As Han Shangyi spoke, he cast a stern glance at the elders who were opposed to taking action and continued:
"It seems many of you have forgotten the rules and ancestral teachings of our Qinghe Sect. After this, we will all take a trip to Changdeng Pavilion to refresh our memories."
...
A similar scene was playing out in Yunyan Sect.
Even in Shangyang Sect, where the initial consensus had been not to get involved, things changed overnight. Elder Luo—now Sect Leader Luo—who had previously opposed intervention, emerged from his chambers the next morning and declared that Shangyang Sect must participate in the campaign.
Song Jusheng, who had returned to the sect with the main group, watched with confusion as Sect Leader Luo suddenly reversed his stance.
Seated in the position of sect leader, Luo looked solemn, his mood clearly conflicted. No one noticed the tight grip he had on the sect leader's seal beneath his wide sleeves, his knuckles turning white.
This seal of leadership was far heavier than he had ever anticipated...
Not long after, the court of Pusi Nation received replies from all three sects, agreeing to join forces in the campaign against Huanyou Nation.
Li Zhouxuan was taken by surprise when he received the news. He had expected some back-and-forth or at least some delay as the three sects debated and negotiated, but to his astonishment, they all responded quickly and in unison, agreeing to the alliance.
Since the planning of the campaign had been kept under wraps, the matter of attacking Huanyou Nation had not yet been publicly announced, and Huanyou Nation remained unaware of what was happening.
Huanyou Nation's ruling family, the current royal family, had only been in power for less than 500 years.
Five centuries ago, internal strife and war had torn Huanyou Nation apart, with the ancient royal family overthrown and replaced by the current one.
During that time, many of the nation's sects had either been destroyed or scattered, leading to the current state where small sects were numerous, but large, powerful sects were few. Aside from a few sects with enough resources to influence the royal court, most were fragmented and lacked cohesion.
For Huanyou Nation's current royal family, Pusi Nation's royal court had always seemed to take a cautious, non-confrontational approach, preferring to avoid unnecessary conflict.
As a result, even though Huanyou Nation's actions of kidnapping people to work the Jishi mines had been discovered by Pusi Nation, the Huanyou royal family wasn't overly concerned. They couldn't imagine that Pusi Nation would already be rallying allies to launch a campaign against them.
They were also unaware that a confidential letter sent by Li Zhouxuan to two neighboring nations with similarly long-standing royal lineages was already on its way, carried by swift messengers.
Meanwhile, Liu Yunan and Qin Jianghe had arrived at the capital city of Pusi Nation.
"Wow, Jianghe, this capital is incredible! It's way more impressive than Liaoju Prefecture in Lake Fang!" Liu Yunan exclaimed, marveling at the wide streets, the steady flow of people on both sides, the various carriages drawn by powerful horses, and the patrolling guards.
He couldn't help but feel that the grandeur of the nation's capital was unmatched.
Qin Jianghe, also visiting the capital for the first time, was equally fascinated, though his face remained calm, betraying none of his inner excitement. Over the past year, he had encountered enough people and situations to learn the importance of keeping his composure in public, no matter how he felt inside.
Qin Jianghe transmitted a message to Liu Yunan via sound transmission:
"Tonight, we'll disguise ourselves and go out for a proper look around. For now, we need to head to the royal palace. Yuanjiao has already arranged everything for us, and we've been cleared to enter directly."
Hearing this, Liu Yunan reined in his excitement and stopped looking around, fixing his gaze straight ahead as they followed Qin Jianghe to the royal palace. After presenting the scroll given to their sect by the emperor the previous year, they were smoothly escorted inside.
They soon had their first meeting with Emperor Li Zhouxuan and several key ministers of the court, though the details of their discussion remained unknown.
Back in Yuanling City, Yuan Qing, who had regained some strength, learned that Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu were leaving in two days for the Talisman Master Conference aboard a spirit ship. After some hesitation, Yuan Qing cautiously offered:
"Daoist friends, I am quite familiar with Panxiang City, where the Talisman Master Conference will be held. I was wondering... would it be possible for me to join you and act as a guide? I'll cover all the expenses along the way."
Lin Xiao was puzzled and asked, "Couldn't you go there on your own? Why insist on traveling with us?"
Sitting on the bed, Yuan Qing looked a bit embarrassed as he explained:
"Lin Daoist, as you might know, one of the organizers of the Talisman Master Conference is my former sect, Tianxuan Sect. They've already assigned several disciples to handle various tasks during the event, and among them... is the very person who framed me."
"I wish to travel with you both, hoping that in critical moments, you might help cover for me. If I go alone, I fear I'll be spotted too easily. I also hope to reconnect with some of my old comrades, to see if I can clear my name."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao understood Yuan Qing's reason for wanting to join them. Lin Xiao had no objection to occasionally helping him out, but he had doubts about Yuan Qing's plan to rely on "comrades" within the sect.
If Yuan Qing truly had enough supportive allies, he might not have ended up in such dire straits in the first place.
Lin Xiao recalled the other cultivator named Xu Juan, who had been with Yuan Qing during their time in the Green Wilderness Secret Realm. It was curious that they weren't together now.
But that was none of Lin Xiao's concern.
He simply said to Yuan Qing:
"I'll agree to take you along, but in return, you must promise me one thing, and you'll need to swear an oath under Heaven. How about it?"
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Yuan Qing immediately asked:
"What is it? As long as it's not something immoral, I'll agree to it!"
Lin Xiao responded:
"While we're traveling, I'll be in disguise and won't show my true face. You must promise not to reveal my identity, nor mention anything about our time in the Green Wilderness Secret Realm to anyone."
When Lin Xiao had first encountered Yuan Qing again, he had already considered that the two sects responsible for jointly opening the Green Wilderness Secret Realm might soon discover that they could no longer access it this year.
If they decided to investigate, they would likely summon the disciples who had entered the secret realm last year for questioning.
Lin Xiao wasn't too worried about the people he had rescued inside the secret realm. After all, most of them had been too weak and disoriented to notice much or remember his appearance.
However, Yuan Qing and his companion Xu Juan were exceptions.