From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Weakness?" Poison Dragon Prince shook his head. "Wuji, you're still too young. A wise person knows when to yield; the Zheng family is no longer someone we can easily provoke."

"But it costs thirty thousand spirit stones."

"What's 30,000 spirit stones?" Poison Dragon Prince sneered. "If we really go to war with the Zheng family, the losses will be far more than 30,000 spirit stones."

"So, Master means we should seek refuge with the Zheng family?"

"We wouldn't call it surrendering, but remaining neutral is necessary," Poison Dragon Prince said thoughtfully. "It's best if we don't get involved in the struggle between the Demon Heart Sect and the Zheng family."

"But what if the Demon Heart Sect wins?"

"If the Demon Heart Sect can win, would they need to win over allies?" Poison Dragon Prince retorted. "Their current actions only demonstrate their weakness."

Snake Wuji nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, the strong never need allies; only the weak band together for warmth.

"Master is wise," She Wuji said sincerely.

Three days later, Zheng Chengbai finally returned to the Zheng family.

"Chief! I'm back!" He ran excitedly into the council hall.

"Chengbai, how is the situation?" Zheng Tianhao asked immediately.

"We succeeded!" Zheng Chengbai exclaimed excitedly. "The East China Sea branch of the Heavenly Serpent Sect obediently handed over 30,000 spirit stones and 100 bottles of pills, and even wrote a letter of apology!"

"Very good!" Zheng Tianhao nodded in satisfaction. "It seems our reputation has spread."

“However, clan leader, I also brought back an important message.” Zheng Chengbai’s expression turned serious.

"what news?"

"The Demon Heart Sect is contacting various major powers, attempting to form an alliance to deal with us!"

The atmosphere inside the Zheng family's council hall was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Zheng Tianhao sat in the main seat, his fingers lightly tapping the table, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. Before him lay the 30,000 spirit stones and various pills that Zheng Chengbai had just brought back, but no one paid any attention to these spoils of war at the moment.

"The Demon Heart Sect has formed an alliance," Zheng Tianhao said slowly. "It seems that old fox Qi Yang has finally lost his patience."

"Clan leader, how should we deal with this?" Zheng Tiansu asked worriedly.

"Respond?" Zheng Tianhao sneered. "Since they want to play, we'll play along to the end. However, we can't just sit back and take the hits; we must take the initiative."

"What does the clan leader mean?" Zheng Tianming asked tentatively.

"It's simple. Since the Demon Heart Sect wants to win over allies, we'll find a way to disrupt their alliance." Zheng Tianhao stood up and paced around the council hall. "The best defense is offense. We'll let those forces that want to join the Demon Heart Sect alliance know the consequences of opposing the Zheng family!"

"The clan leader is wise!" Zheng Chengbai said excitedly, "But how do we know which forces have already cooperated with the Demon Heart Sect?"

"This requires intelligence." Zheng Tianhao turned to Zheng Hui. "Hui'er, immediately dispatch all available spies and gather intelligence at all costs. I need to know which forces the Demon Heart Sect has contacted, which have already agreed to cooperate, and which are still hesitating."

“Yes, clan chief!” Zheng Hui immediately accepted the order.

“Remember, whether it’s a formal alliance, a verbal promise, or even just an expression of intent to cooperate, everything must be recorded in detail,” Zheng Tianhao added.

"Understood! I'll go arrange it right away!" Zheng Hui hurriedly left.

"Clan leader, if we really find out which forces are cooperating with the Demon Heart Sect, what should we do?" Zheng Tiansu asked.

A ruthless glint flashed in Zheng Tianhao's eyes: "Make an example of them! Find a suitable target and crush them completely with swift and decisive action, letting others know the consequences of cooperating with the Demon Heart Sect!"

"Clan leader, isn't this too radical?" an elder asked worriedly. "Doing so might cause more forces to side with the Demon Heart Sect."

"No," Zheng Tianhao shook his head. "The cultivation world has always been a dog-eat-dog world. Only by demonstrating sufficient strength can we deter the weak. If we appear too weak, people will think we're easy to bully."

“The clan chief is right,” Zheng Tianming agreed. “Now is the crucial moment for us to demonstrate our strength; we must not show weakness.”

In the following days, the entire Zheng family's intelligence network was fully activated.

Zheng Hui dispatched dozens of spies to various parts of the cultivation world to gather intelligence. Some of these spies were assassins trained by the Zheng family, some were rogue cultivators hired by the family, and others were sources of information provided by other forces that had connections with the Zheng family.

"Clan leader, news has come from the Nanshan Sect that Chu Yuehua, the deputy sect leader of the Demon Heart Sect, visited them, but the Nanshan Sect refused their request for cooperation," a scout reported.

“Good, the Nanshan Sect is wise.” Zheng Tianhao nodded. “Continue the investigation.”

"There's also news from the Blood Fiend Sect. Their sect leader, Xue Wuyai, met with Chu Yuehua, but it's unclear what they discussed," another scout said.

"The Blood Fiend Sect," Zheng Tianhao frowned. "This force is indeed somewhat dangerous and needs close monitoring."

"Clan leader, there's another piece of news," Zheng Hui hurried in. "Our scouts near Qingya Gate reported that someone saw Chu Yuehua stay at Qingya Gate overnight the night before last."

"Qingya Sect?" Zheng Tianhao pondered. "I remember this sect. It's a small cultivation sect, not very strong, but with great ambitions."

“That’s right. The sect leader of Qingya Sect, True Person Qingshi, has a cultivation level of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. The entire sect only has a dozen or so Foundation Establishment stage cultivators and a few dozen Qi Refining stage disciples,” Zheng Tianming added.

"Since they're not very strong, why is Chu Yuehua trying to win them over?" someone asked, puzzled.

“Because Qingya Gate’s geographical location is very important.” Zheng Tianhao pointed to the map on the wall. “Qingya Gate is located on the vital route between our Zheng family and the Demon Heart Gate. If they side with the Demon Heart Gate, they can become the Demon Heart Gate’s outpost.”

"I see." Everyone suddenly realized.

"Continue the investigation. I need to know whether Qingya Sect has agreed to the conditions of Demon Heart Sect," Zheng Tianhao ordered.

Two days later, the confirmed news arrived.

"Clan Chief, it's confirmed!" Zheng Hui excitedly ran into the council hall. "Our spies saw with their own eyes that the Qingya Sect people were transporting supplies, and in considerable quantities. Based on our analysis, these supplies are likely intended for the Demon Heart Sect."

“There’s even more important news,” another scout continued. “Yesterday, someone overheard Qingya Sect disciples getting drunk in a restaurant, saying things like, ‘We’ll soon be rich with the Demon Heart Sect,’ and ‘What is the Zheng family anyway?’”

Upon hearing this news, everyone present turned pale.

"It seems that Qingya Sect has truly sided with Demon Heart Sect," Zheng Tianhao said coldly.

"Clan leader, what should we do?" Zheng Chengbai rubbed his fists together, eager for an explanation. "Should I lead another group to demand an explanation?"

“No,” Zheng Tianhao shook his head. “The Azure Cliff Sect is not like the Azure Leaf Valley or the Heavenly Serpent Sect’s branches. Now that they have chosen to cooperate with the Demon Heart Sect, they will not easily submit. Moreover, they have the Demon Heart Sect backing them up.”

"So we're just going to let it go like this?" Zheng Chengbai said unwillingly.

“Of course not.” A hint of killing intent flashed in Zheng Tianhao’s eyes. “But this time, I’m going to take action myself.”

"What? The clan leader is going to fight personally?" Everyone was taken aback.

“That’s right,” Zheng Tianhao said firmly. “The Qingya Sect dares to openly cooperate with the Demon Heart Sect because they think we won’t actually make a move. This time, I’ll show the entire cultivation world the consequences of cooperating with the Demon Heart Sect!” “But Clan Leader, isn’t that too risky?” Zheng Tiansu said worriedly. “What if people from the Demon Heart Sect are there too…”

“Perfect.” Zheng Tianhao sneered. “If the Demon Heart Sect dares to show their faces, I wouldn’t mind settling accounts with them beforehand.”

"Chieftain, I support your decision!" Zheng Tianming stood up and said, "It's indeed time to show those opportunists our resolve!"

"I support it too!" Zheng Chengbai said excitedly. "With the clan leader personally taking action, those guys from Qingya Sect will definitely be scared out of their wits!"

Although the other elders had some concerns, they all expressed their support for the clan leader's decision.

"In that case, let's begin preparations." Zheng Tianhao began outlining the plan. "This operation will be larger in scale; I will be leading fifty elite troops, including twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"Fifty people?" someone exclaimed in surprise. "Chieftain, isn't that too many?"

“Not many,” Zheng Tianhao shook his head. “Although the Qingya Sect isn’t very strong, since they’ve already cooperated with the Demon Heart Sect, who knows if the Demon Heart Sect will send reinforcements? We must be fully prepared.”

"The clan leader's considerations are thorough," Zheng Tiansu nodded in agreement.

"Moreover, the purpose of this operation is not only to deal with the Qingya Sect, but more importantly, to serve as a deterrent," Zheng Tianhao continued to explain. "The greater the scale, the better the effect."

The entire Zheng family spent the next day preparing for this operation.

Fifty elites were selected, including many of the top experts from their respective families. Each was equipped with the best weapons and carried an ample supply of elixirs.

"Clan leader, when do we set off?" Zheng Chengbai asked impatiently.

"Tomorrow at dawn," Zheng Tianhao said. "Everyone, get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow we'll show the Qingya Sect what true thunderous wrath is!"

That night, Zheng Tianhao went alone to the secret room where Zheng Yi was in seclusion.

"Ancestor, what do you think of this operation?" he asked softly into the secret chamber.

After a long silence, Zheng Yi's voice came from the secret chamber: "Well done. When it's time to show strength, you can't be soft. But remember, just make an example of them, don't go to extremes."

“Grandson understands,” Zheng Tianhao replied respectfully.

"Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on things from the shadows. If you encounter any danger, I'll intervene." Zheng Yi's voice gave Zheng Tianhao great confidence.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, fifty fully armed elite soldiers gathered in front of the Zheng family mansion.

Everyone was in high spirits, their eyes filled with fighting spirit. They knew that this operation would determine the Zheng family's status in the cultivation world.

"Fellow clansmen!" Zheng Tianhao stood at the front of the group and announced in a booming voice, "Today we are going to do something great! We will let the entire cultivation world know that the prestige of the Zheng family is not to be challenged!"

"Yes!" Fifty people responded in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and the earth.

"Set off!"

The large group left the Zheng family and headed towards Qingya Gate.

Meanwhile, inside the Qingya Gate.

"Sect Master, there are spies from the Zheng family gathering information outside," a disciple nervously reported to Master Qing Shi.

Master Qing Shi was a middle-aged man in his fifties. He was not particularly handsome, but his eyes gleamed with shrewdness.

"Spies?" Master Qing Shi said dismissively. "Let them spy. We have nothing to hide anyway."

"But Sect Master, what if the Zheng family really comes to attack us?" the disciple said worriedly.

"So what if they come knocking on our door?" Master Qing Shi sneered. "With the Demon Heart Sect backing us up, why would we be afraid of the mere Zheng family?"

"The sect leader is right!" an elder chimed in. "The Demon Heart Sect has given us many benefits and promised to protect our safety."

“That’s right,” Master Qing Shi said smugly. “Vice Sect Master Chu said that as long as we cooperate with their actions, when the Demon Heart Sect unifies the cultivation world in the future, our Qingya Sect will be able to get a larger share of territory.”

"The sect leader is wise!" the disciples all flattered.

But just then, a disciple on lookout duty rushed in in a panic.

"Sect Master! Sect Master! Something terrible has happened!" he said breathlessly.

"What's the panic? Is the sky falling?" Master Qing Shi scolded disapprovingly.

"The Zheng family's army has arrived!" the disciple stammered.

"What?!" Master Qing Shi jumped to his feet. "What did you say? The Zheng family's army?"

"Yes! There were dozens of people, and it seems that Zheng Tianhao himself was leading them!"

Upon hearing this, Master Qing Shi's face turned pale instantly.

He originally thought that the Zheng family would at most send a young man like Zheng Chengbai to cause trouble, but he didn't expect Zheng Tianhao to personally lead his troops.

"Quickly! Contact the Demon Heart Sect!" Master Qing Shi hurriedly ordered, "Tell them there's an emergency here!"

"Yes!" A disciple immediately ran off to deliver the message.

"The rest of you, prepare for battle!" Master Qing Shi gritted his teeth. "Even if Zheng Tianhao comes in person, we cannot show weakness!"

But he knew very well that with the strength of the Qingya Sect, they were no match for the Zheng family's army.

Now we can only hope that the Demon Heart Sect can send people to help us in time.

At this moment, Zheng Tianhao's team had arrived at the foot of Qingya Gate.

"Clan leader, the Qingya Sect is on the mountain ahead," Zheng Chengbai said, pointing to the mountain peak in front of them.

“I see it.” Zheng Tianhao squinted, observing the area ahead. “It seems they are prepared; there are quite a few disciples guarding the mountain gate.”

"Chieftain, should we attack directly, or...?"

"Let's try diplomacy first, then force," Zheng Tianhao said calmly. "Let's give Master Qing Shi a chance and see if he knows what's good for him."

Having said that, he channeled his inner strength, and his voice, like thunder, echoed up the mountain:
"Master Qing Shi of the Qingya Sect! Zheng Tianhao of the Zheng family has come to pay a visit! Please come out for a chat!"

The loud voice echoed through the valley, startling countless birds into flight.

Soon, a response came from the mountain:

"Chief Zheng, your presence is an honor! I am deeply sorry for not greeting you sooner! May I ask what brings you here?" (End of Chapter)