Hua Qingsi smiled gently. "The Palace Master worries too much. Ice Heart Valley would never refuse such a good opportunity."
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Hua Qingsi explained, "Because Senior Bingyun has been missing for so many years, and Ice Heart Valley has suffered repeated suppression from the Questioning Emotion Sect, they don't possess many assets. The cities under their control are few — only two or three, at most. The bulk of their income comes from the spirit flowers and rare herbs grown within the valley itself. In recent years, Ice Heart Valley has also taken in quite a few new disciples, so they're almost certainly feeling the financial strain. Now that a benefit has landed right at their doorstep, how could they possibly refuse?"
Yang Kai stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. "In that case, we might as well include them."
He didn't know Ice Heart Valley as well as Hua Qingsi did. If she said it was so, then it almost certainly was. If they could truly bring Ice Heart Valley onto the war wagon, then the four great sects of the Northern Domain would be united. Who in the Northern Domain would dare stand against that?
It didn't take long for him to make up his mind. "Fine, count them in."
Hua Qingsi smiled. "There's no time to waste. I'll go invite her over right now."
Yang Kai nodded, and Hua Qingsi immediately flew out.
Half an hour later at most, she returned with a woman whose bearing radiated coldness into the main hall.
Yang Kai's face darkened instantly. He shot Hua Qingsi a reproachful glance — because the person she'd brought back was Ji Yao. Ever since those two secret encounters with Ji Yao, Yang Kai had felt somewhat afraid to face her. On one hand, the secrecy provided a certain thrill; on the other, he felt guilt toward Su Yan and the others, and his conscience tormented him. Most importantly, he still couldn't quite figure out what Ji Yao's intentions were.
From beginning to end, she had never once discussed the matter with him. She seemed to let him do as he pleased, yet never quite let him get away with it either, leaving him with the uncomfortable feeling that she held leverage over him.
Now Hua Qingsi had gone and brought Ji Yao right to him. He could hardly describe his mood.
Hua Qingsi looked somewhat puzzled. She'd noticed the Palace Master's expression shift earlier but had no time to dwell on it now. She cupped her fists and announced, "Palace Master, Elder Ji has arrived."
Yang Kai forced a smile. "Junior Sister Yao."
In such a public setting, Ji Yao showed nothing out of the ordinary. She offered a cool, measured bow. "Senior Brother Yang."
Yang Kai cleared his throat. "I invited Junior Sister Yao here to discuss a matter. I trust the Grand Steward has already informed Senior Bingyun about this. May I ask what Senior's position is?" If they were going to drag Ice Heart Valley into this, Bingyun's attitude was the key factor. Otherwise, everything would be pointless.
Ji Yao replied calmly, "Master says that Ice Heart Valley was preserved thanks to Senior Brother Yang's help back then. Now that Senior Brother Yang faces a difficulty, the entirety of Ice Heart Valley will naturally do everything in its power to assist. If Senior Brother has any instructions, Ice Heart Valley will not decline."
Yang Kai's eyes flickered slightly, and a faint smile crossed his face. "Excellent. Then we'll trouble you." He surveyed the room and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's work out a plan. This matter needs to be resolved quickly."
Since they'd decided to go through with it, there was no point in dragging things out. The four great sects were already allied — no one in the Northern Domain could challenge them. There was no need for schemes or tricks; they simply had to push forward.
The plan was produced quickly. It was straightforward enough: all four sects would dispatch their forces, then use Lingxiao Pavilion as the center, projecting influence across the entire Northern Domain, and publicly declare Lingxiao Pavilion's supreme status. In return, the various sects, cities, and family clans of the Northern Domain would be required to offer Lingxiao Pavilion a yearly tribute of cultivation resources.
Once the details were settled, Ji Yao, Li Jiao, and Mi Qi immediately returned to their respective sects to mobilize their forces.
The next day, in front of Lingxiao Pavilion's sect-protecting grand array, wave after wave of cultivators arrived. On the left, a group of delicate, graceful figures — all women, most of them strikingly beautiful, their auras as varied as orchids in spring and chrysanthemums in autumn, a dazzling sight. These were the disciples of Ice Heart Valley.
On the right were the forces of the Li Long Palace, and behind them, the disciples of the Mi Tian Sect had gathered in large numbers. Each contingent numbered over a thousand, and together they totaled some three thousand.
That number wasn't particularly large, but the proportion of powerful cultivators among them was terrifying. Emperor Realm and Dao Source Realm cultivators were everywhere; even the weakest among them was at the Void King Realm.
Lingxiao Pavilion's forces occupied the center. The three great Demon Kings led the way, and Ye Hen and the other Dao Source Realm cultivators had also sortied, but the remaining personnel didn't look quite so impressive — they were almost all Void King Realm, completely incomparable to the other three sects.
The truth was that the disciples who had come over from the Star Field were not yet ready for serious use, which had resulted in a stark polarization within Lingxiao Pavilion — the strong were absurdly powerful, while the weak were embarrassingly lacking.
Hua Qingsi summoned Li Jiao, Mi Qi, and Ji Yao and spread out a map. Red dots had already been marked across it, each one representing a city of considerable scale or a sect, clan, and family force.
After a round of discussion and coordination, the several thousand cultivators divided into teams of eight and scattered in all directions. Each team of eight comprised two disciples from each sect, led by at least one Dao Source Realm powerhouse or above.
Their targets were, naturally, the locations marked on the map. The sole purpose of this campaign was to compel those cities and sects to acknowledge Lingxiao Pavilion's supreme status and to deliver their yearly tributes on schedule.