Chapter 1356: Mediation

In the Fire Pig Sea, an island shaped like a golden full moon was enveloped by a light golden barrier. Golden Moon Island is the headquarters of the Golden Saber Sect.

The Fire Pig Sea is home to five major powers: the Golden Saber Sect, Fire Cloud Island, the Seven Flames Sect, Golden Mirror Island, and the Thousand Cloud Sect. Golden Mirror Island was the most recently established, but Reclusive Golden Mirror, a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator, allowed it to secure a place among the top five.

The Golden Saber Sect is an established power in the Fire Pig Sea, having suffered no significant losses during the war between humans and demons. Reverend Golden Saber, an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, possesses a puppet beast crafted from the skeleton of a fourth-tier flood dragon, whose power rivals that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

Over a year ago, a major battle erupted between the Golden Saber Sect and Fire Cloud Island. The supposed reason was the death of the Golden Saber Sect's deputy leader, allegedly at the hands of Fire Cloud Island cultivators. Initially, Reverend Golden Saber did not believe these claims. However, his subordinates suddenly engaged in combat, and by the time Reverend Golden Saber received the news, the situation had already spiraled out of control, with both the Golden Saber Sect cultivators and the Liu family cultivators fighting ferociously.

Inside a palace of golden bricks and glazed tiles, a square, gold-lacquered plaque bore three large silver characters: "Golden Saber Hall."

Inside the hall, Reverend Golden Saber and Reclusive Golden Moon sat on the main seats, their expressions grave.

A dignified-looking middle-aged man was reporting the dire situation to them. What had begun as a conflict between the Golden Saber Sect and the Liu family had now escalated, with four major powers besieging the Golden Saber Sect's headquarters. If they mishandled it, the Golden Saber Sect faced annihilation.

"Master, Uncle-Master Song, all the disciples we sent for help have been killed, their heads displayed outside. Even if other powers learn of this, they might not be willing to come to our aid."

The middle-aged man spoke with a bitter expression. The four major powers had been besieging them for two months. Although the Golden Saber Sect had fought back fiercely and Reverend Golden Saber had personally intervened, injuring a Nascent Soul cultivator, this had only barely allowed them to fend off the attacks.

The four major powers were currently maintaining their siege without launching a full assault. With no reinforcements and confined to Golden Moon Island, the Golden Saber Sect disciples gradually lost their fighting spirit, and morale plummeted. The Golden Saber Sect lacked the courage to provoke them proactively.

"I understand. You may withdraw for now." Reverend Golden Saber waved his hand, instructing him.

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

"Senior Brother Sun, the four powers from Fire Cloud Island are coming with full force. I doubt we can get through this. Perhaps we should hand over that fourth-tier flood dragon skeleton?" Reclusive Golden Moon said with a frown. By now, it was clear to them that someone coveted the fourth-tier flood dragon skeleton in Reverend Golden Saber's possession and had set up this elaborate scheme against the Golden Saber Sect.

The numerous frictions between the Liu family and the Golden Saber Sect had provided the perfect opportunity for their enemies to exploit.

"No! If we hand it over, we'll be like fish on a chopping block, truly putting our lives in the hands of our enemies." Reverend Golden Saber refused immediately, his attitude unyielding. "What a joke! He had gone to great lengths to obtain a fourth-tier flood dragon skeleton; was he just supposed to hand it over? The Golden Saber Sect's ability to hold out for several months was largely due to this puppet beast."

If not for the apprehension of the other Nascent Soul cultivators, they would have swarmed him long ago.

Just then, a tremendous roar was heard, and a piercing saber clang emanated from Reverend Golden Saber's embrace.

"Alas, whether it's fortune or calamity, it cannot be avoided. They've started attacking our headquarters again. Let's go! Let's go out and see. If things truly go south, I'll just have to wound one of them again." Reverend Golden Saber sighed and flew out, with Reclusive Golden Moon following close behind.

Outside Golden Moon Island, four enormous white cloud masses hovered in mid-air, carrying hundreds of cultivators. Four Nascent Soul cultivators led them: Liu Xinchao, Reclusive Golden Mirror, True Monarch Golden Flame, and Immortal Thousand Clouds. While Reclusive Golden Mirror was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, the other three were all early-stage.

They all cast spells, attacking Golden Moon Island. Various spells, as if free of charge, relentlessly bombarded the Golden Saber Sect's protective formation, causing it to tremble violently.

"Everyone, push harder! The Golden Saber Sect won't last much longer." Reclusive Golden Mirror shouted loudly. This entire battle was his scheme; annihilating the Golden Saber Sect would be ideal, but if not, obtaining the fourth-tier flood dragon skeleton would still be a good outcome.

Liu Xinchao and the other two also realized there was something amiss with this battle. However, they had already allied to confront the Golden Saber Sect, and in the initial stages of the conflict, they had plundered vast amounts of wealth, filling their coffers. Faced with such immense gains, who schemed against the Golden Saber Sect was temporarily unimportant; destroying the Golden Saber Sect was the immediate priority. There was no concrete evidence regarding this matter. Fire Cloud Island suspected the other three powers were behind it, while the other three powers suspected Fire Cloud Island was deliberately causing trouble.

A golden light flashed, and over a hundred golden saber auras, each more than a hundred zhang long, shot out from within the golden barrier, slashing directly towards Liu Xinchao and the other three.

Reclusive Golden Mirror flipped his palm, and an ancient-looking golden mirror appeared in his hand. He shone it towards the void, and a large swath of golden orbs shot out, colliding with the incoming golden saber auras.

Boom!

After a series of rumbling sounds, the golden saber auras and golden orbs nullified each other, disappearing from sight.

Reverend Golden Saber and Reclusive Golden Moon flew out, their expressions indifferent.

"How about it, Fellow Daoist Sun? Have you made up your mind? We don't want to make things difficult for you. Just honestly hand over that fourth-tier flood dragon skeleton, and compensate us with a sum of cultivation resources, and we will withdraw our forces." Reclusive Golden Mirror narrowed his eyes and gazed at Reverend Golden Saber with a smile.

"Hmph! You kill our Golden Saber Sect disciples, occupy our territory, and then demand that I hand over the fourth-tier flood dragon skeleton and compensate you with cultivation resources before you'll withdraw? You underestimate our Golden Saber Sect too much! If you want to fight, then fight! At worst, we'll all be destroyed together." Reverend Golden Saber said coldly, his face filled with murderous intent. The more arrogant his enemies were, the less he could back down.

"Then there's nothing more to say," Reclusive Golden Mirror sneered. "I was just looking forward to experiencing Fellow Daoist Sun's divine abilities." If he had the chance, he wouldn't mind slaying Reverend Golden Saber, for at that point, the Golden Saber Sect would undoubtedly be annihilated.

Reverend Golden Saber's expression grew solemn. He glanced at Liu Xinchao and the other two, seeing their indifferent expressions, and thought to himself, "This is bad. They've probably reached an agreement and are going to get serious now. This is troublesome." If Reclusive Golden Mirror and the other three were in agreement, then they were in trouble. Although it was ostensibly a spar, Reclusive Golden Mirror was very likely to strike a fatal blow against Reverend Golden Saber.

"What a lively place! Am I arriving at an opportune moment?" A somewhat indifferent male voice suddenly rang out, followed by a deafening dragon roar, as a white light appeared on the distant horizon.

"It's the Wang family from Qinglian Island!" In the nearby sea regions, only the Wang family possessed a third-tier flood dragon, and only the Wang family dared to involve themselves in such a bustling affair.

Reverend Golden Saber and Reclusive Golden Moon's expressions grew even uglier. If they had harbored a glimmer of hope before, the arrival of the Wang family completely crushed it.

Not long after, a white flood dragon over fifty zhang long appeared in their sight, with Wang Qingshan and more than fifty other cultivators standing on its back.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, Fellow Daoist Sun, long time no see." Wang Qingshan smiled as he greeted Liu Xinchao and Reverend Golden Saber, his tone relaxed.

The Wang family wanted to mediate this war, but first, they needed the support of Fire Cloud Island.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, what are you doing here? We've been working so hard for so long, and now you want to come and reap the benefits?" Reclusive Golden Mirror said with a frown. It was clear the Golden Saber Sect couldn't hold out much longer, and with the Wang family getting involved at this moment, it was obvious they were trying to take advantage.