Chapter 367: Chapter 266: Excuse to Declare War on the Celestial God Association

First Floor, Private Room.

Ding Lingyu was sitting by the table waiting, and as soon as he saw Su Yu push the door open, he immediately got up and called out:

"Mr. Su!"

Su Yu carefully observed Ding Lingyu, after being apart for so long, Su Yu keenly noticed a deep-seated concern between his brows, as if he was full of worries, no longer carrying the high-spirited air of the past.

He didn’t say anything, just smiled and took his seat, and Ding Lingyu immediately signaled the shopkeeper to serve the dishes.

Soon the food was brought to the table, and Ding Lingyu took the initiative to raise his wine glass and said:

"It’s been a long time, best wishes for Mr. Su’s advancement in cultivation and may your path be evergreen."

Su Yu glanced at him and smiled:

"Let’s all progress together!"

After saying this, he drank it in one go.

What followed was large bites of food and gulps of wine, with Ding Lingyu mostly accompanying and urging him to drink, appearing cautious, his youthful sharpness all but gone.

"This is growth!"

As time progresses, the youthful and high-spirited youth faces various changes in life, naturally undergoing transformation.

Some become more confident, like Su Yu himself.

Some, after enduring numerous failures, setbacks, and blows, lose their confidence and high spirits, becoming cautious and careful, like a completely different person.

After another sip of wine, Su Yu suddenly asked:

"How have you been these past few years? I see your Qi Refining Heart Skill has reached level 98, when do you plan to transcend?"

Ding Lingyu took a large gulp of wine, paused for a moment, then said:

"I’m preparing to compete for our lineage’s heritage!"

Su Yu paused, somewhat enlightened, and said:

"I almost forgot about that, it’s been some years since the last competition, is this your second time vying for it?"

Ding Lingyu immediately refilled his wine and shook his head:

"It’s the third time."

"Hmm... time flies, doesn’t it?"

Su Yu spoke with some sentiment, took another sip of wine, and casually asked:

"I remember the competition methods for the lineage’s heritage are quite similar, how do you feel, do you have confidence?"

Ding Lingyu’s hand paused while pouring wine, he stayed silent for a moment before saying:

"The competition isn’t over yet, but it seems I have no chance."

Seeing him like this, Su Yu knew there was more to the story, so he put down his wine glass and asked:

"Can you tell me about it? Maybe I can lend you a hand."

Since Ding Lingyu specifically sought him out and treated him, seeing his current state, Su Yu already had an idea that he might be asking for his help.

He wasn’t bothered by this, after all, they were old acquaintances; if he could help, he would.

Ding Lingyu also put down his wine glass and began to explain his situation:

"Just like the previous two times, the heritage is contested by the disciples of our lineage, but due to either bad luck or some other reason, I’ve encountered members of the same guild twice, and they’ve used their guild’s influence to suppress me."

"The first time they destroyed the Thousand Feather Association, the second time they sabotaged my mission..."

When he got to this point, Su Yu slightly opened his eyes, showing interest, and patiently listened to Ding Lingyu finish.

"This time it’s even worse, I traveled thousands of miles from Blue Mountain Island to Feixing Islands, and they’re still targeting me, preparing to destroy the newly established guild of my family here, just like the first time."

"Are you talking about the Celestial God Association?"

"Yes, the Overlord Guild of the Endless Green Forest, the Celestial God Association. I’ve had bad luck; their guild accepts disciples into the Tongming Lineage every year, now there are already fifty to sixty Inner Sect Disciples, and over thirty Core Disciples, the most core of whom is the previous generation’s true disciple, powerful within the Tongming Lineage, making it hard for outsiders to compete against them."

"Bang!"

Su Yu slapped the table and said sternly:

"Does the Celestial God Association think the Tongming Lineage is their private domain? Not allowing other disciples to stand out? How can this be allowed? The sect doesn’t belong to the Celestial God Association!"

"Tell me everything about the Celestial God Association’s current situation, including the names of all their disciples in the Tongming Lineage."

Ding Lingyu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved his hand:

"Mr. Su, there’s no need to confront all the Celestial God Association disciples in the Tongming Lineage; their influence is strong, and you belong to a different lineage. Even though you hold an esteemed position in Xuankong Mountain, you can’t interfere with the Tongming Lineage. I just hope you can help me complete the task and obtain the Tongming Lineage’s heritage."

Su Yu waved his hand with a serious face and said:

"The Celestial God Association is treating the Tongming Lineage as their own domain, oppressing and not allowing other disciples to stand out, this is utterly lawless. As the contemporary Dao Son of Xuanzhen Immortal Sect, I cannot sit idly by. Rest assured, I will handle this matter, and the Celestial God Association will be uprooted."

"Mr. Su, they..."

Ding Lingyu was about to continue persuading when he suddenly felt something was off. Recalling what Su Yu said earlier, his eyes suddenly widened, his mouth hung open with a look of disbelief as he asked:

"Mr. Su, did you just say... say you’re the Dao Son of this sect?"

Su Yu nodded:

"I have built a Super-grade Immortal Foundation, and the ancestors, the headmaster, and the heads of the various branches have already witnessed it, making me a Dao child of our sect, though the Dao child ceremony has not been held yet."

"Super-grade Immortal Foundation..."

At this moment, Ding Lingyu was beyond shocked, his face was full of disbelief, awe, and joy, with all these emotions flashing across his face.

Suddenly, he came to his senses, hurriedly pushed back his chair, and bowed down:

"Ding Lingyu, disciple of the Tongming Lineage, pays respects to the Dao child!"

Su Yu smiled slightly, extended his hand to help him up, and said:

"Rest assured, I’ll definitely help with this. Just in time, I’ve long been at odds with the Celestial God Association, and this is a good opportunity to uproot them and wipe out the entire Celestial God Association."

Previously, I was wondering where to find an excuse to act against the Celestial God Association, and now I’ve found it.

No, not an excuse; this time, it’s righteousness I’m upholding.

Using the guild’s strength to monopolize the Tongming Lineage and turn the sect into one family is a grave taboo anywhere.

As a Dao child and the foremost disciple, I have the authority to supervise other disciples. How can I turn a blind eye when I encounter such matters?

Well, strictly speaking, the actions of the Celestial God Association are taboo within the sect, but among players, it’s nothing, and it’s part of the inevitable process.

As human civilization expands to various places, the first step is inevitably the gradual replacement of sect hierarchy.

Players constantly join the sect, gradually acquiring power and status until the entire sect is made up of players.

In the meantime, powerful teams will use their strength to monopolize a branch of the sect, and once the entire sect is replaced by players, that branch becomes the private property of their force, accepting only their members as disciples, and all resources of the branch fall into their hands.

At Blue Mountain Island, it’s just beginning, while in the core areas of human civilization, the replacement has been completed, with sects essentially divided into branches run by various powerful entities.

The sect’s decision-making is done by a council of elders composed of representatives from each power, and the sect master is typically the leader of the strongest power or alternates among various powers.

Su Yu will be no exception, and eventually, the Thousand Star Hall will follow this process.

There’s no alternative; the interests represented by the Immortal Sect branch are enormous, and if he doesn’t seize them, the opportunity will go to other powers.

Not to mention, Xuankong Lineage is certain to be his private domain, and he plans to gradually clear out other powers until he has completely replaced them.

Preparations have already begun, with each year seeing a large influx of new members from Thousand Star Hall joining the Xuanzhen Immortal Sect’s Xuankong Lineage.

Just like the early days of the Thousand Feather Association, the guild annually travels to Feixing Island to welcome newcomers from various human areas, training them uniformly for a year before sending them into the Thousand Feather Hall.

By treating these newcomers well and caring for them within the sect, any normal person would naturally feel a sense of belonging to the guild.

As for beyond Xuankong Lineage...

The situation is still chaotic, with dominant forces like the Celestial God Association being rare. Most branches are contested by multiple powers, and a clear victor has yet to emerge.

Su Yu doesn’t plan on doing much about it now; his focus is securing Xuankong Lineage as a stable base, then increasing his strength, with the ultimate goal being the position of the headmaster of Xuanzhen Immortal Sect.

If he can become the headmaster before the current generation of the Immortal Sect retires entirely, he can find a way to single-handedly control the entire Xuanzhen Immortal Sect.

It’s an incredibly tempting prospect, as few powers can achieve this. From the Mainland of Divine Land to the many surrounding islands, only a handful of powers have ever managed to completely control a top-tier sect, each one a significant force in human civilization.

In this world, it’s necessary to undertake great ventures.

And as one’s power grows, so do ambitions, with desires being limitless.

Su Yu’s initial goal was to undergo tribulation and establish a Dao Foundation, but as his power grew, his target became becoming an Earth Immortal and developing the guild into a regional hegemon.

Later, after forming a Super-grade Immortal Foundation and becoming the Dao child of the Immortal Sect, the goal shifted to becoming the sect headmaster, a regional overlord.

And once he becomes a headmaster, the aim might change again, perhaps to defeat other sects on the island and become the absolute ruler of Blue Mountain Island.

And then, once he ascends to immortality, his goals will further ascend.

"Phew!"

Su Yu reined in his wandering thoughts and said to Ding Lingyu:

"I’ll handle this matter. Go back and tell your father to merge your guild into the Thousand Star Hall. I’ll declare war on the Celestial God Association under the Thousand Star Hall’s name, and my fleet will arrive in no more than half a month."

"Don’t worry, it’s just a pretext for war. After the war, you can withdraw."

Ding Lingyu said excitedly:

"I’ll go right now."

"Mm, go on!"

Watching Ding Lingyu turn and leave, Su Yu pondered in the private room for a while, then opened the trading market and spent 1.5 million gold to purchase a Sea God Bow, planning to equip it with the Wind God Sail on the Heaven’s Punishment Battleship.

Then he immediately returned to Ten Thousand Poison Island, gathered the guild’s top members, and declared war on the Celestial God Association.

The decision to go to war was unanimously approved in the guild meeting without opposition.

First, all the top guild members were his people, so there was no opposition.

Second, the guild hadn’t had a war in years, and its strength has been growing, with no nearby forces daring to offend the Thousand Star Hall, leaving them powerful yet idle for too long.

The guild’s war target this time is another dominant guild, and instead of being worried, everyone was eager to participate.

Once the war order was issued, the guild began mobilizing, with numerous members applying to join the war.

By the time Su Yu received the application forms, more than 500,000 members had applied to participate in the war, out of just 800,000 official members in the Thousand Star Hall.