224: rebellion

"Sect Master, some of the Families and cities under our management want to join other powers!"

Li Haotian had just returned to the Sect with Crimson when he heard these words, and an expression of anger involuntarily appeared on his face.

Subordinates came to report that all those Families and cities within their usual sphere of influence had chosen to defect.

When it came time to pay tribute, they did not hand over a single cent of tax; instead, they gave these taxes to other Sects and powers, as if they had already become subordinates to those other Sects.

The location of the Heavenly Profound Sect was extremely prosperous, and even the surrounding large provinces were rich in Spiritual Qi, nurturing many of the top hundred powers.

These powers were all extremely cautious; when the Heavenly Profound Sect was strong, they avoided its edge, and no conflict occurred at all. Now that it had weakened, they immediately pounced, wanting to tear a piece of flesh from this former hegemon.

The towns and cities located in the more peripheral areas of the Heavenly Profound Sect had one after another defected to other powers.

There were many reasons for this, but the biggest reason was undoubtedly that the current Heavenly Profound Sect had declined in the eyes of everyone.

After all, these powers had only chosen to become subordinates of the Heavenly Profound Sect for the sake of benefit. Under the Heavenly Profound Sect, they could protect their own interests, but now that the Heavenly Profound Sect had become so weak, they naturally had to seek a more powerful Revered Master.

As long as another Sect was slightly stronger, offered them better treatment, and required less tax, they would immediately defect to that power.

【System detected a rebellion among subordinate powers. Please find a way to resolve it and re-establish prestige. Reward: Spiritual Qi concentration within the Heavenly Profound Sect territory × 3, Spiritual Qi concentration within the Heavenly Profound Sect grounds × 10】

The System's announcement echoed in his mind, and Li Haotian's expression immediately changed in surprise.

The level of Spiritual Qi concentration had always determined a Cultivator's cultivation speed and the height they could reach in their future cultivation.

The place where the Heavenly Profound Sect was located was already the place with the most concentrated Spiritual Qi in the world, and even compared to the other Ten Great Powers, it was no less inferior.

If the Spiritual Qi concentration could be increased, the cultivation speed of the Sect's Cultivators would naturally increase as well.

A tenfold increase in Spiritual Qi concentration was equivalent to obtaining one hundred units of Spiritual Qi with a single breath; after a tenfold increase, one could directly obtain one thousand units of Spiritual Qi with a single breath.

In the same amount of time, efficiency could be increased by a full ten times; even someone with poor talent would likely be able to ascend to the Saint realm!

With such a level of Spiritual Qi, the future of the Heavenly Profound Sect would be bright.

"Interesting, interesting. Strike the Sect war drums 99 times; immediately summon all Chiefs to my deliberation hall for a meeting!"

Li Haotian turned and left in anger, followed by Crimson and 12 Peak Great Emperor Realm Experts; they could already feel the rage radiating from Li Haotian.

Soon, 107 Chiefs stood in the hall.

Li Haotian's gaze swept across the crowd, and a flash of helplessness crossed his heart. If only there were a time when he could summon his Revered Master.

Immortal Master Wushang had always been very kind to him; the other party had died in the battle to defend the Heavenly Realm—a hero.

Calming his emotions slightly, Li Haotian quickly issued battle orders.

"Everyone, lead the Disciples above the Golden Core realm to leave the Sect and head towards those defecting powers. Each peak's Chief will lead the team!"

"If they also have a Saint presiding, then have a Heavenly Monarch Powerhouse lead the team. Either reclaim those powers and brand them with the slave mark forever, or make them disappear from this world entirely!"

Li Haotian's words were resonant and powerful. All the Powerhouses of the Heavenly Profound Sect revealed Battle Intent in their eyes. They thought their Sect would never recover after suffering such a great disaster, yet they never expected to have so many Powerhouses now.

It was even more terrifying than the Heavenly Profound Sect's most prosperous period. Since those powers chose to defect during a time of crisis, there was a high probability that they had no loyalty to speak of toward the Heavenly Profound Sect.

Whether branding them with the slave mark or wiping them out directly, it was all reasonable and justifiable.

Soon, at the order, the Sect mobilized nearly forty percent of its current Disciples.

All Powerhouses above the Golden Core realm stepped onto the Spirit Boats.

Li Haotian watched everything before him quietly, his expression extremely indifferent. His 4 Disciples were all in seclusion cultivating; he did not want to disturb them, as he would need them for the upcoming Grand Competition between powers.

What needed to be done now was to resolve all these traitors.

Hundreds of war boats flew out from the Heavenly Profound Sect, heading towards the various borders.

On board, every team was led by a Saint Powerhouse; the weakest among the current 108 Peak Chiefs of the Sect was at the Early Stage of the Saint realm!

Ninety-nine war drum beats were struck, and the thunderous sound of drums echoed in the sky, lingering for a long time.

This large drum was an Earth Rank Magic Treasure of the Heavenly Profound Sect, usually standing in the Sect's plaza.

Once struck, it meant that the Heavenly Profound Sect was declaring war.

The drum sound contained surging Spiritual Qi and spread throughout the world; the surrounding large provinces could all hear this soul-shaking war drum sound.

The Heavenly Profound Sect mobilized so many Powerhouses with great fanfare all at once in order to suppress this rebellion with thunderous means.

Li Haotian was well aware that there were more powers watching to see whether this rebellion would have a result. If they handled it improperly or revealed any indifferent attitude, those neutral and swaying powers would also have a high probability of defecting.

If he could use thunderous means to reclaim or exterminate this first batch of small powers that dared to defect to other powers, he could naturally deter those others who had ulterior motives.

Such a major event had occurred in the Sect; if there was no stable environment, it would be even harder to develop.

Li Haotian personally saw off the Sect's Disciples, continuously striking the large drum with Spiritual Qi.

At this moment, those defecting Families far away at the border were stunned after hearing the drum sound, and then fear immediately appeared in their eyes.

"Quick! Immediately notify the main Sect; the Heavenly Profound Sect seems to be about to take action against us. They have beaten the war drums!"

"Our Zhang Family must not continue to linger among these declining Ten Great Powers. We must rely on a more powerful faction so that we can go further. Immediately contact all clansmen, forbid them from going out, and notify our main Sect to send troops to protect us!"

"Ziyun City will not decline, and we will absolutely not bow our heads. The fall of the Heavenly Profound Sect is the best opportunity for our rise. For those powers sending messages for help, we will immediately send troops to support them!"

As soon as the war drums sounded, all the surrounding powers began to take action.

Soon, fierce battles began to erupt, and Qin Tianfeng led the Disciples under his command to directly wipe out four powers in a row.

These four powers were all former subordinates; the strongest among them were only at the Soul Transformation or Nascent Soul realm, and they were relatively close to the Sect, so they were wiped out in the first wave.