Stronger by Killing

Chapter 599: Chapter 326: Return to the Capital City, the Emperor Abdicates

Gu Zhan didn’t stay long in the Ten Thousand Mountains, but all told, the time he ended up spending was hardly brief. By the time he returned to Martial Emperor City, it was already the beginning of September.

Yunzhou lies to the north, so after entering late autumn, the weather drops sharply. Yet, today Martial Emperor City is different—after deep autumn, it remains as warm as early summer.

Because a strange sight has emerged outside Martial Emperor City—a bare mountain radiates scorching heat, making the whole city warm. That mountain is the one where, during Gu Zhan’s battle with the three Immortal Sects, the Spirit Control Sect Leader’s flaming treasure bottle was smashed and landed.

Gu Zhan had acted swiftly, diverting several nearby rivers to encircle the mountain and prevent uncontrollable fires. Even so, the mountain burned for nearly half a month before finally extinguishing; much of the rock was turned to sand and dust. Once the fire died down, the mountain continued to release high temperatures without ceasing, giving rise to this spectacle.

"Lately, lots of Martial Artists have started voluntarily cultivating at Treasure Bottle Mountain."

Inside Martial Emperor’s Mansion, Rong Yichu sat across from Gu Zhan, cupping his hands in greeting: "The effect is remarkably good, especially for those cultivating the Method of Divine Sight—the benefits are immense. That fire isn’t ordinary; it greatly helps temper the body."

Gu Zhan nodded slightly and said, "That being the case, maybe we should bring more body-tempering treasures to Martial Emperor City. Frankly, the difference between Martial Arts and Cultivation Dao is simply this: one cultivates fate, one refines the body. Cultivators emphasize the soul, transcendence of the spirit; Martial Artists emphasize the flesh, transcendence of the body!"

With that, Gu Zhan waved his hand and said, "Tell me about the recent developments."

Rong Yichu smiled faintly, cupping his hands: "Lord, after your battle with the Immortal Sects at mid-autumn, you established your name as Martial Emperor. Yunzhou became the only sacred ground for Martial Arts. Martial Artists from across the realm are flocking here.

More people means no shortage of talent. The number of those breaking through to Divine Sight Realm has exploded. But you can rest assured, Lord—after the last purge, Martial Emperor’s Mansion has established solid foundations. There won’t be any instability from rapid growth.

Furthermore, the battle at Martial Emperor City made Yunzhou the last pure land for Martial Artists. Most Martial Artists want to protect Yunzhou even more than we do; there’s little risk of chaos. And now, the Gu Family, Martial Arts Alliance, military, Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Beidou Bang have all been dealt with—the region is solid as iron."

Gu Zhan nodded and then asked, "Have you found the locations of Luoyun Sect and Yanyue Sect’s gates?"

Rong Yichu furrowed his brow slightly. "That’s exactly what I wanted to report to you today, Lord. There’s a bit of trouble."

Gu Zhan asked in confusion, "Oh? Do these two Sects have some hidden strength?"

Rong Yichu shook his head. "No special background with those two Sects—what matters is that your title as Martial Emperor has made the entire Cultivation Realm wary. Those two Sects were already crippled by you, barely worth anything. But the Cultivation Realm wants to use them to target our Martial Emperor’s Mansion."

Gu Zhan raised his brow slightly.

Rong Yichu continued, "Yanyue Sect and Luoyun Sect fled to Yunxi. They were immediately taken in by the major Immortal Sects of Qingzhou. Qingzhou, Liangzhou, and Cang Prefecture together have over a dozen Immortal Sects; they’ve joined forces to create a Ten Thousand Laws Immortal Alliance."

Gu Zhan frowned. "These Cultivation Sects have only just emerged from their Boundary Mini Grotto Heavens. They’ve been isolated for thousands of years—how did they form an alliance so fast?"

"It’s the trend of the times," Rong Yichu said. "Everyone knows that with the Spiritual Qi Revival, more Immortal Sects will appear—and the later they appear, the stronger they’ll be. Right now, those showing up are all second- and third-rate Sects. While they stand tall above the mortal world, they too fear that future, stronger Immortal Sects will emerge and leave them with no standing.

So these second- and third-rate Sects are starting to band together. Within Xia Kingdom, the Ten Thousand Laws Immortal Alliance was formed fastest. Many other regions’ Immortal Sects have also started to quietly lean toward joining alliances.

To these Immortal Sects, it’s the best option. After ten thousand years of the End of the Dharma Era, most Sects have vanished; one in ten Immortal Sects remain. This means there are plenty of resources in the Human World.

There’s no need for these Sects to battle each other for resources. Now, they can just negotiate territory division. An alliance provides a platform for resource allocation, and ensures that when future, stronger Immortal Sects emerge, they won’t lose all their voice."

Gu Zhan nodded and said, "That does make sense—the stage isn’t set for open competition yet. Only once the Cultivation Realm fully descends, and the order and rules are set, will there be a true fight for resources."

"Lord, you are wise," Rong Yichu smiled lightly. "Right now, mutual fighting is meaningless—the land is vast, and even more powerful Immortal Sects have yet to appear. Even if you seize something, it may not end up yours!"

Gu Zhan nodded slightly. "That’s true enough, but the Ten Thousand Laws Immortal Alliance has popped up fast, huh? It’s only been half a year since the Immortal Sects descended—barely past the chaos phase."