Chapter 549: The End of Tianshan
October 3rd, Jade Dragon Palace in Tianshan Mountains.

Early in the morning, all the disciples of the three flags and twelve halls of the Jade Dragon Palace, led by Ding Ao and Dong Xiaoer, gathered at the Great Tianchi in mourning to see Ren Wuya off for the last time.

Since they were unable to collect Ren Wuya's body, they could only build a cenotaph for him to express their condolences.

Today, the Jade Dragon Palace was all white inside and out, and tens of thousands of disciples looked solemn and filled with indignation.

Right in front of us, a big Chinese character "甸" (Devotion) stands out cold and ruthless. A sad atmosphere permeates the air, making the mountains and rivers look bleak, the sun and the moon dim, and the heaven and earth moved.

Ding Ao, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt in front of the disciples. Today, he was no longer as unruly and playful as usual. His face was solemn and his eyes were deep. His old eyes were fixed on Ren Wuya's tombstone, and he exuded an aura of resentment that made people dare not approach easily.

Dong Xiaoer knelt diagonally behind Ding Ao, casting a complicated look at the motionless Ding Ao from time to time. She wanted to say something several times but stopped herself, and seeing that Ding Ao was in deep sorrow, she ultimately could not utter a single word.

"Palace Master, Ding Ao and all the disciples are here to see you off." Amid the lingering smoke, Ding Ao spoke slowly, word by word, "Participating in the martial arts conference was originally a trivial matter, but who would have thought that the Palace Master would never return and die with hatred in his heart."

Having said this, Ding Ao's red eyes couldn't help but shed a trace of tears.

"With the departure of the Palace Master, the prestige and dominance of the Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace will be gone. We disciples... will no longer have anyone to rely on. We will only be bullied and trampled upon in the future." Ding Ao gnashed his teeth and said, "Luo Tianjin, this hypocritical and shameless thief who deceives the world and steals his reputation, is actually sweet-mouthed and treacherous. He is really outrageous to both humans and gods, and it is intolerable to heaven! Today, I, Ding Ao, and tens of thousands of disciples of the Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace swear to heaven that we will never reconcile with Luo Tianjin, and we will not give up until we avenge the Palace Master. If anyone disobeys, he will be punished by heaven and earth and struck by thunder!"

"I will never stop until I have my revenge!"

"I will never give up until I have achieved my revenge! I will never give up until I have achieved my revenge! I will never give up until I have achieved my revenge..."

Following Dong Xiaoer's cry, tens of thousands of disciples shouted in unison.

For a moment, the sound was earth-shaking and resounding through the sky. The cold ridges of the Tianshan Mountains stretched endlessly, and the sound echoed continuously at the top of the Jade Dragon Mountain.

After an impassioned speech, the Yulong Palace disciples, feeling heavy-hearted, took turns to come forward in an orderly manner and kowtow to Ren Wuya and burn incense.

Taking this opportunity, Dong Xiaoer invited Ding Ao to a secluded place and asked in a low voice: "Captain Ding, what do you think of the matter I discussed with you?
Hearing this, Ding Ao was stunned. The grief on his face gradually turned into suspicion. He asked, "Master Dong, do you really believe in Jin Fuyu? You don't have any doubts about him...?"

"What do you mean by that?" Dong Xiao'er frowned slightly and asked unhappily, "Are you suspecting that Jin Fuyu and I are in collusion?"

"Of course not." Ding Ao shook his head and said, "Flag Master Dong has received great favors from the Palace Master and has deep feelings for him. How could he conspire with Jin Fuyu? I just..."

"Just what?" Seeing Ding Ao hesitating, Dong Xiaoer couldn't help but look anxious.

"I'm just worried about heroes like Luo Tianjin and Jin Fuyu." Ding Ao said bluntly, "Luo Tianjin is a hypocrite, but what about Jin Fuyu? Who can guarantee that he is not a villain who harbors evil intentions and deceives people?"

"Master Ding is wrong! The martial world is treacherous. How many people who can become the overlord of a place are true gentlemen? Jin Fuyu is cunning, but it is also obvious that he and Luo Tianjin are irreconcilable. Now, even the old Palace Master has fallen into Luo Tianjin's hands, let alone you and me? Looking at the entire martial world, Jin Fuyu is the only one who has the courage, opportunity, and ability to compete with Luo Tianjin. Even Longxiang Mountain and Jueqing Valley have been pulled into Luo Tianjin's camp. You and I have no chance of turning the tables."

“What if Jin Fuyu is the second Luo Tianjin? Then we won’t even have a chance to escape.” Ding Ao said with a hint of meaning, “At least, we now have the Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace, countless gold, silver and jewelry, the power of life and death over several towns, and even tens of thousands of disciples…”

"Wait!" Dong Xiaoer interrupted, "What do you mean by these?"

"Master Dong, do you really not understand? Or are you pretending to be confused?" Ding Ao raised his eyebrows and asked, "Everything I just said is the treasure left to us by the old Palace Master. These things are more than enough to surpass many sects in the Central Plains. In this case, why should we commit ourselves to others' sects?"

"what do you mean……"

"Since Banner Master Dong insists that I make it clear, I'll just get straight to the point." Ding Ao said seriously, "Now that we have money, people, and territory, why don't we start our own business? Why should we hand everything over to Jin Fuyu?"

"If we don't join forces with Jin Fuyu, how can Luo Tianjin let us go? Banner Master Ding, you don't think we can get away with it by just changing our names, do you?"

"Why should we deceive?" Ding Ao said stubbornly, "The Jade Dragon Palace is far away in the Western Regions. I don't believe that Luo Tianjin can really lead his men to fight all the way here. Lord Dong, let me say something that will destroy my prestige. Even if we hide in a corner, it is better than becoming a fish on someone else's chopping board. I think it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. I would rather stay here and be a mountain king than go to the Central Plains to kowtow to Jin Fuyu." "Lord Ding, you underestimate Luo Tianjin's ability too much." Dong Xiaoer argued, "He is now the leader of the martial arts world. Once he speaks, he can't take it back. If we confront him, Luo Tianjin will destroy us at all costs to save his face. Not to mention thousands of miles away, even if he is tens of thousands of miles away, he will not be soft-hearted."

"So what?" Ding Ao said contemptuously, "As the saying goes, 'a powerful dragon cannot defeat a local snake'. How can we allow an outsider like him to act so recklessly in our territory? Just kill one if he comes, and kill two if two come."

"Master Ding is so arrogant!" Dong Xiao'er sneered, "Let's not talk about whether Luo Tianjin is a 'powerful dragon' or not. Just talking about the Western Regions, can you and I really be considered 'local snakes'?"

Ding Ao was startled and asked in astonishment: "What do you mean?"

"As far as I know, the reason why Lord Ding and Liu Xunyi got to know each other was because of the matchmaking of the Young Qin Prince." Dong Xiao'er sneered, "May I ask Lord Ding, is the Young Qin Prince close to you? Or is he close to Luo Tianjin?"

"This..." Being asked by Dong Xiao'er, Ding Ao couldn't help but frowned and said reluctantly, "Maybe he was closer to me before, but now Luo Tianjin is the leader of the martial arts world, while Tianshan Yulong Palace is leaderless and its vitality is seriously damaged. With this, I guess in the heart of Shao Qin Wang... my weight is far less than Luo Tianjin's."

Dong Xiaoer joked, "Tianshan is a thousand miles away for Luo Tianjin, but it is very close to Shao Qin Wang. I don't need to tell you about Shao Qin Wang's power in the Western Regions. Ding Qi Master knows it very well. As long as he is around, when will it be your turn to be the 'local snake'? Just imagine, if Luo Tianjin asks Shao Qin Wang to deal with us, I dare to ask Ding Qi Master, with these treasures left to us by the Palace Master... how many days can we resist?"

"This……"

"What's more, even if the treasures left by the Palace Master do not all belong to you and me." Dong Xiao'er struck while the iron was hot and argued, "Although we keep saying that we have tens of thousands of disciples, who else can control these disciples in Tianshan Yulong Palace except the Palace Master? Back then, the Palace Master divided the palace into three flags and twelve halls to prevent anyone from usurping power. The three flags and twelve halls are independent and check and balance each other. To this day, I'm afraid that only the Jinlin lineage is truly loyal to you. As for the other disciples, will they listen to your orders?"

"So you and I are joining forces." Ding Ao said excitedly, "My Golden Scales Flag, plus your Fire Phoenix Flag, is enough to influence the overall situation."

"No." Dong Xiao'er said bitterly, "If we do as you say, in the short term, everyone will be determined to take revenge, and perhaps they will be able to work together and advance and retreat together. But over time, people's hearts will change, and then the Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace will be torn apart, and the three flags and twelve halls will seek personal gain, and even set up their own factions. The most important thing is that everyone will fight each other to the death for the gold and silver treasures left by the palace master. In this way, Luo Tianjin doesn't need to attack us on a large scale if he wants to defeat us. He only needs to use a little trick to pull one faction and attack another, which is enough to provoke internal strife and let us decay on our own."

Ding Ao was dissatisfied and curled his lips and said, "The Palace Master has been in charge of Yulong Palace for decades, and there has never been any trouble."

"The two are completely different." Dong Xiao'er said angrily, "The Tianshan Jade Dragon Palace was founded by the Palace Master. His prestige and status in the hearts of the disciples are far beyond what you and I can compare. Therefore, as long as the Palace Master is alive, no one dares to act rashly even if there are 100,000 disciples in the Jade Dragon Palace. But you and I are different. The Palace Master passed away suddenly. No matter who succeeds you or me as the Palace Master, it is not right and the words are not right, so the disciples will definitely not accept it. If you and I are a little negligent in the future, they will definitely rebel and cause a disaster. Instead of doing this, it is better to take advantage of the disciples' eagerness for revenge and temporarily surrender to Jin Fuyu. With Jin Fuyu as a signboard to attract Luo Tianjin's attention, we can wait for an opportunity to take revenge and slowly cultivate our own power. When the time is right, we will escape and set up our own business!"

"I'm afraid we have overestimated Jin Fuyu's ability." Ding Ao pondered Dong Xiaoer's reasoning and weighed the pros and cons. "After all, Jin Jianwu can't protect itself. If we tie ourselves to them, I'm afraid there will be no good results."

"Jin Fuyu once assured me that the burned Jiumo Cliff was just a drop in the bucket. As long as we go to Hengshan Village, we will be able to see his true strength."

"Hengshan Village?" Ding Ao was skeptical. "What's in Hengshan Village?"

"I don't know." Dong Xiao'er shook her head slowly, "But Jin Fuyu's words are very firm, and he is definitely not bluffing."

"This……"

"Master Ding, Luo Tianjin is the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world, and the young King of Qin is his friend. If we cling to our old ways and refuse to change, we will end up dead." Dong Xiao'er advised earnestly, "A gentleman's revenge is never too late. If you want a long-term solution, you must give up something to gain something."

Ding Ao's brows were furrowed, his eyes were conflicted, and he seemed to be hesitant.

Under Dong Xiaoer's anxious gaze, Ding Ao was silent for a long time, finally let out a sigh, and then nodded slowly with a listless look on his face.

"I can agree to temporarily join Jin Fuyu, but I have two conditions."

"What conditions?"

"First, except for the disciples, all others in Yulong Palace must be sealed up, and not a single penny can be taken away. Second, if Jin Fuyu is just bluffing, we will return to Tianshan immediately and will never stay to be his scapegoat!"

……

(End of this chapter)