the Black Nether Ghost Child could speak, Hu Sanniang said with a charming smile, "Oh dear, oh dear, look at how angry our Xing Ling Protector from Heavenly阙 Palace is, to the point of revealing himself and calling me a slutty fox.
Indeed, male beasts are all the same, they discard you after they've had their fill."
Upon hearing this, Princess Ling Yao and the Black Nether Ghost Child looked at each other in surprise.
So you two actually had a thing! One is a slutty fox, and the other is a white leopard. They are quite a match!