Elder Xu clenched his fists angrily as he paced the council hall. "The Qin family has gone mad, haven't they? Are they trying to wipe out the Grand Thousand Dao Sect?"
Guan’e and the others had grim expressions. A few elderly Foundation Building Realm cultivators exchanged looks and sighed quietly. They stood up and said defeatingly, "We are willing to go."
The mood in the room shifted as the others looked on with concern. These Foundation Building Realm cultivators, nearing the end of their lifespans, seemed prepared to sacrifice themselves to preserve the power of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect. In such a war, Foundation Building Realm and Qi Refining Realm cultivators were more endangered than mortals. At the very least, nine out of ten cultivators would die.
Elder Xu's eyes glistened with tears as he looked at Pei Qingfeng. "Ancestor, is there no other way? We can bear the loss of a few of us, but four hundred Qi Refining Realm cultivators… That’s the foundation of our sect! We've invested many spirit stones and spiritual materials in nurturing them, hoping some would advance to Foundation Building Realm and later to Golden Core. If they all die, the sect will be ruined!"
Upon this sight, Li Daoye couldn't help but curse the Spirit Blood Sect silently. Sadly, he had no solutions to offer.
"Hasn't Uncle Master visited the Qin family? Perhaps he has some connections..." Guan’e suggested quietly.
Pei Qingfeng shook his head gently. "Uncle Master is in seclusion. We have no means of contacting him."
"Well… I do know the Qin family's First Lady, Chu Lan. Perhaps I can go and inquire about the situation?" Li Daoye offered.
Everyone turned to look at Li Daoye with hopeful lights in their eyes.
"It might not be a dead end. If the war can end quickly, we might be able to save a significant portion of our people and avoid harming the foundation of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect," Pei Qingfeng reassured everyone.
He selected five Foundation Building Realm cultivators, including Elder Xu, Elder Huang, and the three elderly people whose lifespans were nearly exhausted.
Elder Huang looked fearful. He said in a trembling voice, "Ancestor, can I not go? My cultivation isn’t up to par anyway...."
Elder Xu's expression darkened. He was just about to rebuke him when Li Daoye interjected.
"Master, let me replace Elder Huang. After my recent advancement to Foundation Building Realm, I haven't had much of a chance to fight, so this would be a good opportunity," Li Daoye offered with a bow.
The crowd looked at Li Daoye with surprise. This seemingly frivolous and lazy individual is volunteering to take on the task?
"Are you sure?" Pei Qingfeng asked puzzledly.
"Yes. I am skilled in divination and know how to avoid danger and seek opportunities. Under my leadership, the chances of survival for our Grand Thousand Dao Sect's cultivators would greatly increase. Since Lord Fang is in seclusion, it’s only right that I help in his stead," Li Daoye replied.
Pei Qingfeng thought for a moment and then slowly nodded in agreement.
"Very well. Then you will go in place of Elder Huang. Prepare yourself and join us at once. The rest of us will set out immediately."
An hour later, everyone was fully prepared and set out. Led by Pei Qingfeng, they rushed toward the Parting Fiery Dao Sect.
Before leaving, Elder Huang was very grateful to Li Daoye for taking his place on the battlefield. He gave Li Daoye a considerable amount of spirit stones, talismans, and even a mid-grade, yellow-rank spiritual treasure.
With four hundred Qi Refining cultivators dispatched, the inner palace of the Grand Thousand Dao Sect became even more desolate and silent, with very few people remaining.
Several days later, Elder Huang flew toward Fang Chen's immortal cave but was stopped halfway by the black paper figure.
"What is the matter?" the black paper figure asked coldly.
Elder Huang immediately clasped his hands respectfully. "Senior Black, the Qin family has dispatched several hundred of our sect's cultivators to participate in the war. I believe this matter must be reported to Lord Fang."
"The lord is in seclusion and cannot be disturbed. I will pass on the message once he finishes his training," the black paper figure replied.
The black paper figure watched Elder Huang leave and only turned away after he was out of sight.
Back at his immortal cave, Elder Huang immediately reported to a green-robed middle-aged man with a clasped fist. "Sir, Fang Chen is indeed in seclusion and cannot be disturbed. The black and white paper figures are guarding him."
"Are the two paper figures produced from the Spiritual Attachment Technique?"
the green-robed middle-aged man asked.
Elder Huang looked troubled. "I don’t know for sure, but the Profound Ghost Dao Sect has similar methods. It should be related to the Spiritual Attachment Technique."
"The Innate Five Lightning Art, Spiritual Attachment Technique, Eight Trigrams Formation… Heh, no doubt he is Hong Qing’s disciple. I wonder what other Dao Sect techniques he possesses."
The middle-aged man chuckled lightly. "As for the black and white paper figures, if you say they can kill Golden Core Realm cultivators like slaughtering chickens then they must be as powerful as Nascent Souls. They are not to be worried about."
"Sir, should we strike now? It might be better if I observe for a while longer. Perhaps I can uncover more secrets," Elder Huang said softly.
"No need. Hong Qing is currently at the Great Expansion Dao Gate and I don’t have the means to locate him there. Now that his disciple has returned to the Grand Thousand Dao Sect, this is an opportunity for me. As long as this matter is handled well, I’m confident that I will be promoted to Viscount."
The middle-aged man smiled. "You’ll also be making a contribution this time. You may not need to stay at the Grand Thousand Dao Sect any longer. If you are lucky enough, you might be directly transferred to the royal manor."
Elder Huang was delighted. Even if he only became a small soldier at the royal manor, the prospects would be far better than staying at the Grand Thousand Dao Sect!
"By the way, besides you, what about the other four Foundation Building Realm cultivators? Have you gathered any information about them?"
"They should also be spies from the various Grand Dao sects, but I don’t know their specific origins. However, Guan’e... she might be clean," Elder Huang answered, his voice low.
"If we strike, they will definitely send word back to the mastermind. So we need to handle this matter swiftly. We cannot offer them too much time."
The middle-aged man’s lips curved into a slight smile. "After this is over, we will both receive accolades and have a bright future. I believe there is something in that stone box that the Ninth Prince desires."
Elder Huang looked excited. "Sir, when will we strike?"
Hearing that, Elder Huang was thrilled and excited.
Before long, he and the middle-aged man charged forcefully into Fang Chen’s immortal cave.
As they burst inside, they saw the black paper figure sitting on a stone bench. "You’ve come."
It didn’t seem surprised at their arrival, merely glancing at them casually.
Elder Huang had witnessed the black paper figure’s methods before and felt some trepidation. However, he found solace in the fact that his superior was a Middle Three Realms expert who had reached the Enlightenment Realm fifty years ago. He reassured himself that nothing would go wrong.
The middle-aged man calmly observed the black paper figure before sitting down opposite him with a smile.
The aura of the black paper figure was different from ordinary cultivators. It was clearly just a spirit servant. He wondered how strong Fang Chen could be. However, he didn’t expect much. Hong Qing, Fang Chen’s master, had only been at the Nascent Soul Realm stage back then.
As for this spirit servant, even if it had a bit of skill, it wouldn’t over the Lower Four Realms.