Raise a sword!

Zhang Daoshi's words caused the two Golden Elixir True Immortals of the Chen family to change their expressions.

"I have an objection!"

Master Si immediately stepped forward.

Although the State of Chen occupies a part of the western side of the Diming Mountains, its territory is more than a thousand miles apart from north to south.

However, in reality, the further south you go within the territory of Chen, the more complex the terrain becomes, with more mountains and forests and fewer plains.

The rampant spread of monsters is only a secondary issue.

Other forces from the southern foothills often come to the southern part of Chen State. These people don't care about Chen State or not; they only know that it is a passageway into the depths of the mountains.

Furthermore, the evil cultivators wanted within the Chen Kingdom, those ruthless and murderous figures, often hide in the mountains and forests south of the Chen Kingdom.

Therefore, the territory that the Chen family could truly and completely control was actually only about six or seven hundred li to the north.

Now, the True Lord's decree seems to only involve cutting away two hundred miles of plains from the Chen Kingdom.

But for the Chen family, a single, casual remark from above wiped out more than 30% of their territory.

Master Si took a deep breath and his gaze fell on Taoist Zhang.

"There is no such logic in the world! My Chen clan has fought all the way to the gates of the Cangshan Sect, and this battle was clearly a great victory. Why should we suffer this humiliation? Even a True Monarch, though high above, cannot defy the law of the jungle!"

"I am going to the Dragon and Snake Temple to plead my case with the True Lord in person!"

"Indeed," Master Qi quickly chimed in, "The war between the Chen Clan and the Cangshan Sect has been going on for years! If True Lord finds us disturbing the peace, he should have sent someone to stop the war from the very beginning!"

"Instead of this situation! My Chen clan suffered invasions for years, finally turned the tide, and was on the verge of a great victory, but because of a decree from the True Lord, not only has the victory vanished, but my Chen clan is also forced to suffer enormous losses for no reason?"

"The Dragon and Snake Temple has acted unfairly; we are not satisfied!"

The two Golden Core cultivators from the Chen family delivered impassioned speeches, their words even lacking some of their usual respect for the True Lord.

Ni Chang remained silent beside him, but a hint of excitement flickered in her eyes.

The Taoist priest, Zhang, remained calm despite the questioning.

"I have not yet mentioned the True Lord's handling of the Cangshan Sect."

Zhang Daoshi looked at Ni Chang beside him.

"The True Lord will reduce the fortune of the Cangshan Sect by 30% as punishment."

"How long?" Ni Chang asked.

"ten years."

"Cangshan Sect accepts the punishment."

Zhang Daoshi nodded, then looked at the two Golden Elixir Immortals of the Chen family.

"Ten years of good fortune have effectively ended a generation's lineage. What do you think?"

Master Qi shook his head again, dissatisfied, and said, "Today, the Cangshan Sect should have been breached. What does a mere ten years of fortune matter? You are too biased, True Lord."

Upon hearing this, Zhang the Taoist's gaze became profound.

"Is the Chen family dissatisfied with the True Lord's decree and wishing to go to the temple to demand an explanation?"

Qi Zhenren noticed that Zhang Daoshi seemed somewhat dissatisfied, and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly tried to make amends, saying, "We dare not disrespect Zhenjun, we only hope that Zhenjun will act justly."

"No need." Zhang Daoshi shook his head slightly. "Before we came, the True Lord instructed that this matter be handled entirely by me... As you all know, the True Lord is not one to be arrogant, and the Dragon and Snake Temple does not wish to get involved in the many grudges of the Southern Mountain Region."

"You have disturbed the True Lord's peace, but the True Lord will not blame you."

"You are unwilling to obey the True Lord's decree, but the True Lord doesn't really care."

"To be honest, the words 'decree' are just a respectful way of addressing me. The True Lord calculated the whole story with a few words and made a decision on the matter. He sent me here to deliver a message, but the real reason is to save people."

Taoist Zhang sighed deeply.

"It's a pity that the True Lord is merciful to you, for you have brought this upon yourselves."

After speaking these words to the two Golden Elixir Masters of the Chen family, Zhang Daoshi looked at Ni Chang.

"After this battle, the Cangshan Sect will be closed for ten years as a warning to others... It is shameful that you call yourselves righteous sects. Your methods are truly too ruthless and have offended the heavens."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Daoshi shook his head slightly, his face full of regret, and then he rode away on a cloud.

At this moment, the two Golden Core cultivators of the Chen family were still somewhat confused.

Chen made a couple of rebuttals, and the decree was withdrawn. Why did the Cangshan Sect simply accept the punishment?

"Don't you understand? If you disobey the True Lord's decree, then the Dragon and Snake Temple will no longer be there to cover your retreat in this battle," Ni Chang said.

"So what? You, Ni Chang, a newly promoted Golden Core cultivator, think you can stop the two of us?" Master Qi sneered. "Fellow Daoist Fang of Flying Swallow Tower is more than capable of dealing with Lü Dehong. What makes you think you can stop a little brat like you..."

Before Master Qi could finish speaking, the empty space beside Ni Chang suddenly distorted, revealing Master Lü.

"Those surnamed Fang probably won't be able to come," Lü Dehong said calmly. "More than ten years ago, the Feiyan Tower's thieves ambushed our sect's elder Liu Zhi, causing him to die from his injuries."

Lu Dehong bowed slightly towards the distant mountains and forests.

But then an old man quietly appeared.

"The ancestor of the Liu family of Nanlu." The two True Immortals of the Chen family narrowed their eyes, greatly alarmed.

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. Please take care, both of you." The Liu family patriarch said with a smile, then entered the mountains to seek revenge on Master Fang of Flying Swallow Tower.

Immediately afterwards, a loud explosion rang out in the sky.

A ragged old beggar appeared in mid-air.

"These two are the ones surnamed Lü, right? Don't forget the benefits you promised me!"

Immediately afterwards, a loud explosion rang out in the sky.

A ragged old beggar appeared in mid-air.

"These two are the ones surnamed Lü, right? Don't forget the benefits you promised me!"

"Slovenly Taoist!" Master Qi exclaimed in surprise.

Master Lü looked at the two Golden Core cultivators of the Chen family as if they were dead.

"My sect leader's ruthlessness is so great that even I am terrified. He has no mercy whatsoever... In order to lure you two out and to ensure that the Cangshan Sect will never have to worry about the Chen Kingdom again, the sect leader has really gone to great lengths."

"At this moment, it seems that the capital of Chen is probably already beyond defense."

Upon hearing this, Master Qi finally realized that the reason why the two Masters of the Chen family had been able to have smooth sailing since arriving at the northern foothills was actually a scheme by the Cangshan Sect to lure them away from the mountain.

"How dare you lay a hand on the Chen clan? There are plenty of ordinary people in the capital. Cangshan... Cangshan Sect has broken the rules!"

"Rules? What rules are there in the Southern Mountain Region?" Ni Chang sneered. "The conventions agreed upon by various forces are rules, and the Dragon-Snake Temple's impartiality is also a rule!"

"But you two, relying on your Golden Core cultivation, attacked our Foundation Establishment cultivators first. When the Dragon and Snake Temple intervened to mediate, you disregarded the True Lord's face... You broke the rules first, and you are unwilling to listen to the True Lord's words."

"So we granted your wish: the law of the jungle prevails, and the strong are respected."

Master Lü raised his hand with a smile.

"Please enter my dream, both of you."

...

The capital of the State of Chen was Jinchuan City.

When Jiang Peng and Sun Yinxi arrived, the city was already in ruins.

High in the sky, more than ten magical artifacts of various kinds were activated, forming a huge array that enveloped the entire city, making it impossible to enter or leave.

"Senior Brother Zhao." Jiang Peng looked at the old man controlling the array in mid-air.

This person was none other than Elder Zhao, who had joined forces with Ni Chang to deal with the sorcerer in Da Cang City.

"Please enter the formation, both of you." Elder Zhao opened a passage to the formation. "The sect leader is merciful. Please spare the lives of the Chen clan cultivators in the city and only cripple their cultivation."