406: Chapter 406 Consolidating the Alliance, Chen Wuwang's Far-Reaching Strategy

Just as the eastern sky began to pale, the giant bronze gates of the Chen Family Main Hall slowly opened with a roar.

The morning breeze carried the scent of scorched earth into the hall, fluttering the crimson battle flags hanging from the beams, their surfaces still stained with blood that hadn't dried from the previous night.

Teams of Alliance representatives arrived from all directions, stepping into the hall with heavy footsteps.

The Chuanyun Sect Elder leaned on a jade staff, his brow furrowed into a knot; the Leiyin Pavilion envoy stood with crossed arms, eyes downcast.

The Cangling Clan's airship commander had damaged shoulder armor, yet still stood straight in the front row.

In the center of the Main Hall, Chen Wuwang stood atop a high platform, his long silver-white hair slightly lifted by the morning breeze, his left Mechanical Prosthetic Eye glinting with a faint blue light as it scanned the room frame by frame.

"Is everyone here?" he spoke, his voice not loud, yet it suppressed all other noise.

"Everyone is here," a messenger replied in a low voice before retreating to the side corridor.

Chen Wuwang slowly walked down the steps, his boots tapping against the stone surface with a crisp sound.

He stopped in the middle of the crowd and looked around, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

"Last night's battle is over," he said. "Five thousand rebels, completely annihilated. The mastermind has been executed, and the remnants have been cleared. The scorched earth zone at the east gate of Qiming Plain has been sealed, and the bodies are being incinerated."

No one responded. Some lowered their heads, some frowned, and others peeked at him secretly.

"I know what you are thinking," Chen Wuwang sneered. "'We won, so shouldn't we discuss rewards based on merit?'"

"'The Chen Family contributed the most this time; will they take the opportunity to annex us?'"

"'Will we have to follow only his orders from now on?'"

He paused, his fingers resting on the hilt of the dagger at his waist, tapping it lightly.

"But I want to ask one thing—if no one had discovered the Leyline anomalies in advance last night, if no one had set up a fake defensive line, if no one had activated the Spiritual Pivot Backup Core... would you be standing here now, or lying in a mass grave?"

The Chuanyun Sect Elder finally looked up: "Head of the Chen Family, it is a fact that you held the intelligence, but our clans also sent out reconnaissance airships, deployed personnel, and provided underground tunnel maps. This victory was not achieved by your family alone."

"I never said it was," Chen Wuwang stared at him. "What I am saying is—if it weren't for the coordinated defense of all clans, the Eastern Desolation would have already changed hands last night. The enemy was waiting for us to act independently so they could pick us off one by one."

He raised his hand, and a light screen appeared in his palm, scrolling with dense data:

[Cangling Clan: Dispatched seventeen level-three reconnaissance airships, with a cumulative patrol of three hundred and sixty miles]

[Xuansha Tribe: Opened three underground secret passages, assisted in deploying eight hundred ambush troops]

[Wang Family of Chiji Ridge: Held the eastern line for three days, forty-three Cultivators killed in action]

[West Desert Sand Clan: Provided two analysis reports on the enemy's mecha energy frequency]

"I remember all of this," Chen Wuwang's voice deepened. "This isn't the Chen Family's merit log; it's the path to survival that each of you fought for with your lives. Since we share the risks, why can't we share the future?"

The Leiyin Pavilion envoy looked up: "Then what do you want? A unification order? Military talismans? Or do you want us to hand over our ancestral secret scriptures?"

"I don't want your secret scriptures, nor will I touch your military power."

Chen Wuwang shook his head, "What I want is very simple—when the next crisis comes, I want you to be able to send me a message immediately, instead of waking up only when the flames of war have reached your doorstep."

He walked slowly toward the Chuanyun Sect Elder, looking him straight in the eye: "Elder Zhang, am I right? Three years ago, when your son was kidnapped by the Zerg, I sent people to rescue him."

"You said at the time that as long as his life was saved, the Chuanyun Sect would be willing to stand together with the Chen Family. Does that still hold true?"

The old man's throat trembled, and his hand gripping the staff tightened: "It holds true."

"Good." Chen Wuwang turned to face everyone. "I don't want to be the Alliance leader; I want to build an Alliance that can survive."

"The enemy won't retreat because of one failure. They will come again, and they will be more ruthless, faster, and more covert."

He raised his hand, and the light screen switched to show a phantom map covering the entire Eastern Desolation, marked with seven red nodes.

"These seven places were once outposts; they were destroyed last night. Within today, I will rebuild them and connect them to a unified early warning System."

"If any location experiences abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations, the signal will be transmitted simultaneously to the headquarters of each clan. Whoever receives it responds; a reply must be given within thirty breaths."

"What about the emergency response?" the Cangling Clan leader asked.

"Establish an Inter-clan Emergency Group," Chen Wuwang replied. "Each clan provides three people to be on standby on a rotational basis. When attacked, the nearest support will be dispatched under unified coordination. Command authority does not lie with the Chen Family, but with the rotating chief envoy—determined by drawing lots every month."

The hall was quiet for a few breaths.

Then, the Xuansha Tribe representative slowly stood up: "I agree."

Next was the Head of the Wang Family of Chiji Ridge: "I also agree."

One by one, over a dozen leaders stood up and cupped their hands to express their support.

The Chuanyun Sect Elder finally sighed: "I've noted the conditions. But what if someone abuses the alarm or disrupts order? How will that be handled?"

"Those who give false reports will be expelled from the Alliance," Chen Wuwang said coldly. "If significant losses are caused, they will be executed according to wartime law."

The Leiyin Pavilion envoy suddenly laughed: "You speak quite grandly. But what if one day you, the Head of the Chen Family, want to annex territory yourself and send a false alarm to send our people to their deaths? What then?"

Chen Wuwang looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"Hahahahaha—!"

The laughter echoed in the hall, shaking the dust from the beams.

He suddenly pulled out his dagger and stabbed it into the bluestone beneath his feet, the entire floor instantly cracking into a spiderweb pattern.

"If I, Chen Wuwang, ever betray the Alliance," he stared at the man, "may I be struck by lightning, have ten thousand swords pierce my heart, and after death, may my soul be eternally suppressed in the Leylines, never to be reincarnated. Is this oath enough?"

The whole place fell silent.

After a long while, the Leiyin Pavilion envoy lowered his head: "It's enough."

Chen Wuwang sheathed his blade and walked back to the high platform.

The Joint Warning Mechanism will be implemented on a trial basis for three months starting today. Those with no objections, leave your blood signature. Those with objections, it's not too late to withdraw now.

No one moved.

He nodded: "Good. Before we adjourn, one last thing—"

His gaze swept over everyone, his tone suddenly low: "Last night's rebellion was orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. I don't know who it is, but I know they haven't given up. The real storm may still be ahead."

He paused for a moment, his voice even softer: "So, please remember today's promise. Don't wait until the fire is singeing your eyebrows to remember who once gave you a hand."

After saying that, he no longer looked at anyone and turned toward the side hall.

Behind him, the Alliance members stepped forward one after another, pressing their blood-stained fingerprints onto the Jade Slips.

Some spoke in low voices, some looked solemn, and others watched his departing back, silent for a long time.

Chen Wuwang walked through the corridor and pushed open the wooden door to the side hall.

Inside, five family deacons had been waiting for a long time, with a thick stack of documents spread out on the table.

"Let's begin." He sat down and picked up a pen. "First, finalize the list for the emergency group. Then, summon the heads of Artifact Refining, Formations, and the Medicinal Fields; I want to see the implementation details."

The tip of the pen touched the paper, making a rustling sound.

Outside the window, the morning sun had completely leaped over the mountain peaks, illuminating the entire Chen Family Main Peak.