Chapter 1016: Offensive Reversal

Five Emperors Mountain.

The three Mountain Lords sat solemnly in the grand hall, their faces ashen with fury as they reviewed the messages from One Yuan Immortal City.

As the revered Mountain Lords of a Holy Land, they had spent their lives cultivating from Qi Refinement, establishing themselves as venerable, morally upright figures in the Eastern Continent. Little did they expect their reputation to completely collapse within such a short period!

“This is slander! That scoundrel Chen Lingming must have been bribed by Chen Guixian of the Five Elements Sect. He’s clearly trying to betray us from within!” The Golden Virtue Mountain Lord was the first to lose his temper, erupting into curses.

“It’s said that the Five Elements Sect and the Star Heaven Dao Sect have formed a partnership, enabling them to acquire the Three Lights Divine Water. Chen Lingming’s successful infant formation must have been funded by Chen Guixian. They’re likely trying to seize the foundations of Five Emperors Mountain, especially the Primordial Dao Fruit, by leveraging Chen Lingming’s identity…” the Water Virtue Mountain Lord calmly analyzed, sharing his thoughts.

The Golden Virtue Mountain Lord continued, clearly a proponent of direct confrontation. Faced with an unprecedented public opinion battle, he was so enraged he wanted to descend the mountain immediately and eradicate Chen Guixian and the Five Elements Sect in the Eastern Barrens.

“What about Earth Virtue? He’s been safeguarding the Primordial Dao Fruit for so many years; I wonder how his refinement is progressing? Now that both Xiao Yuli and Chen Lingming have achieved infant formation, according to the Dao Palace rules, it’s time to relinquish it to them.” The Wood Virtue Mountain Lord, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

The remaining two Mountain Lords quieted down after hearing this.

“Actually, I arrived some time ago. However, my three junior brothers were deep in a heated discussion, and I didn’t want to interrupt.” A deep, resonant voice echoed from outside the grand hall, startling all three Mountain Lords.

At their cultivation level, they had been unable to detect Earth Virtue’s aura. Had he truly harmonized with the world, refining the Dao Fruit!?

Under the gazes of the three Mountain Lords, the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord slowly walked in from outside the hall. His figure was tall and imposing, a golden robe fluttering in the breeze, black hair cascading over his shoulders. His facial features were composed and steady, and his eyes, deep yet sharp as an eagle’s, made it difficult to meet his gaze.

“Senior Brother.” Upon seeing Earth Virtue, the other three Mountain Lords simply bowed, and the Golden Virtue Mountain Lord was the first to ask how he planned to resolve the situation.

The Earth Virtue Mountain Lord unhurriedly walked to the central meditation cushion in the hall and sat down, his deep, powerful voice resonating: “Regardless of what trump cards Chen Lingming and the Five Elements Sect may have, their intention is to shake our position and ultimately seize control of the entire One Yuan Dao Palace. If Chen Lingming truly gains moral high ground, it’s not just the Primordial Dao Fruit, but even the Primordial Bell, that could be sold to the Five Elements Sect. Therefore, we cannot retreat. We must employ decisive measures and suppress both Chen Lingming and Chen Guixian.”

“How do we respond?” another Mountain Lord asked with a frown.

A sharp glint flashed in the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord’s eyes as he revealed his strategy: “We will publicly announce that during the war between the righteous and demonic factions, Chen Lingming cowardly fled the battle, showing no sense of responsibility, and is therefore unworthy of being a disciple of our One Yuan Dao Palace. We will state that his status as a Dao Child was revoked long ago, but out of consideration for him having grown up on Five Emperors Mountain, we did not publicly announce it to the Eastern Continent, to save him some face.

“As for Chen Guixian of the Five Elements Sect in the Eastern Barrens, during the period when One Yuan Dao Palace was sealed off, he impersonated our Dao Palace’s Dao Child to obtain the Three Lights Divine Water from the Star Heaven Dao Sect, using it to establish his own merchant guild’s reputation in the Eastern Lands. This gravely infringed upon the interests of our One Yuan Dao Palace. From today onwards, the Five Elements Sect will no longer be considered a branch or an affiliated academy of our One Yuan Dao Palace, and will instead be regarded as an enemy of our Five Emperors Mountain.

“During his defection, Chen Lingming was swayed by Chen Guixian of the Five Elements Sect. They conspired in a shameful and immoral manner, attempting to steal the Dao Fruit left by Patriarch One Yuan. For our Five Emperors Mountain, this crime is unforgivable.

“It was precisely after I detected Chen Guixian’s conspiracy that I continued to safeguard the Primordial Dao Fruit, preventing the Patriarch’s treasure from falling into the hands of villains.”

Once the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord finished speaking, his words settled over the hall like a heavy current of air, instantly transforming the previously restless and agitated atmosphere.

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

Now, the four Nascent Soul Mountain Lords of Five Emperors Mountain were united. Earth Virtue had also promised many benefits, and with his superior cultivation, having reached the perfected Nascent Soul stage long ago, the other three Mountain Lords were, at least under these circumstances, willing to obey him.

“Although our One Yuan Dao Palace currently lacks a Soul Transformation cultivator, we are still one of the Holy Lands of the Eastern Continent. For the sake of the future Saint-Connecting True Spirit Elixir, we must demonstrate the Holy Land’s resolve and power this time, letting everyone know that a Holy Land cannot be insulted.

“In the name of our One Yuan Dao Palace, we will issue a proclamation to the Seven Great Immortal Cities of the Eastern Lands: anyone who dares to cooperate with the Five Elements Merchant Guild will be acting against our One Yuan Dao Palace.

“We cannot easily attack the Five Elements Sect’s stronghold in the Eastern Barrens, but within the territory of the Eastern Lands, the Five Elements Sect will no longer be welcome.”

The Earth Virtue Mountain Lord added this statement. One Yuan Immortal City had already informed him of the Five Elements Sect’s current strength, knowing that they were the undisputed hegemon in the Eastern Barrens. Even if One Yuan Dao Palace deployed all its forces, they wouldn’t be able to subdue them. Furthermore, the precedent of Eastern Wu was a clear warning; even if they could conquer them, a single blast of the Primordial Five Elements Annihilation Divine Thunder would drag them all down. Therefore, it was sufficient to respond as a Holy Land should, specifically within the territory of the Eastern Lands.

“Excellent. This way, we can both stabilize our internal affairs and publicly declare our stance.” The other three Mountain Lords all nodded in agreement. Next, they discussed contacting other forces in the Eastern Lands to jointly suppress the Five Elements Sect, among other strategies.

Half a day later, the Five Emperors Mountain grand formation was activated, and the Water Virtue Mountain Lord personally descended to One Yuan Immortal City. The three Nascent Soul Outer Sect Elders of One Yuan Immortal City were, at least for the time being, still willing to side with Five Emperors Mountain. Therefore, collaborating with the Water Virtue Mountain Lord, they disseminated the One Yuan Dao Palace’s official declaration throughout the Seven Great Immortal Cities of the Eastern Lands.

The credibility of the Holy Land had not yet collapsed at this point. Although One Yuan Dao Palace was no longer considered a Holy Land by some forces, in the eyes of the common cultivators, it remained a towering, righteous pillar that had suppressed the Luminous Venerable and saved the Eastern Lands. Soon, the rogue cultivators and minor forces in the Eastern Lands who had initially condemned Five Emperors Mountain began to shift their stance, now denouncing Chen Lingming for betrayal, cowardice, and distorting the truth…

As One Yuan Dao Palace declared the Five Elements Sect an enemy, the Five Elements Merchant Guild’s business in the Eastern Lands suffered. A lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Even though One Yuan Dao Palace had been secluded for years, the resources and market it controlled in the Eastern Lands were still second only to the three great Holy Lands. Especially in artifact refining, it was the industry leader in the Eastern Continent. In other aspects like pills, talismans, and puppets, it also held a significant market share. After the sanctions were issued from One Yuan Immortal City, many forces that had previously cooperated with the Five Elements Merchant Guild chose to side with One Yuan Dao Palace instead.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Barrens. Upon receiving Five Emperors Mountain’s response, Chen Mobai nodded slightly. “So, there are still capable individuals within One Yuan Dao Palace.”

Most of the public opinion had been reversed, and One Yuan Dao Palace had also demonstrated its profound heritage in the Eastern Lands, initiating a full-scale suppression of the Five Elements Merchant Guild.

“Sect Master Chen, what should we do next?” Shen Shanqing asked, his tone calm but his eyes betraying a slight urgency. After all, the cooperation between Sky Feast Pavilion and the Five Elements Sect was now widely known. If the Five Elements Merchant Guild were truly expelled from the Eastern Lands by One Yuan Dao Palace, then Sky Feast Pavilion would undoubtedly be next.

“No need to worry,” Chen Mobai said with a faint smile, “I will make those old fogeys on Five Emperors Mountain understand that times have changed.” A public opinion offensive is never the decisive factor. What determines victory or defeat is strength. Chen Mobai wrote several more letters and instructed Shen Shanqing to send them back to the Eastern Lands.

Yue Zutao, in Nine Heavens Immortal City, had been under immense pressure recently. After all, One Yuan Dao Palace dared not venture into the Eastern Barrens, but it had aimed all its attacks at the Five Elements Merchant Guild in the Eastern Lands. If this immortal city weren’t Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect’s territory, and Yuan Zhen weren’t now in charge, he might have been expelled long ago, or even disappeared without a trace.

After One Yuan Dao Palace exerted its influence, all the business deals that the Five Elements Merchant Guild had previously finalized suddenly fell through. Some forces even believed the Five Elements Merchant Guild was doomed. They pretended to continue cooperating, taking goods, but then withheld payment for spirit stones and resources under various pretexts. These were mostly Nascent Soul forces, and Yue Zutao was helpless. He couldn’t possibly ask Yuan Zhen to intervene in such minor matters, as that would exhaust their goodwill.

Under these circumstances, Chen Mobai began micro-managing the Five Elements Merchant Guild in the Eastern Lands. First, Small Southern Mountain Shop, which was not on One Yuan Dao Palace’s forbidden list, closed its doors starting today. The reason given was that all its goods had been bought out by the Five Elements Merchant Guild. Anyone in need could go to the Five Elements Merchant Guild, where, in addition to the Natal Artifact Embryos and exquisite talismans refined by Chen Mobai, they also offered various top-tier pills from Danxia Pavilion.

These items were all highly sought after in the Eastern Lands. Relying on these goods, Small Southern Mountain Shop earned tens of millions of spirit stones annually. Currently, there was a consensus in the Eastern Lands: anything sold by Small Southern Mountain Shop was guaranteed to be of top quality. Moreover, many cultivators had grown accustomed to visiting Small Southern Mountain Shop before each mission to purchase items as trump cards.

The direct merger of Small Southern Mountain Shop with the Five Elements Merchant Guild left everyone feeling somewhat unaccustomed. But since Small Southern Mountain Shop’s goods were excellent, even if people were unaccustomed, they still had no choice but to shop at the Five Elements Merchant Guild. One Yuan Dao Palace wanted to impose sanctions, but Yuan Zhen was leading the purchases.

In response, One Yuan Dao Palace simply pretended not to notice, choosing only to sanction forces weaker than itself that traded with the Five Elements Merchant Guild. This, however, incurred public outrage. After all, Small Southern Mountain Shop’s artifacts and pills were widely recognized as being of the highest quality in the Eastern Lands. Now, they could only be purchased through the Five Elements Merchant Guild. Could One Yuan Dao Palace’s sanctions control powerful, established forces, but also lone rogue cultivators? Rogue cultivators were all refined egoists. Some, giving One Yuan Dao Palace a bit of face, would disguise themselves when entering the Five Elements Merchant Guild, but more often, people walked in and out openly. In response, One Yuan Dao Palace could only grit its teeth and continue the blockade.

Besides commercial matters, both sides also engaged in back-and-forth exchanges regarding public opinion. The Earth Virtue Mountain Lord claimed that Chen Lingming had been expelled from the sect long ago, but Xiao Yuli, far away in Eastern Li, suddenly spoke up, stating that as the Saintess, she had never heard of such a thing. Xiao Yuli had cultivated alongside Chen Lingming on Five Emperors Mountain for over a hundred years. She believed Chen Lingming was not a person who feared death. If he had successfully achieved infant formation during the war between the righteous and demonic factions, he would certainly not have feared battle. He would have, like herself, led the Dao Palace cultivators to eradicate demons and protect the righteous path. The reason only she, the Saintess, emerged during the war was because Chen Lingming had failed to achieve infant formation while on Five Emperors Mountain previously. As for why he failed, Xiao Yuli believed there must be a hidden reason.

Xiao Yuli’s statement once again put Five Emperors Mountain on the defensive. “That wretched maidservant! We shouldn’t have given her the resources for infant formation in the first place.” Within Five Emperors Mountain, the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord, upon learning of this, became truly enraged for the first time.

When the notice of the war between the righteous and demonic factions reached Five Emperors Mountain, the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord, after much deliberation to avoid getting caught in the maelstrom himself, decided to have Xiao Yuli undergo infant formation and bear the brunt of it. At the same time, he also sent out all cultivators in One Yuan Dao Palace who were not aligned with his faction, using the demonic path to eliminate dissidents. At that time, Xiao Yuli, in order to achieve infant formation, ultimately accepted this unequal treaty. Besides leading the Dao Palace cultivators in the war, she was also required to proactively request to leave Five Emperors Mountain after the war and establish a branch sect in Eastern Li. However, due to an oath, Xiao Yuli could not reveal these matters. Yet, the oath did not stipulate anything regarding Chen Lingming. Thus, at a crucial moment for public opinion, Xiao Yuli stepped forward and supported Chen Lingming.

After the Dao Child and Saintess of One Yuan Dao Palace expressed the same stance in this manner, the cultivators in the Eastern Lands, who had initially been swayed by Five Emperors Mountain’s declaration, suddenly realized the truth. It seemed the root of the problem was that Chen Lingming and Xiao Yuli, the Dao Child and Saintess, had no one to teach them cultivation techniques and ancient texts within the Dao Palace. If they had received sufficient resources on Five Emperors Mountain, Chen Lingming and Xiao Yuli would certainly be no less talented than the Dao Children and Saintesses of the other three great Holy Lands. After all, both had now achieved infant formation. In other words, even if Chen Lingming had engaged in betrayal, it was because Five Emperors Mountain had forced his hand. Public opinion, after Xiao Yuli’s intervention, turned around once again.

Meanwhile, at the Five Elements Merchant Guild, Chen Mobai also initiated a dumping policy. Although Qing Nü was in seclusion and he alone couldn’t refine much, he had a powerful backing: the Immortal Sect. Previously, he had some reservations, but now his status was different. With the Immortal Sect’s support for both sides of the Heavenly River Realm, he directly had his sister, Wang Xinying, custom-order and purchase a large quantity of talismans, artifacts, and pills. At his request, the quality of these items was slightly ordinary, but in the Heavenly River Realm, they were undoubtedly supreme-grade.

“Today’s special: One hundred sets of Tier 3 talismans, ten Tier 4 Great Sun Sword Talismans, first come, first served! Also, tens of thousands of talisman sets from Master Chen’s early works, possessing strong collection value…

“Three thousand Natal Artifact Embryos personally supervised by Master Chen, three of which were personally refined by him—it’s up to luck to see who can identify and purchase them. In addition, there are tens of thousands of other artifacts supervised by Master Chen, of various grades…

“True Person Danxia’s final works before seclusion: five Tier 3 Nirvana Pills, fifty Small Nirvana Pills, and thousands of other pills refined in his earlier practice…

“Special offers are limited to one item per person, first come, first served.”

That day, as the Five Elements Merchant Guild posted the labels for this month’s new stock, cultivators already crowded outside the entrance. The moment it opened, everyone rushed towards the door at top speed. However, a flash of multi-colored light appeared, and Su Zilu, expressionless, blocked the entrance. Her Nascent Soul cultivation was an impassable chasm for everyone.

“Primordial True Qi!” Among the cultivators at the entrance, there were many Core Formation cultivators, and even two Nascent Soul cultivators. They were all greatly astonished the moment they saw Su Zilu act.

Upon hearing this, the numerous cultivators who had initially appeared anxious became compliant. After all, a Nascent Soul realm cultivator with Primordial True Qi was almost the pinnacle of existence below Soul Transformation in the Eastern Lands.

“Queue up, take a number!” Su Zilu pointed a finger towards the Five Elements Sect disciples beside the entrance and spoke. There, numbered plaques were laid out.

Initially, the Five Elements Merchant Guild only used Small Southern Mountain Shop’s goods to open the market. However, as Chen Mobai began dumping large quantities of products from the Immortal Sect at market prices, all cultivators in the Eastern Lands prioritized their own interests. As for One Yuan Dao Palace’s warnings, they had long become a joke once Yuan Zhen, the Saintess of Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect, personally made purchases. As long as One Yuan Dao Palace couldn’t blockade Yuan Zhen, everyone else would know that Five Emperors Mountain’s threats were merely intimidation.

As days passed, the Five Elements Merchant Guild’s business became increasingly booming. Even many forces in the Eastern Lands that had previously broken contracts due to One Yuan Dao Palace now sought to renew their cooperation. In response, Yue Zutao bluntly turned them away. He retaliated against them in the same manner they had treated the Five Elements Merchant Guild. He directly blacklisted these forces, prohibiting their disciples from making purchases in the Five Elements Merchant Guild’s stores. For other forces that had taken goods from the Five Elements Merchant Guild without paying, Yue Zutao directly posted their names on the wall by the entrance, ensuring that all cultivators queuing for numbers knew of their untrustworthiness.

As a result, these forces, whose businesses were originally quite stable, suddenly faced a massive collapse. After all, even though such practices were common, it was precisely because of this that no one wanted to cooperate with forces that broke their word and would renege on agreements at any time. Among them, several major Nascent Soul sects suffered heavy losses. They demanded compensation for these losses from One Yuan Dao Palace, but One Yuan Immortal City flatly refused to acknowledge them. Five Emperors Mountain, needless to say, was already too preoccupied with its own affairs.

Because with Xiao Yuli’s statement, public opinion had once again shifted back to Chen Lingming’s side. The Earth Virtue Mountain Lord made several more attempts to reverse the situation, but they were all deftly countered by the experienced Chen Mobai. Indeed, the more Earth Virtue Mountain Lord tried to conceal, the more flaws he revealed. After all, what Chen Lingming and Xiao Yuli said was true, while the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord’s words were lies.

Under these circumstances, the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord finally couldn’t sit still any longer. He secretly contacted Chen Lingming using a communication talisman, proposing to meet in person to discuss matters. In the communication talisman, the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord promised a great deal. This included the position of Dao Palace Master of One Yuan Dao Palace, the ownership of the Primordial Dao Fruit, even the Tier 6 Primordial Bell, and the Ascension Secret Art left by Patriarch One Yuan. The Earth Virtue Mountain Lord stated that all these were negotiable. As long as Chen Lingming was willing to step forward and make a righteous break with the Five Elements Sect of the Eastern Barrens, he would remain the Dao Child of One Yuan Dao Palace, and all previous declarations made by Five Emperors Mountain could be retracted.

However, Chen Lingming did not hesitate. He personally took this communication talisman, returned to Northern Abyss City via a large-scale teleportation array, and delivered it into Chen Mobai’s hands.

“Then let’s talk,” Chen Mobai said with a smile after reading it. “I’m always willing to give people a chance to reform.”

“Yes, Little Martial Grandmaster, what demands should I make?” Chen Lingming respectfully asked.

“Everything mentioned in that letter, have him hand it all over. I’m willing to leave Five Emperors Mountain for them to retire there.” Chen Mobai pointed to the items listed in the letter: the Primordial Dao Fruit, the Primordial Bell, the Ascension Secret Art… For him, his foundation was still in the Eastern Barrens. Even if Five Emperors Mountain was a Tier 6 spiritual vein, he had no interest in sending people to take it over. It was also unlikely that Chen Lingming would want to become the Dao Palace Master of One Yuan Dao Palace; after all, in that case, he would spend the rest of his life in a tiger’s den.

“Understood!” Chen Lingming nodded immediately without hesitation after hearing this, then returned to the Eastern Lands that very night.

With Chen Mobai’s instructions, Chen Lingming once again went to One Yuan Immortal City. This time, he did not bring Su Zilu.

“Three Elders, you are willing to see me this time.” Outside the large-scale teleportation array in One Yuan Immortal City, Chen Lingming saw the three Nascent Soul Outer Sect Elders and couldn’t help but smile slightly, bowing to them.

“Dao Child, please come this way. The four Mountain Lords are already waiting for you on the mountain.” After the leading Elder Lianshui bowed in return, he conjured steps formed from condensed water currents from his sleeve, leading directly to the five-colored peak shrouded in clouds. That was Five Emperors Mountain, one of the four great Holy Lands of the Eastern Continent, boasting a Tier 6 spiritual vein.

Chen Lingming gazed at the colorful peak emerging from the clouds and took a deep breath.

“Chen Lingming has arrived!” Upon hearing his junior brother’s report, a fierce glint suddenly flashed in the Earth Virtue Mountain Lord’s eyes!