Chapter 113 - 112: Ming Sect
Great Xia currently had no state religion. The Court’s relationship with the Daoist and Buddhist Sects was poor, to say nothing of the Demon Sects.
But five hundred years ago, when Great Xia was first established, it did have a state religion. It was called the Great Brightness Sect, also shortened to the Ming Sect by the Jianghu People of the time.
In fact, the Great Xia Court itself was born from the Great Brightness Sect.
During the final years of the previous Yong Dynasty, the world fell into chaos. The court was tyrannical and unjust, causing the entire realm to rise in rebellion. At that time, there were as many as seventy-two separate Rebel Armies across the Nineteen Provinces.
The Great Brightness Sect was born in this dark and chaotic environment. Its creed was: "Heaven and Earth are overturned, our sect brings a new sky. When the people’s suffering ends, the sun and moon shall rise."
The Sect Leader, Qin Wuye, called himself the "Bright Venerable." He was the strongest expert of his era, single-handedly suppressing the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins to become the supreme leader of all sects in the world.
The Great Xia Ancestor was originally one of those seventy-two rebel leaders. It was only with the support of the Great Brightness Sect that he was able to overthrow the old court, pacify the land, and establish Great Xia.
Even the name "Great Xia" was connected to the Great Brightness Sect. Since the height of summer, or ’Xia,’ brought great brightness, the dynasty was so named.
Immediately after its founding, Great Xia honored the Great Brightness Sect as the state religion and appointed Qin Wuye as the Grand Tutor of Great Xia.
Even future Emperors needed to be crowned by the Great Brightness Sect to ascend the throne; otherwise, it would be a violation of ancestral tradition.
At its peak, the Great Brightness Sect could be said to have suppressed the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins, quelled the Martial World and Jianghu, and stood above the imperial Court itself.
Unfortunately, this power that once stood at the pinnacle of the Jianghu flourished to its extreme only to decline.
A hundred years after Great Xia’s founding, the "Bright Venerable" Qin Wuye claimed to have found the secret to the Broken Void. He left to seek the holy land of the "Kunlun Ruins" and was never seen again.
Three years later, the most powerful experts from the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins joined forces with the Great Xia Court to attack the headquarters of the Great Brightness Sect, annihilating it in one fell swoop.
Immediately afterward, the Court declared the Great Brightness Sect an Evil Cult, stripped it of its status as the state religion, and dispatched its armies to hunt down the "demons" of the Ming Sect throughout the Great Xia Nineteen Provinces.
The Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins also issued wanted posters and bounties for Great Brightness Sect disciples all across the Jianghu. In an instant, the Great Brightness Sect, which had once stood at the apex of the Jianghu, collapsed and became a target for all.
This fierce encirclement was even more brutal than the one that had targeted the Blood God Sect. Within just a few short years, the once-flourishing Great Brightness Sect had vanished from the Jianghu without a trace.
Even all records related to the Great Brightness Sect were destroyed. Thus, the sect that had once towered over the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon Three Veins met its end, flourishing to its peak only to fall.
Today, the average person in the Jianghu has never even heard the name "Great Brightness Sect." Only a few fragments of its story survive within some Noble Sects.
The person the ancestors of the Guan and Xu Families had saved was none other than the Hall Master of the Celestial Fire Hall, "Fire Phoenix Burning the Land" Pang Xizhen, who had been hunted to the brink of death by the Court and the major powers of the Jianghu.
Pang Xizhen died, but she left behind her inheritance for a future disciple of the Great Brightness Sect to claim.
The Xu Family, however, never really thought much of this Crimson Gold Waist Token.
After all, it was a matter from several hundred years ago. They figured you’d probably have to go to the Underworld to find that "fated opportunity."
So on one of Zuo Feiyu’s birthdays, Xu Yuanshao’s son, Xu Tianxing, gave him the Crimson Gold Waist Token as a present.
At the time, Zuo Feiyu happened to be looking to forge a new Weapon, and the material of the Crimson Gold Waist Token was perfect for it.
Once he had it, Zuo Feiyu traveled to the Central Plains Martial World, hoping to find a Weapon Master to forge an Earth Soldier Longsword.
Unexpectedly, through a stroke of luck on his journey, he learned about Pang Xizhen’s inheritance. He used the Waist Token to claim it, obtaining the legacy Cultivation Technique of the Great Brightness Sect’s Celestial Fire Hall.
It had to be said that in the original story, Zuo Feiyu basically had the template of a protagonist. His life was full of countless fortuitous encounters and smooth sailing; he almost never faced any real setbacks.
When he wanted to develop the Nine Swords Alliance, he happened upon the Poison Wolf Thieves attacking Liu Feiyan. He used the favor he earned to grow the Nine Swords Alliance right under the nose of the Zhenwu Hall.
He was good friends with Xu Tianxing, and then the Xu Family began plotting to absorb the Guan Family. The Nine Swords Alliance intervened and ended up acquiring the Flying Horse Hall, which combined the strengths of both families.
The Crimson Gold Waist Token had been useless in the hands of the Guan and Xu Families for so many years, yet the moment it fell into Zuo Feiyu’s hands, he was able to find its inheritance. This just went to show how incredibly strong his destiny was.
But now, Chen Yuan had already dug up most of Zuo Feiyu’s fortune in Ning Province. Whether his future would continue to be so smooth was anyone’s guess.
Putting away the Crimson Gold Waist Token, Chen Yuan said, "Master Guan, you are a straightforward man. Rest assured, within three days, I will help you annihilate the Xu Family!"
Guan Zhenshan said gravely, "Lord Chen, do not underestimate the Xu Family. Their strength is actually a cut above my Guan Family."
My Guan Family operates only around the Western Grassland, so the number of Honored Guest Elders we can recruit is limited.
But the Xu Family often travels to the Central Plains to sell horses and has recruited many expert Loose Cultivators from the Central Plains region. Their strength is roughly double that of my Guan Family and cannot be taken lightly.
And, as you said, Lord Chen, the Xu Family has also joined forces with the Nine Swords Alliance. If they have experts from the Nine Swords Alliance on their side, the outcome is still uncertain."
"Master Guan, rest assured. No matter how many Honored Guest Elders the Xu Family has, they don’t have more men than the White Tiger Guards of Kaiping Prefecture.
As for the Nine Swords Alliance, they are still in their development phase and can’t afford to send too many people to help the Xu Family.
There should only be one Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist from the Nine Swords Alliance with the Xu Family. With the forces at our disposal, it is more than enough to annihilate them."
In the original story, Guan Zhenshan was ultimately killed in a surprise attack by Xu Yuanshao and a Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist from the Nine Swords Alliance.
Even then, at the critical moment of taking over Celestial Star Ranch, the Nine Swords Alliance could only dispatch a single Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist. They would send even fewer now, not more.
Seeing Chen Yuan’s confidence, Guan Zhenshan let out a long breath and cupped his fists. "Then I shall be relying entirely on you, Lord Chen!"
The two sides agreed to attack the Xu Family in three days. Chen Yuan immediately returned with his men to the Inspectorate’s Mansion in Kaiping Prefecture and summoned all the Captains.
The Captains in the Inspectorate’s Mansion were actually a bit baffled. They felt that Chen Yuan’s actions were rather inexplicable.
Right after taking office, he had sent out invitations to the various powers in Kaiping Prefecture, then he vanished, paying no attention to the Inspectorate’s Mansion.
Now he had gathered them all again, and no one knew what he was planning.
Looking at the Captains assembled below, Chen Yuan said in a low voice, "I have gathered you all today for one reason. The Xu Family of Flying Horse Pavilion has colluded with the Hachal and Lin Khanate, secretly smuggling contraband into the Grassland. I have decided to gather all the forces within Kaiping Prefecture to encircle and destroy the Xu Family of Flying Horse Pavilion."
Smuggling contraband into the Grassland was something many factions in Western Ning Province did, but the Xu Family had never actually been involved.
Flying Horse Pavilion’s business was all in the Central Plains. They were already overwhelmed with selling horses to the Central Plains, let alone smuggling goods to the Grassland.
But it didn’t matter. Chen Yuan was just looking for a plausible excuse to pin on the Xu Family. After they were wiped out, who would care if the accusation was true or false?
The "perhaps it exists" trick was a timeless classic.
Upon hearing Chen Yuan’s words, the Captains below instantly erupted.
The Xu Family of Flying Horse Pavilion and the Guan Family of Celestial Star Ranch were powers with great experts of the Condensing Truth Realm at their helms.
Moreover, the two families were connected by marriage and stood together. For many years, not a single Inspector of Kaiping Prefecture had dared to provoke them.
And now Chen Yuan was saying he wanted to exterminate the Xu Family? Had he gone mad?
"Silence!"
Seeing the men below whispering among themselves, Cui Guan, standing behind Chen Yuan, barked out a sharp command.
One Captain immediately said, "Lord Chen, the Xu Family is not to be trifled with. I urge you to reconsider!"
Chen Yuan said faintly, "This is the result of my reconsideration. You need only gather your White Tiger Guards and await my orders."
The Captain’s brow furrowed tightly.
He was an Old Captain of Kaiping Prefecture and had a good relationship with some of the Xu Family’s Stewards. Naturally, he was unwilling to fight the Xu Family to the death.
Even if that weren’t the case, he was unwilling to clash head-on with a power of the Xu Family’s level.
Seeing Chen Yuan being so obstinate and willful, the Captain sighed, cupped his fists, and said, "These are the words of a prudent and experienced man, Lord Chen. You may choose not to listen, but I cannot send my own Guards to their deaths for nothing. Forgive me, but I cannot obey this order!"
’I’ve already made up my mind. As soon as I leave, I’ll send someone to notify the Xu Family and report Chen Yuan’s actions to the Hall Master. If the Hall Master punishes Chen Yuan, he naturally won’t be able to keep his position as Inspector. If the Hall Master protects Chen Yuan, then I won’t be foolish enough to stay in Kaiping Prefecture and wait for Chen Yuan to make things difficult for me. Worst case, I’ll just resign as Captain and go be an Honored Guest Elder for the Xu Family. They’ve always been very generous to their Honored Guest Elders anyway. Plus, with the favor I’ll have earned by tipping them off, I’m sure my treatment at the Xu Family won’t be bad. No matter the outcome, I have a way out.’
"Cannot obey?"
Chen Yuan looked at the Captain with a half-smile.
"It is not that I wish to defy you, my lord, but my brothers have followed me through life and death. I must be responsible for them!"
The Captain’s face was a mask of righteous indignation, every sentence invoking his brothers-in-arms.
"Disrespecting a superior’s command, openly defying an order... what use are you?"
As his voice fell, the crowd heard only the ring of a blade, and a flash of scarlet light appeared.
No one present even saw how Chen Yuan drew his blade before the Captain’s head hit the floor.
The entire hall fell deathly silent in an instant.
Chen Yuan gazed at the crowd and said faintly, "Does anyone else have an opinion to share?"
"We will obey the Lord’s command!"
The assembled Captains jolted in shock, immediately bowing in compliance. Then, they rushed off as fast as they could to gather their White Tiger Guards.
To think that just a few days ago they had thought this Lord Chen had a decent temper and followed the rules.
Now they saw that it was a complete illusion!
Standing behind Chen Yuan, Yang Zhicai was lost in thought.
’I was just wondering why Lord Chen didn’t mention that the Guan Family would also be taking action against the Xu Family. If he had, it wouldn’t be the Kaiping Prefecture’s Zhenwu Hall facing the Guan and Xu Families, but the Zhenwu Hall and the Guan Family joining forces to attack the Xu Family. I’m sure many of the Captains would have been much more confident and far less resistant. Now I see it. Chen Yuan did this on purpose. He deliberately laid a trap for these Captains to see who would jump out, so he could make an example of them to establish his authority!’