A Calculated Gathering

By noon the following day.

Within the Sword Sect’s grand hall.

Sect Leader Murong sat upon the main seat of the grand hall, observing the four cultivators below her. One sat alone on the left, while the other three were seated together on the right.

The cultivators below exchanged glances, seemingly surprised to find each other present.

“Esteemed cultivators from afar, having graced the Sword Sect’s territory, each of you strives diligently to eradicate demons, truly serving as paragons for the young cultivators of our human race.”

“Today, I have specially invited you all to gather at my Sword Sect.”

“Should there be any shortcomings in our hospitality, I sincerely hope you will extend your understanding.”

Sect Leader Murong rose to her feet, offering a slight bow with a beaming smile.

The cultivators below reacted to her words with varying degrees of composure. The three cultivators seated together scrutinized each other, appearing to ponder the Sect Leader’s true intentions.

The lone cultivator seated on the left, however, remained silent, her eyes closed in quiet contemplation.

These were all the favored scions of the Northern Lands. The one seated on the left was a disciple of the Divinity Sect, a sect renowned alongside the Deriving Purity Sect and the Heavenly Accomplishment Sect in the Northern Lands; naturally, she carried herself with immense pride.

Such a minor sect as the Sword Sect simply could not capture her attention.

As for the other three cultivators, they too were outstanding talents from their respective sects, accustomed to receiving courteous treatment in any smaller sect they visited.

The entire Northern Lands comprised seven sects, each corresponding precisely to one of the Seven Kingdoms: the Deriving Purity Sect of Qin, the Heavenly Accomplishment Sect of Zhao, and the Divinity Sect of Chu, these being the three great sects of the Northern Lands.

The remaining four sects, led by the sect from Qi, had formed the Heavenly Dao Alliance.

These three cultivators were the elite prodigies of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, and the one seated among them was a cultivator from the White Cang Sect of Qi, serving as the leader of the trio.

Sect Leader Murong watched as none of the four cultivators acknowledged her words, and a spark of irritation ignited within her. The disciples of these major sects were indeed incredibly arrogant.

Yet, this behavior aligned perfectly with her preconceived notions of disciples from prominent sects.

Reaching this point, she had no choice but to unleash her spiritual energy. A profound Golden Core cultivation realm manifested around Sect Leader Murong, instantly dispelling the disdain harbored by the four cultivators below.

Outside the secret realm, they might not have considered it a major issue, as no one would dare to harm them. However, within the secret realm, even their sect’s protectors would be powerless to assist.

“Sect Leader Murong, you are too kind,” the lone cultivator on the left was the first to rise, speaking aloud. “Exterminating demons and defending the Dao is the responsibility of cultivators of our generation; it is only right that I undertake such tasks.”

“Sister Wen speaks truly,” another cultivator from the right side chimed in. “Exterminating demons is indeed our responsibility as cultivators.”

The young woman addressed as Sister Wen, with her cool and aloof demeanor, cast a fleeting glance at the cultivator who had just spoken—the one from Qi’s White Cang Sect and the leader of this Heavenly Dao Alliance.

“Miss Bai’s words might be a little biased, wouldn’t you agree?” the young woman surnamed Wen spoke with a faint voice. “Although I may be slightly younger than you in age, among cultivators, why should age be a factor? By cultivation, I ought to address you as Junior Sister. Of course, this title wouldn’t be given in vain; should you encounter any issues in your cultivation, you are welcome to consult me.”

“You…” Upon hearing this, the young woman surnamed Bai seemed visibly irked. After a brief moment, she let out a cold hmph. “Hmph, a sharp tongue.”

Sect Leader Murong observed the dispute unfolding between the two, a clear demonstration of their utter disregard for her presence.

“Since all fellow Daoists have spoken thus,” a male voice suddenly interjected from a side door. “Then I propose that we Northern Land cultivators and the Sword Sect unite to jointly eradicate the demon race in this area.”

Following this, Qin Yan stepped into the grand hall. The four cultivators present were all drawn by the voice, their gazes fixed upon Qin Yan, and then the pieces of the puzzle began to click into place.

“This… this must be that male cultivator from the Deriving Purity Sect who has recently garnered so much renown, wouldn’t you say?”

The cool and aloof young woman surnamed Wen was the first to speak, her face alight with curiosity as she gazed at Qin Yan. To her, Qin Yan was quite mysterious—a name often heard, yet a person rarely seen. Now, meeting him, she found his reputation truly well-deserved.

The young woman surnamed Bai, however, remained silent, her eyes flickering with thought as she evidently pondered Qin Yan’s recent words.

“By what right should our Heavenly Dao Alliance unite with yours?” the young woman surnamed Bai finally demanded.

There were, after all, four cultivators within the Heavenly Dao Alliance, who were already united. The other three sects, however, were absolutely incapable of forming an alliance amongst themselves.

No matter how one looked at it, the advantage lay entirely with her Heavenly Dao Alliance.

“By what right?” Just then, a somewhat cold female voice rang out. Fangyuan entered from outside the grand hall, stating, “Simply by the might of our Sword Sect’s fists. Whether you agree or not, you will comply today.”

Even the dullest among them now realized they had walked into a trap today.

This was nothing short of a Hongmen Banquet.

Though the four cultivators seethed with anger, Fangyuan’s words were undeniably true. With Qin Yan, Fangyuan, and a Golden Core cultivator present, the combat strength on display was indeed overwhelming.

Yet, as the favored scions of their respective sects, each of them possessed their own hidden trump cards.

“Splendid, truly splendid!” the cool and aloof young woman surnamed Wen exclaimed.

“Qin Yan, it seems your great reputation is no mere boast. While I’m unsure how you swayed Sect Leader Murong to orchestrate this entire setup and align herself with you, it’s clear you intend to become the leader of us Northern Land cultivators.”

“After all, asking any of us here to follow Sect Leader Murong, given our temperaments, is surely an impossibility.”

“Furthermore, joining her Sword Sect in demon extermination would yield no tangible benefits and would only heighten the risk of losing our lives.”

However, certain aspects of this scheme remained elusive to her. What benefit did the Sword Sect truly gain from such an endeavor? What benefit did Qin Yan stand to gain? After all, the Sword Sect had coexisted with the demons in this region for many years without ever resolving to eliminate them. Now, they planned to eradicate the demon race in a single stroke. Could it be for some grand cause of demon extermination?

As for Qin Yan, what advantage could he possibly reap from uniting the Northern Land cultivators with the Sword Sect to exterminate demons?

Rather than uniting, it would be far more pragmatic to simply scheme against them.

Without complete information, she found the crux of the matter utterly incomprehensible.

Unless Qin Yan truly harbored a deep-seated hatred for the demon race and genuinely championed the righteous cause of protecting the common people, his words must have not only swayed the Sword Sect but also inspired this elaborate scheme.

But…

Were there truly such cultivators left in this era?

Cultivators willing to sacrifice their lives for others had long since vanished. Without any personal gain, no one wished to undertake such thankless tasks.

“I will speak plainly here,” Qin Yan said, observing the tense standoff before him. “The demon race in this territory is on the verge of uniting. When that happens, this place will be plunged into utter devastation.”

“It is precisely for this reason that I requested Sect Leader Murong to invite all you Northern Land cultivators here, so we may collectively discuss how to counter the demon threat.”

Qin Yan looked at the tense situation in front of him and spoke again.