Chapter 109: Factions
"Hmm?" Yaoguang looked at Xie Yi'er, waiting for her explanation.
She did not beat around the bush. "During this period, we have been relentlessly hunting the Rebirth Society. Although we have yet to eliminate that monster from the Lunar Fiend Empire, we have taken out many of the higher-ups of the Rebirth Society and obtained significant intelligence from them."
Xie Yi'er continued, "The entire Rebirth Society, from top to bottom, is gathering information on you and regards you as their greatest enemy."
Her gaze flickered slightly as she added, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so we sought you out imdiately. Furthermore, we believe that if you are treated with such gravity by the Rebirth Society, there must be sothing extraordinary about you."
Yaoguang keenly captured the subtle shift in Xie Yi'er’s eyes. After a mont of thought, he quickly understood what she was thinking.
"You suspect that I also belong to the Lunar Fiend Empire, but simply do not follow the sa path as the Rebirth Society? Just as your Xie family and the Jiang family are both mbers of the Artifact Sect but belong to different factions?" Yaoguang asked.
Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others could not help but glance at Yaoguang. Ji Pingtian, in particular, felt a stir in his heart. Although he had personally tested Yaoguang not long ago and confird he had no connection to the Rebirth Society, he knew that Yaoguang’s status was certainly not simple if the Rebirth Society treated him so cautiously.
It was possible that Yaoguang, like that terrifying existence from the Rebirth Society, was soone comparable to a cultivator who had established a Dao Foundation. Such an existence would have many ways to hide its true nature from a psychic-will martial paragon like Ji Pingtian. Furthermore, as Xie Yi'er suggested, perhaps Yaoguang and the Rebirth Society were rely from different factions, which was why they were hostile to one another.
"Factions do not matter, and identity is not important. To judge whether a living being is good or bad, the most important thing is to observe their words and deeds," Xie Yi'er stated directly. "The Great Cangwu World has never lacked the breadth of mind to embrace all. Within the territory of our Artifact Sect, there is more than just the human race; there are theriantropes, the sea race, artifact spirits, and so on. As long as they recognize the position of our human race and integrate into our culture, we can treat them as one of our own."
Her words caused Ji Pingtian to nod inwardly. Origin, race, and background were not as important as attitude. Moreover, all of this was re speculation; the truth remained unknown. Their contact during this period had already led Ji Pingtian and the others to accept Yaoguang’s identity. They were not so foolish as to do sothing that would hurt their allies and please their enemies based on a few suspicious words from an outsider.
"The Rebirth Society." Yaoguang mused. He thought of Leng Tianfeng, who had claid to be a Soul Manipulator of the Expeditionary Army's Sixth Fleet from the Lunar Fiend Empire’s Divine City. From the information extracted from the Soul-Capturing Bead, it was not hard to guess that the man had not truly died. Leng Tianfeng had even said himself that the person talking was rely an incarnation.
Recalling the ssage deliberately left behind when Leng Tianfeng "died," Yaoguang even suspected that the fiend from the Lunar Fiend Empire who had possessed the heavenly being Xie Boen was Leng Tianfeng’s true body. He had descended personally, intending to wash away his prior disgrace. Under these circumstances, a second battle between the two was indeed inevitable.
Considering this, he asked, "How do you plan to cooperate?"
Xie Yi'er’s eyes lit up, and she said quickly, "We hope Lord Yaoguang will join our campaign against the Rebirth Society and lure those remnants out."
She added, "Since Lord Yaoguang is the Rebirth Society's primary bounty target, if you take action and those rats hiding in the shadows perceive an opportunity, they will definitely jump out imdiately."
"Not necessarily," Yaoguang said. "Since that fiend who possessed General Xie Boen only needs a period of rest to recover, they could easily vanish for a while. They could wait until they have fully recovered their heavenly-being-level strength before returning to sweep across the world."
"That is why we need to create a narrative." Xie Yi'er looked at Yaoguang with sincerity in her eyes. "We will announce to the world that you are on the verge of breaking through to the heavenly being realm..."
She imdiately followed up, "Of course, to show our sincerity, we are willing to provide all the cultivation resources you need. We will strive to push you toward the realm of high-tier cultivators as quickly as possible so that you truly possess the capability to confront the fiend of the Rebirth Society."
Yaoguang was sowhat surprised. Are the people of the Snowdragon Empire truly this kind-hearted? Aren't they afraid of cherishing a snake in their bosom? Or do they have plans I do not yet understand? Still... regardless of their hidden agenda, the Snowdragon Empire appears very sincere. Given the current situation, it looks like a great deal, provided they are actually willing to deliver tangible benefits.
"That sounds quite good," Yaoguang said calmly. "However, I need to see your sincerity."
"We will prepare the cultivation resources you require and send them as soon as possible—"
"Do not worry about the cultivation resources just yet," Yaoguang interrupted. "You intend to use
as bait to lure out that fiend who possessed Xie Boen. If this plan actually works, I will inevitably face great danger. Therefore, I require the top-tier divine weapons and battle armor of the Snowdragon Empire."
Xie Yi'er hesitated for a mont but quickly replied, "I will report this to my father imdiately. I believe you will receive a satisfactory answer soon."
"Go then," Yaoguang said.
"Please excuse ." Xie Yi'er bowed slightly and withdrew.
Once Xie Yi'er had left, Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others stepped forward. "The Rebirth Society is our common enemy, which is why we took the liberty of introducing Princess Xie Yi'er to discuss cooperation. If we can unite with the Snowdragon Empire, the pressure we face, whether from the Rebirth Society or the Crimson Star Empire, will be significantly reduced."
"I understand." Yaoguang nodded.
Whether it was the Snowdragon Empire or the Crimson Star Empire, they were both powerful and terrifying entities in the eyes of the World-Saving Society, the great families, and the royal families. Being rooted in the Artifact Sect, their foundations were strong enough to make any opponent feel despair.
The original intent behind the founding of the World-Saving Society was never to oppose the Crimson Star Empire; they rely hoped to obtain a slot for the Artifact Sect from them. It was only because of the changes within the Artifact Sect and the fact that the Star Gate had not opened for decades that this goal beca unachievable. They had shifted from seeking a spot to pursuing survival and developnt under the oppression of the two superpowers, striving to form a world structure with three superpowers.
The reverence and fear everyone felt for the Crimson Star and Snowdragon Empires were bone-deep. Now that the Snowdragon Empire was actively seeking cooperation, they welcod it and dared not miss such a rare opportunity.
"Very well. You must also build your montum as quickly as possible. If we are to beco the third superpower of the world, I cannot do it alone," Yaoguang said.
Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others felt their spirits lift. They hurriedly replied, "Please rest assured, Speaker. The nations of the world have long suffered under the Crimson Star Empire’s rule. Especially now, the actions of the Snowdragon Empire have left every royal family fearing for their own safety. Their enthusiasm for joining our World-Saving Society has reached an unprecedented height. It will not be long before this alliance, centered around the World-Saving Society, truly possesses the influence to beco the world’s third superpower."
"Good." Yaoguang nodded slightly, then added, "Rember to collect the entry fees."
"Understood." Ji Pingtian nodded quickly. "Compared to the Crimson Star Empire, which demands money while offering neither dignity nor status, we only require them to contribute so materials in exchange for protection. Our requirents are far lower. Almost none of the newly joined nations have refused this reasonable request."
He was speaking the truth. For the royal families of these countries, spending a bit of money was a trivial matter. Once wealth reached a certain level, it was rely a number; there was little difference between the lifestyle of a billionaire and that of a trillionaire. As long as their status and safety were guaranteed, everything was negotiable.
"That is fine then. You may go." Yaoguang waved his hand.
Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others bowed and took their leave. As soon as they left, Kong Fang could not help but speak up. "Speaker Yaoguang, the path the World-Saving Society walks may not be the sa as ours. Furthermore, the Snowdragon Empire certainly harbors ill intentions. Cooperating with them—"
"I know," Yaoguang interrupted him.
He looked at the prosecutor general of the Grand Prosecutor's Office. This man had been hostile toward him at the start, but was now serving by his side with total devotion. Eventually, Yaoguang added one more thing, "It will simply co down to whose thods are superior."
Hearing Yaoguang say this, Kong Fang remained silent for a mont before finally nodding. He knew he could not interfere with Yaoguang’s decisions. Yaoguang had his own plans. His growth had currently hit a bottleneck, and unless he was willing to toil away for eight or ten years, he had to pursue other paths. Just as he had said, it was simply a matter of each side using its own thods.
***
Shortly after leaving Yuhuang Mountain's villa, Xie Yi'er boarded a specialized communications vehicle. The interior was filled with various electronic instrunts, giving it a distinct sci-fi feel. Not long after boarding, Xie Yi'er connected the signal, and a figure soon appeared on the screen. It was the president of the Snowdragon Empire, Xie Lang.
"How did it go?" Xie Lang asked.
"He agreed," Xie Yi'er said with so excitent. She imdiately added, "However, in addition to cultivation resources, he requested that we grant him a set of top-tier divine weapons and battle armor to deal with any attacks from that monster in the Rebirth Society."
"To put his mind at ease, give it to him." Xie Lang nodded slightly, then narrowed his eyes. "As long as we can obtain the Star Gate technology held by the Lunar Fiend Empire behind the Rebirth Society and reconnect with the Artifact Sect, everything will be worth it."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yi'er hesitated. "Can we really reconnect with the sect through the Rebirth Society’s technology?"
"The reason that monster from the Lunar Fiend Empire was able to descend so smoothly was by utilizing the coordinates we sent when we attempted to open the Star Gate, wasn't it? The people at the Star Gate Research Institute have already calculated it clearly. If we can truly obtain this technology to supplent our own, opening a Star Gate to return to the sect will certainly be no problem," Xie Lang said. "Once we can open the Star Gate back to the sect, all our difficulties will be resolved."
"But if..." Xie Yi'er hesitated for a mont. "What if what the people from the Lunar Fiend Empire said is true..."
Xie Lang fell silent. After a good while, he spoke again. "Regarding this Lord Yaoguang... We have shown sufficient sincerity, have we not?"
Hearing this, Xie Yi'er suddenly understood.
Taking sides... It turned out the choice had already been made at this very mont.
Reviews
All reviews (0)