Chapter 78: Alliance

[Ding!]
[System upgrade successful. Compensation rewards have been distributed. Please check and receive them, Host!]
[System task issued: Proceed to Mount Song and become the leader of the Seven Sects Alliance. Upon completion, reward: The Nine Swords of Dugu!]

On the eve of arriving at Mount Song, the system finally completed its upgrade. As the series of system notifications rang out, Yun Zhonghe was left utterly dumbfounded.

He had only intended to join the gathering at Mount Song for some excitement.

How did it end up turning into a system task?

Can I just not go?

There won't be any punishment for failing the task, right?

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the system replied.

[Tasks are issued randomly by the system. For each completed task, the system accumulates a certain amount of energy. If a task fails, the system will initiate self-destruction mode!]

This was outrageous.

He would have been better off without the upgrade.

Although the daily check-ins only yielded some useless items, at least there was no threat to his life.

Now, just to stay alive, he would inevitably have to do things he didn’t want to.

Why is my fate so bitter!

The system paid no heed to Yun Zhonghe’s complaints. After a while, realizing it was useless to grumble, he turned to check the compensation gift pack from the system.

[Ding, congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Muscle-Tendon Classic.]
[Ding, congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Blood Bodhi. Consuming it will greatly enhance your martial power!]
[Ding, congratulations, Host, you have obtained a divine weapon: the Blood-Drinking Frenzy Blade.]

As the string of system notifications fell, all his earlier dissatisfaction evaporated.

These were real treasures.

With these, in this perilous world, he finally had some means to protect himself.

Though Yun Zhonghe’s martial arts were already among the elite, in front of the true titans, his strength was still not worth mentioning.

Forget it. To survive better in this world, he’d just have to do the tasks!

“System, what’s the use of the energy accumulated after I complete each task?” Yun Zhonghe asked, mulling it over.

But the system gave no answer, falling into a long silence.

Receiving no reply, Yun Zhonghe didn’t press further. With a flick of his wrist, the Dragon-Slaying Saber appeared in his hand.

His fingers brushed over the blade, which gleamed brilliantly in the firelight.

Beside him, Xie Xun’s gaze turned over. “Master, have you unraveled the secret hidden within the Dragon-Slaying Saber?”

Yun Zhonghe looked up at Xie Xun and answered frankly, “The greatest secret of the Dragon-Slaying Saber is the saber itself.”

His words seemed to say everything and nothing at all.

He truly had mastered the art of saying nothing with many words.

“I do not understand, Master.”

“The secret is hidden within the layers of the blade,” Yun Zhonghe said, weighing the saber and scrutinizing it. “To obtain the secret, one must destroy the Dragon-Slaying Saber!”

“A divine weapon of such caliber is not easily destroyed... unless—” Xie Xun’s eyes lit up, and he slowly uttered, “The Heaven-Reliant Sword!”

Yun Zhonghe nodded. “The Martial Writings of Yue Fei, left behind by the great general, are hidden inside. Whoever possesses them, not just the martial world, could even seize the entire realm!”

As he spoke, a crazed fervor crept into his eyes.

Power!

Ultimate power!

The kind that drives all under heaven mad with desire!

“And what is hidden inside the Heaven-Reliant Sword?” Xie Xun, ever the childlike inquisitor, pressed on.

Yun Zhonghe glanced at him, his excitement gradually cooling. “The Nine Yin Manual, and…”

Halfway through, he suddenly realized—Guo Jing was still alive, so the Heaven-Reliant Sword couldn’t possibly contain the manual for the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.

As for Xiao Feng’s Twenty-Eight Dragon-Subduing Palms, that was even more unlikely.

From what he’d heard in the martial world, Xiao Feng was now a grand marshal in Liao, living a comfortable life.

Now Yun Zhonghe himself was curious—what exactly was hidden inside the Heaven-Reliant Sword?

After a moment of silence, Yun Zhonghe finally spoke, his voice low and uncertain: “To be honest, I don’t know what’s in the Heaven-Reliant Sword.”

Seeing Yun Zhonghe’s troubled look, Xie Xun wisely refrained from further questions.

The night passed without further words.

At dawn, the two set out again for Mount Song.

Xie Xun was surprised to find that the Dragon-Slaying Saber had vanished without a trace, unsure where Yun Zhonghe had produced it from the night before.

Something that large shouldn’t be so easily concealed.

Truly strange.

Suppressing his questions, Xie Xun simply followed behind Yun Zhonghe.

Soon, the two arrived at the foot of Mount Song, where a winding stone staircase climbed upwards, vanishing into the distance.

All around, disciples of the Seven Sects were scattered about. It seemed everyone had already arrived.

At the very moment Yun Zhonghe appeared, all eyes turned to him, faces full of curiosity.

“Today’s the day the Seven Sects gather to discuss the campaign against the Sun and Moon Cult and elect a leader. What’s Yun Zhonghe doing here?” someone could not help but whisper.

Rumors about Yun Zhonghe had been spreading through the martial world of late. Knowing he was no longer the man he once was, no one dared mock or provoke him.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Yun Zhonghe strode up the stone steps with unruffled composure.

The Golden-Haired Lion King followed closely behind, step for step.

The two soon vanished from the disciples’ sight.

After trekking for half an hour, Yun Zhonghe halted, gazing into the distance where a grand edifice appeared before him.

The walls were painted crimson, the roof tiles carpeted with moss.

Up close, cracks marred the walls, evidence of age.

In front of this building lay a vast plaza.

The square was teeming with people.

The leaders of the Six Sects sat on either side, each flanked by their sect’s elite disciples and elders.

At that moment, all six sect leaders fixed their gaze on the figure seated in the center.

This man had a rugged face, a pair of thick mustaches, and a piercing gaze. Even sitting down, the might he exuded forbade any insolence.

He was the host of this gathering, the current Master of Mount Song Sect—Zuo Lengchan.

Zuo Lengchan swept his gaze across the assembly, pausing on each sect leader in turn.

Then his voice, rich with authority, rang throughout the square: “Today, I, Zuo, have summoned all sect leaders to discuss a matter of utmost importance!”

As his words faded, the sect leaders’ expressions stayed calm—they were clearly in the know, awaiting the next revelation.

Zuo Lengchan drew a deep breath, his tone turning grim: “The Seven Sects must unite as one to destroy the Sun and Moon Cult!”

Perhaps it was the force of Zuo Lengchan’s presence, but the leaders of the Six Sects straightened, their expressions solemn.

“To better eradicate the Demon Sect, we must elect, from among those present, a single leader—the Alliance Chief. What say you all?”

“Excellent!” No sooner had Zuo Lengchan finished speaking than the leader of the Kongtong Sect voiced his agreement.

The other heads exchanged glances, but none voiced dissent.

“Since there are no objections, the order in which each sect’s champions will compete shall be determined by drawing lots. The ultimate victor will be the Alliance Chief of the Seven Sects!”

At these words, the square fell silent as death.

Lines of sight crossed between the sect leaders; a faint whiff of gunpowder lingered in the air.