Chapter Eight Hundred and Fourteen – Hostage (2/2)
Mi Nan was ranked third among the ten great battle generals, under only Xue Dong and Zhong De. He ranked even above Mu Shuang at seventh. He was one with real and great power in Tian Huan. Also, the Mi Family was a traditionally powerful family within Tian Huan. In almost every generation, they had someone in a position of power.
The Mi Family had a near monopoly on Tian Huan’s materials business and was extremely wealthy. Due to this, the Mi Family wanted to kill Mo Cloud Sea more than everyone else. In these years as Mo Cloud Sea had risen, the Mi Family’s business had suffered greatly.
Mi Nan was influential within Tian Huan. He was sixty eight this year, at the prime of his life. The battalion he led was the strongest battalion of Tian Huan, the only battalion with [Tian Huan] in the name, the [Heaven Fate Hoop]!
Mi Nan was extremely skilled and a group of able people gathered around him. He could be considered the sect major power inside Tian Huan.
The biggest faction in Tian Huan was, of course, the Tian Huan’s Sect Leader’s faction. The sect leader was peaceful in personality but fair in his conduct. Everyone respected him. Adding on that he had the support of the Chief Elder, a supreme existence, behind him, no one dared to oppose him.
Mu Shuang was one of the ten great battle generals, but the faction behind him was not as strong as Mi Nan’s. Mu Shuang was usually concerned with battles, and didn’t have any interest in the affairs of the sect.
Gongye Xiao Rong had influence among the disciples. While he was not as respected as he had been before he had been defeated by Gongsun Cha, he was still respected for struggling and returning from the deadly situation.
So when Mu Shuang and Gongye Xiao Rong were united in opposition, their voices could not be ignored.
The two sides fought fiercely.
Mi Nan’s side thought that Xi Xuan would not dare to harm Li Xian Er. Li Xian Er would be a hostage but not in danger. If she could complete Tian Huan’s alliance with Xi Xuan, Tian Huan would be in an undefeatable position. Otherwise, with Mo Cloud Sea competing with them in forging, and being weaker offensively than Kun Lun, Tian Huan’s future was in danger.”
The opposition claimed that Tian Huan had not reached the point that it needed to send a core member of the sect, like Li Xian Er, to act as hostage. It would be good to eliminate Mo Cloud Sea but there was no need to pay such a great price. Also, they thought that Tian Huan was stronger than Mo Cloud Sea and they should not fear competing with Mo Cloud Sea. Like right now, when Tian Huan moved, they had the upper hand. In terms of overall strength, Mo Cloud Sea wasn’t on the same level as Tian Huan.
The two sides fought. Because it was concerning his granddaughter, the sect leader could not express an opinion. The chief elder who could make the decision was resting with his eyes closed in silence.
Suddenly, Li Xian Er stepped out and said calmly, “I am willing to go.”
The hall immediately quieted.
Gongye Xiao Rong’s expression was panicked. He was about to speak when Li Xian Er gave him a comforting expression.
“I’m willing to go. Actually, everyone knows that the risk is not high. Also, even if there is risk, I still think we should agree to Xi Xuan’s demand. Because Mo Cloud Sea was more dangerous than Xi Xuan and filled with more life.”
Li Xian Er’s beautiful face was as calm as water. Her usual mischievousness had disappeared, and her voice echoed in the hall.
“I’ve seen Zuo Mo, I have interacted with them, I know how strong they are. An opponent like this should not be underestimated. This kind of chance is rare. If we can grab it, we can eliminate a great problem forever. Also, do not forget about Kun Lun.”
“We all know that we are a level below Kun Lun in terms of offensive power. If we and Kun Lun are the only ones left, the ones to fall in the end will be us.”
The hall was silent. Everyone was stunned by Li Xian Er’s words. Mi Nan, Mu Shuang, and Gongye Xiao Rong did not have good expressions. What Li Xian Er was saying were things that people usually discussed in secret but no one had ever talked about it publicly.
“What is our advantage? Money! We are richer than Kun Lun! This is our greatest weapon. We should spread our money to buy and recruit other factions. We need allies. If we have to fight against Kun Lun, we need allies. Xi Xuan is the most suitable ally. They have vast territory, and a great population. Once Zhong De is eliminated, there will not be any person in control with any real power. They can only rely on us. We will provide them with shen equipment, with all kinds of fluff. They can outfit enough battalions to help us fight against Kun Lun. An enormous amount of cannon fodder. This is what Tian Huan needs. Also, Mo Cloud Sea’s existence will only weaken us. We have to fight them for materials, for market share. This will make Tian Huan poor. Without money, we cannot recruit other factions. We will lose our greatest weapon, we will be in danger.”
Li Xian Er’s words were firm.
Chief Elder opened his eyes at this time and showed admiration. He slowly said, “All of you do not think as clearly as a little girl. After returning from this mission, you will become the next sect leader.”
The chief elder announced his decision.
Editor’s Note:
For those of you keeping track:
Battle General Ranking:
1st Xue Dong from Kun Lun
2nd Zhong De from Xi Xuan
3rd Mi Nan from Tian Huan
4th Gongsun Cha from Mo Cloud Sea
5th Yang Yuan Hao from Thunder Sound Temple
7th Mu Shuang from Tian Huan
8th Mu Xuan from Kun Lun
10th Bie Han from Mo Cloud Sea
Gongye Xiao Rong from Tian Huan
Gu Liang Dao from Gu Liang Dao Faction
Translator Ramblings: Tian Huan is in favor of the “smash your enemies to death with money” strategy.