151: Chapter 151 A Loose Plate

The Sect Master spoke.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand."

"It is not about following the orders of my Qinglan Sword Sect, but rather following the orders jointly agreed upon by our four Sects."

"To elect a commander-in-chief for unified deployment."

The Elderly Sect Master of Jinyang Sect sneered.

"Easier said than done."

"Once the fighting truly begins, who will be at the front and who will be at the back? Who will lead the charge and who will guard the rear?"

"Won't all of this depend on that 'commander-in-chief'?"

"When the time comes, won't the Disciples of my Jinyang Sect just become cannon fodder for your Qinglan Sword Sect?"

"Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken..."

"Mistaken? How so?"

That aged voice interrupted him.

"My Jinyang Sect has stood for three thousand years, and we have never taken orders from anyone."

"If you want to fight, we can join forces; but if you want to give orders, I'm afraid I cannot comply."

Li Changsheng paused slightly, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The Elder Matriarch Pavilion Master of Qingxin Pavilion slowly spoke.

"This old woman feels that unified deployment is necessary."

"The Blood Fiend Sect is numerous and powerful; if we each fight our own battles, it will be easy for them to break us one by one."

"However, the words 'following orders' are indeed inappropriate."

"How about this: each of our four Sects provides one person to form a Council to discuss and decide on major matters together."

"During wartime, actions will be decided by each Sect individually, and we only need to coordinate with each other."

The Sect Master was silent for a moment before saying,

"The Pavilion Master's words are indeed a middle-ground strategy."

The Elderly Sect Master of Jinyang Sect snorted.

"What middle ground?"

"Isn't it still everyone fighting their own way?"

"Coordinate? How do we coordinate?"

"If my Jinyang Sect's people have already charged in while your Qinglan Sword Sect's people haven't arrived yet, is that what you call coordination?"

The Valley Master of Medicine King Valley spoke then, his voice gentle.

"Fellow Daoists, why don't we calm down first and plan carefully..."

"Calm down?"

The Elderly Sect Master of Jinyang Sect said.

"I am perfectly calm. It's just that some people want to take advantage of the chaos to reap benefits."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Li Changsheng didn't dare listen any longer and quickened his pace toward the side hall.

After handing the medicinal herbs to the people at the Alchemy Room, he walked out of the side hall just in time to see the doors of the main hall open, with several guests filing out.

Walking at the very front was the Elderly Sect Master of Jinyang Sect.

His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was gaunt, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's; right now, his face was dark as he strode away without a word.

Following closely behind was the Elder Matriarch Pavilion Master of Qingxin Pavilion.

Her hair was silver, and she leaned on a Dragon-headed cane, her expression calm and unreadable.

As she passed Li Changsheng, her gaze shifted slightly, lingering on him for a brief moment before she looked away and continued forward.

The last to come out was the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley.

His face was lean and his temperament refined, but there was a hint of helplessness between his brows.

A Disciple of Medicine King Valley followed beside him, whispering.

"Valley Master, are we really going to fight the Blood Fiend Sect?"

The Valley Master sighed and didn't answer, simply waving his hand as he led the Disciple away.

Li Changsheng stood there, watching the three departing figures, an indescribable emotion rising in his heart.

They didn't look like allies.

They looked more like... strangers who were wary of each other.

He thought back to the words he had just heard.

He remembered the Elderly Sect Master of Jinyang Sect's "cannon fodder for your Qinglan Sword Sect," the Elder Matriarch Pavilion Master of Qingxin Pavilion's middle-ground strategy, and the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley's helpless sigh.

Is this the Righteous Path?

For the first time, he felt a sense of doubt toward the words "Righteous Path."

After returning to the Hundred Herb Garden, he sat by the Spirit Tea Tree and didn't move for a long time.

Those words were still echoing in his mind.

"If you want to give orders, I'm afraid I cannot comply."

"Just a middle-ground strategy."

"Plan carefully..."

He suddenly thought of Zhou Yuan.

The stubborn, cold, yet determined Zhou Yuan who had fought to the death to destroy the altar.

He was a Disciple of the Jinyang Sect, his friend, and a hero who died at the hands of the Blood Fiend Sect.

Was his death not worth those high-and-mighty Sect Masters putting aside their prejudices and truly joining forces?

He didn't know.

He only knew that this world was more complicated than he had imagined.

The next day, news arrived.

The Valley Master of Medicine King Valley refused to take the initiative to join the war.

Under pressure from several Golden Core Elders within Medicine King Valley, he finally reluctantly agreed to "decide based on the situation."

"Decide based on the situation."

Li Changsheng chewed on those four words, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"What situation are they waiting for?"

"Wait until the Blood Fiend Sect hits their doorstep before deciding?"

He stood up, walked to the Spirit Tea Tree, and gently stroked the trunk.

The tea tree was silent, its leaves swaying gently in the wind.

He took a deep breath and turned back into the house.

No matter what, he had to reach Foundation Establishment first.

Only by becoming stronger could he protect himself and those around him in the coming storm.

As for how those Sect Masters argued and fought, he couldn't control it, nor did he want to.

He only wanted to guard his own small patch of land.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.

He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to regulate his breathing.

The disturbance outside the Council Hall was like a pebble thrown into a lake; the ripples it caused gradually dissipated.

But for Li Changsheng, that pebble had sunk to the bottom of his heart.

The Righteous Path was not a monolith.

He had heard this sentence before, but he had never truly understood it.

Now that he had seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears, he understood the weight behind it.

But he had no time for extra thoughts.

The situation was becoming increasingly tense.

The news from the border became more urgent by the day, and the atmosphere within the Sect grew more solemn.

Some of the Qi Refining Stage Disciples were urgently deployed to reinforce defenses, some were sent to collect supplies, and some began patrolling day and night.

Li Changsheng was not assigned any tasks.

His task was Foundation Establishment.

That night, he went to the Mission Hall.

Deputy Hall Master Wu was slightly taken aback when he saw him.

"Li Changsheng? What are you doing here so late?"

Li Changsheng placed his identity token on the counter and said,

"Exchanging for the eligibility to use the Shelter Platform."

Deputy Hall Master Wu took the token and scanned it with his Divine Sense. Seeing the figure of nearly sixty thousand contribution points, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"You've saved enough?"

he asked.

Li Changsheng nodded.

Deputy Hall Master Wu looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said,

"Do you know the current situation?"

Li Changsheng nodded.

Deputy Hall Master Wu continued,

"Do you know that if Foundation Establishment fails, your strength might be compromised, and it could take a long time to recover?"

Li Changsheng nodded again.

Deputy Hall Master Wu sighed and stamped the document.

"Three days from now, at the hour of Chen. The Shelter Platform. Don't be late."

Li Changsheng took the document, put it away, and turned to leave.

Behind him, Deputy Hall Master Wu's voice came.

"Come back alive."

Li Changsheng's footsteps paused for a moment, but he did not look back.

Three days passed in a flash.

During these three days, Li Changsheng did not Cultivate but simply sat quietly by the Spirit Tea Tree to clear his mind and nourish his spirit.

He thought about many things.

He thought of his relatives in Qinghe Town, of those who had died, of Zhou Yuan's final gaze, of True Lord Xuan Yun's entrustment, of Liu Qingchen's help, and of Lin Jingyun's wine.

He also thought of himself.

From Qinghe Town to the Qinglan Sword Sect, from the General Affairs Hall to the Hundred Herb Garden, from Qi Refining Level 1 to Qi Refining Level 9 Peak.

Along this journey, he had experienced too much and lost too much.

But regardless, he had made it to this day.

On the morning of the third day, he rose, changed into a clean set of robes, and walked toward the Main Peak.

Li Changqing, Shi Tiezhu, and Li Xiaocao all came to see him off.

"Brother Changsheng, you must succeed!"

Li Xiaocao pulled at his sleeve, her eyes red.

Li Changsheng rubbed her head and said softly,

"I will."

Shi Tiezhu grinned and said,

"Brother Changsheng, once you succeed in Foundation Establishment, let's have a good drink together!"

Li Changqing didn't speak, but simply looked at him, her eyes full of trust.

Li Changsheng nodded to them, turned, and strode away.