The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun

Page 573

Dozens of Taoist priests bowed to Jiang Ning.

"Greetings, Heavenly Venerable."

"Everyone, please stand up."

Jiang Ning said.

After everyone stood up, Jiang Ning continued, "I originally thought that only the Huashan School of the Quanzhen Sect survived in the past. I never expected that there would be so many Taoist priests who share the same lineage as the Huashan School. This is truly a cause for celebration."

Hearing Jiang Ning's joyful voice, dozens of Taoist priests couldn't help but smile.

However, most of them were dressed in tattered clothes and were all emaciated. If they weren't dressed as Taoist priests, they would have been mistaken for beggars.

This shows that their lives have indeed not been very good over the years.

Upon learning of their current residence, Jiang Ning asked, "Since we all share the same lineage and are descendants of my Quanzhen Sect, would you be willing to join my Huashan Sect?"

Everyone looked at each other in shock when they heard this.

After a moment, an old Taoist priest stepped forward and bowed.

"Since it is a decree from the Heavenly Venerable, we should obey it."

The other Taoist priests also chimed in.

"I will obey the Heavenly Venerable's decree."

They were all descendants of the Quanzhen lineage, but they had no inheritance and were practically like unorthodox Taoists. Now that Jiangning was willing to accept them and bring them under the wing of Hao Datong's lineage, it was a pleasant surprise for them.

Chapter 779: Arrival in Pingding Prefecture

None of the dozens of Taoist priests refused, and they all expressed their gratitude to the Heavenly Venerable for his great grace.

After deciding to accept these dozens of Taoist priests, Jiang Ning informed Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun indeed showed a look of surprise and delight.

"What? They really are descendants of the Quanzhen lineage?"

"good."

Jiang Ning nodded.

He has confirmed that it is indeed not false.

“Alas, I searched for them back then, but to no avail. I thought that only the Huashan Sect remained of the Quanzhen Sect, but I never expected that there were so many Quanzhen descendants in the world.”

Yue Buqun exclaimed with delight, "Now they have come because of you, and you have accepted them; this is the will of Heaven!"

The Huashan Sect was originally a branch of the Quanzhen Sect. Now that so many descendants of the Quanzhen lineage have been incorporated into the Huashan Sect, its status as the orthodox sect of Taoism is even more unquestionable. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Huashan Sect is the Quanzhen Sect itself.

Seeing Yue Buqun's undisguised joy, Jiang Ning knew that Yue Buqun was indeed very excited.

In Yue Buqun's mind, his ultimate goal was to develop the Huashan Sect into the same sect as the Quanzhen Sect of the past, and make it the number one sect in the world. However, this was indeed a bit of a pipe dream for Yue Buqun back then.

But now things are different; there is now real hope that all of this can be realized.

"Ning'er."

Yue Buqun patted Jiang Ning's shoulder forcefully and sighed.

"In my opinion, the best thing I ever did in my life was to save you from those bandits and then take you into my fold."

Without Jiang Ning, there would be no Innate Skill, no Huashan Sect as we know it today. At this time, Yue Buqun would probably still be struggling for the survival of the Huashan Sect, living a very repressed life under the shadow of the Songshan Sect, and eventually becoming someone he no longer is.

Yue Buqun felt that Jiangning was simply the hope given to him by the ancestors of the Huashan Sect and the patriarch Chongyang.

Jiang Ning laughed upon hearing this.

"If my master had not saved me, I would have died long ago. It is my destiny to be able to study under my master in this life."

"Yes, it's fate, it's fate."

Yue Buqun burst into laughter.

This is indeed fate, the most beautiful fate in the world.

"correct."

Yue Buqun brought up the important matter.

"We are now a hundred miles from Pingding Prefecture and not far from Blackwood Cliff. Should we start attacking Blackwood Cliff now or wait for the Hengshan Sect, Taishan Sect, and Wudang Sect to arrive before we attack?"

Jiang Ning said, "Let's set off now."

Besides the Huashan, Emei, and Kunlun sects, there are now thousands of Taoist priests in the city who have come here in accordance with Jiangning's decree. In addition, countless martial arts practitioners are constantly gathering here. Their current strength is close to 20,000, which has reached or even exceeded the scale of the last siege against Ren Woxing.

They are now ready to fight Dongfang Bubai.

"Shouldn't we wait a little longer?"

Yue Buqun asked.

This is only a short time after Jiangning issued the imperial edict, yet so many people have responded to the edict and Jiangning's appeal to come here. If they continue to wait, even more people and sects will come, and then they will have a better chance of success.

"I heard that Master Chongxu has already brought his entire sect here, and martial arts practitioners from all over the land are still arriving in droves. Perhaps we should wait a little longer?"

Yue Buqun offered his suggestion.

Jiang Ning thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's wait a few more days."

Yue Buqun breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Ning continued, "However, Pingding Prefecture is under the control of the Demonic Sect, and many members of the Demonic Sect are guarding it. If we want to attack Blackwood Cliff, Pingding Prefecture is the forward position. Master, we can take Pingding Prefecture first, and then wait for the righteous path to gather before attacking Blackwood Cliff and eradicating the Demonic Sect."

"Pingding Prefecture?"

Yue Buqun pondered for a moment.

"Alright."

Yue Buqun agreed, since the Demonic Sect couldn't just stand by and watch them gather their forces; they would probably strike first. It was better for them to make their move first, set up the battlefield in Pingding Prefecture, and thus restrain the Demonic Sect, preventing them from resorting to any tricks.

With Jiang Ning making the decision, Zhen Shanzi, the leader of Kunlun Sect, and Qingzhu, the nun of Emei Sect, who were traveling with him, had no objections, and they set off the next day to attack Pingding Prefecture.

Three days later.

Upon receiving news that the righteous path was gathering in Pingding Prefecture, the demonic sect was on high alert. Yang Lianting sent Sang San Niang to Pingding Prefecture to oversee the situation, and also dispatched several elders of the yellow robe level to Pingding Prefecture.

Unlike Ren Woxing, who also had many skilled fighters under his command, most of them were killed during the siege of Jiang Ning, leaving Ren Woxing's side with few elder-level experts by the time of the final battle.

However, the demonic sect experts under Dongfang Bubai's command did not suffer any losses, and even absorbed Ren Woxing's original subordinates, making their number quite considerable.

Pingding Prefecture is the most important base of the Demonic Sect besides its main camp, Blackwood Cliff. It can be said to be the second largest base. Yang Lianting attaches great importance to it. He not only sent many of his own experts, but also sent Xie Feng over.

In addition, Yang Lianting also persuaded Tong Baixiong, who brought many of his men to Pingding Prefecture.

Pingding Prefecture is now heavily guarded by the Demonic Cult, making it difficult to breach.

"Reporting to Master Jiang, we are now less than ten miles from Pingding Prefecture."

A member of the underworld reported this.

Jiang Ning nodded, then looked at the crowd.

"Dear senior uncles and elder brothers, what are your opinions?"

Mr. Mo pondered for a moment.

"There are many demonic sects in Pingding Prefecture now, and the city gates are heavily guarded. We don't know what the situation is inside, or which demonic sect experts are stationed there. If we want to break through Pingding Prefecture, we are afraid of losing too many manpower."

"We have just arrived in Pingding Prefecture, and our fellow martial artists are all somewhat exhausted. Why not rest for the night, gather intelligence within the city, and see which experts the Demonic Sect has before making a decision?"

"Mr. Mo is absolutely right."

Zhenshanzi echoed this sentiment.

Seeing that the two were of one mind, Abbess Qingzhu, who had originally planned to launch a direct attack, remained silent, but secretly felt that it was a pity that Tianmen Daoist was no longer available.

If Tianmen Daoist were here now, he would definitely do it without saying a word.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning asked the others for their thoughts, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

"Then so be it. We'll send people into the city to gather intelligence after dark."

"Sect Leader, I'm willing to go!"

Linghu Chong volunteered.

"Eldest brother?"

Jiang Ning pondered for a moment upon seeing this.

Linghu Chong's martial arts skills are good, but he alone is not enough; more people are needed.

Then several more people stepped forward to recommend themselves. They were all experts from various schools and were all known for their outstanding lightness skills.

Jiang Ning then selected several more experts from within the sect and instructed them to enter the city together to investigate after nightfall.

"Yes!"

The group cupped their hands in greeting and said that once it got dark, they would use their light-footed skills to enter the city.

Jiang Ning and his men set up camp outside and waited for news.

The next morning, the group that had gone into the city to gather intelligence returned.

"Reporting to the True Immortal..."

An Emei master reported the situation in the city to Jiang Ning, and also mentioned a certain person.

"We found Xie Feng, the long-lost leader of the Beggars' Sect, in the city. He must have joined the Demonic Sect now."

Jie Feng?

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow.

Chapter 780: A Sword Pierces the City Gate

Several months have passed since Jie Feng disappeared. Everyone thought he had gone into hiding, but it turns out he has joined the Demonic Sect.

This is truly a case of choosing the path to hell when there's a way to heaven.

The leaders and experts from various sects present were all filled with righteous indignation upon hearing this.

"This Jie Feng used to be the leader of the Beggars' Sect, but now he's colluding with the Demonic Sect. He deserves to die!"

"That's right. Before, after Master Jiang slaughtered the Beggars' Sect branch, Xie Feng was still trying to deny it, saying it was just the branch's doing. Now that the truth is out, he's directly defected to the Demonic Sect. I think he's had this idea all along!"

"This kind of scoundrel deserves to be killed!"

The masters from all factions were furious and wished they could get rid of Xie Feng as soon as possible.

"Alliance leader."

A master from the Emei Sect stepped forward and said, "In my opinion, now is the time to attack Pingding Prefecture."

The situation in Pingding Prefecture has been investigated to a sufficient extent. Although there are many experts in the city, there is a very important piece of information: Dongfang Bubai is not in the city. This relieved everyone.

I won't go into the current situation. Although some sects and martial arts practitioners haven't arrived yet, they have quite a few experts, and with Jiang Ning in charge, they can definitely launch an attack.

"Alliance Leader, we, the Emei Sect, are willing to be the vanguard, charge into the city, and open the city gates for you all."

Abbess Qingzhu volunteered.

The entire Emei sect, from top to bottom, is full of warmongers; in their eyes, there is only one word.

dry.

Even Zhenshanzi and Mr. Mo Da had no objections.

Jiang Ning glanced at the crowd around him and nodded.

"Pass down the order to attack Pingding Prefecture immediately."

Everyone gave up.

"Yes."

……