Chapter 278: Attacking Sanyuan Island

There was an island known as the Sanyuan Island within the Eastern Sea, and the Immortal sect that had been founded on it was the Sanyuan Immortal Sect.

The disciples of Sanyuan Island were rushing back into the island, and its defensive formation had been fully activated. They glanced anxiously into the distance.

"It's Xiao Nanfeng! He's come to attack Sanyuan Island with an army at his back. What are we to do?!"

"I warned our seniors not to mess with the Xiao lands—this was precisely what I was afraid of!"

"The Jingang Temple was destroyed just a few days ago. Is Xiao Nanfeng intending to annihilate us, too?"

Cries of fear and shock filled Sanyuan Island.

The valley that led into the Sanyuan Immortal Sect proper had been surrounded by thousands of fighters. Yu'er, Croak, Warble, Ye Dafu, and Ye Sanshui floated in the air outside the island, their combined auras so strong that the fog that should have been produced by the defensive formation to ward the island was nowhere to be seen.

Xiao Nanfeng was at the forefront of the army, clad in white, his hands clasped behind his back. He hovered in the air as he looked down at Sanyuan Island.

"Aren't you going to show yourself, master of the Sanyuan Sect?" Xiao Nanfeng shouted.

His voice echoed around the entire island.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

A large number of Sanyuan disciples had gathered on a plaza of the Sanyuan Island. They were glancing anxiously at a robed elder, the master of the Sanyuan Sect.

The Sanyuan sect master had a perturbed expression on his face. He knew that his actions now could mean the end of the sect entirely. He took a deep breath and advanced. "I am the Sanyuan sect master, and I once worked together with Elder Ku Jiang of the Taiqing Immortal Sect to combat spirits together. Might I ask why you've come to Sanyuan Island?"

"Not long ago, two Wingform-realm cultivators, claiming to be elders of the Sanyuan Immortal Sect, along with a group of disciples under their command, unleashed indiscriminate slaughter in my Xiao lands. Are you aware of this, Sect Master?"

The Sanyuan sect master's face flashed with a series of emotions. This sort of thing wasn't something he could hope to explain away; he had no choice but to nod. "They were two of my juniors, who were incited into becoming pawns in the struggle of empire. They made the wrong decision. One now lies dead, and the other is grievously injured. Young Master Xiao, is this not sufficient punishment for their misdeeds? Would you settle for this on account of my former dealings with Elder Ku?"

"Sanyuan Sect Master, it's true that I ought to give you special consideration on account of your dealings with my master, but the disciples of the Sanyuan Immortal Sect slaughtered a fair number of my subordinates in my lands. Such a deed cannot go unpunished. They were killing my people in order to hunt me down. You should be aware of that," Xiao Nanfeng replied coldly.

The master of the Sanyuan Sect frowned. It was apparent that his prior dealings with Elder Ku wouldn't suffice to smooth things over. The Sanyuan Immortal Sect was poised to suffer a ruinous blow that day.

"All must bear responsibility for their actions. Your two junior brothers attempted to seek an opportunity for the Sanyuan Sect's ascension. I don't fault them for it, but since they've failed, they'll have to suffer the consequences of failure," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"What consequences?" the Sanyuan sect master asked.

Xiao Nanfeng had brought an entire army over to the sect,including a fair few Wingform-realm cultivators. On the other hand, he was the only Wingform-realm cultivator in the Sanyuan sect. How was he to stop them? Would the sect be destroyed that very day?

"I'm not fond of slaughter, but I won't simply take this lying down. Your disciples will have to pay for killing and injuring my subordinates and provide just compensation. Do you think this reasonable?"

The Sanyuan sect master's eyes brightened. Was Xiao Nanfeng not going to destroy his sect? He waited expectantly for Xiao Nanfeng to continue.

"What sort of payment, Young Master Xiao?" the Sanyuan sect master asked.

"I want neither your life nor your treasures. I ask for the draconic vein of the Sanyuan Immortal Sect as compensation," Xiao Nanfeng declared.

"The draconic vein? That's the foundation of the Sanyuan Immortal Sect. How could I hand that over?!" the Sanyuan sect master thundered.

"This isn't a negotiation, but a notice."

"You—!" the Sanyuan sect master cried out.

"Don't think that I'll be deterred just because of your defensive formation. I could break it at any time," Xiao Nanfeng warned.

Suddenly, the defensive formation around the Sanyuan Immortal Sect burst apart.

"Sect Master, something's wrong! The foundation of the defensive formation has been destroyed! Someone's infiltrated the Sanyuan sect!" A shout came from afar.

Chaos filled the entire island.

"Calm down, please. I don't intend to harm anyone here, and neither will my subordinates strike without my say-so," Xiao Nanfneg shouted.

The disciples of the Sanyuan sect quieted down and turned to their sect master.

The Sanyuan sect master gritted out, "Xiao Nanfeng, you've killed all my disciples that participated in the raid on your lands. Isn't that sufficient?!"

"They deserve to die for what they've done, and I repaid shed blood with blood. However, that's not the end of the story. They attacked my lands as representatives of the Sanyuan Immortal Sect. If they had been victorious, the Sanyuan Immortal Sect as a whole would benefit; since they failed, the Sanyuan Immortal Sect must take responsibility. If I were out for blood, the Sanyuan sect would have been destroyed by now."

"The Sanyuan Immortal Sect wasn't the only sect that raided your lands. Why are you only targeting us?" the Sanyuan sect leader cried out.

"Don't worry. I intend to pay them all visits," Xiao Nanfeng replied firmly.

"What?" the Sanyuan sect leader exclaimed.

He knew that Xiao Nanfeng had a whole army behind him, but even so, that was an ambitious plan. Did Xiao Nanfeng really intend to make an enemy of all the Immortal sects who had attacked him?

"Sanyuan Sect Master, I'll seal your cultivation and claim the draconic vein of the sect as compensation for your sect's attack on my lands. I, Xiao Nanfeng, hereby promise to drop this matter and not to harm any of your disciples if you agree to these terms. What say you?"

The Sanyuan sect master hesitated. He knew that, if he were to attempt to resist, Xiao Nanfeng could easily destroy the entire sect, let alone strip the sect of its draconic vein.

"How will I be able to believe you? What if you seal our cultivation and then kill us?" the Sanyuan sect master continued to argue.

"I'm a man of my word," Xiao Nanfeng replied. "Furthermore, you have no other option."

The Sanyuan sect master's eyes twitched as the disciples all around stared at him. Clearly, none of them wanted to die.

The Sanyuan sect leader, finally having convinced himself that Xiao Nanfeng wouldn't go back on his word, gave a long sigh and nodded.

You Jiu suddenly appeared behind the Sanyuan sect master, giving him a shock. He immediately understood that, if he had refused, a sword would have taken the man's place instead.

You Jiu sealed the sect master's cultivation with a secret technique. Then, all the Sanyuan disciples were herded to an open plaza where they too had their cultivation sealed.

Ye Sanshui and the others quickly set up the Immortal's Destruction, which Xiao Nanfeng activated. In no time at all, the ground began to rumble. A tsunami formed in the sea around the island. A fifteen-hundred-meter-long draconic vein was excavated from underground. Everyone eyed it with ardor.

The disciples of the Sanyuan sect glanced at each other in remorse, but what could they do? They had been the aggressor to begin with. It was already generous beyond belief for Xiao Nanfeng to claim the draconic vein without hurting them.

"Dig in!" Xiao Nanfeng commanded, taking the lead.

"Got it!" everyone replied.

The draconic vein keened in agony, but there was nothing it could do against the cultivators. Xiao Nanfeng and his army of cultivators quickly devoured the dragon. Their bodies glowed with golden light. They sat cross-legged as they began to distill the draconic aether.

Four hours later, in resounding booms of energy, the cultivators broke through in succession.

A huge wave of energy emanated from Xiao Nanfeng's body as he opened his eyes. "The tenth stage of Spiritsong!"

"Senior Brother, I've broken through into Spiritsong!" a Taiqing disciple exclaimed.

He wasn't the only one. Eight Taiqing disciples in all had reached Spiritsong after absorbing this draconic vein, and hundreds had reached Ascension. Everyone had improved their cultivation by an astounding extent, and they were all jubilant.

Meanwhile, the Sanyuan disciples gritted their teeth, resentful and indignant. That had been their draconic vein!

Xiao Nanfeng turned and walked up to the Sanyuan sect master.

"Young Master Xiao, do you intend to break your word?" The Sanyuan sect master frowned.

His cultivation had been sealed; he wouldn't be able to stop Xiao Nanfeng at all.

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "Worry not. I keep my word."

"What are you doing, then?"

"Just sharing a piece of advice: go where your talents will be valued. What do you think you'd be able to gain from the Xiang clan besides an empty promise? Furthermore, do you think they'll compensate you for your losses?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The Sanyuan sect master's lips thinned. The Xiang clan cared little of their survival.

"Meanwhile, look at those cultivators on my side," Xiao Nanfeng continued.

The Sanyuan sect master's eyes twitched. Xiao Nanfeng's subordinates really were lucky to be able to accompany him everywhere as they devoured more draconic veins. Their cultivation was rising at an incredible pace!

"Alright, it's time for us to leave. Please think my words through carefully, Sanyuan Sect Master." Xiao Nanfeng smiled, then instructed his subordinates, "Set up the Sanyuan Immortal Sect's defensive formation again so others won't attack them for the time being. Now, everyone, we'll be heading to the next Immortal sect and excavating more draconic veins. You'll be rewarded well for your merit on the battlefield. We leave now!"

"Understood!" the soldiers shouted in excitement.

The defensive formation of Sanyuan Island was activated once again as Xiao Nanfeng soared into the air. A group of Spiritsong- and higher-realm cultivators hauled the remaining cultivators with them in a large net as they vanished over the horizon.

As Xiao Nanfeng and his army vanished over the horizon, the disciples of the Sanyuan sect let out the breaths they had been holding. Many of them felt humiliated and wronged, but others considered the whole incident carefully.

"Sect Master, did we make the wrong decision in supporting the Xiao clan? Will they compensate us for our losses? Look at how well Xiao Nanfeng's army is faring—they're actively being rewarded for their successes. Look at how many draconic veins they've absorbed! If only we had chosen to side with Xiao Nanfeng instead..." one Sanyuan disciple murmured.

Everyone around them fell deep in thought.

High up in the sky, Yu'er flew toward Xiao Nanfeng and said, "Nanfeng, I almost thought you were going to wipe out the entire sect."

"It wouldn't have been difficult, but those disciples of the Sanyuan sect who weren't present on the island would bear me a lifelong grudge thereafter. They won't be able to deal with me directly, so they'd attack any Taiqing disciple they can find instead. The Sanyuan sect by itself is no major threat, but we're going to be attacking many more sects as well. I wouldn't want to cause trouble for the Taiqing Immortal Sect," Xiao Nanfeng explained.

"Won't they hate you regardless?" Yu'er asked.

"They will, but they were the instigator to begin with. This is just punishment, and I chose not to destroy their sect. I don't expect they'll act in too crazy a fashion, and their hatred will be limited to me, not ordinary Taiqing disciples."

Yu'er processed Xiao Nanfeng's words and gave him a strange look. "Why does it feel like you're itching for a beating?"