Just as Xiahou Jing had feared, once the news from Glazed King City spread, the entire Wind Cloud Sect immediately descended into disintegration.
Aside from a handful of high-ranking core members who were utterly devoted to Xiahou Jing, most of the others were restless and eager to jump ship. A bold few had already slipped away from the Central Region of the Borderless Lands, abandoned the Wind Cloud Sect's main headquarters, and headed for Glazed King City.
Among the Dharma Kings still out in the field and a contingent of Heavenly Stellar Elders, at least half had simply vanished without a trace, never intending to return.
The one who hadn't left, however, was the Purple Night Great Emperor.
The Purple Night Great Emperor wasn't particularly loyal to Xiahou Jing either. Rather, he understood his position perfectly — he had already made an enemy of Jiang Chen beyond any hope of reconciliation.
Others could leave the Wind Cloud Sect and perhaps still find a way forward. But if he left the Wind Cloud Sect and went to Glaked King City, what? Beg Jiang Chen for an antidote pill? The Purple Night Great Emperor knew full well that would be asking for humiliation.
Besides, he had joined the Wind Cloud Sect of his own free will in the first place.
"Sect Master, there is no need for distress. The vast majority of martial cultivators are fence-sitters. The Wind Cloud Sect cannot rely on such fair-weather people to grow strong!"
In truth, the Purple Night Great Emperor was actually quite excited. Though he harbored some doubts about Xiahou Jing, once he learned of the Sect Master's origins from the Myriad Abyss Island, he had already conceived of the notion of making a grand gamble.
"The Sect Master of the Wind Cloud Sect is a visitor from Myriad Abyss Island. Even if we've suffered a setback this time, who's to say he won't have a chance to rise again?" That was the calculation running through the Purple Night Great Emperor's mind.
Xiahou Jing was currently at the lowest point of his morale. Hearing the Purple Night Great Emperor's words of encouragement, his mood lifted somewhat.
"Jingyun Dharma King, as the saying goes, strong grass is revealed by a fierce gale, and a loyal minister is known in times of turmoil. From what I can see, you, Jingyun Dharma King, are the person in this sect I can trust most." Xiahou Jing did not stint on words, offering several lines of praise to bolster the Purple Night Great Emperor.
The Purple Night Great Emperor's heart bloomed with elation, privately congratulating himself that this move had been the right one.
"Sect Master, this setback our Wind Cloud Sect has suffered is not due to any lack of strength. It is a strategic failure — we underestimated that scoundrel Jiang Chen far too much. Moreover, Mo Wushuang was a critical factor as well." The Purple Night Great Emperor spoke of Peerless Emperor through gritted teeth.
After several days of analysis, he had come to the conclusion that the Peerless Great Emperor had been the fuse that detonated this entire failed operation, and the chain had broken precisely at his link.
When Xiahou Jing heard the name "Mo Wushuang," his anger flared as well.
"That bastard has always walked his own path. This time, even I was deceived by him. I never would have imagined that he was actually Jiang Chen's man!"
The Purple Night Great Emperor sneered, "That fool must have lost his mind — defecting to Jiang Chen, and seemingly devoted to that boy to the bitter end. Still, the bastard is a strange one indeed. He infiltrated the Wind Cloud Sect for so many years, yet never once was exposed? I'm very familiar with his martial path. But I never could have guessed he had the ability to alter his martial way so thoroughly that none of us connected him to Mo Wushuang."
Xiahou Jing sighed as well. "The most terrifying part is that this man was willing to disfigure himself for the sake of his cover. Only someone with extraordinary resolve and willpower could pull off such a thing!"
Though Xiahou Jing gnashed his teeth at the Peerless Emperor, he had to admit his grudging admiration on this particular point.
A glint of cold, murderous intent flickered through the Purple Night Great Emperor's eyes.
There was no denying it — back in the day, he and Mo Wushuang had both been counted among the Six Titans of the Independent Cultivator world. In fact, his ranking had placed him well above Mo Wushuang, and in both reputation and martial strength, he had held the edge.
Yet now, the Peerless Emperor showed every sign of surging past him, stealing away all the glory and attention. It was a reality the Purple Night Great Emperor found psychologically unbearable — someone who had once been inferior to him in every respect had become the one who determined the outcome of this battle.
"Jingyun Dharma King, the Wind Cloud Sect has suffered grievous damage to its vitality this time. I, as Sect Master, must give serious thought to where we go from here. I intend to entrust the consolidation effort that follows to you."
"Consolidation?"
"As you said, the Wind Cloud Sect has no need for fence-sitters. But everyone who remains will become a pillar and backbone of this sect! They must be properly consolidated and organized. Otherwise, the Wind Cloud Sect will remain nothing more than a heap of loose sand — and how could we possibly establish ourselves in the human domain?"
Xiahou Jing had not lost his rationality. That devastating defeat had made it abundantly clear that he would not be able to confront Jiang Chen head-on in the near future. Laying low was the wisest course for his next phase.
As they were speaking, a report suddenly came from outside: "Sect Master, there is a visitor at the gates. He claims to be the Sect Master's savior and wishes to speak with you about certain matters."
His savior?
Xiahou Jing immediately recalled the battle at Glazed King City. Indeed, someone had intervened from the shadows, cracking open the giant stone field generated by the eight brothers of the Giant Stone Clan — just enough to create a sliver of an opening for his escape.
So, the claim of being his savior was not entirely without merit.
Xiahou Jing had actually been pondering this matter all along — who exactly was the person who had struck that decisive blow? He had cycled through countless possibilities in his mind.
He had even worried whether it might be some senior expert from Myriad Abyss Island. And if so, would that expert carry word of his disgraceful defeat back to the islands?
All of these concerns had kept Xiahou Jing in a state of constant anxiety.