Chapter 261: The Frustrated Alliance Master, the Message Talisman

Chapter 261: The Frustrated Alliance Master, the Message Talisman

The extensive search by the Yu Shen Zong and the Su family failed to locate Xu Yan and Meng Chong. Instead, it exposed the Wan Shi Alliance, which had been hidden all this time.

"Yet another alliance formed by rogue cultivators?"

The Yu Shen Zong and the Su family, already incensed, flew into a rage upon discovering the hidden Wan Shi Alliance, a group of rogue cultivators. They even suspected that the reason Xu Yan and Meng Chong had eluded their search was due to assistance from the Wan Shi Alliance.

Within the Wan Shi Alliance, Alliance Master Yu and the others were feeling extremely frustrated.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong were experts at staying hidden. Despite the Yu Shen Zong and the Su family employing all their resources, they couldn't find any trace of them!

Unfortunately, the unintended consequence of this was that the long-hidden Wan Shi Alliance was now exposed.

The only silver lining was that the Yu Shen Zong and the Su family merely believed the Wan Shi Alliance to be an organization of rogue cultivators, no different from the usual solitary cultivators.

Even so, the spiritual sects and aristocratic families of Yu State sprang into action, determined to eradicate the Wan Shi Alliance completely.

They would not tolerate any rogue cultivator organization gaining significant power.

For a time, the martial arts world of Yu State descended into chaos, with battles breaking out between cultivators.

However, the turmoil in Yu State did not reach the tranquility of the manor.

It was as if the manor existed in a realm outside the troubles of the world, untouched by external disturbances.

Li Xuan had already begun studying the fifth page of the Tai Cang Book and was in the process of illustrating the heavenly laws, which he then instructed his four disciples to meditate on.

He was laying the foundation for harnessing the heavenly laws for his divine powers, preparing to cultivate his divine powers further.

"The Martial Arts Divine Shadow is about to break through the hundred thousand mark."

Li Xuan suddenly realized that the Martial Arts Divine Shadow was just one step away from reaching a hundred thousand.

The number of Great Wilderness Warriors was increasing rapidly, and they were truly entering a stage of rapid development.

Finally, a few days later, the Divine Shadow broke through the hundred-thousand mark.

"Your Martial Arts Divine Shadow has broken through the hundred thousand mark, and you have gained the Divine Martial True Form."

Li Xuan was delighted. The Divine Martial True Form was formed by the fusion of a hundred thousand Divine Shadows. It was like an avatar, yet not quite an avatar, as it was connected to his original consciousness and completely under his control.

More importantly, this Divine Martial True Form possessed ninety percent of the power of his true self!

"This is much stronger than the Divine Shadow. If an enemy matches my strength, having the Divine Martial True Form is like having two against one—a sure victory!"

His strength had increased once more.

Li Xuan was in high spirits.

"Your disciple Meng Chong has broken through the first level of the Unbreakable Golden Body, and you have perfected the first level of the Unbreakable Golden Body."

Meng Chong had broken through.

Not long after Meng Chong's breakthrough, Su Lingxiu also made a breakthrough, reaching the small achievement of the Divine Will state.

"Your disciple Su Lingxiu has reached the small achievement of the Divine Will state, and you have perfected the Divine Will state in your alchemy and martial arts."

The feeling of advancing in strength was truly wonderful.

Among his four disciples, Fang Hao was currently the weakest in terms of strength, but he was also close to a breakthrough.

Li Xuan called Fang Hao to him and offered guidance, suggesting that he create a treasure for communication to facilitate easier contact.

The communication methods within the Spirit Realm were relatively backward.

While the parent-child pearls could transmit some messages, they were rather limited. For example, the breaking of a specific pearl would signify a particular meaning.

For more detailed communication, one would need to use a spirit swallow, similar to the flying kite of the Inner Realm. However, this method of communication carried the risk of being intercepted.

Although the spirit swallows were fast, they did not provide instantaneous communication, especially for long-distance transmissions across states, which could take several days.

Even within a single state, sending a message from the south to the north would take more than a day, despite the speed of the spirit swallows.

There was also the risk of the message being intercepted during the journey.

Cultivating spirit swallows was not a cheap endeavor, and establishing a communication system required a significant amount of resources.

Even second- and third-rate spiritual sects and aristocratic families struggled to build a widespread communication system and could only use it within their own territories.

The parent-child pearls were used by the spiritual sects and aristocratic families for emergency communications.

For example, the breaking of a particular pearl would signify a crisis, while the breaking of another pearl would be a call for help.

Now that they had already created treasures for alchemy, array formations, and restrictions, how could they lack a communication treasure?

Therefore, Li Xuan suggested that Fang Hao create a communication treasure to facilitate easier contact.

Even if they couldn't achieve instantaneous communication across the entire Spirit Realm, they should at least be able to communicate with each other within a certain range.

After receiving guidance from Li Xuan, Fang Hao was overjoyed and began contemplating the creation of a communication treasure.

Outside Qinglin City in Yu State, Alliance Master Yu stood in mid-air, with the left and right guardians of the Yu State branch of the Wan Shi Alliance behind him.

"You two are also rogue cultivators. Are you so willing to sell your lives for the spiritual sects and aristocratic families? Do you truly believe that they will treat you as one of their own?"

Alliance Master Yu spoke in a deep voice.

In front of the three of them were two rogue cultivators at the Refining God stage, who had some reputation in Yu State. However, when the Yu Shen Zong and the Su family were searching for Xu Yan and Meng Chong, they recruited these two into their fold.

Now, these two were External Affairs Elders of the Yu Shen Zong!

After discovering that the Wan Shi Alliance was an organization of rogue cultivators, the Yu Shen Zong gave these two a chance to prove their loyalty. If they succeeded, they would truly become elders of the Yu Shen Zong and be considered part of the spiritual sect.

Thus, the two captured martial artists from the Wan Shi Alliance, leading to the scene where Alliance Master Yu appeared to block their path.

"Rogue cultivators have no future. The spiritual sects and aristocratic families are the right path. That's just how it is in the Spirit Realm, so don't delude yourselves into thinking you can change the situation."

One of the Refining God rogue cultivators said coldly.

"It's because of people like you that we rogue cultivators will never rise!"

The left guardian shouted sternly.

"Nonsense!"

The other Refining God rogue cultivator sneered, "Look at Blood Demon from the past. How powerful was he? What happened to him in the end? Can you compare yourselves to the Blood Demon of old?"

"You're the one talking nonsense! If it weren't for someone's betrayal, would Blood Demon have changed so drastically? Wouldn't he have secured a place for us rogue cultivators?"

The right guardian shouted angrily and moved to attack.

"Alliance Master, these rogue cultivators are despicable. They should be eliminated!"

As the right guardian made his move, the rogue cultivator's face changed drastically.

"Mid-stage Refining God... How is this possible?"

He was stunned, and his figure flickered as he tried to escape.

Rogue cultivators often lacked cultivation resources, and even their cultivation techniques were usually mediocre. As a result, even if they broke through to the Refining God stage, most of them remained at the early stage.

Their strength was generally weaker compared to cultivators from spiritual sects and aristocratic families at the same stage.

A rogue cultivator at the mid-stage of Refining God was definitely extraordinary and had likely obtained some sort of inheritance.

Hum!

Suddenly, a beam of white light streaked toward them, causing the right guardian's expression to change drastically as he frantically retreated.

Alliance Master Yu punched out, and with a loud bang, his fist collided with the beam of light, causing his figure to sway slightly.

His expression turned solemn as he looked at the two figures in front of him.

"Great Elder of the Yu Shen Zong, the strongest in Yu State—Zhu Liang!"

Zhu Liang, the Great Elder of the Yu Shen Zong, was surrounded by white light, his aura surging. His soul power rippled like waves in the air.

His face was cold as he stared at Alliance Master Yu.

"Are Xu Yan and Meng Chong your people?"

For a solitary cultivator to possess late-stage Refining God strength was extraordinary.

It seemed that this rogue cultivator organization had grand ambitions.

"Whether it's true or not, all of you will die today!" Zhu Liang declared as he stepped forward, white light surging and soaring towards the sky, his might astonishing.

"Let's see if you, Zhu Liang, have the ability to do so!" Alliance Master Yu roared, his expression grave as he dared not be the slightest bit careless.

A surge of green light appeared around him, and a long sword materialized in his hand as he stepped forward to face Zhu Liang.

The Left and Right Guardians wore solemn expressions, knowing that Alliance Master Yu's aura was weaker than Zhu Liang's and fearing that he wouldn't be a match for him. However, they were unable to assist him.

The other person who had come with Zhu Liang had his energy locked onto the two of them, preventing them from helping their master.

"Su Zheng!" The Left Guardian said grimly.

Su Zheng, the head of the Su family, had reached the peak of the mid-stage of the Refining God realm and was just a step away from the late-stage.

"We can't let any of them live. Attack together and kill him!" Su Zheng ordered the two Refining God cultivators.

"Yes, Head of the Su family!" The two cultivators hastily nodded.

Su Zheng was at the mid-stage peak, and the two cultivators were at the early-stage of Refining God. Although the Left and Right Guardians were also at the mid-stage of Refining God, they were steadily retreating in the face of the three attackers.

The cultivation of the secular families was inherently stronger than that of solitary cultivators. Moreover, Su Zheng, as the head of a first-rate family, could easily fight the two guardians by himself, let alone with the help of two early-stage Refining God cultivators.

On the other side, Alliance Master Yu was already at a clear disadvantage and was being pressured by Zhu Liang, sustaining injuries in the process.

"How dare solitary cultivators commit such an offense against a spiritual sect and a secular family? Do you know the crime you've committed?" Zhu Liang said coldly as he attacked.

Alliance Master Yu felt frustrated. He had anticipated that Zhu Liang's strength would surpass his, but he hadn't expected the gap to be so significant.

No wonder he was the strongest in Yu State.

What made him even more depressed was that the Wan Shi Alliance had been lying low, but then Xu Yan and Meng Chong had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, destroying secular families and killing Refining God cultivators, openly defying Yu Shen Zong and the Su family.

This had driven the two forces nearly insane, leading them to conduct a massive search throughout Yu State. However, they hadn't been able to find Xu Yan and Meng Chong, and instead, the long-hidden Wan Shi Alliance had been exposed.

"We can't continue fighting; otherwise, we'll undoubtedly die!" Alliance Master Yu transmitted his voice to the Left and Right Guardians, planning to find an opportunity to escape while fighting desperately and retreating.

"Do you think you can get away?" Zhu Liang asked calmly, his fists and palms emitting white light that transformed into countless strands, attacking Alliance Master Yu relentlessly and worsening his injuries.

The Left and Right Guardians also felt frustrated. They wanted to escape, but Su Zheng's strength was too formidable.

"Let's do it!" The Right Guardian took a deep breath and unleashed a full-force attack on one of the Refining God cultivators, ignoring Su Zheng's assault.

The Left Guardian gritted his teeth and charged forward, solely defending against Su Zheng's attacks. As for the other Refining God cultivator's strikes, he could only ignore them for the time being.

Boom!

The cultivator's face paled as he hastily defended himself while retreating. However, his strength was significantly inferior, and he quickly sustained non-trivial injuries.

Meanwhile, the Right Guardian seemed to have gone crazy, relentlessly attacking the cultivator as if he intended to kill him at all costs!

The cultivator's face contorted with fear, and he fled, taking refuge behind Su Zheng. Seizing this opportunity, the Right Guardian also turned to escape.

The Left Guardian kept coughing up blood, having sustained serious injuries, but he managed to escape as well.

"Solitary cultivators are all useless!" Su Zheng coldly glanced at the injured cultivator who had dodged the Right Guardian's attacks, his expression filled with disdain.

He didn't pursue the escaping Left and Right Guardians; instead, he turned his attention to Alliance Master Yu.

This Refining God cultivator in the late-stage was even more deserving of death! Aside from Zhu Liang, there were no other Refining God cultivators in Yu State, neither in the spiritual sects nor the secular families.

Any second- or third-rate secular family would face the threat of annihilation if they encountered such an opponent.

Even first-rate spiritual sects and families, while capable of holding their ground, would still need to worry about being defeated one by one!

Su Zheng took a step forward, intending to kill Alliance Master Yu.

At this moment, Alliance Master Yu's expression changed drastically. The Left and Right Guardians had escaped quickly, but instead of pursuing them, Su Zheng had turned his attention to him!

"Die!" Alliance Master Yu roared, his energy surging as he unleashed a secret martial art he had kept hidden. With a slash of his sword, he broke through the white light.

The sword qi swept across, forcing Su Zheng to retreat slightly, and then Alliance Master Yu fled, his figure disappearing into the distance.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zhu Liang and Su Zheng pursued him together.

The presence of a solitary cultivator at the late-stage of Refining God in Yu State, especially one who was a prominent figure in a solitary cultivator force, implied great ambition and posed a significant threat to the spiritual sects and secular families.

Ever since the Blood Demon incident, the spiritual sects and families had become extremely sensitive to these solitary cultivator forces, especially those that possessed strong experts and geniuses.

Once they discovered such groups, they would join forces to suppress them immediately, preventing them from growing too powerful and threatening the status of the spiritual sects and families.

Alliance Master Yu fled desperately, with Zhu Liang and Su Zheng in hot pursuit.

"This is bad!" Alliance Master Yu's heart sank as he glanced back, his face turning pale.

Not only was Zhu Liang stronger than him, but he was also faster. Alliance Master Yu gritted his teeth and frantically circulated his cultivation technique, trying to increase the distance between them.

However, the gap only widened.

"We need to go to the capital city of Zheng Country. Zheng Country doesn't involve itself in martial conflicts, and without a command from a transcendent spiritual sect, they won't rashly target solitary cultivator forces," Alliance Master Yu thought. "By hiding in the capital city of Zheng Country, Zhu Liang and Su Zheng won't dare to create a bloodbath there. Perhaps I'll have a chance to survive!"

With this thought in mind, Alliance Master Yu fled towards the capital city of Zheng Country.

However, along the way, Zhu Liang was about to catch up, his attacks drawing closer.

Alliance Master Yu once again used a secret martial art, causing his speed to surge as he quickly increased the distance between them. Nonetheless, his injuries worsened.

"I refuse to believe that you, Zhu Liang, would use a secret martial art just to kill me!" Alliance Master Yu thought bitterly.

When he was a thousand miles away from the capital city of Zheng Country, Zhu Liang seemed to have realized his intention. His speed suddenly increased, and he transformed into a beam of white light, swiftly chasing after him.

"Not all spiritual sect secret arts will damage the user!" Zhu Liang's indifferent voice carried over.

Although it consumed a lot of energy, it wouldn't harm the user. Of course, this type of secret martial art was relatively weaker.

But it was more than enough to catch up to Alliance Master Yu!

Alliance Master Yu's face turned green with anger, and he cursed inwardly. With a low roar, a dense bloody light emerged around him as he burned his essence blood, unleashing the most powerful secret art he possessed.

His figure suddenly accelerated, transforming into a bloody light that disappeared into the horizon.

Zhu Liang frowned, then coldly smiled, "Burning your essence blood will severely damage your foundation. Let's see where you can escape to!"

In the manor, Fang Hao was thrilled.

He held a small white token in his hand, adorned with intricate restrictions and array patterns. The center of the token was smooth like jade. After infusing true essence and inscribing words on it, the same words would appear on the other side of the token.

"Master, I've successfully refined it!" Fang Hao exclaimed excitedly.

"Good job. Let's call this the Message Talisman," Li Xuan said with satisfaction.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end