Chapter 17: The Foundations of the Premier Sect
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“You have gone too far!”
The Grand Elder was beside himself with rage. Seeing through the ill intentions of the Jade Balance Sect and the Voidless Sect, he became even more certain that the treasure Jiang Wanwan had obtained was no ordinary item.
With the Sect Master restrained by Yi Xing and the Ancestor in secluded meditation recovering from his injuries, he, as Grand Elder, had to lead the sect disciples in defending the Heavenly Dao Sect!
“Loitering over our sect like this—are you seeking a war with the Heavenly Dao Sect?”
Gongxi Xinghe, Sect Master of the Jade Balance Sect, shook his head with a smile.
“Not at all. We are all members of the righteous path. Since you have obtained an opportunity from the demonic path, we should naturally fight alongside you to improve our strength. In that case, we deserve a share of the opportunity.”
“Sharing the foundations of the demonic path has been the rule for thousands of years.”
The Sect Master of the Voidless Sect, Shan Qixiang, was different. His hair was grizzled, and he looked as though half of him already stood in the grave. Stroking his long white beard, he gave a cold snort.
“This old man did not come here to discuss any of that. One of your junior disciples killed a disciple of my sect. This old man must demand justice!”
“But I am not unreasonable. Hand this disciple over to my Voidless Sect, and this old man will let the matter pass.”
Gongxi Xinghe had thought himself shameless enough, but he had never imagined that Shan Qixiang could be even more brazen.
With a single word, he had invented an excuse to take Jiang Wanwan, this disciple, back to the Voidless Sect.
Anyone could see that Jiang Wanwan was blessed with tremendous fortune. She had obtained an opportunity connected to ascension with effortless ease. If they brought her back to their sect, perhaps they could obtain even greater benefits from her.
After all, in the cultivation world, fortune was of tremendous importance. Some people were born with great destiny, luckier than ordinary folk and able to encounter opportunities wherever they went.
In their eyes, Jiang Wanwan was clearly one of those people.
Well done, Shan Qixiang. Ruthless—truly too ruthless!
Once the three factions began battling back and forth, the Heavenly Dao Sect remained on the defensive.
Jiang Wanwan was pushed into the eye of the storm.
In the original storyline, Jiang Wanwan had concealed herself perfectly while playing the good person. This time, however, she had fallen directly into the heart of the vortex.
Even if the halo surrounding her caused everyone to more or less believe that she was not at fault, once the scattered pieces of information were gradually assembled, no one would be able to ignore the fact that she was the root of the problem.
A layer of ice three feet thick is not formed in a single day.
A thousand-mile dike collapses because of an anthill.
Whichever saying one chose, they conveyed the same truth.
Shi Muran and Shen Beijia intended to turn every scheme Jiang Wanwan had devised into a boomerang that would strike her herself.
At the same time, they would make those blind fools become utterly bound to Jiang Wanwan, leaving them to torment one another.
There was nothing wrong with climbing upward. Had Jiang Wanwan chosen another method, Shi Muran might even have admired her determination.
But as women themselves, neither Shi Muran nor Shen Beijia liked people who knew only how to step on other women in order to rise, seeking the favor and gifts of powerful men.
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In that feudal age, when women held an exceedingly low status, there were still women who knew how to fight for their own interests, who feared neither power nor authority, and proved themselves the equal of any man!
Yet in this cultivation world, an era in which strength was revered regardless of gender, someone like Jiang Wanwan filled Shi Muran with both grief and fury.
Whether for the sake of the plot mission or simply to vent the anger in her heart,
she would make Jiang Wanwan see clearly just how foolish it was to rely on men and attach herself to others.
Rather than waiting for those above to take pity on her, it was better to become strong herself—to become one of those at the top!
What a ridiculous beloved-by-all script. Shi Muran trusted no one but herself.
She would make Jiang Wanwan see, once and for all, how laughable her former way of thinking truly was.
“I am no saint, and I do not wish to utter any grand, righteous declarations.”
“But I can prove that women are fully capable of living more dazzling lives!”
Shi Muran murmured under her breath. She raised her eyes, gave Shen Beijia a slight nod, and silently mouthed a few words.
“Begin.”
“Rumble!”
A thunderous roar shook the sky. A bolt of lightning as thick as a bent arm crashed down toward the Heavenly Dao Sect!
Gongxi Xinghe and Shan Qixiang’s expressions changed dramatically. They swiftly led the disciples of both sects into retreat, narrowly avoiding the lightning’s force.
When Zhai Zhe sensed that the Heavenly Dao Sect had come under attack, he immediately stopped fighting Yi Xing and turned to fly toward the sect.
But one of his arms had already been severed, greatly weakening him. His retreat gave Yi Xing an opening, and he struck Zhai Zhe’s remaining arm!
“Cough, cough!”
Zhai Zhe forcibly swallowed back the urge to vomit blood and returned to the center of the disciples.
“Activate the second sect-protecting formation!”
Almost in the blink of an eye, a formation enveloped the Heavenly Dao Sect.
As the foremost sect of Eastern Continent, the Heavenly Dao Sect possessed an extraordinarily powerful foundation. Yet after suffering one crisis after another recently, it had endured too many losses, and Zhai Zhe could not help feeling that everything was going against them.
This second sect-protecting formation was different from the previous one. As long as they possessed a token, disciples of the sect could enter and leave freely.
However, it was not as powerful as the earlier formation.
Perhaps fearing a repeat of what had happened with the Azure Dragon, Zhai Zhe abandoned the idea of activating the first formation.
Even so, the power of this sect-protecting formation remained formidable.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Gongxi Xinghe and Shan Qixiang joined forces and launched an attack.
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The formation, which had previously remained utterly still, instantly gave rise to two illusory flood dragons. The enormous dragon phantoms opened their jaws and swallowed the attacks whole, transforming them into power for the sect-protecting formation!
Faintly, flood dragons could be seen weaving through the entire formation.
Vast dragon energy guarded the Heavenly Dao Sect, intimidating all three factions!
The foremost sect was not merely boasting. Only now did Jiang Wanwan gain a clearer understanding of the Heavenly Dao Sect’s formidable foundation.
However, Cangyuan, within Jiang Wanwan’s beast-pet space, was thoroughly disdainful.
“Tch. They are nothing but puny flood dragons. Compared with your lord here, they are utterly insignificant. Cheap imitations.”
The sect-protecting formation had originally been created by the Ancestor of the Wang Clan with reference to the Azure Dragon’s power. Since he had been unable to obtain the Azure Dragon’s true strength, he had resorted to using the power of flood dragons instead.
Even so, the Jade Balance Sect and the Voidless Sect were unable to deal with it.
No wonder the female protagonist had been given the Azure Dragon as a beast pet. Unfortunately, all of it was now merely preparing the way for Shi Muran.
“Master, let me crush the Heavenly Dao Sect completely! These sects are all eyeing it hungrily. We can have them swallow up the Heavenly Dao Sect together!”
Cangyuan offered its suggestion in a furtive voice.
Its hatred for the Heavenly Dao Sect had not arisen overnight. It could hardly wait for them to disappear.
As for the fact that Shi Muran could still communicate with it despite her Golden Core having shattered, Cangyuan did not care in the slightest.
Anyone capable of becoming its master was surely no ordinary person.
“Not yet.” Shi Muran shook her head. Everything was under control. The missions still depended on them to obtain the rewards. Besides, wiping them all out now would make things far too easy.
There was one more crucial matter.
“I still have to die at their hands.”
Cangyuan nodded its head.
“Oh, all right... No, wait! What did you say?!”
It suddenly grasped Shi Muran’s meaning and tried to make sense of her words. But how could that possibly make sense?!
It had definitely misheard her just now, right?
Shi Muran dispelled that notion with a slight nod and affirmed,
“I am going to die at their hands.”
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