Chapter 711: War Begins

Wang Changsheng and Wang Qingshan exchanged glances and walked towards the shelves.

To be honest, they hadn't expected to eliminate the Purple Cloud Pavilion's Core Formation cultivators so smoothly. However, they knew it wouldn't be easy to take advantage of the Zhang family. As the saying goes, "He who takes gifts is in debt," and after this battle, the Wang family was essentially tied to the Zhang family's warship. Unless the Wang family ceased development in the Red Moon Sea, they would have to follow the Zhang family's lead.

They could only choose three items, and it seemed most appropriate to select magic treasures.

There weren't many magic treasures, only twelve in total. Wang Changsheng glanced around and noticed most were offensive magic treasures, with only two defensive ones, and their quality wasn't high.

Wang Changsheng wandered along the shelves. Before long, he stopped, his gaze falling upon a green brocade box. A seal and a silver talisman were affixed to the box. The seal bore the three characters "Red Dust Bamboo." Red Dust Bamboo is a relatively rare spiritual bamboo, ranked seventy-seventh on the Heaven and Earth Strange Wood List, and is a top-tier material for refining sound-based magic treasures. Wang Changsheng opened the brocade box and took out a two-foot-long section of multicolored spiritual bamboo, which shimmered with shifting light. Judging by its age, this section of Red Dust Bamboo was at least eight hundred years old. Wang Ruyan cultivated sound-based techniques, and refining this Red Dust Bamboo into a flute-type magic treasure would certainly enhance her strength. Wang Changsheng put away the Red Dust Bamboo and continued browsing. Besides the Red Dust Bamboo, he also selected a bottle of third-tier Spirit Nurturing Pills and a piece of Thunder Tin Stone. Spirit Nurturing Pills are third-tier elixirs that increase the chances of spiritual beasts and insects advancing their cultivation; a single bottle costs over a hundred thousand spirit stones. Thunder Tin Stone is a material used for setting up third-tier lightning-attribute formations, which Ye Lin could use. The Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada had devoured a ghost king but hadn't yet advanced to the third tier. Wang Changsheng had asked Wang Qingling, who also had no good solution, but Spirit Nurturing Pills might be useful for the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada.

Wang Qingshan also picked three items: a green shield, the core of a mid-grade third-tier Ice Moon Moth, and a hide from a high-grade third-tier Sea Ox Beast. The green shield was a defensive magic treasure, and Wang Qingshan didn't yet possess one. The beast hide could be used to refine two fire-attribute magic treasures. As for the Ice Moon Moth, Wang Ruyan raised a pair of Azure-Eyed Silkworms, which could evolve into moths, and the Ice Moon Moth's core should help the Azure-Eyed Silkworms advance.

Lu Qin chose an offensive and a defensive magic treasure. Everyone had gained something and benefited greatly.

"Fellow Daoists, we'll rest for a few days, then head to Misty Sea Island and take it," Zhang Zhiyang said gravely, his tone stern.

"Misty Sea Island? Fellow Daoist Zhang, what do you mean by this? Misty Sea Island is a branch of the Whale Gate Sect. If the Whale Gate Sect holds us accountable, we can't bear the consequences." Lu Qin frowned, her eyes filled with apprehension when she mentioned the Whale Gate Sect. Having destroyed the Purple Cloud Pavilion, the Whale Gate Sect would at most send other affiliated forces to deal with them. Attacking a branch of the Whale Gate Sect was tantamount to provoking them, and the consequences would be unbearable. The Whale Gate Sect, with a legacy spanning over a thousand years, was a long-standing Nascent Soul force in the Red Moon Sea, controlling over two thousand islands and possessing immense power.

"Did you think we came all this way just to deal with the Purple Cloud Pavilion? If we merely wanted to destroy Purple Cloud Pavilion, we could have done it ourselves. Why would we need you? This time, our Zhang family is allied with the Sea Mist Sect. We intend to eliminate the Whale Gate Sect, which is a great opportunity to expand our territory. Our ancestor said that any force or individual who makes a significant contribution will be handsomely rewarded." Zhang Zhiqin looked somewhat excited. The Whale Gate Sect controlled over two thousand islands; even if they split them equally, it would significantly boost the Zhang family's power.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, it's said that the Whale Gate Sect has several Nascent Soul cultivators. Can your Zhang family and the Sea Mist Sect truly destroy the Whale Gate Sect? If this is just a minor skirmish to seize a few islands, we'll be the ones to suffer the misfortune," Wang Changsheng said with a frown. If the Zhang family and Sea Mist Sect could indeed destroy the Whale Gate Sect, Wang Changsheng would naturally be willing to help. However, if a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Whale Gate Sect escaped, it would be an unbearable disaster for any forces involved in attacking them.

"At this point, I might as well tell you frankly: two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Whale Gate Sect died in the Heavenly Void Grotto-heaven. This is absolutely true. Our ancestor has already led forces to attack the Whale Gate Sect. This is the optimal time to destroy them. If we truly intended to deceive you, we wouldn't have come in person; we would have simply sent two revered elders with you. If we can't destroy the Whale Gate Sect, they'll target our Zhang family anyway."

"Very well, if that's the case, I, Wang, will accompany you two Fellow Daoists on this journey." Wang Changsheng hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Fortune favors the bold. This time, the Zhang family and Sea Mist Sect's joint effort to destroy the Whale Gate Sect might be an opportunity for the Wang family. If they failed to destroy the Whale Gate Sect, at worst, Wang Changsheng could lead the prominent members of his clan away from the Red Moon Sea and develop in the Coral Sea. A single sea region spans tens of millions of miles, and there are dozens of sea regions in the South Sea. Accommodating one Wang family would not be difficult.

Since Wang Changsheng had agreed, Lu Qin naturally couldn't refuse and reluctantly consented. Zhang Zhiyang had already spoken to this extent; if Lu Qin refused again, Zhang Zhiyang might not let her off lightly.

Zhang Zhiyang nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Good. Fellow Daoists, rest assured, our Zhang family will absolutely not mistreat our own."

Purple Cloud Peak was the most spiritually abundant island on Purple Cloud Isle. Wang Changsheng and Wang Qingshan temporarily resided on Purple Cloud Peak, while Wang Qingjun and others stayed elsewhere.

That night, Purple Cloud Pavilion initiated a purge. Any disciples close to Ye Yunhai were executed without mercy, while those who supported the Zhang family and Zhao Yang were immediately promoted. Some preferred death over submission to the Zhang family and were killed on the spot. After killing more than fifty Purple Cloud Pavilion disciples, Zhao Yang successfully became the Pavilion Master.

Three days later, Zhang Zhiyang and his four companions, along with over three hundred low-tier cultivators, departed Purple Cloud Isle for Misty Sea Island. Misty Sea Island was quite far from Purple Cloud Pavilion. Wang Changsheng's group all disguised themselves as Purple Cloud Pavilion cultivators. Along the way, they encountered many Zhang family forces, who were attacking the Whale Gate Sect's affiliated powers. It appeared the Zhang family was serious. Misty Sea Island was a branch of the Whale Gate Sect, and it contained a third-tier metal ore vein. The cultivators defending Misty Sea Island were all Whale Gate Sect disciples, making an inside-outside attack impossible; they could only launch a direct assault. Misty Sea Island was heavily fortified, surrounded by numerous small islands within a thousand-mile radius. Over three hundred low-tier cultivators were tasked with clearing out the peripheral forces, while Core Formation cultivators like Wang Changsheng were responsible for directly assaulting Misty Sea Island.

Over half a month later, they arrived at Misty Sea Island, which was deserted. All the cultivators stationed there had withdrawn, though the metal ore vein remained. It seemed the Whale Gate Sect cultivators defending Misty Sea Island had detected an anomaly and retreated beforehand. Misty Sea Island was a medium-sized island with a third-tier spiritual vein, rich in spiritual energy. All the buildings were intact, indicating that the Whale Gate Sect disciples had departed in an orderly fashion, rather than fleeing due to a powerful enemy attack.