Chapter 539 - 376: All Sides Are Shaken (Part 2)
Chapter 539: Chapter 376: All Sides Are Shaken (Part 2)
"This must be about the Celestial Demon Sect," said the Fourth Cave Master.
Only she and the Second Cave Master were aware that the Celestial Demon Sect had asked their Black Ghost Cave for help.
It wasn’t that they kept the other Cave Masters in the dark, but that they had previously agreed not to get involved if the Celestial Demon Sect asked for help.
It was impossible for the Celestial Demon Sect to be destroyed by the Celestial Cloud Sect.
For over ten thousand years, there had never been a single instance of a Demon Cultivation Core Formation Influence being wiped out by a Spirit Refiner Core Formation Influence. The same was true for them, the Ghost Cultivators.
Besides, rumors had spread that the Celestial Demon Sect was being guarded by an Elder from the Black Dragon Hall, which made its destruction by the Celestial Cloud Sect seem even more impossible.
"According to the latest reports, the Celestial Cloud Sect has breached the Celestial Demon Sect’s stronghold and successfully annihilated them," the Second Cave Master said, relaying the most recent information he had.
"The Celestial Demon Sect was destroyed..."
Of the four Cave Masters present, the Great Cave Master had the strongest reaction.
As the oldest Cave Master in the Black Ghost Cave, his beliefs were the most deeply ingrained.
The Celestial Cloud Sect destroying the Celestial Demon Sect was something that seemed to defy his understanding—an event he could never have imagined.
"Didn’t the Celestial Demon Sect spread the rumor that an Elder from the Black Dragon Hall was guarding them? How could they still be destroyed by the Celestial Cloud Sect? It seems now the Celestial Demon Sect spread that rumor on purpose. In reality, there was no so-called Elder from the Black Dragon Hall."
"No, that information is almost certainly true. It’s already been verified."
"Does that mean the Celestial Cloud Sect also killed the Elder from the Black Dragon Hall?" the Third Cave Master asked, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"That, I don’t know."
The Second Cave Master shook his head. The Black Ghost Cave’s intelligence-gathering capabilities were limited; they couldn’t obtain every piece of information.
Especially recently, the risks of gathering intelligence in the Celestial Demon Sect’s territory had been immense.
The Black Ghost Cave had already lost some of its people trying to gather this information.
"Still, if the Celestial Cloud Sect really did kill an Elder from the Black Dragon Hall, we’re in for a good show."
"This is the perfect time to make a move," the Third Cave Master said, growing more excited. "Second Cave Master, how many Core Formation Cultivators did the Celestial Cloud Sect lose when they destroyed the Celestial Demon Sect? Are all of the Celestial Demon Sect’s Core Formation Cultivators dead?"
"I don’t know." The Second Cave Master shook his head.
There was no definite news yet. Information like this took time to collect.
The more time passed, the easier it would be to gather such intelligence.
"How is it you don’t know anything?"
The Second Cave Master remained silent, but the Fourth Cave Master spoke up. "Third Cave Master, if you want more information, you can go to the Celestial Demon Sect’s territory and gather it yourself. No, I suppose it’s the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory now... As a Core Formation Cultivator, you’d best be extra careful over there. The Celestial Cloud Sect has just seized the Celestial Demon Sect’s lands; it’s a very sensitive time."
She would not take action without more detailed information.
Lacking information, they didn’t know how many Core Formation Cultivators the Celestial Cloud Sect had remaining, nor did they know how the sect had managed to destroy the Celestial Demon Sect.
If they rushed in recklessly, they could end up sharing the Celestial Demon Sect’s fate.
"Fourth Cave Master, do you think I’m an idiot?"
"Do I even need to say it?"
"You..."
"Enough!" the Second Cave Master cut in, stopping their argument.
The Third Cave Master shot the Second Cave Master a displeased look, but facing a superior in strength, he didn’t press the issue.
’In his eyes, the Second Cave Master was clearly siding with the Fourth Cave Master.’
"The Celestial Cloud Sect annihilated the Celestial Demon Sect. Based on when we received the Celestial Demon Sect’s plea for help, they were wiped out very quickly. While I don’t have specifics, we can infer that since the Celestial Demon Sect was destroyed in such a short time, the Celestial Cloud Sect’s losses were likely not significant. This is not good news for us."
"The Celestial Demon Sect is right next to the Demon Spirit Sect and the Dragon Demon Palace. With those two Demon factions to help, I honestly don’t understand how the Celestial Demon Sect could have been destroyed," said the Great Cave Master.
He was still fixated on this point.
No matter how he looked at it, even without an Elder from the Black Dragon Hall as a Guardian, the Celestial Demon Sect shouldn’t have been destroyed by the Celestial Cloud Sect.
If he had known the Celestial Demon Sect would be destroyed by the Celestial Cloud Sect, he would have argued during their initial discussion to help them when they asked for support, preventing them from being annihilated.
"The Celestial Demon Sect has been destroyed by the Celestial Cloud Sect, and the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory has more than doubled in size. Given the current situation, we at the Black Ghost Cave can only take things one step at a time," said the Fifth Cave Master after a long period of contemplation, sharing his view of the situation.
The Second Cave Master agreed with his assessment.
He then added his own thoughts.
"Yes, that’s right. Taking it one step at a time is the best approach. We’ll dispatch more Elders and disciples to gather intelligence in the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory. The rest of our Elders and disciples should avoid the area. If we start a conflict with the Celestial Cloud Sect now, they might just turn their attention to us after they’ve fully consolidated their control over the Celestial Demon Sect’s lands."
Now that the Celestial Demon Sect was gone.
The power with the deepest grudge against the Celestial Cloud Sect was now the Demon Spirit Sect.
If the Black Ghost Cave acted recklessly during this time, they might end up taking the heat for the Demon Spirit Sect.
"While you’re gathering information, make sure to also investigate the situations at the Demon Spirit Sect and the Dragon Demon Palace," the Great Cave Master added.
...
Star Moon Valley and the Vast Sea Sect made a habit of checking in on the status of the Celestial Cloud Sect and the Wind Ling Sect each year.
As the sects were neighbors, it went without saying that they kept tabs on one another.
On this day, both Star Moon Valley and the Vast Sea Sect received a message from the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Even without this message, it wouldn’t have been long before they heard about the major event involving the Celestial Cloud Sect and the Celestial Demon Sect.
The fact that they were informed early showed the Celestial Cloud Sect’s consideration.
「In Star Moon Valley.」
Because of this news, the Valley Master summoned his Vice Valley Masters.
Star Moon Valley currently had a total of four Vice Valley Masters. Including the Valley Master, that made five Core Formation Cultivators.
The newest Vice Valley Master was one of Star Moon Valley’s own Core Formation Seeds who had successfully formed his core after taking a Middle-grade Golden Core Pill. That particular pill had, of course, been the product of Fang Yun’s Refining at the Celestial Cloud Sect.
Only three Vice Valley Masters answered the summons; the fourth was in seclusion.
The news was important, but not urgent, so there was no need to disturb the Vice Valley Master who was still in seclusion.
"Everyone, I have excellent news! The Celestial Cloud Sect has destroyed the Celestial Demon Sect!" the Valley Master of Star Moon Valley announced with a smile.
Not long ago, he had received a message from Fang Yun, the current Sect Leader of the Celestial Cloud Sect.
"What?"
"The Celestial Cloud Sect destroyed the Celestial Demon Sect!!"
The Star Moon Valley Vice Valley Master, Shi Yaoyang, was flabbergasted. He wasn’t alone; the other two Vice Valley Masters had similar reactions.
"The Celestial Cloud Sect has nine Core Formation Cultivators and one Core Formation Sword Cultivator. They’re stronger than they’ve ever been. It’s only natural that they could destroy the Celestial Demon Sect. No need to be so surprised," the Valley Master of Star Moon Valley continued to smile, as if he had expected this all along.
"Valley Master, that’s not what you said before," Vice Valley Master Wen Zhongyun spoke up. Once his initial shock had passed, he couldn’t resist calling out the Valley Master.
’He remembered the previous conversation quite clearly.’
"That’s right," Shi Yaoyang agreed with a nod.
"Is that so? You must be misremembering." The Valley Master of Star Moon Valley maintained his faint smile, then immediately changed the subject. "With the Celestial Demon Sect destroyed and its territory occupied, the Celestial Cloud Sect will be the undisputed number one among our four sects."
"It won’t be that easy for the Celestial Cloud Sect to completely occupy the Celestial Demon Sect’s territory, will it? To set up a Third Tier Grand Array, it would take at least five years with only one Array Master. Too many uncertain things could happen in that time."
"Valley Master, did the message from the Celestial Cloud Sect say how many of their upper-echelon members they sacrificed to take the Celestial Demon Sect’s territory?"
"No," the Valley Master of Star Moon Valley shook his head.
"That makes sense. They wouldn’t have any reason to report such things specifically."
For now, the only concrete information they had was that the Celestial Cloud Sect had truly destroyed the Celestial Demon Sect.
"We’ll learn the details eventually. Regardless, with the Celestial Demon Sect gone, the Celestial Cloud Sect’s future development should be much smoother. A strong Celestial Cloud Sect is a great boon for us."
The first thing that came to mind for Star Moon Valley was the support of the Celestial Cloud Sect.
In the future, if they or the Vast Sea Sect faced a crisis, a powerful Celestial Cloud Sect would be able to provide them with excellent support.