Meanwhile, on Mount Song, Shengguan Peak.
Atop the towering peak, pavilions and towers stood, resembling a heavenly palace.
One could only imagine the immense amount of wealth, resources, and manpower it took to build this, but for the prosperous Mount Song Sect, it was nothing to be concerned about.
Zuo Leng Chan was indeed an ambitious man, but he was also incredibly talented.
After the Five Mountains Sword Sect and the Demon Cult's Ten Elders clashed at Mount Huashan, both sides suffered heavy losses. Mount Song was naturally left with a broken shell. Zuo Leng Chan ascended to the position of Sect Master during that time, collected various fragmented sword techniques, created new sword manuals, and used them to vigorously develop the sect, allowing Mount Song to rise to prominence.
He even created the Ice-Cold True Qi, successfully reaching the Super-First-Class realm, making him no weaker than the previous Demon Cult leader, Ren Wo Xing.
Later, the Sword and Qi factions of Mount Huashan fought amongst themselves, leading to the sect's decline. Mount Song then took over the mantle of the Five Mountains Alliance Leader, soaring even further, becoming the strongest of the Five Mountains Sword Sects.
If not for the three great mountains of Shaolin, Wudang, and the Sun Moon Sect, Mount Song would have already vied for the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader.
However, this did not stop Zuo Leng Chan's ambitions. Unifying the martial world was merely a small goal for him.
At this moment, Lu Bai, one of the Thirteen Tai Bao, known as the Crane-Claw Hand, rushed into the practice room. Seeing Sect Master Zuo Leng Chan still practicing, he dared not interrupt and could only wait patiently.
Fortunately, Zuo Leng Chan ended his practice and asked, "Junior brother, what has happened?"
Lu Bai quickly reported, "Senior brother, do you remember Yue Buqun killing the Demon Cult Elder and Grandmaster in Huayin County a while back? Due to this, the Demon Cult sent another Elder and two Grandmasters to trouble Mount Huashan, but they were killed by Yue Buqun. Now, the Demon Cult has taken action, sending numerous people from various sects and factions to Huayin County to gather information on Mount Huashan. It is estimated that they will launch a full-scale attack on Mount Huashan soon!"
“Oh? This has quite an impact.”
A hint of a smile flashed across Zuo Leng Chan's serious face. “Yue Buqun has always been very cautious, and we've been struggling to figure out how to test him. This time, the Demon Cult’s actions are perfect. We can secretly help them and see how strong Yue Buqun really is. Of course, if he accidentally dies at the hands of the Demon Cult, as the Five Mountains Alliance Leader, our Mount Song Sect will naturally support his young disciple to become the new Sect Master.”
Lu Bai also grinned mischievously. “Yue Buqun’s eldest disciple is only eighteen this year. He’s at most a Third-Class fighter, easy to handle. Maybe Mount Huashan will even be destroyed this time. Then, our people can completely establish a new Mount Huashan!”
Zuo Leng Chan nodded slightly.
Mount Song was growing increasingly powerful, but it was far from enough.
Being constrained by Shaolin and Wudang, they needed to achieve the Five Mountains Merging. Only with the combined strength of the five sects could they suppress Shaolin and Wudang.
However, achieving the Five Mountains Merging wasn't so simple. The other four sects would never agree. To achieve his goal, he had to be ruthless. Since Mount Huashan was in a crisis, he might as well use them as an example. This would be a warning to the other sects. If they still refused to submit after seeing Mount Huashan's fate, then they shouldn't blame Zuo Leng Chan for being cruel.
“Senior brother, what should we do?” Lu Bai eagerly asked.
“Don’t rush. The Demon Cult is gathering information, so let's provide them with some.”
Zuo Leng Chan’s smile turned cold. “It’s best to have our people take advantage of the chaos and kill a few more Mount Huashan disciples. That will completely sever their line of succession, leaving them with nothing but a handful of young, inexperienced members. I don't think Yue Buqun can hold on for long!”
Lu Bai immediately accepted the order. “Senior brother, don’t worry, I know what to do!”
He then retreated to make his arrangements.
A few days later, Huayin County.
Twenty people dressed in plain monk and nun robes arrived at the county gates. The leading nun, an older woman, maintained a serious expression, resembling an angry Bodhisattva.
Lian Cheng and Linghu Chong quickly rushed forward and bowed. "Mount Huashan disciples Linghu Chong/Lian Cheng pay our respects to Master Ding Yi, and to all of you, the Hengshan sisters. With Mount Huashan facing danger, Hengshan generously came to our aid. We are deeply grateful!”
“Oh? Why did Mount Huashan only send you two young ones?”
Master Ding Yi was puzzled but not angry. This was simply her nature. “Where is Yue Buqun? And where is your mistress?”
Lian Cheng hastily said, "Master, there are many eyes and ears in this place. Please follow me. You’ve come a long way, you should rest first. We will explain the situation in detail later.”
Master Ding Yi didn’t object and followed Lian Cheng and the others into the city.
Lian Cheng arranged a clean inn for them and immediately ordered vegetarian dishes. People traveled all this way to help, they couldn’t be inhospitable.
After Master Ding Yi had tea and calmed down, Lian Cheng began to speak.
“Master Ding Yi, my master is currently in a crucial seclusion and cannot easily be disturbed. My mistress must stay at the sect. The oldest of my younger siblings is only ten years old. If my mistress isn’t there, it would cause chaos. Currently, only my senior brother and I are capable enough within Mount Huashan. But Master, don’t underestimate us.
To be honest, the First-Class Demon Cult Elder was killed by me, while the two Second-Class Grandmasters, fat and thin, were taken out by my senior brother.”
Oh? Master Ding Yi was surprised.
She carefully observed the two of them, discovering that these young kids were already at the Second-Class realm. They could be called geniuses, indeed.
However, saying that they killed the Second-Class Demon Cult Grandmasters seemed plausible, but killing the First-Class Demon Cult Elder felt like bragging.
“Kid, don’t be so boastful!” Master Ding Yi glared.
“Master, you don’t believe me?”
Lian Cheng wasn’t surprised. “Master, my master is the Gentleman Sword, and the disciples he trains would never speak without thinking. Moreover, I’m sure you understand what kind of person my mistress is. With Mount Huashan in such danger, if my senior brother and I weren’t strong enough, how could my mistress allow us to leave the mountain? This is a matter of life and death, we wouldn’t dare to joke!”
After hearing this, Master Ding Yi couldn’t refute.
She doubted their strength, but if Ning Zhong Ze truly sent two powerless kids to handle this crisis, it would be too ridiculous.
Therefore, she could only choose to believe them.
However, Master Ding Yi pointed at Linghu Chong and asked, "I remember he’s the eldest disciple of Mount Huashan, and he seems to be eighteen or nineteen years old. Why isn’t he speaking, but you’re the one dealing with me? You’re probably not even fifteen, right?"
Hearing this, Linghu Chong awkwardly scratched his head.
In reality, Linghu Chong was afraid of Master Ding Yi.
Master Ding Yi hated evil and had a fiery temper. If you angered her, the best case scenario would be a scolding, the worst case would be a slap.
In the original story, because Yi Lin disappeared, Master Ding Yi learned about her involvement with Linghu Chong. She directly went to confront him and slapped Lao Denuo twice, scaring the other Mount Huashan disciples into silence.