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Chapter 936: The War Ends for Profit

Chapter 936: The War Ends for Profit

These cultivators, with their peculiar clothing and gear, were nothing like the projections summoned from the armories of the immortal sects.

They possessed no combat skill to speak of, relying entirely on the superiority of their equipment to gain an advantage in battle.

However, these cultivators possessed a peculiar trait.

They were utterly fearless.

When a comrade fell in battle, they felt neither grief nor pain. Instead, expressions of mockery and derision would cross their faces, and they would even laugh aloud.

Even when facing their own demise, they showed no fear.

Their only reactions were a hint of regret and a flicker of defiance.

Through the combined efforts of several resistance forces, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's offensive was successfully repelled.

At this juncture, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance made a rather unexpected decision.

Instead of stubbornly pressing the attack, they decided to quit while they were ahead.

Just as they had arrived, they began an orderly retreat, providing cover for one another.

And with that, the broadcast on the Tianxuan Mirror abruptly ended.

The stark contrast between the intense battle and the sudden cutoff instantly sparked outrage among the cultivators who had been excitedly watching the live broadcast on the Tianxuan Mirror.

"Is that all? They retreat at the first sign of a setback?"

"The fight's not over! Why are they pulling back!"

"Are they that afraid to die? If they won't fight, I will! Put me on the front lines!"

"Who gave the order to retreat? They deserve to be executed for this!"

...

Public fury raged, but it was powerless to change the decision made on the battlefield.

Later that day, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance issued another public notice.

It stated that the recent battles were merely a demonstration of their power and a minor warning to the Five Elders Association.

Their previous offer still stood: if the Five Elders Association was willing to surrender the lost relics of the Alliance, then all matters were still negotiable.

Should the Five Elders Association remain obstinate, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance warned, they might just pay them a visit from time to time to plunder their resources.

Whether it would be war or peace, the choice now rested solely with the Five Elders Association.

This notice was, quite clearly, a naked threat.

In the past, the Five Elders Association would have dismissed such a message with contempt, likely issuing their own sharp, sarcastic counter-announcement.

But times had changed.

The Alliance's surprise attack had genuinely shaken them.

Their other tactics had been one thing.

But the great net of Sky Patrolling Arrows, deployed in concert with the manifestations of the Heavenly Venerates, had actually managed to affect their five Long Life Heavenly Venerates!

It was important to understand that the situation was different from that of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, where the Dharma Spreading Heavenly Venerate was little more than a legend.

The five Heavenly Venerates of the Association were real, tangible beings who actively ruled and managed their territory.

And from time to time, they would issue "Heavenly Venerate Decrees."

It was safe to say that in the hearts of the Association's cultivators, the five Heavenly Venerates held a position of absolute authority.

One could only imagine, then, the profound shock they felt upon discovering that the Alliance possessed a weapon capable of harming their five god-like Heavenly Venerates.

In their panic, it was understandable that they had been caught off guard by the Alliance's lightning strike, allowing the enemy to push deep into their territory.

Although they eventually rallied and launched a counterattack, temporarily driving the Alliance back...

...chaos continued to spread throughout the Five Elders Association's domain during this period when the Heavenly Venerates' authority was not yet fully restored.

Cultivators who had grown accustomed to living under the laws of the Heavenly Venerates were, for the first time, exposed to the true Xuanhuang Realm, a world devoid of their masters' principles.

The effect on them was nothing short of seismic.

For instance, when the cultivators of the Realm of Reality suddenly discovered they could lie.

In a society where the entire population subconsciously believed that lies did not exist, the power of falsehood was devastating.

Once the cultivators tasted the benefits of deception, lies spread through the former Realm of Reality at a terrifying pace.

It was foreseeable that until the Heavenly Venerates' power was restored, this chaos would not subside on its own.

Might makes right, as the saying goes.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance now possessed the strength to deal a fatal blow to the Five Elders Association, leaving the latter with no choice but to concede.

More crucially, the Five Elders Association was unaware that the thirty-three "Immortal Elects" capable of invoking the Heavenly Venerate manifestations had all perished in the process.

From their perspective, the Heavenly Venerate manifestations, much like the Sky Patrolling Arrows, were a power the Alliance could deploy again at any moment.

Therefore, the Alliance's threat was one they had no choice but to take seriously.

Two days later, a delegation of a dozen cultivators from the Five Elders Association arrived at the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

Ostensibly, their purpose was friendly negotiation, but in reality, they had come to sue for peace in humiliation.

Moreover, they had actually brought the so-called [Lost Relics of the Alliance].

This news was met with a great deal of mockery from the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

The negotiations lasted for seven days.

The public was not privy to the specific details of the agreement that was reached.

But it was clear that the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance was quite satisfied with the price the Five Elders Association had paid.

There was no further talk of seeking justice.

After the delegation from the Five Elders Association departed in disgrace, a large-scale ceremony to reward meritorious service began.

The black-robed cultivators were not mentioned. Instead, a lengthy announcement introduced the public to the commander-in-chief of the campaign against the Five Elders Association.

Dharma Transmitter Jiang.

The Sky Patrolling Arrows and the Heavenly Venerate manifestations, both of which had played a crucial role in the surprise attack, were all part of his master plan.

This marked the first time a Dharma Transmitter had appeared before the public of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.

Li Fan gazed at the widely circulated image of the figure: a gaunt, middle-aged man of unremarkable appearance. His most distinguishing feature was the small tuft of a goatee on his chin.

"Strange," Li Fan mused, frowning slightly. "The Dharma Transmitters are usually so secretive. Why would one choose to step into the spotlight now?"

This had never happened in any of his previous cycles.

Li Fan suspected it might have something to do with Mo Rubin, the one who had possessed the young Dharma Transmitter.

There were power struggles among the Dharma Transmitters as well.

Mo Rubin had tried to control the Tianxuan Mirror through array formations.

Perhaps that act had instilled a sense of crisis in some of the others.

Thus, this campaign was a way to establish merit and solidify his own position.

Yet, a nagging feeling told Li Fan that something was amiss.

The plan involving the Sky Patrolling Arrows and the Immortal Elects had been in the works for a long time.

It was clearly a long-term scheme.

Mo Rubin had only recently begun masquerading as a Dharma Transmitter.

"Or perhaps..."

"Could it really be about those so-called [Lost Relics of the Alliance]?"

Li Fan suddenly focused his attention on what every cultivator in the Alliance had dismissed as a mere pretext.

"If it's real," he wondered, "what could possibly be valuable enough for the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance to go to such lengths?"

"It seems it's time for the Federation of All Worlds to take action again."

With this thought, his clone, Li Qing, sensed his intent. She once again departed the Spirit Wood Realm and headed straight for the territory of the Five Elders Association.

The Sky Patrolling Arrows had all been expended, and Li Fan had already used the Final Dissociation Disc to crack the method the Alliance used to secretly mark the border's defensive arrays.

Li Qing encountered no trouble on her journey.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, fresh off a major victory, had evidently lowered its guard. Li Qing easily slipped past their defenses and infiltrated the territory of the Five Elders Association.

Several of the border prefectures had been picked clean by the Alliance. A sweep of her divine sense revealed not a single living soul.

Using a series of secret contact methods, she pressed on toward the heartland of the Five Elders Association.

It was only after she had crossed five prefectures that cultivators gradually began to appear.