The defeat of their four Nascent Souls to reclaim Crystal Valley was a great humiliation for the Shadow Viper Sect. Their border commander, an old Elder in black robes named Morvan, understood that their own strength was not enough to face the Burning Sky Sect, which had consolidated its position. In an emergency meeting, a cunning decision was made.
"If we can't have it, then no one should have it easily," Morvan said, his eyes gleaming with cunning. "Spread the information. Let the whole world know about the high-grade crystal mine in that neutral valley. In particular, make sure this information reaches the ears of the GaleFord Clan."
The strategy was simple but effective trigger chaos. By drawing the GaleFord Clan another major power bordering the valley into the conflict, the Shadow Viper Sect hoped to muddy the waters and create opportunities amidst the chaos.
The tactic worked perfectly. Within days, news of the rich crystal mine spread like wildfire throughout the southwest region. The GaleFord Clan, which had always been neutral and focused on wind and speed trade, immediately declared its interest. They were a clan hungry for resources to enchant their legendary wind techniques. An official delegation was sent to Wildfire City, demanding an explanation and a claim to part of the mine, arguing that the valley was within their traditional sphere of influence.
The situation became very heated and complex. The Burning Sky Sect now faced not one, but two potential enemies.
However, the leaders of the Burning Sky Sect were not easily defeated. Sect Master Klahan, after consulting with the Grand Elders, immediately issued an order. Rather than face two enemies at once, they would seek allies.
A diplomatic mission was immediately sent to the Lightning Roar Sect, their traditional allies. The Burning Sky Sect negotiators, led directly by Grand Elder Lina Windwhisper, came with a proposal that was hard to refuse. They offered an operational alliance to jointly secure and manage the Crystal Valley mine, in exchange for a 60% share of the proceeds for the Burning Sky Sect and 40% for the Lightning Roar Sect.
Initially, the Lightning Roar Sect hesitated. They did not want to get involved in an open conflict with two other factions. However, after lengthy negotiations and being shown samples of Frost-Spark crystals of a quality that was perfectly suited to their lightning techniques, they finally agreed. The agreement was signed in secret. The Lightning Roar Sect would send two stage 3 Nascent Souls and several formation and mining experts to help secure and exploit the mine. The Burning Sky Sect's strength in the valley had now almost doubled.
This swift action by the Burning Sky Sect, however, did not go unnoticed. The Shadow Viper Sect, which had an extensive spy network, soon learned of this new alliance. Morvan, their border commander, was not out of ideas. If the Burning Sky Sect could seek allies, so could they.
He sent a secret envoy to the Hugo Clan, a family of shadow assassins known for being immoral and only working for the highest bidder. His proposal was simple: the Hugo Clan would assist the Shadow Viper Sect in disrupting the Burning Sky Sect's operations in Crystal Valley carrying out targeted assassinations, sabotage, and espionage in exchange for 20% of the mine's proceeds if successfully captured, plus a very large cash payment upfront.
The Hugo Clan, seeing an opportunity for profit and also wanting to humiliate the Burning Sky Sect, who were their long-time rivals, agreed to the offer. The shadow assassins began to move, infiltrating the border region like snakes, ready to stab from behind.
Meanwhile, the GaleFord Clan, feeling cornered by the Burning Sky-Lightning Roar alliance, did not remain silent either. They realized their strength was not enough to fight an alliance of two major sects. They too sought allies. They approached the Red Lotus Empire, the largest power in the fertile plains that had traditionally been neutral and reluctant to get involved in border conflicts.
Publicly, the Red Lotus Empire rejected the GaleFord Clan's invitation. They declared neutrality and did not want to disrupt regional stability. However, behind the scenes, the situation was different. Several factions within the imperial court, hungry for resources and influence, saw an opportunity. A secret agreement was made. The Red Lotus Empire would send their own elite Nascent Soul team disguised as independent cultivators to assist the GaleFord Clan, in exchange for 50% of the GaleFord Clan's share of the mine, plus exclusive access to purchase certain crystals at preferential prices.
Within weeks, the conflict that had initially been only between two sects had escalated into a proxy war involving five major powers: the Burning Sky Sect and Lightning Roar Sect against the Shadow Viper Sect and Hugo Clan, with the GaleFord Clan (secretly supported by the Red Lotus Empire) as a third force trying to seize their share.
The once-quiet Crystal Valley had now become a magnet for giants, and a great storm on the border was ready to explode.
With all the cards dealt, the stage for a major conflict was fully set. Crystal Valley, now dubbed "Grave Valley" by cultivators in the know, became the focal point of cultivator world tensions in the southern region.
In Wildfire City, the atmosphere changed from euphoria to high alert. Noctis and Lumina, who had initially hoped to quickly collect contributions, now realized that the situation was far more dangerous than they had imagined. They were no longer just facing the Shadow Viper Sect, but at least three other major powers moving in the shadows.
"This is out of control, Noctis," Lumina whispered one night, looking southwest as if she could see the gathering storm clouds. "The Hugo Clan... they are assassins without morals. And if the Red Lotus Empire is really involved, even secretly..."
"We have no choice, Lumina," Noctis replied, clenching his fists. "We've gone too far. Our contribution from this initial discovery still stands, and will be much greater if our sect manages to hold the mine. This is a risk we have to take."
They both knew that in a conflict of this scale, Foundation Establishment cultivators like them were just pawns. Their fate depended on the battles of the Nascent Souls and the decisions of the leaders behind the scenes.
In Crystal Valley, the situation became even more complicated. The arrival of two Nascent Souls from the Lightning Roar Sect a man with hair standing on end as if electrocuted and a woman whose every step left a trail of lightning had significantly strengthened the defenses. The formation built was now a combination of fire and lightning, a deadly combination.
However, their enemies did not remain silent. The first attack came from the Hugo Clan. One of their master assassins managed to infiltrate through a gap in the concealment formation at night, killing two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Lightning Roar Sect who were on guard before disappearing without a trace. Their bodies were found the next day without any visible physical wounds, only a black claw mark on their foreheads the signature of the Hugo Clan.
The message was clear: no one was safe.
A few days later, a group of GaleFord cultivators, supported by powerful "independent cultivators" (the disguised elite Red Lotus Empire team), attempted a small-scale frontal assault. They tested the alliance's defenses, unleashing cutting wind techniques combined with devastating earth attacks from the "independents." A brief but intense battle ensued. Nera and her team, with the help of their Lightning Roar allies, managed to repel the attack, but their defensive formation suffered significant damage.
The Shadow Viper Sect, seeing the chaos that was unfolding, seized the opportunity. While the alliance was busy repairing the formation, they launched a large-scale poison attack from a distance, contaminating the air around the valley and making the environment uninhabitable for cultivators below Nascent Soul. Lyra and the other supporters had to work hard to purify the air continuously.
This war had turned into a war of attrition. Small attacks, sabotage, and disturbances occurred almost daily. There were no large-scale battles between the Nascent Souls, but the tension continued to rise. Each faction tried to gauge the strength of the opponent, look for weaknesses, and wait for the right moment for a decisive blow.
At the Burning Sky Sect headquarters, Sect Master Klahan and the Grand Elders watched the situation with concern. They knew that a long war like this would drain the sect's resources and attract unwanted attention. A strategic decision was made: they would accelerate the mining process. Instead of defending the valley for a long time, they would mine as many crystals as possible in the shortest amount of time, then destroy the mine if necessary, to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
Secret orders were sent to Nera in Crystal Valley. The priority shifted from total defense to rapid mining.
Meanwhile, in Wildfire City, Noctis and the other cultivators received orders to be on high alert. They might be called upon to assist in the crystal evacuation process or even the final defense if the situation worsened.
The storm that had been gathered by the lust for power and resources was finally beginning to show its full force. Crystal Valley had become a symbol of the cultivator world's greed, a place where blood would be exchanged for crystals, and lives would become currency for the ambitions of giants. The beginning of the chaos had begun, and no one knew how it would end.