The Tree Universe.
The Slay-Quan Alliance was situated in a world akin to the Zhen Realm.
However, this was no game world, but rather a broken world possessing an extraordinary degree of secrecy.
Several centuries had flashed by since the three Chen brothers joined the Slay-Quan Alliance. By probing the alliance's Mighty Ones with indirect questions, they had gradually developed a fresh understanding of the Tree Universe and the outside realm.
At that moment, the three brothers had gathered atop a mountain peak, communicating through mental strength.
"Eldest Brother, Third Brother, we've gotten our hands on the item," Chen Huohai said excitedly to the other two, seated upon a stone bench.
Though Chen Dahai tried his best to maintain his composure, an elated edge still crept into his voice. "Good, very good. This way, when we face Quan Juehua, we won't have to worry about him using a Transcendence-grade item."
Only after spending a long time in the Slay-Quan Alliance had they realized just how great their luck had been.
Quan Juehua possessed a Transcendence-grade item, and most likely one with horrifying effects—a fact universally acknowledged by all the Mighty Ones.
Had they not struck preemptively back then, they would have had no room to resist once Quan Juehua unleashed that Transcendence-grade item.
It was precisely because they learned how terrifying Transcendence-grade items were that they had stayed in the Slay-Quan Alliance, hoping to obtain an item capable of countering most Transcendence-grade items before seeking out Quan Juehua for vengeance.
"There's no point in staying in this alliance any longer. Shall we leave right now?" Chen Huohai asked.
The Slay-Quan Alliance had three alliance leaders in total. The First Leader was Longjing Tea, who was said to be a tea plant that had gained self-awareness after being watered with dragon blood. He eventually assumed human form and cultivated for countless ages before finally becoming a Mighty One of unfathomable strength.
Furthermore, Longjing Tea was exceptionally skilled at winning people over.
His tea leaves could help Mighty Ones comprehend rules, and no one in the entire Slay-Quan Alliance could resist their temptation. As a result, the entire alliance was effectively his personal domain.
The Second and Third Leaders were, in reality, Longjing Tea's underlings, assisting him in recruiting talent. Now that Quan Juehua's whereabouts were unknown, the Slay-Quan Alliance had only grown stronger, even showing faint signs of dominating the myriad worlds.
Many factions previously formed to combat Quan Juehua had disbanded one after another before the Slay-Quan Alliance's tremendous prestige. Countless Mighty Ones had either joined the alliance or fled far away.
The three Chen brothers had seen through it as well: the Slay-Quan Alliance was simply using the threat of Quan Juehua to continuously expand its power. Slaying Quan Juehua had actually ceased to be its primary objective.
"Yes, this is no place to linger. We'll leave first, plan our next move carefully, find Quan Juehua, and exact our revenge!" Chen Dahai nodded in agreement.
The three had long since figured out the entire Slay-Quan Alliance's situation. With their strength, virtually no one in the alliance could match them anyway, so their departure disturbed no one.
It was not until several days after they left...
Xu Gouzi hurried flusteredly into Longjing Tea's quarters and cried, "Leaders, disaster has struck! The three Chen brothers..."
"They've left?" Longjing Tea beat him to the question.
Xu Gouzi froze, then nodded. "The Leader is truly prescient! Today, Hu Laosan was patrolling the secret realm and discovered that the three Chen brothers have likely been gone for quite some time."
"This was within expectations. There is no need to panic," Longjing Tea said calmly.
He glanced toward the Second and Third Leaders and smiled. "From the very beginning, the three Chen brothers were never walking the same path as us. They merely wanted to use the alliance for revenge. But we must consider far more. Vengeance is my wish, but ruling the myriad worlds is equally my desire. Once Quan Juehua is executed, we will together restore clarity to the myriad worlds and forge a new golden age!"
"The Leader is brilliant!" Xu Gouzi quickly bowed his head and shouted.
Longjing Tea chuckled. "Keep a close eye on the myriad worlds. If a major battle breaks out, we must know immediately. Monitor as vast an expanse as possible!"
"Yes!" Xu Gouzi replied.
After Xu Gouzi departed, Longjing Tea looked at the other two leaders with boundless ambition and asked, "What do you two think their chances of successful revenge are?"
"Country bumpkins are just country bumpkins in the end. Quan Juehua's strength is unfathomable. If the three Chen brothers hadn't walked such a rare path, how could they have ever injured him?" Second Leader Nikolai Sabins said with an arrogant sneer.
Though the three Chen brothers were extraordinarily powerful, he simply looked down on them. Initially, their horizons had been far too narrow; with just two Transcendence-grade items in hand, he could have slaughtered the three of them with ease.
Now, the three brothers had obtained a Transcendence-grade item from the alliance, but in truth, First Leader Longjing Tea had deliberately allowed it, intending for them to take the item and fight Quan Juehua to the death.
To Nikolai's eyes, the three Chen brothers were merely powerful beasts. No matter how strong they were, he would never view them as his equals.
Third Leader Hattori Hanzo was far more cautious, remarking prudently, "Quan Juehua is strong, but Calamity Origin is inherently ominous. While it brings disaster to the myriad worlds, it also backlashes against its master. At least until Quan Juehua completely achieves Origin Return, his luck will remain atrocious, making him prone to violent deaths and similar catastrophes.
"The three Chen brothers already possess strength Above the Mighty Ones. It is not impossible for them to kill Quan Juehua. Of course... the best outcome would still be mutual devastation, or even mutual destruction!"
"Hahahahaha! Exactly! Mutual destruction would be best! When that time comes... the myriad worlds will all fall into our hands!" Longjing Tea burst out laughing upon hearing this.
Had the three Chen brothers not appeared, Longjing Tea's plan would have been to recruit even more experts, gathering troops around the perimeter wherever Quan Juehua slaughtered his way through.
Once Longjing Tea accumulated enough power to kill Quan Juehua, he would have struck with thunderous force and eliminated him completely.
Yet the current situation was even better. With the three Chen brothers around, their faction had grown so formidable that countless forces viewed them with dread. That was precisely why a small faction like theirs had rapidly grown capable of dominating the myriad worlds.
Opportunities were fleeting. Because he had been the first to recruit the three Chen brothers, he was naturally the first to reap the rewards.
As Longjing Tea envisioned his future as the sovereign of the myriad worlds, Nikolai lowered his head and poured him a cup of tea, followed by one for Hattori Hanzo, before finally pouring his own.
Hattori Hanzo glanced at the two of them and sneered inwardly. Longjing Tea was consumed by ambition, and Nikolai was equally unwilling to remain in the background, but none of it mattered.
Because Hattori Hanzo was Quan Juehua's man.
Though he had not willingly become Quan Juehua's lackey, his life was held firmly in Quan Juehua's grasp; he had no choice but to obey his every command.
Not just the Slay-Quan Alliance, but many other alliances had long since been infiltrated by Quan Juehua's hounds.
Every single one of them was indulging in pipe dreams, entirely unaware that Quan Juehua was simply saving the grand feast for last. All of them were merely dishes on Quan Juehua's banquet table.
Chapter 745