Chapter 177: The Fall of Thunderfire Sect and Rising Sun Sect
With the death of Zhao Liepeng, the downfall of Thunderfire Sect began immediately.
The disciples of Thunderfire Sect were thrown into chaos.
Coupled with the weakness of their spiritual artifacts, they quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.
The once-proud elders of the Core Formation stage were now like birds shot down from the sky, crashing to the ground.
They fell into cold, filthy water, indistinguishable from dying stray dogs.
The battle between Qingxuan Sect and Thunderfire Sect had long since drawn the attention of many rogue cultivators in Heavenly Water City.
As soon as these Thunderfire Sect elders fell, the rogue cultivators swarmed them.
Even if the elders were still clinging to life when they hit the ground, they soon breathed their last under the fierce competition among the rogues.
Within a hundred breaths of Zhao Liepeng's death, the thirty Core Formation elders he brought were either dead or had surrendered.
A few continued to resist stubbornly, but their fate was sealed, and death was not far off.
This scene was a shocking one for all the cultivators watching.
Who would have thought that Qingxuan Sect had grown so strong?
Could they even defeat Thunderfire Sect in direct combat?
"It seems joining Qingxuan Sect is the right path!"
"Did you notice? Qingxuan Sect's spiritual artifacts seem unusually powerful, far superior to those of Thunderfire Sect!"
"Impossible! Thunderfire Sect has an earthfire furnace. Although many believe the flames within are dying out, they've still relied on it to forge powerful artifacts that have long dominated Xuanjiang Prefecture!"
"Exactly, even Divine Sword Sect has an earthfire furnace, yet their efforts to forge spirit artifacts still fall short of Thunderfire Sect."
"Do you think it's possible that Qingxuan Sect somehow got hold of a third earthfire furnace?"
"Hiss…"
"Wow! Now that you mention it, it actually seems possible! Otherwise, how could Qingxuan Sect's elders possess such powerful spiritual artifacts?"
"Haha, while others hesitate, those of us with foresight have already pledged loyalty to Qingxuan Sect! …Young Master Shen, I am willing to serve Qingxuan Sect with my life!"
The rogue cultivators' voices rose and fell.
Some even began to shout towards Shen Mo, half-kneeling on the ground, hoping to join Qingxuan Sect.
Upon seeing this, Shen Mo smiled faintly.
"Zhao Liepeng of Thunderfire Sect is dead, but Heavenly Water City has not yet completely fallen into the hands of Qingxuan Sect."
"If any of you wish to pledge allegiance to Qingxuan Sect, you'll need to provide a token of your loyalty."
"The greater your contribution, the more likely you are to be accepted into Qingxuan Sect."
Upon hearing this, the rogue cultivators quickly caught on, their eyes gleaming dangerously.
Thunderfire Sect had supported many rogue cultivators in Heavenly Water City and established several small factions.
Though Zhao Liepeng was dead, Thunderfire Sect had only temporarily lost its leader and had not yet collapsed.
They would surely rely on these rogue factions to counter Qingxuan Sect.
Shen Mo's meaning was clear.
Eliminate these Thunderfire Sect loyalists, and that would be your token of loyalty!
In an instant, the undercurrents of Heavenly Water City surged with murderous intent.
Wei Xiongtie couldn't help but sigh.
"As expected of the Young Master, with just a few words, he's managed to have these rogues handle our hidden threats for Qingxuan Sect."
Xiao Fan snorted internally. He had employed similar tactics countless times in the past; what was so special about this?
However, outwardly, he maintained a neutral expression, showing no reaction.
By this time, the elders of Qingxuan Sect had already finished cleaning up the battlefield.
Particularly Zhao Liepeng's storage ring, which Elder Li respectfully handed over to Shen Mo, untouched by anyone.
Shen Mo accepted it and headed straight for the Qingfeng Tower.
Wei Xiongtie and Xiao Fan immediately bowed.
Wei Xiongtie's eyes reddened with emotion, "Young Master! I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime!"
Shen Mo stepped forward and helped him up. "Every elder is vital. Qingxuan Sect would never abandon you."
Wei Xiongtie nodded heavily.
When he had been alone and cut off, he had indeed feared that Qingxuan Sect might discard him.
But Shen Mo had led the group and come for him nonetheless.
This immense kindness and loyalty made Wei Xiongtie even more devoted to Qingxuan Sect and Shen Mo.
"Xiao Fan, you are also safe and sound, wonderful." Shen Mo's gaze swept over Xiao Fan, his mood noticeably uplifted.
Xiao Fan carried great fortune. Even if Qingfeng Tower had been breached and Wei Xiongtie had perished, Xiao Fan would not have died.
Shen Mo was fully aware of this.
His excitement came from the fact that Xiao Fan had once again stumbled upon a new opportunity.
And it just so happened to be something Shen Mo needed.
[Recent Opportunity: Six days later, participate in the Qingxuan Sect's siege of Thunderfire Sect, breach the Earthfire City, and accidentally discover a mid-grade Earth-level treasure, the Heavy Iron Flower, within the extinguished earthfire furnace.]
The Heavy Iron Flower, as recorded in the Inferno Extinction Sutra, is one of the treasures required to nurture the Nine Lotus Nascent Soul.
This flower only grows in environments of extreme heat and high concentrations of metal.
Clearly, the conditions inside the earthfire furnace met both these criteria.
"Both of you will continue overseeing Heavenly Water City and await further orders," Shen Mo commanded.
"Understood," Wei Xiongtie and Xiao Fan nodded in agreement.
...
The news of Thunderfire Sect's sect master Zhao Liepeng's death spread quickly through the mouths of rogue cultivators.
Within a day, the news had swept across the north and south of Xuanjiang, shocking countless people.
Everyone knew that Qingxuan Sect was powerful, widely considered the foremost first-rate sect.
Previously, Qingxuan Sect's victory over Heavenly Water Sect was attributed to the death of Zhuang Mochou during a life-or-death battle, which left Heavenly Water Sect leaderless and scattered.
However, many still believed that Qingxuan Sect was not on par with the likes of Divine Sword Sect, Rising Sun Sect, Verdant Vine Sect, and Thunderfire Sect.
This news made many cultivators realize that Qingxuan Sect's foundations had grown exceptionally formidable.
They had become strong enough to contend with the five great sects of Xuanjiang!
Moreover, among the rogue cultivators, there were sharp minds.
It didn't take long for them to deduce that Qingxuan Sect had most likely discovered the third earthfire furnace, which explained how they had rapidly closed the gap with Thunderfire Sect.
They must have found it long ago.
Qingxuan Sect had used this discovery to mass-produce refined crystal spiritual artifacts, arming their Core Formation elders.
This was how they were able to annihilate thirty elders of Thunderfire Sect and kill Zhao Liepeng in the battle at Heavenly Water City!
In the days that followed, Qingxuan Sect advanced with unstoppable momentum, continuously seizing Thunderfire Sect's territory.
The high-level combat power between the two sides became increasingly skewed.
Qingxuan Sect now had thirty-seven Core Formation elders.
Thunderfire Sect, on the other hand, had only two senior elders left, along with five remaining elders, who were barely holding on and had withdrawn to their mountain stronghold.
A month after Zhao Liepeng's death, Murong Yue and Shen Mo led all the elders of Qingxuan Sect in an all-out assault on Thunderfire Sect's mountain gate.
Within two days, the sect's protective formation was shattered. Though the two senior elders of Thunderfire Sect were formidable and resisted fiercely for a long time, no amount of strength could stand against such overwhelming numbers.
Moreover, Murong Yue had reached the peak of the Core Formation stage.
As for Shen Mo, though only at the perfected Core Formation stage, dealing with a peak-stage opponent was no trouble for him.
Every elder of Qingxuan Sect was equipped with a set of refined crystal spiritual artifacts, each embedded with a Tier 4 demon crystal, further narrowing the power gap.
After two hours of resistance, the two senior elders of Thunderfire Sect fell, bitterly regretting their defeat.
Thunderfire Sect was completely destroyed.
The remaining stewards and disciples surrendered without a fight.
Qingxuan Sect's power swelled to unprecedented levels!
This news spread like wildfire.
However, not long after the fall of Thunderfire Sect, another shocking event, like a clap of thunder, suddenly emerged.
Divine Sword Sect, which had been simultaneously fighting both Rising Sun Sect and Verdant Vine Sect, had been at a disadvantage.
But last night, they feigned an attack on Verdant Vine Sect, secretly redeploying all their elders to the vicinity of Rising Sun Sect.
With the help of an inside agent, they attacked from both within and without, breaking through Rising Sun Sect's protective formation and severely crippling the sect in one swift blow!
Rising Sun Sect's sect master, Wang Tianzhan, was killed in battle!
Three of Rising Sun Sect's peak Core Formation elders also perished!
Rising Sun Sect's young master, Hong Chilong, barely escaped with the protection of three elders, fleeing to Verdant Vine Sect.
These two pieces of news, arriving simultaneously, shook the cultivators of Xuanjiang Prefecture to their core.
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