CHAPTER 1473: CHAPTER 1473: WINDS RISE IN AZURE WOODS

Azure Woods Mountain is located in the southern part of Xiangzhou, bordering the Southern Ridge Mountain Range.

Its neighbor, Luofu Mountain, claims to be the first Cave Heaven of Southern Ridge, even more renowned than Azure Woods Mountain.

Last time there was a bandit problem here, and Azure Woods Mountain even sent disciples to help the government forces massacre them across Southern Ridge.

It was truly a thousand miles of bloodshed, with heads scattered everywhere.

The mountain bandits of Southern Ridge are so notorious that none dare to even breathe.

Other Daoist sects emphasize cultivating character and peace of mind, but the Azure Woods Sect believes in proving the Dao through killing.

The sect is filled with a powerful killing aura, saying things like "kill one man, be a villain; kill ten thousand, be a hero; kill a million, be a god."

A group of disciples, under the banner of slaying demons and vanquishing devils, go on killing sprees in all directions.

The local people suffer bitterly yet fear the reputation of the Azure Woods Sect, swallowing their grievances silently.

The Ground Rat Demon King sent his disciples to dig holes and gather information, quickly understanding the situation of the Azure Woods Sect.

Overthrowing a sect is no easy task; one must know oneself and the enemy well.

Bamboo City Prefecture, the prefectural city.

Early in the morning, cultivators in the tavern were discussing rumors that someone had distributed flyers the night before, calling on everyone to go to Azure Woods Mountain to strike against the rich and share magical treasures.

The flyers stated, "Heaven and earth are benevolent, providing grains to nurture all living beings, giving humans spirit stone resources to achieve transcendence in the Dao. However, some sects divide territories privately and seize resources by hegemony. We, the Cultivators’ Sharing Alliance, were born of heavenly destiny, and now call on everyone to go to Azure Woods Mountain during the Qingming Festival to demand that the Azure Woods Sect share the cultivation resources that rightfully belong to everyone. If we unite our efforts, this will surely succeed. If you don’t believe it, refer to the Mount Heng Sect."

The Qingming Festival is just around the corner, and the cultivators of Bamboo City Prefecture find this sudden targeting of Azure Woods Sect baffling and courageous.

This Sharing Cultivation Alliance is something everyone is hearing about for the first time.

The flyer included the alliance’s principles, advocating for "all for one and one for all." All resources under heaven should be enjoyed together.

As people discussed more, they increasingly felt something significant was going to happen.

Azure Woods Sect is within the jurisdiction of Bamboo City Prefecture, and upon learning of this, the prefect hurriedly reported it to higher authorities, sending the message to Jingzhou Prefecture.

Prefecture Princess Ji Ruohuo was having a headache. She originally wanted to maintain neutrality and profit from both sides.

But these events are disrupting the balance.

Azure Woods Sect’s background is formidable. The current sect leader, Sima Qingyun, is a clan elder of the Sima Family, a military strategist family.

Sima Qingcang, one of the Three Elders of Mount Heng, and Sima Qingyun are clan brothers.

The Sima Family is aligned with the New Emperor, so targeting Azure Woods Sect is clearly opposing the New Emperor.

Holding onto her neutral stance, Ji Ruohuo immediately ordered the prefect to instruct the military not to intervene and issued a statement saying it’s a matter of the Cultivation World, and the official government would not participate, letting the Cultivation World resolve it.

The sect leader of Azure Woods Sect, Sima Qingyun, upon receiving the news, shattered the chair beneath him with a slap and ordered his disciples to declare that anyone who steps into Azure Woods Sect’s territory without permission would be killed without mercy.

A great battle loomed, with all sorts of rumors flying.

The loose cultivators of the Cultivation World were the most excited, especially those who benefited from Mount Heng, arriving early at Bamboo City Prefecture.

Fortune favors the bold. As loose cultivators facing a shortage of cultivation resources, it’s impossible to progress without taking risks.

The loose cultivators have their own awareness, and now that someone stands up for them, how can they not cherish this opportunity?

In the tavern, discussions were everywhere.

Someone said, "Have you heard about that Hu Laoliu training in Xiangyang? A few days ago, he went to Mount Heng, did nothing, but lucked out during the loot and found a bottle of sixth-grade Body Tempering Pills. Now his cultivation level has soared, instantly breaking through to the Enlightenment Realm, showing off like crazy!"

"I know him! The butcher from Yongzhou, always carrying a pig-killing knife, parading through the streets, calling himself Hu the One-Blade!"

"I heard the ones issuing the announcement this time are the same group who besieged Mount Heng last time."

"Does that mean we can try our luck too?"

"Of course, missing out on a good deal is foolish!"

Someone worriedly said, "But the notorious reputation of Azure Woods Sect in South Yangtze is fearsome! Aren’t you afraid of losing your head?"

Someone laughed, "Rest assured, during the fight, we’ll stay far away. Once the front line is done with the battle, when they’ve had their fill of meat, we can go in and sip some bone broth."

"The recent siege on Mount Heng was just like that, fiercely intense. I heard that the loose cultivators didn’t even climb the mountain. After the fight was over, everyone swarmed the place. Someone just invited me to go to Mount Heng to scavenge for magical treasures! I heard that Mount Heng was devastated, even the bricks and tiles of the main hall were stripped away."

"Bricks and tiles are nothing; I heard they even dug up the latrines, claiming it’s the manure of a Spiritual Beast, capable of yielding 100,000 jin per mu when used to fertilize crops!"

"..."

Amidst the crowd, Long Fei, Chu Feng, Bald Dog, and Da Heiniu were sitting in a private room, leisurely drinking wine.

The Ground Rat Demon King soon came, smiling so broadly it almost slipped off its face.

Bald Dog’s shifty eyes fixed on it and said, "You tunneling creature, did you get some benefit?"

The Ground Rat Demon King shook its head, excitedly saying, "No benefit, just news from Xiangyang. The imperial army from the north has gathered, probably planning to use force against Xiangyang. Now Xiangyang City’s gates are sealed, and preparations for battle have begun."

"How are things in South Yangtze?"

Long Fei sipped his wine calmly, everything was as expected, nothing surprising.

The Ground Rat Demon King reported, "The imperial army of South Yangtze Prefecture engaged with us near the Huai River. However, our strong ships and powerful cannons forced the imperial army to retreat after just one battle."

"Who’s leading them?"

Long Fei inquired.

The Ground Rat Demon King replied, "It’s the old general of the Han Family, Han Fang."

"Him?"

Long Fei raised an eyebrow.

Chu Feng asked, "Have you heard of his reputation?"

Long Fei nodded and said, "Previously, I had General Wang Xun list all the famous generals of the Eight Sects of Military Strategists in the Capital City, and Han Fang is not a simple character. Back then, during the barbarian tribe’s incursion from the north of Great Xia Country, it was General Han Fang who led the army to suppress the rebellion. It’s unlikely that the imperial court sent him south just to engage in a single battle and retreat."

He furrowed his brows, analyzing.

Chu Feng laughed, "What’s the deal with him? He’s good at land battles but can’t match us in naval warfare. How can the imperial court’s two wooden ships compete with our battleships?"

Long Fei shook his head, "No, Han Fang must be waiting for some backing. Don’t forget, the New Emperor has help from the mechanical people of Aurelius. The Mechanical Tribe’s advanced technology, if they intervene, our battleships would be no better than wooden boards."

Chu Feng was surprised, "Are you saying he’s waiting for reinforcements?"

Long Fei nodded and instructed the Ground Rat Demon King, "Pass the message and tell Prefecture Princess not to let the soldiers intervene, to issue a public statement saying it’s a matter of the Cultivation World and the official government won’t get involved, so let the Cultivation World handle it."

The Ground Rat Demon King nodded and promptly went to carry out the task.

Bald Dog’s sneaky eyes fixed on it and said, "That’s not a solution either, you can guard against them for a time, but you can’t guard against them forever. Why don’t we pay a visit to Aurelius and steal their technology for our use strengthening ourselves?"

Chu Feng and a few others nodded and, after drinking for a while, headed out to Azure Woods Mountain.

A great battle was coming, with reconnaissance necessary beforehand.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t even know which way their enemy’s gate faced.