After listening to what Delegation Leader Xie said, Chen Chuan raised a critical question:
"Even if the Federation's operation goes without a hitch, Heavenly Master Lu of the Tianji Sect is only going to the other world to set up the ritual. When he returns and discovers something has happened to his sect, wouldn't he retaliate?"
In his view, as long as a high-tier power existed, the Tianji Sect could never truly fall. Even if every last disciple of the sect was slaughtered, so long as that figure remained, it could still be rebuilt—and at that point, would Heavenly Master Lu be in any mood for polite conversation?
It could still trigger an unpredictable war.
Delegation Leader Xie replied, "The First Delegation has a better grasp of the specifics; I'm not clear on the full details right now. Based on what little information we have, the Federation supposedly has a way to handle this matter. In fact, after learning of this, the First Delegation didn't take it at face value right away. They conducted an investigation through our covert departments, and it now appears to have been confirmed."
He added in a low voice, "During these two years of negotiations, to determine whether the Federation was truly committed and to uncover all the specific intelligence, we sacrificed many comrades."
Chen Chuan pondered this. Regardless of how the Federation pulled it off, since it had been verified by Great Shun, they likely had a genuine way to ensure that such fallout wouldn't occur afterward.
Assuming they didn't need to worry about the Heavenly Master for the time being, then all the Federation had to deal with were the four—or rather, three—Zhenren.
All four Zhenren of the Tianji Sect possessed the strength of the Dongxuan View. Even if one was out of the picture, there were still three. Even leaving aside the Tianji Sect's esoteric rituals, taking them down would hardly be simple.
To ensure success, the forces deployed would have to be at least double their number.
He reasoned, "In that case, the Federation might need to mobilize five or more Dongxuan View martial artists for this. A battle of such scale is bound to cause global shock and attention. It would be impossible to keep under wraps."
Delegation Leader Xie said, "This time, the Federation won't be acting alone. Once the operation is formally finalized, they will bring in other countries, mega-corporations, and even some religious sects—primarily allies and partners of the Federation."
Chen Chuan said, "Under such circumstances, the collateral damage would definitely be massive. How does the Federation plan to guarantee the safety of the Ring of the World?"
The Ring of the World was of paramount importance. Clashes between so many Dongxuan View martial artists would unleash astounding destruction—unless the Federation was confident they could take it without shedding blood?
If that were truly the case, it would actually be simple.
Delegation Leader Xie replied, "I can answer that. The Federation has explicitly responded that Tianji's esoteric ritual is exceptionally stable and sufficient to withstand combat of such intensity. Even if the ritual itself fails to hold, the Federation has promised us they will use every means at their disposal to safeguard the Ring of the World. On that front, we trust the Federation's capabilities."
Chen Chuan nodded. If it was to safeguard the Ring of the World, it wasn't out of the question for the Federation to have their higher-tier powers intervene to stabilize it. In that case, there truly was little need to fear catastrophe.
He thought for another moment and said with conviction, "Once word gets out, the International Investigation Delegation will definitely try to stop it. If a precedent like this is set, more incidents of this nature might follow, and the delegation's authority could be severely undermined."
Delegation Leader Xie agreed with his assessment. "Yes, the stance of the International Investigation Delegation must indeed be considered and respected; maintaining order still relies on them. The Federation will certainly have to appease them and negotiate. In addition, the Federation needs to coordinate with the World Martial Artists Council to relax certain treaty restrictions.
"While some of these things are unavoidable and arduous, Section Chief Chen, when it comes to global affairs, if Great Shun and the Federation reach an agreement, it means nearly half of the world's power is aligned. If other major nations and corporations are willing to follow along, no organization can stand against such might.
"And there is another crucial point.
"This time, the Federation has promised not to act in the name of the state. Instead, they will have those martial artists appear as mercenaries, framing this as a clash between non-governmental entities. That way, the international order can still be maintained."
Chen Chuan gave a slight nod. Regardless of the Federation's direct orchestration, the fact that they were still willing to don this guise showed they still preferred to preserve the existing framework rather than tear it down.
Presumably, that was Great Shun's stance as well.
He asked, "From what you said just now, Leader Xie, does the Federation merely want us not to intervene?"
Delegation Leader Xie nodded. "Yes. The Federation wants no interference from us. If we were to intervene—even just by stirring up international public opinion behind the scenes or making a show of force—the Federation would find it exceedingly uncomfortable, significantly driving up the cost of the endeavor. So they approached us beforehand precisely to trade interests and promise us certain benefits in exchange for our neutrality."
His tone grew somber.
"However, if everything matches what the Federation disclosed and no higher-tier power gets directly involved, then once the Federation sets its mind to it, we could hardly stop them short of an actual military intervention—at best, we could only tie down part of their forces. That is why our leadership, after weighing the pros and cons, inclined toward staying out of it. By doing so, we can also secure certain rights and benefits for the people of Eastern Continent descent living there."
Chen Chuan nodded. Great Shun's decision was both surprising and unsurprising. The relationship between Great Shun and the Tianji Sect couldn't be described as bad, but it wasn't good either. For many years, despite private interactions, there had been virtually no contact between them at the official level.
Following the founding of Great Shun, the native former state religions—predominantly the sects aligned with the Xuan Sect—had almost entirely been wiped out. The Tianji Sect was virtually the sole surviving lineage of the Xuan Sect abroad, as many members of the Xuan Sect had fled there back then.
However, the Tianji Sect had been separated for so long, and with a higher-tier power in their ranks capable of acting as a check on the Federation, Great Shun had turned a blind eye.
On the whole, quite a few members of Great Shun's high leadership had long wished for the Tianji Sect's early demise. It was just that doing so would ultimately benefit the Federation; furthermore, with so many people of Eastern Continent descent living there, turning a completely blind eye was impossible. Thus, they had maintained a fragile, superficial relationship.
Yet if this outcome was destined to happen, and preventing it would cost Great Shun dearly, it was far better to step back and secure some advantages in return.
With that in mind, he couldn't help asking, "Then what do we stand to gain?"
Delegation Leader Xie shook his head. "I'm not clear on that for now. I've heard that we negotiated and obtained several things of immense benefit to our country from the Federation. Furthermore, once the Tianji Sect is destroyed, the Federation will share certain spoils with us."
Chen Chuan felt a stir in his heart. He recalled the conversation he had with Gao Xinjian that day. Could the promised return be the Heavenly Human Secret Diagram?
It was highly probable.
Currently, the Heavenly Human Diagrams were the most prized assets among nations and corporations. Beyond harboring the secrets of biological leaps, studying them could yield corresponding technologies and knowledge, benefiting not just individuals, but entire nations.
Moreover, the Federation and Great Shun had likely carved up the two largest slices of the pie back then. If the Federation was willing to part with some of it, there was no way Great Shun would refuse.
On top of that, the Tianji Sect likely possessed such relics as well, probably left behind by the Xuan Sect. After the fall of the former state religion, conquering the Tianji Sect might yield similar secret diagrams. If those could also be shared, the benefits would be even greater.
He considered this for a moment and said, "Since the esoteric ritual's adjustment takes place this year, the Federation is certain to strike this year as well. No wonder you said earlier that the Federation wouldn't bother with Kawatua for the time being, Leader Xie."
Delegation Leader Xie said, "Indeed. The information disclosed by the Federation claimed they would move before the end of the year, but that is likely just a smokescreen. The Federation won't wait too long, especially considering the risk of leaks, so their strike will probably come sooner than we expect. With our negotiations largely settled, I believe it's entirely possible they might launch the operation within the next month or two."
Chen Chuan fell into deep thought. If that were the case, his operation against the Primitive Sect would be much easier to carry out. With the Federation's attention bound to be concentrated on the Tianji Sect, they would have no capacity to mind other matters, which played right into his hands.
While he was reflecting, Delegation Leader Xie gazed out over the vast plateau and remarked with a sigh, "Ever since the Grand Alliance, the world has fractured into regional powers and armed factions. In the eyes of major nations, those surviving isolated regional forces are stumbling blocks hindering the consolidation of resources—targets that most urgently need to be eliminated. Before the Great Impact arrives, this is probably the Federation's only opportunity to move against Tianji."
At this point, Chen Chuan couldn't help but think of the Yuanren Company.
Strictly speaking, the Yuanren Company also held an entire continent to itself. No wonder when he spoke with Gao Xinjian last time, the latter brought up the Federation's attitude toward the company and mentioned shifting their focus to Great Shun; clearly, they had sensed something brewing.
However, while the Tianji Sect had virtually no supporters worldwide, was surrounded by enemies, and lacked outside aid, the Yuanren Company was a member of the Consortium. Its influence spanned the globe, with branches in numerous countries, commanding support on a scale the Tianji Sect could never match.
Furthermore, the higher-tier power in its possession had no esoteric ritual requiring adjustments and was ever-present. That was likely the real reason the Federation had not moved against them first.
Delegation Leader Xie added, "There is one more matter, and it concerns you personally, Section Chief Chen."
He paused briefly to let Chen Chuan's attention settle before continuing, "Because of the combat prowess you've demonstrated in the past, Deputy Delegation Leader Chu has proposed to the domestic leadership that, for security reasons, you should sign certain restrictive agreements as early as possible."
Chapter 1279