Chapter 444 - 329: Writing a Book
A year had passed since Song Qiaoqiao entered seclusion to attempt Core Formation.
「Inside the Battle Peak meeting hall.」
This was the first time Fang Yun had come to Battle Peak for a meeting since Bai Qinying became a Supreme Elder.
Previously, it was Bai Qinying who would notify him when meetings like this were held. Now, it was Feng Tianrui.
Feng Tianrui was still the Management Elder of Battle Peak.
However, the second and third-in-command of Battle Peak had both changed.
The previous third-in-command, Bai Qinying, had successfully reached Core Formation. The second-in-command, Long Xiangwen, had a much more tragic fate.
After entering seclusion for Core Formation, Long Xiangwen never emerged again.
Not only did he fail to break through to the Core Formation stage, but he also perished in the process.
Without a Golden Core Pill to aid the process, the risk of a Cultivator perishing after a failed Core Formation attempt was over fifty percent.
From this perspective, both Bai Heyan and Xiong Xingfeng were quite fortunate. At least they hadn’t perished when their own attempts at Core Formation failed.
"We are holding this meeting not because of the Celestial Demon Sect, nor because of the Demon Spirit Sect, but because of the Black Ghost Cave." Feng Tianrui announced the topic for discussion.
He then recounted all the recent intelligence he had gathered on the Black Ghost Cave.
When he finished his report, an Elder spoke up.
"Now that the Celestial Demon Sect has gone quiet, I never thought the Black Ghost Cave would start getting ideas about us."
"Has anything like this ever happened in our sect’s history?"
"Not among the major recorded events," a Battle Peak Elder immediately replied.
Fang Yun had already gained a comprehensive understanding of the sect’s historical records back in his Qi Refining Stage.
He knew from that time that among the Evil Sects near the Celestial Cloud Sect, their relationship with the Celestial Demon Sect had always been one of alternating periods of war and peace. The duration of each period varied depending on the circumstances.
As for the Demon Spirit Sect and the Black Ghost Cave, there had never been a similar situation.
"Unlike before, I think the Black Ghost Cave is scared."
"The sect now has one hundred and nine Elders, almost one hundred and ten. Has the Black Ghost Cave heard this news as well?"
At the mention of the current number of Sect Elders, many of the Battle Peak Elders glanced at the quietly seated Fang Yun.
This was especially true for the early-stage Foundation Establishment Elders from Battle Peak.
Many of them had successfully reached Foundation Establishment by consuming Middle Grade Foundation Establishment Pills.
Their Celestial Cloud Sect had long since run out of Lower Grade Foundation Establishment Pills.
In this regard, Fang Yun’s influence was simply immense.
These Elders all knew the Celestial Cloud Sect’s former situation. If it weren’t for Fang Yun’s superb alchemy skills, it would have been difficult for them to obtain even a single Lower Grade Foundation Establishment Pill in the past. Now, Middle Grade Foundation Establishment Pills were readily available for exchange, as long as one had enough Spirit Stones and Sect Contribution Points.
"I think it’s manageable. From the reports, the Black Ghost Cave’s actions are much smaller in scale compared to the Celestial Demon Sect’s in the past. They haven’t affected many areas so far."
"I believe the Black Ghost Cave will only engage in minor provocations. They won’t make any truly major moves."
"If the Black Ghost Cave really does make a major move, I suspect it would only be after secretly reaching an agreement with the Celestial Demon Sect."
As the meeting progressed, the Battle Peak Elders took turns expressing their opinions and insights, with some also putting forward corresponding suggestions.
Regardless of whether Bai Qinying was sitting beside him or not, Fang Yun, as always, silently listened to everyone discuss the issue.
Fang Yun wasn’t surprised by the Black Ghost Cave’s minor actions against them. He had considered this possibility as early as the great war with the Celestial Demon Sect.
Back then, the Black Ghost Cave had been remarkably quiet. It was pitifully rare to even see a Qi Refining Stage Ghost Cultivator in the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory.
Further back in time, there had been a period of peace. During that era, he had received much of his information about the Black Ghost Cave from Lu Zefeng and Zhang Cailing. In that peaceful time, it wasn’t at all uncommon for Ghost Cultivators from the Black Ghost Cave’s territory to appear within the Celestial Cloud Sect’s lands.
From the changes between these two periods, Fang Yun had already drawn a conclusion: in the eyes of the Black Ghost Cave, it was best if the Celestial Cloud Sect’s conflict with the Demon Cultivation influences was a stalemate, with both sides constantly depleting each other’s strength.
Whichever side grew weaker, the Black Ghost Cave would help them to a certain extent.
During the first great war he experienced after becoming an Inner Sect Disciple, the greatest help the Black Ghost Cave provided the Celestial Cloud Sect was simply not causing trouble.
During the final stages of the second great war he experienced, Supreme Elder Miao Qinghong had said that Ghost Cultivators from the Black Ghost Cave had even appeared near the Celestial Demon Sect’s headquarters. At that time, from the Black Ghost Cave’s perspective, the Celestial Cloud Sect was very likely on the verge of annihilation.
They couldn’t let the Celestial Cloud Sect be so easily destroyed by the two Demon Cultivation influences.
It was also because of this action that the Black Ghost Cave gained a deeper understanding of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s true foundation, and their sect’s policy changed once again.
The Black Ghost Cave’s current actions were undoubtedly because they now perceived the Celestial Cloud Sect as the stronger party.
Of course, this strength was only as perceived by the Black Ghost Cave.
In the eyes of their own sect’s upper echelons, if the Celestial Demon Sect and the Demon Spirit Sect were to cooperate with their full strength, the Celestial Cloud Sect would still be at a complete disadvantage.
If one took an even broader view of the entire Qionglin Domain, the weakest faction of all was them—the Cultivators who practiced orthodox Spiritual Power cultivation.
By the end of the entire Battle Peak meeting, a final strategy for dealing with the Ghost Cultivators from the Black Ghost Cave’s territory was decided.
If they were to make minor moves, they must be met with a degree of retaliation, but this retaliation could not be excessive.
An excessive response might provoke an extreme reaction from the Black Ghost Cave, potentially triggering a collaboration between them and the other two great Demon Cultivation Core Formation Influences.