Chapter 4

In a world where the strong prey on the weak, and the flying prey on those who run,

there is the Wu Lin Alliance. Despite its grand name, the Wu Lin Alliance is not such a formidable sect. There is one leader of the Wu Lin Alliance, and within the alliance, there are branches of famous sects and high-ranking experts dispatched to each branch. It is a formal sect in name only.

The term of the Wu Lin Alliance leader is ten years, and re-election is possible. The disciple of a famous sect who becomes the leader of the Wu Lin Alliance leads the martial world using the high-ranking experts of his family. However, the leader of the Wu Lin Alliance does not have that much power. The leader cannot mobilize even the number of people of a single sect on their own.

The Wu Lin Alliance was created with the intention of uniting the righteous sects to suppress the evil sects, so it does not grant any one person overwhelming power. This is because if all the power were concentrated in one person, it could lead to even worse consequences.

In the small conference room of the Wu Lin Alliance, a sign reading "Qing Long Hall" hangs above the door. Only meetings requiring confidentiality are held here, while large-scale gatherings take place in the Bai Hu Hall. In this room, the heads of the nine major sects and five major families, as well as the heads of the five new rising sects, gathered around a large square table, with the leader of the Wu Lin Alliance.

They listened carefully to the report of Master Shi Shan and then fell into deep thought. The current leader of the Wu Lin Alliance, Wu Ji Jian Huang Yu Qing Xue, broke the long silence.

"I knew that the Asu Blood Sect was causing trouble, but I only learned from the head of Shaolin that they have been building up their forces on such a large scale. Is there any good solution?"

The head of the powerful Zhe Ge family, Bai Jian Tian Ling Zhe Ge Ji, suggested an idea.

"I think a surprise attack to strike the enemy first would be best."

However, Master Kong Zhi shook his head.

"Amitabha, even with a surprise attack, we must be prepared for significant losses when attacking an enemy with such strong defenses, especially one with over 1,500 zombies."

The head of the Northern Beggar Sect, Man Tong Xin Kai Kong Shou Qi, agreed.

"That's right. In the last confrontation with the Blood Sect, even the powerful evil sect lost 40% of its forces. It took over 30 years for the evil sect to recover, and everyone knows this."

Qing Xu Zi of Dian Cang said with a sigh.

"May all beings be happy... but there is no good solution other than a preemptive strike..."

Then, Mei Hua Jian Li Yu Ran, the head of the Nan Gong family, spoke. She is a strong and cunning woman who has been leading the Nan Gong family and the young head since her husband's death.

"Then, how about using the evil sect again? We can subtly leak information to them. Given their long-standing grudge, they will likely engage in a life-or-death battle with the Asu Blood Sect as before."

However, Yu Hua Wu Di Mei Xiang Yu of Wu Ying Men raised an objection.

"That's difficult. First, we don't have the time, and the evil sect has already experienced the difficulty of fighting zombies. Moreover, the core experts of the evil sect all live within their main compound, making it extremely difficult to conduct information operations."

The head of the Northern Beggar Sect, Man Tong Xin Kai Kong Shou Qi, agreed. Mei Xiang Yu, despite her youthful appearance, is a mysterious and highly skilled individual, so no one dared to ignore her words.

"That's right. The Ten Thousand Great Mountains are a fortress among fortresses. The evil sect can wait and let the Wu Lin Alliance and the Asu Blood Sect fight first, so there's no reason for them to risk attacking the Asu Blood Sect."

Suddenly, the leader asked Mei Xiang Yu.

"By the way, what happened to the operation we discussed earlier? Will the Asu Blood Sect attack the evil sect first? The unification of the evil sects is a tempting target..."

"That's strange... No matter how I think about it, it seems the evil sect is conducting a counter-operation."

"A counter-operation?"

"Currently, detailed information about the forces of each famous sect is being passed to the Asu Blood Sect..."

"How is that possible? The evil sect has always valued strength! Are you sure about this?"

"No, through the conflict with the Blood Sect, they seem to have realized something and expanded their information network significantly. They are now on par with our Wu Ying Men. They are not to be underestimated."

The leader sighed.

"Hmm, then it will be difficult to make the evil sect and the Asu Blood Sect clash."

The head of Qing Cheng, Yu Yang Zi, said in a discouraged tone.

"May all beings be happy... This is indeed a difficult situation."

The head of Wu Dang, Zhang Lu Bai, said with a sense of urgency.

"This is a serious matter. To fight the Asu Blood Sect, we need a force as strong as the evil sect. Where else can we find such a force besides our alliance?"

Zhe Ge Ji, the head of the Zhe Ge family, also sighed with worry.

"That's right. If we fight, who will check the power of the evil sect?"

Suddenly, the head of Mei Hua Jian, Li Yu Ran, exclaimed as if she had just thought of something.

"There is another force with such power."

Master Kong Zhi asked curiously.

"Amitabha... Where is it?"

"The Imperial Palace! The Imperial Palace."

But Qing Xu Zi of Dian Cang was skeptical.

"May all beings be happy... Your words are somewhat contradictory. The Imperial Palace has never interfered in the affairs of the martial world."

However, Yu Hua Wu Di Mei Xiang Yu, known for her information network, cautiously supported Li Yu Ran with a sly smile.

"Mei Hua Jian's head might be right. Recently, the Imperial Palace has been actively recruiting martial artists with the lure of the martial arts techniques from the Imperial Martial Arts Treasury. Even a passing dog knows this! However, the Imperial Palace's information network is still weak, so it should be easy to manipulate them."

"But why do you say the Imperial Palace is weak in information? As you know, the Imperial Palace has organizations like the Jin Yi Wei, which are skilled in information."

"Hehe, but they exist to protect the imperial authority and suppress rebels. They are not well-versed in the affairs of the martial world. Where are they using the Zan Huang Hei Feng Team? They are only used to clean up the riffraff beyond the borders, which proves this."

The leader agreed with Mei Xiang Yu.

"Indeed, the Zan Huang Hei Feng Team is doing trivial tasks compared to their power. But how do you plan to use them?"

"The Imperial Palace does not interfere in the affairs of the martial world, but they will do anything to protect the imperial authority. We can bribe some of their people and spread the rumor that the Asu Blood Sect is plotting against the imperial family. We can also leak information that they are manufacturing 5,000 zombies in the Da Wang Mountains to destroy 10,000 imperial troops and capture the capital."

Zhe Ge Ji praised her idea with a hint of concern.

"That's a good idea. The Imperial Palace will likely deploy the Zan Huang Hei Feng Team to destroy them. But the damage to the imperial family will be significant..."

"That's not a concern. If we provide detailed information about the defenses of the Da Wang Mountains to the Zan Huang Hei Feng Team, they will not suffer such heavy losses."

With the opinions now more or less settled, the head of Zhong Li family, Ba Dao Zhong Li Ying Wu, spoke.

"Phew, this matter is settled. Speaking of the Zan Huang Hei Feng Team, the Imperial Palace is increasingly demanding that we send more talented disciples. This is becoming a serious problem. We train high-ranking experts for our sects, not for the Imperial Palace."

Zhe Ge Ji nodded. He and Zhong Li Ying Wu were close friends, and their families were even considering a marriage alliance.

"That's right. In the past, they were satisfied with second-rate disciples, but now they are demanding top disciples, which is a dilemma."

The head of Wu Dang, Zhang Lu Bai, said.

"We must find a solution. Does the leader have any suggestions?"

"I have no solution. They are constantly demanding outstanding disciples... They have already gathered 10,000, and I don't know what they plan to do with more..."

The leader's complaint was echoed by Man Tong Xin Kai Kong Shou Qi.

"That's right. The power of the Zan Huang Hei Feng Team is almost on par with the evil sect."

Mei Xiang Yu objected to Kong Shou Qi's statement.

"No, they are not there yet."

Kong Shou Qi, feeling embarrassed, challenged Mei Xiang Yu. As the head of the Northern Beggar Sect, he prided himself on being one of the two major information sources in the righteous sects.

"What is your basis for saying that?"

"Even with the outstanding experts they have recruited and the martial arts techniques from the Imperial Martial Arts Treasury, they still cannot match the power of the evil sect."

"The Imperial Martial Arts Treasury has accumulated martial arts techniques for over 500 years. If someone masters these techniques, it's like giving wings to a tiger... Even if the evil sect is strong, how can 10,000 experts of the Zan Huang Hei Feng Team not match them?"

"The evil sect has developed numerous martial arts techniques over 1,000 years. According to recent secret information, they have absorbed nearly 1,000 new experts. These experts were likely trained to prepare for a conflict with the Asu Blood Sect. While they are not yet at their peak, in about 10 years, they will be a formidable force. The evil sect can cultivate experts at a rate that our famous righteous sects cannot match."

"But 1,000 new experts are not enough to stop them, and they are not yet fully developed."

"Where do you think the true strength of the evil sect lies?"

"Isn't it in the 20,000 experts with powerful demonic arts?"

"No, it lies in the council of retired great demons. The council consists of at least 500 former demons, and their power accounts for about 30% of the evil sect's total strength."

After listening for a while, the head of Wu Dang, Zhang Lu Bai, interjected.

"But the council's experts have never roamed the martial world, have they? I only heard about the council for the first time."

"No, there was one instance. In the past, the great hero Qu Hui had no desire to unify the martial world, but his son Qu Tian used the martial arts techniques left by Qu Hui and the power of the First Sect to cause a bloodbath. Despite his initial success, he was defeated and killed by the evil sect in Ma Yang. Few people know that the evil sect was able to defeat the First Sect because of the council's powerful experts. Without the council, the evil sect could not have surpassed the First Sect."

"Hmm, then in a direct confrontation with the evil sect, we must always consider their hidden 30% strength."

"No, that's not necessary. The council consists of retired experts who only appear when the evil sect is in danger of extinction. So, when the evil sect attacks, we won't have to worry about them."

"That's a relief."

"The 1,000-year history of the evil sect has been preserved because of the council. There is no other organization with such a long and powerful history except the evil sect."

"That makes sense."

After listening for a while, the leader finally spoke.

"Enough chitchat. Will the lady hero set the trap for the Imperial Palace?"

"Yes."

In the hall of the evil sect's leader, three people were having tea. On the table were an old book and some simple snacks. The leader spoke to the deputy leader.

"You did well this time."

"It was nothing, not a difficult task."

"Still, your acting skills were impressive. Your entry into the martial world is like the disappearance of a great actor from the Central Plains."

The deputy leader, Wang Zi Ying, smiled slightly, and the leader's praise did not seem to bother him as he smiled broadly.

"Hehe... Thank you, leader. The sight of that guy being delighted with the secret manual, though he didn't show it, was evident in his eyes. Hehe. And when I put on the mask and emitted killing intent, he trembled. What a wimp, what does he plan to do with such a weak heart..."

"Still, it was difficult to perfectly act out the gradual death from internal and poison injuries, even to the point of deceiving a high-ranking expert. And when that guy set fire outside, he had to dig a hole inside the hut and hide in the ground, which is no easy feat for a skilled expert."

"Hehe, you're really putting me on a pedestal in front of the leader."

"Thanks to you, the Wu Lin Alliance is in chaos. I didn't expect such good results."

The leader asked curiously.

"How is the situation?"

"The heads of the sects have been urgently summoned."

"This will cause a storm of blood."

"This is our greatest masterpiece since the formation of the San Bi Team. They don't have much time to investigate deeply. We paid a high price for the information, so it won't be easy for them to verify it. They are likely planning to set a trap for us, but it's doubtful we will fall for it. The longer they delay, the more zombies will be created. No matter how much they debate, the only solution will be a surprise attack."

"You did well. And you also did a great job."

The leader praised the two, and the deputy leader bowed.

"It's my duty. Please don't hesitate to give me more tasks in the future."

"Assuming the righteous sects launch a surprise attack, what kind of damage do you expect?"

"It's hard to say, but given the current zombies, the formation, and the high-ranking experts there, even if we know the plan, we must be prepared for significant losses."

"Have you found any more places where zombies are being created?"

"Yes, we are carefully investigating the kidnapping of women and martial artists in the Central Plains, but we haven't found any significant leads. The five places we previously mentioned turned out to be human trafficking rings."

"What did you do with them?"

"We skinned them alive, sprinkled salt on them, and left them."

"Hehe, that must have been a sight."

"Hehe, it was a scene worth seeing. We are still investigating."

"Didn't I hear that many women were being kidnapped to the border? Are they also part of a human trafficking ring?"

"Yes! Unfortunately, it was a large human trafficking ring. We thoroughly interrogated each captured member, but they had no connection to the Asu Blood Sect. We suppressed their meridians and threw them into the desert to die. Since the battle took place in a barren desert, we sent the Heavenly Horse Blood Sword Team led by Elder Yu. Elder Yu said they suffered greatly crossing the desert. They ran out of water, but fortunately, a bandit group appeared, and they obtained water from them."

The deputy leader was shocked.

"Good heavens! You deployed the Heavenly Horse Blood Sword Team? Leader, aren't you overestimating the enemy? With 100 members and the Heavenly Saber King, their power is said to be capable of breaking the heavens. Even the Four Evil Forest, once the sky of the evil sects, was destroyed by them. Deploying them for this is excessive. They could have died of starvation in the desert, and their safe return is a stroke of luck. Did you reward the bandits sufficiently?"

"Yes, we skinned their feet and left them in the middle of the desert. Letting them live is already a mercy. Hehe, if they die from the sun, it's their lack of skill, not our fault."

The leader added.

"If they were the Asu Blood Sect, we would have to engage in a full-scale battle with the forces we deployed, so don't be too upset."

"Yes."

Wang Zi Ying smiled brightly and asked the leader cautiously.

"But isn't using such a powerful secret manual for just this purpose excessive? I think giving them a single powerful secret manual would have been enough."

"No, for an expert who can break through such defenses, it's only right to offer a secret technique like the Qing Yue Sword Method."

"That's true. But in the future, many will master this tyrannical martial art, which will be a big problem. The power of the Qing Yue Sword Method is formidable, so we need to prepare a countermeasure."

The leader had a calm expression.

"The Qing Yue Sword Method has been extensively studied within our sect.