Youth must be seized while it is still young; how can one remain a boy forever? Chapter Ninety-One: The Wise Know When to Bend

After the battle, the spirit airships took half a day to recover before once again rising into the sky.

The three vessels headed off in different directions, splitting into three separate routes.

The one carrying the people of Azure Sun Sect flew straight north.

Their destination was Black Eagle Fortress.

Five hundred miles was a short distance to a spirit airship flying at full speed; in less than an hour, they arrived.

Seeing the Black Eagle Fortress disciples standing before the mountain gate as if facing a great enemy, the Azure Sun Sect cultivators exchanged glances, each seeing astonishment in the other’s eyes.

It was exactly as Bai Qingzhou had said: Black Eagle Fortress had learned that a formidable foe was advancing, but there had been no time to flee.

The spirit airship hovered quietly before the mountain gate.

At that moment, Zhang Chao, the man in charge of the vessel, laughed heartily. With a leap from the deck, he stood in midair and shouted toward the gate, “Does Black Eagle Fortress have any cultivator who will come forward to speak?”

His voice was immense, hammering against everyone’s ears.

No sooner had he spoken than a figure suddenly flew out from the fortress’s mountain-protecting formation.

The man appeared to be in his fifties, his figure already showing signs of age. At present, his face was full of bitterness as he cupped his hands and said, “I am Tang Yuanji, sect master of Black Eagle Fortress. Greetings, fellow Daoist.”

Zhang Chao returned the salute with a smile. “Ha, easy enough, easy enough. I am Zhang Chao of the Infinite Path Sect...”

“Er...” Tang Yuanji glanced at the spirit airship hovering not far away and bowed slightly. “Fellow Daoist Zhang, what is the meaning of this?”

Zhang Chao gave a loud laugh, then his expression changed as he said sternly, “Black Eagle Fortress, as the claws and fangs of Azure Dragon Mountain, has committed countless evils and murdered fellow cultivators! Today, under the command of my sect’s ancestor, I have come to carry out justice on behalf of heaven and eradicate Black Eagle Fortress!”

Tang Yuanji’s face changed drastically. “Fellow Daoist, do not believe those rumors! My Black Eagle Fortress has never done such things! False charges can be laid without end!”

“Heh heh.” Zhang Chao chuckled softly. “Then go and explain it to my sect’s ancestor.”

With that, he swept his right hand backward, making the gesture to issue an order.

The many cultivators on the deck, seeing that signal, immediately prepared to attack.

They only awaited a command to surge forward.

“Wait!” Tang Yuanji hurriedly waved both hands and shouted anxiously, “Fellow Daoist! Please wait a moment!”

Zhang Chao slowly lowered his right hand and asked with a smile, “What else does Fellow Daoist Tang have to say?”

“Fellow Daoist, may I ask whether there is still room for negotiation in this matter?” Tang Yuanji asked with difficulty.

He had no choice but to humble himself. He clearly sensed that there were at least over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators and no fewer than a hundred Qi Refinement cultivators aboard the distant airship. With such numbers, once fighting began, the yellow-rank lower-grade mountain-protecting formation of Black Eagle Fortress would not hold for long.

If these cultivators breached the mountain gate, every disciple in the sect might be slaughtered to the last.

That was something he could not accept.

“Fellow Daoist is indeed sensible!” Zhang Chao said with a cheerful smile. “As for room for negotiation, of course there is. You need only open the mountain-protecting formation, have all your cultivators lay down their magical instruments, surrender, and accept our capture!”

Zhang Chao paused, then fixed Tang Yuanji with his gaze. “That is the room for negotiation.”

“This...” Tang Yuanji fell into hesitation.

For a cultivator to lay down the magical instrument in his hand was no different from becoming a lamb awaiting slaughter, left at the mercy of others.

“Senior Brother! Don’t believe these people’s lies! Let us fight them to the death!”

Suddenly, a middle-aged man rushed out from behind the formation and shouted at Tang Yuanji.

Zhang Chao narrowed his eyes at the man.

“Shut up!” Tang Yuanji whirled around and cursed angrily.

“Senior Brother...” the middle-aged man said in astonishment.

“I said be quiet!” Tang Yuanji barked again.

After a pause, he looked back at Zhang Chao and lowered his head. “As long as I do as Fellow Daoist says, can Fellow Daoist guarantee that no harm will come to the disciples of my sect?”

“Of course! My Infinite Path Alliance keeps its word!” Zhang Chao nodded sincerely.

Tang Yuanji clenched his teeth and made a painful decision. “Very well! I agree to Fellow Daoist’s request!”

Zhang Chao laughed loudly. “Fellow Daoist Tang is truly decisive! Then please go make your arrangements.”

“Yes, thank you, Fellow Daoist!” Tang Yuanji cupped his hands.

With that, he pulled the furious junior brother behind him and hurried back inside the sect.

Zhang Chao remained quietly suspended in the air, watching the Black Eagle Fortress formation.

Their conversation had naturally been heard clearly by cultivators on both sides.

The many rogue cultivators watching from the deck immediately erupted into discussion.

“What? They surrendered just like that?”

“Why is Black Eagle Fortress so spineless? I was hoping to make a big haul! If they surrender now, how are we supposed to loot them?”

“Heh. Spineless? That’s called knowing when to yield. What do you people know? Not having to shed blood is best of all!”

“Exactly, exactly. As long as there’s no fighting, that’s enough. Whew...”

“...”

The voices rose one after another, each with its own thoughts.

Meanwhile, the people of Azure Sun Sect were dumbfounded. They had prepared for battle, never expecting Black Eagle Fortress to offer no resistance at all and simply surrender.

Everyone looked at one another.

“Perhaps it is a feigned surrender!” Ruian Xiuqi guessed.

Yet things did not unfold as he expected. Not long after, Tang Yuanji, who had departed, operated the formation disc and formally shut down the mountain-protecting formation that enveloped the entire gate. The transparent barrier vanished in an instant.

Under his organization, the many disciples of Black Eagle Fortress stood on an open plaza with empty hands, carrying no weapons.

It was clearly Tang Yuanji’s display of sincerity.

Tang Yuanji rose into the air and offered the formation disc in both hands to Zhang Chao, saying, “This is the central formation disc of the mountain-protecting array of my sect. Please, Fellow Daoist, keep your word and do not harm the disciples of my sect.”

Zhang Chao took the disc, carefully sensed it, and, after confirming that it was indeed correct, laughed. “Fellow Daoist truly understands the greater picture! Rest assured, I will certainly keep my promise. It is only that we must first wrong your disciples a little and have them confined in the airship for a few days!”

Tang Yuanji replied bitterly, “That is only natural...”

“Oh, and one more thing.” Zhang Chao cast a faint glance at Tang Yuanji before his tone turned cold. “Tell your foolish junior brother to keep his mouth in check! If he dares speak rudely again, it will not be so easy to let it pass!”

Tang Yuanji answered in terror, “I understand.”

Thereafter, under the lead of their own sect master, the disciples of Black Eagle Fortress became captives of the Infinite Path Alliance, all locked in rooms sealed with many talismans and guarded by dedicated personnel.

That this battle had taken Black Eagle Fortress with hardly any effort was something no rogue cultivator had expected, nor had the higher-ups of the various sects or the many Foundation Establishment cultivators.

After the disciples of Black Eagle Fortress had been dealt with, a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately began an urgent meeting to discuss the next strategic direction.

And while the people of the Infinite Path Alliance were discussing their next move with fervor, on a mountain peak far away, a thousand miles distant, three others were also discussing their own direction.

The three stood atop the summit. Two of them were young cultivators in their twenties, while before them stood a middle-aged cultivator in his forties. The two treated him with great respect, and among the three, the middle-aged man faintly seemed to be the leader.

“Kuai Yuan, ahead should be the territory of the Infinite Path Alliance...” the middle-aged cultivator said softly, turning to look at the surrounding peaks.

Hearing the question, one of the young cultivators lowered his head to glance at the map in his hand, then lifted his gaze to look around. After a while, he replied, “Master, you are right! Beyond this mountain is the range of the Infinite Path Alliance.”

“At last we have arrived. It was not in vain that the three of us traveled for over a month.” The middle-aged cultivator sighed with emotion.

“Master, how should we proceed now?” Kuai Yuan asked.

The middle-aged cultivator looked at the silent, gloomy young man beside him and said indifferently, “Ask your senior brother.”

Kuai Yuan turned to the gloomy young man and asked, “Senior Brother Qin, do you know the way?”

The gloomy young man shook his head and said in a low voice, “No. We have not yet reached a place I am familiar with.”

“All right...” Kuai Yuan said as he lowered his head and continued examining the map in his hands. “We are still several days away from that so-called Azure Sun Sect... yes, Azure Sun Sect.”

Hearing this, Senior Brother Qin said to the middle-aged cultivator, “Master, then let us hasten on! If we miss this opportunity, it would be a terrible waste!”

The middle-aged cultivator smiled. “Good! Of course there is no problem. But... is it really as you said, that Azure Sun Sect has only one Foundation Establishment cultivator in the early stage left?”

Senior Brother Qin replied, “Master, you have also seen that the news of Li Yuyun’s death has already been published in the Dark Province Dragon and Tiger Rankings. It certainly cannot be fake!”

“Then does that mean their sect has only one early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator left?” the middle-aged cultivator asked.

“Yes.” Senior Brother Qin nodded and continued, “As far as I know, Azure Sun Sect has only two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Since Li Yuyun is dead, then only the female cultivator named Han Aoyu remains. Now that their sect master has died, Han Aoyu will certainly have to go out and make contact with the various powers. Once she leaves, there will be no Foundation Establishment cultivator in the sect. With Master’s strength, breaking through that mountain-protecting formation should be effortless!”

The middle-aged cultivator nodded. “But Azure Sun Sect is still a member of the Infinite Path Alliance. Even if attacking them is easy, we still must be wary of retaliation from the alliance.”

“Master, rest assured. Back then, even with only the first level of Qi Refinement, I was able to escape. Now there certainly will be no problem! We’ll rob them and leave. The Infinite Path Alliance will definitely be helpless against us!” Senior Brother Qin said with confidence.

“Heh.” The middle-aged cultivator laughed. “Good, then let us depart now!”

“Good!”

“Oh, right.” The middle-aged cultivator paused, then asked with a smile, “Why do you bear such deep hatred for Azure Sun Sect?”

Senior Brother Qin ground his teeth and said fiercely, “Hmph! Azure Sun Sect killed my honored master, harmed my brothers, and destroyed my mountain gate! They made me live like a stray dog!”

Looking at his disciple, whose face was filled with hatred, the middle-aged cultivator’s lips curved slightly upward. Then he raised a hand and summoned a flying magical artifact.

“Come! Master will help you take revenge!”

The three leaped onto the flying artifact and sped away into the distance.