Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

a few days later.

The Green Wood Sword Sect is located in Qishan Prefecture, one of the thirteen prefectures in the west, and is led by Grandmaster Qingxuan Zhenren.

The sword cultivators' foundation is unfathomable—rumors circulate that an even more ancient being resides deep within the mountain gates.

Their swordsmanship is exquisite and unparalleled. They are one of the most powerful sects in the western righteous path. Their influence is deeply rooted in Qishan Prefecture, and their disciples are spread throughout the western prefectures. They are responsible for assisting in maintaining the order of the western righteous path and are at odds with the Blood Dark Sect.

in the hall.

Master Qingxuan sat upright in the position of sect leader, with a battle report laid out on the long table in front of him. He looked to be only in his fifties, but in reality, he had lived for more than 180 years. He had a lean face, white hair and a youthful appearance, and wore a green robe, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.

At this moment, his expression darkened slightly.

His gaze fell upon the battle report, reading it word by word. Master Qingmu was killed in battle; Protectors Tiemu and Qingsong perished in the line of duty; more than half of the hundred elite disciples were killed or wounded—Qinglong Society, Shangguan Jin Hong…

He raised his hand and lightly tapped the three characters "Shangguan Jin Hong" with his fingertips.

The air inside the hall suddenly froze.

An invisible pressure, like a mountain collapsing, emanated from his body. The disciples kneeling on the ground felt a tightness in their chests, making it difficult to even breathe. Their foreheads pressed against the cold floor tiles, they dared not utter a sound.

Master Qingxuan slowly stood up and stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the hall.

His expression remained calm, but a cold glint, like the sharp edge of a sword, slowly gathered deep within his eyes.

"check."

He spoke, his voice not loud, but clear enough to reach everyone present, "The Green Dragon Society's background—where they came from, how many people they have, what their connections are, and whether they have anyone backing them up. I want to know it all clearly."

The black-clad scout kneeling below kowtowed to accept the order, then rose and strode out.

Master Qingxuan did not say another word.

He turned and looked out at the vast sky beyond the palace, his sleeves fluttering even without wind.

The Qingmu Sword Sect has been stationed in the west for a hundred years. When has it ever suffered such a great loss? Under normal circumstances, he would have already sent out the sect's strongest members to hunt them down for thousands of miles. No matter what the Azure Dragon Society or White Tiger Hall is, they would be reduced to ashes with a single sword strike.

But that's not possible right now.

The standoff with the Blood Demon Cult has reached a critical juncture. Every bit of combat power on the front lines is precious, and there are no extra people to spare to deal with the suddenly emerging Azure Dragon Society.

As for him taking action personally—a grandmaster breaking into the city to make a move would be too much of a target and would likely harm innocent people.

He didn't care about the lives of ordinary people, but if he caused large-scale casualties, the Zhenfu Division and the Six Doors of the Xuantian Dynasty would never let it go.

No matter how strong the Green Wood Sword Sect is, and how closely it is allied with the Four Great Sword Sects, it is ultimately no match for the Imperial Dynasty.

Even though the dynasty has shown signs of decline in recent years, this behemoth on the decline could still easily crush a sect. This is the foundation of tens of thousands of miles of territory and tens of thousands of years of history, a bottom line that a Western Sword Sect cannot touch.

So we can only wait.

Master Qingxuan withdrew his gaze, and slightly tightened the hands that were behind his back.

After the matter with the Blood Cult was settled

—That will be the time when the Azure Dragon Society is wiped out.

A dark, underground chamber.

The candlelight was dim and the air was damp and moldy.

Spider sat cross-legged on the bed, his upper body naked, thick bandages wrapped around his chest, from which bloodstains could be faintly seen. His face was as pale as paper, his lips were dry, and his eyes were slightly closed as he regulated his breathing to heal his wounds.

Footsteps sounded.

The shadow entered, its footsteps so light they were almost silent, but the spider still opened its eyes.

"You're back?" Spider's voice was hoarse and weak.

"Branch Master." Shadow knelt on one knee, head bowed, and gave a detailed report on the battle situation in Pingyang County.

From the Azure Dragon Society's surprise attack on the Meng family mansion, to Shangguan Jin Hong's killing of Qingmu Zhenren, to the submission of the three major families, to the collapse of the Iron Sword Sect—not a single word was omitted.

Upon hearing this, the spider's face turned ashen, even more so than the bloodstains on the bandage.

"Shangguan Jin Hong... is he really this strong?" He gritted his teeth, his voice trembling, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.

"I witnessed it with my own eyes." The shadow raised his head, his eyes still filled with the shock of that battle. "Master Qingmu, a mid-stage Grandmaster, couldn't last more than a hundred moves against him."

"A hundred moves?" The spider smiled bitterly. "I'm afraid it wouldn't even last fifty moves."

A moment of silence fell over the sealed room.

The air seemed to freeze.

The spider closed its eyes, took a deep breath, and when it opened them again, its eyes held a resolute look: "Then what are we still doing in Pingyang County?"

He propped himself up on the edge of the bed, the movement aggravating his wounds and causing him to gasp in pain, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Retreat."

"Retreat completely."

"They've already withdrawn."

Shadow said, "I have arranged for everyone to evacuate in batches. There is no one of our people left in Pingyang County."

The spider nodded, slowly sat back on the bed, leaned against the wall, and cold sweat beaded on its forehead.

After pondering for a long time, he spoke: "Report to headquarters."

"Let them decide."

"Yes."

The shadow bowed and withdrew.

The spider sat alone in the darkness, closed his eyes, and seemed to hear again the sound of metal clashing that night, and the death scream of Master Aoki.

He shivered.

Pingyang County City, Zhenfu Division, Thousand-Household Office.

study.

Lu Zhennan sat in a grand chair with a cup of tea in front of him. The tea had gone cold, but he hadn't touched it.

Mo Wuhen stood in the shadows, his figure almost blending into the shadows.

"Lord Commander, the post-war statistics are in." Mo Wuhen's voice was deep and steady.

"explain."

"The Azure Dragon Society unified Pingyang County, the three major families submitted, and the Wanbao Trading Company and the two major escort agencies surrendered. The remnants of the Iron Sword Sect fled, and the reinforcements from the Green Wood Sword Sect were completely wiped out."

Lu Zhennan picked up his teacup, took a sip of the cold tea, and frowned slightly: "What about Shangguan Jin Hong's abilities?"

"At least the late Grandmaster realm." Mo Wuhen paused, "and possibly even higher."

"Higher?" Lu Zhennan put down his teacup and looked up.

"Master Qingmu, at the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm, couldn't last more than a hundred moves against him. I observed in secret that Shangguan Jin Hong never used his full strength from beginning to end; it was as if he was... toying with his opponent."

Lu Zhennan remained silent for a long time.

The study was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the candlelight.

"Continue to monitor," he finally said, his voice tinged with weariness, "but don't provoke the Azure Dragon Society."

"Yes."

"And..." Lu Zhennan stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back, "What's going on with Dongfang Weiwo?"

"I cultivate daily and rarely leave my home," Mo Wuhen said. "There's nothing unusual about it."

Lu Zhennan nodded slightly, gazing at the night sky outside the window: "Keep an eye on them, but don't alert them."

"Understood."

Mo Wuhen's figure disappeared into the darkness.

Lu Zhennan stood alone by the window, the night wind ruffling his robes.

"The only one in the East..." he murmured, a complex look flashing in his eyes, "What exactly are you thinking?"

No one answered.

Only the night wind howled, blowing through the empty courtyard.