272: Chapter 272 Colluding with the Demonic Path

As the Sect Master of a Sect, Murong Xiao thought that Fan Lang's sudden invitation was likely to discuss how to divide Red Copper Mountain.

He sat down and said bluntly, "Fan Lang, if you have something to say, just say it. If you want Red Copper Mountain, don't even think about it. After all, that place is an Ancient Battlefield; there isn't anything useful there!"

Fan Lang gave a faint smile. "Fellow Daoist Murong, you've misunderstood. I invited you here this time to talk about the Qingyun Sect and the Frost Moon Sect."

"You want to form an alliance with me?" Murong Xiao questioned.

Fan Lang shook his head. "Do you think, given our cultivation levels, we need to form an alliance to oppose them?"

As a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator facing two Golden Core Early Stage Cultivators, he had nothing to fear—unless they were willing to abandon their Sects and fight to the death.

"Then why did you call me here? Stop being so secretive; I don't have time to play riddles with you!"

Fan Lang let out a faint laugh before saying, "Sect Master Murong, the entire Canggu Realm is filled with Sects of all sizes, but only our four Sects are squeezed into this peripheral area. The distribution of resources is simply not enough."

"Above us, those Nascent Soul old demons are pressing down, collecting who knows how much tribute every hundred years, while our four Sects always follow the path of balance and restriction. Don't you find it frustrating?"

Hearing this, Murong Xiao's brow furrowed even tighter, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the stone table, making dull thudding sounds.

Though he had a hot temper, he was no fool. Fan Lang's words poked at the frustration that had been building up in his heart for a century.

The Canggu Realm was vast. The top-tier Great Sects occupied the fertile lands of the Central Province, where Spiritual Veins, Mineral Veins, and Heaven And Earth Treasures were countless, while their four Sects were huddled here on the fringes of the mortal world.

Those small Sects didn't understand; they thought the four Sects were the entirety of the Canggu Realm, just like frogs in a well.

Their four Sects usually fought tooth and nail for territory the size of a palm, and they still had to regularly pay tribute to the Nascent Soul forces above them. Most of the resources they worked so hard to save ended up in the pockets of others; no one could swallow such a lifestyle.

"So what if it's frustrating?"

Murong Xiao snorted coldly, his tone carrying a hint of resentment and helplessness.

"The balance of the four Sects is the rule on the edge of the Canggu Realm. If we break the rules, not only will the Nascent Soul old monsters above not let us off, but the Qingyun Sect and Frost Moon Sect will also be the first to jump out and bite us."

Fan Lang picked up the Spiritual Tea on the table and took a light sip. Amidst the swirling tea fragrance, the smile in his eyes gradually faded.

In its place was a cold, sharp edge. "Rules have always been set by the strong. Among the four Sects now, you and I are both in the Golden Core Middle Stage. Our cultivation steadily suppresses the Golden Core Early Stage masters of the Qingyun and Frost Moon Sects. This is our confidence to break the deadlock."

"Balance and restriction?"

"That's just a facade used by the weak for self-preservation. If we join forces, why would we ever need to look at others' faces again?"

Murong Xiao's body jolted, and he suddenly looked up at Fan Lang, his gaze as sharp as a blade. "You want to swallow the Qingyun Sect and the Frost Moon Sect? Fan Lang, what a massive appetite you have!"

"If we really make a move and the two Sects fight back desperately, our two Sects will also suffer great damage to our Origin Qi. At that time, the one who will reap the spoils will be the Xuanyou Sect!"

At this point, Murong Xiao flicked his sleeve and said, "Moreover, what you want is for one Sect to be dominant. Could it be that you want to be the leader? That is simply wishful thinking; I will be the first to forbid it!"

"True, your Ganglei Sect is indeed the strongest among our four Sects in terms of Sect power. If we were to integrate into one Sect, you would indeed have priority."

Fan Lang put down his teacup and spoke in a low voice.

Hearing this, the anger in Murong Xiao's eyes receded slightly, replaced by a bit of pride. "Of course. I'll take those words of yours as a joke. Don't say such appalling things again in the future."

"Is that so, Fellow Daoist Murong? But these are truly words from the bottom of my heart!" Fan Lang's tone suddenly shifted.

Before Murong Xiao could even process the meaning behind Fan Lang's words...

A bone-chilling black Qi suddenly rose from the dense forest to the west of the tea pavilion. Amidst the roiling black Qi, a figure dressed in black robes with a sinister face walked out slowly. It was none other than the Xuanyou Sect's Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator, Xuan Yin.

He was surrounded by Yin Qi, his ten fingers as thin as withered wood, and three clusters of eerie green ghost fire circled his palms. His sickly face wore a somewhat friendly smile.

"The two Sect Masters are having quite a conversation. Hearing it, I, Xuan Yin, couldn't help but want to come and catch up with you both."

"Xuan Yin! Why are you here!" Lightning immediately surged over Murong Xiao's body. Then, in a flash of realization...

"Fan Lang?! Your Lingxiao Sect has actually colluded with the Xuanyou Sect!"

Murong Xiao's pupils constricted as he instantly realized this was a Hongmen Banquet. With a roar, his spiritual power surged violently, and he swung the heaven-shaking hammer with one hand. The lightning runes on it flickered, emitting a piercing crackle of thunder.

"Scoundrels, you dare to set a trap to harm me? Today, I'll let you taste the power of my heaven-shaking hammer!"

Before he had even finished speaking, Murong Xiao struck first. The heaven-shaking hammer, carrying the force of ten thousand catties, smashed toward Fan Lang. Everywhere the wind from the hammer passed, the air was torn apart, making explosive sounds.

The power of a Golden Core Middle Stage Physical Body combined with hammer techniques was incredibly fierce; ordinary Golden Core Cultivators wouldn't dare to take it head-on.

Fan Lang's figure retreated rapidly. With a cold snort, he flipped his hands, and two long sabers, completely crimson with blades glinting coldly, instantly unsheathed and hovered by his sides.

This pair of zhen blades were treasures of the Lingxiao Sect. The blades were inscribed with Spirit-breaking Runes, and when swung, they could shatter an enemy's spiritual power shield and target weaknesses.

"In a one-on-one fight, you and I are equally matched, but today, you are fighting two against one!"

Two afterimages of the zhen blades shot through the air, accurately parrying the heaven-shaking hammer's assault.

With a loud "Clang," the sound of clashing metal was deafening. Fan Lang was shaken until his blood and Qi surged, and he took three steps back before steadying himself.

He thought to himself: Murong Xiao's physical strength is indeed formidable. It would be extremely difficult to slay him in a single combat; fortunately, I have Xuan Yin to join forces with.

Taking advantage of the gap while Fan Lang restrained Murong Xiao, Xuan Yin formed hand seals and chanted an obscure incantation, causing the Three Yin Qi around him to surge.

He shouted, "Three Yin Spirit Devouring, Corpse Puppet appear!" The ground split open with a boom, and a pitch-black corpse puppet covered in scales with a head resembling a Dragon burst out from the earth.

The corpse puppet's eyes were hollow, and its body emitted a foul-smelling Yin Qi. Its arms swung with immense tearing force as it lunged straight for Murong Xiao's back.

This Dragon-Head Corpse Puppet had been refined by Xuan Yin over a hundred years. It was invulnerable to blades and spears and could even absorb the spiritual power of living beings. In conjunction with the Three Yin Spirit Devouring Art, it was incredibly difficult to deal with.

Attacked from both front and back, Murong Xiao didn't dare to be careless. Roaring, he turned his heaven-shaking hammer and smashed it into the Dragon-Head Corpse Puppet, sending it stumbling back. Even the lightning, which specialized in attacking evil entities, failed to crush it.

At the same time, Fan Lang seized the opening. His zhen blades performed a Lingxiao Sect ultimate technique, the saber light flashing like lightning as it targeted Murong Xiao's major acupoints with every lethal strike.

Due to the suddenness of the attack, Murong Xiao was also in a very disheveled state. He questioned Fan Lang in disbelief.

"Why have you colluded with the Xuanyou Sect? Don't you know they are of the Demonic Path! Fan Lang, you must be insane!"

Fan Lang's saber momentum didn't decrease in the slightest. The crimson saber light made the air sizzle as it slashed. Upon hearing this, he actually burst into wild laughter.

His laughter was full of mockery and resolve. "Insane? Murong Xiao, you're the fool who's been driven mad by these bullshit rules!"

He flicked his wrist, and a Vibrating Saber slid along the handle of the heaven-shaking hammer. The sharp Saber Qi nearly sliced through the web of Murong Xiao's thumb, forcing the latter to hastily withdraw his hammer to block, his footsteps staggering back half a pace.

Xuan Yin took the opportunity to control the Dragon-Head Corpse Puppet to pounce. The ghost fire at the tips of his withered fingers flared as he aimed straight for the major acupoints in Murong Xiao's chest. The frigid spiritual power spread through the air, causing the stone table and stone stools to instantly be covered in a layer of white frost.

Murong Xiao's eyes widened with rage. The lightning runes on his body flared, and pale purple lightning coiled around him, forming a thick Lightning Shield that forced him to endure the corpse puppet's claws and the ghost fire's invasion.

The lightning crackled, burning the black Qi around the corpse puppet until it sizzled and dissipated, but it also caused his spiritual power consumption to increase sharply, making his chest feel tight.

"Demonic Path Cultivators harm living beings and Cultivate evil arts; they are not tolerated by the Righteous Path of the Canggu Realm!"

"Your Lingxiao Sect is a Righteous Path Sect. By colluding with the Xuanyou Sect, aren't you afraid of being despised by those old monsters and ending up with your Sect destroyed and your people dead?"