Chapter 293: The Turning Point

Chapter 293: The Turning Point

November 24th, 2024

"Lord Su Nan, has the Star Alliance been slacking off lately?"

After the initial greetings, Gavin spoke with a hint of resentment in his voice.

Su Nan smiled faintly and said, "It's not that we've been slacking. We've just acquired three new planes, and there's a lot to handle. Everyone in the Star Alliance has been busy lately.")



".

Gavin's mouth twitched slightly at this boastful statement, and his gaze became even more intense.

The Thousand-Headed Bird and the Blackthorn Tower had fought fiercely, suffering significant losses, yet they had still failed to capture even a single plane.

In contrast, the Star Alliance had swiftly conquered three planes, greatly expanding their territory and filling their coffers, leaving others envious. In comparison, the Thousand-Headed Bird seemed particularly disheartened.

Gavin sighed and got to the point.

"What conditions would the Star Alliance require to join us in a counterattack against the Blackthorn Tower?"

Hearing this, Su Nan's smile faded, and he spoke seriously, "The Star Alliance is willing to collaborate with the Thousand-Headed Bird against the Blackthorn Tower, but on the same condition as before: each side will tackle different planes."

"No problem!" Gavin agreed without hesitation.

Combining forces of different factions without prior coordination would only reduce efficiency. It was more effective for each side to tackle separate planes, a strategy both parties had already agreed upon.

The real challenge was the next question.

"Which planes does the Star Alliance intend to take responsibility for?" Gavin asked solemnly.

Among the nineteen remaining planes of the Blackthorn Tower, some were rich in resources, while others were barren.

Some were dominated by humans, while others had non-human civilizations as the primary races.

The value of these planes varied greatly.

Both the Star Alliance and the Thousand-Headed Bird were keen on targeting the more valuable planes.

Su Nan waved his hand, and nineteen three-dimensional models appeared in the air.

Gavin's gaze fixed on them, his eyes narrowing slightly.

These models represented a portion of the terrain and environment of the Blackthorn Tower's nineteen planes.

It was clear that the Star Alliance had done its homework, making it difficult for Su Nan to deceive them.

"Among the nineteen planes, only three are dominated by humans, and six are considered resource-rich. The only plane that meets both criteria is the Dark Dragon Plane, the headquarters of the Blackthorn Tower."

"Let's exclude the Dark Dragon Plane. But I want the Tenor Plane and the Purplish Moon Plane."

As the Blackthorn Tower's headquarters, the Dark Dragon Plane was undoubtedly heavily guarded, beyond the Star Alliance's reach. Thus, Su Nan promptly excluded it.

The Tenor Plane was one of the two remaining planes dominated by humans, and it was also rich in resources. It could be considered another Starlight Continent, akin to the Starlight Continent two thousand years ago, before the Elemental Desert.

The Purplish Moon Plane was one of the five resource-rich planes, excluding the Dark Dragon Plane.

Notably, the Purplish Moon Plane lacked an intelligent civilization, inhabited only by various exotic beasts. The entire plane was in a primitive state.

However, the Purplish Moon Plane was home to tens of thousands of rare magical plants, with vast natural gardens of single species. It was like an ultra-large, natural magical plant garden with an incredible variety.

Additionally, the environment of the Purplish Moon Plane was ideal for cultivating magical plants.

As far as Su Nan knew, the Blackthorn Tower had established many plantations there.

If they could seize this plane, the Star Alliance could become self-sufficient in medicinal ingredients, enabling them to train more Runesword Knights and Wizard Apprentices.

Hearing Su Nan's words, Gavin hesitated, then frowned and said after a moment of thought, "Agreed, but the Star Alliance must also take responsibility for two more planes."

"Which two?"

"The Baikal Plane and the Barton Plane."

Su Nan paused for a few seconds before nodding in agreement.

"Alright."

Unlike the Purplish Moon Plane and the Tenor Plane, the Baikal Plane and the Barton Plane lacked human races and were relatively resource-poor.

Moreover, the native races in both planes were formidable, making them challenging targets.

Su Nan had anticipated Gavin's request, knowing that the Thousand-Headed Bird wouldn't let the Star Alliance reap benefits without shouldering responsibilities. In exchange for two high-value planes, the Star Alliance would also have to bear a greater burden.

Assigning the Star Alliance to attack the Baikal Plane and the Barton Plane, which were of relatively lower value, would help divert some of the Blackthorn Tower's forces.

With the reduction of fifteen planes, the Thousand-Headed Bird's pressure was significantly alleviated.

Although they lost the Purplish Moon and Tenor Planes, which were high-value planes, overall, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

After all, the Thousand-Headed Bird might not have been able to conquer the Purplish Moon and Tenor Planes in the first place, so it was not a matter of sacrifice.

"Pleasure doing business with you!"

"Pleasure doing business with you!"

After the agreement was reached, Gavin swiftly departed from Ulana City.

As the Overseer of the Thousand-Headed Bird, he had numerous affairs to attend to and couldn't afford to stay away for too long.

"With four more planes' worth of forces, the Thousand-Headed Bird will likely intensify their offensive," Gavin said.

After Gavin's departure, Li Ze entered the study.

She had overheard the entire conversation.

Su Nan smiled and said, "Isn't this better? With the Thousand-Headed Bird taking the lead, our pressure will be somewhat relieved."

For the Blackthorn Tower, no matter how successful the Star Alliance's previous battles had been, they were never as threatening as the Thousand-Headed Bird.

After all, the power gap was evident, and the Thousand-Headed Bird's overall strength surpassed that of the Star Alliance.

If the Blackthorn Tower focused on dealing with the Star Alliance, the Thousand-Headed Bird might seize the opportunity to strike, and the losses would likely be far greater than just three planes.

Unless the Star Alliance's offensive was exceptionally swift, capturing the four planes of Purplish Moon, Tenor, Baikal, and Barton in a short time, the Blackthorn Tower might shift its primary target.

In truth, while the Star Alliance had alleviated some pressure for the Thousand-Headed Bird, the latter had also shielded the Star Alliance from most of the pressure.

The foundation of their cooperation was mutual benefit.

"What's next?" Li Ze asked.

Su Nan thought for a moment and replied, "Same as before. Focus on the Purplish Moon and Tenor Planes, while containing the other two planes."

"However, we can slow down the offensive to avoid drawing too much attention from the Blackthorn Tower."

With three new planes in their possession, the Star Alliance was already well-fed. They could now advance or defend as needed, using low-intensity warfare as a catalyst for gradual development and consolidation.

Once they accumulated enough strength, they could launch a sudden and powerful attack, swallowing all four planes at once.

By then, the war between the Blackthorn Tower and the Thousand-Headed Bird would likely be at its most intense, leaving them with little capacity to deal with the Star Alliance.

During this period, the command of the war could be delegated to others, allowing Su Nan to focus on cultivation and striving to break through to the third level of crystallization.

In the year 2320 of the Starlight Calendar, the Star Alliance simultaneously launched an offensive against the Tenor, Purplish Moon, Baikal, and Barton Planes.

After the initial fierce battles, the Star Alliance forces quickly established a forward base and secured a foothold in the four planes.

However, instead of capitalizing on their initial victory with a vigorous offensive, the Star Alliance opted for a steady and cautious approach. They consolidated their occupied areas, transported troops, and expanded outward at a slow yet deliberate pace, leaving the garrisons of the four planes perplexed.

Nevertheless, with the Star Alliance's success in capturing three planes, the Blackthorn Tower had no choice but to respond, despite their doubts and uncertainties.

Thus, a protracted war began.

Meanwhile, the Thousand-Headed Bird, having withdrawn forces from the four planes, redirected its strength to invade other planes with renewed vigor.

Driven by the desire for quick results, the Thousand-Headed Bird opted for an all-out offensive instead of a slow and steady strategy.

The war between the Blackthorn Tower and the Thousand-Headed Bird intensified dramatically.

Time flew by, and the Wizard Civil War showed no signs of ending; instead, it escalated further, spreading from the upper echelons to the lower ranks, drawing in more and more second and third-rate wizard forces.

In the year 2343 of the Starlight Calendar, the Steel Assembly launched a war against the Greenwild Council, sending millions of automaton puppets to invade the Blueplain Plane, the latter's home.

In 2384, the Secret Silver Assembly launched a surprise attack on the Longfeather Plane, a vassal plane of the White Heron Tower, killing over a hundred wizards, including two third-level wizards. The White Heron Tower, enraged, retaliated by attacking the Secret Silver Assembly's home plane, the Argent Plane.

In the year 2400, the Thousand-Headed Bird and the Blackthorn Tower clashed in the Saber Plane, mobilizing over five million troops and hundreds of wizard towers. This epic battle lasted nearly two years, ultimately ending in a bitter victory for the Thousand-Headed Bird.

The Blackthorn Tower's forces were expelled from the Saber Plane, and the Thousand-Headed Bird successfully seized this resource-rich plane, marking the first Blackthorn Tower plane conquered by the Thousand-Headed Bird since the outbreak of the Wizard Civil War over a century ago. This victory signaled the beginning of their counterattack.

In 2424, two True Spirit Sorcerers from the Sea Whale were ambushed in the Realm of Truth by multiple True Spirit Sorcerers from the Flame Guild, Pale Mask, and Cocoon Guild. In the ensuing battle, one of the Sea Whale's True Spirit Sorcerers perished, while the other managed to escape.

The news spread, shocking everyone in the Wizard World.

This was the first time in over two thousand years that a True Spirit Sorcerer had died outside of a deity-slaying battle.

After this battle, the intensity of the Sorcerer Civil War escalated to a new level. Numerous Wizard factions abandoned their reservations, and the war became increasingly fierce and heated.

In the year 2487 of the Starlight Calendar, a True Spirit Sorcerer from the Pale Mask was ambushed by a joint force of Raven, Clifftop Guild, and Abyssal Dawn, affiliated organizations of the Codex of Wisdom. Both True Spirit Sorcerers perished in the battle.

In 2502, the Codex of Wisdom deployed five True Spirit Sorcerers, who, together with a True Spirit Sorcerer from the Thousand-headed Bird, ambushed a True Spirit Sorcerer from the Blackthorn Tower in the Realm of Truth.)



Two of the three True Spirit Sorcerers from the Blackthorn Tower were killed, and the third was injured, dealing a severe blow to the Blackthorn Tower's Essence.

Over the following decades, ambushes targeting True Spirit Sorcerers became frequent among various Wizard factions, causing them to become reclusive and reduce their visits to the Realm of Truth.

In 2533, the major Wizard factions reached an agreement to cease targeting True Spirit Sorcerers, but in return, True Spirit Sorcerers were prohibited from participating in the war. Violators would face a united assault from all Wizard factions.

In 2658, the Steel Assembly conquered the Blueplain Plane, and their famous Steel Tide within the Multiverse annihilated the Greenwild Council's headquarters, killing all the high-ranking Wizards within.

The Greenwild Council became the first Wizard faction to be completely wiped out since the start of the Sorcerer Civil War! It was also the first Wizard faction to be eradicated in nearly ten thousand years! Despite being a third-rate Wizard faction without even a True Spirit Sorcerer, their destruction caused a significant stir, with the repercussions reaching beyond the Wizard World to various Planar factions.

As a result, the raging Sorcerer Civil War suddenly cooled down significantly.

It was as if the various Wizard factions had been doused with cold water, causing them to pause and reflect on the meaning of this war.

The Sorcerer Civil War seemed to be at a turning point—would it end or intensify further? Many were watching and waiting to see what would happen next.

Sacred Tree Plane, Codex of Wisdom Headquarters.

Roning stared at the documents on the table, his brows furrowed, and his mood was somber.

Without the support of affiliated organizations, the Codex of Wisdom was at a disadvantage in its battle against the Dark Throne.

So far, six planes had fallen to the Dark Throne.

Although the loss of six planes was insignificant compared to the hundreds of planes controlled by the Codex of Wisdom, it was still an ominous sign.

For now, the Codex of Wisdom could hold its ground, but if the situation didn't improve, they would eventually collapse.

When that happened, a chain reaction would likely worsen the Codex of Wisdom's predicament.

He had to start making preparations!

Snapping back to the present, Roning turned to his deputy standing before the desk and asked gravely, "Still no news from the Thousand-headed Bird?"

"No, Deputy."

The deputy shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke,

"In the Saber Plane, the Thousand-headed Bird won, but it was a close call, and they suffered significant losses as well."

"The Thousand-headed Bird's foundation was never as strong as the Blackthorn Tower's, and they've only just recovered. Although they conquered two more planes afterward, they lost one soon after, and now they're in a tense stalemate with the Blackthorn Tower. It's unlikely they'll make significant progress anytime soon."

Roning's expression darkened slightly.

Previously, he had pleaded with the Wisdom Guild to intervene, deploying multiple Grand Scholars and uniting various affiliated organizations' True Spirit Sorcerers to ambush and kill the Blackthorn Tower's True Spirit Sorcerers, all to pressure the Blackthorn Tower and create an opportunity for the Thousand-headed Bird to expand its advantage.

However, the Thousand-headed Bird failed to seize this hard-earned opportunity, which was truly disappointing.

He had initially hoped that the Thousand-headed Bird would quickly defeat the Blackthorn Tower, freeing up resources to support the Codex of Wisdom, but now it seemed that this plan was no longer feasible.

After a long silence, Roning suddenly asked,

"What about the Star Alliance? I haven't heard much from them lately."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end