The elder’s eldest son, Ye Wei, who currently oversaw most of the daily affairs of the Jinzhou Ye Clan, silently stood by.

The Tang Imperial Court and the Blood River Sect had both been badly wounded, and this result alone perfectly aligned with the wishes of the Jinzhou Ye Clan.

However, the specifics of the process were somewhat unexpected.

Moreover, from another perspective, the direct descendants of the Sui Dynasty’s remnants also suffered heavy losses, which was not what the Jinzhou Ye Clan wanted to see.

They certainly had no intention of overthrowing the Tang to restore the Sui.

But this piece on the chessboard should have played a much larger role, and its current effect clearly had not reached expectations.

The White Lotus Sect definitely got what it wanted.

Someone had offered a price higher than Wei Ancheng.

Whatever the White Lotus Sect was willing to pay such a great price for must be significant. It was foreseeable that although they would now have the Blood River Sect as an enemy, they were very likely facing a key opportunity for development.

The problem now was, who caused all of this?

With the affairs of the Southern Wilderness and the battle at Sleeping Dragon Lake already settled, there was no need to dwell on it too much. But what about the future?

Would there be more transactions and cooperation between the White Lotus Sect and this party?

"Don’t rush to call Ye Liang and the others back yet," the elder finally said after a long time. "In matters of discretion, I trust Ye Liang can handle it."

Ye Wei responded, "Yes, Father."

The elder then asked, "Has there been movement in Suzhou?"

Ye Wei replied, "It has already begun."

The elder commented, "A bit hasty, perhaps, but not necessarily a bad thing."

Ye Wei tentatively asked, "Father, should we...?"

The elder shook his head. "There’s no need for us to get involved; just keep an eye on the changes in the situation."

Ye Wei affirmed, "Understood."

The elder stood up, walked to the window, and gazed outside. After a long pause, he finally spoke again, "Has the Crown Prince already left the capital?"

His train of thought seemed somewhat abrupt, changing subjects continuously.

Ye Wei remained respectful and earnest. "Yes, Father," he affirmed. "The Crown Prince has left the capital, but he is still within the borders of Zhongzhou."

The elder instructed, "Keep a close watch."

Ye Wei assured, "Yes, Father."

After a slight pause, he continued, "Father, Chengming has returned."

Lin Che, the current chief of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, was also known as Chengming.

"Elder Hongzhen has left Jiangzhou and returned to Qingzhou," Ye Wei added.

Hearing this, the elder nodded lightly.

Ye Ming and Ye Hongzhen were key figures in the Qingzhou Ye Clan.

Previously, when Lin Che and Lin Feng of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan went missing and Jiangzhou was vulnerable, Ye Ming, under the orders of the Qingzhou Ye Clan’s chief, Ye Yan, had rushed to Jiangzhou to help stabilize the situation.

Now that Lin Che had returned to Jiangzhou, Ye Ming left without delay.

As for the Qingzhou Ye Clan, they might not necessarily have been pleased with Lin Che’s safe return. However, given the current climate, they had other, more important plans and did not wish to complicate matters further.

With Lin Che’s return, the atmosphere between the Jiangzhou Lin Clan and the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion in Xinzhou became subtle once again.

The two had been entangled for over a millennium, with continuously accruing grudges; naturally, the dynamic would not change just over the comings and goings of the Li Clan.

In terms of time, their confrontations predated the Li Clan’s control over the Celestial Master Mansion.

In terms of space, the close proximity of their territories was the root cause of their enmity.

However, in the previous battle at Poyang Lake, it was the Jiangzhou Lin Clan that had suffered greater losses, which was why they had not dared to reignite the conflict lightly.

But now, with the large-scale battle that had previously erupted involving Li Wai of the Celestial Master’s Mansion, the situation had changed, especially with the return of Lin Che and no news from Xu Yuanzhen.

"Although the timing is precious and may pass in an instant, we still need to be cautious with Jiangzhou," the elder sighed. "I wonder how much Chengming’s style will change after his recent ordeal."

Lin Che, the current chief of the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, was already a figure of renown during the time of his clan brother, the former chief Lin Qun. While Lin Qun was seen as more decisive, Lin Che appeared steadier.

However, from the Jinzhou Ye Clan’s observations, Lin Che was actually quite similar to Lin Qun.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made a move against Xu Yuanzhen at the critical moment of the Poyang Lake battle.

"It seems likely that Chengming will be even more cautious," Ye Wei opined.

While they were conversing, a message suddenly arrived.

The elder calmly unfolded the paper and perused it, his expression undisturbed. After a moment, he handed it to his eldest son, Ye Wei, saying, "A message from Ye Liang in the Southern Wilderness."

After reading it, Ye Wei shook his head. "Even Yang Fei has fallen."

The latest news from the Southern Wilderness:

Yang Fei, the second son of the Sui Dynasty descendants’ main lineage, had been killed by Xiao Xueting.

With this, along with Yang Tai, the eldest son, whose death was previously reported though details were unknown, both accomplished sons of Yang Yuqi were now gone.

"We still haven’t confirmed who killed Yang Tai?" the elder asked, showing more interest in Yang Tai’s death compared to Yang Fei’s.

Ye Wei replied apologetically, "We still haven’t received accurate information. The current situation in the Southern Wilderness remains very chaotic."

「The Southern Wilderness is indeed in chaos.」

Some hearts were even more troubled.

The "Ghost King," Zonghan, the Holy Master of Golden City Stronghold, had retreated and evacuated from the sacred land of Yintuo Mountain.

His Ghost Tao lineage had also been a target of hatred, and previously, they had allied with the Blood River Sect.

Even though the current focus was more on the Blood River Sect and Wei Ancheng, Golden City Stronghold would eventually be held accountable.

Looking on the bright side, being a public enemy and facing encirclement was something Golden City Stronghold was quite accustomed to.

Now, with the Blood River Sect attracting the attention of others, they had more time to make arrangements leisurely.

The newly built sacred land had been left in ruins after being attacked by Wei Ancheng, and it was no great loss to abandon it now.

Compared to this, the loss of Gao Pu, an Elder of the Eighth Heavenly Layer who was loyal to Zonghan, was more regrettable to Zonghan, the chief of Golden City Stronghold.

Gao Pu had suffered a severe loss of strength when he lost his powerful Evil Soul and Walking Corpses.

If it were only that, Gao Pu’s cultivation level would still protect him from ordinary threats from the Upper Three Heavens. But he had first been severely injured by the Expelling Invaders Halberd wielded by Shangguan Yunbo, and then pursued by Xiao Xueting.

Lacking his powerful Evil Soul, his Walking Corpses, and already gravely injured, this Elder of Golden City Stronghold unfortunately became a stepping stone for Xiao Xueting, who was renowned for his sword that shocked the Southern Wilderness. Xiao, with his Seventh Heavenly Layer cultivation, overcame and cut down Gao Pu, an Eighth Heavenly Layer Great Witch.

Zonghan could only temporarily note this debt and lead the remaining disciples of Golden City Stronghold into hiding for now.

The cultivators of Yintuo Mountain, under the leadership of Holy Master Hu Hengyuan, launched a pursuit against the cultivators of Golden City Stronghold, but it was more symbolic than anything.

Hu Hengyuan’s mood was even more complicated than Zonghan’s.

Realistically speaking, his earlier estimation for this battle was a long deadlock, even slightly leaning towards a victory for the Blood River Sect.

As long as Yang Yuqi and those gathered around him—like Xiong Gang, Yuan Shanji, and Gao Pu—did not sabotage Wei Ancheng from within, Wei, as the present number one master of the Southern Wilderness, would always have the upper hand.

Moreover, Hu Hengyuan knew that Wei Ancheng had the White Lotus Sect as a backup.

Some within Yintuo Mountain, like Tian Linlong, were cozying up to Wei Ancheng. Hu Hengyuan turned a blind eye to this, having already made arrangements.

But what Hu Hengyuan truly hadn’t expected was that even when Yang Yuqi and the others didn’t sabotage Wei Ancheng and even participated in the battle, the Blood River Sect still lost.

The White Lotus Sect was indeed a backup, but it turned out to be their opponent’s backup.

Moreover, the tacit understanding between Samsara Abyss and Gepo Mountain in advancing and retreating together exceeded the expectations of many, including both Wei Ancheng and Hu Hengyuan.

Wei Ancheng seemed domineering; his emergence from seclusion carried the aura of wanting to sweep across the Southern Wilderness and unify the Witchcraft Sects. But his selection of targets had its own methodology.

It seemed he was hunting Gao Pu and took the opportunity to attack Golden City Stronghold’s gates. But even without the incident of Gao Pu causing trouble at Great Southern Mountain’s Chaoyang Peak, Golden City Stronghold would still have been Wei Ancheng’s first target.

The reason was simple: like the Blood River Sect, Golden City Stronghold had no allies. Subjugating it first wouldn’t easily stir up common enmity from other members of the Witchcraft Sects.

The principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" is simple enough to state, but when it comes to a crisis, the speed of one’s reaction could directly determine a different outcome.

Wei Ancheng’s second target seemed to be the Worm Arts Sacred Land of Yintuo Mountain, but in reality, he chose the Divine Dance lineage’s Sacred Land, Gepo Mountain.

On one hand, Hu Hengyuan himself admitted he was more inclined to preserve Yintuo Mountain and had no intention of fighting to the death with the Blood River Sect.

On the other hand, Gepo Mountain’s stronghold was the most secure, and luring Sang Lu out would be more advantageous than a direct assault on the mountain.

It should be said that Wei Ancheng’s plan had almost succeeded, but Holy Master Feng Gui of Samsara Abyss arrived faster than expected.

After the battle at Sleeping Dragon Lake, Sang Lu was severely injured, while Feng Gui remained in good condition.

At this moment, Hu Hengyuan was paying more attention to the movements of Feng Gui and Samsara Abyss than ever before.

「"From the looks of it, the Southern Wilderness will continue to be in chaos for some time," Lei Jun remarked on the way back to the mountain, his tone sounding more like he was gossiping.」

Yuan Mobai then said, "Great Tang is also not peaceful."

Lei Jun turned to look at his master.

Yuan Mobai said, "I just received news that Tianlong Temple has been attacked by the Great Void Temple, a renegade group from the Buddhist Sect."

Lei Jun remarked, "In just a few years, the Great Void Temple is about to challenge all Four Sacred Grounds of the Buddhist Sect in turn."

First, Bodhi Temple had its Ancestral Courtyard destroyed by the Great Void Temple.

Then, Vajra Temple, while welcoming back its new Abbot, was ambushed by a joint force of the White Lotus Sect and the Great Void Temple, suffering heavy losses.

Now, the Great Void Temple had targeted Tianlong Temple, the third Sacred Ground of the Buddhist Sect.

It truly fulfilled their doctrine: destruction is the norm of the world; as long as life goes on, the fight continues.

However, when they initially attacked Bodhi Temple, the temple itself was vulnerable.

The ambush on Vajra Temple was conducted with the help of the White Lotus Sect.

Now, facing Tianlong Temple was a clear-cut, head-on confrontation.

"It may be another test for the Tang Imperial Court," Yuan Mobai stated.

The great battle in the Southern Wilderness saw both Wei Ancheng and Yang Yuqi suffer losses.

The Tang Imperial Court was also caught up and its attention divided.

Shangguan Peng was killed, Shangguan Yunbo was injured, and the Expelling Invaders Halberd was tainted and needed purification and recuperation.

Xiao Xueting and some of the Shangguan Clan’s top masters were still stranded in the Southern Wilderness.

The Great Void Temple might have had a tough fight with Tianlong Temple, but Tianlong Temple also lacked support at the moment.

"The Suzhou Chu Clan, and perhaps also the Qingzhou Ye Clan," Lei Jun speculated.

Yuan Mobai stated, "Our Sect must also be vigilant at this time."

Lei Jun replied, "I understand."

Fortunately, there was no current turmoil near Dragon Tiger Mountain, and Lei Jun and his master returned to the Celestial Master Mansion without issue.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Wang Guiyuan, who had left the mountain earlier, had not yet returned.

Lei Jun asked in surprise, "Was he kidnapped?"

His junior disciple, Chu Kun, replied with a wry smile, "Not at all. Not long ago, other disciples saw Senior Brother outside the mountain. He sent a message back through someone, saying he expects to stay out for a while longer."

Yuan Mobai smiled. "It’s rare for Wang Guiyuan to be active after a long period of calm; it’s a good thing. As long as he stays safe, let him be. I trust Wang Guiyuan has his own sense of discretion."

Wang Guiyuan was active after a period of tranquility.

Yuan Mobai, after running around for a while, planned to meet with Celestial Master Tang Xiaotang to explain his experiences in the Southern Wilderness, and then go into seclusion for some time.

"Young Martial Uncle, rest assured in your cultivation," Celestial Master Tang waved her hand. "We’ll handle the rest."

Hearing this, Yuan Mobai’s smile faded slightly. "Is there trouble on the mountain?"

Lei Jun also looked over.

Tang Xiaotang said nonchalantly, "Nothing majorly urgent."

Indeed, compared to the previous visit of the Empress, it truly didn’t count as a major issue.

As to whether it was urgent...

The Crown Prince of the current Great Tang Dynasty, with special permission from his aunt, the Empress, was venturing out of the capital for the first time in his life.

At the moment, the Eastern Palace’s carriage had already arrived at another Sacred Land of the Taoist Sect, the Pure Yang Palace.

A visit to the Longhu Mountain Celestial Master’s Mansion was also part of the Crown Prince’s planned journey.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com