Chapter 2692

The Five Saints Mountain Range serves as the headquarters of the Five Saints Sect, where countless venomous insects, poisonous beasts, and a wide array of toxic plants and herbs thrive. It is well-known that most disciples of the Five Saints Sect primarily cultivate poisonous arts.

In the northeastern part of the Five Saints Mountain Range stands a towering, completely black peak. Numerous Jade Miasma Flowers grow on this mountain. A flight of azure stone steps winds from the foot of the mountain to its summit, leading to a vast estate constructed with blue bricks and red tiles. Within the estate, pavilions, towers, gardens, and long corridors are present, and many black spiders can be seen.

In a six-sided black stone pavilion, a tall, slender young man in black and a stick-thin old man in red robes were seated, sipping tea and chatting. The young man in black was missing his left arm, and his complexion was poor, clearly indicating an injury.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, thank you very much," the young man in black expressed his gratitude. "With your Profound Green Sect's Jade Essence Pills, I will certainly recover faster."

The old man in red robes was named Sun Feng. He was from the Profound Green Sect, currently at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, and highly trusted by Qin Yufeng, the sect master of the Profound Green Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you are too polite," Sun Feng replied. "You are also working for our Profound Green Sect, and my master is very fond of Jade Soul Crystals. A few bottles of Jade Essence Pills are nothing." Sun Feng's tone was warm, and it was clear from his words that he had a good relationship with the young man in black.

"It's a pity that Senior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Li, and Junior Sister Zhao all died at the hands of the Lizard Race," the young man in black sighed, a look of regret on his face. "The Lizard Race's stealth techniques are incredibly powerful, making them impossible to guard against."

Sun Feng nodded. "The Lizard Race's stealth techniques are indeed formidable. Speaking of which, in my early years, I descended to the lower realms to eliminate the Blood Shadow Race, and they also possessed powerful stealth techniques. However, the Blood Shadow Race is on the Profound Light Continent, while the Lizard Race is on the Profound Spirit Continent, so there's no way to compare them directly."

"Fellow Daoist Sun is truly a top disciple of the Profound Green Sect," the young man in black flattered, a fawning expression on his face. "Even the Blood Shadow Race was no match for you."

As Void Refinement realm cultivators, Sun Feng was an elite disciple of the Profound Green Sect. Even if not among the most core disciples, he was immeasurably stronger than the young man in black.

"You can't say that," Sun Feng said sternly. "The senior brother leading the team died at the hands of the Blood Shadow Race; they are not weak." If the Blood Shadow Race were too weak, wouldn't that diminish his own achievements?

The young man in black nodded, then took out a black spiritual compass from his robe. He struck a hand seal into it, and his brow furrowed deeply. "Fellow Daoist Sun, we've encountered trouble," he said, his face filled with worry. "And it seems we'll need your intervention."

"What is it?" Sun Feng asked.

"Our affiliated force, the Qian family, has provoked the Wang family of Qinglian Island," the young man in black explained truthfully. "The Wang family claims the Qian family killed their core disciples and has united several forces to attack the Qian family. It seems they want to annihilate them. The Wang family is truly going too far."

"The Wang family of Qinglian Island!" Sun Feng's expression darkened. When he was clearing out the Blood Shadow Race in the lower realms, a lower realm cultivator named Wang Qingshan had assisted him, even slaying a Blood Shadow Race member at the Nascent Soul stage. The Blood Shadow Race possessed Creation Divine Water, and Wang Qingshan had only handed over a portion of it. Sun Feng believed Wang Qingshan still possessed more. Out of respect for True Monarch Taiyang, Sun Feng didn't press Wang Qingshan further and allowed him to leave.

After returning to the Profound Sun Realm, Sun Feng handed over the Creation Divine Water, earning praise from Qin Yufeng. After advancing to the Void Refinement realm, he heard news of Wang Qingshan. Wang Qingshan was from the Wang family of Qinglian Island, an affiliated cultivation family of Zhenhai Palace. This was not good news, as he had previously "extorted" Wang Qingshan in the lower realms (though he considered it Wang Qingshan willingly surrendering treasures, not extortion).

"Indeed!" the young man in black said, frowning. "They attacked without any prior indication. The Qian family originally wanted to negotiate, prioritizing peace."

"The Wang family is targeting the Qian family," Sun Feng said meaningfully. "The Qian family's hands aren't clean, are they?" Sun Feng said meaningfully, "True Monarch Taihao has already advanced to the Integration stage. A new official always makes an example, and the Wang family intends to use the Qian family to establish their authority. If the Qian family's hands were truly clean, the Wang family wouldn't have found such an excuse."

"The Qian family's hands are indeed not clean," the young man in black said with a fawning smile. "But cultivation is inherently a struggle against heaven, and it's normal for juniors to have some disputes. Even if not for the monk's sake, at least for the Buddha's, for the Wang family to want to annihilate the Qian family is truly excessive. They are completely disregarding our Profound Green Sect."

"Hmph, stop trying to fool me," Sun Feng said, his tone calm. "This matter has nothing to do with our Profound Green Sect. However, you are right about one thing: 'Even if not for the monk's sake, at least for the Buddha's.' The Qian family is an affiliated force of your Five Saints Sect, and they shouldn't be bullied. If they're attacked, they should retaliate. As long as it doesn't escalate into an all-out war, then it's fine." Sun Feng's tone was calm; losing some Void Refinement cultivators was nothing as long as it wasn't an all-out war.

With these words, the young man in black felt relieved. He struck a hand seal into his communication disk, gestured for a moment, and said, "Sect Master Senior Brother, it's not our style to take a beating without fighting back. Fellow Daoist Sun also agrees that as long as things don't get too out of hand, then it's fine."

"Alright, I understand," a deep male voice replied from the communication disk.

At Qinggang Market, pedestrians hurried along the streets, their expressions panicked. Qinggang Market was established by the Wang family. With the Wang, Ji, Ning, and Qian families clashing, there was a chance Qinggang Market would suffer as well.

In a vast estate, Wang Yimiao was reporting to Wang Lihe. "We have already taken over fifty percent of the Qian family's territory," Wang Yimiao reported truthfully. "The Qian family has fully withdrawn its forces, abandoning multiple strongholds. However, they haven't given up two market towns yet."

The Wang family first issued a huge reward, creating momentum to inform various forces about the killing of a Wang family disciple. They then slowly guided public opinion to place the blame squarely on the Qian family. After all, the Qian family had indeed killed a Wang family disciple before, just not Wang Chuanfeng. Wang Chuanfeng's death was somewhat peculiar. There were no eyewitnesses, his body couldn't be found, and the treasures he used never reappeared on the market. This time, the Wang family aimed to use the Qian family to establish their authority, like a lion fighting a rabbit with its full strength. If they could annihilate the Qian family, that would be best. If not, they still aimed to seize the medium-sized spirit stone mine and the fifth-tier metal ore vein.

"Has the Qian family not sought assistance from other forces?" Wang Lihe asked, puzzled.

"The Qian family has sent many family members to seek aid," Wang Yimiao reported. "But currently, no forces have responded. The Qian family's in-laws or allies are all waiting and watching." The Wang family's intention to establish authority using the Qian family was obvious to any clear-sighted individual. The Wang family had an Integration stage cultivator, and with a "mind your own business" attitude prevalent, none of the Qian family's in-laws or allies provided support, to avoid being dealt with by the Wang family as well.

Just then, Wang Yuanjiang walked in, his expression grave. "Old Ancestor Lihe," he said, "the Five Saints Sect has sent people to assist them. The stronghold we just captured is under attack by Five Saints Sect disciples. Their Void Refinement cultivators haven't made a move yet."

"If their Void Refinement cultivators don't act, neither will ours," Wang Lihe instructed. "Have Lihe and the others keep an eye on the Five Saints Sect's Void Refinement cultivators. It will be soldier against soldier, general against general."

"Yes, Old Ancestor Lihe," Wang Yuanjiang responded, then departed to carry out the order.