Chapter 828: Internal Strife in the Ethereal Mountain Sect
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
When Wang Lin and the others were still at the Southern Wilderness, at the north foot of Mount Kunlun, on top of the Ethereal Mountain, everywhere was quiet except for one pavilion. The atmosphere in this pavilion was very weird.
A huge formation was initiated suddenly, engulfing the entire pavilion. No one could enter or exit the pavilion.
A bunch of Ethereal Mountain Sect disciples gathered in the main pavilion in front of that pavilion. They were in the midst of a forum with an elder. But the elder who was hosting the forum did not seem to be focused.
And in a connected pavilion behind the main pavilion, there was an intense battle going on. The main pavilion and this pavilion behind were separated by a formation, preventing any noise from passing through. This was to prevent those in the other pavilions from being alarmed.
Inside this pavilion behind, an activated formation converted into a void chaos hole. Inside this hole, two parties were battling intensely. None of them gained an upper hand over the other.
One of them wore a stern look on his face and three streaks of black hair covered part of his face. He was the leader of the Ethereal Mountain Sect, Wu Yunliang.
And the middle-aged man that was fighting him was the second-in-command of the Ethereal Mountain Sect, Li Botao. He looked extremely serious and resolute.
Besides Wu Yunliang and Li Botao, there were two other elders who were challenging each other too. These two elders were in the Advanced Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage. They were the only two elders from the previous generation that were left in the Ethereal Mountain Sect. Normally, they would retreat and cultivate at their own time, hoping to reach the Immortal Soul Stage before they died.
These two elders were already nonchalant towards the affairs of the sect since a long time ago. Not only did the two of them exit their retreat this time, they even engaged in an intense battle.
Besides this, the rest of the senior management of the Ethereal Mountain Sect was also around. They gathered and line up opposite their opponents.
The atmosphere in the pavilion was very repressed. Wu Yunliang forced Li Botao back and asked in a low voice, "Junior Li, are you really going to betray the Ethereal Mountain Sect?"
Li Botao remained calm, but his gaze was filled with determination, "It’s not that I want to betray the sect. It’s just that you are too hesitant, which is bound to bring trouble to the Ethereal Mountain Sect!"
"Many years ago, to deal with the pressure brought about by the Great Qin Empire, the Ethereal Mountain Sect turned to Mount Shu. Since then, we are like the slaves of the Mount Shu Sword Sect. Previously, we acted like we were betraying Mount Shu and turned towards the Celestial Sect of Wonders under the command of the Mount Shu Sword Sect. During then, you seemed determined. But over these years, I feel that your mind has wavered."
Wu Yunliang gestured and those who were on his side retreated. They formed a formation structure. Wu Yunliang stared at Li Botao and said, "You have indeed been instructed by Mount Shu. What do you want to do?"
Li Botao did not continue speaking and his group of people adopted their positions against Wu Yunliang and the others.
"We are not doing anything. Something changed in the Celestial Sect of Wonders earlier on. Mount Yujing has suddenly descended in the Greater World, although it has always been hidden in void space. There are some powerful men in the Great Void Sect who have observed the situation and sensed that the movement of spiritual energy seems to be abnormal as compared to the past. Lin Feng does not seem to be on the mountain."
"Thus, the Mount Shu Sword Sect wants to test it out and see what’s going on."
Wu Yunliang stared at him, "What have you done?"
Li Botao said slowly, "Nothing. As we are here with all of you, we have also sent news to the Celestial Sect of Wonders that a rebellion is going down here and that we need some help from them to calm the situation."
As the rebels themselves, not only did Li Botao and his group intercept the message from Wu Yunliang to the Celestial Sect of Wonders, they even relayed their own message over.
"You want to trap the reinforcement forces from the Celestial Sect of Wonders?" Wu Yunliang understood at this point. "All of you are here now. Does this mean that the Mount Shu Sword Sect is also here too?"
Li Botao sighed and did not speak. The truth was, he was fearful too. Right now, they were about to attack the Celestial Sect of Wonders, which was much more powerful than the Ethereal Mountain Sect.
During the travels to the Ying Sea, the Celestial Sect of Wonders managed to obtain the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain and even got a magic treasure embryo in the destiny realm. They even managed to snatch the Great Zhou’s Fangzhang Celestial Mountain. Right now, the Celestial Sect of Wonders was even more powerful than before.
If nothing happened to the Celestial Sect of Wonders in the first place, Li Botao would not have dared to act recklessly. At the same time, if nothing changed in the Celestial Sect of Wonders, the Mount Shu Sword Sect would not have been motivated to test them out.
Even now, the Ethereal Mountain Sect did not have much courage to provoke the Celestial Sect of Wonders. But they could not offend the Mount Shu Sword Sect either. Since the Mount Shu Sword Sect had arrived, the Ethereal Mountain Sect would not be spared if they dared to change their mind suddenly.
The plan was already ongoing. It was through this internal strife that they managed to seek help from the Celestial Sect of Wonders. After that, through the secret help of Mount Shu, they would capture the cultivators from the Celestial Sect of Wonders and await their reaction.
Li Botao looked at everyone quietly and said, "Regardless whether it’s the Celestial Sect of Wonders or the Mount Shu Sword Sect, we can’t resist them. If we could, I wouldn’t have dragged us into the conflict."
"But it was under the instruction of the Mount Shu Sword Sect then did we act like we were betraying them and turned to the Celestial Sect of Wonders. If conditions allow, we can also forsake the Mount Shu Sword Sect."
"But they are here now. If we don’t accede to their request, we will be gone. Even if the Celestial Sect of Wonders take revenge on them in the future, the Ethereal Mountain Sect can’t be revived."
"This time, everyone in the Divine Lands is watching the Celestial Sect of Wonders. The Mount Shu Sword Sect is also determined to make a move. We no longer have any say in the situation and it’s time for us to make a choice."
He looked at Wu Yunliang and said in a deep voice, "Senior, the choice that we made in the past and the preparations that we have made all these years, we can’t just walk away from them."
"Over these years, I could feel that you have been wavering. That’s why I have to oppose you today."
Someone on Wu Yunliang’s side commented, "It’s still an unknown whether things have changed in the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"The Mount Shu Sword Sect is on the decline, while the Celestial Sect of Wonders is becoming stronger than ever. Is it wise to still be on the side of the Mount Shu Sword Sect?"
Li Botao shook his head, "The rise of the Celestial Sect of Wonders is special. At the start, the Great Void Sect wanted to help them to become a new force to resist the Mount Shu Sword Sect. That’s why the Celestial Sect of Wonders has become so powerful. But in the end, the Celestial Sect of Wonders colluded with the Great Qin and Great Zhou Empire to resist the Great Void Sect."
"Right now, the attitude of the Great Void Sect towards the Celestial Sect of Wonders has changed. During the battle at Xiling City, Lin Feng might have forced Xin Longsheng to retreat, but the potential of the Mount Shu Sword Sect is immense. If a full-scale war ensues, I believe that the Mount Shu Sword Sect will still be more powerful."
"Besides the Saintly Celestial Sword, there are still two more Supreme Elders from the Mount Shu Sword Sect whose cultivations are not inferior to Lin Feng. After the battle at Xiling City, Master Xin also retreated to cultivate. He managed to attain some breakthrough too. Because many of the powerful cultivators from the Mount Shu Sword Sect have been cultivating these few years, the Mount Shu Sword Sect has kept a low-profile during these few years.
The cultivator that spoke previously said again, "Senior Li, you mentioned that if we turn our allegiance to the Celestial Sect of Wonders, we may not be able to withstand the wrath of the Mount Shu Sword Sect. Even if the Celestial Sect of Wonders is willing to challenge the Mount Shu Sword Sect for their face, once the Ethereal Mountain is destroyed, it will be destroyed. But we can still rebuild it. However, if a person is dead, we can’t revive him."
"This reasoning is the same if we flip it around!"
Li Botao said, "If we managed to find out anything about the Celestial Sect of Wonders this time and prove the disappearance of Lin Feng, I fear that it’s not just the Mount Shu Sword Sect that will attack the Celestial Sect of Wonders. Many great powers will exploit the opportunity to deal a huge blow to the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
"When that happens, even if Lin Feng appears and wants to seek revenge, he will be too busy with the others and won’t come to find the Ethereal Mountain Sect. With his current status, he won’t look for us personally. He will send his disciples over. But if the Celestial Sect of Wonders was dealt such a huge blow, I believe there’s not much people left over for them anyway."
"Especially if they lose Mount Yujing, the magic treasure embryo and the Celestial Wonders World. Even if they have the Ying Sea, their overall strength would still be greatly hurt too."
"On the contrary, their rivals will see boosts to their powers."
One of the elder on Wu Yunliang’s side said, "Didn’t Lin Feng build the Celestial Sect of Wonders from scratch? How can you be sure that he won’t rise again?"
Li Botao nodded his head at the elder, "Elder, you are right. But he had the help of the Great Void Sect before. However, following the events of Xiling City, the Great Void Sect is unaware of the ambitions of Lin Feng. For the Celestial Sect of Wonders to rise again, it will be difficult."
"Everyone’s attention will be on him and no one will give him the opportunity to rise again. After the Mount Shu and the others deal this lethal blow to the Celestial Sect of Wonders, their own powers will increase. When they band together, they will prevent Lin Feng from rising again."
Li Botao paused for a moment, "Just like what Junior Qi said just now, if a person dies, he cannot be revived. If a mountain is destroyed, it can be rebuilt. If we find out that the Celestial Sect of Wonders is vulnerable and the great powers work together to destroy the Celestial Sect of Wonders, the Ethereal Mountain Sect will not participate. Rather, we will prepare to shift the mountain."
"Mount Shu Sword Sect has granted us permission to stay at Mount Shu temporarily. Even if Lin Feng returns, he can’t find us unless he destroys Mount Shu."
"If he does that, he will have to pay for his actions."
As he said till here, the voice of Li Botao became deeper, "Of course, nothing in the world can fulfil the wishes of everyone. Since we are trying to find out if the Celestial Sect of Wonders is vulnerable, the result can be positive or negative."
"If we find out that Lin Feng is fine, everything will remain as it is now. But the Celestial Sect of Wonders will deal with the Ethereal Mountain Sect. When that happens, just give me up."
Li Botao looked into the sky and sighed, "Mount Shu is already here. If we don’t cooperate, we are doomed."
"It’s either we capture the guys from the Celestial Sect of Wonders, or we perish ourselves. Everyone, we have no choice!"
Before he finished speaking, Li Botao received a message, "The Celestial Sect of Wonders is here!"