Chapter 876: Dispute |
The Dark Alliance branch of the Jiuqu League originally maintained an independent status, only needing to follow orders from the headquarters.
After Dong Qiang True Monarch and others voluntarily joined the Dali Dynasty, the reconstructed Dark Alliance branch became a part of the Dali Dynasty.
Regarding this, the Dark Alliance headquarters has not made any statements until now.
Before this, the Dark Alliance branch within the territory of the Dali Dynasty had already fallen under the control of the Dali Dynasty, and again, the Dark Alliance headquarters remained silent.
It was the Book Mountain True Monarch who rebuilt the Dark Alliance branch in the territory of Taiyi Sect, and they still obeyed the headquarters' commands and remained loyal.
Book Mountain True Monarch has always maintained contact with the headquarters and received some support from them.
However, the headquarters did not easily intervene in the conflicts between Book Mountain True Monarch and Dong Qiang True Monarch and others.
Now, in the Jiuqu Province, except for the Taiyi Sect's territory, all the Dark Alliance forces have been integrated under Dong Qiang True Monarch and others.
Even the landlord's family has no surplus grain. The large and influential Dark Alliance branch has suffered many setbacks, depleted its vitality, and exhausted its reserves. It is now in dire need of financial support.
Now, all these industries have been unjustly occupied by Taiyi Sect. It is no longer just a matter of personal grudges but a significant issue that affects the operation of the Dark Alliance branch.
Dong Qiang True Monarch sent people several times to ask Meng Zhang for these industries.
When Meng Zhang was in a good mood, he would casually brush them off. When he was in a bad mood, he couldn't be bothered to deal with them at all.
Dong Qiang True Monarch's approach is a common tactic in the Cultivation World - showing courtesy before resorting to force. He never expected Meng Zhang to willingly give up what he had gained.
Now that Taiyi Sect is already part of the Dali Dynasty, they belong to the same faction, so it's not appropriate to openly gather forces and start a large-scale war.
However, the hidden disputes are beyond anyone's control.
As a result, Dong Qiang True Monarch dispatched cultivators under him to cause trouble in the industries occupied by Taiyi Sect, disrupting their normal operation.
The guards and cultivators of Taiyi Sect are not easy to deal with, and they won't tolerate others causing trouble on their turf.
They take action to expel the troublemakers and teach them a lesson.
As casualties became inevitable, the conflict escalated gradually.Both sides of cultivators engaged in fierce battles, and there were even targeted assassinations.
Fortunately, for the time being, both sides showed restraint, and the conflict was contained within a certain range.
Not even the Primordial Spirit True Monarch or the Gold Core Daoist Masters had taken action yet.
It was merely a small-scale clash between low-level cultivators, resulting in casualties on both sides, but neither gained a significant advantage.
Taiyi Sect, facing difficulties in its business and trade, also needed these industries to recover.
Although these industries technically belonged to the Dark Alliance branch under Book Mountain True Monarch, due to Taiyi Sect's management, they would still receive a considerable share of the profits, even without any manipulation.
If the Dark Alliance branch were at its peak, Meng Zhang would naturally avoid confrontation and not offend the other side for mere interests.
However, the Dark Alliance branch had experienced internal divisions and was now in a weakened state. Meng Zhang had no fear of them.
Besides, some matters couldn't be resolved by simply retreating.
If Taiyi Sect, despite being in the right this time, chose to withdraw and let the other side reclaim the industries, it would appear weak and vulnerable, possibly inviting further aggression.
Taiyi Sect was considered one of the vassals of the Dali Dynasty and couldn't afford to appear overly weak. When it was necessary to demonstrate their strength, they had to do so decisively.
Ultimately, these industries were under Taiyi Sect's name, and even if the legal battle reached Zhang Wei Nengda's level, Meng Zhang had nothing to fear.
Of course, Meng Zhang didn't want to confront Dong Qiang True Monarch and his group head-on.
His current concern was how to protect these industries as much as possible without damaging Taiyi Sect's reputation or deepening the enmity with the other side.
Though he currently had no viable solutions, Meng Zhang was not in a hurry and allowed his cultivators to fight and compete.
After all, this kind of conflict, where both sides had their limits and the intensity was not too high, could serve as a training experience for them.
Similarly, Dong Qiang True Monarch and his group seemed to have no urgent intention to resolve the matter and allowed their disciples to handle it.
Book Mountain True Monarch was unwilling to trigger an internal war within the Dark Alliance and refrained from interfering in such matters.
If Book Mountain True Monarch got involved, it might provoke Dong Qiang True Monarch and others, who were already dissatisfied with the Dark Alliance branch under Taiyi Sect's territory, potentially leading to a large-scale war and unifying the entire Dark Alliance branch in the Jiuqu Province.
Reliant solely on Taiyi Sect's strength, they did not fear the Dark Alliance branch under Dong Qiang True Monarch's control.The top combat strength of both sides is evenly matched, but in terms of ordinary disciples, Taiyi Sect holds a significant advantage.
Meng Zhang also knows that despite the current lively confrontation, to completely resolve this dispute, he must personally negotiate with Dong Qiang True Monarch.
In order to take the initiative, Meng Zhang is not in a hurry to intervene. He adopts a wait-and-see attitude, allowing both sides to fight it out.
As the troubles on one side are not yet resolved, new troubles come knocking on the door.
Changchun Outlook's Master, Wood Sun Daoist Master, sent a request for help to Meng Zhang, seeking his assistance.
It turns out that after the main pillar of Changchun Outlook, Changchun True Monarch, encountered trouble, the sect lost its deterrent power over the surrounding forces.
Commercial forces from the Dali Dynasty surged with great momentum and completely took over the alchemy market in the Jiuqu Province.
Changchun Outlook, which heavily relied on the alchemy business, was also nearly destroyed.
It should be noted that Changchun Outlook was originally just an ordinary Gold Core sect and only managed to enter the ranks of Primordial Spirit sects due to the existence of Changchun True Monarch.
After becoming a Primordial Spirit sect, Changchun Outlook consciously or unconsciously squeezed the living space of surrounding forces and gained many benefits that did not originally belong to them.
Being adept at alchemy, Changchun Outlook had cultivated good relationships with various cultivation forces. They could also influence the surrounding situation indirectly through the alchemy business.
Now, with the loss of Primordial Spirit-level combat strength and a serious decline in the alchemy business, Changchun Outlook lost its two most powerful means of influence, allowing the suppressed hostile forces in the vicinity to rebound.
Wood Sun Daoist Master was sensitive to the situation and immediately sought help from Meng Zhang when he realized that Changchun Outlook was unable to handle the situation.
Having received many benefits from Red Pig True Monarch and promising to take care of Changchun True Monarch, Meng Zhang would naturally not break his word.
If something happened to Changchun Outlook, the plan to rebuild Changchun True Monarch's physical body, leaving only the Primordial Spirit, would undoubtedly be interrupted.
Meng Zhang did not rush to set out. Instead, he let Secret Hall, led by An Moran, thoroughly investigate the matter and find out what kind of opponents Changchun Outlook had provoked.
Since the Dark Alliance in parts of the Jiuqu Province had come under the control of Dong Qiang True Monarch and others, Meng Zhang had lost most of the intelligence from the Dark Alliance.
Even though Book Mountain True Monarch had arranged a part of spies throughout the Jiuqu Province, the information they could obtain was severely limited.
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