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As the time for the end of the trial approached, more and more people began to gather at the entrance of the Qiu Yang Secret Realm. Unlike the situation when the secret realm opened, this time, the high-ranking officials from the Northern Frontier Five Nations and Nine Major Sects were all present, waiting for the appearance of the Trial Disciples.
According to usual practice, after the trial concludes, each Sect would compare their spoils, which would then be used to recalculate their interests in the Forbidden Domain. Therefore, the high-ranking officials from each Sect were also preparing to appear at this time.
Prince Ning, Zhao Jieli, was the most prominent figure among all the Sect leaders. He was the head of Fengyu Holy Institute and also a powerful figure in Northern Jin Kingdom, commanding a significant military force that made most people present wary of him. However, this time Zhao Jieli wore a simple Sect robe and was accompanied by several Core Elders from Fengyu Holy Institute, without any royal guards in attendance. It was clear he wanted to present himself as a martial artist to avoid alarming other Sects.
Zhao Jieli appeared to be in good spirits. After exchanging a few casual words with Lord Thunder from Haotian City, he eagerly headed towards the location where the high-ranking officials of Flowing Cloud Villa were gathered.
Along the way, Zhao Jieli passed by several high-ranking officials from other Sects. To everyone's surprise, Prince Ning, who usually looked down on other Sects, greeted each one of them politely. Even the White Brothers from Dragon Tiger Sect were not overlooked.
Zhao Jieli was in high spirits, and Yunhai Zhenren, the head of Flowing Cloud Villa, was unusually enthusiastic as well. He had come out early with several Elders to welcome Zhao Jieli.
The two whispered to each other for a moment before hurriedly returning to Flowing Cloud Villa's base.
Flowing Cloud Villa occupied a piece of open land closest to the exit. The area had been simply prepared with a spacious wooden platform set up, already filled with chairs. Colorful banners stood tall around the platform, fluttering in the wind and creating a majestic atmosphere.
In comparison to Flowing Cloud Villa's setup, the other eight Sects appeared somewhat shabby. Most had not made any prior preparations. Lord Thunder from Haotian City had been more considerate and sent over some chairs for the esteemed leaders and Elders so they would not have to stand awkwardly alongside ordinary disciples.
The location of Dragon Tiger Sect was quite far from Flowing Cloud Villa's wooden platform, making it difficult to see what was happening on stage through the crowd. Although they had a decent geographical position, it still paled in comparison to Flowing Cloud Villa and Fengyu Holy Institute.
"Master Sect Leader, we have some private connections with Prince Ning. Since he is personally here for this Nine Sect Trial, we should go greet him," Bai Qiufeng said with a frown.
Before Bai Qiufeng could say more, Li Xingqi and Jiang Shiji stood up first after apologizing and headed directly toward Zhao Jieli without waiting for Bai Qiufeng's approval.
Soon more disciples followed suit and left to apologize as well. Just like that, Dragon Tiger Sect split into two factions under everyone's gaze. Li Xingqi and Jiang Shiji openly led their disciples to join Zhao Jieli's camp.
Other Sects quickly noticed this development and began whispering among themselves.
"What’s going on? Are Li Xingqi and Jiang Shiji really planning to completely sever ties with Bai Qiufeng? They actually went over to Fengyu Holy Institute right in front of everyone."
"The Bai Family has long lost control over Dragon Tiger Sect. With Li Xingqi and Jiang Shiji leaving, they’ve taken two-thirds of Dragon Tiger Sect's elite with them. It seems Dragon Tiger Sect will likely suffer greatly this time."
"Hmph! These two traitors must have already allied with Fengyu Holy Institute. Now even Flowing Cloud Villa has become Fengyu Holy Institute's lackey. It looks like the situation among Northern Border Nine Sects is about to change; Prince Ning is ambitious. This time it's Dragon Tiger Sect's turn; next time it will surely be ours!"
At the farthest point from the Qiu Yang Secret Realm, beside an inconspicuous small hill, the lord of Haotian City, Lei Mingyuan, cast a meaningful glance at his daughter, Leiting, and said softly, "Look at Prince Ning's demeanor. It seems the plan is going well. The day when Fengyu Holy Institute unifies the martial arts sects of the Northern Frontier is just around the corner. Ting'er, do you still think my choice was wrong?"
"The daughter has never thought there was anything wrong with father's choice. In fact, Haotian City has no room for alternatives. Haotian City can maintain its independence among the Northern Frontier Five Nations by balancing between the Northern Border Four Nations and the Northern Jin Kingdom. Now that Prince Ning's grand plan is about to succeed, not only will the Northern Border Four Nations suffer, but Haotian City will also find it hard to protect itself. If we don't side with Prince Ning, we can only face destruction." Leiting appeared unusually calm. With the help of Carefree Master, she had left the Qiu Yang Secret Realm early and returned to Haotian City to discuss the next steps with her father.
Under the cover of Carefree Master and Lei Mingyuan, no one knew that Leiting had already secretly entered and exited the Qiu Yang Secret Realm.
Before the Qiu Yang Secret Realm began, Lord Lei Mingyuan had already received a secret letter from Prince Ning, Zhao Jieli. After the latter revealed his plans, he chose to side with Fengyu Holy Institute. As for his daughter Leiting, she insisted on mediating between them, letting the Nine Sects fight to the death before reaping benefits from their conflict.
It was precisely because of this that Leiting noticed Ye Feng and disclosed Prince Ning's entire plan in hopes of turning the Nine Sect Trial into complete chaos.
"I am also forced into this situation. I want to take advantage of Prince Ning's murky waters, but it's not that simple. This old fox wouldn't come here unless he had absolute confidence. However, that kid you mentioned named Ye Feng—can he really withstand the combined attacks of two top experts from the younger generation of Northern Frontier?"
"It's hard to say." Leiting lightly raised her jade hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, "Yun Letian and Zhou Jun are indeed formidable, but Ye Feng's strength is also quite impressive. Until I left the secret realm, I couldn't fully gauge his depth. Moreover, with Tian Yi Senior helping to stir things up inside, it's really hard to predict how things will develop. However, I advise father to be cautious and not to hastily deploy our troops hidden in the jungle."
"You really can't hide anything from you!" Lei Mingyuan was taken aback by her words and awkwardly smiled. "Although that batch of City Defense Force isn't very strong, they are numerous and well-equipped. Especially those Military Repeating Crossbows provided by Prince Ning; they are effective against these martial artists. If Prince Ning personally orders me to deploy our troops, would I dare disobey?"
Leiting lowered her head in thought for a moment before revealing a sly smile. "Father doesn't need to be nervous; I didn't mean for you to directly disobey orders. After the trial ends, circumstances may turn out unexpectedly. At that time, whether Prince Ning will allow us to use the City Defense Force is still uncertain. Even if he secretly gives orders, we can pretend not to know. When Prince Ning makes this clear in front of everyone, it won't be too late for us to deploy our troops then. This way, even if we fail to eliminate the high-ranking members of Nine Sects, Northern Border Nine Sects won't be able to place all responsibility on us!"
"Haha, Ting'er is indeed clever! Look at your useless brothers; what a pity! If you were a son, I would definitely make you the heir of Lei Family and successor of Haotian City." Lei Mingyuan sighed deeply.
Leiting smiled slightly and remained silent as she focused on observing the situation on stage.
The discussions were chaotic as Li Xingqi and Jiang Shiji received a grand welcome from Prince Ning and took their seats while drinking merrily. Meanwhile, Dragon Tiger Sect was eerily silent; most remaining disciples were Martial Hall Disciples from Blazing Hall, including Bai Chengfeng and Yang Han among them. Due to their age this time around, they did not enter Qiu Yang Secret Realm.
"This is outrageous! This is outright betrayal! I say, Sect Master, have you lost your mind? Just let them leave like this?!" Bai Chengfeng's face turned pale as he whispered angrily at Sect Master Bai Qiufeng.
Bai Qiufeng appeared unusually calm as he glanced at the distant platform and said softly, "Isn't this better? Keeping them in Dragon Tiger Sect would only complicate matters further; once chaos breaks out, it will be hard to distinguish friend from foe."
"Chaos? Where would that chaos come from? Do those two beasts dare attack us? Old Man can handle them alone! As for Fengyu Holy Institute over there—do they dare openly attack us in front of everyone?" Bai Chengfeng rubbed his fists together excitedly.
Bai Qiufeng chuckled lightly.
"If I remember correctly, this should be Prince Ning's first time at Nine Sect Trial. Have you ever considered that he might have come all this way just for so-called trial results?"
Fengyu Holy Institute has never placed much importance on the so-called Nine Sect Trial, nor on the meager benefits to be gained from the Forbidden Domain. In fact, in every previous Nine Sect Trial, Fengyu Holy Institute only sent a few elders and Core Disciples from the Sect to participate half-heartedly. Nevertheless, even so, Fengyu Holy Institute has consistently ranked first in the Nine Sect Trial, showcasing its immense strength.
Dragon Tiger Sect is, after all, the second largest Sect in the Northern Jin Kingdom, and it is also one of the top three super large Sects among the Northern Border Nine Sects, with a rich heritage. Therefore, it has always been Bai Chengfeng who oversees matters here, while Bai Qiufeng rarely comes to this place. Other Sects are mostly similar, as it is uncommon for Sect leaders to attend the Nine Sect Trial. The main reason for their presence this time is due to the news that Prince Ning would be attending.
For the first time, the Nine Sect Trial has seen all the leaders of the Nine Major Sects gather in one place.
Bai Chengfeng was simply blinded by the actions of two traitors and could not see this point.
"Is Prince Ning really planning to take action against the Nine Major Sects? But he hasn't brought an army with him. How could just the people from Flowing Cloud Villa and Fengyu Holy Institute possibly keep the high-ranking members of the other seven sects here?"
Bai Qiufeng glanced lightly at a lush grove of trees not far away and said softly, "Second brother, I think you are the one who is confused. Have you forgotten about the Lei Family and the City Defense Force of Haotian City?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Chengfeng's expression changed drastically, and his gaze involuntarily shifted toward the grove.
At that moment, a sudden hush fell over the noisy discussions. A rumbling thunder echoed in front of them as a silver-white gate wrapped in countless arcs of electricity abruptly appeared and slowly opened before everyone's eyes.
"The Secret Realm Gate has opened; the Trial Disciples are coming out!" Someone soon exclaimed, causing the crowd to erupt once more.
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