After the negotiations between the various forces and Tianjiao Valley concluded, except for the Pure Land Holy Land which gained nothing, the envoys of the other factions, at the very least, left with trial samples of over a dozen new types of special spirit rice to report back.
Envoys with higher authority, however, also brought back tens of thousands of jin of the Gu Ben Pei Yuan rice.
As these envoys returned sequentially, bringing back the latest news and the specific effects of the spirit rice samples they received as gifts from their respective sect leaders after tasting them, all factions, regardless of their strength, instantly developed covetous desires for the spirit rice seeds from Tianjiao Valley.
The difference lay only in the fact that those faction leaders who understood that their forces could not get involved in such matters could only regretfully open their private treasuries and exchange gold and silver for the rice. No one knew how much stock Tianjiao Valley had left. Unable to resort to forceful means, they could only use real money to exchange for it. Moreover, the sooner they exchanged, the more likely they were to get it, rather than delaying and finding out later that the stock had been sold out.
As for those faction leaders who felt they might be able to get involved or obtain seeds from Tianjiao Valley through underhanded means, although they were reluctant to spend money to buy rice, it was uncertain when they could obtain the seeds. Whether they could successfully cultivate them, and if there were any secret methods involved, was also unknown. If everyone else bought and they didn't, wouldn't their future generations fall behind? Therefore, while dispatching personnel to try and steal the spirit rice seeds, they also seized the opportunity to take some gold and silver and send people to Tianjiao Valley to buy rice.
The only exception was the Pure Land Holy Land. Since Zhu Chaoyun had explicitly stated on behalf of Ding Yun that they would not sell rice to them, they also found it difficult to beg. Thus, they were in a dilemma. Buying was definitely out of the question, and stealing would also take time. Therefore, they could only grudgingly hint to the factions affiliated with them to buy more spirit rice as tribute, while simultaneously increasing the number of people sent to infiltrate Tianjiao Valley and steal rice seeds.
Concurrently, they were internally deliberating the chances of a successful assault on Tianjiao Yunlei Valley. If there were prospects of victory, they might even use the previous insult from Tianjiao Yunlei Valley as a pretext to attack, and perhaps gain sole possession of the spirit rice seeds and even the cultivation techniques.
The ideas and actions of the Pure Land Holy Land might have been concealed from ordinary factions, but they were clearly not hidden from the other two Holy Lands. The newly released spirit rice varieties from Ding Yun further solidified the resolve of the sect leaders of Kunlun Holy Land and Yaochi Holy Land to obtain the spirit rice seeds. Therefore, they promptly went with the flow, secretly promising to support the Martial Saints. This, after half a month, successfully prompted the Pure Land Holy Land to decide to attack Tianjiao Valley with their entire sect.
As a precaution, the other two Holy Lands also provided several Martial Saints who had never appeared before, hoping to gain a share of the spirit rice seeds and cultivation methods after breaking through Tianjiao Yunlei Valley.
Ultimately, the Pure Land Holy Land gathered a total of twelve Martial Saints and twenty-eight Grandmasters, and arrived at Tianjiao Yunlei Valley in just two days. The leading Martial Saint directly stepped forward, arrogantly and openly declaring war. The general gist was that Zhu Chaoyun had previously disrespected and insulted their Pure Land Holy Land, and that the dignity of the Holy Land could not be tainted or scorned, so they had specifically come to teach them a lesson. In essence, the core meaning of the long speech was simple: their attack was not unprovoked; they had a reason, they were just, and they were absolutely not attacking because they coveted their possessions.
During this period, Ding Yun had actually made some preparations. For instance, she had lifted the restrictions on the granary for the Dragon Descendants, allowing them to eat freely. With this alone, she had successfully helped thirty-eight out of seventy-nine Dragon Descendants successfully ascend to the Martial Saint realm in less than a month. Although they were only at the early stage of Martial Saint, it was important to remember that Dragon Descendants were inherently more powerful than ordinary humans. Even at the early stage of Martial Saint, they were capable of dealing with mid-stage Martial Saints, or even late-stage Martial Saints. Two or three of them together could even contend with peak Martial Saints. While they might not be able to kill a peak Martial Saint, one must not forget that if they couldn't, weren't there Ding Yun and the Cloud Thunder Flood Dragon? Even if the other disciples in Tianjiao Valley were not yet capable, Ding Yun, together with the Cloud Thunder Flood Dragon and its descendants, would be sufficient to deal with these people.
Therefore, in the face of the taunts from the Martial Saints of the Pure Land Holy Land, Ding Yun did only one thing: she instructed her disciples to find a place to hide and dispatched a few Dragon Descendants to protect them. Then, she led the Cloud Thunder Flood Dragon and most of the Dragon Descendants out of the valley in an imposing manner, ready to meet the enemy. The newly constructed sect leader's hall and other structures in the valley could not be destroyed so easily; that would be too wasteful. Therefore, if there was to be a fight, it had to be fought outside.
The ensuing scene was truly difficult to describe, as it was a complete one-sided massacre. Dozens of Dragon Descendants at the Grandmaster realm easily overwhelmed the human martial artists of the same realm. Most importantly, there were more Dragon Descendants at the Grandmaster realm than human martial artists. If Ding Yun had not forbidden them from eating people, those human martial artists would not have been beaten to death, but would have ceased to exist, leaving no trace. As for the remaining Martial Saints, three Dragon Descendants at the Martial Saint realm were assigned to deal with each one, leaving two more Dragon Descendants to spare. Not to mention Ding Yun, who was at the semi-Martial God level, and the Cloud Thunder Flood Dragon, whose strength was comparable to a pseudo-Martial God.
To make an example, Ding Yun did not hold back this time. In a short while, all of them were annihilated. The elite strength of the Pure Land Holy Land was essentially wiped out. It was estimated that it would not be long before they were de-listed and lost their status as a Holy Land. After all, the remaining number of Martial Saints and Grandmasters in their sect combined was likely less than that of a top-tier sect, so how could they still claim to be a Holy Land? Even Kunlun Holy Land and Yaochi Holy Land suffered heavy losses, each losing two Martial Saints, a clear case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice. It was uncertain when they would be able to recover.
Although the number of participants in this great battle was not large, the number of onlookers was considerable. Therefore, the news quickly spread, causing a sensation throughout the world. Countless people were shocked, and just as many were庆幸 their own timidity for not daring to act, or their slowness in not having deployed troops yet. The Pure Land Holy Land, one of the three great Holy Lands, with a total of twelve Martial Saints, including four peak Martial Saints, had ended in complete annihilation. What was their own strength compared to that? To engage in battle would be pure suicide.
With the complete defeat of the Pure Land Holy Land's expeditionary force, Ding Yun's objective was finally achieved. No one dared to covet Tianjiao Valley or the spirit rice seeds within it any longer. Ding Yun could finally focus on farming with peace of mind and raising her son.