Chapter 236

At this moment, Xie Chuxue was unaware that the group of personal disciples had already left. He was with Qin Fanfan, dealing with the powerful monsters outside. Taking a moment to invite the ancestor into his dream, he felt his heart calm at the sight of the ancestor’s confident expression.

“Let’s hope so…” Xie Chuxue muttered.

*

Inside the sect, only outer disciples and some elders had been left behind. Almost all the inner disciples had been sent out. It was too dangerous for the outer disciples to venture out in such chaos, leaving only the personal disciples capable of fighting.

But with only five from each sect, there were just over twenty of them, which wasn’t enough.

When the elders left in the Changming Sect learned that the personal disciples were planning to go down the mountain, their expressions became extremely complex. They exchanged glances, their first instinct to dissuade them.

After all, any mishap involving them would be a significant loss for their sects.

Elder Zhao rushed to intercept them. “Don’t be reckless! Since you’ve returned from the land of inheritance, you should focus on improving your cultivation. Qin Fanfan and the others have already gone; what use would you be?”

“Most of the sect leaders from the Five Sects have also gone to suppress the unruly demons. There’s no need to worry about the demons for now.” The strength of those who could become sect leaders was not a concern.

Suppressing one side of the chaos single-handedly was feasible.

“And what about the monsters?” Ye Qiao, accustomed to Elder Zhao’s reprimands, wasn’t afraid of his stern look. She fiddled with the bamboo flute at her waist. “If someone has to step up, why can’t it be us?”

Elder Zhao’s eyes momentarily became as sharp as blades. He stared at her for a few seconds, then seemed to finally relent, nodding with unprecedented authority and solemnity. “In that case, personal disciples of the Changming Sect, hear my command.”

The five of them, usually so irreverent, responded calmly and in unison.

“You will group with the Yueqing Sect to rescue all the cultivators in Lingzhao City.”

Changming Sect’s lineup was the most balanced, while the other three sects had uneven strengths. With Changming Sect’s abilities, it would be difficult for three sword cultivators to protect five alchemists from the Bishui Sect. Teaming with the Yueqing Sect, which had talisman cultivators who could protect themselves, was a more harmonious fit.

The members of the Yueqing Sect respectfully bowed and agreed.

Elder Zhao continued, “Chengfeng Sect, Bishui Sect, and Wenjian Sect will act together.”

Upon hearing they would cooperate with these two sects, Miao Miao hesitated, opening her mouth but ultimately muttering, “Alright.”

Elder Zhao, who had expected them to argue, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Temporarily setting aside their prejudices was a form of growth. He noticed that the personal disciples had made significant progress, even Ye Qiao, whose cultivation had been stagnant, had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage.

“Then we’re off,” Ye Qiao waved her hand. “Don’t miss us too much!”

These personal disciples, once criticized as delicate flowers from the greenhouse, were now shouldering the responsibilities. Elder Zhao felt a pang of mixed emotions.

Hearing Ye Qiao’s banter again, Elder Zhao couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Just go already.”

Due to their small numbers, they were dispersed across various cities, making the twenty or so personal disciples insufficient. It seemed that the sect leaders had no choice but to deploy all the inner disciples, as the Eight Great Families refused to lend any help, forcing the Five Sects to send their own members.

The timing of their arrival, coinciding with the absence of the personal disciples, made it hard not to suspect a calculated setup.

Only the elders within the Five Sects knew about their mission to the land of inheritance, raising the question of who leaked the information. This needed investigation upon their return. The immediate concern was finding help.

“If we want to find cultivators, rogue cultivators are too weak,” Song Hansheng said disdainfully. “My suggestion is to approach the direct descendants of the Eight Great Families, as they have many hidden experts.”

“As long as they are willing to lend people, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ming Xuan coldly pursed his lips. “The problem is they won’t easily lend people.”

As someone from one of the Eight Great Families, he understood their mindset better than anyone. “As long as the monster clan hasn’t attacked their territories, they’ll just protect their own land. They won’t intervene unless there’s an uncontrollable disaster. It’s hard to change their minds.”

In these feudal and ancient families, there were few rational people.

Even Ming Xuan couldn’t guarantee his father would lend them people.

The sect leaders and elders of the Five Sects likely understood this and had not planned to seek cooperation with the Eight Great Families. Instead, they took the inner disciples to provide support themselves.

“They just don’t see the need. To them, these small sects, families, and ordinary people aren’t important,” Song Hansheng said with a matter-of-fact tone. The Song family’s principle was to prioritize benefits, and they would feign ignorance as long as their interests weren’t harmed, letting the Five Sects handle the situation first.

Ye Qiao, after listening to their conversation, seemed to understand something. Having spent over a year in the cultivation world, she had some insight into the Eight Great Families’ nature. But the issue was—

Ye Qiao slapped the shoulders of Ye Qinghan, Ming Xuan, and Song Hansheng, and casually said, “But you guys are from the Eight Great Families!”

Her tone was so high-spirited that it confused the others. “What about being from the Eight Great Families? It doesn’t mean they can persuade those old geezers,” someone remarked.

“Senior brother, you’re the future head of the Zhou family, right?” Ye Qiao touched his Dust Cutter Sword. “That makes you practically the head.”

Zhou Xingyun looked at her blankly. “Huh?”

Ye Qiao forcefully pushed his head down. “Know how to use your authority? You’re the legitimate future head. If anyone opposes you, let Dust Cutter deal with them.”

Dust Cutter was a spirit sword passed down through generations in the Zhou family. If Zhou Xingyun asserted himself, the old men in the Zhou family wouldn’t dare say a word.

Zhou Xingyun pondered for a few seconds. “Okay.”

Seeing Zhou Xingyun come around, Ye Qiao turned to brainwash the others with a smile. “So why can’t we borrow people? Be confident, friends. We can have all the experts and direct descendants from the Eight Great Families!”

All of them…

Ye Qiao was ambitious.

However, Ye Qinghan said, “We can try.”

Each sect had some direct descendants of the Eight Great Families. Seizing the chance to win over a few was worth a try. As for the results, they’d only know after trying.

Duan Hengdao hesitated for a moment and then said, “But our Chengfeng Sect doesn’t have any artifact cultivators from the Eight Great Families.”

He, Shen Ziwei, and another senior brother weren’t from the Eight Great Families.

It was hard to recruit anyone from the Eight Great Families, and success wasn’t guaranteed even if they tried.

Ye Qiao rubbed her chin. Speaking of artifact cultivators, she did know someone, a friend she could talk to. “We know two, actually. We could try talking to the Qi family’s direct descendants.”

Qi Lu and Qi Yu were siblings from an artifact-crafting family, and she could try reaching out to them.

Ye Qinghan nodded. “Then the talisman families are up to Song Hansheng and Ming Xuan.”

Song Hansheng frowned. “I can’t lend you people from my family.”

He couldn’t command many people. The decision rested with the head of the Song family, his father.

Ye Qiao said, “Can’t you inspire them? You’re the hope of the Song family. Use some charm, and they’ll work for you. How hard can it be?”

Song Hansheng retorted, “You think I’m running some sort of cult recruitment like you?”

As the two were about to argue, Ye Qinghan had already started taking action. The young man sent a message to the Ye family through a jade slip, asking them to send a hundred Golden Core stage sword cultivators to support them.

As the only one in the Ye family with a natural sword constitution, Ye Qinghan held significant authority. Using the jade slip to project his message, the Ye family, known for their efficiency, quickly selected a hundred people.

“Why the rush? Look at Ye Qinghan,” Ye Qiao said, holding down Song Hansheng’s neck, pointing towards the projection.

They saw Ye Qinghan with the jade slip, calmly giving a few instructions. The sword cultivators, as if injected with adrenaline, immediately started working hard, eager for praise from the number one in swordsmanship.

It was no different from a cult.

Ye Qinghan had undeniable charisma, being the top sword cultivator!

“That’s the legendary number one beauty~” one of the sword cultivators said, out of place, with an infatuated sigh. “Ah~ such beauty~”

Ye Qinghan’s forehead twitched, and he couldn’t resist crushing the jade slip in his hand.

He really did hang up—physically.