241: Attack of Yang Qiong

“Alright!”

Ji Xuan responded, “I’ll go back and ask for the imperial…”

Before he could finish the word “decree,” the Undergoing Tribulation cultivator beside him suddenly exploded, turning into a cloud of smoke.

As the smoke dissipated, a golden scroll was revealed.

Ji Xuan silently took the scroll; upon opening it, he saw it was indeed written by the Mo Emperor’s own hand.

The contents were largely the same as what Gu Liangyuan had said.

Ji Xuan glanced at the other Undergoing Tribulation cultivator beside him, whose figure shimmered, then gradually became transparent until he completely vanished.

Evidently, neither of the two people who came with him were Immortal Masters, but rather something akin to an Incarnation.

The Mo Emperor had no intention of protecting him; he was simply sent to his death.

The imperial decree was also a deliberate fallback, to be used only if he and Gu Liangyuan couldn’t reach an agreement.

Although he had secretly brought Family offerings, the Mo Emperor’s actions completely chilled Ji Xuan’s heart.

Though he was a Clan Chief of a noble Family, he was also an official of the Great Mo Dynasty.

The Mo Emperor would scheme against him like this?

Good, good, good!

All sorts of thoughts flashed through Ji Xuan’s mind, but his hands didn’t stop moving; he threw the scroll back to Gu Liangyuan.

Gu Liangyuan used his Innate Divine Eyes and a probing technique to verify it, and after confirming it was correct, he waved his hand and imprinted his Divine Soul mark onto the contract.

The moment Gu Liangyuan signed the Divine Soul mark, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the eye of heavenly punishment appeared and vanished in an instant.

The contract in Gu Liangyuan’s hand also rose into the air and disappeared into the horizon.

Everyone knew that this meant the Heavenly Dao contract had taken effect.

“Farewell!” Having completed all this, Ji Xuan showed no intention of staying and left with a flick of his sleeve.

“No need to see me off.”

Gu Liangyuan did not stop him, allowing Ji Xuan to leave.

Everyone watched this scene unfold, and those Sects who had previously considered joining the Dao Alliance now felt a desire to retreat.

Gu Liangyuan was strong, but Fu Long Court competed on overall strength below the Nascent Soul stage.

The Ancient Ink Dynasty’s Spiritual Qi was denser than Eastern Continent’s, its resources richer than Eastern Continent’s, and Ancient Mo’s territory was even twice the size of Eastern Continent!

What Gu Liangyuan possessed, however, was merely a corner of Eastern Continent, just the Tai Shang Sect and Supreme Jade Pool.

Gu Liangyuan was indeed skilled at teaching disciples; at the same level, he might be able to defeat two, or even ten, but could he defeat a thousand or ten thousand?

How many Core Formation cultivators did the Tai Shang Sect and Supreme Jade Pool have?

Tens of thousands?

Over a hundred thousand?

But Ancient Mo boasted three million mighty soldiers and a hundred thousand elites!

That’s right, those three million mighty soldiers were all Core Formation cultivators!

And most of them were relatively troublesome Body Cultivators!

They were a true iron-blooded army, constantly engaged in warfare.

Any one of them could be a Prodigy in a small Sect.

If Ancient Mo fully supported the Taiyi Holy Land, how could they even compete?

Most people were not optimistic about Gu Liangyuan, believing that he would lose.

But they also clearly knew that before Gu Liangyuan failed, he could easily crush them.

So, they all remained silent.

They neither spoke words of opposition nor mentioned joining the Dao Alliance.

“My Nanxuan Sect is also willing to join the Dao Alliance!”

Someone broke the stalemate.

The speaker was none other than the Nanxuan Sect Master, whom Jun Ao Zhi and the others had once helped.

With the Nanxuan Sect Master’s declaration, dozens more forces expressed their desire to join.

Most of these forces were weak.

They were either former vassals of the Tai Shang Sect and Supreme Jade Pool, or their Sects had declined to such an extent that they were desperately trying anything.

Gu Liangyuan accepted all comers.

He then scanned the room once more, and after confirming no one else stood up, Gu Liangyuan suddenly smiled:

“Everyone, don’t be so nervous. It’s not like I’m going to keep all of you here.”

As soon as Gu Liangyuan said this, everyone’s hearts tightened.

What did he mean by that?

A threat?

“I’ll give everyone three months. You can all go back and consider it carefully.”

“But after three months, if you still wish to join the Dao Alliance, you’ll have to pay an annual membership fee.”

With that, without waiting for anyone to reply, Gu Liangyuan immediately raised his cup:

“Let’s not talk about this anymore, everyone, please.”

As Gu Liangyuan drained his cup, everyone below acted as if nothing had happened, clinking cups and exchanging toasts, no longer mentioning the Dao Alliance.

While they showed no outward signs, most people inwardly scoffed at Gu Liangyuan’s last remark.

Pay a membership fee?

No one would join even for free, so would anyone join if they had to pay?

Due Holy Master’s constantly anxious heart finally settled down. Although this trip failed to prevent the merger of the Tai Shang Sect and Supreme Jade Pool, the Mo Emperor had made a move, which was good news.

At this moment, he had already thought about how to carve up the benefits after the Tai Shang Sect was destroyed.

After the banquet, the various major forces gathered in the square once again.

Under the witness of the major forces, both the Tai Shang Sect and Supreme Jade Pool brought out their Ancestral Master portraits, formally announcing the merger of the two families.

Gu Liangyuan was designated as the Cult Master, and also held the title of Dao Alliance Master.

Yang Qiong and Lü Qingmei’s Holy Master statuses remained unchanged, and they would jointly assist Gu Liangyuan.

The two great Holy Lands, Tai Shang Sect and Supreme Jade Pool, would take Forget-Love Peak as their main lineage, with the six peaks of Tai Shang Sect and the nine palaces of Supreme Jade Pool as supplementary.

In addition, the seven peaks and nine palaces each contributed a portion of their Legacy, all placed within the Enlightenment Tower.

Outer Sect Disciples could enter the tower for training when they advanced to Inner Sect, and would then apprentice themselves to whichever Legacy suited them best.

In this way, the Disciples of both families could exchange knowledge and gradually integrate.

This would also maximize the development of the disciples’ talents.

The ceremony proceeded much more smoothly than Gu Liangyuan had imagined; the True Martial Demon Subduing Grand Formation that had been prepared was not even needed.

After the grand assembly, the bustling Forget-Love Peak returned to its usual tranquility.

As everyone returned, the wager between Gu Liangyuan and the Mo Emperor quickly spread throughout the world.

Fu Long Court was already a major event in Eastern Continent, and now with the added wager, the eyes of the world were focused on the Eastern Continent.

The people of Gathering Treasure Pavilion sniffed out a business opportunity and opened a large betting market. The wager was simple: would the Mo Emperor or Gu Liangyuan win this Fu Long Court?

The Mo Emperor’s odds were 1.1.

Gu Liangyuan’s odds were 5.

There was no need to go to the main headquarters; any branch pavilion could accept bets, and betting would close one month before Fu Long Court.

Gathering Treasure Pavilion’s promotion further elevated the event’s popularity.

Various Holy Lands and noble Families also began to establish themselves in Eastern Continent.

They might have their own schemes, but one motivation was the same: they all wanted to gain some benefits from the struggle between the Mo Emperor and Gu Liangyuan.

At this point, less than a year remained until Fu Long Court.

Although the Immortal Gathering had ended, Gu Liangyuan kept the members of the Dao Alliance for a small meeting.

No one knew what was discussed, but when those people left, they were all beaming with joy, as if they had stumbled upon a treasure.

Outside the Supreme Sacred Ground, after Gu Liangyuan watched the last person leave, he turned to Yang Qiong and Lü Qingmei and said:

“Next, it’s time to prepare for Fu Long Court.”

“You two shouldn’t feel too much pressure; it’s fine even if we lose.”

The two women nodded lightly. Although Gu Liangyuan said this, the pressure in their hearts did not lessen at all.

They did not know about Gu Liangyuan’s Taì Sù Chaos Body; they only knew that this wager was of great importance, determining the future direction of the Tai Shang Sect, Supreme Jade Pool, and the Dao Alliance.

Previously, the two families had lived under the Mo Emperor’s threat, and now that they had finally welcomed a turning point, they naturally would not give up easily.

Seeing this, Gu Liangyuan didn’t say much else:

“Alright, everything that needed to be said has been said. Just follow the plan. I’m going back to Forget-Love Peak to see that boy Jiang Wubing.”

Lü Qingmei nodded.

Yang Qiong pursed her lips, secretly encouraged herself, and then spoke to Gu Liangyuan:

“I’ll go with you.”

Gu Liangyuan heard this and cast a questioning look at Yang Qiong.

Yang Qiong thought about the plan the six old women had made for her, suppressed the shyness in her heart, and blinked at Gu Liangyuan.

Seeing this, Gu Liangyuan only assumed Yang Qiong had something she wanted to tell him privately, so he nodded:

“Alright.”