The death of two immortals in a short time was a shocking event that had many unforeseen consequences. There was plenty of anger, confusion, intrigue, and fear to go around. The entire eastern front of the subcontinent quickly underwent huge changes even if these could not be observed from the outside.The other sects in the Monster Fighting Compet.i.tion rejoiced at the death or disappearance of Fen Ziping, Long Yifei, and many other powerful compet.i.tors. Overnight, at least ten or so sports opened up in the top one hundred for them to fight over. Both Glacier Palace and Divine Blazing Mountain were large sects with long histories but now that they were out of the compet.i.tion, the smaller sects and weaker immortals finally had a shot.
Red Bamboo Province also underwent a huge change. The eastward offensive was called off and all ground regained during it was immediately abandoned. Without the two sects, there wasn"t enough manpower to stabilize the frontlines and many mercenaries and loose cultivators abandoned the province in favor of other, less dangerous ones.
Thus, Crystal Bamboo City was vastly different when two powerful cultivators arrived at the gates, riding a pair of impressive stallions. The guards let them through, before tightly shutting the gates.
"Master, the situation is as bad as you predicted. I did not expect it, the monsters have even reached the outskirts of the city." The younger man stated.
His master snorted, "It just means more points for you. Otherwise, how will you be able to catch up to that Wu Qianyu girl?"
"… I will double my efforts, master."
The pair rode in silence through the streets but eventually the disciple could not help but speak up again. "Master, look. The streets and shops are almost empty now. It"s really sad to see all the commoners gone. How long will this monster invasion last?"
"Don"t let your sword heart be distracted!" The elderly master chided.
"Sorry..."
The pair eventually arrived at the center and entered the city hall. There, they were greeted by an elegantly dressed man who blocked their way. His age was ambiguous but it was clear he took care of his handsome appearance. He had a soft white face with a well-groomed goatee and brown slicked back hair. His eyes were sharp and alert and filled with an dangerous light.
"Immortal Desolate Sword Peng Yuefeng and Lonely Hero Peng Xiling, welcome to city hall." The man then turned and glared at Peng Yuefeng, "You… are late."
Peng Yuefeng grunted in displeasure as he sensed his opponent"s immortal aura. "Who the h.e.l.l are you?"
"Immortal Gallant Lotus Duan Yuzhu. I am the personal attendant of Immortal Gentle Lotus!" The man said arrogantly.
"Another boy toy of the old witch. Peh!"
"You dare!"
Their immortal auras instantly exploded against each other. The bystanders backed away quickly, trying to not get involved in a p.i.s.sing contest between the two. Neither men backed down but they were quickly overwhelmed by an even more oppressive aura.
"Boys, boys!" A woman"s voice reverberated around the entrance hall, "Calm down, we have a meeting!"
"Yes mistress!" Duan Yuzhu called out to the ceiling and disappeared up the stairs.
Cowed by the power of the Spirit King, Peng Yuefeng left his disciple and quickly followed.
Meanwhile, in the private meeting room in question, Chen Wentian was sitting at a large table along with Gong Liyun. On the table was a large map depicting the entire battlefield of the nine provinces and the situation in each with regards to the monster invasion. Within a few seconds, the last two members joined the table and the discussion finally started.
Gong Liyun"s aim was to stabilize the the sector with respect to Cloudy Mountain Province and Red Bamboo Province. Loss of two immortals was a huge deal, even for her. She couldn"t lose face to Huang Wuji and this was why she had brought one of her immortals from her home. She didn"t want to but just Peng Yuefeng and Chen Wentian wasn"t enough firepower.
"Thus, Duan Yuzhu will be my deputy. He will work with me to organize a new defensive plan." She explained, "I expect you three to work together!"
"Yeah… no." Chen Wentian muttered while Peng Yuefeng simply scoffed.
Duan Yuzhu also had a dangerous expression on his face as he stared unblinkingly at Chen Wentian, as if he was a life-long enemy.
"Boys!" Gong Liyun cried in exasperation. "Fine… you two, what are your plans then?"
"I"ve moved all my disciples to Cloudy Mountain Province and I"ll handle that province myself." Chen Wentian said, "You all can do whatever you want in Red Bamboo, just leave me out of it."
"Good, I agree!" Peng Yuefeng said quickly.
This was exactly what he wanted to hear. It meant less compet.i.tion for points in Red Bamboo where there were way more monsters. Two spots in the top ten were now open and up for grabs and Peng Yuefeng was eyeing them greedily.
He was under huge pressure due to the regretful bet he made with Chen Wentian. It was looking more and more like his best disciple would lose out to Wu Qianyu. But Peng Yuefeng could use this opportunity to elevate another disciple into the top ten. That way, he could argue that the end result was a draw.
Gong Liyun stared at Chen Wentian and Peng Yuefeng, as if trying to read their thoughts. She eventually sighed and sat back in her chair, "Let"s just go with that. Duan Yuzhu, I will have to trouble you with supporting Red Bamboo."
"Mistress, you can count of me!"
With that, the meeting adjourned and Peng Yuefeng quickly left. Chen Wentian also got up to leave but Gong Liyun stopped him.
"Wentian, I have a gift for you." She said sweetly and dropped an old tome into his hands. "I saw you were looking around for this at central."
"… Thanks." Chen Wentian muttered, surprised that it was indeed the book he wanted.
"Will you owe me one again?" She asked, batting her eye lashes at him.
"Not a chance." He rejected her.
Duan Yuzhu"s jealous eyes followed Chen Wentian until he finally disappeared.
"Mistress, what"s so good about him? He rejects you so harshly yet you treat him so well." He complained, "Forget about him, I will always be by your side!"
"Yu Lang," Gong Liyun said affectionately, "Don"t worry about him, he absolutely does not compare to you, my amazing man."
"Really?" He was dazed by her smile, just like always.
Gong Liyun stood up and held out a hand, "Yu Lang, come here. Remind me how amazing you are!"
Duan Yuzhu excitedly rushed forward and took her hand. The pair then disappeared to the bedroom, clothes were shed without regard, and it was obvious what their relations.h.i.+p was…
---
Chen Wentian grunted in disgust as sensed the energetic activities of the two. He resolutely destroyed the offending shadow anchor and quickly left the city.
Once he was far enough away, he landed in a remote place and studied the book gifted to him. It was simply called "Staying Immortal" but it was a very important and hard-to-find book within the Immortal a.s.sociation"s library. The contents delved into the basics of cultivating after becoming a Spirit Lord. It was nothing compared to actually getting a master at the higher realms but it was better than nothing.
The Immortal a.s.sociation was truly a bunch of bloodsucking old farts. He tried and failed to borrow it multiple times. First was the borrowing cost which was an astronomical five kilograms of orange spiritual crystal. He didn"t have that kind of wealth at first but once he had, he found that the book was permanently on loan and had a perpetual waiting list. They refused to make copies of the book and others couldn"t make copies either. Gong Liyun really helped him out this time and he had to owe her a favor once again.
Chen Wentian shook his head and focused on the book, slowly absorbing the knowledge within.