novelraw Page 551
Page 551
The Mount Hua Sword Tournament is great! I have to go to the Mount Hua Sword Tournament.
After considering it, Zhen Shanzi looked up and asked, "When will the Mount Hua Sword Tournament begin? Has a time been set?"
Yue Buqun nodded and said, "It will begin after my disciple Jiang Ning's succession ceremony."
Everyone was stunned.
This timing is somewhat sensitive.
At this moment, even Tianmen Daoren understood Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning's intentions.
Zhenshanzi couldn't help but smile bitterly.
That's quite confident of them.
However, since he is already a master of the Innate Realm, he certainly has that confidence.
Zhenshanzi shook his head.
If he were to reach the Innate Realm, he would be the same.
The matter was settled, and the next step was for the leaders of several sects to spread the news of the Mount Hua Sword Tournament.
It is easy to imagine that after many years of silence, this new round of the Mount Hua Sword Tournament will surely ignite the enthusiasm of martial arts heroes.
At this time, the leaders of the other four sects dispersed, while the Taishan, Hengshan, and Emei sects were still busy recruiting disciples, and Abbess Dingxian went back to continue her meditation.
As for Zhenshanzi, he was in no hurry to leave.
He approached Yue Buqun tentatively and asked, "Alliance Leader Yue, what are your plans next?"
Yue Buqun asked in surprise, "Brother Zhenshan, why do you ask this?"
Zhen Shanzi laughed and said, "Although Ren Woxing has been killed, the Demonic Sect has not been completely eradicated. I wonder if Alliance Leader Yue has any plans to attack Blackwood Cliff?"
Yue Buqun laughed upon hearing this.
"Since Brother Zhenshan has asked, I will not hide it from you. My disciple Jiang Ning will soon take over as the head of Huashan Sect and the leader of Weiyi Alliance. At that time, my disciple will be in charge. However, Ning'er does have this idea."
Zhenshanzi was not surprised to hear this.
Given Jiang Ning's personality, he would definitely do that.
Zhenshanzi continued, "When does Master Jiang plan to organize the righteous path to attack Blackwood Cliff again?"
Now Zhenshanzi also refers to Jiang Ning as "the real person".
After all, Jiang Ning is a junior in terms of seniority, but he is already a peerless master of the Innate Realm. In addition, he will soon succeed as the leader of Huashan Sect and the leader of Weiyi Alliance. In terms of status, he is already on par with these veteran masters, and in fact, he is even higher. Zhenshanzi would not be arrogant and consider himself a senior, as that would offend Huashan Sect and Jiang Ning.
Yue Buqun shook his head.
"Well... I don't know, but it shouldn't be long."
Zhenshanzi nodded upon hearing this.
Fortunately, he was cautious enough to ask a question. Otherwise, if he hadn't asked anything and had just returned to the Kunlun Sect after participating in the Mount Hua Sword Tournament, it wouldn't have been long before another proclamation to exterminate the demon would have appeared.
He just got home and then he's coming back again. Who can stand that?
Time was wasted on traveling.
He didn't care, but the Kunlun disciples all had blisters on their feet.
"In that case."
Zhen Shanzi gritted his teeth and said directly, "As Alliance Leader Yue knows, my Kunlun Sect is far from the Central Plains, and it takes a lot of time to travel there. After receiving Alliance Leader Yue's proclamation to exterminate the demon, I immediately set off with my disciples. We rushed along the way, but we almost arrived late."
Yue Buqun nodded.
That's true.
The geographical location of the Kunlun Sect is indeed a major disadvantage.
But what Zhenshanzi said next shocked Yue Buqun.
"Therefore, I intend to stay for a while longer after Master Jiang's succession ceremony. I wonder what Alliance Leader Yue thinks?"
Chapter 750: The Wisdom of Fang Zheng
"what?"
Yue Buqun was taken aback.
"Alliance Leader Yue, please rest assured that the Kunlun Sect will take care of the food and drink needs of my Kunlun disciples."
Zhenshanzi said jokingly.
"That's okay."
Yue Buqun chuckled and shook his head.
At this moment, he could also see that Zhenshanzi's desire to get closer to the Huashan Sect was quite obvious.
"Since Brother Zhenshan is so hospitable, how could I, Yue, refuse?"
Yue Buqun chuckled and said, "Once this matter is settled, I will invite Brother Zhenshan and your sect to stay at Mount Hua for a while. In the past, our two sects were far apart, so this will be a good opportunity for us to exchange ideas."
Zhenshanzi also laughed.
"That's how it should be."
……
"Abbot, Jiang Ning has already reached the Innate Realm. What should we do?"
On the way, Fang Sheng couldn't help but speak to Fang Zheng.
They originally thought that by participating in the Demon Extermination Conference, they could gain the initiative in the demon extermination, expand Shaolin's influence, and suppress the Weiyi Alliance, but no one expected that things would turn out so unexpectedly.
The Huashan Sect seemed to have a cheat code activated. First, it established the Weiyi Alliance, which was even more powerful than the Five Mountains Sword Sects. Then, it subdued two rare and exotic beasts, a tortoise and a snake, bringing great fame to the Huashan Sect.
More importantly, it was Jiangning's breakthrough.
No one expected that Jiang Ning would actually break through to the Innate Realm.
Why?
Fang Zheng, a veteran master, had reached the pinnacle of the Yi Jin Jing. Even Fang Zheng had not broken through to the Innate Realm, yet Jiang Ning had?
Fang Sheng couldn't help but feel uneasy and resentful.
Fang Zheng was also in a heavy mood, but he was at least much calmer and more composed than Fang Sheng.
Upon hearing Fang Sheng's words, Fang Zheng calmly replied, "What does his breakthrough have to do with us?"
Fang Sheng looked worried.
"But……"
Now they also know that the Huashan Sect probably knows something, such as the truth about the sword qi dispute back then. What if Yue Buqun wants Shaolin to give them an explanation?
Fang Zheng remained calm about this.
After all, decades have passed since that incident. The people and evidence from back then have long since disappeared with time. Even if the Huashan Sect really knew something, what could they do?
Without concrete evidence, how could Yue Buqun possibly attack Shaolin Temple?
The fact that Yue Buqun still maintains a superficial relationship with Shaolin speaks volumes.
Fang Zheng's calmness gradually calmed Fang Sheng down, but he still couldn't help but ask.
"Then what should we do now?"
Fang Sheng couldn't help but ask with concern.
"How to do?"
Fang Zheng glanced at him and said, "Return to Shaolin and announce the closure of the mountain soon."
"Mountain closure?"
Fang Sheng's eyes widened in disbelief.
It should be noted that Shaolin Temple has indeed closed its gates several times in the past, but those were all when Shaolin was facing life-or-death situations and had no choice but to close the gates.
Once Shaolin chooses to close its gates, it will sever all contact with the outside world, and Shaolin disciples will not travel outside, essentially isolating themselves from the world.
In Fang Zheng's eyes, has the situation become this serious?
Fang Zheng understood this perfectly well.
Although he said that Yue Buqun would not fight Shaolin over a dispute about sword energy, and that it was all in the past, Fang Zheng had to consider the future.
Regardless, Jiang Ning has broken through to the Innate Realm and is the only known terrestrial immortal in the world.
Under Jiang Ning's leadership, the rise of the Huashan Sect is now unstoppable.
The rise of the Huashan Sect will inevitably affect the status of Shaolin. At that time, friction between the Huashan Sect and Shaolin will inevitably occur, and this friction will intensify over time.
If a conflict were to escalate, it's hard to guarantee that Yue Buqun and Jiang Ning wouldn't seize the opportunity to settle old scores and new grudges.
To ensure that this problem does not occur, Fang Zheng has decided to close the mountain.
Fang Sheng was clearly unwilling, but his face still showed resentment.
"Is this how it ends?"
Having been accustomed to being the leader of the righteous path and the number one sect of the righteous path, it is not only Fang Sheng who is unwilling to let them avoid the sharp edge of the Huashan Sect.
Fang Zheng retorted, "Otherwise, what can we do?"
"Our Shaolin tradition has been passed down for thousands of years. Why would we fight over temporary gains or losses? Wouldn't that be beneath us?"
Besides, it's not like Shaolin has never closed its mountains before. Back when Wang Chongyang became the number one sect in the world and Quanzhen Sect became the number one sect in the world, Shaolin also closed its mountains.
When Zhang Sanfeng founded Wudang, Shaolin Temple also closed its gates.
What if we lock it down again?
Do you not see what has become of the Quanzhen Sect of yesteryear? And what has become of the Wudang Sect?
Shaolin is still Shaolin, but Quanzhen is no longer Quanzhen.
Jiangning is too powerful now. As long as we avoid the era that belongs to Jiangning, we can wait until Shaolin emerges a hundred years later and then compete with them.
As the abbot of Shaolin, the first priority should not be to compete for temporary first place, but to preserve Shaolin.
As long as Shaolin survives, it will rise again someday.
Fang Sheng gradually understood after receiving guidance from Fang Zheng.
"So that's why Abbot refused to remove the gang leader?"
Not long after they left Shaolin, they encountered Xie Feng from the Beggars' Sect. To be precise, Xie Feng was waiting for them.
When faced with Jie Feng's request for help, Fang Zheng acted very differently than usual, directly refusing and treating her like a stranger.
Fang Sheng hadn't understood before, but now he finally understood Fang Zheng's intention.
Fang Zheng nodded.
If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have given up on the Beggars' Sect and Xie Feng. After all, although the Beggars' Sect didn't have many masters, it was indeed the number one sect in the world.
However, Jiangning is currently at the height of its power, and the next few decades will belong to Jiangning. The conflict between the Huashan Sect and the Beggars' Sect is irreconcilable, especially in Jiangning.
It's easy to imagine that once Jiang Ning succeeds as the leader of the Huashan Sect, he will definitely take action against the Beggar Clan. This is inevitable.
The Beggars' Sect is now a mess and can't withstand scrutiny. If Shaolin continues to get involved, they'll be mired in trouble. Fang Zheng decisively cut ties.
Only after understanding all this did he show a look of admiration.
"The abbot has great wisdom, which I, your junior brother, cannot match."
After speaking, Fang Sheng hesitated for a moment and asked, "But how should we announce the reason for Shaolin's closure of the mountain when we get back?"
If the mountain is closed without any reason, wouldn't that directly show that Shaolin is afraid of the Huashan Sect?
Fang Zheng had already prepared a plan for this, and said...
"Take my Shaolin Temple for example. We suffered heavy losses in this battle against the demons. I was also seriously injured in the great battle with Ren Woxing and had to close the mountain."
Fang Sheng nodded.
"Junior brother understands."