Factions

"Hmm?" Yaoguang looked at Xie Yier, waiting for her explanation. She did not beat around the bush. "During this period, we have been relentlessly hunting the Rebirth Society. Although we still haven't eliminated that monster from the Moon Demon Empire, we have wiped out many of their high-ranking executives and extracted crucial intelligence from their lips." Xie Yier continued, "From top to bottom, the entire Rebirth Society is gathering intelligence on you, regarding you as their greatest enemy." Her gaze flickered slightly. "Operating on the principle that the enemy of an enemy is a friend, we sought you out at the first opportunity. Furthermore, we believe that if you can compel the Rebirth Society to treat you with such extreme gravity, there must be something extraordinary about you." Yaoguang keenly caught the subtle shift in Xie Yier's eyes. A moment's thought was enough for him to understand what she was thinking. "You suspect that I also hail from the Moon Demon Empire? But that I don't follow the same path as the Rebirth Society? Much like how your Xie family and the Jiang family are both part of the Artifact Sect, yet belong to different factions?" Yaoguang asked. Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others could not help glancing at Yaoguang. Ji Pingtian in particular... Although he had personally tested Yaoguang not long ago and confirmed he had no ties to the Rebirth Society, still... For Yaoguang to command such serious treatment from the Rebirth Society, his background could hardly be ordinary. If push came to shove, he might, like that terrifying entity within the Rebirth Society, be an existence on par with Dao Foundation establishment. An existence of that caliber would have countless ways to conceal the truth from a Spirit Intent Martial Saint like Ji Pingtian. Besides, just as Xie Yier had suggested, perhaps Yaoguang simply did not belong to the same faction as the Rebirth Society, which was why they were hostile toward each other. "Factions do not matter, nor does background. In judging whether a living being is good or bad, what truly matters is observing their words and deeds," Xie Yier stated directly. "The Cangwu Great World has never lacked the breadth of mind to embrace all rivers. Within the territory of our Artifact Sect, humanity is not the only race—there are beastfolk, sea folk, artifact spirits, and more. As long as they embrace the stance of our human race and integrate into our culture, we can accept them as one of our own." Her words made Ji Pingtian nod inwardly. Origins, race, and background were irrelevant; what mattered was their stance. Moreover, all of this was mere speculation; the exact truth remained unknown. Their interactions over this period had already led Ji Pingtian and the others to accept Yaoguang. They would not commit some folly that would grieve their friends and gladden their enemies merely over a few words of suspicion from an outsider. They were not that foolish. "The Rebirth Society." Yaoguang thought back to Leng Tianfeng, who had called himself a Soul-Commanding Envoy of the Sixth Fleet of the Moon Demon Empire's Divine City Expeditionary Army. From the information extracted by the Soul-Capturing Orb, it was easy to infer that he had not truly died. Moreover, Leng Tianfeng himself had said that he was merely using an avatar when speaking with him. Recalling the message left behind intentionally at the moment of his "death"... Yaoguang even suspected that the Moon Demon Empire demon that possessed Heavenly Being Xie Bo'en was Leng Tianfeng's true body. Having descended in person, he was set on wiping away his past humiliation. Under these circumstances, another battle between the two was indeed unavoidable. With this in mind, he asked, "How do you intend to cooperate?" Xie Yier's eyes lit up, and she promptly said, "We hope Your Excellency Yaoguang will join our encirclement campaign against the Rebirth Society and lure out their remnants." At this point, she added, "Since Your Excellency is the Rebirth Society's top bounty target, if you make a move and let those rats lurking in the shadows sense an opportunity, they will definitely jump out without hesitation..." "Not necessarily," Yaoguang said. "Since that demon possessing Marshal Xie Bo'en only needs a period of recuperation to recover, they could easily lay low for a while. Once it is fully restored and possesses the might of a Heavenly Being, it can sweep across the world at will." "That is why we need to build momentum." Xie Yier looked at Yaoguang, her eyes earnest. "We will announce publicly that you are on the verge of breaking through to the Heavenly Being realm..." She immediately followed up, "Of course, to demonstrate our sincerity, we are willing to provide all the cultivation resources you require, doing our utmost to swiftly propel you into the realm of a high-tier cultivator so that you truly possess the qualifications to confront that demon from the Rebirth Society." Yaoguang felt a flicker of surprise. Were the people of the Xuelong Empire truly so benevolent? To put it bluntly, weren't they afraid of nurturing a tiger that would eventually bite back? Perhaps... they had plans he was unaware of? Still... Regardless of what their plan was, judging by the situation at hand, the Xuelong Empire did seem quite sincere. Naturally, that was contingent on them truly providing tangible benefits. "A compelling proposal," Yaoguang said calmly. "However, I need to see your sincerity." "As for the cultivation resources you require, we will prepare and deliver them to you as quickly as possible—" "No need to rush on the cultivation resources," Yaoguang said. "You intend to use me as bait to draw out that demon possessing Xie Bo'en... If this plan is truly feasible, I will inevitably face immense danger. Therefore, I require the Xuelong Empire's finest divine weapons and battle armor." Xie Yier hesitated for a moment, but soon replied, "I will report this to Imperial Father immediately. I expect you will receive a satisfactory answer shortly." "Go ahead," Yaoguang said. "Excuse me." Xie Yier bowed slightly and withdrew. Once Xie Yier stepped back and departed, 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 Eldest Princess Xie Yier to discuss cooperation with you. If we can unite with the Snow Dragon Federation, the pressure we face—whether against the Rebirth Society or Chixing—will be drastically reduced." "I understand," Yaoguang nodded slightly. Whether the Snow Dragon Federation or the Crimson Star Empire, in the eyes of the Jishi Society—and indeed, all prominent clans and royal families across the world—both were formidable, terrifying behemoths. Rooted in the Artifact Sect, the foundation they commanded was potent enough to plunge any challenger into despair. Much like how the original founding purpose of the Jishi Society had never been to oppose Chixing or make an enemy of it, but merely to secure recommendation slots from Chixing to enter the Artifact Sect. It was only after an anomaly occurred within the Artifact Sect and the Star Gate remained unopened for decades, rendering that objective unattainable, that their goal shifted from reclaiming slots to seeking survival and growth under the oppression of Chixing and Xuelong, striving to form a three-pole world order. The dread and reverence every person and faction held toward Chixing and Xuelong ran deep to the marrow of their bones. Now that Xuelong had taken the initiative to seek cooperation, it was something they could only dream of; they naturally dared not let such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by. "Very well. Build your own momentum as quickly as possible. If you wish to become one of the three world poles, you cannot rely on me alone," Yaoguang said. Spirited by his words, Ji Pingtian, Hong Chuan, and the others promptly replied, "Rest assured, President! In today's world, nations have suffered under Chixing for too long. Especially now, the Snow Dragon Federation's actions have left royal families everywhere fearing for their lives, and enthusiasm for joining our Jishi Society has surged to unprecedented heights. Before long, this alliance centered around the Jishi Society will truly possess the influence to stand as one of the world's three poles." "Good." Yaoguang nodded, adding, "Remember to collect the alliance entry fees." "Understood," Ji Pingtian nodded hurriedly. "Compared to Chixing, which demanded money while affording them neither dignity nor status, we only ask them to contribute some resources to guarantee their safety. Our terms are far more lenient. Almost none of the newly joined nations have refused this reasonable request." What he said was the truth. For the royal families of these nations, spending some money was truly a trivial matter. Beyond a certain threshold, money was merely a number. The lifestyle of someone worth a hundred billion did not differ much from that of someone worth a trillion. As long as their status and safety could be assured, anything could be negotiated. "Very well. 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 hold back: "Speaker Yaoguang... the path the Jishi Society walks may not be the same as ours. And that Snow Dragon Federation is definitely harboring ill intentions. Cooperating with them..." "I know," Yaoguang cut him off. He looked at this Prosecutor General of the Supreme Procuratorate, who had been hostile toward him at first but was now serving wholeheartedly at his side, and finally added, "It will simply come down to who possesses the greater means." Hearing Yaoguang say this, Kong Fang fell silent for a moment and eventually nodded. He knew he could not influence Yaoguang's decisions. Yaoguang had his own plans. His current growth had hit a bottleneck; unless he was willing to grind it out over eight or ten years, seeking variables was inevitable. Just as he had said, it all came down to each party's means. ... On the other side. Not long after leaving Mount Yuhuang Villa, Xie Yier boarded a dedicated communications vehicle. The vehicle was packed with an array of electronic instruments, exuding a sci-fi aura. Shortly after boarding, Xie Yier connected the signal, and a figure soon appeared on the display. It was none other than the President of the Snow Dragon Federation, Xie Lang. "How did it go?" "He agreed," Xie Yier said, a touch of excitement in her voice. She quickly added, "However, in addition to cultivation resources, he made another demand: he wants us to bestow upon him a set of top-tier divine weapon battle armor to counter any attack from that monster of the Rebirth Society." Xie Lang nodded slightly. "To put his mind at ease, give it to him." Narrowing his eyes, he continued, "As long as we can obtain the Star Gate technology possessed by the Moon Demon Empire behind the Rebirth Society and reconnect with the Artifact Sect, everything will be worth it." Hearing this, Xie Yier hesitated. "Can we truly reconnect with the sect through the Rebirth Society's Star Gate technology?" "Didn't that monster from the Moon Demon Empire manage to descend smoothly precisely by piggybacking on the coordinates we transmitted when opening the Star Gate? The researchers at the Star Gate Research Institute have already run the calculations. If we can supplement our methods with that technology, opening the Star Gate to return to the sect will be well within our grasp." Xie Lang stated, "As long as we can open the Star Gate back to the sect, all our difficulties will be resolved." "But what if..." Xie Yier hesitated for a moment. "What if what the Moon Demon Empire said is true..." Xie Lang fell silent. Only after quite a while did he speak again: "Toward this Excellency Yaoguang, we have shown sufficient sincerity... haven't we?" Hearing that, Xie Yier suddenly saw the light. Choosing a side... Had already taken place at this very moment.