The scene fell silent for a moment. The Lord of the Nine Heavens Sect glanced at Fu Yan and the others, saying, “Regarding the matter of dealing with the three sects, Demon, Evil, and Underworld, I suggest we discuss it another day.”
He then turned to Yun Jing and Zhong Moyang, “Elder Yun Jing, Elder Zhong, the Spear Dragon Sect has suffered a heavy blow. The three sects might return. Why not bring the elders and disciples of the Spear Dragon Sect to our Nine Heavens Sect as guests?”
Yun Jing was slightly stunned. Calling it a visit was more like seeking refuge.
The Spear Dragon Sect, a major sect of the Southeast Region, had fallen to such a state, needing to seek shelter with another sect.
However, losing face was better than annihilation.
Not to mention whether the three sects, Demon, Evil, and Underworld, would return, even the Ling Sword Sect and Absolute Blade Sect might come back.
Staying here would put the Spear Dragon Sect in grave danger.
“Very well!” Yun Jing nodded, agreeing.
“Let’s go!” Fu Yan waved his hand, and his group boarded the Sky Boats, swiftly departing into the horizon.
Since they could not act, staying was pointless.
Soon, the forces of the Ling Sword Sect, Absolute Blade Sect, and the three families vanished from sight.
“Interesting,” a Martial Emperor from the Burial Sect let out a sinister laugh before leaving.
The surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.
Lin Xiao retrieved the Blue Corpse Puppet from the ruins and followed Yun Jing and the others to the Nine Heavens Sect.
The Spear Dragon Sect had only twelve Sky Boats, and with the few brought by the Nine Heavens Sect, they could not carry all three hundred members.
Thus, over half would first travel to the Nine Heavens Sect by Sky Boat, while the rest awaited their return.
Lin Xiao, Chu You, Zhan Lan, and others likely to be targeted left first under the protection of several Martial Emperors.
The remaining ordinary disciples and elders, less likely to be targeted by major sects, were protected by a Nine Heavens Sect Martial Emperor, travelling discreetly through the air.
Even if other forces tried to act, they would struggle against a Martial Emperor, so Lin Xiao and the others were not overly worried.
After half a day, as night fell, Lin Xiao and half of the Spear Dragon Sect arrived at the Nine Heavens Sect.
The Nine Heavens Sect’s style was vastly different from the Spear Dragon Sect.
Built on a mountain range filled with spiritual energy, its peaks housed magnificent, grand palaces. From a distance, the glowing lights gave a sense of opulence and prosperity.
Upon their arrival, countless elders and disciples flew to greet them, including two familiar figures to Lin Xiao, Zi Ling and Ling Hu.
“Sect Leader!”
Seeing the hundred-plus members of the Spear Dragon Sect arriving in such a dishevelled state, an elder of the Nine Heavens Sect asked curiously.
“The Spear Dragon Sect will be our guests for a while. Make arrangements,” the Nine Heavens Sect Leader said concisely.
Understanding the implication, the group realised something major had happened.
The elder nodded and led the Spear Dragon Sect’s elders and disciples into the Nine Heavens Sect.
The elders and disciples of the Nine Heavens Sect and Spear Dragon Sect were on friendly terms, some even close friends, so there was no discord.
Yun Jing and Zhong Moyang were naturally escorted by the Sect Leader.
A Martial Emperor elder from the Nine Heavens Sect, along with others, activated Sky Boats and sped off to fetch the remaining Spear Dragon Sect members.
“Lin Xiao, what happened?” Zi Ling asked with concern.
“The Spear Dragon Sect was attacked by nine Martial Emperors from the three sects, Demon, Evil, and Underworld. The entire sect was destroyed,” Lin Xiao explained.
“What?” Zi Ling and Ling Hu were shocked.
“Fortunately, the Supreme Elder appeared, sacrificing his life to severely injure the nine. Additionally, I made a pact to fight the three families,” Lin Xiao recounted the events to them.
He then followed them into a discreet, secure palace room, specially arranged by the Nine Heavens Sect Leader.
Besides palaces, the Nine Heavens Sect had cave dwellings. The Blue Corpse Puppet was discreetly placed in one to prevent its yin energy from leaking too much.
On the Sky Boat, Lin Xiao had taken healing pills, recovering seventy percent of his injuries. By the next day, he was fully healed. He then began secluded cultivation, focusing on the Immortal Skeleton Technique and refining battle skeletons.
Battle skeletons were his hope for challenging the three families. He had hundreds to thousands of skeleton bones.
Though not of high grade, he could refine them within a month.
His greatest asset was the Blue Corpse Puppet.
Having refined the Cold Abyss Yin Fish for a month, the Blue Corpse Puppet was nearing a breakthrough. Another month would likely suffice.
A month passed quickly, during which many events occurred.
The Nine Heavens Sect Leader, with two Martial Emperors, Yun Jing, and Zhong Moyang, attacked the Evil and Underworld Sects, only to find them emptied, their forces moved to the Demon Sect.
The five merely scouted the Demon Sect without engaging, returning empty-handed.
This meant the three sects had allied, consolidating their forces.
This news shook the Southeast Region.
Some speculated the three sects, with their Martial Emperors injured, had to band together.
Others believed they had a larger scheme.
Some even guessed their Martial Emperors might be Emperor Assailants.
Rumours spread across the Southeast Region, unsettling the Four Sacred Sects.
The balance of the eight major sects, previously non-allied, was shifting.
The Nine Heavens Sect and Spear Dragon Sect were effectively allied, as were the Absolute Blade Sect and Ling Sword Sect, though the two alliances were at odds.
Both alliances clashed with the Demon, Evil, and Underworld alliance, while the mysterious Burial Sect leaned towards the Nine Heavens and Spear Dragon Sect alliance, altering the Southeast Region’s dynamics.
After the nine Martial Emperors attacked the Spear Dragon Sect, the blood pact preventing Martial Emperors from acting was gone.
Martial Emperors could now fight each other at any time.
Conflicts among Martial Emperor families also escalated, some even wiping out other families’ leadership.
With the eight sects in conflict, Martial Emperors ready to fight, and families battling constantly, the Southeast Region was engulfed in chaos.
The most anticipated event was Lin Xiao’s duel with the three families.
As the month approached, Lin Xiao announced he would first challenge the Duan family.
The news spread, and countless people headed to the Duan family to witness a lone individual challenging an entire clan in a monumental feat.
