Xuanwu War Sovereign

Qiankun Sect, Douluo Peak, Qi Hall.

"Wuji, my son, you died so horribly! My dear child! I, Hua Yuerong, swear to the beast from the Star Sect who did this: this is not over!"

In the great hall, a graceful, beautiful woman prostrated herself before Xuan Jiuyang, weeping as she shrieked.

"Jiuyang, you must avenge our son! That beast named Qin Feng must die, and I want the entire Star Sect to join our boy in death!"

Xuan Jiuyang remained silent, his expression grim.

Seated below him, the many Elders of the Qiankun Sect wore expressions as dark as a gathering storm.

Not only had the expedition to the Sea Soul Realm failed to yield any benefits, but it had also cost the life of Xuan Wuji, the Sect Leader’s youngest son. How could they not be furious?

Many of the Elders fell silent.

The beautiful woman’s sharp gaze swept over a few of the Elders. Their hearts skipped a beat, and after taking a deep breath, they quickly stepped forward.

"Sect Leader, it’s time to move against the Star Sect!"

"That’s right, Sect Leader! For the Star Sect to dare kill our Saint Son—they’ve gone too far!"

"We will not rest until this blood debt with the Star Sect is settled!"

One after another, the Elders voiced their righteous indignation, as if a string of firecrackers had been lit.

But their eyes held little actual hatred.

’Are you kidding me? Just because your son died, you expect us to risk our lives for your revenge? It’s not that simple.’

The words of many of the Elders were clearly insincere.

"Everyone, quiet!"

The eight Elders in the highest seats spoke up.

The other Elders fell silent. These were the Eight Desolate Elders of the Qiankun Sect, the most powerful individuals in the sect besides the Sect Leader himself.

The lineage of the Eight Desolate Elders was ancient. Each of them presided over a different region and were true, age-old hegemons.

They represented the eight branches: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui.

Elder Qian, their leader, scanned the crowd and spoke.

"Everyone, please be patient. The Star Sect is the ancient nemesis of our Qiankun Sect, and we have long been determined to eradicate them. However, like us, the Star Sect is one of the Top Ten Sects. Our strengths are comparable, which is why we’ve been locked in this struggle for so many years!"

"Our two sects have been at odds for millennia. We are like fire and water—it’s either them or us!"

His tone shifted as he continued, "However, because of this long history, we understand them just as they understand us. If we were to mobilize all our elites for an all-out war, I fear both our sects would suffer devastating losses, only to the benefit of the other sects!"

Elder Li nodded. "Indeed. Our sects are of comparable strength, with our rankings almost neck and neck. While the Qiankun Sect has grown stronger in recent years, the Star Sect hasn’t fallen behind. They’ve forced both the Demon God Hall and the Great Sun Divine Hall into steady retreat. They even managed to dismantle the Great Sun Divine Hall in a single campaign, which is truly frightening!"

"Elder Li is right. What the Qiankun Sect needs most right now is to build our strength. A new age is dawning, and we cannot afford to exhaust ourselves before it arrives, lest we merely pave the way for another to rise to power!"

"Exactly! We should be focused on accumulating our strength, recruiting talented individuals, and suppressing the other restless sects in the Eastern Spirit Realm!"

...

The Elders’ lukewarm, noncommittal words made the graceful woman’s face turn livid with rage.

Her face contorted with fury, Hua Yuerong pointed at the Elders one by one. "Good, very good! A bunch of cowards, clinging to life and fearing death! In the past, you were all so high and mighty, so arrogant. But now, the moment the Star Sect is mentioned, you make all sorts of excuses! What a pack of useless freeloaders! Fine! If you won’t do it, then I will do it myself! Without your Qiankun Sect, my Divine Power Sect can still kill that little beast and avenge my son!"

Then, in a furious huff, she stormed out of Qi Hall.

’The Divine Power Sect!’

The faces of many Elders changed.

The Divine Power Sect was one of the renowned Top Ten Divine Gates on the Spirit Sea Continent. In the rankings of the Seventy-two Sects, they stood above even the Top Ten Sects.

Each of these Top Ten Divine Gates was a supreme power in a league of its own.

The might of the Top Ten Divine Gates was far beyond what an ordinary sect could ever hope to match.

Once, the Primordial Sect, one of the Top Ten Divine Gates, had single-handedly and effortlessly annihilated three highly-ranked First-class Sects from among the Seventy-two Sects.

And Hua Yuerong just so happened to hail from the Divine Power Sect, one of those Top Ten Divine Gates.

Suddenly, Xuan Jiuyang opened his eyes and swept his gaze across the Elders. "My wife is grieving the loss of her beloved son and misspoke. Please, none of you should take it to heart."

Elder Qian nodded with a smile. "Sect Master, you are too courteous. We all understand Lady Hua’s feelings."

"But must we really continue to tolerate the Star Sect? Not only have the Demon God Hall and the Beiling Sect agreed to an alliance, but we’ve even received word from the Biyun Sect in the Southern Spirit Realm. The Qiankun Sect has allies at our beck and call. With a single command, the Star Sect will be attacked from all sides!"

Elder Zhen added, "And there are the Nine Great Empires of the Domain of All Stars. They’ve also promised that as soon as the Qiankun Sect makes a move, they will coordinate with us from the inside to crush the Star Sect!"

A burning fervor filled the eyes of the Elders.

The Star Sect controlled the bountiful Domain of All Stars. It had an ancient lineage, and its Spirit Mountain Blessed Lands were said to be as numerous as the stars. It was considered the head of the Top Ten Sects. If they could plunder the Star Sect, divide the spoils, and fully absorb them, they might even be able to ascend to the level of a Divine Gate.

Xuan Jiuyang spoke. "Gentlemen, do not be hasty. Attacking the Domain of All Stars requires the right opportunity. The Star Sect’s Realm of the Stars is at its peak right now. If we attack rashly, even with the combined power of several sects, it won’t be difficult to shatter it, but we will certainly pay a heavy price. Furthermore, even a cornered beast will lash out. The Star Sect possesses a peak Grotto Heaven in their Realm of the Stars. If they were to go berserk and focus all their power on a single one of our allied sects, that sect would be severely weakened, or perhaps even destroyed along with them!"

An Elder asked, "Then when is the best time to strike?"

Xuan Jiuyang smiled. "According to my calculations, a rare Great Void Tide will appear in the Void surrounding the Realm of the Stars in three years. The Realm of the Stars will bear the brunt of the impact and be severely damaged. That will be the perfect time!"

"A Great Void Tide?"

Hearing this, the Elders gasped.

The Great Void Tide was a cataclysm that destroyed all things in the Chaos. Any world or Grotto Heaven in the Void that encountered such a terrifying tide of Chaos was almost guaranteed to be annihilated.

Only a true Kingdom might be able to withstand such a void catastrophe.

At this, the many powerful experts grew excited.

"Three years! Good! In just three years, we will finally destroy our thousand-year nemesis!"

"This time, the Star Sect is doomed!"

"Destroy the Star Sect and end our millennia-long blood feud!"

...

Voices echoed throughout Qi Hall as waves of killing intent surged to the heavens.

"Then, Sect Master, what about avenging the Young Sect Master?" one of the Elders asked, looking at Xuan Jiuyang.

Qi Hall fell silent as all the Elders turned their gazes to Xuan Jiuyang.

A flash of crimson killing intent glinted in Xuan Jiuyang’s eyes.

"I cannot live under the same sky as my son’s killer. I will have my revenge. However, our priority right now is to build our strength. We must not alert our enemy prematurely. As for this matter, let the Divine Power Sect handle it. I trust that with my wife’s influence there, killing that Qin Feng will be a simple matter."

Xuan Jiuyang suppressed the murderous glint in his eyes. He had the disposition of a ruthless and ambitious leader.

Hearing this, a flicker of understanding passed through the Elders’ eyes, and they all nodded.

Hua Yuerong’s background was far from simple. She was the direct-line daughter of a Supreme Elder of the Divine Power Sect, a status that gave her immense influence. It would be no trouble at all for her to summon a few experts.