"Gujian Qingshuang, this isn't something you can refuse. We don't need your help to kill Jiang Qingliu, we only require that you don't get in our way," Shi Yan said as she slapped her armrest like a thug. She took a swig of some tea brewed using top-grade divine herbs and adopted a bossy tone. "We only need you to send Jiang Qingliu out to pick divine herbs during the harvest. Naturally, we'll arrange for someone to take care of him without leaving a trace. Killing a half-cripple like him won't be a big deal. The Empyrean Sword Sect still needs to look good in front of those disciples, after all. Naturally, you'll have to keep this matter a secret. Crossing us will do nobody any good, right?"

She observed the reaction of the elders the entire time, speaking clearly without any vague wordplay as a method to apply pressure. She didn't need to anyway, given the power differential between their sects. As far as they were concerned, it was thanks to Jiang Qingliu forming a pact with Long Wanying that the four disciples were leaving for the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect in the first place. With him out of the picture, they would surely do whatever Gujian Qingshuang said.

"It bears mentioning that those four have their own thoughts on the matter. Even with Jiang Qingliu gone, they might not necessarily go with you," Gujian Qingshuang said.

"It's fine. The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect has already fallen, so they’ll need to find a sect that can support them. It goes without saying that we’re the best fit. As for what comes later, that can be arranged at a later date. But Jiang Qingliu must die no matter what, unless he's willing to do what we say. However, we know that he's as stubborn as a rock. I don't have the time to spend convincing him," Shi Yan said, dissatisfied. She could afford to be so arrogant thanks to her station. Not to mention, those three's hesitation and attitude of half-refusal revealed that they didn't have any firm leverage either.

"Gujian Qingshuang, this is a good opportunity for your sect. I’ve already detailed the pros and cons for you. We took the initiative to make this offer owing to our shared history. We’ll make your sect one that stands as close to first-rate as possible. In a sense, we'll be helping you fulfill the ambitions of your founder. The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect can no longer be counted on. Your chance to dominate this continent completely is with us!" Shi Yan added.

"Then let me ask you something."

"Please do."

"What do the first-rate sects and the Sky Palace think about the wargodeans and Blueblood Starocean?"

"Finally, you're getting to the crucial point." Shi Yan's voice deepened. "Back then, before the wargodeans let their allegiance to the celestial orderians slip, only the Blueblood Starocean were publicly considered traitors. Given their scale, they won't be able to do much to the Myriad Solar Sects. But now, the wargodeans are just as much traitors as those of the Veildragon Palace. They’re loyal to the sun emperor, and even dared to come to the Azurecloud Continent. Letting those traitors roam free is what’ll really make us suffer! The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect suffered a loss as a result of the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb's appearance, too. Even then, it's not like we can just band together to declare war against the celestial orderians. Nobody can afford the casualties that’d result from that.

"However, the Myriad Solar Sects still have to show them that we're not to be messed with lightly. If we can't strike the master, we can at least strike his dogs, and the wargodeans and Blueblood Starocean just so happen to be coming here. That’s why heavily wounding them here on the Azurecloud Continent is really important. Neither of us can afford to sit on the sidelines, understood? The Supracloud Sanctuary made a huge mistake in choosing them to help out with their harvest. They’ve basically handed over the seat of supremacy to your sect. The Azuresoul Palace will definitely be able to beat them so badly that they’ll become a third-rate sect and you’ll reign supreme across the entire continent!"

Though it sounded impressive, it was hard to determine what part of what she said was really true. Gujian Qingshuang didn't have proof that the meeting with the Sky Palace had really happened, nor could he possibly know what was said during the meeting even if it did happen. All he had heard was that the Myriad Solar Sects were going to work together to drive the Veildragon Palace away, yet now Shi Yan was claiming that the Sky Palace was going to give up on the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect entirely and let them serve the celestial orderians. In other words, the move the Empyrean Sword Sect wanted to make against the wargodeans and Blueblood Starocean was payback, now that the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect seemed irrecoverable.

As far as the Empyrean Sword Sect was concerned, if the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect fell, they would be the top dog. Outsiders would never gain the popular support of the locals to be at the top, after all, so the Empyrean Sword Sect's future was bright.

The three from the Azuresoul Palace had no way of knowing what the Sky Palace's real intentions were, but they could tell from Shi Yan's words that the Sky Palace was trying to redirect the conflict and show the sun emperor their firm stance by going after their lapdogs. It was indeed a chance for the Azuresoul Palace, even if they found it rather hard to believe that the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect was to be abandoned just like that.

Having their dragonsprings stolen away basically means that they’ve lost their home. Then again, even if reconstructing their defensive formation will take generations, how could they just give up like that? Gujian Qingshuang thought. He knew the Saintdragon Emperor was definitely still trying to come up with something, yet the Myriad Solar Sects seemed really pessimistic about such efforts. The Azuresoul Palace was now involved in a difficult predicament, being caught in the crossfire.

"The three of you," Shi Yan said, clearing her throat. "Our forces will arrive soon, with even more to come. Let us fight beautifully and crush the opposition on this continent. The divine tree is about to bloom any time now, so please be prepared. Remember to send Jiang Qingliu to the front lines. Any questions?"

Even though Gujian Qingshuang hadn't agreed to anything yet, he could only do what she said. The moment he had let her in, he’d already been ready for that possibility.

......

The Driftsword Halls were the highest-tier guest accommodation located at the First Sword Branch. There were more than ten thousand residential complexes there, each of them fitted with large gardens complete with lakes and hills. There was more than enough place for lifebound beasts to roam about. Shrouded in mist and clouds, it looked like an abode for celestials.

The Empyrean Sword Sect's elites were going to lodge there. They loudly spoke and let their rowdy lifebound beasts roam about, bumping into the buildings' defensive formations from time to time without any care. It was as if they were in their own homes; they weren’t acting like guests in the slightest. It was situated near the peak of the mountain, not far away from Gujian Qingshuang's Azuresoul Sword Hall.

The One-strike Slaughterer, Shi Yan, also stayed there. Having just finished the discussion with the elders, she went to her accommodation right away only to see five cultivators welcoming her with anticipation.

"How is it, boss? Did the haphazard plan work out to fool them?" they asked.

"Haphazard? It wasn’t haphazard in the least. We have proper justification, and we're doing them a favor. It's perfectly legitimate," Shi Yan said.

"Hahahaha!"

"I heard the divine tree bears quite a lot of fruit."

"Leaving a tenth for them sounds like a little too much."

"Perhaps we should only give them more scraps rather than actual spoils...."

Just as they were chatting happily, Shi Yan yelled, "Stop!"

They finally quieted down.

"The Azuresoul Palace is a splinter branch of our sect. Let's not act so tactlessly in their territory." She smiled and added, "At the very least, we have to pretend that they're our siblings. We still need to bring those four disciples with us."

"Will they dare to resist us even if we go too far?" someone asked.

"Resist? They're incapable of doing that, nor do they have the right. Their entire sect is filled with nothing but the old and weak. Not a single one of them has the sharp will of a sword, so why bother even training with them? They’d be better off trying to stop themselves from aging so they don't deteriorate further." The Empyrean Sword Sect had never really cared much for the Azuresoul Palace.

"Chu Jingchuan," Shi Yan called out.

"Yes, Master?" said a youth respectfully.

"You're still young and about the same age as Li Tianming and Yu Ziqian. Try to get along with them and brainwash them about how the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect is done for, and only our sect can care for them for the next five hundred years."

"Understood!"

"Alright, all of you may rest now. The sect will be sending tens of thousands of people here. The killers we prepared for Jiang Qingliu have also been chosen and will soon be in position."

"Yes!" The group began disbanding.

"The Azuresoul Sword Mountain is a good place, especially for a summer vacation...." The air around here wasn’t nearly as warm as that of the sun's south pole. The temperature was much more manageable, allowing divine herbs to grow far more easily. Comparatively, much of the rest of the world was quite a bit hotter.

"I'm starting to like this place." Shi Yan sat at a stone table and enjoyed the sight of lifebound beasts roaming about as the flaming clouds continued casting light down below. There wasn't any nighttime in this world.

"The weak always get devoured by the strong. It's the law of nature! Those divided will always fall. One day, a unified faction will form that includes all Myriad Solar Sects and truly rivals the celestial orderians. Our Empyrean Sword Sect might just become that."

She had seen through it all. The Myriad Solar Sects had basically no internal cohesion at all. With the outsiders taking the top spots, the rest hid away in obscurity. Her heart burned with passion as she imagined the countless corpses that would pile up in the near future.

"Huh?" All of a sudden, she felt like the surface of the stone table was rather odd. It wasn't the wind; something hiding underneath it had fluttered. Instantly, she jabbed a spot with her finger and heard a metallic sound. That didn't sound like stone.

"What's this?" A silver cockroach had been split in half by her fingers. "A lifeform? A golem? What in the world is this?"

Right as she was about to pick it up, the two halves of the cockroach became two different cockroaches, then completely vanished from her sight. Nothing else in the vicinity moved. Shi Yan was completely puzzled. "The heck did I just see?"