Translator: CinderTL
"Li Chunjun indeed possesses the combat power of a Nascent Soul," True Lord Chun Yang couldn't help but remark.
He had confirmed this news from more than one surviving disciple.
"But he is still not the Star Sword Prodigy! His name is not on the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List!" Mo Bai True Master emphasized heavily.
Yun Han Zhenren and Spirit Vulture True Master remained silent.
They knew that the Wu Ji Sect and the Taixu Sword Sect were long-standing enemies, and the Chiyang Sword Sect was the target Li Chunjun had personally designated. As for them...
The other side clearly had no intention of pursuing the matter further.
Given that Li Chunjun had already demonstrated Nascent Soul-level combat power and the potential to ascend the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List, they no longer dared to continue opposing him.
Otherwise, if such a terrifying powerhouse were to leave the Blue Star Minor Realm with hatred towards them and ascend the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List...
Even before he achieved Void Refining, once he ascended the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List, there would likely be Nascent Souls, or even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, eager to curry favor with him, descending upon Blue Star to uproot the Nascent Souls of their major sects.
Even the main sect of the Taixu Sword Sect might change its stance, engage in interest exchanges with their backing sects, and then hand over the Blue Star Minor Realm to Li Chunjun for disposal.
And among those he could dispose of...
Naturally, it would include them, the Nascent Soul cultivators.
Their backing main sects...
Were too vast.
Each sect occupied countless realm regions.
And governed an immeasurable number of lesser worlds.
To those decision-makers and great beings standing at the pinnacle, who could easily overturn galaxies and crush suns and moons, the lives of dozens or even hundreds of Nascent Soul True Lords meant nothing.
For a moment, the gazes of these sect masters flickered with unease.
"Next, we will execute the second phase of our plan," Mo Bai said, seemingly oblivious to the shifting mentality of the sect masters. "The second phase begins with the Xian Tian Sect, Piao Miao Sect, Fu Hai Sect, and Zhou Tian Sect ordering their Nascent Souls to withdraw from the borders of the Taixu Sword Sect and return to their respective sects."
"Withdraw?" Yun Han and the other True Lords were slightly stunned.
They had already been considering how to refuse if the Wu Ji Sect demanded they send more Nascent Soul True Lords into action. Yet, the Wu Ji Sect was now asking them to retreat?
"Correct, withdraw," Mo Bai nodded slightly. "Not only withdraw, but you must also show a certain degree of goodwill towards the Taixu Sword Sect, especially towards that Sword Prodigy Li, to express that you have no intention of being his enemy, and that it was only under the influence of our Wu Ji Sect and the Chiyang Sword Sect that you made a grave mistake."
After speaking, he glanced at the sect masters. "The Xian Tian Sect and Zhou Tian Sect can manage, but the Fu Hai Sect and Piao Miao Sect should bestow a generous gift upon the Taixu Sword Sect and return the territories they have encroached upon over the years, showing sincerity to turn hostility into friendship."
"This..." Yun Han Zhenren, Spirit Vulture True Master, including True Lord Chun Yang and Sect Master Yi Hanliu, exchanged bewildered looks.
They had no idea what the Wu Ji Sect Master was up to.
The second phase of the plan, just this?
How was this any different from completely bowing and submitting to the Taixu Sword Sect? "Rest assured, I have my considerations," Mo Bai said with a smile. "Just proceed as quickly as possible. The better you perform, the higher the success rate of our plan."
Although the True Lords had already been frightened by the strength and potential Li Chunjun had displayed and were unwilling to continue opposing him.
However, the instructions given by Mo Bai were exactly what they wanted to do.
Moreover...
Although the Wu Ji Sect's influence was not as strong as the Taixu Sword Sect, having fought against the Taixu Sword Sect in the Profound Yellow Great World for so many years, they were by no means weak.
They also did not want to completely offend this behemoth.
Now that Mo Bai had issued an order that perfectly aligned with their intentions, the Sect Masters quickly agreed: "As Sect Master Mo has said, we will return and arrange the retreat immediately."
"Good, let's end it here for today."
Mo Bai nodded with a smile: "This period is crucial. Let's stay in touch, and if there is any news, I will notify you all at the first opportunity."
Seeing that Mo Bai did not mention asking them to send troops to assist the Chiyang Sword Sect, the other sects were happy to act as if Li Chunjun's declaration of "only punishing the chief culprit" had never happened, and quickly ended the communication.
"Of course."
"We will await Sect Master Mo's good news."
"Farewell."
With polite words, the four Sect Masters quickly departed.
After the figures of the four Sect Masters disappeared from the illusion, the surrounding environment changed, as if entering a deeper layer of space.
Once the illusion had transformed, Zhan Chiyang eagerly asked: "Sect Master Mo, the Taixu Sword Sect's next target will undoubtedly be our Chiyang Sword Sect. At this time, you are asking the other sects to withdraw their troops..."
"Can't you see? They are afraid."
Mo Bai calmly interrupted him: "Forcing them to stay on our side will only backfire."
Hearing that Mo Bai still had not given up on opposing the Taixu Sword Sect, Zhan Chiyang felt slightly relieved and pressed further: "What is Sect Master Mo's plan? With the assistance of Li Chunjun, the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, the Taixu Sword Sect's momentum will be unstoppable. After destroying our Chiyang Sword Sect, they will certainly not spare the Wu Ji Sect. Our fates are intertwined, rising and falling together..."
"Advancing by retreating..."
Mo Bai spoke calmly: "The one who can make such a decision is definitely not someone with shallow vision like Li Chunjun... However, it does surprise me that Li Chunjun could listen to such reasoning."
He glanced at Zhan Chiyang: "This Li Chunjun is not as easily provoked as you said."
Zhan Chiyang awkwardly did not know how to respond.
"But this is normal. Although Li Chunjun is young and prone to impulsive actions, the people around him are not. They will always give reasonable advice. Moreover, despite his young age, he is not foolish. If those around him patiently explain the pros and cons, he can distinguish right from wrong."
Mo Bai's expression showed no urgency.
This calm and unhurried demeanor left Zhan Chiyang somewhat speechless.
"Sect Master Mo, please tell us your plan. In facing the Taixu Sword Sect, our two sects are already in the same boat, with no way out."
The Chiyang Sword Sect Master also calmed down.
The Chiyang Sword Sect was currently in a desperate situation, and the more critical the moment, the more they needed to steady their resolve.
"The key now is not the Taixu Sword Sect, but Li Chunjun! As long as we kill Li Chunjun! The Taixu Sword Sect will lose its target and will surely collapse!"
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Mo Bai spoke calmly, "Moreover, with Li Chunjun dead and the fear he instilled gone, how could the Xian Tian Sect and Zhou Tian Sect, which suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Taixu Sword Sect, remain idle? They will surely seize the opportunity to strike back! Once they act, how could the Piao Miao Sect and Fu Hai Sect, who are about to cede territory, willingly step back?"
The Sect Master of the Wu Ji Sect chuckled lightly, "Even the Sky Sword Sect and Thunderclap Sect, who are ostensibly on good terms with the Taixu Sword Sect, will not stand idly by. They will take this chance to bite a piece of flesh off the Taixu Sword Sect! By then, all the crises facing the Chiyang Sword Sect will dissolve!"
"Li Chunjun is the key to everything. Who doesn't know this?" Zhan Chiyang said gravely.
When he uttered the name "Li Chunjun," the Sect Master of the Chiyang Sword Sect felt a pang of pain in his heart.
A traitor from their own sect, just because some of their subordinates made mistakes, and because he handled the situation with slightly excessive severity, had caused the entire Chiyang Sword Sect to fall into such a dire state.
The mere thought of it filled Zhan Chiyang with a sense of helplessness.
If only Li Chunjun had revealed his talent earlier, they would have surely apologized and even handed over Bai Yang and Tian Jian for him to deal with.
Or perhaps, if they had paid more attention to Li Chunjun before he reached the Core Formation Realm, they could have sent Golden Core cultivators into Taixu Sword Sect territory to assassinate him, rather than resorting to half-hearted measures like using Virtual Core cultivators or the Evil God's Chosen.
But now, regretting these things was pointless.
The priority was to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
"How can we kill Li Chunjun?" Zhan Chiyang asked.
"That depends on whether your Chiyang Sword Sect has the courage," Mo Bai replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Li Chunjun could have gone to the Profound Yellow Great World months ago to challenge the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List, but he chose not to. Instead, he declared his intention to destroy the Chiyang Sword Sect. This proves that once the situation stabilizes slightly, the Taixu Sword Sect will inevitably move against the Chiyang Sword Sect, and Li Chunjun will be there in person!" Mo Bai said solemnly. "This is our opportunity! An opportunity to spare no expense, to use every Talisman, Mystic Treasure, and trump card to kill Li Chunjun!"
After speaking, he looked at Zhan Chiyang, "When the time comes, it will be up to your Chiyang Sword Sect to see if you dare to fight to the death!"
"This isn't just about fighting to the death! When Li Chunjun comes to the Chiyang Sword Sect, he will undoubtedly be surrounded by Nascent Soul True Lords as guards! Even Qi Qian Yu might be by his side, not to mention his own Nascent Soul-level combat strength…" Zhan Chiyang shook his head. "Unless a True Lord intervenes, who could possibly kill him?"
Hearing this, Mo Bai smiled, "Long before Li Chunjun displayed his Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy-level talent, I had already applied to the main sect for a top-tier Spirit Treasure!"
"A top-tier Spirit Treasure?!" Zhan Chiyang was visibly moved.
A Spirit Treasure!
That was a Mystic Treasure used by Primordial Spirit True Monarchs.
To maintain stability, the Chiyang Sword Sect branch on Blue Star had also left behind two Spirit Treasures as a precaution.
But these two Spirit Treasures were ordinary ones, far less valuable than the top-tier Spirit Treasure Mo Bai mentioned.
Now, Mo Bai was actually bringing out such a treasure…
"This item is called the Primordial Limitless Diagram, a replica of a Dao Artifact. It contains a Limitless World within it. Once activated, it can trap someone inside, and even an ordinary True Lord would struggle to escape for a while."
Mo Bai spoke with a faint smile, "In other words, if I were to deploy this item and capture the Nascent Souls of the Taixu Sword Sect, even if they were to bombard us with Fifth-Tier Talismans, it would likely take them a dozen breaths."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Chiyang's eyes immediately lit up, "You mean..."
"When the Taixu Sword Sect deals with the Chiyang Sword Sect, they certainly won't mobilize their entire force. They will keep a portion of their strength to guard against counterattacks from the Xian Tian Sect, Piao Miao Sect, and other factions. They will also reserve some power to defend against our Wu Ji Sect. The number of Nascent Souls they send to attack the Chiyang Sword Sect should be between twelve and fifteen."
Mo Bai calculated.
The number wasn't large.
But the combat power of Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators was astonishing. Twelve to fifteen Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators against the Chiyang Sword Sect's sixteen Nascent Soul cultivators would already give them an absolute advantage.
Even if the Chiyang Sword Sect's mountain gate had protective formations, it would only take some time to forcefully breach them.
"When the time comes, I will have Xi Yan bring the Primordial Limitless Diagram. During the battle between the Chiyang Sword Sect and the Taixu Sword Sect, he will deploy the Primordial Limitless Diagram. If all goes well, we can trap the majority of the Taixu Sword Sect's Nascent Souls in one go! At that point, the Chiyang Sword Sect will strike with full force, ignoring everything else, and focus solely on Li Chunjun!"
Mo Bai's eyes gleamed with cold killing intent, "With the full strength of the Chiyang Sword Sect, even if it costs the self-destruction of one or two Nascent Souls, we must kill Li Chunjun! As long as this key figure, Li Chunjun, is dead, all the crises faced by the Chiyang Sword Sect and our Wu Ji Sect will be resolved!"
(End of the Chapter)
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