993 Alliance
After his talk with Yan Liling, Wang Wei returned to his cultivation as he silently watched over the world. However, it did not take him long before he received a summon from the Steward and had to send a projection to another community.
Immortal Ascension World, Dharma Sword Sect: The Dharma Sword Sect was once one of the best factions in this world. However, in this generation, they cultivated their first Eternal Emperor and a truly peerless talent.
Today, all the upper echelons of the sect⌜including the one from the Immortal Realm⌜waited outside Sword Heart Mountain.
Countless eyes gazed at the metallic mountain that was composed of trillions of swords and was emanating a terrifying Dao Rhyme that any swordsman would salivate over.
"Has it been confirmed that the sect master will exit his retreat today?" asked a Supreme Elder in the Quasi-Emperor Realm.
"That's what the ancestors said, so it should be true," replied another Supreme Elder. "All we have to do is wait."
Everyone nodded and remained quiet. More than half an hour later, a supreme Sword Will manifested above the sky before turning into Dho Rhymes that fused with Sword Heart Mountain.
A few seconds later, Ji Lanfang appeared in white clothes before them. His aura was peaceful and less restrained, appearing as if he had returned to his carefree nature in his youth. However, they would be mistaken if someone had this notion about him. Underneath that carefree attitude was unparalleled power and confidence.
"What is it with all this fanfare? Did something happen?" asked Ji Lanfang. He usually does not like these over-the-top ceremonies, and these people knew this. But for all of them to appear here showed their anxiety.
"Fang'er, something happened that needs you to make a decision," said an elderly man with no eyebrows. For many reasons, no one would dare make fun of this man despite his odd look.
Firstly, he cultivated a monster apprentice, like Ji Lanfang or the Sword Flash Emperor. Although Kong Bolin claimed he rarely taught his apprentice anything and did not like to take too much credit for the latter's success, it did not change he was the one who discovered Ji Lanfang and introduced him to the way of the sword.
Secondly, despite failing his generation's battle, Kong Boling was also a great swordsman known as the Righteous Heart Sword God. His title was due to his accomplishments and also his personality. For example, his eyebrows are gone because he made a nonbinding bet with someone once and lost. So, he kept his word despite having multiple opportunities to grow them back without the world seeing him any differently.
"In the end, what exactly happened?" asked Ji Lanfang, who instantly scanned the entire Immortal Ascension World and did not find any trouble, changes, or chaos.
"Let's go to the hall to discuss," said Kong Bolin, and the group immediately headed to the Sect Master Hall.
"A delegate from the Dao Opening Sect arrived a while ago," he explained immediately as soon as his adopted son sat on the chair.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"The Dao Opening Sect?" muttered Ji Lanfang as he observed his left hand. Different from his right, the skin on his left hand was gray, making the entire aesthetic of his body slightly odd and appealing at the same time.
After his battle with Wang Tian, he lost his arm to the power of nothingness. However, such a disability did not stop him as he suppressed his generation with one arm. After proving the Dao, he did not immediately regenerate his arm.
Instead, he spent time gathering the Power of Nothingness to condense a new arm capable of withstanding the power of that strike and maybe even going beyond.
"I'm guessing it's not a simple invite since all of you are so riled up," he stated.
"You're correct. They wanted an alliance between our two worlds, but that's not the key issue."
"Oh, so Wang Wei was indeed the final winner; Well, it would be surprising if he did not win."
"Focus," said Kong Bolin.
"Oh, right, you said this was not the crux of the issue. So, what was it?"
"The Heavenly Emperor Karmic Position," replied Kong Bolin before explaining everything to his adopted son. Ji Lanfang was quiet after hearing everything before saying:
"I have no interest in the Heavenly Emperor Position. However, it is indeed a good way to accelerate my cultivation," he commented. This comment did not surprise people since they understood their sect master quite well.
"Why did the Dao Opening Sect reveal such important news so easily?" asked Ji Lanfang. The alliance was not even established, yet they granted them this information for free.
"According to the ambassador, news about the position was leaked to a few dozen Heaven Will World."
"So, the information is not as valuable as we thought? No, knowing Wang Wei, he won't ask us for an alliance with such useless news."
"That's correct. The ambassador claimed their leader was the first person to open this path, and anyone who came afterward had to pay him compensation. As allies, we don't have to pay."
"Pay compensation? How did he ensure people would definitely pay?"
"According to them, he cursed the entire position.
So, anyone who refuses to pay will suffer a fate worse than death."
"Curse the entire position?"
Ji Lanfang frowned after hearing this. It's not impossible to do such a thing, but it would require Wang Wei to secretly travel to all 3800 Heaven World Will and cast that curse. However, his intuition as a swordsman told him things were not so simple.
He closed his eyes as he tried to deduce some information. However, over the years, he had studied countless sword techniques, including the Sword of Fate, which can be used for divination and affect a person's fate.
Or the [Causality Sword] that is guaranteed to hit his opponent no matter the circumstance.
"What a terrifying curse," exclaimed Ji Lanfang as he opened his eyes, his face slightly pale.
"Fang'er, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm just surprised how powerful he was."
"Even you can't defeat him?"
"If that curse is an indication of his power, I doubt anyone in the lower dimension is his opponent."
"So scary?"
Ji Lanfang did not say anything else. Words alone cannot describe the terror of that curse. His master did not continue on this topic, so he asked instead: "What do you think?"
"It's fine to ally with them. I've always believed Wang Wei was ambitious and had grand plans.
With his ruthlessness, he won't hesitate to deal with us if we get in his way."
"So cruel?"
"No, he still values family and friendship. So, he would probably seal or exile me for his father's sake. However, I don't know how he would treat the sect."
"So, what you're saying is we should use his rise to get as many benefits as possible?"
"Correct."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Sect master, may I say something," said another Supreme Elder.
"Don't be so restrained. We are swordsmen, so be bold."
"Alright. My concern resonates with the sect master's words. We are swordsmen, so our mind needs to keep a certain level of purity and alienation toward the mundane world.
"I'm worried that our alliance with the Dao Opening Sect will have an adverse effect⌜especially if we focus too much on pursuing profit."
"That's a valid concern," nodded Ji Lanfang. "The main reason I accepted the alliance so easily is because of the revival of the UltimateSwordsmanship Path in the next generation.
"That time is when our sect can truly rise and benefit the most. However, I won't be present then, so we might have to rely on the Dao Opening Sect to guarantee our benefit."
The Ultimate Sword Path has almost ruined their sect due to internal contradictions. Luckily, the sect master proved the Dao and ensured the transition of the sect with minimal loss.
However, despite this change, the Extreme Sword Path has not died yet, with some reckless and stubborn people remaining. No one knows what these people will do once Ji Lanfang leaves, so he must prepare for the true rise of the extreme sword path in the next generation.
"As long as the sect master has this in his heart,"
nodded the Supreme Elder.
"Since it's decided, let's discuss how to establish the court," continued Kong Bolin. "According to the ambassador, other factions will intervene in the process, and Wang Wei offers his help if we need it, but at a price."
"From how you speak, it seems they have encountered a similar situation before."
"Yes, in the Star Beast World."
"Mu Lei?" asked Ji Lanfang, remembering the Deception Trial.
"Yes, him."
"You don't have to worry about this. With my strength, we can deal with the chaos as long as everyone does not immediately surround us."
He was an Eternal Supreme with a 4-Fold Battle Realm, so dealing with a dozen Immortal Sovereigns was not a problem.
"In that case, let's plan things slowly and perfectly," said Kong Bolin with a wide smile, making him look even weirder without hiseyebrows.