Sect Master’s Immortal Journey

Niu Dawei did not outright reject the goodwill of Beast King Mountain. Instead, he expressed concern, fearing that there might be casualties among the cultivators of Beast King Mountain during the upcoming battle.

Qiu Mingze first thanked Niu Dawei for his concern, then casually mentioned that some of Beast King Mountain's Gold Core Daoist Masters were traveling nearby in the Demon Wind Gobi. They had heard about the impending invasion of Demon Wind Gobi's demonic beasts into the Human Clan's territory and were filled with anger, developing a shared animosity toward the invaders. They were willing to lend a hand and help Taiyi Sect resist the invasion of the demonic beasts.

Qiu Mingze's words made Niu Dawei internally vigilant. It seemed that Beast King Mountain had planned this move in advance. It was too coincidental that their Gold Core Daoist Masters happened to be in the vicinity of Demon Wind Gobi when such a significant event was unfolding.

Although Niu Dawei was unsure of Beast King Mountain's intentions, he believed that they would not side with the demonic beasts or the Sea Clan. If Beast King Mountain were to collude with the demonic beasts or harm Taiyi Sect secretly, neither the Azure Origin Sect nor the Jade Sword Sect would spare them.

Beast King Mountain and Taiyi Sect had no past grievances, nor did they have any conflicts. If there were no enormous benefits involved, Beast King Mountain would not risk a confrontation with Jin Li True Monarch and take any actions against Taiyi Sect.

Niu Dawei speculated that Beast King Mountain had long coveted the numerous demonic beasts in Demon Wind Gobi. With their strength, it wouldn't be challenging for them to monitor the situation deep within the Demon Wind Gobi and discover any major changes that occurred there.

As Taiyi Sect was the landlord of Demon Wind Gobi, it would be difficult for Beast King Mountain to take significant actions there without passing through Taiyi Sect, considering the rules of Jiuqu League and the general rules of the Cultivation World.

Beast King Mountain's proactive visit was likely aimed at joining forces with Taiyi Sect to combat the demonic beasts and gather more demonic beast resources, perhaps even taming some powerful demonic beasts.

Although Niu Dawei inferred that Beast King Mountain did not harbor malicious intent toward Taiyi Sect, he refrained from giving an immediate answer. He asked Qiu Mingze to wait a little longer as he needed to consult other elders in the sect.

Qiu Mingze showed no impatience and patiently waited for Niu Dawei's decision.

Niu Dawei gathered the other three Gold Core Daoist Masters of the sect - Hu Jing, Wen Qiansun, and Yang Xueyi - to discuss the situation and his conjectures. The group generally agreed with Niu Dawei's assessment that it would be challenging for Taiyi Sect to refuse Beast King Mountain's request for help.

Hu Jing, who had expertise in Beast Controlling techniques, had some reservations as she had planned to use the opportunity to tame potential powerful demonic beasts, increasing Taiyi Sect's strength. However, the presence of Beast King Mountain cultivators vying for the same resources posed a challenge to her plans.

After the discussion, Niu Dawei intentionally delayed meeting with Qiu Mingze to buy some time. With the sect's preparations underway, they dispatched a team of Taiyi Sect cultivators led by Niu Dawei and Wen Qiansun on a Third Rank transportation flying boat toward their western base.

In a location about two thousand miles west of the Hundred Grass Slope, there was a Second Rank spirit vein with a mountain slope called Yellow Clay Slope. This place was relatively close to the territory of the demonic beasts, and Taiyi Sect had developed it into a robust forward outpost over the years.

As they arrived at Yellow Clay Slope, they found a noisy scene. Cultivator teams from various factions within the Hanhai Alliance were gathering there. Niu Dawei's presence as a Gold Core Daoist Master exerted enough authority to command the crowd.

Taiyi Sect had not engaged in external battles for some years, and some factions within the Hanhai Alliance had become lax, especially the newer ones. Niu Dawei's team was small in number but highly skilled and disciplined.

Niu Dawei's squad acted as supervisors and messengers.

This team of cultivators conveyed Niu Dawei's orders in succession, urging the cultivators present to organize their formations. Among the cultivators from various major factions present, many had experience operating under the command of Taiyi Sect cultivators. Particularly, a group of Foundation Building cultivators had participated in several previous external battles under Taiyi Sect's leadership.

Using these Foundation Building cultivators as the backbone, Niu Dawei and Wen Qiansun began to integrate and assemble a large and imposing army of cultivators. Meng Zhang attached great importance to the Hanhai Alliance organization, as the cultivators of each member were considered the best cannon fodder. Taiyi Sect periodically dispatched cultivators to the member sects to organize training, including formation arrangements and coordinated combat.

Now, with a vast army of over five thousand cultivators and more reinforcements still arriving, their quality varied, and their combat capabilities were uneven. Nevertheless, their sheer numbers and imposing formations exuded an intimidating aura.

Although the cultivator army was successfully formed, they couldn't immediately charge into battle. They needed some time for training to establish their initial combat strength.

At this moment, the group of cultivators sent by Beast King Mountain had arrived at Yellow Clay Slope. Behind two Third Rank warships in the sky, there were over twenty Second Rank flying boats. The flying boats landed gracefully under everyone's gaze. The cultivators poured out and quickly assembled into a powerful formation in front of Yellow Clay Slope.

Beast King Mountain sent fewer cultivators compared to Taiyi Sect, with only around eight hundred individuals. However, these eight hundred cultivators displayed an exceptionally strong presence, appearing battle-hardened and powerful. At the Gold Core Daoist Master level, Beast King Mountain dispatched four individuals, while Taiyi Sect had only Niu Dawei as their Gold Core Daoist Master.

The four Gold Core Daoist Masters from Beast King Mountain did not approach Niu Dawei's group to speak but remained with their own team. Qiu Mingze came forward to liaise between the two sects, as he was well-versed in the situation in Demon Wind Gobi, and Taiyi Sect respected him as an intermediary.

Niu Dawei and Wen Qiansun were impressed by the arrogance of the Primordial Spirit sects. Nevertheless, they recognized that Beast King Mountain's team of eight hundred cultivators was of higher quality, with a significant number of Foundation Building cultivators, surpassing Taiyi Sect's hastily assembled army.

If the two sides engaged in battle, Taiyi Sect's cultivator army would likely be unable to hold out for long and would be easily defeated. Although the real elite cultivators of Taiyi Sect were not present at this moment, and this army was essentially a cannon fodder unit formed by subordinate forces, the vast disparity in strength still made Niu Dawei and Wen Qiansun feel embarrassed.

Originally, Niu Dawei had planned to spend some time training the newly formed cultivator army. However, Qiu Mingze was eager to take action and volunteered to lead the vanguard. Taiyi Sect, being the landlord of Demon Wind Gobi, could not allow guest forces to lead the charge.

More importantly, Niu Dawei and Wen Qiansun were worried that Beast King Mountain's cultivator army would seize all the benefits if they advanced first into the depths of Demon Wind Gobi. Waiting for them to finish, Taiyi Sect might not even get any leftovers.

As a result, Niu Dawei abandoned the idea of training the army and decided to take action immediately, marching together with Beast King Mountain's cultivators toward the west of Demon Wind Gobi.

Once this massive army of cultivators entered the territory of the demonic beasts, conflict, or even a full-scale battle, would be inevitable.

Regarding Meng Zhang's group, the six Gold Core Daoist Masters left the Hundred Grass Slope and headed deep into Demon Wind Gobi. According to Zheng Chao's intelligence, the demonic beasts had been completely defeated, and the Sea Clan was chasing them, intending to exterminate them.

The retreating demonic beasts had gathered at their last stronghold, preparing for a final confrontation with the Sea Clan. Taiyi Sect's decision to take the initiative in this battle had another consideration.

The dying struggle of the demonic beasts probably wouldn't hold off the Sea Clan for long. The retreating demonic beasts would likely head east and soon enter Taiyi Sect's territory. If that happened, these rampaging demonic beasts would inevitably cause trouble in Taiyi Sect's territory.

Taiyi Sect needed to act preemptively and block all the calamities from entering their territory. Meng Zhang's group of six Gold Core Daoist Masters didn't plan to go to the final stronghold of the demonic beasts. Their presence there wouldn't be significant, and even if they helped the demonic beasts resist the Sea Clan, it wouldn't have much effect.

Instead, within the depths of Demon Wind Gobi, there was a place called Red Rock Valley, which possessed a Third Rank spirit vein and abundant resources, serving as the former headquarters of the demonic beast coalition. Years ago, the Sea Clan had attacked and captured Red Rock Valley, resulting in the death of most defending demonic beasts, while the rest retreated eastward.

After seizing Red Rock Valley, Sea Clan stationed a limited number of forces there, but the demonic beast coalition had not been entirely eradicated. As most of Sea Clan's forces were engaged in the main battle against the demonic beast coalition, the defensive strength at Red Rock Valley was quite limited.

Zheng Chao's plan was for Taiyi Sect to seize Red Rock Valley during the ongoing battle between the Sea Clan and the demonic beasts. Then, they would establish a Third Rank mountain-protecting great formation above the Third Rank spirit vein.

With the Third Rank mountain-protecting great formation as a support, Taiyi Sect could effectively defend against the Sea Clan, even if their strength was inferior. This would prevent the Sea Clan from expanding further eastward with ease.

Taiyi Sect occupying Red Rock Valley meant gaining control over a new Third Rank spirit vein and obtaining abundant resources. Moreover, it would also serve as a thorn in the Sea Clan's rear, greatly diverting their attention and main forces.

If Meng Zhang's group acted quickly and seized Red Rock Valley before the demonic beasts were completely defeated, they could trap the Sea Clan's main forces between them and the demonic beasts.

Even if the demonic beasts didn't actively cooperate with the Human Clan, they would still play a significant role in helping to contain the Sea Clan's power.

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