The Modern Martial Immortal

Chapter 253: Winds and Clouds

Li Hanqiu and Yaoguang received Ye Lisha, Fu Long, Ye Lin, and several other Dharma Form and Golden Core cultivators.

Although the Thousand-Beast Sect had already begun to feel wary of Yaoguang, under the current circumstances, cooperation between the two sides was clearly the best outcome.

After discussions among the higher-ups, the two great sects signed a series of agreements.

While they had yet to form a strategic alliance, their relationship had taken another step forward.

As for why no strategic alliance had been established, both sides had their own reasons.

In the eyes of the Thousand-Beast Sect, the Nine Cauldrons Sect of the past had been nothing more than a declining faction propped up entirely by Li Hanqiu, a single Radiant Sun Golden Core perfected master. Even though the Nine Cauldrons Sect had recently released a report showcasing twenty years of rapid development, such deeply ingrained preconceptions wouldn't change overnight.

As for the Nine Cauldrons Sect, they intended to dominate the future order of the Great Cangwu World, and the Thousand-Beast Sect held the same ambition.

To a certain extent, they were both collaborators and competitors. Under such circumstances, neither side raised the matter of a strategic alliance, and they arrived at a tacit understanding.

Even so, this negotiation still pushed their relationship to a new level. A new world order was gradually taking shape as two top-tier immortal sects drew closer.

***

"The Nine Cauldrons Sect really rose out of nowhere." After returning to the Void Psychic World of the Thousand-Beast Sect, Ye Lin could not help but sigh.

Fu Long gave him a small nod of agreement.

Thinking back to what the Nine Cauldrons Sect had been like twenty years ago, it almost felt unbelievable.

At that time, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had barely reached the standard of a large sect.

It could not even compare with forces like the First Yang Sect, the Great Sun Sword Sect, or the Brahma Divine Kingdom. Even the Quicksand Sect, which had been crushed by the Infinite Star Palace, had not been any weaker than them in terms of conventional strength.

"Alright, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We both understand the situation with the Witch Sect. The Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace are manipulating the situation behind the scenes, trying to restrain us and wear us down. Under such circumstances, suddenly gaining a powerful partner like the Nine Cauldrons Sect to help share the pressure from the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace is more beneficial than harmful to us," Ye Lisha said.

"We understand that as well. It’s just... the changes came too quickly. It’s hard to adjust," Fu Long said, then glanced toward the direction of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. "Tell me, did the Nine Cauldrons Sect really obtain the inheritance of the North Sea Star?"

"The first few stages of the Primordial Creation Art are already in your hands. Given how complete the art appears to be, and the implications behind it... That's not something any prodigy could have created in a short time. With this evidence, whether it’s true or not is already quite clear," a Golden Core cultivator of the Thousand-Beast Sect said.

"So it seems like Yaoguang is the one cultivating the North Sea Star inheritance... and if that inheritance is truly this powerful, even if we restrain Yaoguang, then in the next ten or twenty years..." A trace of concern appeared in Ye Lin’s voice.

But none of the Golden Core cultivators responded. They did not know how to respond.

After a long silence, Fu Long finally said, "Send a message to the North Sea Star... I imagine the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace will do the same. Even if they cannot come, at the very least, we should see whether we can obtain the art first. Otherwise, if we allow the Nine Cauldrons Sect to develop for another ten or twenty years, the advantage we’ve accumulated over the years might not exist any longer at that point."

The other Golden Core cultivators nodded in deep agreement.

***

Similar discussions were not limited to the Thousand-Beast Sect, the Immortal Alliance, and the Infinite Star Palace. The Lunar Sect, the Dharma Heaven Pavilion, and the Golden Temple were no different.

Despite the vast distances, the earth-shaking battle that had erupted in the starry sky had been observed by Golden Core cultivators and star gods through various means.

It was precisely because they had witnessed that battle that their emotions were now so complicated.

"The Nine Cauldrons Sect... I remember that twenty years ago they were fairly mediocre. Just a backward force we could have wiped out by sending a few battle institutes. How did they suddenly become so powerful?"

"The Infinite Star Palace and the Immortal Alliance are both part of the Six Great Immortal Sects! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to rank them first and second in the Great Cangwu World. And yet, despite joining forces, they were actually defeated by the unremarkable Nine Cauldrons Sect? I heard even Janko and Mi Le, two Radiant Sun Golden Core cultivators, had to hand over all their spirit treasures just to survive. This feels unreal..."

"I only spent a dozen years focusing on consolidating my Golden Core, and even tried sealing part of my strength... but in the blink of an eye, the entire world has changed..."

"In recent years, we’ve maintained a decent relationship with the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Let’s send a team over. Perhaps they can help stabilize the situation on the Black Flame Continent."

***

Within the Brahma Divine Kingdom, the Brahma Divine Lord, a top-tier figure who had condensed a Crimson Golden Core, was reviewing intelligence gathered from various sources, as well as an important proposal jointly submitted by the Infinite Star Palace, the Immortal Alliance, the Thousand-Beast Sect, and others to the Cangwu Alliance Council.

"Re-signing the agreement that Golden Core cultivators must not interfere with the Great Cangwu World... and this time, the scope of the agreement is even broader..."

The self-proclaimed Brahma Divine Lord looked at the proposal and immediately guessed the reasons leading these Golden Core cultivators to convene such a meeting. "Are they really that scared?"

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers, passing over the Shiwan Mountains and landing upon that flourishing, rapidly developing sect beyond them.

"Afraid of a single Golden Core cultivator named Yaoguang from the Nine Cauldrons Sect?!" Even he found it hard to believe that the powerful Infinite Star Palace, Immortal Alliance, and Thousand-Beast Sect could be intimidated by a single Golden Core cultivator from the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

Yet all the information before him pointed to that truth.

He shifted his gaze back to the map of the Brahma Divine Kingdom. The map was vast, and three regions were marked in two different colors.

Two of the blue regions represented the Brahma Cult and the Brahma Sect, which the Brahma Divine Kingdom had long sought to annex. If these two forces could be absorbed, the Brahma Divine Kingdom would rise to stand alongside the top-tier immortal sects.

Aside from lacking a sufficient foundation and sufficient Golden Core cultivators to stabilize things, a unified sect would not be inferior in conventional strength to the Golden Temple, the Lunar Sect, or the Dharma Heaven Pavilion.

The remaining red region was the Shiwan Mountains that belonged to the Nine Cauldrons Sect.

In recent years, more and more battle institutes of the Nine Cauldrons Sect had been deployed into the Shiwan Mountains. Although a full-scale conflict with the Brahma Divine Kingdom had yet to erupt, the situation had grown increasingly tense.

If his judgment was correct, the upcoming military parade organized by the Nine Cauldrons Sect was nothing more than a show of force meant to intimidate the Brahma Divine Kingdom and compel them to withdraw on their own.

If they refused to withdraw, then these newly added battle institutes would inevitably mobilize in full force. At that point, every cultivator stationed by the Brahma Divine Kingdom in the Shiwan Mountains would face a deadly crisis.

The Brahma Divine Lord let out a long sigh. After taking another look at the intelligence report on Yaoguang in his hands and at the report stating that the Nine Cauldrons Sect might possess thirty-three elite battle institutes, he finally issued a divine decree to the Pope of the Brahma Divine Kingdom.

Less than half a day after the decree was issued, an announcement spread throughout the Brahma Divine Kingdom.

"To ensure that all followers of the Brahma lineage return to the embrace of the Brahma Divine Lord as soon as possible, over the next twenty years, the Brahma Divine Kingdom will shift its development focus toward unifying the Brahma Cult and the Brahma Sect, bringing the three teachings into one and becoming a single family..."

The announcement made no mention of the Shiwan Mountains.

But since the Brahma Divine Kingdom had already shifted its focus to the Brahma Cult and the Brahma Sect, matters concerning the Shiwan Mountains were naturally set aside.

In reality, less than a day after this announcement was released, orders reached the Shiwan Mountains. One after another, all their forces began an orderly withdrawal.

The moment they withdrew, the Nine Cauldrons Sect received the news.

With a single command from Li Qingshan, the battle institutes that had long been stationed in the Shiwan Mountains rapidly advanced. Without losing a single cultivator, the Nine Cauldrons Sect reclaimed control over the Shiwan Mountains.

***

"We subdued the enemy without fighting." After receiving news from the front lines that the Shiwan Mountains had been fully reclaimed, Li Qingshan burst into laughter.

Although Lou Yuyu felt some regret at not being able to make an example of the Brahma Divine Kingdom, war would inevitably claim lives. Being able to subdue the enemy without fighting was indeed the best outcome.

"Now that we're strong, the neighbors around us are naturally becoming more friendly and reasonable. Even hostile forces will no longer dare to casually dispatch Sky Patrol Warships to blockade us or encircle our borders. At most, they can only condemn us and point fingers," Jiang Zhouyue said with a smile.

"With the Shiwan Mountains reclaimed and the entire territory once belonging to the Artifact Sect restored, coupled with the victories achieved by Perfected Master Yaoguang and Perfected Master Li in their confrontation against the Immortal Alliance and the Infinite Star Palace above the nine heavens, the prestige of our Nine Cauldrons Sect now is no less than that of the Artifact Sect at its peak." As the hall master of the Public Relations Hall, Zhou Lijian was highly sensitive to the shifting situation of the Great Cangwu World.

"Having the same status as the Artifact Sect is not enough. Our Nine Cauldrons Sect was reborn from its ashes. We seek greater glory and power than the Artifact Sect ever had. Therefore, we must continue to strive forward." Zhu Yanyu, who oversaw the process of teaching the Primordial Creation Art, spoke with shining eyes. "But I believe that day is not far off."

The other hall masters nodded in agreement.

"All of this was brought about by Perfected Master Yaoguang. He truly changed the fate of our Nine Cauldrons Sect." Liang Qiu sighed with emotion.

"Back when we clashed with the Great Sun Sword Sect, Chi Songzi once said that Perfected Master Yaoguang alone was worth four battle institutes. But now, looking at it, it’s far more than that. Not even four hundred would be enough to compensate for him!" Lou Yuyu said, full of vigor. "He has already obtained groundbreaking achievements. Every move he makes stirs the winds and clouds of the Great Cangwu World! The future direction and history of this world will be written by him!"

The other hall masters nodded deeply. Yaoguang joining their sect was the greatest fortune they could have hoped for.