As soon as the word “objection” was spoken, flames erupted outside the window, and Jin Huan’s furious voice thundered through the air, “Yu Ci, you selfish brat…”
Before he could finish, Shi Song’s hearty laughter joined in, “The many overpower the few, the crowd defeats the lone. Jin Huan, when you rampaged through the world, bullying your fellow daoists, did you ever consider this day would come?”
Looking out the window, the fiery glow in the night sky was once again suppressed.
A massive serpent shadow, already coiling in the air, slithered upward despite the scorching flames that seared its flesh. It twisted and wrapped around Jin Huan and his Myriad Rays Draping Cloud Pearl, grinding against him like a stone mill. The rumbling sound echoed through the sky as the struggle rolled further away from Tianyi Tower.
Yu Ci smiled slightly. After reaching the first floor, he turned and headed back up. “One dissenting voice is gone. Are there any others?”
As he spoke, each floor was being swept through by teams of elite warriors, led by powerful cultivators at the Divine Connectivity realm or higher. They moved like wolves among sheep, sifting through the crowd and immediately subduing those who had taken advantage of the earlier chaos. Though it could not be called an impenetrable net, the deterrent effect was undeniable.
Those who had been harboring thoughts of stirring trouble now hesitated, their ambitions dampened. Keen-eyed observers even noticed that, after the initial chaos, every member of the Sun Light Sect had been cleanly rounded up.
By the time Yu Ci returned to the fourth-floor stairway, someone followed behind him.
“The Sun Light Sect members—two stewards, seven deacons, and fifteen warriors—have been captured alive, except for one deacon and three warriors who resisted and were killed on the spot.”
Yu Ci nodded with a smile. “Elder Hu’s efficiency is truly remarkable.”
“I wouldn’t dare take the credit. It was your sect’s prestige that left them with no will to resist. Otherwise, twenty-some people causing a coordinated disturbance would not have been so easy to suppress.”
The speaker was Hu Dan, the Thousand Spirit Gate’s top expert. Towering at eight feet with hawk-like eyes and a commanding presence, he was a warrior in both form and mind. It was he who had led the elite forces of four sects to seize control of the Sun Light Sect members on this floor the moment Shi Song first blew the bone flute. By the time the flute sounded again, everything had already been settled here, and on the other side at Dan Cliff, the battle had begun.
Hu Dan was a proud man, but seeing how swiftly the Sun Light Sect had collapsed tonight, even he couldn’t help but feel the weight of the situation. Speaking with Yu Ci, he instinctively became more cautious, choosing his words carefully.
Yu Ci simply smiled and ascended to the rooftop with him. The pavilion’s roof had been blasted open, revealing a clear view of the sky above Cliff City.
Across the way, flames raged atop Dan Cliff, their light mingling with the fierce battle in the sky, making the night flicker with eerie intensity.
The figures of Immortal Chi Yin and Monk Yixin, who had still been here moments ago, were now nowhere to be seen—they had likely pursued the battle. The few remaining cultivators on this floor stood motionless, like statues of clay or wood. Seeing Yu Ci approach, their expressions turned complicated.
Yu Ci clasped his hands in greeting. “Tonight’s Treasure Exchange Banquet—everyone came with high hopes but must now leave in disappointment. I truly regret that.”
Those who had been able to attend this banquet and reach the top floor were no ordinary figures. Zhao Ziyue was a given, but the other four present were also elites of their generation. More importantly, they were all under the jurisdiction of the Rifting Earth Sect and thus understood the intricate power dynamics at play better than most. Some of them had closer ties to the Sun Light Sect, but given the unfolding events and the now-clear balance of power, who would still be foolish enough to speak out now?
For a moment, the hall was filled with murmurs of “No harm done.” But what followed after those words was much more difficult to articulate.
A sigh broke the silence—it came from Zhou Youde.
To the steward of the Heart’s Desire Pavilion trading caravan, today was undoubtedly a failure. The incident at the banquet frustrated him, of course, but he was no stranger to turbulent times. He had experienced such situations before. What truly troubled him was Xie Yan’s furious departure.
The Treasure Exchange Banquet was ultimately just a spectacle; its success or failure mattered little. However, if it led to the offense of a high-ranking figure within the Rifting Earth Sect, the repercussions could be dire. It could even severely damage Heart’s Desire Pavilion’s years of business operations in the central and western cultivation world.
Frowning, his old injuries faintly aching, Zhou Youde was lost in his worries when Yu Ci suddenly addressed him.
“Manager Zhou, I have something to ask you.”
Hearing the tone, Zhou Youde’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly put on a smile. “I wouldn’t dare refuse. Please speak, Daoist Yu.”
Yu Ci gestured toward the sky. “You’ve seen my Martial Uncle Xie. His current state is due to the impending passing of a senior—his dear friend.”
He briefly explained Xie Yan’s intentions. As Zhou Youde furrowed his brows in thought, Yu Ci continued, “Heart’s Desire Pavilion is among the most renowned commercial powers in this realm, known for its impeccable reputation. Manager Zhou, you are a man of vast experience, having handled countless rare treasures. I wish to ask—are there any artifacts or elixirs that could prolong life in such a case?”
Zhou Youde pondered for a long while before carefully choosing his words. “Daoist Yu, such treasures do exist, but our Pavilion never keeps them in stock! You must understand—throughout the world, countless cultivators struggle against the approach of death. Their eyes are ever-watchful, and the moment such a treasure appears, it can easily trigger bloodshed and chaos. Because of this, our Pavilion never holds onto such items; they are sold immediately upon acquisition.”
Yu Ci cut in, “If Manager Zhou could procure such an item within the next year and bring it to me, my Martial Uncle Xie would surely reward you handsomely.”
Zhou Youde could only smile bitterly. “I understand that Immortal Xie and Daoist Yu are anxious, but such matters rely on fate and cannot be forced. I dare not make false promises, but if I hear any news, I will certainly inform you… Would it be acceptable to send word via a messenger sword to your sect’s mountain gate?”
It was clear that Zhou Youde desperately wished to mend the damage caused by the Golden Bone Jade Disc incident. The fact that he proactively suggested a method of contact made this evident, and Yu Ci could sense it as well.
Further discussing some details, with the plan finalized, Yu Ci stood up and bowed to everyone present, saying, “Please remain seated, everyone; the long night is more than half over, and there will be results before dawn.”
After speaking, he nodded to Hu Dan, and the two of them headed into Cloud Bamboo Garden.
Zhao Ziyue gently stroked the soft fur of the cat, glanced at the smoke tree in the center of the banquet hall, then turned back to converse with the others about the current situation. Although those present held different statuses, they soon reached a consensus: “With such a situation, it must have been premeditated for a long time. With overwhelming force akin to a mountain crushing an egg, how could the Sun Light Sect possibly not be defeated?”
From the balcony of Cloud Bamboo Garden, one could clearly see on the opposite Dan Cliff that flames were soaring skyward. In the end, Jin Huan, relying on his cultivation and the advantage of the Myriad Rays Draping Cloud Pearl, retreated to the air above Dan Cliff, while the Sun Light Sect activated its internal restrictions to aid him in confronting the enemy, struggling to withstand the combined onslaught of the four sects. But this was already a dying struggle.
Those in the banquet hall were right: tonight’s events were indeed premeditated. However, for Yu Ci, the “premeditation” aspect was far greater, while he had little involvement in the “planning” part.
The four families attacking the Sun Light Sect began with matters such as the demonic beasts and treasure hunts in Sky Rift Valley, and while Yu Ci was not interested in the specific details, it was from that moment on that Thousand Spirit Gate, Pure Water Altar, and Mysterious Moon Sect reached an initial intent to form an alliance. At that time, the so-called “alliance” was still only verbal, and no party intended to immediately overthrow the Sun Light Sect’s rule in Cliff City. However, the appearance of Yu Ci and the chaos in Sky Rift Valley presented them with an opportunity.
Tu Du sustained heavy injuries, three administrators and a large number of elite warriors perished; in a very short time, the primary combat strength of the Sun Light Sect was reduced by nearly half. Moreover, Yu Ci—the great enemy of the Sun Light Sect—successfully became a disciple of the Rifting Earth Sect, thereby fundamentally shaking the status of the Sun Light Sect. This immediately prompted the three allied parties, at the very least Thousand Spirit Gate, to stir into action.
It cannot be said that Jin Huan was unprepared; taking advantage of the chaos in Sky Rift Valley, he brought in fierce birds of prey, ferocious beasts, and demons from the valley to attack Thousand Spirit Gate—his proud masterpiece. Because of this battle, Thousand Spirit Gate also suffered a severe blow to its vital energy; in Jin Huan’s estimation, it would take at least ten or eight years to recover. Yet he never expected that Yu Ci, at that moment, had obtained authorization from the old daoist Yu Zhou to take over Cliff City.
After that, Yu Ci did only one thing: he made a statement to the major forces in Cliff City—although the Sun Light Sect had the exclusive contract with the Rifting Earth Sect, it did not enjoy the protection of the Rifting Earth Sect. In other words, the Rifting Earth Sect was not concerned with the survival of the Sun Light Sect!
With that one act alone, the massive lock that the Sun Light Sect had hung on the city gate of Cliff City under the name of the Rifting Earth Sect came crashing down.
Not only did the three allied factions react, even Immortal Sword Sect, which had always been under the protection of the Sun Light Sect, was moved.
With such circumstances, it was certainly because Yu Ci had access to the channels of the Rifting Earth Sect, but also due to the overly domineering nature of the Sun Light Sect. The “Thirteen Hawks,” led by Dong Yan, did not have a strong connection with Jin Huan, nor did they receive sufficient benefits from him in ordinary times; naturally, there was no need for them to work for him. And as for turning the tables and biting back, isn’t it basically betting on a future without the Sun Light Sect?
When the mighty fall, everyone gives it a shove—anyone would do such a thing.
The alliance of the four sects formed at an astonishing speed. Before leaving Heart Prohibition Temple, Yu Ci had only exchanged a brief conversation with Xu Song, the spy of Thousand Spirit Gate in the observatory; by the time he reached Cliff City, the embryo of the alliance had already appeared, and all Yu Ci needed to do was to make his stance clear.
Thus, on that day on Heavenly Wings Pavilion, after Xie Yan sent Lu Mingyue and Zhao Ziyue flying with a single sword strike, and after Jin Chuan fled in disgrace, the alliance of the four sects was officially formed, and the fate of the Sun Light Sect was sealed.
Even the Sun Light Sect at its peak could not withstand the combined power of the four sects, let alone at this moment when its strength was severely diminished. The assertive stance over the past fifty years had allowed Jin Huan to secure the greatest benefits in Cliff City, but it had also raised him to a position of isolation.
At this moment, without his chair, he was nothing!
This is the influence of a powerful presence. It causes the rise and fall of forces in the surrounding areas to be constantly disrupted, much like the grass beneath a boulder or roots in a crevice, naturally twisted—and once the environment changes, they will exhibit an utterly absurd posture.
However, upon reaching Cloud Bamboo Garden, Yu Ci recalled another matter: just now, didn’t Kuang Yanqu arrive here? Where did he run off to?
Just as he was about to ask Hu Dan for details, from Dan Cliff, thousands of beams of golden light suddenly shot out, as sharp as swords, slicing in all directions, illuminating the night sky as brightly as day.
Under the golden light, an incalculable number of bodies were torn apart, and blood mists spread.
In response, the more knowledgeable Hu Dan was not frightened but rather delighted:
“The Sun Light Sect is finished!”