Cooperation

The Xuelong Empire's deployment of nuclear weapons struck immense panic across the nations of the Central and Eastern continents, involuntarily reminding people of the horrors from the Age of Turmoil. Spurred by this terror, nations closely sought to huddle together for warmth, banding together against the fear wrought by the Xuelong Empire's actions. Many nations naturally turned first to Chixing, the former world hegemon. But... The Xuelong Empire's sudden "madness" had left all of Chixing equally bewildered. Furthermore, the Xuelong Xie family's power within the Artifact Nurturing Realm was visibly superior to that of the Chixing Jiang family. Before uncovering why the Xuelong Empire had suddenly run amok, they dared not act rashly. Aside from stepping up their own defenses, they could not care less about the survival of other nations. Spurned and forsaken by all sides, these countries had no choice in their desperation but to turn their sights to the Jishi Society—the very organization that had dealt Chixing a massive blow not long ago, leaving Chixing completely helpless. Although they remained skeptical about whether the Jishi Society could truly stand up to Chixing, the Chixing Empire treated them with utter indifference. Left with no alternative, they naturally chose to throw themselves back into the embrace of the Jishi Society. The Jishi Society understood this as well. Originally, the Jishi Society had relied on financial support from various nations to function properly. To some extent, the Central-Eastern nations had held the initiative. Now, however... With the prior betrayal by the Central-Eastern nations, and the Jishi Society having proved its might by confronting the Chixing Empire head-on, the tables had completely turned. If these nations wanted to rejoin the Jishi Society, the price they had to pay was no longer a mere pittance of money, materials, and manpower as before. Under Yaoguang's instruction, divine weapons, precious artifacts, spirit pills, and rare medicines from various nations were delivered to the Jishi Society one after another, which were then handed over to Yaoguang. Although the divine weapons and precious blades provided by each nation were not worth an extraordinary amount—advancing the branch of the [Nine Ranks of the Martial Path] by one to two percent at most—there was sheer strength in numbers among the pledging nations. The prominent nations alone grew from thirty-some to forty-three, and counting the smaller countries, the new Jishi Society ultimately encompassed more than eighty nations. The world truly seemed to be polarizing into a tripolar state at blinding speed. ... While the Chixing Empire sat back and watched the Xuelong Empire and the Rebirth Society tear at each other's throats, Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and Ye Longxing returned to Mount Yuhuang Villa, where Yaoguang was quietly cultivating. Accompanying them was another delegation. Leading this group was a tall woman in her early thirties, possessing long blonde hair and refined features. ... "Eldest Princess Xie Yier?" Hearing Ye Longxing's introduction of the woman, Yaoguang looked somewhat surprised. Gazing at Yaoguang's youthful face, the blonde woman was equally filled with emotion. "Even though we have seen Your Excellency Yaoguang's photos and video records in our dossiers, seeing you in person still leaves me incredulous. It is difficult to imagine that someone as young as you could single-handedly carve through the Chixing Imperial Palace, slay Chixing Emperor Jiang Shengtian, the true dragon of the Jiang family Jiang Xuntian, Jiang family elder Jiang Ruolong, and other top leaders, and then depart calmly despite Lei Ting's interception." "You flatter me," Yaoguang nodded slightly. Glancing at Hong Chuan beside him, he turned his gaze back to her. "So... you have come this time seeking cooperation?" "Yes." The Eldest Princess of the Xuelong Empire nodded slightly. "We hope to cooperate with Your Excellency Yaoguang to deal with the Rebirth Society together." "The Rebirth Society?" Yaoguang was slightly surprised. "I thought you would want our power to counter the Chixing Empire." "Chixing? Those people... were it not for our wariness of their power in the Artifact Sect, they would be nothing more than rotting bones in a tomb." Xie Yier made no secret of her disdain for the Chixing Jiang family. "The Rebirth Society and the Moon Demon Empire behind them are our true mortal threat." Once the Rebirth Society was eliminated and genuine intelligence regarding the Artifact Sect was obtained from them... If the Artifact Sect had truly been destroyed by the Moon Demon Empire, the Jiang family would lose their backing in the Artifact Sect, and the Chixing Empire could be annihilated with a flick of a hand. Yaoguang was not surprised that the Xuelong Empire knew the Rebirth Society's true background. However... "I do not understand. During the decade or so since the Rebirth Society first surfaced, the Xuelong Empire stayed completely out of it. Why is it now... that you have suddenly become so aggressive in acting against them?" Yaoguang asked. Before coming, her clan's think tank had rehearsed various questions Yaoguang might raise, and the upper echelon had briefed her on what could be said and what could not. Thus, facing Yaoguang's question, she did not hesitate, speaking candidly: "The Rebirth Society made an unforgivable mistake, forcing our hand into taking a dangerous gamble." Looking at Yaoguang, she asked directly, "Has Your Excellency Yaoguang ever learned of the true nature of the Moon Demon Empire?" "I am investigating it. During this time, I have also continually had the Jishi Society track the whereabouts of the Rebirth Society's members, especially their president, Mo Guang," Yaoguang said. "Still, I would like to hear what progress Xuelong, the world hegemon, has made in understanding the Rebirth Society." Xie Yier did not mind Yaoguang's tactical deflection, stating plainly, "Although Xuelong never made a direct move against the Rebirth Society over the past dozen-plus years, our research and investigations never ceased. According to our findings over these years, we have discovered that the Moon Demon Empire walks a purely Divine Path system." She paused before continuing, "Does Your Excellency Yaoguang understand the Divine Path in detail?" "Naturally." Yaoguang nodded slightly. "Refining qi into spirit, focusing primarily on visualization and the psyche, then condensing the psyche into a divine soul and deriving divine mind, reaching the pinnacle in perception and investigation..." Here, he paused. "At advanced stages of cultivation, it culminates in seizing souls, possession, and manipulating living beings." "Correct." Xie Yier nodded. "The Moon Demon Empire is clearly the culmination of the Divine Path. Through their study of specialized techniques and with the help of external aids resembling instruments and formations, they can enable individuals—or rather, demon souls—to descend directly into this world and take over. Because they have a profound understanding of cultivation and possess a complete strengthening system, once they enter this world and obtain a physical body, they will rapidly grow powerful..." "Demon souls..." Yaoguang had long harbored suspicions regarding the entities of the Moon Demon Empire. These creatures... were very similar to the "extraterrestrial demons" he had read about in certain biographies. However, the extraterrestrial demons of the Moon Demon Empire were undoubtedly far stronger than the extraterrestrial demons he knew of. This was likely due to specialization. Compared to other extraterrestrial demons, the demon souls of the Moon Demon Empire had practically systematized how to corrode a world. Opening conduits, descending, possessing, lurking, infiltrating, demonizing, and so on. It was practically a standardized process. At this moment, something seemed to click in Yaoguang's mind, and he asked abruptly, "The Moon Demon Empire behind the Rebirth Society... possessed an important figure in the Xuelong Empire?!" "Yes." Xie Yier gave a heavy nod. "They possessed the supreme powerhouse of our Xuelong Empire—Xie Bo'en!" These words momentarily stunned Yaoguang. Beside him, Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and Ye Longxing were similarly shaken to their core, their eyes filled with disbelief. "Xie Bo'en?!" Hong Chuan could not help taking a deep breath. "Rumors in the outside world say Marshal Xie is the only high-tier cultivator in the world today..." "He is," Xie Yier responded unequivocally. For a moment, the Spirit Intent Martial Saints exchanged glances, all feeling their scalps tingle with dread. A high-tier cultivator! A Heavenly Being! The cornerstone Heavenly Being of the Xuelong Empire had actually been descended upon and possessed by a powerhouse from the Moon Demon Empire behind the Rebirth Society?! How... How could this be possible?! Furthermore... Was information involving such utmost core secrets something they were even permitted to hear?! "What on earth happened? It was said that nuclear warheads were detonated at Mount Yujing at the time..." Ji Pingtian could not help asking. "That was an order given by Second Grandfather when he realized he could no longer resist the possession and corrosion by that terrifying powerhouse of the Moon Demon Empire! He wanted to perish together with that demon!" A Heavenly Being's physique was so strong that ninety-nine percent of conventional weapons were useless against them. As for the remaining one percent... they either could not hit them or had other limitations. In the present world, the only weapons that could truly threaten a Heavenly Being were wide-range, high-yield nuclear weapons. However, considering that every Heavenly Being could typically prop up a powerful empire, before a nuclear weapon could be launched and transported, the country and intelligence apparatus backing the Heavenly Being would inevitably receive advance warning, allowing them to evade. Therefore, the threat nuclear weapons posed to Heavenly Beings... was only nominal. Yet if a Heavenly Being took the initiative to request a nuclear strike upon himself... "Then what was the final outcome..." "It failed." A flash of anguish crossed Xie Yier's eyes. "At the final moment, Second Grandfather failed. The primal fear inherent to life gave the Moon Demon of the Rebirth Society an opening to seize control of him at the very last second. In the end... he evaded the epicenter of the nuclear blast... He might be gravely wounded, but he is definitely not dead." "Not dead..." The moment those words were uttered, everyone realized the gravity of the situation. Behind the Rebirth Society lay a vastly superior cultivation system. And if that powerhouse from the Moon Demon Empire could forcibly possess Xie Bo'en, who was a high-tier Heavenly Being, how terrifyingly strong must he be himself?! Nine layers of the Divine Path would likely not suffice! Nine times out of ten... it was an entity on par with one who had established the Dao Foundation. An astounding realm, coupled with a Heavenly Being-grade physique... Once that monster recovered, who in the world could withstand him?! No wonder the Xuelong Empire had gone mad over the past month or so, hunting down the Rebirth Society's forces everywhere and relentlessly dropping nuclear bombs onto their territory. "During this period, we have been relentlessly tracking that demon's whereabouts to deny him any breathing room... But not long ago, he vanished," Xie Yier said, her tone laden with gravity. "We lost his trail." "Since that monster from the Rebirth Society poses such a colossal threat, the first party you should have allied with is Chixing, not the Jishi Society..." Yaoguang voiced the doubt in his heart. "It is different. The Chixing Jiang family... cares only about returning to the Artifact Sect. If they learned of this, they would never fight the Rebirth Society to the bitter end. Instead, they would likely take advantage of the chaos to greedily plunder everything they could before leaving. But you are different..." Xie Yier looked at Yaoguang. "You are the number one bounty target within the Rebirth Society."