Chen Yun didn't know that all the successive great elders of the Hehuan Sect were respectfully called the Hehuan Old Demon.

Although the skills practiced by the black-robed man actually had little to do with the Hehuan Sect, in order to maintain the reputation of the Hehuan Sect, he still chose to accept this title.

At this moment, after feeling the terrifying power of the black-robed man, the other cultivators felt a little uncomfortable, but they were by no means ignorant and naturally did not dare to challenge the authority of the three great cultivators easily.

Suddenly, the whole audience fell into a solemn silence, indirectly indicating their agreement with the point that the Hehuan Sect Master had just made. Then the black-robed burly man announced indifferently:
"Since everyone has no objection to this matter, I will not dwell on those irrelevant topics. In fact, we don't have enough time to chat now. Yesterday morning, the Mulan people sent an envoy to visit us and handed in a letter of challenge. According to the statement in this letter, if we refuse to accept their conditions, they will fight a bloody life-and-death battle at the border between the two countries in seven days."

The hall was suddenly filled with a buzzing noise. When the black-robed man mentioned the "challenge" and "after seven days", it attracted the attention of all the monks present.

"Gauntlet?"

"Seven days later?"

"What conditions did they propose?"

The monks were talking about it, and the discussions were rising and falling.

"What Brother Yi said just now is true. This is indeed a declaration of war from the Mulan people. Please read it first, and then we can discuss the response strategy together. Although this war happened earlier than we expected, with the great magical powers of everyone present, are you really afraid of the Mulan people?"

The Taoist priest with the long sword on his back smiled slightly and spoke calmly. Although his voice was not loud, it was like a spring breeze, making everyone present feel a chill in their hearts and instantly regain their composure.

The other monks were shocked, and the noise immediately disappeared without a trace. However, a few people still whispered. One of them seemed dissatisfied and whispered to himself:
"The Taizhen Sect's meditation technique is truly extraordinary and mysterious."

Hearing such complaints, the middle-aged Taoist priest ignored them and slowly took out a scarlet jade slip from his Taoist robe and threw it to an old man in a gray Taoist robe sitting opposite him with a gentle smile on his face:
"This is the letter of challenge issued by the Mulan people. Please check it out first."

After a moment of silence, the old man silently took the jade slip and used his spiritual sense to explore the contents. His face gradually became gloomy, and then he handed the jade slip to his companion next to him expressionlessly. The companion took the jade slip and curiously checked it with his spiritual sense, and his face became solemn.

While the monks were passing the letter of challenge around one by one, Chen Yun carefully observed the Taoist priest and the old man in green.

The Taoist priest was about forty years old, with skin as white as jade and handsome and elegant features. He made people admire him at first sight.

There was no doubt that he was the Zhiyang Master of the Taizhen Sect of the Righteous Alliance. As for the old man in green, he was too ordinary in appearance. Whether it was his dress or his temperament, he was not eye-catching.

However, what made Chen Yun curious was that the old man had long nails on all ten fingers.

These nails were extremely sharp, purple in color, and shimmering with a faint light, which was quite distinctive. There was no doubt that this person was Wei Wuya, the great elder of the Nine Nations Alliance.

Wei Wuya seemed to be aware of Chen Yun's gaze. He moved his eyes slightly and glanced at Chen Yun. When their eyes met, an expression of surprise appeared on his face, and he actually smiled at Chen Yun.

Chen Yun felt a little embarrassed and responded with a smile, but deep down he couldn't help but think: If this person knew about the relationship between him and Nangong Wan, he wondered if he would still be able to smile at him.

Just as Chen Yun was lost in deep thought, Long Han next to him had already finished looking at the jade tube in his hand and handed it to Chen Yun with an extremely serious expression.

Witnessing the emotional changes of his companions in front of him, Chen Yun was filled with doubts.

So, he calmly focused his attention on the jade tube and read its contents carefully.

After a moment, Chen Yun frowned and withdrew his spiritual sense, silently handing the jade tube to another cultivator for inspection.

Before long, all the jade cylinders were passed around to the Taoist friends for inspection. With each pass, everyone's faces became more gloomy and embarrassed. After reading, some friends couldn't help but curse in a low voice.

"Dear fellow Taoists, please tell me, what opinions or suggestions do you have regarding the conditions proposed in this letter of challenge?"

Master Zhiyang, who was wearing the attire of the Taizhen Sect's leader, asked with an inexplicable smile.

"They are so arrogant that they even dare to ask us to cede half of Tiannan's territory to them. Do they really think we will lose to them?"

The sinister-looking man in brocade robe asked back with a cold expression.

"Without a doubt. The claim that the dispute between the two sides can be resolved by giving up part of the territory is indeed a bit unbelievable. They probably forgot that the Mulan tribe is now nothing more than a lost dog. Even if we don't take the initiative to go to war with them, we can easily defeat them by just persisting in attrition."

The old man with a fat face and a cunning look said sarcastically.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, what do you mean by this? Is it because your sect is located deep in the south of the sky that you are so indifferent to the life and death of other sects like us? A protracted war will naturally not cause any harm to your sect, but how can we preserve our sect's foundation?"

A dark-skinned sturdy man sitting next to the fat old man questioned with an unhappy look on his face.

"I am doing this for everyone's benefit. Although the sect can be rebuilt, lives cannot be saved."

The fat old man didn't care about the questioning. Instead, he glanced at the other party and answered calmly.

"Hmph! Your Excellency is saying that lightly. If our countries are abandoned, then why should we cultivators defend our sect against the army of magicians? Why don't we just move our entire sect to your country, Tianluo? Wouldn't that be safer and more worry-free?"

Another monk retorted sarcastically.

"you……"

"Well, we have already reached a clear conclusion on whether to fight a protracted war. There is no need to discuss it any further. What we need to focus on right now is how to deal with the Mulan tribe's army of magicians, rather than blaming each other."

When the burly man in the black robe heard this, his expression suddenly changed and he immediately spoke out to stop the argument.

At this time, the three people saw that the old demon Hehuan had spoken. Although they were dissatisfied in their hearts, they chose to remain silent. Because in the world of cultivation, strength is the most important right to speak. "In fact, there is no need for disputes among fellow Taoists. We have already conducted in-depth analysis and research. Judging from the momentum of the army of magicians coming out in full force this time, a protracted war is almost impossible for us. If we cannot concentrate most of the power in the Tiannan region, then we will not be able to stop the opponent's offensive. Relying on the power of a sect or a country alone, it may collapse the moment it comes into contact with the enemy. By then, the biggest loss may be ourselves. Therefore, we must go all out in this war and make the Mulan people pay a heavy price. Any fluke mentality is not advisable."

Master Zhiyang's expression also turned serious.

After hearing these words, the other monks calmed down again after some whispered discussions.

"However, what exactly are the Mulan people playing? Since they have decided to go to war, why do they have to have such a gambling war first? And they dare to make such a huge bet. Even a large sect may not be able to easily come up with so many precious materials. Isn't it said that the cultivation resources of Mulan Grassland are scarce?"

Dongmen Tu of the Yuling Sect suddenly asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I know a thing or two about this. The resources in the Mulan Grassland are indeed relatively few, especially the spirit stone mines and some common raw materials. However, there are many rare materials there, and some are even richer than our Tiannan. It's not too strange that they can come up with so many materials."

The other person seemed to have a considerable understanding of the Mulan people, and he took the initiative to answer everyone's questions.

Dongmen Tu nodded slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face: "I see. Are they really so confident that they can win the gambling battle? Except for the cultivators in the late Nascent Soul stage, everyone else can participate. Ten gambling battles at a time, and they are life-and-death gambles. Do they think that we cultivators are weak?"

Everyone present was an experienced, thoughtful and wise man. They certainly understood that there must be some conspiracy or strategy behind the bet proposed by the Mulan people.

So they began to think about the possible problems.

Chen Yun was also confused.

He had just carefully read the challenge letter, which clearly stated the rules of the gambling battle.

This gambling battle will take place in front of the positions of both sides, and no insidious or cunning means are allowed.

Moreover, the monks who participated in the battle needed to bring the precious materials they were betting on to the competition. The winner had the right to directly seize the opponent's storage bag.

The only confusing thing is that the challenge letter clearly states that the ten gambling battles must be carried out simultaneously, and if a monk fails, he must stay on the scene until he dies in battle.

In order to ensure the fairness of the gambling battle, the game will be held in a closed space barrier.

The barrier will be set up jointly by both parties, and personnel will be dispatched during the game to monitor the operation of the magic circle to prevent anyone from cheating secretly.

"However, no matter what conspiracy the Mulan people have, it may be a rare opportunity for us. If we can eliminate more high-level mages before the armies clash, it will undoubtedly bring us a great advantage."

"Haha, I'm afraid the Mulan people are planning the same thing as you are thinking right now." One of them hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, and the other immediately refuted with a sneer.

"This doesn't seem to be a cause for concern. If the Mulan people want to invite us to a bet, we will naturally agree. There is really no need for this. After seven days, we will still act according to the original plan without being bound by any bet. In this way, even if the other party has ulterior motives, they will not be able to succeed."

These remarks came from the old man named Kuang in Ni Hangzhai, and he said them in a contemptuous tone.

"However, although what Fellow Daoist Kuang said makes sense, we have no choice but to participate in this gambling battle and we must win."

Master Zhiyang sighed and said helplessly.

"What? May I ask what you mean by this? How can we allow the Mulan people to play with us in the palm of their hands?" The old man surnamed Kuang frowned and asked with a little dissatisfaction.

Some of the other old monsters also nodded slightly, indicating their agreement with his point of view.

"The three of us have all understood the strangeness of this matter. However, during the previous period of time, the Mulan people swept in and captured many monks. Among them, most were fellow monks from the Nine Nations Alliance, but many elites supported by our sect were also trapped here. According to the messenger, the number of prisoners reached a thousand."

Master Zhiyang stated the facts with a gloomy expression.

"What's the meaning? If we don't accept this bet, will they behead the captives as well? If so, then the Mulan tribe will not be afraid of us using other means to retaliate?"

The old man surnamed Kuang was extremely surprised and asked in a hurry.

"The messenger did not directly say whether there was any killing of prisoners, but only emphasized that he provided us with a chance to rescue these monks. In the ten gambling matches, they will not only bet on these precious materials, but also on more than a hundred captured monks. As long as we succeed in winning, these people may regain their freedom."

Master Zhiyang then explained.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the seniors present began to stare at each other.

At first glance, these more than a thousand monks did not seem to be too many, and most of them were low-level monks with low cultivation, and they did not seem to be threatened by the other side.

However, if someone really suggested giving up rescuing these people, he would immediately become the focus of everyone's attack.

It should be noted that although these monks are not insignificant, the families and large and small sects they represent are numerous.

It is particularly noteworthy that many of these monks unfortunately became prisoners of the Mulan tribe because they resisted the attacks of the mages.

If we choose to stand aside and watch, I am afraid that before the battle officially begins, the morale of our army will suffer a major blow, and the low-level monks will feel discouraged. Many people will no longer fight with all their strength.

"I didn't expect these grassland peoples to be able to use such a clever strategy. In the past few invasions, they seemed to have rarely used strategies, but this time they were so ruthless. Although we are well aware of the risks, we can only bite the bullet and face the challenge."

Long Han sighed and expressed his agreement.

How could others not understand Long Han's remarks? He was also filled with helplessness, secretly cursing the cunning and treacherous people of the Mulan tribe. (End of this chapter)