Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent

Chapter 81: Undercurrents

After the Heart Shadow Sect Master met with Elder Blind, the Elder Council was quickly convened.

“I visited the Yan Feng Pavilion Master with gifts, and everything went smoothly,” said Feng Yuqi, the Heart Shadow Sect Master, with a bright smile. “The Yan Feng Pavilion operates as it always has—so long as we don’t provoke them, they won’t interfere in the war.”

This outcome was expected. Not interfering in the disputes between nations was a rule set by the Yan Feng Pavilion headquarters, and the pavilion masters of the branches didn’t dare to defy it lightly.

If the Yan Feng Pavilion were to intervene, they would need sufficient reason, and the decision would have to come from the headquarters.

“How did Elder Xin Yan’s visit to Divine Lord Luo He go?” one of the elders asked. This was their main concern. “Did he agree not to interfere?”

“He did not,” replied Elder Blind.

“He didn’t?”

The other elders were somewhat irritated.

“We’ve shown him enough respect, yet he’s still ready to act against us?”

“Defeating him with the full force of our sect would be easy, but Eternal True Gods of his level have unpredictable and mysterious methods, with an extremely strong ability to preserve their lives. If he manages to escape…he would truly become our enemy! We might even push him toward siding with Jiugang Marquis!”

The elders discussed heatedly.

Elder Blind also nodded in agreement. “The strength of the Heart Shadow Sect can crush any Eternal True God, but we’re not confident we can kill him.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Just sit back and watch? If war truly breaks out and he gets involved, it will be a huge problem.”

The elders were worried that at a critical moment, he might stab them in the back, which would be disastrous.

“Divine Lord Luo He claims to be a wandering cultivator, willing to assist whoever hires him,” said Elder Blind. “However, he’s extremely greedy and has set a hiring price of 2 billion cosmos sand.”

“Two billion cosmos sand?”

“He’s mad.”

“Who does he think he is?”

The elders couldn’t accept such a price.

“He offered us such a high price, so I imagine he quoted something similar to Jiugang Marquis,” said Elder Blind. “That’s probably why Jiugang Marquis hasn’t agreed to hire him yet. If he had, Luo He would have already entered the City Lord’s Mansion.”

The Heart Shadow Sect Master smiled, “Don’t worry, everyone. A greedy person like him won’t act unless paid enough. Even if he does, Elder Xin Yan and our disciples can handle it by controlling the Heart Demon Kite.”

“Controlling the Heart Demon Kite will be enough to deal with him,” Elder Blind nodded.

He admitted that Luo He’s realm was slightly higher than his, but he practiced the Divine King-level inheritance, *Six Destruction Technique*, and with the full enhancement of the sect’s mechanical treasure, the Heart Demon Kite, dealing with Divine Lord Luo He would be a breeze.

“That’s good.”

“As long as Elder Xin Yan can control the Heart Demon Kite and keep Luo He occupied, there’s no one under Jiugang Marquis who can threaten us,” the elders said confidently.

After all, in the entire Yuguo, Eternal True Gods on par with Divine Lord Luo He were few and far between.

“Knowing that Divine Lord Luo He hasn’t yet sided with Jiugang Marquis is good news,” said the Heart Shadow Sect Master. “Let’s proceed with the next step of our plan.”

…

In Huyang City, several massive flying boats and enormous mechanical treasures in the Chaos A area suddenly headed toward the residences of the Five Great Families.

“What’s going on?”

“The Heart Shadow Sect has arrived.”

The descendants of the Five Great Families had already been feeling uneasy, but the core members of the families had immediately relocated to the City Lord’s Mansion, leaving behind only a large number of ordinary family members, who made up 99% of the family’s population. Moving them would be a logistical nightmare.

Even if the family leaders ordered it, the execution would be slow and fraught with delays.

“The Qumeng Clan’s residence now belongs to the Heart Shadow Sect.” Ten enormous mechanical treasures hovered in the sky, and a powerful voice swept through the entire residence. “All living beings within the residence must leave. Anyone still here after a hundred breaths will be eliminated!”

“We are royalty!”

“How dare you seize the Qumeng Clan’s residence!” Some of the more arrogant clan members dared to shout back at the Heart Shadow Sect.

But the majority of the clan members quickly gathered their belongings and fled the residence.

In the struggle between two nations, who would care about the insignificant branch of a royal family from the opposing side?

“The Magili Clan, evacuate immediately.”

“The Jiang Clan’s residence now belongs to the Heart Shadow Sect.”

“The Wu Clan…”

“The Mei Wu Clan…”

The Heart Shadow Sect paid no attention to the background of these families, seizing their residences indiscriminately. The fact that they didn’t engage in outright slaughter was already a sign of restraint.

Under the threat of death, the five great residences were almost completely evacuated within a hundred breaths, with only a few stubborn and foolish individuals remaining inside.

“I’m a royal family member! How dare you kill me, Heart Shadow Sect?” These few foolish and arrogant ones were silently reduced to dust by an invisible force, leaving none alive.

The royal family had proliferated over countless years, and there were now so many branches that many had been settled in remote cities. Their status was not as high as they themselves believed.

Among the large clans on the Origin Continent, only the core and elite members held truly high status.

“The descendants of the Five Great Families have all come to the City Lord’s Mansion,” said the Huyang City Lord, looking at the heads of the other four families. “The City Lord’s Mansion needs to reserve a lot of space for the war. We can’t accommodate so many people.”

“Let them stay in the residence treasures for now,” suggested Magili Xiao.

“We have no other choice,” the other three family heads agreed.

The core members of the families only needed to live comfortably, while the ordinary family members would have to stay in the residence treasures for now.

…

Thus, the vast majority of the ordinary descendants of the Five Great Families, upon arriving at the City Lord’s Mansion, had no choice but to follow orders and settle temporarily in the residence treasures. They couldn’t disobey the orders from their family leaders.

“Now, the only residence left untouched in the Chaos A area is that of Divine Lord Luo He,” said the Huyang City Lord. “And not long ago, we detected a strong energy fluctuation from within.”

“Has the Heart Shadow Sect managed to recruit Luo He?” the family heads wondered anxiously.

“Hiring Luo He would be very expensive,” the Huyang City Lord immediately sent a transmission to Luo Feng.

…

Luo Feng sat atop the mountain within his residence, leisurely drinking wine as he observed the shifting tides in the Chaos A area.

The once-powerful Five Great Families had been forced to abandon their residences, and the few who dared to remain had been reduced to dust.

“If they care about your background, it has value. If they don’t, what good is it?” Luo Feng mused.

So-called background and dignity ultimately needed strength to back them up.

Like the Yan Feng Pavilion—even a small branch pavilion made the two warring nations avoid it.

“Brother Luo He,” the Huyang City Lord suddenly sent a transmission.

“City Lord, what brings you to contact me?” Luo Feng replied.

“Not long ago, we detected a strong energy fluctuation from within your residence. Was it the Heart Shadow Sect visiting you?” asked the City Lord.

Divine Lord Luo He’s allegiance could make a significant difference. Whether he sided with the Heart Shadow Sect or the City Lord’s Mansion was equivalent to having two Divine Lord Luo Hes on one side.

“It was indeed Elder Xin Yan from the Heart Shadow Sect who came to visit. We had a brief sparring session,” Luo Feng replied.

“Oh? How did the sparring go?” The City Lord was very interested, knowing full well how powerful Elder Xin Yan was.

“He’s quite strong,” Luo Feng transmitted back. “Stronger than Xue Yun.”

The Huyang City Lord’s heart skipped a beat, sensing Luo Feng’s implication. He responded, “Brother Luo He, you were able to kill Xue Yun. If it were a one-on-one fight, could you also kill Elder Xin Yan?”

“I’ve heard he can control the Heart Demon Kite, one of the thirteen mechanical treasures of the Heart Shadow Sect. If he uses the Heart Demon Kite, I could suppress him, but killing him would be difficult,” Luo Feng replied.

The Huyang City Lord was shocked.

Luo He dared to claim he could suppress Elder Xin Yan while he controlled the Heart Demon Kite? That meant Luo He could hold off even more of the Heart Shadow Sect’s forces!

“The Heart Shadow Sect came to recruit me as well,” Luo Feng transmitted. “You know how much I care about resources as a wandering cultivator. But I also have deep ties with Yuguo, so I quoted them a hiring price of 2 billion cosmos sand.”

“Brother Luo He, you’re straightforward. The price you quoted us is much lower than what you quoted the Heart Shadow Sect,” the City Lord praised.

Even though he thought 1 billion cosmos sand was high, he still flattered Luo Feng.

At this point, Divine Lord Luo He’s allegiance would greatly influence the outcome of the war.

“I’ll report this to Marquis Hou. I’m sure he’ll have a decision soon,” the City Lord reassured Luo Feng.

After the transmission ended, Luo Feng picked up his wine flask.

“I may have quoted too high a price. Neither side has accepted yet,” Luo Feng thought. “This sparring match should

at least prove my worth.”

Whether Jiugang Marquis or Liu Yin Marquis ruled this Chaos State, they both had to ensure the safety of the city’s inhabitants. Only then would the residents continue to pay their ‘residence fees.’

As for who won, Luo Feng couldn’t care less. Unless they paid enough.

“If I could get 1 billion cosmos sand, I might be able to reach the Chaos Realm even faster,” Luo Feng mused. If the children of great clans were talented enough, the clan’s resources would naturally be tilted in their favor.

As for himself, every resource had to be earned through his own efforts.

…

In Jiugang City, within a grand hall, Jiugang Marquis sat alone on his throne. His silver hair cascaded down his shoulders, with each strand causing ripples in the void.

“So, Liu Yin Marquis has sent the Heart Shadow Sect to attack. Even if he does take my Jiugang Chaos State…he’ll likely have to share some of it with the Heart Shadow Sect,” Jiugang Marquis’s gaze grew colder. “It seems he’s determined to seize Jiugang Chaos State this time.”

“This is my fiefdom!”

“This is my cultivation resource!” The space around Jiugang Marquis twisted as he spoke. “You, Liu Yin Marquis, insist on taking my fiefdom? From all the intelligence I’ve gathered, your strength does seem to be slightly superior to mine.”

“But when it comes to a real battle, it’s not just about surface information.”

Jiugang Marquis had been very patient. The two Chaos States were neighboring, and it was always Liu Yin Marquis who initiated conflicts. Jiugang Marquis had been enduring it all along.

But now, the other side had sent the Heart Shadow Sect to attack a major city, Huyang City. If he continued to endure, soon only Jiugang City would be left under his control.

“I’ve already deployed the elite forces of the entire Jiugang Chaos State to Huyang City, but relying solely on them won’t be enough against the Heart Shadow Sect,” Jiugang Marquis knew this well.

In terms of Eternal True Gods, his forces were indeed inferior to those of the Heart Shadow Sect.

The numbers were comparable, but the quality was lacking.

After all, most of the Eternal True Gods in Jiugang Chaos State practiced techniques far inferior to those of the Heart Shadow Sect. Additionally, the various treasures left behind by the Heart Shadow Sect’s Divine Kings greatly enhanced the strength of its disciples.

“Luo He is asking for 1 billion cosmos sand? He really dares to name his price,” Jiugang Marquis was troubled. “I’ll have to find a way to bring in a few Eternal True Gods from the royal capital. As for Luo He, I’ll wait and see how things unfold.”

He had already prepared 1 billion cosmos sand and was inviting the most powerful Eternal True Gods from the royal capital, but it remained uncertain how many would come.