The man in the tight black attire, addressed as "Brother Changfeng," nodded to the other four.
"It truly is a pity that we failed to intercept Tianxingzi this time. We were just one step away from finishing him. I have not been in the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm for long, while that old ghost Tianxingzi has been there for at least a hundred years. Even with the speed of my Wind-Severing Clan, I could barely keep up. Such is the gap in cultivation. However, since he has shown himself, we can now summon the elite disciples of our four clans to besiege Falling Star Valley together. In a moment, I will ask Fellow Daoist Sang and one of his esteemed partners to return and gather the Cangyu Sect disciples. Fellow Daoist Xue, you too shall return and command the Snow Moon Wolf Clan to come forth. Fellow Daoist Ning, your Night Fox Clan is relatively close to my Wind-Severing Clan. While you gather your cultivators, please take my Jade Slip and make a trip to the Wind-Severing Clan. Give the Jade Slip to Lie Changming. He was struck by that old ghost Tianxingzi's dharma seal and is severely injured. After Changming has arranged for manpower, I will have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist Ning, to bring them here. Since we are making a move, I will remain here to watch over Falling Star Valley!"
As he spoke, Lie Changfeng took out a Jade Slip, whispered a few words into it, and tossed it to the Grand Elder of the Night Fox Clan, a woman with a bewitching figure and a pair of soul-snatching eyes.
Among the other three, besides the aloof youth from the Snow Moon Wolf Clan who remained silent, the female Golden Core cultivator from the Cangyu Sect responded faintly.
"I will be the one to make the trip back. My husband can remain here!" The Grand Elder of the Night Fox Clan reached out and caught the Jade Slip, shooting Lie Changfeng a flirtatious wink that held a world of charm.
"Fellow Daoist Changfeng, are you really planning to begin the assault on Falling Star Valley now? This deviates from the plan we discussed earlier."
As she spoke, she swayed her body, creating a series of breathtaking ripples. Upon hearing the sudden decision to truly attack Falling Star Valley, the Grand Elder of the Night Fox Clan felt a little hesitant. Among the four sects, her Night Fox Clan was the weakest. As the Grand Elder, her cultivation was only at the Mid-stage Golden Core. The clan's leader, who remained behind, had only just entered the Mid-stage Golden Core less than a hundred years ago, his realm barely considered stable. This was incomparable to the other three clans.
According to the terms previously agreed upon, the Night Fox Clan would receive the fewest benefits. Now, being asked to bring out all her elite clansmen, she was naturally unwilling. She had already made up her mind: only one of them, either she or the clan leader, would come, and they would only bring a portion of their disciples. Otherwise, the deal was off.
Her light laughter was like the song of an oriole, exceedingly pleasant to the ear. A flicker of heat and greed flashed in the eyes of the Sang-surnamed cultivator from the Cangyu Sect at her side, but it was gone in an instant. The female cultivator next to him, however, made no effort to hide the loathing in her eyes. As for the white-robed youth from the Snow Moon Wolf Clan, a look of indifference crossed his face, as if he were completely unmoved by her beauty.
"Fellow Daoist Ning, our previous plan was based on not knowing the true extent of that old ghost Tianxingzi's strength. That's why we kept probing, trying to force his hand. Although the worldly phenomenon of him condensing a Nascent Soul could not be hidden from anyone, if he truly were a supreme expert among Pseudo-Nascent Souls, he would not be someone our combined clans could handle. However, this time Tianxingzi took the initiative to appear. After clashing with him, I found that although he has been in the Pseudo-Nascent Soul stage for over a hundred years, his progress has been limited. He is far from condensing a Nascent Soul and cannot be considered a supreme expert among Pseudo-Nascent Souls. If Fellow Daoists Xue and Ning had been by my side to assist, the three of us could have definitely inflicted heavy damage on him, perhaps even killed the old ghost. Otherwise, he wouldn't have fled back in such a hurry like a beaten dog. Since we have now ascertained his true strength, and the Sacred Demon Palace is no longer interfering in disputes between sects, why wait any longer and risk new complications? Falling Star Valley has close ties with the Green Wind Sect and the Six Plates Hall. Although neither sect has appeared yet, these things are unpredictable. The principle of staking everything on one decisive battle is something you all should understand."
Lie Changfeng spoke faintly, seemingly oblivious to the Night Fox Grand Elder's coquettish display.
"Giggle... As for those two sects, I have already received news. The Six Plates Hall intended to offer aid, but for some unknown reason, they have yet to arrive. And Old Daoist Qingyu of the Green Wind Sect has already entered death seclusion. The remaining Sect Master, Feng Moru, does not dare to lead his people away from their sect. On this point, you can rest assured."
The Night Fox Grand Elder chimed in again with a charming smile.
"Oh? Isn't that even better? Then it's settled. However, we must still be wary of the Green Wind Sect and the Six Plates Hall lending a hand. Fellow Daoist Sang and I will remain here and begin breaking the formation's restrictions. By the time you return, we estimate the outer restrictions should be close to broken. We will gather at the gates of Falling Star Valley."
"While Fellow Daoist Changfeng's reasoning is sound, my Night Fox Clan specializes in intelligence gathering, not direct combat. I can only bring a portion of our disciples back with me, those who are more adept at fighting and can be of use. The remaining disciples will be sent out to continue monitoring the Green Wind Sect and the Six Plates Hall. I trust none of you have any objections to this."
"Ning Ying, are you saying that our clans should go all out while your Night Fox Clan preserves its strength?"
The moment the Night Fox Grand Elder finished speaking, the female cultivator from the Cangyu Sect could no longer hold back. She had long been jealous of the other's nation-toppling beauty, and every time she saw Ning Ying, she felt the woman was a floozy trying to seduce her husband. At this moment, she directly voiced her sarcastic retort. In response, Ning Ying showed no sign of displeasure, continuing to smile charmingly.
"Fellow Daoist Yu Rong, these were the terms we agreed upon back when your Cangyu Sect first gathered the other three clans. My clan is mainly responsible for collecting all information on Falling Star Valley. Otherwise, how could you have known the precise routes and times of Falling Star Valley's escort teams? How could you have repeatedly and accurately ambushed their disciples?"
Although Ning Ying wore a smile, her tone was uncompromising.
'What a joke,' she thought. 'If not for the female disciples of our Night Fox Clan using their Fox-Charm Illusion Arts to gather intelligence from all sources, could these three sects have so easily obtained accurate information on Falling Star Valley time and time again?'
"Then your Night Fox Clan can't just watch as others give their all, can it?" Yu Rong said, her face cold as ice.
"Give our all? Did my Night Fox Clan not give its all when collecting information on Falling Star Valley? Fellow Daoist Yu Rong, the benefits my Night Fox Clan receives will be proportional to the effort we put in..."
"Enough, both of you. Do not lose your sense of propriety!"
Lie Changfeng interrupted their argument with a hint of impatience. The white-robed youth from the Snow Moon Wolf Clan still looked indifferent. The Sang-surnamed cultivator from the Cangyu Sect could only smile wryly as Yu Rong shot him a fierce glare.
The plan to annex Falling Star Valley had originally been conceived by him and his wife. However, they were extremely wary of Falling Star Valley's Tianxingzi, which is why they contacted the Snow Moon Wolf and Wind-Severing Clans. They had thought that with their cultivation realms, they would be a formidable force in the presence of the other two sects. But unexpectedly, Lie Changfeng had broken through to the Pseudo-Nascent Soul Realm, and within his clan, Lie Changming had also quietly broken through to the Mid-stage Golden Core.
Just like that, the Wind-Severing Clan had turned the tables and become the dominant party. With the other three parties having already agreed to their proposal, the situation, which was originally supposed to be led by the Cangyu Sect, was completely lost. In the end, everything had to be decided by Lie Changfeng. Furthermore, the Night Fox Clan had a close private relationship with the Wind-Severing Clan. Lie Changfeng had then proposed that the Night Fox Clan also join, a suggestion that the Cangyu Sect couple was reluctant to accept, as it meant the spoils would be divided among yet another clan. More importantly, the Cangyu Sect had secret dealings with the Black Demon Clan. Their purpose in attacking Falling Star Valley was not just to carve up cultivation resources, so of course, the Sang couple did not want more people involved. But they dared not offend Lie Changfeng and ultimately had to agree, which made them find the Night Fox Clan even more of an eyesore.
Lie Changfeng frowned. He had brought the Night Fox Clan in for two reasons. One was his ambiguous relationship with Ning Ying. Although it was a relationship based on mutual carnal desire, they could still be considered a casual couple. When he was feasting on meat, he had to give her some soup to drink.
The second reason was that he did not trust the Cangyu Sect. He had heard that they had been very active in recent years, with ties to several dark forces. Therefore, he wanted to use Ning Ying to uncover the Cangyu Sect's secrets and also to keep them in check. This naturally required bringing the Night Fox Clan into the fold to facilitate intelligence gathering. As for the Snow Moon Wolf Clan, that fellow Xue Qianzong was purely in it for the benefits and couldn't care less about the others' schemes.
However, since Lie Changfeng had only later demanded the Night Fox Clan's inclusion, the majority of Falling Star Valley's spoils had to be carved out from his share. The Cangyu Sect and the Snow Moon Wolf Clan had only agreed to give up a small portion. For example, whether Falling Star Valley's Earth Fire Spirit Vein was auctioned off or kept for the joint use of the four sects for alchemy and artifact refining, the Night Fox Clan would only get a ten percent share, and the division of other benefits was largely the same.
"Then let it be so. The Night Fox Clan is indeed not adept at combat. My Wind-Severing Clan will take on more enemies. After all, my clan's disciples are the fastest. Even if we can't say we can take on two enemies at once, tying up a few more is not a problem. Secondly, Fellow Daoist Ning is right. Alternatively, your two clans can send people to keep an eye on the Green Wind Sect and the Six Plates Hall. However, if this matter backfires and the two sects discover our surveillance and decide to attack us, you will have to bear the responsibility. How about it?"
Lie Changfeng still trusted the Night Fox Clan's intelligence-gathering abilities. They would certainly not be exposed in a short time, which was something the other three clans could not guarantee.
Seeing Lie Changfeng siding with the Night Fox Clan, the white-robed youth from the Snow Moon Wolf Clan turned and flew away, leaving only a single sentence behind.
"I have no issue with it. In any case, my Snow Moon Wolf Clan will contribute as much strength as we have. If the situation becomes untenable, I will lead my people to retreat immediately. If we succeed, then no one can shortchange me of my share. Since Brother Changfeng has such confidence in dealing with Tianxingzi, why should I care about such trivial matters?"
The female cultivator from the Cangyu Sect, Yu Rong, knew that since Lie Changfeng had set the tone, they could no longer object. She shot a fierce glare at the Sang-surnamed cultivator, then flew off without another word.
"Then little sister will be heading back now. I will return here tomorrow."
After bidding farewell, Ning Ying also departed swiftly. After all, their four sects were not close to Falling Star Valley. To bring their disciples over in such a short time, the Golden Core cultivators would have to personally use their magical power.
...
"They have left only Lie Changfeng and Sang Dongxing behind. The rest have all departed!" Lin Xinghe said immediately, as soon as he and the red-robed youth arrived above the Technique Transmission Pavilion.
Of course, even without him saying it, the red-robed youth was already aware of the situation in the outer valley. After the five of them arrived, they had only attacked a few times before stopping. They were all Golden Core masters. After attacking once, they could determine that a brute-force assault was ineffective, so naturally, they wouldn't waste any more magical power.
"They have gone back to gather their forces for a large-scale assault on Falling Star Valley."
The red-robed youth retracted his Divine Sense, his face cold and stern.