Chương 329: Setting out

Long Feng waited to see what would happen next. He certainly wasn't going to speak, and he believed that the other two would deem him unworthy to speak for them. Unlike everyone else who thought he was hiding his cultivation, they could clearly sense that he wasn't hiding anything. Peak spirit realm was the full limit of his cultivation.

And it was likely that they hadn't been in the sect when he caused an uproar and killed Bai Lixi, or they hadn't cared about it at all, so they assumed that he was unworthy of their time and attention. They didn't even attempt to find out if he was really a disciple of the sect, proof of their disregard. After a few seconds, the youth seated in the center of the trio lifted his calm gaze to stare at the clan chief.

"In that case, we are grateful. Please order the Hong clan to prepare. We will strike first and attack the iron blood gang tomorrow. Anyone at or above rank three Imperial realm must leave with us. If we successfully complete the mission and get rid of the iron blood gang, we will be sure to express our thanks with some rewards." He stated slowly, his voice leaving no room for discussion. The clan chief sighed inwardly but revealed a bright smile on his face.

"Very well. Tomorrow, the Hong clan will follow the three esteemed guests to end the iron blood gang for good."

"I nearly forgot to ask, I heard that the Hong clan has a great elder, but I haven't seen him over the past few days?" The youth asked all of a sudden, startling the clan chief.

"Oh, right." The clan chief laughed.

"The great elder joined the team to search for the iron blood gang. I will send him a message to return as soon as he can to join us tomorrow." He replied. The youth lowered his head and didn't say anything else. The clan chief added a few more words before turning to the core elders and begining to discuss their plans. Long Feng listened for a few minutes before he got bored.

After several more minutes, the clan chief finally ended the discussions and personally led the trio towards a spectacular palace at a peaceful part of the clan. When they arrived, the clan chief said a few respectful words before leaving. The two youths exchanged glances and nodded at each other before they walked into the place and retired to their respective rooms. Long Feng didn't care about their disregard. If anything, he was actually relieved that they didn't take him for much.

His low cultivation was currently his greatest advantage. Anyone who didn't know better would disdain him and underestimate him severely. In this case, his cultivation would enable him to appear as a joke, not a threat at all. He could find a chance to fish in troubled waters and take crimson Chen's head if the opportunity presented itself. As for his two brothers, it was all up to fate. He put these thoughts aside, chose a different room and walked in. The room was well furnished but nothing drew his attention.

He sat down on the bed and pondered on whether he should spy on the other two disciples with his soul power. He played with this thought for a few minutes before he shook his head and rejected it.

"Both of them are peak Imperials. I'll have to advance to the spirit transformation layer to be able to conceal my soul power fluctuations from them." That aside, he recalled the fact that his strength was slightly inferior to both of them. He wasn't arrogant. He would rather overestimate someone than to underestimate them, so he pictured them as having greater strength than him. And it was very possibly so.

"If I reach the Imperial realm, I might be comparable to top tier peak Imperials like them, but not now. If I can't raise my strength, then I should focus on the Nine Firmament Steps. I can sense that I am getting close to perfecting the second step." There wasn't enough time for him to strengthen himself substantially. The best choice would be to raise his means of escaping so that he could retreat even if he wasn't able to fight.

"I've also found out more about Intents. Apparently, not even some deities have comprehended intents of their own. Comprehending an intent at the Imperial realm is a huge feat, so mine must be an even bigger feat." Intent was also divided into stages; Rudimentary intent, which was considered as half a step into true Intent, was the lowest of all. Most Imperials and even deities usually comprehended this. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Minor Intent, the true starting point of Intent, and which was also Long Feng's current sword intent. Major Intent was next, and it was something that possessed earth shattering power regardless of the Dao. Reaching the major intent stage required great talent, perception and comprehensive ability. Peak Intent was an even higher stage as it was nearly the limit of intent. By then, the intent would transcend the physical and directly impact the soul.

An attack wouldn't just injure the body but also destroy the soul and will. The final stage of intent was the 'Perfect Intent' stage. That was a stage that signified unimaginable power. Take the perfect sword intent for example; a casual strike would cause the soul of a Dao realm master to split apart and crumble as their body turned to dust. It was a stage that most could never hope to attain in their lives.

Even among the most gifted geniuses, only the absolute leaders of their generation would eventually reach this stage. As for what was beyond the sword intent, Long Feng didn't know. But he had a feeling that those enigmatic Dao stages would have really stepped into the level of beings like the Firmament Sword Saint and the owner of the ancient sword legacy remnant. Digesting all these information, Long Feng began to meditate through the night, waiting for the next day.

In a hidden part of the Hong clan, five figures gathered. They stood under the cover of the night and their silhouettes could barely be made out. After a few minutes of unsettling silence, one of them spoke, their voice echoing in the dark.

"Tomorrow's fight is inevitable. We can't defy those three and risk the instant destruction of our clan. Our next course of action must be to avoid losing too much tomorrow. The iron blood gang isn't for show."

"Indeed. We all hid a great detail from everyone. The Ren clan was also attacked by the iron blood gang and they suffered a loss. We can't afford to stick our heads in case crimson Chen escapes. That chance exists, no matter how thin it is." The silence returned again briefly before a deep voice sounded.

"I didn't mention something back in the hall. The person who found the hiding place of the iron blood gang is Ren Hua himself. He was undoubtedly the most enraged among us after his clan was attacked, so he went out to search by himself."

"What?!"

"Ren Hua found them? And he escaped?"

"That's what I heard. I don't know how much is actually true, but according to a reliable source, Ren Hua fought crimson Chen this time. There is no doubt that he lost, but he managed to flee back to his clan to announce the hiding place." The deep voice responded with great calm.

"Amazing. Ren Hua must've gotten stronger to have escaped from crimson Chen alone."

"There are some holes in this story and we must be cautious. This could be a trap. Also, why aren't the Ren clan attacking tomorrow? Why wait until two days later? Aren't they afraid that the iron blood gang will escape again?"

"You're right." The deep voice replied.

"They are actually planning to attack tomorrow as well. I want to set up some pleasant surprise for our esteemed guests. A sudden encounter with the Cao clan's geniuses should build up significant tension." The voice paused for a few seconds before it sounded again, a tinge of worry showing this time.

"There's something else. According to Ren Hua, crimson Chen's aura was extremely unstable and constantly rose and fell during their fight. That was precisely why Ren Hua was able to escape alive. There can only be a reason to that; crimson Chen is about to reach the deity realm!" Faint gasps echoed through the night.

"Deity Realm? Impossible!"

"If he becomes a deity, then our six clans will likely be destroyed. This…"

"Exactly. Which is why the attack must be tomorrow. No matter what, he must not be given enough time. He can't breakthrough in a single day." The deep voice interrupted, filled with calm once again.

"Those supreme heaven sect's disciples are too arrogant. They completely look down on us, they think we are helpless. Hmph! They have another thing coming. Tomorrow, the best case scenario would be that they kill Crimson Chen while sustaining severe injuries, then they'll fight among themselves and those Cao clan members for the spoils. If that happens, no matter who the winner is, they would all be drained of energy. The treasures they carry will be enough to push our six clans to new heights.

Low grade essence stones, cultivation manuals, powerful Dao skills, they will all be ours to use. In time, we'll birth our own deities and escape from this cursed swamp region. The supreme heaven sect won't care about the deaths of a few outer peak disciples, while the Cao clan… we can blame it all on the iron blood gang during their final struggles."

"That's an excellent plan. Things should go that way, but we must prepare for any unexpected developments. Perhaps the Cao clan won't buy our story, or they would still focus their anger on us anyway. The supreme heaven sect could also suddenly pay attention to their disciples' deaths."

"Possible, but unlikely to happen. The supreme heaven sect has thousands of outer peak disciples. Unless the top ten meet an accident, it is very unlikely that they would interfere. As for the Cao clan, these aren't just ordinary disciples like the outer disciples, but they also won't deviate from plan. They have their face and reputation to protect. Forces like them value their reputation more than they value even some of their core members."

"But… that new supreme heaven sect's disciple who came today. He might be a variable."

"We can't tell his cultivation, but he should be a peak Imperial as well. Judging from how the other two completely disregarded him, he must be significantly weaker than them. He won't pose any threats." The deep voice responded. A brief silence followed before the figures suddenly faded into the night, leaving no proof of their presence here.

The night passed in tranquility, masking the turbulence underneath the swamp region. Long Feng ended his meditation and rose to his feet. He strode out of the room and coincidentally, two more doors swung open and the other two disciples walked out at almost the same time as each other. They barely glanced at Long Feng before they left their palace and headed towards the center palace. Long Feng watched their backs and calmly followed without a change in his expression.

They soon arrived at the huge palace and found the clan chief standing before dozens of people wearing serious expressions. Their auras ranged from rank three Imperial to a few rank seven Imperials and another rank eight Imperial beside the clan chief. The Hong clan chief already spotted them and quickly clasped his fists.

"Ah. Young friends, I can see that your great bearings have all increased. The Hong clan is prepared to follow your lead to eliminate the iron blood gang." The dozens of people behind him also closed their fists. The second rank eight Imperial, a similarly old man stepped forward and smiled at the trio.

"Young friends, I've heard a lot about you. I wasn't able to personally welcome the esteemed guests due to a few things and I hope you'll all pardon me. This old me will give my all to support the esteemed guests today." Long Feng stared at the old man with a narrowed gaze and a glint flashed through his eyes for a split second before he looked away.

"We can set out now. We don't want the iron blood gang to change a hiding spot." One of the two youths spoke coldly.

"Ah, yes! Yes. I will lead the way to the place now. Everyone, follow me!" The clan chief replied and roared to the Hong clansmen behind him. He soared into the sky and everyone followed behind him. At the very back of the group was Long Feng, flying behind them at a leisure pace that was just enough for him to not be left behind. His gaze alternated between the Hong clan chief and the great elder with a frown etched on his face.

"Why a face changing formation?" He asked himself in a soft tone.