Chapter 492: Barrier |
An Moran achieved impressive results with his first move, solving a significant problem. However, he remained expressionless, neither proud nor anxious, feeling that he had not accomplished anything extraordinary.
The Secret Hall operates covertly, handling sensitive issues that the Taiyi Sect cannot openly address, aside from intelligence gathering and internal and external monitoring. Despite the chilly relationship and mutual hostility between Taiyi Sect and Flying Swan Sect, they are not formally at odds and maintain a facade of friendship.
All members of the Hanhai Alliance, including Taiyi Sect, were originally vassals of the Flying Swan Sect or vassals of vassals. It is not unusual for many factions to maintain connections with the Flying Swan Sect.
Although Taiyi Sect is now a Gold Core sect, there is still a considerable gap in strength compared to the Flying Swan Sect. The surrounding cultivation forces had either been abandoned by the Flying Swan Sect in the past, in an attempt to win over Taiyi Sect, or were too far from the Flying Swan Sect and too close to Taiyi Sect. If they didn't lean towards Taiyi Sect, the Flying Swan Sect wouldn't pay them much attention.
These cultivation forces only sided with Taiyi Sect out of necessity, and their loyalty cannot be guaranteed. Consequently, Taiyi Sect needed to employ various means to completely subjugate these forces, bringing them all under its banner.
Regarding those forces that secretly support the Flying Swan Sect, Taiyi Sect couldn't directly intervene. They couldn't target them simply because of their affiliation with the Flying Swan Sect.
This is where the Secret Hall's covert actions come into play. Taiyi Sect now aims to become the true hegemon, and its conduct must align with that of the reputable orthodox sects. Therefore, they will handle illegitimate matters discreetly and from the shadows.
The recent success of the Secret Hall's small-scale operation demonstrated its value. Going forward, there are many tasks the Secret Hall must undertake. In addition to integrating Taiyi Sect's original intelligence system, they need to expand their influence outside.
Currently, the Secret Hall's power can barely monitor the Hanhai Alliance. To advance further, they need to recruit more people. They will not only select from within Taiyi Sect but also seek external talent.
With Jue Ying's generous guidance, An Moran's progress was swift, and the development of the Secret Hall progressed smoothly.
As the Hall Master of the Secret Hall, An Moran only reports regularly to Meng Zhang and does not pay much attention to other elders in the sect.
Upon hearing An Moran's report, Meng Zhang displayed a pleased expression. He was exceptionally satisfied with An Moran. An Moran's mind was clear, always aware of what he was doing, what he needed to do, and he worked hard to achieve his goals.
Meng Zhang initially appointed An Moran as the first Hall Master of the Secret Hall because he was his direct disciple, and he trusted him implicitly. Now it is evident that An Moran was indeed the best choice for the position of Hall Master.
After listening to An Moran's report, Meng Zhang offered him some guidance and encouragement before allowing him to leave.
Due to the assistance of senior disciple Niu Dawei in handling daily affairs, Meng Zhang didn't have many matters that required his personal attention. After advancing to the Gold Core stage, the path of cultivation became even more arduous. Even someone with qualifications and comprehension like Meng Zhang had to dedicate the majority of his time and energy to cultivation.
Focusing on his main cultivation technique, the "Sun-Moon Wheel Turning Sutra," Meng Zhang couldn't afford to relax for a moment. Learning various Divine Abilities and secret techniques also consumed a significant amount of time, especially the recently acquired Rainbow Escape Method, which demanded a substantial time investment.
Furthermore, Meng Zhang spent time reading scriptures and contemplating ancient texts. The cultivation of Tianji Arts, however, couldn't be forcefully rushed and carried a sense of letting things flow.
With the formal establishment of the Hanhai Alliance, its influence began to slowly ferment. The news spread to the Jiuqu League, and many forces became aware of the existence of the Hanhai Alliance.
A Gold Core sect with only one Gold Core Daoist Master couldn't gain much recognition within the Jiuqu League. However, because Taiyi Sect took the lead in establishing the Hanhai Alliance, showing a confrontational stance against the Flying Swan Sect, some observant individuals took notice of the friction and estrangement between the two sects.
In the blink of an eye, almost eight years had passed since the founding of the Hanhai Alliance, and Qin Hongying had been serving as a guest of the Taiyi Sect for a decade. During these eight years, the development of the Hanhai Alliance had been remarkably smooth, and its reputation gradually became well-known.
Taiyi Sect occupied vast territories within the Demon Wind Gobi, with more abundant resources compared to the Endless Sea of Sand. Under Meng Zhang's instructions, the sect's higher-ups opened up some less valuable resources to the members of the Hanhai Alliance.
These resources, which were of little use to Taiyi Sect, surprisingly helped win the hearts of some cultivators. They were more willing to follow Taiyi Sect to gain greater benefits.
In her ten years as a guest of Taiyi Sect, apart from a brief appearance and a single intervention outside the Crow's Nest when she first arrived, Qin Hongying had not taken action again. Most of her time was spent meditating on Grand Lion Ridge. Periodically, she accompanied Meng Zhang to make appearances outside the Crow's Nest, intimidating the demonic beasts inside.
The demonic beasts led by the Dark Crow Demon General within the Crow's Nest showed no intention of charging out. At most, a few demonic beasts, mainly Dark Crows, patrolled the outskirts of the Crow's Nest.
Meng Zhang was too lazy to deal with these low-level demonic beasts himself and had Taiyi Sect disciples handle them to hone their skills.
Over time, it seemed that the Crow's Nest accepted this kind of battle hierarchy. Occasionally, small groups of demonic beasts, mostly First and Second Rank ones, would come out from the Crow's Nest.
Taiyi Sect sent Refining Qi and Foundation Building cultivators to engage in battles with these demonic beasts. For the survival of the fittest, these demonic beasts needed such fights to maintain their fierceness and animalistic nature.
For the Taiyi Sect disciples, this was a rare opportunity for real combat practice. In numerous skirmishes, there were casualties on both sides. Generally, the Taiyi Sect suffered very little loss but dealt significant damage to the demonic beasts.
Meng Zhang was very satisfied with the performance of the Taiyi Sect disciples in real combat training. However, his dissatisfaction with Qin Hongying gradually accumulated.
Qin Hongying contributed too little but gained too much in return. Most importantly, as a guest of Taiyi Sect, she always treated herself as an outsider, with no intention of forming any close bonds with the sect. While she wasn't hesitant to receive rewards, she consistently kept her distance from Taiyi Sect.
However, from Qin Hongying's perspective, she believed that she deserved everything she received.
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