Following this, Wei He said to Luo Dexuan, "Brother Dexuan, I am truly sorry. Something has happened at our Kongtong Sect, and we must return to deal with it. Please make yourselves comfortable here, and I will return to entertain you later!"
"Brother Wei, you are too kind. Your important matters come first…"
Luo Dexuan stood up and thought for a moment, then said, "If Brother Wei doesn't mind, perhaps we could accompany you back to the Kongtong Sect?"
They had nothing to do by staying here and waiting. It would be better to go back with them.
"That is acceptable. Let us depart now!" Wei He agreed.
Immediately, Wei He, Liu Anbang, and Wei Baiyan set off for the headquarters of the Kongtong Sect without delay.
Qin Yi, Luo Dexuan, and Luo Yongnian followed along.
The headquarters of the Kongtong Sect was built at the foot of Mount Tian. From Wei He's home, it was not a far distance, taking about half an hour by car to arrive.
Upon reaching the Kongtong Sect, as the group alighted from the car, several disciples dressed in uniform robes quickly approached Wei He.
Their faces were all filled with anger.
"Sect Master! Deputy Sect Master!"
A leading disciple, holding a sword, addressed Wei He and Liu Anbang.
Wei He cut to the chase and asked, "Where are the disciples attacked by the Xiaoyao Sect?"
"They are inside…"
Without further words with the Kongtong Sect disciples, Wei He and Liu Anbang immediately followed them into a large hall.
Inside the hall, Qin Yi saw two corpses laid on the ground. By the chairs, three injured disciples were seated.
At that moment, a Kongtong Sect disciple skilled in medicine was tending to the wounds of the three injured disciples.
Wei He entered and first looked at the two corpses on the ground, his brow furrowed deeply. He then walked over to the injured disciples and asked, "What exactly happened?"
The three injured disciples tried to stand up to salute Wei He and Liu Anbang, but their bodies twitched in pain, causing them to grimace.
Liu Anbang saw this and said, "Do not move. Remain seated!"
The three then sat back down, not rising.
One disciple, whose left arm was broken and a long bloodstain marked his right cheek, said with a hateful tone, "Sect Master, Deputy Sect Master, you must bring us justice! We were cultivating in the area belonging to our Kongtong Sect on Mount Tian today when those bastards from the Xiaoyao Sect suddenly attacked us…"
"We were caught completely off guard, and what's more, we were in a state of cultivation at the time. Their surprise attack caught us completely unprepared. Hong Ye and Yue Ze were killed on the spot by them!"
"The three of us fought desperately and barely managed to escape. Otherwise, we would have been killed by those bastards from the Xiaoyao Sect, just like Hong Ye and Yue Ze!"
It was evident that Hong Ye and Yue Ze, mentioned by the speaker, were the names of the two corpses on the ground.
Wei He, Liu Anbang, and the other Kongtong Sect disciples present in the hall were all filled with righteous anger that seemed about to erupt.
Wei Baiyan spoke up, "Are you certain you were attacked within our Kongtong Sect's territory?"
Another disciple, whose chest was slightly caved in and whose face was pale and devoid of color, replied, "Absolutely certain! Ever since the Sect Master issued his command last time, whether we were cultivating on Mount Tian or doing anything else, our activity range has been confined to the areas belonging to our Kongtong Sect. We have never trespassed into the territories of other factions!"
"Sect Master, Deputy Sect Master, if the Xiaoyao Sect can enter our territory to kill people today, they will dare to storm our Kongtong Sect headquarters directly next time…"
The last injured disciple said bitterly, "This matter absolutely cannot be let go!"
"Outrageous!" Wei He's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, "Xiaoyao Sect, do you truly think our Kongtong Sect is easy to bully?"
Luo Dexuan, listening to their conversation, could not help but ask, "Brother Wei, has Mount Tian not always been jointly managed by your Kongtong Sect, the Xiaoyao Sect, and the Wind King Valley?"
"For years, you three forces have coexisted peacefully, minding your own business. Why has the Xiaoyao Sect suddenly turned against you?"
Although the Iron Wire Boxing Gym belonged to the martial arts world of the Southern Province, Luo Dexuan was not entirely ignorant of other regional powers.
In Luo Dexuan's memory, the three major forces near Mount Tian – the Kongtong Sect, the Xiaoyao Sect, and the Wind King Valley – had developed by relying on Mount Tian and had always lived in harmony. Even if there were rivalries between them, there had never been such a serious conflict!
Now, the Xiaoyao Sect had directly killed two disciples of the Kongtong Sect and severely injured three others. If not for the swift escape of the latter three, the Xiaoyao Sect would likely have killed all five of them…
Luo Dexuan was puzzled as to how the relationship between the three major forces had deteriorated to this point.
In response to Luo Dexuan's question, Wei He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.
He replied, "Brother Dexuan, you are unaware that we have been sworn enemies with the Xiaoyao Sect and the Wind King Valley for half a year now. They wish for our annihilation and disappearance!"
Luo Dexuan blinked in surprise and asked, "Why?"
"Why else but for territory and resources!"
Wei He turned and gazed at a distant peak obscured by clouds, faintly visible, and explained, "In the past, the cultivation resources on Mount Tian were abundant, easily satisfying the development of our three factions. But now, the cultivation resources on Mount Tian have been heavily depleted and are barely enough to sustain the development of our three factions!"
"Therefore, with such a small cake, if some people want to eat their fill, they must reduce the number of people eating the cake!"
"Half a year ago, our three factions held a meeting and divided Mount Tian into three areas: one for the Xiaoyao Sect, one for the Wind King Valley, and one for our Kongtong Sect!"
"We agreed that members of each faction could only operate within their own designated areas and were forbidden to step into the territories of others. For the first month or two, the Xiaoyao Valley adhered to the rules, but later, people from the Xiaoyao Valley began to repeatedly cross the boundaries and trespass onto the territory belonging to our Kongtong Sect!"
"On previous occasions when they crossed the line, it was merely to steal resources. I never expected that this time, they would directly come here to kill people…"
As he spoke the last sentence, his eyes narrowed, and a potent killing intent emanated from him. Qin Yi, standing nearby, clearly felt it.
Qin Yi followed the direction of his gaze towards the cloud-shrouded peak and asked, "Is that Mount Tian?"
Wei He withdrew his gaze and nodded, "Yes, that is Mount Tian! A gift bestowed upon our Kongtong Sect, the Xiaoyao Sect, and the Wind King Valley by heaven!"
In recent years, the rapid development of the Kongtong Sect, the Xiaoyao Sect, and the Wind King Valley, with their numerous martial artists and many of considerable cultivation, was almost entirely due to Mount Tian.
It was Mount Tian that provided them with abundant cultivation resources!