Smash!
Immortal Alliance.
Inside a palace high above the Nine Heavens.
Feng Ao, a Dharma Idol cultivator, slammed his cup directly onto the ground.
Staring at the information released by the Nine Cauldrons Sect regarding Yaoguang's cultivation base, his eyes burned with the fury of someone who had been played for a fool.
"It was him! It was him all along!"
Feng Ao could not help thinking back ten years, when they had used the excuse of a Nine Cauldrons Sect Dharma Idol attacking Dengxian Tower to extort the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Although they had succeeded back then, deep down they had still felt a slight twinge of guilt.
It was precisely because of that guilt that when the Nine Cauldrons Sect rolled out a new cultivation system that drastically reduced the demand for pills—causing Dengxian Tower to barely turn a profit—they had refrained from stirring up further trouble, quietly swallowing the loss instead.
Yet looking at it now...
Everything they had done had been manipulated in the palm of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's hand from the very beginning.
Not only was the theft at Dengxian Tower their doing, but signing that agreement had been premeditated all along.
Only they had been kept completely in the dark, congratulating themselves and thinking they had scored a massive bargain.
Just then, Feng Ao seemed to sense something.
As he sent a strand of his mind into the Virtual Spirit Realm established by their Immortal Alliance, the figure of Miller—the largest "shareholder" behind Dengxian Tower—immediately materialized.
"Feng Ao, have you seen the announcement from the Nine Cauldrons Sect?"
A chilling, terrifying glint flickered in Miller's eyes. "What utter audacity!"
"Does the Nine Cauldrons Sect think that matter is just water under the bridge, daring to step into the open so brazenly? They have zero regard for our Immortal Alliance! We must teach them an unforgettable lesson!"
The Star God Barton, who was stationed at Dengxian Tower, followed closely behind, his figure appearing in the Virtual Spirit Realm as well.
His words drew an emphatic nod from Miller.
Yet right at that moment, another figure materialized. "I fear this matter is not nearly as simple as we think. The Nine Cauldrons Sect cannot be ignorant of what publishing this information implies! This is virtually an open admission that they were behind the Dengxian Tower incident ten years ago, yet they still went ahead and did it! And considering that this cultivator named Yaoguang has simultaneously reached the pinnacle in all three systems—Star God, Golden Core, and Dharma Idol... there is only one explanation!"
This Golden Core of the Lu family stated with a grim expression, "He already possesses the strength to fear none among us... meaning he fears no Radiant Sun Golden Core! The moment we clash with him, it will inevitably become a life-and-death struggle where one side must perish!"
A life-and-death struggle!
Those words instantly sobered Feng Ao, Miller, Barton, and the rest.
The reason the present Cangwu Great World had remained in endless conflict while maintaining a certain restrained threshold—contending without fracturing completely—was that every Golden Core understood that their peers held the power to drag the entire Cangwu Great World into ruin with them.
If a clash truly reached the point of fighting to the death, there would be no victor.
However...
"If that Yaoguang already possesses Radiant Sun Golden Core combat prowess, he ought to have ascended above the Nine Heavens instead of lingering within the Cangwu Great World. Is he trying to use this method to threaten us?" Miller asked.
The Lu family's Golden Core, Lu Xi, glanced at him. "Back then, he had not publicly revealed his cultivation, nor had he displayed his deterrence as a Golden Core realm cultivator, so we had no grounds to criticize his presence in the Cangwu Great World. He understands this well himself. Now that he has made his strength public, his true body... has indeed ascended above the Nine Heavens. Moreover... he even chose a dead planet—Planet 6713, the closest to our Cangwu Great World."
At these words, surprise flickered in the eyes of Miller, Feng Ao, Barton, and the others.
What was going on?
So obedient?
Ascending above the Nine Heavens without resistance the moment he demonstrated his strength?
One had to know that many cultivators would invent all sorts of excuses to drag out their time, staying within the Cangwu Great World rather than ascending.
After all, how could the luxuries above the Nine Heavens compare to life within the Cangwu Great World?
Feng Ao, however, gradually realized something a moment later. His expression turned icy. "He is issuing a challenge to all of our Radiant Sun Golden Cores—on his own behalf, and perhaps on behalf of the Nine Cauldrons Sect!"
"To be precise, he is challenging the Wuji Astral Palace and our Immortal Alliance," Lu Xi said with a slight nod. "Needless to say for the Wuji Astral Palace, they have made such immense moves lately, clearly intending to suppress the Nine Cauldrons Sect. As for us..."
He turned his gaze toward Miller. "The Dengxian Tower incident requires a true resolution."
Miller's expression darkened slightly.
He once again examined the description of Yaoguang's cultivation base in the public notice.
Body refining Star God, qi refining Golden Core, spirit refining Dharma Idol!
This matched the perfect cultivation system previously mentioned on Beihai Star down to the letter.
Coupled with the Xuan Yuan Creation Technique system promoted across the Nine Cauldrons Sect over the years...
"Could the Nine Cauldrons Sect... have obtained the complete cultivation method from Beihai Star ahead of time through other channels and promoted it in advance? Otherwise, where would they have found the courage to discard their existing cultivation system and promote this across their entire sect?" Miller said.
He made no further mention of Dengxian Tower.
"I have examined the Nine Cauldrons Sect's Xuan Yuan Creation Technique. It is thoroughly tempered and exceptionally mature; it does not seem like something invented from nothing. Furthermore, although only up to the Unity Realm has been disseminated outside, this Unity Realm... is already remarkably potent. Even those who have forged an Immortal Foundation can scarcely rival it. Add to that Yaoguang's sudden high-profile emergence, and..." Feng Ao said in a heavy voice, "there is a strong likelihood that this technique is highly complete."
Hearing this, Miller felt an overwhelming urge to curse.
If Yaoguang had cultivated Beihai Star's complete cultivation system and advanced all the way to the Golden Core Realm...
Just how terrifying would his actual combat strength be?!
It would certainly not be something an unstable Radiant Sun Golden Core like him could easily contend with.
Moreover, Feng Ao had previously clashed with Yaoguang on the Dharma Idol level, and the man's divine mind had seemed even a cut above his own...
How were they supposed to fight this?!
The thought of backing down had already crossed Miller's mind.
"This battle must be fought. Unless we truly play dumb, turning a blind eye despite knowing full well that the Nine Cauldrons Sect was behind the attack on Dengxian Tower..." Lu Xi said solemnly.
At this point, his lips twitched slightly. Ten years ago, they had used this very pretext to extort the Nine Cauldrons Sect, dreading that the sect might refuse to admit it.
Yet at this very moment, he almost wished the Nine Cauldrons Sect would step forward and declare that they had nothing to do with Dengxian Tower. That way, they would have a way out—feign ignorance, endure in silence, and perhaps let the matter blow over.
As for a Golden Core like Yaoguang, who very likely possessed a complete cultivation system...
Whoever wanted to test him could go ahead, so long as the Immortal Alliance was left out of it.
Yet he understood deep down that unless the Immortal Alliance was truly willing to throw its pride onto the ground for the Nine Cauldrons Sect to trample, this battle was unavoidable.
"While it must be fought, our Immortal Alliance need not be the only ones to take the field. The Wuji Astral Palace can forget about sitting idly by," Feng Ao said from the side, having grasped his intent.
Miller calmed down as well.
"Contact the Wuji Astral Palace."
He was, after all, a figure who had possessed the mettle to cultivate a Solar Golden Core.
Once he realized the clash was inevitable, the Golden Core quickly adjusted his mindset. What remained was naturally to secure the final victory by any means necessary.
Feng Ao nodded.
He carved out a designated space within the Virtual Spirit Realm.
Before long, guided by Linden and Luofu, several projections manifested within this pocket of the Virtual Spirit Realm.
"The Nine Cauldrons Sect hid this remarkably deep!"
"It is meaningless. I do not believe a single additional Golden Core in the Nine Cauldrons Sect can alter the current balance of power."
"Who knows whether his physical body has truly reached the Star God Realm and his spirit refining has reached the Dharma Idol Realm as claimed? This could very well be an empty bluff by the Nine Cauldrons Sect, intended to scare us off, keep us hesitating, and buy more time for themselves. What we must do is strike with thunderous force and expose their little trick."
One Golden Core after another from the Wuji Astral Palace voiced their stances.
Clearly, they could not accept the prospect of abandoning their plans just after withdrawing from the Black Feather Sect battlefront at the cost of destabilizing the Heiyan Continent, all in preparation to target the Nine Cauldrons Sect.
Without a fight, they would never accept backing down either.
"Then how about a joint strike between our two factions?" Miller spoke up. "Has Yaoguang not ascended above the Nine Heavens, choosing a dead planet to set the stage, merely waiting for us to step up and perform with him? Since he possesses such confidence, why not grant him his wish?"
"We understand the Nine Cauldrons Sect's intent, but... if our two factions launch a joint assault, Li Hanqiu might refuse to sit back. He might leap right back out and cause endless trouble," a Golden Core from the Wuji Astral Palace remarked.
"Heh, as the saying goes, the barefoot fear not those who wear shoes. In the past, Li Hanqiu would naturally consider mutual destruction at the slightest disagreement, but now... the Nine Cauldrons Sect is thriving and has produced a second top-tier powerhouse. He might no longer possess that kind of recklessness and resolve," Miller said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "We merely need to gauge the proper bounds."
"The proper bounds..."
The figures from the Wuji Astral Palace understood his meaning.
"One person from our Immortal Alliance, and one from the Wuji Astral Palace. Two Solar Golden Cores joining hands will catch them off guard, defying their expected rhythm. It will give them the illusion that they might triumph if they fight with their lives, or at the very least... that preserving his life will not be difficult..." Miller said. "Yet in truth, as long as we seize this opportunity, we can directly rip out the very foundation of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's burgeoning arrogance..."
"He is, after all, a Golden Core who cultivates essence, qi, and spirit simultaneously."
"I once traded blows with him; what he condensed was merely a Crimson Golden Core," Barton stepped forward and stated.
This, however, was within their expectations.
In such a short span of time, it was already an absolute limit for the Nine Cauldrons Sect to forcefully cultivate a Crimson Golden Core. If they had truly nurtured a Radiant Sun Golden Core, their arrogance would be far more rampant, and the news would have been proclaimed across the entire world.
The Golden Cores of the Wuji Astral Palace and the Immortal Alliance exchanged glances, deliberated, and ultimately reached a consensus.
"Then one Golden Core from each side it shall be. Furthermore, just as Lord Miller suggested, we will seize this opportunity to strike with thunderous momentum and thoroughly extinguish the Nine Cauldrons Sect's arrogance!"
A Golden Core from the Wuji Astral Palace stepped forward. "The six peak immortal sects of the Cangwu Great World are more than enough. There is no need for a seventh."
His name was Zhan Ke.
He was one of the Solar Golden Cores of the Wuji Astral Palace most proficient in lethal combat.
For this operation against Yaoguang, the Wuji Astral Palace would deploy him.
"To slay Yaoguang without granting him any chance to react, we will likely need to employ our trump cards. My Immortal Alliance intends to request the top-tier spirit treasure, the Sky Cleaving Plate. With the foundation of the Wuji Astral Palace... producing a spirit treasure of the same caliber should pose no difficulty, correct?" Miller asked.
"The Sky Cleaving Plate? With such a lethal instrument, even if his Golden Core's might rivals a Solar Golden Core, we still have a high certainty of tearing his Golden Core to pieces. However, we must be careful that he does not sense it in advance and evade the spirit treasure's shredding strike..."
Zhan Ke pondered for a moment and quickly reached a decision. "I will bring along the Heaven Disrupting Ruler. That is a supreme treasure that once confounded the Awareness of even a Moon Demon Dharma Idol from the Moon Demon Empire. It is more than enough to neutralize his advantage in divine mind."
"The Heaven Disrupting Ruler!"
Miller, Lu Xi, Feng Ao, and the others lit up simultaneously.
They knew all too well what terrifying power that top-tier spirit treasure possessed.
Calling it a foundation-settling supreme treasure of the Wuji Astral Palace was by no means an exaggeration.
"Excellent! With the might of these two supreme treasures, combined with our joint efforts, even if he were a true Radiant Sun Golden Core, there would be a strong likelihood of executing him on the spot! Let alone a mere Crimson Golden Core!"
Miller said firmly, "Without delay, we shall ascend above the Nine Heavens and battle him on Planet 6713. Heh, he chose the battlefield there; even if he seeks mutual destruction upon defeat, he will not harm the Cangwu Great World in the slightest."
Zhan Ke nodded slightly.
Following their discussion, the Golden Cores departed their respective palaces and headed straight into the starry cosmos.
Chapter 246