Jiang Chen looked at the righteous fury on every face, and felt his own anger kindled anew by the Wind Cloud Sect's provocations.
The human domain had been pushed to such a precipice, and still the Wind Cloud Sect refused to see the bigger picture. Jiang Chen truly could endure it no longer.
"Everyone." Jiang Chen pressed both hands downward, signaling for calm. "The Wind Cloud Sect has lost all reason and has become a blight upon our human domain."
"If I, as Young Master, were to sit idly by, who's to say they wouldn't grow even bolder!"
"Therefore, I have decided — we will launch a campaign against the Wind Cloud Sect!"
The moment these words left his lips, the hall erupted with excitement. Grins broke out across every face. Clearly, the crowd's patience with the Wind Cloud Sect had long since run dry.
"Young Master, the human domain is already in such dire straits. Would it not be better to avoid adding one more conflict to our burdens? If we become bogged down in a bitter campaign against the Wind Cloud Sect and the barbarian tribes seize the opportunity to invade, My Penglaze Royal City would be caught on two fronts…"
Grand Emperor Nian remained the voice of caution. His stance had always been that the fewer complications, the better.
Yet this time, Grand Emperor Nian received no backing. Even Grand Emperor Zhankong, who had previously been close to him, said nothing.
Grand Emperor Panlong, however, sneered: "If you let people walk all over your head and still talk about avoiding complications, that's not called restraint — it's called begging for more! As the saying goes, the tree longs for calm, but the wind will not cease! As long as the Wind Cloud Sect remains, the human domain will never know peace!"
Grand Emperor Nian pressed on: "The Sect Master of the Wind Cloud Sect hails from the Myriad Abyss Island — his background runs deep. Destroying the Wind Cloud Sect may be easy enough, but the consequences that follow — does any of you have the confidence to deal with those?"
Grand Emperor Nian was thinking far ahead.
Grand Emperor Panlong fired back without hesitation: "If the blight of the Wind Cloud Sect is not eliminated, whether the human domain even has a future — whether My Penglaze Royal City has a future — is far from certain. What's the point of worrying about consequences down the road?"
Grand Emperor Jingzhong also sighed: "Brother Panlong speaks sense. When faced with two evils, one chooses the lesser. The Wind Cloud Sect has already become a cancer within the human domain. If it is not excised, it will inevitably become a mortal threat. As for the future…"
He added mildly: "Myriad Abyss Island is not, after all, the private dominion of the Xiahou Jing family alone. Right and wrong will find their justice in time!"
"Exactly! Are we really supposed to let him do as he pleas just because he has a powerful backing?"
"Indeed! If it were some minor affair, fine — we could swallow our pride and steer clear. But this man is plainly set on tearing the human domain apart and destroying the heritage of our human race. This is the kind of grudge that can only be settled with death!"
"I support the campaign against the Wind Cloud Sect!"
"As do I!"
The crowd's fervor was overwhelming. At this moment, the voices of the pacifist faction were virtually drowned out entirely.
Jiang Chen nodded. "It seems everyone has had their fill of the Wind Cloud Sect. Very well — return to your quarters, make whatever preparations you need, and await orders."
A campaign against the Wind Cloud Sect naturally required careful coordination.
My Penglaze Royal City now boasted a formidable concentration of power. Never mind those at the Celestial level — the number of Emperor realm experts alone was staggering.
The Emperor realm experts already within My Penglaze Royal City, those who had defected from various major sects, and the independent cultivators who kept streaming in to pledge their allegiance…
The total count of Emperor realm experts in My Penglaze Royal City had already surpassed one hundred.
And the number was still growing.
Because these experts hailed from all corners of the land, a unified command structure was all the more essential.
After the crowd had dispersed, Jiang Chen retained a handful of his most trusted confidants.
Grand Emperor Jingzhong smiled: "Young Master, in my humble opinion, a full-scale mobilization against the Wind Cloud Sect may not be the wisest approach. Making such a grand show of it would only put the Wind Cloud Sect on alert ahead of time."
The Wind Cloud Sect had already suffered devastating losses to its vitality. Before fresh reinforcements could be rallied, it would be extremely difficult for them to face My Penglaze Royal City's might head-on.
However, if the Wind Cloud Sect leveraged its home terrain and dug in for a protracted war of attrition, it could at least stall My Penglaze Royal City's forces.
My Penglaze Royal City, in launching this campaign, naturally aimed for a swift and decisive victory. If it were dragged into a drawn-out conflict, the arrival of the barbarian tribes' army would spell disaster.
Grand Emperor Wushuang pondered for a moment before speaking: "I share Brother Jingzhong's view. I spent years as a mole inside the Wind Cloud Sect and have some understanding of their workings. If we launch a surprise assault, there will absolutely be enormous gaps in their defenses. The Wind Cloud Sect's former dominance was entirely borrowed momentum. During that period, Young Master Jiang Chen happened to be in seclusion, which allowed the Wind Cloud Sect to seize the opportunity and rise to power. In truth, when it comes to genuine depth of strength, the Wind Cloud Sect still has significant shortcomings."
These two held broadly the same position.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly and turned to Grand Emperor Panlong: "Panlong, what do you think?"
Grand Emperor Panlong scratched his head with a chuckle: "Heh heh, I actually agree with the two distinguished emperors. A full-scale campaign against the Wind Cloud Sect may not produce the best results."
Jiang Chen laughed despite himself: "So your earlier rallying cries were just to bolster my resolve, and not truly from the heart?"
"They were absolutely from the heart!" Grand Emperor Panlong hastened to explain. "It's just that now, thinking about it calmly, a surprise strike seems far more effective than a grand mobilization."
That was the plain truth.
Jiang Chen smiled. "What you all have in mind aligns perfectly with my own thinking. In fact, my public announcement was nothing more than an open repair of the gallery road — while crossing at Chencang by stealth."