That left the final two great families.

The Artifact Refining Ou Family and the Talisman Zhang Family.

The Ou Family had forged swords for the Ten Thousand Swords Sect for years. The two sides had intermarried to the point they were nearly indistinguishable, so they naturally supported the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

The Zhang Family, on the other hand, declared their support for the Red Flame Sect.

Thus,

The entire Southern Domain Cultivation Immortality Realm was officially divided into three factions.

Yellow Crane Immortal City was in a unique position. It was currently being targeted by all three great powers simultaneously, simply because Huang He Master had ambushed their Golden Core Masters inside the ruins.

’This Huang He is ruthless in his pursuit of Cultivation. He doesn’t even care about his own disciples and gives no thought to the consequences.’

Li Chang’an stood atop the mountain peak, his gaze fixed in the direction of Yellow Crane Mountain as he mused silently.

’In the days to come, Yellow Crane Immortal City will likely be thrown into turmoil.’

「The next day.」

He went to Yellow Crane Immortal City to meet with Xu Fugui and the others, telling them to make preparations.

「Two months later.」

Just as Li Chang’an had predicted.

Yellow Crane Immortal City descended into chaos. Fights broke out frequently, and the disciples of the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage suffered innumerable casualties.

Even the Black Prison was breached!

The entire Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage was spiraling into decline.

However.

On this very day.

Huang He Master suddenly returned!

At the same time, a piece of news spread throughout the entire Southern Domain Cultivation Realm.

’Huang He Master has advanced to the Late Stage of Golden Core?’

Li Chang’an was genuinely stunned when he heard the news.

Late Stage of Golden Core.

A cultivator at that level had a chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

No power would want to offend such a formidable existence.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the Golden Core Masters of the three great powers began visiting Yellow Crane Immortal City, each attempting to win Huang He Master over to their side.

Just like that, Yellow Crane Immortal City’s crisis was resolved. It transformed from a target of the three great powers into a coveted ally.

The swift turn of events left countless people marveling.

And all of this change.

Was built upon the foundation of Huang He Master’s personal strength.

’In the Cultivation Immortality Realm, strength is ultimately what reigns supreme.’

Li Chang’an mused.

He rummaged through his Storage Pouch and picked out a Treasure suitable for a gift.

「A few days later.」

Huang He Master held a small celebration for his advancement to the Late Stage of Golden Core.

Powers from all sides and numerous Loose Cultivators came bearing gifts.

Yellow Crane Mountain was a scene of unprecedented splendor. The gates were thronged with visitors, not a single seat was left empty, and the delivered gifts piled up into a mountain so high it was visible from a great distance.

Li Chang’an sent a gift as well. After all, on the surface, his grievances with the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage had already been settled.

「Another half a month passed.」

News of the death of the sixth disciple, Sima Rui, spread from Yellow Crane Mountain.

The killer was none other than the Five Poison Wanderer!

A smile touched Li Chang’an’s lips when he heard the news.

’It seems the frame-up was a success.’

He remained securely on Changqing Mountain, having successfully removed himself from the affair without anyone noticing.

Soon,

The Five Poison Wanderer declared that he had nothing to do with Sima Rui’s death.

He dispatched a disciple to Yellow Crane Mountain to explain the situation.

But the disciple was killed on the spot!

Immediately after, Huang He Master’s second disciple, Xiahou Hong, announced, "The Five Poison Wanderer has colluded with the Huanghe Alliance to subvert our Yellow Crane Mountain! Such treachery is punishable by death!"

From that day forward, the Yellow Crane Mountain Lineage officially began its campaign to annihilate the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage.

In less than a month,

Many disciples of the Five Poison Lineage had fallen.

The Poison Dao Treasures from their Storage Pouches began to circulate and were sold in the various shops of Yellow Crane Immortal City.

Li Chang’an, using various disguises, bought up all these Treasures to nurture his Ten Thousand Poison Gu.

"Eat up, little fellow. You can eat your fill for a while!"

Li Chang’an had high hopes for the Ten Thousand Poison Gu, wishing the little insect would one day break through to Tier Three.

Once that happened,

The poison it released would be potent enough to threaten even a Golden Core Master!

’The longer these two powers fight, the more I stand to gain!’

Li Chang’an thought to himself.

From the look of things, their conflict could drag on for quite some time.

Although the Five Poison Wanderer Lineage had no Golden Core experts, they were no pushovers.

In the nearly month-long campaign, the disciples of Yellow Crane Mountain also suffered significant casualties.

The fierce struggle between the two powers unleashed a storm of blood and carnage across the region.

And this slaughter and bloodshed was but a microcosm of the greater chaos engulfing the entire Southern Domain Cultivation Immortality Realm.

It was amidst this chaos,

That Li Chang’an celebrated his eightieth birthday.

Daoist Fire Cloud, Zhou Sheng, Jin Ming, and others all came to offer their birthday congratulations.

As they spoke of the changes in the Cultivation Immortality Realm, everyone was deeply worried.

"The Beast Tide isn’t even over, and not a single Tier Three Demon King has been killed. Yet the Three Great Sects have started fighting amongst themselves. Several Golden Core Masters have already fallen."

Zhou Sheng lamented with a long face, sighing again and again.

The Zhou Family had already lost many people fighting for the Cyan Cloud Sect in this war between Immortal Sects.

However,

With the full support of the Cyan Cloud Sect,

The Zhou Family had managed to raise a second Tier Three Demon King. The family’s strength hadn’t weakened; on the contrary, it had grown considerably.

The same was true for the Mo Family. They had received a vast amount of Treasure Materials from the Cyan Cloud Sect and had poured their entire family’s resources into creating a second Tier Three Puppet.

But there was not a trace of joy on the faces of Zhou Sheng or Mo Wenyuan.

This was because both of their great families were being used as war machines by the Cyan Cloud Sect. From the beginning of the war to the present, they’d barely had a moment to catch their breath, and countless family members were living under immense pressure.

"Sigh... Daoist Li, you spend your days here on Changqing Mountain, tending to flowers and plants, cultivating your spirit... unburdened by worldly affairs. It’s truly enviable."

Mo Wenyuan said with sincere admiration.

Li Chang’an chuckled. "If you gentlemen wish to live such a life, you could always leave your families and become Loose Cultivators."

Zhou Sheng gave a bitter smile.

"How could it be so easy? The bonds of family, our own descendants... these are things that are truly hard to let go of!"

"Brother Zhou is right!"

His words resonated with many of the people present.

That day,

Nearly all the visitors drank themselves into a stupor before staggering away, one by one.