Chapter 688: Obtaining the Sword

Chapter 688: Chapter 462: Obtaining the Sword

Fang Qingyuan had thought this appearance was just a routine matter—a chance for Bear Wind to flex his muscles and show everyone the Qingyuan Sect’s strength, to justify the price Cui Dongcheng had paid.

However, the situation had taken a shocking turn. Fang Qingyuan had no desire to investigate the reasons behind it. The Illusion Sword Alliance had backstabbed its ally; they must have had their reasons. Now that three factions wanted Nie Xinyuan of the White Mountain Sword Sect dead, he had no choice but to side with the majority.

In the current situation, Bear Wind was ostensibly facing off against the Illusion Sword Alliance’s Nascent Soul Cultivator. This freed up the Thick Earth Alliance’s Nascent Soul Cultivator to support the Sharp Gold Alliance. As a result, Nie Xinyuan, who previously held a guaranteed victory, would no longer have such an easy time fighting two against one.

The Great White Mountain War was, in essence, just another extension of the relationships between high-level Nascent Soul Cultivators. The Illusion Sword Alliance’s Nascent Soul Cultivator had been on good terms with Nie Xinyuan before, so they stood on the same side. But now, with a major upheaval clearly happening on White Mountain, could that relationship still hold? How could any outsider possibly know?

Power struggles, conflicting beliefs, or perhaps being forced by circumstances—any of these could be the reason behind the Illusion Sword Alliance’s actions.

‘It seems the Illusion Sword Alliance still values the camaraderie from years of fighting alongside the White Mountain Sword Sect and is unwilling to backstab them directly. That’s why they’ve chosen to have Bear Wind tie down their Nascent Soul Cultivator in a staged fight. It gives the White Mountain Sword Sect—and, at the same time, the uninformed Cultivators within the Illusion Sword Alliance—a perfect excuse.’

‘It’s not that we don’t want to reinforce the White Mountain Sword Sect, but Bear Wind has us blocked. We simply can’t get away.’

It was a good reason, and Fang Qingyuan was happy to let Bear Wind play his part in this little show. However, if they were talking about actually dealing with Nie Xinyuan, that came at a different price.

That was why Cui Dongcheng fell silent after hearing Fang Qingyuan’s terms. The Xuanli Sword was a Tier Four, mid-grade magic sword that had already gained sentience. Over the many years of battle against the Sharp Gold and Thick Earth Alliances, Cui Dongcheng had witnessed its true power firsthand.

It could be said that the White Mountain Sword Sect with the Xuanli Sword and the White Mountain Sword Sect without it were two entirely different powers.

A Magic Sword with its own sentience could be considered equivalent to half a Nascent Soul Cultivator. In a situation where none of the Nascent Soul Cultivators could come down from White Mountain, it was exceptionally precious.

The Illusion Sword Alliance clearly didn’t want to let this Magic Sword go. But in Fang Qingyuan’s eyes, this was the only price worthy of having Bear Wind make a move. Otherwise, he would never risk offending the White Mountain Sword Sect by having Bear Wind fight Nie Xinyuan.

“Hurry up and give me an answer. Yes or no? The Xuanli Sword isn’t going to fall into your Illusion Sword Alliance’s hands anyway. Instead of letting the Sharp Gold and Thick Earth Alliances get it for cheap, you might as well give it to me.”

Fang Qingyuan was giving Cui Dongcheng an out, but this wasn’t a decision Cui Dongcheng could make. And so, another consciousness flickered to life on the Token.

“You’ve got some nerve, junior. The Xuanli Sword is ranked seventh on the White Mountain Magical Artifact Rankings, and you’re just going to ask for it like that?”

“And you are, Elder?”

“I am Cui Taihao, a Nascent Soul of the Illusion Sword Alliance. And the target of your impending extortion.”

Fang Qingyuan gave an awkward smile. This Cui Taihao was quite direct. He seemed to have a straightforward personality, but there was no telling if it was just a facade.

The White Mountain Magical Artifact Rankings Cui Taihao mentioned was a list compiled by some gossips. There was also a Combat Power Ranking, which only included Golden Core Cultivators. Since his fight with Chunyu Hua, Fang Qingyuan’s rank had been steadily climbing, and he was now listed as seventh. Those ahead of him were mostly veteran Golden Core Cultivators of White Mountain, like Cui Dongcheng, who was in fifth place.

The Magical Artifact Ranking was another list eagerly discussed by the White Mountain Cultivators. It cataloged various High-level Magical Artifacts. Since Nie Xinyuan hadn’t taken the Xuanli Sword up the mountain, it was naturally included on the list, currently ranked seventh among all magical artifacts in White Mountain.

The magical artifact ranked first was the Cyan Emperor’s Treasure Garden from the Spirit Wood Alliance. To call it a Magical Artifact was a bit of a misnomer; it was more accurately described as a Blessed Land Grotto Heaven. This Cyan Emperor’s Treasure Garden contained a grotto-heaven where Spirit Plants below Tier Five could thrive when placed inside. A large quantity of high-level Spirit Herbs and Medicines were cultivated within. The Spirit Wood Alliance earned tens of thousands of Top-grade Spirit Stones in additional income each year just from this Cyan Emperor’s Treasure Garden.

Besides the Magical Artifact Ranking and the Combat Power Ranking, there were also the Beauty Ranking, Wealth Ranking, Spirit Beast Ranking, and even a bizarre Top Ten Villains of White Mountain list.

The White Mountain People were just that meddlesome. Many Cultivators had little interest in cultivation or meditation, but when it came to hearing all sorts of rumors and stories, they were all full of energy.

Fang Qingyuan was currently only on the Combat Power Ranking. The other lists had nothing to do with him. This was because his rise had been too swift, he had revealed little information to the outside world, and there was nothing else about him noteworthy enough to attract public attention. Thus, he had only made it onto the Combat Power Ranking for now.

“Elder Cui, you jest. How can this be called extortion? We are merely negotiating another business deal. If you don’t agree, I can’t take the Xuanli Sword, can I?”

At that moment, the Xuanli Sword was still shining brilliantly in Nie Xinyuan’s hands. With sword in hand, he single-handedly suppressed the two Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Sharp Gold and Thick Earth Alliances, a sight that drew thunderous cheers from the members of the White Mountain Sword Sect.

“So amazing! Elder Nie of the White Mountain Sword Sect is just too powerful! As expected of a pure Sword Cultivator sect!”

“Alright, enough. I agree. The Xuanli Sword is yours. But I have one condition: you cannot use this sword against us in the future.”