The scorching sun hung overhead, the dry wind sharp and stifling. Two days had passed since Luo Chen’s meeting at Icewave Palace.
A massive flying boat loomed over the docking platform atop Danxia Peak. Cultivators from the Battle Hall filed aboard, their spirits high, eyes gleaming with anticipation. A great operation was about to unfold, and this time, the president himself would be leading them.
At the height of their anticipation, Luo Chen stepped onto the deck with Wang Yuan and Min Longyu by his side.
"Let’s move," he said calmly.
Without delay, Min Longyu activated the supreme-grade Langqi Flying Boat. With a resonant hum, the vessel lifted into the air. Under the watchful gazes of Duan Feng, Murong Qinglian, and the others, it banked southeast and soared into the clouds.
An hour later, the flying boat hovered above a sprawling gorge. Nestled between the sheer cliffs below, stone towers and pavilions clung to the canyon walls like precarious nests.
At this moment, cultivators stood armed, glaring defiantly upward. A golden radiance shielded the valley like an impenetrable fortress wall.
Luo Chen stood at the bow, hands clasped behind his back, eyes steady as he looked down.
The Divine Craftsman Sect!
So this was the real root of Zuo Song’s sudden "sense of justice." The Iron Sword Hall had no ties to the other sects that had been wiped out. But since his first days in Tianlan Immortal City, Luo Chen had known the Divine Craftsman Sect was backed by an early Foundation Establishment elder from the Iron Sword Hall. He didn’t know what terms had been used to sway Zuo Song into lobbying on their behalf, but their refusal to surrender and attempt to strike back so underhandedly had thoroughly enraged the Luo Tian Society.
Today, it was time for an explanation to be given.
Inside the gorge, within the most prominent white jade palace, Sect Master Fei Changqiu of Divine Craftsman Sect wore an expression of absolute gloom. He clutched a voice-transmission jade token, yet the token remained deathly silent.
"That old bastard took my offering and did nothing," he spat bitterly. "Shame on him!"
The Grand Elder beside him looked equally grim. The Luo Tian Society’s assault had been too open, too bold, leaving no time to maneuver. They had sent a distress call to the Iron Sword Hall almost immediately. But there had been no reply and everyone knew what that meant.
"Sect Master, what do we do now?"
Fei Changqiu’s expression darkened further. "I’ll send one more message and see how Zuo Song responds."
***
In the northwest of Tianlan Immortal City, atop a mountain bristling with countless swords, Zuo Song stared at the glowing jade token without the slightest shift in expression.
An elder at his side finally broke the silence. "Sect Leader... are we truly not going to help Sect Master Fei?"
Zuo Song’s eyes turned cold as he snapped back, "And how exactly would we help?"
The elder fell silent. He understood. The Ice Fortress had made it clear they were dead set on backing the Luo Tian Society. Even Green Pill Valley had chosen to turn a blind eye. If the Iron Sword Hall intervened, they’d only anger the Ice Fortress.
Moreover, they had begun to notice that Green Pill Valley’s cultivators hadn’t taken up any actual city management roles. It was as if this supposed change of leadership was nothing but a farce. In this situation, who dared offend the Ice Fortress?
When Zuo Song thought back to his complaint against the Luo Tian Society and realized Luo Chen had likely been eavesdropping, he couldn’t help but feel utterly stifled. What a clown show this situation had become....
"Let the Divine Craftsman Sect fend for themselves," said Zuo Song.
The elder asked cautiously, "And what about the items Sect Master Fei sent?"
Zuo Song gave a derisive snort. "I acted. I spoke to our superiors. What more does he expect?"
The implication was clear. They would not aid in this fight. As for the gifts, those weren’t going back.
Another Foundation Establishment elder, who had once shared ties with the Divine Craftsman Sect, opened his mouth as if to protest. In the end, he only gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
Fei Changqiu... you’re on your own.
***
Within the Divine Craftsman Sect, Fei Changqiu stood motionless, staring at the unresponsive transmission jade in his hand. No matter how long he waited, there was no reply.
With a roar of fury, he slammed his palm onto the desk, shattering it into splinters. "That old bastard, how dare he humiliate me like this!"
Beside him, the Grand Elder’s expression was bleak, and his voice low and strained. "Sect Master, what now?"
Fei Changqiu drew a long, shaky breath, forcing himself to suppress the panic clawing at his chest. He turned toward the open window. In the distance, a massive flying boat loomed above the gorge, and atop its deck he could faintly make out a lone figure gazing down.
Not long ago, it had been Fei Changqiu who brought men to intimidate Danxia Peak. Now, everything had reversed. Unease twisted in his gut, yet his face remained cold, lined with grim determination.
"Don't panic," he said harshly. "We’re not like the Danyuan Sect or the Geng family. We have a second-tier defensive formation, and both of us are Foundation Establishment Initiates. Even a grand cultivator would need months to break through! Luo Chen is merely a mid-stage Initiate himself. How could he possibly breach it? And do you think the Luo Tian Society can afford to drag this out?"
He had carefully investigated Luo Tian Society's recent conquests and their plunder. They had seized vast wealth and territory. What they needed now was not more bloodshed, but time to consolidate, to digest it all.
This was obvious from how the Luo Tian Society had halted all movement after eliminating four sects. The Wei family from Xuchen Mountain had been too cowardly at heart. If they hadn’t begged for peace and allied with the Divine Craftsman Sect, what could Luo Chen have done?
"We drag this out," Fei Changqiu said with a snarl. "Bring out every mid-grade spirit stone. Have all late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators patrol day and night. I want the Ironclad Bastion Formation running without pause!"
Just as the order left his lips, a clear voice rang out from beyond the hall.
"Luo Chen, President of Luo Tian Society, requests a meeting with Sect Master Fei!"
Fei Changqiu snorted coldly. "If he wants to meet, then so be it!"
***
Two figures faced each other high above the canyon. The sun was blazing overhead, and a golden barrier shimmered across the hundred zhang between them.
Luo Chen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze steady on the man opposite. A faint trace of nostalgia stirred within him.
"Sect Master Fei," he called out with a calm smile, "I trust you’ve been well."
Fei Changqiu said coldly, "President Luo, I don’t believe I’ve wronged you. When you first settled in Danxia Peak, I withdrew my people. And now you arrive in full force, banners raised and blades drawn, don’t you think that’s excessive?"
"Excessive?" Luo Chen echoed softly, shaking his head. "When Lu Rong took advantage of my absence and launched an assault on Danxia Peak, did you think that was excessive?"
"That was his personal decision. It doesn’t represent the Divine Craftsman Sect," Fei Changqiu shot back.
"Oh?" Luo Chen’s voice darkened. "Then tell me, would he have dared act without your approval?"