Chapter 177: Stepping into the Trap
Chapter 177: Stepping into the Trap
Silence suddenly fell over the entire cabin.
Fang Cun’s subsequent conditions seemed unimportant now; everyone was stunned by the number.
Could the Fang Family really produce another two hundred Dragon Stones?
Added to the three hundred Dragon Stones Shoushan Sect got from selling the Spiritual Vein, wouldn’t that mean five hundred in total?
Had they all gone mad?
The Elders exchanged glances, their expressions mirroring each other’s shock.
They clearly knew that Shoushan Sect’s sudden proposal to gamble was ill-intentioned, aimed at deceiving them, setting them up for a fall. Accepting would surely get them trapped. Yet, despite their sharp minds and inner rationality, one problem remained utterly overwhelming: the bet was simply too massive…
Five hundred Dragon Stones might not be astronomically high compared to a County Sect’s resources, but the Sect’s wealth wasn’t the same as personal wealth. If those five hundred Dragon Stones ended up in their own pockets, it was enough to make any one of them the richest person in their Sect!
The Divine Sect allocated only ten thousand Dragon Stones to Qingjiang Prefecture every three years!
Distributed among the major Sects, even the Nine Immortals Sect, receiving the largest portion, got just over three thousand every three years.
Five hundred Dragon Stones was equivalent to nearly half of what the Nine Immortals Sect got in a single year!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The hearts of the five Elders pounded wildly.
“Something is wrong! Shoushan Sect wouldn’t dare take such a gamble against us without something up their sleeve!”
Elder Xiu of Leshui Sect suddenly sent a mental message to the others, whispering, “Anything strange must have a demon behind it. Shoushan Sect’s boldness means they must be prepared. They might truly have some hidden trump card… We… we cannot walk into this trap…”
“But that’s five hundred Dragon Stones…”
“What could they possibly have? Some rare treasure left behind by Immortal Master Fang Chi?”
“Even with a rare treasure, given their cultivation level and strength, they likely couldn’t guarantee killing that Demon Hound…”
“That’s five hundred Dragon Stones…”
“Even if we lose, we only promise to let them rejoin the Six Great Sects. Even if they want to view our cultivation manuals, they couldn’t practice them. The Treasure Body Method is the foundational cultivation path; spell techniques are mere branches… We wouldn’t suffer any actual loss. But if… if we win… Five hundred Dragon Stones, even if shared equally between us, would be a staggering fortune…”
“Damn it! I know it seems like a trick, but still… I want to take this gamble…”
“Yes… after all, five hundred Dragon Stones…”
“… …”
“… …”
The expressions of the Sect Elders fluctuated through countless shades of astonishment.
Suddenly, Elder Ge of the Nine Immortals Sect stood up and said calmly, “The matter is too great. I dare not decide alone. I must…”
He paused briefly, then hurried out of the cabin. “Ask the Sect Leader!”
Seeing this, the other Elders also stirred in their hearts and quickly followed him out of the cabin.
Watching their retreating figures, Fang Cun smiled. Since they were going to consult their Sect Leaders, this plan was secured!
… …
Sure enough, the Elders who went to seek their Sect Leaders’ counsel returned quickly and agreed to the gamble.
Perhaps Shoushan Sect indeed had some trickery planned… but for the sake of five hundred Dragon Stones…
This trap, we are walking into it!
Naturally, after agreeing to the gamble, they added numerous extra rules…
All kinds of complicated, flashy stipulations.
Such as: Would Shoushan Sect follow the positional assignments of the Six Great Sects during the campaign against the Demon Hound?
Would the bet still count if any disciple or Elder from their Five Great Sects secured the Demon Hound’s head?
Did Shoushan Sect guarantee they wouldn’t hire any external experts to assist?
They even asked: If the Demon Hound was severely injured by Shoushan Sect’s Magic Treasure but killed by one of the Five Great Sects, would that count as victory for the Five Great Sects?
Fang Cun agreed to everything with a smile.
At this point, the Five Great Sects had no reason to refuse.
Even though they felt Shoushan Sect’s eager agreement could signal deception, they couldn’t resist taking the bet. Firstly, the five hundred Dragon Stones were too enticing. Secondly, they truly couldn’t imagine any scenario where they could lose…
Taking it a step back, even if they lost, the cost wasn’t substantial at all!
There was simply no reason not to gamble…
Of course, there might have been another, easily overlooked reason.
The bet was, after all, proposed by Green Pine and Elder Cold Stone… those two were maddeningly irritating…
Refusing might cause them anxiety, even destabilize their Dao Hearts!
… …
Dharma Ships thundered. Golden Talismans rose to the sky. Divine birds spread their wings. Clouds surged amidst them.
The Qi Refiners of the Six Great Sects continued advancing towards the area of Xiaotaichuan Crow Mountain even as they debated. Their speed hadn’t been pushed to maximum since gathering forces from their respective Sects required time.
With such a wager weighing on them, the Great Sects suddenly treated things with deadly seriousness.
Nine Immortals Sect summoned an additional thirty disciples, plus one Elder skilled in martial cultivation techniques.
Leshui Sect summoned sixty disciples and two Elders outright!
As for the Yun Huan Sect, they went further—sending over one of their two primary protective Magic Treasures directly.
… …
Every Sect sought ways to boost its strength. To some degree, concern over the wager with Shoushan Sect was overshadowed by wariness towards the other four Great Sects. After all, whoever took the Demon Hound’s head would have the strongest claim to the five hundred Dragon Stones. Though the Five Great Sects could theoretically agree to split the stones equally…
…But why share?
Each Sect felt confident they could claim the entire prize!
Driven by such thoughts, the demon-slaying expedition grew larger and larger, its energy increasingly oppressive, like dark clouds gathering overhead. At the center of this imposing force, the banner flying from the Shoushan Sect’s Dharma Ship seemed even more pronounced.
Along their journey, numerous noble families, City Governors, Academies, and Rogue Cultivators all took note of the name ‘Shoushan Sect’.
Whatever else might be said, traveling surrounded by so many Qi Refiners was itself an impressive display…
… …
“This… well… sigh… forget it!”
Meanwhile, aboard the Shoushan Sect’s Dharma Ship, surrounded by the Five Great Sects and countless Qi Refiners, Young Sect Master Xu couldn’t sit still. He paced restlessly, sighing lightly each time he passed Fang Cun’s desk, shaking his head dejectedly. He’d walk by, hesitate, then walk past again, looking like he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words, his expression deeply awkward. Eventually, Fang Cun, thoroughly unsettled, tapped the table firmly. “Can you even let someone read here?”
Young Sect Master Xu immediately sat down. “Elder Fang, you really should tell me…”
Fang Cun looked puzzled. “Tell you what?”
Young Sect Master Xu wore a bitter expression. “What card up your sleeve are you hiding?”
Fang Cun pointed towards the cabin door with his book scroll. “Out!”
Young Sect Master Xu stood up awkwardly, turning back with every step. It was clear he wanted to leave but was reluctant.
Coincidentally, Yu Qingli entered just then. “The updated formation diagram from the Five Great Sects has arrived!”
Young Sect Master Xu immediately followed him back inside. “I may as well take a look!”
Fang Cun unrolled the formation diagram on the desk. It utilized the Six Ding Six Jia Formation, signifying the Six Great Sects guarding different directions, advancing and withdrawing together—the most ferocious assault formation. Its power wasn’t in complexity, but in sealing all sides, leaving the enemy no escape route. Most formations surrounded an opponent on three sides and left an exit open (a ‘life gate’), aiming to exhaust them rather than trigger desperate resistance. But this Six Ding Six Jia aimed to utterly destroy them.
“Seems they are truly resolved…”
Fang Cun smiled and looked at Shoushan Sect’s assigned position. Originally slated for the ‘Jia Chou’ position, it had been struck out and replaced with the ‘Ding Gui’ position. Due to the mountainous terrain here, Shoushan Sect only needed to guard a narrow gorge.
Yu Qingli laughed. “This position… it’s practically the safest! We can just sit back and watch the show!”
“Sitting back means we won’t even make contact with most Demons. We probably won’t touch battle’s fringe. Even if we had powerful Magic Treasures, we’d lack the space to deploy them… How terrified must the Five Great Sects be that we might actually kill that Demon Hound? Looks like they’d breathe easier if they could have just shooed us back to Shoushan Sect!”
Young Sect Master Xu appeared calm on the surface, but anxiety radiated from him.
“Isn’t this perfect then?”
Fang Cun chuckled softly and tossed the diagram aside. “Truthfully, if we let our Shoushan Sect disciples fight, they couldn’t cope anyway. Though they have the Treasure Body Method, they need time to grow. Right now, it’s too difficult for them…”
“That logic is sound, Elder Fang, but what about your wager?”
“The wager can be set aside for now!”
Fang Cun smiled. “Weren’t you most worried before that the Five Great Sects might drag their heels, refusing a serious effort to slay the Demon? Now you can relax. See that driven look on them? I doubt anyone else in the world is more eager to kill that Demon Hound than they are!”
Young Sect Master Xu’s mind buzzed with unanswered questions, but he could ask none now.
Earlier, slaying the Demon Hound was about Shoushan Sect regaining its place among the Six Sects. But now, according to the wager, if Shoushan Sect lost, they’d willingly give up Six Sects status forever, forfeit even the three hundred Dragon Stones from the Spiritual Vein sale. So what difference would killing the Demon Hound make? If Shoushan Sect lost this wager, it might as well be erased from Qingjiang Prefecture entirely…
“I have something under control.”
Fang Cun looked at Young Sect Master Xu and smiled. “I cannot reveal it yet. But one thing is definite:”
“The more excited they become, the more assured our victory becomes!”
Young Sect Master Xu stood stunned for a while, then clasped his hands behind his back and walked out, sighing softly. “I won’t bother anymore. My mind is exhausted…”
Before he finished speaking, a disciple shouted from outside: “Xiaotaichuan is ahead!”
Young Sect Master Xu abruptly halted; his whole body seemed to tremble slightly.
Meanwhile, Fang Cun slowly rose, tucked the Old Umbrella under his arm with deliberate calm, and strolled onto the deck of the Dharma Ship. His gaze swept across the scene: disciples from the Five Great Sects surged forward through the sky in a vast formation. He sighed softly.
“The show begins!”