Chapter 1739
Chapter 1739. Today, the Army Marches, the Qi Luo Sacrifice
Banners fluttered, ancient warships rumbled, one by one breaking through the spacetime portals, rushing toward the border territories of the Zhengyi Alliance to demand justice.
The momentum was enormous, overwhelming. Every star system and universe along the way trembled.
Countless cultivators and living beings quivered in fear, utterly terrified, afraid of becoming collateral damage.
All the clans and sects scattered across the vastness of existence likewise shuddered. These were turbulent times. Civilizations in the true realms had already devoted most of their energy to guarding against the encroachment of the Dark Beings.
No one had expected that the Zhengyi Alliance and the Fatians’ Alliance would choose to go to war at such a moment.
This would inevitably further destabilize the situation, giving the Dark Beings even more opportunities to exploit.
The Fatians’ Alliance was enraged, and the Zhengyi Alliance was likewise furious, claiming that this was a conspiracy by the Fatians’ Alliance.
For the sake of the common people, the Zhengyi Alliance had never intended to send assassins to kill the head of the Fatians’ Alliance. With the leader’s immense power, who in the vast cosmos could even attempt such an assassination?
Any clear-eyed observer would see that this was obviously a plot by the Fatians’ Alliance—a clumsy excuse contrived solely to target the Zhengyi Alliance.
As the saying goes, To impose a crime, what need is there to find evidence?
The various members and factions of the Zhengyi Alliance were equally furious, believing that the Fatians’ Alliance was acting with arrogance and impunity. Even such a flimsy pretext could be conjured up!
Naturally, the Fatians’ Alliance would never admit such an accusation. On the day in question, in the main hall, a blazing sun rose, releasing terrifying energy capable of destroying a universe.
Everyone who witnessed it knew—was this not a premeditated assassination attempt?
Across the Fatians’ territories and universes, more and more ancient warships gathered. Ancestors of the Dao Realm blew their horns, the sound of ancient spirals echoing, as if the ancestors themselves had returned to summon the heroes of old.
The war was on the verge of breaking out.
The head of the Fatians’ Alliance, Gu Changge, did not make an appearance, nor did he mention the alleged assassination. Most of the Fatians’ Alliance high-ranking members tacitly accepted the situation.
Within a few days, the Fatians’ Alliance mobilized everywhere—preparing troops, readying formations. In various divine mountains and secluded realms, radiant mists soared into the sky, clouds blanketed the heavens, and portals to countless small worlds opened, releasing elite troops.
For a time, it was a scene of utter panic, where every sound and shadow seemed a harbinger of war.
In a cold, damp prison inscribed with Daoist runes, Chen Yi and others slowly awoke.
Many had not yet fully processed what had happened, their heads throbbing, expressions blank and confused.
Huijue the Layman, in particular, looked dazed, staring at the prison as if in a stupor.
Chen Yi rubbed her aching temples, taking in the surroundings. The floor was covered with a simple layer of dry grass. Guards patrolled outside, occasionally casting cold, indifferent glances at them.
“Why is this happening? We didn’t do anything,” one muttered.
“We didn’t even see the leader of the Fatians’ Alliance. Yet we were treated as assassins and imprisoned.”
Chen Yi’s fair, cold beauty reflected both confusion and bitterness. She had thought that surviving the Ninety-Nine Difficulties and Eighty-One Calamities would be the end, but here was another trial waiting for them.
Now they were considered assassins attempting to kill the head of the Fatians’ Alliance, imprisoned for an unknown duration—perhaps never to see daylight again. Their injustice had no place to be voiced.
All their cultivation had been sealed, rendering them ordinary humans. Escaping the Fatians’ Alliance’s domain was nearly impossible.
The prison was pitch-black, with no energy or matter, only an ever-present strange, cold aura. From afar came the screams of other cultivators and beings—terrifying, as if countless sinister eyes watched them from the darkness.
Chen Yi and the others could even sense horrifying movements beneath the prison, suggesting that deeper layers contained even more terrifying entities.
“One imposes guilt with no need for reason,” someone muttered bitterly. “I wondered why things had gone so smoothly after arriving at the Fatians’ Alliance. Now I see… They were waiting for us here.”
“The outside world is probably in chaos already. The Fatians’ Alliance will certainly seize this chance to strike the Zhengyi Alliance.”
“Pathetic. The Fatians’ Alliance is ruthless. And the Zhengyi Alliance, foolishly hopeful for peace, has only invited disaster. Eventually, they will reap the consequences.”
An elderly man with white hair, draped in a star-patterned Dao robe, sighed. He spread some dry grass and lay down to rest, seemingly resigned to fate. He had been chosen as an envoy alongside Chen Yi, sent from a member faction of the Zhengyi Alliance.
“Is there nothing left but to wait for death?” Someone asked hopelessly.
Chen Yi remained silent. She lifted her eyes towards the deep, black prison, helplessly shaking her head.
Would anyone come to rescue them?
In the Fatians’ Alliance main hall, Chu Heng, Zhuofeng Xie, Hunyuan Jun, Jing Tianyuan, and other high-ranking members had gathered to await Gu Changge’s orders.
Ling Yuling, in a flowing white gown, appeared ethereal and pure.
Behind her, the rulers of the restricted zones who had returned with Gu Changge also stood in formation. In addition, numerous strong beings who had recently submitted to the Fatians’ Alliance were present. The weakest in the hall had already endured five cycles of Heaven’s Tribulation.
Near the hall’s outer edges, leaders of various clans and sects stood respectfully, awaiting commands.
The sheer power in the hall was terrifying, capable of sweeping through a weak true realm devoid of civilization treasures.
“Alliance Leader, the Zhengyi Alliance provoked us first. Their arrogance endangers the world, yet they still harbor ill intentions in these chaotic times,” Demon Emperor Dikun said furiously, radiating murderous intent. “I am willing to lead the Demon Court to retaliate.”
Gu Changge, clad in a dark robe with wide sleeves, hair unbound, stood with his back to everyone. He simply shook his head slightly, without replying.
“It is inappropriate. Rising in arms now will only play into the Dark Beings’ hands, and it will not benefit the vast cosmos,” he said calmly.
Mu Fuguang, usually a bystander, twitched at the mouth upon hearing this.
Other members of the Fatians’ Alliance paid no surprise, their expressions unchanged.
Dikun stepped forward, anger intensifying: “Alliance Leader, showing mercy now may bring even greater calamity. The Zhengyi Alliance is not like you—benevolent, righteous, and concerned for all beings. They seek to harm you underhandedly.”
Zhuofeng Xie, Hunyuan Jun, and others exchanged glances and then stepped forward:
“Alliance Leader, you cannot afford mercy. Consider the events of the previous Xiyuan Alliance. The Zhengyi Alliance sent assassins before. If not for your unrivaled skill, you could have been wounded. They plot poisonously. If you are injured, the Dark Beings will seize the chance to attack. This plan is truly insidious…”
Ling Yuling’s expression stiffened slightly.
Leaders of clans and sects present realized: indeed, the Zhengyi Alliance was cunning, scheming to divert disaster elsewhere. The Fatians’ Alliance’s current peace and security depended entirely on the Alliance Leader’s presence.
“Very well,” Gu Changge eventually said after some thought, “then as you say, let it be so. From today, the Fatians’ Alliance shall rise against the Zhengyi Alliance, purify the righteous, and rectify disorder.”
He then vanished from the hall.
Zhuofeng Xie, Hunyuan Jun, and others exchanged looks and transmitted the order.
Clan and sect leaders departed, prepared for the coming catastrophic bloodshed.
Across the Fatians’ territories and universes, the order to attack the Zhengyi Alliance spread. Simultaneously, the Zhengyi Alliance recalled its strong members to resist the impending invasion.
The already chaotic situation grew even more turbulent. Ordinary cultivators and beings were increasingly fearful.
Ancient warships tore through the depths of space, carving spacetime corridors as they traversed the vastness.
At the same time, Dark Beings appeared across multiple universes. Boundless black mist spread from distant reaches, consuming nearby worlds more directly than before.
Because of the standoff between the Fatians’ and Zhengyi Alliances, the Dark Beings became increasingly bold. They even took the opportunity to strike at the Zhengyi Alliance, old grudges and new conflicts erupting simultaneously.
Recently, the Zhengyi Alliance had lured Dark Beings into traps, inciting their fury. To many, it seemed the Fatians’ Alliance and Dark Beings were collaborating against the Zhengyi Alliance.
The black mist spread, rising like tidal waves, countless Dark Beings rushing toward the Zhengyi Alliance’s border. The scene was horrifying—like an apocalypse approaching.
The Zhengyi Alliance quickly mobilized strong members to resist, building massive dike-like walls and confronting the Dark Beings.
Divine light surged, ancient runes appeared, illuminating the cosmos in splendor. Within the walls, cultivators chanted ancient scripts, their third eyes glowing, spirits igniting, forging mighty, eternal walls that rivaled the heavens themselves.
In just a few days, the battles that erupted were unimaginably fierce, as if the cosmos were being torn apart and reformed.
On the other side of the walls, countless cultivators and beings fought desperately, unleashing weapons and Daoic patterns.
Brilliant light fell like mist, blanketing heaven and earth. The Dark Beings charged relentlessly, a black tide intent on destroying the defenses.
Blood and bones were strewn like rain across the battlefield. In the distant shattered universe, the fog thickened. Shadowy, terrifying forms stood, exuding an aura that made time and space tremble.
They confronted the strongest members of the Zhengyi Alliance across the void, their energy colliding through the vastness.
Previously destroyed and corrupted universes served as nests for the Dark Beings. Black mist rose skyward, an ominous and chaotic realm.
Amidst it, a crimson, luxurious carriage descended into the dark mist, bathed in faint bloodlight, exuding an icy aura.
A towering giant knelt respectfully beneath it, its head like a mountain. Four young, beautiful women attended around the carriage, holding golden plates, cups, and offering fruits and tea.
A white-clad beauty stood nearby, her gaze emotionless, like sculpted ice.
Inside the carriage, as the curtains were drawn, a snow-white jade hand reached out, plucking a translucent grape enveloped in purple mist from a golden plate, slowly bringing it to the soft, red lips of a languid, enchanting woman reclining on the couch.
She wore a red robe, her cloudlike hair partially revealing a fragrant shoulder. Her flawless skin dazzled the eyes; every gesture and smile was infinitely alluring, dimming even the light of the heavens.
“This Zhengyi Alliance resists more than I expected, but it’s all in vain,” she said.
“Liu Yun, don’t you agree?”
Her attendants collected the grape skin, glowing with purple mist and adorned with subtle runes—indescribable Daoic fruits containing profound secrets.
“The Qi Luo Sacrifice acts personally. The Zhengyi Alliance’s defenses will inevitably collapse,” the white-clad woman replied coolly.
“Such a petty alliance is not worth concern. It was founded only a few years ago, yet dares to resist us. Truly laughable,” the red-robed woman said.
“Still, in such a short time, they managed to unite multiple civilizations to form the Zhengyi Alliance. Whoever is behind that has some ability.”
The languid woman slowly sat up. By the window hung a birdcage, inside which a crimson-feathered, radiant Golden Canary fluttered. She reached out her flawless hand to tease the bird, muttering to herself—or perhaps to someone else.
The Golden Canary’s eyes blazed with anger, wings thrashing desperately, adorned with Daoic runes, yet unable to escape the cage.
The red-robed woman smirked, “Little one, if you keep this up, I won’t have the patience to play with you much longer.”
Her eyes were slightly squinted, lips tinged with faint pink, a beauty beyond mortal comprehension.
The white-clad woman lowered her head respectfully.
All Dark Beings bowed in unison as the red-robed woman stepped out of the carriage. Even distant, terrifying presences lowered their proud heads. The boundless black mist calmed, still as a vast, windless ocean.
Only the Golden Canary continued struggling, anger and defiance burning in its eyes, wings beating even as it bled.
The legendary Dragon-Canary, a creature of ancient myth, was in the eyes of the Qi Luo Sacrifice nothing more than a plaything—like a mere bird in a cage.