Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 752 - Chapter 752 752

Chapter 752: 752 Chapter 752: 752 Kunlun’s senior leaders debated for a day and finally decided: first, to seek to understand the incident through other channels.

In reality, the happenings within Luohua Manor were beyond their grasp, but… wasn’t there the incident at Maoshan?

Kunlun disciples often had disputes when they were out and about–its was no surprise given their arrogance.

The key issue was that many disciples did not truthfully report back the details. If they won, it was the opponents getting what they deserved; if they lost, it was because of the opponents’ despicable and shameless conduct.

It was through these oft-repeated attitudes that Kunlun had fostered its pride and arrogance slowly over time.

This kind of thinking also permeated among the higher-ups, but since they were at the top, with sufficient cultivation and age, there were indeed some clear-sighted individuals.

Upon inquiring around, they heard quite a few voices speaking unfavorably of Kunlun.

Were there none who spoke in favor of Kunlun? There were, but very few. Most were Western heroes who went along, blaming Maoshan for being petty and sore losers, and saying Luohua Manor was imperious and arrogant, looking down on everyone.

All being from the West, it is natural to support one’s own kin, as arms do not twist outward.

However, the voices within the Daoist Sects were different. Even those from places like Wangwu and Dragon Phoenix Mountain, whose relations with Maoshan weren’t great, claimed that this time Kunlun had gone too far.

Your Kunlun disciples directly attacked Maoshan, attempting to seize the Daoist sanctum of Jintan Huayang Celestial Part!

Alright, kicking someone out of their sanctum… is not incomprehensible, as history has seen many such actions.

But to loot Maoshan’s possessions and then reward your disciples on the spot, that’s improper.

Never mind how many treasures there were, weapons that could easily cut iron, Storage Magical Artifacts usable by martial masters…

In a Daoist sanctum, there are bound to be treasures, and indeed, there will be gains once it is overtaken–this is indisputable.

But the crux of the matter is, even if you distribute them afterwards, one shouldn’t divide the spoils right there on the scene–are those from the Maoshan Lineage all dead?

If Maoshan could endure such an insult, then indeed their sanctum would be overtaken for nothing.

From this perspective, Li Chonggu and that martial master named Ju dying at the hands of Maoshan’s Little Celestial Master, was quite literally a tit for tat.

The reaction within the Daoist community was greatly unfavorable for Kunlun.

At another time, Kunlun might not have cared about such criticism–why bother with the cries of the insignificant?

But now, they had to care. Facing the formidable enemy of Luohua Manor, it was vital to seek the Daoist Sects’ understanding; otherwise, facing opposition on two fronts would place them in a very passive position.

The Kunlun Lineage could not have developed to stand tall until now, even a bit stronger than other Daoist branches, if they only knew how to fight and kill.

After three days spent gathering information from all parties, the five leaders met again to discuss the next strategy.

Yu Hualong suggested that they should express an apology to Maoshan and then concentrate their forces against Luohua Manor.

Three Elders and Shen Qingyi opposed this, holding a grudge against Maoshan’s Little Celestial Master–they were KuIlun disciples who met their ends by her hands. Not taking revenge was already considerable leniency; to speak of apologies was absurd.

But the Elder’s point was very valid. If we don’t apologize to Maoshan, we surely can’t apologize to Luohua Manor, can we?

Keep in mind, Kou Laozhong is still in Luohua Manor’s hands, and they are so bold as to expect us to send new Magical Artifacts.

Since it’s impossible to be enemies with both parties simultaneously, the only choice is to apologize to Maoshan and hope to obtain their understanding.

In fact, whether Maoshan forgives Kunlun is not important; the grudge from kicking them out of their sanctum is not so easily dissolved. Besides Tang Wenji, a somewhat respectable figure in Maoshan, the rest aren’t considered significant by Kunlun.

The gesture made by Kunlun aims at winning the understanding of the entire Daoist community. Within the Daoist Sects, there are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers, countless extraordinary masters who might emerge at any moment.

Only by placating the voices of opposition within the Daoist Sects can Kunlun focus its efforts on Luohua Manor.

After persuasion from others, Shen Qingyi and the three Elders reluctantly accepted the explanation: Li Chonggu and the other external disciple indeed met an unfortunate end, and well, kicking someone out of their sanctum… seven or eight out of ten times results in deaths.

Their demise is, to a greater extent, attributable to Kou Laozhong’s decision to initiate the sanctum takeover.

However, Kou Heiyi is in charge of Kunlun’s external affairs and had the authority to make such a decision.

Of course, challenging the sanctum of the top ten Cave Heavens was a bit rash; he should have consulted with the sect first.

But it wouldn’t have made much difference. If not for knowing that Luohua Manor had two Qi Refinement Realm practitioners, Kunlun’s disciples would still agree to challenge Maoshan’s sanctum now–does the reopened Jintan Huayang Celestial Part think itself so mighty that it dares to cause trouble at Kunlun?

In short, the people of Kunlun reached a consensus and entrusted Northern River Daoist from Wangwu to convey goodwill to Maoshan on their behalf.

As luck would have it, Northern River Daoist was precisely at Maoshan–news of Kou Laozhong’s sanctum dispute spread, drawing many to Maoshan to understand the situation, some even coming purely to support Maoshan.

Elder Bei He did not rashly take on the task but tested the waters and said, “Then at least you need to release Tang Wenji first, there’s a lot of resentment on Maoshan right now.”

Elder Zeng almost spit blood, Kou Laozhong had been captured, and you want us to release Tang Wenji?

However, upon second thought, he understood–those events that took place at Luohua Manor were not known to the outside world.

The manor was different from other branches of Daoist sects, being privately contracted; if they didn’t let you visit, you simply couldn’t go in.

Therefore, Elder Zeng stated, Tang Wenji should have already communicated with Tang Wangsun, so you needn’t worry about that. Right now, Kunlun is willing to offer one Spirit Stone, plus two handwritten notes from Maoshan ancestors in exchange for resolving our grudges with Maoshan.

Tang Wangsun’s reply was very domineering, “Keep those handwritten notes to yourselves. When my Maoshan goes to Kunlun to challenge you later, if you have these notes, I won’t sever your Kunlun Daoist lineage!”

To anyone listening, that sounded like a bluff, but if you lacked such audacity, what kind of Dao are you cultivating?

Of course, Bei He wanted to persuade Tang Tianshi to accept such conditions–you just reopened the Jintan Huayang Celestial Part; you can’t get inflated so quickly.

But Tang Tianshi indicated that Kunlun should first get through their own difficulties before discussing anything else.

Only then did Bei He ask in shock: Could it be that Kou Laozhong has fallen into the hands of Luohua Manor?

Many people were speculating on what had happened inside Luohua Manor after Kou Heiyi entered, but the manor showed no reaction and completely ignored the outside world, leaving everyone clueless.

Some even speculated that the Kunlun people had already left the manor under the cover of night–after all, they can fly.

Tang Wangsun had some connections with Bei He in the past, although Bei He didn’t think much of him later on, and the relationship between Wangwu and Maoshan wasn’t good either. But after so many years, Tang Tianshi still had some sentimentality.

He was in touch with his daughter and knew what had happened at Luohua Manor, so he said, “You just watch indifferently–that’s all. Anyway, my Maoshan and Kunlun are far from finished.”

But Bei He as a person… how should I say this? He’s really super enthusiastic.

He contacted Kunlun again, saying that we are all aware of your sincerity. The mood at Maoshan is still somewhat unstable, but everyone can understand these feelings. After some time, we’ll continue to mediate between the two families.

Then he inquired again: Does Luohua Manor need us to mediate as well?

The grudges between our two families can’t be mediated by you! Elder Zeng made it clear, “You ask them, will Kunlun find Luohua, or will Luohua come to Kunlun? Just set a date.

Bei He thought about it and said, “I don’t think either of those locations is suitable.”

The gate of Kunlun has always been known for its mysticism. Because of this, Kunlun is well-known among Daoist sects, but its impact in the Secular World is really not significant.

But then again, this mystique has, to a large extent, protected Kunlun’s Daoist lineage. Throughout Huaxia’s history, there have been several campaigns against Buddhism and Daoism, but they basically didn’t affect Kunlun–if you can’t even find the gate, how can you destroy it?

So, it’s not realistic for Feng Jun to seek out Kunlun, and the weather in the Karakoram Mountains is harsh, you might even encounter a blizzard in the height of summer.

But it’s also not realistic for Kunlun to go to Luohua Manor; the manor is near the suburb of Zhengyang, and if there’s a big fight, there’s a high probability that it could alarm the citizens–after all, this is a quasi-sub-provincial city.

So Bei He suggested to Elder Zeng of Kunlun: Could you choose a secluded location unrelated to either party to have a good talk?

If you’re worried the talk might fail, or anything else might happen, my modest Huayang Celestial Part can guarantee it.

In fact, whether in terms of strength or influence within the Daoist sects, Wangwu is quite stretched to act as an arbitrator.

Nevertheless, the former First Cave Heaven has been striving hard to maintain this status, also considered quite painstaking.

Elder Zeng also didn’t think that Wangwu had the status to guarantee it–were there any Qi-Refining Practitioners in their modest Huayang Celestial Part?

In his impression, Luohua Manor could at least be considered capable of matching Kunlun in battle, but Wangwu… What was that?

Moreover, the outcome of the two families meeting was truly unpredictable; brains might be bashed out.

However, if there were no witnesses… that doesn’t seem too good either.

So Elder Zeng said, there can be guarantees, but Wangwu doing it by itself is enough; I don’t think Luohua Manor would want this matter spreading all over Daoist sects.

Bei He couldn’t be happier to have only Wangwu as a witness. Isn’t that quite a prestigious thing?

Then he contacted Luohua Manor, but Feng Jun simply didn’t answer his calls–Boss Feng was busy with many things every day; he wasn’t the kind to answer every random call.

In the end, it was through Tang Wangsun that Bei He finally got in contact with him.

Feng Jun heard that Kunlun wanted to settle things with him and thought that wasn’t bad. He had been preparing for Kunlun’s provocations, but such things can’t always be guarded against, can they?

There are always days to be a thief, but can you always be on guard against a thief? Feng Jun didn’t want this to hold back his other affairs.

As for finding a secluded place, and Wangwu wanting to mediate, he thought about it and said, “Let’s go to Wangwu’s modest Huayang Celestial Part then.”