Chapter 510 - 446: Dong Wanjun Returns (2)

Chapter 510: Chapter 446: Dong Wanjun Returns (2)

Otherwise, even if Master Xu Dingchun was a Divinity Grandmaster, he still wouldn’t be able to solve the problem of feeding tens of thousands of people. In that case, the Zhenxi Army’s power would inevitably be greatly diminished.

Bai Yuan immediately shared this idea with Dong Wanjun.

Old Dong nodded. "It’s a viable method. The Celestial Profound Sect is at its weakest right now. We should strike while they’re down and finish them off. You can discuss this matter with your Master."

"..."

For a moment, Bai Yuan was at a loss for words.

His original intention was simply to swallow up the Celestial Profound Sect’s territory in the Northern Territory, but coming from Old Dong, it had turned into wiping out the Celestial Profound Sect entirely.

’Master is truly Master,’ he thought.

"Master is brilliant."

Compared to Old Dong, he was far too conservative.

Having made up their minds, the two began to discuss their strategy. The more they talked, the stranger Bai Yuan’s expression became. ’Why is Old Dong even more excited about this than I am?!!’

Soon, they had a plan.

They would launch a pincer attack with the Zhenxi Army, catching the Celestial Profound Sect completely off guard.

The Celestial Profound Sect had its Old Ancestor, true, but they had Xu Dingchun—and he was younger and more powerful.

Annihilating the Celestial Profound Sect would be the best-case scenario. But even if they failed to destroy it, they had to at least kill all of its experts above the Mingxin realm. That way, the sect would no longer be able to pose much of a threat to the Northern Territory.

Without any experts under their command, they wouldn’t just be unable to threaten the Northern Territory—they might not even be able to hold onto Lingzhou.

This was the most suitable method for dealing with the Celestial Profound Sect, a sect that possessed its own Divinity Grandmaster.

But in the end, the two began to argue over who should lead the troops.

Neither Old Dong nor Bai Yuan wanted to stay behind in Huanglong Prefecture...

If the generals of the Central Plains were to witness this scene, their jaws would surely drop in disbelief.

The Northern Territory didn’t even have an Emperor anymore; Bai Yuan and Dong Wanjun were practically emperors there themselves. Even if they achieved great military merit, there was no one to reward them. And yet, for such a thankless and arduous job, the two of them were arguing heatedly over who got to do it.

What a pair of weirdos...

The commotion soon attracted the attention of Li Huan and a group of others.

The group listened at the door for a good while before they finally figured out what the master and disciple were arguing about, which only made their expressions grow more peculiar.

’That master and disciple are truly twisted...’

But then again, considering their nicknames—one was the "Thousand-Handed Butcher," the other "Blood Slaughter"... Neither of them was normal.

In the end, it was Bai Yuan who won the argument. He claimed that for a disciple to sit idly by in Huanglong Prefecture while his master went into mortal danger was a grave act of filial impiety, and this finally made Old Dong concede.

Ling Province had no enemies within the Northern Territory, but that didn’t mean it was completely safe from external threats.

If the Eldest Prince were to take advantage of the vacuum and invade from Yan Province, they would be in serious trouble.

Previously, Bai Yuan had no one else to rely on and had been forced to handle everything himself. Now that Old Dong was here, one of the two had to remain behind to guard Huanglong Prefecture.

...

「Three days later.」

Bai Yuan integrated a number of elite Demon Hunters into the Shuofang Army, forming them into a unique special forces unit.

He would lead an elite force in first, with the main army following close behind as reinforcement.

Li Huan was also coming with him.

「In front of the Bai Mansion.」

"Brother Yuan, please be careful."

Xiao Qiaoniang watched Bai Yuan, reluctant to see him go. It seemed that for them, separation was the norm; Bai Yuan never stayed home in Huanglong Prefecture for long.

"Dada... Dada..."

Little Bai An, who was just at the age of babbling his first words, called out indistinctly in his tender voice.

Bai Yuan first played with his son for a moment, then gently stroked his wife’s hair.

"Don’t worry. I will return in triumph."

’If I want to protect the peace we have here,’ he thought, ’I can’t just wait passively for enemies to come knocking. Only by eliminating threats from a thousand miles away can my family and the people I care about live securely.’

With that said, Bai Yuan resolutely turned and departed.

He left Huanglong Prefecture that same day.

...

「Lingzhou. Celestial Profound Sect.」

The Celestial Profound Sect was not faring well. With Sect Leader Linghu Yang dead and the experts from the Zhengyang Sect withdrawn, the sect had lost all the momentum it had during its rebellion.

Furthermore, the Old Ancestor of the Celestial Profound Sect showed no sign of emerging from his seclusion.

He remained in closed-door cultivation within the sect’s secret chamber.

For the Celestial Profound Sect, the most prudent course of action was to simply wait and see how things played out.

As long as Xuankong Temple and the Zhengyang Sect could achieve ultimate victory, the Celestial Profound Sect would be victorious by default.

"Old Ancestor."

Outside the secret chamber, Sect Leader Qian Hui stood at the entrance and called out.

Ever since the previous Sect Leader, Linghu Yang, had been slain by Bai Yuan, he had become the new Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect.

This change had come far too suddenly.

The Celestial Profound Sect previously had three Mingxin-level experts in total. Qian Hui, having the least seniority and the weakest power, had no chance at the Sect Leader’s position. Even after a few years, once the younger generation matured, he still wouldn’t have had a chance.

Therefore, he had long since given up any thought of becoming Sect Leader.

But as fate would have it, Bai Yuan killed both Sect Leader Linghu Yang and Vice Sect Leader Xia Han, so the position ultimately fell to him.

’When you think about it that way, I suppose I should thank that god of slaughter,’ he mused.

"Come in."

The voice of the Celestial Profound Sect’s Old Ancestor echoed slowly from within the secret chamber.

Qian Hui waited for the door to open on its own before stepping inside.

In truth, the Sect Leader had the right to enter this secret chamber, but there was one prerequisite: achieving the "Unity of the Three Teachings."

’I’m probably the first Sect Leader in the Celestial Profound Sect’s thousand-year history who hasn’t even achieved the Unity of the Three Teachings,’ he thought wryly.

Soon, Qian Hui saw the Old Ancestor of the Celestial Profound Sect.

"Old Ancestor, Bai Yuan has already led his army to Binzhou. He will reach Lingzhou any day now."

"I know. You may leave."

Seeing the Old Ancestor’s dismissive response, Qian Hui couldn’t help his anxiety. "Old Ancestor..."

"Leave!"

Hearing the Old Ancestor’s sharp rebuke, Qian Hui could only withdraw in resignation.

The lands east of Binzhou were never part of the Celestial Profound Sect’s sphere of influence. Most of the prefects there were already partial to Bai Yuan. Even with all the contingency plans the sect had put in place, it was nearly impossible to stop the Shuofang Army.

Bai Yuan had taken those provinces without much effort.

Now, he had arrived in Binzhou, creating a standoff with the Celestial Profound Sect from afar.

Qian Hui had already gone to see for himself.

The Shuofang Army was far stronger than he had ever imagined. They even had three Mingxin Grandmasters—more than the Celestial Profound Sect itself.

If it weren’t for the Old Ancestor holding down the fort, the sect probably would have already been wiped out by that madman, Bai Yuan.

Qian Hui was genuinely terrified.

The image of Bai Yuan cutting down the previous Sect Leader, Linghu Yang, atop the walls of Lingzhou City was still vivid in his mind. He knew that if he faced Bai Yuan alone, he would have no chance of survival.

"Damn it!"

Qian Hui cursed under his breath, but he still had no choice but to go to the front lines.

He was the Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect now. Even if he was the weakest in the sect’s history, he had to step forward in its time of crisis. The Old Ancestor would certainly not allow him to take it easy.

He used to compete with Linghu Yang and Xia Han for power, but now, he wished he could just be a carefree, uninvolved cultivator.

...

「Binzhou.」

「Inside the front-line command camp.」

"Lord Bai, you’ve finally arrived!"

The Prefect of Binzhou looked at Bai Yuan as if he were a savior, rambling on and on about how Chenzhou had long been oppressed by the Celestial Profound Sect, and how Lord Bai’s arrival was a salvation for the people from their deep suffering.

Of course, it was all heartfelt flattery.

In reality, neither Bai Yuan nor the Celestial Profound Sect was likely to make life any better for the common folk of Binzhou.

Bai Yuan simply needed Tang Baichuan to say these things to give him a legitimate pretext for his campaign.

"That’s enough."

Seeing that Tang Baichuan showed no signs of stopping, Bai Yuan had no choice but to cut him off.

He and Tang Baichuan already had some history together.

Long before Mr. Yuan shattered the world’s fortune and plunged the realm into chaos, Tang Baichuan had been Bai Yuan’s most loyal ally in the Northern Territory. After the new era of chaos began, Tang Baichuan followed Bai Yuan’s lead even more closely. Though his lands were not officially part of Shuofang, his loyalty surpassed even those who were.

As far as Tang Baichuan was concerned, regardless of how the future of Xuan Yang unfolded, the Northern Territory would most likely end up under Bai Yuan’s control.

A distant magistrate is no match for the official on the ground. He had naturally chosen to cling firmly to Bai Yuan’s coattails.

It was precisely because of this cooperation from within Binzhou that he had been able to reach the province so quickly.

Bai Yuan asked, "Has Sect Leader Qian returned?"

Tang Baichuan replied, "According to our forward scouts, he has already returned to the Celestial Profound Sect’s main camp."

Bai Yuan nodded. "Very good."

Seeing Bai Yuan make a move to leave, Tang Baichuan grew even more puzzled. "My lord, you’re going out?"

"It’s time to meet this Sect Leader Qian."