Chapter 655: Boiling Frogs in Warm Water

The news that the headquarters of one of the Wind and Rain Alliance’s largest factions, the Yellow Spring Tower, had been destroyed quickly spread throughout the martial world. During this time, all other faction leaders of the Wind and Rain Alliance chose to log off. When the disciples of the Wind and Rain Alliance stormed Yangzhou City under the Xia Yi Men, they all logged off for an hour, and the entire Yellow Spring Tower was instantly reduced to ashes by the battle.

By the time the disciples of the Wind and Rain Alliance logged back on, the Xia Yi Men had already cleaned up the battlefield and left in a hurry. All that remained of the Yellow Spring Tower’s headquarters was a ruined ruin.

At the same time…
News of successive destructions of Yellow Spring Tower’s branch halls kept coming in…

The other faction leaders of the Wind and Rain Alliance immediately felt a bone-chilling fear!
Eradicate them completely!
The Xia Yi Men and the Mu Family were determined not to give Xie Yi even the slightest chance to breathe. Or rather, they had gone to great lengths to set an example.

That very day,
over 30,000 disciples of the Yellow Spring Tower became rootless drifters!

Meanwhile, another shocking news story came from the coastal regions…
Kai Xin went alone to attack the headquarters of the Ling Xiao Palace, had a falling out with Qin Qing, then killed hundreds of Ling Xiao Palace disciples, defeated Qin Qing and Li Qing, and officially declared war on the Ling Xiao Palace on behalf of the Mu Family! He was about to enter the coastal regions soon, aiming to end the Ling Xiao Palace’s monopoly there.

In no time, numerous factions heard the news, and turmoil swept through the martial world!
Many people began to speculate that the alliance between the Xia Yi Men and the Mu Family, along with their fierce suppression of the Wind and Rain Alliance and the Ling Xiao Palace, was likely orchestrated by Kai Xin.

What was most shocking was that Kai Xin officially joined the Mu Family in front of everyone, taking on the position of second master. His words at the Ling Xiao Palace made many factions and experts, including those from the First Rank Hall, realize that this time, Kai Xin seemed determined to go all out.

At the headquarters of the First Rank Hall in the capital, Meng Yun, whose expression was dark, quickly summoned several high-ranking members.
“This Three Dragon Society is good for nothing but causing trouble.”
The bearded monk slammed the table angrily:
“It’s a wonder they dared to boast to us before, saying their assassination skills would allow them to easily eliminate the Mu Family team that entered the Heavenly Demon Cave. That’s why we agreed to cooperate with them. Who would have thought that not only did none of their assassins succeed, but most of them were killed too… Wastes!”

“That bunch of useless guys from the Three Dragons Club—just ignore them from now on. What’s important now is that both the Lingxiao Palace and the Wind and Rain Alliance are under pressure. Once the Huangquan Tower of the Wind and Rain Alliance collapses, those gang leaders will surely be extremely dissatisfied with Brother Xie. On top of that, there’s Ye Yu Sui Feng, the legitimate leader of the alliance, controlling the situation. I think the Huangquan Tower will fall sooner or later. By then, the Wind and Rain Alliance won’t be able to tolerate Xie Yi any longer.” The words of the Evil Dragon made the elders present nod repeatedly. “That’s right. It seems we started acting on Xie Yi’s side too early.” “This isn’t our fault…” Meng Yun had sat in her high position for a long time before shaking her head and speaking. Her pleasant voice carried a hint of seriousness: “Kai Xin must have been on guard from the start. Otherwise, given the power balance between the Xiyi Gate and the Wind and Rain Alliance, any friction between them shouldn’t have drawn the Mu Family’s attention at all.” “…” The group fell into deep thought and nodded. They had indeed intended to use a gradual approach. They planned to provoke conflicts through spies from the two major factions, gradually intensifying tensions between the Wind and Rain Alliance and the Xiyi Gate, without triggering large-scale battles so that the Xiyi Gate would still hold an advantage. Under normal circumstances, the Mu Family shouldn’t have paid attention or taken it seriously. But Kai Xin paid close attention to this! It has to be said that the First Rank Hall was rather unlucky… Not only did they lose a pawn who already held significant power within the Wind and Rain Alliance, but they also alerted the Xiyi Gate and the Mu Family before their plan succeeded. Moreover! The assassination attempt by the Three Dragons Club was meant to draw the Mu Family’s attention to the Daying region. After all, news of Kai Xin killing a player from Lingshe Island had also spread in Japan for some time. Meng Yun’s plan was to make Kai Xin focus his attention there… Another example of a gradual approach. To divert the Mu Family’s attention to foreign forces, then use those forces to slowly wear down Kai Xin! But Kai Xin still didn’t fall for it. Not only did he take the opportunity to target the Lingxiao Palace directly, but he also declared war openly, dragging both the Wind and Rain Alliance and the Lingxiao Palace into the war. With Xie Yi gone from the Wind and Rain Alliance and Ye Yu Sui Feng regaining control, they naturally wouldn’t be used by the First Rank Hall anymore. Once the Lingxiao Palace went head-to-head with the Mu Family, even if the First Rank Hall got involved, it would be a direct confrontation with the Xiyi Gate and the Mu Family! “Hall Master, what should we do next?” Hearing the question from his subordinates, Meng Yun rubbed his forehead with a complex expression before slowly opening his eyes: “Don’t do anything. Just watch and wait.”

Obviously, the Mu Family’s attention was not only on Lingxiao Palace but also included Yipin Hall in this action plan; otherwise, they wouldn’t have made such a threatening remark at Lingxiao Palace—that they weren’t averse to making a trip to the capital as long as Yipin Hall stepped in. Meng Yun had no doubt about Happy’s threats. If Yipin Hall and Lingxiao Palace joined forces, what happened months ago might really happen again! Yipin Hall had taken so much time to recover and develop; it couldn’t afford to recklessly lose an advantage. Otherwise, it might plummet from its pedestal and lose its status as one of the four major forces in the Central Plains. “No one is allowed to head south or enter the Mu Family’s territory during this time. Don’t provoke Happy before his confrontation with the Emperor,” Meng Yun said. To the high-ranking members of Yipin Hall, this already seemed like a considerable concession. Happy’s appearance at Lingxiao Palace not only intimidated them but also sent panic through Yipin Hall, even from thousands of miles away… Xueyi, who had remained silent, narrowed his eyes slightly beside Meng Yun and clenched his fists quietly. “Xueyi!” Meng Yun’s voice reached his ears. Xueyi’s expression quickly returned to normal as he met Meng Yun’s gaze. “How is that girl now?” The Monk with Thick brows, Evil Dragon, and others showed signs of curiosity. After frowning in thought for a moment, Xueyi replied subtly, “The Mu Family trusts her greatly. She now manages many affairs of the family, but due to her strength limitations, she’s mostly involved in logistics and can’t be of much help with such matters.” “The key is to make her understand what kind of person Happy is and what his weaknesses are.” “The leader means for her to take action.” “No, it’s not the right time yet…” Meng Yun shook his head slowly, then suddenly asked a rather abrupt question, “I heard that girl is quite pretty, right?” “It seems so. I haven’t been back for years. The last time I saw her, she was a plain-looking girl with yellow hair, from a poor family. Her mother was sick at the time…” “Hmm, I see.” A thoughtful look flashed in Meng Yun’s eyes.