Beastmaster of the Ages

As natives of the Azurecloud Continent, they knew that those of the voidstag and skycloud races often used marriage ties to reinforce their good relations. The marriage between their leaders also guaranteed internal stability in the Supracloud Sanctuary, so Yun Tianque's marriage was practically a match made in heaven that the members of the sect had boasted about for centuries. Not to mention, Lu Yuanji was the second most powerful person in their sect and ranked third amongst all the cultivators on the continent.

"To think that you've seen it a few times in your short time on the continent… I wonder how many times Yun Tianque's been cuckolded in the past millennium alone?" Gujian Qingshuang said, laughing.

"Is it something to be so happy about?" Yan Nuxia said, rolling her eyes. "You'd better go home to check if you're getting the same treatment."

"Shut up."

Tianming wanted to continue spreading his eyes and ears to get a good picture of the relations inside the Supracloud Sanctuary. While this was no doubt a huge scandal, it wasn't that useful at the moment so they left it aside. Yin Chen was still multiplying its bodies to make sure its hold on the enemy sect was stable, and things couldn't be rushed.

"There's still two unknowns we have to worry about," Tianming said.

"You're talking about support, right?" Gujian Qingshuang asked. The deeper he found himself in the conspiracy, the more he had come to accept that this whole operation was really run by this junior who'd been clearheaded from beginning to end.

"That's right. There's two supporting forces on the continent. The first is the Empyrean Sword Sect, and the second is Li Wushuang. Once we take care of the Supracloud Sanctuary, the celestial orderians, wargodeans, Blueblood Starocean, and the Empyrean Sword Sect will all be enemies."

"Li Wushuang probably doesn't know that the Wind and Rain Swordlords will be here in two days with a hundred thousand swordpupils," Gujian Qingshuang said.

"Two swordlords? How powerful are they?" Tianming asked Long Wanying.

"The two swordlords are grade-six equivalents, so they're about at the level of the Seven Dragon Imperials like me. Since the two are a couple, they should be equivalent to our Green and Violet Dragon Imperials, though probably a bit younger. Their status in their sect is second only to the Northdipper Swordsage and even higher than Shi Yan, so they're stronger than her. They're probably around Yang Ce's level in strength, individually." She turned and glanced at Yang Ce when she finished.

"I can take on one of them," he said. Not even Gujian Qingshuang thought he was boasting after having seen his power; he was no doubt the strongest in their group now.

"A hundred sword pupils is basically equivalent to our entire sect's forces. Is the Empyrean Sword Sect's goal really to get a few more divine herbs, or do they want to drive the celestial orderians and those traitors away?" Gujian Qingshuang asked.

"Shi Yan hasn't talked to anyone about it, and I can't read her mind. I hope she'll talk about their real goals once the Wind and Rain Swordlords arrive," Tianming said.

"They're sending so many here, so it can't just be for the fruits, right? Maybe what they really want is to conquer the continent and make our sect rule over it," Gujian Qingshuang said. That was the tempting prospect the Empyrean Sword Sect had dangled in front of him. However, it ran contrary to Tianming's goal of uniting the Azuresoul Palace with the Supracloud Sanctuary, something that would no doubt result in far fewer casualties. What Gujian Qingshuang had wanted could result in the deaths of millions, many of whom would be from the Azuresoul Palace.

"Even if the Empyrean Sword Sect is really going to do what they said, you'd be a puppet ruler once they install you in the throne," Long Wanying said.

"Is there a difference? I'm nothing but your puppet right now."

"You can think of it like that if you want, not that you have a choice," Tianming said.

Gujian Qingshuang shuddered. Thinking about it, he knew there was no way he could stand together with the Empyrean Sword Sect anymore.

"Chief Instructor, let's wait and see. The Empyrean Sword Sect is indeed powerful, but I have no doubt that they'll prioritize their own benefits here rather than sacrificing their own for our cause. With Shi Yan only having brought ten thousand people with her, she's keeping a low profile for now, especially with the forces on our side growing. But if the swordlords come here, they might not negotiate with you anymore. No doubt, they'll order you around like a dog," Tianming said.

Gujian Qingshuang couldn't deny any of it. It could very well become the truth!

"Don't you get it? The Northdipper Swordsage has been nothing but a pathetic crook all these years, and a stingy one at that. Don't expect to get any good benefits out of him," Long Wanying said.

"Let's stop speculating and focus on how we can deal with their reinforcements. We aren't able to unite with the Supracloud Sanctuary at the moment," Gujian Qingshuang said.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's focus on maintaining our bottom line. Once we unite the continent, we'll think about how to drive them out," Tianming said.

"I guess we'll be troubling you, Chief Instructor," Long Wanying said.

"Don't feel too bad for me. The Azuresoul Palace is now sandwiched between so many factions. Even if the sky falls, I think I can handle it," Gujian Qingshuang said. He wasn't a good person, but he wasn't necessarily a bad one either. Even if he had wanted to kill Jiang Qingliu to get the Azuresoul Tower back, he'd also wanted the sect to prosper. So Tianming respected him even though he had him under control.

……

Two days later, the Empyrean Sword Sect's troops arrived, all hundred thousand of them. They were dressed in white swordsmen robes, looking fierce and impressive wherever they went. It almost seemed that storms brewed, earth shook, and flames boiled anywhere they passed through. It was clearly an intentional display of force and their intent to wage a war. Even though the other factions of the Myriad Solar Sects didn't make a showing, their eyes were all set on the developments on the Azurecloud Continent.

This army of a hundred thousand was like a sword that had been plunged into the Azuresoul Sword Mountain. Its denizens felt a grinding sense of oppression at their arrival, thanks to those from the 'main sect' looking down on 'offshoots' like them with disdain. It was almost like the swordpupils of the Azuresoul Palace were automatically inferior to those of the Empyrean Sword Sect.

When it came to picking divine herbs, the swordpupils from the Azuresoul Palace would have to give the newcomers priority. It was also not uncommon for them to sneak some divine herbs into their own pocket, something Gujian Qingshuang couldn't do anything about anyway. Fortunately, Tianming already had control over the Azuresoul Palace or his group would be facing even more pressure than before. Yan Nuxia's thousand-plus supporters were brought here on her own accord without permission from her sect master, after all. Now, only Tianming's group could face off against the Empyrean Sword Sect.

Tianming and the rest didn't show up, letting Gujian Qingshuang and Ye Dongliu handle the arrival of the swordlords with Shi Yan. Before the group arrived, Shi Yan told Gujian Qingshuang, "Chief Instructor, I need the First, Second, and Third Sword Branches cleared out for our people to live in. That should be doable, right? After all, the nova source from the other three sword branches is too weak. That'll be bad for our swordpupils' cultivation."

"Shouldn't the first two alone be enough?" Gujian Qingshuang asked. They were already more than doing their part as hosts to host them, yet the Empyrean Sword Sect wanted them to vacate their premises. As far as the Azuresoul Sword Mountain was concerned, the lower three sword branches were no different from wooden huts.

"Our lifebound beasts like expansive environments," Shi Yan said without a hint of politeness.

"Alright!" He had no choice but to relent, but now he fully understood what Tianming had said about how the Azuresoul Palace would still have to play second fiddle to the Empyrean Sword Sect, even if they helped them take over the entire continent.

The formation opened up, letting the hundred thousand bandit-like swordpupils in. The leading couple, the two swordlords, descended from the sky. The Wind Swordlord was a white-haired old man that stood slender and tall. His sharp aura was only rivaled by his sharp features, like his hawk nose and eyes. Gujian Qingshuang lowered his head, intimidated.

The Rain Swordlord, on the other hand, looked to be about the age of her husband and older than Gujian Qingshuang, but appearance-wise, she looked younger than him thanks to years of good care and maintenance. Based on how she looked now, she was sure to have been a stunning beauty in her youth. Comparing her to Shi Yan, a fellow female swordpupil, was like comparing heaven and earth. Shi Yan was harsh and tough in more ways than one, while the Rain Swordlord was as gentle and soft as water. She held the arm of her husband tight as they descended to the Celestial Welcome Hall.

"I, Gujian Qingshuang, represent our sect to greet you, Wind and Rain Swordlords. Welcome to our humble abode."

The hundred thousand swordpupils descended, looking around at the Azuresoul Sword Mountain as they landed.

"You're too polite, Gujian Qingshuang," the Wind Swordlord said. The two of them didn't seem to be the kind of people to throw their weight around.

However, right after their arrival, the Rain Swordlord asked, "Shi Yan, how many fruits have been picked during the harvest?"

"There's eight hundred million now, Rain Swordlord," she said respectfully.

"I see. Then you should take them back to the sect. Leave this place to us," the Rain Swordlord said with a gentle smile.

"Yes!" Shi Yan nodded. The two of them didn't even bother discussing it with Gujian Qingshuang. They were going to take all the fruits harvested so far without leaving any.

"Don't be too displeased about it, Gujian Qingshuang. We'll definitely give you ten percent of the harvest as we promised. It will be taken from the later batches," the Rain Swordlord said.

"That's right. Empyrean Sword Sect has always respected agreements without exception. Not to mention that, without us, you wouldn't even be able to keep a tenth with the wargodeans and Blueblood Starocean helping the other side out," the Wind Swordlord said.

"I personally wouldn't have anything to say about it. The issue is that the Whitedragon Empress and her friends from the Group of Celestial Maiden Halls will have something to say about it, as they've also contributed a lot to the harvest," Gujian Qingshuang said. It was as if he had no pride before anyone from the Empyrean Sword Sect. Instead, Tianming had shown him respect even though he now controlled him and even let him be part of their discussions.

"Them? Come to think of it, we still have a debt to settle with them," the Rain Swordlord said.

"What debt?" Shi Yan asked.

"The grade-eight divine herb belongs to us. Why'd they take it?"

"Rain Swordlord, that was the reward the Sky Palace disciple, Li Tianming, got after driving off Li Haochen," Gujian Qingshuang said.

"Who agreed to give it to him? Did they ask our sect? If they didn't, it doesn't count," the Wind Swordlord said.

Everyone fell silent.

"Have the Sky Palace disciple come to me," said the Wind Swordlord.