31: Chapter 31 The Schemes of the Prince of Ruyang

Inside the main hall of Zixiao Palace, the atmosphere was solemn and grave.

The most prominent figures of the Central Plains Martial Arts World were all gathered here.

In the seat of honor, Zhang Sanfeng sat upright.

To the left below sat Abbot Kongwen of the Shaolin Sect, Abbess Miejue of the Emei Sect, Sect Leader He Taichong of the Kunlun Sect, the Sect Head of the Kongtong Sect Tang Wenliang, and the Sect Head of the Huashan Sect Xian Yutong.

To the right were Left Emissary Yang Xiao of the Ming Cult, the White-Browed Eagle King Yin Tianzheng, Bat King Wei Yixiao, the Five Wanderers, and Shi Huolong, the leader of the Beggar Sect.

The Seven Heroes of Wudang stood behind Zhang Sanfeng. The entire hall was silent, with everyone's gaze fixed upon Zhang Sanfeng.

Once everyone was seated, Zhang Sanfeng spoke slowly: "Today, I have invited you all to Wudang for only one purpose—to resolve the past grievances of the Jianghu, join forces to resist the Yuan Court, and protect the people of the Central Plains."

As his voice fell, a buzz of discussion instantly erupted in the hall.

"Grandmaster Zhang is right! The Tatars occupy our Central Plains and oppress our Han people. We, fellow practitioners of the Martial Forest, should stand together and resist them jointly!"

Shi Huolong, the leader of the Beggar Sect, was the first to stand up and declare loudly: "My Beggar Sect is the first to respond to Grandmaster Zhang's call!"

"The Shaolin Sect also agrees!" Abbot Kongwen pressed his palms together and recited a Buddhist chant.

"Past grievances are in the past. Now that the Yuan Court is eyeing us covetously, wishing to destroy the Central Plains Martial Arts World and oppress our people, we of the Shaolin Sect, as part of the Righteous Path, cannot sit idly by."

Left Emissary Yang Xiao also stood up, cupped his hands to the crowd, and said in a deep voice: "Since its founding, the Ming Cult has taken the expulsion of the Tatars and the restoration of the Central Plains as its duty."

"For decades, we have fought against the Yuan Court without ever retreating. Today, the Ming Cult swears here that we are willing to join hands with all our fellow martial artists to resist the Yuan Court together!"

With the Shaolin Sect and the Ming Cult having stated their positions, the others in the hall chimed in one after another.

The Kunlun, Kongtong, and Huashan Sects, along with other Jianghu sects that did not have significant grievances with the Ming Cult, all expressed their willingness to let go of past grudges and join forces to resist the Yuan Court.

Only the Sect Head of the Emei Sect, Abbess Miejue, sat in her place with a cold expression, remaining silent.

She held an irreconcilable hatred for the Ming Cult; even though Cheng Kun's conspiracy had been exposed, she was still unwilling to make peace with them.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at Abbess Miejue and spoke calmly: "Abbess Miejue, what is your opinion?"

Abbess Miejue suddenly raised her head, looked at Zhang Sanfeng, and said coldly: "Grandmaster Zhang, the Emei Sect and the Ming Cult have a sea of deep hatred."

"My Senior Brother Gu Hongzi died at the hands of Left Emissary Yang Xiao; my Disciple Ji Xiaofu was also harmed by him. This blood debt cannot be wiped away with a simple word of letting go."

"Abbess Miejue!" Left Emissary Yang Xiao's expression changed. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Gu Hongzi challenged me to a duel on his own initiative. After he lost, he died of pent-up frustration. What does that have to do with me?"

"As for Ji Xiaofu, I failed her, but she died by your hand!"

"You are courting death!" Abbess Miejue stood up abruptly, her hand pressing onto the heavenly sword at her waist, her eyes filled with Killing Intent.

The two sides were instantly at daggers drawn, and the atmosphere in the hall plummeted to freezing point once more.

"Stop, both of you." Zhang Sanfeng spoke calmly. An invisible pressure instantly spread out. Abbess Miejue and Left Emissary Yang Xiao suddenly felt a weight on their chests and could not take another step forward.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at Abbess Miejue and said slowly: "Abbess Miejue, the duel between Gu Hongzi and Left Emissary Yang Xiao was a common exchange in the Jianghu. His death from pent-up frustration cannot be blamed on Left Emissary Yang Xiao."

"As for the matter of Ji Xiaofu, Left Emissary Yang Xiao behaved improperly and was at fault. Now that Ji Xiaofu is dead, it is understandable that you resent Left Emissary Yang Xiao."

"How about this: with me as a witness, let Left Emissary Yang Xiao publicly apologize to the Emei Sect for the matter regarding Ji Xiaofu. The Emei Sect can then ask Left Emissary Yang Xiao to do two things within his power to make amends. How does that sound?"

"If the Emei Sect insists on holding onto past grievances and is determined to fight the Ming Cult to the death, it will only sadden our friends and gladden our enemies, ultimately helping the Yuan Court."

These words struck Abbess Miejue's heart like a heavy hammer.

She struggled internally. Left Emissary Yang Xiao was arrogant; making him apologize publicly was no small matter. Ending past grievances this way was not an unacceptable option.

Finally, she let out a long sigh, released her grip on the sword hilt, and bowed to Zhang Sanfeng.

"Grandmaster Zhang's lesson is correct. I was obsessed. As long as Left Emissary Yang Xiao apologizes publicly, the Emei Sect is willing to let go of our grievances with the Ming Cult and resist the Yuan Court together."

This statement caused everyone in the hall to breathe a sigh of relief.

With the Emei Sect taking a stance, the grievances between the Six Major Sects and the Ming Cult were completely resolved.

Left Emissary Yang Xiao stood at the front, solemnly bowed to the Emei Sect, and said in a deep voice: "Abbess Miejue and the heroines of the Emei Sect, I, Left Emissary Yang Xiao, apologize to you all for the dishonorable methods I used against Xiaofu previously. From now on, I will certainly restrain my own behavior and that of the Ming Cult Disciples."

Abbess Miejue let out a cold snort, but she also nodded slightly.

Zhang Sanfeng nodded slightly, looked at everyone, and declared loudly: "Good! Since everyone has reached a consensus, today we shall form the Wulin Alliance here!"

"Within this alliance, all sects will advance and retreat together, sharing honor and disgrace."

"If the Yuan Court invades, all sects must join forces to resist and must not retreat in the slightest."

"If any sect colludes with foreign enemies and betrays the alliance, they will be subject to sanctions by the entire Wulin Alliance."

As his voice fell, Shi Huolong was the first to stand up and shout: "My Beggar Sect nominates Grandmaster Zhang as the Leader of the Wulin Alliance! We will follow Grandmaster Zhang's lead in all things!"

"My Shaolin Sect nominates Grandmaster Zhang as the Leader of the Wulin Alliance!"

"My Ming Cult nominates Grandmaster Zhang as the Leader of the Wulin Alliance!"

"The Kunlun Sect seconds the motion!"

"The Kongtong Sect seconds the motion!"

"The Huashan Sect seconds the motion!"

Everyone in the hall stood up one after another, shouting their agreement, the sound echoing throughout Zixiao Palace.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at the crowd and did not decline. He stood up slowly and said loudly: "Since everyone trusts this old Daoist, then I will not decline the position of Alliance Leader."

The hall instantly erupted in thunderous cheers. For decades, the Central Plains Martial Arts World had been fragmented and embroiled in endless conflict, but today, it was united.

[System: Detected that the host has completed the side quest [Form the Wulin Alliance], quest completion 100%!]

[Quest Reward: Central Plains Martial Arts World completely unified, host's prestige reaches its peak, world Fusion increases by another 2%, current total Fusion 96%!]

As the System prompt faded, Zhang Sanfeng understood. The disputes of the Yitian World Jianghu had finally been quelled.

Thousands of miles away, the Ruyang Princes Mansion in Dadu was in an uproar.

Inside the study of the Ruyang Princes Mansion, Prince Ruyang held the secret report in his hand, trembling with rage, and threw it onto the floor.

"Trash! A bunch of trash! That trash Yuan Zhen not only failed to incite the Six Major Sects to fight the Ming Cult, but instead caused them to unite!"

Princess Zhao Min, who was standing to the side, picked up the secret report from the floor. As she read the contents, her pretty face also darkened.

She never expected that the Wudang Sect would intervene, not only capturing Cheng Kun and resolving the grievances between the Shaolin Sect and the Ming Cult but also facilitating the reconciliation between the Six Major Sects and the Ming Cult, and forming the Wulin Alliance.

A united Central Plains Martial Arts World was a hundred times harder to deal with than a fragmented one.

Moreover, the leader of this alliance was the unfathomable Zhang Sanfeng.

"Father, please calm your anger." Princess Zhao Min composed herself and bowed to Prince Ruyang. "Since things have reached this point, we must find a way to dismantle this Wulin Alliance as soon as possible."

Prince Ruyang took a deep breath, looked at Princess Zhao Min, and said in a deep voice: "Minmin, you are resourceful. I will leave this matter to you."

"Yes, Father." Princess Zhao Min bowed in acknowledgment, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.

Upon returning to her courtyard, Princess Zhao Min immediately summoned all her experts, including the recently recovered Xuanming Elders, her subordinate Ah Da, and a group of experts from the Western Regions Tantric Sect.

Looking at her subordinates, Princess Zhao Min spoke slowly and coldly: "Now, the Central Plains Martial Arts World has formed an alliance, led by Zhang Sanfeng, and is eyeing the Imperial Court covetously. Our mission is to dismantle this alliance and plunge them back into internal strife."

"I have already formulated a plan." Princess Zhao Min's finger tapped on the map on the table. "First, secretly spread rumors that Zhang Sanfeng wants to use the Wulin Alliance to annex the major sects, causing suspicion and mistrust among them."

"Second, send people to disguise themselves as Ming Cult Disciples to ambush the Disciples of the Six Major Sects, and then disguise themselves as Disciples of the Six Major Sects to ambush the Ming Cult's strongholds, stirring up conflict between them and causing them to turn against each other."

"Third, strictly monitor the main altars and branch bases of the major sects, while secretly cultivating experts to seek opportunities to poison and assassinate key figures of the Wulin Alliance, leaving them leaderless and causing them to collapse on their own."

"Fourth, I want to go to Wudang Mountain myself to meet this legendary Zhang Sanfeng. I want to see what kind of heaven-defying abilities this Great Grandmaster truly possesses."

As Princess Zhao Min finished speaking, her subordinates bowed and accepted the orders.

The Xuanming Elders exchanged a glance, a ruthless glint flashing in their eyes.

They had suffered great losses at the hands of Yu Lianzhou at Bright Peak and Wudang Mountain, and they already hated the Wudang Sect to the bone, eager to find an opportunity for revenge.

A few days later, Princess Zhao Min, accompanied by The Xuanming Elders, Ah Da, and dozens of elite experts from the Ruyang Princes Mansion, disguised themselves as a caravan of Mongol nobles and quietly left Dadu, heading in the direction of Wudang Mountain.