97: Chapter 97 The Stormy Deliberations Inside the Hall of White Bones

"Palace Master of Black Rock, I hope you have been well."

The Sect Leader of the Qiankun Gate, a tall and thin old Daoist with a stiff expression, sat on a chair polished from the leg bones of an unknown Yao Beast. Even with three layers of prayer mats beneath him, he still felt uneasy.

To his left and right, the Valley Master of Qingfeng Valley and the Sect Master of the Spirit Talisman Sect wore similar expressions; one had his eyes fixed on his nose and his nose on his heart, while the other lowered his head to study a plate on the table made from a complete skull that held spiritual fruits, his expression as focused as if he were contemplating some peerless Formation map.

The floor of this eerie and strange main hall of Black Rock Palace was covered in a layer of fine white sand that crunched underfoot; only upon closer inspection would one realize it was actually ground bone powder.

There were no lamps in the hall, only night-luminescent pearls embedded in the walls that emitted a faint green glow, casting a ghastly green hue over the faces of the three Righteous Path Sect Leaders.

"Hahahaha, three rare guests, rare guests indeed!" Atop the throne, the Palace Master of Black Rock Palace let out a piercing laugh.

He had a burly build and wore black robes, with his exposed skin covered in twisted demonic tattoos. His entire being radiated a fierce and violent aura.

"In the past, the three of you joined forces, wishing you could level my Black Rock Palace to the ground. Today, you come to my door of your own accord; the sun truly must be rising from the west."

The Sect Leader of the Qiankun Gate coughed dryly, enduring the faint scent of blood in the air as he got straight to the point: "Why does the Palace Master play dumb? That choice piece of meat in Qinghe Prefecture is something the three of us could consume, but we might not be able to do so peacefully. Since your Black Rock Palace has already received the news, I assume you are also unwilling to miss this feast."

"That is natural." The Palace Master of Black Rock Palace suppressed his laughter, his fingers lightly tapping the bone armrest. "After learning about the supreme-grade pills from the Zhenpin Pavilion, I also sent people to buy a few. Tsk tsk, the effects are indeed extraordinary. If we can control such resources, the strength of my Pingling Prefecture will surely surpass the surrounding prefectures within a hundred years."

The greed in his eyes was unconcealed as he then looked mockingly at the three below: "However, I am very curious. Why would you three leaders of famous righteous Sects associate yourselves with an evil and unorthodox person like me just for some profit? Aren't you afraid that if word gets out, you will be ridiculed by your peers in the Prefecture City?"

"Those on different paths cannot make plans together," the Sect Master of the Spirit Talisman Sect, a refined-looking middle-aged man, finally pulled his gaze away from the skull plate. "But those with common interests can travel together. As long as we can take down Qinghe Prefecture, the four of us will split it equally. As for reputation, that has always been written by the victors."

What a 'written by the victors' indeed!

The Palace Master of Black Rock Palace looked at the Sect Master of the Spirit Talisman Sect in surprise, then nodded approvingly, wasting no more words: "Good! Since the three of you are so sincere, I shall conspire with you on this matter. Share the intelligence sent from the Blazing Fire Sect with me."

The three Sect Masters nodded in unison. Since they had decided to cooperate against an external foe, it was naturally not good to hide things; as for what would happen after victory, that was another story.

"Among the five major Sects of Qinghe Prefecture, the Blazing Fire Sect is already our inside contact and is not a concern." The Sect Leader of the Qiankun Gate took a Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch and, with a slight release of spiritual power, a light screen unfolded in the center of the hall, showing the power distribution map of Qinghe Prefecture. "Of the remaining four Sects, the Tiangang Sect is the leader and the strongest. They have a total of four Golden Core True Persons: one Late Stage Golden Core, two Middle Stage Golden Cores, and one Early Stage Golden Core. Their strength cannot be underestimated."

"The other three Sects—Wanfa Pavilion, Qingxuan Sect, and Hundred Beasts Gate—each have three Golden Cores presiding over them. Altogether, that makes thirteen Golden Core Cultivators," the Valley Master of Qingfeng Valley added. "Meanwhile, our four Sects each have four Golden Cores, and plus the three from the Blazing Fire Sect, we have the advantage in total numbers."

"We have the advantage in numbers, but it is limited," the Palace Master of Black Rock Palace said coldly. "Don't forget, that is their territory. Once war breaks out, the Mountain-Protecting Formations of their various Sects are not to be trifled with. If we cannot end it quickly and instead fall into a war of attrition, we will be far from home with difficult logistics and will surely be defeated."

The hall fell into a brief silence; this was indeed the greatest problem.

How could they silently and unknowingly transport a massive allied army of Cultivators into the heart of Qinghe Prefecture, tens of thousands of miles away?

If they were to cross the Monster Beast Mountain Range with great fanfare, Qinghe Prefecture would likely receive the news and be ready and waiting before they were even halfway there.

"A frontal assault is a poor strategy." The Sect Master of the Spirit Talisman Sect's finger lightly traced the light screen map, finally pointing at a blank area deep within the Monster Beast Mountain Range.

"What we need is a surprise attack. A lightning strike that leaves them no time to react and no time to activate their Mountain-Protecting Formations."

"Even if we just attack one Sect first and destroy it with lightning speed, we won't need to fear them even if they unite later, given our strength."

"Easier said than done," the Palace Master of Black Rock Palace snorted again. "Is it possible you can lead tens of thousands of Cultivators and tunnel through the ground?"

Hearing this, the Sect Master of the Spirit Talisman Sect revealed a mysterious smile: "Tunneling through the ground is naturally unfeasible. But what if we appear directly by their side?"

"Hmm?" The other three Sect Masters looked at him simultaneously.

"My Spirit Talisman Sect possesses an ancient remnant Formation map called the Qiankun Shifting Formation," the Sect Master of the Spirit Talisman Sect said, shocking everyone. "This Formation can achieve long-distance, fixed-point teleportation. As long as a Receiving Sub-formation is set up in advance at the destination, an army of Cultivators can be teleported there silently."

"A teleportation Formation?" The Sect Leader of the Qiankun Gate's eyes lit up. "This method is excellent! It's just that the resources required to set up such a grand Formation are likely not small. And how should that Receiving Sub-formation be set up? It can't be built within the mountain gate of the Blazing Fire Sect; they have many Disciples, and there's no guarantee there aren't spies from other Sects. That would be like openly telling others there's a problem."

"The resources will be split equally among the four houses; that won't be an issue." The Sect Master of the Spirit Talisman Sect was full of confidence. "As for the location of the sub-Formation, wasn't it mentioned in the Blazing Fire Sect's intelligence? Their Sect's sphere of influence already extends deep into the Monster Beast Mountain Range. Finding a sufficiently hidden valley with abundant Spiritual Qi in the mountains, and having them responsible for clearing the area and providing cover to set up the sub-Formation, would be as easy as turning over one's hand."

This proposal instantly solved the biggest problem.

"Good!" The Palace Master of Black Rock Palace slapped the armrest, making the bone throne tremble. "We'll do it! I will personally contact the Blazing Fire Sect. As for the Formation Materials, the Spirit Talisman Sect may choose freely from the inventory of my Black Rock Palace. But I have only one requirement."

He looked around at the three of them, demonic light flashing in his eyes.

"Quick! It must be quick! I can no longer wait to taste the blood of those Qinghe Prefecture Cultivators and see what it truly tastes like!"

The Monster Beast Mountain Range, the border area between Qinghe Prefecture and Pingling Prefecture.

The mountains here were high and the forests dense, filled with miasma and rarely visited by humans.

Ordinary Cultivators would never go deep into this area without urgent business.

However, for the past half month, these mountain forests that had been silent for countless years had become anything but peaceful.

"Boss, it's been over half a month, and we haven't even seen a ghost. Do you think the higher-ups got it wrong? Do those scoundrels from the Blazing Fire Sect really have the guts to collude with forces from an outside prefecture?"

In a mountain hollow shielded by dense tree canopies, several Cultivators dressed as Loose Cultivators were chatting idly.