Burning Heaven Sect, Main Peak

Sha Dinshan sat cross-legged in the center of the grand hall, his breathing slow and rhythmic.

Suddenly, the heavy doors burst open. An elderly Golden Core cultivator in crimson robes stormed in. His face was a map of deep wrinkles, marking him as a man of at least four hundred years.

“Junior Brother Sha! It’s a disaster!” the elder gasped, his expression grave. “We’ve received reliable intelligence. That old scoundrel Du Guangchao is actually attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul realm!”

Sha Dinshan did not flinch. He slowly completed his circulation cycle, exhaled a plume of white mist, and opened his eyes.

“Senior Brother Zhu,” he said, his voice flat. “Is this not exactly what we predicted? There is no need for panic.”

“But what if he succeeds?” Zhu Neng paced anxiously. Though he was senior in age and cultivation tenure, his temperament was too volatile for leadership, leaving the reins of the sect in Sha Dinshan’s hands.

Sha Dinshan scoffed. “Do you think the Nascent Soul realm is a vegetable you can pick at the market? Du Guangchao likely only obtained the formation spiritual object from the Qian Yuan Continent a few days ago. Even if his True Essence is perfectly polished, the process of forming a Nascent Soul takes at least two years before the Heavenly Tribulation is summoned. It has barely been a year. If it were that easy, the Southern Sea would be crawling with Nascent Soul cultivators.”

Zhu Neng paused, pouring himself a cup of tea. He downed it in one gulp, the warmth settling his nerves. “But Senior Brother… aren’t you worried they have a hidden card? What if the trip to the Qian Yuan Continent was a diversion?”

“A hidden card?” Sha Dinshan shook his head. “If they had the resources earlier, Du Guangchao would have made his attempt years ago. The fact that he waited until he was nearly in his grave proves the Qingyuan Sect is desperate. Even if they have a spiritual object, it is likely of inferior quality. He wouldn’t dare risk a premature attempt.”

“Still, it is better to be safe than sorry,” Zhu Neng argued, his eyes narrowing. “Should we launch the main offensive early? Letting those vassal families attack the Qingyuan Sect’s affiliates alone… I fear the results will be lackluster.”

Sha Dinshan smiled, a cold, humorless expression.

“Senior Brother, you misunderstand. Those Foundation Establishment families are irrelevant. I ordered them to attack merely to probe the Qingyuan Sect’s defenses and clear out some nuisances. As long as our main force remains still, the Qingyuan Sect won’t dare send reinforcements to their vassals. This ensures our pawns will achieve some result. And if they are wiped out? It matters not. There are countless other families begging to kneel before the Burning Heaven Sect. We can simply raise a few new ones.”

Zhu Neng fell silent, struck by the ruthlessness of the plan.

The Burning Heaven Sect had never intended to fight alongside their vassals. The Si, Gu, and Ye families were merely cannon fodder—disposable tools to test the waters. Even loyal dogs like Ji Shuguang were kept in the dark, lest their hesitation betray the scheme.

If Gu Lizhan and the others could hear this, their blood would run cold. They had marched to their deaths at Double Dragon Mountain believing they were vanguards of a great alliance, not sacrificial lambs.

Wang Family Ridge

Wang Hao wasted no time upon his return. After a brief word with the Patriarch, he sealed himself inside his cave dwelling.

The clock was ticking. The mobilization of Maple Leaf Market’s Qi Refining armies had already begun. Based on travel times, the war would officially erupt in less than a month.

His physical wounds were manageable, but the damage to his soul from the Spirit-Splitting Cone backlash was critical. Natural recovery would take months—time he didn’t have.

I have to force it.

Wang Hao activated his consciousness and entered his personal “Farm.”

He stared at the Soul-Nourishing Fruit tree. It still needed eight years to mature. In the past, he would have waited, hoarding his resources. But now, with extinction looming, he couldn’t afford to be stingy.

System, buy fertilizer. Max dosage.

He emptied his accumulated points, effectively “going all out.” The fertilizer dissolved into the soil, and time accelerated. The green fruits swelled, turned purple, and ripened in the blink of an eye.

Harvesting the fruits, Wang Hao immediately set up his cauldron. With his current alchemy proficiency, refining the Spirit-Concentrating Pill—a High-Rank Second Grade medicine—was a smooth process.

Soon, two round, purple pills sat in his palm, radiating a calming aroma.

He swallowed them both.

Wang Hao closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as the medicinal energy flooded his mind. It felt like cool water washing over a burn.

Twenty days later.

The stone doors of the cave dwelling rumbled open. Wang Hao stepped out, his eyes clear and sharp, his complexion ruddy with health.

He flew straight to the summit.

Wang Yanzhao was pacing in the clan hall. When he saw Wang Hao, the Patriarch’s shoulders sagged in relief. “You’re healed? Thank the ancestors. Yesterday, the Lei family sent word—Maple Leaf Market’s vanguard has crossed the border. Their Qi Refining disciples will reach the Lei territory in ten days. If their Foundation Establishment experts launch a raid, the war could start tomorrow.”

Wang Hao nodded, his mind racing. “A surprise raid is unlikely now. The scale is too large. They’re moving an army, not an assassination squad.”

“True,” Wang Yanzhao agreed. “But their numbers… it’s worrying.”

The Burning Heaven Sect’s territory was more developed than the Qingyuan Sect’s frontier. More mortals meant a larger recruitment pool. The Si family had amassed over a hundred cultivators in just two centuries, whereas the Wang family had taken nearly five hundred years to reach the same number.

“Si Ji was a deviant,” Wang Hao noted. “His ‘seed-borrowing’ strategy inflated their numbers quickly, even if half their bloodline was outsourced. But families like the Ye and Gu have over three hundred Qi Refining cultivators each. Even if they’ve lost their leadership, their sheer volume of low-level troops outnumbers the Five Families of Green Bull.”

“We can’t control their numbers,” Wang Yanzhao sighed. “We can only control our defense.”

Wang Hao walked to the tactical map hanging on the wall.

“The border isn’t wide. Unlike the Beast Tide where we stood on the front lines, this time the Lei and Zhao families are the shield. The Li family is tucked away near Duan Yuan Mountain, and we are relatively sheltered here at Wang Family Ridge.”

This geography was why Wang Hao had dared to abandon Ruojun Mountain. Consolidating forces was the only way to survive. If the Zhao family fell, Wang Family Ridge would become the new front line.

“From a strategic standpoint,” Wang Hao said, tracing the map, “we should send support to the Zhao family, and the Cheng family should support the Lei family. But these territories are too vast to defend completely. The enemy can simply bypass the strongholds and strike deep.”

“Unless we have a guarantee that our own home is safe, we cannot send our main force to aid them,” Wang Yanzhao said firmly. “We understand the principle that ‘when the lips are gone, the teeth are exposed to the cold,’ but we cannot burn ourselves to keep them warm.”

“There has been a development,” Wang Yanzhao added, pointing to the Lei family’s location. “The Lei, Cheng, and Zhao families have made a move. The Zhao and Cheng clans have abandoned their homes and moved their entire populations to the Lei family’s base.”

Wang Hao’s eyebrows shot up. “They merged?”

“Yes. The Zhao family is weak and on the front line; they knew they couldn’t hold alone. The Cheng family… I suspect Lei Liheng paid a heavy price to convince them.”

It was a bold move. By condensing three families into one fortress, they created a defensive hardpoint that would be incredibly costly to crack. But it also meant the map had changed. The buffer zones were gone.

The war was no longer a series of skirmishes. It was becoming a siege.