Chapter 740: 306. Lei Family’s Flying Swords Beyond the Heavens (Additional Chapter for the alliance of "1 Gao Shan Liu Shui 1" and "Fan Hua Shen Yu")_2

But Elder Chu also had his troubles.

At this moment, his clan nephew, Chu Peng, came to his side. "Uncle, we’ve lost contact with Shiwu."

The "Shiwu" Chu Peng referred to was none other than Chu Taoyuan.

Elder Chu remained composed. "It’s currently difficult to establish contact at sea. Try to search a little more."

Chu Peng replied, "Yes, Uncle."

After a brief pause, he continued, "Earlier, we got in touch with the monks at Tianlong Temple and heard some news... Abbot Yuanmie from the Great Void Temple has appeared nearby and has exchanged blows with Abbot Miaoxin from Tianlong Temple."

Upon hearing this, the expression of Chu Xiuyuan, the elder patriarch of the Chu Clan, finally showed a hint of change.

He frowned slightly. "Yuanmie?"

Chu Peng affirmed, "Yes."

Although the Great Void Temple maintained secret communications with the major noble families, they had no allegiance to each other and naturally did not need to inform each other about every detail.

Chu Xiuyuan and Ye Yan had not been informed of Yuanmie’s actions beforehand.

He’s probably aiming for Tianlong Temple, Elder Chu mused. His brow, which had furrowed, quickly smoothed out, but his tone remained displeased as he muttered, "Causing trouble."

Fortunately, with the battle against Heavenly Principle already decided, the Great Void Temple’s interference at this time would not affect the overall situation.

However, a shadow of unidentified origin began to loom faintly in Chu Xiuyuan’s mind.

He then instructed Chu Peng, "Aside from your Shiwu, also make sure to confirm the whereabouts of the other members of our clan as soon as possible."

Chu Peng responded, "Yes, Uncle."

As he was about to leave, he remembered another matter. "By the way, Uncle, it seems that Ye Hongzhen from Qingzhou hasn’t been seen for a while either."

Chu Xiuyuan remained silent and, after a long moment, waved his hand dismissively.

Chu Peng quickly withdrew.

Elder Chu lowered his head in deep thought. After a moment, he lifted it again, his expression back to normal.

He looked into the distance.

There, a group of Heavenly Order cultivators were divided into two factions, facing off against each other in a civil war.

Leading one group was a Great Scholar who had attained achievement from the inheritance of the Confucian Divine Archery; it was Qi Haowei, who had earlier been persuaded to defect by Chu Yu.

The Heavenly Order cultivators behind him had all been persuaded by him to defect, intending to sever ties with Heavenly Principle. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Their opponents were relatively more numerous.

The leader of the other faction was a Confucian cultivator from the Chanting Sect, who at this moment was glaring at Qi Haowei and his group.

"General Qi, your families have received the Emperor’s grace for generations! Yet now, rather than serving your sovereign dutifully, you choose to defect to the enemy and betray the nation. Do you have any shred of shame left?"

Qi Haowei replied calmly, "Minister Li, no matter how loyal people like myself or you, Minister Li, claim to be towards the state, the outcome is the same: we are discarded like rubbish. Not to mention whether our ambitions can be fulfilled, even our very lives and fortunes are precarious."

The civil official opposite angrily rebuked, "Silence! Qi Haowei, do you not know that even thunderstorms and rain are graces from the Emperor? How could a subject like you utter such treasonous nonsense?"

Although Qi Haowei’s side was outnumbered, the perimeter was reinforced by Great Tang cultivators.

Zhang Ziyin then spoke, "Minister Li, as far as I’m aware, you do not descend from the School of Principle lineage. In the False Ming dynasty, you’ve always been frustrated in your career due to the lack of a powerful mentor. So why bother resisting now?"

The Ming Court official named Li looked dismissively at Zhang Ziyin and Qi Haowei. "All lands under heaven belong to the Emperor, and all who live within its bounds are the Emperor’s subjects. With the Holy Celestial Son on the throne, the nation is at peace and the people are secure. This is the utmost blessing for all ages."

His gaze swept over the Great Tang cultivators around Zhang Ziyin, then he chuckled coldly. "Earlier, they called you a Commandery Princess. Are you from the False Tang Royal Family? To my knowledge, some among the Five Clans and Seven Families of old still harbor sinister intentions towards your Royal Family and your False Tang Empress. How could you possibly comprehend the devoted loyalty to the state and Emperor that we scholars of Great Ming hold?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ziyin did not get angry but simply glanced at Qi Haowei.

Qi Haowei was equally composed. "Minister Li, I have always admired your devoted heart, but not everyone in Heavenly Principle shares your views. You are also acquainted with General Qin Wu. He led his troops, most of whom fought to their deaths. This happened because Gu Hai rashly and eagerly sought battle, causing the forces to be disconnected from front to rear, trapping them in a precarious situation. And later, during the breakout, Gu Hai merely watched as General Qin’s troops were isolated. He failed to provide support. Instead, he only sought to escape with a few confidants, ultimately leading to massive chaos within the main army..."

The Ming Court official named Li stared intensely and interjected decisively, "Enough! You need not say more. The Emperor and the elders in the court will naturally pass a sagely judgment on this matter, with clear rewards and punishments!"

Qi Haowei sighed deeply. "Is that truly the case? We both know that Gu Guanghan is Elder Song’s valued disciple, while we and Qin Wu..."

As he spoke, he shook his head repeatedly.

The official named Li cursed loudly, "Traitorous rebels, hold your tongues! Even if I fall to your blades today, I will ensure you are buried with me!"

The Heavenly Order cultivators with him were partly as furious and impassioned as he was, while others seemed to waver.

However, none of these Heavenly Order cultivators chose to surrender like Qi Haowei and his group.

Those with Qi Haowei mostly had no or few concerns about family and kin.

On the other hand, those opposite, while not from the School of Principle lineage, mostly had family and kin within Heavenly Principle. Therefore, even if they harbored their own thoughts, they did not dare act on them.

In the end, most of them met a bloody demise, their bodies swept away by the waves.

「 」

Gu Hai, the very person criticized by Qi Haowei, was also in a terrible mood.

He had managed to break out of the encirclement with a few followers, keeping a low profile.

But this had left him on the outskirts, quite a distance from the Void Gateway leading back to Heavenly Principle.

To reach it, he would have to cross through the tight, multi-layered encirclement of Great Tang cultivators once more.